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2001-138

News Briefs

Lutheran bishop resigning after participating in ordination of lesbian

     (ENS) The Rev. Paul Egertson, bishop of the Southern California (West) Synod 
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, (ELCA) has announced that he will 
resign July 31, in the wake of his controversial participation in the April 28 
ordination of a noncelibate lesbian in Minnesota.

     Egertson is a strong advocate of ordaining gays and lesbians who are living 
in committed relationships, despite an ELCA policy prohibiting such ordinations. 
The bishop has a gay son who has not been approved for ordination because of the 
policy requiring clergy who are homosexual in their self-understanding to avoid 
same-gender relationships. He has also been criticized by his colleagues in the 
Conference of Bishops for participating in blessing gay and lesbian 
relationships.

     Egertson joined several retired bishops and dozens of clergy in the 
ordination of Anita Hill in St. Paul where she has been on the staff of St. Paul-
Reformation Church for 14 years. In 1995 he said that he would resign if he ever 
felt that he must defy church policy. Presiding Bishop H. George Anderson asked 
him to honor that promise and Egertson decided to comply. He will not face 
disciplinary action as a result.

     In a letter to his clergy announcing his decision, Egertson said that his 
promise to resign "makes this a matter of personal integrity rather than 
reforming strategy," arguing that he did not believe "our cause would be advanced 
by breaking my promises." He also said that his resignation should not be 
interpreted as a repudiation of his participation but rather a decision that he 
could not "enforce a policy that is so hurtful to people and to this church."

     

Australian churches call on nation to acknowledge 'stolen generations'

     (ENI) The National Council of Churches in Australia has called on the nation 
to implement a set of recommendations in a controversial report about the forced 
removal of indigenous children from their families during six decades of the last 
century.

     The churches cooperated with government authorities in the removal of many 
Aboriginal children, now referred to as the "stolen generations," between 1910 
and 1970. It remains one of the most sensitive and hotly debated issues in 
Australian society. Many of the children were placed in institutions operated by 
the churches where they were expected to adapt to the dominant white culture.

     The council represents 13 major churches, including Roman Catholic, 
Anglican, Lutheran, Uniting, Orthodox churches and the Salvation Army. The 
council's executive body has recommended establishing a "healing commission" and 
a government fund to assist and compensate the victims of the removal policy. The 
council will also seek to educate the churches on their involvement in the 
removals and address allegations of abuse in church-related institutions.

     In a public statement, the council's executive described the removals as a 
"complex tragedy," adding that "the fundamental truth of the stories of the 
Stolen Generations, and their pain, cannot be denied."

     

Duke will survey clergy on pastoral leadership

     (ENS) Duke University Divinity School is conducting a nationwide survey of 
1,450 clergy as part of what it says is the most comprehensive study ever done on 
pastoral leadership in America.

     "We want to see what excellent ministry looks like, what nurtures it and the 
relationship between leadership and congregational vitality," said Prof. Jackson 
Carroll who will direct "Pulpit and Pew: Research on Pastoral Leadership." He 
said that the "major emphasis will be on pastors of Christian churches--
everything from storefronts to mega-churches--but Buddhists, Jews and Muslims 
will also be surveyed."

     The survey will document the call to ministry, the educational backgrounds 
of clergy, the time spent in the various ministerial roles, family life concerns, 
and leadership styles. The survey will also look at the morale and stress factors 
of clergy, their emotional and physical health, and the support they receive from 
their congregations and denominations.

     The survey is a key component of a four-year research project, funded by the 
Lilly Endowment, to strengthen the quality of clergy and lay leaders. Leaders 
from 24 Christian denominations--including the Episcopal Church--are serving as 
advisors and participating in the project.

     "The Duke study will be of great assistance to all denominations that 
struggle to understand the factors that affect pastoral leadership in the third 
millennium of the church," said Bishop Gerald Kincanas of the Roman Catholic 
Archdiocese of Chicago. 

     

Church leaders call on President Bush to end some sanctions against Iraq

     (ENS) The directors of the Washington offices of key American churches have 
signed a letter to President George W. Bush calling for a quick end to the 
comprehensive economic sanctions against Iraq.

     "We have been deeply concerned over the years by evidence that the current 
embargo against Iraq is contributing to falling living standards and life 
expectancy," said the May 21 letter. "By almost every measure--such as 
malnutrition, child mortality and overall morbidity--the situation of Iraqi 
civilians, especially those in rural areas and the poorest, has deteriorated 
markedly."

     The letter said that the church leaders were encouraged by comments from 
Secretary of State Colin Powell that said the United States should "eliminate 
those items in the sanctions regime that really were of civilian use and 
benefited people, and focus them exclusively on weapons of mass destruction."

     The letter argued that "restrictions on normal trade in civilian goods 
should be lifted…. It is time for new approaches and we find Secretary Powell's 
recent words in this context refreshing and reflective of our own views."

     Tom Hart, director of the Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations, 
was among those who signed the letter, joined by Roman Catholic, Lutheran, 
Quaker, Mennonite, Presbyterian, Reformed Church in America, Church of the 
Brethren, Unitarian/Universalist, United Church of Christ, Christian Church and 
United Methodist colleagues.