|
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Regardless of what you think about Donald Trump and what he said about Haitians eating dogs in Ohio, I would argue that killing unborn children is much worse. But Elizabeth Eaton, head Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has publicly decried Trump without naming him as spreading “dehumanizing lies that perpetuate racist tropes and support white supremacist narratives”. Eaton, however, has said nothing about Democrats, like ELCA Lutheran Tim Walz, who support legalized abortion up to the moment of birth. Under Walz, the Minnesota law requiring doctors to keep infants alive who survive abortion is gone. Neither has Eaton decried sex change operations on children, which Walz supported by making Minnesota a “trans safe state” so children can come to Minnesota to get sex change operations. Read Eaton’s full statement below. I don’t think there is much of a question how she wants you to vote. Tragically, Eaton’s position is in line with ELCA policy. The ELCA pays for abortion for any reason with offering dollars in the denomination’s healthcare plan. The ELCA also pays for hormone blockers for minors. Just before Roe vs. Wade was overthrown, Eaton travelled to the White House to lobby for abortion rights. I think the biggest problem in America is not the politicians. It is leaders in the Church who promote things that grieve the heart of God. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (See article here.)
3 Comments
As Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was beginning her first term as leader of the denomination, she gave a interview to the Toledo newspaper. In it she said,
"The decision we took in 2009 to say that if called by God and if having the gifts to serve, partnered gay people can serve, I think that was the right decision..." (see here) The ELCA officially took this position 15 years ago. People embracing sin and living in it unrepentantly, are ordained to be pastors in the ELCA. In addition, ELCA churches are allowed to have marriage ceremonies for gay persons. This decision in 2009 accelerated the downward spiral to depravity regarding sexuality within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Today the denomination also ordains bisexuals and transgenders. (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Last week the United Methodist Church went against Scripture and 2000 years of Christian teaching and voted that homosexual behavior is now acceptable. Henceforth the United Methodists will have practicing homosexual pastors and perform gay “weddings”.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America did the same thing back in 2009. What was the response yesterday of Elizabeth Eaton, head bishop of the ELCA, to the Methodist heresy? She is overjoyed: “The ELCA rejoices and gives thanks to God for the opportunity to proclaim together (with United Methodists), from this point forward, that Christian teaching is for all people and that the gifts of all are welcome and needed to serve Christ's church. In unity, The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton”. (See here) Wait. For 2000 years, Christian teaching has not been for all people? All people, regardless of their sin, have always been invited to repent of sin and put their faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. Eaton’s words show the arrogance of religious liberals who believe they are more enlightened and compassionate than all the Christians who have come before us. In truth, by affirming sin, the ELCA and United Methodists are not loving people. They are, as an old Lutheran pastor told me years ago, “nice-ing people right into Hell” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (The following article was written last year by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) As my liberal State of Minnesota is on the verge of proclaiming itself a “safe state“ for “gender affirming care“ for youth—which means giving children hormone blockers to prevent them from developing naturally—you would think the head of a Christian denomination would stand up against this barbarity. Instead, Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, who produces a yearly gay pride video, has decided to stand up for transgenderism. You will note below that she talks not about “our transgender brothers and sisters“, that would be too binary, instead she calls them “our siblings”. In contrast to the transgender craziness that has overtaken much of our culture, Jesus said that there are only two genders (Matthew 19:4). It would be good if Eaton would remember to follow Christ and not the depraved mind of our culture. The ELCA even pays for hormone blockers for children in the denomination’s healthcare plan. That’s right, your ELCA offering dollars at work, destroying children’s sexuality before it can develop. ELCA offering dollars also pay for abortion for any reason in the denomination’s healthcare plan. Just today I heard an elderly ELCA Lutheran bemoan the fact that her congregation is closing because young people aren’t coming anymore. But they can’t come if the Church is killing them in the womb. And if a denomination is telling a boy that he can really be a girl, that denomination is doomed to shrink. And the ELCA is shrinking under Eaton’s leadership. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock PS. Famed atheist and biologist Richard Dawkins recently stated that “There are only two sexes, and that’s all there is to it.” He said LGBTQ activists trying to discredit two biological sexes are pushing “utter nonsense.” (Read ELCA statement 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 article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) For a biological man to say that he is really a woman is to deny who God made him to be. But you won’t hear anything like that from the head bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Instead, it’s all “unconditional love and acceptance“. The ELCA even pays for hormone blockers for children and sex change operations for adults in its national healthcare plan which is funded by church offering dollars. You can see Bishop Eaton’s transgender video by tapping on the below. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock ELCA Lutheran denomination has zeal for social issues, but not for the salvation of the lost…4/24/2023
(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.)
Below is the latest news item from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Yes, we should all be against racism, but I have a friend who left his ELCA church because of the constant mention of white supremacy from the pulpit. Look through the news releases at elca.org and you will see liberal politics and various social issues mentioned regularly but rarely anything about evangelism, missions and bringing lost people to Christ. Indeed, Elizabeth Eaton, head Bishop of the ELCA, has said that if hell exists, she believes it is empty. So, if everybody is going to heaven, what will the ELCA do with its time and money? Promote liberal politics. This was never more evident than when some states were passing minor restrictions on abortion and Eaton reminded people that the ELCA supports abortion rights. Indeed, the ELCA pays for abortions for any reason whatsoever in its denomination’s healthcare plan, which is funded by offering dollars. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
In the November, 2021 edition of Living Lutheran, the national magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton writes an article avoiding calling God “He” and twice using the word “Godself” to avoid saying “God Himself”. But “Godself” is not a word, and has been invented by liberals in the church to avoid talking about God Himself. At its most recent national convention, the ELCA passed a resolution stating it desires to move to more expansive, inclusive images for God. We must never forget the language Jesus gave us for God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). But at the installation service of the ELCA’s first transgender bishop, Eaton also referred to God as “Parent, Child, and Holy Breath” and as “Rain, Estuary, and Sea”. As the ELCA estranges itself more and more from the Biblical language for God, I believe it will experience more and more of God’s judgment. Indeed, it already has, as huge numbers have left the ELCA for more biblical denominations. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (See article here on page 50) (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Pope Benedict passed away recently and the head bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Elizabeth Eaton, has written the below letter of condolence.
I got to thinking. Pope Benedict believed abortion is a sin. Bishop Eaton works for abortion rights. Pope Benedict believed homosexual behavior is a sin. Bishop Eaton has produced gay pride videos. Pope Benedict believed in Hell. Bishop Eaton has said that, if Hell exists, she believes it is empty. Martin Luther believed in Hell and in the sinfulness of abortion and homosexuality. It is ironic that we live in a day when a Catholic Pope is more Lutheran than a Lutheran head bishop. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock --- ELCA presiding bishop issues message on death of Pope Benedict XVI Dear church, Yesterday we awoke to the news of the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. As part of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), we mourn his death and celebrate his life eternal in Christ Jesus. In the LWF statement, which I commend to all of you, General Secretary Anne Burghardt reminds us of Pope Benedict's enduring commitment to the unity of Christ's church and, in particular, "his appreciation of the 'Joint Declaration of the Doctrine of Justification' that has enabled many advances in Lutheran-Roman Catholic relations." His brilliance as a theologian and his ecumenical spirit will continue to challenge us to build bridges of mutual understanding and visible unity through dialogue, cooperation and common witness. We also pray for Pope Francis, who will continue to lead the Roman Catholic Church in this historic time – the likes of which haven't occurred since nearly a century before the Reformation. We extend our condolences and unceasing accompaniment to all our Catholic neighbors, including the bishops, priests, deacons, scholars and laypeople with whom we are in dialogue and partnership. Pope Benedict lived in the surety that "whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's" (Romans 14:8). Now, Lord, you let your servant go in peace: your word has been fulfilled. Amen. In Christ, Elizabeth A. Eaton Presiding Bishop, ELCA (view here) ELCA’s new gay pride video, but do they support Christians who abstain from homosexual behavior?7/5/2022 (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Below is a video from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's head bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, in which she promotes gay pride. She celebrates and supports her “LGBTQAI+ siblings” (can’t say “brothers and sisters”, too binary). She especially is troubled about bills “targeting transgender youth.” I sure hope this doesn’t mean the bishop supports allowing sex change operations for children. But does the bishop support people like me, who believe the Bible’s teaching that homosexual behavior is sinful? Eaton has never produced a video supporting the traditional, biblical viewpoint. I personally have struggled with same sex attraction most of my life, but for the sake of my eternal soul, I abstain from this behavior (I Corinthians 6:9-11). Countless Christians with same sex attraction for 2000 years have abstained from this behavior. Why are such people not so much as mentioned in the bishop’s video? At pastorsstudy.org you can read my story "My struggle with same sex attraction." You will not find such a story in an ELCA publication, it is not allowed. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
A year ago the very liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America elected the world's first transgender bishop. This is a woman who looks like a man and who wants to be called "they". Now, she (I refuse to say "they") has been asked to step down by the very, very liberal head bishop of the ELCA. You will see in head Bishop Elizabeth Eaton's letter (linked) below, Eaton is very willing to call this singular woman "they". The transgender bishop was not asked to step down because transgenderism denies who God creates people to be, but because she allegedly mishandled a situation with an Hispanic church. In our sad age of sexual confusion, it is tragic that the ELCA leads the way in confusion by electing a transgender bishop to begin with, and then consistently referring to her as "they". In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock PS In September at the transgender bishop's installation service, Bishop Eaton prayed to the "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" also as "Parent, Child, and Holy Breath" and "Rain, Estuary, and Sea" (Here) is Bishop Eaton's press release about the situation (The following is a letter to ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton from Gary Eliason. Mr. Eliason gave Exposing the ELCA permission to post his letter.) I feel the need to communicate with the larger ELCA that our family is choosing to leave the denomination. More correctly, that the denomination has left us! I was born and raised in an ALC family. As most kids in that situation, I attended Sunday School, confirmation, Bible camp, worked at Bible Camps for many summers and travelled with a Lutheran mission team for a year and a half, and naturally when the ELCA formed, joined that.
I grew to love the foundation of the church focusing on Grace alone, Word alone and Christ alone. However, in my estimation, the church has been drifting more toward Humanism and choosing to conform to this world, rather than be transformational to those that are in the world. We are told from ELCA pastors, that it doesn’t matter which god you believe in, as long as you believe. We are told that there is no hell or place of judgement. From a seminary professor we are told that Jesus’ death on the cross was not as atonement for our sins, but rather an example of how we should live our lives. Regarding the subject of sexuality, the church’s teaching seems to harken back to a rallying cry of the Hippie era, “If it feels good, do it!” I’m not sure how that coincides with lessons from living a disciplined life, or choosing the narrow way. I am not anti-gay, and I do believe everyone has his/her own rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. However, Biblically I have found no reference to same sex marriage. Marriage always seems to be referenced in the context of a man and a woman. If 2 people of the same sex choose to live together, I see no reason for them not to, with a civil agreement and legal holdings of traditional marriage, but I find it troubling that we take the sacred meaning of one word and apply it to another circumstance in order to fit our thought pattern, and again, conform rather than transform. Along the same lines, to have openly gay pastors, and to celebrate a trans individual as a church leader is not a concept I find in Scripture. Yes, we must accept all people seeking salvation to be an active part of the church, for we are all sinners, but how can it be justified to say that we are a welcoming church, and that we celebrate all life as holy, but then not welcome or celebrate the life (or as stated “the neighbor”) growing in the womb of the mother into that same church. The neighbor? I can only think of the lesson from the Good Samaritan. Is any abortion justified? While I believe it is the last resort in the case of rape, incest, or the life of the mother, it is interesting to note that the only other 2 countries that have laws as liberal as the US regarding abortion are China and North Korea, where Christianity is banned! The 3 types of cases I referred to account for less than 2% of all abortions, and in fact, 85% of rape victims choose to bring their child to term. To say that the ELCA bases its current views about abortion on a document from 1991 comes full circle to the reason Martin Luther rebelled against the Catholic church. Their teachings relied more on church doctrine and tradition than on the Word alone. I am truly saddened to see that nearly 1.5 million people have chosen to leave the ELCA. Could it be that because the church has tried to stand for everything, it has ended up standing for nothing? In wanting to validate every lifestyle, much of pop theology, yet failing to say yes, yes, and yes to unborn children, it shows no differentiation from itself and much of modern culture. What once was a city on a hill, is now just another house in the subdivision. I am praying that I will be able to find a church that will not leave me again.
If you are prolife you need to stop supporting and end your membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). It is time to leave.
See the ELCA news release and the tweet below from the ELCA Presiding Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, about the Supreme Court and their likely decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which would give states the right to decide on abortion. 
The news release is a statement from the Presiding Bishop titled "A pastoral message on abortion." (See here) The tweet above is included in the ELCA news release. Here are some additional quotes from the statement:
I don't care what your reason is to remain in the ELCA, whether you are a pro-life pastor or a pro-life congregation or a pro-life member. You are part of a denomination that supports and advocates for the killing of unborn children (the ELCA also pays for employees' abortions). You can not justify remaining.
(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. |
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.
Give online by clicking the "donate" button below: Categories
All
Archives
December 2024
 Exposing the ELCA is on Facebook 
Follow Exposing the ELCA on Twitter
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. - Ephesians 5:11
|
RSS Feed