I wrote:
We in the ELCA are trying to follow the gospel and be a faithful part of the Church. We think we are succeeding at some critical things, and we are not doing great in some other things. Just like you in your part of the Church.
And Peter doubled down:
And again, I never said you didn’t think that. I said you were wrong. You are actively teaching against the teachings of Christianity. You are like the Pharisees who followed a tradition to get out of the 4th Commandment. You preach affirmation instead of repentance and acceptance rather than forgiveness. We forgive a man who repents for cheating on his wife. You point out that the way society views relationships has changed.
So I must respond:
What makes you think we approve of marital infidelity? We do not.
And once again - for the umpteenth thousand times - we do not make our decisions based on such things as "the way society views relationships." If you keep repeating that after I have said this so many times, you lie intentionally.
Our decisions are reached through scripture study, prayer, massive discussion among the faithful people and - at least for me - with some trepidation, that trepidation salved by the work of the Holy Spirit.
Darn it! I am so tired of the accusations that we are just following the culture.
And I say that in some things your LCMS is wrong. I believe you are wrong not to ordain women, but your practice of that is not "actively teaching against the teachings of Christianity." Ditto for your closed communion practices that exclude other Lutherans from being welcomed at your altars. I think you are wrong not to, but I do not say your practice is "against the teaching of Christianity."
You think we are wrong to ordain partnered homosexuals. I think you are wrong not to, but I do not say your practice is "against the teaching of Christianity." But you say that about us. Over and over again.
The Church has always had a variety of practices concerning ordination, leadership and lines of authority. I don't know what it is about our decisions on sexuality that sent you and your friends into a "you are no longer Church" frenzy, but it seems to have done so. Or maybe creationism is also on your list; or women's ordination; or strictly closed communion.
Again, I don't think believing in "young-earth creationism" or "old earth creationism" or even the timeline of Bishop Ussher take you out of the Christian church.
Peter, your approach seems to me to be exactly the one used in the 1970s, spurred on by the right-wing of the LCMS, that is, make a check-list of orthodoxy/heresy and unless one signs off on every item, out you go.