If you must

IF YOU MUST: According to humorist Garrison Keillor the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America task force charged with examining the question of same-sex relationships came up with a document that "took 40 pages to avoid answering it, affirming a policy of Don't ask, don't tell, never mind." The task force acknowledged deep divisions over the issue.

It reaffirmed that "marriage is a lifelong covenant of faithfulness between a man and a woman." It also accepted the fact "that people in good conscience might choose to challenge" this view, Keillor wrote, "and asking them to be careful if they do and not make a big show of it but saying that if the(do ... probably nobody would give them a hard time about it." In short, "Nothing has changed essentially, we don't approve, though in a sense we do but probably not, but if you go ahead and do it, don't feel bad about it, we understand .... This is the Lutheran way" (Star Tribune, January 28).

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