Lutheran Church of Australia District Bishop Signs Potentially Harmful and Factually Distorted Letter to the Government.
Here are some facts. Facts are good. They have a way of separating those things that we think are true from those things that actually are true.
- 24% of lesbian, gay and bi-sexual and 36% of trans people meet the criteria for experiencing a major depressive episode compared with 6% of the general population.
- 15% of LGB and 20% of T people report CURRENT suicidal ideation. (Get that! 20% of them think they might want to kill themselves right now!)
- Up to 50% of trans people have attempted suicide at least once in their lives.
Same sex attracted Australians have up to 14x higher rates of suicide attempts than their heterosexual peers. - LGBT youth who are under the influence of Christian churches and colleges have much higher rates of suicidal ideation and depression than the rest of the LGBT population.
(The above figures are drawn from the papers listed in the footnotes of this article from lgbtihealth.org.au)
On 11 June an open letter was sent to the Prime Minister signed by the leaders of 38 Christian and Muslim organisations. The purpose of the letter was to express “grave concerns… regarding Bills that have or will be introduced into the Federal Parliament to change the definition of marriage in Australian law”.
The letter was co-signed by Rev Mark Lieschke Bishop, Lutheran Church of Australia NSW District.
The letter continues the narrative that is now commonplace for many conservative Christians. They respond to the growing acceptance of homosexuality with fear rather than an analysis of facts. Their fear leads them to cry “persecution” where none in reality exists.
Bishop Lieschke’s letter states…
In overseas jurisdictions where the definition of marriage has been changed, the public manifestation of this belief has resulted in vilification and legal punishment of individuals and institutions.
There it is. Who are the victims in this whole debate? Not gay people who for generations have been marginalised, oppressed, criminalised, imprisoned, abused and bullied. Not gay people who at the hands of the church suffer shockingly increased rates of suicidal ideation and other mental health issues. Not gay people who are being told by the church that their love is not equal to that of a straight person. Not gay families who are being told by the church that they cannot have the same standing and respect as everyone else’s family.
No, the victims here are, of course, the Christians. (Sigh)
The letter lists 10 examples of this supposed “vilification and legal punishment” suffered by the Christians in the community. As I looked at the list I immediately recognised 6 of the 10 examples. I have closely followed the advancements of the LGBT cause over the last few years. In that time I have seen lots of reports by conservative Christians who claim that these advances have trampled on their religious freedoms. Again and again those reports have proven to be false.
So it is with these 6. Although I have not investigated the veracity of the remaining 4 cases I suspect that they too are fabrications or a manipulation of the truth.
Take, for example the first case of “vilification and legal punishment” mentioned in Bishop Lieschke’s letter.
The case refers to a couple, Don and Lynn Knapp, who operated a limited liability, for-profit wedding business called the “Hitching Post” in the city of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Although the Knapps classified themselves as “Ministers of Religion” their website stated that, for a fee, they provided civil ceremonies and ceremonies for people of other faiths.
In 2013 the city expanded their non-discrimination legislation to include protections for LGBT people. Anyone who operates a business in Coeur d’Alene is prohibited by law from discriminating against customers on the basis age, race, religion, gender disability or sexuality. A business owner is not allowed to refuse to serve someone just because that person is a for example a Jew, a woman, an African American or gay.
Not-for-profit religious organisations are exempt from these laws.
The Knapps made enquiries to the City who confirmed that because they were a for-profit business and not a religious organisation they would be subject to the non-discrimination laws.
Following their enquiries, the Knapps, registered themselves as a not-for-profit religious organisation and changed their website to remove references to “civil” and “other faith” ceremonies. Then, together with the Alliance Defending Freedom ( a law firm attached to national conservative Christian lobby groups) they filed a law suit against the City.
The City were surprised by the suit. They had received no complaint against the Knapps and had no plans to prosecute them. They were unaware that the Knapps had changed their status to that of a religious organisation. They confirmed that as a registered religious organisation the Knapps were now specifically exempted from the cities non-discrimination ordinance.
A copy of the letter from the city attorney’s office confirming the above can be seen here.
This is how Bishop Lieschke’s letter put the case.
The City of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, ordered Christian ministers to perform same-sex weddings under threat of 180 days’ imprisonment for each day the ceremony is not performed and fines of $1000 per day.
This statement is a disgraceful distortion of the facts of the case.
The other cases listed in the letter are of that ilk. (1)
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Perhaps I can send a letter of my own in support of the LGBT people in our church.
Dear Bishop Lieschke.
About 10% of the people in your Dsitrict are either gay or have close family members who are gay. Your letter has real consequences for these people, people you are supposed to represent, people you are supposed to care for and pastor.
You must be aware that letters such as the one you signed further marginalise and hurt the gay people in your care. You are , in effect, telling them that their relationships, their love and their families are unacceptable and “less than”. Such hurtful words from church leaders adds to the social mix that creates the shocking mental health outcomes for LGBT people mentioned at the start of this blog.
Furthermore, if you write a letter urging the government to prohibit societal recognition and support for gay families by allowing marriage equality, well, that is one thing. But when, in that letter, you present YOURSELF as the real victims in all of this then you embarrass me and the other members of the LCA that you represent.
If in future you feel compelled to put your name to similar letters then at least get someone competent to fact check what has been put in front of you to sign. Otherwise you run the risk of confirming what your gay parishioners and their families might already suspect: That your views are reactionary and prejudiced and you are willing to believe any story that feeds the anti-gay narrative of fear.
Yours in sadness and disillusionment,
Neil.
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I have written to the NSW District Office inviting the Bishop to comment.
If any readers have heard sermons or read articles, by Australia Lutheran pastors or church leaders that are hurtful to our Lutheran LGBT brothers and sisters then please let me know about them. You can include a comment below or email me at neil.hart@live.com.au. Its time to speak up on behalf of the LGBT community in our church. It is time to make pastors accountable for the damage their words cause.
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(1) I have already written about another one of the 10 examples of supposed “vilification and legal punishment” here . Each of the other examples would require 1000 words of explanation and that is not possible to do in the one post. I would be happy to write further on those examples if anyone is interested.
I’m thinking of starting a change.org petition to tony abbot in direct response to this letter. For Christians in particular to show their support for marriage equality. What do you think?
That sounds like a great idea. Should the petition target Lutherans or everyone from each of the religious organisations represented by the 38 leaders who signed the letter?
Unfortunately other leaders and commissions within the LCA have not been able to get beyond old understandings and attitudes and look afresh at Scripture with a different anthropology informing them. We will keep talking, but I am very saddened to think it may take as long as the women’s ordination conversation is taking.
Hi Jacaranda. Thanks for your comment.
The divide in the LCA has been there ever since Union in 1966. It seems to me to involve 2 very different understandings of what scripture is all about. It is the same as the ELCA/ LCMS divide that exists in the US but within the one church in Australia.
Those 2 groups in the US have been moving further apart over recent decades. If you haven’t already, you should read the LCMS stuff on the women. Its tragic. The LGBT stuff is just further proof to the LCMS types that they are right and that the ELCA types are Bible denying perverts.
That is what I see happening in Australia. The LCMS group are well co-ordinated and operate as their own church within the church. They don’t desire dialogue with those with whom they disagree. They desire purity of doctrine and would want to see dissenting voices removed from the church.
The divide is getting wider, not narrower. The LCA was much closer to achieving women’s ordination in the late 80’s than they are now. At least then they had a doctrinal statement from the CTICR that stated there was “no theological impediment to the ordination of women”. But the pendulum swings. It has swung a long way to the right over the last 20 years. It will swing back toward the left (it might have already started) but that too will take decades.
If women’s ordination is so far from happening, the gay issue is not even on the agenda. In fact, even the pastors who would normally lend a compassionate ear to the plight of gay people in our church are desperately frightened to speak out in case the gay issue negatively effects the fight for women’s ordination. Its just sad politics.
But there is something else going on with the church and LGBT rights that is not really present in the Womens ordination debate. (Or not nearly to the same extent) The church’s continuing anti-gay message does real emotional and psychological damage to the the gay people in the care of the church. The question of when the church will stop the carnage is not a matter of when the women’s ordination question is settled and the LGBT question is allowed to reach the top of the pile. It is not a matter of waiting for the pendulum to swing sufficiently to the left. People and families are being hurt right now. And that cannot continue.
As society grows increasingly impatient with anti-gay bias.. the church will increasingly become the unpalatable irrelevancy that is is proving to be. Our aged care facilities and colleges only operate with government funding. The anti-gay attitudes and policies that pervade these institutions will increasingly come under governments scrutiny, as it should.
The church really does thinks that they can control and deal with this matter at their leisure as they have done with the women’s ordination question. And they are sadly mistaken.
(now that I have written the above i would make one alteration. Both the WO and the LGBT issue cause real emotional and psychological damage to people. I guess the LGBT stuff hits me more because I am neck deep in it… and i heard yesterday of of another gay kid who suicided. its just too much.)
Neil I am something because by the community above about the confessional lutheran withit the LCA and also outside.These people are trying in the only way that They know to hold the line against the evils of post modernist society.One can.not compromise the devine truth that is goods word to us- The Bibles!No where in scripture does it say that something is goods word and sometimes isnt and therefore.can.be tossed out like so much rubbish.
To dialogue is ok but if it means the truth is compromise even in the slightest then it is clearing the work of satan.His best tactic is to use a messages of truth mixer with lies or half truth to pervert gods great messages of the gospel.Worse still is to knowingly published such false hoods as being the Truth! Out lord in Matthew Gospel has something very blunt and direct to say about that. I think it is Peter or james in one of the later epistles say ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY THE INSPIRATION OF GOD AND PROFITABLE FOR THE MAKING OF DOCTINE! Paul say in cor; let him be accursed if he preachs/declarations another gospel even if he be an angel.One can not pick and choose which passenger to believe and use and which to tossed out like so much dirty bathroom water.This is the type of thing one seeds in Bultmanns kerygma and faith and much of german liberal theology. The liberal charges are so takes by this Concentrating of the bibles merely containing the word of GOD and the it is not completely God’s word to us.
Just as it would be trouble today a new car or computer with out the operators manuel and on to of that supply them deliberately without criminal party.They are nothing more that expensive pieces of junk.If you say you want a new car without a computer because you cant fix it when it break down, Whats the point! You cant start it to go anywhere Anyway!
However this is much more serious than that! here people eternal salvation is at risk..So the truth must not ever be trifled with in any way.
that let the believer of either. We have several instantances where womans if ill repute come into jess prescence He forgives the personal give them the strength to resist temptation and sun sometimes without condeming them but Always patiently forgives them.This we are called to judge the sin but not the person. This is the individuals cross each Bares.Remember for all have singer and false Short of the glory of GOD.This it is repaired of us to speed the hope of salvation that is Gods message of grace which is unearned salvation through the person and work of Jesus Christ his Son.
You meeting the suicide of young teens in this respect.This comes down to bullies more than anything and also the clearing declarations of the gospel with out adding to or talking away from.The same applies to divorce and womens ordination.The lack of clearing teaching of God’s grace is the the problem and the answer not the watering down of the message of the gospel.
Neil I am somewhat bemused by the comments above about the confessional lutherans within the LCA and also outside.These people are trying in the only way that They know to hold the line against the evils of post modernist society.One cannot compromise the divine truth that is God’s word to us- The Bible!No where in scripture does it say that something is goods word and sometimes isnt and therefore.can.be tossed out like so much rubbish.
To dialogue is ok but if it means the truth is compromise even in the slightest then it is clearing the work of satan.His best tactic is to use a messages of truth mixer with lies or half truth to pervert gods great messages of the gospel.Worse still is to knowingly published such false hoods as being the Truth! Out lord in Matthew Gospel has something very blunt and direct to say about that. I think it is Peter or james in one of the later epistles say ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY THE INSPIRATION OF GOD AND PROFITABLE FOR THE MAKING OF DOCTINE! Paul say in cor; let him be accursed if he preachs/declarations another gospel even if he be an angel.One can not pick and choose which passenger to believe and use and which to tossed out like so much dirty bathroom water.This is the type of thing one seeds in Bultmanns kerygma and faith and much of german liberal theology. The liberal charges are so takes by this Concentrating of the bibles merely containing the word of GOD and the it is not completely God’s word to us.
Just as it would be trouble today a new car or computer with out the operators manuel and on to of that supply them deliberately without criminal party.They are trying nothing more that expensive pieces of junk.If you say you want a new car without a computer because you cant fix it when it break down, Whats the point! You cant start it to go anywhere Anyway!
However this is much more serious than that! here people eternal salvation is at risk..So the truth must not ever be trifled with in any way.
that let the believer of either. We have several instantances where womans if ill repute come into jess prescence He forgives the personal give them the strength to resist temptation and sun sometimes without condeming them but Always patiently forgives them.This we are called to judge the sin but not the person. This is the individuals cross each Bares.Remember for all have singer and false Short of the glory of GOD.This it is repaired of us to speed the hope of salvation that is Gods message of grace which is unearned salvation through the person and work of Jesus Christ his Son.
You meeting the suicide of young teens in this respect.This comes down to bullies more than anything and also the clearing declarations of the gospel with out adding to or talking away from.The same applies to divorce and womens ordination.The lack of clearing teaching of God’s grace is the the problem and the answer not the watering down of the message of the gospel.