Lutheran groups spar over inclusion of gay pastors
Sunday, August 9th, 2009
Thousands of Lutherans will gather in Minneapolis on August 17 to take a historic vote on LGBT issues within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
The church-wide ELCA assembly will decide whether openly gay pastors in committed relationships can lead church congregations and whether the church will pass a “social statement” to soften its stance on homosexuality. If the measures pass, the ELCA would become the largest religious denomination in the United States to ordain gay pastors.
The decision will not come easy, as many within the church harbor strong feelings on both sides of the debate. With only weeks before the vote, delegates to the assembly are being wooed by supporters and opponents of a more welcoming church for LGBT Lutherans.
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