Tag: lgbtq and church

The conflation of theological beliefs and political beliefs is not unique to Whitworth University. Mark Killian, who specializes in sociology of religion at Whitworth, said that religion and politics “have always been intertwined.” Read how Whitworth walks this "narrow ridge" by not taking political stances.

Pope Francis’ declaration this week allowing priests to bless same-sex couples is being hailed in Spokane as a shift by advocates of softening the church’s doctrine on the issue while more conservative faith leaders are quick to point out the gulf between blessings and more formal and unchanged rules regarding ceremonies such as marriage.

It was a bittersweet Sunday service for members of Salem Lutheran Church. The Rev. Liv Larson Andrews, who has been pastor at the church since Feb. 13, 2010, gave her last Sunday service before starting her new position in October as director for evangelical mission at the Northwest Intermountain Synod.

Over 6,000 congregations have left the United Methodis Church nationwide since 2019.

The Edina Community Lutheran Church in Minneapolis created a stir recently by posting part of a Pride Month service that featured a radically modernized take on the faith passed down through the ages — the Sparkle Creed.

In the week following the vandalism, Heywood describes an outpouring of community support, including from activists, nonprofits, and other religious institutions. An anonymous donor replaced the stolen flags, and folks from all over donated funds to a campaign to help the church purchase security cameras. But, something was missing: the support and official condemnation of the act from officials at the City of Spokane Valley. 

The school in Spokane, Washington, joins a sliver of Christian colleges and universities that have bucked a largely sturdy resistance to hiring married gay faculty.