God’s Love Is Unconditional for Homosexuals (& Therefore for Everyone)
The Rev. Bradley Schmeling told his bishop and his congregation about his homosexual orientation before he was hired as pastor of the oldest Lutheran church in Atlanta, Georgia. After he had been on the job, he announced that he found a homosexual partner. His congregation gave a party for him and his partner.
Bishop Ronald Warren of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) asked Schmeling to resign. Schmeling did not resign, so Warren started disciplinary action.
According to a report in the Guardian (Jan. 18), “The ELCA…bars unmarried clergy — whether gay or straight — from having sex. The denomination believes that sex is reserved for marriage, and marriage for heterosexual couples. Still, many Lutheran churches support ordaining partnered gays, and perform same-sex blessing ceremonies despite the policy…. In 2005, delegates to an ELCA national meeting rejected a proposal to allow sexually active gays and lesbians in committed, long-term relationships to be ordained. Schmeling and his supporters say the policy barring sexually active gay pastors is discriminatory by forcing them to refrain from sex, while heterosexuals only have to wait for marriage.”
You May Also Enjoy
Morrie’s media-event “immortality” has been and will be denied to virtually every other dying soul. So what is this teacher teaching anyone here?
Ed. Note: During the 1985-1986 academic year, Henri J.M. Nouwen was a priest-in-residence at the…
Many, many priests and bishops knew Theodore McCarrick was a serial molester and yet, somehow, McCarrick got the ultimate appointment to the Archdiocese of Washington D.C., and was elevated to the rank of cardinal.