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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.) Reverend Nadia Bolz-Weber, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and speaker at the ELCA Youth Gathering, has stated publicly that she enjoys having sex outside of marriage with her boyfriend. She signed a statement by a group of ELCA leaders called “Naked and Unashamed” which wants to overthrow the old 1990 ELCA rules that said pastors should not have sex outside of marriage. The ELCA bishops are presently working on a new set of standards for ELCA clergy to reflect the fact that the ELCA now ordains practicing homosexuals. The bishops state:: “We express our profound grief and deep regret for the times when Vision and Expectations (the 1990 rules) has been misused to single out, marginalize, and block people seeking to be leaders in this church when their peers were not always held to the same vision and expectations. This has caused considerable pain that has disproportionately been borne by those who have been historically marginalized or excluded from leadership in the church because of their gender, sexuality, race, or status. We apologize to those whose treatment under this document has made them feel targeted and less than the beloved children of God that they are.” I think this means, in part, that the bishops feel bad for not supporting practicing homosexual pastors and their partners in the past. That all changed in 2009 when the ELCA voted to allow non-celibate homosexual pastors. The proposed new statement reads that “Those who serve as (ELCA) pastors and deacons reflect a variety of sexual orientations and diverse gender identities…the greatest sexual intimacies should be matched with marriage. Pastors and deacons, as public witnesses to this church’s respect for marriage, are therefore to live in accordance with the understanding that deepening degrees of sexual intimacy are aligned with deepening levels of commitment to one another and the relationship. Such relationships are to be exclusive, monogamous, consensual, and in the ELCA, require marriage before cohabitation for those serving as pastors and deacons.” Thus, in this new statement, cohabitation (living together) is forbidden for ELCA pastors. I believe this means that a homosexual pastor living with a partner in a sexual relationship now needs to get “married”. This is tragic. What if the homosexual pastor gets “married” and then later comes to realize that homosexual behavior is sin? But now the pastor has been saddled with a “marriage” at the insistence of the bishops of the Church. This is the strange new world of the ELCA. And what about a heterosexual pastor like Bolz-Weber who engages in sex with her boyfriend, presumably in a “loving, monogamous relationship”? Since only cohabitation is explicitly forbidden by the proposed statement, is she allowed to continue to be sexually active and face no discipline? The statement is in its rough draft form and hopefully the language will eventually make it clear that both cohabitation and fornication are forbidden. But we shall see. I believe the greatest error of the statement is telling homosexual pastors they must “marry” their sexual partners. Back in 2009 the ELCA agreed that the conservative view regarding homosexual behavior would be honored alongside the liberal view. Where is the conservative view being honored in the ELCA today? What if an ELCA bishop were to say “I hold to the conservative view and I refuse to ordain a practising homosexual”? Would such a bishop be allowed in the ELCA? You can read the entire proposed new statement in the link below at the very bottom. And I hope it will make you consider leaving the ELCA if you are still a member. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock PS If you want to read what ELCA Pastor Bolz-Weber said in a podcast about how great sex is with her boyfriend, I have edited out her foul language below. As you read it, keep in mind she is an ELCA pastor in good standing with the denomination and spoke to 31,000 ELCA teens last summer: Reverend Nadia Bolz-Weber: “But I get together with my boyfriend and start having sex and it was like 'holy s___,’ I was like, it felt like an exfoliation of my whole spirit. I'm like 'This is so good for my brain chemistry, and my body, and my heart. And I’m like f___ man, why in the world would the Church say ‘Don’t do this?’ Like I could tell it was what I needed, and it was so good.” For new proposed standards for ELCA pastors: https://download.elca.org/ELCA%20Resource%20Repository/Trustworthy_Servants_Common_Draft_3-4-2019.pdf -- 
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ELCA Bishop Tells 'The New Yorker' Magazine, Nadia Bolz-Weber's Sexual Reformation is Long Overdue2/9/2019
The New Yorker magazine wrote a feature story on Rev. Bolz-Weber this week, titled "The Lutheran Pastor Calling for a Sexual Reformation," which provides a window into the life, thoughts and vile nature of this beloved ELCA pastor, which I will highlight. The most important revelation came from Nadia's bishop, Rev. Jim Gonia, of the Rocky Mountain Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He begins by comparing Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber to Martin Luther, "He talked about farting and drinking and he was kind of like Nadia.” The feature writer continues, "Gonia summed up Luther’s idea like this: 'Now that we don’t need to worry that we’re good enough for God, how do we direct our attention to our neighbor?'” Then we have the ELCA leadership's public approval of Nadia, who wants to undo Biblical teaching reserving sexual relations to one man and one woman within marriage. Here is the whole paragraph from the article to give you context: "Bolz-Weber argues that this idea should be extended to sex. For millennia, the Church has taught Christians to deny their physical selves, and to consider carnal urges sinful. 'We keep looking for a set of laws that will save us,' Bolz-Weber told me. 'Relying on grace can feel shaky. If it’s free it must be worthless.' As a result, both men and women lead fractured lives, believing that their sexuality is at odds with their spirituality. 'This idea that salvation comes through sexual repression,' Bolz-Weber said, 'that shit comes out sideways.' In “Shameless,” she sets out to build a sexual ethic around human flourishing rather than around rules encoded by men centuries ago. This begins by recognizing that with sex, as with everything else, 'it’s not about being good—it’s about grace.' This, she argues, is actually just the natural extension of classical Lutheranism. 'She’s the most classical Lutheran preacher you’ll ever meet,' Gonia said, adding that the reformation she’s calling for is long overdue. 'We have so intellectualized our faith—there’s a need to bring head, heart, and body into the forefront of our lives, for the future of the Christian tradition.'" People of the ELCA, the leadership approves of what Nadia Bolz-Weber is preaching. This is public confirmation, along with ELCA leadership having her speak to 31,000 ELCA youth this summer as they assembled for the church-wide gathering. They are on board with these harmful sexual ethics she and many others preach that clearly go against God's will for people. Why are you still part of this vile denomination? Here is a run down concerning things from The New Yorker article (in which I am quoted): - Nadia Bolz-Weber and her two children recently went to a sexually explicit exhibition called "Au Natural" that included casts of penises, nudity, and a sculpture that is masturbating. It also presented a sculpture of Jesus made from cigarettes. - "When she was twenty, she joined Vox Femina, a feminist performance-art group whose acts, she told me, weren’t so different from Lucas’s egg massage." (referring to one of the art exhibition performances) - She use to be a call-center psychic. - She had an abortion, saying she could not afford a child. And she does not think abortion is wrong. - She divorced her husband and loves having sex with her boyfriend, which has caused her to feel closer to God. - Her son is gay, and at 16 years old Nadia bought him condoms when she heard he had a new boyfriend. - She calls the belief, that homosexuality is wrong, "bigotry." - Bolz-Weber was once a counselor at a Unitarian summer camp where some campers would sunbathe nude. As you can see below, ELCA pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber is publicizing The New Yorker piece as if she is happy with what it says.
Famous ELCA Pastor Talks of Sex With Boyfriend, Writes Book Rejecting Sex Reserved for Marriage2/7/2019
What you are about to read, by the most famous and sought after pastor in the ELCA, goes completely against Scripture. Run away from this denomination as soon as you can.
Nadia Bolz-Weber is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and is highly revered in the denomination and with ELCA leadership. That, despite the heretical and controversial things she has said and done and keeps saying and doing. (See a list here, here and here) Recently, Rev. Bolz-Weber appeared on a podcast by Kevin Garcia that was titled "Making Sex Shameless, w/ Nadia Bolz-Weber." 
The content that follows shows you what the ELCA is becoming. This is what ELCA seminaries produced and are producing. Nadia Bolz-Weber is not some outlier. She is one of many the ELCA has elevated to a position of power and great influence, speaking throughout the ELCA and even to multiple ELCA Youth Gatherings. During the interview the host asked Nadia to give a little synopsis of her new book, "Shameless." Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber replied (language warning): “. . . it came out of my own experience, I was raised, obviously very very fundamentalist Christian, with all the crazy shit about gender roles and sex and extramarital sex and all that, but it was before the purity movement you know, but I was raised with all that, rejected it, led this very different life. But then I discovered the Lutheran Church, and the ELCA is one of the most progressive denominations in the country and yet, there is a document you have to sign when you’re ordained called “Visions and Expectations” that says you would be faithful in marriage, or I think its 'celibate or chaste in singleness.' Well, the origin of this document was it was originally sorta' forged through the denomination by a group that was trying to keep the homosexuals out of the pulpit. It was a way, it really was a way, of keeping the homos down. Because you would have to be celibate in your singleness, and gay people couldn’t get married – and that shifted, and they were like, 'oh shit,' right? And everybody had to sign this. And it’s insane because what happens is that there are all these people who get married right out of seminary, because they can’t afford to live separately, you know, they need to live in intern housing, and so they get married sooner than they should. Or they have sexual relationships that they are forced to keep secret or not be honest about. Or they are completely repressed, and we have single, grown-assed adults who don’t have, who are not flourishing in their sexual lives because the church says they shouldn’t. So none of those things are great, really. And so you know, (Nadia then talks about her ex-husband)...we never connected, like there was no intimacy in our marriage, and for whatever reason, it just didn’t happen for us. And so, you know, people are like, ‘Wow, you don’t do cross-fit any more?’ And I’m like, ‘I was doing cross-fit because I wasn’t having sex!' You know what I mean, it was just a way of like managing. And now I’m like all soft, and I got long hair, and I’m so much happier. So what happened was, I get divorced, like the most amicable divorce you can imagine. No lawyers, no acrimony. It was great, right, it was like actually really lovely. But I get together with my boyfriend and start having sex and it was like 'holy shit,' I was like, it felt like an exfoliation of my whole spirit. I'm like 'This is so good for my brain chemistry, and my body, and my heart. And I’m like fuck man, why in the world would the Church say ‘Don’t do this?’ Like I could tell it was what I needed, and it was so good. And then 10 days later, after we get together...I have to go to Europe for 3 1/2 weeks on a book tour, because the U.K and the German edition of my book came out...3 ½ weeks after years of sexlessness and 10 days of having sex, right, my mind was like swirling, I was like ‘What the fuck is happening?!’" "I’m walking down a street in London...we (a friend) just cried and ate, we had both just gotten divorced, and we were like insane. So for 10 days we trampsed around England and Scotland, and eating and crying...I as like ‘Wait a minute, why did the Church make me sign that thing? How is it better for my church if I’m not getting laid?’ Look, the church will entrust me with the care of souls and will not entrust me with my own grown-ass woman sexuality, to make good decisions for myself? Like don’t fuck the flock, clearly, I get that part... I’m like, “what the fuck.” So I messaged, I whatsapped Eric, my boyfriend… and granted, this was with an unwarranted urgency, and I’m going, and he gets on Skype, and he’s not Christian, he’s never a Christian, and I go ‘Why do you think the Church has tried to control sex for so long?’ and without skipping a beat, my beloved said, ‘Umm...I guess I always assumed that the Church saw sex as its competition'…I was like, I’m writing a book." Nadia continues, "Here’s the harm that these teachings have directly caused myself and these people (who Nadia interviewed), and if the teachings of the Church are harming people, we need to rethink these teachings. We should never be more loyal to an idea or a doctrine or an interpretation of a Bible verse than we are to people. So that’s the premise of the book.” (Listen here. Starting at 22:20 minute mark.) Continuing on, “I want people to have better sex too. I want people to feel uninhibited with their lover and to lose themselves in that. And uhm, you know, I think Christianity has led to a lot of really bad sex. And a lot of people shut down and not connected to their bodies. And terrified to talk about sex with their partner, even.” (Listen here. Starting at 41:40)
What ELCA pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber is saying, pushing for a new teaching on sex to replace the Biblical and traditional view of where sexual relations are to take place, is evil. It is from the pit of hell. It is against God's will and God's Word.
Let's recap what Rev. Bolz-Weber said (and apparently what she says in her new book): - She calls the ELCA document that pastors sign, reserving sex to marriage, "insane." - She calls fundamentalist thought on extramarital sex "crazy shit." - She says she is having sex with her boyfriend, (hence, sex outside of marriage. This is in violation of "Vision and Expectations," an ELCA document for pastors that she signed.) - She questions why the Church would not allow sex outside of marriage. - She calls the Biblical teaching on sex "harmful." - She says "people" should come before God's Word, if God's Word causes "harm" to some people.
As I said earlier, this is not one crazy ELCA pastor talking. This is a belief held by many ELCA pastors, leaders and future ELCA pastors. See below the social media post by ELCA pastor, Javen Swanson, and my blog about "Naked and Unashamed" (here).
Below is Pastor Swanson's tweets with active links.
Many in Christendom including most Lutheran denominations believe the Bible, written by God, is inerrant, or "free from error." Dr. Albert Mohler, Jr. says, "The affirmation of biblical inerrancy means nothing more, and nothing less, than this: When the Bible speaks, God speaks.” That is not the case with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Why not? And what does the ELCA believe about the Bible?
“We believe that the Scripture are the inspired word of God. But they are not inerrant because human beings are in error. You ever read one part of Scripture and then read something else and they don’t match?” (listen here, at the 58:10 minute mark)  At the same meeting, Rev. Craig Miller, Assistant to the Bishop of the Upper Susquehanna Synod, gave the following disturbing responses to questions from St. Luke Lutheran Church members: Question: “Do you believe that the writers of the Bible were so controlled by the Holy Spirit that they wrote exactly what God wanted them to write?” Rev. Craig Miller: “No. No.” Question: “You don’t believe that the writers of the Bible wrote what God wanted them to write?” Rev. Craig Miller: “Letter by letter? In the form that we have it? No. These have been copied over and over again and there have been mistakes that have been made.” Question: “So the Bible is full of mistakes and contradictions?” Rev. Craig Miller: “Certainly, there have been copy errors and yes, if you are only reading the Bible literally, then yes there are contradictions.” (listen at the 1:05:25 minute mark here) The ELCA states the following about the Bible, "This church accepts the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith, and life" (Art. 2.03 of the Constitution of the ELCA). The ELCA does not call Scriptures inerrant. ELCA Rev. Jay Thorson said this, in the ELCA magazine Living Lutheran, about God's Word, "I was reclaiming the view that the Bible isn’t an inerrant oracle dropped from heaven but more like a messy, earthen vessel holding the treasure of the saving gospel message. That’s what most ELCA professors and pastors teach, and I realized that was where I belonged." (See here) ELCA pastor Jerry O'Neal similarly writes, "To those who say, 'But you don’t believe in the Bible?' No, I don’t. As our former presiding bishop, Mark Hanson, once said, 'I don’t believe in the Bible – I believe in the God revealed in the Bible.' The Bible is NOT inerrant. It contains clear contradictions in places (e.g. 2 creation stories in Gen. 1—3 that do not agree), and it has been open to interpretation from the beginning." (see here) Popular and helpful website gotquestions.org writes this about the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, "It claims to hold to the authority of Scripture, but it rejects inerrancy." (See here) The ELCA's belief about Scripture is a major problem. It has allowed heresy to take hold in the denomination. (As I document on this website). The most popular ELCA pastor, Nadia Bolz-Weber, whom the ELCA adores and had as a keynote speaker to address 31,000 ELCA teenagers this summer, says the following about God's Word: - “We should never be more loyal to an idea or an interpretation of a Bible verse than we are to people..." (See here) - "This is where it’s very convenient to be a Lutheran, because Lutherans very admittedly have a canon within the canon. So not all Scripture is the same to us. The Gospel of Jesus, the good news of who Jesus is, whether those texts are found in the Old Testament or the New, is at the very center of our understanding of why the Bible even exists. The Bible is the cradle that holds Christ. The cradle’s not Christ. If you understand that that is the importance of the Bible, then suddenly Scripture is read in concentric circles around what it is at its center. Sometimes you read Paul, and it’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever read. I actually can feel it in my body. I’ll read something gorgeous from Paul, and just be like, 'That’s breathtaking. That is the word of God. That is the word of God. There’s something eternal about what he’s saying.' And then other times you read Paul and you’re like, 'Good lord, what is that?'" - (See here) - “The Bible is not God. The Bible is simply the cradle that holds Christ. Anything in the Bible that doesn't hold up to the gospel of Jesus Christ simply doesn't have the same authority.” (See here. Video looks to be removed) - “...Preaching hopefully in some way is the word of God, speaking is not. So I thought, I wonder, we can look at Paul that way. You know like sometimes he was just going off on his snotty opinions, he has some authority to speak on it but that’s not necessarily the Word of God.” (Listen to the audio posted here) - "The Bible’s not clear about shit!" (see here) (apologies for the language) This view, as you have read, is much different than how of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ viewed Scripture. He view it as authoritative, as truth, as from God. (See here) The namesake of Lutherans, Martin Luther, also stands against the ELCA belief about Scripture, saying the following about the Bible,
“Over against all the statements of the fathers and of all men, yes, over against words of angels and devils, I place the scriptures” (p. 80) And, “I have learned to ascribe the honor of infallibility only to those books that are accepted as canonical. I am profoundly convinced that none of these writers have erred” (p. 78). A review of Luther and the Bible, by Willem Jan Kooiman, translated by John Schmidt (Muhlenberg Press. 1961.) What one believes about the Bible is significant. The ELCA conducted a study in 1991, and one of its findings was that pastors who believe the Bible is inerrant were less likely to support abortion, homosexuality, and the belief that "men keep women down because most men benefit from having more power." (See here) How do you think the ELCA's view of God's Word has affected the ELCA's stance on transgenderism, sexual morals, the state of Israel, the reality of hell, salvation, seeking converts, the validity of other religions, miracles in the Bible and God's account of creation?
Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber is the face of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). She is a beloved pastor/author in the denomination who speaks at some of the ELCA's largest gatherings, including this summer's National Youth Gathering that brought in over 31,000 high school students. (See the end of this article)
No word yet if Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber and her ELCA brethren will be dancing around the golden object at its unveiling. (Exodus 32:19) What is this about? This is about sex. This is about being sexual. Nadia does not like God's directive for sex to be between one man and one woman, who are married and does not think it should be confined only to marriage. Rev. Bolz-Weber's new book website says her book "offers a full-blown overhaul of our harmful and antiquated ideas about sex, gender, and our bodies." (See here) The Huffington Post article quotes Pastor Bolz-Weber saying, “This thing about women that the church has tried to hide and control and that is a canvas on which other people can write their own righteousness ― it’s actually ours...This part of me is mine and I get to determine what is good for it and if it’s beautiful and how I use it in the world.” (see here) If you think this is a joke, it is not. And Nadia Bolz-Weber is actually making a golden vagina sculpture. 
(See here)
In return for people sending ELCA pastor Bolz-Weber their purity rings, they will be sent an "impurity" ring and a "Certificate of Impurity" as seen below.
Nadia Bolz-Weber has said and done a lot of heretical things in the past (see here and here). For example, in 2017, Nadia Bolz-Weber signed the "Naked and Unashamed" statement that rejects marriage as the only place for sexual intercourse. (See here) And more recently, she spoke of her support for viewing "ethically sourced porn." (See here)
How can this be allowed in a "Christian" denomination? It can not. The ELCA has placed feeling and belief above that of God and His Word. This is what happens when a church rejects, twists and ignores much of Scripture. It will only get worse.
The same principles and theology of ELCA professors who taught Nadia, are and have been teaching most pastors of the ELCA. Warn people about the apostasy of the ELCA. If you are attending an ELCA church, get out and find a Bible-believing and God-honoring denomination. -- As you can see below, not only is Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber the brightest star in the ELCA, she is the face of the ELCA, and the defacto theological leader of the denomination. She is sought out by ELCA leadership. Rev. Bolz-Weber's Facebook page has 196,105 "likes" and 212,283 people follow her. On Twitter, she has over 71,000 followers. Nadia Bolz-Weber's influence is wide and deep.
Here is a picture of Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber sitting with the leader of the ELCA, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton.
This picture shows Nadia with former ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson. 
The ELCA chose Rev. Bolz-Weber to speak to the the youth at the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering. And also at the 2012 ELCA Youth Gathering. Then there is a video created by an ELCA synod about Rev. Bolz-Weber and her church. 
ELCA bishops want to be around Nadia Bolz-Weber. The picture below shows Nadia with the Bishop of the Gulf Coast Synod, ELCA.
Next, Rev. Bolz-Weber is pictured along with the bishop of the ELCA's Rocky Mountain Synod. Finally, we have Rev. Dr. R. Guy Erwin, bishop of the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with Rev. Bolz-Weber. 
Finally, here is an ELCA church hosting Rev. Bolz-Weber's book tour.
That quote is from Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber, the most famous pastor, author and speaker in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Nadia Bolz-Weber is a major leader in the ELCA, and she is telling people that it is okay to view pornography. That, of course, is against Scripture. God tells us, and in the words of Jesus, "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." - Matthew 5:28 This is what the ELCA has become. Many ELCA leaders, members and unchurched people fawn over Rev. Bolz-Weber. She was even picked to speak to 31,000 ELCA teenagers at last summer's ELCA youth gathering despite the high volume of heretical statements she has made in the past. (see here and here) ELCA Pastor Bolz-Weber went on in the same article to say: "If we took shame out of the fact that people like to view erotic imagery, the compulsive behavior around consuming pornography would decrease." "The church is saying that the Creator of the Universe, God in the heavens above, knows if you’re masturbating, and God is super disappointed. How ridiculous. That causes harm because these teachings are done in God’s name." "The Bible’s not clear about shit!" "If the teachings of the church are harming people, then we need to rethink those teachings." The last two quotes are a good description of what the ELCA believes about God's Word. This is false teaching and people need to get out from under their leadership. If you will not do it in honor of God, do it for your children. And things are even going to get worse. With the approaching release of Nadia's new book, you can be assured that this is just the beginning of troubling and Bible-defying teaching ELCA leaders and members will consume.
Those who are "of the world" have taken over the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This happened decades ago, but "the world" is showing itself in the ELCA in increasing fashion each year since. Those "of the world" are changing and twisting God's Word, un-sinning and celebrating sin, pushing their evil, hate and reprobate mind (see Romans 1:28).
We see the "world" in the reaction of many ELCA leaders to Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination and confirmation to the United States Supreme Court. (See a previous blog on this topic here.) Below are disturbing comments and reactions from ELCA leaders about the Kavanaugh confirmation and nomination. -- ELCA pastor Clint Schnekloth shared ELCA seminary student Elle Dowd's social media post that encourages readers to be "radicalized," "rage-filled," "plug(ed) into leftist organization movements," and to "become ungovernable." 
Elle Doud also tweeted:
-- ELCA Pastor and ELCA Youth Gathering keynote speaker Tuhina Verma Rasche decided to pen "A Rewriting of Psalm 10." In it she says (language warning) "Wake the fuck up, God!" and speaks of "mediocre white men." Pastor Rasche's rewritten Psalm includes photographs of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Anita Hill. (See here and a segment of the rewrite below). 
And then there is this from Pastor Rasche,
-- ELCA Pastor Joelle Colville-Hanson is the Director for Evangelical Mission at the Northeastern Iowa Synod. (read more about her here) Seems she has hopped on the racist liberal mantra that white men are bad. See the tweet below.
-- ELCA pastor Lura Groen, (read all that I have written about her here), responded to the Kavanaugh confirmation by saying it is okay to scream, rage and throw rocks. She ends her tweet by calling God "she."
-- ELCA pastor Joy Gonnerman is another church leader attacking white males saying they need to be voted out of office.
-- ELCA pastor Michael Tassler attacks conservatives in his tweet saying conservatives "fully and completely affirm, support and encourage sexual assault as the given right of males."
-- ELCA pastor Emmy Kegler calls Judge Kavanaugh an "abuser" and says Republicans do not care whether the abuse really happened.
-- Then there is superstar ELCA pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber tweeting how she is terrified, furious and "rage-y."
What will cause the naive, the scared, the delusional or those in denial to finally leave the ELCA and stand up for God and His Word, which the ELCA has been demonically trying to destroy? What is the final straw that will break the camel's back?
I believe, for many, it will be the ELCA's words and decisions at the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering that will cause Bible-believing ELCA members, churches and pastors to finally leave. (Please read about the speakers and what happened at the youth gathering here, here, here, here, here, here and here) Content ranged from foul-hearted keynote speakers placed in front of the teenagers, to extremely liberal messages delivered, to transgenderism lifted up, to far-left social causes presented, and pro-LGBT mantras being communicated. The Director and President of Lutheran CORE, Pr. Dennis D. Nelson, wrote this following the ELCA Youth Gathering, "The ELCA is guilty of a massive breach of trust. The ELCA cannot be trusted. We realize that those are very strong statements, but they are confirmed by the presentation given by one of the keynote speakers at the recent ELCA Youth Gathering." (see page one of his article here)
Generations Radio presented a program called "The ELCA Lutheran Church Dies" that was centered on the actions of the ELCA at the 2018 Youth Gathering. (listen here)
And Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis, the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter, shared an article from Exposing the ELCA about the ELCA Youth Gathering with his hundreds of thousands of followers on Facebook:
I have heard of people leaving their ELCA churches because of what happened at the ELCA Youth Gathering. So will this be a wake-up call for a great exodus of churches and members from the ELCA? Will the evil and false teachings displayed and given to the most vulnerable ELCA membership, the youth, be enough for places such as Lutheran Church of Hope and its satellite ELCA locations in the Des Moines, Iowa area, Nazareth Lutheran Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and similar churches throughout the United States to finally stand up for God's Word, for Truth, and break ties to this faith-destroying denomination? I pray so. But shame on them if they remain. Here are some additional examples of what was said and the happenings at the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering, to go along with the many articles Exposing the ELCA has already written. These come from the ELCA, ELCA pastors and those attending (again, please read the linked articles above to see the craziness of it all):
The ELCA magazine, Living Lutheran reports, “Last week at the ELCA Youth Gathering, many leaders spoke boldly about family separation and detention. In the AMMPARO/Lutheran Disaster Response space at the Gathering’s interactive center, youth were invited to sign advocacy cards, which will be sent to their representatives.” (See here)
Below are some more notable Youth Gathering social media posts. Notice, the gay affirming rainbow colors were prevalent at the ELCA youth event.
And here is an example of the type of pastors the ELCA is ordaining. Rev. Chesnut is talking about ELCA Pastor Tuhina Verma Rasche, his co-author of a vile "devotional," who was a keynote speaker at the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering.
And here the ELCA Youth Gathering is lifting up Ramadan, a celebration of the "first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad." This, of course, is not an event that Christians should be celebration or lifting-up.
ELCA Pastor Preaches the “Beauty of Queerness” and Universalism to 31,000 Lutheran Teenagers7/3/2018  (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Reverend Nadia Bolz-Weber is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the liberal branch of Lutheranism in the United States. She is a universalist and believes that everyone will be saved and no one goes to Hell. She spoke last week to 31,000 Lutheran teenagers at the ELCA Youth Assembly. In the below video at minute 17:50 she teaches that Harvey Weinstein, and everyone, will be in heaven. The low point in her sermon was when she had 31,000 teenagers follow her lead and loudly proclaim “I renounce the lie that queerness is anything other than beauty” (minute 22:05). She also tells the teenagers that it doesn’t matter if they believe in a literal Devil. But according to Jesus, there is a Hell and a Devil and only those who trust in Christ will be saved (John 14:6). According to the Old and New Testaments, homosexual behavior is not beautiful but sinful. Jesus said stern things about those who lead children astray (Mark 9:42) and I believe God is angry with this denomination as it indoctrinates teenagers with evil teaching. There is a reason the ELCA continues to decline in members. There is a reason the ELCA has to merge its shrinking seminaries (Gettysburg and Philadelphia seminaries) or sell off large portions thereof (Luther Seminary). The reason the ELCA is shrinking is given in Revelation 2:5: "Repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent." The ELCA's lamp stand is going out because it refuses to return to the teaching of Scripture. If you are still an ELCA member, I pray you will find a more faithful Christian denomination. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock We have exposed the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering’s extremely disturbing speakers (see here and here). Today I’d like to tell you about some of the activities, or as they have termed it, “Interactive Learning,” the ELCA has assembled to “educate” those attending the gathering, which takes place June 27 – July 1.  The ELCA describes "Interactive Learning" as "A 'Holy Playground' of sorts, that invites Gathering participants to encounter God through a variety of learning styles and sensory experiences. All 30,000 participants have a dedicated day in the three day program rotation to experience the extensive offerings inside the over 700,000 square feet Interactive Learning space.” (see here)
The “Interactive Learning” takes place in dozens of stations/booths/activity areas and you should be concerned over who the ELCA has decided will speak to and instruct your children, as well as the content that will be communicated. One option the ELCA offers attendees is hosted by the ELCA church of the extremely troubling, ELCA youth gathering keynote speaker, Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber. The description provided is ridiculous: “What I wish I’d known: Lessons on spirituality and sexuality Take a break in a relaxing space and ask anonymous questions about sexuality. Participate in learning activities on consent, healthy relationships, birth-control methods, anatomy, boundaries, sexuality and spirituality. We are not teaching a particular values system about sexuality. Rather, this is answering questions with medically accurate information and helping youth determine how they form their values regarding sexuality.” This group answering students questions is described in the ELCA materials: “HFASS Denver - House for All Sinners and Saints (HFASS) is a group of folks figuring out how to be a liturgical, Christo- centric, social justice-oriented, queer inclusive, incarnational, contemplative, irreverent, ancient-future church with a progressive but deeply rooted theological imagination. We are here to explore healthy and life-giving connections between spirituality and sexuality and answer teens' questions about sexuality.” (page 20) Another “Interactive Learning” activity is hosted by an LGBT advocacy group, Reconciling Works. The 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering Guide Book tells us about it: “God adores you! Come and be part of sharing the news that God adores you just the way you are! Join in the affirmation and celebration of the diversity of people. Learn how to extend welcome and inclusion to LGBTQIA+ people in your congregation! ReconcilingWorks - An independent Lutheran nonprofit that works for the full welcome, inclusion and celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQIA+) people in the Lutheran church. It is our vision that the church is a place where LGBTQ people and their families can worship and thrive, bringing all their God-given gifts to mission and ministry for the world.” (page 27) The radical group #decolonizeLutheranism is interacting with the youth at their "Interactive Learning" activity: “Bracelets of fortune: Identity and intersectionality in Scripture and beyond.” Here the youth will learn the following: “Scripture talks about how personal characteristics precious to us (e.g. gender, age, race, dis/ability) are often despised by others. What’s more, some of these characteristics overlap, making us even more beautiful and vulnerable. Explore the lives of Bible characters and find how these crisscrossing identities impact us and those around us. Here is the description of the group leading this session: “#decolonizeLutheranism - We are a group of Lutherans across the spectrum of race and ethnicities, ages, gender expressions, sexualities and abilities who have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make our communities more welcoming of the diversity in them – be those communities individual congregations or neighborhoods, cities and nations.” (page 27) Other “Interactive Learning” experiences for the students include “Refugee integration obstacle course” and “People on the move: A migrant and refugee experience.” And finally, why not indoctrinate the youth against the Jewish-state? At the falsely titled booth/experience “Peace with justice in the Holy Land” the 30,000 young people will learn: “What does life under military occupation look like? What is peace with justice? Hear from Palestinian youth from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, learn about the conflict in Israel and Palestine, and learn how you can help make a change happen.” It is put on by the ELCA, as a part of their “Peace Not Walls” campaign. (page 26) Wild. Sad. Concerning. These young people are impressionable. Pray for God to move in the hearts of all who attend that they may discern truth from lies and stand up against falsehoods so that they may boldly follow the Lord Jesus in the face of false teaching and deception. Here is a link to the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering Guide Book where you can read all the details referenced above.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has chosen a transgender boy and his transgender advocacy activist mom to be speakers at the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering. (see below and this link)
The boy (who wants to be a girl) is just 12 years old and has been carted around the United States to speak for transgender rights.
Kevin DeYoung writes, "The Bible teaches that God made us male or female, and no matter our own feelings or confusion, we should act in accordance with the biological reality of God’s good design. Transgenderism falls short of the glory of God and is not the way to walk in obedience to Christ." (see here)
God does not desire children or adults to reject their God-given genders, mutilate their bodies and pretend to live as the opposite sex. They need to be helped out of their confusion and embrace the truth of their biological sex. But that will not be taught at the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering. Sadly and infuriatingly, the trans-advocate mother and son are not the only troubling speakers the ELCA has hired to speak to the 30,000 impressionable teens. ELCA's Rev. Tuhina Verma Rasche is one of the Gathering keynote speakers. She is an outspoken radical and controversial pastor, who gained fame in the ELCA for co-authoring the (please excuse the vulgarity) "Fuck This Shit" devotional, is an advocate for premarital sex, and when you read her tweets, you will find it displays lots of anger, swearing, demonitization of white males, racist comments about white people, liberal politics, gay pride, trans pride and anger at the United States of America. (see here) ELCA Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber is another keynote speaker at the ELCA Youth Gathering. She is a foul-mouthed, proponent of premarital sex, supporter of Planned Parenthood, who has many theological beliefs that run contrary to Scripture. She is a universalist who has presided over a transgender re-naming ceremony and has had a drag queen emcee her church's children's program. (read more about Rev. Bolz-Weber here and here) If you are sending your youth to the ELCA National Youth Gathering, please consider cancelling their trip. Below is the transgender advocate mother's tweets about speaking at the Youth Gathering.
(Updated March 2018 - Original blog was written March, 2011) One would think that ELCA pastors, bishops and teachers would believe Scripture. However all one has to do is read, “The Clergy Letter - from American Christian clergy: An Open Letter Concerning Religion and Science,” to find that most do not. Over 2400 ELCA leaders signed this letter which states,  “the overwhelming majority (of Christians) do not read the Bible literally, as they would a science textbook. Many of the beloved stories found in the Bible – the Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah and the ark – convey timeless truths about God, human beings, and the proper relationship between Creator and creation expressed in the only form capable of transmitting these truths from generation to generation. Religious truth is of a different order from scientific truth.” Make no mistake, what these Christian leaders are saying is that they do not believe what the Bible actually says. They are calling the story about creation, Adam and Eve, and Noah’s ark, lies. These ELCA leaders think they know better than Jesus, the Old and New Testament writers, and 2000 years of Christians, who knew these stories to be true. (read more here) The letter goes on to say, “We believe that the theory of evolution is a foundational scientific truth, one that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests. To reject this truth or to treat it as ‘one theory among others’ is to deliberately embrace scientific ignorance and transmit such ignorance to our children.”
Really? So those that believe God’s account of creation, are “ignorant?” Maybe these religious elites should read from the following website of the many scientists who are skeptical of Darwinism. (read here and download the list of scientists who signed "A Scientific Dissent from Darwinism.") The Clergy letter also says, “We believe that among God’s good gifts are human minds capable of critical thought and that the failure to fully employ this gift is a rejection of the will of our Creator. To argue that God’s loving plan of salvation for humanity precludes the full employment of the God-given faculty of reason is to attempt to limit God, an act of hubris.” Let me get this straight, now these “Christian” leaders, who say that the Biblical account of creation is not true, are now telling us that if we believe God’s account of creation we are REJECTING God’s Will? Finally the letter says, “We urge school board members to preserve the integrity of the science curriculum by affirming the teaching of the theory of evolution as a core component of human knowledge.” (read here) Here are “Christian” leaders urging school boards to have the teaching of evolution be a “core component of HUMAN knowledge.” These are the people teaching us and our children about Jesus and the Bible? Someone may ask, “What’s the big deal?” “Who cares if ELCA leaders and pastors don’t believe what the Bible says about creation?” Here are a few quotes that highlight why we should care: "More cases of loss of religious faith can be traced to the theory of evolution--- than anything else." - Martin Lings, quoted in Christian Century July, 1982 “Evolution is the greatest engine of atheism ever invented.” - Noted evolutionist, Professor Will Provine, in “Evolution: Free will and punishment and meaning in life.” "Any creationist lawyer who got me on the stand could instantly win over the jury simply by asking me: 'Has your knowledge of evolution influenced you in the direction of becoming an atheist?' I would have to answer yes and, at one stroke, I would have lost the jury." - Noted evolutionist, Dr. Richard Dawkins - The God Delusion (2008) p. 93 While I was studying at an ELCA seminary, the Dean of Students told me that not one ELCA seminary professor in the United States believes Adam and Eve were real people. I have no doubt that statement is true. Sadly, seminary professors’ beliefs are being picked up by their students, who are the current and future ELCA pastors. Linked at the end of this blog is the list of current and retired ELCA pastors, ELCA seminary professors, ELCA college professors, ELCA seminary presidents and ELCA Bishops who agree with this letter and signed it. Some of the notable signers are: Bishop Tom Aitken (Northeastern Minnesota Synod), The Rev. Hans R. Arnesen (Associate to the Bishop of the New England Synod), Bishop Allan Bjornberg (ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod), Bishop Paul J. Blom - Houston, Texas, Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber, The Rev. Stacy Boorn (herchurch), The Rev. Michael Cooper-White, D.D., (President - Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, PA), The Rev. Jean DeVoll-Donaldson (Assistant to the Bishop/Director for Evangelical Mission Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod), Bishop Ralph W. Dunkin (West Virginia -Western Maryland Synod), The Rev. James Kenneth Echols, Ph.D. (President - Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago), The Rev. Paul W. Egertson, Ph.D. (Bishop Emeritus - Southwest California Synod), The Rev. Jim Hazelwood (Bishop of the New England Synod), The Rev. Anita C. Hill, The Rev. B. Penrose Hoover (Bishop - Lower Susquehanna Synod), The Rev. Robert L. Isaksen, (Retired ELCA Pastor and Bishop of the New England Synod), The Rev. Jeff R. Johnson, Kevin S. Kanouse, (Bishop Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod), Paul R. Landahl (Bishop Metropolitan Chicago Synod), Bishop April Ulring Larson (La Crosse Area Synod), The Rev. Duane H. Larson, PhD., (President - Wartburg Theological Seminary), The Rev. Felipe Lozada-Montanez (Bishop of the Caribbean Synod of the ELCA), Bishop Brian D.Maas (Nebraska Synod - ELCA), Bishop John S. Macholz (Upstate New York Synod - ELCA), The Rev. Dr. Gerald L. Mansholt (Bishop Central States Synod), The Rev. Robert W. Mattheis (Bishop Emeritus, Sierra Pacific Synod), The Rev. George Paul Mocko (Bishop Emeritus, Delaware-Maryland Synod), Bishop David G. Mullen (Sierra Pacific Synod), Bishop Dean W. Nelson (Southwest California Synod), Bishop Margaret G. Payne (New England Synod), The Rev. Dr. Ted Peters (Interim President - Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary), The Rev. Dr. Jerry L. Schmalenberger (Retired President - Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary), Rev. Robin J. Steinke, Ph.D. (President Luther Seminary), Bishop David R. Strobel (Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod), The Rev. Dr. Christopher M. Thomforde (President - St. Olaf College), Bishop Ron Warren (ELCA Southeastern Synod), The Rev. Dr. Howard E. Wennes (Retired Bishop ELCA), The Rev. Paul M. Werger, (Bishop Emeritus - Southeastern Iowa Synod), The Rev. Eric G. Wolf(Assistant to the Bishop of the South Carolina Synod, ELCA), The Rev. Dr. Herman Yoos (Bishop - South Carolina Synod) and Bishop David B. Zellmer (South Dakota Synod). More than 14500 American pastors signed this letter and over 2400 of them are Evangelical Lutheran Church in America leaders. Here is a list of all the ELCA leaders who signed the Clergy letter. To read more about creation, intelligent design or evolution see: http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2012 http://www.icr.org/article/5669 http://www.icr.org/article/creation-evolution https://evolutionnews.org/ http://www.trueauthority.com/cvse/faq2.htm http://scienceagainstevolution.info/topics.htm --- It takes a lot of work to keep this ministry going. Please prayerfully consider supporting the ministry of Exposing the ELCA. Click here to find out how. More and more ELCA pastors are coming out of the closet and admitting they are universalists. Universalism is the belief “that all human beings will eventually be saved.” (See here) Below is a recent Facebook post by prominent Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) pastor, Clint Schnekloth. Schnekloth is a pastor, author and blogger; he created and facilitates the ELCA Clergy Facebook Group that has over 5800 members.  This is a false teaching that is dangerous, risking the eternal lives of people who put their trust in it. The Bible, which is God’s Word, teaches that some people will be saved and go to heaven when they die and some people will go to hell with they die. "...Universalism and universal salvation are unbiblical beliefs. Universalism directly contradicts what Scripture teaches…To say that those who reject God’s provision of salvation through His Son will be saved is to belittle the holiness and justice of God and negate the need of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.” (See here) Rev. Schnekloth is one of the growing number of ELCA pastors that espouse this belief. The most renowned pastor in the ELCA, Nadia Bolz-Weber, is a universalist. (See here) Rev Bolz-Weber will be a keynote speaker at the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering. Around 30,000 youth typically attend the event. There are still ELCA pastors who will not admit to the label “universalist,” most likely because they understand that it is viewed as heresy, but they do openly teach the principles of universalism. For example, the leader of the ELCA, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, in an interview last year was asked, “Is there a hell?” She replied, “There may be, but I think it is empty.” (See here) That is universalism, plain and simple. If hell is empty, all people will go to heaven. Presiding Bishop Eaton is a universalist. There are many more examples of the ELCA propagating universalism. They do it in their seminaries, in their publications, on social media and in their churches. If the growth of universalism is a concern to you, please go to the following links, here (and scroll down the page) and here, to find just how prevalent this teaching is in the ELCA. (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. At the bottom of this article I have included some additional information. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Nadia Bolz-Weber, upcoming preacher at the Youth Gathering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has tweeted a picture of herself and Gloria Steinem at a feminist conference saying "I may have just, in front of an audience, looked at Gloria Steinem and said that if I manage to get women to mail me their purity rings to be melted into a sculpture of a vagina, I would give it to her as a thank-you gift." Instead of disciplining this heretical pastor, the ELCA invites her to speak at events. I am part of a clergy Facebook page for ELCA and former ELCA pastors and it is tragic to see some of them defend all this. In Christ, Tom  Here is a link to the video of the talk given by ELCA pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber, at the 2018 MAKERS Conference, where she talks about making a sculpture of a vagina. (starting at the 3 minute mark) A transcript of the video is also included on the linked page. |
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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