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Lutherans Concerned opposes Iowa resolution

Lutherans Concerned/North America said it opposes resolutions that diminish the status of Lutheran CORE members to hold elected synod offices.

In a statement posted on its Web site, Lutherans Concerned said it had learned the Upper Iowa River Conference has passed such a resolution.

Lutherans Concerned cites the resolution, adopted by the conference in the Northeastern Iowa Synod, as follows:

(CONTINUED)

Resolution from the Upper Iowa River Conference Spring Assembly, February 14, 2010

Whereas the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a constitutionally governed organization served by constitutionally elected leaders at both the synod and church wide levels, and

Whereas the stated purposes of the organization known as Lutheran CORE are to 1) bring forth a proposal for a new Lutheran church body governed by a new constitution for those who choose to leave the ELCA, and 2) to plan for the continuation of Lutheran CORE as a free-standing synod for all Lutherans, and

Whereas it is an inherent conflict of interest for individuals who are members of CORE to fully and wholeheartedly support the ELCA constitution,

Be it Resolved that: 1) all rostered and lay leaders who are members of CORE and are currently serving in elected positions in the NE Iowa Synod be required to resign from those positions, and that 2) all rostered and lay individuals currently holding membership in CORE be disqualified from election to positions of leadership within the NEIA Synod.

Lutheran Concerned’s response to the resolution?

“This resolution is completely antithetical to what Lutherans Concerned stands for …,” Lutherans Concern statement said. “Nothing in what we say, have said, or envision as a fully inclusive church involves excluding anyone for disagreeing with us.”

Lutherans Concerned works to eliminate discrimination based on sexual orientation. It advocates for “the full acceptance and full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities …”

At the ELCA national assembly last August, voting members decided to open the denominations ministries to partnered gays and lesbians. Lutheran CORE opposes that action and says such partnerships go against the Bible.

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Previous stories on post-CWA actions in the Northeastern Iowa Synod:

“Northeastern Iowa Synod Council”

“Northeastern Iowa Synod Bishop Breaks Silence”

“Northeastern Iowa Synod Council member explains reversal”

“Another Northeastern Iowa Synod Council member speaks”

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This entry was posted on Friday, March 12th, 2010 at 8:44 am and is filed under Gay & Lesbian, Synods. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

3 Responses to “Lutherans Concerned opposes Iowa resolution”

  1. Timothy Says:
    March 12th, 2010 at 8:05 am

    Christ-like approach!

  2. Scott Johnson Says:
    March 12th, 2010 at 10:07 am

    What an amazingly mature response. I hope we all will aspire to such acts of faith and kindness.

  3. Eric Lemonholm Says:
    March 13th, 2010 at 10:54 am

    I agree with Lutherans Concerned, too. On the local level, I cannot imagine excluding people from active membership or even leadership in the congregation just because of they are members of Lutheran Core. The whole point of the decisions at CWA 09 was to be more inclusive as a denomination, and that includes supporters of Lutheran Core. This kind of resolution, I believe, adds fuel to the fire and encourages the victim mentality of some people in these reactionary movements. You can bet that they’ll try to use this resolution to their advantage.