(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 want evidence that teenagers are being indoctrinated with a liberal political viewpoint in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, look no further. The below video is from this month’s ELCA Youth Gathering. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock
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In a prelude to the ELCA Youth Gathering this week, the ELCA held the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE). The ELCA describes it as "(a) pre-event of the Gathering and the largest gathering of people of color within the ELCA, the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE) empowers young people of color and those whose primary language is not English to claim their story as part of God’s story." (See here) As you can see in the pictures, a speaker at the event took the stage with Palestinian flags hanging from his neck. The speaker is Rev. Khader El-Yateem, the Executive Director for ELCA Service and Justice. The ELCA has a long history of advocacy against Israel and for "Palestine." (See here and here) The ELCA is representing it to youth attending their event, during a time of evil, carnage, violence and rape perpetrated against innocent Israelis by "Palestine" (on Oct 7, 2023 and continuing in many ways including launching rockets at civilians in Israel.) See pictures on the ELCA synod's Facebook page here.
We are seeing violence, Jew-hatred, anti-American speech, and discrimination against Jews coming from many college anti-Israel encampments. Lets see what the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is saying about the protest encampments.
A Facebook post by the ELCA documents the ELCA financially supporting the University of Minnesota's pro-Palestine/anti-Israel encampment. The ELCA post, shown below, calls what is happening in the student's encampments "holy work", proclaims the ELCA's support, and encourages people to "reach out to your local encampments and support the students protesting for a ceasefire and divestment of funds!" A second ELCA Facebook post says, "Students are protesting on campuses across America for a ceasefire and to divest from corporations who profit from Israel's war on Gaza. The students are rising up, are you? Connect with ELCA Sumud to learn how you can get involved in movements in your synod and the ELCA!" (The ELCA has renamed their Peace Not Walls initiative that targets Israel. It is now titled Sumud) Aided by pro-Palestinian propaganda, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) continues it's advocacy for actions that hurt Israel and that aid the terrorists in Gaza. The ELCA's spiel, posted below, states the number of Palestinian people killed in Gaza. Those numbers come from Hamas' Health Ministry. PUSH FOR CEASEFIRE BETWEEN ISRAEL & HAMAS CONTINUES: ELCA advocacy continues to urge Congress and the Administration to: (1) Publicly call for a ceasefire to prevent the further loss of life; (2) Prioritize the protection of all civilians, including by urgently securing the entrance of humanitarian aid into Gaza and working to secure the release of hostages; and (3) Urge all parties to fully respect international humanitarian law. Over 27,000 Palestinian people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, of which approximately 70% are women and children, and 1.9 million have been displaced from their homes (approximately 85% of the population). As of Jan. 29, 69 U.S. legislators have voiced calls for a ceasefire. ELCA is calling on senators to co-sponsor Senator Van Hollen amendment, which requires that “weapons received by any country under the [request be] used in accordance with U.S. law, international humanitarian law and the law of armed conflict.” The measure also requires the president to report to Congress on the matter and, according to the press release, to strengthen “current law that prohibits U.S. security assistance to any country that prevents or restricts U.S. humanitarian assistance to those in need.” Why It Matters to the ELCA Freed by the transformative life of Christ, the ELCA is committed to accompaniment, advocacy and awareness-raising with our partners in the Holy Land and in the United States. Sumud, an Arabic word meaning “steadfastness” used to describe this ministry and work since Oct. 2023 ELCA announcement, connects ELCA members to our companions in the Holy Land and seeks to follow the guidance, support the leadership and amplify the voices of our Palestinian partners. Together with our Lutheran companions, we accompany Palestinians and Israelis, and many other Jews, Christians and Muslims, in working to establish the justice required for peace. What’s Next In January, the Senate tabled Senator Bernie Sanders’ effort to curb military aid to Israel during Israel-Hamas war, but “the roll call vote begins to reveal the depth of unease among U.S. lawmakers over Israel’s prosecution of the war against Hamas…In all, 11 senators joined Sanders in the procedural vote, mostly Democrats from across the party’s spectrum, while 72 opposed.” A number of senators were unable to travel in time for the vote in D.C. due to winter weather storms. The future of the resolution is unclear, but Sanders has vowed to continue to advocate oversight from Congress. (See here) Six days after the Hamas attacks on Israel, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton issued a statement which blames Israel for what Hamas did.
In the statement, which was highly distributed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, their top leader writes: "We must also call a thing a thing. The power exerted against all Palestinian people — through the occupation, the expansion of settlements and the escalating violence — must be called out as a root cause of what we are witnessing." (See here) The ELCA is saying that Israel is to blame for Jewish babies being beheaded by the Palestinians. Jewish citizens, the elderly, women, men and children being hunted down and murdered. Israelis burned to death, girls being raped and 100+ people kidnapped, all by Palestinian attackers is the fault of the Jewish state according to ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton. The ELCA holds a satanic view of the Israeli-Palestinian historically, including the current situation. They have continually acted to harm the only Jewish country. (See here) The ELCA is evil and doing the work of Satan. Please let your friends and family who attend ELCA churches know this, so they are aware of what they are supporting and part of. (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.
In an ugly display of anti-Semitism, the ELCA, which continually demonizes Israel, came out with a series of articles and news releases against Israel for what the ELCA views as the annexation of Palestinian land. The ELCA writes that they want "liberation not annexation." In truth, Israel is "extend(ing) its rightful sovereignty over Judea and Samaria." (Quote from here)
But the ELCA showed their anti-Semitic cards, in plain sight, when in a news article the ELCA tried to point to Israel as a reason George Floyd died: "The Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director of ELCA Global Mission, said that one should be aware of the connection between the Israeli government’s repressive tactics against Palestinians and those taking place against people of color in a number of localities around the United States. 'As it has been reported, the kind of police tactics used to kill George Floyd are among those taught to a number of police departments that have taken part in training by Israeli police and military forces,” Malpica Padilla said. “For example, 100 Minneapolis police officers received counterterrorism training from Israelis at a conference held in 2012.'” (Read here) It is disgusting that the ELCA is trying to capitalize on the wrongful death of George Floyd and the anger this has generated, to try to infuriate people against the only Jewish country. How can anyone stay, support and pay the salaries of people who would do such a thing? Read more about the ELCA's demonization of Israel here. Kathryn Mary Lohre, Assistant to the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA and Executive for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations & Theological Discernment, writes on the ELCA website about this action of Israel, calling Israel racist toward "Palestinians." She also tries to connect George Floyd and racism in America to what is happening with Israel toward "Palestinians" in a biased advocacy letter, she says: "The racism that has kneeled on the necks of Black Americans for 400 years is part of the same global pandemic as the racism that has been kneeling on the necks of Palestinians for 53 years of military occupation, and that has been even more suffocating under Israel’s nation state law, adopted in 2018." (See here) ELCA's top bishop Elizabeth Eaton is so passionate about advocating against Israel that she took to her official Twitter account to display more of her biased understanding of the Israeli situation: — Bishop Eaton (@ELCABishopEaton) June 29, 2020
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) recently compared the Berlin Wall to the United States border wall with Mexico and the Israeli wall with the terrorist Palestinian entity.
The ELCA social media post (see below) says "Today is the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. As we celebrate this historic symbol of freedom, we also hold in our hearts those who are still divided by walls — in Palestine, at the U.S.-Mexico border and in all the other places we build barriers." This is disgraceful. Extreme liberals are running the ELCA. They proclaim their extreme ideas under the guise of Christianity while collecting their salaries from people who are tithing/giving to the Lord. It is time to either stop giving and attending churches that are part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America or help your church or the churches around you move out from under the leadership of the ELCA. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has a long history of advocating for measures that would harm the state of Israel. Again last month, according to ICN, Elizabeth Eaton, the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, signed onto a letter that said;
"A truly viable peace can only be achieved by lifting the Gaza blockade, by ending the Israeli occupation of territories captured in 1967, through the realisation of Palestinian self-determination, the recognition of Jerusalem as a shared capital for Israelis and Palestinians and the recognition and fulfilment of the rights of Palestinian refugees. Such a peace can only be reached in consultation with leaders representing both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples." (See here) Notice that all of the ELCA leaders requirements for "viable peace" are Palestine talking points that require Israel to concede. They are measures that are destructive to Israel and require nothing of Palestine. This is a delusional position and the ELCA's motivation for it must be considered. (see more about the ELCA and Israel here) If you support Israel you should not be part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), along with a number of mainline denominations, released a statement last week "rejecting President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights." (see here and an article by the PC(USA) titled "Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and other denominations oppose Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights" here) Israel won the Golan Heights, along with additional land, in 1967, against countries that wanted to destroy the Jewish state. But true to form, the ELCA has sided with many Jew-hating countries and individuals who use the Golan Heights acquisition as an instrument to attack Israel. The ELCA has a long list of examples, as well as history, of taking positions in opposition to Israel. (see here) Last month the ELCA made another of the endless calls for action against Israel, this time wanting people to pressure Congress to urge Israel to allow access to the city holy sites. Because of violence, Israel temporarily denied access to the sites, but the ELCA doesn't say that. They pressure Israel, use bias words, and in the below statement, inflate sentiment to their own viewpoints benefit. For instance, saying "the international community's insistence that East Jerusalem is an occupied area." Many in the international community to do not agree with that. And then the ELCA saying "U.S. churches have consistently supported a shared Jerusalem as capital for Israel and as a capital for a Palestinian state..." I'm pretty sure more U.S. churches do not support dividing Jerusalem making East Jerusalem a Palestinian capital. But most ELCA leaders do. (See here)
Finally, the post below shows the ELCA advocating for people to attend the anniversary events of "Gaza's March of Return." The idea is that people whose relatives once lived in Israel have a right to return to live in Israel. The "march" has been happening for over a year, with Palestinians gathering on Israel's border, rioting, rushing the boarder fence, and perpetrating violent acts. I believe this link shows the "congressional briefing" the ELCA is wanting U.S. senators and congressional representatives to attend. Of course, the anniversary events are supportive of "Gaza's March of Return."
Pay attention to the people lifted up by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, those on whom they shine a spot light -- like the vile-speaking and sin-preaching people the ELCA placed in front of 31,000 youth this summer. (see here, here, here,
here, here, here and here) or the people living out sinful lifestyles whom the ELCA advocacy featured this summer. (see here) Please note who is writing articles for the ELCA's magazine and the people they feature in ELCA publications. They are not orthodox, conservative, or Bible-believing Lutherans. This week Pastor El-Yateem was featured in the ELCA's official magazine Living Lutheran (see here and below).
- He is quoted in a New York newspaper saying, “I support BDS. And I will say this publicly, I say it to everyone.” (See here) BDS is a Palestinian origination movement aimed at encouraging Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel. In a moment of truth-telling, El-Yateem announced, "My church the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and I support the BDS."
(Radical Linda Sarsour, who is a friend of Rev. El-Yateem as you will see in pictures below, commented on Rev. El-Yateem's post saying BDS is "a non violent means of protest protected by the US constitution." See here and read about Linda Sarsour here)
The BDS movement is anti-Semitism in action. This movement has no place in the Christian church, yet we have the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America supporting this movement (see here for further confirmation). Add to that Rev. Khader El-Yateem, also a high-ranking ELCA leader, is an outspoken advocate of BDS. - Last year, Rev. El-Yateem offered housing to Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) staff when the United States spoke of closing the PLO mission in the nation's capital. (see here) If you are not aware, the PLO has a long history of terrorism against Israelis. (See here)
Here are some of other anti-Israel social media posts by Rev. El-Yateem. Two years ago, the ELCA pastor shared this post, a radical message to and about both Israel and the United States.
Below is what Pastor El-Yateem believes and thinks. History says otherwise. In the following Facebook post, ELCA leader Khader El-Yateem says, "the Israeli soldiers have no respect for human life or law." Notice the rocks being thrown at the soldiers in the video he shared. Below, the ELCA pastor expresses delight with President Obama's betrayal of Israel. Next Khader El-Yateem shows his displeasure with a new Israeli law allowing BDS advocates to be banned from Israel. He could and should be one of those banned from ever going to the Jewish state. Did you know Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Rev. Khader El-Yateem is a socialist? - While running for a political office a few years ago, ELCA pastor El-Yateem said, "I want to be Trump’s worst nightmare.” That is recorded in an article about Rev. El-Yateem titled (see here) Meet the Socialist Who Hopes to Become New York’s First Arab-American Elected Official. The article goes on to say, "It was these progressive credentials that inspired the New York chapter of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to endorse El-Yateem and marshal its fervent base to volunteer on his behalf week after week, day after day. As of early September, the DSA reported that 'nearly 300' of its volunteers have participated in the El-Yateem campaign, including knocking on over 15,000 doors. And, while El-Yateem admits that some Democrats are unsure about the term 'socialism,' he is proud of the endorsement and unabashed about his socialism. 'Jesus was a socialist!' he laughs, referencing his vocation as a pastor."
ELCA Rev. Khader El-Yateem radicalism runs deep in many other areas too. Below are some of his social media posts. - Rev. El-Yateem retweeted a post saying "Abolish profit. Abolish prisons. Abolish cash bail. Abolish borders. #AbolishICE." - And here the ELCA pastor takes a knee with Linda Sarsour to #StandWithKap.
- ELCA pastor El-Yateem must be pretty close with Sarsour, here he says "#IMarchWithLinda." - So moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem is against Jesus, but Palestinians claiming the Jewish capital as their own is not? - ELCA leader El-Yateem is honored to have an abortion advocating organization's endorsement. And he adds "Women's health is non-negotiable."
- This ELCA leaders stands with LGBTQ community and displays some fine name-calling skills.
- And again, happy pride and #LoveIsLove posted by the ELCA leader.
This is the leader being lifted up by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. ELCA Wants the United States to Pay Palestinian Bills to the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)10/4/2018 Yesterday the ELCA Conference of Bishops issued a statement (see here) that coincides with the statement last month, by ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, asking for the United States to pay $25 million in expenditures to 6 hospitals that treat Palestinians. One of those hospitals, the Augusta Victoria Hospital, is run by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), of which the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a member.
The ELCA and LWF are very sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and antagonistic to Israel. And they want U.S. taxpayer money to compensate them, because the Palestinian people and their government are not paying the bills that they accumulate at the hospital. The terrorist Palestinian state is manipulating the system, and the ELCA and LWF are willing participants who, up until this year, were passing the bill on to the United States. The ELCA and LWF need to pay their own bills or demand the Palestinian government pay for their services received. The United States has helped this terrorist, Jew-hating entity enough. The United States has given over $700 million alone to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in 2016 and 2017. (see here) It is time to stop paying their and the ELCA/LWF’s expenses. Doing so enables evil behavior. Read more about the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s evil actions against the Israel here. We have exposed the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering’s extremely disturbing speakers (see here and here). Today I’d like to tell you about some of the activities, or as they have termed it, “Interactive Learning,” the ELCA has assembled to “educate” those attending the gathering, which takes place June 27 – July 1. The ELCA describes "Interactive Learning" as "A 'Holy Playground' of sorts, that invites Gathering participants to encounter God through a variety of learning styles and sensory experiences. All 30,000 participants have a dedicated day in the three day program rotation to experience the extensive offerings inside the over 700,000 square feet Interactive Learning space.” (see here) The “Interactive Learning” takes place in dozens of stations/booths/activity areas and you should be concerned over who the ELCA has decided will speak to and instruct your children, as well as the content that will be communicated. One option the ELCA offers attendees is hosted by the ELCA church of the extremely troubling, ELCA youth gathering keynote speaker, Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber. The description provided is ridiculous: “What I wish I’d known: Lessons on spirituality and sexuality Take a break in a relaxing space and ask anonymous questions about sexuality. Participate in learning activities on consent, healthy relationships, birth-control methods, anatomy, boundaries, sexuality and spirituality. We are not teaching a particular values system about sexuality. Rather, this is answering questions with medically accurate information and helping youth determine how they form their values regarding sexuality.” This group answering students questions is described in the ELCA materials: “HFASS Denver - House for All Sinners and Saints (HFASS) is a group of folks figuring out how to be a liturgical, Christo- centric, social justice-oriented, queer inclusive, incarnational, contemplative, irreverent, ancient-future church with a progressive but deeply rooted theological imagination. We are here to explore healthy and life-giving connections between spirituality and sexuality and answer teens' questions about sexuality.” (page 20) Another “Interactive Learning” activity is hosted by an LGBT advocacy group, Reconciling Works. The 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering Guide Book tells us about it: “God adores you! Come and be part of sharing the news that God adores you just the way you are! Join in the affirmation and celebration of the diversity of people. Learn how to extend welcome and inclusion to LGBTQIA+ people in your congregation! ReconcilingWorks - An independent Lutheran nonprofit that works for the full welcome, inclusion and celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQIA+) people in the Lutheran church. It is our vision that the church is a place where LGBTQ people and their families can worship and thrive, bringing all their God-given gifts to mission and ministry for the world.” (page 27) The radical group #decolonizeLutheranism is interacting with the youth at their "Interactive Learning" activity: “Bracelets of fortune: Identity and intersectionality in Scripture and beyond.” Here the youth will learn the following: “Scripture talks about how personal characteristics precious to us (e.g. gender, age, race, dis/ability) are often despised by others. What’s more, some of these characteristics overlap, making us even more beautiful and vulnerable. Explore the lives of Bible characters and find how these crisscrossing identities impact us and those around us. Here is the description of the group leading this session: “#decolonizeLutheranism - We are a group of Lutherans across the spectrum of race and ethnicities, ages, gender expressions, sexualities and abilities who have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make our communities more welcoming of the diversity in them – be those communities individual congregations or neighborhoods, cities and nations.” (page 27) Other “Interactive Learning” experiences for the students include “Refugee integration obstacle course” and “People on the move: A migrant and refugee experience.” And finally, why not indoctrinate the youth against the Jewish-state? At the falsely titled booth/experience “Peace with justice in the Holy Land” the 30,000 young people will learn: “What does life under military occupation look like? What is peace with justice? Hear from Palestinian youth from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, learn about the conflict in Israel and Palestine, and learn how you can help make a change happen.” It is put on by the ELCA, as a part of their “Peace Not Walls” campaign. (page 26) Wild. Sad. Concerning. These young people are impressionable. Pray for God to move in the hearts of all who attend that they may discern truth from lies and stand up against falsehoods so that they may boldly follow the Lord Jesus in the face of false teaching and deception. Here is a link to the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering Guide Book where you can read all the details referenced above.
It has been about one week since the top bishop in the ELCA called for the destruction of the Jewish state by, in essence, saying she wants over 5 million "Palestinians" to be imported into Israel. (see here) Now she is preaching the propaganda of Hamas and their cronies, placing blame on Israel, which is typical of the ELCA, regarding the violent riots and attempt to infiltrated Israel on the Gaza/Israeli boarder, in this new declaration called “ELCA presiding bishop's pastoral message on situation in Gaza.”
The ELCA Presiding Bishop writes: “Like so many here in our country and around the world, I am appalled and saddened by yesterday's escalation of Israeli military action against protestors in Gaza. Many reports indicate that at least 60 Palestinians, including six children, have died and more than 2,000 have been injured as a result of Israel's disproportionate use of force.” She claims the the protesters are "Palestinian civilians." And then Eaton declares her endorsement of a Lutheran bishop in Israel: “I endorse Bishop Sani-Ibrahim Azar's call ‘upon the Israeli government to show restraint and to pursue negotiations with Palestinian leaders rather than choosing violent action against unarmed protestors.’" She also shared her displeasure with the U.S. Embassy being moved to Jerusalem. And at the end of the message ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton reiterated her call for a divided Jerusalem and for it to be a capital for Israel and Palestine. (see here) ELCA Presiding Bishop Eaton is not being truthful when she claims the Palestinian protesters are "unarmed." See the links below, some of which document gunfire toward nearby Jewish cities, powerful slingshots, grenades, bombs, etc. used by the Palestinians. There are also credible reports that many of the Palestinians protesting are being paid by their government to be there. A few news articles below also report at least 53 of those killed by the Israeli Defense Forces were members of terrorists groups (Hamas and Islamic Jihad), that Israel dropped leaflets telling everyone to stay away from the boarder fence, and that there have been attempts to break down the fence. Notice too, that Bishop Eaton did not call on the Palestinians to end their violent actions against the Jewish State. If you support Israel, it is time to leave this left-wing, radical denomination that pushes anti-Israel propaganda. Does the Media Really Understand the Gaza Violence? Australian PM: Hamas is to blame for Gaza deaths Israel Has the Right and Obligation to Defend Its Border with Deadly Force Hamas official: 50 of the 62 Gazans killed in border violence were our members
Hamas, an anti-Israel terror group, is enjoying a huge propaganda boost from the Gaza protests Here’s why Israel used lethal force during mass protests in Gaza Monday Timeline: Elite Maglan Unit Foils Hamas Border Attack, Kill 8 Terrorists [Video] The real headline: IDF saves thousands of Israeli lives
The ELCA is wrong on many things, and their continued badgering and condemnation of Israel is one of them. The ELCA has chosen to side with people who have a vile hatred for Jews.
A few weeks ago the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America signed a statement condemning Israel for some imagined violation against the “Palestinians.” It is almost always a fabricated, biased, or deceptive claim. The ELCA holds Israel to standards that they hold no other nation. One must question their motivations. The ELCA has a history of disgusting anti-Semitism that dates back to Martin Luther. In this latest statement of demands and condemnation of Israel, the ELCA has even taken up the cause called the “Right of return” saying, “Palestinian refugees have the right to return to their homes, and to compensation for loss of property, as laid out in UN General Assembly resolution 194.” (see here) So the ELCA is calling for anyone claiming to have been in Israel, just before 1948, and all of their offspring, to be able to go and dwell in Israel. This is an outrageous demand that would destroy Israel. Advocating this position shows that the ELCA leadership does not know history and again, is an example of how the ELCA holds Israel to different standards than they do the rest of the world. For instance, the ELCA is not making these same demands for all displaced persons of war who have been allies with losing aggressors, such as the Palestinians, demanding that they be able to return to that land and be compensated. In the case of Israel, the land was won in battle 70 years ago. In 1948, Israel, a brand new nation who just wanted to live in peace, was attacked by their Arab neighbors. Around that time, “the Jews of Palestine urged Arab inhabitants to remain in the area and become part of the nascent state. Despite these pleas, however, the majority of Arabs fled, many heeding their own leaders' promises that they could return after the Jews were driven into the sea.” (see here) The 150,000 that did stay became Israeli citizens after Israel defeated the coalition of Arab countries. But now the ELCA and many others are demanding that Israel import around 5 million “Palestinian refugees,” most who hate Jews, insisting they be given land, money and housing. It would destroy Israel, a land that has a current population of just over 8 million people.
Learn more about the current situation happening in Israel that inspired this latest, bias, hateful ELCA statement - March of Return nothing more than terrorists’ plaything
And, Below is a Facebook post by the ELCA's, Metropolitan Chicago Synod containing a link to the recent ELCA statement. |
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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