The largest Lutheran group in the United States is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I\u2019m part of the next largest group, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. We really don\u2019t have much in common, oddly enough. The ELCA just elected their first female presiding bishop. We retain male-only ordination. We have major differences in confessional subscription and requirements for our clergy and congregational membership. So for non-ELCA Lutherans, we flinch when we see headlines such as this one from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune<\/a><\/em>:<\/p>\n Lutherans elect first female presiding bishop<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The story makes clear that it refers only to the ELCA, but the general refrain about \u201cLutherans\u201d causes all sorts of frustration. I was not surprised to see that the first comment to the piece was:<\/p>\n Could you please correct your headline not all Lutherans, it should either be the ELCA or the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Not all Lutherans or the same sect.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Many reporters have been asking me for my thoughts or help on the background of what this convention all means but I\u2019m as much in the dark as they. Confessional Lutherans in the LCMS are probably more interested in the goings on among Catholics than any mainline Protestant group. So with that apology for not being more up-to-speed on the ELCA, let\u2019s look some of the coverage. First up from the AP News in brief over at the Washington Post<\/a><\/em>:<\/p>\n PITTSBURGH \u2014 A Roman Catholic bishop has told the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that differences over homosexuality matter less than the Christian faith that unites them.<\/p>\n Bishop Denis Madden told the ELCA\u2019s Churchwide Assembly in Pittsburgh that Catholics and Lutherans may interpret the Bible differently, but shouldn\u2019t let that drive them apart.<\/p>\n The nation\u2019s largest Lutheran denomination welcomes partnered gay and lesbian clergy and recently elected its first partnered gay bishop.<\/p>\n But Madden said as the 500th anniversary of the Reformation approaches in 2017, Catholics and Lutherans should remain in respectful dialogue, \u201ceven when the course ahead presents itself as more rocky than we first imagined.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Wait, what? Bishop Madden specifically said differences over homosexuality matter less than the Christian faith that unites them? Really? Of the many differences between Roman Catholic and ELCA Lutheran teaching, he picked out homosexuality as the no-big-deal example? And of the many differences in how each group develops doctrine, he picked out \u201cBible interpretation\u201d as the one to point out? I am really curious what the exact quote is, aren\u2019t you?\u00a0 Perhaps to be careful, even in a news brief, statements such as this should have quotes around them.<\/p>\n When I hear \u201cPittsburgh\u201d and \u201cconvention\u201d in a religion news story, I want to go to Ann Rodgers. She\u2019s providing updates and I\u2019ve found them most helpful. Her note in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<\/a> about Bishop Madden was:<\/p>\n The warmest reception given to any bishop \u2014 a sustained standing ovation \u2014 was for a Catholic, auxiliary Bishop Denis Madden of Baltimore, who brought ecumenical greetings. He spoke of the upcoming 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation that Martin Luther launched in 1517.<\/p>\n He proposed that Lutherans and Catholics mark it together \u201cas a celebration of our dialogue, even with our differences\u201d and a demonstration of \u201cour mutual respect, our love for each other.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n And Rodgers nails the \u201cso what?\u201d<\/a> in this election with a separate must-read piece on the new bishop. She explains that Hanson was expected to win re-election, she includes quotes from Presiding Bishop-elect Elizabeth Eaton that reflect her humor, style and theological stances. And she positions the debate within the larger context of mainline Protestantism and Lutheranism. A few snippets:<\/p>\n Bishop Eaton, 58, is considered a centrist, while other finalists were viewed as more theologically liberal. During a brief address before the third ballot, she was the only one of four remaining nominees to directly address concerns of theological conservatives who had remained in the denomination\u2026<\/p>\n She stressed the importance of maintaining Lutheran theological distinctives while reaching beyond a Nordic ethnic base. She also spoke of having a spiritual director to deepen her life of prayer and discernment of God\u2019s guidance\u2026<\/p>\n The Episcopal Church also has a female presiding bishop \u2014 Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, elected in 2006 \u2014 but that denomination is half the size of the ELCA. The second-largest Lutheran body in the United States, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, doesn\u2019t ordain women. The first female bishop in the ELCA \u2014 and the second in the world \u2014 was Bishop April Larson, elected in 1992.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Very helpful. And good work from one Sarah Pulliam Bailey at Religion News Service<\/a> on getting the news and context out there as well.<\/p>\n A reader pointed out the second paragraph of this Chicago Tribune<\/a><\/em> report on the election:<\/p>\n Northeast Ohio Bishop Elizabeth Eaton defeated Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson, who has been at the helm since 2001, overseeing the denomination\u2019s tense struggle with issues of human sexuality.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n A few thoughts \u2026 it\u2019s almost comforting to see the consistency in how journalists focus on sex and religion. Or as the reader put it, \u201cIs that all he\u2019s been doing? It\u2019s just another illustration of the media\u2019s obsession with sex, esp. homosexuality.\u201d Indeed. The devotion to that topic is staggering. (And it\u2019s not like there aren\u2019t many other issues that have been contentious<\/a> \u2014 most of the ex-ELCA Lutherans I know left over sanctity of life issues or general confessional issues.)<\/p>\n But the denomination\u2019s \u201cstruggle\u201d with issues of human sexuality has been the big news in recent years. So I was somewhat shocked that the rest of the piece didn\u2019t mention the loss of \u2014 no joke \u2014 half a million members in the last couple of years and hundreds upon hundreds of congregations. The ELCA\u2019s decline need not be the focus of any story, but this is noteworthy apart from general decline in Christianity and denominational allegiance. The story notes that no bishop left when the doctrine was changed, which makes the lack of mention about the loss of so many members and congregations even more odd.<\/p>\n