(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 took another nostalgic walk through Luther Seminary, a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. When I graduated in 1979, Luther was moderate to liberal, but still had a number of conservative professors. Those days are gone and today Luther is radical. A year ago the seminary hired a “queer theologian” and Luther’s chapel has commemorated National Coming Out Day and Transgender Day of Remembrance. The chapel brought in a guest transgender preacher who led the students in the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Mother in heaven”. Luther also brought in a womanist/feminist preacher who had the students get in a circle, hold hands, and imagine they were in the “pushy womb of God”. Luther also had a “smudging ceremony” when a Native American preacher burned a plant and waved a feather over it, telling students it was “releasing the energies within yourself”. She said she is a hybrid and practices both Christianity and Native American religion. Prayer was made to the Great Spirit. Today I talked to an African man at Luther. African Lutherans are much more conservative than the ELCA and sometimes Africans come to Luther to get theological training, becoming aghast at the heresy. I don’t know, but maybe in a sense God is sending these Africans as missionaries to Luther. I pray they don’t get infected and take the seminary’s false teaching back to Africa. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS. I took the below pictures today of a couple professors’ doors
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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.) United Lutheran Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has as its president Guy Irwin, who was the first practicing homosexual bishop of the ELCA with a “husband”. The ELCA has now elected seven practicing homosexuals, along with the world’s first transgender bishop. This month Erwin’s seminary in Pennsylvania is putting on a gay pride event to try to convince us that the Bible doesn’t really say what it says about homosexuality.
The first speaker is Pastor Colby Martin who desires to “unclobber” the “clobber verses” of the Bible. He believes the traditional understanding of the Bible is toxic and wrong and we need to unclobber those views. The second speaker is Dr. Diane Sorrento who aims to convince people to accept transgenderism. Academic institutions often claim to be about diversity and hearing various viewpoints. You can bet that there will be only one viewpoint at this seminar, and it will be that of the radical left which has overtaken the ELCA. Also, this month in California is a gathering of people who have left the homosexual lifestyle behind. It is put on by Restored Hope Network and features scholars who hold to the biblical teaching on homosexuality and who repudiate sex change operations. Participants will hear testimonies of those who have come out of homosexuality and transgenderism and who have been transformed by Jesus Christ. You can bet none of these speakers will be invited to speak at an ELCA seminary. The people who are really clobbering people—for eternity— are those who teach that people can live in impenitent sexual sin and still inherit the Kingdom of God. They can’t (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS. For “What does the Bible teach about homosexuality?” see my article at pastorsstudy.org. It lists all the “clobber verses” (The following article was written last year by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) United Lutheran Seminary in Pennsylvania is a seminary of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church an America. The President of the seminary, Guy Erwin, is a man “married” to a man and Erwin was also the ELCA’s first practicing homosexual bishop. United Lutheran Seminary is advertising a retreat for women in ministry called “Kindling Faith: Calm in the Chaos” and the main speaker is Dr. Crystal Hall described thus: She is a frequent speaker in churches and denominational conferences on topics including women’s leadership, LGBTQIA+ inclusion and immigration. She resides in Philadelphia with her fiancé and their cat, Lady Blue. The seminary is not shy about advertising that Dr. Hall is living with her fiancé, which used to be called “fornication” and is a serious sin (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). But if the ELCA affirms homosexual sex and abortion rights, why not fornication? The ELCA is not biblical, but, sadly, it is consistent. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (See United Lutheran Seminary retreat information here)
Luther Seminary’s preaching conference to feature transgender preacher—who called Jesus an S.O.B.4/16/2024 (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Luther Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America helps put on a yearly “Festival of Homiletics” conference at which 1500 clergy and lay people from around the country gather. One of this year’s speakers is ELCA Pastor Nicole Garcia who was born a man but now identifies as a woman. Telling his (I can’t say “her”) story to NBC News, Garcia referred to Jesus as an S.O.B. From the NBC article: “I had my come-to-Jesus moment. It wasn’t one of those, “Oh please, oh please, help me,’” she explained. “It was more, “Alright you son of a b---h, if I’m going to come back, you better step it up this time.’” (see article here)
No wonder America is in such trouble when many in the leadership of the Church have caved to the sexual confusion of our age. When I graduated from Luther Seminary years ago, it was moderately liberal, today it is radical. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has produced a confirmation curriculum for their youth titled "Queer Confirmation." It is a project originating from the ELCA's Wartburg Theological Seminary. "The Queer Confirmation curriculum (QC) is a 1-year (24 sessions), synchronous, online curriculum for LGBTQIA+ teens accompanied by a safe adult (parents/religious leader)." (See here) "Queer Confirmation is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)." (See here) The author of the curriculum "underscored the monumental impact of the ELCA's partnership, viewing it as a significant step toward churchwide accountability. The financial support from the ELCA, a tangible affirmation of their statements, marked a historic moment. Budgets are moral documents, and this funding represents a commitment to accountability, inclusivity, and healing within the Church.
The ELCA's support went beyond financial contributions, extending to visibility and access through national platforms and social media. The partnership opened doors to present at key events and engage with influential figures within the Church, creating a ripple effect of positive change." (See page 10-11 here) The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Earlier this year, Luther Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America hired a gay theologian. He recently preached at Luther Seminary chapel (see sermon below) about the Parable of the 10 Virgins. Instead of preaching the true meaning of Jesus’ parable, that we must be ready for Christ’s return or we will be shut out, he instead preached about the oppression of those who have been shut out, thus turning the parable on its ear. As an example of oppression, he told the story of homosexuals who were denied Holy Communion by a Roman Catholic priest and so started their own church (minute 14 below). At one point, the preacher referred to the “Kin-dom of God” instead of the “Kingdom of God”. In recent years “Kingdom“ is considered too sexist since it refers to God as a male King, so a new word, “Kin-dom”, has been invented. Sometimes traditional Lutherans from Africa come to Luther Seminary to be trained as pastors and are aghast at what they find. Recently, a Lutheran from Ethiopia told me how the Mekane Yesus Lutheran denomination there, the largest Lutheran denomination in the world, has cut off ties with the ELCA because of its embracing of the LGBT movement. How far the ELCA has drifted from what the Bible teaches, “…homosexuals…will not inherit the Kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). It reminds me of what an old Lutheran pastor said many years ago when some Lutheran bishops started to promote the acceptance of homosexual behavior, “We are nicing people right into Hell.“ In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock PS. And how tragic that yesterday the Pope authorized Catholic priests to perform blessings for same-sex couples. It seems everybody is caving. But Christians, let us follow Scripture though the whole world be against us. (See link to video of service here, on Tom Brock's Facebook page) (The following article was written 4 years ago by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Reverend Jules Erickson spoke recently at Luther Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She is senior pastor at All Saints Lutheran Church in Cottage Grove, Minnesota, whose website states "Pastor Jules and her beloved, Beth, live in Hastings with two bouncing Goldendoodle dogs." The ELCA began ordaining practicing homosexuals in 2009 and has been shrinking in numbers ever since. In the below sermon (minute 18:35) Pastor Erickson has the congregation say "Hell, yes" more than once. What is wrong with this? Eternal Hell is a real place and we should not trivialize the word by using it as profanity. But, sadly, many liberal ELCA pastors and seminary professors no longer believe in Hell. Universalism, the teaching that all people will be saved regardless of faith in Christ, is so prevalent that even head ELCA bishop Elizabeth Eaton told a Chicago newspaper that, if Hell exists, "I think it is empty." One of the things Reverend Erickson thinks we should say "Hell yes" to is the waning numbers going on in churches "if that means our Empire building days are over, maybe that's a good thing." I agree that the shrinking numbers of the ELCA, the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church in America, and the Presbyterian Church USA are a good thing. People are getting fed up with the unbiblical heresy they are hearing in these denominations and are heading for more faithful churches. In prior posts I have written of prayers to God the "Mother" being offered at Luther Seminary chapel. At the end of this service below (minute 23:33), you will hear yet another instance of this as the congregation prays a new version of the Lord's Prayer to the "Father and Mother of us all.” Earlier this year Bishop Elizabeth Eaton asked this about the ELCA's declining numbers: "What is to be done? Our congregations are growing older and smaller. At least 40 percent of our congregations have an average weekly worship attendance of 50 or less. ELCA membership decreases by 70,000 people a year...There is a dearth of people in their 20s and 30s in our pews. How do we change this?" I have an answer: Get back to the Bible, believe in Heaven and Hell and that Jesus is the only Savior (John 14:6, Acts 4:12), stop paying for abortion with offering dollars in the ELCA's healthcare plan, and stop the promotion of homosexuality and transgenderism in ELCA publications. I see no sign of any of that happening, and so I believe the ELCA will continue to shrink, and it should. 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.) Somehow preaching from the book of Jeremiah, the below preacher at my alma mater Luther Seminary, a seminary of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, calls us to repent. We need to repent of a laundry list of liberal concerns (listen to minute 14:55 below). I assume from her transgender statement that she believes those wanting to protect children from hormone blockers and sex change operations need to repent. I assume from her "book banning" statement that parents who desire to keep obscene and LGBT books from their children also need to repent. I got to thinking, I wonder when is the last time a preacher at Luther Seminary preached against abortion, homosexual behavior and transgenderism? I'm guessing it has been decades. Instead, Luther Seminary concerns itself with the biggest sins according to those on the left: homophobia, transphobia, sexism, climate catastrophe, etc., etc. And the preacher is very careful never to call God "He". Its all "God...God...God...God" in accordance with the ELCA's desire to use "inclusive language" for God. 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.) I graduated from Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, many years ago when it was still moderate to liberal. It has become radical. The seminary chapel brought in Native American “smudging”, the burning of herbs in order to drive away evil spirits and negative energy. Luther chapel brought in a transgender preacher to pray to “Our Mother in heaven”. A “womanist theologian” at chapel had all the students stand in a circle and imagine they were in the “pushy womb of God”. Luther Seminary chapel has observed National Coming Out Day for homosexuals and also the Transgender Day of Remembrance. Recently, Luther hired a “queer theologian” to be a professor at Luther. So, sadly, it is not surprising that recently Luther Seminary sang a Buddhist hymn about being one with everything. This is pantheism, the Buddhist teaching that God is everything and everything is God. You are God, I am God, the leaves are God, the waves are God, the mountains are God. In contrast, Christian teaching is that God is transcendent, separate from and above His creation. As Jesus taught us, “Our Father art in heaven”. Luther Seminary announced a few years ago that because of failing finances it would have to sell off a number of its campus buildings. It reminded me of Revelation 2:5 where Jesus says “I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS. Tap on the below and you will see Luther students singing the Buddhist hymn, followed by Buddhist worshipers doing the same https://thedissenter.substack.com/p/lutheran-seminary-chapel-sings-buddhist
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
Once upon a time in 1830 Lutherans founded a university in Ohio to teach young people Christianity. It also had a seminary to train pastors. Today, if you watch the below video, both Capital University and Trinity Seminary have fully embraced gay pride. "Everyone is welcome" they say, but I wonder how welcome Martin Luther would be who called homosexuality "a perversion of the devil". The President of Capital University can be seen below marching in the gay pride parade and Trinity Seminary has officially endorsed "gay inclusion" for pastors. I don't know of one college or seminary related to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that I can recommend. I don't know of one that has not bowed the knee to the LGBTQAI+ agenda. 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.) 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 ELCA‘s United Lutheran Seminary to host “out and proud" transgender advocate: “She is a father…”2/13/2023 (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
In a previous post I shared that a practicing homosexual, who was also the first gay bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is now president of the ELCA’s United Seminary in Pennsylvania. United Seminary is advertising that it will host a transgender advocate to speak at its “Transgender and Lutheran” webinar. This man who presents himself as a woman (an “out and proud trans woman”) is called “she” by United Seminary: “Dr. Stephanie Dykes is the father of a 29-year-old son, and she sings bass with the Seattle Men’s Chorus”. I am not making this up. Tap on the below link to see United Seminary’s ad and how bizarre the ELCA has become. I encourage you that if you are still a member of this denomination, it is time to take your money, time, and talents and join a biblical denomination which you can support. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock https://assets.website-files.com/5ef7c7ab36fe0248900a03d2/62f50677fe7a4ec07836a1ec_Trangender%20and%20Lutheran%20Promo%20piece.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3X5MBeYHV9Pe9YE2cxrIULCMgJ9ktFSkfpxjO3ns7zcKM-Zlk2_7DpACw (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) It is popular in liberal religious circles to call God not only “he” but now also “she” and “they“. “She” is a nod to feminism, and I believe “they” is a nod to transgenderism. God is whatever we want him/her/it/they to be. If you watch the below sermon at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, you will notice the guest preacher changes the reading of Luke chapter 18 to call God “her” and “they” (at minute 1:10). But Lutherans have always taught that we are not to change Scripture to suit ourselves. We are to change ourselves to suit Scripture. That is what the authority of the Bible is all about. That is what Martin Luther’s “sola Scriptura” was all about. For years the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago has been one of the most radical of the ELCA seminaries. Now because of failing finances LSTC has had to sell its buildings to the University of Chicago. It reminds me of what Jesus said in Revelation 2:5 “Repent, if you do not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand…” 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.)
My alma mater, Luther Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church America, is very pro-LGBT. Luther chapel services have featured transgender and homosexual preachers and has also observed National Coming Out Day for homosexuals and the Transgender Day of Remembrance. So my old seminary is very pro-LGBT.
Look at the letter below signed by many (but not all) Luther faculty agonizing that the seminary must become more pro-gay. They are complaining because the seminary has not become an official “Reconciled in Christ” seminary, which means they have not joined a program being pushed by Reconcilingworks, an LGBT group that promotes such things. Students are now protesting during chapel worship services and, sadly, these faculty are pressuring as well. When will it end? For the pro-gay movement, you can never be pro-gay enough. Pray that Luther Seminary does not cave on this one thing it is doing right. Martin Luther believed homosexual behavior to be sinful. He would be spinning like a lathe if he could see what has become of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America which bears his name. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS. Last week I took a nostalgic walk through Luther Seminary (pictures below). My former dorm room has been turned into an office bearing the pro-LGBT rainbow logo. The dorm room next door has also become an office bearing the gay rainbow sign and a picture of a woman in a yoga pose. Not a picture on the doors of Jesus or of a cross, but gay rainbows and yoga. How times have changed. I would never send anyone to an ELCA college or seminary. To read faculty letter tap here: https://theconcord.squarespace.com/articles/open-letters-from-faculty-and-staff-show-support-for-student-council-lgbtqia2s-students-and-bipoc-students
Why is Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, an ELCA seminary, selling their property and buildings? The slow death of the apostate denomination rolls on.
A news release by the school titled "Institutions Agree on Plan for Sale of Hyde Park Property" can be read here. The article did not list the sale price. This news was a surprise to the ELCA's United Lutheran seminary president: I found this an interesting side note. The LSTC Seminary website says this: "ABOUT THE LAND The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago recognizes that our school stands on the lands of the Potawatomi, Miami, and Peoria peoples. For thousands of years before their forced removal, this was their traditional homeland, and it continues to hold their ancestral stories and wisdom. We honor and thank the elders of these and other nations, past and present. These lands are still home to many indigenous people, and we are grateful to learn in this place." (see here) With such a statement I find it telling that the ELCA is not giving the land "back" to the Potawatomi, Miami, and Peoria peoples. And we have yet to learn if the ELCA will keep the money made on the sale the "native American lands." |
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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Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. - Ephesians 5:11
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