The 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering takes place this week, beginning Wednesday, June 27.
The ELCA has assembled the most appalling speakers to preach to more than 30,000 teenagers. Over the last three months Exposing the ELCA has warned you of the disturbing, foul-mouthed and extreme speakers and organizations who will be promoting their thoughts and ideologies into the hearts and minds of all those listening. One, ELCA Rev. Tuhina Verma Rasche, is a keynote speaker who co-authored the (please excuse me) "Fuck This Shit" devotional. (read here). Another is ELCA Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber, who I have written about extensively because of her horrific theology, unabashed cursing, and anti-Biblical social beliefs. (See here) Next, presenting at the gathering is a transgender boy with his trans-activist mother. (See here) And finally, several highly troubling organizations will be hosting and leading something the Gathering calls "Interactive Learning." (See here) I just learned this weekend that in addition to being keynote speakers, Rev. Tuhina Verma Rasche and Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber will be teaching the teenagers in "Live Bible Studies." The ELCA website describes the Bible studies this way:
"Part of our Community Life programming for the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering are daily bible studies featuring some of our guest speakers on our main stage!" (see here) Below I have compiled additional information about some of the ELCA leaders who are placed in a position of authority and influence over the ELCA teenagers at the Youth Gathering.
Keynote speaker Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber is a "Christo-centric universalist," does not view homosexual sex as sin, has a drag queen perform at church functions, presided over a transgender renaming ceremony, views the Wiccan goddess as an aspect of God, views some of Scripture as just the writer's opinion, has called some of Scripture "wretched," doesn't believe every line of the Apostles' Creed and doesn't believe in substitutionary atonement. (See here) Below are some tweets by Rev. Bolz-Weber. You can also see many of the disturbing thoughts and actions of this leader, and her vile language, by viewing some more of her social media postings here.
Nadia is pictured below with a transgender ELCA pastor.
Some additional reseach, since my first blog about ELCA Pastor Tuhina Verma Rasche, (see here) has uncovered more disturbing information. Here is a quote from her "devotional" - “I’m angry because in the midst of conversations about justice, they are just that: conversations. Actual justice, the world turned upside down, has yet to appear in the fullness of her glory. And God damn it, I want to live into the fullness of who God created me to be, which is a threat to misogynist white supremacists…My anger and desire to see justice lived in the world hasn’t dissipated from last year’s #FuckThisShit devotional.” (See here)
Shame on the ELCA leadership for picking such vile speaking, theological troubling and extreme liberal spewing people to influence the unsuspecting youth.
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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.) Here is our recent show about heresies in the Church, including info about the upcoming ELCA Lutheran Teen Gathering and its radical speakers If you or someone you know is part of the United Church of Christ, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church USA, United Methodist Church, Catholic Church, or Disciples of Christ, you may want to watch this. Especially if you know someone who is going to the ELCA Lutheran Teen Assembly coming up on June 27th, have them watch this dealing with the radical speakers they are bringing in to speak to 30,000 Lutheran teens. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock We have exposed the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering’s extremely disturbing speakers (see here and here). Today I’d like to tell you about some of the activities, or as they have termed it, “Interactive Learning,” the ELCA has assembled to “educate” those attending the gathering, which takes place June 27 – July 1.  The ELCA describes "Interactive Learning" as "A 'Holy Playground' of sorts, that invites Gathering participants to encounter God through a variety of learning styles and sensory experiences. All 30,000 participants have a dedicated day in the three day program rotation to experience the extensive offerings inside the over 700,000 square feet Interactive Learning space.” (see here)
The “Interactive Learning” takes place in dozens of stations/booths/activity areas and you should be concerned over who the ELCA has decided will speak to and instruct your children, as well as the content that will be communicated. One option the ELCA offers attendees is hosted by the ELCA church of the extremely troubling, ELCA youth gathering keynote speaker, Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber. The description provided is ridiculous: “What I wish I’d known: Lessons on spirituality and sexuality Take a break in a relaxing space and ask anonymous questions about sexuality. Participate in learning activities on consent, healthy relationships, birth-control methods, anatomy, boundaries, sexuality and spirituality. We are not teaching a particular values system about sexuality. Rather, this is answering questions with medically accurate information and helping youth determine how they form their values regarding sexuality.” This group answering students questions is described in the ELCA materials: “HFASS Denver - House for All Sinners and Saints (HFASS) is a group of folks figuring out how to be a liturgical, Christo- centric, social justice-oriented, queer inclusive, incarnational, contemplative, irreverent, ancient-future church with a progressive but deeply rooted theological imagination. We are here to explore healthy and life-giving connections between spirituality and sexuality and answer teens' questions about sexuality.” (page 20) Another “Interactive Learning” activity is hosted by an LGBT advocacy group, Reconciling Works. The 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering Guide Book tells us about it: “God adores you! Come and be part of sharing the news that God adores you just the way you are! Join in the affirmation and celebration of the diversity of people. Learn how to extend welcome and inclusion to LGBTQIA+ people in your congregation! ReconcilingWorks - An independent Lutheran nonprofit that works for the full welcome, inclusion and celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQIA+) people in the Lutheran church. It is our vision that the church is a place where LGBTQ people and their families can worship and thrive, bringing all their God-given gifts to mission and ministry for the world.” (page 27) The radical group #decolonizeLutheranism is interacting with the youth at their "Interactive Learning" activity: “Bracelets of fortune: Identity and intersectionality in Scripture and beyond.” Here the youth will learn the following: “Scripture talks about how personal characteristics precious to us (e.g. gender, age, race, dis/ability) are often despised by others. What’s more, some of these characteristics overlap, making us even more beautiful and vulnerable. Explore the lives of Bible characters and find how these crisscrossing identities impact us and those around us. Here is the description of the group leading this session: “#decolonizeLutheranism - We are a group of Lutherans across the spectrum of race and ethnicities, ages, gender expressions, sexualities and abilities who have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make our communities more welcoming of the diversity in them – be those communities individual congregations or neighborhoods, cities and nations.” (page 27) Other “Interactive Learning” experiences for the students include “Refugee integration obstacle course” and “People on the move: A migrant and refugee experience.” And finally, why not indoctrinate the youth against the Jewish-state? At the falsely titled booth/experience “Peace with justice in the Holy Land” the 30,000 young people will learn: “What does life under military occupation look like? What is peace with justice? Hear from Palestinian youth from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, learn about the conflict in Israel and Palestine, and learn how you can help make a change happen.” It is put on by the ELCA, as a part of their “Peace Not Walls” campaign. (page 26) Wild. Sad. Concerning. These young people are impressionable. Pray for God to move in the hearts of all who attend that they may discern truth from lies and stand up against falsehoods so that they may boldly follow the Lord Jesus in the face of false teaching and deception. Here is a link to the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering Guide Book where you can read all the details referenced above. (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
The most recent edition of Living Lutheran, the national magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has an article about “Seeking the Spirit Within”. It states “Prayer can include coloring mandalas, using beads, meditating over a piece of Scripture, walking a labyrinth or repeating a name or phrase.” A mandala is a ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism, representing the universe, which is used for the purpose of meditation and trance induction. So why is the ELCA promoting this? Repeating a name or phrase over and over is also part of Buddhist meditation (think “Om”), but where does Jesus ever teach us to say a word over and over in order to meditate? This is called syncretism, taking non-Christian practices and beliefs and mixing them together with Christianity. It is what got the ancient Jews in trouble when they tried to mix Baal worship with the worship of Jehovah. The ELCA needs to remember the words of the First Commandment regarding syncretism: Thou shalt have no other gods. June is gay pride month and Living Lutheran devotes a whole article to ways your church can be gay-friendly. Don’t talk in Sunday school materials about mom and dad since we need to “remember your same-gendered-married couples.” Get a gender-neutral bathroom in your church. Celebrate gender identity and transition (changing one's sex) in your fellow Christians. Don’t say Christian “brothers and sisters” since this excludes non-binary and transgender people. It appears the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has swallowed the GLBT agenda whole. Living Lutheran no longer allows the conservative view on homosexuality to be even heard. 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 Twitter - here.)
Pro-transgender advice from ELCA Lutheran magazine: Say "siblings in Christ, instead of brothers and sisters in Christ; parents and guardians, instead of mom and dad; and all genders, instead of both genders" These pro-transgender articles from Living Lutheran keep coming, without a hint that there is another side to the issue, namely, that rejecting one's appointed sex is a rejection of God's plan for one's life. No one is ever allowed to say that in this official magazine of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The church I attended as a teenager in Omaha used to support the camp referred to below. My old pastors would weep to see what the ELCA has become. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (See article here) ELCA Pastor/A Former Leader In Lutheran CORE Shares Her Support of Abortion and Gay Marriage6/4/2018  A few weeks ago, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s NPR news station posted an article entitled, “The Politics And Ethics Of Pennsylvania's Proposed Down Syndrome Abortion Ban.” The article’s reporters spoke to several people about the abortion ban. One of those interviewed was Evangelical Lutheran Church in America pastor Natalie (Gessert) Hall: “Hall said she doesn’t know if she would be capable of raising a child with Down syndrome, which she said is why she might have considered terminating such a pregnancy. ‘I’m not convinced that I would have the care and support I would need to embark on caring for a child with Down syndrome,’ she said. ‘Or a child with any other significant developmental or physical difficulties.’ ...Hall said she’s counseled women who have struggled over whether to have abortions. Ultimately, she said it’s a personal choice that’s made more difficult by a society that’s not very accepting or supportive of people with disabilities.” (see here) And thus we have another public statement by an ELCA clergy person who is supportive of a woman aborting the baby who is growing and developing in her womb. This is a common position for ELCA leadership and is reason alone for pro-life people to leave the denomination. But there is more to this blog than Pastor Hall's public statement about abortion. See, I am familiar with her. She “follows” me on Facebook. Rev. Natalie Hall, formally Natalie Gessert, was a part of Lutheran CORE for a time (I am assuming that is no longer the case). In fact, she held a leadership position with Lutheran CORE. Lutheran CORE is a "Network for confessing Lutherans...(and an) advocate for Biblical authority and confessional fidelity among churches of the Lutheran community..." (see here)  A Lutheran CORE publication said: “Pr. Chavez recognized and thanked the Lutheran CORE staff, all but two of whom are part-time…Facebook Moderator Natalie Gessert." (Page 2 of http://www.lutherancore.org/archive/pdf/Connection-Aug-Sep-11.pdf) She was also involved in this project: “The 2010 Sola/ReClaim Edition* is a faithful word-for-word translation from Luther’s German Catechism.” “By the cooperative effort of Sola Publishing and ReClaim Resources this edition of the Small Catechism was produced in 2010 translators/authors representing Lutheran Core, WordAlone, LCMC, and NALC. The primary translator of the 2010 edition is Rev. Scott Grorud, with Rev. Thomas Jacobson, Rev. Natalie Gessert, and Dr. Gracia Grindal as translational consultants.” (see here)  So what happened to Pastor Natalie (Gessert) Hall? Why is this former leader in Lutheran CORE speaking out for abortion rights. Why is she posting on Facebook her support for homosexual marriage and rights? (see screenshots from her page posted on this blog). I do not know the answer, but I do know it is dangerous to place yourself in toxic cultures and environments. That is what you are doing by staying in the ELCA. It is dangerous and can bring about the compromising of your faith and Scripture. Sometimes when you are around someone long enough you succumb to their beliefs. This is one reason I encourage people to leave the ELCA, pastors and members alike. Below are additional interesting Facebook posts by Rev. Hall.    |
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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