Lutheran Membership and Attendance declines

Numbers are down for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Weekly church attendance fell more than three percent last year. And in just 25 years, the denomination has gone from more than 5 million members to less than 4 million. Some blame the decision to ordain openly gay and lesbian clergy. You can read more in the denomination's official publication here.

Transgendered prof to leave Christian university

image of Ackley from YouTube video 

A theology professor at Azusa Pacific University is leaving the school. H. Adam Ackley taught at the California Evangelical university for 15 years as Heather Clements. Students from the school's gay-straight alliance held a demonstration before and after the daily chapel service on campus, according to the student paper. There was an attempt to work a deal out so that Ackley would stop teaching classes but stay at the school through the end of the semester, but the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports Ackley agreed to leave after today. Ackley's bio was already taken down from the school's theology department site, but the Huffington Post published an opinion piece from Ackley here.  Azusa is not commenting.