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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.) I passed this church today in the Twin Cities and it appears to be a merged church of two very liberal denominations, the United Church of Christ and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Since the 1960s the UCC has shrunk more than any mainline denomination and for good reason. One can deny the Trinity, affirm a Unitarian view of God, and be a pastor in the United Church of Christ. Both the UCC and ELCA ordain practicing homosexuals and transsexuals, and pay for abortions with offering dollars in their churches healthcare plans (you will note in the picture below the church’s gay-affirming rainbow banner). Both denominations have many pastors who teach that all people will go to heaven and faith in Christ is not necessary for salvation. As liberal denomination shrink, they merge. Two ELCA seminaries in Pennsylvania had to merge, my alma mater ELCA Luther Seminary in Saint Paul had to sell off buildings, and the building which housed the ELCA seminary in California was sold to Muslims. The UCC’s United Theological Seminary in New Brighton, Minnesota, had to be sold and now houses an evangelical ministry. The second picture below is the large banner outside this merged congregation saying what it means to “Be the Church”. You will notice Jesus, evangelism, and disciple-making are not mentioned. It’s basically “let’s all be nice”.  It once again reminds me of the three pillars of liberal theology that are killing the Church: 1. God is nice 2. We too should be nice 3. Isn’t that nice? Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (Rev. Brock continues in a follow up article) I just went to the website of the church mentioned in the previous post to see what they believe. Below is their statement of faith. You will notice, not a word about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and nothing about salvation through Christ. Again, it is "Let's all be nice." I checked their calendar to see that they offer a Progressive Christianity Study Group and a drumming group. One would never dream from their statement that there will be a Judgement Day and that we need Christ. If one believes in Heaven and Hell and that the Church should help people be ready for the Last Day, their nice statement of faith isn't very nice. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock THIS WE BELIEVE We believe the umbrella of God’s love, as exemplified in Jesus the Christ, is big enough for everyone to be welcomed. We believe that love, not doctrine, holds us together. We believe the deepest expression of our faith is found in the way we treat others. We believe you don’t need to take the bible literally to discover God’s profound truths and message. We believe it is important for faith to value both the mind and the heart. We believe that we learn from one another’s diverse experiences and perspectives, and it’s okay if we don’t share the exact same beliefs. We believe listening to others and respecting them is a deeply spiritual act, even when we disagree. Not all claims to truth are the same, to be sure, but we believe every claim should be measured by love. We believe the wisdom offered from other faith traditions can complement and enrich our spiritual journeys. We believe church should be a place of peace that welcomes those who believe in God some of the time, or none of the time, or all of the time. 
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"I think what we need are Christians who are serious Christians. I think we had a cultural Christianity in America...but to have people who go to church but don't really know why or don't really believe those things, we've got a lot of those. I call them Mainline Protestants... but most people who go to Mainline Protestant churches, why have they ceased going? Because at some point it became culturally acceptable to stay home on Sunday because 'nobody believes that stuff anyway.'" - Eric Metaxas  (The following article was written many months ago by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
Yesterday I followed "Church rummage sale" signs, not quite knowing where I was going. First, I arrived at a United Church of Christ congregation in Minneapolis. The gay pride rainbow symbols were prevalent outside and inside the church. Most of the people running the sale were elderly. I noticed a younger man dressed as a woman. I picked up an informational brochure on the church and found the heresy one has come to expect from the UCC. First, there is an Adult Sunday School class based on "The Phoenix Affirmations". These are 12 affirmations put together by progressive Christians, the first of which says they are "Walking fully in the path of Jesus without denying the legitimacy of other paths that God may provide for humanity." In other words, Jesus is our path but He is not the only path. That, of course, is not "walking fully" in the path of Jesus since it denies His words in John 14:6 of being the only way. On Saturdays the church hosts the GLBTQAIP peer support group. I know what Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Allies are, I don't know what the I and P stand for (letters keep get added). On Saturday night the church hosts "Slutwalk Minneapolis", whatever that is. On Sunday one can join the "Sunday Spirit Circle" to "deepen connections to spirit and community...we will lean into the natural rhythms of the seasons with meditation, art, ceremony..." On Tuesday is a group for transgender individuals. There is also a group called BS that offers Bible study, though I didn't appreciate it being referred to as "BS". I followed another rummage sale sign and ended up at an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation in Minneapolis. I noticed at their book sale table there were a number of homosexual themed books with titles such as "Lesbian Ethics". It turns out the senior pastor is a homosexual man with a "husband" and son. The pastor has been a leader in various pro-homosexual groups and is the founder of a teen camp that helps youth accept their homosexuality, bisexuality, and transgenderism. I'll say it again, this isn't my grandma's Lutheran Church. It used to be that the United Church of Christ was more liberal than the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This is still somewhat true. For instance, one can now deny the Trinity and the deity of Christ and be a pastor in the UCC, whereas the ELCA still requires belief in the Trinity. On moral issues like abortion and homosexuality, however, it is hard to find any difference between the UCC and ELCA. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org It is a good thing we have ELCA leadership (the whitest denomination in the United States, see here) around to enlighten its membership on how racists they are. The Gulf Coast Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) posted a list on their Facebook page describing the "10 Ways You Can Actively Reject Your White Privilege." Number 10 on the list tells white people, "Recognize that you're still racist. No matter what."  The Gulf Coast Synod's Facebook post received hundreds of comments, many of them were critical of the list, but they have miraculously disappeared. (see the list on the Synod's FB page here) The United Church of Christ, who also posted this list received over 2000 comments. Here are a few: - "To consider just white people as racist is in fact itself racist." - "#10, in my opinion, is designed to cause whites to be ashamed and feel guilt for who they are and what their ancestors allegedly did. Of course, no one else is asked to account for their own ancestors' misdeeds. I also don't think anyone needs to 'actively reject their white privilege', for the reasons I outline below. White Americans made a country that millions of 'POCs' have thrived in. Some groups are still behind in various areas. I don't believe that is because of 'white privilege', and the theory that it IS responsible is not helping anyone or anything. I am a so-called 'POC.' I reject this list." If you have time, you can read some more of the comments to the UCC here. Here is an article about the list/infographic that the United Church of Christ posted. If that wasn't enough, a blog affiliated with the ELCA's Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago posted a 'White Privilege' speech by the Rev. Dr. Ray Tiemann Bishop, Southwestern Texas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Here is some of what Bishop Tiemann had to say: “I’m certainly not an expert on the complexity of white privilege, but one thing I have learned is that white privilege and racial discrimination are opposite sides of the same coin. One does not exist without the other. So, as much as I may be tempted to deny it exists, both white privilege and racial discrimination are a part of my life and yours as well.” “I am part of a system that gives me advantage because of the color of my skin.” “I have to stop being afraid and remaining silent. In wanting to avoid conflict, too often I don’t speak up when God gives me the opportunity. This sin of omission can be as great as a sin of commission, because when I don’t speak up, others assume I am agreeing with them. So, the nasty, loud voices continue unchecked. As I said earlier, learning to address my white privilege is a life-long process.” (see here) (The following article was written a number of months ago by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
Today I walked inside the Philadelphia Convention Center where back in 1997 I watched the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America convention vote to pay for abortion, for any reason, with offering dollars in its healthcare plan for pastors and their families. Some of us tried to change this abhorrent practice and we lost the vote by a two-thirds majority. This ELCA policy remains the same today, your offering dollars can go to kill unborn babies. At the same convention the ELCA voted to interchange clergy with the very liberal United Church of Christ. Before the vote a delegate publicly asked the UCC President "Why does the UCC ordain practicing homosexuals?" The UCC President replied that "the Holy Spirit" led them to do this. I went up to him afterward and wondered if he had perhaps blasphemed the Holy Spirit. I believe a spirit led the UCC to do what they did, but it wasn't the Holy Spirit. He said he would have to think about that. Today in 2015, the ELCA, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Episcopal Church in America, and the Disciples of Christ and have decided to follow the UCC in its decision to ordain practicing homosexuals. They follow the world, not the Word. 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.)
I just forced myself to watch Bruce Jenner in a dress as he received the courage award at the ESPN sports awards. Everyone stood and applauded how "brave" he is for switching genders. No, it is brave to fight to be who God created you to be, it is not brave to submit to the deceptions of the devil. The liberal denominations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Episcopal Church in America, and the United Church of Christ are also embracing the lie of transgenderism. Please see my prior post about the ELCA's recent ordination of a transgendered pastor. We cannot expect the world to behave like Christians, but it would be wonderful if these historic churches would return to their biblical roots. I see no sign of that happening. The more I read of recent actions by these denominations in the news, the more I am convinced they are going further and further into the darkness away from the Lord. The good news is that overseas in places like Asia and Africa Christianity is spreading like wildfire. I need to remember that as Christianity is being blasphemed in America. And I need to remember that God is in total control and will have final say over everyone and everything on the great last Day. Meanwhile, may we each rededicate ourselves to Christ and His mission of saving the lost--and this world is becoming more lost by the minute. In Jesus our Savior, 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.)
Frederic and Mary Anne Brussat write a monthly column for the national magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He is a United Church of Christ pastor and she is an interfaith minister, ordained by the One Spirit Interfaith Seminary. If that sounds kind of New Age and "all religions are fine", that's the way their website looks. Through the years the Brussats regularly commend liberal books and media to their readers. Here is how their July 2015 article begins as they recommend a book by liberal theologian Harvey Cox: "Many mainline Protestant congregations have been split apart by biblical literalists who say there is only one way to read the Bible. Harvey Cox, who has taught at Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, Mass., since 1965, can be counted on to help read and study the Bible with an open heart and mind." So there it is, if you have a conservative view of Scripture, you split churches apart. If you're liberal, you have an open heart and mind. The truth is that the liberal view of Scripture has caused division in ELCA churches where some ELCA pastors promote universalism, abortion rights, and homosexual behavior. Some ELCA seminary professors deny various miracles in the Bible like the Virgin Birth of Christ, some teach we should worship "God the Mother", and a number teach that all people will go to heaven, whether they believe in Jesus or not. So who is "splitting apart" the Church? Not those who believe in traditional Christian doctrine, but those who deny it. It is the reason that liberal, mainline denominations have shrunk in the last 40 years. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock By Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. Follow Pastor Brock on Facebook (here) and twitter (here.)
This past Sunday I attended an historic congregation in Charleston, South Carolina of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (the most liberal branch of Lutheranism). Sadly, they are using the ELCA's red hymnal that has hymns like "Mothering God, you gave me birth". The hymnal has also de-sexed all the of the Psalms to get rid of masculine pronouns for God (feminist theology in the ELCA thinks it is sexist to continually refer to God as "He"). The new hymnal has also changed the Apostle's Creed to get rid of hell and leaves out the line that Jesus "descended into hell." There was a prayer during the confessional about how we have "wounded the earth by our excess". The service did include some references to God the Father, so it wasn't as bad as what I saw next. As I was sightseeing in Charleston a few hours later, I walked by an old Congregational Church (United Church of Christ). In front of the church was a big "gay friendly" rainbow banner with the words "God is still speaking". That is the United Church of Christ's motto which, I believe, means God is telling us new things today--things our Christian forefathers didn't know about (like inclusive God language, gay inclusion, etc). The forefathers of the UCC were the Pilgrims, Christians who definitely believed in the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and that Jesus is the only way of salvation. Today in the UCC one can deny all those things and be a pastor. I slipped into the church as the service was ending and grabbed a bulletin. The opening hymn was just strange: Why should we call these accidental furrows roads? Everyone who moves on , walks like Jesus, on the sea, You walking, your footprints are the road, and nothing else; There is no road, walker, you make the road by walking... Walker, there is no road, only wind-trails in the sea... Who knows what that meant. The bulletin reads regarding the Lord's Prayer: The leader will say "Our Mother, our Father..." Please feel free to address God in the way that is most true to your understanding. That is the tragedy of the United Church of Christ. You get to make up your own version of God and whittle Him down to your own convenient image. Does it not strike people as arrogant that they are correcting Jesus Christ by rewriting His Lord's Prayer? The bulletin then advertised a new Sunday morning class "Is There Another Way? Teaching an Alternative Orthodoxy Within the Christian Tradition", a course from the Living School at the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque. But, I thought, if its an "alternate way", then it isn't orthodoxy. "Orthodox" means "correct belief" and my guess is that class will be anything but that. So, be careful where you go to church! And if your church that you have loved for 50 years has abandoned the faith, time to move on. Hard to do, yes, but it is time for Christians to use their time, talents, and money to support churches which honor God. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock |
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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