ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, November 30, 1996 TAG: 9612020018
SECTION: RELIGION PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: COMMENTARY
SOURCE: CLARK MORPHEW KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
Now that Thanksgiving is over, it's time to talk about sex - again.
Yes, I know that's a cheap and sleazy way to get your attention, but my column actually is about human sexuality.
Here's the deal: Almost every mainline Protestant denomination has issued a policy statement about sexuality, and in almost every case, those statements have caused an uproar from the rank and file.
It happened to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America a couple of years ago, when upset Lutherans made thousands of phone calls to the national offices in Chicago.
This time around, the ELCA decided to send its congregations a ``message'' rather than a policy statement. A message is meant to chronicle areas where there appears to be consensus, so it's not surprising that it does not mention homosexuality, an issue that has separated Protestant denominations for at least a decade.
So if it focuses only on the things that church members agree on, why have a message at all?
Because it's good for folks to know areas of agreement, and it makes the Lutherans feel proud to know they agree on anything at all.
As you can imagine, the message is fairly predictable. For instance, we are told that ``human sexuality was created good for the purposes of expressing love and generating life.'' I knew that, and so did you. But let us be patient.
On dealing with single people, the message says the church should be a ``loving and supportive community.'' The Lutheran message does not say that single people should be celibate or that they may engage in some kinds of sexual activities but not others. Mainly it says that some single people yearn to be married while others do not.
Marriage, the message says, is a ``lifelong covenant of faithfulness between a man and a woman.'' But it also says marriage provides a ``structure of security and stability within which spouses may fully enjoy and risk sexual expression.'' It's that word ``risk'' that makes one's imagination run wild. What are the leaders of this venerable church body saying - that kinky stuff sometimes happens in Lutheran marriages? God forbid.
Then the message steps way out on the proverbial limb and says not only that Lutherans may use birth control but that it is ``expected'' because it is the responsible thing to do.
The message also condemns adultery and says sexual abuse is sinful. It briefly condemns rape, sexual harassment, promiscuity, prostitution, practices that spread sexually transmitted diseases, pornography and sexuality in media and advertising.
Finally the statement gives a ringing endorsement of God's grace, saying that even in a world obsessed with sex, the message of Jesus Christ ``lightens our burdens, lifts our spirits, renews our commitments and reminds us of the deepest basis for mutual respect.''
This message will be sent to the denomination's 11,000 congregations, which will be asked to discuss the message in adult forums and Bible classes. But the question has to be: What are they going to discuss? There is not a hint of controversy in any of the various sections.
So I have to ask, how many trees had to die to print this message?
It carries with it a suggestion that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is running scared from sexuality. After the beating it took on the last policy statement, the denomination has pulled its wagons into a circle. It will be taking no risks in the area of human sexuality for a long time.
Some Lutherans will see this message as cowardly. Some will think it's useless in the wider debate. That's what can happen when a denomination tries to please everyone. It usually pleases no one.
Clark Morphew is an ordained clergyman and is religion writer for the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press.
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