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Lutherans showing reluctance to discuss sexuality issues
Episcopal News Service
Issue:
Section:
2003-035-3
Posted: Tuesday, February 18, 2003
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Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) told a meeting of the church's Studies on Sexuality Task Force at a February 7-9 meeting that, during his travels around the church, he senses a reluctance among Lutherans to discuss sexuality issues.
Hanson encouraged the task force to return the topic of sexuality to 'the culture of faith' and to 'take the moment, as uncomfortable as it is.' The task force has assembled two panels of consultants as it prepares study materials to encourage church members to talk about blessing same-gender relationships and accepting clergy living in such relationships. One purpose of the study is to shape recommendations for the 2005 Churchwide Assembly to set policies and to develop a social statement on sexuality to be considered in 2007.
'We are very much still in a process of listening and studying and learning,' said Bishop Margaret G. Payne of the New England Synod, chair of the task force. 'This spring is a particularly intense time as we meet with various groups.' At April meetings the task force will hear from a panel of theologians and members of the scientific community. 'We're wrestling very much with how to encourage the whole church to engage more fully' in the study, she said.
'Human sexuality is broken all over the place,' said Bishop Peter Strommen of the Northeastern Synod and a member of the task force. He questioned whether blessing same-gender relationships could bring healing in much the same way that marriage does. Some on the panel said that the church would be 'condoning ' or 'endorsing' homosexuality if it blessed same-gender relationships. Others urged the church to concentrate on what the Bible says about sexual relationships.
Following panel presentations from both sides on the issues, Payne said that she believed that 'what was helpful for us was to have those positions embodied in people and have them speak individually about their thoughts, their pastoral experiences and their views of Scripture,' said Payne. 'Each task force meeting we have gives us a chance to move deeper into the studies. Each group we meet with and talk with helps us to understand more of the complexities of the issue.'
(Information on the study is available at http://www.elca.org/faithfuljourney.)
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