It had to come sooner or later. . .

Same sex marriage is legal, but causing controversy in a local Lutheran church. The Senior Pastor at Messiah Lutheran in north Fargo just resigned after feeling pressure from his parishioners for not performing same sex marriages. 

Messiah Lutheran is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The ELCA does not condone nor endorse same sex marriage.

Messiah Lutheran Pastor Steve Berntson told his church Sunday he would be resigning after months of difficulty since the legalization of same sex marriage. Berntson stated his views in June to his nearly 1,000 worshipers at Messiah. "Based on what the scripture says about God's design for marriage I would not be able to participate or officiate same gender weddings," said Steve Berntson.
Berntson says he decided to step down since his view differed and caused a riff. . . 


"It does strike me sometimes how little tolerance in certain circles there are for people with biblical views. That has kind of struck me in the midst of all of this," said Berntson.

You can read more about it here. . .

We are not told if this involved a specific couple but clearly the issue reveals the hollowness of the so-called bound conscience idea that supposedly gave cover to those who disagreed with the ELCA decisions.  Bound conscience does not prevent this issue from dividing a congregation in the same way it has divided the ELCA (and led to a bleed off of some 1,000 congregations).

Another proof of Neuhaus' law:  "Where orthodoxy is optional, orthodoxy will sooner or later be proscribed."  The Biblical and historic Christian view until the last few years was dominant and now it has become, in some churches, a minority that cannot be tolerated.  Proof again there are none so intolerant as those who claim liberty and diversity.