For the many of you who have asked how it went; the La Casa Congregation voted to leave ELCA. We had over 800 folks show up to vote, which is double the attendance of the first congregational meeting. We had 166 of those vote to remain in ELCA. We had 2 representatives speak in favor of staying within ELCA; and 2 members of the congregation speak in favor of leaving. The question was called, after those 4 speakers. There were other speakers wishing to be heard who were not allowed due to the question being called, which is a parliamentary procedure stopping discussion. The motion was passed and 713 of the congregation voted to leave ELCA, and 166 voted to stay with ELCA. These numbers represented 81% of the attending congregation, and the motion was therefore carried.

So what now for La Casa de Cristo? This faith family has chosen to take a path which veers definitely to the conservative viewpoint. La Casa de Crist0 has also opted to use instruction contained within "The Truth Program", as one of its curriculum. In my opinion this represents a definite shift for the congregation from mainstream ELCA stance, to a much more conservative stance.

Where do I go from here is a question I have entertained frequently in the last two weeks. It is obvious which path the congregation of La Casa has taken. This is not the path I choose to take. I have not; cannot; and will not stand with any group of humankind who espouses discrimination, prejudicial behavior, bigotry, or exclusion, no matter how it is cloaked. The faith family of La Casa and the leadership do not see this issue the way I do. If this path is the one La Casa chooses to walk, then so be it. After much thought and prayer, I cannot read and interpret scripture, the way this faith family has chosen to interpret it.

Therefore, I will be leaving my church family of 20 years effective January 1, 2010; the day that La Casa officially becomes an unaffiliated Lutheran Church. I am sad to see our relationship end, but do so with a clear conscience, believing that human rights and the 11th commandment trump the arguments put forth by the proponents of leaving ELCA. I have chosen to transfer my church membership to the faith family at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral of Phoenix, Arizona with whom I have been active for the last year or so, who shares a philosophy and theological interpretation of scripture much more closely matching my own. I also intend to be a regular guest at Living Water ELCA Lutheran Church in Scottsdale, a small faith community to which I have recently been exposed.

My book is now in publication and I am expecting a release date of March 2011. The title is "What would HE say?" and is a study of the dynamics of this most recent struggle for human rights. There have been some advance sales, which is encouraging. This blog will remain up and continue the fight for human rights and advanced theological opinion. It will be an open blog to which any of you can post thoughts regarding the issue of scriptural interpretation and the role of GLBT's in today's evolving interpretations of scripture. From time to time I will post opinion from "guests" who I happen to know personally who will shed light on the many possibilities involved in this ongoing debate.

I was part of an interview done involving Pastor Garman and I regarding the La Casa issue by the Walter Cronkite School of Broadcasting. For those of you who wish, the link to this interview is now online. It can be found at: http://www.vimeo.com/17309191