Results of a national survey show that a majority of clergy of the ELCA—54 percent—support ordination "with no special requirements" for people who are gay or lesbian, according to an Aug. 5 news release.

The Clergy Voices Survey was conducted in May 2009 by Public Religion Research, an independent public opinion research organization that provides "research-based" information and advice on religion, values and public policy.  Public Religion Research is based in Washington D.C.

"ELCA clergy are generally supportive of a range of rights for gay and lesbian people both inside and outside the church," said Robert P. Jones, president of Public Religion Research, which conducted the study. "ELCA clergy also strongly believe that the gospel message requires full inclusion of gay and lesbian members in the life of the church," he said.

Nearly one-third (32 percent) of ELCA clergy said that people who are gay or lesbian should be eligible for ordination only if they are celibate, according to the news release from Public Religion Research . Fourteen percent of ELCA clergy said that people who are gay or lesbian should not be eligible for ordination at all, the release said.

The survey results showed that 46 percent of ELCA clergy support performing same-sex marriages in states where they are legal, according to the release.

The survey was conducted by mail among a national random sample of senior clergy serving congregations in the seven largest mainline Protestant denominations, the release said. The Clergy Voices Survey contained more than 250 questions and generated 2,658 respondents with a response rate of 44 percent, the release said.

The 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly will consider a proposed social statement for the church, "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust," and a report and recommendation for a process to changes ministry policies, Aug 17-23 in Minneapolis. If adopted, the ministry policies recommendation would make it possible for Lutherans who are in "publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gendered relationships" to serve as ELCA associates in ministry, deaconesses, diaconal ministers and ordained ministers. Information on Public Religion Research can be found at  on the Web.

Surveys can be slanted.  There is no such thing as an unbiased surveyor.  Witness the widely-discredited Kinsey Report.

I also wonder how the questions were worded.

Ever the cynic, I certainly wonder about the timing of this...before a CWA that could result in the ELCA splitting over this issue that has bitterly divided us.  Could it be that those in positions of power in the ELCA have been pushing for the overturn of V&E all along? 

David,

I agree!

It would be very informative to all - on both sides of the debate - if the specific questions were posted for all to see.

Transparency is so beautiful!!

"Nearly one-third (32 percent) of ELCA clergy said that people who are gay or lesbian should be eligible for ordination only if they are celibate..."

I believe this is a reasonable policy.  The sin is in the homosexual act.  As long as people with these deviant sexual desires remain celebate, they are no different than anyone else (clergy included) who refuses to act on their sinful urges.

Satan's lie, which most of the world has bought into, is that people are born homosexual and have no choice.  The Bible does not say that anyone is born that way.  We all have a sin nature and all have sinful urges, but we don't have to obey them.

Stephen: Here's another argument, this time from science.

I am in the behavioural sciences field.  One thing I learned early on, in a developmental psychology sense, is that the jury is, and remains out, on whether one is "born gay" or not.  The gay lobby has been trying to push this since at least the days of the Kinsey Report, which is (at best) deeply flawed pseudoscience or (at worst) outright perversion and lies.  In the vast majority of cases homosexuality is formed from a "nature and nurture" combination.

And, of course, there are all the arguments from Scripture showing heterosexuality as normative...but when has the gay lobby been concerned with what Scripture says?

I should have added "...as long as people with these deviant sexual desires remain celibate AND REPENTANT...".

 And David; Genetics is one of our most advanced sciences and they have not found a "homosexual" gene.

Know what?....they never will, because the Bible does not say that.

I don't know what "jury" you're talking about that is still out on whether someone is born gay or not.  God needs no "jury" to decide.....His Word is truth.  Every bit of it.  He makes the "wise" foolish.

David, don't put TOO much faith in science...scientific "facts" change every day.  In the end, if the Lord allows enough time, science will only confirm every word of scripture, AND EVERY KNEE WILL BOW.

Easy, Stephen.  I'm on YOUR side.  I fully believe what Scripture says, and I believe that science has already confirmed a heck of a lot of Scriptural truth, especially in the field of archaeology.

I only used the illustration because the gay lobby likes so much to cite "science" when what they really cite is pseudoscience, like the very perverse Kinsey Report (one of their favourites).  I distinctly remember my professor of developmental psychology also disputing the existence of a "gay gene."

Science, for me, is the study of the universe that God created.

I used "the jury" illustration to again discredit the false arguments from pseudoscience that are used to "justify" the hypothesis that one is born gay, and that such a tendency is irreversible.

Again, mate, I'm on YOUR side.

But it looks like our side has lost this battle for the soul of the ELCA.

There is no gay gene.  No science has proven that whatsoever.

 People are trying to make you feel guilty for believing something that you want to help - the toll of sin in a gay person's life.  Just like any consequences of sin in anyone's life.

Gay people say they did not decide at one point but it came natural like being born with it .  Societal pressures, impulses and hostility and conditioning, as well as some poor mentoring relationships and lack of discussion and commmunication at crucial times in a person's life have caused gay people to be what they feel like they cannot prevent.

There is much to be praised about transformation therapy and it has worked contrary to what the biase APA says.  It is not instantaneous, nor was the deviant transformation in the first place.  We need to have a wider view of what it is to be truly male or truly female in our society.  Societal pressures and values push people to being gay because they like to be with similar people who have not been accepted into the strict definition of a male/female and have not had good mentoring in one way or another.  Faith has, can  and will play a huge role in transformations that have and will take place. God did not design human beings to have to be this way.

   I'm sure God is weeping. It was a sad thing when the assembly in Minneapolis voted "against" God's word  with no thought for the many people they were hurting. (There are more heterosexual people than homosexual people).  Plus all the good things the ELCA supports.  I will no longer give my money to the ELCA synod, with no guilt.  I didn't do this..they did.  Some day they will have to answer to God for that vote.  I believe homosexuals should be welcome in every church pew....but not in the pulpit or teaching positions.  Consider the example they are teaching our young people.  Tragic.

Any survey research done by the ELCA is not worth the paper it is printed on.  That office orchestrated this entire homosexual conspiracy and I know of far more ELCA pastors that want to break there church away from Mark Hanson than those that want to stay but he is holding them by their pensions.  Pretty hard to be honest and open when someone is threatening your future retirement...

About 80% of Americans are against homosexuality and recognize it as a perversion.  That number would be higher if our liberal pro-homosexual media would get the news out as to what a good part of this Islamic Jihad (holy war) is about - our acceptance of the sin of homosexuality.