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(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.
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Living in and embracing sinful behavior is wrong. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has chosen to defy God and His will by celebrating and encouraging sinful sexual lifestyles. But more than that, the ELCA is advocating for children to be placed in households that are openly living in sexual perversion. In the ELCA article linked below the ELCA's Presiding Bishop writes about "...recognizing and affirming the vocation of LGBTQIA+ people as parents and foster parents." People living the LGBT life should be lovingly cared for as we pray they would chose to live in obedience to God. But children should not be placed in a household where the adults have decided to joyfully and defiantly live in sexual sin. So the ELCA is harming both those that are attracted to people of the same sex and also children who are forced to live in that defiant-to-God household. (See the ELCA 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.)
Today is the first day of gay pride month. Last year the head Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in American made a gay pride video and wrote the below message. Notice she talks about LGBT "siblings"--presumably because saying "brothers and sisters" is too binary and excludes transgender people. Here is the quote from Bishop Elizabeth Eaton: "But this celebration (of a pro-LGBT Supreme Court decision) and this Pride Month is not just something that happens one month out of the year. We celebrate all year round for the many gifts and the ways that this church and this country have been enriched by the gifts of LGBTQIA+ people. “Our congregations are stronger. Our communities are more vibrant. There's still more work to be done and we will do it. But we know that we're moving closer to the time when these siblings cannot be made invisible by the church or by the country. They are seen and always have been seen by God. And now we can see that, in fact, all of us, all of us are created in God's image. “Peace. Be well, dear church.” So here it appears we have the head bishop of a Lutheran denomination celebrating a sexual behavior which God's Word condemns (see my article "What does the Bible teach about homosexuality?" at pastorsstudy.org). Bishop Eaton has never said a contrary word about homosexual behavior and she promotes gay pride so I can't assume otherwise. BIshop Eaton has also publicly stated that the ELCA supports abortion rights. Also, I shopped at Target today which I rarely do, it is very liberal on social causes. I snapped the below picture (see here) and complained saying "I'm a conservative, I don't appreciate Target promoting this to people who are not where they are on the political spectrum." Yes, I realize complaining to Target will not do much, but it is better than doing nothing. Hopefully it gave the employee to whom I complained something to think about. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock PS When LGBT pride month comes I think of the verse Philippians 3:19 "Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things." It is tragic when the world does this, it is super tragic when the Church (ELCA Lutherans, PCUSA Presbyterians, the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church in America) does this
A letter signed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is calling for President Trump's removal from office. Even more shocking, the ELCA comes against anyone who believes the 2020 election was fraudulent saying, "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." (See here)
Buckle-up God-fearing Christians, in a country that was built on freedom of speech, half of our society, big tech and the faux-Christian community have succumbed to hate and are now calling for repercussions for those with thoughts and beliefs that are not their own. It is time to reexamine your relationship with God, invest in your faith, grow in your knowledge of God's Word and train up those around you to do the same. Fear not, God is with you. Here is the article on the ELCA website announcing the "ELCA presiding bishop joins NCC leaders in letter to vice president, Cabinet and Congress." 
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 is from Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Look at the picture below and you will see Elizabeth Eaton, head bishop of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, holding hands with pro-abortion rights Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on the right and homosexual ELCA Bishop Guy Erwin (who has a "husband") on the left. This is not surprising since Eaton has publicly defended abortion rights, transgenderism and homosexuality. The below video claims that the ELCA is neither blue nor red politically, but look through the news releases at ELCA.org and you will get a different story. The ELCA doesn't lean to the left, it falls over to the left. Eaton publicly was thrilled by the recent Supreme Court decision affirming transgender rights and she did a video celebrating gay pride in June. In a press release some months ago Eaton reminded that the ELCA supports abortion rights when she thought some conservative states would make restrictions on abortion. The ELCA continues its practice of paying for abortion for any reason in the denomination's healthcare plan, which is funded by offering dollars. Yes, that is right, your ELCA offering dollars can go toward killing unborn children for any reason whatsoever. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock 
In an ugly display of anti-Semitism, the ELCA, which continually demonizes Israel, came out with a series of articles and news releases against Israel for what the ELCA views as the annexation of Palestinian land. The ELCA writes that they want "liberation not annexation." In truth, Israel is "extend(ing) its rightful sovereignty over Judea and Samaria." (Quote from here)
But the ELCA showed their anti-Semitic cards, in plain sight, when in a news article the ELCA tried to point to Israel as a reason George Floyd died: "The Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director of ELCA Global Mission, said that one should be aware of the connection between the Israeli government’s repressive tactics against Palestinians and those taking place against people of color in a number of localities around the United States. 'As it has been reported, the kind of police tactics used to kill George Floyd are among those taught to a number of police departments that have taken part in training by Israeli police and military forces,” Malpica Padilla said. “For example, 100 Minneapolis police officers received counterterrorism training from Israelis at a conference held in 2012.'” (Read here) It is disgusting that the ELCA is trying to capitalize on the wrongful death of George Floyd and the anger this has generated, to try to infuriate people against the only Jewish country. How can anyone stay, support and pay the salaries of people who would do such a thing? Read more about the ELCA's demonization of Israel here. Kathryn Mary Lohre, Assistant to the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA and Executive for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations & Theological Discernment, writes on the ELCA website about this action of Israel, calling Israel racist toward "Palestinians." She also tries to connect George Floyd and racism in America to what is happening with Israel toward "Palestinians" in a biased advocacy letter, she says: "The racism that has kneeled on the necks of Black Americans for 400 years is part of the same global pandemic as the racism that has been kneeling on the necks of Palestinians for 53 years of military occupation, and that has been even more suffocating under Israel’s nation state law, adopted in 2018." (See here) ELCA's top bishop Elizabeth Eaton is so passionate about advocating against Israel that she took to her official Twitter account to display more of her biased understanding of the Israeli situation: 
— Bishop Eaton (@ELCABishopEaton) June 29, 2020
(The following article is from Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
Listen to the one and a half minute video below to hear how excited the leadership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is to affirm homosexuality and transgenderism. The Bible declares these behaviors to be sinful, but you won't hear that from the ELCA. I have struggled with same sex attraction most of my life, but I abstain for the sake of Christ and my soul (I Corinthians 6:9-11). You can read my struggle at pastorsstudy.org and also see there my article "What does the Bible say about homosexuality?" I don't appreciate that the ELCA never acknowledges people who have same sex attraction but are celibate for the sake of the Kingdom. The ELCA is all about celebrating those who practice homosexuality and their "loving, committed relationships." Once again, if you are still a member of the ELCA, it is long time past to get out. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock PS I just put this comment on the ELCA's facebook page, where almost all the comments love what Bishop Eaton says: Bishop Eaton's video is tragic. I personally have struggled with same sex attraction most of my life but for the sake of Christ and my soul, I abstain (see my story at pastorsstudy.org). The Bible teaches that those who continue in impenitent homosexual behavior will not inherit the Kingdom of God (I Corinthians 6:9-11). It is not loving to tell people that sin is no longer sin. The ELCA leadership and publications regularly highlight clergy and others who live in homosexual behavior ("loving, committed relationships") but you will find no word in Living Lutheran magazine about people with same sex attraction who are celibate for the Kingdom. 
The leader of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presiding Bishop, issued a statement via Twitter and Facebook:
"The president used federal troops to clear a path through peaceful protesters in order to stand before an Episcopal church make a statement and hold up a bible. Neither the priest nor the bishop were consulted or warned. Not only was this manipulative it was desecration" (See below). This statement is highly political, bias and an abuse of her office. Going to a church building, with your Bible, is manipulative? President Trump doing so is an act of desecration? This should be eye-opening to any conservative Bible-believer who remains in the denomination. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has gone full-blown extremist in thinking this, let alone making a public declaration of this sort. This denomination has turned their keys over to liberal leftists who Bible-twisting seminaries have been raising up for decades. They are doubling up their efforts to indoctrinate all who will listen. Staying in the ELCA harms your soul, funds false teaching and the ELCA's destructive efforts, provides a facade of Christianity to onlookers and gives power to the ELCA's collective voice. It is time to free yourself from the chains of destruction and falsehood that the ELCA has embraced. 
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Facebook page then shared Presiding Bishop Eaton's statement: Bishop Michael Rinehart of the ELCA's Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod also voiced his approved of statement:
Many ELCA leaders are stating that churches should remain closed because of Covid-19. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton took it to the next level, going political, by criticizing President Trump for his statement over allowing in-person church services.
Below are just a couple statements by ELCA leadership telling churches not to meet in response to President Trump - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has a long history of advocating for measures that would harm the state of Israel. Again last month, according to ICN, Elizabeth Eaton, the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, signed onto a letter that said; "A truly viable peace can only be achieved by lifting the Gaza blockade, by ending the Israeli occupation of territories captured in 1967, through the realisation of Palestinian self-determination, the recognition of Jerusalem as a shared capital for Israelis and Palestinians and the recognition and fulfilment of the rights of Palestinian refugees. Such a peace can only be reached in consultation with leaders representing both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples." (See here) Notice that all of the ELCA leaders requirements for "viable peace" are Palestine talking points that require Israel to concede. They are measures that are destructive to Israel and require nothing of Palestine. This is a delusional position and the ELCA's motivation for it must be considered. (see more about the ELCA and Israel here) If you support Israel you should not be part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
The majority of the ELCA delegates appears happy with her leadership.
There is no sign this denomination is willing to move in a more Biblical direction. I encourage Bible-believing Christians who are still within the ELCA to finally leave this denomination. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock -- (See election here)
"As most of you are well aware, many states have passed or are considering legislation to restrict access to legal abortion."
This letter from the ELCA was written in response to pro-life legislation, like the ones passed in Georgia and Louisiana, the Alabama Human Life Protection Act and the Missouri bill banning abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy (see here), among others. Presiding Bishop Eaton and the ELCA wrote the letter to show their opposition to these laws and legislation. Note the ELCA and its leader did NOT write a letter in opposition to the New York abortion law which passed in January 2019, allowing abortion up to birth. (See here). Nor did the ELCA write a letter about the Virginia legislation, that would loosen the laws on third trimester abortions. (See here) In the letter that was written ELCA Presiding Bishop reveals the truth about the denomination's stance on abortion: "Amid the legislative challenges to access to abortion, we must remember that this church supports ongoing access to legal abortion as well as access to abortion services and reproductive health care that is not restricted by economic factors." (See here) As you can read, the ELCA supports abortion. You should not be fooled when the ELCA claims otherwise, as the presiding bishop tried to do in her letter by saying, "this church seeks to travel a moderating path by supporting abortion as a last resort." Hear the presiding bishop's words again where she says, "this church supports ongoing access to legal abortion as well as access to abortion services..." Combine that with the fact that the ELCA pays for employee abortions and then notice how you never see the ELCA supporting pro-life causes. At the end of the Presiding Bishop's letter she implores the denomination: "I urge each of us to read, to study, to listen, to discern, and to discuss as church together. See the full statement here." There was no direction to pray for the Lord's guidance or look to God's Word. Every pro-life ELCA member should walk out of his or her ELCA church, never to return.
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.
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":
ELCA pastor Chad McKenna writes "#AbolishICE":
From ELCA Pastor Paul Eldred:
The DE-MD Synod tweeted:
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: |
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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