Sex and the modern Lutheran

You may not have noticed that the ELCA has released a draft of a new social statement on sexuality, which you can read here. The Journal of Lutheran Ethics has several responses here. After a period of comment and feedback, the social statement will be taken up for official endorsement at the 2009 churchwide assembly.

I haven’t read the whole thing closely, but on a first read-through it strikes me as pretty good, especially for something that I assume was written by committee. In particular I like how it roots our sexual ethics in incarnation and justification rather than creation alone. I also appreciate the way it develops the themes of neighbor-love and trust, which are hallowed Lutheran themes that have nevertheless taken a backseat in Lutheran social thought to other concepts like “orders of creation.” The statement does lose its focus at times and almost turns into a bit of a laundry list, but overall it’s not bad.

Of course, the most scrutinized section will be the one on same-sex relationships, but the statement doesn’t break any new ground here. It recognizes that there isn’t consensus in the church, but upholds the principle of welcoming people of all sexual orientations into the church and of advocating for their legal rights. It also recognizes the facts on the ground – that pastoral responses to to gay and lesbian Christians will vary. This all strikes me as a pretty accurate picture of where the ELCA currently is.

Moreover, I don’t know how much value there would be in engaging in a lot of political manuevering to get a resolution through the churchwide assembly that would radically alter the status quo. Until there’s consensus in the church, a relatively decentralized, laissez-faire approach seems best. Though, I realize this doesn’t address the question of LGBT candidates for ordained ministry, who will have to rely on “extraordinary” calls until the church changes the policy on ordination. If I were to advocate for a change at this point it would be there.

Another thing: as much as I’m tempted to bash the ELCA at times, the church, more than some other mainline denominations perhaps, remains very Christocentric in its theology and in its social and ethical thought. For all its occasional PC excess, I’ve never seen in the ELCA much of a thirst for Spongian flights of theological fancy. Of course, it’s possible I haven’t been looking hard enough. (Or maybe it’s because being a Lutheran bishop has never been as sexy as being an Episcopal one, so there’s no point in staying on board if you don’t really believe this stuff.)