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.
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.
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?
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.
". . . An ELCA pastor informed the churchwide assembly in a discussion of the ELCA’s HIV and AIDS strategy that his congregation hands out condoms 'to anyone who asks for them, young or old.' He had emailed his bishop and asked if he could pass out condoms, and the bishop responded, 'Jesus would be passing out condoms.' Churches that pass out condoms are all but saying to their members, 'When you have sex outside marriage, make sure you use a condom.' Do ELCA leaders really hear Jesus saying that he would pass out condoms in a church or anywhere to people who are having sex outside marriage?"
(read more of the article)
We all know by now that the ELCA accepts and embraces practicing homosexuals as pastors and church-wide leaders. And they bless and encourage same-sex unions. The ELCA has been working for years to implement their agenda. (You can read about the ELCA homosexual agenda here.) But did you know that the ELCA's agenda also involves your children?
Lutherans Concerned/North America (LC/NA) is an organization who's mission is, "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." (See here)
This organization "was officially invited to participate in the ELCA National Youth Gathering, held July 22—26, 2009 in New Orleans. LC/NA was invited to host a 10’x10’ booth in the 'Interaction Center' of the Youth Gathering." (See here) The ELCA officially invited this group to the youth gathering. Two things should be noted. The National Youth Gathering was held before the same-sex votes at the ELCA church-wide assembly in Aug. 2009. Also, even though the ELCA says every church has a right to decide for themselves what policy (God's or ELCA's) they will follow, the ELCA's view will be "preached" by the denomination as a whole.
After a lot of browsing around the LC/NA's website I think it is pretty safe to say that this group is not in the habit of calling homosexuality a "sin," as God does in the Bible. The purpose is not to tell kids that homosexuality is not God's will for them. The ELCA wont say that. So we should not be surprised that the ELCA is now trying to indoctrinate our children with their blatant denial and rejection of scripture.
We are all sinners and the loving thing to do is to help sinners out of their sin. (If you haven't read "Loving your Neighbor: What does love mean?" by Rev. David N. Glesne, please do. It is a must read.)
If you want your children and your children's children to be taught the ELCA's version of truth then stay in this denomination. If you believe God's word is truth, then for the sake of your children, get to a church that believes it!
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