Like the late Dr. George Tiller, I am a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). This morning I attended my service in Baton Rouge, LA, where I worshiped, heard a beautiful homily, and witnessed the confirmation of several middle school kids. During this time, the ELCA congregation at Reformation Lutheran Church witnessed a horrific event as one of their members, Dr. George Tiller, was gunned down while passing out service bulletins in the church lobby where he was serving as an usher.
My heart is sad. There are some wonderful diaries being shared here in memory of this brave doctor, husband, and father,
http://www.dailykos.com/...
but I also can't stop thinking about his congregation and I feel the need to acknowledge their courage. Not every church would have welcomed him as a member and I feel a sense of pride to be part of a denomination that stood strong against outside criticism (a Google search of "Tiller" and "ELCA" will give you an idea of what they must have endured over the years). Instead, Reformation Lutheran Church states:
As caring Christians, we respond with love to the needs of others. You will find comfort and acceptance here—the security of support in times of joy and sorrow and when struggling with life’s challenges. We respect varying points of view and consider diversity to be one of our attributes.
http://www.reformation-lutheran.org/...
Catholics and Charismatic Christians are often so vocal on their anti-choice policy that they drown out the much more progressive social statements from mainline protestant churches such as the ELCA as well as many non-Christian religious institutions. Here is an exurb which reflects the views of both the ELCA's liberal and conservative members:
In the case of abortion, public policy has a double challenge. One is to be effective in protecting prenatal life. The other is to protect the dignity of women and their freedom to make responsible decisions in difficult situations. Pursuing those ends is particularly formidable because our society is so divided on this issue, and because women, people of color, and those of low income are so under-represented in legislative and judicial processes. In its advocacy regarding these issues, this church should exert every effort to see that the needs of those most directly affected, particularly the pregnant woman and the life in her womb, are seriously considered in the political process.
Laws should be enacted and enforced justly for the preservation and enhancement of life, and should avoid unduly encumbering or endangering the lives of women.
Because of our conviction that both the life of the woman and the life in her womb must be respected by law, this church opposes:
* the total lack of regulation of abortion;
* legislation that would outlaw abortion in all circumstances;
* laws that prevent access to information about all options available to women faced with unintended pregnancies;
* laws that deny access to safe and affordable services for morally justifiable abortions;
* mandatory or coerced abortion or sterilization;
* laws that prevent couples from practicing contraception;
* laws that are primarily intended to harass those contemplating or deciding for an abortion.
http://www.elca.org/...
Even though this statement may still be more conservative than the views of this readership, I am grateful that Dr. Tiller found a church that saw him for more than his controversial occupation. As we morn the loss of Dr. Tiller, please keep the congregation of Reformation Lutheran Church in your thoughts and/or prayers. I wish I knew how to donate to the congregation; I assume that they will need to provide counseling. I will update if I find a link. Otherwise their address is listed at their website:
http://www.reformation-lutheran.org/...