seminex

ever since i first heard about seminex, i've been fascinated by it and wanted to learn more about it.   seminex is another name for concordia seminary in exile (this link is coming down on april 29th, so please check it out before then), which is also known as christ seminary-seminex.  the pastor of my home congregation growing up went to seminex, but back then i didn't really know what that meant.  it wasn't until later on in college and, really, this year in seminary, that i knew much about it.  i'm now in my second class with a professor who has come from seminex.  last semester i was privileged to take "pentateuch and wisdom literature" with dr. ralph klein and this semester it's "church history 2" with dr. kurt hendel.

both of these professors have pushed me in my thinking and helped me to grow and develop more nuanced ways of understanding the world.  my theory is that while living through losing a job and being deemed a heretic, those who were involved in seminex had to do a lot of soul searching to figure out what it was that they believe; to sift through the nonessentials and get down to the real essentials of christianity.  this means that they've thought about it a lot more than many people probably do. 

when i began in the candidacy process, the evangelical lutheran church in america (elca) had a document for all wannabe ordained and rostered leaders to sign called "vision and expectations."  the elca still has this document, though it has since been edited.  overall, the document is really awesome and provides guidance and things to consider as we become and are ordained to ministries of word and sacrament/service in the church.  the reason i did not sign it was that it included the expectation that "homosexuals" remain celibate.  while i could have, technically, signed that i would abide by "vision and expectations," it seemed quite clear that when it stated "homosexuals," it really meant anybody who could potentially be in a same-sex or same-gender relationship, which meant me.

while i considered what might happen if i were to fall in love with someone of the same gender as a wannabe lutheran pastor, i was drawn into the story of seminex.  in some ways, extraordinary lutheran ministries (elm) has played a similar role to that of seminex.  when the elca refused to ordain people because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, elm ordained them.  elm made a way for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities to do the ministry to which god was calling them. 

seminex made a way for people with differing beliefs to do the ministry to which god was calling them.  though elm is more to do with sexual orientation/gender identity and seminex has more to do with interpretation of scripture and doctrinal beliefs, there is a common declaration of (to put it more tamely than others have) "so what!  we're doing it anyway."  both groups were forced out of their mainstream and chose not to let that mainstream win.  they chose (or were forced) to find a way to keep following god even when the powers that be said no.

soon after being entranced into candidacy, the elca voted in the churchwide assembly of 2009 for a variety of things (among them the malaria initiative).  many people have forgotten about most of the stuff voted on, but one thing that has been (and perhaps always will be) connected to the elca churchwide assembly of 2009 was the vote regarding human sexuality.  the vote included adopting the social statement on human sexuality, allowing congregations that wished to to bless same-sex marriages (my word not theirs), respecting the variety of views held by those within the elca on issues of sexuality, sexual expression, and gender identity, and allowing people in "lifelong monogamous same-gender relationships" to serve as ordained and rostered leaders of the elca. 

though the decisions made at churchwide in 2009 were diverse and applicable in many situations, when the phrase "churchwide 2009" comes up it almost invariably translates as "letting people who aren't straight be pastors."  this does a disservice to all that happened at churchwide, and yet i can't help but refer to churchwide 2009 (or the 2009 policy change) when i talk about why i can be a pastor.  i don't have to take another route to follow god's call in my life.

we are a reforming church (that whole "lutheran" thing).  that means that we need renewal and change in order to hold true to god's call.  if we are not open to change, then we stop being god's church and become individual people's church.  when that happens, we can only hope that groups such as those involved with seminex and elm emerge to reflect deeply on god's call and to carry out god's work until the church can catch up.