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| Anonymoose Warned This Split Was Coming in Canada, eh? |
A tale of two churches - News - The Moose Jaw Times Herald:
What would Jesus do? Amazingly, there can be more than one opinion on the subject.
When the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada (ELCC) passed motions at last summer’s national convention in Saskatoon, permitting homosexual ordination and same-sex marriages, it did so while also empowering each congregation to adhere to the new doctrines as each sees fit.
Moose Jaw’s Central Lutheran Church chose not to adhere. Rev. Bill Cantelon said ELCC had to allow individual congregations to decide whether they would accept the motions passed in 2011. Otherwise, he said, the results would have been dire for this branch of Lutheranism.
“If they said every congregation had to do it, it would have split the church,” he said, adding his congregation made what it felt to be the moral choice — recognizing homosexuality as a sin.
While Central Lutheran Church has chosen not to endorse gay or lesbian ministers, nor conduct same-sex marriages, Cantelon said gays and lesbians are still very much welcome within the walls of his church as members of the congregation, as are all sinners.
In the Jan. 27 edition of the Times-Herald, Central Lutheran Church ran an advertisement stating at its annual general meeting on Jan. 22 the church passed a motion opposing the calling of pastors or diaconal ministers who are self-declared gays or lesbians.
As well, the advertisement stated the local congregation had voted to oppose the “conducting of legal marriages or blessing of same-sex civil unions in the church or by a pastor authorized by this congregation.” The church ran radio advertisements of a similar bent.
In response, representatives from St. Andrew’s United Church submitted a letter to the editor in the Times-Herald (appearing in today’s edition) expressing disappointment with those recent decisions of Central Lutheran’s congregation.
“As followers of Christ we can only pray for those who feel hurt and abandoned by the actions of this church,” the letter states, which is signed by 27 members of the local United Church, including Rev. Lynne Clarke.
“Our interest was just to say that this is hurtful for gays and lesbians, and we stand beside them,” Clarke said.
But Clarke understands just what an emotional issue this is within all Christian denominations. A minister since the early ‘90s, Clarke said she remembers the United Church of Canada (UCC) struggling with the same issues of homosexual ministers and same sex marriages in 1988.
In fact, she said while the church as a whole allows gay and lesbian ordination, individual churches within the UCC family are still permitted to decide whether they will allow same-sex marriages within their chapel walls. As for St. Andrew’s, it has chosen to support such marriages.
“The way this world is must be very difficult for them,” Clarke said in regards to gays and lesbians. She said it must have been very painful for homosexual Moose Javians to see and hear the recent Central Lutheran Church advertisements.
“Maybe someone needs to speak up for them.”
However, Cantelon said he finds it frustrating this single issue regarding one of the 667 sins mentioned in the Bible receives so much focus in society. He said his church is also concerned with the sins of alcoholism, gambling and adultery (among others), but loves those who practice these sins no less because they are sinners, which is the same with homosexuality.
The way gay and lesbian marriage and homosexual ordination has been allowed to become so divisive within and between church denominations, Cantelon said, is what he considers a possible example of Satan’s work in the world, trying to turn Christian against Christian.
“We still love our neighbour.”
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| ELCiC Bishop Johnson |
Rev. Susan Johnson, national bishop for ELCC, told the Times-Herald the motions passed at the recent Saskatoon national convention only came after lengthy contemplation, discussion and debate.
“This was years in the making,” she said, adding ELCC recognizes how controversial gay marriage and ordination is for its members. She said believers on either side of this debate could be angered by the national body’s decision.
Therefore, Johnson said the church decided what was best was allowing each congregation to choose what it would allow in this regards, and those who took a formal vote submitted the results to regional Synod offices.
Johnson said she does not have, at this time, any figures as to what percentage of ELCC congregations have rejected the motions passed by the national governing body.
How does Johnson think the church’s stance will impact the organization in the years ahead? “I think it’s too early to say at this point,” she said.
The female bishop noted that 35 years ago ELCC was debating the ordination of women. Several decades later, and with many women having built careers as Lutheran ministers within the denomination, Johnson said there are still those in her church who would not support the ordination of those women.
“It just takes time for things to settle out.”
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