The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria (Евангелическо-лютеранская церковь Ингрии) has approved the Declaration «On the same-sex relationships» that condemns same-sex couples. According to the site of the Church the Declaration was approved at the last meeting of the Church Synod, held on Friday, October 16.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ingria is the second largest Lutheran church in Russia, with 75 congregations and 18,000 members, and is mostly active in Ingria and Karelia. The church was established in 1992, following the separation from the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, though the first Lutheran parish in Ingria was founded in 1611.
The Declaration states that the Church «considers sexual relations between persons of the same sex as an absolute sin and strongly denies the possibility to recognize such relations as a holy marriage,» adding that the Church will not «bless same sex couples under any circumstances».
The Declaration clearly defines exclusion of LGBT people from the Church: «Anyone having a sinful relationship with a person of the same sex can not be accepted in the church fellowship or restored in it except only in the case of his clear and unequivocal recognition of the sinfulness of his relationship… The Church of Ingria will not call to the ministry, ordain, appoint to any office or elect anyone having a sinful same sex relationship under any circumstances”.
Valery Sozaev (Валерий Созаев), the founder of «Nuntiare et Recreare» ministry created to support LGBT believers, has commented approval of the Declaration by the Church of Ingria saying that “the adoption of this declaration demonstrates the depth of the Church of Ingria moral decay. We remember the history of the Lutheran Church in Germany that supported election of the National Socialist Party and Adolf Hitler; we remember the Prussian Church Synod, held in September 1933 and known in the history as the «Brown Synod.» Of course not all Lutherans supported it — we as well remember about heroes of faith like Dietrich Bonhoeffer. However, it’s clear that the adoption of the Declaration by the Church of Ingria does not fit into the tradition of «Confessing Church», but more like the other one, tracking the «racial and sexual purity» of their members. The people who are called to share the Gospel of divine love in the name of Christ are again sharing the words of hatred. The Church of Ingria has not only adopted this Declaration, it actually became responsible for the blood of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who are not able to find help and support, ending their lives with suicide, as well as those who have been beaten or killed due to their sexual orientation or gender identity — same like Lutheran Church in Germany being responsible for the blood of the people tortured to death in Nazi concentration camps, including homosexual ones.»
Full text of the Declaration (in Russian)
Edited for Nuntiare.org
Photo: lehighvalleylive.com