Homosexuals and Ordination

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Admin Hat...

This thread has undergone a unilateral cleanup. I want to take a moment to remind those who are not Lutheran of the Congregational rule:

Congregational Forum Restrictions and orthodox Christian Only Forums
Members who do not truly share the core beliefs and teachings of a specific congregational forum may post in fellowship or ask questions, but they may not teach or debate within the forum. There are forums reserved for orthodox Christian members only. Please do not post in these forums unless you are truly a Nicene Creed, Trinitarian Christian (please see our Statement of Faith to know exactly what that is). If you wish to discuss unorthodox doctrines, you may do so in the Unorthodox Doctrinal Discussion forum.

Like the rule says, if you are not Lutheran, you may not debate, teach, argue with the Lutherans who call this forum home.

I think that's clear.

Reopening the thread.

 

[WirSindBettler]

As someone who hopes to become an LCMS Pastor, I am almost positive, though not completely certain, that homosexual LCMS members (celibate or not) cannot be ordained. And to clear up any earlier confusion, unlike the EO, an LCMS Pastor, ordained while still single, can still get married, though if not married, he must remain celibate.

 

[WirSindBettler]

Confirming my assumption, the LCMS does not ordain homosexuals (celibate or otherwise), and an ordained Pastor found to be homosexual will be immediately defrocked and removed from the Pastoral Office.

 

[Kingdom Cross]

Confirming my assumption, the LCMS does not ordain homosexuals (celibate or otherwise), and an ordained Pastor found to be homosexual will be immediately defrocked and removed from the Pastoral Office.

Interesting. Can you give us a source/citation on that?

 

[WirSindBettler]

Interesting. Can you give us a source/citation on that?

I asked my Pastor, my friend who is at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, and the LCMS seems to hint that it is contained within its CTCR 1981 "Human Sexuality: A Theological Perspective" and a 1999 presidential council entitled "A Plan for Ministry to Homosexuals and Their Families" as well as an unnamed 2001 convention resolution.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

I asked my Pastor, my friend who is at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, and the LCMS seems to hint that it is contained within its CTCR 1981 "Human Sexuality: A Theological Perspective" and a 1999 presidential council entitled "A Plan for Ministry to Homosexuals and Their Families" as well as an unnamed 2001 convention resolution.

Is it possible that this is an opinion based on personal interpretation of these documents. Something this important should be clearly stated, yet when I searched both the internet and the LCMS website, I found nothing.

 

[PreachersWife2004]

Is it possible that this is an opinion based on personal interpretation of these documents. Something this important should be clearly stated, yet when I searched both the internet and the LCMS website, I found nothing.

Good point. I don't think you're going to see a clear cut answer to this because the issue really isn't clear cut.

It's kinda like asking a church "do you ordain liars? Do you ordain men who curse?" etc. No one is perfect, and homosexuality is a sin just like any other sin. The main difference is that most people aren't openly being thieves or liars and trying to have society accept them because they were born sinful.

So I'd like to think that a man struggling with ANY particular sin (as we all are) wouldn't be turned away from ordination, but a man who was engaging in unrepentant sin of any kind would not be ordained.

 

[Tetzel]

The confessions aren't very big on celibacy.

 

[WirSindBettler]

The confessions aren't very big on celibacy.

That doesn't mean in any way, shape, or form that they endorse non celibate homosexual behavior. They encourage marriage for heterosexuals. Luther, as I've mentioned in other discussions, was extremely, extremely opposed to homosexuality:

"The vice of the Sodomites is an unparalleled enormity. It departs from the natural passion and desire, planted into nature by God, according to which the male has a passionate desire for the female. Sodomy craves what is entirely contrary to nature. Whence comes this perversion? Without a doubt it comes from the devil. After a man has once turned aside from the fear of God, the devil puts such great pressure upon his nature that he extinguishes the fire of natural desire and stirs up another, which is contrary to nature."
- Martin Luther

On Genesis 19:4-5: "I for my part do not enjoy dealing with this passage, because so far the ears of the Germans are innocent of and uncontaminated by this monstrous depravity; for even though disgrace, like other sins, has crept in through an ungodly soldier and a lewd merchant, still the rest of the people are unaware of what is being done in secret. The Carthusian monks deserve to be hated because they were the first to bring this terrible pollution into Germany from the monasteries of Italy."
- Martin Luther