ELCA Exposed News on Israel and on Supporters of Israel
ELCA Bishops Urge Obama Stay Committed to Mideast Peace Efforts
Bishops within the largest Lutheran denomination in America are asking President Obama to “remain firm” in his commitment to achieving a just peace between Israelis and Palestinians. "The U.S. plays a key role in negotiating necessary compromises and in holding both Israel and the Palestinian Authority to their obligations," expressed the presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and 58 of the denomination’s 65 synod bishops. . . Lutherans Denounce Israel, Just in Time for Christmas Led by a Palestinian Lutheran bishop, 16 Palestinians Christians have blasted Israel in a new declaration that the 4.9 million Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is obligingly disseminating. . . | Would you prayerfully consider blessing Exposing the ELCA as you have been blessed?
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_Sabeel Conference Links U.S. and Israel to “Genocidal Theologies”
. . .Speakers framed their critiques in terms of radical feminist and liberationist theologies that reinterpret the Christian and Jewish Scriptures. They disputed not only the policies of the U.S. and Israel, but also the right of those two to exist as legitimate nation-states. . .
_No Confusion, Just Silence from Lutheran Group
. . .Instead, ELCA's Churchwide Assembly passed a "memorial" (resolution) that called on Lutherans to consider going out of their way to buy goods from Palestinian suppliers and to explore the feasibility of "refusing to buy products produced in Israeli settlements." In other words, two months after Hamas and Fatah gunmen battled it out on the streets and rooftops in Gaza, ELCA's Churchwide Assembly laid the groundwork for a boycott of Jewish settlers in the West Bank. . .
What a Surprise: World Council of Churches Condemns Israel (ELCA is a member)
. . . The WCC has an odd idea of what constitutes “innocence.” The people in question were armed with iron bars, baseball bats, knives and at least two guns. They started beating on Israeli soldiers, who came with no intention of hurting anyone, before their feet touched the deck. They threw at least one soldier overboard, which at the very least counts as attempted murder. . .
Fences and a "Just Peace"
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America makes a stand against Israel's security fence and in favor of a "just peace." (Never mind Palestinian terrorism.)
The Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East's Response to ELCA’s Middle East Resolution
“. . .the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and its predecessor bodies have for many years worked for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, advocating for political solutions that address the rights to security and peace with justice for both Palestinians and Israelis;” If the ECLA’s goal is peace and security, why hasn’t it firmly condemned terrorism and the extremist Palestinian groups who launched their violent campaign against Israeli civilians, thereby perpetuating the conflict? If the goal is security, why not condemn the suicide bombing, mortar and other attacks that have forced Israel to use counterterrorism measures?. . .
The ELCA's "Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine"
. . .On this score, the ELCA has some soul-searching of its own to do, because Raheb's books, I am a Palestinian Christian and Bethlehem Besieged, were both published by Augsburg Fortress Press, the denomination’s publishing house. Raheb’s factual omissions are bad enough, but it his campaign to weaponize Christian theology to delegitimize the Jewish state that is most troubling. Raheb’s theology, a troubling mix of liberation and replacement theology have given new life to the teachings of contempt toward Israel, and by extension, Jews. . .
Protestant Missionaries: The Palestinians Are Like Jesus and Israel Is Like the Romans
That ELCA webpage touts a fraudulent series of four maps purporting to show Palestinian losses and Israeli gains since 1946. . . These maps (which are commonly promoted by anti-Israel activists) utterly distort the history of the region by conflating several categories of "having land" (individual ownership, various forms of political control, etc.), by completely ignoring the historical context of Arab losses and by simply lying.
The Lutheran Deceives Its Flock in Anti-Israel "Wall" Account
The magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is spreading extreme misinformation among its members about Israel's security fence while the church is urging them to vote on anti-Israel resolutions. CAMERA sent the following letter requesting correction of 12 factual errors that appeared in a strikingly distorted and inflammatory article entitled "The Wall" published in the May 2005 edition of The Lutheran, the magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). A much-abbreviated form of the letter was printed in the September edition of the publication and is appended here below the full original. . .
Israelis Not Invited
The conference and subsequent coverage of the event by the ELCA News Service is troubling on a number of levels. First, the lack of Israeli speakers at the conference was no mere oversight, but was the consequence of an explicit decision on the part of conference organizers to not invite Israelis—even though Germans on both sides of the Berlin Wall and the residents on both sides of the Mexican-American border were present at the conference. . .
Church Groups Push for Divided Jerusalem
. . .CMEP has promoted a “shared Jerusalem” campaign since 1996, placing a full-page ad in the New York Times that year signed by several denominational officials. The group also released resources including worship and study materials urging this policy to congregations. . .
Lutheran Bishop Responds Angrily to CAMERA Letter
Instead of offering a comprehensive description of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Bishop Payne offers an extended litany of alleged Israeli misdeeds, and hardly a word of criticism of the moral and strategic errors made by Palestinian leaders – which have had a substantial impact on Israeli public opinion. And yet, despite all this, Bishop Payne is on ELCA's Middle East “ready desk” and put forth as a trusted and reliable source of information and context about the Arab-Israeli conflict. . .
AJC Disheartened by UCC, Disciples of Christ and ELCA Embrace of Palestinian Document Delegitimizing Israel
. . .charges Israel with “ethnic cleansing,” “geo-cide [sic] of Palestinians,” and “crimes against humanity. . .”
Exploiting Lent to Attack Israel
(The ELCA is a member of the CMEP)
For most Christians, Lent is a season of penitence and devotion in remembrance of the events leading to Christ’s crucifixion. For Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), Lent is an organizing tool for rallying U.S. Christians against Israel.
CMEP is releasing a series of Lenten devotionals, culminating with the current Holy Week, that supporters are urged to disseminate to their local churches. Each devotional has an explicit or implicit critique of modern Israel or message of solidarity with Palestinians. . .
Sad: Church Coalition Targets Israel in Letter to President Obama
(The ELCA signed this letter)
Declaring they "fully support your goal of ending the occupation [by Israel] that began in 1967," liberal religious leaders are urging President Obama to facilitate peace in a region "torn by walls and weapons. . ."
Divestment: Coming to a Denomination Near You
. . . The fact remains: democratic Israel extends far more rights to its Arab and non-Jewish population than any Muslim nation accords Jews or Christians. . .
Mainline American Christian "Peacemakers" Against Israel
. . . Augsburg Fortress Press, publishing house of the ELCA, published two books during the Second Intifada alleging that Israel's decision to send troops into the West Bank in 2002 was motivated merely by a desire to dominate the Palestinians and not by the need to stop the campaign of suicide attacks that began in 2001. For example, one of the books - Bethlehem Besieged by Mitri Raheb, pastor of a Lutheran church in Bethlehem - provides the following context for Operation Defensive Shield, which began on 2 April 2002:
There was no reason to invade "our little town" with hundreds of military tanks and armored vehicles, accompanied by Apache helicopters. The excuse Israel used for invading Bethlehem was a suicide bombing that took place on March 29 in Jerusalem by a young Palestinian from Deheishe refugee camp near Bethlehem. The blast killed Ayat al-Akhras and two Israeli people and injured two dozen more. The decision to invade, however, was made weeks before. Before the suicide bombing had taken place, Israeli Prime Minister Sharon had already launched his military offensive, called "Operation Defensive Shield," and Israeli forces were already rolling into Ramallah and had besieged Palestinian President Yasir Arafat in his headquarters. Three days later, they were in Bethlehem and in front of our house.[54] Raheb's chronology leaves out some important facts, most notably the 27 March 2002 suicide bombing that killed thirty Israelis and injured 140 more during a Passover celebration at the Park Hotel in Netanya. Raheb also fails to report that during March and the first two days of April 2002, more than eighty Israelis (mostly civilians) were killed by Palestinian suicide attacks and more than thirty-five civilians were killed by gunfire. Any honest description of Operation Defensive Shield would include this information. But Raheb ignores it, acknowledging only one suicide attack and portraying it as an "excuse" for the invasion.
Given Raheb's ideological commitments, it is no surprise he would author such a distorted text. What is surprising, however, is that a respectable publishing house would package and distribute it. . .
Facing Lutheranism's Crisis of Authority
(Note: All statements about Israel/Jews from the article are below)
(Carl) "Braaten described the ELCA approach to authority as deficient in three 'Gnostic' ways, deficiencies that played a big role in the passage of last summer's ELCA social statement on sexuality.
Deficiency 1: Like the ancient Gnostics, the ELCA is antinomian—it rejects the law of God.
Deficiency 2: Like the ancient Gnostics, the ELCA claims a higher knowledge—higher than anything available from an external Word of God. Gnostics trusted instead in enlightenment from within, which is where they locate God. So do those guiding ELCA's decisions, said Braaten.
Deficiency 3: Like the ancient Gnostics, ELCA leaders sneer at the idea that we can look to a book as our authority—especially a book written by Jews. Antinomianism and anti-Semitism are always found together, said Braaten."
Everything I Learned about the Redirection of Financial Support, I learned from the ELCA
. . .When I attended the 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Chicago, I noted how the church endorsed this same strategy, by calling on the ELCA to use economic pressure and redirection of investments as a means to influence political policy in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. . .
Mainline churches silent on massacre of Fogel family
It is now nearly six days since five members of the Fogel family of Itamar were slaughtered by 'Palestinian' terrorists, and the reaction from the five 'mainline churches' that always rush to attack Israel is... Silence...
Articles on Israel from the Exposing the ELCA Blog
Many articles on the ELCA's policies, actions, views, etc. concerning Israel.
Islamic Pogrom Against Christians in the Holy Land
. . .ELCA and LWF leaders pontificate regularly on Middle East politics. But they are silent as Muslim extremists drive Christians out of the Holy Land. . .
Parsons signs coalition letter critical of Israeli resettlement
. . .The coalition’s letter sides with the Palestinian Authority as well as President Obama’s past statements. . .
Salvation and Palestinian Propaganda
. . .The bishops' Middle East sojourn is part of the Lutherans' "Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine." In the parlance of left-leaning mainline church groups, "engagement" in the Middle East always means browbeating Israel and defending Palestinian political goals. . .
Israel Chides Mark Hanson, Katherine Jefferts-Schori
. . .diplomat pointed out that these mainline leaders often misrepresent the facts on the ground for the purpose of their Anti-Israel propaganda. . .
The ELCA View on Supporters of Israel
Christian Zionists: The Real Terrorists (ELCA is a member of NCC)
. . .The National Council of Churches (NCC), which will never specifically criticize any radical Islamist movements no matter how murderous, has found itself concerned about Christian Zionists in America. In fact, according to the NCC, Christian Zionist support for Israel is the main stumbling block to tranquility in the Middle East. . .
King Abdullah and the Lutherans
What is it about religious leaders who parachute into the Middle East, then think they can become power brokers to effect some kind of Israeli/Palestinian peace agreement? And while they are at it, trash villians like "Christian Zionists" and home-grown evangelicals? . .
ELCA Attacking Christians as Anti-Semitic
. . .The ELCA's website highlights Rev. Munib Younan's, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jerusalem, thoughts on the matter. He says, "I hereby declare that (the belief of Christians who support Israel) is not only a sick theology but it is a heresy. . ." That's not all, the Bishop goes on to say this about these Christians, ". . . they are actually anti-Semitic." This is all promoted on our ELCA's official website. . .
New LWF President
". . .And to Christian Zionists we say, you are not welcomed here. Don’t come to our country to dupe and mislead people with your money and poisoned ideology. . ."
. . .Instead, ELCA's Churchwide Assembly passed a "memorial" (resolution) that called on Lutherans to consider going out of their way to buy goods from Palestinian suppliers and to explore the feasibility of "refusing to buy products produced in Israeli settlements." In other words, two months after Hamas and Fatah gunmen battled it out on the streets and rooftops in Gaza, ELCA's Churchwide Assembly laid the groundwork for a boycott of Jewish settlers in the West Bank. . .
What a Surprise: World Council of Churches Condemns Israel (ELCA is a member)
. . . The WCC has an odd idea of what constitutes “innocence.” The people in question were armed with iron bars, baseball bats, knives and at least two guns. They started beating on Israeli soldiers, who came with no intention of hurting anyone, before their feet touched the deck. They threw at least one soldier overboard, which at the very least counts as attempted murder. . .
Fences and a "Just Peace"
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America makes a stand against Israel's security fence and in favor of a "just peace." (Never mind Palestinian terrorism.)
The Coalition for Responsible Peace in the Middle East's Response to ELCA’s Middle East Resolution
“. . .the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and its predecessor bodies have for many years worked for peace between Israelis and Palestinians, advocating for political solutions that address the rights to security and peace with justice for both Palestinians and Israelis;” If the ECLA’s goal is peace and security, why hasn’t it firmly condemned terrorism and the extremist Palestinian groups who launched their violent campaign against Israeli civilians, thereby perpetuating the conflict? If the goal is security, why not condemn the suicide bombing, mortar and other attacks that have forced Israel to use counterterrorism measures?. . .
The ELCA's "Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine"
. . .On this score, the ELCA has some soul-searching of its own to do, because Raheb's books, I am a Palestinian Christian and Bethlehem Besieged, were both published by Augsburg Fortress Press, the denomination’s publishing house. Raheb’s factual omissions are bad enough, but it his campaign to weaponize Christian theology to delegitimize the Jewish state that is most troubling. Raheb’s theology, a troubling mix of liberation and replacement theology have given new life to the teachings of contempt toward Israel, and by extension, Jews. . .
Protestant Missionaries: The Palestinians Are Like Jesus and Israel Is Like the Romans
That ELCA webpage touts a fraudulent series of four maps purporting to show Palestinian losses and Israeli gains since 1946. . . These maps (which are commonly promoted by anti-Israel activists) utterly distort the history of the region by conflating several categories of "having land" (individual ownership, various forms of political control, etc.), by completely ignoring the historical context of Arab losses and by simply lying.
The Lutheran Deceives Its Flock in Anti-Israel "Wall" Account
The magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is spreading extreme misinformation among its members about Israel's security fence while the church is urging them to vote on anti-Israel resolutions. CAMERA sent the following letter requesting correction of 12 factual errors that appeared in a strikingly distorted and inflammatory article entitled "The Wall" published in the May 2005 edition of The Lutheran, the magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). A much-abbreviated form of the letter was printed in the September edition of the publication and is appended here below the full original. . .
Israelis Not Invited
The conference and subsequent coverage of the event by the ELCA News Service is troubling on a number of levels. First, the lack of Israeli speakers at the conference was no mere oversight, but was the consequence of an explicit decision on the part of conference organizers to not invite Israelis—even though Germans on both sides of the Berlin Wall and the residents on both sides of the Mexican-American border were present at the conference. . .
Church Groups Push for Divided Jerusalem
. . .CMEP has promoted a “shared Jerusalem” campaign since 1996, placing a full-page ad in the New York Times that year signed by several denominational officials. The group also released resources including worship and study materials urging this policy to congregations. . .
Lutheran Bishop Responds Angrily to CAMERA Letter
Instead of offering a comprehensive description of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Bishop Payne offers an extended litany of alleged Israeli misdeeds, and hardly a word of criticism of the moral and strategic errors made by Palestinian leaders – which have had a substantial impact on Israeli public opinion. And yet, despite all this, Bishop Payne is on ELCA's Middle East “ready desk” and put forth as a trusted and reliable source of information and context about the Arab-Israeli conflict. . .
AJC Disheartened by UCC, Disciples of Christ and ELCA Embrace of Palestinian Document Delegitimizing Israel
. . .charges Israel with “ethnic cleansing,” “geo-cide [sic] of Palestinians,” and “crimes against humanity. . .”
Exploiting Lent to Attack Israel
(The ELCA is a member of the CMEP)
For most Christians, Lent is a season of penitence and devotion in remembrance of the events leading to Christ’s crucifixion. For Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP), Lent is an organizing tool for rallying U.S. Christians against Israel.
CMEP is releasing a series of Lenten devotionals, culminating with the current Holy Week, that supporters are urged to disseminate to their local churches. Each devotional has an explicit or implicit critique of modern Israel or message of solidarity with Palestinians. . .
Sad: Church Coalition Targets Israel in Letter to President Obama
(The ELCA signed this letter)
Declaring they "fully support your goal of ending the occupation [by Israel] that began in 1967," liberal religious leaders are urging President Obama to facilitate peace in a region "torn by walls and weapons. . ."
Divestment: Coming to a Denomination Near You
. . . The fact remains: democratic Israel extends far more rights to its Arab and non-Jewish population than any Muslim nation accords Jews or Christians. . .
Mainline American Christian "Peacemakers" Against Israel
. . . Augsburg Fortress Press, publishing house of the ELCA, published two books during the Second Intifada alleging that Israel's decision to send troops into the West Bank in 2002 was motivated merely by a desire to dominate the Palestinians and not by the need to stop the campaign of suicide attacks that began in 2001. For example, one of the books - Bethlehem Besieged by Mitri Raheb, pastor of a Lutheran church in Bethlehem - provides the following context for Operation Defensive Shield, which began on 2 April 2002:
There was no reason to invade "our little town" with hundreds of military tanks and armored vehicles, accompanied by Apache helicopters. The excuse Israel used for invading Bethlehem was a suicide bombing that took place on March 29 in Jerusalem by a young Palestinian from Deheishe refugee camp near Bethlehem. The blast killed Ayat al-Akhras and two Israeli people and injured two dozen more. The decision to invade, however, was made weeks before. Before the suicide bombing had taken place, Israeli Prime Minister Sharon had already launched his military offensive, called "Operation Defensive Shield," and Israeli forces were already rolling into Ramallah and had besieged Palestinian President Yasir Arafat in his headquarters. Three days later, they were in Bethlehem and in front of our house.[54] Raheb's chronology leaves out some important facts, most notably the 27 March 2002 suicide bombing that killed thirty Israelis and injured 140 more during a Passover celebration at the Park Hotel in Netanya. Raheb also fails to report that during March and the first two days of April 2002, more than eighty Israelis (mostly civilians) were killed by Palestinian suicide attacks and more than thirty-five civilians were killed by gunfire. Any honest description of Operation Defensive Shield would include this information. But Raheb ignores it, acknowledging only one suicide attack and portraying it as an "excuse" for the invasion.
Given Raheb's ideological commitments, it is no surprise he would author such a distorted text. What is surprising, however, is that a respectable publishing house would package and distribute it. . .
Facing Lutheranism's Crisis of Authority
(Note: All statements about Israel/Jews from the article are below)
(Carl) "Braaten described the ELCA approach to authority as deficient in three 'Gnostic' ways, deficiencies that played a big role in the passage of last summer's ELCA social statement on sexuality.
Deficiency 1: Like the ancient Gnostics, the ELCA is antinomian—it rejects the law of God.
Deficiency 2: Like the ancient Gnostics, the ELCA claims a higher knowledge—higher than anything available from an external Word of God. Gnostics trusted instead in enlightenment from within, which is where they locate God. So do those guiding ELCA's decisions, said Braaten.
Deficiency 3: Like the ancient Gnostics, ELCA leaders sneer at the idea that we can look to a book as our authority—especially a book written by Jews. Antinomianism and anti-Semitism are always found together, said Braaten."
Everything I Learned about the Redirection of Financial Support, I learned from the ELCA
. . .When I attended the 2007 ELCA Churchwide Assembly in Chicago, I noted how the church endorsed this same strategy, by calling on the ELCA to use economic pressure and redirection of investments as a means to influence political policy in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. . .
Mainline churches silent on massacre of Fogel family
It is now nearly six days since five members of the Fogel family of Itamar were slaughtered by 'Palestinian' terrorists, and the reaction from the five 'mainline churches' that always rush to attack Israel is... Silence...
Articles on Israel from the Exposing the ELCA Blog
Many articles on the ELCA's policies, actions, views, etc. concerning Israel.
Islamic Pogrom Against Christians in the Holy Land
. . .ELCA and LWF leaders pontificate regularly on Middle East politics. But they are silent as Muslim extremists drive Christians out of the Holy Land. . .
Parsons signs coalition letter critical of Israeli resettlement
. . .The coalition’s letter sides with the Palestinian Authority as well as President Obama’s past statements. . .
Salvation and Palestinian Propaganda
. . .The bishops' Middle East sojourn is part of the Lutherans' "Churchwide Strategy for Engagement in Israel and Palestine." In the parlance of left-leaning mainline church groups, "engagement" in the Middle East always means browbeating Israel and defending Palestinian political goals. . .
Israel Chides Mark Hanson, Katherine Jefferts-Schori
. . .diplomat pointed out that these mainline leaders often misrepresent the facts on the ground for the purpose of their Anti-Israel propaganda. . .
The ELCA View on Supporters of Israel
Christian Zionists: The Real Terrorists (ELCA is a member of NCC)
. . .The National Council of Churches (NCC), which will never specifically criticize any radical Islamist movements no matter how murderous, has found itself concerned about Christian Zionists in America. In fact, according to the NCC, Christian Zionist support for Israel is the main stumbling block to tranquility in the Middle East. . .
King Abdullah and the Lutherans
What is it about religious leaders who parachute into the Middle East, then think they can become power brokers to effect some kind of Israeli/Palestinian peace agreement? And while they are at it, trash villians like "Christian Zionists" and home-grown evangelicals? . .
ELCA Attacking Christians as Anti-Semitic
. . .The ELCA's website highlights Rev. Munib Younan's, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jerusalem, thoughts on the matter. He says, "I hereby declare that (the belief of Christians who support Israel) is not only a sick theology but it is a heresy. . ." That's not all, the Bishop goes on to say this about these Christians, ". . . they are actually anti-Semitic." This is all promoted on our ELCA's official website. . .
New LWF President
". . .And to Christian Zionists we say, you are not welcomed here. Don’t come to our country to dupe and mislead people with your money and poisoned ideology. . ."
