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(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) The Grand Canyon Synod of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America just released the below, praising God for the “faithfulness” of the ELCA’s first three head bishops. Let's talk about each. (See here)
Bishop Herbert Chilstrom was my bishop in Minneapolis before he became head bishop over the entire denomination when it formed in 1988. He was very nice, diplomatic, but liberal, man. He did not want anyone teaching in ELCA seminaries who believed in the inerrancy of scripture. So much for diversity. During his tenure or shortly thereafter, I sent 11,000 letters to all ELCA churches when I discovered the ELCA was paying for abortions for any reason with offering dollars in the denomination’s healthcare plan. Chilstrom was pro-choice on abortion. Next is Bishop H. George Anderson. During his tenure, it went all the way to the ELCA’s national convention to stop paying for abortions for any reason with offering dollars. That resolution failed two to one. It was then I came back to my church and suggested that we leave the ELCA. Next is Bishop Mark Hanson. During Hanson's liberal leadership, the ELCA voted to ordain practicing homosexuals, which started the largest church split in American history at that time (I think the recent split in the United Methodist Church over the same issue is even bigger). Hanson also referred to “God Godself” in order to stay away from referring to “God Himself.” Hanson has also defended “children who are transitioning” to the opposite sex. In a sermon Hanson stated that Jesus was mean and hurtful to the Syrophoenician woman. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has lost 42% of its membership since it was founded in 1988. These three head bishops are not reasons to rejoice, but reasons to mourn. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org
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(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) St. Olaf College of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in Northfield, Minnesota, was founded by Norwegian pastors in 1874 to teach young adults Christianity. But ELCA colleges have been hijacked by liberal theology and the LGBT movement.
For example, St. Olaf’s President Susan Rundell Singer has announced in St. Olaf Magazine that the beautiful Boe Chapel on campus, once dedicated to the glory of Christ, will now be used for “meditation and smudging”. Smudging is a pagan practice of Native American religion in which herbs are burned to produce smoke to connect with the spirit world and “balance energies”. Rundell Singer writes “We are expanding initiatives to support community and belonging on the Hill, including opening two new spaces in Boe Memorial Chapel focused on meditation and faith-related incense and smudging — a practice involving the burning of herbs like sage that has roots in various faith and cultural traditions, including many Indigenous cultures”. (see page 2 here) I looked through St. Olaf Magazine and did not find one mention of the words “God“ or “Jesus“. But I did find a picture of a lesbian wedding. Contrast Saint Olaf College with University of Northwestern in Saint Paul, Minnesota, an evangelical college. Northwestern states “We believe that we are under divine obligation to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered unto the saints by proclaiming to a lost world the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and the enthroning of Him as Lord and Master (Jude 3, Acts 16:30, Col. 3:1-3)…. our relationship to Jesus Christ and commitment to obey God’s Word will be at the very center. This promise to God and to each other is what binds us together and sets us apart from the world. We believe that it is our duty, honor and delight to live under the Lordship of Christ, to study His Holy Scriptures, to reach all nations with the gospel of salvation through faith in Christ and teach them how to be disciples”. The difference between St. Olaf and Northwestern is night and day. The ELCA’s Luther Seminary of which I am a graduate also held a Native American smudging service in its chapel. Luther Seminary is now selling off all of its buildings and moving elsewhere as attendance and donations have declined. St. Olaf was King of Norway in 1015. After his conversion to Christ in France, he returned to Norway with a mission to Christianize his kingdom. His influence led to the widespread conversion of the Vikings to Christianity. I am guessing that Saint Olaf would like to have his name removed from Saint Olaf College. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock Pastorsstudy.org PS You will notice that Jesus is nowhere mentioned in St. Olaf’s “Why I Study Religion” (see here)
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
Here is another video from the lesbian New York bishop of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America promoting homosexuality. She claims God led her to speak to a young woman who is “queer”. The bishop assured the woman that God made her queer, even though her family has religious objections to homosexuality. The bishop says the woman’s family exhibits “the height of hypocrisy“. But the bishop, who has a “wife”, does not see the hypocrisy of calling herself a bishop of the Church and yet engaging in homosexual behavior.
This is the “right is wrong, and wrong is right” world of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS For the Bible’s teaching on homosexuality, see my article. “What does the Bible teach about homosexuality?“ at 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.)
Lura Groen is a pastor of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In the past, she has stated that God “is so f___ing queer”. Regarding abortion, Groen said “God told me, my body, my f___ing choice.”
In the below video, Groen preaches the heresy of Universalism, the teaching that everyone is going to heaven, regardless of faith in Christ. Universalism denies what Jesus taught about the reality of Hell. The just retired head bishop of the ELCA also taught Universalism, saying “Hell may exist, but I believe it is empty.” In contrast, the Bible teaches that it is only through faith in Christ that a person can be saved (Acts 16:31, John 14:6, Acts 4:12). Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock Pastorsstudy.org PS Groen is a woman married to a biological woman who identifies as a man. At least this was the case five years ago—I’m uncertain if their “marriage” is still intact today—when Groen’s spouse sued a Catholic hospital because the hospital refused on moral grounds to remove her healthy uterus. In June of 2025 Groen’s “spouse” lost her case, but got the sex change operation elsewhere. This is the strange new world of 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.)
Below is a sermon clip from a pastor of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Many pastors in liberal denominations no longer call God “He“ because that is supposedly sexist. Instead we get God as a “They“, which I believe is a nod to including transgenderism in the nature of God. A liberal Lutheran church near my house on its sign in front says “God is proud of all THEIR children”, “THEIR” is in rainbow letters. And beware of pastors and bishops who open their sermons not with “Brothers and sisters in Christ“ but with “Siblings in Christ“. “Brothers and sisters“ is too binary and excludes the transgendered and so we get “siblings”. But Jesus was very binary, teaching God only made two genders (see Matthew 19:4). What a day in which we live. 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.)
Decorah, Iowa, is having its annual LGBT pride parade today (October 11th) and Luther College wants its students to be a part. Luther College is a college of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Many years ago, Norwegian immigrants founded the Iowa college to teach their young adults Christianity. They would be grieved to see what Luther College has become and they would be grieved to see themselves mentioned in the gay pride banner below. As a Lutheran pastor, I can recommend ELCA-related colleges to no one.
June is LGBT pride month, but someone has said, “It is no longer gay pride month, it is gay pride year.” Indeed, the just retired head bishop of the ELCA produced a gay pride video in which she said “We celebrate you, our LGBTQAI+ siblings, this month (June) and all year long.” You will never hear a word from the ELCA about repentance from this sinful sexual behavior. Please check out my article. “What does the Bible say about homosexuality?“ at pastorsstudy.org. It is a point of view you never hear from an ELCA bishop or from an ELCA college. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS The ELCA’s healthcare plan, funded by offering dollars, pays for hormone blockers for minors and sex change operations (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Kevin Strickland is a bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He is a man “married” to a man and is one of 10 practicing homosexual ELCA bishops (the ELCA has 65 bishops). As you can see from his below Facebook page, he stands for abortion, transgenderism, homosexuality, and “science” (which I think means he believes in evolution). His letter to the Supreme Court urges them to keep gay marriage legal and Strickland informs them that the ELCA approves of homosexual behavior and regards gay unions as the equivalent of Christian marriage. The bishop states that the ELCA marries homosexual couples not in defiance of the Christian faith, but because of it. As a Christian who has personally struggled with same sex attraction most of my life, but who abstains from that behavior for the sake of Christ and my soul, I ask you to please say a prayer for Strickland and the other 9 ELCA gay bishops and their partners. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says people who persist in impenitent sin will not inherit the Kingdom of God. If you are still an ELCA member, it is time to run from the ELCA. This is your leadership. In its healthcare plan, which is funded by ELCA offering dollars, the ELCA pays for sex hormone treatment for minors and also for sex change operations and abortion for any reason. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock Pastorsstudy.org PS You can see the story on my struggle at pastorsstudy.org. And if you need help in this area, go to restoredhopenetwork.org   See here.
ELCA pastor Paul Drees posted a video on social media (see below) where he says "I've been praying for Trump to die" and then pastor Drees tries to justify his position. Paul Drees is featured in this month's Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Living Lutheran Magazine. (see here) In the Living Lutheran article the aforementioned video is addressed. 
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
Transgender Pastor Asher O’Callaghan is assistant to the bishop in Wisconsin of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This is a woman who identifies as a man. She, I can’t say “he”, is said to be especially able to help congregations in transition since she herself has gone through sex transition.
She says to transgender “siblings” in the below video: “You are gorgeous…God is proud of you…Your body belongs to nobody but you.” But the Bible says “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit…You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). But the ELCA does not honor the bodies that God has given us. The ELCA pays for sexually castrating children through hormone blockers in the ELCA‘s healthcare plan, which is paid for by offering dollars. ELCA offering dollars also pay for sex change operations. If the below video doesn’t convince a person to leave this erring denomination, I don’t know what would. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and X - here.)
Responding to the tragic shooting of children at a Catholic school in Minneapolis by a transgender sniper, the Minneapolis bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (a woman with a “wife”) wrote this:
“In a country where gun violence is the leading cause of death for children, we must lament, grieve, and condemn, but also work together to change this reality.” No, by far the greatest killer of children in America is abortion. I was talking with a Christian woman in her 20s yesterday who lamented the fact that 27% of her generation has been killed by abortion. 27%! The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America pays for abortion for any reason in its healthcare plan, which is funded by offering dollars. ELCA offering dollars also go to pay for hormone blockers for minors. In their promotion of abortion rights and the LGBT movement, liberal denominations like the ELCA are not part of the solution, they are the problem. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock Pastorsstudy.org ELCA Lutheran pastor: God “is so f___ing queer” and “Hell no” to the Bible’s teaching on slavery8/25/2025
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and X - here.)
Lura Groen is one of the more radical pastors of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In the past, Groen has said that “The Divine is so f____ing queer”. Regarding abortion she claims “God told me, my body, my f____ing choice.“ So it is not surprising that she rails against Scripture in the below sermon and says the Bible is wrong on wives submitting to husbands, and “Hell no“ to the Bible‘s teaching on slavery.
When a pastor is this off and unbiblical, she should be defrocked. But Groen has found a home in the ELCA, a denomination where you can teach just about anything. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and X - here.) The Washington DC bishop of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has written the below “call to prayer and fasting” to protest what President Trump is doing in bringing law and order to Washington DC. Regardless of what you think of President Trump, the below makes it increasingly clear that the ELCA is very much aligned with liberal politics. Just another reason to find a more biblical denomination. Would that the ELCA was half as interested in evangelism and reaching souls for Christ as it is in left-leaning political causes. One person commented that the DC bishop does not have a physical office in the DC area, probably for good reason. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock metrodcelca.org/for-such-a-time-as-this-a-call-to-prayer-and-fasting/
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and X - here.)
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America just elected its new presiding bishop. He is Bishop Yehiel Curry of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod. The runner-up was Bishop Kevin Strickland, a homosexual man with a “husband“. But Bishop Yehiel Curry, the ELCA’s first black Presiding Bishop, made it clear that he is very pro-LGBT. He praised the fact that in his synod in the past two years “40% of the candidates (to be new pastors) are people of color and those who identify as LGBTQAI+….I love the work we are doing in the Metropolitan Chicago Synod.” Also speaking to the assembly was an ELCA female chaplain whose speech smacked of the heresy of universalism, the false teaching that all people will be saved and there are various ways to God. She said that everyone is a child of God and that “our understanding of the magnitude and mystery of God empowers us to respect and honor other varieties of religions and spiritual practices of those we serve.” This sounds like a far cry from the Apostle Paul who said that false religions are demonic (1 Corinthians 10:20), and a far cry from Jesus Christ who said He is the only way to be saved (John 14:6). A Bible study was led by Reverend Chad Rimmer, the dean of an ELCA seminary. Rimmer talked about climate change, “origin myths or our Genesis narratives“, his gay son, false binaries, and “affirming the presence of queer, colored and differently-abled bodies”. It was a very, very “progressive” Bible study. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and X - here.) The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America just had the first day of its national assembly. A good amount of time was spent attacking “patriarchy and sexism” in the Church and an ELCA video claimed “the Bible says things about women and girls that we now regard as harmful” (minute 3:19:10). (see here)
So the Bible is harmful, but feminism is a good thing. The ELCA has fully endorsed feminism and even pays for abortion for any reason with offering dollars in the ELCA healthcare plan. The ELCA video laments that women are being denied “healthcare“ in our society, When a denomination claims that the Bible is harmful, and then turns around to use offering dollars to kill unborn children, time to run from that denomination. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS The ELCA’s healthcare plan also pays for hormone blockers for children and sex change operations. Your ELCA offering dollars at work. ELCA head bishop "deeply troubled our transgender and non-binary siblings are being dehumanized"7/23/2025 (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and X - here.) States around the country are banning destructive sex change operations on children and are also banning hormone blockers which keep children from developing their God-given sexuality. But Elizabeth Eaton, head bishop of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is troubled by "anti-trans" legislation. The ELCA pays for hormone blockers for minors in the ELCA healthcare plan which is funded by offering dollars. A few years ago the ELCA put an 11-year-old boy who thinks he is a girl on stage to preach transgenderism to 31,000 teens at the denomination's Teen Assembly. That child has been on hormone blockers for years, your ELCA offering dollars at work. The ELCA plan also pays for sex change operations. Listen to Bishop Eaton's impassioned plea for transgenderism below....and run from the ELCA if you are still a member. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock |
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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