Luther Seminary has a website that provides advice and help for pastors writing sermons. An article on the ELCA seminary website shows you how far the denomination has departed from Scripture and how the secular world mindset has taken over the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The article's authors edited the following Bible verse to say: “They cried to the Lord in their trouble, and Ze delivered them from their distress; Ze brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart” - Psalm 107:13-14.
The article's ELCA affiliated authors replaced two pronouns for "He," used to refer to God in the verses, with the recently invented word "Ze." According to the Cambridge Dictionary, 'ze' is "a pronoun sometimes used instead of 'he' or 'she' because it does not show a particular gender." (see here) This is all part of the gender fluidity lie, transgenderism embrace, rejection of calling God "Father" and rewriting of God's Word that is dominating the culture. Again, this is an article for pastors posted by a website of Luther Seminary, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America institution. (see here) The article was co-authored by Rev. Jennifer Chrien and Jessica Davis. Jennifer Chrien is the senior pastor at the ELCA's Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Simi Valley, CA. Jessica Davis is a chaplain for #decolonizeLutheranism, an organization formed of mostly ELCA leaders, and a signer of the "Naked & Unashamed Statement" which was also written by ELCA leaders. Interestingly, last year Jessica Davis was part of a discussion panel that included the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and is obviously in a position of influence in the ELCA.
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The apostate church, the world and ultimately the devil want to destroy the life, faith and souls of our youth. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is part of this: injecting sexual perversion and evil into the hearts and minds of young people. They are justifying and encouraging sexual sin and denying the clear reading of scripture against it.
Take a look at some of what the the ELCA has been doing lately that is aimed at the youth of the church: - The ELCA's Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, in their newsletter, invited LGBT youth on a youth retreat - - Lutherock is a camp of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, located in Newland, NC. They hold all kinds of gatherings for children and teens. Below Lutherock posted this message and picture of a same-sex wedding of their past staff members. It gives us clear indication as to the mindset and beliefs taught to the children who attend the camp.
- A large gathering for ELCA high school youth in regions 1-4 was held at California Lutheran University (CLU), June 28 - July 2, 2017. One of the featured speakers was transgender ELCA pastor, Megan Rohrer. (see here)
Below is the transgender pastor's post on Instagram while at the youth gathering.
Of course, this ELCA gathering for youth had "All Gender Bathrooms."
- Lastly, we have the #ELCA Youth Ministry Network Extravaganza. This is a gathering for ELCA persons who work with the youth of the denomination. The following are tweets from the ELCA Youth Ministry Network and people at the "Extravaganza." Most are related to the session given by a transgender child's mother. On a different topic, we have the ELCA Youth Ministry Network tweeting this gender-avoiding reference to the Trinity.
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
In the current February edition of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's national magazine, Elizabeth Eaton, ELCA head bishop, wrote this in her monthly column: "The history of salvation is one extended love story between God and God's creation, between God and human kind, between God and God's people". Notice the tortured English in order to avoid calling God "He". It reminded me of the transgender pastor who recently spoke at Luther Seminary and asked the congregation to say the Lord's Prayer in a way that was comfortable for them. She then led them in praying "Our Mother in heaven..." The Bible regularly refers to God as "He". The Bible says God is "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ". We do not know better than Jesus, who taught us to pray "Our Father...." In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom (see Presiding Bishop Eaton's column here) (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Today the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's first officially ordained transgender pastor (a woman who presents herself as a man) preached at Luther Seminary's Transgender Day of Remembrance worship service. I watched the hour-long service below and here are the sad low-lights: The service began not in the name of the “Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” but in the name of the “Creator, Christ and Holy Breath” (some shy away from masculine references for God because they claim they are sexist). They recognized transgender people who have died and stated that dead transgender people “rest in the company of the saints of God”. They stated "We celebrate transgender resilience…., We will not keep silence…Transgender people offer a witness of hope to us….God, help us to embrace your wondrous diversity". During the sermon the preacher stated “It is my joy to speak to you today as a transgender Lutheran pastor." She then told her story of being raised as a girl and how horrible that was. She stated that Joseph’s “coat of many colors” in the Old Testament can also be translated “princess dress.” She quoted a poem called “Josephine” that says Joseph/Josephine perhaps wore a princess dress and that “when your brothers saw you in your flowing dress, they became enraged…the ground mourns the loss of its gender queer child…(Joseph/Josephine), I am claiming your story for every queer kid told they are unholy…Dear pastor…you’ve been lying about my (transgender) people too long.” The pastor stated that "Christ will not be bound by bathroom laws”. After the sermon came the prayers when a woman prayed as a “cisgendered woman”, lifting up her prayers for her “transgender siblings”. She prayed for those “between and beyond the gender binary” and for future calls for future transgender clergy. She prayed “Mother and God, be with seminarians…who do not fit the either/or categorization that we so often put them in…give them strength when they proudly present their pronouns and courage to continue to come out.” She prayed for “transgender sex partners...tender-hearted butches, street queens and gender non-conforming seminarians”. Then came Holy Communion when the transgender pastor led the congregation in the Lord’s Prayer “Our Mother in heaven, holy be your name…” What a tragic day for my alma mater. I again noticed how small the attendance is at Luther Seminary Chapel, way down from when I graduated there in 1979. This is evidence of the shrinking power of liberal religion. When God the Father is not mentioned once in a worship service, but God the "Mother" is mentioned twice, something is very wrong. Let us have mercy on people who suffer from gender confusion. May we help them be the biological gender God created them to be. Sadly, instead, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is joining our culture's sexual confusion and saying "If you think you are a man, you are a man, even if you are biologically a woman." In a recent interview, ELCA head Bishop Elizabeth Eaton took a stand for transgender rights (and also said if there is a Hell, Hell is empty). As mainline, liberal denominations get further and further from Scripture, they will continue to shrink, and they should. If you are a member of the ELCA, the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church in America, or the Presbyterian Church USA, is it time to take your money, time and talents and join a more Biblical denomination. I guess I never thought I would see the ELCA sink quite so low in my lifetime. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org (The following was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
I am at a South Dakota church camp today and attended the closest church, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (the liberal branch of Lutheranism). About 8 years ago I attended here one Sunday, during which the pastor had the congregation sing the hymn from the ELCA hymnal "Mothering God, you gave me birth." He then preached that he didn't know why people are so upset about referring to God as "Mother", must be 2000 years of sexism. He also said "Feel free to talk to me about this after the service." I did. I said "I think the reason Christians are not comfortable referring to God as 'Mother' is that Jesus taught us to pray 'Our Father who art in heaven.'" I could tell by the pained expression on his face that he didn't want to talk about it. I later googled him and discovered that his lesbian daughter was touring the county on the Soulforce bus trying to get churches to be open to homosexuality. He now serves a pro-gay church in another state. Today a woman pastor preached. The service began with a wonderful hymn from the ELCA hymnal which was sadly changed to eliminate masculine references for God, making it difficult to worship. During her sermon she told the Dr. Seuss story of Yertle the Turtle, making the point that all are equal in Christ. "All people are children of God, whether you believe it or not, whether you know it or not, you and all people are God's children, all are welcome at God's table." Inwardly I was shaking my head. We are indeed all God's creatures, but we are not all God's children. In fact, the Bible teaches we all start out "by nature children of wrath, as the rest of mankind" (Ephesians 2:3). We only become "children of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26). The universalism heresy, the teaching all people are saved regardless of faith in Christ, appeared to be where she was coming from (later I noticed she had a "Co-exist" bumper sticker on her car.) Then came the Nicene Creed, which was also altered. Instead of "Jesus became incarnate of the Virgin Mary and was made man" we recited Jesus "became truly human." Many in ELCA leadership believe it is sexist to only refer to God in masculine terms which is why the ELCA hymnal de-sexes hymns and has de-sexed all the masculine God language from the Psalms. Other than those issues, it was a good service. But that is like saying "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?" Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org
The Northern Texas – Northern Louisiana (NT-NL) Mission Area (Synod) of the ELCA and ReconcilingWorks, the widely embraced LGBT advocacy Lutheran group, do not want you to use the words "brothers & sisters" anymore. I guess they believe they are not very "welcoming." See the tweets below.
Isn't it interesting that the ELCA seems to think they know better than Jesus, who Himself used the words "brother" and "sister" referring to His followers. That is par for the course with the ELCA.
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
Recently I read an article by a liberal Lutheran pastor entitled "11 Reasons I Am Proud to Pastor in the ELCA". Permit me to do the opposite. Here are 11 reasons everyone should leave the ELCA. 1. The ELCA pays for abortion for any reason in its health care plan – which is funded by offering dollars. 2. The ELCA's health care plan has recently decided to pay for sex change operations. 3. The ELCA has a hard time referring to God as "He" and references to God the Father are rare. The ELCA's hymnal has removed all masculine references to God in the Psalms. The ELCA's "The Lutheran" magazine also avoids masculine pronouns for God. 4. The ELCA allows for the worship of "the goddess" and pagan deities like Asherah at an ELCA congregation called Herchurch (check out the false teaching for yourself at herchurch.org). When people have shared concern about this congregation, the ELCA has defended Herchurch instead of disciplining it. 5. The heresy of universalism, which teaches that all people will be saved regardless of faith in Christ, is being taught at ELCA seminaries. The ELCA's "The Lutheran" magazine also has articles promoting universalism. This is done even though the ELCA's founding documents teach that we are saved by grace alone through faith in Christ alone. 6. The number of ELCA missionaries has been reduced dramatically since the ELCA's founding in 1988. If universalism is true, why send out missionaries? 7. Some ELCA pastors, like the popular ELCA speaker Nadia Bolz–Weber, deny the substitutionary atonement of Christ, which teaches that Jesus died on the cross in our place to pay for our sins. This central Christian teaching is rejected as "divine child abuse" by some in the ELCA. 8. The ELCA ordains practicing homosexuals as pastors. The ELCA now has a male bishop with a "husband" who rode in a gay pride parade in California. 9. The ELCA recently has ordained transgender pastors. 10. Basic Christian teachings like the Virgin Birth of Christ are denied by many seminary professors in the ELCA. 11. The ELCA regularly advocates for liberal political causes, but does little to nothing to advocate for the unborn. This is understandable since the ELCA pays for abortions with offering dollars. Need a good alternative to the ELCA? The Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, the Association of Free Lutheran Congregations, Lutheran Churches in Mission for Christ (LCMC), the Church of the Lutheran Brethren, the Wisconsin Synod Lutheran church, and the Association of America Lutheran Churches are all options which provide good Biblical teaching for those seeking to live out their Christian faith. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock Pastorsstudy.org (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
Another “don’t miss” according to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s website is a blog from Kristin Berkey-Abbott, a lifelong Lutheran and college professor. It is entitled “Reforming our metaphors for God.” In recent years it has become “enlightened” to get rid of the Bible’s “offensive” metaphors for God. For some this means getting rid of the “sexist” language of God as Father. Some would also like to get rid of any military language the Bible uses for God. Berkey-Abbot has written about getting rid of God as “mighty fortress” found seven times in the Bible (Psalms 18:2, Psalms 16:1-3, 2 Samuel 22:2, etc.). It is also found in Luther’s most famous hymn “A Mighty Fortress”. She writes of the Bible’s “problems”: "Earlier this August, our congregation’s sending hymn was “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”…The imagery is fierce and militant. While some might find that comforting, I wonder if it’s the best metaphor for God. I know the history of the time period in which Luther lived, work and wrote. I know that God as fortress, as bulwark (to use the older language), as sword and shield might have been remarkably effective for those listeners. But I am weary of wars of all sorts. I’m weary of the horrific images from wars fought in other countries….I’d like different imagery. I realize that the Bible is full of rich imagery, but it has problems, too. I think of all the agricultural metaphors and bread metaphors. Do they speak to people who have never made a loaf of yeasted bread? …If I were to write a hymn or a poem or a parable to explain my understanding of God to a person who has yet to meet God, what metaphors would I use?… A quilt would make an obvious metaphor for both God and the church. I like the idea of a crafter taking scraps of cloth and making them into a larger item that has both beauty and utility. The God I know would combine fabrics into new patterns. The God I know would delight in bits of lace, ribbon and some interesting buttons as adornments." Berkley-Abbott lists other metaphors that she would like to use for God and concludes with this: "I could go on and on, but let me stop here. It’s a fun exercise to do alone, and I imagine it would be an even more interesting exercise to do in a group. It’s a different way to talk about God, and if the metaphors work, it’s a different way to know God." My response: Since when are we free to invent new metaphors for God? God has revealed Himself in the Bible as “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” and also as “Redeemer, Rock, Fortress, etc.” If we do not like these metaphors for God, it is not that something is wrong with the Bible, it is that something is wrong with us. We would be putting our own opinions and imaginations above the authoritative truth of Scripture. I love worshipping God as my Father and Fortress. I have no desire to worship God as my quilt. Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org (read the ELCA article here) The following article was written April 4, 2015 by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook (here) and twitter (here.)
I looked at the upcoming chapel services for April at my alma mater Luther Seminary, a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Some ELCA churches now incorporate "goddess" or "God the Mother" worship (see herchurch.org for some of the worst heresy in the ELCA). But it looks like this kind of thinking is perhaps making its way into the largest (though shrinking) ELCA seminary. Here are two of the chapel services for April listed on Luther Seminary's website: - Service lead by students in "Sex, Gender, and the Old Testament" Class - Service lead by students in "Feminist, Womanist, Mujerista Theolasian, And African Women's Theology" Class As I mentioned in an earlier posting, the ELCA's newest hymnal has de-sexed all of the Psalms to get rid of masculine references for God and includes the hymn "Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth". May you experience the blessing of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as you celebrate Christ's resurrection tomorrow! Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org By Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. Follow Pastor Brock on Facebook (here) and twitter (here.)
This past Sunday I attended an historic congregation in Charleston, South Carolina of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (the most liberal branch of Lutheranism). Sadly, they are using the ELCA's red hymnal that has hymns like "Mothering God, you gave me birth". The hymnal has also de-sexed all the of the Psalms to get rid of masculine pronouns for God (feminist theology in the ELCA thinks it is sexist to continually refer to God as "He"). The new hymnal has also changed the Apostle's Creed to get rid of hell and leaves out the line that Jesus "descended into hell." There was a prayer during the confessional about how we have "wounded the earth by our excess". The service did include some references to God the Father, so it wasn't as bad as what I saw next. As I was sightseeing in Charleston a few hours later, I walked by an old Congregational Church (United Church of Christ). In front of the church was a big "gay friendly" rainbow banner with the words "God is still speaking". That is the United Church of Christ's motto which, I believe, means God is telling us new things today--things our Christian forefathers didn't know about (like inclusive God language, gay inclusion, etc). The forefathers of the UCC were the Pilgrims, Christians who definitely believed in the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and that Jesus is the only way of salvation. Today in the UCC one can deny all those things and be a pastor. I slipped into the church as the service was ending and grabbed a bulletin. The opening hymn was just strange: Why should we call these accidental furrows roads? Everyone who moves on , walks like Jesus, on the sea, You walking, your footprints are the road, and nothing else; There is no road, walker, you make the road by walking... Walker, there is no road, only wind-trails in the sea... Who knows what that meant. The bulletin reads regarding the Lord's Prayer: The leader will say "Our Mother, our Father..." Please feel free to address God in the way that is most true to your understanding. That is the tragedy of the United Church of Christ. You get to make up your own version of God and whittle Him down to your own convenient image. Does it not strike people as arrogant that they are correcting Jesus Christ by rewriting His Lord's Prayer? The bulletin then advertised a new Sunday morning class "Is There Another Way? Teaching an Alternative Orthodoxy Within the Christian Tradition", a course from the Living School at the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque. But, I thought, if its an "alternate way", then it isn't orthodoxy. "Orthodox" means "correct belief" and my guess is that class will be anything but that. So, be careful where you go to church! And if your church that you have loved for 50 years has abandoned the faith, time to move on. Hard to do, yes, but it is time for Christians to use their time, talents, and money to support churches which honor God. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock Critical comments from readers printed in The Lutheran to the ELCA/publishers of the magazine:
"Not buying it I am all for elevating people out of poverty (July, page 16). But I do not share your cheerleading enthusiasm that paints economic inequality as demonic injustice. Nor do I share your animosity toward the so-called '1 percent.' I thought the Bible was a staunch critic of envy. Oh, I forgot this is all Democratic Party talking-points. Carry on. The Rev. John R. Thompson Treasure Island, Fla." (read here) "Enough already Marty’s article distracts from, rather than enriches, our worship of God. Why would it bother anyone to think of God in masculine terms? Is God ever referred to in the Bible as anything but 'he'? We cannot make God over to fit our human terms because God is God. Traditional hymns in Evangelical Lutheran Worship have already been reworded to avoid masculine pronouns for God. Now this. Enough. Hildegard P. Lamparter Lititz, Pa." (read here) “Politicized gospel The recent visit by ELCA bishops to Congress (May, page 4) reminds all yet again of church leaders’ devotion to a politicized, self-absorbed gospel. Peter advises Christ’s followers to 'always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.' Confident believers answer by boldly confessing Christ crucified and raised from the dead. But our bishops’ hope centers on convincing lawmakers to spend other people’s money on the ELCA’s lofty causes. Cheap grace indeed. Cliff Hadley Huron, S.D." (read here) “Law and gospel Once again Marty shows that neither he nor this denomination is in any way, shape or form Lutheran (May, page 3). Instead of discussing 'The Ten Words' as the law, which serves as a curb, a guide and principally a mirror, he denigrates obedience to them (which sinners can never fully achieve). Funny how Jesus told those whom he healed to 'go and sin no more.' God does command us to do things we cannot do. That’s why God fulfilled the law himself for us (the gospel). Drew Kornreich Los Alamos, N.M." (read here) By Pastor Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. Facebook users can follow Pastor Brock by going here and twitter users here.
Pastor Peter Marty writes a monthly column in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's national magazine The Lutheran. In recent months he has espoused the heresy of Universalism which teaches that people can be saved apart from faith in Jesus Christ. In this month's article he urges the Church to move beyond seeing God as male: "...we can certainly give fresh effort to finding new words for knowing this great God of ours, who as Father and Mother to us reveals the best of parental love." (see here) I recently attended a United Church of Christ worship service in which the Lord's Prayer was changed to "Our Mother and Father who art in heaven, hollowed be thy name..." I got justifiably angry – who is this church to correct Jesus' words? Do they know more than Him? The United Church of Christ has shrunk hugely in members, and so has the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The ELCA's most recent hymnal has changed the original wording of the Old Testament and desexed all of the Psalms in order to get rid of masculine references for God. Churches which tamper with God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit deserve whatever losses they get. May we ever worship the wonderful God which Jesus revealed to us in His last words on earth: "Go… baptizing in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." (Matthew 28:19). In Him, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org Exposing the ELCA has been documenting for years the ELCA's removal of masculine words for God from their language, publications and teaching. Here are two more examples:
- From an article about ELCA Presiding Bishop Eaton - "The work of the Church, Bishop Eaton said, is not so much saving souls. 'That's God's work, and if God loves God's creation, you're part of God's creation; you're going to be loved.'" - Read here. (Besides ELCA Presiding Bishop Eaton's obvious choice to not refer to God with male pronouns, I find her statement saying the ELCA is not about saving souls to be a doctrine of the devil.) - This is a comment from someone on an ELCA clergy page - “We are struggling with the lack of inclusive language for God in our anthems. Our dir of music ministry is careful not to violate copyright so does not want to change the words to better reflect a nongendered reference to God. What have you found helpful? Alt music source? Is it legal to change words intentionally? I suppose we can ask permission to swap words (not the music) to the copyright holder. We are not going to 'just do it' so i need concrete ideas please. I'm eagerly awaiting your collective wisdom. Thanks!” This is telling - "Most white evangelical Protestants (73 percent), as well as 55 percent of white Catholics and 53 percent of black Protestants, say it is morally wrong to have an abortion. That compares with 36 percent of white mainline Protestants and just 20 percent of the religiously unaffiliated." (see here) Most every member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America falls under the heading “white mainline Protestants.” Three thoughts:
This comes from the ELCA worship planning resource “SUNDAYS AND SEASONS.” - “Gospel, 1st Advent: God will fulfill God's purposes and, already, hidden signs of that fulfillment abound. On that great day there will be dismay, perplexity, confusion, and terror, but God's people shall be given strength to stand boldly and receive God's promised redemption.” Where are the pronouns? It seems like the resource is doing everything possible, in this instance, to avoid calling God “He.” ----- I thought the following video was worth posting. The hosts' answer a woman’s question, “Is it wrong in God's eyes to attend a church that doesn't follow the Bible?” Here is part of their answer, “Are you born again? Seriously, are you a Christian? . . . Have you repented of your sins? Are you trusting in Jesus alone? Because if you are you will love God's word and you'll never ever support a church that is teaching error.” Start watching at the 7 minute mark - |
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 Dan Skogen
Former ELCA seminary student and former ELCA member who is fed up with the ELCA's consistent mockery of God's Word. If you have been helped and blessed by Exposing the ELCA's ministry, please help us continue to proclaim the truth of God's Word to ELCA members who need to hear it.
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Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. - Ephesians 5:11
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