The ELCA Assembly-A Pastoral Response

By Rev. John Bradosky

This was the tenth anniversary celebration of the ELCA. While it's great to know we made it to ten years, there are many ways in which our church's childlike behavior still shows. Our commitment must be towards growing and maturing as faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.
If we are still uncertain about who we are, then let's commit the time and energy necessary to discover the unique gifts we bring as an integral part of the Body of Christ.
The Assembly was a roller-coaster event of ups and downs, highs and lows. It had much to be thankful for and much about it with which we need to be concerned. There is both cause for celebration and tears.
Many times I wanted to shout, "Lord why does it have to be this way in your Church? Shouldn't your Church be exempt from the struggles we face in the world?" The only answer I received to my prayer was this insight: it would be exempt were it not for the fact that Jesus established His Church in this world. I found both consolation and direction from Ephesians 6: 10-20.
St Paul's words describe the battlefield armor of God's people. He is clear that we are in a battle and that preparation is necessary to survive and thrive. We often ask Jesus to take away the battle and fail to realize that only in struggling with the shadows do we see the light; only by opposing the darkness of evil does our attention remain steadfast on the light of Christ's presence.
Paul reminds us that Jesus designed armor that is perfectly suited for each of us, designed to protect us from harm and keep us ready to do battle.
Our call is to put on the armor and take an active role in standing against the devil's schemes. We must not underestimate the enemy. This is not a mere struggle between people with differing opinions, but a struggle against "rulers, authorities and powers of this dark world. It is a struggle against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms." Even the Church of Jesus Christ Is not exempt from the devil's influence. Since evil is pervasive and persistent we must be ready to do battle and put on the whole armor of God.

No Theology by Compromise
We cannot afford to do theology and establish the direction for this Church's ministry by COMPROMISE. Compromises rarely satisfy both sides in equal measure. I found this to be true in the Assembly's ecumenical discussions, as well as in discussing the proposed Sacramental Practices statement. Trying to find the lowest common denominator in order to speak of unity, neither strengthens our witness in the world nor produces internal strength of faith, nor clarity of purpose. To judge what "should be," primarily on the basis of what is currently done around the churches, is an abandonment of norms based on Biblical and Confessional Theology.
Of course, it is a way to em brace the methodology of our new ecumenical partner, The United Church of Christ; and if our world view no longer includes the presence of evil in this world, affecting even the Church of Jesus, this methodology will not offer a problem.
Parameters based on Scriptures and Confessions are necessary and helpful, however, in a world where evil exists and exerts its influence on Christ's Church. "Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, so when the day of evil
The ELCA Assembly comes you will be able to stand your ground. You mustdo everything you can to stand!"
Obedience to Christ and faithfulness in following Him as disciples is a far more important resource in strengthening our witness in this world and increasing our faith and commitment to Christ's purpose for our lives than any number of churchly alliances of one kind or the other.

A Diverse Church
At a recent meeting of our conference, Pacifica Synod bishop Bob Miller summed up one of his Insights from the Assembly by saying, "I learned that we are a very diverse Church." He is correct.
But I must confess great sadness, when that's the extent of what can be said. I found myself wondering often-have we attempted relevancy by simply following the course set by our society with its political ideology of Tolerance, Acceptance and Openness? Is there such diversity in this Church that there is little or nothing upon which we can take a stand together?
If the Word of God seems too limiting compared to these political values, are we quite willing to avoid controversies, even to compromise the very foundation of our Confessional theology, "Word Alone?" One could come to the conclusion that our interest in pursuing an identity as an ecumenical Church is founded more on those political ideals than on the Biblical understanding of the nature of the Church with its members as the Body of Christ (cf. I Cor. 12: 14-27).
I was saddened by the Assembly's unwillingness to say that our ELCA's previously adopted social statements concerning abortion should still be the normative guidelines for the Board of Pensions when it provides hospitalization coverage for members of its program. Are we so "tolerant" that we set up statements which we ourselves are not then willing to abide by? Who then, will listen to such a Church? How can we expect others to take what we profess to believe more seriously than we ourselves do?
While the sexuality document was not on the agenda, at least one issue came before us referring to that subject. This Assembly asked the Division for Ministry and the Division for Church and Society to consider a memorial from two Synods to change the ELCA policy which refuses the the ordination, consecration or commissioning of non-celibate gay and lesbian individuals in the ELCA. We do have precise procedures for the development of social statements or teaching statements of the Church. Instead, two divisions ofthe Church were handed the responsibility for bringing back a recommendation to the next Assembly that could change this policy, and therefore undermine the process for appropriately addressing this issue. It is my belief that the leadership of both the5e divisions are advocates for changing the ELCA policy. It will be interesting to see what these two groups will put before the next Assembly as recommendations.
The support for legislation that would make it illegal for employers to discriminate against gay and lesbian persons on the basis of "sexual orientation" sailed through without significant discussion. Many comments from the floor added a desire to expand our understanding of sexual orientation to include bisexual and transsexual persons. How can a Church which gives its hasty comprehensive support to such legislation be expected to do anything but change its future policy regarding the ordination and consecration of noncelibate gays and lesbians? (And will such inclusion of bisexual individuals involved in "triangular" relationships compel the church to a complete redefining of what we mean by monogamous relationship also?)

More than Diversity
Can we still be the Church of Jesus Christ if we are ready to embrace any and all versions of faith that any group claims to be "truth?" If we are, we will have stepped over the line and embraced "cheap grace." Then we are simply dishonest aboutthe faith we claim holds us together. And worse still, we are guilty of justifying the sin apart from the justification of the sinner. For then we are reducing faith in Jesus to be nothing more than a belief in a "concept" of a loving, forgiving God who spreads his love and forgiveness over all who profess this idea.
I believe Bonhoeffer has a prophetic word we need to consider in the face of the actions of the Assembly.
He said, "We Lutherans have gathered like eagles around the carcass of cheap grace and there we have drunk of the poison which has killed the life offollowing Christ. It is true, of course, that we have paid the doctrine of cheap grace divine honors unparalleled in Christendom. In fact we have exalted that doctrine to the position of God himself. Everywhere Luther's formula has been repeated, but its truth perverted into self-deception. 'So long as our Church holds the correct doctrine of justification, there is no doubt whatever that she is a justified Church!' So they said, thinking that we must vindicate our Lutheran heritage by making grace available on the cheapest and easiest terms ....
"But do we also realize that this cheap grace has turned back upon us like a boomerang? The price we are having to pay today in the shape of the collapse ofthe organized Church is only the inevitable consequence of our policy of making grace available to all at too low a cost. " (The Cost of Discipleship, p.53, 54.)
It is not as if we are without the resources to make the appropriate course corrections. After all, we have the Scriptures and the Confessions. I pray for a new vision for our Church that sees the value in obedience to Christ and is willing to develop new ways to nurture and renew, a commitment to the process of Christian discipleship. This is what the world needs most and the only way for us to grow as Lutherans, stronger and become more stable internally.

* Ecclesiastical evaluations and factual rehearsals have been available from the public press. We thought our readers would appreciate this adapted version of a pastorally oriented response which delegate Pastor John Bradosky submitted to his Grace Lutheran congregation in Huntington Beach, CA. Grace Church is the largest ELCA church on the West Coast. Bradowsky is also Adjunct Professor at Lutheran Bible Institute in Irvine, CA.