Category: Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

Arrest By ICE Has ELCA Leaders Up In Arms

5/16/2019

Betty Rendon is an ELCA Synodically Authorized Lay Minister at an ELCA church and received her Masters of Divinity from the ELCA's Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC). A few days ago, she and some family members were arrested by ICE, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

So far we do not have many details about the incident, except what ELCA entities are saying. It all started with a one-sided account from Betty Rendon's church. You can read it here.

Then the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's presiding bishop began tweeting about the situation.

Pr Betty Rendon, Emaus Lutheran Racine along with daughter, husband, cousin arrested at gun point by ICE. Five yr old granddaughter was present. Pr Rendon beginning PhD at LSTC. Rally tomorrow night (5/15) in Racine. She fled Columbia when her school was attacked by guerrillas.
— Bishop Eaton (@ELCABishopEaton) May 14, 2019

More details. Betty Lendin has an MDiv from LSTC was accepted into the DMin program. She is a Synodically Authorized Lay Minister preaching at Emaus.
— Bishop Eaton (@ELCABishopEaton) May 15, 2019

A letter about the situation was posted by the ELCA's Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) from President James Nieman, Dean of Student Services Scott Chalmers and Pastor to the Community Erik Christensen.

In the letter they call the United States' immigration policy "racist." Here is the quote (see below also), "This incident brings into painful focus the ongoing need to reform this country’s racist, violent, and inhumane immigration system."

Of course, ELCA Advocacy had something to say. Below is part of an email they sent (see the full email here):

ELCA partner, the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service commented:

"This is absolutely heartbreaking and shameful behavior on behalf of ICE officers. LIRS will pray for and advocate for the just treatment of Pastor Rendón and all those who find themselves in her position."

Some of the readers of the LIRS Facebook post commented saying, "We are becoming like a Hitler state..." "I am ashamed of our country..." "ICE equals deliberate cruelty." "ICE has no humanity....this is like the Nazi era." "We are very close to becoming a communist nation, Trumps SS is ICE. The time is near for all Americans to March on Washington!" "Abolish ICE." "Our government is looking more and more like murderous criminals." "ICE is disgraceful."

A newspaper article titled ICE allegedly arrests Racine student pastor; Vigil planned for Wednesday can be seen here.

A seminary classmate of Betty Rendon added his 2 cents:

Benjamin Stewart, a Professor & Director of Advanced Studies at LSTC tweeted that the "family was terrorized & separated":

An asylum-seeking @elca minister & her family terrorized & separated - my former @LSTChicago student Betty Rendon. Read the horrific account from her congregation https://t.co/2yTj8hZTsg
(corrected LSTC tag) pic.twitter.com/CQiZQceKuf
— Benjamin Stewart (@bstewLSTC) May 15, 2019

ELCA pastor Chad McKenna writes "#AbolishICE":

According to this article, ICE arrested her daughters first. Her children. ICE arrested a DACA recipient and a U.S. Citizen at one location before pointing their guns at three unarmed adults who have long been in the process of seeking asylum. #AbolishICE https://t.co/CJJG8POKnB
— Chad McKenna (@cmckennaiv) May 15, 2019

From ELCA Pastor Paul Eldred:

Betty Rendón, pastor of an @ELCA church in Wisconsin, was arrested at gunpoint by ICE along with her family. She fled Colombia and sought refuge in the US.
Another shameful act by this administration.
Please pray for her, her family, and her congregation. And then demand change! https://t.co/jt0s37b983
— Paul Eldred (@pmceldred) May 15, 2019

The DE-MD Synod tweeted:

Grateful for @ELCABishopEaton and her witness on behalf of Betty Rendon. https://t.co/fvXAiVSrL2
— DE-MD Synod ELCA (@ELCAdemdsynod) May 15, 2019

Matthew Short, the Assistant to the Bishop for Evangelical Mission at Greater Milwaukee Synod, was part of a gathering outside Betty Rendon's detention center. Below is his Facebook post about it:

More from the ELCA's Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago:

And from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:

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The Strange, New Gospel of ELCA Head Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

4/12/2019

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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 latest edition of Living Lutheran, the official magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, deals much with "environmental justice" and the dangers of global warming. One article quotes Ruth Ivory-Moore, ELCA program director for environment and corporate responsibility. Who knew the ELCA had such a position? The number of missionaries being sent out by the ELCA is down, but this environmental position has been created. Also in this issue is an article by Bishop Guy Erwin, the ELCA's gay bishop who has a "husband."

Perhaps the most troubling thing in this issue is ELCA head bishop Elizabeth Eaton's definition of the Gospel. This is the head bishop who told a Chicago newspaper that, if Hell exists, "I think it is empty." If that is true, then it makes sense that the ELCA is not sending out as many missionaries.

Eaton's article talks about dangers to the environment, mentions Earth Day, and then she gives this disturbing definition of the Gospel:

"Here's the gospel. Human beings are part of the creation. Human beings are connected to everything in the cosmos. Human beings are connected to God. We are not doomed to alienation. That God is more present than we are to ourselves gives us a path to reconnect with God, each other and all of creation. The judgment is that we do not even perceive that the One who created all things is intimately present. The promise is that the One who created all things is intimately present. We--all created things--are family."

No, that is not the Gospel. The Apostle Paul defined the Gospel in I Corinthians 15:1-5: Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. Paul doesn't say the Gospel is that "we are connected to the cosmos." Eaton's "gospel" in this article does not mention Jesus or the cross.

This is the strange, new world of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a denomination far removed from Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions, but closely allied with liberal politics, the LGBT movement, and "environmental justice".

Sincerely in Christ,

Pastor Tom Brock

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ELCA: Quick to Promote Transgenderism, Silent About Late-Term Abortion and Infanticide

2/3/2019

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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.)

If you go to the website of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, you will find the ELCA frequently taking liberal positions on all kinds of social and political issues. Recently the ELCA quickly responded against a Supreme Court decision because it may keep transgendered people out of the military. Since then, the State of New York has passed a radical law allowing abortions up to the due date. And the governor of Virginia made a statement in favor of infanticide, saying that a newborn child with severe deformities may be allowed to die.

What is the ELCA's response? Silence. Even though the ELCA's official abortion statement is against late-term abortion, ELCA leadership is silent. Why? My guess is that when they are passionate about a social cause, they speak, and when they are not passionate about even their own official position, they choose to remain silent.

The ELCA abortion statement is a problem. In one paragraph it sounds pro-life and in another it sounds pro-choice. The tragedy is that for years now the ELCA abortion statement has been interpreted to allow the ELCA to pay for abortion for any reason in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. The ELCA healthcare plan for pastors and their families is paid for with offering dollars. That's right, the ELCA pays for abortions with offering dollars. I remember years ago when I was still in the ELCA I received a letter, I think from a pastor's wife, who was so glad the ELCA "was there" to pay for her 16-year-old daughter's abortion.

Years ago the congregation that I served and I left the ELCA over this and other issues. I pray that if you are still in the ELCA, you will take your money, time and talents, and join a denomination that does not destroy unborn children with offering dollars.

In Jesus our Savior,

Pastor Tom Brock

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ELCA 'Best of' in 2018 Tweet Includes Presiding Bishop's Quote, 'Human Sexuality and Gender Identity is a Beautiful Mystery'

1/3/2019

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Below is a tweet by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. They call it "#bestnine2018." The first picture listed is a statement by ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton saying, "No human institution decides who is human, who is visible, who is valued. Human sexuality and gender identity is a beautiful mystery. Trans people, like all people, are beloved by God."

The ELCA is calling this one of their Best Nine of 2018. Also included in their best nine are two pictures (maybe three) of the atrocious ELCA Youth Gathering where teenagers were indoctrinated with leftist anti-Biblical theology and politics, a bunch of "ELCA votes" buttons, three pictures of candles and a cross picture.

Go to ELCA tweet here.

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ELCA Leader is Making a Golden Vagina Sculpture and Sending out 'Impurity Rings'

11/27/2018

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Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber is the face of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). She is a beloved pastor/author in the denomination who speaks at some of the ELCA's largest gatherings, including this summer's National Youth Gathering that brought in over 31,000 high school students. (See the end of this article)

This week, Rev. Bolz-Weber announced her project to melt down purity rings that she is collecting and making them into a vagina sculpture. An article in the Huffington Post says "...Bolz-Weber said she plans to melt down the rings that people send her and recast them as a 'golden vagina.' She said that the project ― part of a promotion for Shameless, her upcoming book about sex and Christianity ― is about 'reclamation of women’s bodies.'"

See here.

No word yet if Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber and her ELCA brethren will be dancing around the golden object at its unveiling. (Exodus 32:19)

What is this about? This is about sex. This is about being sexual. Nadia does not like God's directive for sex to be between one man and one woman, who are married
and does not think it should be confined only to marriage. Rev. Bolz-Weber's new book website says her book "offers a full-blown overhaul of our harmful and antiquated ideas about sex, gender, and our bodies." (See here)

The Huffington Post article quotes Pastor Bolz-Weber saying, “This thing about women that the church has tried to hide and control and that is a canvas on which other people can write their own righteousness ― it’s actually ours...This part of me is mine and I get to determine what is good for it and if it’s beautiful and how I use it in the world.” (see here)

If you think this is a joke, it is not. And Nadia Bolz-Weber is actually making a golden vagina sculpture.

(See here)

ANNOUNCEMENT: I'm inviting women to mail in their purity rings for a massive art project. @SweetBirdStudio is collaborating with me to melt them into a sculpture of a vagina, click here to join in and get your certificate of impurity! https://t.co/tbaJJdbxeJ #shamelessbook
— Nadia Bolz-Weber (@Sarcasticluther) November 26, 2018

In return for people sending ELCA pastor Bolz-Weber their purity rings, they will be sent an "impurity" ring and a "Certificate of Impurity" as seen below.

Nadia Bolz-Weber has said and done a lot of heretical things in the past (see here and here). For example, in 2017, Nadia Bolz-Weber signed the "Naked and Unashamed" statement that rejects marriage as the only place for sexual intercourse. (See here) And more recently, she spoke of her support for viewing "ethically sourced porn." (See here)

How can this be allowed in a "Christian" denomination? It can not. The ELCA has placed feeling and belief above that of God and His Word. This is what happens when a church rejects, twists and ignores much of Scripture. It will only get worse.

The same principles and theology of ELCA professors who taught Nadia, are and have been teaching most pastors of the ELCA. Warn people about the apostasy of the ELCA. If you are attending an ELCA church, get out and find a Bible-believing and God-honoring denomination.

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As you can see below, not only is Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber the brightest star in the ELCA, she is the face of the ELCA, and the defacto theological leader of the denomination. She is sought out by ELCA leadership. Rev. Bolz-Weber's Facebook page has 196,105 "likes" and 212,283 people follow her. On Twitter, she has over 71,000 followers. Nadia Bolz-Weber's influence is wide and deep.

Here is a picture of Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber sitting with the leader of the ELCA, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton.

This picture shows Nadia with former ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson.

The ELCA chose Rev. Bolz-Weber to speak to the the youth at the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering.

And also at the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering.

Then there is a video created by an ELCA synod about Rev. Bolz-Weber and her church.

(See here)

ELCA bishops want to be around Nadia Bolz-Weber. The picture below shows Nadia with the Bishop of the Gulf Coast Synod, ELCA.

Next, Rev. Bolz-Weber is pictured along with the bishop of the ELCA's Rocky Mountain Synod.

Finally, we have Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin, bishop of the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with Rev. Bolz-Weber.

Finally, here is an ELCA church hosting Rev. Bolz-Weber's book tour.

We are excited to host @Sarcasticluther on March 3, 2019 for her Book Tour #shamelessbook! Tickets are selling fast so get yours today. https://t.co/FjfFk5vBj4
— Holy Communion ELCA (@LCHCintheCity) December 5, 2018

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ELCA Top Bishop Says 'Human Sexuality and Gender Identity is a Beautiful Mystery'

10/24/2018

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Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) made a statement today that is very indicative of where the ELCA is now, how they have swallowed the lies of the world and departed from the Word of God. Presiding Bishop Eaton declared,

"No human institution decides who is human, who is visible, who is valued. Human sexuality and gender identity is a beautiful mystery. Trans people, like all people, are beloved by God."

Here is Bishop Eaton's Twitter post -

No human institution decides who is human, who is visible, who is valued. Human sexuality and gender identity is a beautiful mystery. Trans people, like all people, are beloved by God.
— Bishop Eaton (@ELCABishopEaton) October 24, 2018

Presiding Bishop Eaton's statement is one of support for transgender persons. It was apparently made in response to a recent statement made by President Trump "that his administration is 'seriously' considering changing the way it treats transgender people under the law, confirming what administration officials describe as a debate about whether to define a person’s sex as a biological fact determined at birth." (see here)

There was at least one request for a statement by Bishop Eaton about this:

It's time @ELCABishopEaton @ELCA to make a statement affirming trans people, God's love, and a commitment that trans loves #WontBeErased. The Church and God are waiting for you to proclaim the gospel.
— Kevin Beebe (@kevbeebe) October 23, 2018

God does love all people. But that does not mean He loves everything we do, everything we say, everything we "are" or all of our actions. Bishop Eaton, by her statement, is affirming homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism and all the claimed gender identities as "beautiful," that they are good, that they are not sin.

This is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Harming people by encouraging sin. Standing against our holy and loving God. Why would anyone be part of this denomination, this evil work of the devil that emerges in proclamations and statements such as this?

Also, notice how the Presiding Bishop says "No human institution decides who is human, who is visible, who is valued." Yet, the ELCA supports the killing of unborn humans and actually pays for employee abortions in their health care insurance. Many who are pro-abortion love to claim that the unborn children are not humans to justify their position. You can't have it both ways, Bishop Eaton.

Below you will find tweets of praise which Bishop Eaton received for making this statement. (Her statement has been shared on Facebook almost 2700 times and over 400 times on Twitter.)

Thank you, bishop!
— Rev Kevin Strickland (@PrKevinELCA) October 24, 2018

Wanna know why I love my church? Right here. □□
Bishop Eaton leads Lutherans worldwide through a mess of social injustices. #ELCA #love #vote https://t.co/plrlcInW1i
— Phil Quinn (@philquinn1) October 24, 2018

proud to be a member of an ELCA church https://t.co/npot6ZAFHN
— Julie S (@JulieSturza) October 24, 2018

wow i love the ELCA https://t.co/wcIdFZbiGp
— Kaila Lynn (@LiveLoveKaila) October 24, 2018

The @ELCA is committed to "attend to the need for equal
protection, equal opportunities, and equal responsibilities under the law, and
just treatment for those with varied sexual orientation and gender
identity." Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust p. 33 https://t.co/eJT8InVm3Z https://t.co/AHqMCClXJu
— Amy Reumann (@AmyELCAadvo) October 24, 2018

When bishops get it right. Proud of the @ELCA and @ELCABishopEaton. #WontBeErased https://t.co/zctEOyJUMh
— Emily E. Ewing (@rev_ewing) October 24, 2018

Thank you, @ELCABishopEaton! ❤️□□□□□ #elca #cordmn #TransRightsAreHumanRights https://t.co/yKtlI7RBAL
— Concordia Safe Space (@CordSafeSpace) October 24, 2018

Thank you, Bishop, for your proclamation.
— John Sipf (@Pr_JT_Sipf) October 24, 2018

Thank you for your support!
— Nicole M. Garcia (@nicoleg152) October 24, 2018

Beautiful! I was proud to retweet this personally and on my church page. Thank you.
— Laura Hall-Schordje (@PastorLauraHS) October 24, 2018

Thank you, Bishop!
— Rev Mrs Emmy Kegler (@emmykegler) October 24, 2018

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ELCA Wants the United States to Pay Palestinian Bills to the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)

10/4/2018

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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 “U.S. government has provided over many years tens of millions of dollars in aid” to these hospitals. But that has stopped as the United States leadership has decided that the Palestinian government is acting in bad faith (over many decades), so aid to them is being cut. The Palestinian government incites violence, pays terrorists for their vile acts, directs large segments of money to terrorist activities and has no interest in making peace with the State of Israel.

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.

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Radical Pro-Transgenderism by Some ELCA Lutheran Bishops and Seminaries

7/28/2018

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(The following article was written a number of weeks ago by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)

Some months ago I wrote about my alma mater, Luther Theological Seminary, a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which brought in a transgender pastor to preach at chapel. She is a woman who presents herself as a man and who has rejected her God-given biological sex, thus, sadly, rejecting God’s will for her life. In her sermon she said (I cannot in full conscience call her “him”) that Joseph’s coat of many colors can also be translated “princess dress” and then she led in the Lord’s Prayer “Our Mother in heaven.”

Attached is a new article from a transgender clergy candidate, a man who presents himself as a woman. Among his demands is the full inclusion of transgender people in the leadership of the ELCA. No need to demand this, the ELCA is already there and now ordains transgender pastors. This was done without a vote of the national church on the issue, but liberal bishops are promoting and allowing it anyway. To quote the ELCA’s head bishop Elizabeth Eaton “Everybody isn’t male or everybody isn’t female. There’s a whole spectrum to that. I think that’s something that’s new for a lot of our people to think about, but it’s the truth…”

No, it is not the truth. Our response to transgenderism? The Old Testament forbids transvestitism (Deuteronomy 22:5) and in the New Testament Jesus said “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female?” (Matthew 19:4). We are not free to tell God He made a mistake by trying to change our God-given biological sex. We should not put people in leadership who are openly rejecting God’s plan for their lives. But it appears it is now in vogue in the ELCA to believe one has become “enlightened” if one embraces this rebellion against God.

Sincerely in Christ,

Pastor Tom Brock

PS And please say a prayer as this week the ELCA is bringing in a transgender 12-year-old “girl” and his activist mother to speak to 30,000 ELCA teenagers at the ELCA youth gathering.

https://wetalkwelisten.wordpress.com/2018/06/25/build-a-bigger-table-nicole-m-garcia-m-div-m-a-lpc/

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Gaza: False Claims and Misinformation Highlight the Latest ELCA Attack on Israel

5/16/2018

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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

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ELCA Magazine Highlights Lutheran Pastor Who Has Changed From Female to Male—With Her Bishop’s Approval

4/13/2018

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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.)

In yet another article affirming transgenderism, the April edition of Living Lutheran, the national magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, tells the story of Pastor Rose who has become Pastor Peter in a “renaming ceremony to reflect his transition from female to male.”

The article states: “He (my note: the article calls this woman “he” throughout the article) had openly self-identified as queer for many years…the congregation was fully accepting, which, given its reputation as a radically welcoming place, didn’t surprise him.”

Did the ELCA bishop do anything to discipline this pastor and congregation? No, quite the contrary, the ELCA bishop of New Jersey was present at the re-naming ceremony and called the pastor a “faithful, joyful servant of Christ”. According to the article, the bishop “believes the renaming ceremony was important for the church and for her to be part of it. “I felt it was appropriate and important for me to stand with Pastor Beeson and the people of St. Matthew Trinity. We have been providing education and events for congregations to learn about becoming safer and more welcoming places for LGBTQ youth. Standing with this congregation and their pastor seemed a logical way to demonstrate what we have been teaching.”” (NOTE: Head bishop of the ELCA Elizabeth Eaton has also taken a stand for transgenderism telling a Chicago newspaper “When we take a look a people’s sexual orientation or gender identity, it’s not completely binary. Everybody isn’t male or everybody isn’t female. There’s a whole spectrum to that. I think that’s something that’s new for a lot of our people to think about, but it’s the truth…”)

The article concludes: “Beeson…isn’t that different from other ELCA pastors, ministering out in the world…at a congregation that he said is dominated by a “deep commitment to God’s grace.”

Here again we see God’s grace being used as an excuse to sin. I couldn’t help but think of the warning of Jude 4 regarding “certain persons (who) have crept in unnoticed…ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” And also Romans 6:1 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue to sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”

May the Lord have mercy on this confused and rebellious denomination that is encouraging people to live in sin,

In Jesus our Savior,

Pastor Tom Brock
pastorsstudy.org

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(Here is the referenced article in the ELCA's Living Lutheran.)

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Giving Some Denominations "Over to a Depraved Mind" (Romans 1)

3/12/2018

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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.)

April/May 2018 The Pastor’s Study Newsletter

Dear Friends of The Pastor’s Study,

Does God ever give up on a person? I think, since He saved the thief on the cross, we can say that God is willing to save people right up to their last moment. But the Bible also teaches that God does “give people over”. Romans 1:24, 26, and 28 says three times that God gives people over to “impurity, degrading passions, and a depraved mind”. This God does only after they have rejected Him for themselves. Perhaps you know people who have so rejected God that they have become lost in bizarre thinking and behavior.

Does God ever “give over” a denomination? I have a sad example to share. The liberal branch of Lutheranism is called the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (other Lutheran denominations like the Missouri Synod are much more Biblical). Back in 2009 the ELCA decided to violate Scripture and ordain practicing homosexual pastors. Things have gotten stranger and stranger ever since. Recently a Chicago newspaper asked head ELCA bishop Elizabeth Eaton if Hell exists. Her reply “It may exist, but I think it is empty.” In its most recent edition, the ELCA’s national magazine has a whole article promoting the acceptance of transgenderism and the ELCA now has transgender pastors. The ELCA continues to pay for abortion for any reason in its healthcare plan, which is funded by offering dollars. The ELCA is a tragic example of God giving a denomination which has rejected Him over to a depraved mind (Romans 1:28). And sadly, the same is true for the United Church of Christ, Episcopal Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church USA. Many years ago these were good, Christian denominations, but step by step they have rejected the authority of Scripture and have entered the world of the bizarre.

The main purpose of The Pastor’s Study is to preach salvation from sin, death and Hell through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (and, yes, Jesus did teach repeatedly that Hell exists). But a second purpose of The Pastor’s Study is to alert people to the false teachings in today’s denominations so that people will take their money, time and talents and join a more Biblical church. Just yesterday a more conservative ELCA pastor called me needing support for his Biblical views and in a gentle way I tried to encourage him to consider leading his congregation out of the ELCA into a more Biblical branch of Lutheranism.

You have helped The Pastor’s Study spread the Gospel of salvation through Christ. And you have helped us alert people to false teachings in today’s Church. Because of your prayers and giving, we are reaching a wider and wider TV audience. Again I want to say a big “Thank you” for your prayers and giving! We will be honest stewards of your contributions.

Have a great Spring,

In Jesus our Savior,

Pastor Tom Brock

PS You can give online at pastorsstudy.org or by mail to:
The Pastor’s Study
PO 41294
Minneapolis, Mn 55441

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Prominent ELCA Pastor Says He is a Universalist

3/1/2018

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More and more ELCA pastors are coming out of the closet and admitting they are universalists. Universalism is the belief “that all human beings will eventually be saved.” (See here)

Below is a recent Facebook post by prominent Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) pastor, Clint Schnekloth. Schnekloth is a pastor, author and blogger; he created and facilitates the ELCA Clergy Facebook Group that has over 5800 members.

This is a false teaching that is dangerous, risking the eternal lives of people who put their trust in it. The Bible, which is God’s Word, teaches that some people will be saved and go to heaven when they die and some people will go to hell with they die. "...Universalism and universal salvation are unbiblical beliefs. Universalism directly contradicts what Scripture teaches…To say that those who reject God’s provision of salvation through His Son will be saved is to belittle the holiness and justice of God and negate the need of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.” (See here)

Rev. Schnekloth is one of the growing number of ELCA pastors that espouse this belief. The most renowned pastor in the ELCA, Nadia Bolz-Weber, is a universalist. (See here) Rev Bolz-Weber will be a keynote speaker at the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering. Around 30,000 youth typically attend the event.

There are still ELCA pastors who will not admit to the label “universalist,” most likely because they understand that it is viewed as heresy, but they do openly teach the principles of universalism. For example, the leader of the ELCA, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, in an interview last year was asked, “Is there a hell?” She replied, “There may be, but I think it is empty.” (See here) That is universalism, plain and simple. If hell is empty, all people will go to heaven. Presiding Bishop Eaton is a universalist.

There are many more examples of the ELCA propagating universalism. They do it in their seminaries, in their publications, on social media and in their churches. If the growth of universalism is a concern to you, please go to the following links, here (and scroll down the page) and here, to find just how prevalent this teaching is in the ELCA.

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Choosing Liberal Politics Over the Salvation of Souls

2/10/2018

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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.)

Head bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was asked by a Chicago newspaper about Hell and she said "There may be a Hell, but I think it is empty." This is an old heresy called universalism, the teaching that all people will be saved, whether they believe in Jesus or not, which is a flat contradiction of Scriptures (John 14:6, Acts 4:12, 16:31). Bishop Eaton has also been quoted to say that saving souls is not the business of the Church, that's God's job.

So if saving souls is not the business of the Church, what is? It appears the answer is "liberal politics". If one goes to elca.org and looks through their news items, it is filled with political stands, along with some religious news. Here is the present list of news articles from the ELCA website:

ELCA presiding bishop issues statement on Dreamers
02/09/2018

ELCA presiding bishop to participate in rally to end racism
02/06/2018

‘Set Free By Truth’ Lent devotions offered by four church leaders
02/05/2018

ELCA Presiding Bishop responds to reported racist comments
01/12/2018

A Christmas message from the ELCA presiding bishop
12/14/2017

ELCA presiding bishop responds to decision to move U.S. Embassy in Israel
12/06/2017

It appears that, if everyone is going to heaven, the ELCA must find other ways to spend peoples' offering dollars and it has chosen politics. Of course we should all be against racism, but that is not the Gospel. The Gospel is the Good News that Jesus died and rose again to save sinners from Hell. And yes, according to Jesus, there is a Hell. And yes, according to Jesus, the Church should be all about saving souls (Matthew 28:19).

In Jesus our Savior,

Pastor Tom Brock

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ELCA Head Bishop Avoids "He" for God

2/1/2018

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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.)

In the current February edition of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's national magazine, Elizabeth Eaton, ELCA head bishop, wrote this in her monthly column:

"The history of salvation is one extended love story between God and God's creation, between God and human kind, between God and God's people".

Notice the tortured English in order to avoid calling God "He". It reminded me of the transgender pastor who recently spoke at Luther Seminary and asked the congregation to say the Lord's Prayer in a way that was comfortable for them. She then led them in praying "Our Mother in heaven..."

The Bible regularly refers to God as "He". The Bible says God is "the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ". We do not know better than Jesus, who taught us to pray "Our Father...."

In Jesus our Savior,

Pastor Tom

(see Presiding Bishop Eaton's column here)

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Today's Transgender and "God the Mother" Worship Service at Luther Seminary

11/15/2017

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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.)

Today the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's first officially ordained transgender pastor (a woman who presents herself as a man) preached at Luther Seminary's Transgender Day of Remembrance worship service. I watched the hour-long service below and here are the sad low-lights:

The service began not in the name of the “Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” but in the name of the “Creator, Christ and Holy Breath” (some shy away from masculine references for God because they claim they are sexist).

They recognized transgender people who have died and stated that dead transgender people “rest in the company of the saints of God”.

They stated "We celebrate transgender resilience…., We will not keep silence…Transgender people offer a witness of hope to us….God, help us to embrace your wondrous diversity".

During the sermon the preacher stated “It is my joy to speak to you today as a transgender Lutheran pastor." She then told her story of being raised as a girl and how horrible that was. She stated that Joseph’s “coat of many colors” in the Old Testament can also be translated “princess dress.” She quoted a poem called “Josephine” that says Joseph/Josephine perhaps wore a princess dress and that “when your brothers saw you in your flowing dress, they became enraged…the ground mourns the loss of its gender queer child…(Joseph/Josephine), I am claiming your story for every queer kid told they are unholy…Dear pastor…you’ve been lying about my (transgender) people too long.” The pastor stated that "Christ will not be bound by bathroom laws”.

After the sermon came the prayers when a woman prayed as a “cisgendered woman”, lifting up her prayers for her “transgender siblings”. She prayed for those “between and beyond the gender binary” and for future calls for future transgender clergy. She prayed “Mother and God, be with seminarians…who do not fit the either/or categorization that we so often put them in…give them strength when they proudly present their pronouns and courage to continue to come out.” She prayed for “transgender sex partners...tender-hearted butches, street queens and gender non-conforming seminarians”.

Then came Holy Communion when the transgender pastor led the congregation in the Lord’s Prayer “Our Mother in heaven, holy be your name…”

What a tragic day for my alma mater. I again noticed how small the attendance is at Luther Seminary Chapel, way down from when I graduated there in 1979. This is evidence of the shrinking power of liberal religion. When God the Father is not mentioned once in a worship service, but God the "Mother" is mentioned twice, something is very wrong.

Let us have mercy on people who suffer from gender confusion. May we help them be the biological gender God created them to be. Sadly, instead, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is joining our culture's sexual confusion and saying "If you think you are a man, you are a man, even if you are biologically a woman." In a recent interview, ELCA head Bishop Elizabeth Eaton took a stand for transgender rights (and also said if there is a Hell, Hell is empty).

As mainline, liberal denominations get further and further from Scripture, they will continue to shrink, and they should. If you are a member of the ELCA, the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church in America, or the Presbyterian Church USA, is it time to take your money, time and talents and join a more Biblical denomination. I guess I never thought I would see the ELCA sink quite so low in my lifetime.

Sincerely in Christ,

Pastor Tom Brock
pastorsstudy.org

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The Strange, New Gospel of ELCA Head Bishop Elizabeth Eaton

ELCA: Quick to Promote Transgenderism, Silent About Late-Term Abortion and Infanticide

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ELCA Top Bishop Says 'Human Sexuality and Gender Identity is a Beautiful Mystery'

ELCA Wants the United States to Pay Palestinian Bills to the Lutheran World Federation (LWF)

Radical Pro-Transgenderism by Some ELCA Lutheran Bishops and Seminaries

Gaza: False Claims and Misinformation Highlight the Latest ELCA Attack on Israel

ELCA Magazine Highlights Lutheran Pastor Who Has Changed From Female to Male—With Her Bishop’s Approval

Giving Some Denominations "Over to a Depraved Mind" (Romans 1)

Prominent ELCA Pastor Says He is a Universalist

Choosing Liberal Politics Over the Salvation of Souls

ELCA Head Bishop Avoids "He" for God

Today's Transgender and "God the Mother" Worship Service at Luther Seminary

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