Proverbs 13:24Â Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
The ELCA apparently has taken on the parenting model of many modern parents. That model is typified by not chastening their child even though they are gong things the parents know to be wrong. Tough love is the enemy. Acceptance and tolerance the virtues of note.
Bad parents raise bad children. While this action may not reverse official church policy or doctrine about homosexuality, it does not bode well for the future of this Synod which once was so close to my own.
Bad parenting has begun. Will the children raised in this environment finish the job at the next assembly? I have to believe they will.
Let us pray for both parent and child for the sake of our Lord and His Church.
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Ack, the legality of this is making my head spin. How is it possible to vote for a lesser resolution that completely contradicts the synod’s bylaws? I’m surprised this could even come to vote… seems like proper procedure would be to change the bylaw.
I’m not sure if I totally agree with the analogy of the church as parent to adult worshippers, but for the sake of the post, I’ll roll with it.
Phil, you wrote that bad parenting is not correcting when you know your kids are doing something wrong. I think a huge problem is that people actually *don’t* know that homosexuality is wrong today. If people take the time to truly study the scriptures, it’s pretty obvious… but a lot of churches have tossed off the yoke of unchanging, inerrant scripture. And even if they haven’t, if people don’t read the bible and if pastors don’t take a stand, it doesn’t matter anyway. (When society diverges from God’s will, I expect it — why blame the darkness for being dark? But when the church willingly diverges from something so clearly outlined in scripture, it grieves me deeply and leaves me concerned about the future of the body of Christ here in the USA).
And, to get a bit plankeyed, the LCMS may do a swell job of saying that homosexuality is wrong, but they do a *terrible* job of providing hope and resources and encouragement for the unknown strugglers in the pews. When I was studying homosexuality and what the bible says about it, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that almost every single time God speaks out against homosexuality and other sexual sins, beautiful grace-filled, forgiving, redeeming verses follow shortly after. I wish I would have heard them all along.
It’s terrible parenting to tell a kid to live peacefully, and yet never give them strategies for dealing with bullies… or to tell a kid that cleanliness is important but never provide them with the tools or instructions. Through Christ, we are able to be beacons of hope, and yet we’re failing our struggling brothers and sisters by condemning them without lending support and hope.
I could go on… at certain points in my life I’ve actually felt called to minister to Christian homosexuals, so it’s a button-pusher for me.
And Phil, I know how you love to push my buttons. 🙂
Hink (see no “e” trouble there)-
I would never try to push your buttons. Well maybe just a few. 🙂
I think using the metaphor of parents to describe church is valid in this context because the prime issue here is the issue of discipline.
I am again impressed with your ever growing literary skill. It challenges me to step up to the plate. I mean, plankeye into an adjectival form, priceless.
You are right in saying that we may be deficient in a sense at helping those who struggle with homosexual desires. Practical help is practically always helpful. (How is that for redundancy.) I would argue that we give the basic remedies out every Sunday, the proclamation of the Christ’s victory over sin, the reminder of our status as new creations, and the bestowal of the Holy Spirit through the word and Sacrament. Ultimately the reception of the spirit and subsequently viewing ourselves as dead to sin and alive to Christ is the key to overcoming any sin. But we could be more helpful in giving practical advice to overcoming all sins. I cannot think of a “sin” that we do well with that, whether is be lust of the homosexual or heterosexual variety, sloth, greed, gluttony, etc. We often leave our people with the truths that can transform their lives, but not the practical methods they urgently need.
P.S. It is the church who gives all Christians birth, and hence is their parent in that sense.
You’re right that we don’t usually specifically address other sins (gluttony, greed, etc). For me, homosexuality is a special case in today’s society because of how society has portrayed it. If I stand up and admit that I have greed or gluttony issues, people won’t think too differently about me. But if I were to stand up in church and admit a struggle with homosexuality, I would definitely be treated differently. Because it’s a taboo issue in biblical Christianity, I feel it needs to be addressed biblically, lovingly, and specifically.
I’ve mentioned before my ongoing battle against gossip. When I gossip, I end up before God confessing. Sometimes this happens over and over again in my life. But “gossip” is not my identity or my orientation. I’m not lobbying for gossip rights and I don’t vote for the candidate who’ll best protect my interests as a gossip.
The problem with homosexuality is that today’s culture says that it *is* an identity. The lie is that it’s not something that needs to be fixed and it’s not even fixable. When viewed as an identity and an orientation, it becomes fixed and unchanging, like DNA. It’s like saying that blue eyes are sinful. It doesn’t reconcile well with literal biblical teaching. Being unable to change that which people believe is unchangeable about themselves, people stay silent or go to more “welcoming” churches.
I don’t think you’d ever suggest church on Sunday as the sole means by which an alcoholic makes a recovery. All we need to conquer sin is Jesus; I believe that. But sometimes I think Jesus shows his grace beyond the walls of Sunday morning worship. The spirit is willing but the body is weak… so let’s address the bodily needs, too — the emotional and physical and psychological. I think you’re dead on when you say that people need the practical methods in addition to the idealogical truths.
PS: My issue with the parenthood thing is the notion that kids’ thought patterns and emotions are underdeveloped, so they need adults to make decisions for them at times… and kids are required to remain with their parents. In a church, we’re dealing with adults who voluntarily enter into a familial relationship with a church body. It’s a far different dynamic. I submit willingly to the Godly authority of my church, but I sure would hate it if my pastor thought of me as a child.
I am going to go backwards. On the PS:
3 John 1:1-4 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. 2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
1 Corinthians 4:14 I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.
1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
It is a common metaphor for those who are overseers in the church to think of those in their care as their children. This is not a disparaging term, but rather a term that mixes affection with responsibility. I hope your pastor does treat you that way.
On your other post:
I agree that homosexuality is very much an identity issue in our culture. And I say fight fire with fire. What I mean is that simple practical helps (though i am not opposed to them) may ultimately not be as powerful as the constant reminder of one’s true identity in Christ. One who fights something they believe to be the core of their identity will fail. They must first believe they are not their sin. While it is probably the case that homosexuality is perhaps the sin most touted as an identity, many find their identity in their sin. Whether it be being a drinker, an eater, or whatever. And yes, I do believe that the message of newness in Christ is more powerful than any steps to overcome sin. Once one embraces this identity through the Spirit then steps may be added to help guard this identity. But just fighting who you think you are is a recipe for failure.
Someone once wrote that we have become a nation of siblings. Following the cultural revolution of the 1960s, this has become the staple for defining our relationships, with, not only our brothers and sisters, but also parents, grandparents, the elders and also those very young. Gone is any distinction between generation and the respect that used to go with it. Why? This is egalitarianism run amock. The American ideal of equality of opportunity has been mutilated into equality of outcome.
The ELCA has adopted this for itself. We should behave towards one another as if we are totally equal. There is no sin nor transgression. That sets one above another and therefore equality is destroyed. Homosexuals are equal persons with us, therefore their actions should not be condemned.
The truth is we are all equally sinners before God. We are given the equality of opportunity for repentance, which, Luther says in the opening of his 95 theses, is the hallmark of the Chrisitian life. We should not go out and round up homosexuals and harm them, nor should we do that for adulterors or the people that cheat on their income taxes. Repentance is the key.
But when the ELCA has eliminated a hierarchy of parents and children for the sake of (a false) equality, then repentance is also thrown out the door.
I wish the LCMS leaders would make a much more firm declaration of the faith than what Pres. Kiesnick did and actually reiterate what the Synodical convention did nearly ten years ago and declare unequivocally that the ELCA has made herself no longer a Lutheran Church. Politics be damned!
“I left the Lutheran Church when the ELCA became Methodist and the LCMS became Baptist.”–Dr. Jaroslav Jan Pelikan, memory eternal