{"id":570,"date":"2009-08-24T14:25:42","date_gmt":"2009-08-24T14:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/progressiverevival\/2009\/08\/lutheran-gay-rights.html"},"modified":"2009-08-24T14:25:42","modified_gmt":"2009-08-24T14:25:42","slug":"lutheran-gay-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/2009\/08\/lutheran-gay-rights.html","title":{"rendered":"Lutheran Gay Rights!"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

Timothy Palmer is the\u00a0Director of Policy and Communication at the\u00a0<\/span><\/a>Religious
\nInstitute: Faithful Voices on Sexuality and Religion<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Those of us who are both openly gay and openly Christian (and
\nhappily reconciled in the two) are used to the deliberate pace that many
\nChristian denominations have taken toward fully embracing their lesbian, gay,
\nbisexual and transgender (LGBT) congregants.\u00a0 <\/span>Having consecrated one openly gay bishop in 2003, it took
\nthe Episcopal Church another six years to give itself permission to (maybe)
\ndoing it again.\u00a0 <\/span>The Lutherans
\napproved a progressive statement on human sexuality by the slimmest of margins last
\nweek, while the Presbyterians narrowly defeated a measure in the spring that
\nwould have permitted the ordination of openly gay and lesbian clergy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Every time, the media played up the schism angle.\u00a0 <\/span>And every time, the media missed the
\nbigger story.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Every controversial vote and painstaking step forward shrouds
\nwhat are, in fact, stunning advances for LGBT people of faith. \u00a0<\/span>The mainline traditions are either
\nmoving forward on this issue or, at worst, standing in place.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The Presbyterian vote, while
\nleaving existing polity unchanged, revealed a notable shift in favor of gay and
\nlesbian clergy, enough to put opponents on their heels when the question is considered
\nagain.\u00a0 <\/span>In the Episcopal Church,
\nthe attention paid to the election of gay and lesbian bishops overshadowed a host
\nof other actions:\u00a0 <\/span>resolutions
\nsupporting transgender civil rights, pastoral support for blessing same-sex
\nmarriages and unions, and new liturgical resources for same-sex ceremonies to
\nbe considered in 2012.<\/p>\n

As for the Lutherans, the adoption of the social statement Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust<\/i><\/a>,
\nspurred convention delegates to approve a measure allowing partnered lesbian
\nand gay persons to serve in ministry.\u00a0
\n<\/span>What’s significant here is that the Lutherans not only upheld the
\nequality and dignity of lesbian and gay persons as<\/i> individuals<\/i>, but of lesbian
\nand gay persons in relationship<\/i>.\u00a0 <\/span>The newly approved Lutheran statement
\ntreads tantalizingly close to recognizing same-sex marriage before pulling
\nback.\u00a0 <\/span>But it is clear where
\nLutheran theology is leading.<\/p>\n

All in all, it has been a blessed summer for LGBT
\nChristians.\u00a0 <\/span>Opponents are,
\npredictably, predicting
\nfallout<\/a> – that membership in Lutheran and Episcopal congregations will
\ncontinue to decline.\u00a0 <\/span>But who is to
\nsay whether denominations suffer from too much progressive action or from too
\nlittle of it?\u00a0 <\/span>Some congregations
\nthat have taken deliberate steps to welcome LGBT persons and families have
\nsuffered temporary declines in membership. \u00a0<\/span>But many find they attract new members over time, including
\nsame-sex and heterosexual couples who want to raise their children in inclusive
\ncommunities of faith.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So rather than counting how many people march out of
\nEpiscopal and Lutheran parishes, how about we watch for how many march in?\u00a0 <\/span>If the arc of history truly does bend
\ntoward justice, then perhaps the Episcopal and Lutheran leadership have not so
\nmuch gambled their immediate futures as invested in their long-term vitality.
\n
\n<\/span>That is the future I am counting on – one painstaking step at a time.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Timothy Palmer is the\u00a0Director of Policy and Communication at the\u00a0Religious Institute: Faithful Voices on Sexuality and Religion Those of us who are both openly gay and openly Christian (and happily reconciled in the two) are used to the deliberate pace that many Christian denominations have taken toward fully embracing their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":305,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christians","category-homosexuality"],"yoast_head":"\nLutheran Gay Rights! - Progressive Revival<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/2009\/08\/lutheran-gay-rights.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lutheran Gay Rights! 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