Sexuality Studies Progress Report

The pace of the ELCA Studies on Sexuality has begun to quicken. We now have our first study document in circulation. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s “A Message on Sexuality: Some Common Convictions” Text and Discussion Questions is Part One of ELCA Studies on Sexuality, Journey Together Faithfully. It has been sent out in Action Packets and is available on the website: www.elca.org/faithfuljourney from which it can be downloaded and reproduced. It can also be ordered from the Augsburg Fortress ELCA Distribution Service at 1-800-328-4648, item 69-8681. It is vital to work with this document as a first step in our studies process. The Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality and the director’s office would like to have feedback from congregations and other groups by spring of 2003.

The second meeting of the task force took place Sept. 13-15. Members had prepared papers in which they attempted to identify the strongest arguments on all sides of the issues related to the blessing of same sex unions and the admission of person in such committed unions to the rostered ministries of the church. This forced everyone to try to understand all sides regardless of their own position – a good model for our dialogue in the church. The discussion of these papers and readings that included Merton Strommen’s book, The Church and Homosexuality: Searching for a Middle Ground and Christopher Bataldan Scharen’s book, Married in the Sight of God, produced a productive dialogue marked by active listening and lively exchange of ideas and insights. It was great.

The task force has identified broad areas of concern that will frame the next steps toward development of study materials for Part Two, the study of homosexuality. Attention will be given to:

1) biblical interpretation and how Lutherans interpret scripture,

2) basic themes in Lutheran theology such as Law and Gospel, Law and Creation, and love in relation to Law and Gospel,

3) the witness of the Christian tradition, including the history of Lutheran actions regarding homosexuality,

4) the witness of experience in dialogue with science, as a sign of the Spirit’s work, and as expressed in stories,

5) the ecumenical and worldwide Lutheran contexts of these discussions,

6) the scientific and social-cultural contexts,

7) respect for the conscience of all in the church.

A sub-committee of the task force will work together before the next meeting to develop this material into a preliminary vision of what the study materials may involve.

Consultations planned for the next two meetings include representatives of the gay and lesbian communities, pastors and other who advocate maintaining current policies, representative theologians of various views, and a diverse panel of social and behavioral scientists. Other consultations and the persons involved will be available later.

The task force began the process of identifying goals for the studies in terms of what they hope the church will be able to say about the process when it is complete. These included the following:

1) it has been faithful to the church’s call,

2) the church has been able to discuss a hard issue without undue division,

3) we have grown in our understanding of the Bible and its interpretation,

4) we have a more comprehensive understanding of sexuality in all its dimensions,

5) we have engaged all generations,

6) it has strengthened our witness in the world,

6) it has produced an honest and faithful outcome.

Finally, the task force recognized the need to stress that the resolutions establishing these studies at the 2001 Churchwide Assembly came in response to initiatives from a number of synods, not from the churchwide offices or the conference of bishops. It was a grassroots initiative. Furthermore, the two resolutions that mandated the homosexuality study regarding the blessing of same sex unions and the admission of persons in such committed unions to the rostered ministries of the church are being honored together in the conduct of this study and the recommendations that may grow out of it for the 2005 Churchwide Assembly. The language of either of the resolutions should not be understood to require actions that create specific changes. What will be recommended is truly unknown at this point.