wfn.org | LCMS President Responds to ELCA Task Force Recommendation, Statement

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Title: LCMS President Responds to ELCA Task Force Recommendation, Statement
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

>February 27, 2009  

LCMS President Responds to ELCA Task Force Recommendation, Statement
09-053-MRC

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The president of the Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS) expressed "great disappointment
and deep sadness" as he shared comments with the LCMS on the
content of two documents from the Task Force for the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Studies on
Sexuality.

The ELCA is the largest Lutheran church body in North
America with 4.7 million members.  The LCMS is the second
largest with 2.4 million members.

The task force released a "Report and Recommendation
on Ministry Policies," which focuses on changing the standard
that "ordained ministers who are homosexual in their
self-understanding are expected to abstain from homosexual
sexual relationships" -- as stated in the ELCA's "Vision and
Expectations" for ordained ministers.  The same expectation
applies to associates in ministry, diaconal ministers and
deaconesses.

The task force also released "Human Sexuality: Gift
and Trust," a proposed social statement that addresses a
spectrum of topics relevant to human sexuality from a Lutheran
perspective.

Both documents released Feb. 19 will be considered by
voting members at the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly -- the
church's chief legislative body -- Aug. 17-23 in Minneapolis.

In a letter to LCMS members, the Rev. Gerald B.
Kieschnick, LCMS president, said if the recommendation should
be adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly "it would
constitute a radical departure from the 2,000-year-long
teaching of the Christian tradition that homosexual activity,
whether inside or outside of a committed relationship, is
contrary to Holy Scripture."

Kieschnick said the LCMS has repeatedly affirmed that
the historical understanding of the Christian church is that
the Bible condemns homosexual behavior as "intrinsically
sinful."

In the coming months, Kieschnick said the LCMS will hold
the ELCA in prayer as ELCA leaders and members "discuss,
debate and determine the outcome of the task force report"
and recommendation.

Kieschnick also reminded LCMS members of a resolution
passed by the church's 2001 convention that the LCMS "cannot
consider (the ELCA) to be an orthodox church body," but "we
of the LCMS recognize that many of our brothers and sisters
of the ELCA remain faithful to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and we resolve to reach out to them in love and
support."

For information contact:

John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog