LCMS President Kieschnick responds to ELCA decision affirming homosexual clergy
Posted on August 27th, 2009
The two largest Lutheran church bodies in the United States are the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) with 4.8 million members and The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) with 2.4 million members.
On Friday, Aug. 21, the Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to open the ministry of the ELCA to gay and lesbian pastors and other professional workers living in “committed relationships.” In an earlier action, the assembly approved a resolution that commits the ELCA “to finding ways to allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support, and hold publicly accountable life-long, monogamous, same-gender relationships.”
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod has repeatedly affirmed as its own position the historical understanding of the Christian church that the Bible condemns homosexual behavior as “intrinsically sinful.” It is therefore contrary to the will of the Creator and constitutes sin against the commandments of God (Lev. 18:22, 24,20:13; 1 Cor. 6:9-20; 1 Tim 1:9-10; and Rom. 1:26, 27).
Addressing the ELCA assembly on Saturday, Aug. 22, I responded to their aforementioned actions, stating: “The decisions by this assembly to grant non-celibate homosexual ministers the privilege of serving as rostered leaders in the ELCA and the affirmation of same-gender unions as pleasing to God will undoubtedly cause additional stress and disharmony within the ELCA. It will also negatively affect the relationships between our two church bodies. The current division between our churches threatens to become a chasm. This grieves my heart and the hearts of all in the ELCA, the LCMS, and other Christian church bodies throughout the world who do not see these decisions as compatible with the Word of God, or in agreement with the consensus of 2,000 years of Christian theological affirmation regarding what Scripture teaches about human sexuality. Simply stated, this matter is fundamentally related to significant differences in how we [our two church bodies] understand the authority of Holy Scripture and the interpretation of God’s revealed and infallible Word.”
Doctrinal decisions adopted already in 2001 led the LCMS, in sincere humility and love, to declare that we could no longer consider the ELCA “to be an orthodox Lutheran church body” (2001 Res 3-21A). Sadly, the decisions of this past week to ignore biblical teaching on human sexuality have reinforced that conclusion. We respect the desire to follow conscience in moral decision making, but conscience may not overrule the Word of God.
We recognize that many brothers and sisters within the ELCA, both clergy and lay, are committed to remaining faithful to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, are committed to the authority of Holy Scripture, and strongly oppose these actions. To them we offer our assurance of loving encouragement together with our willingness to provide appropriate support in their efforts to remain faithful to the Word of God and the historic teachings of the Lutheran church and all other Christian churches for the past 2,000 years.
Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, President
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
Source: LCMS Web site
Anybody that honestly searches the scriptures knows homosexuality is wrong. Yes, I sin too, but I dare not call it anything but sin. I have spoken to many ELCA pastors AND lay people about the matter and have even offered (in word and letter) to publicly debate the matter. Two years later, I have yet to hear anyone with the backbone to do it. Apparently scripture just doesn't matter to a lot of them. I even know of an ELCA pastor that thinks Jesus is NOT the only way to the Father. SHE has trouble with John 14:6, and Acts 4:12. Sadly, there are still some conservatives in ELCA that are getting railroaded by the liberals. Remember them in our prayers.
Gerald Kieschnick has no room to talk. The LCMS treats their workers in an ungodly way. I am a Lutheran ELCA for over 40 years, and I never thought LCMS Lutherans could do this to ELCA Lutherans, but they do!! So he'd better come down from his high horse. Bishop Hanson, too, writes about "Islamophobia". Am I missing something? Arent they the ones who wreaked havoc on our blessed United States 9-11? Something's wrong….We're being sold out by our government and now the church. You can do your own research. Lutheran World Relief wants us to forgive the debts of all nations, The Jubilee Act, without any strings. We, as a nation, are tax-strapped anyway, and our employment is at an all time high, and we're supposed to forgive debts of other impoverished countries "just like that". I'd like someone to forgive my debts "just like that."
Carol, could you please explain how "the LCMS treats their workers in an ungodly way"?
I'm not really sure how your comments about Bishop Hanson and Lutheran World Relief (which has no LCMS affiliation) is relevant to your criticism of President Kieschnick. Please explain.