… even when the church is wrong.
Earlier this month, the news broke that the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus broke fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Church of Sweden. The EECMY came to this decision after carefully deliberating the ELCA’s and the CoS’s decisions to accept same-sex partnered clergy onto their rosters.
My first reaction was one of sadness, but it was quickly replaced by one of apathy. It’s the same old song, over again.
I’ve long since stopped worrying about when people take their theological toys and go home. It makes no difference to me. It doesn’t make my theology any better or any worse, and less right or any less wrong (that’s not even the right question).
Sometimes, one has to do the right thing even when it is unpopular. That’s been the history of Christianity for 2000 years. It doesn’t make one a martyr, and it doesn’t make one better than another. It’s just being Christian.
Living an Ecumenical Life 
Ken appreciated your comment on my blog on Ash Wednesday. I like your blogs commitment to ecumenism. I’ve been moving in ecumenical circles for my 30 years in ministry. I’m encouraged to see young ecumenists working to build bridges while living with the creative tension of taking prophetic stands that can shake those very same bridges we seek to build. I wish you well in living an ecumenical life. Grace and peace.
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Thanks for the encouragement! I don’t believe one of my professors when he says that “ecumenism is dead.” It just needs to remember that the real work is done on the ground in our communities, with our neighbors.
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