Luther Foundation bishop and ministers could be removed from established church

Matti Väisänen

Jukka Paarma

Juhana Pohjola

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The bishops of Finland’s Evangelical Lutheran Church are set to consider the possible removal of a clergy and a self-styled bishop of the theologically conservative Luther Foundation.
      The foundation, which opposes the ordination of women and the blessing of same sex relationships, ordained a bishop of its own, on Saturday, 76-year-old Matti Väisänen.
     
Saturday’s ceremony was such a serious departure from the authority of the Synod of the Finnish church, that it is likely that Väisänen, and all ministers affiliated with the foundation, will be stripped of their rights as clergy in the established Lutheran Church.
      “One group cannot demand that the Church should change its stands to accommodate individual opinions. In other respects, there is complete religious freedom to set up communities of their own, and actions in the leadership of the foundation suggest that this is the direction that is being taken”, observes Archbishop Jukka Paarma.
      The Luther Foundation’s slogan, according to which it is faithful to a teaching that is 2,000 years old, while the rest of the church follows the worldly society like a mirror, is seen as particularly annoying by Paarma.
      “If this is what they feel, then why don’t they draw their conclusions from this. The view, in principle, of the ordination of Väisänen as a bishop, has been made clear. Our church will not accept that a minister has gone along with something like this, and needs to evaluate how it is compatible with his being a clergyman”, Paarma says.
     
According to Juhana Pohjola, the Dean of the Luther Foundation, the issues of accepting women as ministers, and the rights of homosexuals in the church are merely separate manifestations of an overall dispute on the position of the church.
      “The church has its own legal foundation which was handed down in the Bible, and it cannot be changed, because the church is not a democracy, it is a monarchy. Bishops are simply servants of the Word of God”, Pohjola explains.
      As such, Pohjola feels that the bishops of the established church have neglected their duties, and the church members who adhere to the teachings before the approval of women’s ordination in 1986.
     
The Lutheran Church is not eager to see a split take place, and it emphasises that the dispute is a schism over leadership.
      “There are many faithful members of the Lutheran Church involved in the activities of the Luther Foundation. They would do well to consider whether or not they will operate under the leadership of a schismatic bishop, or not”, Paarma says.
      About ten ministers of the Evangelical Lutheran Church who work actively in the Luther Foundation also face removal.
     
The issue is to be taken up by the Cathedral Chapter of Tampere diocese later in the spring. A final decision on the possible removal of Väisänen and the clergymen affiliated with the Luther Foundation is expected next year.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Kari Mäkinen elected Lutheran Archbishop in narrow vote (12.3.2010)
  Polarised Lutheran Church seeks new referee between reformists and conservatives (14.2.2010)
  Dispute over female clergy leads to first sackings of church employees (11.3.2009)

Links:
  Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland

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