Tuesday, February 23, 2010

About the NALC

At first, we thought the initials stood for "New American Lutheran Church," which would have been funny.  Because, basically, that's what they've always wanted, and what they're getting:  a new ALC.

They could do worse.  Frankly, it will be a little tough on those of us still hoping to get the old LCA back.  (We don't expect that anybody actually pines for the ALEC, but if they do, they can have it.)

The vision statement is linked above.  We'll make fun of it tomorrow, or whenever time permits.

3 comments:

mark said...

Ahem. See the prescient comment to your entry "The Best They Can Hope For."

stynxno said...

About time you mentioned this :p

G said...

I realize I'm discovering your superb blog, and this post in particular - quite late (if you didn't have moderation enabled I wouldn't even bother to comment as I wouldn't expect you to see it). I did want to note, though, that it seems that there really is a "new ALC" outfit, under the title of the "American Association of Lutheran Churches." They and their 70 congregations have been rather more forthright about their desire to "leave open the possibility of close relationships" with XY-ordaining bodies, having backtracked on the ordination of women in order to establish altar and pulpit fellowship with Missouri.

Up here in our snowy kingdom, the ALC of course became the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada, which formed with the ELCIC along with the Canadian LCA congregations. The pastor of the church I attended as an undergrad eager to be a good little Anglutheran full-communicant was ordained in the LCA (in the US) and forever complained about the Danish Pietists out west holding us back from "all the sacraments for all the baptized" (he was probably the only cleric of any stripe who I knew both to own a biretta and to praise the influence of Jack Spong).