ELCA Committed to Centrality of Scripture, says Hanson

The Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), the Rev. Mark Hanson, has said that he will affirm the church's "strong commitment to the centrality of the Word of God" when he meets with the head bishop of the Tanzanian church, who recently expressed his discontent over the group's liberal stance on homosexuality.

In his Easter sermon, the Rev. Alex G. Malasusa, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania (ELCT), said that his group did not support the decisions of the ELCA's 2009 Churchwide Assembly to ordain openly gay clergy as well the Church of Sweden's decision to conduct same-sex marriages because the actions go "against God's Word," according to The Citizen, a newspaper in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

"ELCT has refused to recognize the decision to allow same-sex marriages because it is against the Holy Bible. It is in direct contravention of God's word, which has not changed," Malasusa told the paper.

Malasusa also encouraged the Tanzanian church and other churches in Africa to become financially independent from the American church, telling his congregation that the ELCT "should leave [the ELCA] with their money and stick to the word of God."

Hanson, who said that the ELCA and ELCT share a "rich relationship," told the ELCA News Service that he anticipates an "honest and open conversation" with Malasusa when the two meet in May.

The presiding bishop added that the ELCA has a commitment to "respect the policies and practices of companion churches in the placement of our global mission personnel," and that the church does "not use financial resources to coerce global companions."

"Rather, we share a commitment to proclaim to the whole world the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, to serve our neighbor, and to build a world of justice and peace," Hanson said.

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