Exploring Justice in the Lutheran Church
On Sunday, September 9, from 3-5 pm, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod (SEPA) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will hold a discussion of the national body’s proposed social statement on criminal justice.
The Church’s concerns for justice might be more credible coming from people who do not hold themselves out as being immune from laws which apply to everyone else.
When faced with honest disagreements concerning Lutheran polity and interpretation of its constitutions, the ELCA and at least one regional body (SEPA Synod) has used the justice system to bully its members.
Instead of working with congregations as the constitutions define, SEPA made up its own rules, replacing their founding Articles of Incorporation with conflicting bylaws, putting congregations that actually read both documents at disadvantage.
This is counter to normal law. Articles of Incorporation outrank bylaws. The ELCA Articles of Incorporation even state that the regional bodies may not amend their constitutions in violation of the statutes of the founding charter. But that hasn’t stopped SEPA (and a few other synods, too).
SEPA proceeded to violate the statutes, betting that no one would stand in their way. When Redeemer, a member church, objected, their FIRST action was to file a law suit against them. Forget the constitutional grievance process.
Once they had the court’s attention, they argued that the case, which they filed, should not be heard because of separation of church and state.
The national church has watched in silence. They are busy regarding their leaders and disregarding their members.
This issue went to the Pennsylvania Appellate Court which dodged the issue, agreeing to no jurisdiction with an important dissenting opinion. The dissenting judges ruled that if the law is applied, the congregation’s arguments have merit and should be heard. If high-ranking judges disagree, there is room for honest disagreement within the church.
SEPA Synod views itself as above the law.
It would appear that SEPA Synod’s view of the justice system is that it exists as a tool to be used against dissenting members—an alternative to actually working out problems within their polity. It is a way to bypass the inconvenience of its own constitutions.
The draft statement includes a paragraph advocating responses of love and advocacy for those embroiled in the justice system. Redeemer has seen no such tolerance within the ELCA, SEPA Synod or even within its congregations. Summary of Draft Version of the Justice Statement
We suggest the ELCA and SEPA Synod stay out of this discussion until they can enter it with cleaner hands.