c. 1997 Religion News Service

PHILADELPHIA _ The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America refused Tuesday (Aug. 19) to reconsider its controversial decision not to accept full communion with the Episcopal Church _ but said they were sorry for the vote.

In a separate action, however, delegates overwhelmingly gave their stamp of approval to a proposed joint Roman Catholic-Lutheran declaration that has been drafted by the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation, the international umbrella organization of 120 Lutheran denominations worldwide.

That statement would, among other things, lift the condemnations Lutheran and Catholic leaders imposed on one another at the time of the 16th-century Reformation that birthed the Lutheran movement.

The 1,040 delegates voiced their approval of the proposed Lutheran-Roman Catholic declaration virtually unanimously, with 97.5 percent of the delegates voting in its favor.

The condemnations grew out of a 16th-century disagreement on the New Testament teaching of justification. The emerging Protestant movement, led by Martin Luther, stressed the saving gift of the righteousness of God, which comes through faith in Jesus. Roman Catholics emphasized the importance of human works in salvation.

The Vatican has not yet given its approval of the joint declaration.

Church officials say that if the condemnations are lifted, it will create”a new context”for Lutheran-Catholic cooperation. However, many significant issues, ranging from the authority of the pope to women’s ordination, remain unresolved.

On the failed Episcopal accord, embarrassed church leaders, stung by the narrow rejection of the unity plan by delegates attending the denomination’s Churchwide Assembly _ the church’s top policy-making body _ vowed to put their house in order and continue to work for full communion with the Episcopal Church.”We came close, and we will continue to work at this,”said Presiding Bishop H. George Anderson.”The vote indicates a substantial majority of Lutherans want to have relationship with the Episcopal Church.” But delegates, exhausted from four days of debates over intercommunion accords, turned back by a 640-397 vote a proposal from the floor made by an Iowa pastor who said he had spent a sleepless night mulling over his vote against the pact with the Episcopalians.

The Rev. Roger McKinstry of Tripoli, Iowa, said he voted against the proposal because a major point of the full communion, known as the Concordat of Agreement, would require Lutherans to ordain their future bishops for life.

The original full communion measure _ which would have allowed interchanges of clergy and members and shared ministries, sacraments and parishes _ fell just six votes shy Monday of garnering the necessary two-thirds support from delegates.

“I have been in full communion with my Episcopal brothers and sisters ever since I was a Christian,” McKinstry told the delegates. He said his original vote against denominational full communion was “based on fear.”

McKinstry’s opponents, however, argued the issue was so controversial it would divide the church.”To reconsider it now would be more divisive,”said Arlen Foss of Worthington, Minn.”Let’s not divide this church any more.” Although the delegates turned down the proposed reconsideration, they did approve a measure apologizing for the rejection.

They also agreed to the appointment of a committee, setting the scene for another round of theological talks with the Episcopalians in hopes a new proposal can come before the 1999 assembly.

Meanwhile, according to the Rev. Daniel Martensen, the ELCA’s ecumenical officer, a denomination-wide education program will be launched to better inform congregations about the implications of the full-communion proposal, which already has been approved by the Episcopal Church.

Lutheran opposition to the proposal was based mostly in the Lutheran-rich upper Midwest, where there is still some vestiges of 17th-century Pietism, or distrust of higher church control.

The Concordat would have the Lutherans consecrate future bishops for life through a process that would restore a historical line of bishops, known as the apostolic succession, that is traced to the earliest years of the Christian church and that is central to the understanding of ministry in both the Episcopal and Roman Catholic churches.

For its part, the Episcopal Church had agreed to immediately recognize the validity of ordinations of all current Lutheran pastors.

MJP END BRIGGS