August 12, 2005
by David Briggs
Religion News Service

ORLANDO, FL – Millions of Lutherans will be able to sing a new song – actually, about 300 new songs – from an updated worship book with more options for contemporary worship and less emphasis on masculine images of God.

The Churchwide Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) gave the new prayer book and hymnal a thumbs-up by a 740-250 vote on Wednesday during its biennial meeting here. The action authorizes final revisions of the new volume, which is scheduled for publication in October 2006.

Not everyone is happy about it. Some delegates said the church has been too distracted by issues of sexuality to give proper attention to the new worship book.

Others protested a "totalitarian" process of eliminating male imagery for God.

The changes "will be like a poke in the eye with a sharp stick" to many in the church, said Larry Kallem, of Iowa.

Before the final vote, delegates turned down proposals to keep the current Lutheran book of worship, which was published in 1978, and to delay any action until 2009.

After two hours of debate, the endorsement of the new book, which is intended to be open to different cultures and new musical styles, was greeted with sustained applause. It offers alternatives such as "Holy Eternal Majesty, Holy Incarnate Word, Holy Abiding Spirit" for the male-dominated Trinitarian image of "Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

"This is an important moment," said Bishop Marcus Miller of the Northeastern Ohio Synod, which has about 93,000 members in 208 churches. "I'm happy. I'm convinced it will be a great blessing to the church."

The book still must be approved by the denomination's Church Council.

ELCA congregations are not required to use the new book, but it is expected to make its way into the pews of most of the 4.9 million-member denomination's nearly 10,600 congregations – either when it first comes out, or as local churches gradually replace their old worship books.

Church leaders say the new book is faithful to the best of Lutheran tradition, while updating worship for today's church, which includes women bishops, contemporary "praise bands" and a desire for greater ethnic and racial diversity.

Among the more controversial proposed changes, gender-neutral language is substituted or offered as alternatives for male pronouns for God or masculine images referring to humanity. For example, a reference to Jesus in the Apostle's Creed would become "God's only son" rather than "His only son." In some hymns, words such as "king" are eliminated in favor of the more direct word "God." In other cases, such as "How Great Thou Art," masculine imagery is left in because it is thought that change would be too disruptive.

Denise Leslie, a delegate from Hope Lutheran Church in Cleveland Heights, OH, said using language for God that does not exclude women is important, because "when you hear gender-neutral, things suddenly become more clear and comfortable."

Others questioned the change. Gervaise Peterson of Minnesota asked, "Has diversity trumped our Lutheran heritage?"

Presbyterian News Service
David Briggs writes for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.