Living Theology
in the Metropolitan Chicago Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church
In America
Vol. 5 No. 2
Autumn 2000
Reflections on Synod Assembly 2000
Reflections on SynodAssembly
2000:
Where Do We Go from Here?
WayneR.
Cowell
This issue of Let’sTalk
is devoted to a critical inquiry into a pair of resolutions about gayand
lesbian persons in the church, which passed at the 2000 MetropolitanChicago
Synod Assembly, and to a discussion of the forum for congregationalleadership
at the assembly. The first of these tests the will of the people ofthe synod to
walk together in their journey of faith because good people areheavily invested
in opposing positions that involve more than differentopinions of what the
church should do– they involve
different understandings of what the church can
do. The second is a work in progress, the first act of a playyet to unfold in
new, perhaps surprising, ways. Each of these actions raises,it its own way, the
question, “Where do we go from here?”
The two resolutions are “memorials” to the
ELCAChurchwide Assembly 2001. One petitions the ELCA to develop a rite of
blessingfor same-sex couples in committed life-long relationships, and to
producematerials that support pastoral counseling as well as educational
materialsthat promote biblical and theological foundations for all
committedrelationships. The other entreats the ELCA to end the celibacy rule
for gay andlesbian persons in committed relationships who are now on the ELCA
roster orwho are candidates for ministry. Our first three articles view
theseresolutions from different perspectives.
Robert Goldstein presents the case for the
resolutions. “We as a church,” he says,
“are respondingto justice issues proposed by our Western culture in which God
has called usthrough the Gospel. Our response is in seeking Gospel-centered
newunderstandings of Scripture and of our Christian way of life.” Goldstein draws on scripture and
tradition,using the latter in an active verbal sense, “traditioning,” to describe a process in which the
church, ancient andmodern, has responded to its historical situation in the
light of the gospel.But, Goldstein says, it’s more than scripture and
tradition. This mattertouches the lives of real people in real congregations
who are face to facewith the possibility of change in the church. For Goldstein
the time has comefor this change and for dealing with the pastoral and
educational problems thatit implies.
Julie Williams spoke against the resolutions at
theassembly. She is a Sunday school teacher and youth mentor who is persuaded
byher reading of scripture that the ELCA is headed in the wrong direction on gay/lesbianissues.
Williams offers here her interpretation of significant texts and herreflections
on the responsibilities of teachers.
Frank Senn reads the resolutions and asks a
priorquestion: Can the church bless “committed same-sex relationships”? Theministers
of the church can pronounce “the blessing of God on conditions Godhas blessed
and for which a promise may be proclaimed (e.g. ‘Be fruitful
andmultiply’).” But the church, says
Senn,can’t do whatever it likes. In particular it can only proclaim that for
whichit has scriptural warrant, and blessing is a form of proclamation.
Senndeclares that he can find biblical warrant for blessing many things, even a
vowof celibacy for the sake of the kingdom of God. But he has not found
biblicaltexts that show God’s favor toward same-sex relationships or
promisesconcerning them. But Senn’s “no” to his question is coupled with his
welcome togay and lesbian Christians and a summary of his counsel for those who
seek hispastoral care.
Goldstein, Williams, and Senn interpret scriptureand
listen to tradition. All three are concerned with hospitality and the careof
the faithful, yet they represent distinct, at times contradictory, points
ofview. We often see such lack of congruence when we gather as a congregation
ora synod to make decisions. What shall we do? Shall we avoid messy disputes
infavor of quiet individual piety or a “safe” congregational enclave in the
hopethat someone, somewhere, will devise a species of “reconciled diversity?” Or, in this political season, shall we
marchwith signs that say either, “Yes, Yes, the Church can Bless!” or “Don’t
YouKnow, the Answer is NO!” and gather at the microphone for our moment
ofamplification?
Neither of the above says Gregory Singleton.
Seekingto model deliberation in the church, Singleton offers a different
answer.Avoiding difficult issues, he says, is not really an option unless one
iswilling to live with growing tension and bad faith. The alternatives are
eithercompetition in which “factions
emerge,driven by an agenda external to the essence of the Church,” and the
discussion“becomes more and more an adversarial debate” or struggle “with the question, with the tradition of the Church,
withscripture, and the members struggle with each other.” Singleton favors struggle and draws on the
catechumenate as amodel of how it might work. His reflections are solidly based
on his personalexperience in two congregations and are informed by social
theory and by theliturgical foundation of the catechumenate.
Our other topic, the forum for
congregationalleadership, is discussed in two essays. One of the planners of
the event, JohnHolm, sketches his view of its purposes and objectives, and the
reasons forchoosing the program that was offered. The daylong event was
designed to “raiseup leadership in order to thank, equip, inspire, and
celebrate leaders throughtheir ministries of discipleship development.” Holm
expands on this purpose as approached through the chosen format andconcludes
with both satisfaction that the purpose was served and withacknowledgement that
“there remain many more topics and concepts to be offeredup that will assist
our leaders in the fulfillment of their mission.”
Julie Ryan recognizes that the language of the
eventshaped its character. The language of the day raised some questions for
her,both in terms of what speech was used and what was not. “Our life in God is
oneof paradox: we are at once sinners and saints, bound yet free, daily dying
inthe waters of baptism and being raised to new life. Does our language reflectthis
dimension of mystery?” Ryan probesthis
question using direct quotes from the event. Finally, she asks how we linkour
conversations about discipleship with the sacraments of the church.
Here,surely, is insight for planners of future events of this kind.
Where do we go from here? Our authors give
variousanswers. Let’s Talk! And let’s
includethe laity in our conversation. In the spirit of the leadership event,
wesuggest that pastors give copies of this issue to lay leaders in
theircongregations, particularly those who were delegates to the assembly
and/orattended the leadership event (two of the authors and your editor for
thisissue are laypersons).