Complete Story
08/21/2009
Day 4-5: Yesterday was exhilarating and dispiriting all at the same time
Friends,
Yesterday was exhilarating and dispiriting all at the same time. The vote earlier in the week on Sexuality continued to be played out. The same arguments were rehearsed by mostly the same people as we prepared today (Friday) to vote on the four minsitry reccomendations. As we considered other submitted resolutions impacting this, every vote broke roughly along the 2/3 - 1/3 line, even the procedural ones. At one point one of the proponents for change, a sincere young man who had been working for this since 1999 when he appeared as a representive of LYO, rose to the microphone to plead that those who opposed the action, like he and those who were with him, remained in the church after every legislative rebuff.
I wonder if that is what we truly want, or can reasonably expect from those who are passionately opposed? I know the simple answer is yes, but the complex answer, which derives form our cavalier (and in my judgement innappropriateuse) of "bound conscience" would seem to mitigate not. Would it be faithful for them to relive the past 10 years, only now the opposite side - organizing, promoting, inexorably building a case to roll back the vote? That is proabably not what he meant, but that is what some heard.
Personally, I hope we do not do this. Friday's vote may tell the tale.
This is a different church. I am one who embraces change, or ignores it, but am hardly ever repelled by it. This stands no different for me. But the church is not the world, nor should it be. This is a different church, and if it is our hope to carry this issue of sexual respect and relational responsibility forward from here, we will have to go to plan 'B'.
You see we have recieved official letters from three of our LWF partner churches, the Silesian Church, The Church of Singapore, and sadly the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania that clearly state they will break fellowship, or re-evaluate our relationships based on our decisions. We have as much to gain from these relationships. They are growing, we are not. And I greive these results. As I wrote earlier we might have walked a third way and made an intentional effort to include them. It is inconceiveble to me that we who boldly carried the news of Jesus Christ risen from the dead should now assume that this message of inclusion, responsibility and the love of Christ is too sophistcated or culturally foreign to engage them. We did not try. It is lamentable and worthy of our repentant sorrow.
But it is what it is and now the question is, as our Bishop reminds us, what shall our witness be?
I know that he wold want us to POINT to the other actions of this assembly . The Lutheran Malaria Initiaive, the HIV/AIDS initiave, our full communion agreement with the United Methodist Church, all actions worthy of praise and passed with 95% approval or more, proving that we are, indeed, a church of one mind with much, much in common.
But I cannot help but think how these actions will impact even these godly endeavors. All of them cost money, and congregations and synods are already starving this church of resources. In the face of this action, my fear is that these worthy, wonderful, Lutheran witnesses will be still born. I pray I am wrong but our own history mitigates otherwise.
Today will tell the tale, I think that if we are able to postpone or delay discussion or amend or expalin clearly, passionately and deeply the important content of these four resolutions, we may yet be able to lay a foundation for future concesus. If, on the other hand, we rehearse the same tired arguments, and walk out of here 2/3 - 1/3, I fear for our future.
This is a new church, what shall our witness be?
Pray for us, borthers and sisters, it has rained non stop since the decision , the air is heavy, the stress has kicked up my asthma, I have missed worship the past 2 days to return to my room for breathing treatments, and I am getting dispirited by all the anxiety and negativitiy. We need the sun to come out, we need the air to clear (literally for me) and we need the spirit to move among us building a new unity.
In his opening sermon our presiding Bishop asked us to 'breathe' - I pray that I can, literally!
Yesterday, in an excellent Bible Study, Bishop Crist of Montana spoke eloquently and passionatley on the ELCA motto; "Our Work, God's Hands." I wish we had begun with this, it might have provided a framework for our later deliberations beyond the rubrics, rules and recriminations. But it is never too late, even death must precede resurrection.
This is a new church, what shall our witness be?
We shall see.
Craig Fourman
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