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Evangelical Covenant Church Severs Nose to Spite Face, by Mark Erickson

By on Wednesday, July 3, 2019

First Covenant Church of Minneapolis
Last week the Evangelical Covenant Church… covchurch.org… (the church in which I was born, raised, and am a current member), dismissed First Covenant Church of Minneapolis from the denomination.  First Cov is a historic church, built prior to 1900, and has interesting architecture with a balcony that wraps around the sanctuary on all four sides.  First Cov sits on valuable property, being across the street where the Minnesota Vikings play in the southern portion of downtown Minneapolis.

The “sins” of First Cov have been obscured by distortions and omissions. Basically, the denomination wants uniformity as opposed to a fundamental concept, i.e., congregationalism, adopted by its founders.  Because First Cov. envisioned having a same-sex marriage in its building at some point in the future (and there are other “reasons”), the denomination not only kicked out the church, but also revoked the ordination of its lead pastor for supporting same-sex marriage.  The denomination also revoked the ordination of a retired pastor who presided over the same-sex wedding of his son.

Here’s some reading material, starting with an academic approach.

https://pietistschoolman.files.wordpress.com/2019/06/covenant-harmony-and-liberty-1.pdf

The denomination has stuff on its website.  Scroll down to the right.

https://covchurch.org/

This is an alternative source for information.  http://mf4i.org/author/missionfriends4i/

I have substituted “lesbo” for “ghetto” in the lyrics from this song, “Ghetto Child,” by The Spinners:

When I was seventeen, I ran away from home
and from everything, I had ever known
I was sick and tired living in a town
Filled with narrow minds and hate
They used to laugh at me and people called me names
I would run and hide feeling so ashamed
Just for being born, I was just a girl
Punished for a crime that was not mine
Life ain’t so easy
When you’re a lesbo child
Oh babe, life ain’t so easy
When you’re a lesbo child
No one tried to understand
Papa did the best a man could do
A child’s reality is paid for by his folks
Fancy fairy tales are bought and sold by those
Who can well afford time to make believe
Childhood dreams, can still come true
So I’ve been wondering, traveling all around
Guess it ain’t my style to live in just one town
Still I’ll never know why a person is blamed
Ridiculed and shamed, we’re all the same
Life ain’t so easy
When you’re a lesbo child
I’m witness that life ain’t so easy
When you’re a lesbo child, yeah
Life ain’t so easy
When you’re a lesbo child
Oh baby, life ain’t so easy
When you’re a lesbo child
Life ain’t so easy
When you’re a lesbo child
(Life can be rough) life ain’t so easy
(With going gets tough) when you’re a lesbo child

– Mark Erickson