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ELCA Church Holds 'Goddess Harvest Festival'

11/15/2018

Last weekend a church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Ebenezer Lutheran Church, (also known as "herchurch") in San Francisco, CA, held their 2018 Goddess Harvest Festival.

At the Goddess Harvest Festival one could take a "Goddess Painting Class." Below is how the ELCA church described the class:

"Join Jennifer and Katie for an afternoon encountering the Divine through painting! This fun, no-talent-required class will guide you from start to finish in creating your own sacred icon of the Divine Feminine. This class we will honor the Goddess of Willendorf, the Neolithic Great Mother." (see here)

The ELCA church's website gives additional information about their monthly "Goddess Painting" class which is captured below. Every month they paint a different goddess. The list is:

"2018 Goddesses:
January: Cerridwen, Celtic goddess of the cauldron of transformation
February: Wakahiru-Me, Japanese goddess of the morning sun
March: Butterfly Maiden, Native American Spring goddess
April: Hina, Hawaiian Moon goddess
May: Hathor, Ancient Egyptian goddess of childbirth and beauty
June: Tree Goddess
July: Minoan Snake Goddess
August: Mami Wata, African ocean goddess
September: Arianrhod, Welsh/Celtic goddess of weaving cosmic time
October: Hecate, Greek goddess of the crossroads of life and death
November: *second Sunday of the month* Willendorf, Neolithic Mother goddess
December: Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas" (see here)

Note, herchurch calls this "encountering the Divine through painting."

This is not a Christian activity. In fact, it is in direct opposition to God's First Commandment which says "And God spoke all these words:

'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.'" - Exodus 20:1-3.

It is hard be believe, but herchurch, which has a long disturbing history (see here) is in good standing with the ELCA. The ELCA is complicit in this evil practice.

Here are some other activities that took place at the Goddess Harvest Festival:

- Spirit Voices Of Light/Totem Animal Allies Mask Making
"Join Deborah...to explore connection with totem animal allies through a Shamanic journeying and mask making process. For this workshop, Deborah will lead participants using the combination of Shamanic journeying with the creation of a mask for each person. Participants will leave at the end of the workshop with a mask pulled from their face. Space is limited to 10 participants."

- Make your own Goddess Totem
"You are invited to make a small goddess figure using polymer clay, which hardens by baking. You will be amazed at how easy it is to create these personal totems to take home! All supplies provided. Take yours home to bake or pick it up Sunday, baked for you."

- Liturgy of the Divine Feminine
"Honoring and raising up the Divine Feminine in the cosmos, community and ourselves. All are welcome.
(ELCA) Pastor Stacy Boorn"

- Tai Chi Chih
"In this easy, gentle movement class, participants will engage in moving meditation to enliven them with the natural flow of energy known as chi. Tai Chi Chih’s 19 movements and one pose promote health, well-being and longevity."

(See here)

If you are an ELCA member, you should ask yourself why you part of a denomination that allows this.

Rev. Tom Brock shared his thoughts on Facebook about the "Goddess Harvest Festival," which you can read below:

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Stumbling Into More Heresy at UCC and ELCA Churches

11/9/2018

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(The following article was written many months ago by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)

Yesterday I followed "Church rummage sale" signs, not quite knowing where I was going. First, I arrived at a United Church of Christ congregation in Minneapolis. The gay pride rainbow symbols were prevalent outside and inside the church. Most of the people running the sale were elderly. I noticed a younger man dressed as a woman. I picked up an informational brochure on the church and found the heresy one has come to expect from the UCC. First, there is an Adult Sunday School class based on "The Phoenix Affirmations". These are 12 affirmations put together by progressive Christians, the first of which says they are "Walking fully in the path of Jesus without denying the legitimacy of other paths that God may provide for humanity." In other words, Jesus is our path but He is not the only path. That, of course, is not "walking fully" in the path of Jesus since it denies His words in John 14:6 of being the only way. On Saturdays the church hosts the GLBTQAIP peer support group. I know what Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Allies are, I don't know what the I and P stand for (letters keep get added). On Saturday night the church hosts "Slutwalk Minneapolis", whatever that is. On Sunday one can join the "Sunday Spirit Circle" to "deepen connections to spirit and community...we will lean into the natural rhythms of the seasons with meditation, art, ceremony..." On Tuesday is a group for transgender individuals. There is also a group called BS that offers Bible study, though I didn't appreciate it being referred to as "BS".

I followed another rummage sale sign and ended up at an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation in Minneapolis. I noticed at their book sale table there were a number of homosexual themed books with titles such as "Lesbian Ethics". It turns out the senior pastor is a homosexual man with a "husband" and son. The pastor has been a leader in various pro-homosexual groups and is the founder of a teen camp that helps youth accept their homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgenderism.

I'll say it again, this isn't my grandma's Lutheran Church. It used to be that the United Church of Christ was more liberal than the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This is still somewhat true. For instance, one can now deny the Trinity and the deity of Christ and be a pastor in the UCC, whereas the ELCA still requires belief in the Trinity. On moral issues like abortion and homosexuality, however, it is hard to find any difference between the UCC and ELCA.

Sincerely in Christ,

Pastor Tom Brock
pastorsstudy.org

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Sermon At ELCA Seminary Says Jesus Was 'in Many Ways Queer'

11/4/2018

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The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). A couple weeks ago, Masters of Divinity student Elle Dowd preached during worship in the school's Augustana Chapel (listen to it here or read it here).

Elle Dowd didn't want us to miss it, as she contacted me a number of times wanting me to read her sermon (and write about, no doubt).

The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago certainly thought highly of it as well, because they promoted it on their Facebook page and linked to the full audio of the sermon.

(Go see the seminary Facebook post here)

Here is Elle Dowd's second tweet seeking my attention:

I can never figure out what sets off @ExposingtheELCA and what they’ll ignore. Tell angry women to organize? Get called out. Preach a sermon in Lstc chapel comparing Jesus to a trans woman of color? Nothing. I thought for sure that’d be a thing because he hates our seminaries □□‍♀️
— elle dowd (@HowNowBrownDowd) October 19, 2018

Below is the type of teaching and preaching future ELCA pastors are digesting (and it has been like this for years).

Lowlights of the sermon:

"Grace and peace are yours from the One who made all genders in Their image. Amen".

"Jesus, a sexual minority himself at the time by virtue of being unmarried and in many ways queer, is telling this story of equality to the religious aristocracy..."

"And in Mark today Jesus just refuses to fall into their trap and stay within their bounds. This is a very queer thing to do as well, to blur lines, subvert hierarchies. Marcella Althaus-Reid says that – in addition to calling Jesus 'God in human drag' – Jesus is queer precisely BECAUSE of his transgressiveness. To be queer is to be transgressive. To break the rules and norms of society."

"And the church, with its queer-antagonistic, white supremacist, and misogynistic interpretations of scripture, has their blood on our hands."

"Creating a permanent criminal underclass is the foundation of mass incarceration and modern day slavery, and the United States Empire – cheered on by our own Religious Aristocracy – delights in setting traps of racism and poverty for the purposes of their own profit."

"In our white supremacist colonial context . . ."

You can read more about this ELCA seminary student here.

ELCA pastor Lura Groen responded to my tweeting this article:

What a powerful sermon! Thanks for publicizing it, so that more people may feel God’s Queer love!
— Lura Groen (@lura_groen) November 6, 2018

And this from ELCA pastor John Sipf:

@ExposingtheELCA
You know, I really should follow you.

You are lifting up so many wonderfully gifted theological minds in the Church today.

Thank you!
— John Sipf (@Pr_JT_Sipf) November 6, 2018

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Nationally Known ELCA Pastor Supports Viewing Pornography

10/29/2018

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(Language warning)

"I refused to pick the low-hanging 'Moral Outrage Fruit' of Liberals and Conservatives about porn. Now, there are issues of justice and exploitation within the porn industry, no question, but it doesn’t mean consumption of pornography should be shamed. There is ethically sourced porn." (see here)

That quote is from Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber, the most famous pastor, author and speaker in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Nadia Bolz-Weber is a major leader in the ELCA, and she is telling people that it is okay to view pornography. That, of course, is against Scripture. God tells us, and in the words of Jesus, "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." - Matthew 5:28

This is what the ELCA has become.

Many ELCA leaders, members and unchurched people fawn over Rev. Bolz-Weber. She was even picked to speak to 31,000 ELCA teenagers at last summer's ELCA youth gathering despite the high volume of heretical statements she has made in the past. (see here and here)

ELCA Pastor Bolz-Weber went on in the same article to say:

"If we took shame out of the fact that people like to view erotic imagery, the compulsive behavior around consuming pornography would decrease."

"The church is saying that the Creator of the Universe, God in the heavens above, knows if you’re masturbating, and God is super disappointed. How ridiculous. That causes harm because these teachings are done in God’s name."

"The Bible’s not clear about shit!"

"If the teachings of the church are harming people, then we need to rethink those teachings."

The last two quotes are a good description of what the ELCA believes about God's Word. This is false teaching and people need to get out from under their leadership. If you will not do it in honor of God, do it for your children.

And things are even going to get worse. With the approaching release of Nadia's new book, you can be assured that this is just the beginning of troubling and Bible-defying teaching ELCA leaders and members will consume.

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ELCA Top Bishop Says 'Human Sexuality and Gender Identity is a Beautiful Mystery'

10/24/2018

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Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) made a statement today that is very indicative of where the ELCA is now, how they have swallowed the lies of the world and departed from the Word of God. Presiding Bishop Eaton declared,

"No human institution decides who is human, who is visible, who is valued. Human sexuality and gender identity is a beautiful mystery. Trans people, like all people, are beloved by God."

Here is Bishop Eaton's Twitter post -

No human institution decides who is human, who is visible, who is valued. Human sexuality and gender identity is a beautiful mystery. Trans people, like all people, are beloved by God.
— Bishop Eaton (@ELCABishopEaton) October 24, 2018

Presiding Bishop Eaton's statement is one of support for transgender persons. It was apparently made in response to a recent statement made by President Trump "that his administration is 'seriously' considering changing the way it treats transgender people under the law, confirming what administration officials describe as a debate about whether to define a person’s sex as a biological fact determined at birth." (see here)

There was at least one request for a statement by Bishop Eaton about this:

It's time @ELCABishopEaton @ELCA to make a statement affirming trans people, God's love, and a commitment that trans loves #WontBeErased. The Church and God are waiting for you to proclaim the gospel.
— Kevin Beebe (@kevbeebe) October 23, 2018

God does love all people. But that does not mean He loves everything we do, everything we say, everything we "are" or all of our actions. Bishop Eaton, by her statement, is affirming homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism and all the claimed gender identities as "beautiful," that they are good, that they are not sin.

This is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Harming people by encouraging sin. Standing against our holy and loving God. Why would anyone be part of this denomination, this evil work of the devil that emerges in proclamations and statements such as this?

Also, notice how the Presiding Bishop says "No human institution decides who is human, who is visible, who is valued." Yet, the ELCA supports the killing of unborn humans and actually pays for employee abortions in their health care insurance. Many who are pro-abortion love to claim that the unborn children are not humans to justify their position. You can't have it both ways, Bishop Eaton.

Below you will find tweets of praise which Bishop Eaton received for making this statement. (Her statement has been shared on Facebook almost 2700 times and over 400 times on Twitter.)

Thank you, bishop!
— Rev Kevin Strickland (@PrKevinELCA) October 24, 2018

Wanna know why I love my church? Right here. □□
Bishop Eaton leads Lutherans worldwide through a mess of social injustices. #ELCA #love #vote https://t.co/plrlcInW1i
— Phil Quinn (@philquinn1) October 24, 2018

proud to be a member of an ELCA church https://t.co/npot6ZAFHN
— Julie S (@JulieSturza) October 24, 2018

wow i love the ELCA https://t.co/wcIdFZbiGp
— Kaila Lynn (@LiveLoveKaila) October 24, 2018

The @ELCA is committed to "attend to the need for equal
protection, equal opportunities, and equal responsibilities under the law, and
just treatment for those with varied sexual orientation and gender
identity." Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust p. 33 https://t.co/eJT8InVm3Z https://t.co/AHqMCClXJu
— Amy Reumann (@AmyELCAadvo) October 24, 2018

When bishops get it right. Proud of the @ELCA and @ELCABishopEaton. #WontBeErased https://t.co/zctEOyJUMh
— Emily E. Ewing (@rev_ewing) October 24, 2018

Thank you, @ELCABishopEaton! ❤️□□□□□ #elca #cordmn #TransRightsAreHumanRights https://t.co/yKtlI7RBAL
— Concordia Safe Space (@CordSafeSpace) October 24, 2018

Thank you, Bishop, for your proclamation.
— John Sipf (@Pr_JT_Sipf) October 24, 2018

Thank you for your support!
— Nicole M. Garcia (@nicoleg152) October 24, 2018

Beautiful! I was proud to retweet this personally and on my church page. Thank you.
— Laura Hall-Schordje (@PastorLauraHS) October 24, 2018

Thank you, Bishop!
— Rev Mrs Emmy Kegler (@emmykegler) October 24, 2018

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ELCA Lutheran Magazine Advertises Gay Bishop's Cruise, Won't Allow Conservative Ad on Homosexuality

10/22/2018

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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.)

The latest edition of Living Lutheran, the official magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is running an ad inviting people to join Bishop Guy Erwin on a cruise of the Mediterranean. Erwin is the ELCA's first openly homosexual bishop with a "husband". Bishop Erwin has ridden in the Los Angeles gay pride parade.

I am on the board of One By One, a Christian group which helps people out of homosexual behavior. Some months ago our president contacted Living Lutheran about buying an ad about our ministry in the magazine. The advertising director of the Living Lutheran wrote back: "Unfortunately what you're proposing isn't in harmony with recent ELCA church decisions, so our editors are declining your offer to advertise with us."

Thus, Living Lutheran will advertise a practicing homosexual bishop's cruise, but won't allow a group to advertise the traditional, Biblical view of homosexuality. Such now is the world of the ELCA. In 2009 when the ELCA decided to endorse homosexual behavior, the agreement was that both conservative and liberal views of homosexuality were to be honored in the ELCA. In reality, only the liberal view on homosexuality is allowed in the ELCA's national magazine.

In Jesus our Savior,

Pastor Tom Brock
pastorsstudy.org

(See Living Lutheran magazine ad above and here on page 23.)

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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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Luther Seminary observed National Coming Out Day with a lesbian preacher

10/13/2018

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(The following two articles were written a few days ago by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)

Today's chapel service at Luther Seminary, a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, observed National Coming Out Day with a lesbian preacher. In her sermon (see video below), Lauren Morse-Wendt of Edina Community (ELCA) Lutheran Church, said that God told her to go to seminary and then said "You're gay, get over it." In her sermon she thanked God for giving her the strength to come out as a lesbian. The liturgy and responsive readings were designed to tell LGBT people that they are good and sacred. Of course, not a word about repentance from sexual sin since many in the ELCA no longer believe homosexual behavior is sin. In the sermon the preacher referenced her "wife" and children.

My question is: Whatever happened to the 2009 ELCA decision to allow both conservative and liberal views on homosexuality? Luther Seminary chapel has hosted a number of homosexual and transgender speakers, when will they bring in a speaker to give the conservative view on sexuality? When will they allow a whole chapel service to be devoted to the Biblical, traditional point of view? I am afraid the liberal takeover of Luther Seminary is now so complete that such a day will never come.

As stated in previous posts, Luther Seminary announced months ago that it is having to sell off a number of its buildings because of its financial problems.

If you are still an ELCA Lutheran, it is time to stop funding its seminaries. May many, many people finally leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for a more Biblical denomination.

In Jesus our Savior,

Pastor Tom Brock

This congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has two ministers who are homosexual...
The below video shows the congregation of Edina Community Lutheran Church. The woman minister has a “wife“ and the male pastor, whose interests are yoga and meditation, has a “husband“. The woman minister spoke this week at Luther Seminary’s observance of National Coming Out Day.

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Latest Living Lutheran magazine: Once again more pro-gay, pro-transgender items and an article poo-pooing the need to preach on Hell

10/9/2018

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(The following article was written May 9th by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)

Frequently the official magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America promotes the liberal view on homosexuality and transgenderism. Even though the ELCA voted in 2009 to honor both conservative and liberal viewpoints on the issue of homosexuality when it decided to ordain practicing homosexuals, Living Lutheran magazine never prints a conservative voice. In fact, when a conservative group asked to buy an advertisement in Living Lutheran to promote the conservative view, it was denied.

Long ago the one place one could find conservative viewpoints in the ELCA’s national magazine (it was called “The Lutheran” back then) was in the Letters to the Editor section. Today that section is more like a liberal love fest of how wonderful the articles are. I’m not sure if it is the fact that so many conservatives have left the ELCA that no one writes a contrary word, or if the editorial staff chooses to print only like-minded letters. Here’s a reader who was thrilled with last month’s pro-transgender article:

“It was enlightening and important to read…what
transgender AND Christian means... And, if we believe
when baptized we become his children, then we have
to believe transgender individuals belong to Jesus
through their baptism also…”

No. The Apostle Paul taught in Romans 6:1-13 that we are not to use our baptism as an excuse to sin. Baptism does not move us to practice "grace abuse" but to die to sin and live to God. Hitler and Stalin were baptized. Baptism will not save those who reject Christ and live in impenitent sin (I Corinthians 6:9-11).

Then Living Lutheran has an article in which a lesbian is interviewed about her work in helping Lutheran congregations accept the LGBTQ movement. Again, it is all from the liberal point of view without a hint of doing what professional journalists do: giving the other side

Another article by an ELCA pastor seems to poo-poo the need to preach about Hell.

All in all, another heretical issue of the ELCA's national magazine. And another reason to leave the ELCA for a more Biblical denomination.

Sincerely in Christ,

Pastor Tom Brock
pastorsstudy.org

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ELCA Wants the United States to Pay Palestinian Bills to the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)

10/4/2018

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Yesterday the ELCA Conference of Bishops issued a statement (see here) that coincides with the statement last month, by ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, asking for the United States to pay $25 million in expenditures to 6 hospitals that treat Palestinians. One of those hospitals, the Augusta Victoria Hospital, is run by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), of which the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a member.

The “U.S. government has provided over many years tens of millions of dollars in aid” to these hospitals. But that has stopped as the United States leadership has decided that the Palestinian government is acting in bad faith (over many decades), so aid to them is being cut. The Palestinian government incites violence, pays terrorists for their vile acts, directs large segments of money to terrorist activities and has no interest in making peace with the State of Israel.

The ELCA and LWF are very sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and antagonistic to Israel. And they want U.S. taxpayer money to compensate them, because the Palestinian people and their government are not paying the bills that they accumulate at the hospital.

The terrorist Palestinian state is manipulating the system, and the ELCA and LWF are willing participants who, up until this year, were passing the bill on to the United States.

The ELCA and LWF need to pay their own bills or demand the Palestinian government pay for their services received.

The United States has helped this terrorist, Jew-hating entity enough. The United States has given over $700 million alone to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in 2016 and 2017. (see here) It is time to stop paying their and the ELCA/LWF’s expenses. Doing so enables evil behavior.

Read more about the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s evil actions against the Israel here.

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Yet Another Luther Seminary Chapel Service Calling God "She" and "Mother"

9/30/2018

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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.)

Below is a service at my alma mater, Luther Seminary, a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In the below video, Luther professor Amy Maria, who teaches a course in "Womanist, Feminist, Mujerista Theology", is careful in her sermon to avoid using the pronoun "He" for God, and refers to God as "Mother" and "She." At the end of the service the congregation prays the Lord's Prayer with "Our Father who art in heaven", but in the past Luther chapel has also prayed to "Our Mother in heaven". So the new normal at Luther is to periodically call God "Father" and to periodically call God "Mother." Jesus never prayed to God as Mother and never taught us to do so. But that doesn't stop people who think they are enlightened from doing so.

A few months ago I wrote about Luther Seminary's homosexual and transgender chapel preachers and how Luther's financial problems are now necessitating the sale of a number of its buildings. Sadly, they are not learning from their error. From what I can see, no sign of repentance. Please say a prayer for the ELCA colleges and seminaries. It would take an act of God to turn them around, but sometimes God acts!

Sincerely in Christ,

Pastor Tom Brock

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Augustana University Investigation: Uncovering Non-Christian Aspects of the ELCA College

9/26/2018

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You are playing with fire when you send your teenager to an ELCA college. That is definitely true of Augustana University, as you will see below, which is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Augustana University is located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 2015-2016 it had an undergraduate enrollment of 1,563. For Bible-believing followers of Jesus, the stances and activities of Augustana University should be disturbing and alarming.

Here is what my investigation uncovered:

Drag Shows

- If you like to look at men dressed up as women, or women dressed as men, you can see it at Augustana University.

I declare that Drag Show a success. ✅ btw here's a pic of @JoshasaurRawr being a cutie pic.twitter.com/wWp3LkmPlb
— Augustana (SD) GSA (@AugustanaGSA) March 24, 2017

- The Augustana Student Association gave $250 "for an 18 plus drag show" to the Gender & Sexuality Alliance. (See here, page one)

Sex and LGBT Related

- Augustana University has a student group called the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) which describes itself in this way, “The Augustana GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance) is an organization committed to the representation and advocacy of the Gender/Sexual diverse.” (see here)

- The Augustana Campus Ministry website displays "The Augustana Student Congregation Welcome Statement." It begins this way:

“Come to me,
All who believe, all who wonder,
and all who don’t know what to think;
All who are joyful, all who suffer, and all who are complacent;
All who are homosexual, or heterosexual, or bisexual,
and all who simply don’t know;
All who are male, all who are female, and all who are transgender.” (See here)

- The Augustana University Campus Ministry is also a Reconciling in Christ Congregation which, in essence, means they view LGBT behaviors as normal and not sinful. (See here)

- A lecture by Austen Hartke, a bisexual, transgender man is happening October 29th, 2018 at Augustana University (See here)

More about Campus Ministry

- The Campus Ministry likes to delve into the politics of the day, seen here co-sponsoring a “Interfaith Prayer Vigil for Refugees, Immigrants and Sojourners” with the Muslim Students' Association (MSA), area churches, the South Dakota Synod of the ELCA, and the Muslims Community Center. (See here)

Non-Christian Religions

- At Augustana University you will find a student group called the Muslim Students' Association (see here)

- Augustana University has a Interfaith Reflection Room. The university reports that the "space is designed to provide a safe place for people of all religions and non-religious traditions to pray, meditate, worship, reflect, study and practice their faith . . . the room includes sacred texts from a variety of religious traditions . . .” (See here)

- The Augustana Magazine printed an article highlighting the atheist group, Augustana Open Minds. (see here on page 25 and the group page here)

- The university also partnered with a Unitarian Universalist church. (see here)

- Augustana University newspaper, The Augustana Mirror published a 2 page article about two Augustana seniors who practice witchcraft. It is titled "Modern witches: two students find spirituality in Wicca." (See here)

"Cultural Appropriation"

- Augustana University website, "VikingCentral," has this article, see below, titled “4 Acts of Cultural Appropriation You Should Avoid this Cinco de Mayo.” (Also see here)

- This must be an important idea to the university since they posted seven other related articles informing students what they feel is right and what is wrong when it comes to culture and costume. See below and here)

Housing

- Flexible housing is offered at Augustana University. This means “that students may select roommates or housemates regardless of gender.” This is available at select university housing. (See here)

Lastly, see how Augustana University was rated by students who attended the school, and what they had to say about their experiences here.

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Lutheran Magazine Report: ELCA Teen Gathering Helped Youth Affirm LGBTQ Movement

9/21/2018

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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.)

The latest issue of “Living Lutheran”, the official magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has a glowing report on this summer’s gathering of 31,000 Lutheran teenagers. At this gathering, speakers affirmed homosexuality and transgenderism. “After the Gathering, (teenager) Alicia has a firm stance on LGBTQ issues…(She said) ”God is for everyone. Now I can finally say this is what I believe in and this is what my church believes in…” (see here)

How sad that when you send a Lutheran teenager to the ELCA’s national teen gathering, they come back knowing they are now pro-gay and pro-transgender and that this is the stance of their denomination. The Bible is clear that homosexual behavior is sin (Romans 1:24-27, I Corinthians 6:9-11) and Jesus taught that God made us “male and female”, not transgender (Matthew 19:4-6). This has been the belief of virtually all Christians for 2,000 years with the exception of the last forty years as some Protestant denominations have been overtaken by liberalism.

As the ELCA continues to corrupt teenagers and drift from God’s Word, I believe its numbers will continue to shrink at the alarming rate that has occurred since 2009 when the ELCA decided to allow its pastors to be practicing homosexuals.

In Christ our Lord,

Pastor Tom Brock

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Warped ELCA Reading of Scripture

9/16/2018

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An article by an ELCA seminary professor titled “Bearing witness through community organizing” was printed and hosted on the ELCA’s Living Lutheran magazine and website. The article is another example of heresy being taught, allowed and disseminated by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The author of the article writes:

“Jesus emerged initially in his own Galilean community as a prophet concerned with the renewal of village life…For a variety of reasons we have come to interpret the story of Jesus through an individualistic lens as the saving of souls and deliverance from personal sin. But throughout Scripture salvation refers to rescue from present danger or liberation from oppression, and the language of sin in many instances refers to structural evil.
The numerous healings and exorcisms show Jesus restoring bodies and minds suffering the effects of colonization. Although the exorcisms are performed on individuals, they were symptomatic of internalized oppression that was the consequence of the domination and control of social and political space.” (read here)

This is a warped and deceitful understanding of Christ and his mission on Earth. God’s Word explains why Jesus came here.

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1 Timothy 1:15, ESV).

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10, ESV).

“And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners’” (Mark 2:17, ESV).

"’ . . . even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many’” (Matthew 20:28, ESV).

“’I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness’” (John 12:46, ESV).

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5, ESV).

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ELCA congregation: Take Holy Communion, whether you believe or not, or have been baptized or not

9/9/2018

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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.)

The Apostle Paul warned the Corinthians that some of them were sick and dying because they were abusing Holy Communion. He then instructed them to examine themselves before taking the Lord's Supper: "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup" (I Corinthians 11:28).

All Saints Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa, a congregation of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, states this on their website regarding who may receive Holy Communion:

"This meal is God’s love for you. All are welcome to receive the gift of bread and wine (wine or grape juice). This includes people of all ages and abilities; any faith (or non-faith) background; and people who believe, want to believe, or don’t know what to believe. Even if you have not yet been baptized, come and eat!"

The Christian Church has always taught that baptism is to precede Holy Communion. "This meal is God's love for you" is true for those who repent of their sins and trust in Christ for forgiveness. But for those who do not, this meal becomes God's judgement. "For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died" (I Corinthians 11:29-30).

Probably the people at All Saints Lutheran think they are being loving by saying that anybody can take communion. In reality, they are hurting people in this life and possibly the next.

In Jesus our Savior,

Pastor Tom Brock

(See All Saints Lutheran Church's website where it talks about communion here)

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<<Previous

ELCA Church Holds 'Goddess Harvest Festival'

Stumbling Into More Heresy at UCC and ELCA Churches

Sermon At ELCA Seminary Says Jesus Was 'in Many Ways Queer'

Nationally Known ELCA Pastor Supports Viewing Pornography

ELCA Top Bishop Says 'Human Sexuality and Gender Identity is a Beautiful Mystery'

ELCA Lutheran Magazine Advertises Gay Bishop's Cruise, Won't Allow Conservative Ad on Homosexuality

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

Luther Seminary observed National Coming Out Day with a lesbian preacher

Latest Living Lutheran magazine: Once again more pro-gay, pro-transgender items and an article poo-pooing the need to preach on Hell

ELCA Wants the United States to Pay Palestinian Bills to the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)

Yet Another Luther Seminary Chapel Service Calling God "She" and "Mother"

Augustana University Investigation: Uncovering Non-Christian Aspects of the ELCA College

Lutheran Magazine Report: ELCA Teen Gathering Helped Youth Affirm LGBTQ Movement

Warped ELCA Reading of Scripture

ELCA congregation: Take Holy Communion, whether you believe or not, or have been baptized or not

Dan Skogen

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