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Lutheran
License to Sin
What
about Sodomite Lutheran Pastors?
A
report in today’s Star-Telegram, titled, “Lutherans Eye
Change in Policy on Gay Clergy,” indicates another step
in a downward plunge to destruction in the Lutheran Church. The
article reports on recent developments in The Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America. This
is the largest Lutheran body in America, with 4,700,000
members; it is also the most liberal of the Lutheran denominations.
Peter
Strommen of Minnesota is chairman of a 15-member task force
that recommended allowing individual congregations to decide
if they would like to allow sodomite and lesbian members
to serve as local pastors. Strommen
said, “The question ends up being, ‘How are we going to
live together in that absence of consensus?’ This ought
not to be church-dividing, even if there are strong differences.” Stanley
Olson stated, “That goes hand in hand with our conviction
that our Christian unity doesn’t depend on agreement about
ethical questions.”
Those
who have followed the developments in liberal Protestantism
over the past decades may not be surprised with this announcement. Many
of these denominations not only allow women to serve as
ministers or pastors (in violation of 1 Timothy 2:8, 11-15;
3:1-2; 1 Corinthians 14:33-37), but they are allowing divorced
and remarried preachers to serve (in violation of Matthew
19:9; Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18; Romans 7:2-3). Now,
another step has been made: To allow those who are living
in gross immorality to officially be pastors of local Lutheran
churches.
When
a respect for the will of God found in the Word of God
is absent, nearly every sin can be justified. The
Word of God is the standard for right and wrong, a moral
compass to point in the way we should go (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The
Scriptures are given by God (2 Peter 1:20-21; Hebrews 4:12-13)
and we violate God’s Word to our own peril (1 Corinthians
14:37). Jesus
said that those who do not receive His words will be judged
on the last day (John 12:48-49).
According
to the report, Lutheran unity doesn’t depend on “agreement
about ethical questions.” Yet
the Scriptures are clear that Christian unity does depend
on morality. Paul
the apostle says that those who are guilty of “fornication” or “sexual
immorality” must be entirely separated from Christian fellowship
(1 Corinthians 5:1-13, especially verses 1, 11, 13). The
Greek term is porneia, meaning sexual immorality of any kind (fornication, adultery,
homosexuality, etc.). The
question is, “Does the Lutheran Church wish to be known
as a Christian church?” If
so, it is bound to separate from those who are guilty of
open, known, and unrepentant sexual immorality. Christ
wants His body to be unified in “ethical questions”—especially
matters that pertain to sin and righteousness.
Is
this worthy of notice? Indeed
it is. God
is very clear in His word that “fornicators and adulterers
God will judge” (Hebrews 13:4). God
will take vengeance on those who are guilty of fornication—including
homosexuality (1 Thessalonians 4:4-7). Those
who are guilty of fornication are called “unrighteous” and
they “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians
6:9-10). So
serious is this that those who are fornicators will suffer
the “wrath of God” (Colossians 3:5-6; Ephesians 5:5-6)
and will have no inheritance in God’s kingdom (Ephesians
5:5-6). Finally,
the Bible is clear that those who die in fornication and
refuse to repent will spend eternity in the lake of fire,
which is the second death (Revelation 21:8).
There
is no question about what the Word of God says. The
only question is what the liberal Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America will do about it: obey it and separate
themselves from practicing homosexuals or disobey it and
ordain unrepentant homosexuals into the Lutheran pastorate,
something that God clearly prohibits. Years
ago, I left the Lutheran Church and would do it again if
this issue arose when I was a member.
Richard
Hollerman
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