….The Rev. Megan Rohrer, who uses the pronouns of “they” and “them” rather than gender-specific terms, was elected Saturday to head the California-based Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Sierra Pacific Synod.
Rohrer won on the fifth ballot during the online synod assembly, receiving 209 votes and narrowly defeating the Rev. Jeff R. Johnson of Berkeley, California, who received 207 votes.
According to a statement released Monday, Rohrer will be installed as synod bishop on Sept. 11 at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Walnut Creek.
“The first council of Nicaea’s first action was to try to limit the leadership roles of trans pastors and bishops. I’m grateful the Lutherans of the @sps_elca are beginning to dismantle this and some of the […] other hurdles BIPOC and LGBTQ pastor’s encounter,” tweeted Rohrer on Sunday.
Rohrer presently serves as pastor of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in San Francisco and also serves as Community Chaplain Coordinator for the San Francisco Police Department.
“All of us are proud of our colleague, Bishop-elect Megan Rohrer, who made history as the first openly transgender person elevated to the role of Bishop by a major Christian denomination in the U.S.,” tweeted the San Francisco Police Department. “Congratulations, Rev. @mmrohrer! Keep doing great things!”
Others, among them the theologically conservative blog Exposing the ELCA, denounced the election of Rohrer as “a complete slap in the face to God.”
“The ELCA is thumbing its nose at God, His Word and Truth and effectively showing that they are part of the uber left and its rejection of Christianity,” stated the blog. “How can God-fearing, Bible-believing individuals remain in the ELCA? How can churches remain?”
Jeff Walton of the theologically conservative think tank Institute on Religion & Democracy based in Washington, D.C., critiqued the Council of Nicea reference Rohrer made in response to being elected.
“Claims of suppressing transgender clergy are elusive to history. Rohrer did not cite sources. But presumably Rohrer is referencing Canon 1 from the council declaring eunuchs can be priests unless they castrate themselves,” wrote Walton.
“Bishop Rohrer says she’s glad her liberal Mainline Protestant denomination is ‘beginning to dismantle’ the injustice at the Council of Nicaea. No doubt much more dismantling must be done before true justice and knowledge can prevail against the external authority of revelation proposed by historic Christianity. Or so the Gnostics, yesterday and today, always proclaim.”
Although the largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S., the ELCA has had many congregations leave due to its increasingly progressive stances on theology and politics….
The above comes from a May 11 story in the Christian Post.
This man’s whole life is a lie. How can he be expected to lead his flock truthfully?
There are no such thing as a “Lutheran Bishop”.
They have no Apostolic succession. It does not matter if a male, female, or whatever.
They are “playing” church, but are not a real church.
Actually it is entirely possible that there is apostolic succession in some European Lutheran dioceses. And many apostolic diocese have begun to coordanebtheirnepiscopacies. Who knows?
No, actually, there is not.
Who cares!!
Even a heretic like Martin Luther must be turning over in his grave!
Maybe some of our separated brothers and sisters in Lutheran ecclesial communities might find their way home to the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church!
Lutherans, still deluded after 500 years.
A bright spot in this news story is that the trans community is beginning to admit that “sex change” operations are castration/mutilation.
What I find fascinating is that Rev. Rohrer actually asserts that the issue of trans pastors was a burning issue in the early Church that required conciliar action. I think he’s been consuming too much propaganda/fake news.
None of my business but I am glad that someone explained why they want to cancel the Council of Nicea.
That’s nothing… they’ve already canceled the Bible.
They’ve also cancelled the 12 Apostles.
Pacific Synod = Total Apostasy
The Missouri Synod of the Lutheran denomination used to be pro life, and more in line with Catholic teaching. on the moral issues. I assume they still are, but I have not had the time to read all their website.
Dont care and didnt read. thx–
Just here for the comments….
Not fit to lead — very sick, delusional man, in a totally goofed-up, delusional, fake “church.” Makes the SF Police Dept. look ridiculous.
At the Council of Nicaea, Saint Nicholas slapped Arius on the face for his heresy!
Rohrer would probably not have fared well either.
And, that, of course, would prove the Church’s ancient anti-LGBTQ+ bias (long before anyone knew much about any of those things).
Though we’re stuck with Rev. Richard Rohr, at least we don’t have Rohrer. Regarding our Catholic brother, “In 2000, Rohr publicly endorsed Soulforce, an organization which challenges religion-based LGBTQ oppression through nonviolent protest. In a 1999 essay, and afterwards, Rohr welcomes and affirms God’s love for LGBTQ people, emphasizing that God asks the same of people in homosexual relationships as God asks of heterosexual ones: ‘truth, faithfulness, and striving to enter into covenants of continuing forgiveness of one another.'”
So, we have issues in our own house to clean up as well, and first.
Poor Richard Rohr.
Have known him since the 1970’s.
Nice man.
A little nuts.
Wait a few months. He will skip off to his new favorite thing.
Bless his heart.
I will pray for him that no unscrupulous surgeon mutilates him before he “skips” to his next favorite thing.
Folks in the Missouri Synod, come back to your true home.
Though still in an ecclesial community founded by a heretic, at least the Missouri Synod Lutherans still believe in God, the Bible and basic Christian morality. Such cannot be said for the ELCA.
Let’s hope and pray that all of our separated brothers and sisters come home!
Whenever I see the word “they/them” trying to be used as singular pronouns, I always think of Mark 5:9 “And he asked him, What is thy name? And he saith unto him, My name is Legion; for we are many.”
Pray for this confused man and the confused denomination that elected him.
Today, we Byzantine Catholics celebrate the Fathers of the First Ecumencial Council at Nicaea. Rest assured, it had nothing to do with transgender clergy at all.
Among other issues, a priest, Arius, caused a lot of confusion (still has followers under different names today). And, the Council Fathers restated and made clear that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man, equal to the Father. Jesus is homoousios (of “the same stuff,” consubstantial) with the Father. He is not merely homoiousios (similar or like) the Father. It really does make an iota of difference.