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| ELCA Seminarian Aaron Musser (center) |
The name “Lutheran” is neither copyrighted nor regulated by any central Lutheran authority. A group of Buddhist could call themselves “Lutheran,” and there would be nothing at all that real Lutherans could do about it.
Doubtless, this is confusing and frustrating for anyone trying to understand true Lutheranism by reading the headlines of the day. Recently two headlines have been the cause of much confusion about so-called “Transgenderism.”
Last May, the Sierra Pacific Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) elected a female bishop who insists that people refer to her using third-person plural pronouns. This generated a whole slew of headlines read something on the order of, “The Lutheran Church elected its first transgender bishop” (CNN May 12, 2021).
More recently, a student pastor made national headlines when he exchanged his clerical garments for makeup and drag on a Sunday Morning in Chicago. Many were confused and scandalized by headlines such as, “Chicago Lutheran Church Hosts 'Drag Queen Prayer Hour' for Children.” This happened, again, in an ELCA congregation.
Below Rev. Hans Fiene of our own fellowship, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) has published a very helpful piece that addresses the confusion caused by these headlines.
A Lutheran View of Transgenderism
Editor’s note: The following essay appears in the Fall 2021 issue of .
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