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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.) United Lutheran Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has as its president Guy Irwin, who was the first practicing homosexual bishop of the ELCA with a “husband”. The ELCA has now elected seven practicing homosexuals, along with the world’s first transgender bishop. This month Erwin’s seminary in Pennsylvania is putting on a gay pride event to try to convince us that the Bible doesn’t really say what it says about homosexuality. The first speaker is Pastor Colby Martin who desires to “unclobber” the “clobber verses” of the Bible. He believes the traditional understanding of the Bible is toxic and wrong and we need to unclobber those views. The second speaker is Dr. Diane Sorrento who aims to convince people to accept transgenderism. Academic institutions often claim to be about diversity and hearing various viewpoints. You can bet that there will be only one viewpoint at this seminar, and it will be that of the radical left which has overtaken the ELCA. Also, this month in California is a gathering of people who have left the homosexual lifestyle behind. It is put on by Restored Hope Network and features scholars who hold to the biblical teaching on homosexuality and who repudiate sex change operations. Participants will hear testimonies of those who have come out of homosexuality and transgenderism and who have been transformed by Jesus Christ. You can bet none of these speakers will be invited to speak at an ELCA seminary. The people who are really clobbering people—for eternity— are those who teach that people can live in impenitent sexual sin and still inherit the Kingdom of God. They can’t (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS. For “What does the Bible teach about homosexuality?” see my article at pastorsstudy.org. It lists all the “clobber verses”  (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America now has seven practicing homosexual bishops. Below you will see a Pennsylvania homosexual bishop is flying off to help install another homosexual bishop in Massachusetts. And the gay bishop says this is going to make the ELCA “very fabulous”. The ELCA also had the world’s first transgender bishop, but “they” had to step down over alleged racism. At my house tonight, we had a prayer meeting and we prayed for the ELCA. But I made the point that I see absolutely no sign that this denomination is turning around. Yes, God can do anything and He can turn this denomination around, but for decades it just keeps getting worse. I told the prayer group that my belief is that God will continue to let the ELCA go its own way and we will see biblical churches grow and evil churches shrink into oblivion. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock  (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Saint Paul Reformation Lutheran Church in St Paul, Minnesota, has long been a leader in promoting all things LGBT in the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Years ago when homosexuality was still a sin and I was still a pastor in the ELCA, I used to do battle with their pastor (now deceased) at the microphone at conventions. But this congregation eventually won, and now the ELCA ordains practicing homosexual and transgender pastors. Below you will see their church bulletin inviting you to a gay pride brunch. You will also see the sticker they handed out at their table at a gay pride event, claiming that people who hold to the Bible’s teaching on homosexuality are “a—holes.” I’ll say it again, this ain’t my grandma’s Lutheran church. Neither St. Paul nor Martin Luther would have anything to do with St. Paul Reformation Lutheran Church. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS. The sticker says “God made you just the way you are”. Does that mean if I have a proclivity toward promiscuity, hatred, thievery, etc. that I can practice that too? The Bible teaches the doctrine of Original Sin, that we are all born sinners because of Adam’s trespass (Romans 5). That does not give us a license to sin. So, no, I cannot blame God for my sin.   As Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was beginning her first term as leader of the denomination, she gave a interview to the Toledo newspaper. In it she said,
"The decision we took in 2009 to say that if called by God and if having the gifts to serve, partnered gay people can serve, I think that was the right decision..." (see here) The ELCA officially took this position 15 years ago. People embracing sin and living in it unrepentantly, are ordained to be pastors in the ELCA. In addition, ELCA churches are allowed to have marriage ceremonies for gay persons. This decision in 2009 accelerated the downward spiral to depravity regarding sexuality within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Today the denomination also ordains bisexuals and transgenders.
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, is affiliated with the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. On Luther College's official website we read: "Luther College supports LGBTQIA students, advocacy and programming, Luther PRIDE, partnerships and collaborations in education...Our goal is to... (create) an open and affirming environment void of homophobia, heterosexism, cissexism, transphobia, and gender bias. Through educational, social, and supportive programming, along with conducting training sessions and consultation, the Office of LGBTQ Services serves the entire campus community." Martin Luther believed the Bible's teaching that homosexual behavior is sin. One would doubt that--if alive today-- Luther would be allowed to teach at Luther College. To my knowledge there is not one ELCA college which has rejected LGBTQAI+ "theology" and which still affirms the Bible's teaching on this issue. If you want your child to receive a Christian education, I would steer clear of ELCA-related colleges: Luther, Augsburg, St. Olaf, Gustavus Adolphus, Concordia Moorhead, Wartburg, and Augustana colleges. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock Queer ELCA Lutheran pastor helps transgender people understand "God created them just as they are"7/2/2024 (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Dawn Bennett is a queer pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America who works with transgender people. Pastor Dawn helps people see that if they are biological males but identify as females, God made them that way. In a glowing article in the ELCA's national magazine, Kathy Halbrooks of PFLAG, “Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays,” says this about queer Pastor Dawn's work: "I see so many LGBTQ+ people emotionally damaged by their experiences with negative organized religion. Pastor Dawn of The Table helps people understand that God loves them and created them just as they are." So if you believe what Jesus said, that "He who made them at the beginning made them male and female" (Matthew 19:4), you are part of "negative organized religion". You need to understand something that Jesus never said, namely, that God also makes people to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, asexual, pansexual, tri-spirit, etc. etc. This is the "brave new world" of the ELCA as it drifts further and further from Biblical truth and embraces the confusion and deception of modern American culture. Rather than help people out of sexual confusion, the ELCA confirms people in it. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock (See Living Lutheran 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.) I have reported earlier on a South Dakota Bible camp of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America called Outlaw Ranch. I attended many years ago as a teenager and it was biblical. In a week it is holding an LBGT Pride Camp for 14-18 year olds.
The camp states: "We are all created in the image of God and believe that all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions reflect God’s creative identity." What? God Himself (or Herself or Itself or Theyself) is LGBT? For pride week, the camp will revamp gendered bathrooms and cabins, use youth's "preferred pronouns", and help them be "their authentic selves". And if you are LGBT, you can opt out of Bible study. The camp states: "We recognize that church may not have been a welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ youth. With that in mind, we will offer our daily Bible study and worships, but it will not be required. Alternative activities will be provided. The goal of Outlaw’s Bible study is for our campers to understand that they are beautifully and wonderfully made and that God loves them no matter what." May I ask you to stop and say a prayer right now, that God would somehow intervene for the sake of these teenagers and put an end to the deception that this "Bible" camp is promoting? I can't help but think of the verse: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fashioned around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:6). Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock Source: https://www.losd.org/pridecamp (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Beaming Books is a branch of 1517 Media, the publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It has published a book edited by trans activist Leigh Finke who helped pass legislation making Minnesota a “safe state" for sex change operations on children. Finke's book tells LBGT teens that Jesus was "totally fine" with queerness, don't listen to parents if they are not gay affirming, and porn can be useful (see article below for full story.)
Regarding parents, "If your parents do not accept you and your queerness, then they do not know what’s best for you. They just don’t. Even if they love you, even if they’re praying for you...Just because they love you does not mean they know what is best for you. Limit contact with any adult who tells you something is wrong with you...just know that you are the only authority on who you are.” Regarding pornography, “For starters, porn can be a safe way to explore your sexuality. You can learn about your body and pleasure and how to make the most of both. You can also take that information, when applicable, and put it to use on your partner’s body." The book recommends watching porn “with your partner, which can open up new conversations about sex and pleasure, stimulate our natural arousal systems, or it can just be a silly fun thing to experience together.” This is perhaps the worst heresy yet from the ELCA. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (Article about the book here) The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has elected it's third homosexual bishop this year. The ELCA has a total of six practicing homosexuals who currently are bishops. (likely to grow in number this summer) ELCA pastor Nathan Pipho was elected bishop of the New England Synod. He is gay, as he explains in an article he wrote, "It was the saints at Good Shepherd, North Quincy, who took a chance on a pastoral candidate who was gay. This was seven years before the 2009 Churchwide Assembly lifted prohibitions on partnered LGBT persons serving as ordained ministers. It also coincided with the height of the clergy sexual abuse crisis that was hitting the Archdiocese of Boston at the time. Some of my friends counseled me this was not the best time for me to be open with them about my sexuality, that it was none of their business, that I should stay in the closet …but I knew for the sake of authentic witness I needed to be open." (See here) Rev. Nathan Pipho is a "...past chair of the New England Synod Team for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Inclusion." (See here) Since we are talking about Bishop-Elect Pipho, here is his position on a controversial transgender topic: "Earlier this year, the Charlotte City Council passed an ordinance that affirmed the right of transgender individuals to use the bathroom of their gender identity. It was right and fair." (See here)   See photo here - https://www.masslive.com/galleries/TDQWQH3E3BDT3MOAXKH4J34Z2U/ (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) For years, Living Lutheran, the official magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has printed articles promoting homosexuality and transgenderism, while forbidding the traditional, biblical viewpoint in its pages. As if to see how radical it can become, Living Lutheran magazine celebrates gay pride month in an interview with queer/bisexual ELCA activist pastor Elle Dowd, who calls for the overthrow of “heteronormality” and capitalism. It is the most radical Living Lutheran article to date.
Here are some highlights: The article begins: June is Pride Month, and we are excited to amplify the voices of our ELCA siblings who are proud to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community... Today we are speaking with pastor, author and activist Elle Dowd (she/they). Dowd states: I am currently...finish(ing) up my Ph.D. in queer theology, researching bisexual theology...I have a lot of religious trauma from growing up in the church...I received a lot of messages about the sinfulness of my identity (as a bisexual/quer pastor), which deeply harmed me... we can’t continue to affirm theology that is killing people. The ELCA needs to move toward a full-throated, wholehearted affirmation and even celebration of LGBTQIA+ people..What I want to know is: Are you lobbying your legislators to protect LGBTQIA+ people? Are you protesting and taking the streets when our rights are ripped away from us? ...Does your budget and your calendar reflect that we are a priority? Are we in your pulpits? In your liturgy? In your Sunday school illustrations? What kind of conversations are you having around reparations?...Does your congregation have education about the phenomenon of bisexual erasure? ...I pray for... the dismantling of white supremacy, for an end to cis-hetero patriarchy, for the fall of capitalism and empire, for #landback, for abolition, for reparations, for restoration... So ends the article Whew! The truth is that if I Corinthians 6:9-11 is true, that homosexuals will not inherit the Kingdom of God, then it is hateful to promote homosexuality, which the ELCA is doing in its national magazine. Living Lutheran is funded by ELCA offering dollars. That's right, your ELCA offering dollars at work, overthrowing “hetero-normality” and capitalism. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS. The article states that its author is Kelly Wilkerson who is in full-time ministry and “resides with her fiancée”, an unashamed plug for pre-marital cohabitation (Read Living Lutheran article here.)
We are just a couple days into what the woke have deemed "Pride month." Their "pride" is in being LGBT+ or supporters of the lifestyles.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in American (ELCA) has chosen to announce their support of people's sexual and gender twisting practices, as we see below:
This proclamation is from the national ELCA churchwide headquarters -
The next display is from the ELCA's Vice President - 
Additional "pride" posts that I've run across so far, (with little effort to find) include this from the ELCA's Susquehanna University - 
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Last week the United Methodist Church went against Scripture and 2000 years of Christian teaching and voted that homosexual behavior is now acceptable. Henceforth the United Methodists will have practicing homosexual pastors and perform gay “weddings”.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America did the same thing back in 2009. What was the response yesterday of Elizabeth Eaton, head bishop of the ELCA, to the Methodist heresy? She is overjoyed: “The ELCA rejoices and gives thanks to God for the opportunity to proclaim together (with United Methodists), from this point forward, that Christian teaching is for all people and that the gifts of all are welcome and needed to serve Christ's church. In unity, The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton”. (See here) Wait. For 2000 years, Christian teaching has not been for all people? All people, regardless of their sin, have always been invited to repent of sin and put their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. Eaton’s words show the arrogance of religious liberals who believe they are more enlightened and compassionate than all the Christians who have come before us. In truth, by affirming sin, the ELCA and United Methodists are not loving people. They are, as an old Lutheran pastor told me years ago, “nice-ing people right into Hell” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Bryan Penman is the newly elected bishop of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He has a male partner and an adopted child. Penman says this about his election: “So the spirit moved today, and I have a new call. I stand on the strength of thousands who have helped me say yes to this call and who have paved the way in the church against the odds. Soli deo gloria.” As a person who has personally struggled with same-sex attraction most of my life, I abstain from this behavior for the sake of Christ and my eternal soul (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). The Bible teaches that homosexual behavior is sin (see my article “What does the Bible say about homosexuality?” at pastorsstudy.org). Jesus taught us to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow Him. Instead today in the ELCA people are taught to affirm homosexuality and transgenderism. This was done to 31,000 teenagers at the ELCA’s national Teen Gathering.  The homosexual bishop claims the Holy Spirit is the one who “moved” to get him elected. This, to me, is much too close to the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus the only Savior, Pastor Tom Brock P.S. If you struggle with same-sex attraction, go to restoredhopenetwork.org and see resources and a possible support group in your area
Jen Negel is the second member of the LGBT+ community to be elected today (May 4, 2024) as an ELCA synod bishop. Pastor Negel was elected by the Minneapolis Area Synod. It will probably not be the last as synod assemblies are happening over the next 4 to 5 months.
You can read a bio of Bishop-elect Jen Negal from her current church here. For further confirmation you can visit the new bishop's Facebook page here. Here is the synod bio that she filled out for the election of bishop. 
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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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