Living Lutheran magazine: Bemoaning the Transfiguration's "White Jesus" and celebrating queerness3/13/2023 (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 January/February 2023 edition of Living Lutheran, the official magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is an article on the Transfiguration of Christ. The author, an ELCA pastor, writes "... I am convinced the transfiguration story is where we get white Jesus (Matthew 17:1-8)… a signal for later audiences of this Gospel to see Jesus transfiguring into whiteness. Over time, that whiteness prevailed for some beyond all logic and reason, but I guess that's how racism works…As a black pastor...my blackness is inextricably bound to my femaleness, my cisgenderness, my queerness, my disabledness, my fatness…"
Another article is by a "queer, black veteran" who claims that God called her into ministry when she heard "the still, small voice of God" at a gay pride event. She had been taught that homosexuality is wrong but "Marrying my wife, a lifelong Lutheran, led me to the ELCA". The ELCA pastor who married them helped her in the process of becoming "liberated, free to live a life of authenticity and right relationship with Christ." This means, I presume, the ELCA pastor helped her see that homosexual behavior is really a good thing. She is now heading into ministry to spread that good news to others. This is the umpteenth pro-gay/transgender article to be found in Living Lutheran. You will never find an article which upholds the traditional, biblical understanding of homosexuality because this has been banned in this ELCA publication. This, in spite of the fact that when the ELCA voted to affirm homosexual behavior in 2009, conservatives were assured that their viewpoint would also be respected and allowed. So this year when we celebrate Transfiguration Sunday on August 6, 2023, I guess we are supposed to pause and bemoan the fact that the Transfiguration is what turned Jesus into the "White Jesus." Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (See Living Lutheran Jan./Feb. publication here)
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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.) My alma mater, Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, used to be known as the most conservative of the seminaries of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. No longer. Luther has just announced they have hired as a professor Cody J. Sanders, author of “Queer Lessons for Churches on the Straight and Narrow: What All Christians Can Learn from LGBTQ Lives”. In his Facebook page, Sanders describes himself as a “queer theologian” (photo below). The ELCA’s United Lutheran Seminary in Pennsylvania also has as its president a man who is “married“ to a man, who was previously the ELCA’s first practicing gay bishop. There is no question as to what Martin Luther would think about all this. Luther called homosexuality a “monstrous depravity” and a “terrible pollution”. I personally have struggled with same-sex attraction most of my life (see my article “My struggle with same-sex attraction” at pastorsstudy.org), but I abstain from this behavior for the sake of Christ and my eternal soul (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Today, the ELCA embraces and promotes homosexuality, transgenderism and bisexuality. The ELCA even promoted transgenderism to 31,000 teenagers at the ELCA’s national Teen Gathering a few years ago by putting an 11-year-old boy who thinks he is a girl on stage. If you are still a member of the ELCA, time to flee this unbiblical denomination. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock 
Jennie (Jennifer) Chrien is an ELCA pastor at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, in Simi Valley, CA. She has this to say about Mary, Joseph and Jesus:
The ELCA's Southwest California Synod Bishop, Brenda Bos, a lesbian, made a comment under this Facebook post by Rev. Chrien. There was no admonition by the ELCA bishop. Below are some additional posts from pastor Jennie Chrien on her Facebook page. 
ELCA pastor Lura N. Groen has been highlighted on Exposing the ELCA many times. She is one of the most radical and heretical ELCA pastors I have come across. (See here and below for a number of things she has been saying. Some of it is blasphemous and vile.)
With that said, Pastor Lura N. Groen has been endorsed and placed into postions of influence and leadership by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Below are some writings and social media content from Rev. Groen. Sorry for the shocking and odious content. How can the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America leadership allow someone, who speaks and believes as this pastor does, to rise in their leadership ranks? How can they allow Rev. Groen and many ELCA pastors like her, to mock the One True God? The ELCA is culpable and responsible for this. They allow it and give it a platform in their midst. The true God of Scripture is not the God the ELCA serves. The Holy Spirit does not dwell in it. 
Continuing from Rev. Lura N. Groen's article posted above "I Hope You Have Only Good Sex" (see the complete article here), she writes, "This is, for me, an open expression of a deeply faith based sexual ethic. My Christian way of saying the same thing is to hope that each of you has sex in way, and only in a way, that is set free to love God, self, and neighbor. And that every time you have sex you respect the image of God in yourself and in your partner(s). That you treat yourself and every other body involved as holy, a temple, beloved by God, created beautifully, fearsomely and awesomely made."
Some of Rev. Groen's comments get even worse:
In the next post Rev. Lura Groen shared an article titled "What Promiscuity Taught Me About God's Love." The article was from QueerTheology.com.
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This all began with a podcast about polyamory. "Polyamory...is the practice of, or desire for, intimate relationships with more than one partner, with the consent of all partners involved." (See here) Invited to speak on the podcast was "theologian" J.D. R. Mechelke, an ELCA Luther Seminary student who is getting his M.A. and is also a high school youth minister for an ELCA church.
The headlines are numerous with this one so let's dive in and take a look at what this ELCA seminary student had to say, beginning with this blasphemous quote: - "Some would say that the Last Supper, Jesus is proposing to the 12 friends and so it's very gay and very polyamorous." Here is J.D. Mechelke's full statement beginning with a question from the podcast host:  More from the ELCA seminarian: - "In the evangelical world, there are a lot of the songs and prayers that are used talk about, there's this very intimate, individualistic relationship that people have with God and it's very erotic sometimes. My favorite example is this old song. It's not old, but '90s, "In the secret and the quiet place, I want to touch you. I want to see the--" "You start to think, 'That's kind of erotic and yet it's evangelical.' It's that we're doing that, which is fine. There are queer theologians that are taking that and saying, 'Maybe we have this erotic thing going on with Jesus.' Also thinking about it, 'This is my body.' You're taking somebody's body in your mouth, and so there's some phallic-." - "There's this idea of the polyamorous crisis that's gained traction, but usually the safe way to say it is that God loves everybody. This isn't very safe to say, but God's a total slut in that sense." - "Oh, God, I love when Jesus says 'bush'...I don't think of the burning bush, I think of something else."  (I believe the ELCA seminary student misspoke or there was a transcribing error in the second paragraph, and the first sentence that should say "...there's this guideline for pastors basically that says you can [not] have sex outside of marriage.") If you are wondering what church would be most welcoming to polyamory, J.D. Mechelke answers: "If a church is openly for gay and queer folk, my guess is that you probably won't have that much push back (on) polyamory..." See here for transcript or see the video below)
The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). A couple weeks ago, Masters of Divinity student Elle Dowd preached during worship in the school's Augustana Chapel (listen to it here or read it here).
Elle Dowd didn't want us to miss it, as she contacted me a number of times wanting me to read her sermon (and write about, no doubt). The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago certainly thought highly of it as well, because they promoted it on their Facebook page and linked to the full audio of the sermon. 
(Go see the seminary Facebook post here)
Here is Elle Dowd's second tweet seeking my attention:
Below is the type of teaching and preaching future ELCA pastors are digesting (and it has been like this for years). Lowlights of the sermon:
You can read more about this ELCA seminary student here. ELCA pastor Lura Groen responded to my tweeting this article:
And this from ELCA pastor John Sipf:
It doesn't take much effort to find heretical and controversial things happening in ELCA churches. So let me show you just a few things I've found. Would you like to be part of the “Feminine Sacred Circle” at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in North Hollywood, CA? Here's what that's about:  (see here) Or you could be part of a Queer Virtue lecture taking place at ELCA pastor Clint Schnekloth's Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas.  (see here) On the “Queer Virtue” book website it tells us “Authentic Christianity is and must be queer.” And one of the book reviews on the website is by Emily M.D. Scott, an ELCA pastor, who was a main speaker at the 2015 ELCA National Youth Gathering. She writes: “A breath of fresh, queer, air…With vivacious smarts and a wicked sense of humor, Edman compels her readers to fully embrace our gloriously multifaceted God-given identities. If you’ve wondered if you can be fully queer and fully Christian, the answer is a resounding “yes,” and Edman will show you the way.' —Emily M.D. Scott, Pastor, St. Lydia's -- A Dinner Church, Brooklyn, NY” (see here) Redeemer Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, MN devotes a page on their website to Black Lives Matter.  (see here) And of course you have ELCA churches trumpeting their encouragement of sin. Augustana Lutheran Church, Omaha, NE  St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in North Hollywood, CA, the church that has the “Feminine Sacred Circle,” also has a vast LGBTQ Ministry (see here)
Exposing the ELCA has introduced ELCA Rev. Lura Groen to you in the past. (see here) A couple weeks ago, Rev. Groen proudly posted, on her Facebook page, her delight that during Reconciling Works morning prayer time at the ELCA's Churchwide Assembly, they would be using a "Blessing" and liturgy she wrote.
Reconciling Works is an organization that has been pushing LGBT rights, approval, gay marriage, gay clergy and the blessing of homosexuality in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for a good number of years. Here is Rev. Groen's Facebook post: Here is ELCA pastor Lura Groen's "blessing": May the Mighty One dance Her fierce dance on all the walls of injustice. May the Strong, Proud Mama keep all Her babies safe. May the Femme of all Femmes paint us in beauty. May the Seductive One change our hearts. May the Love of the Universe wiggle Her wide hips at you, and wrap Her thighs around you. May the Promiscuous One make love to you, And may She rock your world. (see here) (Reconciling Works did not recite the 4th, 5th or 6th sentences.) This is blasphemous. "(T)he Promiscuous One make love to you," "wrap Her thighs around you." This is the direction of the ELCA. As more and more CINO's (Christian In Name Only) and false teachers graduate from ELCA seminaries, the denomination that is already rejecting much of Scripture will be increasingly championing doctrines of demons.
Here is a liturgy by ELCA pastor Groen called "a Liturgical Proclamation of Queer Holiness." It too was recited at the ELCA's Churchwide Assembly Reconciling Works morning prayer gathering:
My Beloved Queer Ones, (y)our lives are holy. (y)our lives are holy. (y)our dancing is holy. (y)our dancing is holy. (y)our protest is holy. (y)our protest is holy. (y)our grief is holy. (y)our grief is holy. (y)our rage is holy. (y)our rage is holy. (y)our community is holy. (y)our community is holy. (y)our gender presentations are holy. (y)our gender presentations are holy. (y)our bodies are holy. (y)our bodies are holy. (y)our sex is holy. (y)our sex is holy. (y)our love is holy. (y)our love is holy. (y)ou are holy. (y)ou are holy. We are holy. (see Rev. Groen's blog with this liturgy here) (The Reconciling Works speaker added a few lines to this liturgy. - Here is a video of the blessing and liturgy. The ELCA Bishop of the Southwest California Synod, Guy Erwin attended this prayer gathering and can be seen in the video below. The liturgy begins around the 5:10 minute mark) This is vile, crazy and a heresy that permeates the ELCA. (The following article was written last week by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
In August the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will hold its national assembly with a variety of workshops. The ELCA voted in 2009 to allow for the ordination of homosexually active pastors, but the ELCA also allows conservative congregations not to do so. At the upcoming assembly there is no workshop representing the traditional, Biblical viewpoint on this issue. Instead the following will be offered at the ELCA's "Grace Gathering" held in partnership with the national assembly: Introducing Queer Theology and Its Intersections with Lutheran Theology ...Queer theologians have developed transformative, challenging and more inclusive ways of understanding God, Jesus Christ and the human person and have helped redefine family and church. In this workshop we will explore what queer theologians are teaching and writing about these doctrines and how some key claims of queer theology surprisingly align with Lutheran teachings. The presenter of the workshop is Mary Elise Lowe, associate professor of Religion at the ELCA's Augsburg College in Minneapolis. Her most recent publication is “Re-Embracing the Body of Jesus Christ: A Queer, Lutheran Theology of the Body of Christ”... There is little doubt what Martin Luther, who said homosexuality "comes from the devil", would think of this workshop. A question that should be asked is: For the sake of balance and fairness (and truth!) why is there no workshop representing what Christians have believed on this issue for 2000 years? Why only one point of view? This is another example of why it is time for Christians to leave the ELCA and take their time, talents, and treasures to a denomination which honors their Biblical beliefs. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org (you can find the link to this workshop here) |
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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