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ELCA Pastor Films Himself Giving the Middle Finger and Posts His Disdain For America

12/18/2018

Jason Chesnut is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). You may know him from being a co-creator of some vile "devotionals" that have been popular in many ELCA circles. (see here)

If you check out his social media pages you will see a lot of ugly, hateful posts. But there are three in particular I'd like to show you. The first is a rather disturbing post on Facebook by Rev. Chesnut where he displays his foul mouth and disdain for the United States of America.

You can also see the above post here.

The second post is a tweeted video of ELCA pastor Jason Chesnut giving the middle figure (x2) to you. This is a pastor ordained by the ELCA who is paid by offering dollars, money intended for God and His Work.

<Christians either beating the dead horse of “suicide is an unforgivable sin” or doing the more culturally-acceptable “eat better and take a walk!” bullshit rn> pic.twitter.com/7X0mvIyFmA
— Jason Is In The Bible (Acts 17:6-7) (@crazypastor) June 8, 2018

And for good measure.

Ahhhhhhh, that’s good coffee.

Also, Dan, you highlighted my first — and, honestly, less artistic — attempt at the middle-finger GIF.

Here’s the updated one. I offer it to you, good sir. Directing it at you, as it were. pic.twitter.com/YVQqeNQCYn
— Chesnuts Roasting On All The Fires (@crazypastor) December 19, 2018

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ELCA Leaders Talk of 'Rage' While Attacking White Men Over the Kavanaugh Confirmation

10/17/2018

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Those who are "of the world" have taken over the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This happened decades ago, but "the world" is showing itself in the ELCA in increasing fashion each year since. Those "of the world" are changing and twisting God's Word, un-sinning and celebrating sin, pushing their evil, hate and reprobate mind (see Romans 1:28).

We see the "world" in the reaction of many ELCA leaders to Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination and confirmation to the United States Supreme Court. (See a previous blog on this topic here.) Below are disturbing comments and reactions from ELCA leaders about the Kavanaugh confirmation and nomination.

-- ELCA pastor Clint Schnekloth shared ELCA seminary student Elle Dowd's social media post that encourages readers to be "radicalized," "rage-filled," "plug(ed) into leftist organization movements," and to "become ungovernable."

Elle Doud also tweeted:

Listen I am pissed as hell at Senator Collins but I am just as mad at all those bazillions of male Senators who did the same fucking thing.
— elle dowd (@HowNowBrownDowd) October 7, 2018

-- ELCA Pastor and ELCA Youth Gathering keynote speaker Tuhina Verma Rasche decided to pen "A Rewriting of Psalm 10." In it she says (language warning) "Wake the fuck up, God!" and speaks of "mediocre white men." Pastor Rasche's rewritten Psalm includes photographs of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Anita Hill. (See here and a segment of the rewrite below).

And then there is this from Pastor Rasche,

I just woke up on the other side of the Atlantic and heard that he was confirmed.

God damn it.
— Tuhina Verma Rasche (@tvrasche) October 7, 2018

-- ELCA Pastor Joelle Colville-Hanson is the Director for Evangelical Mission at the Northeastern Iowa Synod. (read more about her here) Seems she has hopped on the racist liberal mantra that white men are bad. See the tweet below.

Not all old white men are awful https://t.co/j8uvE01L6P
— JoelleColvilleHanson (@PastorJoelle) October 7, 2018

-- ELCA pastor Lura Groen, (read all that I have written about her here), responded to the Kavanaugh confirmation by saying it is okay to scream, rage and throw rocks. She ends her tweet by calling God "she."

A reminder that screaming, raging, and throwing rocks into the void can all be prayers.

God can take it. God will hear you. She may even be screaming with you.
— Lura Groen (@lura_groen) October 6, 2018

-- ELCA pastor Joy Gonnerman is another church leader attacking white males saying they need to be voted out of office.

Everyone. Everyone needs to vote this midterm. Show the old white men that they no longer get to determine the lives of women, children and non-white people any more. Vote. Them. Out. https://t.co/7WVmExUP7h
— PrJGonnerman (@JoyGonnerman) October 8, 2018

-- ELCA pastor Michael Tassler attacks conservatives in his tweet saying conservatives "fully and completely affirm, support and encourage sexual assault as the given right of males."

So, let’s be clear: conservatives, behind the cloak of piety and morality, fully and completely affirm, support, and encourage sexual assault as the given right of males. It’s one of the rungs on the ladder to success.
— Michael Tassler (@mtassler1) September 25, 2018

-- ELCA pastor Emmy Kegler calls Judge Kavanaugh an "abuser" and says Republicans do not care whether the abuse really happened.

We are making a woman flay raw the most painful part of her past on live television, and the Republicans are planning to approve her abuser anyway.

I don't believe whether it "really happened" matters to them.

What matters to those in power is power.
— Emmy Kegler (@emmykegler) September 27, 2018

-- Then there is superstar ELCA pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber tweeting how she is terrified, furious and "rage-y."

Sad. Angry. Terrified. Furious...and alternately numb and rage-y.
— Nadia Bolz-Weber (@Sarcasticluther) October 6, 2018

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Pastor Tom Brock's TV Show Talks About the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering

6/21/2018

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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

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ELCA Pastor/A Former Leader In Lutheran CORE Shares Her Support of Abortion and Gay Marriage

6/4/2018

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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.

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Two ELCA Pastors' Warped View of God and Abortion

5/25/2018

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A recent article titled, “Can I Get An Abortion If I'm Religious?” features a number of religious figures in the United States who share their thoughts with the author, and two are pastors in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

ELCA Pastor Paul Eldred, who is "married" to a man, answered,

"In my reading, the Gospel of Luke tells us that Mary consented to becoming the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:38)…If God Gave Mary that option, why wouldn't we think that all women should have the choice to become a mother or not?"

Following that mind-blowingly ludicrous response

from the ELCA pastor, the author of the article continued, “For Eldred, the creation story in Genesis 1 reveals another biblical argument for access to comprehensive reproductive health care, abortion included. ‘We are told that God created humanity in God's own image,’ he says. ‘We believe this makes every human body holy and that every body bears divine image — this certainly includes the full expression of women's bodies, including trans, non-binary, etc. No one should be able to make choices about someone else's holy and divine body without their consent. God wants our bodies to be healthy, and that means that our choices on healthcare should be our own and are between us, our doctor, and our God.’"

Does everyone see the absurdity of that statement? What about the unborn baby’s body, Rev. Eldred? It is okay to destroy their “holy” body? I thought you said “No one should be able to make choices about someone else's holy and divine body…”

The second ELCA leader interviewed was Pastor Anna Ernst from Elmhurst, Illinois. She is quoted saying,

"I am concerned for the rights of all women. We cannot go back to clothes hangers and knitting needles. That is not life-giving, and I believe that is not what God wants," (see article here).

God does not want babies to be killed. This article gives us an example of the depravity of ELCA leadership and how far the denomination has gone since its founding.

To learn more about the ELCA and its leadership's position on abortion see here and here (scroll down).

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An Interview With ELCA Pastors: “Some of (Scripture) is a Box Covered With Animal Dung"

4/10/2018

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A year and a half ago ELCA pastors Matthew Pensinger and Brian Beissel took part in a conversation that was hosted by the Lehigh Valley Humanists (PA). It was called "Humanist/Lutheran Dialogue," and they posted the video on YouTube.

What follows is an intriguing view into the mind-set, thoughts, understandings and beliefs of two ELCA pastors. Their words are quite disturbing in what they believe but also in what they reveal about the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America itself.

Discussing the interpretation of Scripture, Interviewer Jason Brocious asks, “What would it take to push things too far and get in trouble (with the ELCA)?”

ELCA Rev. Brian Beissel said, “I think to say you don't believe in Jesus or the divinity of Jesus. I think that would probably be the breaking point I think.”

ELCA Rev. Matthew Pensinger: “Maybe.”

ELCA Rev. Brian Beissel: “Maybe. I don’t know.”

ELCA Rev. Matthew Pensinger: “It depends on, you know, who complains about it and who they complain about it to.” (see video below, at around the 15 minute mark)

The ELCA pastors continued, next sharing their thoughts on the authority of Scripture.

ELCA Rev. Brian Beissel stated, “Let me say something about the authority of Scripture…in the Lutheran tradition, Martin Luther himself, well first of all when he put together his own Bible, the Luther Bible, he put the books of Revelation and Hebrews at the end of Bible and didn't number them, which tells you what he thought of those specific books, you know. Also he said, I believe this is a Luther quote, that Scripture is like the cradle or where the baby Jesus is placed. Meaning, does scripture reveal to us something about the essence of Christ? Yes. But does that mean everything in Scripture is, you know, is all of it inspired? Well yes, but I'm inspired by God too but and when I'm inspired by God I don't always do great things, you know, I mess up…”

ELCA Rev. Matthew Pensinger: “Some of it (Scripture) is a box covered with animal dung, is what is the point of that quote.”

ELCA Rev. Brian Beissel: “Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes”

So the ELCA teaches that God's Word is just a dirty, disgusting, smelly vessel that talks about Jesus? It is no wonder the ELCA rejects, twists and ignores many Biblical accounts and instruction.

Later in the video the interviewer mentioned a tragic situation and asked the pastors, “how do you look at prayer and how that fits into, can it help these situations and in what way can it?”

ELCA Rev. Brian Beissel replied, “I'm going to say something that if my congregants watch this on YouTube, sorry. Prayer without action is meaningless. I'm sorry, I'm sorry but it is. When you pray for something and ‘oh I’m a good person because I prayed for this’ and you don't put it in action it's just words.”

ELCA Rev. Matthew Pensinger: “…to me prayer is about centering oneself. It's about clearing, you know, the clutter from the mind and from the spirit. It's about prioritizing or re-prioritizing you know the things and so.”

What a warped view of prayer. One says prayer is meaningless without human action? The other says it is for one's self. They both went on and said their god is not a wish-granting fairy or genie. It sounded as if they do not believe in a God who answers prayers, performs miracles or takes part in believers' lives. This is the kind of pastor the ELCA has trained and ordained. They are in a place of authority. They are influencing the faith of their congregations.

If you are sitting under the teaching of an ELCA pastor, I highly recommend leaving.

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ELCA Pastor Calls Out His Denomination

4/2/2018

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It is great to see at least one ELCA pastor publicly criticizing ELCA leadership.

“The Revd Paul Messner, a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, who serves at the Otsego County Lutheran parish, in rural Upstate New York, voted for Mr Trump as 'the lesser of two evils'. He says that opposition to the administration by his own denomination and other mainline Protestant ones is 'frankly irrelevant: they are "bleeding" members. Many in the Church on the Left relish their self-indulgent "prophetic’ role,"' he argues, 'and forget their pastoral role toward all in their congregations and communities.'” (see here)

Rev. Messner is correct that the ELCA is "bleeding" members.

“The ELCA saw its membership decline to 3.5 million members in 2016, down from 5.2 million in 1988 when the denomination was formed as a merger of three other smaller Lutheran groups. Today, 40 percent of its churches have between 50 and 100 worshippers each Sunday.” (see here)

The ELCA is a dying denomination. Any conservative, Bible-believing members still in the ELCA need to stop funding this liberal, radical, Bible-twisting and faith-destroying denomination and leave it for a God-honoring, truth preaching, Bibilical church.

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Giving Some Denominations "Over to a Depraved Mind" (Romans 1)

3/12/2018

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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.)

April/May 2018 The Pastor’s Study Newsletter

Dear Friends of The Pastor’s Study,

Does God ever give up on a person? I think, since He saved the thief on the cross, we can say that God is willing to save people right up to their last moment. But the Bible also teaches that God does “give people over”. Romans 1:24, 26, and 28 says three times that God gives people over to “impurity, degrading passions, and a depraved mind”. This God does only after they have rejected Him for themselves. Perhaps you know people who have so rejected God that they have become lost in bizarre thinking and behavior.

Does God ever “give over” a denomination? I have a sad example to share. The liberal branch of Lutheranism is called the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (other Lutheran denominations like the Missouri Synod are much more Biblical). Back in 2009 the ELCA decided to violate Scripture and ordain practicing homosexual pastors. Things have gotten stranger and stranger ever since. Recently a Chicago newspaper asked head ELCA bishop Elizabeth Eaton if Hell exists. Her reply “It may exist, but I think it is empty.” In its most recent edition, the ELCA’s national magazine has a whole article promoting the acceptance of transgenderism and the ELCA now has transgender pastors. The ELCA continues to pay for abortion for any reason in its healthcare plan, which is funded by offering dollars. The ELCA is a tragic example of God giving a denomination which has rejected Him over to a depraved mind (Romans 1:28). And sadly, the same is true for the United Church of Christ, Episcopal Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church USA. Many years ago these were good, Christian denominations, but step by step they have rejected the authority of Scripture and have entered the world of the bizarre.

The main purpose of The Pastor’s Study is to preach salvation from sin, death and Hell through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (and, yes, Jesus did teach repeatedly that Hell exists). But a second purpose of The Pastor’s Study is to alert people to the false teachings in today’s denominations so that people will take their money, time and talents and join a more Biblical church. Just yesterday a more conservative ELCA pastor called me needing support for his Biblical views and in a gentle way I tried to encourage him to consider leading his congregation out of the ELCA into a more Biblical branch of Lutheranism.

You have helped The Pastor’s Study spread the Gospel of salvation through Christ. And you have helped us alert people to false teachings in today’s Church. Because of your prayers and giving, we are reaching a wider and wider TV audience. Again I want to say a big “Thank you” for your prayers and giving! We will be honest stewards of your contributions.

Have a great Spring,

In Jesus our Savior,

Pastor Tom Brock

PS You can give online at pastorsstudy.org or by mail to:
The Pastor’s Study
PO 41294
Minneapolis, Mn 55441

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Prominent ELCA Pastor Says He is a Universalist

3/1/2018

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More and more ELCA pastors are coming out of the closet and admitting they are universalists. Universalism is the belief “that all human beings will eventually be saved.” (See here)

Below is a recent Facebook post by prominent Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) pastor, Clint Schnekloth. Schnekloth is a pastor, author and blogger; he created and facilitates the ELCA Clergy Facebook Group that has over 5800 members.

This is a false teaching that is dangerous, risking the eternal lives of people who put their trust in it. The Bible, which is God’s Word, teaches that some people will be saved and go to heaven when they die and some people will go to hell with they die. "...Universalism and universal salvation are unbiblical beliefs. Universalism directly contradicts what Scripture teaches…To say that those who reject God’s provision of salvation through His Son will be saved is to belittle the holiness and justice of God and negate the need of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.” (See here)

Rev. Schnekloth is one of the growing number of ELCA pastors that espouse this belief. The most renowned pastor in the ELCA, Nadia Bolz-Weber, is a universalist. (See here) Rev Bolz-Weber will be a keynote speaker at the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering. Around 30,000 youth typically attend the event.

There are still ELCA pastors who will not admit to the label “universalist,” most likely because they understand that it is viewed as heresy, but they do openly teach the principles of universalism. For example, the leader of the ELCA, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, in an interview last year was asked, “Is there a hell?” She replied, “There may be, but I think it is empty.” (See here) That is universalism, plain and simple. If hell is empty, all people will go to heaven. Presiding Bishop Eaton is a universalist.

There are many more examples of the ELCA propagating universalism. They do it in their seminaries, in their publications, on social media and in their churches. If the growth of universalism is a concern to you, please go to the following links, here (and scroll down the page) and here, to find just how prevalent this teaching is in the ELCA.

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ELCA's Augsburg University Holds Muslim Friday Prayers in Their University Chapel

12/23/2017

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A recent chapel service at St. Olaf’s Boe Memorial Chapel (St. Olaf is an ELCA college) featured a message by Fardosa Hasson, an Augsburg University Muslim Student Program Associate, and part of the ministry staff at the ELCA’s Augsburg University (formerly Augsburg College).

Having someone of a non-Christian religion giving the message at your

chapel service or church should not happen. Religions other than the Judeo-Christian faith are false, but it gets worse.

At the St. Olaf service, Fardosa Hasson spoke of how Muslim students at Augsburg University asked her to help them hold Friday prayers on campus. She said,

“The Director of Ministry, Pastor Sonya (Hagander), says, ‘Oh it would be great if we can actually have it in the Chapel.’ And I remember the conversation, as we go on, and now that I see every Friday, on campus, we have Friday services, inside the Chapel…it is reaffirming of diversity and inclusion to actually have it in a space where we all worship that one god. And remember, our chapel is not like here, where there are so many pictures of Jesus and Mary…” (see here)

So Muslim prayer services, to Allah, who is NOT the God of the Bible, are happening every Friday at Hoversten Chapel at Augsburg University. This is happening, as the speaker said, at the initiative of ELCA Pastor Sonja M. Hagander, University Pastor and Director of Ministries and Associate Director at Augsburg University (see here), and obviously with the approval of Augsburg University itself.

Using a house of God to worship other gods is a violation of the first commandment. God’s Word in Exodus 20:2,3 tells us, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before me.”

Here are some similar verses - https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Do-Not-Have-Other-Gods

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and its colleges, like Augsburg University and St. Olaf College, cannot and should not be trusted with the responsibility of teaching and guiding you or your family’s faith development.

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ELCA Pastor Has an Idea

11/3/2017

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In the wake of the recent New York City terrorist attack where a Muslim man drove a pickup truck into pedestrians yelling "Allahu Akbar" (which is common with Islamist attacks) we have this, from ELCA pastor Lura Groen:

Idea for Christian worship: leader chants Psalm 48 (or similar praise psalm) congregational response is “Allahu Akbar.”
— Lura Groen (@lura_groen) November 2, 2017

ELCA pastor Lura Groen has graced the pages of our websites many times (see here) and recently shared the stage with ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton. (see here)

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ELCA Lesbian Pastor Denies Hell is a Place, Celebrates "Gender Identity Sunday"

10/4/2017

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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.)

Today I talked with an elderly Lutheran woman who left her church because it hired a lesbian pastor who has a partner. The church is not far from where I live, and I went to its website to see what such a pastor would preach. The website says it is a progressive church, then says (repeatedly) how much they welcome people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. The elderly woman had told me that her last visit to her church was when they were celebrating "Gender Identity Sunday".

In her blog the pastor begins by quoting Jonathan Edwards' famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" and then says:

"His words and approach do not represent the God of love that I follow, just like we don’t beat our children in the shed anymore...As for Hell, Hell isn’t a place. It’s an experience: Hell is what the families in Flint Michigan are going through. Hell is a child going to bed hungry, their parents frantic and broken not knowing where their next meal is coming from. Hell is hoping the war in the Middle East doesn’t claim more children-our children. Hell is standing at the border of an unfamiliar country, holding a sick child, only to be turned away."

She is wrong. Jesus talked about Hell as a place where there will be "eternal punishment" (Matthew 25:46). In fact, Jesus talks more about Hell than anyone else in the New Testament. And the Bible teaches that people who live in impenitent sin, including fornication, idolatry, drunkenness, homosexuality, etc., will not inherit the kingdom of heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Perhaps the pastor has a vested interest in denying the reality of Hell.

The elderly woman I spoke to was upset that the ELCA synod leadership promoted this person to become the pastor of her church. Not too many years ago, someone living in impenitent sin would be lovingly challenged to turn from sin, and if they refused they could be excommunicated. Instead today such people are made pastors in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

The good news is the elderly woman has found a very biblical Lutheran Church that she now loves.

In Jesus our Savior,

Pastor Tom Brock
Pastorsstudy.org

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Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Pastor Says "the Holy Spirit" Led the Way for Gay Marriage

9/30/2017

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(The following article was written a couple years ago by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here. At the end of his article, you will find a few additional comments by me.)

Adam Philips is pastor at Christ Church in Portland. He says he is an evangelical and proud of it. He wrote in the Huffington Post that he believes the Holy Spirit led the nation to affirm gay marriage and the Church should do the same. He writes "I...leaned into prayer, I heard the Holy Spirit's call loud and clear: I am doing a new thing in your midst. Come. Taste and see."

That is much too close to the unforgivable sin, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit inspired the Bible which says that homosexual behavior is a sin (for all the verses see my article "What does the Bible say about homosexuality?" at pastorsstudy.org). The Holy Spirit does not contradict Himself. But this pastor thinks the Holy Spirit told him something new.

I remember years ago when I was still in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In 1997 the ELCA voted to interchange pastors with the United Church of Christ. Before the vote a pastor publicly asked President Thomas of the UCC "Why does the UCC ordain practicing homosexuals?" He responded that the Holy Spirit led them to do this. I went up to President Thomas afterward and said that I wondered if that wasn't the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Yes, a "spirit" led them to do that, but it wasn't the Holy Spirit.

The Good News is that Pastor Philips' denomination, the Evangelical Covenant Church, has severed ties with Pastor Philips and his church. The Bad News is that his view can be preached and taught in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Episcopal Church in America and the United Church of Christ. And all these denominations are shrinking.

Pastor Tom Brock

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Here is an example of it being taught in the ELCA. From the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's official magazine it says:

“In 2009, we in the ELCA, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, found ourselves at a kairos moment to recognize more of God’s people under a bigger tent and a larger table when we adopted “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust,” the ELCA’s 10th social statement, with editorial amendments, at part of our churchwide assembly… The LGBTQIA community had always been part of God’s chosen people, and the Holy Spirit finally gave us the temerity to stand with them through our public proclamation.” (see here)

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Head ELCA Bishop Says There May Be a Hell But She Thinks It Is Empty

9/9/2017

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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. At the end of his article, you will find a few additional comments by me.)

Elizabeth Eaton, the head Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said in an interview that there may be a Hell, but she thinks it is empty. Contrast that to the teaching of Jesus, who said in a number of places that there is a Hell and there will be people going there (Luke 16:19-31, for example). Bishop Eaton is tragically wrong. Is it any wonder that Bishop Eaton spends time talking about transgender rights, racism, immigration, etc. but to my knowledge has never talked about the need to believe in Jesus to be saved from Hell. Some time ago she was quoted to say that it is not the business of the Church to save souls, that is God's job. Yes, Bishop Eaton, but Jesus has given that job to the Church in His last words on earth (Matthew 28:19) to "Go ye therefore and make disciples".

As long as liberal Protestant leaders like Eaton disbelieve Jesus' words on Hell, liberal mainline denominations will be all about political causes, and will neglect the main thing Christians are called to do: preach the necessity of faith in Christ for salvation (Acts 16:30-31).

Sincerely in Christ,
Pastor Tom Brock

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/elizabeth-eaton-presiding-bishop-evangelical-lutheran-church-in-america-chicago-if-hell-exists-i-think-its-empty-face-to-faith-podcast/

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Here is the response from ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton when she was asked, "Is there a hell?" -

Eaton: “There may be, but I think it is empty.”

Interviewer: "Really?"

Eaton: “Yes.”

Interviewer: "Why is that?"

Eaton: “Well, Jesus was clear in John chapter 3 that when He is raised up he will draw all people to himself. And if we take a look at salvation history, ever since we got booted out of the garden, it has been God’s relentless pursuit to bring His people to God. Now, people wonder “can you say no?” I imagine you can say “no” to God. I don’t think God is going to give up on us. And if God has eternity, than God can certainly keep working on those folks. So that might be a little bit of a heresy along the lines of Origen, but no, I don’t think God gives up.”

If you doubt that the ELCA teaches universalism, here is the ELCA's presiding bishop making it clear. If hell is empty, all people are saved. That is universalism. It is a dangerous heresy, a false teaching, which puts individuals' eternal destiny at risk: faith in Christ is not needed. Live it up, worship other gods, reject Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you will still go to heaven according to the ELCA's top bishop.

Of course, the Bible directly says this is not so. Heaven and hell are real and people and angels will populate both. It is time to flee this false-teaching denomination. They are playing with people's eternal lives. They are not telling them the truth of how to be saved. This could not be more serious. Tell your friends and family so they are not led astray either. Share this and pray they will read it and see the truth.

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ELCA Pastor Lashes Out in Sermon at Exposing the ELCA, Calls Us “Lutheran Version of the WestBoro Baptist Church”

8/29/2017

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Taking a page out of the liberal extremists’ playbook, an ELCA pastor in a sermon to her congregation said that Exposing the ELCA was the Lutheran version of the hateful, deranged WestBoro Baptist Church. You know, the people that are famous for carrying awful signs and protesting at military funerals.

Here is the back story. A couple weeks ago, Exposing the ELCA posted a blog titled, “The Most Bizarre Sermon I Have Ever Heard: An ELCA Pastor Celebrates Transgenderism.” (see here) It highlighted a sermon given by ELCA pastor Andrea Roske-Metcalfe.

Days later Rev. Roske-Metcalft took to the pulpit of Grace Lutheran Church of Apple Valley, MN saying,

“Our congregation was featured this week on the blog of Exposing the ELCA. This group has been around for several years. They’re basically the Lutheran version of the WestBoro Baptist Church because they really only exist to hate other people. In this case, they exist, in particular, to hate the ELCA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which is our denomination. Because we love too many people. Because our understanding of God is too expansive. You know, because we don’t think the LGBTQ people are sinning simply because of who they are. Because we celebrate all manor of gender identity and expression. Because we are interested in interfaith conversations. Because sometimes we call God “she.” Because Jesus wasn’t white. And because we believe that Black Lives Matter. Because we believe that, in order to, take the Bible seriously, we can’t possibly take it literally. Because not all of our pastors are heterosexual cisgender men…” (listen here)

Grace Lutheran Church also took to Facebook with this post:

(If you have Facebook you can view the church's post, "likes," and comments here.)

This is certainly malicious rhetoric by the ELCA pastor, but much of what Rev. Roske-Metcalfe said is an indictment on the ELCA. What this all comes down to is that far-left radicals control the ELCA. They twist Scripture and ignore the rest. They advocate positions that go against God's Word and are harmful to the people they think they are supporting.

What you need to understand is that ELCA leadership does not respect conservative, Bible-believing Christians/members; in fact they loathe you. They put up with conservatives for their financial backing, for the power and influence a larger membership gives the ELCA and for your family and children that they hope to influence toward their worldly, anti-Biblical values and viewpoints.

If you are tired of the ELCA leftists:

- demonizing you for holding to the truth
- calling you homophobes, bigots, Islamophobes, haters, transphobic, racist, white supremacists, xenophobes and misogynists
- lying about you
- destroying people’s faith and
- encouraging people to live out sinful, harmful lifestyles,

it is time to get your family out of their churches, stop funding them and stop giving them a larger voice in this world. Leave and find a God-honoring church.

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As you can see, Exposing the ELCA is on the front lines. Please pray for this ministry, that Exposing the ELCA will continue to make a difference in God's Kingdom.

And if you would like to help Exposing the ELCA continue to reach people with the truth of God’s Word and the ways the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is misleading people and mocking God with their false-teaching, gifts to Exposing the ELCA can be made here.

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<<Previous

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Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? Pastor Says "the Holy Spirit" Led the Way for Gay Marriage

Head ELCA Bishop Says There May Be a Hell But She Thinks It Is Empty

ELCA Pastor Lashes Out in Sermon at Exposing the ELCA, Calls Us “Lutheran Version of the WestBoro Baptist Church”

Dan Skogen

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