A Reforming Tradition Struggles with Change: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Historic Vote on LGBT Ordination, One Year Later

Brent A. R. Hege, Butler University

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Abstract

For progressives in the ELCA, the wider Christian church and society at large, the vote was a thrilling victory after decades of struggle and setback. For conservatives, the vote signaled a decisive break with scripture and tradition and called the orthodoxy and orthopraxy of the this denomination into question. Almost one year later, we can take a step back to consider what happened in Minneapolis and to map some of the trajectories of this historic vote.