ELCA Exposed News on The Bible
End of the Line for the ELCA "Journey Together Faithfully."
Today is the end of the Line for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s “Journey Together Faithfully.” They vote on the second of two big issues in human sexuality and the one that the media deems so important, gay clergy. You can expect headlines and pictures of people in tears. I don’t want to belittle anyone involved, but you need two things straight. This is not about sex, but about the Bible, and second, this process has eviscerated the ELCA. It is a sad morality play about religion and politics full of ironies. It is a tale of what happens to a body of Christians when they want to be nice to everyone. In the end they forget what they were formed for . . .
Bound by Conscience or Denying the Bible? (MP3 Audio)
The ELCA believes Bound Conscience overrides Biblical authority.
Why the Historical-Critical Method of Interpreting Scripture is Incompatible with Confessional Lutheranism - by John F. Brug (pdf)
. . .the use of the historical-critical method is incompatible with confessional Lutheranism. This method must be rejected by everyone who believes in the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. The historical-critical method must be rejected by confessional Lutherans because it is contrary to what the Bible reveals about itself. The historical-critical method must be rejected by confessional Lutherans because it destroys confidence in all of the doctrines of Scripture. . .
Comparison of the ELCA and the LCMS (pdf file)
(details on a lot of issues we highlight on this site. Excellent!)
The Church as an Organization - by Dr. Lothar Schwabe
A theology that does not respect “the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God, through which God still speaks and as the only source of the Church’s doctrine and authoritative standard for the faith and life of the Church” deteriorates into religious propaganda that serves those who pay the bill.
To say that my church is not the same any more is an understatement. . .
Living By What Authority?" - Rev. David N. Glesne
. . .Christ himself presented the O.T. as completely and totally authoritative, not just in
matters of faith and morals but in the area of history as well. For Christ, the Scriptures
cannot be broken because they have the authority of God behind them. . .
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) - PDF doc.
The ELCA claims that it is a Lutheran church and that it honors the Lutheran confessions. But what is actually taught and practiced by these churches is not confessional Lutheranism. Several recent books supply the evidence that the ELCA is a grossly false-teaching church body. . .
A COMPARISON OF TEACHINGS - Scripture vs. the teachings of the ELCA - (PDF doc.)
. . .It does not take someone with a master of divinity degree to recognize that the teachings and practices of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) are un-Scriptural. Because the ELCA clearly teaches doctrines contrary to the pure, simple Word of God neither Prince of Peace nor the CLC are in fellowship with the ELCA. . .
Against the Holy Blasphemers
The greater problem in the ELCA, however, is called enthusiasm, or fanaticism. Fanatics are a specific type of infiltrating and clandestine false prophet. They are self-righteous. They are on a mission. They believe that they hold the key to the future. . .They believe they are the messengers and purveyors of a *new and higher law* than had ever existed before in church and world—even laws given by God himself. Furthermore, this new and higher form of law comes in the person of the Holy Spirit who gives them new spirit-led revelations that are not in Scripture but are supposed to be part of God’s hidden plan.
The View of Scripture in the Eangelical Lutheran Church of America: A Covert Denial of the Orthodox Christian View of Scripture
(Unsure when written but based on bibliography, it was some time after 1999)
Martin Luther broke ties with the Roman Catholic Church because the Holy Spirit through Scripture proved to him that its doctrine was not in accord with the Gospel of Christ. Luther’s tenacious struggle for reform centered on three basic truths: Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Sola Scriptura. We are justified by God’s grace alone, through faith in Christ Jesus alone, which we know by Scripture alone. To Luther, all teachings and traditions of the church had to be put next to the standard and rule which God established, namely His inspired Word, the Bible. . .
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America moves closer to apostasy
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has decided to officially disregard the Bible's clear condemnation of homosexuality and instead adopt a politically correct view. When any Christian denomination puts political correctness above Scripture, cares about its own image instead of biblical truth, and even seeks to "play nice" with those who openly contradict God's mandate of heterosexual marriage, it ceases to be a true representative of Christ. . .
Rebuttal of ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson's Bound Conscience
Rosebrough takes a look at Hanson's ELCA town hall in December 2009. (Audio from PirateChristianRadio.com)
The ELCA and the Bible- an Apostate church?
. . .The sad fact of the ELCA is that they have a low view of scripture which has doomed them. This low view has culminated in their decision last year to ordain openly homosexual pastors. Congregations and individual members are now leaving the ELCA fold in droves. The question I have is this; will these congregations repent of their low view of Holy Scripture or will these churches just be ELCA-lite?. . .
Scripture v. opinion - which gets last word?
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's presiding bishop is gaining negative attention over a recent statement. Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson said, in effect, that the Bible does not hold the last word on the issue of homosexuality. Alan Wisdom of The Institute on Religion and Democracy tells OneNewsNow that his proclamation is highly dismaying. . .
Break-ups in the ELCA
. . . the church no longer regards the authority of Scripture as absolute. I find that the main culprit in this undermining of the Holy Word has been the movement of scriptural interpretation away from the Sola Scriptura approach of the Reformers and toward the modern historical-critical interpretation. . .
The Aroma Of An Empty Bottle - by Carl E. Braaten
. . . This is what happened in Minneapolis: appeals to reason and experience trumped Scripture and tradition, punctuated with pious injunctions of Lutheran slogans and clichés. The majority won. And they said it was the work of the Spirit, forgetting that the Holy Spirit had already spoken volumes through the millennia of Scriptural interpretation, the councils of the church, and its creeds and confessions. . .
Church Denominations that Supersede God's Word
. . .There is a difference between loving someone and condoning them to do what the Bible says is wrong. It seems to me that it would be more loving to advise people to obey God’s word in the Bible, than to condone and reward behavior that the Bible speaks against. Furthermore, how can going against God’s words in the Bible be consistent with loving God?
Quote
When the Bible uses an allegory or figure of speech, it is usually obvious. But when an interpreter arbitrarily takes a passage that is obviously intended to be a literal statement of fact, and treats it as allegory, he is twisting the Word of God and knowingly perverting its meaning. - Dr. David L. Cooper
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