1st openly transgender bishop elected to lead a synod in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America

[southernhybrid]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/10/us/megan-rohrer-transgender-bishop.html

A pastor in California became the first openly transgender person to be elevated to the role of bishop in a major American Christian denomination when they were elected on Saturday to lead a synod in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

The Rev. Megan Rohrer was elected to a six-year term as bishop of the Sierra Pacific synod, an assembly based in Sacramento that includes about 200 congregations across Northern and Central California and northern Nevada.

“I am so proud to be a Lutheran,” Pastor Rohrer, 41, who will be installed as bishop on July 1, said in an email on Monday. “I pray that my election by the faithful people of the Sierra Pacific Synod will become a constant reminder that God’s fabulous love is never limited by the opinions or legislation of others.”

The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said in a statement on Monday that the Sierra Pacific Synod recognized Pastor Rohrer’s gifts as a leader.

While I certainly don't agree with the supernatural beliefs of this church group, I am very pleased when any religious group becomes more progressive.

We have some atheists who are members of TFT who don't accept the reality that some people are naturally transgender. A few of them have made very negative comments regarding transgenderism. So, atheists aren't always the most open minded, tolerant, progressive people. Can we atheists admit that? Can we at least be pleased to see an evangelical church becoming more progressive, more open minded and more willing to embrace people who have minority sexual orientations? I hope so.

I don't know how many other churches will come around to the fact that their Jesus never said anything negative about people who were outside the mainstream regarding their sexual identity. Maybe we will eventually see more progressive changes in American Christian churches. I doubt it will happen quickly, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that at least one group of evangelicals are becoming more progressive.

There is no reason for us to negatively judge people who have beliefs which we don't accept but have values that we embrace. Imo, one's character and values are far more important than one's beliefs regarding the supernatural.

 

[Politesse]

Well, I'm certainly pleased. I grew up in the ELCA, and I know that this achievement didn't come out of nowhere, but it did not come easy either. Three cheers for Rev. Rohrer!

When I was a kid, an amab member of our congregation transitioned publically to female, and our pastor made a then-difficult call to follow Christ's teachings of universal love and openly embrace her chosen identity. It caused a huge uproar. Something like twenty or thirty congregation members left in outrage that he was allowing her to continue to commune, and sing in the choir. When the news hit the local press, we got a brick through our chancel window... twice. But it was the right thing to do, and not all the consequences were bad. It started an open conversation on LGBT issues that our congregation had always been pointedly silent on, clarifying our position in advance of having to vote on the issue eight years later at a very important Synod meeting that resulted in the Church's blessing for gay marriages and gay ministers. It also was a major turning point in involving the church in a larger network of open-and-affirming congregations of many denominations, which has only become a more important political voice in the region and now jointly operates and supports the only youth homeless shelter for gay and trans kids in our city.

One correction: despite the name, the ELCA has never been "Evangelical" in the sense that you probably mean; in reference to the German Lutheran church, the theological term Evangelische long predates the modern American usage to mean "batshit crazy", and when the ELCA was forming, they chose to emphasize a shared commitment to the Gospel as the common ground on which the American church might be unified. In those days, ethnic differences were the more serious divider, not theology, so it made sense for them to highlight the "good news" as something all of them could agree on despite language and aesthetic differences.

 

[southernhybrid]

Thanks for sharing your experience Politesse. I didn't think the term evangelical was being used by this sect of Christianity in the same way that the Baptist evangelicals who raised me, use the term. The term can be a bit confusing, but I mentioned it partly to point out that the term isn't owned by the more conservative versions of Christianity.

 

[Politesse]

That much is true! "Evangelical" means many different things to different people.

But for Lutherans, the notion of an all-encompassing "Gospel" that announces the liberation of humanity from sin is pretty foundational theology. The core of the Reformation, and still pretty entangled with most specifically Lutheran ideas and questions. It is not necessarily tied to politics, or even "evangelization", if this is taken to mean aggresive proselytizing.

The branch of Lutherans most closely tied to American style "christian-conservativism" are the Missouri Synod, who alas will probably not be ordaining any women, transgendered or otherwise, any time soon.