ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP STILL REFUSES TO RESPOND!!

9-24-09

The ELCA presiding Bishop has yet to answer Iowalive's questions, some of which were first asked on June 19, 2009.   

The best answers we have seen to date are posted on the  Lutheran Church of Hope, West Des Moines Iowa website:  http://www.hopewdm.org/article206401.htm?links=1&body=1  —by its senior pastor, Mike Housholder--who straight forwardly   answers 36  questions about ELCA's homosexual sex endorsements.    His answers are strongly recommended for further reading!!

Before the Assembly gathering, Pastor Housholder advised the ELCA Presiding Bishop the Lutheran Church of Hope would discontinue open-ended giving to the ELCA synod and churchwide offices if the ELCA Assembly adopted homosexual marriage and ordainment of homosexual clergy--which they did--and which Hope did.

God's blessings to Hope Pastor Mike Housholder!!

ONLY 17% OF IOWA VOTERS TOLERATE HOMOSEXUAL ACTS ON THEIR CHURCH TURF

Iowalive finds only 17% of Iowa voters would tolerate their clergy performing homosexual sex marriages--or their church  having a homosexually active homosexual cleric.  Most surveys, such as the recent Des Moines Register survey, won’t ask voters such questions, for fear of the answers.

PRESIDING ELCA BISHOP REFUSES TO RESPOND TO THESE QUESTIONS

From: iowalive [mailto:iowalive@q.com]
Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:29 PM
To: 'Postmaster@mail.elca.org'
Cc: 'info@elca.org'; Chester Culver (chet.culver@iowa.gov); (janmickelson@clearchannel.com); 'BISHOP@elca.org'
Subject: HOMOSEXUAL QUESTIONS & REQUESTS FOR ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP

 Greetings, Gail Liggett-Watson, Executive Administrative Assistant, Office of the Presiding Bishop:                 C. L.  999

 Thank you for your 9-4-09 note as follows:

 “Thank you for writing to share your concerns and convictions. Currently the number of people sending messages regarding actions by the 2009 Churchwide Assembly is unusually large.  Thank you for your understanding and patience while Presiding Bishop Hanson seeks to respond to your communication and attend to his other responsibilities in a timely and responsible way.”

 Gail, to facilitate the Bishop’s timely response to our posts, here is a summary of requests made, and questions asked that he has yet to answer.  We are quite sure others have similar questions—so the answers should be available soon. 

1. How much were the three ELCA Synods in Iowa asked to cut their budgets to accommodate reductions in benevolence caused by negative congregational reactions to ELCA’s adoption of homosexual marriages and clergy?
2. It was not surprising to learn the Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, IA cut its contributions to the ELCA to 0, from a peak of over $400,000.   Hope is the largest Lutheran Church in Iowa, if not the nation.  Does this reaction to ELCA homosexual marriages and clergy concern you?
3. Presuming you are interested in fair representation, please tell WHO radio listeners why only 60 Iowans, of the 255,000 ELCA church members in Iowa , were allowed to vote on the ELCA homosexual issues!!   Tell Iowans why this is a fair number of voters from Iowa to approve of homosexual marriages and homosexually active clergy—for all of Iowa.
4. Please explain why only 60 Iowans were allowed to vote on the homosexual sex issues adopted by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly—recently held in Minneapolis.   Explain who picked them—and how they were selected? 
5. Please tell listeners why the homosexual sex issues were even placed on the Assembly agenda—as they were, and still are, ultimately left to individual congregations to decide, as they can easily do without any ‘help’ from ELCA headquarters.   Was it merely because ELCA headquarters wanted homosexual sex issues on the Assembly agenda—to appease the Homosexual Caucus? 
6. You will surely explain why Catholics are distancing themselves from homosexual priests, while the ELCA is promoting ordainment of homosexual clergy!    What have the Catholics learned that ELCA headquarters has yet to learn?
7. Website http://www.wordalone.org/nr/change-or-not.shtml  by Pastor Jaynan L. Clark  and website http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALk1z5euBxIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALk1z5euBxI  present views on homosexual sex acts and homosexually active clergy in a different perspective than that coming from the ‘Churchwide’ Assembly and ELCA.  Bishop Hanson, will you Pease explain your views of those websites with WHO listeners as well?
8. Your continued refusal to respond to the following posts is most disappointing.  On July 13, your Executive Administrating Assistant in the Office of the Presiding Bishop, asked for and was given the name and address of an Iowalive spokesperson, as if she intended to respond on your behalf.  Have not heard from her since—but we at least know you received our posts.  Did she ask for the name of a person because that determines if an answer will be given, or what kind of answer is given?
9. What homosexual sex act consummates a homosexual marriage, equivalent to the Biblical, heterosexual sex act that consummates a heterosexual marriage into one flesh?
   1. As you and other ELCA Bishops well know, if a marriage has not been consummated, there is no marriage.  If there is no marriage, and the ELCA KNOWLINGLY tries to recognize it as a marriage—and misrepresent it as being a marriage, such ELCA behavior is FRAUDULENT. Had you and the other ELCA Bishops thought of that, as you ignored answering our question posted farther below?
10. We have yet to hear of any Bible verses serving as grounds for consummation of, or approval of homosexual marriage--or ordainment of homosexuals, from you or any of its advocates.   For that reason, we continue to write and appeal for your Biblical grounds for having this homosexual issue on the ballot in the August Assembly.  If you and its advocates can’t cite any Bible verses as grounds for it, the questions must be asked—Why is it on the ballot? and Why is it an issue for consideration at all?
11.  Are you content to abandon and leave us to accept the ‘facts’ from those who state there are no Bible verses supporting homosexual marriage etc. and it should not be an issue for consideration at all?
12. Does it cause you any concern there are now 223 congregations in the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC) and more joining weekly—who left the ELCA in protest of the ELCA’s Social Statement? 
13. Does it concern you the WordAlone Network and WordAlone http://www.wordalone.org/  continues its attempt to reform the ELCA, from within the ELCA?
14. Does the following table concern you or ELCA Synod Bishops?  Do you, or they, have better numbers to share with us?

15. Why doesn’t the ELCA have worship attendance numbers posted for years 2007 and 2008?  What is it trying to hide? 

 Pease be advised that Nancy Gable, 'nancy.gable@elca.org', was removed from our distribution list, at her IMMEDIATE request.  Our request for the amount of ELCA directed Synod budget cuts seemed to bother her.  If these cuts are but 10% at this time, is it not likely they will grow to a total of 25% within about one year?—as Iowalive net workers project!

For those of you wishing to hear it, the podcast of WHO radio’s Mickeslon in the Morning, wherein ELCA homosexual issues were discussed for nearly 1 ½ hours, is available for listening at this link  mickelson-2009-08-28.mp3   posted as follows on Mickelson’s http://www.mickelson.libsyn.com/index.php?post_year=2009&post_month=08  website:

Fri, 28 August 2009

Friday August 28 2009

Another case of "Byting Miss Reka"...   Then,  Iowalive, says Lutherans should get a vote on gay issues in the church,  not just a cherry-picked group of activists. 

Direct download: mickelson-2009-08-28.mp3
Category: podcasts -- posted at: 2:24 PM

 The above information is also posted on website:  http://iowalive.net/  

Sincerely thanking your for your cooperation, 

Iowalive          A growing network of volunteer citizens and professionals for improving Iowa.