ELCA decision

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have voted 559-491 for allowing gays in "life-long, monogamous" relationships to serve as clergy.

"We live today with an understanding of homosexuality that did not exist in Jesus' time and culture," says a lay delegate during the debate. "We are responding to something that the writers of Scripture could not have understood."

Um... really? That's rather a statement. And anyway, the writers may not have understood how modern culture will look and act today necesssarily, but the Author of Scripture most certainly would. My post from last year spoke on similar issues so I won't repeat myself: read it here.

John Piper has added to the discussion already this week on his Desiring God blog. Some have already jumped on the bandwagon and hurled obvious accusations his way. What John is saying is that, regardless of "coincidence" or otherwise, we need to take all our assumptions, prejudices and own desires, and compare them to what God wants. To quote John: "The church has always embraced those who forsake sexual sin but who still struggle with homosexual desires, rejoicing with them that all our fallen, sinful, disordered lives (all of us, no exceptions) are forgiven if we turn to Christ in faith." Judging those outside the church and judging those within are two very different things (see 1 Cor 5.9-11 - love the lost, but do not approve of sinful conduct amongst His own).

Regardless of how others around us may choose to live, those of us who are genuinely God's children are expected to live life His way. That is unconditional and essential. His Word tells us how.