Three more conservative churches split recently from the largest Lutheran denomination in the country and formed their own church, amid the more accepting position that has been taken by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America toward gay clergy, and their recent ordination of gay bishops who are involved in committed relationships.

The First Lutheran Church in Philip, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Long Valley, and Trinity Lutheran in Midland, who form part of the Lutheran Coalition of Renewal voted by an overwhelming margin of 98 percent to 100 percent to leave the 4.5-million strong ELCA and create the North American Lutheran Church, the Rapid City Journal said.

Meanwhile a fourth church, Deep Creek Lutheran Church of Midland/Hayes has already voted 12-0 to part ways with ELCA, and has its second vote scheduled for Sept. 5, the Rapid City Journal said.

Other churches that are set to break ties with ELCA are the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran church in Lead, and Immanuel Lutheran Church in Whitewood, whose first votes also showed vast margins, the Rapid City Journal said.

Lead’s second vote is scheduled on Sept. 26, while Whitewood will have its second vote on Oct. 10. Rev. Frezil Westerlund, pastor of the four churches said, “We are not divided on this at all. We just feel renewed, like the Holy Spirit is moving among us,” the Rapid City Journal said.

While NALC opposes the gay clergy directive that ELCA passed in its convention last year, they say their focus is less on sexuality and more on returning to Lutheran traditions while the gay issue was simply the last straw, the Rapid City Journal said.

Bishop Paull Spring, who will head NALC, cited for example ELCA’s incorporation of language that eliminated male references to God such as “Father” and “Son,” and instead using gender-free words like “Creator” and “Savior,” the AP said.

Spring said, “The broader issue [was]: Which is the authoritative voice of the church today? Is it holy scripture, which Lutherans have always confessed, scripture alone, or is supposed to be some combination, that as well as some mood of the times?” AP said.

In general, churches leaving ELCA perceive a gap with local congregations, and many departing churches would have left even without the 2009 gay clergy policy, the Rapid City Journal said.

So far 199 churches have left ELCA after two congregational votes, with another 136 who only need a second vote before it becomes official. There are 10,239 ELCA churches totaling 4.5 million members. Over the last 20 years some 500,000 church members have left ELCA but many individual congregations also prospered proportionately, that share the sentiments of NALC, the AP said.

Mark Chavez, director of Lutheran CORE said, “The average person out there who’s interested in a Christian church wants the real thing. They want Jesus. They want the gospel. They don’t want something else,” the AP said.

Same sex couples may have to wait longer, possibly until next year, if they want to get married in California despite a Judge’s ruling to overturn Proposition 8.

The 9^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, through a three-judge panel, issued an emergency stay on the ruling of Chief U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker, who had overturned Proposition 8, which would have otherwise cleared the way for same-sex marriage, the Associated Press said.

Attorneys for those who support Proposition 8 argued that by sanctioning same-sex unions while the case is still on appeal could result in legal bedlam, more so if Proposition 8 is in the end upheld, the AP said.

They noted that Proposition 8 was passed through the people’s vote, and that one judge’s opinion could shake public confidence in elections and in voters’ rights. For more background on Proposition 8 go to http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2010/08/poll-says-majority-of-californians-support-judges-decision-to-overturn-prop-8-13273 and http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2010/06/closing-arguments-on-legality-of-californias-same-sex-marriage-proposition-8-heard-decision-pending-12595.

The three-judge panel that will determine the constitutionality of Proposition 8 will be different from the one that issued the stay order on same-sex marriage in California. It is largely believed that a decision will be reached by next year, the AP said.

Any decision made by the appeals court will likely be brought to the Supreme Court. California Attorney General Jerry Brown, who supports same-sex marriage said, “This is a big decision. I don’t think there’s anything like it anywhere in the country. So when you break new ground, plaintiffs and parties have to expect that the higher court will keep things status quo until they’ve had a chance to hear the arguments and render their own opinion,” ABC 7 said.

Lawyers for those who would like Proposition 8 to be overturned expressed satisfaction with some elements of the 9^th Circuit decision. They expressed appreciation that the appeals court will fast-track its proceedings will oral arguments slated for Dec. 6, the AP said.

Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights said that even while the ruling is “heartbreaking” for many couples, “…the ruling did include a significant victory by highlighting that the proponents have a heavy lift to show they even have the right to bring an appeal,” the AP said.

She refers here to a portion of the two-page order that requires Proposition 8 sponsors to submit their opening brief on Sept. 17 where they must state why they have the legal right to seek the overturning of the trial judge’s ruling, the AP said.

Sponsors of Proposition 8 say that gay marriages will be a deterrence to the promotion of responsible procreation through heterosexual marriage. Those against Proposition 8 say that the ban is an infringement on the civil rights of lesbians and gays, the AP said.

As of now, same-sex marriages are legal in Iowa, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Washington D.C. and New Hampshire. However, Dr. Laverne Tolbert of ProtectMarriage.com pointed out that since Proposition 8 was endorsed by California’s public vote, the 9^th Circuit’s decision was in keeping with that, ABC 7 said.

The recent enactment in Argentina of a gay marriage law is being largely viewed to indicate the waning influence of the Catholic church in Argentina–and generally, Latin America.

The law, which allows gay couples to marry and adopt children, is perceived to indicate that there is a greater desire for more liberal social legislation in what had long been viewed as a Catholic stronghold, Reuters said.

The law was signed by President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner on July 21 after bitter legislative debate and strong lobbying from the Catholic church, with a 33-27 vote. Some aver that this also paves a way for the president’s husband, Nestor Kirchner, to be reelected president in 2011, RD Magazine says.

Mr. Kircher was formerly Argentina’s president and there is speculation that he may run again. The passage of the gay marriage law may give him a more widely acceptable liberal image that could garner the votes, RD Magazine says.

The Catholic church’s failure to derail the law is also indicative of a new cultural direction in Latin America, which is comparable to the experience of Portugal and Spain, both of which have legalized gay marriage despite a strong history of Catholicism and a near-past history of Catholic dictatorships, Time Magazine says.

Among Argentina’s gay community, it is believed that the vote reflects loathing towards the Catholic hierarchy, Marcelo Ernesto Ferreyra of the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission said. Time Magazine noted that Ferreyra cited the loss of prestige of the Catholic church in Argentina.

The church has said that homosexuality is perverse, and Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio who heads Argentina’s church has argued that more than a political struggle, the legal sanction of gay marriage goes against God’s plan, Reuters said.

Gay marriage is also legal in Mexico City and Uruguay; while Chile’s president Sebastian Pinera also has expressed plans to enhance the rights of same-sex couples, Reuters said. With the new law, RD Magazine said there may be new changes in the future, for example abortion may soon be legalized in Latin America.

Already, a leading candidate for president in Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, has expressed favor for legalized abortion. Of note, Brazil has the highest Catholic population in the world, Reuters said.

Professor Ana Maria Bidegain, who teaches religious studies at Florida International University said, “Evidently the Church has been losing presence and influence regarding political decisions, which is part of a secularization process. People are still Catholic and they still believe in the fundamentals … but they no longer agree with what (the Church) says regarding morality,” Reuters reported.

Bidegain cited a number of reasons for the change, including urbanization in Latin America and the worldwide incidence of sexual abuse scandals among priests, Reuters said.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved recently a proposal to repeal a law that will allow gays to serve in the military so long as they don’t disclose their sexual orientation.

In a vote of 234-194, the House approved a repeal under which military leaders will not investigate a service member’s orientation, as long as the person does not say that he or she is gay or is in a same-sex relationship, which are grounds for dismissal.

The repeal had been opposed by chaplaincy organizations, many of which supply men for the chaplaincy corps and give official endorsement so they can serve as military chaplains, according to Advancing Religious Liberty (ARL).

The chaplaincy organizations that oppose the repeal include the North American Mission Board (which is the endorsing organization for the Southern Baptist Convention), the Evangelical Free Church of America, Grace Church International, and the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference, the ARL said.

A statement from the Alliance Defense Fund said, “If chaplains with beliefs that contradict the proposed policy are removed from roles that generate conflict, then they, the faith groups they represent, and the service members whose religious beliefs they serve will all be marginalized. The armed forces would effectively establish preferred religions or religious beliefs.”

Republicans voted overwhelmingly against the repeal, citing statements by some military service chiefs that Congress should not act before the Pentagon completes a study on the impact of the repeal, the Huffington Post said.

However, Democratic supporters said the amendment would only go into effect after the Pentagon publishes in December the results of a survey on how service members and their families view the change, and after the president, the defense secretary and the Joint Chiefs of Staff certify that the repeal will not affect the military’s ability to fight, according to the Huffington Post.

“This is the beginning of the end of a shameful ban on open service by lesbian and gay troops that has weakened our national security,” Joe Solmonese, president of Human Rights Campaign, a leading gay rights organization, said after the Senate panel’s vote.

The drive to repeal the ban still faces a tough road ahead in the full Senate, where Republicans are likely to filibuster it.  “I think it’s really going to be very harmful to the morale and effectiveness of our military,” said Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee and a leading opponent of the repeal, according to the Huffington Post.

The Senate probably will take up the bill next month.

Unlike past British elections where publicly talking of religion by candidates was frowned upon and considered “un-British,” candidates today are pursuing the Christian vote more than ever.

The 2010 elections are marked with a desperate battle for marginal seats, and candidates are becoming more vocal about their beliefs in order to woo this sector, which is seen as a swing vote.

Gordon Brown at the IMF headquarters in Washington D.C. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has frequently referred to the "moral compass" he inherited from his clergyman father. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Zoe Dixon, chairman of the Liberal Democrat Christian Forum admitted, “Certainly we try to mobilize the Christian vote in our favor in constituencies.”

Paul Woolley, director of the Christian think tank Theos said, “We did some research last year looking at the rhetoric of Gordon Brown and others in their key speeches and the extent to which they used Christian or theological or biblical language.”

Wooley noted that while secularism is gaining more ground in British public life, electoral parties are “working hard to make inroads into faith-based communities and organizations.”

Examples of these politicians include:

• Conservative leader David Cameron, who has called for a “Big Society,” in which the government will work in tandem with volunteer and faith groups.  In Cameron’s conference speech last year some parts seemed biblical in rhythm, and the sections seemed like the Sermon on the Mount, according to Wooley.
• Prime Minister Gordon Brown has frequently referred to the “moral compass” he inherited from his clergyman father.
• Liberal democrat leader Nick Clegg claimed that Christian values are “central” to his policies in a Daily Telegraph article entitled “Atheist Nick Clegg discovers religion in time for polling day”.

Meanwhile, Christians are being enjoined by faith leaders to participate more in political elections.

Preacher Canon J. John, who is prominent within the evangelical community in the UK, urged believers to do their best to find out about their local candidates.

“We might want to ask whether they are genuinely committed to moral values or do they simply adopt whatever is the current fashionable view? Does the candidate place their party’s ideology above everything else? Would they be prepared to vote against the party line on moral grounds,” he said.

A spokesman for the Christian Peoples Alliance, which is putting up 17 general election candidates, said, “We are building for the politics of tomorrow.”

The Westminster 2010 Declaration, signed by former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey and Cardinal O’Brien, the leader of Catholics in Scotland, advised that

Christians should work to ensure “religious liberty and freedom of conscience are unequivocally protected against interference by the state and other threats”, while they “will not be intimidated by any cultural or political power into silence or acquiescence.”

The declaration goes on: “We call upon all those in UK positions of leadership, responsibility and influence to pledge to respect, uphold and protect the right of Christians to hold these beliefs and to act according to Christian conscience.”

Sources:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8607964.stm

http://www.christian.org.uk/news/clegg-lib-dem-values-are-christian-values/

The Canadian Parliament turned down recently a bill to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide.

In a landslide vote, the House of Commons rejected Bill C-384 by a vote of 228 to 59.

Immediately after the vote, two members said they mistakenly voted for the bill, instead of against it.

Conservative Member and Parliamentary Secretary for Health Stephen Fletcher abstained, stressing that he believed “the individual is ultimately responsible” for his fate.

Fletcher, a quadriplegic MP, is confined to a motorized wheel chair.

The bill, which was proposed by parliament member Francine Lalonde (La Pointe-de-l’Île, BQ) also irked Congress of Families Managing Director Larry Jacobs who said it might be used to hasten the deaths of the mentally ill, chronically depressed, elderly (who could be put to death for financial gain), bedridden and handicapped.

Alex Schadenberg, executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, told LifeSiteNews that the defeat of Lalonde’s bill means that Canada should now move on to finding better ways of offering true health care to Canada’s vulnerable patients.