WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday (Jan. 11) unanimously threw its support behind a church school that fired a teacher, using a widely watched church-state case to bolster a legal doctrine that exempts religious institutions from some civil rights laws.

Religious groups heralded the ruling as a firm assertion of religious freedom that keeps personnel decisions about religious employees where they should be: within a church, synagogue, or mosque.

“The court hasn’t spoken this clearly on a church-state matter in almost 20 years,” said Rob Garnett, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame who wrote an amicus brief on the case in support of the Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School.

“This is bedrock,” Garnett continued. “All the justices came together to say if religious freedom means anything, it means governments can’t interfere with religious institutions’ decisions on who is going to be their minister or teacher.”

Those who advocate for the separation of church and state said the court has now set the bar far too high for employees of religious institutions who seek redress against discrimination.

“The really terrible thing about this decision is that if you fire someone and religion is just a pretext, it can’t be addressed by courts,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

“It’s just a gigantic new exception, a new loophole to the civil rights law for religious groups that will not be shut in a very long time — if ever.”

The Hosanna-Tabor case revolved around Cheryl Perich, who had been elevated by the Lutheran church that ran the school to a “called teacher” position, one with some religious responsibilities. Though most of her duties were secular, Perich spent part of each day teaching religion and sometimes led chapel services.

Diagnosed with a sleep disorder, Perich took a leave of absence in 2004 and was replaced by another teacher. Cleared by her doctors to return to work, the church refused to reinstate her.

Perich filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, arguing that the school was hiding behind its religious protections to ignore the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The EEOC ruled for Perich, but she lost a lawsuit against the school in federal court in 2008. The school successfully argued that the doctrine of ministerial exception, which is well established in state courts, gave it broad hiring and firing powers over all religious employees, even if they engaged in nonreligious activities.

Lawyers for the school argued that the Lutheran tradition requires that disagreements within the church be settled within the church, and that Perich had flouted this requirement by going to court.

Perich appealed, and in 2010 the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in her favor. The Supreme Court, in an opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, gave the final victory to the church, grounding the decision in the First Amendment’s guarantees of free exercise of religion, and a prohibition on government establishment of religion.

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Elena Kagan filed concurring opinions.

“The interest of society in the enforcement of employment discrimination statutes is undoubtedly important. But so too is the interest of religious groups in choosing who will preach their beliefs, teach their faith, and carry out their mission,” Roberts wrote.

“The First Amendment has struck the balance for us,” Roberts continued. “The church must be free to choose those who will guide it on its way.”

Said the Rev. Paul Undlin of Hosanna-Tabor, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod church that ran the now-closed school: “It is amazing when a church from Redford, Mich., stands up for its rights and ends up going all the way to the Supreme Court. Praise God for giving the justices the wisdom to uphold the religious freedom enshrined in our Constitution.”

Lutheran churches in Indonesia have approved several steps to revitalize their commitment to fight the AIDS epidemic.

Two conferences on HIV/AIDS called “Embracing Life: Our Common Responsibility” were organized by LWF (Lutheran World Federation) Indonesia from 6-10 November. Sixty youth delegates and church leaders attended.

Among the steps they announced: setting up HIV/AIDS desks in each of Indonesia’s 12 Lutheran churches, including HIV/AIDS in the curriculum of theological colleges, confirmation classes and even Sunday schools and raising funds in congregations to support HIV campaigns and those infected with the virus.

Bishop Langsung Maruli Sitorus had urged youth at the conference “to break the roof of prejudice and stigma in the church to bring solace to the HIV infected.”

Youth delegates also suggested concrete steps like launching a youth communication network, youth forum to spread awareness on HIV/AIDS, collecting funds and even taking up preventive treatment and care for stigmatized HIV-infected people.

“I was scared about it (HIV/AIDS). Now I have the courage to embrace an HIV-infected person. Everybody in the church should be made aware of the stigma HIV carries,” Hesron Hanshen Sihombing, a theology student, told ENInews.

The Rev. Veikko Munyika, coordinator for the HIV and AIDS desk of the LWF, told ENInews that “it is extremely encouraging that the plan of action is specific and practical, challenging theological seminaries, church groups such as Sunday school boards, confirmation class committees, youth and adult leaders.” Munyika is a pastor from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia.

Prior to the conference, only one of the 12 Lutheran churches in Indonesia had adopted an HIV/AIDS policy. According to a UNAIDS report in 2010, the HIV epidemic in Indonesia was among the fastest growing in Asia and that the figures could climb from 330,000 in 2009 to 500,000 by 2014 without increased prevention.

Once upon a time, around 1960, Christian leaders began to question if moral-building characters could be used to help spread the gospel. Could they ever. Here is a list of ten familiar icons many of us grew up with. Surprisingly, most are still going strong and feature official websites.

 

Davey and Goliath

Davey and Goliath was a stop-motion animated television show produced by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was first broadcast in 1960 and featured Davey Hansen and his talking dog, Goliath, who acted as Davey’s conscience. Art and Ruth Clokey, creators of Gumby and Pokey, created 65 15-minutes episodes.

In 2001, The ELCA began making plans to return Davey to television. The effort began with a contract with PepsiCo, allowing them to use the characters in a Mountain Dew commercial in hopes of raising funds for new episodes. The commercial ran in 2002 and featured an uncharacteristic line from Davey, “We got hosed Tommy” when Davy’s father drinks the can of Mountain Dew that he and Tommy are fighting over. The commercial won Advertising Age’s Best Award for non-alcoholic beverage commercials in 2003. This led to Davey and Goliath’s Snowboard Christmas, a one-hour special that aired on the Hallmark channel in December 2004 and was the first new D & G production in over 30 years.

 

Jot

Jot lived with his dot parents and attended school with all of the other dots. When they stood still, Jot and friends sprouted arms and legs but when they moved, they shaped back into a dot and bounced around. Each four and one-half minute episode was told from a child’s point of view, featured a moral lesson and a Bible verse or two. Jot was syndicated from 1965 to the 1980’s. The episodes were distributed internationally and translated into 19 different languages. Jot was also a big hit around the country as part of a vacation Bible school curriculum. In 2009, Jot was featured as the official mascot of FamilyNet Television and even had his own MySpace and Facebook page.

 

Spire Christian Comics

Spire Christian Comics was a line of comic books started in 1972. They were mostly adaptations of Bible stories or Christian books including Corrie ten Boom’s The Hiding Place and David Wilkerson’s The Cross and the Switchblade. However, 19 issues were Christianized versions of Archie and his friends. Al Hatley, who was working for Archie Comics at the same time, was given permission to use the Archie characters in this way. While Christian comics were nothing new (some date back as far as 1942), Spire comics have seen a longer-than-most shelf life. Many were reprinted for many years after their original printing. Overall sales of Mr. Hartley’s comics are said to be more than 40 million copies including international sales. More on the history of Christian comics can be found at theChristian Comics International website.

 

Psalty the Singing Songbook

Created by Ernie and Debby Rettino in 1980, Psalty is a songbook who travels all around the world telling kids about how much God loves them. Sort of like that purple dinosaur, Barney. Psalty is married to Psaltina and together they have three booklets: Melody, Harmony and Rhythm. The songbook family live in Happyville with their friends Charity Churchmouse, Farley McFirefly and others. The character, first brought to life on Maranatha’s Kid’s Praise albums, has been featured on TV, made into stuffed creatures and has made “live” stage appearances. Though, not as popular as he once was, Psalty is still alive and well.

 

Superbook

Superbook was a Japanese anime television series that was produced by Tatsunoko Productions in conjunction with the Christian Broadcasting Network in the United States. The series featured 52 episodes telling many stories from the old and new testaments. Each episode featured a young boy, Christopher Peeper, who discovers a magical Bible “superbook” that speaks to him, his friend Joy and his toy robot Gizmo. The trio would be sent back in time to interact with Bible characters and their stories. The show had a few critics who claimed the show condensed or glossed over some of the stories. Some weren’t happy with a “magical” Bible either. The Superbook series continued to be broadcast world-wide in over 106 countries, translated into 43 languages and viewed by 500 million people.

A new re-imagined version of Superbook is currently being created by CBN with thirteen new 22 minute episodes. The animation technology is new and the characters have a whole new look. CBN hopes to have the new DVDs in retail location this by this fall. Episodes of David and Goliath and Moses available now at their new website.

 

The Greatest Adventure: Stories of the Bible

In 1985, Hanna-Barbera, creators of cartoon legends The Flintstones and Scooby Doo, created a direct-to-video series called The Greatest Adventure: Stories of the Bible. It featured stories of three young adventurers, Derek, Mango and Moki who travel back in time to watch biblical accounts happen first hand. Athough a similar premise with Superbook, the series was quite different in style and story telling. Only 13 episodes were created between 1985 and 1993. Rumor has it that Joe Barbera had tried to get support for the project for 17 years prior, but Bill Hanna was never on board with the project. Each episode featured the voices of many TV and movie stars including James Earl Jones as Pharaoh, Robby Benson as David and Vincent Price as King Herod.

 

Donut Man

Rob Evans is “The Donut Man,” a children’s songwriter and performer known for his many sing-along videos and albums with Integrity Music. For over 20 years, Rob has taught young children bible stories and lessons through song and story telling. His sidekick is Duncan, a donut who never leaves his box. One of Rob’s first songs included the line, “Life without Jesus is like a donut. There’s a hole in the middle of your heart.” Rob is still going strong with live appearances and a new CD, Paul in a Basket.

 

Adventures in Odyssey

Since 1987, Adventures in Odyssey has filled the radio airwaves with original audio stories brought to life by real actors. Adventures are the brainchild of Dr. James Dobson and the Focus on the Family Company. The adventures began as a 13-week test series on the Focus on the Family broadcast called Family Portraits that focused on the lives of the residents of the town of Odyssey. Most of the stories are centered in a soda shop and discovery emporium called Whit’s End owned by proprietor Mr. Whittaker and operated by employees Connie Kendall and Eugene Meltsner. With over 650 stories produced, Adventures can be heard on more than 2,000 radio stations around the world. In addition to the radio show, versions of the stories have been made into animated DVDs, novels and even stage presentations. If you visit the Focus on the Family Welcome Center in Colorado Springs, you can visit a real-life Whit’s End soda fountain.

 

Veggie Tales

In 1993, Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki created probably the biggest Christian pop culture phenomenon enterprise known as Veggie Tales. Originally released in a direct-to-video format, Vischer and Nawrocki’s aim was to create quality programming for children with good moral messages and be enjoyable for their parents too. One original “Big Idea” was to animate candy bars, but that idea was scrapped in favor of the produce aisle.

Many of the videos begin on a kitchen counter with hosts, Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber answering a “viewer’s letter” by sharing a story that is acted out by vegetables and fruits of all shapes and sizes. Almost every video features a “Silly Song” segment where “Larry comes out and sings a silly song.”

46 Veggie Tale videos have been produced with the latest, “The Princess and the Pop Star,” just released in August 2011. The next one, “The Little Drummer Boy,” will be released in October 2011.

In addition to the videos, a myriad of toys, books, stuffed creatures, t-shirts, video games and more has been produced. From 2006-2009, Veggie Tales was picked up by NBC and shown as part of their children’s programming. The show is now shown on the Gospel Music Channel. In addition, two feature-length movies made it to the big screen: Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie in 2002 and The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything in 2008.

 

Bibleman

Even Christian children need a superhero that they can believe in. Clad in the “armor of God” in royal purple and gold, Bibleman is sort of a Christian version of 1960′s Batman. From 1996 to 2004, Willie Aames (Eight is Enough) portrayed businessman Miles Peterson turned Bibleman on multiple videos and live appearances. In 2006, Aames was replaced with children’s pastor, Robert T. Schlipp who continues the crimefighting in Bibleman PowerSource and is now aided by Cypher (Brady Williams) and Melody (Lindsay Lewis).

Though you can still purchase copies of the original Bibleman movies, Aames is not mentioned by name on the official website. Incidentally, Aames has gone through multiple personal struggles over the years, but appears to be doing well now but with a whole different career path. He now serves as a senior officer on both Oceania and Regent Cruise lines

Originally posted at the Examiner. 

A group of Christian leaders met recently with President Barack Obama and White House staff to appeal for protection for the poor and hungry, even as the government continues with its ongoing debate over the budget.

The Christian leaders noted that even as the government works to get its fiscal house in order, it should not be done at the expense of those who are most in need.

The White House agreed that there is a need to protect those who are most vulnerable even as the government seeks to cut the deficit. Both sides agreed that there is a need to provide protective safety nets, at the same time maintain investments for the future.

The Christian leaders at the White House meeting included leaders of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, the National Council of Churches, the Salvation Army, the National African American Clergy Network, the National Association of Evangelicals, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the alliance to End Hunger, the National Baptist Convention of America and Bread for the World.

These church groups form part of the nonpartisan movement, Circle of Protection, which regards budgets as moral documents that must not target the vulnerable and the poor in trying to shrink long-term deficits.

They met with the president and members of the White House staff including Valerie Jarett (Senior Advisory), Melody Barnes (Director, Domestic Policy Council), and Joshua DuBois (Director, Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships).

Both the White House and the church representatives also agreed that such protection must remain even in case a deal is reached with regard to the default crisis.

A statement from the Circle of Protection said, “As Christian leaders, we are committed to fiscal responsibility and shared sacrifice. We are also committed to resist budget cuts that undermine the lives, dignity, and rights of poor and vulnerable people. Therefore, we join with others to form a circle of protection around programs that meet the essential needs of hungry and poor people at home and abroad.”

The statement was signed by the leaders of some 60 Christian denominations and organizations. It was also supported by the heads of 45 development agencies and other faith leaders.

The statement said, “As Christian leaders, we urge Congress and the administration to give moral priority to programs that protect the life and dignity of poor and vulnerable people in these difficult times, our broken economy, and our wounded world.”

Rev. David Beckmann, president, Bread for the World, said on its website, “We applaud the president for acknowledging that any budget deal must protect programs vital for hungry and poor people. The best way to reduce federal deficits is to negotiate a responsible budget that includes cuts in spending as well as increases in revenues.”

The Christian leaders said they will continue to discuss the well being of the poor with government leaders. They have already met with Democratic and Republican congressmen, and hope to meet with John Boehner (House Speaker) and Mitch McConnell (Senate Minority Leader).

A mural of the biblical story of Christ healing Bartimaeus is being taken down from a church wall in Philadelphia after 16 years, despite its being the work of a distinguished artist–and is now up for grabs.

The mural, entitled The Healing of Bartimaeus, is the handiwork of Lothar Speer, a German-born artist whose roster of clients including leading U.S. universities, sports teams, McDonald’s Corporation, The Museum of Modern Art, and Hyatt Corporations, among others.

Now his 13-by-28 foot canvas mural, which for some was “too edgy” and for others was “wonderful” will have to be taken down because Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bustleton, PA has been sold, and the new owners plan to break the wall to give more space for pews, according to the AP.

Rev. John Stabb, former pastor of Calvary Evangelical, who commissioned the work in 1993 told the AP, “I loved [the mural], and I love it, because I was so involved in its creation.”

Stabb, now based in Alaska, admitted to the AP that for others it was “Too edgy.” Some wondered why only the body of Jesus was seen, and not his face. But Stabb, 67, would tell them to see Jesus “in the faces of the people.”

Description

The mural only shows the body of Jesus, hovering over a panorama of various types of people including a bishop, thugs, Hasidic Jews, prostitutes, saints, etc. Also seen is Bartimaeus, swathed, like Jesus, in golden light. Further down, a city burns.

It is an ethereal interpretation of the biblical story in Mark 10: 46-52. For many, this makes it all the more compelling.

The painting took one year to complete, and was done first on canvas, and then glued to the drywall. Hundreds of screws were also used to attach it. At the time, Speer was pursuing an MFA at Pennsylvania Academy. The church paid him $15,000 for his work, the AP said.

Now, the new owners of the building, First Ukranian Evangelical Baptist Church, have told Speer that he is free to get his painting back. The artist asked if he could be given time. He told AP, “This is not like scraping off wallpaper.” He was given until Aug. 1 to take it down.

Taking it down could mean either steaming the canvas to detach it from the drywall, or removing both together. Portions of the canvas over every drywall screw will need to be repainted.

“It’s a wonderful piece of art,” Anton Michels of the German Society of Pennsylvania told the AP. He is helping Speer to remove the painting, and has contacted professionals to assist them in doing the job.

Speer told the AP that he is willing to donate the painting to any building in Philadelphia who would like to have it, whether it is a public building or another church. He would only charge for labor and touch ups that may be needed on remounting it.

It is quite an offer, from an artist whose bio includes the prestigious Johannes Fuger Medal from the National Academy of the Fine Arts inVienna, and who was a four-time art grant recipient in Chicago.

Speer’s work has also been exhibited in the Capitol Bldg. of Washington D.C., and in Basel, Salzburg and Vienna among others. His pieces form part of numerous private and public collections.

The split continues to widen in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America over the ordination of gays who are in committed relationships.

According to The Gazette, the ELCA still remains strong, in that out of 10,000 churches in the U.S., only 291 have left as of 2009 to join other, more conservative Lutheran denominations.

However, while the number of those who have left ELCA remain small overall, what is significant is the speed at which groups which leave, manage to reorganize–and their tremendous rate of growth outside of ELCA, according to The Gazette.

Last August, defectors from ELCA formed the North American Lutheran Church, just one year after ELCA decided in a General Assembly to permit homosexuals in committed relationships to become ordained clergy, The Gazette said.

What’s more, the speed of growth of NALC is unprecedented. When it was launched it had 18 churches in its group, including St. Luke’s Lutheran Church. Within four months, the number has more than tripled with a total of 70 churches, and 17 more undergoing the process to join, The Gazette reported.

This is incredibly quick, considering that it took six years for former Episcopalians to create the Anglican Church in North America after a gay Episcopal bishop was elected in 2003, according to The Gazette.

Paull Spring, former bishop of ELCA’s Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod and current head of NALC said the speed of their reorganization was the result of a consultation he had with Episcopal Church dissenters, The Pulpit reported.

Spring told The Pulpit, “They felt they didn’t move as fast and lost lay supporters. So we wanted to move fast.” He added that NALC and ELCA do not communicate saying, “They don’t respond, don’t talk.”

Other churches that have undergone great internal friction over the issue of the ordination of gays are The Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church and the American Baptist Church USA, The Gazette said.

Beyond the issue of sexual orientation

David Wendel, pastor of St. Luke’s Lutheran and one of 17 regional deans of NALC (charged with Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah) said that the issue is beyond that of sexual orientation.

Wendel told The Pulpit, “The sexuality issue is not really the issue. We did not discuss that. The issue is the change in biblical understanding in the ELCA. There are some pastors who don’t believe in the resurrection.”

Wendel said that with NALC, gays can be ordained, however, “A homosexual person who is single could be ordained and is expected to be celibate,” The Pulpit reported.

NALC and other ELCA defectors will be able to keep their property, so long as they remain aligned with a Lutheran denomination. Wendel told The Gazette, “We don’t call this a schism. Lutheranism has a flexibility that allows for this realignment.”

As of now, NALC has no U.S. central location, as it is only four months old and NALC positions will only hold until next August. Spring said he will not likely run for reelection, The Gazette reported.

Spring told The Gazette, “It’s been a very stressful time, personally. There is sorrow over a lost relationship. But what are you supposed to do when the parent body goes against Holy Scripture?”

Some faith leaders are taking part in the ‘It Gets Better Project,’ which lends support to young people who are being bullied because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

However, other faith leaders say that while bullying is always wrong, quoting scripture should not be blamed for extreme bullying that has the recent rash of suicides.

Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said in a video that LGBT youth have dignity and beauty as God’s creation. Hanson said he joined the project so he could lend hope, especially those who were driven to commit suicide from bullying, according to Business Wire.

In the video Hanson said, “Your life carries the dignity and beauty of God’s creation. God has called you by name and claimed you forever. There is a place for you in this world, and in this church.” The father of six children, Hanson added, “I can only imagine what it’s like to be bullied for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. But I do know how bullying can destroy someone,” Business Wire reported.

Hanson shared his daughter’s struggle for being bullied as a biracial child. Noting that words can both harm and heal, Hanson said, “Sometimes the words of my Christian brothers and sisters have hurt you, and I also know that our silence causes you pain.” The video can be seen at http://www.elca.org/itgetsbetter.

Episcopal bishop Gene Robinson, who is openly gay, pointedly attacked Southern Baptists, Roman Catholics and Mormons who say gays are not acceptable to God. Robinson said, “I want to tell you as a religious person, that they are flat out wrong. God loves you the way you are,” The Christian Post reported.

Greg Kandra, a Roman Catholic deacon in Brooklyn N.Y. wrote in Beliefnet, “Robinson is entitled to his opinion, and his own moral theology. We can respectfully disagree about his conclusions. But I can’t respect the way he has gone about brazenly dismissing (and, in fact, misrepresenting) the moral teachings of others,” according to The Christian Post.

Evangelical leader Chuck Colson urged Christians to condemn bullying, but also stressed that believers must defend biblical morality “in a way that rejects condemnation and invites conversation and conversion.” Colson said the trend to blame Christians for the suicides because of its “anti-gay rhetoric” is “disturbing,” The Christian Post reported.

Focus on the Family president Jim Daly said he did not think Christianity is responsible for the suicides. Daly said Christianity, when properly interpreted and practiced, is the best solution to the mistreatment of people. In a CNN blog Daly wrote, “If there is a single golden thread woven through the Bible and the faith it informs, it is this: when it comes to human rights and how we treat each other, no person is superior or inferior to the next,” The Christian Post reported.

Daly stressed, “To violate the dignity of another person, in any form or fashion, is to contradict the very basis of Gospel-centered living. And to suggest that an orthodox understanding of Christianity encourages abuse against homosexuals is a sad misreading of the very tenets of the faith,” according to The Christian Post.

A survey by the Public Religion Research Institute that was conducted after the suicides studied the link between religious messages and public images of homosexuality. Its findings revealed that 72 percent of Americans believe religious communications have added to “negative views” of LGBTs, and 65 percent link these religious communications to the rise in suicides among gay youth, USA Today said.

The study, which was co-sponsored by Religion News Service surveyed 1010 U.S. adults from Oct. 14-17, according to USA Today.

Family Research Council president Tony Perkins told The Washington Post, “There is no contradiction between Christian compassion and a call for holy living. But the life which is holy … or even healthy … requires abstinence from homosexual conduct. We would do no one a favor if we ceased to proclaim that truth,” USA Today reported.

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.

Seven gay pastors were reinstated recently into the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America after having been barred from service for some 20 years.

The pastors, also called the “Bay Area Seven” are Reverends Jeff Johnson, Paul Brenner, Dawn Roginski, Ross Merkel, Megan Rohrer, Craig Minich and Sharon Stalkfleet.

They will be officially recognized on the ECLA clergy roster, making them eligible to serve in any of the denomination’s 10,500 Lutheran churches.

In September, three more gay pastors will be admitted and in October, one gay pastor in Chicago and two in St. Paul-Minneapolis will be welcomed. All in all, a total of 46 openly gay pastors are slated to be welcomed to the clergy roster.

The ceremony, which was held at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco, is the first of many more that have been scheduled since the ELCA decided last year to accept non-celibate gay ministers who are in committed relationships.

In the past, gay men and women could become Lutheran pastors only if they took a vow of celibacy.

According to The New York Times Rev. Johnson said, “Today the church is speaking with a clear voice. All people are welcome here, all people are invited to help lead this church, and all people are loved unconditionally by God.”

Johnson said the ECLA’s former policy “ruined lives, destroyed faiths.”

Rev. Rohrer said she viewed the ceremony not as her first day as a pastor but a day when “the church gets to receive me as a pastor.” She is a missionary for the homeless and serves in four churches, the San Francisco Chronicle said.

The ECLA, which has 4.6 million members, is the largest Protestant church in the U.S. to admit non-celibate gay clergy. The decision has led 185 of its 10,396 congregations to separate from the denomination.

The United Church of Christ and the Episcopal Church permit gay clergy, and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) may soon follow suit as its general assembly voted to allow non-celibate gay clergy to serve, however this needs ratification by a majority of the PCUSA’s 173 regional presbyteries.

One day after his election, the newly-elected World Lutheran president spoke on behalf of Christians in Palestine–at a time when focus has long been on Christians from Israel.

Bishop Munib A. Younan called on believers to “pray that Palestinian Christians may not lose faith and leave the country,” the Anglican Journal said.

Younan succeeds Bishop Mark S. Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, who had headed the LWF—the church’s highest legislative body–for seven years, the Christian Post said.

Younan noted, “I sometimes ponder the fact that there have been Christians in Palestine since the first Pentecost. Now, we Palestinian Christians are less than 1.5 per cent of the population. Even so, Palestinian Christianity has survived 2000 years. We have never ruled the country, nor were we ever in the majority. We do not have much property, power, money or influence. Yet, we have survived,” the Anglican Journal said.

The new, 59-year-old head of some 70 million Protestants globally bewailed the fact that Palestinian Christians are leaving because of the political conflict, a lack of jobs and the growing extremism in religion and politics, the Anglican Journal said.

Younan won 300 votes out of a total of 360 voters. He is from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land which has a membership of 3,000–one of the smallest of 145 churches in the LWF, the Anglican Journal said.

A former LWF vice president, he also heads the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches and is co-founder of the Council of Religious Institutions in the Holy Land which is also comprised of two chief Israel rabbis, the Chief Judge of the Islamic Court in Palestine, heads of local churches and some Muslim leaders, the Christian Post said.

At the LWF assembly meet in Stuttgart, Germany Younan said, “We as Christians and especially as Lutherans have a role to play in the Middle East in reconciliation and interfaith dialogue,” the Anglican Journal said.

Younan, a former child refugee, recalls drinking chocolate milk at the Martin Luther School in Jerusalem. Christian support, he said, gave his parents and himself a second chance and this led him to the faith, the Anglican Journal said.

He studied theology in Finland and at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago; and was ordained in 1976. He said, It is essential that I as an Arab Christian can be used by other Christians for dialogue with people of other faiths so that we can have dialogue that can be for the benefit of all people,” the Anglican Journal said.

Calling for an end to xenophobia, Islamophobia and anti-Semitism, Younan said Palestinian Christians wish to work for justice, peace, reconciliation, and the defense of human rights and the rights of women, the Anglican Journal said.