Read this Aug. 22, 2009, Washington Post article about the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s vote to allow gays in committed relationships to serve as clergy in the church. With more than 4 million members, the ELCA became one of the largest Christian denominations in the country to significantly open the pulpit to gay clergy.

Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries was formed in 1990 in resistance to ELCA’s policy on forcing celibacy on its gay clergy. Following the ELCA’s decision in 2009 to drop this policy, Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries continues to provide support for LGBTQ clergy. Contact executive director Amalia Vagts.

ReconcilingWorks, formerly known as Lutherans Concerned/North America, works to reconcile members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to full inclusivity of LGBT people. Aubrey Thonvold is the interim executive director. The organization is based in St. Paul, Minn.

WordAlone is a Minnesota-based organization that encourages congregations to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America due to its decisions regarding homosexuality.

Read a February 2004 article in Christianity Today by church historian Martin Marty on the emergence of evangelicals in American society and their great influence in politics.

Read a column about Diwali gift-giving by author Arthur Magida, posted at Beliefnet.com.

Frederick J. Gaiser is professor emeritus of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minn. He wrote a May 2, 2006, article, “At Ground Zero: Homosexuality and the message of Isaiah,” in The Christian Century (subscription necessary).

The Institute on Religion & Democracy is a prominent lobby uniting conservatives across the mainline Protestant denominations to push for more traditional policies in American churches and for more conservative policies in American politics. The IRD is considered a major player in the battles over gay rights in churches.

Read an interview with Daniel Sack, author of Whitebread Protestants: Food and Religion in American Culture (St. Martin’s Press, 2000) and associate director of the Material Religion Project.