A Letter to Bishop Pryse

This letter to the bishop was prompted by the letters that can be found here: Eastern Synod Website

May 14, 2008

Dear Bishop Pryse,

Peace to you and the blessing of the Holy Spirit in this week following Pentecost!

I am writing to you concerning the letter that I and those on the roster of the Eastern Synod received this past week. The Eastern Synod continues to be my official home, and I continue to think of you as my bishop, so matters that occur there, although kilometers away, affect me deeply.

As someone who has a deep respect for the policies and due process of the church and as someone who has argued strongly for the full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the ELCIC, I appreciate the difficulty and sensitivity with which you are approaching Holy Cross, Newmarket’s call to Lionel Ketola. Your argument that the policies of the constitution cannot be ignored for risk of the unity of the church is well-made and demonstrates the responsibilities which you, as bishop, must honour.

Nevertheless, I must extend my full support for the congregation of Holy Cross and for my colleagues who will be vesting for and participating in Lionel’s ordination. Were it not for financial and family constraints, I would be in attendance myself, for two reasons.

The first is that civil disobedience, or “faithful disobedience” as the people of Holy Cross understand it, is an important part of our growth and theological development as a church. It is historically demonstrated in the precedent set by Peter, when he baptized Gentiles into the Christian faith in Caesarea. (Acts 10) Faithful disobedience was also practiced by Martin Luther, when he proclaimed while still a Roman Catholic that all baptized believers were priests before God. (To The Christian Nobility, 1520) History has proven these two moments of disobedience to be acts of blessings for the millions of faithful who followed. These two saints-of-saints, while disobedient to the policies of their religious institutions, were nonetheless faithful to the call of the Gospel, a call I believe is being issued to and by Holy Cross.

The second reason I wish myself able to attend is that I do not believe that the unity of the church is either as fragile or as essential as many seem to think. The privileging of unity above all other concerns has troubled me since the issue was raised at the Eastern Synod Assembly in 2004 for many reasons, not the least of which is that the “unity of the church” does not mean the unity of the ELCIC, or the Eastern Synod, or even the Toronto Conference. History has shown that the unity of the larger church of Christ can tolerate a vast range of opinions on a variety of issues, and that the Holy Spirit continues to hold us together in the one body of Christ, working through and even blessing that diversity. Should the “irregular” ordination of Lionel disrupt the unity of the ELCIC, we must rest assured that it will not fracture the unity of the larger church, an impossibility since those first days of Pentecost.

That being said, my further concern is that the call to be faithful to “unity” not replace the call to be faithful to the Gospel. Luther exhorts us, in his explanation to the First Commandment, to have no other God but God. His interpretation is that “we are to fear, love, and trust God above all things.” I must question whether those who value unity so highly might not be violating Luther’s understanding of God’s first command to us. I acknowledge that Holy Cross’s actions may leave some people feeling without a spiritual church home - a heart-wrenching feeling, certainly - but the call to be faithful to the gospel, and to love and trust God above all things, must take precedence. Unity is not our God.

Bishop Pryse, I believe that you were called for leadership in the Eastern Synod and that you have been given gifts to fulfill your vocation. I consider it a privilege to call you my bishop. In this spirit, I respectfully urge you, as you seek to fulfill your administrative responsibilities faithfully, to continue to give heed to the Holy Spirit as you consider the disciplinary options before you. I exhort you to extend as much grace in the actions you take as God has extended to you and to all sinners, trusting in God above all things.

The steadfast promise of God’s will towards us, the new life granted to us through Jesus Christ, and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit be with you.

In Christ,
Kayko Driedger Hesslein

cc: Holy Cross, Newmarket
ELCIC National Bishop