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(The following article was written last year by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Bishop Herbert Chilstrom, first head bishop of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has died. For many years, he was my bishop, and it was a difficult relationship. I believe in the infallibility of Scripture, and Chilstrom wanted no one to teach at the seminary who held such a view. I am pro-life and opposed to the ELCA paying for abortion for any reason with offering dollars, Chilstrom publicly defended abortion. I have struggled with same sex attraction most of my life but for the sake of Christ and my soul, I abstain. Chilstrom promoted the acceptance of homosexual relationships and the ordination of homosexually active pastors, which the ELCA approved in 2009. Someone asked me "Do you think he is in heaven?" I replied "Only God can sort that one out." Many years ago a wonderful pastor by the name of Maynard Force died, who had been Chilstrom's professor and who grieved over how liberal Chilstrom had become. At his death, Chilstrom wrote a letter to pastors informing that Maynard had died and that, though we don't believe in the Bible the way Maynard did, we still stand at the foot of the same cross of Christ. A conservative pastor wrote back stating that, yes, Bishop Chilstrom, some of us still do believe in the infallible authority of Scripture. Back in the 1980's a controversy erupted when Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota started showing hard-core pornographic films to teen sexual offenders and their families as part of "therapy" (including in one case a 10-year-old sister). At a large public hearing Chilstrom was asked if he could bring these films before the Judgement Seat of Christ. Chilstrom responded "Yes, I think I could." A huge groan went through the crowd. I remember a farmer saying of the controversy "When I go to clean something, I don't use a dirty cloth." Bishop Chilstrom treated people graciously, including myself. But I am sad that he was instrumental in helping the ELCA become the unbiblical, radical denomination that it is today. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS The below article shows how Chilstrom "evolved" on homosexuality https://www.gvnews.com/news/longtime-church-leader-herb-chilstrom-dies-at/article_4d4bed20-3b41-11ea-be82-13fa671df8e9.html --- 
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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America cares about this planet, and that is admirable. But all too often this platform results in extreme measures and calling for policies based on questionable-science and conclusions. In an article from the ELCA's Living Lutheran website, Amy Reumann, Director of ELCA Advocacy, states, "Climate change is the result of human sinfulness, as we in the U.S. consume more than our fair share of natural resources through unsustainable lifestyles and energy use while those who contribute least to greenhouse gas emissions are suffering its impacts the most.” (See here) Ruth Ivory-Moore, the ELCA Program Director for Environment and Corporate Responsibility, similarly states, “All of creation is experiencing the impact of global warming. These extreme weather patterns result in unprecedented floods, droughts and wildfires, and rising sea levels that are leading to the degradation of the earth. And the consequences are not being borne equally. The most vulnerable among us are paying a higher price; that is, they are disproportionately impacted with extraordinary losses and damages. We are truly in a dire situation, but there is hope—both spiritually and scientifically.” These are highly questionable statements. Offering dollars given to the ELCA go to pay for this kind of advocacy.  Rev. Kevin L. Strickland is the bishop of the ELCA's Southeastern Synod and the former Assistant to the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA and Executive for Worship. Last spring Rev. Strickland said the following: "For many years, I felt like I was 'broken' as I fought the internal struggle to come out and say that I was gay and to not only do that but then to continue being able to serve as a pastor in this church. I felt shame, brokenness, sense of not being right. Then a dear friend and pastor, reminded me, I was exactly what God created and even in what may feel broken to me, God calls it beautiful. I now can claim that I am a beautifully and wonderfully created child of God who is gay. Being broken-open means I now live free as the person that God created me to be. In that broken-openness, there is such beauty." (See here) In the ELCA and world it is common for people to say that "God made me gay." This is a lie.  (The following article was written last year by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Because of a snow storm, the Missouri Synod Lutheran church I attend was closed, but the ELCA Lutheran church nearby was open so I attended there (Missouri Synod is conservative, the ELCA is liberal).
The pastor preached on Romans 10:9 "If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." The pastor asked the question "Does this mean if you don't confess and believe in Christ you won't be saved?" The pastor answered "Not necessarily."
Yes, necessarily. Read Romans 10:9 for yourself. The clear implication is that those who believe in Christ will be saved and those who don't, won't. Elsewhere in Scripture it is clear that faith in Christ is necessary for salvation (John 3:18, Acts 16:31). Sadly, the false teaching of universalism (that all people will be saved, regardless of faith in Christ) is often preached in liberal, mainline denominations. Universalism denies the existence of Hell and teaches that even Hitler and the Devil will be in heaven because God is love. Jesus taught differently. I believe if you count the verses, Jesus talks more about Hell than He does about Heaven. I hope you attended a church today that unashamedly preaches that Jesus is the only way of salvation. In Jesus the only Savior, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org P.S. This ELCA church also has a yoga class.
ELCA leadership has rejected the creation account that God has given us in Scripture (see here and here). Does Lutheran Church of Hope agree with their denominational leaders? We see and hear the answer in a sermon preached at the megachurch when questions from the congregation were answered: “How can I fit my beliefs in God with physical science, evolution, etc.?” Senior pastor and founder of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) megachurch, Mike Housholder, answered first, saying “…if you look at the pattern of creation in Scripture and you line that up with scientific views of the order how things happened, there is a lot of alignment and there isn’t nearly as much conflict as a lot of people would suggest” (See video below or here). 
Rev. Housholder speaks as if all science agrees on the time-frame and order of creation; they do not. There is a great deal of scientific evidence that shows the Earth to be young (here, here and here are a few).
Claiming that God's creation account lines up with the most popular scientific conclusions like those of the Big Bang Theory and the macro-evolutionary time-frame, is completely false (See here and the Answers in Genesis chart above).
Dr. Caroline Boehnke-Becker, who was part of the team of three Lutheran Church of Hope pastors/leaders answering questions from the congregation, confirmed Pastor Housholder's answer, that evolution and the Bible fit together saying, “...you can not ask the ‘how’ question of the Bible.” “I see no problem…the more I delve into science. It makes so much sense from a faith standpoint. And the more I delve into the Biblical text, it all makes sense and it all comes together.”
So Lutheran Church of Hope is teaching that God, through His Word, is not communicating to people how He made everything, how creation came into being, despite that clear reading of Genesis. God is in fact doing that. ELCA Pastor Mike Housholder also replied “I've never understood those who turn it into an 'either' 'or.'" Rev. Housholder continued on by lifting up scientist Francis Collins, who is a theistic evolutionist. (Read about Francis Collins here). Francis Collins "founded and served as president of The BioLogos Foundation, which promotes discourse on the relationship between science and religion and advocates the perspective that belief in Christianity can be reconciled with acceptance of evolution and science, especially through the advancement of evolutionary creation" (See here). Pastor Michael Mechsner viewed the Lutheran Church of Hope sermon, questions and answers and commented, “The problem with 'theistic evolution' is that it allows for DEATH before the fall. Death is the result of sin. That is the real problem for 'theistic evolution.' Jesus CONQUERED death which is what defines mankind's SIN” (See here). Biblical creation champion Ken Ham addressed the compromise of God's Word on evolution and God's Genesis account, like what you see at Lutheran Church of Hope:
A couple of Christian articles address the pattern this way: - "there is simply no way to merge theistic evolution with the witness of Scripture as to what actually happened in history. They are incompatible." (See here. “Lesson 4: Adam, Eve, & the First Sin” from the Is Genesis History? Bible Study.) - "There are major contradictions between a straightforward reading of Scripture and the order claimed by uniformitarian/evolutionary ‘science’." (See here) Lutheran Church of Hope has embraced the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). This is a denomination that preaches universalism (that all are saved), is pro-abortion, demonizes Israel, encourages homosexual relations even with their pastors, allows goddess worship, pushes liberal policies, ordains transgender individuals, pays for employee sex-change surgery/drugs and abortions, twists and ignores Scripture and rejects God's clear historical account of creation recorded in Genesis. Members of the ELCA and of Lutheran Church of Hope should be ashamed to be part of this wicked, faith and soul destroying denomination. Below is the Lutheran Church of Hope sermon. The question on evolution starts at 24:20 minute mark.
Evolution and the Big Bang theories do not fit with God's account of creation. It is ignorant and disingenuous to say they do. Martin Luther tells us: “The days of creation were ordinary days in length. We must understand that these days were actual days (veros dies), contrary to the opinion of the Holy Fathers. Whenever we observe that the opinions of the Fathers disagree with Scripture, we reverently bear with them and acknowledge them to be our elders. Nevertheless, we do not depart from the authority of Scripture for their sake.” - Martin Luther as cited in E. Plass, What Martin Luther Says: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, Missouri, 1991, 1523. Luther further commented on this critical topic: “When Moses writes that God created heaven and earth and whatever is in them in six days, then let this period continue to have been six days, and do not venture to devise any comment according to which six days were one day. But if you cannot understand how this could have been done in six days, then grant the Holy Spirit the honor of being more learned than you are. For you are to deal with Scripture in such a way that you bear in mind that God Himself says what is written. But since God is speaking, it is not fitting for you wantonly to turn His Word in the direction you wish to go.” - What Luther Says. A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian, compiled by Ewald M. Plass, Concordia, p. 93.
Over these ten years, Exposing the ELCA has reached millions of people. - ExposingtheELCA.com has had over 2.7 million page views - Our website elcatoday.com has had 280,000 page views Publications in which I have been quoted directly or those who have shared content and have referenced or quoted Exposing the ELCA:
This ministry also has five Facebook pages or groups that reach hundreds of people daily. We face an organization, in the ELCA, that has almost 20 billion dollars in assets and has brought in income, in the past, that has exceeded 2 billion dollars a year (see here). They have millions of allies, thousands of websites and social media pages, dozens of educational institutions and a publishing company that they utilize to preach and teach their falsehoods. Shockingly, heretical leaders, preposterous teaching and radical policies in the ELCA have grown immensely in the last decade, and there are still 3.3 million ELCA members and millions of potential members who need to know the truth about the ELCA. Just peruse our "Newly Added Articles and Information" section on our homepage to see the height of the ELCA's heresy, and understand the need to carry on this calling, to expose the beliefs, teachings and actions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Thank you for reading, praying for and supporting this ministry!
In Christ, Dan Skogen
ELCA mission start, Dreams and Visions, last week held their second annual Queer Christmas Pageant. Delaware-Maryland Synod Bishop Bill Gohl was in attendance and posted about it on his Facebook page:
"One of our Delaware-Maryland Synod ELCA mission starts, Dreams and Visions, curated a holy space to welcome a rich diversity of people to incarnate and celebrate the birth of Christ. It was joyful, it was poignant, it was holy. I'm grateful and proud that Pr Emily M. D. Scott is my colleague, humbled by the community she creates, and astounded by how the Word becomes flesh through this ministry." (See here or below) ELCA Pastor Lura N. Groen was also in attendance and wrote: "We were all anointed with frankincense, myrrh, and gold eyeshadow. My Bishop, Bill Gohl came forward and was anointed by a drag queen." (See here or below) This is the state of the ELCA, which many of you are members and are supporting. Do you think God is pleased with the ELCA? Do you think our Lord and Savior wants you to be part of a denomination which leads people into sin? The time is now to leave the ELCA and find a church that preaches in accordance with God's Word. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Rev. Emily Scott is the pastor of Dreams and Visions. (Read more about her here) Read about the ELCA church's first queer Christmas pageant here. 
More pictures of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America service:
Above is a picture of ELCA Bishop Bill Gohl in attendance of the Queer Christmas Pageant. 
Kristen Kuempel is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) bishop of the newly named Northwest Intermountain Synod. Bishop Kuempel took to Facebook on October 2, 2019, to comment and share an article that attacks Franklin Graham's Operation Christmas Child (OCC) organization.
The recommended article contains the assertions that "Samaritan’s Purse president Franklin Graham spews ever more hateful rhetoric about immigrants and Muslims" and that Operation Christmas Child is one of the "more toxic forms of charity." The bishop-recommended article offers additional hollow criticism and then ELCA Bishop Kristen Kuempel concludes her post with a self-serving suggestion: "If this article changes your mind about OCC but you still want to help, check out the ELCA Good Gifts program." One thing to know or remember about Operation Christmas Child is that they include a Gospel booklet, with their boxes, that shares Bible stories and invites children to follow Jesus, helping children know about our Lord and Savior. When was the last time you saw ELCA charities doing that? 
Another Tweet by the ELCA bishop has her attacking Franklin Graham:
If you reject the ELCA bishop's implications and behavior, see here to be part of Operation Christmas Child's God-honoring work. Click here to read another Exposing the ELCA article of an ELCA leader attacking Operation Christmas Child. (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Frank Honeycutt, a pastor of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has written a number of articles for the ELCA’s national magazine Living Lutheran. In the December issue, he says of Jesus “...he undoubtably...threw a tantrum or two, and grew up into a teenager with occasional rebellious and haughty moments...I’m convinced Jesus didn’t pop out of his mom’s womb preprogrammed to always do and say the right and perfect thing. This last sentence may unnerve some Lutherans...” It certainly does. If Jesus was rebellious and haughty, then He sinned. If Jesus sinned, he would have to pay for his own sins on the cross and could not be the spotless Lamb of God who sacrificed himself in our place for our sins. The Bible teaches that Jesus was indeed both fully God and fully man. But the Bible also makes it clear that Jesus never sinned (Hebrews 4:15, 1 Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:5, 2 Corinthians 5:21). In John 8:46, Jesus challenged the Jewish leaders “...which one of you convicts me of sin?”. They couldn’t. But apparently the ELCA’s national magazine feels it can convict Jesus of having “rebellious and haughty moments.” This is tragic false teaching. See the entire article in the link below. Just to recap some of the ELCA’s actions: it recently ordained a transgender pastor who called Jesus “an SOB”...this summer it passed an interfaith resolution saying we don’t know what God thinks of non-Christian religions and refused to affirm Jesus as the only way of salvation...the ELCA publicized a TV program that presents a Lutheran transgender 13-year-old as a “hero” and the ELCA healthcare plan paid for the child’s hormone blockers...and the ELCA continues to pay for abortion for any reason whatsoever in its healthcare plan which is funded by offering dollars. If you are still an ELCA Lutheran, I strongly encourage you to make this your New Year’s resolution: to find a more biblical denomination where I can give my offering dollars joyfully knowing they will go toward proclaiming Jesus as the only way of salvation, and will not go toward hormone blockers for children and abortion. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (Read the ELCA article here)  (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) This summer the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America held its churchwide assembly. One of the preachers, a homosexual pastor with a “husband“, remembered the 2009 ELCA decision to ordain practicing homosexuals. He encouraged them not to celebrate that decision behind closed doors, but to celebrate it openly. Even this liberal crowd did not seem to me to be overly excited about his message. Perhaps that is because the 2009 ELCA decision caused the greatest church split in American history and has cost the ELCA a huge number of members and donations. During the 2009 decision, conservatives were assured that both liberal and conservative views would be honored on the issue. However, this summer’s ELCA assembly had no speaker who was allowed to annunciate the traditional, biblical understanding of homosexuality. So much for both sides being honored. If you want to hear how a Lutheran pastor tries to justify his homosexual behavior in the name of Christ, started at minute 13:17 below. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock Rev. Bradley Schmeling sermon. Wednesday Worship at the ELCA Churchwide Assembly 2019. 
How do you think ELCA leadership feels about their members who believe God's Word, that homosexuality is sinful and that trying to be a gender you are not, is harmful?
Why would anyone who trusts the Word of God support and be part of one of their churches? 
Additionally, as you consider how Bishop Kuempel reacts to those with whom she disagrees, ask yourself, when reading her tweet below, is this the type of language and behavior you want to see from a leader in your church? Why does the ELCA allow this?
Kristen Kuempel is the Northwest Intermountain Synod Bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Last year, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America endorsed transgenderism by having a 12-year-old "transgender" person and his/her advocate mother speak to 31,000 youth at the ELCA Youth Gathering. (See here) This last week, the ELCA is pushing the transgender narrative by promoting a television show about about this same child, calling him/her the "Marvel's first transgender hero." (See below)
This liberal, Bible-defying, God-mocking denomination is encouraging and celebrating sinful lifestyles. Attending and financially supporting the ELCA makes it possible for the ELCA to push their sinful agenda and pay professionals to indoctrinate people under the guise of Christianity. 
ELCA pastor Emily Heitzman writes:
Of course, "Rebekah's" mother is heavily promoting her child's show. Below are a couple examples. "Rebekah's" father is an ELCA pastor. Pastor Tom Brock had an excellent post about this story. I will embed it below:
Well-known Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) pastor, Nadia Bolz-Weber, recently posted pictures of herself from 1995 saying "Proof that in 1995 I dressed up as a dominatrix for my Christmas Card which just said: Bad Santa. #yourwelcome" (See below)
Sexual perversion is rising in popularity in the ELCA as evidenced in this example. And ELCA leadership makes no attempt to quash it. Fact is, Rev. Bolz-Weber is very popular within the denomination, both with ELCA leaders and members, despite her vulgar words and heretical beliefs. (See here and here) She has been elevated into positions of great influence by ELCA leadership including speaking at multiple ELCA National Youth Gatherings. 
That is wrong. But what was sinful is when the ELCA voted to allow the ordination of practicing, monogamous homosexuals. It is a position that has harmed many people.
Is being monogamous even a requirement anymore or was it ever? And if the ELCA was sinning because they did not ordain practicing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual/Allies (LGBTQIA+) people, it stands to reason that the ELCA believes that those that do not celebrate these behaviors are also guilty of sin. One must also consider as to when the ELCA voted to ordain people who identify as bisexual and transgender? After the ELCA comment, a few posts later, the ELCA recommended resources that are made by an LBGTQIA+ organization. (See below) 
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Facebook statements were made in the comment section of the ELCA-posted video (below), celebrating "the process of inviting more than just cis-men to ordained ministry."
Nicole Garcia is the latest transgender pastor ordained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Rocky Mountain Synod of the ELCA made the announcement:
"Let it be acclaimed that Nicole Garcia is a called and ordained minister in the church of Christ. Pastor Nicole has been called by the Rocky Mountain Synod Council to serve as mission developer for Westview, a new worshipping community in Boulder CO. Christ's Church, Better Together!" One needs to ask, is Rev Nicole Garcia and the "new worshipping community" being financially supported by the ELCA synod? In the pictures that follow you will see the Rocky Mountain Synod Bishop Jim Gonia, high-profile ELCA pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber, and transgender ELCA pastors Megan Rohrer and Asher O'Callaghan. 
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Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 Dan Skogen
Former ELCA seminary student and former ELCA member who is fed up with the ELCA's consistent mockery of God's Word. If you have been helped and blessed by Exposing the ELCA's ministry, please help us continue to proclaim the truth of God's Word to ELCA members who need to hear it.
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Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. - Ephesians 5:11
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