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I received this update from a friend.
Much is happening with the confessional Lutheran movement in Wisconsin. Here are some highlights - please pray God's guidance and glory be demonstrated in each of these circumstances:
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If you haven’t seen this, Bishop Hanson released a statement saying that he "appreciated" President Obama's controversial Israel - Palestinian speech. Read this blog for more.
----------- If you have information, articles or blogs you would like Exposing the ELCA to consider posting, you can send them by using our new “Submit Information” page. (see here) ----------- Did you know that the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (ELCA) has a Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice (CCME)? The Center’s mission statement is “A Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice (CCME) at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) fosters and deepens relations between Christians and Muslims as a significant part of its larger purpose of building bridges of mutual understanding, respect and cooperation among people of all faiths.” (see here) ----------- The April issue of The Lutheran magazine (ELCA) recommends utilizing the teachings of noted pastor, Rob Bell. (see here) Bell was recently featured in Time Magazine regarding his highly controversial new book, Love Wins, promoting the idea of universalism, that everyone will go to heaven. (see here) ----------- Below is a television report on St. James Lutheran Church in Greenfield, IN, which recently voted to leave the ELCA and join the NALC. Also included is a link to a radio interview with St. James’ pastor, Larry Gember. Fox Network News in Indianapolis (watch here) Radio WIBC in Indianapolis (listen here)  The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America claims they believe the Bible is true, yet they continually deny factual accounts of Scripture and traditional church doctrine. See articles about: - 1500+ ELCA leaders who deny creation, Adam and Eve and Noah and the Ark - ELCA support of Universal Salvation - ELCA on Homosexuality - ELCA on Hell - ELCA and the Virgin Birth ------------- Cartoon by Matthew On May 6-7, 2011 a conference called “I Am My Brother's Keeper: Confronting Islamophobia” was held in Seattle, WA. (see here) One of the sponsors of this event was the Northwest Washington Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. (see here)
If you had been at the conference you would have heard: "Hatred of Islam was wrapped up in devotion to a far-right brand of nationalism." "After 9-11, the Republican Party discovered there was gold in them there hills in Islamophobia." “All of the major groups who are involved in promoting Islamophobia are interlinked in many cases; they are the same people in one group or another. . . They are Christian fundamentalists, Christian Zionists, Tea Partiers, Israeli supporters, and a lot of this Islamophobia comes from Israel but it also comes from Israeli supporters.” “The Israel lobby is very important in policymaking. . . Who do you think it is who writes legislation having to do with Israel in Congress? Who is it who makes campaign contributions that prevent congressmen and senators from criticizing Israel?” “The Christian right is awful, I agree with you. . .But the Israel lobby has been around longer than the Christian right.” “The discourse in this country at the moment is very Islamophobic.” “anti-Muslim discourse, (was driven by) pressure from the pro-Israel lobby and Islamophobia lobby.” "What Muslims overseas see is that the U.S. is against Islam because we renounce shari'a." “Politicians are all afraid of opposing Israel publicly for fear of losing campaign funds.” “We enable all international law violations that Israel is committing.” “The problem is that Israel has peace right now – there is very little terrorism and has been very little terrorism for several years. . .What we need to fight for is justice, not peace.” This is what our denomination supports. Quotes are from here and here. In a previous blog we told you about Rev. Gember and St. James Lutheran church. (read here) Here is their latest update. - "Greenfield church splits from affiliation over gay clergy"
“Let's finally get out of the Old Testament and turn to what our Lord said and did,” says Klaus G.W. Molzahn, a retired ELCA pastor who lives in Hanover, PA. Pastor Molzahn authored an article entitled, “Let the Love of Christ Prevail” which was printed in the April 2011 issue of The Lutheran, (the magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Read here
This is just another example of the ELCA’s actual view of scripture. The Resolution of Revenge
By Rev. Cary G. Larson In spite of numerous scriptural support from the Old and New Testaments for Christians to not to seek vengeance or revenge, as this is a matter for God and God alone, members of the ELCA’s Southeastern Minnesota (SEMN) Synod apparently believe that God needs some assistance. On May 7th, the SEMN Synod’s assembly, entertained and voted on a resolution benignly titled “Resolution 2011-01: ELCA Health and Benefits Program”. This resolution of revenge sought to recommend to the ELCA Church Council to seriously consider and adopt a policy of “removing from the Health and Benefits Program of the ELCA, clergy who have left the ELCA or encouraged their congregations or laity to do so.” In the original form the Resolution of Revenge was recorded as follows: WHEREAS, both the North American Lutheran Church (NALC) and Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC) are encouraging congregations, clergy, and laity to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); and WHEREAS, some clergy have violated the governing documents of the ELCA by encouraging their congregations to leave the ELCA; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the 2011 Southeastern Minnesota Synod in assembly request that the ELCA Church Council consider removing from the Health and Benefits Program of the ELCA, clergy who have left the ELCA or encouraged their congregations or laity to do so. The “whereas” paragraphs seemed problematic as according to the Synod’s own report, “During the discussion, multiple amendments to the resolution were brought to the floor, ranging from modifying phrases to revising language to striking all of lines 1-11. As discussion continued, Bishop Usgaard brought the discussion to a close in order that parliamentarian study could take place.” Lines 1-11 are the words prior to the “Therefore”. According to one source that was present, during the lengthy preliminary discussion Rev. Sandy Rothschiller of the ELCA Board of Pensions (BOP) was granted the floor and advised against such measures as it hurts the BOP in the long run. Apparently this wisdom was ignored. “Later in the afternoon, Bishop Usgaard was seen at the podium holding a copy of Robert’s Rules for Dummies, helping to lighten the mood, and he made a promise to the assembly that “We’re going to finish this.” Each proposal to amend the resolution was discussed, voted, and defeated, bringing the assembly back to the resolution as a whole. The debate continued. The resolution eventually passed as amended with a vote of 239 for, 129 against.” continues the synod’s report. The resolution of revenge passed significantly after striking the words, “or encouraged their congregations or laity to do so”, of the original resolution. It is interesting to note that while the wellness of dependents of clergy, including infants and children, could be grossly affected by this resolution, Bishop Usgaard took it upon himself to “lighten the mood” as the assembled synod delegates addressed this most serious issue. The resolution of revenge as passed by the SEMN Synod of the ELCA clearly demonstrates that the patience within the ELCA is waning towards those, especially clergy, who disagree with the apostasies voted into play at the CWA09. Instead of practicing tolerance and grace, which the ELCA boasts as their cherished virtues, the proposed and adopted resolution clearly illustrates intolerance towards clergy who stand on the authority of Holy Scripture alone.  The ELCA is attempting to change the rules, making it much more difficult for churches to leave the denomination. Read more about it here. ------------- Cartoon by Matthew Recently St. Francis Lutheran Church in San Francisco, California, held an ELCA Reconciliation & Restoration event which focused on homosexuality and the denomination. Sierra Pacific synod council member, Rev. Jeff Johnson, was honored during the gathering. He, in turn, gave a speech where he praised the members and leadership of the ELCA San Francisco parish who “stood up, during a most regrettable era in our church, when so many in this church of the reformation were conflicted or adrift or just plain uninformed about the basic fundamental message of the gospel. The people of this parish and its pastors . . .You didn’t keep silent. . . your faithful stance against bigotry and fear, you have brought to its knees an insidious policy of discrimination which had wormed its way into our favorite confession and which was binding our collective conscience, restricting our freedom and limiting severely our practice of the gospel.” (see the video below starting around the 8:30 minute mark) It doesn’t seem like those who hold a historic, God-given Biblical view on homosexuality are wanted or welcome in this denomination anymore. God wrote the Bible. But based on what is happening in the ELCA one needs to ask if God is even welcome.
--------- This isn’t the first time Exposing the ELCA has run into the Rev. Jeff Johnson. Check out this blog to find out more. The ELCA Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod held “Celebrate Earth Day at Bear Creek,” May 1, 2011. During the six hour celebration, the Synod offered an event called “Of Faith and Finches: A Lutheran Appreciation of Charles Darwin.” (see here)
We should ask ourselves, is Charles Darwin a man that our denomination should be elevating? One of the more troubling things about Darwin is that his ideas are based on racism. “The evolutionary ideas of Charles Darwin (1809–1882) destructively influenced many of the Western world’s leaders in the early 20th century. In particular, intellectuals in Germany were among the earliest to embrace Darwinism enthusiastically, and to apply its concept of the survival of the fittest to human society. That is, they applied the subtitle of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life (1859). The most infamous result of this was the Holocaust . . .” (read here) Why is it that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America appreciates Charles Darwin? |
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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