The Lutheran CORE convocation in Grove City, Ohio has generated yet another denomination. The new denomination will be known as the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). NALC's formation is in response to the decision of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), one year ago, to approve rostering of partnered gays. HuffPost:
As of early August, 199 congregations had cleared the hurdles to leave the ELCA for good, while 136 awaited the second vote needed to make it official. In all, there are 10,239 ELCA churches with about 4.5 million members, making it by far the largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S.
Most of those 199 congregations that have left the ELCA have joined an entity called Lutheran Church in Mission for Christ (LCMC), a loosely-configured association of independent congregations--"a website and a mailing list," as someone has put it.
Some dissenters wanted a more traditional denomination and opted to form NALC. Former ELCA bishop, Paull Spring, was elected as bishop of the new group. So far, 18 congregations have signed up.
The new group says it is about more than "the gays," though that is clearly the primary driver for the move. Spring said there were other "serious concerns," however, such as the use of inclusive language "that strips male references to God."
This is a curious reference. In Hebrew religion and in Christian theology, the overwhelming majority of opinion has been that God is not to be understood in gender terms. The Deity is beyond both male and female, which means that there is nothing particularly sacrosanct about speaking of God as "he." This "serious concern" seems strained. Spring continues:
"Which is the authoritative voice of the church today? Is it holy scripture, which Lutherans have always confessed, scripture alone, or is supposed to be some combination, that as well as some mood of the times?"
ELCA exegetes argue, convincingly in my view, that the dissidents have failed to make a Biblical case for the exclusion of gays. Two of the words at issue--malakoi, arsenokoi--turn out not to mean what people have long thought. In fact, we don't know for sure exactly what these words mean.
Moreover, Spring misunderstands the "scripture alone" principle. It does not mean that other sources should never be considered, or that the Bible should be seen as "inerrant" with pronouncements on every issue under the sun. The "scripture alone" principle simply means that a teaching should not be in contradiction with scripture.
And yes, as a matter of fact, many in the church do consider the "mood of the times," and quite rightfully so. Back in the 1950's, Paul Tillich argued for a "method of correlation" whereby the church interacts with the modern world. In the 1960's, Vatican II likewise argued for dialog with the world and a spirit of openness and cooperation. This is not a bad thing, but a good thing.
The North American Lutheran Church anticipates that it may have as many as 200 congregations within the first year. They may make it, though it should be noted that this expectation is, itself, a significant dialing back of earlier, more optimistic prognostications.
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