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Bill Gohl, bishop of the Delaware-Maryland Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church in America officiated the wedding of a transgender person (who is a vicar at an ELCA church and an ELCA seminary student) and well known ELCA pastor Emily Scott. Rev. Scott was a keynote speaker at the 2015 ELCA Youth Gathering. (see here beginning at 2:23:20 and read more about her here)
Are there any Biblically led leaders in the ELCA anymore? 
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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.) Jesus said there are two genders: "He who made them in the beginning made them male and female" (Matthew 19:4) but now it appears the ELCA will be "educated" to believe otherwise. This week in its national assembly, delegates of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America approved a recommendation to ask the Office of the Bishop (Elizabeth Eaton) to "provide materials to facilitate education among ELCA members so as to build awareness of the broad varieties of gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation among God's people, as well as to provide pastoral care insights regarding concerns and issues of the transgender experience and gender nonconformity, and to request that the Church Council consider authorizing development of a social message on gender identity and gender expression." Eaton was interviewed by a Chicago newspaper and said "...God’s creation is diverse and... the diversity of God’s creation is actually a gift. When we take a look a people’s sexual orientation or gender identity, it’s not completely binary. Everybody isn’t male or everybody isn’t female. There’s a whole spectrum to that. I think that’s something that’s new for a lot of our people to think about, but it’s the truth…" So it appears the ELCA is now going to "educate" people to see that there are not two genders but a "whole spectrum." Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock --- (See a report of day two at the 2019 ELCA Churchwide assembly here) 
Celebrating sin. That is what we see happening in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Case in point, the bishop of the New England Synod of the ELCA, James Hazelwood, announced that the New England Synod's Churchwide Assembly t-shirt will, in part, say "We Celebrate" and "LGBTQ+." (See below)
The t-shirts are being made by the synod to be worn at the upcoming ELCA Churchwide Assembly. 
(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 February 2019 issue of Living Lutheran, the national magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a glowing article is devoted to Reconciled in Christ (RIC). RIC promotes the acceptance of homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism in the Lutheran Church. But Living Lutheran will not allow a conservative ministry group (of which I am a part) to advertise. OneByOne is a Christian ministry which follows the Biblical view that homosexual behavior is contrary to God's will. OneByOne inquired about buying an advertisement in Living Lutheran about our ministry but was told that our viewpoint is not consistent with more recent ELCA teaching. Back in 2009, the ELCA voted to ordain practicing homosexuals and now allows for homosexual “weddings” and transgendered pastors. In 2009 conservatives were assured that their “bound conscience” on the homosexual issue would be respected. But since 2009 Living Lutheran magazine has promoted many articles showing homosexuality and transgenderism in a positive light, but has not printed one article representing the traditional viewpoint on homosexuality. What we see happening today shows the intolerance of the religious left, a group which pretends to be tolerant. Today if you want to present the traditional viewpoint on homosexuality in the ELCA's venues, your voice will most likely be banned. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock -- (Below is Living Lutheran's Facebook post sharing the article Pastor Brock wrote about.) 
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) came out last week in support of the so-called "Equality Act" bill. The bill "would place nearly all Christian ministries, religious organizations, and faith-based companies in the cross-hairs of discrimination lawsuits" according to Craig Parshall, General Counsel for National Religious Broadcasters. (See here)
Mr. Parshall went on to say "The law adds sexual orientation and transgender identity as protected categories and then wildly expands the list of activities and organizations impacted by the civil rights law to include any public 'gathering,' 'exhibition,' or 'display,' or anything involving the provision of goods or 'any service, or program.' During one House subcommittee hearing, employment law expert Lawrence Lorber flatly acknowledged that the bill would apply to 'churches' and 'houses of worship.'" The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Advocacy department publicly posted their support of The Equality Act last week. (See below) Director of ELCA Advocacy, Pastor Amy E. Reumann announced "We applaud this historic legislation..." (See here) 
Portico Benefit Services says, "As an ELCA ministry, Portico offers health, flexible spending, retirement, disability, and survivor plans to help rostered leaders and lay employees strengthen their well-being." (See here) In a questionnaire, Portico asks ELCA employees "How do you describe yourself?" The first two choices are "Man" and "Woman." The next choice is "Transgender" and the forth choice is "Do not identify as man, woman or transgender." Seriously? What is going on with this denomination? See the screenshot below.  Since we are talking about Portico Benefit Services, if you haven't heard before, this ministry of the ELCA "will cover services including . . . hormone therapy, and sex reassignment surgery..."  What about abortion? In the following email sent by Portico Benefit Services they say "the ELCA health plan does cover a range of procedures that includes those for abortion, up to 20 weeks gestation." Portico also states they cover abortions that fall after 20 weeks of pregnancy, "when the life of the mother is threatened; or...when the fetus has lethal abnormalities indicating death is imminent." 
A discernment retreat called "Queering the Path" is being hosted by the "Seminaries of the ELCA" and Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM) at the ELCA's Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary (PLTS) in April 2019.
The retreat is for LGBTQIA+ individuals who are considering going into public ministry. "The Seminaries of the ELCA" are working with a LGBT supportive ministry to find future pastors. Is there any doubt where the ELCA stands on homosexuality? They are actively seeking lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people to become pastors in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. ELM calls itself a "professional community for publicly identified gender and sexual minority ministers and candidates." (See here) 
More on the ELCA and Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries: The ELCA's Sierra Pacific Synod Vice-President wrote how they are honored to represent the synod at the "Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries 'Extraordinary Callings-Holy & Queer Resistance in the Lutheran Church' exhibit..." (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) If you go to the website of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, you will find the ELCA frequently taking liberal positions on all kinds of social and political issues. Recently the ELCA quickly responded against a Supreme Court decision because it may keep transgendered people out of the military. Since then, the State of New York has passed a radical law allowing abortions up to the due date. And the governor of Virginia made a statement in favor of infanticide, saying that a newborn child with severe deformities may be allowed to die. What is the ELCA's response? Silence. Even though the ELCA's official abortion statement is against late-term abortion, ELCA leadership is silent. Why? My guess is that when they are passionate about a social cause, they speak, and when they are not passionate about even their own official position, they choose to remain silent. The ELCA abortion statement is a problem. In one paragraph it sounds pro-life and in another it sounds pro-choice. The tragedy is that for years now the ELCA abortion statement has been interpreted to allow the ELCA to pay for abortion for any reason in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. The ELCA healthcare plan for pastors and their families is paid for with offering dollars. That's right, the ELCA pays for abortions with offering dollars. I remember years ago when I was still in the ELCA I received a letter, I think from a pastor's wife, who was so glad the ELCA "was there" to pay for her 16-year-old daughter's abortion. Years ago the congregation that I served and I left the ELCA over this and other issues. I pray that if you are still in the ELCA, you will take your money, time and talents, and join a denomination that does not destroy unborn children with offering dollars. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock 
Today, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America posted the following message about transgender persons. It is another instance of the ELCA siding with the world and against God and His creation, while encouraging harmful lifestyles. Included in the ELCA Facebook post is an article from the ELCA's Living Lutheran (2017) that focused on transgender persons and included this statement, "The call of Christ’s people today is to celebrate the diversity of God’s creative work..."
Information About ELCA Pastor Arrested for 'Suspicion of Possession of Child Pornography'11/27/2018
Rev. Steven P. Sabin was, up until a week ago, the pastor at Christ Church Lutheran in San Francisco, CA. (See below and here)  In 1998, ELCA Rev. Steven P. Sabin was “removed from the ELCA clergy roster for being in a committed, same-sex relationship while serving as pastor at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Ames, Iowa.” In 2010, Rev. Steven P. Sabin was "welcomed back" into the ELCA and to the ELCA clergy roster. This happened because of the ELCA's 2009 decision allowing practicing homosexuals to be pastors in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. When reinstated, Rev. Sabin said, "For two decades, many have been grieved and alienated by the ELCA's exclusion of gay and lesbian pastors blessed with loving spouses. I hope and pray that they can, like me, lay aside the hurts and take hope from the gracious power of God to renew and direct the church into evermore faithful and effective proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope that this will be the beginning of a new period of evangelical outreach for the ELCA aided by our new witness to the forgiveness and grace of God truly being for all people...Like the psalmist, I can only observe with awe and gratitude: 'This is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.'" (see here) Pastor Sabin served as one of the primary ordaining clergy in the ELCA's first ordination of a transgender pastor. See video below. Also participating in that ordination is the pastor of the ELCA's goddess worshiping church, herchurch.
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:
Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) made a statement today that is very indicative of where the ELCA is now, how they have swallowed the lies of the world and departed from the Word of God. Presiding Bishop Eaton declared,
"No human institution decides who is human, who is visible, who is valued. Human sexuality and gender identity is a beautiful mystery. Trans people, like all people, are beloved by God." 
Here is Bishop Eaton's Twitter post -
Presiding Bishop Eaton's statement is one of support for transgender persons. It was apparently made in response to a recent statement made by President Trump "that his administration is 'seriously' considering changing the way it treats transgender people under the law, confirming what administration officials describe as a debate about whether to define a person’s sex as a biological fact determined at birth." (see here) There was at least one request for a statement by Bishop Eaton about this:
God does love all people. But that does not mean He loves everything we do, everything we say, everything we "are" or all of our actions. Bishop Eaton, by her statement, is affirming homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism and all the claimed gender identities as "beautiful," that they are good, that they are not sin. This is the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Harming people by encouraging sin. Standing against our holy and loving God. Why would anyone be part of this denomination, this evil work of the devil that emerges in proclamations and statements such as this? Also, notice how the Presiding Bishop says "No human institution decides who is human, who is visible, who is valued." Yet, the ELCA supports the killing of unborn humans and actually pays for employee abortions in their health care insurance. Many who are pro-abortion love to claim that the unborn children are not humans to justify their position. You can't have it both ways, Bishop Eaton. Below you will find tweets of praise which Bishop Eaton received for making this statement. (Her statement has been shared on Facebook almost 2700 times and over 400 times on Twitter.)
(The following article was written May 9th by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
Frequently the official magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America promotes the liberal view on homosexuality and transgenderism. Even though the ELCA voted in 2009 to honor both conservative and liberal viewpoints on the issue of homosexuality when it decided to ordain practicing homosexuals, Living Lutheran magazine never prints a conservative voice. In fact, when a conservative group asked to buy an advertisement in Living Lutheran to promote the conservative view, it was denied. Long ago the one place one could find conservative viewpoints in the ELCA’s national magazine (it was called “The Lutheran” back then) was in the Letters to the Editor section. Today that section is more like a liberal love fest of how wonderful the articles are. I’m not sure if it is the fact that so many conservatives have left the ELCA that no one writes a contrary word, or if the editorial staff chooses to print only like-minded letters. Here’s a reader who was thrilled with last month’s pro-transgender article: “It was enlightening and important to read…what transgender AND Christian means... And, if we believe when baptized we become his children, then we have to believe transgender individuals belong to Jesus through their baptism also…” No. The Apostle Paul taught in Romans 6:1-13 that we are not to use our baptism as an excuse to sin. Baptism does not move us to practice "grace abuse" but to die to sin and live to God. Hitler and Stalin were baptized. Baptism will not save those who reject Christ and live in impenitent sin (I Corinthians 6:9-11). Then Living Lutheran has an article in which a lesbian is interviewed about her work in helping Lutheran congregations accept the LGBTQ movement. Again, it is all from the liberal point of view without a hint of doing what professional journalists do: giving the other side Another article by an ELCA pastor seems to poo-poo the need to preach about Hell. All in all, another heretical issue of the ELCA's national magazine. And another reason to leave the ELCA for a more Biblical denomination. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
If you go to the Advocacy Facebook page of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America you will see how obsessed the ELCA has become with the LGBTQIA+ movement. Within one month five different LGBT Lutheran leaders have been highlighted in articles like the below of a transgender clergy candidate. Of course, not one article features someone who upholds the traditional, Biblical viewpoint on these issues. In 2009 when the ELCA voted to ordain practicing homosexuals it was agreed that all views on homosexuality would be respected in the ELCA, but they are not. No view but the liberal one is mentioned anymore. One by One Ministry, a conservative group which helps people out of homosexuality and of which I am a part, inquired about buying an ad in Living Lutheran but was refused. The rest of the ELCA Advocacy Facebook page is devoted to article after article on liberal politics. Sadly, preaching Christ for the salvation of the lost is conspicuously absent. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock https://www.facebook.com/elcaadvocacy/photos/a.10150091631749513.272721.132358089512/10156416380554513/?type=3 (The following article was written a number of weeks ago by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
Some months ago I wrote about my alma mater, Luther Theological Seminary, a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which brought in a transgender pastor to preach at chapel. She is a woman who presents herself as a man and who has rejected her God-given biological sex, thus, sadly, rejecting God’s will for her life. In her sermon she said (I cannot in full conscience call her “him”) that Joseph’s coat of many colors can also be translated “princess dress” and then she led in the Lord’s Prayer “Our Mother in heaven.” Attached is a new article from a transgender clergy candidate, a man who presents himself as a woman. Among his demands is the full inclusion of transgender people in the leadership of the ELCA. No need to demand this, the ELCA is already there and now ordains transgender pastors. This was done without a vote of the national church on the issue, but liberal bishops are promoting and allowing it anyway. To quote the ELCA’s head bishop Elizabeth Eaton “Everybody isn’t male or everybody isn’t female. There’s a whole spectrum to that. I think that’s something that’s new for a lot of our people to think about, but it’s the truth…” No, it is not the truth. Our response to transgenderism? The Old Testament forbids transvestitism (Deuteronomy 22:5) and in the New Testament Jesus said “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female?” (Matthew 19:4). We are not free to tell God He made a mistake by trying to change our God-given biological sex. We should not put people in leadership who are openly rejecting God’s plan for their lives. But it appears it is now in vogue in the ELCA to believe one has become “enlightened” if one embraces this rebellion against God. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS And please say a prayer as this week the ELCA is bringing in a transgender 12-year-old “girl” and his activist mother to speak to 30,000 ELCA teenagers at the ELCA youth gathering. https://wetalkwelisten.wordpress.com/2018/06/25/build-a-bigger-table-nicole-m-garcia-m-div-m-a-lpc/ |
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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