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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.)
Bishop Lowell Erdahl, retired Bishop of the St. Paul Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, died this month. He and I were on opposite sides of moral issues back in the days when I was still in the ELCA. He and former head ELCA Bishop Herbert Chilstrom, who died last year, co-wrote a book entitled “Sexual Fulfillment: For Single and Married, Straight and Gay, Young and Old”. The book endorsed homosexual behavior in ‘loving, committed relationships” and also stated that “self-pleasuring” (masturbation) can be a gift from God.
I have personally struggled with same sex attraction for most of my life, but for the sake of Christ and my eternal soul, I abstain. Thus, I was grieved that Erdahl and Chilstrom promoted the acceptance of homosexual behavior in the Church. And they won. Since 2009 the ELCA has ordained practicing homosexuals and transgender persons and many ELCA congregations now perform homosexual “weddings.” In May, the ELCA elected the world’s first transgender bishop. Today, Erdahl and Chilstrom stand before God to answer for denying the Bible which teaches “homosexuals will not inherit the Kingdom of God” (I Corinthians 6:9-11). Romans 1:32 talks about people who give “hearty approval” to sin. I am sad to say, I think these two bishops did that. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock --- (Here is Bishop Erdahl's obituary)
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(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.
Jennie (Jennifer) Chrien is an ELCA pastor at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, in Simi Valley, CA. She has this to say about Mary, Joseph and Jesus:
The ELCA's Southwest California Synod Bishop, Brenda Bos, a lesbian, made a comment under this Facebook post by Rev. Chrien. There was no admonition by the ELCA bishop. Below are some additional posts from pastor Jennie Chrien on her Facebook page. Please give a gift to help continue the ministry of Exposing the ELCA! In the first few months of 2021 Exposing the ELCA made a goal to raise $75,000 to support the work of informing the public about the teachings, advocacy, and beliefs the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. From that first day until now that goal has fell woefully short. As of today, $3635.13 has been given to this work. To those who have given, thank you very much! Your support is a great encouragement! To those who haven't given but believe in this mission, would you consider an end of the year gift today? Credit card and paypal users can make gifts here. Thank you! 
(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
A man dressed in drag preached the sermon at St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square in Chicago Sunday. This ELCA church sits in the shadow of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America headquarters, also in Chicago.
Seminarian Aaron Musser preached dressed as a woman and at one point in the service had children sitting at his feet.
To all ELCA pastors, ELCA members, and ELCA churches: You are participating in a denomination that mocks God, that destroys faith and defies God's Word. Standing before God, you will have to give account for remaining in this heretical, false teaching, fake Christian denomination. And your remaining in the denomination is an endorsement of the ELCA to all your members.
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
In the below worship service led by a transgender pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, this man who presents himself as woman says "The grace of Jesus the Christ, the love of God the Creator, and the communion of the queer-making Spirit be with you all." The creed in this service states "I believe in Jesus Christ, Sophia, the Word". "Sophia" is a feminine image for God that feminists use to worship the "Divine Feminine." Along the same line, God is referred to in the service as "The Divine Seamstress". This is the strange new world of the ELCA. One cannot say that the extremes of the below service are not shared by the ELCA's national leadership. ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton has made two gay pride videos and at the ELCA's Youth Gathering an 11-year-old boy who thinks he is a girl was put on stage to promote transgenderism to 31,000 Lutheran teens. At the installation of the ELCA's first transgender bishop, Bishop Eaton prayed to God as "Parent, Child and Holy Breath" and as "Rain, Estuary, and Sea". I hear from people periodically who say they stay in their ELCA congregation because they have been members so long and they would have to leave their friends. But sometimes Jesus says to leave and "shake the dust off your feet". I believe that time is now for Bible-believing Christians who are still in the ELCA and supporting it with their offering dollars and their presence. Our first allegiance is to Jesus, not to our friends nor to our denomination. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock
If you are a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, this is what you are supporting.
'National Day of Mourning' on Thanksgiving is on ELCA Synod's 'Notable events and observances'11/24/2021 The ELCA's Grand Canyon Synod has a page on their website titled "Prompts for Prayers of Intercession: November 21, 2021." On this page, under "Other notable events and observances" was the listing "National Day of Mourning (November 25th)." See here or below. "The National Day of Mourning began in 1970 as a form of protest to the 350th anniversary celebration of the arrival of the Pilgrims." (See here) Also listed is "Transgender Day of Rememberance (November 20th)." 
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
The first article in the October 2021 edition of Living Lutheran, the official magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, says this: ”And the Spirit transforms you and me by her relentless presence in, with, and among humanity”. The Bible never calls the Holy Spirit “her” or “she”, but that does not stop the feminist ELCA from revamping the biblical language for God. Indeed, years ago, the ELCA came out with its most recent hymnal which desexed all the Psalms to get rid of masculine pronouns for God. I hope you attend a good church which unashamedly worships the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is the only true God. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock PS The same article also talks about the “kindom” of God (whatever that is) instead of the “kingdom of God“. I’m presuming we can’t even say the word “king” anymore because that is too patriarchal and oppressive.
Statement by the ELCA and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's presiding bishop Elizabeth Eaton about the publicized court cases going on this month. (BIPOC means Black, Indigenous, People of Color)
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) I passed this church today in the Twin Cities and it appears to be a merged church of two very liberal denominations, the United Church of Christ and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Since the 1960s the UCC has shrunk more than any mainline denomination and for good reason. One can deny the Trinity, affirm a Unitarian view of God, and be a pastor in the United Church of Christ. Both the UCC and ELCA ordain practicing homosexuals and transsexuals, and pay for abortions with offering dollars in their churches healthcare plans (you will note in the picture below the church’s gay-affirming rainbow banner). Both denominations have many pastors who teach that all people will go to heaven and faith in Christ is not necessary for salvation. As liberal denomination shrink, they merge. Two ELCA seminaries in Pennsylvania had to merge, my alma mater ELCA Luther Seminary in Saint Paul had to sell off buildings, and the building which housed the ELCA seminary in California was sold to Muslims. The UCC’s United Theological Seminary in New Brighton, Minnesota, had to be sold and now houses an evangelical ministry. The second picture below is the large banner outside this merged congregation saying what it means to “Be the Church”. You will notice Jesus, evangelism, and disciple-making are not mentioned. It’s basically “let’s all be nice”.  It once again reminds me of the three pillars of liberal theology that are killing the Church: 1. God is nice 2. We too should be nice 3. Isn’t that nice? Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (Rev. Brock continues in a follow up article) I just went to the website of the church mentioned in the previous post to see what they believe. Below is their statement of faith. You will notice, not a word about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and nothing about salvation through Christ. Again, it is "Let's all be nice." I checked their calendar to see that they offer a Progressive Christianity Study Group and a drumming group. One would never dream from their statement that there will be a Judgement Day and that we need Christ. If one believes in Heaven and Hell and that the Church should help people be ready for the Last Day, their nice statement of faith isn't very nice. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock THIS WE BELIEVE We believe the umbrella of God’s love, as exemplified in Jesus the Christ, is big enough for everyone to be welcomed. We believe that love, not doctrine, holds us together. We believe the deepest expression of our faith is found in the way we treat others. We believe you don’t need to take the bible literally to discover God’s profound truths and message. We believe it is important for faith to value both the mind and the heart. We believe that we learn from one another’s diverse experiences and perspectives, and it’s okay if we don’t share the exact same beliefs. We believe listening to others and respecting them is a deeply spiritual act, even when we disagree. Not all claims to truth are the same, to be sure, but we believe every claim should be measured by love. We believe the wisdom offered from other faith traditions can complement and enrich our spiritual journeys. We believe church should be a place of peace that welcomes those who believe in God some of the time, or none of the time, or all of the time. 
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
As the newly installed first “pastor of public witness” of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Bolz-Weber is controversial. She led 31,000 ELCA teenagers to repeat the words “I renounce the lie the queerness is anything other than beauty”. She frequently uses the F word and exposed children to a drag queen in a program at her former church. Bolz-Weber presented Gloria Steinem with a golden vagina sculpture to thank Steinem for her feminist work. The sculpture was made from melted-down purity rings that women from around the country sent to Bolz-Weber. Bolz-Weber denies that Christ died in our place to pay for our sins since she believes that would be divine child abuse on the part of God the Father. And this is the person the ELCA is elevating to be the public face of the ELCA. You can’t make this stuff up. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (Below is a recent testimony from a gentleman about his family making the difficult decision to leave their ELCA church)
Friends-- Approximately 5 months ago, my wife and I made what we would classify as the most painful decision of our married life…to leave a local church that we had known and loved for many years. This is not a topic we have spoken about publicly to any degree, but I feel it necessary to do so now, to an intentionally limited audience, in prayer that the Lord may use it in service to you, to your family, and to the furthering of His work. The church we left was the only church our children had ever known. It was/is the site of countless memories precious to our broader family history (baptisms, confirmations, weddings, etc). The earthly remains of loved ones lay buried in the churchyard awaiting the resurrection. The fellowship in the church was precious to us, as we loved (and still do) each person in the pews of that congregation. There was every reason that we wanted this church to be an anchor point for our walk in the Lord. But increasingly, we knew something was fundamentally wrong in our church body, which was/is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). And this brings me to my reason for sharing. I don’t know how much attention you pay to what is happening within your church hierarchy above your local congregation. As a friend whose only motivation is to warn you of danger, I am today risking friendships to tell you that I believe that if your church is associated with the ELCA, there is much reason for you to be alarmed. Many of the highest leaders of the ELCA have openly taught that hell does not exist, that all will ultimately be saved, that other religions are equally as valid as Christianity, that Christ sinned, that Christ’s death was not a substitutionary atonement for our sins, that He was not virgin-born, that He was not literally bodily resurrected, and a host of other heretical teachings which fly in the face of our holy Scriptures. Teachings such as these are not coming from rogue congregations or pastors who have gotten off course, these teachings are being embraced at the very highest levels of the ELCA…those who teach in ELCA seminaries, those who are chosen to speak to our youth at national gatherings, those who write for the ELCA main publications, elected bishops, including the ELCA’s current presiding bishop. Friends—you may believe that your church’s main obstacles are financial in nature, or perhaps that you’re challenged with how to properly foster church growth. I’m humbly submitting though, that if your church is affiliated with the ELCA, you face a much more present and menacing danger. By their words and actions, the ELCA has shown that they are a blind guide that will lead your church body straight into a pit, and they’ll eagerly then devour the carcass to capitalize on the assets your church held. Why should you believe me? You shouldn’t. You should research these issues yourself. If I can help direct you to resources to do so, I would be glad to, and I would stand ready to assist in any other way that I am called upon in accordance with God’s will. I implore you though: Do what is necessary to take hold of your congregation and turn it back to the pure teaching of God’s holy Word. This is a difficult road. But resources are available to walk alongside you on this path. My family is healthy and happy, having been embraced by a confessional Lutheran congregation where we receive Christ each week in Word and Sacrament. My children have been buried with Christ in the waters of holy baptism. We are blessed. But we still pray for the congregation we left. We still love the saints in those pews. I pray that you receive these words in the spirit in which they were intended. In Christ, ELCA’s pastor of public witness told her teen daughter she can stay overnight with her boyfriend11/1/2021
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
When her 18-year-old daughter asked to stay overnight with her boyfriend, Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber, newly installed “pastor of public witness” of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said “I want you to love sex, sweetie…I want you to be comfortable in your body and learn what it desires and how to communicate that to your lovers. So start that process now. Know your body. Speak up for what you want or don’t want. That will serve you your whole life.” Divorced Pastor Bolz-Weber has publicly talked about how she enjoys sex with her boyfriend, so it is not surprising she told her teenage daughter she could spend the night. She didn’t tell her daughter to wait until she is married someday. She talked to her instead about having “lovers“: “I want you to choose well, and to treat your lovers with respect and concern. And I hope for your faith to be a part of your sexuality and vice versa. Also, you know that high you feel with Justin? It’s the most amazing feeling in the world. But I want you to understand that if it goes badly or if and when you break up, there may be a commensurate low. And it will feel awful. But that doesn’t mean something is wrong”. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says that sex outside of marriage is wrong and that “fornicators will not inherit the Kingdom of God”. But Bolz-Weber is the person the ELCA makes their “pastor of public witness“. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS. Here is the full article from Bolz-Weber: https://www.christiancentury.org/article/first-person/talking-my-children-about-sex-without-shame |
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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