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Last week hundreds of Christian leaders signed a statement that stood in accord with Biblical sexual guidelines, the “Nashville Statement.” (see here) The “Christian” left threw a fit. They do not agree with Biblical standards on sexuality and gender.
Enter the darling of the ELCA, beloved by bishops and highly sought after speaker, Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber. She quickly reacted with a counter statement, called the “Denver Statement,” that outlines how far the ELCA has slipped from God and His truth. In the statement Pastor Bolz-Weber writes: - “WE DENY that God intends marriage as a gift only to be enjoyed by those who happen to be heterosexual, cis-gendered and fertile.” - “WE DENY that the only type of sexual expression that can be considered holy is between a cis-gendered, heterosexual, married couple who waited to have sex until they were married.” The popular ELCA pastor seems to be saying homosexual sex and heterosexual premarital sex can be holy. She goes on: - “WE AFFIRM that the glorious variety of gender and sexual expression is a reflection of God’s original creation design and are aspects of human flourishing.” So according to Nadia Bolz-Weber, God made people homosexual and a host of different (made-up) genders. - “WE DENY that sexual attraction for the same sex is outside the natural goodness of God’s original creation…” - “WE DENY that it is sinful to approve of queer identities and that such approval constitutes an essential departure from Christian faithfulness and witness.” (see here) After reading Nadia’s “Denver Statement” a signer of the “Nashville Statement” wrote, “It is always good to see what someone who has little ability to understand Scripture in its historical and literary context has to say about God's will. (I say this seriously, not sarcastically.) It gives us a window into her own theology divorced from the witness of Jesus and the apostles.” Another person commented, “I knew exactly what I was getting into when I saw it was Nadia Bolz-Weber. The unabashed way in which her statements discard even the semblance of Biblical alignment, and merely package regressive humanism, is still pretty bracing. I find the Luciferian (and I use that word advisedly) manner in which she recasts and perverts the Biblical perspective to be quite brazen. It's one thing to hold an incorrect and confused view, but to stand up and make a declaration like that... plainly rewriting truth before your eyes... stunning. And lest anyone think I overstate the case, her Luciferian alignment is proudly displayed in para 1 of her rewritten preamble where she expresses agreement with the spirit of this age - clearly flaunting it before the scripturally literate by putting herself on the other side of 2 Cor 4:4.” Not one ELCA leader signed the Bible-abiding Nashville Statement.
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A recently passed resolution by the New England Synod Assembly says the following:
"Be it resolved that the New England Synod memorialize the ELCA Churchwide Assembly to initiate a process to amend the phrase 'bring all people to faith in Christ' in C4.02b and its constitutional parallels in order to achieve greater consonance with both our understanding of Christian witness and sensitivity to our interfaith contexts." (see here) They want "to amend the phase 'bring all people to faith in Christ...'" What kind of true Christian denomination and Christ-following church leadership would want that? None. A resolution like this is the result of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's radical rejection of the truth of Scripture. When leaders in the ELCA teach universalism, that there is no hell, and their missionaries do not seek to convert the lost, why not remove the phrase “bring all people to faith in Christ” and all similar words from ELCA official documents? Watch to see if this comes up in upcoming ELCA churchwide assemblies and other synod assemblies and if the resolution passes. Additionally, at this year's Oregon Synod Assembly, there was the “Adoption of a bylaw allowing congregations to send additional Voting Members to Assemblies who can speak to us about concerns of the LGBTQIA community.” (see here) Is this like stacking the deck? They are allowing churches to bringing additional voting members specifically because of their supportive view on LGBTQIA issues. I wonder what pro-homosexual, pro-transgender initiatives will result from future Oregon Synod assemblies? As if they were not liberal enough. The same people who passed this resolution would throw a fit if someone presented a resolution saying the synod should also allow congregations to send additional voting members to assemblies who hold traditional views of marriage and can speak to heterosexual concerns. (The following article was written a few days ago by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
Today I spoke to a man whose wife is a popular staff member at a Protestant church whose church council recently voted to affirm homosexual marriage. A lesbian couple recently joined the church and he and his wife are wondering if she should resign. The pastor is more conservative but unwilling to make a bold stand. So I encouraged them to leave politely but loudly. I shared that if they leave quietly no one will know why they left. They need to create a good problem of forcing the liberal leadership to deal with its unbiblical decision. Letting everyone know why they left might encourage others to leave for a more Biblical church. Some time ago I received a letter from an ELCA Lutheran in northern Minnesota. She sent me her pastor's "coming out" sermon in which he announced to all--children included--that God had led him into a relationship with another man. He shared how overjoyed he was that God provided this partner. These are very strange days for the Church. If you are in an unbiblical church and are considering leaving, pray about it of course, but I encourage you if you leave, leave politely and loudly. You may be the means God uses to wake other people up. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
As in the past, the current February 2017 issue of "Living Lutheran" of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America continues to attempt to normalize homosexual behavior and transgenderism in the Church. One article "I'm a Lutheran" highlights a Lutheran choir director who talks about his "husband". Another article is entitled "Equal participants in the body of Christ: LGBTQ members find home in ELCA congregations". It talks about a homosexual man with a "husband", how they encountered homophobia, and how they found acceptance in an ELCA congregation. The article also highlights the ELCA's first officially ordained transgender pastor. She is a woman, who has "transitioned" and whom the article refers to as "he". Back in 2009 when the ELCA decided to ordain practicing homosexuals, it made no such decision to ordain transsexual pastors. But that has not stopped the ELCA leadership from doing so. Also, the 2009 decision acknowledged that there is a difference of opinion among ELCA Lutherans, some believe homosexual behavior is sinful, and some do not. Both views are to be allowed in the ELCA. But the view that homosexual behavior is sinful, to my knowledge, has never received print in "Living Lutheran". The conservatives who are left in the ELCA--which are fewer and fewer--need to request a balance. How about articles sharing how conservative congregations deal with loving people with same-sex attraction while still maintaining the Bible's teaching homosexual behavior is wrong? And the ELCA continues to decline. The current issue also talks about the state of ELCA's seminaries, which are facing declining enrollment, financial problems, layoffs and the need to merge to stay alive. The seminaries' problems have become more acute since the ELCA's 2009 homosexual decision. More and more people are leaving the ELCA, with their money. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock Over the past year I have been come across a number of comments by ELCA pastors who are calling the 2009 ELCA policy on homosexual pastors “discrimination” for allowing congregations to refrain from calling or considering a practicing homosexual pastor for their position. The same ELCA leaders also view the congregation's decision to not consider a sexually active gay pastor to be discriminatory. Read the following comment/question to ELCA Bishop Bill Gohl by ELCA Pastor and moderator for the ELCA Clergy Facebook page, Clint Schnekloth:
“…the current policy established in 2009 would allow congregations from excluding candidates who are in committed, same-gender relationships. Are you saying that you won't allow congregations in your synod to exercise that form of discrimination, even though it is enshrined in our current polity? If so, I commend you, but I wonder, will you also work to change the discriminatory policies we adopted in 2009, and work for full parity for all rostered leaders?” (see comment section of the Bishop’s blog here) Another ELCA leader, Libby Howe, responded to Rev. Schnekloth saying: “Thank you for this question. As one responsible for the mobility process in my synod, I am troubled by the way that the 2009 decisions permit, in fact encourage, congregations to codify discrimination. Not only that but they also require pastors to disclose their sexual orientation to the synod office (who is bound to honor the discrimination of congregations) whether or not a pastor wants to.” And Pastor Jason Churchill said: “To name the exclusion of any candidate based on race, color, gender, or sexuality by the church is nothing less than to name it one of the greatest sins we have committed against the Creator.” So according to many ELCA leaders a church is “discriminating” against homosexuals if they do not want an unrepentant practicing homosexual as their pastor. I don’t see how anyone who believes Scripture, that homosexual activity is sinful, can feel welcome or safe in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
The ELCA finally did it. Applauded by many ELCA leaders, an action that cements their defiance of the Great “I Am,” the God of the Universe, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has written official marriage tools for gay weddings in the ELCA. The resource even claims that "God joins this celebration." More on that later.
The ELCA posted the resources a few days ago calling it “Supplemental Resources for use within the Evangelical Lutheran Worship Service of Marriage.” (see here) The ELCA News Service made the announcement saying, "The liturgical resources were developed based on action by the ELCA Church Council to implement recommendations from the 'Ministry to and with Same-gender Couples and Their Families' working group." ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton comments, "This is work that the church asked us to do. These are faithful and sensitive supplemental resources which can be used by all couples." (see here) Rev. Kevin L. Strickland, the ELCA director for worship formation and liturgical resources, is quoted in the same ELCA news announcement saying, “These supplemental resources have been created to offer more inclusivity in language, pastoral care, and openness for all persons who seek to be married within this church,” And, “It has been said that marriage is a gift of God, intended for the joy and strength of those who enter it and for the well-being of the whole human family…It is my hope that these supplemental resources help point us as a church, in offering this gift for the whole human family.”
Notice how the ELCA goes to great pains to minimize the fact that this is for same-sex marriages: "For all persons" and "can be used by all couples." Even in the content of the materials you can not find words like homosexual, same-sex and gay, but it was written in response to "the church" wanting a resource for gay weddings.
Here are some specific quotes from the resource that signify its real purpose:
What is even more distressing is how the ELCA "speaks" for God in this same gender wedding resource. It says God celebrates gay marriages, how their marriage is a gift that points to Him and how they are married in God's sight. See below: “God intends the gift of their marriage to be a source of comfort and joy for them, and a blessing to all whom they encounter. Their promises bear witness to God’s faithfulness. Their love and care for one another, though human, finite, and flawed, reflect God’s enduring mercy and steadfast love. They love because God first loved them.” Page 2. “Your marriage brings you joy and serves the community by witnessing to Christ, as you daily die to self-centeredness and rise to self-giving love. God joins this celebration, pouring out the Holy Spirit to bless your marriage with forgiveness, courage, and compassion. The community joins God in rejoicing with you and in promising to surround your marriage with joy and loving support.” Page 3 “The uniting of these two persons in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy, for the help and comfort they give one another in prosperity and adversity, and that their love may be a blessing to all whom they encounter.” Page 3 “Acclamation A The presiding minister addresses the assembly. Name and name, by their promises before this assembly, have joined themselves to one another and are married in the sight of God. Those whom God has joined together let no one separate.” Page 8 And to no one's surprise, the ELCA can not help themselves but call God "mother." “Blessed are you, O God, mother of life.” Page 8 (see here) The Bible makes it clear that God does not celebrate homosexual activities; He calls it sin. By saying that God approves of same-sex marriages, the ELCA has shown themselves to be a false teaching cult. Warn as many people as you can and get out quickly. (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
ReconcilingWorks, the group that advocates for homosexuality in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is pleased that the newsletter "ELCA Worship News" has announced this (quoting ReconcilingWorks' website here): "The ELCA's Executive for Worship, the Rev. Kevin Strickland, is developing liturgical resources appropriate for same-gender couples to use within the marriage service of Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). It’s anticipated that these resources will be available online later this year. ReconcilingWorks will share the link to these resources as soon as they become available." This is a tragic betrayal by the ELCA of the God-ordained institution of marriage. Pastor Tom Brock Pastorsstudy.org (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
The Rev. R. Guy Erwin, bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Southwest California Synod, has been elected to the executive committee of the Bishop's Conference, which is made up of the ELCA's 65 bishops. He is "married" to his "husband" Rob. Not too many years ago, engaging in homosexual behavior was considered a sin and precluded one from being a pastor in the ELCA. Today, one can engage in this unbiblical behavior and rise to one of the highest positions of the Church. This is one more example why people should take their time, talents and money, leave the ELCA, and join a more biblical denomination. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
Pastor Jerry O'Neal of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has written a blog expressing his joy over homosexual marriage. Here are some excerpts: I believe the Supreme Court got it right on same-sex marriage...I am rejoicing with my LGBT friends today. First, about a so-called “Biblical definition of marriage” (or similarly, saying that marriage is “ordained by God to be one man and one woman”): the Bible doesn’t have one definition of marriage. If you look at the entire Biblical narrative, you will see that the standards of marriage change over time.... To those who say, “But you don’t believe in the Bible?” No, I don’t. As our former presiding bishop, Mark Hanson, once said, “I don’t believe in the Bible – I believe in the God revealed in the Bible.” The Bible is NOT inerrant. It contains clear contradictions in places (e.g. 2 creation stories in Gen. 1—3 that do not agree), and it has been open to interpretation from the beginning... Similarly, I do not believe the few Scripture texts that speak about same-sex relationships apply today. Marriage is a different institution than it was then (see above)...Divorce is now permissible for reasons besides infidelity, and remarriage is common, despite Jesus’ comments in Matthew 19:3-9 that such divorce and remarriage constitutes adultery.... Does this mean I will be performing same-sex marriages right now? No it doesn’t. Our congregation had conversations about this a month ago, and we were not all in the same place on this issue. My response: Whew! Rarely is a pastor so blatant in his heresy. "Despite Jesus' comments", he says, divorce and remarriage are now okay. How easily he puts aside the teaching of the Savior. And what is keeping him from performing homosexual "weddings"? His love for Christ? His trust in the Bible? No, his laypeople. This is another example of laypeople who are much more Biblical than a pastor who has lost his way. Please say a prayer for him and his church. If you would like to see how to respond to pro-homosexual arguments, go to pastorsstudy.org and view my article "What does the Bible say about homosexuality?" In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org (See Pastor O'Neil's post here or here) I received the following from a reader -
"I am in mourning today. Yesterday the ELCA church I've belonged to for 18 years voted to celebrate gay marriages. I saw it coming but the news has hit me hard. As a lifelong Lutheran, I have watched this denomination gradually turn its back on Scripture so that I now have no choice but to leave. My son and daughter-in-law, who is the Christian Ed director at the church, can't understand my stance. They, and a great majority at this affluent suburban church, ...love the comfy pews, beautiful music and innocuous sermons. A Bible is rarely opened there. I am leaving a social club that happens to meet on a Sunday morning. I weep for my 4 lovely granddaughters who are growing up there being indoctrinated with false teaching and ELCA social justice propaganda. The good news is I've found a new church -- much smaller and far less affluent -- that unapologetically proclaims Biblical truth. I pray that I can somehow be a witness to those I am leaving behind." Exposing the ELCA asked this question of it readers -
Would Jesus attend a gay wedding? Here are the results - 50.09% (289 votes) answered "No." 49.91% (288 votes) answered "Yes." Total Votes: 577 (The following articles were written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
Once upon a time, a Lutheran bishop would say "Of course, Holy Scripture forbids homosexual behavior and gay 'marriage'". Today Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America wrote this: "The ELCA social statement... neither endorses nor forbids same-gender marriages and recognizes that we have differing understandings and convictions on this matter...We seek to see our differences as a gift to be celebrated as we live out that which unites us..." Did you catch that? The fact that there are orthodox believers and also heretics in the Church who promote homosexual behavior is a "gift to be celebrated". No, it is a tragedy to be mourned. She also stated "the ELCA Ministry to and with Same-Gender Couples and their Families Working Group remains in the process of completing its work. A report of the group's findings and possible recommendations will be presented to the ELCA Church Council at its November meeting." Who is chairing this working group? George Watson, an ELCA member who is in a homosexual relationship. At a time when our nation desperately needs to see the Church stand for Biblical values, the best the ELCA can offer is: Lets all agree to disagree. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org By Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. Follow Pastor Brock on Facebook (here) and twitter (here.)
Montana Bishop Jessica Crist has written a "pastoral letter" to the churches telling them that each congregation is to decide whether to perform gay marriages. "There is nothing in ELCA policy that requires you to do same-sex marriages. And there is nothing that prohibits it, where the law allows". I couldn't help but think: Bishop, what about God's law? Nowhere in her "pastoral statement" does she mention Scripture. Of course, no one can find a Bible verse to support homosexual "marriage". The ELCA is reminiscent of the Old Testament verse "Everyman did what was right in his own eyes." I'll say it again, it is time to leave the ELCA for a more biblical denomination. --- (Read the Bishop's letter here. At the end of the letter are comments about the letter from Pastor Alan Baglien.) Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Chicago hosted a marriage equality service June 27, 2014, where eleven gay couples exchanged vows. “Bishop Wayne Miller of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America presided over the service. . .In Miller's words of welcome, he noted the special nature of this ceremony and said that Holy Trinity Lutheran Church has fought for greater inclusivity for the past 25 years. Miller also spoke about the bonds that bring two people together as a couple and called on the congregation to be witnesses to each couple's commitment of marriage to each other. During Miller's sermon he spoke about the importance of this occasion and thanked everyone for the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful celebration.” (see here) So here we have ELCA leadership presiding over gay marriages, and I can not find one bishop in the ELCA, out of 66, who has taken a stand to say it is wrong, denounced the ELCA for encouraging sinful behavior or for making vows to live in relationships that are quite evidently in opposition to what God says is best for His people. The ELCA is sinking into the abyss. Video from some of the ceremony - This week a federal judge threw out a 10 year old constitutional amendment, approved by the people of Oregon, banning same-sex marriage. A gleeful ELCA bishop, Dave Brauer-Rieke, went to the newspaper to proclaim his support for the federal judge's action. Bishop Brauer-Rieke of the Oregon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, in an obvious attempt to draw in new parishioners and money to the crumbling denomination, writes, “My church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S., has always and unwaveringly supported civil rights for all people. This includes individuals who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender . . . This past weekend, our Assembly of Oregon congregations overwhelmingly affirmed the freedom to marry for same-gender couples in Oregon. Thank you, Judge McShane, for doing the right thing.”
Bishop Brauer-Rieke than writes that the “Assembly of Oregon Lutherans also passed a resolution 'to stand in opposition to any and all attempts to legalize discrimination in the name of religious freedom.'" In other words, if you are a Christian business person, the ELCA synod rejects your right to refuse to participate in a gay wedding or to refuse to hire a transsexual. Bishop Brauer-Rieke writes, “In the public realm, Christians do not pick and choose.” (read here) Thank you, Bishop and the Oregon Synod, for letting us know that your denomination stands against and is leading the charge against the religious rights of Bible-believing Christians. |
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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