Churches are great places to confront social issues
Published in the Boulder Daily Camera, December 11, 2011
Civil societies always seem to be debating issues of social change. From Henry VIII’s England where divorce was the hot topic to the civil rights debates of the last century, it’s always something. And, dare I say it, these debates usually result in a better life for all.
One of today’s most divisive social issues is the rights of gays and lesbians. This debate has been raging for 30 years and tremendous progress has already been made. Consider this – in 1978, the American Psychiatric Association, a decidedly liberal organization, polled members and found that 69% of the membership believed that “homosexuality is usually a pathological adaptation as opposed to a normal variation.” In other words, 33 years ago these guys thought homosexuality was a disease. Imagine that.
We have come a long way, but the outstanding issue in America today is whether and how to acknowledge gay unions.
One Boulder Church landed in the middle of this issue. Trinity Lutheran Church is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) that represents 4.5 million Lutherans. In August 2009, the ELCA resolved that congregations could, if they chose, “recognize, support, and hold publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships.” This opened the door for Trinity to conduct services to bless gay unions.
Trinity had choices including 1) ignoring it and hoping that no one ever asked for a gay union blessing, 2) confronting it quickly and letting the cards fall where they may, or 3) viewing this as an important social issue that merited careful thought, consideration, and a decision. Trinity spent six months contemplating which of these paths to follow with active engagement of the congregation – from the Church leadership to any member who wished to express an opinion. In January 2010, Trinity decided that, even though this issue was not central to the mission of the Church, it was worthy of a thoughtful and spiritual discussion leading to a decision about whether or not to bless gay unions. Even knowing that church members held conflicting views, some with great passion, Trinity decided to directly confront a red-hot social issue.
Trinity then began a 16-month discernment process that was, in my view, an extraordinary example of how to address a controversial social issue that – think what you may – has no easy answer.
Trinity began by gathering a committee of individuals with intentionally divergent views. The committee had two goals; first, to explore all sides of the issue of gay unions and second, to do so in a way that would maintain social harmony at Trinity. The church community understood and respected that everyone’s beliefs were founded in scripture, church tradition, and their own underlying faith, and that these divergent views would lead different individuals down different paths to different conclusions. So, a central goal of the process was not only to come to the right and just decision, but also to enlighten everyone in an environment of mutual respect and trust.
The process involved a series of open meetings discussing issues of homosexuality and gay unions from different perspectives including; 1) history of the issue in church and society, 2) the known science and psychological underpinnings of homosexuality in general, and in committed relationships specifically, 3) relevant Biblical foundations, and 4) personal stories that had shaped peoples’ beliefs about homosexuality. These meetings were informative, respectful, and involved engaged conversations amongst people with strong and often divergent beliefs. While it’s hard to know if these meetings changed many minds, the spirit of enlightened discussion brought members of the community together to the benefit of all.
On May 22nd, 2011, Trinity held a congregational meeting to finally decide whether the church would bless gay unions. Now, I suppose that, if you got this far, you want to know what the decision was, but you won’t find it here. This column is about the journey, not the destination, and it’s the journey that I want you to see. Far too often, popular culture has demonized religion as closed-minded and intolerant. Of course, all institutions in society have their bigots and fools, but many are also beacons of enlightenment and open thinking. Churches provide a spiritually rich environment and, contrary to the opinion of some, they are a place where society can thoughtfully confront difficult issues. I know of no better example than Trinity’s to prove that this spirit of making our earthly world a better place for all is alive and well in American religion today.
[email protected]
Ron is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church
Civil societies always seem to be debating issues of social change. From Henry VIII’s England where divorce was the hot topic to the civil rights debates of the last century, it’s always something. And, dare I say it, these debates usually result in a better life for all.
One of today’s most divisive social issues is the rights of gays and lesbians. This debate has been raging for 30 years and tremendous progress has already been made. Consider this – in 1978, the American Psychiatric Association, a decidedly liberal organization, polled members and found that 69% of the membership believed that “homosexuality is usually a pathological adaptation as opposed to a normal variation.” In other words, 33 years ago these guys thought homosexuality was a disease. Imagine that.
We have come a long way, but the outstanding issue in America today is whether and how to acknowledge gay unions.
One Boulder Church landed in the middle of this issue. Trinity Lutheran Church is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) that represents 4.5 million Lutherans. In August 2009, the ELCA resolved that congregations could, if they chose, “recognize, support, and hold publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships.” This opened the door for Trinity to conduct services to bless gay unions.
Trinity had choices including 1) ignoring it and hoping that no one ever asked for a gay union blessing, 2) confronting it quickly and letting the cards fall where they may, or 3) viewing this as an important social issue that merited careful thought, consideration, and a decision. Trinity spent six months contemplating which of these paths to follow with active engagement of the congregation – from the Church leadership to any member who wished to express an opinion. In January 2010, Trinity decided that, even though this issue was not central to the mission of the Church, it was worthy of a thoughtful and spiritual discussion leading to a decision about whether or not to bless gay unions. Even knowing that church members held conflicting views, some with great passion, Trinity decided to directly confront a red-hot social issue.
Trinity then began a 16-month discernment process that was, in my view, an extraordinary example of how to address a controversial social issue that – think what you may – has no easy answer.
Trinity began by gathering a committee of individuals with intentionally divergent views. The committee had two goals; first, to explore all sides of the issue of gay unions and second, to do so in a way that would maintain social harmony at Trinity. The church community understood and respected that everyone’s beliefs were founded in scripture, church tradition, and their own underlying faith, and that these divergent views would lead different individuals down different paths to different conclusions. So, a central goal of the process was not only to come to the right and just decision, but also to enlighten everyone in an environment of mutual respect and trust.
The process involved a series of open meetings discussing issues of homosexuality and gay unions from different perspectives including; 1) history of the issue in church and society, 2) the known science and psychological underpinnings of homosexuality in general, and in committed relationships specifically, 3) relevant Biblical foundations, and 4) personal stories that had shaped peoples’ beliefs about homosexuality. These meetings were informative, respectful, and involved engaged conversations amongst people with strong and often divergent beliefs. While it’s hard to know if these meetings changed many minds, the spirit of enlightened discussion brought members of the community together to the benefit of all.
On May 22nd, 2011, Trinity held a congregational meeting to finally decide whether the church would bless gay unions. Now, I suppose that, if you got this far, you want to know what the decision was, but you won’t find it here. This column is about the journey, not the destination, and it’s the journey that I want you to see. Far too often, popular culture has demonized religion as closed-minded and intolerant. Of course, all institutions in society have their bigots and fools, but many are also beacons of enlightenment and open thinking. Churches provide a spiritually rich environment and, contrary to the opinion of some, they are a place where society can thoughtfully confront difficult issues. I know of no better example than Trinity’s to prove that this spirit of making our earthly world a better place for all is alive and well in American religion today.
[email protected]
Ron is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church
