The Church and Gay Ordination

Paper Summary:

In this paper, the writer argues that those in favor of ordaining homosexual pastors within the Evangelical Church in America (ELCA) have failed to make convincing arguments for changing the long standing position of denying ordination to homosexuals engaged in a sexual relationship. The writer maintains that the reason these arguments fail is chiefly because the ordination of homosexuals flies in the face of the virtue of identity theory. More specifically, the paper asserts that the ordination of homosexuals who choose to be sexually active is an affront to the basic values of the Lutheran Church and, therefore, it should hardly be surprising that the Church wishes to see to it that the aforementioned values are protected - mostly because Church elders understand that demanding the Church retreat from its basic principles and traditions is akin to demanding that it become something else entirely.

From the Paper:

"More than simply being the means by which an organization identifies itself from others, practices and traditions lie at the heart of an organization's "character". That is to say, MacIntyre is fundamentally of the view that moral conclusions are made "firm" by being situated in a tradition of thought and action which has, in addition to an organic culture, a continuous history. More than that, "practitioners" are needed who, by virtue of their professional acumen and personal character, guide novices towards a better understanding of what behavior will lead to Good ends."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Braaten, Carl. "An Open Letter to Bishop Mark Hanson". WorldAlone Network. 11 Jul. 2005. WorldAlone Network. 10 Jun. 2006 http://www.wordalone.org/docs/wa-braaten.htm
• Dougherty, Jon. "Report: Pedophilia More Common among Gays". WorldNetDaily. 29 Apr. 2002. WorldNetDaily.com, Inc.. 10 Jun. 2006 http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=27431
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. "2005 Churchwide Assembly". ELCA.org, 2005. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. 9 Jun. 2006 http://www.elca.org/assembly/05/summary/index.html
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. "Sexuality: Some Common Convictions". ELCA Message on Sexuality. 1996. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. 10 Jun. 2006 http://www.elca.org/socialstatements/sexuality/
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. "Visions and Expectations: Ordained Ministers in the ECLA". Visions and Expectations. n.d. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. 9 Jun. 2006 http://www.elca.org/candidacy/vision_ordained.html

More papers on The Church and Gay Ordination:

• Persuasive Essay # 133671 : "Gay Ordination"
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• Research Paper # 98710 : "The Church and Human Sexuality"

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