On February 25, 2025, Representative Josh Schriver (R-Oxford) introduced House Resolution 28 to the Michigan House of Representatives. This resolution seeks for the Michigan House of Representatives to condemn the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges and reaffirm the definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
As evidenced by the numerous executive orders and policy changes that have occurred since January 20, the rights of our LGBTQIA+ siblings are under attack. Bolstered by the Trump Administration’s fearmongering, lack of understanding, and disdain for those in marginalized communities, we are now experiencing the spreading of these false narratives closer to home, from those in our own state.
Jesus tells us “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39) and calls for us to care “for the least of these” (Matthew 25:40). In our congregations, in our synods, and as a the wider church, we do this by sharing God’s love with others, accepting one another as we are, and actively working to help those in need.
As the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) states in our social statement, Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust, we have “a pastoral responsibility to all children of God” and we are to “seek responsible actions that serve others and do so with humility and deep respect.” Working to suppress the rights of our LGBTQIA+ siblings, and using historical and Biblical means to justify it, is contrary to what we as ELCA Lutheran Christians stand for. These actions are not done out of deep respect, do not serve others, and are actively hurting our siblings in Christ.
We stand with our LGBTQIA+ siblings who are feeling alone, afraid, and overwhelmed. We assure them that we will continue to serve our neighbors and share the truth of the Jesus we know, the Jesus who calls us to love one another, care for the least of these, and be a stronghold for those in need.
The Rev. Craig Alan Satterlee, Ph.D., Bishop of the North/West Lower Michigan Synod
The Rev. Don Kreiss, Bishop of the Southeast Michigan Synod
The Rev. Katherine Finegan, Bishop of the Northern Great Lakes Synod