Too Late

Hey, all. Having a great time at the Higher Things "DARE TO BE LUTHERAN" conference (see previous post). Wish you were here, unless you already are!

While checking my email and the news stories of the day, I ran across the following article regarding the ELCA. It uses the allusion to Jesus' words, "A house divided against itself cannot stand..."

I find another biblical text to be applicable here, from Daniel 5,

5 Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote....25 "This is the inscription that was written:
Mene , Mene , Tekel , Parsin

Here's the ELCA article:

Conservative Lutherans Tell ELCA 'Not to Divide Our House'

Leaders of Solid Rock Lutherans, Inc., a large reform movement within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has announced their movement's strong opposition to ELCA proposals that would allow the ordination of gays and lesbians in same-sex relationships and open the door to blessing such relationships.

Solid Rock Lutherans, Inc. is an umbrella organization for groups and individuals who oppose drastic change in the ELCA's standards for sexual conduct and ordination.

Pastor Paull Spring, former bishop of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod of the ELCA and chairman of Solid Rock Lutherans compared what is happening in the ELCA to similar events in the Episcopal Church (USA). "We've already seen the damage caused to the Episcopal Church by their approval of one openly gay man, Gene Robinson, as a bishop," Spring said. "This action has led to a loss of membership and giving and has strained and fractured the worldwide Anglican Communion.

"I am deeply concerned for the future of my church. The ELCA is considering truly radical proposals to allow the ordination of non-celibate homosexuals and bless same-sex unions. These proposals have no basis in scripture and will, I'm afraid, wreak havoc within the church I love."