ORLANDO, Fla. — On Aug. 12, the nation’s largest Lutheran Church rejected a move to allow actively gay clergy and upheld a 1993 policy that frowns on blessing same-sex unions.
A proposal to allow clergy in “lifelong, committed and faithful same-sex relationships” to serve in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was rejected 503–490 by voting delegates at the church’s national assembly.
The church’s policy remains:
-Gay unions have no basis in Scripture and cannot be an “official action” of the church. Yet, at the same time, the church said it would trust local churches to “discern ways to provide faithful pastoral care” to all parishioners, which would include gay and lesbian Lutherans.
-Gay clergy are required to be celibate, and those who are sexually active are not eligible to be hired by local churches. Delegates rejected a proposal from a sexuality task force that would have allowed gay clergy to be noncelibate, a practice for which they would have needed approval from several layers of church leaders.
Delegates also approved a less-controversial measure urging the 4.9 million-member church to find “ways to live together faithfully in the midst of disagreements.” That measure passed 851–127.
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