After Uproar Over Posting a Bible Verse, ELCA Apologizes 'that the language in this post has caused harm'

2/13/2020

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is growing more and more radical. Upon the denomination sharing a graphic on the ELCA Facebook page (pictured on the right), with the Bible verse "God is Light in Him there is no darkness at all
1 John 1:5" the ELCA's radical base came out firing.

The first person to post a critical comment wrote, "Please consider the racial implications of what you are saying here. There is no darkness in him- really??? I assume exclusion (from God) is not your intent, but that is the impact. Please apologize and remove this post."

Another wrote, "Please don't ever again pretend to be confused about why we're 97% white. This post tells me so much about how my church is in relationship to my dark skin."

A ELCA pastor also replied, "Just because it’s a bible verse does not mean it can’t be used to inflict harm on our siblings of color and perpetuate systemic racism in a church that is 98% white. The bible has been used to silence women, oppress LGBTQIA+ persons, and justify slavery. We need to choose our imagery carefully. We need to do better and not (unintentionally or not) alienate our fellow siblings in the body of Christ."

And they went on blast mode from there, so much so that the ELCA had to edit their Bible verse image post with an addition:

"Dear siblings in Christ,

We have been paying very close attention to the conversation created by this post. Thank you all who have voiced your experiences and concerns regarding the language used.

The verse shared here comes from last week’s lectionary readings. As themes of darkness and light will appear again in lectionary readings later in Lent, we have chosen to leave this post and its discussion here so that it can inspire deeper conversation and reflection as we prepare for the season ahead.

We apologize that the language in this post has caused harm, and we recognize that this image can be a painful reminder of the harmful power dynamics, racism and inequity that exist in this church. It is our responsibility to be intentional in our use of images and language. We are committed to this work, and we are committed to learning from our mistakes." See the ELCA Facebook post here or below.

So, not only are ELCAites upset and viewing this Bible verse as racial, but the ELCA responds by apologizing for the pain people may feel from quoting it.

Who wants to support the ELCA and worship in a denomination that does that? The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America apologized for quoting God's Word, for saying "God is Light, in Him there is no darkness at all." Shame on them and shame on anyone who remains in this denomination.

Not surprising, the ELCA went on to say this,

Read about Pr. Kwame Pitts here and Pr. Lenny Duncan here.

14 Comments

Steve

2/13/2020 08:51:49 am

The opposition to thIs verse is not simply due to the mere fact that these people are SJW’s. The SJW’s have given themselves over to demons and it is the demons within them who take the most offense to the verse. The verse says God is Light and there is no spiritual darkness in Him. The verse serves as a further reminder to demons that they are forever banished from the Kingdom. And it’s no surprise that the demons are “triggered”.

Didaskalos

2/14/2020 04:11:03 am

An ELCA that regularly flouts Jesus' command to "Repent, and believe the Gospel" has nothing biblical or Lutheran to offer people of any color. The whole denomination has become Darkness, Inc.:
"They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity." [Eph. 4:18-19]

As many of his writings do, Luther calls out an ELCA that is neither Lutheran nor Christian:
Martin Luther on 1 John 3:4 — “We are all sinners, and at times we all fall into sin. But when true Christians fall, they soon come back, turn around, and struggle against the sin so that they won’t offend their neighbor…even if Christians are completely surrounded by sin, they should still fight against it. Some people think they’re Christians because they’ve been baptized. These people give their desires free rein and don’t care about conquering their sins. They merely follow their own cravings.” (LW, 30:269)

Sarah Atkinson

2/16/2020 10:33:49 am

I don’t get how blatantly wrong all this is apparently the offended person is not a born again child of God and is still reading through a carnal mind . This is how we as a group of believers fail Christ when we don’t take the moment to explain the depth of the meaning but apologize for Hods truth instead . God is light ( truth peace calm direction to good )and in him there is no darkness (demons or satanic activity)you really have to have an unregenerate heart looking to find evil to see anything else . I pray for my brothers and sister stand on Gods truth and don’t make what it isn’t and never apologize for Gods word

Brian B

2/20/2020 07:34:14 am

It is very sad that anyone could take this verse from the Bible and make it into something other than what it is. God has always been the light of the world. We should never apologize for what the WORD of GOD says. This has absolutly nothing to do with Race

Jane Marsee

2/21/2020 01:46:38 pm

Steve, you said it so well. Far better than I could have.

Some people will carry this race issue into the stratosphere; bcause, most people are not willing to stand up for God's word. Nothing about that verse has anything to do with race. This is just a power play and nothing more.

Anyone who will fold that easily DOES NOT love God nor His Word.

How can we expect the children, teens and youth of today to take a stand for God and His Word if the adults are so easily muzzled?

2/13/2020 10:34:38 am

The ELCA's resounding repudiation of Jesus' words in John 14:6 ("I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me.") is by far the most compelling reason to flee this pretend-Christian denomination, which for decades has turned a deaf ear to Jesus' Great Commission.

At its 2019 convention, the ELCA proffered a universalistic "inter-faith" policy statement that asserts there are “limits of our knowing” the way to God the Father.

When a brave delegate offered an amendment to the policy that stated “We have a clear statement from Jesus [John 14:6], who is fully God and fully man. We do therefore have a basis to know God’s views on religions that do not require faith in Jesus Christ as God’s son,” it was defeated by the delegates, who adopted the heretical policy statement by a vote of 97.48%.

An ELCA that's ashamed of Jesus and His Gospel is no safe church home for any Christian.

George

2/13/2020 11:28:27 am

This is a classic case of not wanting to address the grammar of that passage. The gender referents in Greek are in the masculine and point to Christ as well as to the Trinity. The problem with the radicals in the ELCA is that they jump into their prideful anger without seeing the full problem which the text itself raises. Instead they tap into the current anger over sociological issues and refuse to place themselves under the text with the grammar as is and then seek a way of peace from there. Is it so far-fetched to translate that verse this way? "God is light and in that one..." Or does that referent (ie. that one) harm and reduce the effective nature of the power of person by not mentioning 'him". The pronoun referent is in the masculine and so the radicals cannot deal with what the text actually says per grammatical structure. Rather than get mad it's better to wrestle with the text and with who Jesus is for the church. Jesus is God, btw.

Todd

2/13/2020 04:44:29 pm

Perhaps they should focus on John 1:5: "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."

As the ELCA tries harder and harder to accommodate idiots, it gains more and more idiots as members. I don't foresee any happy results from this process.

Rich Voswinkel

2/13/2020 10:00:40 pm

The ELCA is no longer Lutheran or Christian. There are certainly Christians in its midst who have not yet decided to leave. The denomination’s theology can lead only to hell. ELCA is apostate.

2/14/2020 11:08:30 am

Those that twist the plain words of scripture and turn this into a racial issue reject the text because they are too introverted to see that it is not about them but about Someone who in Christ is for them and not against them. They read scripture with their own self-imposed bias and by their anger have already judged God rather than stand under God’s judgment of them. They refuse to turn to Christ and his word and would trust their own opinion and thus risk condemnation in their conceit. “God, in Christ, has reconciled the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them....”
To the radicals in the ELCA as to all Jesus commands: “...repent and believe in the gospel.”

2/14/2020 04:33:23 pm

Just to be clear: 2 Cor. 5:16 presents Christians as no longer regarding human opinion as a standard of measurement to be faithful to the Gospel. Racial discrimination is a standard of measurement to be used solely in light of human opinion and under the law’s arena. “With the law comes the knowledge of sin...” ala Romans 3. Under the Gospel this arena has no effect/affect any longer. Christians no longer regard each other in the way of human opinion because we no longer regard Christ according to this way.

Kelly

2/16/2020 10:26:18 pm

Martin Luther would be throwing up in his grave if he knew what his name has been attached to.
Shameful.

Norma Buhle

2/18/2020 12:27:56 pm

GOD of The Bible is never racist. (Acts 17:26--He made of one blood all the nations that dwell on face of the earth) ELCA should be more concerned about pleasing GOD than pleasing fallen mankind, because if they do not Love Christ / God first, then others, they are not "bondservants" of Christ. (Gal. 1:10) Besides, GOD'S Word is perfect (HOLY). The accusers here (Rev. 12:10) do not "walk in The Spirit / do not have the Spirit so they are not children of God. They do not have "spiritual understanding" that GOD owns all souls (Ezek 18:4) GOD'S Word says we are "slaves" to sin and the evil one (as Adam / Eve fell into) if we do not have Christ dwelling in our hearts. (Romans 6:12-22) Those who are born again follow the Law of The Spirit of Life in Christ. (Rom. 8:2) Remember the steps to Salvation: Godly sorrow, that leads to "repentance" (turning from sin, then turning to Christ) and then comes Salvation. (2 Cor. 7:10) Saints of The Lord do not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Deut 8:3). And Jesus backed this up in Mattnew 4:4 when He spoke GOD'S Word back to satan, and became our example. (Jesus would not yield to satan's temptations) Jesus defeated satan, and broke that part of the curse, that humanity inherited from Adam / Eve's sin. ("turning from God to do what is right in our own sight, instead of doing what is right in The Lord's sight") All rebellion against GOD and His Laws / precepts fall under definition of "sin".

2/18/2020 12:33:15 pm

GOD'S word (Holy Scriptures) never cause "harm", but convict of sins, proclaim GOD'S Love for us, teach spiritual lessons, etc. Jeremiah 29:11---The Lord knows the plans He has for us; plans to prosper us---"not harm", and plans to give us a sure future and hope, thru Christ our Lord.

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After Uproar Over Posting a Bible Verse, ELCA Apologizes 'that the language in this post has caused harm'

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