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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.) Living Lutheran, the national magazine of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has an article giving advice on how to observe lent. It starts with this "Deep breaths.… Remember to breathe deeply. While doing so, perhaps you can meditate on a mantra such as "I breathe in peace. I exhale worry.” A mantra is the Hindu practice of repeating a phrase over and over to achieve magical and spiritual results. The article also recommends reading a “centering poem” each day and “Light a candle. Sit by its glow. Watch the flame and smell the scent. Repeat as often as needed, whether aloud or silently: “Jesus is the light of our world.” This incorporating of non-Christian religious practices reflects what the ELCA did at its last national assembly in affirming that we do not know what God thinks of non-Christian religions. One delegate tried to amend that saying, yes, we do know since Jesus said He is the only way of salvation (John 14:6). The delegate was voted down by 97 percent. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (See article on page 9 here) 
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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.) The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America continues to push for a feminist understanding of God and a diminishing of God the Father in its December, 2021 edition of Living Lutheran, the official magazine of the ELCA. In an article entitled "A Gift of Ministry: Embracing mom–pastors and a mothering God" the magazine quotes from ELCA Pastor LeeAnn Pomrenke's book "Embodied: Clergy Women and the Solidarity of a Mothering God". She writes "When I began recognizing the mothering behavior of God in my own experience, it made me feel less alone...We have fallen into a rut in referring to God mostly as "Father" in the church..." One must ask: Was Jesus in a rut when He taught us to refer to God as Father? Never once did Jesus refer to God as "Mother." Are we in a rut praying regularly "Our Father", the prayer our Lord taught us to pray? Do the people running the ELCA know more about God language than Jesus Christ? Another article in Living Lutheran written by Karoline Lewis, preaching professor at Luther Seminary, talks about God revealing "God's self". It is normal to talk about God revealing "Himself," but that is too patriarchal so now a new phrase has been invented. Living Lutheran magazine regularly eliminates masculine pronouns for God, using "God...God...God.." instead of "God...He...etc." This de-sexing of God language has been going on for a long time in the ELCA, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, and the United Church of Christ, but at its last national assembly the ELCA voted to officially declare itself in favor of more "expansive and inclusive" language for God. The liberal mainline Protestant denominations are shrinking, and they should. Any denomination which is embarrassed by 'Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" language and desires to "expand" beyond it does not deserve to exist. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock 
Lenny Duncan is a highly controversial pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It should surprise no one that he and his radical message have been embrace by the denomination's leadership and pastors, who are paid by conservative, Bible-believing membership.
A recent article talks about Rev. Duncan and his former church, Jehu's Table, saying, "At Jehu’s Table church in Brooklyn, New York, Duncan proclaims his gratitude during Communion for African American role models ranging from transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson to Nation of Islam leader Malcolm X to civil rights minister Martin Luther King Jr." (See here)
Below you can read what Pastor Duncan is about and what he is saying. You will also see that the ELCA has embraced Rev. Lenny Duncan all the way up to the highest of ELCA leaders.
- The official ELCA magazine published an article written by Rev. Duncan where he says,
"I believe that the call of the church in the 21st century is to dismantle white supremacy; that the way of the cross for the entire church is to lay down our lives, resources, buildings and endowments to this cause. That our entire future as a church and as a credible, viable Lutheran witness in the 21st century and beyond is balanced on this alone." And, "Our church is the place to have hard and loving conversations that call us to repentance and reparations..." (See Living Lutheran article here) Rev. Duncan then says implementing his vision for the ELCA will bring about church vitality, that sanctuaries will swell.
- “You can't have reconciliation without repentance. Until the ELCA recognizes the way that it's treated persons of color, specifically black folks, and until they realize their style of church is inherently racist and repent from that, until they talk about reparations to the children of pastors who were never paid full salaries, then I don't think there can be reconciliation.” - Lenny Duncan (See here)
- As a form of reparations, Rev. Duncan also advocates for, "..all straight white males in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to remove their names from ballots for bishop." (See here) 
- Fortress Press, Rev. Lenny Duncan's publisher, describes Rev. Duncan's book saying, "It is time for the church to rise up, dust itself off, and take on forces of this world that act against God: whiteness, misogyny, nationalism, homophobia, and economic injustice. Duncan gives a blueprint for the way forward and urges us to follow in the revolutionary path of Jesus." (See here)
(See above article http://www.outsmartmagazine.com/2019/07/queer-lutheran-preacher-calls-on-church-to-end-white-supremacy/
- At this time Lenny Duncan was the pastor at Jehu's Table:
- From ELCA Bishop Patricia Davenport, of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod.
- Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton appeared in a film made by Lenny Duncan. 
- Kristen Kuempel, ELCA bishop of the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod is promoting Rev. Lenny Duncan and says about his book "I know several of our church leaders are reading" it.
- Rev. Duncan now has a new job as the Mission Developer Pastor an ELCA church, Messiah Lutheran Church and Preschool in Vancouver, Washington. Currently, Rev. Duncan is writing blogs calling for the ELCA to pay reparations. (See the first of four, so far, here) Pastor Duncan is throwing ELCA higher ups under the bus and making things difficult for the ELCA with his anger, race baiting and demands. This should be no surprise to those who know history. (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Nicole Garcia was born a man, married a woman, and then divorced. After that time he went to a transgender conference and discovered “I’d always been a woman. The weight lifted from my shoulders and, for the first time in my life, I felt at peace. I claimed myself as Nicole.” “She” then joined a congregation of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and “fell in love with Lutheran theology...Now, as an ELCA pastor, I proclaim the gospel of love and inclusion of my savior, Jesus Christ. The ELCA has embraced me.” This article appeared in the official magazine of the ELCA in its September 2020 edition. Today one can be a practicing homosexual pastor and also a practicing transgender pastor and lead a congregation of the ELCA. And the ELCA continues to shrink in members and donations. As I have said before, ELCA really stands for “Extremely Liberal Church in America” or “Everything Luther Cautioned Against” or “Every Lutheran Confession Abandoned.” In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock -- (See Living Lutheran article here)  (The following article was written last year by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) In 2009, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to ordain practicing homosexuals, thus violating Scripture and causing the largest church split in American history. Countless people have left this denomination, along with their offerings, and the denomination continues to decline.
God Himself and His Word are opposed to what the ELCA is doing. The ELCA churchwide assembly even voted down a delegate-by 97%- who tried to affirm that Jesus is the only way of salvation (John 14:6).
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man shows that also he shall reap” (Galatians 6:7). In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock https://www.livinglutheran.org/2019/08/perspective-scraped-floors-open-doors/ (The following article is from Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) I have same-sex attraction, and I don't appreciate yet another promotion of homosexuality by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America If you go to my website, pastorsstudy.org, you will see the story of my personal struggle with same-sex attraction. Because the Bible teaches that homosexual behavior is sin (I Corinthians 6:9-11), I abstain from this behavior. But below is yet another example of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America promoting homosexuality.  Emmy Kreger is a lesbian pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America who is "married" to a woman. She has been featured before in the ELCA's national magazine, Living Lutheran, and is featured again this month (May 2020). In this article she refers to herself as "queer" and "married to a woman." She states "We dwell in a world that--from the moment of "It's a boy!" or "It's a girl!--binds us up in boxes that shut out some of the best among us." She talks about a man "who sent me a long diatribe about my sinfulness" and referred to I Corinthians 6:9-11 "as if I hadn't known those verses would be used to condemn me since I was old enough to read my third-grade Good News Bible." Sadly, Pastor Kreger and the ELCA have found a way around I Corinthians 6:9-11 and similar verses. The argument normally goes like this: "The Bible does not condemn loving, committed same sex behavior, only promiscuous, exploitive homosexual behavior". That doesn't work because the Bible never says "Its okay if you love each other". Romans 1 says homosexuality is "against nature" and never adds that it becomes natural if you are in love (see my article "What does the Bible say about homosexuality?" for all the verses). Kreger's article talks about "out" parents of her church and "exiles from megachurches and family churches who wander through our church doors", presumably LGBT people, who discover "We might be OK here." What I think that means is "You will never hear a sermon against homosexuality here, you can be safe in your sin here, in fact, I, the preacher, am an out lesbian." I remember years ago when an old Lutheran pastor bemoaned that a liberal Lutheran bishop was promoting homosexuality, saying "We are nicing people right into Hell." If I Corinthians 6 is correct and people who live impenitently in homosexual behavior will not inherit the Kingdom of God, then we must humbly, lovingly urge people to turn from this behavior. But instead the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church in America, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Disciples of Christ and the ELCA Lutherans have all found a way of circumventing Scripture--and of "nicing" people into Hell. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS If you or someone you love struggles with homosexuality, there is help at restoredhopenetwork.org  (The following article is from Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) This past summer the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in convention passed a resolution calling for more expansive, inclusive language for God. The national magazine of the ELCA, Living Lutheran, is very liberal and I am sure happy to oblige. So here is their recent article telling us to pray to “God the Mother”. When God the Father is no longer “enough”, something has gone terribly wrong. Yet another reason to flee this unbiblical denomination. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock https://www.livinglutheran.org/2020/05/god-or-mother-both/  ELCA Living Lutheran magazine: Everyone is saved, helping Lutheran camps be pro-LGBTQIA+, and more4/24/2020 (The following article is from Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Living Lutheran, the national magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran, regularly promotes a liberal viewpoint and the April 2020 edition is no exception.
Another article highlights that a grant has been given to ELCA Lutheran camps to help them be more welcoming "to people who identify as LGBTQIA+." The Bible teaches homosexual behavior is sin, but the article does not mention that. Another article is written by a young woman who left her evangelical upbringing and joined the ELCA. She writes "When I left my evangelical roots and began to find a home in the ELCA, I realized there were many faithful Christians who hadn't interpreted being "in the world but not of it" to mean shunning R-rated movies." She now watches R-rated movies and says "I met up with truth in young adult fiction and R-rated movies..." Since 2009, the ELCA has ordained practicing homosexuals and Living Lutheran often highlights homosexual pastors. In this edition, Pastor Joe Larson, "the first openly LGBTQ+ pastor called by an ELCA congregation of North Dakota" talks about sharing worship space with a Jewish synagogue. "We see the Spirit of God moving among us." He said he and the rabbi share a similar vision of what a faith community is meant to be. "We are working together on shared values." My response is this. Christians are indeed to love and respect people of other religions, but how can Christians have a "similar vision of faith community" with religions which reject Jesus as Lord and Savior? This is more evidence of Universalism in the ELCA. This past summer a delegate to the ELCA's national assembly tried to amend an inter-religious resolution by affirming that Jesus is the only way of salvation. He was voted down by 97 percent. Much as the ELCA claims to love diversity and inclusion, in its national magazine conservative viewpoints are rarely heard. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock --- (Three different articles in the April 2020 ELCA magazine spoke of "LGBTQ+" or "LGBTQIA+." Link to the Living Lutheran April 2020 magazine here.) (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Living Lutheran, the official magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has a lectionary blog article which tortures John 3:16, thus pleasing the pronoun police. This past summer the ELCA in its national assembly passed a resolution saying they want more "inclusive and expansive" language for God, which means they want to be open to feminine language for God. The Living Lutheran blog reads (with my notes): "God loves the world such that God (note "He" is changed to "God") gave up the Son (note: not "His" Son), so that those who believe (note: not "those who believe in Him") will not perish, but enjoy eternal life instead....God did not send God’s son (note: not “His” Son) to condemn the world, but to save it." Later the article talks about "what God is willing to do to reconcile humans with Godself." There is no such word as "Godself'. It is a word invented by religious liberals who cannot bring themselves to talk about "God Himself." Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock --- (See article here) 
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is poisoning the minds of its people. They continually demean God and His Word in their words and actions. This poison is distributed to listeners in the many entities and persons who operate under the ELCA banner.
Case in point, last week the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America published a story in their official magazine, Living Lutheran, praising a transgender boy who, by way of his ELCA pastor father and his mother, has become a spokesperson for transgender rights. Publishing and promoting LGBTQ+ propaganda is common with the ELCA, they even had this same transgender boy, who lives as a girl, speak at the ELCA National Youth Gathering in 2018. In the Living Lutheran article readers are told: “Seeing the damage that the faith community does to LGBTQ+ people gave me something to learn about and inspired me to help others understand that God made you who you are, and God does not make mistakes.” (read here) 
How can anyone who loves God and believe His Word stay in this bondage celebrating, Bible and faith destroying denomination? They are harming people who struggle with sinful desires and turning other people away from the Truth God handed down in Scripture.
Jesus said to go make disciples "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:20a). This challenge is to help people experience abundant life in Jesus, found in the context of a relationship with Him. The ELCA is teaching people the opposite of what Jesus commanded, telling people to not do as He has said which hinders their relationship with Him. Remaining in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America helps them perpetuate alienation from God and wickedness. And that wickedness grows worse each day. (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Living Lutheran, the official magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has a recent article entitled “Who is God?” The author is Erin Strybis who is content editor of Living Lutheran and who writes “These days I long for a softer God. God as Breath. God as Water. God as Mother. God as Healing.” In many of its articles, Living Lutheran tortures the English to avoid calling God “He”. But Jesus never prays to God as “Mother”, only as “Father.” This past summer the ELCA passed a resolution calling for more “inclusive and expansive language for God”. My alma mater, the ELCA’s Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, periodically offers prayers to God as “Mother”. It is tragic and arrogant when people think they can improve upon Jesus’ language for God.  Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock --- (See 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.) The current edition of Living Lutheran, the official magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, highlights the ministry of ELCA Pastor Joseph Castaneda. He is a homosexual with a "husband" whose ministry is authorized by the ELCA's Southwest California Synod. His ministry produces "Queer Faith", a Youtube series for LGBTQ+ people. The ELCA bishop for the Southwest California Synod is Guy Erwin, also a homosexual man who is "married" to a man. In recent years, Living Lutheran has printed glowing articles about the ministries of practicing homosexuals and transgendered persons. Living Lutheran has refused to run an advertisement for OnebyOne, a ministry which holds to the traditional, Biblical view that homosexual behavior is contrary to God's will. This in spite of the fact that the ELCA's 2009 decision to ordain practicing homosexuals assured conservatives that their voice would also be honored. But that voice is never allowed in the ELCA's national magazine. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock  (The following is a past article written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) The official magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Living Lutheran, is ever promoting the homosexual agenda. The January 2018 issue talks about “Christ’s radical inclusivity at the table” as a reason some are promoting the LGBT movement. The issue tells us that next month an article will be devoted to Reconcilingworks, the pro-LGBT group which enlists Lutheran congregations around the country to identify as LGBT friendly. Another article talks about yoga and drumming. It quotes an ELCA pastor who said she “had a deeply profound experience of God’s presence following a yoga class.” She “combines the Hindu practice of yoga with Christian devotions”. Over 35 Twin Cities congregations use her yoga class for “God’s healing presence” through yoga. A yoga class member said “Sometimes I think the whole group is experiencing something at the same time. I believe its the Holy Spirit.” Another article talked about claiming “our womanist ethic”. Another article on “transformation”—which to me sounded more New Age than Christian—talks of waiting “in stillness and silence” until “your soul will reveal the wounded parts of you that need healing and restoration. Your soul will reveal the false selves you’ve crafted.” The article does not mention transformation through prayer and Bible reading. And yet another article gives a one-sided view of immigration without exploring that there might be good reasons for upholding immigration laws. All in all, it was what I have come to expect from the official magazine of the ELCA, which some say really stands for “the Extremely Liberal Church in America”, or, “Every Lutheran Confession Abandoned”, or, “Everything Luther Cautioned Against.” Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock  The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America cares about this planet, and that is admirable. But all too often this platform results in extreme measures and calling for policies based on questionable-science and conclusions. In an article from the ELCA's Living Lutheran website, Amy Reumann, Director of ELCA Advocacy, states, "Climate change is the result of human sinfulness, as we in the U.S. consume more than our fair share of natural resources through unsustainable lifestyles and energy use while those who contribute least to greenhouse gas emissions are suffering its impacts the most.” (See here) Ruth Ivory-Moore, the ELCA Program Director for Environment and Corporate Responsibility, similarly states, “All of creation is experiencing the impact of global warming. These extreme weather patterns result in unprecedented floods, droughts and wildfires, and rising sea levels that are leading to the degradation of the earth. And the consequences are not being borne equally. The most vulnerable among us are paying a higher price; that is, they are disproportionately impacted with extraordinary losses and damages. We are truly in a dire situation, but there is hope—both spiritually and scientifically.” These are highly questionable statements. Offering dollars given to the ELCA go to pay for this kind of advocacy.  (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Frank Honeycutt, a pastor of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has written a number of articles for the ELCA’s national magazine Living Lutheran. In the December issue, he says of Jesus “...he undoubtably...threw a tantrum or two, and grew up into a teenager with occasional rebellious and haughty moments...I’m convinced Jesus didn’t pop out of his mom’s womb preprogrammed to always do and say the right and perfect thing. This last sentence may unnerve some Lutherans...” It certainly does. If Jesus was rebellious and haughty, then He sinned. If Jesus sinned, he would have to pay for his own sins on the cross and could not be the spotless Lamb of God who sacrificed himself in our place for our sins. The Bible teaches that Jesus was indeed both fully God and fully man. But the Bible also makes it clear that Jesus never sinned (Hebrews 4:15, 1 Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:5, 2 Corinthians 5:21). In John 8:46, Jesus challenged the Jewish leaders “...which one of you convicts me of sin?”. They couldn’t. But apparently the ELCA’s national magazine feels it can convict Jesus of having “rebellious and haughty moments.” This is tragic false teaching. See the entire article in the link below. Just to recap some of the ELCA’s actions: it recently ordained a transgender pastor who called Jesus “an SOB”...this summer it passed an interfaith resolution saying we don’t know what God thinks of non-Christian religions and refused to affirm Jesus as the only way of salvation...the ELCA publicized a TV program that presents a Lutheran transgender 13-year-old as a “hero” and the ELCA healthcare plan paid for the child’s hormone blockers...and the ELCA continues to pay for abortion for any reason whatsoever in its healthcare plan which is funded by offering dollars. If you are still an ELCA Lutheran, I strongly encourage you to make this your New Year’s resolution: to find a more biblical denomination where I can give my offering dollars joyfully knowing they will go toward proclaiming Jesus as the only way of salvation, and will not go toward hormone blockers for children and abortion. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (Read the ELCA article 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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