God and gays (sans guns)

MANIFESTO

Needless to say, I'm always interested when avowed Christians attempt to demonstrate their faith. Thus it is with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which

voted Friday to allow gays in committed relationships to serve as clergy in the church—making it one of the largest Christian denominations in the country to significantly open the pulpit to gays.

Previously, only celibate gays were permitted to serve as clergy in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a denomination of 4.8 million members. But delegates to a church assembly voted 559-451 to allow gays in "life-long, monogamous" relationships to serve as clergy and professional lay leaders in the church.

Needless to say, those living in the 16th century bemoaned the vote, stating (among other things) that

"I really believe ... what we are about to do will split the church," said ELCA delegate John Sang of Ohio during the debate.

Delegate Terri Stagner-Collier wept as she predicted that opponents would be "ripped away" from the church if the measure were approved. "I urge you not to do this—not to do this at all," she said, "[for] these people in the pews and in my family."

For all the hysteria,

the vote puts gays under the same set of rules that have govern heterosexual clergy. They are required to be monogamous if married and to abstain from sexual relations if they are single. Individual congregations would not be compelled to take on pastors who are in same-sex relationships.

In other words, homosexual clergy would have to work under the same conditions as their straight colleagues. To my mind, this isn't exactly an earth-shaking concept, but, then again, I'm one of those left-of-lefters who's actually read the 14th Amendment.