New rite of reception for pastors?!

In an effort to keep you folks informed...here is a message from a friend in the ministry. He is currently working with Lutheran Core and a very genuine, nice guy. Let me hear your thoughts on this one.

Pastor Phil
Message is below...


For any of you who may not have seen this, you really ought to take a look at the service folder from the rite of reception "liturgy" last weekend in San Francisco restoring or receiving onto the ELCA clergy roster seven extraordinarily ordained or expelled pastors.

The service folder is here: http://www.welcomeministry.org/RiteofReceptionJULY252010.pdf I have downloaded it and can email it to any of you, but it is a very large file and I didn't want to clog your inboxes.

I could point out the SIX "alternatives" for the "Prayer of Jesus" (f.k.a. the Lord's Prayer), including the infamous "Our Mother, who is within us" from the equally infamous "Herchurch."

I could point out the prayers addressed to "Life-giving Mother" (don't get excited, they didn't mean the BVM) and "O Sophia, Wisdom and Mother of us all."

I could point out that every couplet of the Great Thanksgiving was rewritten to eliminate "Lord."

I could point to the rewriting of the Sanctus to eliminate, apparently, not just "Lord," but also "power and might" (the alternative text read "Holy Holy Holy are you, God of heavenly hosts").

I could mention that the congregation was dismissed "In the name of the Creator, + Redeemer and Holy Spirit."

I could mention that the entrance procession included, and you really can't make this up, a "liturgical parasol" -- a frilly and glittery pink umbrella.

I could mention that all this Scriptural disobedience and rank paganism was presided over by Bp. Mark Holmerud (Sierra Pac Synod), with two other sitting synodical bishops also participating in the service (Bp. Dean Nelson, SW CA, and Bp. David Brauer-Rieke, Oregon).

But all that pales, at least in terms of the integrity of the ELCA, to the words spoken by Bp. Holmerud as part of the confession and forgiveness:

Our church of the reformation has been too long captive to bias and misinformation.
We have not remembered the life giving words of our own Confessions.
We have not respected the gift of sexuality, nor the joy, delight and vulnerability sexual intimacy creates between loving partners.
We have not honored faithful and loving promises, marriages, and covenantalrelationships.
We have not acted quickly enough, for some have died and have not made it tothis day.
We have not accorded all families the dignity and respect they deserve.
We have not spoken up.
We have betrayed fellow members of the body of Christ because of cultural prejudice.
We have misused Scripture as a tool of discrimination.
We have forced celibacy upon too many, a gift God grants to only a few.
We have encouraged silence and complicity.
We have promoted invisibility and dishonesty.
We have hardened our hearts with bitterness and condescension.
We have intimidated and disciplined, censured and expelled.
Our actions have destroyed faith and have led people away from the gospel's call to love and justice.


Hearing that, from a sitting synodical bishop, in what possible way can it be said that the ELCA's claims to respect the "bound consciences of all" have any shred of integrity left? How can it be that the institutional ELCA intends to "bear each other's burdens" if a synodical bishop is free to attack, impugn and demean orthodox-traditionalist believers, all the more so in the context of confession of sins? How can the claims to respect diverse viewpoints on human sexuality be any more than, at best, hollow promises, and at worst, active deception?

And why is it that the only bishops I hear saying that they are called to be "a bishop to all people in the synod" are orthodox bishops who are trying to justify not taking a public stand?

It just boggles the mind.