CARNAL NATION

Although the Lord apparently expressed His displeasure at the idea by sending a well-aimed tornado crashing into a Minneapolis church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) went ahead Friday and did the decent thing, voting that gay and lesbian ministers could serve in the church without being celibate. The organization had a long and emotional debate over the issue, and many wonder whether the vote will signal a major exodus from the church by more conservative members. One such member, the Rev. Rebecca Heber, from Heathrow, Florida, said "I think we have stepped beyond what the word of God allows," after the vote.

The newspapers and blogosphere have been full of equally passionate commentary on the decision. On NJ.com, George Berkin starts out a rant by offering some helpful tips to the Lutherans:

Here's my suggestion for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - fill your pulpits with sexually active adulterers. It's a surefire way to stay inclusive, and to keep your church in step with today's contemporary culture....

[O]ne might ask, why stop at sexually active gays and lesbians? Good pastors are hard to find, and there are a lot of fine folks in "committed" adulterous relationships who can lead congregations with the best of them.

If "committed" gay sex is okay for pastors, who's to deny "committed" adulterous sex for persons of the cloth?

Comments on FreeRepublic.com, as usual, ranged from illiterate to only moderately insane to plain, old-fashioned bugfuck:

Yeah, as long as they are committed sodomites, it is OK. --crusty old prospector

They’re done as a Church,just a social club now.(And a pretty sick one at that) --Farmer Dean (Don't blame me,I voted for the American)

Under ECLA leadership one could justify adultery if one wants to interpret Scripture that way. In the Lutheran church you can now bring a black marker to church and simply blacken-out any parts of the Bible you don’t agree with. --From The Deer Stand

the lutheran church is definetly not a true religion and it amazes me the idiots out there that have no clue what the bible says pretty sad --Angrymanatlibs

In Charleston, West Virginia, the pastor of the St. Timothy Lutheran Church even went so far as to block out "Lutheran" on church's sign, saying that he was ashamed of the decision.

On Beliefnet, Rod Dreher pulls out one of the older stereotypes of gays, claiming that "there has been no real public discussion about just what 'monogamy' means when it comes to gays," and so the ELCA's standard that clergy should be in "committed" relationships is pointless. Also on Beliefnet, however, Timothy Palmer, Director of Policy and Communication at the Religious Institute, a pro-LGBT Christian organization, wrote a guest post praising the decision and saying that this has been a "blessed summer" for LGBT Christians. Opinions will continue to come in, and only time will tell what the long-term effects for the Lutheran Church will be.