Last night the Assembly voted -- closely, as vote counts go, to approve the new statement on Human Sexuality. The vote required to pass was 2/3. The vote count was exactly -- and I mean exactly -- 2/3. So it passed.
Which means that our statement is now the official teaching of the ELCA. There is much in that statement in which I rejoice -- we rightly condemn sexual exploitation and sexual abuse; we condemn sexual promiscuity and caution against cohabitation (that section's a little weak in my estimation). By-in-large it's good, but the sections on dealing with GLBT people take us in a new direction, which you know I find problematic. It does counsel those folks to be in life-long, monogamous, committed relationships, and that, at least, is positive (as in, there ARE boundaries)
Right now we are in the midst of an extended discussion on the proposed changes in ministry "rostering" -- and how that would be ordered in our church. Since those questions require only a 50% vote plus one, I'm assuming that they will, in some form, pass, which means our church will be rostering pastors, AIMS, deaconesses, etc, who are openly/actively gay and lesbian. It doesn't look like anyone -- individual, congregation, or bishop -- will be compelled to agree or to act on these items, but it will be the teaching and the practice of our larger church.
The conversations we're engaging in is painful indeed. PLEASE keep us in prayer in these days.
More on last night's TORNADO striking our building later (Really!) We're fine, but it was interesting.
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