shifting ground

I'm at a theological conference this week, and (of course) there's conversation in the big room and in the hallways and at the dinner tables and everywhere else about sexuality and (of course) about the decisions made at the ELCA churchwide assembly last August.

I understand that there are lots of people, good and faithful people, who aren't happy about the new possibility that pastors who are in same-gendered relationships might still be able to serve as pastors in our congregations. And when I talk with these folks, it sounds to me like they believe the rug of faith has been pulled out from under them. It sounds to me like folks believe that the ground is shaken, or shaking, and they feel like there's no way to get their footing. This thing they've believed for their whole life, and that's (supposedly) been proclaimed by the church for a couple thousand years is all of a sudden changed. "If this is different, now, then what else (that I've believed for my whole life) is also going to change?"

The thing, though, is that sexuality isn't the foundation of our faith. No matter what we believe about sexuality, whether we think the assembly made good decisions, or whether we feel like the assembly made an error of biblical proportions, the foundation of our faith is the grace and mercy of God that we see in the cross and resurrection.

If our ground is shaken by these decisions, maybe we're standing in the wrong place.

$0.02