At 4:44 P.M Central time the ELCA Churchwide Assembly voted 559 to 451 to allow practicing homosexuals on their roster of professional church workers, including pastors. This decision furthers the ELCA’s fall from scriptural truth which began with the rejection of Biblical inerrancy, continued with the adoption of women’s ordination, and now includes the endorsement of the sin of homosexuality even to the point of allowing practicing homosexuals into the office of the holy ministry.
As we warned yesterday, the LCMS needs to pay close attention to this. It is hard to find anyone in the LCMS who openly agrees with the ELCA’s new position on homosexuality but they are there. After all, there is a music director in our syond who is a gay activist and despite having knowledge of this for six months, President Kieschnick has not exercised his responsibility and authority to bring an end to this unacceptable situaiton. Also, there are many who support women’s ordination within the LCMS. They too are not all that visible but the path toward women’s ordination that they have supported is quite visible and even official. It was just three years ago at the last LCMS convention that the synod voted to allow women elders, chairs of congregations and communion assistants. Is it not clear that we are headed down the same path as the ELCA?
The ELCA has allowed the culture to determine its theology. The current leadership of the LCMS allows the culture to determine our practice in areas of worship and as noted above the holding of church office and communion assistant. Neither theology nor practice should be determined by culture but should be solely caused by Scripture. We pray that you will use the next 11 months left until our own synod convention to learn more about this LCMS slide toward allowing the culture to determine our doctrine and practice and to do what you can to stop it.