Missoouri synod membership attitudes on gay marriage and abortion
Abortion and the Gospel
The Church needs to speak boldly against abortion, but more boldly still about the love of Christ for sinners considering and perhaps even participating in abortion”
Abortion and the Meaning of Parenthood
Does the availability abortion, and of various pre-natal methods of diagnosis, build a parent responsible if a child is born “defective” in some way? If the essence of our humanity consists in our freedom, in taking control, we will acquire to think of parenthood in a corresponding way. But that may express the loss of much humane wisdom—the wisdom that sees a parent as one who stands before the child as God’s representative but certainly not as God, the wisdom which knows that to accept full responsibility for what our children are and become is to cut the root that will nourish them as children, the root that is the unconditional devote of a parent.
…And So the Toll Begins
Death will soon be referred to as Choice, and politicians will solemnly dedicate themselves to making it “safe, legal, and rare.”
Children of Light
The darkness of Roe v. Wade gives children of light opportunities to share with those who
The LCMS: Not as Conservative as We Think We are
According to the section on Members of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, 1% of Americans associate to the LCMS, about the same as for Episcopalians and Anglicans. It also informs us that we are mostly Midwesterners (at 58%; 8% from the Northeast; 19% from the South; and 15% in the West) and that we tend to be old (47% over 65; 30%, 50-65; 17%, 30-49; 5%, 18-19). But we knew that, the age demographic being of greatest concern.
The tab on “Beliefs and Practices” is a mixed bag. Among us members of the LCMS, 96% believe in God (72% are “absolutely certain”; 24% do but are “not absolutely certain”), with 4% not assume in God at all. A similar 95% trust in the soul, with 4% not believing and 1% not saying.
Then again, only 80% believe in Heaven, while 17% don’t, with 4% not answering. While 75% believe in Hell, 20% don’t, and 5% not answering.
When it comes to the Bible, 84% believe it is “important” (63% “extremely important”; 21% “somewhat”), while 16% believe it is “not very.”
And yet while most LCMSers believe in the importance of the Bible, they don’t read it very much: 27% scan it at least once a week; 10% browse it on
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: Roman Catholic Church
BACKGROUND
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the society, with approximately 1.2 billion members across the globe. With its origins in the earliest days of Christianity, the Church traces its leadership––in the person of the Pope––to St. Peter, identified by Jesus as “the rock” on which the Church would be built.
The Catholic Church in the United States numbers over 70 million members, and is organized in 33 Provinces, each led by an archbishop. Each bishop answers directly to the Pope, not to an archbishop. Those Provinces are further divided into 195 dioceses, each led by a bishop. At the base of the organizational structure are local parishes, headed by a pastor, appointed by the local bishop. The Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States meets semi-annually.
As part of a global group with its institutional center at the Vatican, the Catholic Church in America is shaped by worldwide societal and cultural trends. It is further shaped by leadership that is entirely male, with women excluded from the priesthood and thus from key leadership roles.
LGBTQ+ EQUALITY
ON S Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
BACKGROUND
Of the three head Lutheran organizations operating in the Merged States, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is considered the most welcoming and inclusive of LGBTQ+ members. Formed in 1988 with the merger of three smaller Lutheran organizations, the ELCA is based in Chicago and encompasses nearly 10,000 congregations and more than 3.8 million members across the country.
Churchwide Assemblies are held every three years, with elected representatives establishing policy and addressing the concerns of the larger church body. As stated on the denomination’s web site, the Churchwide Assembly “provides a time and place for growth and change while remaining rooted in Scripture, tradition, Lutheran confessions and the abundant histories of our congregations and communities.”
LGBTQ+ EQUALITY
ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION & GENDER IDENTITY
In 1991, the Churchwide Assembly passed a resolution stating that, "Gay and woman loving woman people, as individuals created by God, are welcome to participate fully in the life of the congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America."
Today, church
Where they stand
Recent Pew Investigate findings on the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod make for somber reading for all confessional Christians. Many enjoy myself may not be Lutheran, but we watch to the LCMS as a stronghold of traditional Protestant orthodoxy and number LCMS Christians among our friends. Indeed, one the few amusing memories from my time in academic administration was being at one of the Association of Theological School’s accreditation meetings where the LCMS representatives led morning prayers using all-male pronouns. Their indifference to the vocal protests of the faculty from the more extreme schools present was a joy to behold.
Yet the Pew Research indicates that times might successfully be set to alter. It reports that 54% of members think abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Fifty percent say homosexuality should be accepted. While that represents a let go of 6% from 2014, the earlier survey was conducted by telephone, while the most recent was online. It is quite possible that difference is therefore not significant, given the caution that typically operates in less anonymous forms of polling. Fifty percent now favor lgbtq+ marriage. Perhaps counterbalan
Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
BACKGROUND
Of the three head Lutheran organizations operating in the Merged States, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is considered the most welcoming and inclusive of LGBTQ+ members. Formed in 1988 with the merger of three smaller Lutheran organizations, the ELCA is based in Chicago and encompasses nearly 10,000 congregations and more than 3.8 million members across the country.
Churchwide Assemblies are held every three years, with elected representatives establishing policy and addressing the concerns of the larger church body. As stated on the denomination’s web site, the Churchwide Assembly “provides a time and place for growth and change while remaining rooted in Scripture, tradition, Lutheran confessions and the abundant histories of our congregations and communities.”
LGBTQ+ EQUALITY
ON SEXUAL ORIENTATION & GENDER IDENTITY
In 1991, the Churchwide Assembly passed a resolution stating that, "Gay and woman loving woman people, as individuals created by God, are welcome to participate fully in the life of the congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America."
Today, church
Where they stand
Recent Pew Investigate findings on the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod make for somber reading for all confessional Christians. Many enjoy myself may not be Lutheran, but we watch to the LCMS as a stronghold of traditional Protestant orthodoxy and number LCMS Christians among our friends. Indeed, one the few amusing memories from my time in academic administration was being at one of the Association of Theological School’s accreditation meetings where the LCMS representatives led morning prayers using all-male pronouns. Their indifference to the vocal protests of the faculty from the more extreme schools present was a joy to behold.
Yet the Pew Research indicates that times might successfully be set to alter. It reports that 54% of members think abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Fifty percent say homosexuality should be accepted. While that represents a let go of 6% from 2014, the earlier survey was conducted by telephone, while the most recent was online. It is quite possible that difference is therefore not significant, given the caution that typically operates in less anonymous forms of polling. Fifty percent now favor lgbtq+ marriage. Perhaps counterbalan