|
(The following article is from Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) This is so tragic and difficult to watch, I couldn't make it all the way through. Austen Hartke is a transgender person who has been featured in Living Lutheran, the official magazine of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In the below video, Hartke interviews Reverend Dr. Megan Rohrer, the first ELCA transgender pastor. Rohrer uses the pronoun "they" and identifies as both male and female. Rohrer talks about the medical decision on whether to become "Ken or Barbie" and reveals that her child is also transgender. A different transgender pastor preached at my alma mater, the ELCA's Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, to commemorate the Transgender Day of Remembrance. The transgender pastor led in the Lord's Prayer, saying "Our Mother in Heaven." This is the strange new world of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America which has decided to reject God's intention for sexuality and has opened itself to a variety of "sexualities" for its pastors. May the Lord lead you out of this denomination if you have not left yet. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock 
2 Comments
Many ELCA leaders are stating that churches should remain closed because of Covid-19. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton took it to the next level, going political, by criticizing President Trump for his statement over allowing in-person church services.
Below are just a couple statements by ELCA leadership telling churches not to meet in response to President Trump -
With a rainbow flag and the hashtags #QueerEye and #Pride the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America took to their official Facebook and Twitter accounts to promote an a LGBTQ+ based television show "Queer Eye" which features an ELCA pastor on an upcoming episode. An ELCA bishop and an ELCA transgender pastor also make appearances on the episode.
In an subsequent post, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America expresses gratitude:
Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries and ReconcilingWorks are LGBTQ+ advocacy groups. It is obvious to see that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is in complete support and celebration of homosexuality, despite Scripture's admonitions to turn from it. The ELCA's encouragement is harmful to individuals and they are quashing the work of the Holy Spirit who convicts us of our sinful ways. Bible-believing ELCA pastors have little choice but to get on the front lines and publicly call the denomination to repent, or they need to lead their congregations away from the danger they are surrounded by in being in the ELCA. 
(The following article is from Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)  10 years ago the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to ordain practicing homosexuals as pastors. This caused the largest church split in American history and the ELCA lost many members and donations. One ELCA seminary building was sold to Muslims, two other seminaries merged, and my alma mater Luther Seminary has had to sell off some of its buildings. Nevertheless, some ELCA bishops celebrate the move to have non-celibate homosexual and transgender pastors. Here is a statement from Bishop Jim Arends of the La Crosse Area Synod: "This is the 10th anniversary of the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ clergy and deacons. As we celebrate the work of the gay pastors in our synod we seek to grow in understanding and inclusion. The Synod Council voted this spring to provide training in the issues and realities of the LGBTQIA+ community. As opportunities are offered in the months to come, please take advantage of them." (See here, a little over half way down the page) So it appears it is not enough that liberals in the church got the ELCA to approve homosexual relationships in 2009, now in 2020 they want to train Lutheran church members to be on board with the LGBTQIA+ movement. Your ELCA offering dollars at work. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (The following article is from Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Rob Bell once served as pastor for an evangelical church but became controversial when he denied the existence of Hell. He has appeared on Oprah's network. Lutherans believe in eternal punishment because this is the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 25:46) and also of the Lutheran Confessions, which Lutheran pastors pledge to uphold. But the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America continues to go down the road of denying Hell with this promotion on the Minneapolis Area Synod's website: "An evening with Rob Bell and Peter Rollins. Hear inspiration, challenge, hope, and promise from two of the best tellers of good news in the world" (to be held August 17th). (See here) ELCA head Bishop Elizabeth Eaton was asked by a Chicago newspaper "Does Hell exist?" Her response: " It may, but i think its empty." This past summer the ELCA in convention passed an interreligious resolution saying that we don't know what God thinks of non-Christian religions. One delegate tried to make an amendment, saying that we do know what God thinks because John 14:6 says Jesus is the only way of salvation. He was voted down by 97 percent. During my first year in college, I tried not to believe in Hell. That year I re-read the New Testament and every time Hell was mentioned, I wrote it down. I came to believe that we cannot be faithful to the words of Christ and the New Testament and deny the existence of Hell. If you attend a church where the pastor does not believe in Hell, I encourage you to find a church--and a denomination--which does. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock  
ELCA pastor Lura N. Groen has been highlighted on Exposing the ELCA many times. She is one of the most radical and heretical ELCA pastors I have come across. (See here and below for a number of things she has been saying. Some of it is blasphemous and vile.)
With that said, Pastor Lura N. Groen has been endorsed and placed into postions of influence and leadership by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Below are some writings and social media content from Rev. Groen. Sorry for the shocking and odious content. How can the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America leadership allow someone, who speaks and believes as this pastor does, to rise in their leadership ranks? How can they allow Rev. Groen and many ELCA pastors like her, to mock the One True God? The ELCA is culpable and responsible for this. They allow it and give it a platform in their midst. The true God of Scripture is not the God the ELCA serves. The Holy Spirit does not dwell in it. 
Continuing from Rev. Lura N. Groen's article posted above "I Hope You Have Only Good Sex" (see the complete article here), she writes, "This is, for me, an open expression of a deeply faith based sexual ethic. My Christian way of saying the same thing is to hope that each of you has sex in way, and only in a way, that is set free to love God, self, and neighbor. And that every time you have sex you respect the image of God in yourself and in your partner(s). That you treat yourself and every other body involved as holy, a temple, beloved by God, created beautifully, fearsomely and awesomely made."
Some of Rev. Groen's comments get even worse:
In the next post Rev. Lura Groen shared an article titled "What Promiscuity Taught Me About God's Love." The article was from QueerTheology.com.
Click to set custom HTML
|
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.
Give online by clicking the "donate" button below: Categories
All
Archives
March 2023
 Exposing the ELCA is on Facebook 
Follow Exposing the ELCA on Twitter
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. - Ephesians 5:11
|
RSS Feed