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(The following was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
I am at a South Dakota church camp today and attended the closest church, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (the liberal branch of Lutheranism). About 8 years ago I attended here one Sunday, during which the pastor had the congregation sing the hymn from the ELCA hymnal "Mothering God, you gave me birth." He then preached that he didn't know why people are so upset about referring to God as "Mother", must be 2000 years of sexism. He also said "Feel free to talk to me about this after the service." I did. I said "I think the reason Christians are not comfortable referring to God as 'Mother' is that Jesus taught us to pray 'Our Father who art in heaven.'" I could tell by the pained expression on his face that he didn't want to talk about it. I later googled him and discovered that his lesbian daughter was touring the county on the Soulforce bus trying to get churches to be open to homosexuality. He now serves a pro-gay church in another state. Today a woman pastor preached. The service began with a wonderful hymn from the ELCA hymnal which was sadly changed to eliminate masculine references for God, making it difficult to worship. During her sermon she told the Dr. Seuss story of Yertle the Turtle, making the point that all are equal in Christ. "All people are children of God, whether you believe it or not, whether you know it or not, you and all people are God's children, all are welcome at God's table." Inwardly I was shaking my head. We are indeed all God's creatures, but we are not all God's children. In fact, the Bible teaches we all start out "by nature children of wrath, as the rest of mankind" (Ephesians 2:3). We only become "children of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26). The universalism heresy, the teaching all people are saved regardless of faith in Christ, appeared to be where she was coming from (later I noticed she had a "Co-exist" bumper sticker on her car.) Then came the Nicene Creed, which was also altered. Instead of "Jesus became incarnate of the Virgin Mary and was made man" we recited Jesus "became truly human." Many in ELCA leadership believe it is sexist to only refer to God in masculine terms which is why the ELCA hymnal de-sexes hymns and has de-sexed all the masculine God language from the Psalms. Other than those issues, it was a good service. But that is like saying "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?" Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org
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Exposing the ELCA has introduced ELCA Rev. Lura Groen to you in the past. (see here) A couple weeks ago, Rev. Groen proudly posted, on her Facebook page, her delight that during Reconciling Works morning prayer time at the ELCA's Churchwide Assembly, they would be using a "Blessing" and liturgy she wrote.
Reconciling Works is an organization that has been pushing LGBT rights, approval, gay marriage, gay clergy and the blessing of homosexuality in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for a good number of years. Here is Rev. Groen's Facebook post: Here is ELCA pastor Lura Groen's "blessing": May the Mighty One dance Her fierce dance on all the walls of injustice. May the Strong, Proud Mama keep all Her babies safe. May the Femme of all Femmes paint us in beauty. May the Seductive One change our hearts. May the Love of the Universe wiggle Her wide hips at you, and wrap Her thighs around you. May the Promiscuous One make love to you, And may She rock your world. (see here) (Reconciling Works did not recite the 4th, 5th or 6th sentences.) This is blasphemous. "(T)he Promiscuous One make love to you," "wrap Her thighs around you." This is the direction of the ELCA. As more and more CINO's (Christian In Name Only) and false teachers graduate from ELCA seminaries, the denomination that is already rejecting much of Scripture will be increasingly championing doctrines of demons.
Here is a liturgy by ELCA pastor Groen called "a Liturgical Proclamation of Queer Holiness." It too was recited at the ELCA's Churchwide Assembly Reconciling Works morning prayer gathering:
My Beloved Queer Ones, (y)our lives are holy. (y)our lives are holy. (y)our dancing is holy. (y)our dancing is holy. (y)our protest is holy. (y)our protest is holy. (y)our grief is holy. (y)our grief is holy. (y)our rage is holy. (y)our rage is holy. (y)our community is holy. (y)our community is holy. (y)our gender presentations are holy. (y)our gender presentations are holy. (y)our bodies are holy. (y)our bodies are holy. (y)our sex is holy. (y)our sex is holy. (y)our love is holy. (y)our love is holy. (y)ou are holy. (y)ou are holy. We are holy. (see Rev. Groen's blog with this liturgy here) (The Reconciling Works speaker added a few lines to this liturgy. - Here is a video of the blessing and liturgy. The ELCA Bishop of the Southwest California Synod, Guy Erwin attended this prayer gathering and can be seen in the video below. The liturgy begins around the 5:10 minute mark) This is vile, crazy and a heresy that permeates the ELCA.
(The following was written last week by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
ELCA Lutheran homosexual pastor is thrilled that the ELCA in Texas offers three options for sexuality in registrations... Tragic to see how far things have fallen so quickly. Another reason to leave the ELCA. Pastor Tom Brock Pastorsstudy.org
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has long been an enemy of the Jewish State. (see here) Earlier this week, at the ELCA’s Churchwide Assembly, the ELCA voted in favor of a resolution that calls on the United States government to end all aid to Israel until a list of ELCA demands are met. (Note that they did NOT call for the stoppage of U.S. aid to “Palestine” which takes foreign aid money {see here}, intended for humanitarian causes, and uses them for weapons, military terror tunnels, etc., in their quest to kill Jewish men, women and children.)
The ELCA Twitter page announced:
Here is the list of demands the ELCA has for Israel, whereby they say aid from the United States to Israel may be reinstated:
“…To urge this church’s members, congregations, synods agencies and presiding bishop to call on their U.S. Representatives, Senators and the Administration to take action requiring that, to continue receiving U.S. financial and military aid, Israel must comply with internationally recognized human rights standards as specified in existing U.S. law, stop settlement building and the expansion of existing settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, end its occupation of Palestinian territory, and enable an independent Palestinian state;" The ELCA also wants: "To encourage this church’s members, congregations, synods, and agencies to call on the U.S. President to recognize the State of Palestine and not prevent the application of the State of Palestine for full membership in the United Nations.” (see here, page 100) Then yesterday the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted in favor (over 90%) of another resolution aimed at hurting Israel called “Justice for the Holy Land through Responsible Investment.” This resolution will be used by the ELCA to divest from Israel and select companies that do business with Israel. Their "recommendation" is astounding: “Recommendation for Assembly Action” “To reaffirm the actions of the 2005, 2007, 2011 and 2013 Churchwide Assemblies regarding responsible investment in Israel-Palestine; To direct the ELCA’s Corporate Social Responsibility review team to develop a human rights social criteria investment screen based on the social teachings of this church and, in the case of Israel and Palestine, specifically based on the concerns raised in the ELCA Middle East Strategy; To encourage ELCA members, congregations, synods, agencies and institutions to increase positive investment in Palestine and other under-resourced areas where human rights abuses materially impact the well-being of all people; and To encourage ELCA members, congregations, synods, agencies and institutions to engage in shareholder advocacy in support of human rights, exercising the right of a shareholder to submit resolutions at a corporation’s annual meeting.” (see here, page 105) When the ELCA says “Investment screen” what they mean is “divestment” from Israel. The BDS haters (the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement against Israel) are applauding this move. The ELCA already has a boycott policy, as detailed by ELCA’s leader Elizabeth Eaton, who said, “We also engage in selective purchasing. So we not only try to trade with the Palestinian Authority, but we do not purchase products made in the illegal Israeli settlements.” (see here) The ELCA is a stooge of Hamas and Jew-hating parties. The ELCA makes declarations aimed at hurting Israel for the “imaginary” speck but is complicit in their silence of the huge log of evil and atrocities perpetrated by the “Palestinians.” That is anti-Semitic. In a time where anti-Semitism is even occurring at the Olympic games (see here) we have a supposed-Christian denomination seeking to harm Jews on trumped up charges. Israel is surround by countries with horrific human rights violations and by “Palestinians” who kill and celebrate the killing of Israeli children. And the ELCA demonizes Israel and wants land won by Israel, in defensive wars, to be given to those who will do everything possible to destroy the Jewish state? The ELCA has taken a stand with Satan. It is time for Bible-believing Christians to get out of this demonically-inspired denomination. (The following article was written last week by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
In August the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will hold its national assembly with a variety of workshops. The ELCA voted in 2009 to allow for the ordination of homosexually active pastors, but the ELCA also allows conservative congregations not to do so. At the upcoming assembly there is no workshop representing the traditional, Biblical viewpoint on this issue. Instead the following will be offered at the ELCA's "Grace Gathering" held in partnership with the national assembly: Introducing Queer Theology and Its Intersections with Lutheran Theology ...Queer theologians have developed transformative, challenging and more inclusive ways of understanding God, Jesus Christ and the human person and have helped redefine family and church. In this workshop we will explore what queer theologians are teaching and writing about these doctrines and how some key claims of queer theology surprisingly align with Lutheran teachings. The presenter of the workshop is Mary Elise Lowe, associate professor of Religion at the ELCA's Augsburg College in Minneapolis. Her most recent publication is “Re-Embracing the Body of Jesus Christ: A Queer, Lutheran Theology of the Body of Christ”... There is little doubt what Martin Luther, who said homosexuality "comes from the devil", would think of this workshop. A question that should be asked is: For the sake of balance and fairness (and truth!) why is there no workshop representing what Christians have believed on this issue for 2000 years? Why only one point of view? This is another example of why it is time for Christians to leave the ELCA and take their time, talents, and treasures to a denomination which honors their Biblical beliefs. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org (you can find the link to this workshop here) (The following article was written a couple weeks ago by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
August 8-13 the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will have its national convention in New Orleans. The ELCA website lists topics for the assembly, but I cannot find a word about evangelism. Instead it states this: "God's Grace in Action Afternoon" will offer experiential learning on several topics to inspire participants to take action back home, including: Music, Justice and Peace; From the Doctrine of Discovery to BlackLivesMatter; Human Trafficking; Care of Creation; and Food Security. So, why is there not a word about bringing people to salvation through faith in Christ? I fear the Gospel has been supplanted by social causes. And of the ELCA's social causes, why is there not a word about rescuing unborn children from abortion? The tragic truth is that the ELCA pays for abortion, for any reason, in its healthcare plan which is funded by offering dollars. As one Lutheran commentator observed years ago "The ELCA has looks more and more like the left wing of the Democratic Party." Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org |
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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Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. - Ephesians 5:11
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