By the time most of you read this, Elizabeth Eaton will be installed as the new presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She is getting a good amount of press these days because she will be the first woman to hold the position in the denomination. With all the press coverage, we are provided a great opportunity to learn more about the bishop, her beliefs and theology, as well as the ELCA at large.
During an interview on Chicago's ABC7, Eaton was asked, “But what do you say to your critics who say biblically, homosexuality is a sin and it's not of God. What do you say to those critics that say that should not be accepted in the church?” Eaton responded, “Well, Lutherans have a specific way of reading the Bible. We're not biblical literalists. I mean, there are different lists of disciples. The mustard seed isn't the smallest seed. That doesn't mean that our Lord didn't know what He was talking about. But whatever shows forth God's love as it was revealed in Jesus Christ, that's what's key. And there's a lot of stuff that really is not as important.” (see here) Did you catch that? "There's a lot of stuff (in the Bible) that really is not as important." Everything in the Bible comes from the God of the universe. How can a godly Christian leader say that much of what God says isn't really important? How arrogant and ignorant! This view of God's Word allows ELCA leaders, and their members, to ignore things they do not like in Scripture. That is exactly what she is trying to say here. She lists a of couple instances in Scripture that she believes the Bible got wrong, to make her point, that the ELCA rejects and discounts many parts of the Bible. Sadly, this is a commonly-held understanding of many in the leadership of the ELCA. Notice also that she says Lutherans are not biblical literalists –another familiar saying among ELCA leaders. Wikipedia defines biblical literalism as “the interpretation or translation of the explicit and primary sense of words in the Bible . . . The essence of this approach focuses upon the author's intent as the primary meaning of the text. Literal interpretation does place emphasis upon the referential aspect of the words or terms in the text. It does not, however, mean a complete denial of literary aspects, genre, or figures of speech within the text (e.g., parable, allegory, simile, or metaphor). Also literalism does not necessarily lead to total and complete agreement upon one single interpretation for any given passage.” (see here) Presiding Bishop-elect Eaton is communicating to all, that if the ELCA doesn't like what the Bible clearly says, they will reject it or say “God's love” overrides whatever that part of Scripture says. This is clearly shown in a second interview Presiding Bishop-elect Eaton gave this week with WTTW11 in Chicago. She is asked, “If you believe that God is at work in the world, do you believe that Satan is at work in the world?” Eaton answered “Do I believe there is evil in the world? Yes, absolutely. And maybe Satan could be personified as an individual being, but yes, there is evil in the world. The world is a dangerous place.” (see here) Now the Bible, plain as day, tells us that Satan is a real individual being. He is mentioned 47 times in Scripture (see here), yet Presiding Bishop-elect Eaton can not even definitively say so. In fact, she simply leaves room for those who understand evil personified. If she believed God's Word, she would have answered, “Yes, Satan is absolutely at work in the world.” This is a major problem, people. The ELCA questions or denies biblical facts such as the virgin birth, hell, how God created all that there is, that unborn babies are made in the image of God and deserve to live, that homosexuality is a sin of which repentance is necessary. (see here) The list goes on. ELCA missionaries do not seek to win people to faith in Jesus, many leaders preach universalism against the testimony of Scripture that says - “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him (John 3:36). An understanding that “receiving” Jesus is not necessary is widely held in the ELCA, but God tells us, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name (John 1:12). The ELCA is a denomination that does not stand on the truth in the Bible. Sadly, this is modeled from the top on down through the leadership of the ELCA. Were you hoping for a brighter day in the future of the ELCA?
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The 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly elected William Chris Boerger the new secretary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Rev. Boerger is the former bishop of the Northwest Washington Synod, a position he held for 12 years. He made a name for himself, over those twelve years, showing himself to be a vocal gay rights, liberal activist. So let me tell you more about the man the ELCA has voted to hold the second most powerful position in the denomination.
The Homosexual Rights Activist: Here is a statement made by Bishop Boerger to the Washington state Senate Government Operations, Tribal Relations & Elections Committee: "Mr. Chairman, I am Chris Boerger, the bishop of the Northwest Washington Synod of the Evangelical Church in America . . . In 2009, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to commit itself to find ways to allow congregations who choose to do so, to support and hold publicly accountable lifelong monogamous same gender relationships . . .One of the people who had questions about our doing this said, "Bishop, isn't that marriage?" And my response is, "Well, in everything but name." The reality is, the Lutheran church has always held that it is the state that defines what marriage is; it's the church that then blesses people who enter into that relationship. We have now stated our desire to bless those who are publicly accountable in lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships. We can't call it marriage, you can . . . we ask for that freedom." (see here, beginning at the 1:12:20 mark) The Lutheran LGBT rights organization ReconcilingWorks celebrated the election of Rev. Boerger to his new office and Executive Director, Emily Eastwood said, “Pr. Chris Boerger has been an ally for full participation for many years. His prophetic witness in favor of civil marriage equality for same-gender couples before the Washington State legislature was remarkable in its clarity. Chris ordained our own regional director, Pr. Kari Lipke, and has been an avid supporter of clergy in same-gender relationships as their bishop...We applaud his election and look forward to the ways in which we may partner with him in the years ahead.” (read here) ReconcilingWorks also reports that in 2012 “Bishop Chris Boerger said in his remarks closing the synod assembly that he pledged to continue speaking in favor of civil marriage equality until it became the law of the land in Washington State.” (read here) At a retirement party/roast for Bishop Boerger “Jan Nesse said that in this unique time to be the church she and the Bishop had more talks about sex than in all the years she taught sex education.” (read here) The Anti-Israel Activist: Bishop Boerger and Presiding Bishop-elect Elizabeth E. Eaton were two of 58 ELCA bishops who signed a letter to President Obama in 2009 concerning Israel and Palestinians. In the letter it was written, “We express profound concern at the stalemate that persists and at the fading hopes for a two-state solution due to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.” And “We urge the U.S. to insist upon an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land...” and “ The ELCA has long called for a halt to settlements, and we reiterate that call now with a deep sense of urgency.” (read here) The Environmental Activist: “ELCA Bishop Chris Boerger (NW WA) stated that it 'is “blatant sin” for human beings to fail to protect creation' (ELCA News Release 11/23/2010). Boerger represented ELCA bishops as leaders from 56 denominations and faith-based organizations called on the US Senate to leave intact the power of the US Environmental Protection Agency to regulate pollutants.” (read here) Also, “Chris Boerger, who serves as bishop for the Northwest Washington Synod, came to Washington, D.C., as part of a delegation of senior religious leaders to speak to members of Congress and to Obama administration officials about a proposed gold and copper mine, which threatens the world’s largest wild salmon fishery in Bristol Bay, Alaska.” (read here) There is a new bishop in town, a new leader of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The old bishop, Mark S. Hanson, has been sent packing and none too soon. Under Bishop Hanson's watch, the ELCA has: - decided God was wrong, so they “unsinned” homosexuality - taken no step to protect the lives of the unborn - continued to gender neutralize God and also invented female names for Him - taken no steps to end goddess worship happening in their churches - continually called on government leaders to take actions that would harm Israel and seek to turn the Christian community against the Jews - placed social justice over Jesus' great commission - raised up leaders who do not believe much of what is said in the Bible Will that change with newly-elected Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton? It doesn't look that way. During an interview this week Bishop Eaton said this about the ELCA's positions on homosexuality, “We took a difficult decision in 2009 and it did have an impact on our attendance because we decided that when God said 'everybody' God meant 'everybody' could serve.” A few minutes later she said, “We are not doing any of this to catch a wave in populate culture or to get more people to come in. We are doing this because we felt motivated by our understanding of Scripture and of our own confessional tradition that maybe this was something that God was doing that was new and it would be important for us to allow this kind of inclusion.” (see here) So the ELCA decided to contradict Scripture because “maybe” God was doing something new? WOW! I'd think a Christian denomination should know “without a doubt” 100% that God wanted them to go against His written Word before they would do it. Yet on March 10, 2010 -
An interesting fact being reported is that Bishop Eaton's husband, Rev. Conrad Selnick, is an Episcopal priest. The Episcopalian church is even more non-orthodox doctrinally than the ELCA. I was reading a forum that was discussing the new Presiding Bishop and came across this from a pastor who knows her. Rev. Norman E. Dew writes: “Having served in the Northeastern Ohio Synod while Eaton served as bishop, not much will change. She talks about making sure that the ELCA doesn't slide into just another liberal Protestant denomination but she's not tolerant of Lutheran orthodoxy in matters of sexuality. As an interim pastor, I was told that she was the pastor of the congregation I served. I served in her stead. She did not like the fact that I allowed the congregation and leadership of the church to investigate the happenings that were occurring in the church as a result of the 2009 CWA. She came close to accusing me of leading the congregation out of the ELCA. I did no such thing despite some disapproval of those in the congregation who thought I should be outspoken. When I finally determined that my future as a pastor in the ELCA was over I moved to the NALC and resigned as interim pastor. So the ELCA, under Presiding Bishop Eaton, will remain the same. They will continue to cruise down the road of secularism and heresy. They will continue to distance themselves from the God of the Bible. They will continue to lead people down the path of destruction.
The ELCA and its leaders love to push their liberal progressive political policies and condemn ones that do not live up to their point of view. Here is another case in point. Recently, four ELCA bishops (along with other religious leaders) signed a letter to United States Senators saying that the Republican “budget proposal passed by the House of Representatives, which the Senate will vote on this week, fails the basic tests of justice, compassion and a commitment to the common good.” They go on to say the “House budget turns its back on the most vulnerable at a time of grave economic uncertainty even as it endorses policies that gives tax breaks for the privileged few. This is morally indefensible.” (read here)
The ELCA puts forth very little effort to make disciples as Jesus told us to do, they are not bringing people to the saving knowledge of Christ and what He has done, but they are great at being a voice for progressive liberalism. ELCA leaders who signed letter - Bishop James F. Mauney Virginia Synod Bishop David B. Zellmer South Dakota Synod Bishop Stephen S. Talmage Grand Canyon Synod Bishop Elizabeth Eaton Northeastern Ohio Synod |
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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