Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: Perbedaan antara revisi

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== Organisasi dan struktur ==

 

 

 

<!--Within the church structure are divisions addressing many programs and [[Ministry (religion)|ministries]]. Among these are support for global mission, outdoor ministries, campus ministries, social ministries, and education. There are twenty-eight colleges and universities affiliated with the ELCA throughout the United States.

* '''The American Lutheran Church'''

**In 1960 the American Lutheran Church, the United Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church merged to form The American Lutheran Church. The Lutheran Free Church joined in 1963. The ALC brought approximately 2.25 million members into the ELCA. Its immigrant heritage came mostly from Germany, Norway, and Denmark. It was the most theologically conservative of the forming bodies; officially teaching biblical inerrancy in its constitution. Its demographic center was in the Upper Midwest (with especially large numbers in Minnesota). Most of the ELCA's largest churches have ALC background.

* '''The Lutheran Church in America'''

* '''The Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches'''

**In 1976 the AELC was formed from congregations that left the [[Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod]] over issues of biblical literalism, [[academic freedom]] and [[ecumenism]]. Its establishment was precipitated by the [[Seminex]] controversy at the LCMS's [[Concordia Seminary]] in St. Louis, Missouri. The AELC brought approximately 100,000 members into the ELCA. Its immigrant heritage came mostly from Germany.

 

* ''Interpretation of Scripture'': Generally speaking, ELCA clergy are somewhat less likely to take the [[Biblical inerrancy|Bible literally]] than those in the LCMS or WELS. ELCA seminaries and colleges generally teach a form of [[Higher Criticism|historical-critical]] method of biblical analysis, an approach that, broadly speaking, seeks to understand the scriptures and the process of canon formation with reference to historical and social context. For a brief description, see [http://www.elca.org/questions/Results.asp?recid=17 What is the Bible?] on the ELCA website. The ELCA is a very broad organization and there are large segments of the denomination that are "evangelical conservative," "confessional," liturgical," "charismatic/renewal," "moderate," and "liberal activist" or combinations of these. Each of these groups tends to see and use the Bible a bit differently. There are indications that this young denomination (1988) is starting to see this diversity as an asset.

* ''Ministerial training and ordination'': Pastors are trained at one of eight ELCA seminaries located throughout the United States. They generally hold a Bachelor of Arts degree or equivalent, as well as a master's degree in [[divinity]], and are required to learn biblical [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] and [[Greek language|Greek]]. Pastors are ordained by bishops under terms of ''[[Called to Common Mission]]'' (CCM), the full-communion agreement between the ELCA and [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|The Episcopal Church]] which calls for the ELCA to adopt [[apostolic succession]] in its ordained ministers. Since the passage of CCM, a small number of pastors have elected for presbyteral ordination rather than episcopal ordination, under an [http://www.elca.org/ecumenical/fullcommunion/episcopal/ccmresources/Ordination_Unusual_policy.pdf bylaw exception] passed by the 2001 Churchwide Assembly. In other words, in certain circumstances it is allowed for a pastor, rather than a bishop, to ordain a pastor in the ELCA, with the understanding that this particular pastor would not be eligible for service in the Episcopal Church.

* ''Worship styles'': Worship styles can vary – from "traditional," in which hymns dating from pre-Reformation times up to the present day are used, to "contemporary," where popular gospel music is incorporated. The ELCA has several [[liturgy|liturgical]] traditions, and some of its services (especially in the Eastern US and in other congregations of "high church" persuasion) would be familiar to a Roman Catholic or an Episcopalian, including features such as the "sign of the cross," the use of Latin-Rite vestments (alb, cincture, and stole; the chasuble is worn occasionally by clergy presiding at Holy Communion), and the traditional liturgical colors: white, red, green, and purple – although in recent years, blue is worn for Advent, scarlet for Holy Week, gold for Easter Sunday only, and black, the traditional color for mourning, is now only worn for Ash Wednesday. On the other hand, many Lutheran congregations have at least one informal contemporary service led by a band and sometimes using projection media. Visitors from a Protestant Charismatic or Pentecostal congregation might feel right at home (use of free prayer, interactive Bible teaching, raised hands in worship, "ministry time" for prayer, etc.) The principal books of worship are the new Evangelical Lutheran Worship (see below) and the ''[[Lutheran Book of Worship]]''. Other official resources include ''With One Voice'', ''This Far by Faith,'' and ''Libro de Liturgia y Cántico ''. The church is currently coming down the home stretch in the [http://www.renewingworship.org/ Renewing Worship project], a five-year/five-phase process to determine and develop the "next generation" of comprehensive worship resources that will succeed the ''Lutheran Book of Worship''. A new worship book, "[[Evangelical Lutheran Worship]]", will be published [[2006-10-03]].

 

The ELCA is a member of the [[National Council of Churches]] and the [[World Council of Churches]] and is a "partner in mission and dialog" with the [[Churches Uniting in Christ]].

 

 

On [[October 31]], [[1999]] in [[Augsburg]], [[Germany]], the [[Lutheran World Federation]] – of which the ELCA is a member – signed the ''[[Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification]]'' with the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. The statement is an attempt to narrow the theological divide between the two faiths. The ''Declaration'' also states that the mutual condemnations between 16th century Lutherans and the Roman Catholic Church no longer apply.

 

* ''Role of women'': The ELCA ordains women as pastors, a practice that all three of its predecessor churches adopted in the 1970s. Some have become synod bishops since the formation of the ELCA (the most recent being the Rev. Claire Schenot Burkat, who was elected as Bishop of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod on [[May 6]], [[2006]]).

* ''Sexuality'': ELCA policy documents state that "marriage is the appropriate context for sexual intercourse."

* ''Creationism/evolution'': The ELCA does not have an official position on [[creationism|creation]] or [[evolution]].

* ''Homosexuality'': The church has officially welcomed [[homosexuality|homosexual]]s within its congregations since 1991. However, its stance and ongoing deliberations on homosexuality have been the subject of sharp clashes. Groups such as [[Lutherans Concerned/North America]] are presently advocating for greater strides toward full acceptance and equality for gay men and lesbians, while groups such as [[Solid Rock Lutherans]] seek to reverse moves in this direction.

 

* ''Abortion'': The issue of [[abortion]] has also been contentious within the ELCA. The church, in documents approved in 1991, set out its position on the matter as follows. The ELCA describes itself as "a community supportive of life," and encourages women to explore alternatives to abortion such as [[adoption]]. However, the church states that there are certain circumstances under which a decision to end a pregnancy can be "morally responsible." These include cases where the pregnancy "presents a clear threat to the physical life of the woman," situations where "the pregnancy occurs when both parties do not participate willingly in sexual intercourse," and "circumstances of extreme fetal abnormality, which will result in severe suffering and very early death of an infant." Regardless of the reason, the ELCA opposes abortion when "a fetus is developed enough to live outside a uterus with the aid of reasonable and necessary technology."

 

 

In March and April 2004, the ELCA agreed to pay the largest per capita settlement in a church abuse case in the United States to date. The payment was a combination of a jury award and a separate settlement, both stemming from civil suits filed by fourteen plaintiffs against the ELCA, a member synod, several church officials, one of the church's seminaries, and one of its congregations. The plaintiffs charged that they had been sexually abused by an ELCA minister at a church in [[Marshall, Texas]], and that the defendants had been negligent in their oversight and evaluation of the offender. Seeking to reassure member congregations, a church spokesperson subsequently noted that "ELCA bishops do not have authority to reassign clergy, and they do not move known perpetrators to other ministry locations." The offending minister was convicted and sentenced to prison in 2003, and removed from the ELCA's clergy roster.-->

 

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