Evangelical Lutheran national assembly asks bishops to keep gay ...

Evangelical Lutheran national assembly asks bishops to keep gay ...
Kansas City Star, MO -

A national assembly of Evangelical Lutherans urged bishops Saturday not to defrock gay and lesbian ministers who violate a celibacy rule, but rejected measures permitting ordination of gays churchwide.

Still, advocates for full inclusion of gays were encouraged, calling the resolution a powerful statement in support of clergy with same-gender partners.

The conservative group Lutheran CORE, however, said that bishops will now feel more secure in ignoring denomination policy.

The 538-431 vote came on the final day of a weeklong meeting in Chicago — and after emotional debate over how the denomination should interpret what the Bible says about homosexuality.

Like other mainline Protestant groups, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has been struggling for decades to reconcile differences on the issue.

A task force is near the end of an eight-year study on human sexuality, which is expected to culminate in the 2009 release of a social statement that will heavily influence church policy.

The current clergy standards require ministers to "abstain from homosexual sexual relationships." Earlier this year, Bradley Schmeling, a pastor in Atlanta, was removed from the clergy roster after he told his bishop that he was in a relationship with a man.

However, even before Saturday's vote, liberal-leaning bishops had refused to enforce the rule.

Theological liberals believe that the overarching message of Scripture is full acceptance for all people.

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