Theses on Worship: The Council of Presidents of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) met September 19-22 in St. Louis and unanimously adopted for use throughout the church a document titled Theses on Worship, the result of two years of COP study and discussion about diverse worship practices and styles in the Synod.
There are eight theses in all:
1. Worship is not an adiaphoron.
2. The Scriptures and Confessions give the people of God considerable freedom in choosing those forms, rites, and ceremonies that aid the worship of God.
3. The liturgy of the Church builds a framework for the worshiper to live the life of faith.
4. Imposing a certain form, rite or ceremony on the Church burdens men's consciences, thereby militating against the Gospel.
5. Great care is necessary in choosing forms, rites, and ceremonies because they either support or hinder true worship. There are no 'neutral' forms.
6. Uniformity in forms, rites, and ceremonies while desirable, is not essential to the unity of the Church.
7. The polarization that is affecting the Church concerning the issue of forms, rites, and ceremonies is sinful and hinders the proclamation of the Gospel.
8. The people of God are commanded by God to keep talking with each other, under the Word, so that divisions are healed and the Church is united in doctrine and practice.
For those not familiar with LCMS vocabulary, adiaphora are things neither commanded nor forbidden by God.
We were heartened by the inclusion of Thesis 8, which, we believe, expresses the imperatives of journeying together faithfully and respecting the bound conscience as a divine commandment.

Searching for Answers in Oregon: Since the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, we watch with interest newspaper reports about local communities responding to the assembly's actions on ministry policies. This week Lutherans Search for Answers, a report by Tammy Malgesini in the The East Oregonian, piqued our interest.
Bob Wright, a member of Peace Lutheran Church in Pendleton, Oregon (Welcome to the Real West!) invited Rev. Dr. James Nestingen to speak on October 6 at the Pendleton Convention Center. The East Oregonian reported that approximately 175 people gathered to hear Nestingen's remarks What in the world do we do now?
According to the East Oregonian Nestingen touched on leaving the ELCA outright ("You have to be very careful if you're thinking about leaving... because the congregations that are leaving are becoming real vulnerable."), withdrawing financial support from the ELCA ("I wouldn't give them a plugged nickel."), and finding other resources ("LCMC and WordAlone have resources to help you and will joyfully do so").
It was also reported that Nestingen blamed "gay militants" for the Churchwide Assembly's actions:
Additionally, Nestingen blames a gay and lesbian lobby through an aggressive campaign as the reason the resolutions passed. During churchwide assemblies, Nestingen said "gay militants" were bused in - with the purpose to intimidate voting members.

"They went after the delegates - button-holing them," Nestingen said. "One of them took a swing at me in the hallway when we were at the assembly in Indianapolis."
The ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Indianapolis was held in 2001.
Perhaps because the talk was held in a public convention center, some non-Lutherans attended. The East Oregonian report cites the reaction of Ron Gavette, a member of First Christian Church in Pendleton:
I am for social justice for all. I'm for inclusion, not exclusion.
Our church is praying for this church - for this denomination, but he's (Nestingen) not willing to do that. This is a quote from him, "I don't care about the ELCA, ever." That is not Christian, absolutely not Christian.

Is Sex Different in Canada?: On October 1, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) released its much-anticipated Study of Human Sexuality. The study is intended as an aid for local discussions of theological and ethical issues surrounding human sexuality. Feedback from local discussions will influence the development of an ELCIC social statement on human sexuality.
The task force that composed the study notes its relationship to other documents:
After reviewing the ELCA study documents, the ELCIC task force decided that the ELCIC would benefit from developing its own study of human sexuality, which is meant to complement the work of our ecumenical partners. The ELCA study document Journey Together Faithfully: Part Three: Lutherans Talk about Sexuality has been a significant source document for this study. A conscious decision was made to make this study briefer than the ELCA document, in the hopes that it might be used by a wider audience.
The ELCIC study includes an introduction and seven chapters (Disciples, Relationships, Sin, Families, Justice, Orientation, and Spirituality). When we browsed through the document, we noted that the authors spelled out a continuum of attitudes toward same-sex relationships: welcoming, but not affirming, concessionally affirming, and fully affirming.
Responses to the study must be submitted by February 28, 2010.

Will Write for Food: On Saturday November 21, our friends at San Francisco's Welcome Ministry will host Will Write for Food, a conversation with Anne Lamott, featuring activist poet Jack Hirschman. The evening will begin with at 7:00PM with a reception followed by the authors' conversation 8:00PM and a book signing. Proceeds will benefit the Welcome Ministry's food distribution programs.Tickets can be purchased online or at the door.
We are Anne Lamott fans:
You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.

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