Moravian Minister Refused Specialized Ministry Renewal

The Rev. Dr. Doug Norwood, executive director of the ministry Broken Jars, has been denied renewal of his call to specialized ministry because he refused to say he would uphold the Moravian Church Northern Province's notorious Resolution 6.

Resolution 6, passed by the 2002 Northern Synod by a vote of 153-113, reads: "Homosexual individuals shall be supported and affirmed by being allowed to celebrate their lives as individuals and/or couples completely within the bounds of the church and under the grace which our Creator imparts to all persons." The reference to "celebrate their lives as...couples" constitutes an affirmation of homosexual behavior without actually saying so in so many words.

Dr. Norwood, in a letter posted on his Web site (www.brokenjars.org/open2call.html) told the Northern Provincial Elders Conference that "The church spoke with a loud and clear voice to "celebrate" what God calls abominable" and "I cannot and I will not submit to people who make God a liar." He said that he was confronted with a dilemma, and this is how he sought to resolve it:

[In my ordination vows] "I have promised 'to live according to the precepts of God's Word and to teach nothing but the truths and doctrines contained therein'; and in the next breath I promised to 'conform to the principles, regulations, and requirements of the Moravian Church, as they are laid down by her synods and constituted authorities.' I choose to affirm that first promise. I will take my stand on that and I hope to define my life and my ministry by that. I am open to call in the Moravian Church as long as I am permitted to take such a stand, and am released from obedience to that second promise, now voided by synod's apostasy."

The reply of the PEC (www.brokenjars.org/pecresonse.html) was blunt and uncompromising. "The conditions under which you describe your willingness to remain open to call to the Moravian Church were found to be unacceptable and not in accord with The Book of Order, [paragraph]240(e). Therefore, the Provincial Elders' Conference has denied your standing under the heading of specialized ministry effective July 1, 2003."

After telling Dr. Norwood that he would receive no pension credits while without call, the letter from PEC President David Wickmann went on to say that "I regret you find inconsistent the statement that you cannot live according to the precepts of God's Word and to teach nothingn but the truth and doctrines contained therein and you inability to support the authority of the synod, which reached its decision using their understanding of Biblical principles." (The "Biblical principle" in question seems to be the one that says tossing aside a teaching of Scripture is ok if it conflicts with with some loftier ideal such as "compassion" or "tolerance for diverse lifestyles.")

Perhaps the most alarming part of this whole affair (aside from the possible loss to the Moravian Church of one of its most effective and faithful ministers) is the assumption that lies behind the PEC's decision. Resolutions of Synod--changeable statements that frequently are little more than commentary on the political issues of the day--are now taken to be the practical equivalent of Scripture. If one cannot in good conscience give assent to a resolution because one believes it to be in conflict with Scripture, one may not express that disagreement in any public way. In fact, one could argue that this ruling actually elevates Synod resolutions above Scripture, because pastors and others under call have trashed passages of Scripture they don't like (for instance, Romans 1:26-27 on homosexuality, or Acts 4:12 on salvation through Christ alone) at will from the pulpit and in other public settings.

So: in the Northern Province of the Moravian Church, people under call may not publically dissent from Synod resolutions, but may dissent from Scripture, "the sole standard of the doctrine and faith of the Unitas Fratrum" (from the Ground of the Unity).

Clearly, the Northern Province has devolved back into the Church of the Middle Ages, one in which the commandments of men have taken precedence over the commandments of God. John Hus died opposing such a Church; Martin Luther led a reformation to seek to bring such a Church back to its biblical and patristic roots. Maybe it's time for a New Reformation, not just in the Moravian Church Northern Province, but across the so-called mainline denominations.