Friday, November 04, 2011

LGBTQ Forum @ LTSP

Tonight the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia held a very well attended LGBTQ forum. The conversation was part of LTSP's on-going commitment as a Reconciling in Christ seminary to be a welcoming and affirming community... and what an amazing event!  After sitting down to a hearty meal of pizza, salad and some delicious cupcakes, roughly forty students, faculty, alumni and their families gathered to discuss how far the seminary has come since becoming an RIC institution in April 2010.  Some students discussed how they felt supported by the community when coming out or navigating tricky candidacy processes.  Other students aired concerns and cited areas that still need improvement.  Straight students asked important questions about being the best possible allies.

The group discussed wider church issues as well.  I learned a great deal about what brothers and sisters in Christ face when working with less than supportive synods, when trying to find first calls and in getting appropriate Board of Pensions benefits for their spouses or partners.  I learned that despite the decisions made at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly, the ELCA still has a whole lot of work to do... the popular notion that "thank God this is over and we can get back to ministry" isn't appropriate or even accurate.  I left the forum absolutely filled with the Spirit!  The best part of being a Reconciling In Christ community is that all members, no matter their sexual orientation, can know that they live, work, learn and play in a place that supports and affirms who they are.

2 comments:

  1. Strange. Is the ELCA only concerned about SEX.

    Obsessed might be a better descriptive word.

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  2. Anonymous- Honestly up until last night I took a similar opinion to yours... I was happy about our 2009 decision but was also happy we could move on to something else. I've realized however that if the church is called to be community in the world then we need to be a safe place for individuals to talk about what the world is talking about. Sex in general and LGBT rights in particular are a major topic in our contemporary society. It makes sense then that we spend so much time discussing such issues... if the ELCA is "obsessed" with sex as you say (and I'm not sure it is), it's merely a reflection of wider culture's "obsession" with the topic.

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