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"I'd like to see picket lines at clinics which provide abortion procedures made illegal, defined as an act of terrorism and as such no longer defensible under the right to free speech as set out in the 1st Amendment."
"Let's face it: Roe v. Wade is not going to be reversed. Frankly, it shouldn't be". (see here) These are the words of ELCA pastor Scott Johnson. Rev. Johnson was elected bishop, a few days ago, by the Nebraska Synod. A man who thinks prolife demonstrators at abortion clinics are committing acts of terrorism. Think about that for a minute. This is from the man Nebraska ELCA voters chose to lead them. The newly elected ELCA bishop has a long history of public support for abortion. Here is some of what he has been saying and posting on his social media:
In the post below Pastor Johnson tweeted his joy at people donating to abortion provider Planned Parenthood in the name of pro-life Vice-President Mike Pence. 
Where does Bishop-elect Scott Johnson stand on other topics, you ask? 
Johnson is a one of the new boisterous, woke pastors that have been taking over the ELCA in the last decade.
Is the Bishop-elect friends with some of these ELCA pastors, many of whom this ministry has highlighted? I'm not sure but Bishop-elect Johnson wrote a book review of a book by Pastor Lenny Duncan saying:
"I'll echo the blurb from Nadia Bolz-Weber from the front cover: "I dare you to read this book." I particularly dare you to do so if you're a white, straight, American male in the ELCA. You need to sit down, read, and listen. You need to know that your privilege is real, that there are things you don't encounter simply because your skin color and your sexual preference fall a certain way." (See here)
And it wasn't surprising to see Bishop-elect Scott Johnson was "following" many of them: 
Bishop-elect Johnson has a recommended blogs section on his website that includes Nadia Bolz-Weber's and Clint Schnekloth's blogs. (See here, on the right hand side.)
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If you are prolife you need to stop supporting and end your membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). It is time to leave.
See the ELCA news release and the tweet below from the ELCA Presiding Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, about the Supreme Court and their likely decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which would give states the right to decide on abortion. 
The news release is a statement from the Presiding Bishop titled "A pastoral message on abortion." (See here) The tweet above is included in the ELCA news release. Here are some additional quotes from the statement:
I don't care what your reason is to remain in the ELCA, whether you are a pro-life pastor or a pro-life congregation or a pro-life member. You are part of a denomination that supports and advocates for the killing of unborn children (the ELCA also pays for employees' abortions). You can not justify remaining.
Abortion is evil and barbaric. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America supports abortion.
The leaked draft from the United States Supreme Court indicates the law on abortion will likely change. States, the people, will get to decide. This change has upset many including ELCA pastors and leaders. Here is a small segment of what they are saying: From ELCA pastor Jennie Chrien: 
From ELCA pastor Lura Groen: ELCA pastor Emily Scott responded to the news with this Facebook post: From ELCA pastor Kwame Pitts:
ELCA pastor Clint Schnekloth writes: 
Here is what ELCA pastor Tuhina Verma Rasche is saying: 
Replying to Tuhina's tweet, Rick Barger says: 
From ELCA pastor Elle Dowd:
From Carmine A. Pernini, ELCA pastor: (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) The below is written by a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as her "personal response to countless anti-choice laws at the state level". How can pastors who believe in the Bible, Psalm 119 and 'Thou shalt not kill' support abortion? They can't. But below you will see a pastor try to defend abortion with statements like: "I have reason to believe the Kingdom of God is like a woman who knows herself, who believes she is worth more than what the Empires of this world decide about her body". Sadly, the below article, radical as it is, is not radical in the ELCA. The ELCA pays for abortion for any reason in the denomination's healthcare plan, which is funded by offering dollars. And recently ELCA head bishop Elizabeth Eaton, also in response to states' attempts to restrict abortion, issued a letter reminding people that the ELCA believes in abortion access. How the Lord of Life must grieve that the ELCA, the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church in America and the Presbyterian Church USA all support laws that enable 3000 babies to be killed in America daily. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock See article - https://web.archive.org/web/20190625023941/https://tangledupingrace.blogspot.com/2019/05/i-have.html  (The following is a letter written by a married couple to their ELCA church council. I have made a few edits to remove names and places)
On January 8, 2021, ELCA Bishop Elizabeth Eaton was one of several religious leaders who signed a letter to Vice President Mike Pence, members of Congress and the Cabinet calling for the removal of President Donald Trump from office following the events of January 6 in the Capitol. This letter was written two days following the events at the Capitol while causes of the events of January 6 were in the early stages of investigation. The letter signed by Bishop Eaton stated, "In addition, we recognize the need to hold responsible not only those who invaded the Capitol, but also those who supported and/or promoted the President’s false claims about the election or made their own false accusations." We read this to state that the leader of the ELCA is now calling for repercussions for those with thoughts and beliefs that are not her own. Our world is currently so very divided, and one place we want to feel at peace, loved, appreciated is in our church home. When we read this letter from Bishop Eaton, we immediately felt that due to our political beliefs we were no longer welcome in the church we called home. We must admit that since the covid pandemic started, our involvement with (our church) has waned. Some of it was due to covid, but much of our lack of involvement was due to our research beginning in January 2021 on the beliefs of the ELCA and our realization that our beliefs differed greatly from ELCA leadership. Polls show that 75 to 80 percent of Republicans believe there was some fraud involved with the 2020 presidential elections. We fall within that group that questions whether fraud occurred in the election process in some states. While we accepted the results of the election, we do believe that there was some questionable election activity in multiple states that should be explored. We are not saying the fraud was absolute, but there was cause for investigation. According to the leader of the ELCA, we are outright wrong in our beliefs and there is no room for discussion. Considering that at least 50 percent of (our state) are registered Republicans, and according to polls 75 percent of Republicans believe there was some fraudulent activity in the 2020 election, that would equate to a rough estimate of 40 percent of the church membership of the ELCA in (our state) that needs to be held responsible for the events of January 6 at the Capitol according to Bishop Eaton. We disagree. This was the start of not feeling welcome by the ELCA, and the beginning of our research on what the ELCA currently stands for. We moved to (this city) in 2012 and joined (this ELCA church) because it was the church at which (my wife's) father was a member and that her paternal ancestors had belonged to, though (my wife) had been raised as a Catholic and (I) as an American Baptist. We knew that (this church) was a member of the ELCA, but we didn’t do our research as to what the ELCA believed. We just believed that all Lutherans were essentially the same. The January 8, 2021 letter signed by Bishop Eaton led us to do further research. Our research found a multitude of issues to which we disagree with ELCA leadership. Below we will highlight just a few of the issues with which we disagree.
These are just a few of the reasons we started questioning whether membership in an ELCA church was right for us. Then on November 19, 2021, Bishop Eaton released a pastoral message on the Rittenhouse acquittal stating, “When a child is allowed to become a vigilante without recourse, we are forced to confront the idols of our society: guns, violence and white supremacy.” She also stated, “Today’s acquittal is an injustice.”
Following much research, prayer and discussion, we have decided to withdraw our membership in the ELCA which means we need to withdraw our membership at (this church) and seek a local church that more closely fits our beliefs. We wanted you to know that our withdrawal of membership is not based on our local church family, but rather the work and beliefs of the leadership at the highest levels of the ELCA. We love and support our friends and neighbors who are members of the ELCA and will continue to support the work of (this church) at the local level through prayer.
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
Years ago I graduated from Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. When I attended it was moderate to liberal, today is radical with transgender and lesbian speakers and prayers to God the “Mother.”
Now and then I drive through Luther’s parking lot to see the awful bumper stickers on students’ cars. Below is one. This person fits right in with the ELCA, which pays for abortion for any reason whatsoever in its healthcare plan, a plan funded by offering dollars. That’s right, your offering dollars at work in the ELCA, paying for abortion for pastors and their families. Way back in 1997 some of us tried at a church convention to put restrictions on abortion payments, but we failed. I left that convention hall and literally shook the dust off my feet, and later led my congregation out of the ELCA to join a more biblical branch of Lutheranism. In Jesus our Savior, 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.) I am on a Facebook page with present and former pastors and seminarians of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I left that denomination years ago because it pays for abortion for any reason in its healthcare plan for pastors and their families, and the healthcare plan is paid for with offering dollars. I shared on the Facebook page that years ago I received a letter from an ELCA person, I believe a pastor’s wife, who was so glad the ELCA “was there” to pay for her 16-year-old daughter’s abortion. I said “Your offering dollars at work.” An ELCA pastor from Iowa responded: "Tom... who makes you judge and jury over this little girl?? From what I gather of Jesus he tells us to "Judge not, lest we be judged.” Just saying... Instead of reacting with condemnation over this 16 year old's abortion, why not react with compassion? Do you know what she was facing? Did you understand the circumstances of her life? Personally I am grateful for an insurance company who stays out of these kinds of decisions and fulfills their obligations, paying for the procedure. Its hard enough as it is. To compound that with the judgement of your insurance company would be even worse." My response to this pastor: It is tragic to me that a pastor thinks it is OK to destroy an unborn child with the offering dollars of the people of God. It is not “compassion” to affirm abortion, neither for the mother nor the child. If you are still in the ELCA, are you aware that your offering dollars can be used to pay for abortion, for any reason, in the ELCA healthcare plan? One more reason to take your money, time and talents and join a more Biblical denomination. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org Update: We pick up here with his next response to me: "Tom, what is tragic is how many people who claim to be pro-life really don't care about the woman at all. You obviously don't. Nor would I imagine you would help this young woman or any raise their children. Stop judging and assuming YOU or anyone else knows the circumstances of their decision." My response: "You claim many pro-life people (and I) don't care about the woman at all. But it isn't the pro-choice people who run crisis pregnancy centers and help women before and after childbirth to care for the newborn. It is more accurate to say that pro-choice people don't care about the woman and child. They prefer the "quick and easy" solution of killing the unborn baby. Using offering dollars to kill unborn children is about as low as the ELCA has stooped--with the possible exception of putting an 11-year-old boy who thinks he is a girl on stage to promote transgenderism to 31,000 teenagers at last summer's ELCA Youth Assembly." Please say a prayer for this ELCA Lutheran pastor, and for his congregation. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock  Nativity Lutheran Church in Reading, Pennsylvania hosts or rents space to the LGBT Center of Greater Reading. A recent article reports that the LGBT Center's new programming and services include: - "Partnership with Planned Parenthood to provide broadband access for Telehealth services." - "Free Professional Counseling for the LGBTQIA+ community." - "Support Group for Parents/Guardians of LGBTQIA+ Youth." Nativity Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). (See article here)  Rev. Harold L. Peterson is a retired ELCA pastor. For his birthday last year he was asking people to give money to Planned Parenthood. The retired Evangelical Lutheran Church in America pastor wrote, "I've chosen this nonprofit because their missions means a lot to me..." The ELCA is notorious for their support for abortion. (See here and here) The evil runs deep in the denomination and it isn't just coming from bishops and young pastors. See pastor Harold L. Peterson's post below or here. 
The Rev. Jes Kast is coming to Augustana University this month. Rev. Kast is an minister in the United Church of Christ and "serves on the Planned Parenthood Clergy Advocacy Board."
Rev. Kast has been asked to speak at the Augustana Chapel of Reconciliation as well as give a lecture titled, "Won't You Be My Neighbor? Friendship and Solidarity Across Religious Differences," which is sponsored by Augustana's Department of Religion, Philosophy and Classics, Augustana Campus Ministry and the Thomas Staley Foundation. (See here)
Augustana Campus Ministry shared the event on their Twitter page:
The following Tweets are from Rev. Jes Kast:
Rev. Jes Kast retweet the following:
"As most of you are well aware, many states have passed or are considering legislation to restrict access to legal abortion."
This letter from the ELCA was written in response to pro-life legislation, like the ones passed in Georgia and Louisiana, the Alabama Human Life Protection Act and the Missouri bill banning abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy (see here), among others. Presiding Bishop Eaton and the ELCA wrote the letter to show their opposition to these laws and legislation. Note the ELCA and its leader did NOT write a letter in opposition to the New York abortion law which passed in January 2019, allowing abortion up to birth. (See here). Nor did the ELCA write a letter about the Virginia legislation, that would loosen the laws on third trimester abortions. (See here) In the letter that was written ELCA Presiding Bishop reveals the truth about the denomination's stance on abortion: "Amid the legislative challenges to access to abortion, we must remember that this church supports ongoing access to legal abortion as well as access to abortion services and reproductive health care that is not restricted by economic factors." (See here) As you can read, the ELCA supports abortion. You should not be fooled when the ELCA claims otherwise, as the presiding bishop tried to do in her letter by saying, "this church seeks to travel a moderating path by supporting abortion as a last resort." Hear the presiding bishop's words again where she says, "this church supports ongoing access to legal abortion as well as access to abortion services..." Combine that with the fact that the ELCA pays for employee abortions and then notice how you never see the ELCA supporting pro-life causes. At the end of the Presiding Bishop's letter she implores the denomination: "I urge each of us to read, to study, to listen, to discern, and to discuss as church together. See the full statement here." There was no direction to pray for the Lord's guidance or look to God's Word. Every pro-life ELCA member should walk out of his or her ELCA church, never to return.
The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) When New York State passed a law affirming abortion up to the day of delivery, Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America said nothing, even though the ELCA's abortion statement speaks against late-term abortion. But now that some conservative states have passed restrictive abortion laws, Eaton has decided to speak (see letter below). She reminds us that "...we must remember that this church supports ongoing access to legal abortion as well as access to abortion services and reproductive health care that is not restricted by economic factors." The ELCA'a 1990 abortion statement is a confused document. On one page it sounds pro-life, the next page sounds pro-choice. In a nutshell, the ELCA statement opposes abortion except in the cases of "clear threat to the life of the woman", "extreme fetal abnormality" incompatible with life, and in cases of rape and incest. Beyond these cases "this church neither supports nor opposes" other abortion-restricting legislation. At the ELCA's 1997 assembly, some of us offered a resolution to restrict ELCA funding of abortion to the three cases stated above. The resolution was rejected 70% to 30%. The upshot is that the ELCA continues to pay for abortion for any reason (and no reason) in the church's health care plan for pastors which is funded by offering dollars. That's right, your offering dollars at work, killing unborn children for any reason in the ELCA. Eaton's statement of the ELCA's support for abortion access makes it tragically clear that some secular states are more Christian than the ELCA in their desire to defend unborn human life. If you are still in the ELCA, this is one more reason to take your money, time and talents and join a denomination which celebrates God's gift of life and which will not kill unborn children with your offering dollars. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock Letter on abortion from Bishop Eaton (see here) 
Today at a chapel service of Luther Seminary, a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the closing benediction was given “..in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Mother of us all” (see minute 45:52 below). The problem with this is that Jesus never prayed to God as “Mother” but only as “Father.” So why this change in God language at Luther seminary? Because the ELCA is bowing the knee to feminism rather than to God’s Word. The ELCA hymn book has eliminated all masculine pronouns for God in the Psalms, and contains the hymn “Mothering God, you gave me birth…” The ELCA is so committed to feminism that it even pays for abortion for any reason in the church’s health care plan. And this healthcare plan is funded by offering dollars. That’s right, your ELCA offering dollars can be used to kill unborn children. Head bishop Elizabeth Eaton said nothing about New York State’s radical law to allow abortion up to the day of delivery, but she makes numerous comments in favor of liberal political causes. The ELCA has lost many members and much financial support since it voted to ordain practicing homosexuals in 2009. As the Bible says “You reap what you sow”. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock Portico Benefit Services says, "As an ELCA ministry, Portico offers health, flexible spending, retirement, disability, and survivor plans to help rostered leaders and lay employees strengthen their well-being." (See here) In a questionnaire, Portico asks ELCA employees "How do you describe yourself?" The first two choices are "Man" and "Woman." The next choice is "Transgender" and the forth choice is "Do not identify as man, woman or transgender." Seriously? What is going on with this denomination? See the screenshot below.  Since we are talking about Portico Benefit Services, if you haven't heard before, this ministry of the ELCA "will cover services including . . . hormone therapy, and sex reassignment surgery..."  What about abortion? In the following email sent by Portico Benefit Services they say "the ELCA health plan does cover a range of procedures that includes those for abortion, up to 20 weeks gestation." Portico also states they cover abortions that fall after 20 weeks of pregnancy, "when the life of the mother is threatened; or...when the fetus has lethal abnormalities indicating death is imminent."  (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) If you go to the website of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, you will find the ELCA frequently taking liberal positions on all kinds of social and political issues. Recently the ELCA quickly responded against a Supreme Court decision because it may keep transgendered people out of the military. Since then, the State of New York has passed a radical law allowing abortions up to the due date. And the governor of Virginia made a statement in favor of infanticide, saying that a newborn child with severe deformities may be allowed to die. What is the ELCA's response? Silence. Even though the ELCA's official abortion statement is against late-term abortion, ELCA leadership is silent. Why? My guess is that when they are passionate about a social cause, they speak, and when they are not passionate about even their own official position, they choose to remain silent. The ELCA abortion statement is a problem. In one paragraph it sounds pro-life and in another it sounds pro-choice. The tragedy is that for years now the ELCA abortion statement has been interpreted to allow the ELCA to pay for abortion for any reason in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. The ELCA healthcare plan for pastors and their families is paid for with offering dollars. That's right, the ELCA pays for abortions with offering dollars. I remember years ago when I was still in the ELCA I received a letter, I think from a pastor's wife, who was so glad the ELCA "was there" to pay for her 16-year-old daughter's abortion. Years ago the congregation that I served and I left the ELCA over this and other issues. I pray that if you are still in the ELCA, you will take your money, time and talents, and join a denomination that does not destroy unborn children with offering dollars. In Jesus our Savior, 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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