heresy, 5 centuries later

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Aug 24, 2009

 Is there something about the late-August heat and humidity that makes it difficult to keep denominational lines straight?

This weekend, while an excommunicated priest was denouncing the Vatican, an article in the Catholic press discussed "the slide of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ECLA) into heresy." Deacon Keith Fournier-- ordinarily a reliable observer on religious and political affairs-- continued: 

Yes, that is exactly what occurred when the leadership of that community “voted” to abandon Christian orthodoxy.

The scare quotes around the word "voted" are odd, since there is no dispute about the facts: The ECLA did indeed vote to accept active homosexuals into ministry. But that's not the only odd thing about Fournier's complaint. He writes:

Christians abandoning the clear teaching of the Sacred Scriptures and the unbroken Christian Tradition is not a new phenomenon in the 2000 year history of the Christian Church.

Quite right. It happened with the Lutherans about 500 years ago. From the Catholic perspective, they didn't slide into heresy last week.