Encouragement to Pray for the ELCA Church

Stephen Lee of the GRAND FORKS HERALD reports:

In what promises to be a controversial move unprecedented in the history of Lutheranism in the United States, a national task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recommends that the nation's largest Lutheran denomination change its policy and allow homosexual clergy to live in "committed, same-gender relationships."

I am not a part of the Lutheran Church. But I am a part of the Church. This recommendation by the national task force leaves me quite concerned. I do recognize that the recommendation of the national task force does not mean it will be a recommendation of the whole ELCA Lutheran Church. So in the mean time, while we wait for the response, please be in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Christ. As we think of this recommendation and the response of the Church to those who live in gay and lesbian lifestyles, I have a few thoughts.

Here are a few of my thoughts and concerns:
• Love does not mean that every passion and desire must be accommodated. I get very concerned with all of us, not just those who support this particular issue, who ask that the Church love us by not teach against our behaviors or by accommodating our lifestyle or sin of choice. If indeed we believe the Holy Bible as the Word of God then our lifestyles and behaviors are to be shaped by the Scriptures. I was in a discussion recently with someone, not from my community, who was upset that the people he is in relationship with keep discussing with him the inappropriateness of his extra-marital affair. His comments began to lean into phrases like “if they loved me they would stop talking about it,” “If they cared about me they would know that this is best for me.” I want to say that love does not just sit by and watch as people line their lives up contrary to the teachings of the Bible. This is particularly true of those who claim relationship with Jesus Christ. The contrary would be our call: "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently." This act of gentle restoration is the call to all followers of Jesus Christ.

• Love means caring enough to warn, to correct, to encourage, and exercise patience. I understand that there are areas of our lives where we struggle to live into the teachings of the Bible. This is true in my life as well. But the struggle to become more and more what the Bible teaches is a wonderful walk of life. But when we modify or lower the call of Christ to live into the Scriptures then by default miss out on the wonder and beauty of being shaped by Christ and His Spirit. I think of the Apostle Paul who asked God three times to remove a particular struggle. We don’t know what that struggle was, but we do know that it was not removed. And that Paul was taught that the grace of God is sufficient to see him through the struggle. This is the way that passage reads: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” God was teaching Paul that there is something of power that is displayed in weakness. How many times do we accommodate the sinful behaviors in our own lives and miss out on the transforming power of God’s grace.

• I am confronted periodically by the question, “What if homosexuals are born that way.” My response is simple, but not without compassion. I honestly don’t think that the issue is about being born a certain way or not. Birth “programming” does not eliminate the opportunity to be shaped by truth and to strive to live into something that fits God’s design for life. I am told that the average male has a propensity or birth programming that inclines us to desire many sexual partners. Some have even said that monogamy is not the natural design for men. I am not arguing that as true or false, but would like to make a comment regarding it. If it is true, which I would personally tend to say that it is, this does not mean that we then throw out the call of Scripture to fidelity in marriage. There is, according to Scripture, a better way of living. And for the individual who by birth programming or nature has a desire for multiple sexual partners God would invite us into dependence upon Him for the strength to live according to His call.

• However the outcome of the ELCA’s decision. The call of all in the church to one another and outside the church is to love. I get concerned on the “other side’ of this issue when I listen to “Christians” who seem to take pleasure in bashing those with gay and lesbian tendencies and or lifestyles. The call to the Church is to love with the love of Jesus Christ. We must not change the biblical standard for living to accommodate either group. We cannot biblically accommodate the gay and lesbian lifestyle. And we cannot accommodate Biblically a lifestyle of not loving.

A partner in the gospel,

Pastor Paul