ELCA Lutheran bishops' priorities: Overthrow the patriarchy and white supremacy, and embrace DEI3/25/2024 (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) The bishops of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America are meeting and the ELCA's website has summarized some of their actions. Not a word about evangelism, bringing the lost to Christ, or world missions. Instead the bishops are spending time lamenting white supremacy and the patriarchy. The "patriarchy", I believe, is the belief that using exclusively male language for God (like "Father, Son and Holy Spirit") is wrong. Overthrowing the patriarchy means overthrowing exclusively male leadership in the Church. But Jesus never taught us to pray to "God the Mother", only to God the Father. And the Bible indeed teaches that women should not preach over adult men (I Timothy 2:12-15). But the ELCA is a big defender of feminism, women's ordination, and abortion rights. The ELCA's Luther Seminary now has more female students than male and the ELCA's Minneapolis Area Synod recently came up with an "inclusive" worship liturgy which worships God the Mother and is queer/trans friendly.
The ELCA has lost its way. Missions and evangelism has taken a back seat to things like DEI (Diversity, Equality, and Inclusivity). Social Justice has replaced the priority of preaching the Gospel of Christ to save people from Hell. But many ELCA leaders no longer believe in Hell. To quote ELCA head Bishop Elizabeth Easton, "Hell may exist but I believe it is empty." So if Hell is empty and people do not need to believe in Christ to be saved, what will the ELCA bishops do with their money, time and talents? Overthrow the patriarchy and promote liberal politics. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock From the ELCA website on the bishops' meeting: "(The bishops) received an update on synod diversity goals from Judith Roberts, senior director for ELCA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The report focused on the work being done in synods as called for in the continuing resolution adopted by the 2016 Churchwide Assembly, which requires each of the church’s expressions annually to assess its ethnic and racial diversity. (The bishops) engaged in learning and deliberations on white supremacy and patriarchy in a session led by Ms. Jennifer De Leon, director for racial justice, and Dr. Mary Streufert, director for gender justice and women’s empowerment. The bishops reviewed the conference’s work in 2023 on racial justice and gender justice and upcoming work of the church related to white supremacy and patriarchy. Small group discussions focused on white supremacy and patriarchy..." (https://www.elca.org/News-and-Events/8219)
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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.)
A friend of mine graduated from Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania, a school related to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He recently received this communication from the university about the university’s specialty housing for LGBTQ+ students, its new LGBTQ+ Resource Center, and Midday Mindfulness yoga: “Susquehanna University recently dedicated the LGBTQ+ Resource Center as an on-campus space where queer students will feel supported and empowered. “We want to promote students and community visibility by empowering and lifting up queer students and giving them a bigger voice on campus,” said Kyoti Tavarez ’24, a QTBIPOC (Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) student liaison with the resource center. “This is a space where we want to highlight queer students and their accomplishments, talents and joy.” …the center’s creation was due in part to growing demand among LGBTQ+-identifying students, said Dena Salerno, senior director of inclusion & diversity. “…over 30% of a recent incoming class tell us that they identify as queer in some way,” Salerno said. In addition to opening the resource center, Susquehanna also created specialty housing for LGBTQ+ students this year….Midday Mindfulness sessions, led by a certified student yoga instructor, are scheduled…” My friend complained to the university and got this response from the university chaplain: “Theologically—and I speak now as the university chaplain—I want to be very clear: we do not in any way endorse theologies that frame same-gender attraction as wrong or disordered. Quite the opposite, we celebrate the presence of God in the lives and loves of our LGBTQ members, and our community and campus are blessed daily by their inspiring faith, abundant spiritual gifts, and all-around brilliance.” My response: 30% of students are LGBT? Highly unlikely. And never mind prayer at this Lutheran college, let’s promote mindfulness yoga. Yes, this chaplain celebrates LGBT behavior, but he stands in contradiction to the Scripture and 2000 years of Christian teaching (see my article “What does the Bible say about homosexuality?” at pastorsstudy.org). This wholesale embracing of the homosexual/transgender movement is also evident at Augsburg, Concordia Moorehead, Saint Olaf, Gustavus Adolphus, Augustana, Luther and Wartburg Colleges. The only ELCA college I know of that still has some Biblical faithfulness is Grand View University in Iowa. So don’t send your child to a college of the Evangelical Lutheran church in America thinking they will get a Christian education. Instead, they will be indoctrinated in the lies of our culture. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock Susquehanna’s chaplain also wants to make clear where he stands on abortion, see below. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has produced a confirmation curriculum for their youth titled "Queer Confirmation." It is a project originating from the ELCA's Wartburg Theological Seminary. "The Queer Confirmation curriculum (QC) is a 1-year (24 sessions), synchronous, online curriculum for LGBTQIA+ teens accompanied by a safe adult (parents/religious leader)." (See here) "Queer Confirmation is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)." (See here) The author of the curriculum "underscored the monumental impact of the ELCA's partnership, viewing it as a significant step toward churchwide accountability. The financial support from the ELCA, a tangible affirmation of their statements, marked a historic moment. Budgets are moral documents, and this funding represents a commitment to accountability, inclusivity, and healing within the Church. The ELCA's support went beyond financial contributions, extending to visibility and access through national platforms and social media. The partnership opened doors to present at key events and engage with influential figures within the Church, creating a ripple effect of positive change." (See page 10-11 here)   (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) The below video by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America shows an 11-year-old boy who thinks he is a girl (minute 8:29) and says the ELCA “respects diverse bodies rather than devalues them”. This child spoke to 31,000 teens at the ELCA’s Youth Gathering, promoting transgenderism. The video states the ELCA supports “reproductive health care”. The ELCA indeed pays for abortion for any reason in the denomination’s healthcare plan, which is funded by offering dollars. The video rails against the “patriarchy” and states God is not literally a Father. If you want to be part of a denomination which believes what Jesus said about human sexuality, that God made us “male and female“ (Matthew 19:4)…If you want a denomination which values human life from conception to death…and if you want to be part of a church which unashamedly worships the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, do not join the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The ELCA’s woke 9 minute video below looks more like a commercial on why not to join the ELCA. 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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