Title: ELCA Lutherans Issue Message on Sexuality
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
November 12, 1996
LUTHERANS ISSUE MESSAGE ON SEXUALITY
96-26-079-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- "Sexuality: Some Common Convictions" is a
message the Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America adopted here Nov. 9 to summarize the "areas for which there
appears to be consensus within this church" on issues related to
human sexuality. The actual text of the message will be made
public when it has arrived in the church's 11,000 congregations.
In presenting the message recommended by the board of the ELCA
Division for Church in Society, the Rev. Karen L. Bloomquist, ELCA
director for studies, said the message starts with a theological
framework, moves through several issues related to human sexuality
and returns to the theological framework.
The division develops social statements for action by the
Church Council and the biennial churchwide assembly, and it
develops messages on social issues for action by the 37-member
Church Council. Social statements usually define church policy,
while messages are "persuasive, non-policy communications on
timely, urgent social issues."
The ELCA has been studying the topic of human sexuality since
1989 with the hopes of developing a social statement on the
subject. Two drafts of a possible statement were met with great
interest and largely negative response, but portions of the drafts
were praised for clearly stating the church's opposition to abuses
of human sexuality. In August 1995 the council suspended the
process toward a social statement.
"One of the major areas of deliberation was how much to
include of the church's continuing discussions on homosexuality,"
said Bloomquist. The board decided homosexuality is not an area
of consensus and "did not want that to become the main thing people
were looking for when they picked up this document," she said.
Therefore, it is not addressed in the message.
The council made a few wording changes to the proposed text
before adopting it.
The Rev. Charles S. Miller, executive director of the ELCA
Division for Church in Society, told the council the approved text
will be delivered to Augsburg Fortress Publishers, Minneapolis, on
Nov. 11. The publishing house will mail the message to all ELCA
congregations on Nov. 18. Electronic release via the Lutherlink
network and the ELCA web page is scheduled for Nov. 25.
"Collaboration is a virtue," said Miller. "In the case of
this message it was a necessity." A message is usually "a
rehearsal of what this church teaches," he said. This message adds
"on what we agree."
Since last fall when the council gave it the assignment to
develop the message, the division has worked with a 10-member
advisory committee and a consultant -- the Rev. Roland Martinson,
professor of pastoral theology, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.
It also gave the ELCA Conference of Bishops advance copies to
critique.
The Rev. H. George Anderson, ELCA presiding bishop, called the
message "a well-reviewed document."
"This message moves us at a calculated pace to address but not
to be consumed by this topic," said Miller. He described another
project related to the church's discussions on human sexuality -
- deliberations on homosexuality.
The Division for Church in Society assembled a task force in
August to plan "a process for moral deliberation" in the ELCA on
the topic of homosexuality. The group included members of the
Conference of Bishops, Division for Ministry, Office of the Bishop,
Faith and Life Forum and Lutherans Concerned. Lutherans Concerned
is a society for understanding among homosexual and heterosexual
Lutherans.
A series of four "pilot" events in 1997 will test models for
openly discussing homosexuality and the Christian faith in a "safe
and civil" atmosphere. The task force will evaluate the events at
the end of 1997 and prepare recommendations for 1998.
In 1995 the council decided that "any decision related to the
scheduling of a possible social statement on human sexuality will
not be made until after the 1997 Churchwide Assembly," which will
be held Aug. 14-20 in Philadelphia.
For information contact: Ann Hafften, Dir., ELCA News Service, (312)
380-2958 or [log in to unmask]; Frank Imhoff, Assoc. Dir., (312)
380-2955 or [log in to unmask]
