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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. 
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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. 
(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. 
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."
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, through its advocacy office, celebrated gay Pride Month this past June.
In most cases, some money given to ELCA churches makes its way to ELCA synods, which in turn distributes some of that money to ELCA Churchwide. ELCA Churchwide uses some of the money received to promote and advocate for things they believe in, decisions headed by the ELCA Advocacy division. Therefore money given by individuals pays for the ELCA's extreme and often unBiblical policies, beliefs, pastors and leadership.
Some years ago a family visited my church because their Lutheran congregation was allowing a practicing lesbian to teach their daughter Sunday School. That was before the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's 2009 decision to ordain active homosexual persons. I drove by that church in a Minneapolis suburb a few days ago and wondered "How liberal is that church today?" I looked at the church's website to discover now one of the pastors is a lesbian with a "wife". And who is that "wife"? She is a pastor serving another ELCA church in the St. Paul area. I have noticed this before, that when one homosexual pastor is serving a church, their "spouse" might also be serving an ELCA-- or perhaps a United Church of Christ-- congregation.
This is what happens when we give up the authority of Scriptures. Anything goes, God is mocked, and the congregations tend to shrink. The ELCA has been shrinking since it was founded in 1988, but the shrinkage has increased greatly since 2009. In Jesus our Savior, 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.) The 65 bishops of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, met September 26-30th. One of their actions was to "to give priority to this church's response to the global crisis of climate change." The bishops also underwent "A training session presented by Aubrey Thonvold, executive director of Reconciling Works, that focused on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression." Audrey is a woman "married" to a woman and Reconciling Works is an organization that promotes the acceptance of homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism in the ELCA. And now Reconciling Works is training the ELCA bishops. Not too many years ago, Lutheran bishops upheld the belief that sexual intercourse is only for a man and a woman in the context of marriage. Today, the bishops are being trained on how to affirm those engaging in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender behavior. How the ELCA has fallen. God's judgement on this denomination continues to be evident in the ELCA's membership and revenue losses. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock 
The Rev. Jes Kast is coming to Augustana University this month. Rev. Kast is an minister in the United Church of Christ and "serves on the Planned Parenthood Clergy Advocacy Board."
Rev. Kast has been asked to speak at the Augustana Chapel of Reconciliation as well as give a lecture titled, "Won't You Be My Neighbor? Friendship and Solidarity Across Religious Differences," which is sponsored by Augustana's Department of Religion, Philosophy and Classics, Augustana Campus Ministry and the Thomas Staley Foundation. (See here)
Augustana Campus Ministry shared the event on their Twitter page:
The following Tweets are from Rev. Jes Kast:
Rev. Jes Kast retweet the following:
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) If you go to minute 58:30 of the video below and watch for about 7 minutes, you will see the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America discuss whether to celebrate their decision 10 years ago to ordain practicing homosexuals, a decision that caused the biggest church split in American history and which caused the ELCA huge membership loss. You will notice the delegates announce their preferred pronouns before they speak. One ELCA lesbian pastor, who is “married” to another ELCA lesbian pastor, speaks with emotion. After the discussion, delegates voted 91 per cent to celebrate their defiance of Scripture. ELCA membership and donations are shrinking, ELCA seminaries are downsizing, one seminary has closed, but the ELCA forges ahead in affirming homosexuality and transgenderism. I encourage you to watch a few minutes of the below. This is the bizarre new world of the ELCA where delegates tell us what their preferred pronouns are, whether those pronouns match their God-given anatomy or not. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock  The following are posts are from Rev. Steven Gjerde and Rev. Richard Johnson (Wednesday, Aug. 7). They are attending the 2019 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Churchwide Assembly. (I do not know if they are voting members or visitors.) It is nice to get an inside perspective of someone attending the gathering. I think it is safe to say that the two writers are not completely supportive of all that is happening in the denomination.   "A clergywoman from New York (pronouns she/her/hers) moves an amendment that would also recognize tenth anniversary of ordination of LGBTQ etc. "All clergy are an intersection of identities and experiences . . . we need to reorient and challenge the ways some of these gifts are not fully valued." Vice president of Metro NY (pronouns she/her/hers) speaks in favor. Pr. Minneapolis (she/her/hers): "my wife and I are both ordained in the ELCA" speaks in favor. "I'm acutely aware that ten years ago I would not be able to be here. I would love to be a part of this commemoration." Young adult from Metro NY (she/her/hers) "We must recognize that until ten years ago we did not recognize all women." NO ONE speaks against. Voting. 824 to 75. And so a commemoration of ordination of women becomes yet another LGBTQ thing. Let's see how that commemoration flies in congregations. There is applause; PB Eaton reminds people not to applaud. "There are people who do not agree with the action; out of respect for their opinion, please do not applaud." The wording of the amendment finally on the screen: 'and the 10th anniversary of the ELCA's decision to remove the barriers to ordination for people in same-gendered relationships and recognize the diversity of gifts that women's ordination brings to this church.'" - Rev. Richard Johnson (See here)  "I'm getting sick of the pronoun thing, so I'm not going to play any more." - Rev. Richard Johnson (See here)  Rev. Richard Johnson writes, "Vice President William Horne called upon to give his report. He, like others, refers to "siblings in Christ." It occurred to me this morning that this isn't just to avoid the longer "sisters and brothers," but to avoid offending non-binary people. It seems that the memo has gone out that this is the preferred language now." (See here)  "Tim Blevins of 1517 Media (Augsburg Fortress, Fortress Press, Sparkhouse and something else) is introduced and presents a video about the agency. Two of the three Fortress Press books highlighted in the video have a Nadia Bolz-Weber connection--in one case, she wrote the forward; in the other, there's a quote from her on the cover." - Rev. Richard Johnson (See here)        --- Bonus from Tuesday (Aug. 6, 2019): From Rev. Richard Johnson: "Tonight I'm attending the "hearing" on the revision of Vision & Expectations. This is sort of an outlier, since there's nothing about this on the agenda. But it was set up as an opportunity to explain what's happening with this proposed revision, hear people's ideas, etc. Chaired by Pr. Peder Johansen who is apparently a Council Member on the task force working on this. He turns this over to Philip Hirsch, executive director of ELC Domestic Mission unit. The draft called "Trustworthy Servants of the People of God" (see May 2019 Forum Letter) was so problematic that it apparently has been withdrawn.The email Hirsch sent out to all "rostered leaders" recently said "Our inclination is to begin fresh and not try to edit" TSPG "and to start with your voices." So this session is part of listening to "our voices."... ...As Hirsch explains this decision, he seems to be saying that a primary reason for it is that groups like ELM (Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries), weren't invited to be part of the process. He then adds seminary students and ethnic communities to those who "weren't included." The Domestic Mission unit has called together some listening groups. What they noticed is that there are two things conflated, one the need to deal with misconduct among the clergy, and the other a more aspirational piece about "expectations." In other words, the problem is that V&E was being used in a disciplinary way. There's more than sexuality that needs to go into a document like this. Cultural sensitivity to racism, for instance, needs to be included. First speaker notes that V&E had excellent theological grounding, while TSPG did not, it went right to behaviors. What's your intent for a new document? Response: a statement of faith has got to be part of the new document. What's your intention to include folks that represent the more traditional or conservative ELCA members? Response: the bishop we have on the group is Kurt Kuserow, deliberately chosen because he represents the more traditionalist view. We want to be sure that we reach out to all four "categories" in the sexuality study (i.e., the various positions on homosexuality). Minneapolis pastor who identifies herself as using she/her/hers pronoun. (I can see where this is going.) She wants to be sure that if there is to be an aspirational document, it has to be clear that is what it is and why we need it. It can't be used as a cudgel against LGBTQ community, but also e.g. seminarians, young leaders who may have different ideas about relationships (i.e., they want to have sex outside of marriage). I don't think we should have this document at all. SW PA pastor. Commend church for moving past a document used to separate those "good enough" to be pastors from those not good enough. We also need guidelines on how we are to care for ourselves; the temptation is for leaders not to do so. Chicago pastor who uses she/her/hers pronouns. I don't believe we can have a document like this without it being weaponized. Pastor from Upper Susquehanna Synod. He doesn't identify his pronouns. Let's talk and think about money also. As we prepare people to go into rostered leadership in this church, one of the most important things we need to do is to outline realistically the economic realities of the communities into which they will be called. Minnesota young adult lay person: Church needs leaders who can credibly relate to their congregations. I've seen peers go through candidacy process in conditions that encourage them to lie about their relationships and beliefs. Pastor in Northern Illinois synod. Was involved in a discussion of TSPG that included some Presbyterians. In their church, expectations are for all members, not just clergy. She also saw a document from the UCC which was brief and very good (didn't focus on sex). Have you considered other church's comparable documents. Answer: some of us have, but we will be doing that more intentionally. Adds that we have different expectations for pastors because of the power dimension. Pastor from MN (she/her/hers)--how many on the task force are single? Response: two of the twelve. Pastor says she is single, and she observes that single pastors are treated much more suspiciously than married people, who are assumed to be OK. When the people who are having the conversation are all married, that's a problem. (This gets applause) Response: Listening group is not intended to be totally inclusive. Her comment: 50% of people are single. Pr. Johansen points out that the statement in TSPG against cohabitation was there in order to have it in congruence with the sexuality statement. Minnesota "queer pastor, also married, pronouns she/her/hers". Church has been too interest in "CYA" (I think that means cover your ass) rather than the gospel. We need to be bound by the gospel, not by an unethical document. Pastor from WVA/WMD synod, serving on candidacy committee. "We've been watching very carefully." We want a document steeped in the Lutheran heritage. As a clergy woman I have to squint a little to see myself in the Augsburg Confession, but I can see myself. Pastor from SW TX: What does the church need? We need to talk about sex, when it's good and when it's bad. We need to say our pastors have sex, so deal with it. A huge part of the problem is that we're not talking about it. We want to control sex, but not talk about it. We talk about clergy having power, but female clergy actually experience men having power over them, and we need to recognize that. Candidate for ministry, on internship. Affirm what committee is trying to do. We need a document outlining expectations. I was excited by the title of the document TSPS--"trustworthy" is what we need to be, and I need to know what is expected of me. Not just about sex. Woman pastor: I've been married 35 years, but I don't see why my experience should be normative. Document puts terrible burden on pastors--we need self care, there's no document telling congregations they need to care for their pastor. (applause) Iowa pastor: remember the single people. I was single when I was ordained. I dated, got engaged, got married. I felt relief on my wedding day that now I wouldn't be asked to account for my life in a certain way. Once I got married my economic reality changed, so I could consider different calls. While you're listening, include single income households. Pastor Texas: what the church needs is healthy pastors/leaders who can have healthy relationships. Documents we've had have forced people to make decisions that have caused rushed marriages, bad marriages, etc. We don't need seminarians or pastors rushing into marriages. We don't need a document like this at all. (muttering of affirmations all around me) College student excited to start candidacy process. It's crazy to me that people are already talking to me about V&E, that I should start practicing those values already. She is LBGTQ woman of color. This isn't realistic; we know our high school and college students are having sex. We need to hear their voices. Pastor from Brooklyn. When I went through candidacy no one asked me about my sex life, because I had a heteronormative appearing marriage. Nobody asked me. This church is dying for a sexual ethic. We know the truth: we don't hold congregants to any standard, we're so desperate to have them come to our church. These documents are "white supremacist and heteronormative, based on some 1950s standards that we'll never see again" NE PA pastor (she/her/hers) We don't need a new document, because we don't need any document. We already have what we need in our baptismal vows. Pastor from Luther college (she/her/hers). Whatever we get, it shouldn't be a revision of V&E because of its history. We need to officially renounce that document. Response: We plan to begin from scratch, not revise either V&E or TSPG. Deadline is fall 2020 Ohio pastor: When I started my candidacy I was married, then divorced, single mom. Multiyear hiatus, now in my first call at 60 years old. There are churches who want pastors and can't afford them, we need to stop putting labels on people. MN pastor (he/him/his). We don't need an aspirational document Chair of synod candidacy committee. I've listened, I agree with much, but how about practical realities. What is a candidacy committee supposed to do? We've repudiated V&E but we don't have a new document. Response: Church council did debate that very question. They voted not to rescind V&E but leave it in place until a new document is decided. So we continue to use a document that's not being used for the purpose for which it was originally intended? Makes no sense. What can we do at this assembly to address this problem? Johansen: Constitution requires that there be a document, so we can't just scrap the present document until there's a new one. In the meantime, let's be better stewards of the existing document (i.e, don't misuse it). Conference of bishops did advise their candidacy committees not to misuse document." (See here) --- Another Bonus from Tuesday: "... approved with no discussion a recommendation to ask the Office of the Bishop to "provide materials to facilitate education among ELCA members so as to build awareness of the broad varieties of gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation among God's people, as well as to provide pastoral care insights regarding concerns and issues of the transgender experience and gender nonconformity, and to request that the Church Council consider authorizing development of a social message on gender identity and gender expression." Posted by Rev. Richard Johnson (See here)
The 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly is happening. Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, an organization that "affirms and supports LGBTQIA+ Lutheran rostered leaders and those pursuing a call to rostered leadership, while engaging allied congregations and ministries to proclaim God’s love and seek justice for all," (See here) is active at the assembly as you can see in the below social media posts. The first one is of Kevin Strickland, bishop of the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA):
And another ELCA bishop:
Celebrating sin. That is what we see happening in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Case in point, the bishop of the New England Synod of the ELCA, James Hazelwood, announced that the New England Synod's Churchwide Assembly t-shirt will, in part, say "We Celebrate" and "LGBTQ+." (See below)
The t-shirts are being made by the synod to be worn at the upcoming ELCA Churchwide Assembly. 
"Being Gay Is Not A Sin. Period", according to multiple social media posts by St. Paul's Church in Rye Brook, New York, an ELCA congregation (see below). This is a message that the ELCA churchwide continually sends in all they do to lift up LBGT lifestyles in their words, actions and publications. Of course, the ELCA's 2009 decisions communicated this too, when they approved of gay weddings and practicing homosexual clergy in the denomination.
The truth is, homosexual lust and sexual relations is a sin. God says this in His Word. Below are some St. Paul's Church social media posts, beginning with the post saying "Being Gay Is Not A Sin. Period.":
Paul Egensteiner, Bishop Elect of the Metropolitan New York Synod (ELCA), recently attended a gay pride parade and shared a heretical message. While giving people "...thumbs up or a handshake or high five or simply a greeting of 'Happy Pride!'" Bishop Elect Egensteiner tells of a specific encounter he had with a young man who asked him "You mean I'm not going to hell?” The ELCA bishop writes: "I was stunned. 'No,' I said. (Along with Bishop Eaton, I believe there is a hell but it is empty, by the grace of the Father and the love of Jesus.) 'God loves you!' He held my hand a little longer and then said, 'Come here. Give me a hug' As I did so, he repeated his initial question, 'So I’m not going to hell, right?' 'No!' I repeated, maybe a little more emphatically this time. 'God LOVES you!'” (See here) This statement about hell is wrong on many so many levels. - It is heretical to believe hell is empty. The Bible clearly speaks of people in hell and warns about going there. (See here) Teaching that hell is empty is universalism, a false teaching that all people will be saved. It is a dangerous belief that risks the eternal life of those who believe it. That is what this Evangelical Lutheran Church in America bishop elect (and many in the ELCA) believes. It is a teaching from hell. - In this exchange between the young man and the ELCA bishop elect, a false assurance of salvation was given. Nothing was said about faith in Christ, repentance, grace by faith for those who believe, fleeing from sin, forgiveness, God's Word or lovingly helping this man know the healing that God can provide him. Satan could not have done better. This is a grave teaching of the apostate Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Shame on the ELCA for not preaching that Hell is real, people will be in hell and that salvation is available to all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. - And then you have ELCA bishops encouraging sinful behavior that separates people from the Lord. ELCA members, you are hurting people and the Lord God Almighty by supporting this denomination.  (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 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's "Living Lutheran" magazine, an article entitled “A Cross-country message” highlights the nationwide trip of Mikah Meyer, a young adult homosexual who speaks in churches about gay inclusion. “After the service, people approached Meyer, many with tears, saying how much they appreciate his message.” Meyer states “It was a message and gospel of inclusion for LGBTQ people.” At one point in his travels Meyer was running out of money and a friend told him “Just tell people about your journey and growing up closeted in the church and tie it all into the gospel.” And, well, the Holy Spirit put in overtime” and the money came in. This is the new “gospel” of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, that we are to accept and celebrate homosexuality and transgenderism. And I believe it is close to blasphemy to say the Holy Spirit is the one who inspired the funding of this. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (See article on page 8 here)  |
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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