So delighted at the news of the election of R. Guy Erwin as a bishop in the Lutheran Church (ELCA) today.
May 31, 2013 will be remembered as the day the Southwest Lutheran Synod made history by electing the first openly gay bishop in the Lutheran Church and the Illinois House of Representatives failed to make history by refusing to bring marriage equality to a vote.
The election of R. Guy Erwin is a source of great joy to all
who look to the church to be a beacon of love, justice and compassion for all
God’s beloved people. And the failure of the Illinois legislature to act for
equality is the source of great disappointment to all who believe that liberty
and justice for all should actually apply to “all.”
As a clergy colleague of bishop-elect Erwin I’ll look
forward to working with him and the members of his Synod to continue to spread
the good news of God’s inclusive love to all people. And as a marriage equality
activist I’ll continue to support those who will be working in Illinois to move
beyond today’s shameful example of justice denied.
We have been told that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. On May 31, 2013 the Lutherans bent that arc a little closer to justice for their LGBT members – and I look forward to the day when we can say that Illinois has done likewise.
We have been told that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. On May 31, 2013 the Lutherans bent that arc a little closer to justice for their LGBT members – and I look forward to the day when we can say that Illinois has done likewise.
1 comment:
So you know - the reason that bill didn't come to a vote in the Illinois House was because the votes weren't there.
Now, your reaction may be that forcing a vote that would fail would enable pressure to be brought on the people who voted against it. But that has to be balanced against an understanding that it's a lot easier for a politician to change a vote they didn't cast than a vote they did cast.
Have a look at the editorials and columns in the Chicago Tribune from Monday. They'll explain how politics work in Illinois in a lot more detail than can be expressed here. There were 3 of them, which is highly unusual. The bottom line is that the failure to bring it to vote in this session makes it a lot more likely for it to pass in the next session.
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