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By Pastor Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. Please follow/like Pastor Brock on Facebook by going here and twitter users here.
In 2009 the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to ordain practicing homosexuals as pastors. Many ELCA pastors now perform homosexual “weddings.” The ELCA also has its first “partnered” homosexual bishop. In the October edition of The Lutheran, the ELCA’s official magazine, it is reported that the ELCA is establishing a working group to explore how to minister to same-gender couples and their families. Who is the chair of this group? George Watson, an ELCA member, who “is in a same-sex relationship.” Once upon a time the Lutheran Church would discipline people living in impenitent sin. Today, it puts them in charge.
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ELCA Celebrating Muslim Festival of Abraham's Willingness to Sacrifice His Promised Son, Ishmael11/25/2014 The Holy Bible tells us that Abraham was willing, in obedience to God, to sacrifice his promised son Isaac. But this month Luther College, a school of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) celebrated a Muslim festival - a festival that honors Abraham for his willingness, according to Islam, to sacrifice his son Ishmael, not Isaac.
A prominent Iowa newspaper, The Waterloo Courier titles their news article, “Luther kicks off year of interfaith celebrations with Muslim festival,” and tells us that “Luther’s observance of this sacred Muslim festival (Eid al-Adha) will include a brief program, where students will share their related experiences . . . The event is sponsored by Luther’s Muslim Student Association, College Ministries, Diversity Center and Interfaith Association.” (read here) Similarly, a young women who is part of the ELCA's Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) Jerusalem/West Bank program describes how, at a local school YAGM works with, “we celebrated Eid Al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), a major Muslim holiday, observed in remembrance of Abraham’s faithfulness toward God, even to the point of sacrificing his son. God instead shows mercy by telling Abraham to sacrifice a sheep in place of Ishmael.” (read here) Participating in, celebrating and promoting non-Christian religious festivals goes against God's first commandment. Don't forget, we are talking about “a college of the church,” as ELCA colleges are proud to promote (and an ELCA youth internship program.) One might wonder why a college of the church would endorse a false teaching which goes against the Bible. Here is yet another example of the ELCA leading young people away from God and His truth. Rev. Stephen Bouman, executive director for congregational and synodical mission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) recently attended a meeting designed “to maintain religious dialogue and seek action together for peace” between "Iraqi Sunni, Shiite, Christian, Turkmen and Kurdish religious leaders." The ELCA news service reports that at the gathering Rev. Stephen Bouman said “A second tenant [sic] is that no one gathered has special access to God; there is no absolute inside track to God.” (see here) Maybe Rev. Bouman has never read or doesn't believe what Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
By Pastor Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. Please follow/like Pastor Brock on Facebook by going here and twitter users here.
In the October issue of The Lutheran, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's official magazine, the editor writes an article calling for civility. He talks about the "rudeness if not downright hostility found in commentary directed at the magazine and the ELCA...angry put-downs". I am guessing he gets a lot of letters from upset, traditional Lutherans who are tired of The Lutheran regularly pushing ...universalism, homosexuality, and the de-sexing of God language. The article which closes the October issue is written by the head bishop of the ELCA in which she states "the church can model respectful dialogue" where "disagreement doesn't devolved into discounting." Let's read what is in between these two articles, an article written by Kaethe Schwehn who teaches English at the ELCA's St. Olaf College. "In college I took a class on feminist theology but refused to go to daily chapel because they didn't use inclusive language for God." She withdrew from chapel attendance for a time so that "You don't have to deal with the idiots who still think God is a man, who still think marriage is just about men and women, who want to preach...damnation instead of grace." Whew! In the November "The Lutheran", God bless the reader who responded in Letters to the Editor: "To have a young woman insult me...is the last straw. Who does she think she is to pass judgement by calling us "idiots" for believing God is a male, marriage is between a man and a woman, etc.?" Gratefully, the editor made a note under her letter "The magazine apologizes for not editing the pejorative from the article." If you are an ELCA Lutheran and believe unapologetically in Father, Son, Holy Spirit language for God---and you're not embarrassed to call God "He"...if you believe that Jesus is who He said He is, the only way of salvation (John 14:6)...and if you believe that marriage is for a man and a woman, then I strongly encourage you to consider joining a denomination other than the the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. House for all Sinners & Saints (HFASS) is an ELCA church in Denver, Colorado. It is the church of controversial ELCA pastor/speaker/author Nadia Bolz-Weber and receives financial support from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Last week the church released a statement that is stunning, telling visitors to stay away. They write:
“A statement from HFASS. House for all Sinners & Saints is hoping for some grace as we struggle with how to express something our congregation is faced with: After having moved to two services on Sundays (to accommodate the approximately 2,000 one-time out-of-town visitors we had in a year's time) we are returning again to having one 5p service, starting this Sunday. Why? Because the people who make up this community miss each other. Having two services had a negative effect on our little congregation. While having an extra service on Sunday made it easier to accommodate out-of-town visitors, youth groups, and worship committees, it also made it harder to connect with each other and more difficult to identify who the local visitors are who might be looking for a church home. We know there is a lot of curiosity about HFASS -- we love it too and totally understand why--and since we can no longer accommodate as many people, we are hoping to make a video available soon that shows what worship is like here so that people who are curious about HFASS can see for themselves... Our congregation is generous in sharing our Pastor, Nadia Bolz-Weber, with the broader church, so for those looking to meet her, please check her speaking schedule here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/nadiabolzweber/2014/10/my-2015-speaking-schedule/. We humbly ask that we have her as our pastor, and not a public figure, on Sundays. Thank you to all those who have joined us in their travels. It was an honor to have you with us, and if we are ever in a situation where we have more space, we will let everyone know. We know it may seem weird to ask for fewer visitors, but for the time being we are choosing to err on the side of just trying to be a congregation rather than on the side of being a destination church. Perhaps we are making the wrong choice, but after two years of being inundated with people visiting us because of our famous pastor, we just need a little space to be together again. In peace and with thanks, House for all Sinners and Saints” (read here) Read more about ELCA Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber here. The statement below is written by an ELCA pastor who posted this on an ELCA facebook page -
“After last night I am close to despair. There are so many now who will be out of the scope of concern in policy and practice. More time will be wasted trying to take new health insurance from those newly covered. Keystone will probably be approved to the detriment of the land, creatures and people from whom it will be taken. National parks and sanctuaries will be in danger. Safety nets will be cut to pay back the money poured into this election. Any new Supreme Court justices will be anti Roe v Wade and pro Citizen's United. Global climate change is now in the hands of people don't believe in science and creationism will be supported in science classrooms.... These are the platforms that our newly elected politicians won on. I am so disappointed that we are the self elevating, it's all about me, to Hell with the poor nation owned by money. Here is Iowa we now have Steve King and Joni Ernst in Washington. As John Steward said, last night money won. Ideas lost. As advocates for the least among us we will need to be vigilant and even more counter cultural. Kyrie eleison.” 60 ELCA people “liked” this post. Anybody else have problems with this ELCA pastor's lament? By Pastor Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. Please follow/like Pastor Brock on Facebook by going here and twitter users here.
Back in 1979 I graduated from what is now the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Luther Theological Seminary. It was moderate to liberal back then, it has become much more liberal now. A person I know who has taught at Luther told me he believes much less than half of the Luther faculty believe in the Virgin Birth of Christ. I just looked at the upcoming chapel preachers who will speak to the seminarians. One is a practicing lesbian pastor. Another is the Minneapolis Area Synod Bishop who spoke at the Minnesota State Fair opposing the marriage amendment which would have kept marriage as one man and one woman. Yes, she spoke against that, and now we have homosexual marriage in Minnesota. Another chapel speaker is Reverend Peter Marty who writes articles in the ELCA’s official magazine “The Lutheran”. He poo-poos the idea of hell and teaches that one does not need to believe in Jesus to be saved. And he endorses the homosexual movement in the ELCA. Since the ECLA’s 2009 decision to ordain practicing homosexuals, Luther has had to cut many faculty. Both money and enrollment have gone down at Luther Seminary. The old saying “You reap what you sow” is slowly but surely being played out in liberal, mainline denominations and their seminaries. The good news is that denominations and seminaries that uphold the authority of Scriptures tend to grow and flourish. Sincerely 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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