ELCA pastor Margarette Ouji.
5 Comments
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) The national Teen Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in New Orleans has just concluded. The ELCA has produced the below five minute video of the week. I heard Jesus mentioned just once, when a liberal ELCA bishop says “Jesus calls us to challenge systems of oppression and power”. A transgender, non-binary, “they/them” pastor (minute 3:00) tells the youth not to be pressured into being who other people want them to be. Another speaker also tells the teens they need to be who they are, and Elizabeth Eaton, head bishop of the ELCA, tells the teens “You can be disruptive”. There is a good kind of disruption, such as rebelling against the evils of our culture like abortion, homosexuality, transgenderism, etc. But that is not what the ELCA is talking about. The ELCA endorses abortion rights, homosexuality, and transgenderism. It is no wonder Jesus is just mentioned once. In some liberal circles, Jesus is no longer the Savior who saves us from sin, dead and Hell. According to some of them, Hell does not exist. Bishop Eaton told a Chicago newspaper that if Hell exists, she believes it is empty. So what does Jesus save us from? The liberal view of Jesus makes Him sound like a community organizer who saves us from oppressive systems of power (racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia). But if that is true, why didn’t Jesus attempt to overthrow the oppressive Romans? The reason is that He is a much bigger Savior who saves us from our much bigger enemies: Sin, death, and Hell. I wonder if the ELCA teens heard that message. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS I hope the person hugging the teens at minute 2:00 is not a drag queen, but I am not sure (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Many years ago, Elim Lutheran Church near my house in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, had a wonderful, Biblical pastor. He was willing to stand against the pro-homosexual movement that was being promoted by our bishop and others in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He eventually retired. Another pastor came and slowly but surely the church became more liberal. I remember a woman from that church calling me, upset that they wouldn’t allow the Christian men’s movement Promise Keepers into the church because one of the pastors said it was sexist. Today if you go to Elim’s website, you will see that the current pastor and all of the staff members list their preferred pronouns (see the “he/him” pastor below). The director of Elim’s children, youth and family ministries is a “they, them” who is studying “queer theology.” This is the danger of staying in a liberal denomination and I have seen it over again. A new pastor comes along, and slowly influences the congregation to accept the heretical beliefs of the ELCA. This is why I encourage every congregation to leave the ELCA and join a more Biblical branch of Lutheranism. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock
Screenshots are from the church website. See here. (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Their church sign is on a busy highway and states “God is proud of all Their children”. The word “proud” is in gay rainbow colors. Thus God is no longer a “He” but a “They” in order to make God non-binary and trans-friendly. The church is just a few minutes from my house and years ago it had a godly, Bible-preaching pastor, but that pastor left and I visited Prince of Peace a few years ago to see a rainbow sign in the church office. Today if you go to the Prince of Peace website, the pastors and staff all list their preferred pronouns, because if you are a “he” but identify as a “she” or a “they”, Prince of Peace wants to be sensitive. What would the real Prince of Peace say to all this? He already said it in Matthew 19:4, “He who made them in the beginning made them male and female”. Notice, Jesus calls God “He” not “They”, and says there are only two genders, male and female. I believe it is blasphemy to change God’s “preferred pronoun” (He) to make God fit the LGBT agenda. May God have mercy on Prince of Peace Lutheran and return it to sanity. In the meantime, this church will continue to be a horrible witness to the people driving by in Brooklyn Park. Sincerely 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.) Today I was out and about and followed signs to a church rummage sale, arriving at this church in a Minneapolis suburb. Walking around the church, I saw its “all gender bathroom” and it dawned on me that a couple years ago I had written an article about this congregation. Christ Lutheran wants you to announce your preferred pronouns in order to be sensitive to the LGBTQAI+ community. Christ Lutheran's staff wants to avoid calling God “He”. Below is their recent 2023 gay pride worship service. It featured a trans speaker and a communion table with rainbow decorations. The pastor encouraged children to attend their yoga class and the children’s sermon was all about inclusion. Of course, there was no mention of sin and repentance. The church's website recommends reading "A Kid's Book About Being Non-binary" and "A Kid's Book About Being Transgender." You may watch the entire service below, if you can endure it. Again I have to say, this ain’t my grandma’s Lutheran Church. How horribly far some American churches have fallen. A friend of mine said today “We are in the end times.” 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.)
The below church is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The biblical language of referring to God as “He” and “Father” is being challenged in many ELCA congregations which now also refer to God as “Mother”. This is because many “progressive” pastors think male language for God is oppressive and patriarchal. But Jesus taught us to pray to “Our Father who art in heaven”, never once to “Our Mother”. But these pastors seem to think they are better experts in language for God than Jesus Christ. And this is not just some radical individual church, the head Bishop of the whole ELCA has also prayed publicly to God as “Mother.” The person who sent me the below is concerned for her loved ones who attend this church. I would be too. If you are still a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, time to leave and join a denomination which unashamedly worships God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We cannot improve upon the teaching of Jesus Christ and people are arrogant who think they can do so. Sincerely 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.)
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 article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
I graduated many years ago from Luther Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It was moderate to liberal back then, today it is radically liberal. Witness the below screenshot of a recent chapel service. You will see Professor Amy Marga preaching and her preferred pronouns are listed in order to be gay/trans sensitive. You’ll also notice she doesn’t use the word “his” for God and avoids masculine pronouns for God. Later in this same service, God is prayed to as a “Holy fool”. Luther chapel in the past brought in a transgender preacher who prayed to God as “Our Mother in heaven“. Luther chapel has also observed National Coming Out Day for homosexuals and also the Transgender Week of Remembrance. Luther chapel has also had deep breathing meditation and Native American smudging during some worship services. A few years ago Luther Seminary, because of failing finances, had to sell off some of its buildings. Today attendance is much lower than when I was there. This is what happens when a denomination leaves the authority of Scripture. It slowly shrinks and dies. 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.) Below you may read the entire story of church leaders praising the election of a woman who presents herself as a man. Megan Rohrer was elected as a bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Rohrer likes to use the pronoun "they" to refer to herself. Here is praise from Reverend Mark Holmerud, the retiring ELCA bishop she replaced: “My prayers will be with Bishop-Elect Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer as they prepare to take leave of their current ministry and assume the role of bishop for our Sierra Pacific Synod, I am confident that they will be blessed by the people of our synod through prayer as they serve..., May God’s peace and guidance of the Spirit be with Bishop-Elect Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer as they serve and lead in our midst. They will build on the pandemic experience and move the Sierra Pacific forward.” This nonsense of calling a single person "they" is further evidence that much of the ELCA has adopted the LGBT agenda of doing away with traditional, Biblical sexuality. Two years ago at the ELCA's national assembly it was commonplace for delegates at the microphone to announce their preferred pronouns before they spoke. Sexual confusion--from calling God "Mother" to ordaining practicing homosexual and transgender people--reigns in the ELCA. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock Read article here. 
(See the end of the article for the UPDATE. The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
Two years ago the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at its teen Youth Gathering had 31,000 teenagers chant “I renounce the lie that queerness is anything other than beauty”. That same event put an 11-year-old boy who thinks he is a girl on stage to promote transgenderism. Below are three of the ELCA youth leaders who are involved in the upcoming ELCA Youth Gathering. As you can see, they announce their “preferred pronouns” to make sure they are being gay/trans inclusive. That should be enough of a clue not to send your teenager to the ELCA Youth Gathering. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock PS. The ELCA Youth Gathering page at elca.org shows 16 “Meet the Team” youth leaders, and everyone of them lists preferred pronouns. (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
Fast forward to today. A while ago at Luther Seminary, a transgender chapel preacher said “Let us pray the Lord’s Prayer in whatever way you are comfortable, “Our Mother who is in heaven…”. At the ELCA’s recent Churchwide Assembly, many delegates announced their “preferred pronouns” before they spoke, regardless of whether those pronouns matched their God – given anatomy. This was their way of being “trans inclusive”. In today’s strange world of religious liberalism, if you don’t call someone by their “preferred pronouns” you are doing “gender violence.” What about respecting God’s “preferred pronoun”? God consistently revealed Himself as “He” in both the Old and New Testaments. Yes, there is some female imagery for God in the Bible, like when Isaiah talks about God caring for us as a mother. But the pronouns are always masculine and Jesus never prayed to God as “Mother” but only as “Father”. This kind of desexing of God language is also taking place in the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, and the Presbyterian Church USA. How about respecting God’s “preferred pronoun”? Sincerely 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.)
The first article in the October 2021 edition of Living Lutheran, the official magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, says this: ”And the Spirit transforms you and me by her relentless presence in, with, and among humanity”. The Bible never calls the Holy Spirit “her” or “she”, but that does not stop the feminist ELCA from revamping the biblical language for God. Indeed, years ago, the ELCA came out with its most recent hymnal which desexed all the Psalms to get rid of masculine pronouns for God. I hope you attend a good church which unashamedly worships the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is the only true God. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock PS The same article also talks about the “kindom” of God (whatever that is) instead of the “kingdom of God“. I’m presuming we can’t even say the word “king” anymore because that is too patriarchal and oppressive. (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
Christ Lutheran Church in Blaine, Minnesota, is a congregation of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I stumbled upon the below from their website, which encourages everyone to announce their preferred pronouns when introducing them/their/him/her/itself. It also appears they will now avoid referring to God as "He." Whether the people at Christ Lutheran like it or not, God has revealed--dare I say it--Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are in no position to think we are so enlightened that we may correct God in His use of His preferred pronoun. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock From Christ Lutheran's website: This congregation wants to ensure that all people feel welcome at Christ Lutheran Church. For that purpose, a Welcoming Team was formed in 2020. Their work has begun, with a focus on ensuring that LGBTQ+ people have a safe space within the church, and to provide ways to be inclusive to the LGBTQ+ community... (read more from their website here) (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 glowing article from the website of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America about the denomination's recently elected first transgender bishop. This may be the first transgender bishop of any denomination anywhere as the ELCA leads the way in embracing new sexualities. The ELCA has also had two practicing homosexual bishops, one of which retired as bishop and is now an ELCA seminary president. If you read the below article you will notice the transgender bishop is not referred to as "she" but as "they." This is the bizarre, new world of a denomination that has abandoned biblical sexuality and has embraced a secular world-view. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (See article here)
(The following article is from Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
Watch the video below to see where offering dollars go in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The video claims that ELCA advocacy does not push a political agenda, while pushing the LGBTQAI+ agenda to the hilt. You may go to ELCA.org and view their press releases of liberal causes. As I said in an earlier post, the ELCA does not lean to the left, it falls over to the left. But, they say, they don't have a political agenda. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock (See video here or below) 
|
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