ELCA News Briefs 10/13/2011
 
  • Bishop Dave Brauer-Rieke, Oregon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, was a featured speaker at the National Coming Out Day Prayer Breakfast in Portland, OR.  (see here)           During the event a letter entitled, "Faith Leader's Declaration of Support of the Freedom to Marry," was scheduled to be released (Oct. 10, 2011).  It is not yet know whether Bishop Brauer-Rieke has signed the letter in support.
  • ELCA Church Run LGBT Youth Camp Featured in Homosexual Magazine. (see here) Exposing the ELCA reported on this camp and others like it - here. 
  • The ELCA e-Advocacy Network recently sent an email asking people to “(t)ell the President that as a Christian who cares about a just peace for all, you want the U.S. to support the Palestinians' quest for self-determination. Tell him you believe this is a legitimate way to pursue a just and lasting peace for the benefit of Palestinians and Israelis.”
  • Taking an idea from the “Occupy Wall Street” protests, a blog on the ELCA website written by Kate Sprutta Elliott, editor of the ELCA magazine Lutheran Woman Today, suggests the idea that the government force creditors to cancel individuals debts, including their home mortgage debt. (read here)
Add Comment
 
 
The 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly is now over.  No doubt reports will be coming out about the happenings.  Here is the ELCA’s summery of what took place (click here)

A few items which I find interesting:
- An Islamic leader spoke to the assembly and received three standing ovations.
- The assembly passed a resolution which calls for congregations to protest against immigration laws like those in Arizona and Alabama.  (read here)
- Veiled comments were spoken and a memorial was approved which is founded in anti-Semitism.
- The genetics social statement was adopted.
- My understanding is that the assembly did vote in regards to proposed changes for congregations who want to leave the ELCA, it may have been brought forward in conjunction with other motions which I have not yet uncovered.
- Many words were spoken which professed overwhelming pride for and the greatness of the ELCA.
 
So in honor of the self-promoting and self-love which was so evident at the 2011 Churchwide Assembly, I give to you a video made at an ELCA National Youth Gathering:
5 Comments
 
 
John Brooks, spokesman for the Chicago-based ELCA, recently spoke with the NewsOK, an Oklahoma Newspaper.  The newspaper said that Mr. Brooks “estimates about 25 gay and lesbian individuals have been ordained since the policy change.” (read here) That doesn’t include the unknown number of gay and lesbian ELCA clergy who were ordained before the 2009 decision under the rules that homosexuals could not engage in sexual activity.

However, the really disturbing result of the ELCA’s action has been the multitudes of ELCA members whom the leadership has deceived and gotten to condone something that God, for our own good, told us not to do.

Also disturbing is that the ELCA is preaching this damaging lifestyle to our children.  The Lutheran, which calls itself, “The magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,” has a story in the April 2011 edition called, “ELCA Camp Experiences Support Gay Youth.” (see here) (Exposing the ELCA reported on these camps last year - see here and here)

The article promotes the ELCA’s gay youth camps and ministries.  You can be assured that the ELCA is not telling the youth what the Bible says about homosexuality, even though that is the loving thing to do.  Also, the youth should be told that, with God's help, many people have left the homosexual lifestyle.  (see Exodus International) 

Jesus says, “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.”  Mark 9:42
2 Comments
 
 
“Higher Standards — Higher Values — Lutheran Higher Education — There's a Difference, and it Lasts a Lifetime.”  (quote from here)  That is a statement from the official Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s website describing “the 26 colleges and universities of the ELCA . . .”  (quote from here) 

I leave it to you to decide if the ELCA is living up to the above statement after reading the following:

Muhlenberg College, an ELCA affiliated school, offers first year students a course called "Of Kings and Queens: Drag Theory and Performance." 

In a Muhlenberg College posted article entitled, “This class is a drag — and students love it,” it says this about the course, “The students in ‘Of Kings and Queens’ have spent the first three-quarters of the semester reading, writing and analyzing, discussing the politics of gender and sexuality, and coming to understand drag as a cultural phenomenon.

But the highlight of the semester will be the final exam. (Assistant Professor Troy) Dwyer and all 15 of his students are planning a drag show, which they will perform for the public, Dec. 9 at the Stonewall.  Dwyer says he believes the course is unique.” (read the whole article here) 

The two following links will take you to videos of the 2010 final exam student drag show.

The first one is a group performance by the students (see here)

This second video indicates it is of the assistant professor, Troy Dwyer’s drag performance. (see here)

Lastly, here are some pictures from a website which documents, in the URL, that the pictures are of Muhlenberg students.  The students and teacher in the above videos are the people in the pictures. (see here)   Be warned, there are a few pictures with very sexual content.

Before you send your children to an ELCA affiliated school, you should do some research into what the school is about.  If you would like to read about more instances of “higher standards - higher values” at ELCA schools, go here and scroll down the page. 
2 Comments
 
 
What are your thoughts on this?  Kids having fun obviously, but is it appropriate?  Should it be happening at an ELCA college?  I would think there were probably some young children attending the game who were subject to seeing this.
2 Comments
 
 
Maybe you are still an ELCA member, believing your friends who say your church will not be affected by the large array of ELCA actions and teachings which are against what God says in Scripture.  You are wrong.  The ELCA wants to influence our young people.  If your congregation’s children are involved in ELCA-run youth events, they will be subject to the ELCA version of truth, not that of the Holy Bible. 

Jay Bakker was a speaker at the 2009 Youth Gathering in New Orleans which was attended by 30,000 youth. (see here)  Jay is a pastor and has boldly said, “It sounds so churchy, but I felt like God spoke to my heart and said ‘[homosexuality] is not a sin.’”  (read here) 

How wise is it to put heretical teachers and leaders in front of your youth? 

The ELCA wants to indoctrinate your children so that these minors approve of and even celebrate sin.  The effect of this teaching?  Those stuck in sin will not know that Christ can free them from their sin.  This teaching will also undermine the understanding that we can go to the Bible to hear from God and receive direction for our lives. 

See who else the ELCA invited to the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering.  (read here) 
1 Comment
 
 
Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa is an ELCA school. On March 20, 2010, they hosted Wartburg College's 5th Annual Drag Show. "The show brings in professional drag queens and kings from around the state of Iowa and also features students, faculty, and staff performers." (see here)

The Drag Show takes place on campus at Neumann Auditorium (see here) and is sponsored by Wartburg Alliance, which describes itself as ". . . a student-run organization that seeks to generate awareness about LGBT issues and advocate for more inclusive environments on campus, locally, and nationally." (see here)

A blogger in attendance during this year’s drag show said the star performer was Serena Michaels, otherwise known as Miss Gay Iowa 2010. (read here)

Here are links to pictures from the event - 

-  Picture 1

-  Picture 2

-  Picture 3

-  Picture 4

-  Picture 5

-  Picture 6

An ELCA college hosting drag shows for their student body, as well as inviting the attendance of the local community, should not be a surprise. When the parent denomination is rewriting God’s Word and encouraging people to remain in sin, how can one expect the schools they run to uphold Christian values?

Wartburg College student programming - God’s money - your tithes, gifts and tuition at work.





2 Comments
 
 
A self described universalist and Christian gnostic (listen here) is freely preaching to and teaching youth in the ELCA.  Neil Christopher is an ELCA youth pastor at Rejoice Lutheran Church (ELCA) of Frisco, TX. (see here)

While speaking on a podcast Pastor Christopher said,
" . . . We believe in the fact that salvation is grace and grace alone and that it's freely given, and that it's given to
all . . . whether they accept that grace or not, or like whether they have even heard the message or not, or full on reject it.  So we don't do altar calls and we don't tell people that they are going to go to hell, and we don't have any kind of teaching that is based on guilt or shame or any of that."  

"Right now I am a ELCA youth minister and I am very very happy with the Evangelical Lutherans," says Pastor Christopher.  When speaking of his future, Pastor Christopher said, ". . . I could actually, at one point be very responsible for what a whole generation of new Lutherans are going to be learning. . . so maybe the next 20 to 50 years of Lutherans are going to be basically being brought up in the kind of way we carve it up to be at this moment.  And that's amazing." (listen here - 31 min. mark to 34 - note: foul language used)

Pastor Christopher, on his own website, tells us a story of that happened during one of his junior high mission trips.  He says, "(t)here were also some references over the week to a born-again salvation experience and I had to take time to explain to my kids, who have only been exposed to Universalism, what the heck was going on. This also led to one of my favorite moments on the mission trip…

Part of the reason why we chose a missions trip where we give back to a community and work was because of our theology. Like I said before: 'We are not here to convert anybody; we are simply here to include them into our lives.' However, others from different denominations saw things differently, and especially after one certain event my kids asked me what was going on with this whole salvation, hell, born-again thing.

I took a moment to think my response over and then simply asked them two questions:

   1. Who are God’s children?
   2. When Christ died, who did He save?

To the first question my kids said 'everyone'. To the second question my kids said 'everyone.'

I smiled, and was so proud of them at that moment, and so proud that they had been brought up in a church that was so entirely different than the ones I was exposed to as a youth.

I then explained to them that not all churches or Christians feel the same way they do about this matter. My kids looked confused at this 'new theology' and said it was crazy. 'Do they not read the Bible?' 'Where do they even get this kind of stuff?' 'Wait a minute! Do they actually think our God is going to send His children to hell?!'

Like I said — one of the proudest moments of my life."
(read here)

This teaching is wrong and it puts people's eternal destination at risk of going to hell.  It also stops people from sharing the "good news" of Jesus with others, because in the universalist's mind, "everyone is going to heaven anyway."  Not sharing the truth of Christ with people condemns them to eternity in a place no one would want to be.

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 -
God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the LORD Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.  He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our LORD Jesus.  They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the LORD and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America not only allows universal salvation to be taught, but they teach this heresy.  The belief of universal salvation is being preached from the official ELCA website, ELCA publications, in many of its churches and by many ELCA pastors. (see here)  The ELCA's own words and allowances implicate them. Pastor Neil Christopher is teaching a belief of which the ELCA is very comfortable.

Add Comment
 
 
To date we know of three gay youth camps that have direct ELCA involvement.  Lutherhill is one of them, which we have already discussed.  (read here)

The second one is The Naming Project camp held at Bay Lake Camp in Deerwood, MN.  Bay Lake Camp is owned and operated by First Lutheran Church which is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, ELCA.  

This camp is being promoted by the Minneapolis Area Synod of the ELCA.  (see here)

The third camp is called Wonderfully Made and it is held at Bear Creek Camp, Wilkes Barre, PA.  Bear Creek Camp and Conference Center is a ministry of the Northeastern and Southeastern Pennsylvania Synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church In America.

Lutherans Concerned/North America has this to say about the camps, ". . .there are now three organizations that offer camps and retreats for youth who want to explore the connections between faith, sexual orientation, and gender identity. These camps are designed not only for LGBT youth, but youth of all sexual orientations and gender identities. And…amazingly enough, they are all sponsored by Lutherans! The three camps have the stamp of approval of the Youth, Young Adult, and Family Committee of Lutherans Concerned/North America."  (read here)

Lutherans Concerned/North America describes itself this way, "working at the intersection of oppressions, Lutherans Concerned/North America (LC/NA) embodies, inspires, advocates and organizes for the acceptance and full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities within the Lutheran communion and its ecumenical and global partners."  (read here)

If Lutherans Concerned is giving the camps their "stamp of approval," I highly doubt the youth attending these camps are being told that homosexuality is a sin and God has a better way for them that does not involve homosexuality.

God's Word says this about homosexuality -

Romans 1:26-27 -  Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

Teaching and encouraging kids to be involved in sin instead of turning away from it, can cause years of harm, separation from God, and bondage to evil.

God's Word says this about youth and sin -

Mark 9:42 - "And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck."

The ELCA is doing this and I don't want to be part of it.  What say you?
2 Comments
 
 
Lutherhill Ministries is an ELCA Summer Camp and Year Round Retreat Center.  In April, 2010, a group called Spiritual Pride Project held a gay youth retreat at Lutherhill. They describe the retreat this way -

"We are offering a weekend camp retreat as a safe, accepting and loving community where GLBTQIA (Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Question Intersex and Allied) youth can discuss how their sexuality and sprituality are beautiful gifts from God. We will accompany each other on the faith journey as we celebrate and struggle with our faith, family, friends, school, relationships, and everything in between. This is still camp after all, so we will enjoy God's creation and have a blast sharing our creative talents, playing games,and challenging each other. All People of all belief backgrounds are welcome!"  (see here)

Lutherhill Ministries, in full knowledge, allowed this homosexual focused youth gathering to take place on their facilities.  Lutherhill Ministries is a ministry of the Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.  It is located in LaGrange, TX.  (see here)

You maybe able to keep false teaching out of your church, for a little while, but the ELCA is promoting their social policies, view of scripture and heresy everywhere and to everyone, including to our youth. 

1 Comment