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Bishop Elect of the ELCA Says Hell Is Empty

7/16/2019

Paul Egensteiner, Bishop Elect of the Metropolitan New York Synod (ELCA), recently attended a gay pride parade and shared a heretical message. While giving people "...thumbs up or a handshake or high five or simply a greeting of 'Happy Pride!'" Bishop Elect Egensteiner tells of a specific encounter he had with a young man who asked him "You mean I'm not going to hell?” The ELCA bishop writes:

"I was stunned. 'No,' I said. (Along with Bishop Eaton, I believe there is a hell but it is empty, by the grace of the Father and the love of Jesus.) 'God loves you!' He held my hand a little longer and then said, 'Come here. Give me a hug' As I did so, he repeated his initial question, 'So I’m not going to hell, right?' 'No!' I repeated, maybe a little more emphatically this time. 'God LOVES you!'” (See here)

This statement about hell is wrong on many so many levels.

- It is heretical to believe hell is empty. The Bible clearly speaks of people in hell and warns about going there. (See here) Teaching that hell is empty is universalism, a false teaching that all people will be saved. It is a dangerous belief that risks the eternal life of those who believe it. That is what this Evangelical Lutheran Church in America bishop elect (and many in the ELCA) believes. It is a teaching from hell.

- In this exchange between the young man and the ELCA bishop elect, a false assurance of salvation was given. Nothing was said about faith in Christ, repentance, grace by faith for those who believe, fleeing from sin, forgiveness, God's Word or lovingly helping this man know the healing that God can provide him. Satan could not have done better.

This is a grave teaching of the apostate Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Shame on the ELCA for not preaching that Hell is real, people will be in hell and that salvation is available to all by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

- And then you have ELCA bishops encouraging sinful behavior that separates people from the Lord.

ELCA members, you are hurting people and the Lord God Almighty by supporting this denomination.

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Unitarian Universalists and the ELCA's 1517 Media

8/6/2018

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Jill Braithwaite was recently hired as Vice President and Publisher at 1517 Media (see here). 1517 Media is the new name for what was formerly known as Augsburg Fortress. It is the publishing house of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). (see here)

What is interesting and disturbing about this ELCA hire is that Jill Braithwaite is a graduate of United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities (see here and see her thesis here). It is a seminary where many Unitarian Universalist pastors-to-be go to study. (See here) It also has a good number of faculty and staff who are Unitarian Universalists. (See here)

Add to that the fact that Jill Braithwaite has preached at least a couple times at First Universalist Church of Minneapolis (see here and below), and as of 2014, she was a member at the Universalist church and served on the church's board of trustees and welcome team.

Unitarian Universalism is not Christian, as the they study, follow and teach from many and various religions. On the Unitarian Universalists website on pastor writes, "I do not believe Jesus is the sole revelation of the Divine, and I do not know, but seriously doubt, if he was raised from the dead..." (see here and see this page for additional comments about Jesus). It is obvious that most do not see Jesus as Lord and Savior, as the Son of God, as Messiah.

Instead of going into more details, here are a few additional links if you would like to know more about Unitarian Universalists. See how they describe what they believe here, what they are based on here and another article about their beliefs here.

What is going on in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America that makes it acceptable to hire someone with a Unitarian Universalist background? Are the teachings of the Unitarian Universalist church compatible with that of the ELCA?

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ELCA Pastor Preaches the “Beauty of Queerness” and Universalism to 31,000 Lutheran Teenagers

7/3/2018

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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 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

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Prominent ELCA Pastor Says He is a Universalist

3/1/2018

8 Comments

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.

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Choosing Liberal Politics Over the Salvation of Souls

2/10/2018

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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.)

Head bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was asked by a Chicago newspaper about Hell and she said "There may be a Hell, but I think it is empty." This is an old heresy called universalism, the teaching that all people will be saved, whether they believe in Jesus or not, which is a flat contradiction of Scriptures (John 14:6, Acts 4:12, 16:31). Bishop Eaton has also been quoted to say that saving souls is not the business of the Church, that's God's job.

So if saving souls is not the business of the Church, what is? It appears the answer is "liberal politics". If one goes to elca.org and looks through their news items, it is filled with political stands, along with some religious news. Here is the present list of news articles from the ELCA website:

ELCA presiding bishop issues statement on Dreamers
02/09/2018

ELCA presiding bishop to participate in rally to end racism
02/06/2018

‘Set Free By Truth’ Lent devotions offered by four church leaders
02/05/2018

ELCA Presiding Bishop responds to reported racist comments
01/12/2018

A Christmas message from the ELCA presiding bishop
12/14/2017

ELCA presiding bishop responds to decision to move U.S. Embassy in Israel
12/06/2017

It appears that, if everyone is going to heaven, the ELCA must find other ways to spend peoples' offering dollars and it has chosen politics. Of course we should all be against racism, but that is not the Gospel. The Gospel is the Good News that Jesus died and rose again to save sinners from Hell. And yes, according to Jesus, there is a Hell. And yes, according to Jesus, the Church should be all about saving souls (Matthew 28:19).

In Jesus our Savior,

Pastor Tom Brock

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ELCA Prays for Wolverines and Manatees, Never the Unborn or the Lost

12/9/2017

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(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org a number of months ago. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)

Tonight I visited a Lutheran church which, I'm pretty sure, was using the "Sundays and Seasons" prayers put out by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. These ELCA prayers regularly ask God to protect the environment and waterways. In the past, a prayer asked God to protect the manatees, today it was for "the wolverine and all endangered species." Nothing is wrong with these prayers, I suppose, except for the fact that in recent years I don't recall one prayer asking God to protect unborn human beings. Nor do I recall one prayer asking that He would bring lost people to saving faith in Christ. I'm am afraid there is a reason for this. The ELCA pays for abortion (for any reason) in its healthcare plan for pastors and their families, and this is funded by offering dollars. It is hard to pray for the unborn if church offerings can be used to kill them. And why no prayers that lost people will come to Christ? My guess is because the heresy of universalism (the teaching that all people are saved) has made much headway in the ELCA. In fact the New England Synod of the ELCA recently passed a resolution asking the ELCA to drop the language of "bringing people to Christ" from the ELCA constitution. This was in order to be sensitive to Muslims and Jews and also because we are not sure that people of other religions are indeed lost. So, if everyone is saved, lets pray for manatees and wolverines.

The Missouri Synod branch of Lutheranism is much more Biblical and conservative than the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, but the church that used these prayers today was a Missouri Synod congregation. I attend a different Missouri Synod church which gratefully finally dropped these ELCA prayers. I had complained about the ELCA prayers and finally, after an ELCA prayer was made to God as "Mother", the prayers were dropped for good.

So if you go to a church that regularly prays for the environment but never mentions the lost or the unborn, you might want to have a talk with your pastor.

Sincerely in Christ,

Pastor Tom Brock
pastorsstudy.org

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Head ELCA Bishop Says There May Be a Hell But She Thinks It Is Empty

9/9/2017

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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. At the end of his article, you will find a few additional comments by me.)

Elizabeth Eaton, the head Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said in an interview that there may be a Hell, but she thinks it is empty. Contrast that to the teaching of Jesus, who said in a number of places that there is a Hell and there will be people going there (Luke 16:19-31, for example). Bishop Eaton is tragically wrong. Is it any wonder that Bishop Eaton spends time talking about transgender rights, racism, immigration, etc. but to my knowledge has never talked about the need to believe in Jesus to be saved from Hell. Some time ago she was quoted to say that it is not the business of the Church to save souls, that is God's job. Yes, Bishop Eaton, but Jesus has given that job to the Church in His last words on earth (Matthew 28:19) to "Go ye therefore and make disciples".

As long as liberal Protestant leaders like Eaton disbelieve Jesus' words on Hell, liberal mainline denominations will be all about political causes, and will neglect the main thing Christians are called to do: preach the necessity of faith in Christ for salvation (Acts 16:30-31).

Sincerely in Christ,
Pastor Tom Brock

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/elizabeth-eaton-presiding-bishop-evangelical-lutheran-church-in-america-chicago-if-hell-exists-i-think-its-empty-face-to-faith-podcast/

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Here is the response from ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton when she was asked, "Is there a hell?" -

Eaton: “There may be, but I think it is empty.”

Interviewer: "Really?"

Eaton: “Yes.”

Interviewer: "Why is that?"

Eaton: “Well, Jesus was clear in John chapter 3 that when He is raised up he will draw all people to himself. And if we take a look at salvation history, ever since we got booted out of the garden, it has been God’s relentless pursuit to bring His people to God. Now, people wonder “can you say no?” I imagine you can say “no” to God. I don’t think God is going to give up on us. And if God has eternity, than God can certainly keep working on those folks. So that might be a little bit of a heresy along the lines of Origen, but no, I don’t think God gives up.”

If you doubt that the ELCA teaches universalism, here is the ELCA's presiding bishop making it clear. If hell is empty, all people are saved. That is universalism. It is a dangerous heresy, a false teaching, which puts individuals' eternal destiny at risk: faith in Christ is not needed. Live it up, worship other gods, reject Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you will still go to heaven according to the ELCA's top bishop.

Of course, the Bible directly says this is not so. Heaven and hell are real and people and angels will populate both. It is time to flee this false-teaching denomination. They are playing with people's eternal lives. They are not telling them the truth of how to be saved. This could not be more serious. Tell your friends and family so they are not led astray either. Share this and pray they will read it and see the truth.

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Universalism Heresy is Alive and Well in the ELCA

9/2/2017

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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. At the end of his article you will find a few additional comments by me.)

Universalism is the false teaching that all people will be saved, regardless of faith in Christ. This heresy is negated by Christ Himself (John 14:6) and the Apostles (Acts 4:12). So it is troubling to see the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America try to get away from Bible's teaching that those who reject Christ will be lost. Below is an excerpt from an article written by an ELCA seminary professor in the ELCA's official magazine "Living Lutheran".

"At first glance...phrases like “Christ alone” can sound like salvation and wisdom belong to “Christians alone.” That is not what this phrase means. Many New Testament verses tell us that Jesus knows the people of this world better than we do. Jesus has sheep in other pastures (John 10:16), he promised salvation to the honest thief on the cross (Luke 23:43), and he welcomes into heaven those who never knew that they were serving him (Matthew 25:34-40). From this perspective, “Christ alone” is not a way to keep people from God. Instead, “Christ alone” is a word of freedom...When religious people—including our churches—want to define who is in or out of God’s kingdom, we recall that “Christ alone” is the good shepherd and merciful judge."

My response: The "other sheep" Jesus was talking about in John 10 were the Gentiles who were to come to saving faith in him. He is not referring to people of non-Christian religions. And, it not "religious people" who define who is in and who is out of God's kingdom. The Bible itself does this many times (for instance, John 3:36). The professor should support these religious people who are following the Bible, not criticize them.

Martin Luther, following the Bible, taught that we are saved by faith alone in Christ alone. It is sad to see an ELCA Lutheran professor try to redefine what that means.

Sincerely in Christ,

Pastor Tom Brock
Pastorsstudy.org

(See the Living Lutheran article here. It is written by Martin Lohrmann, who is an assistant professor of Lutheran confessions and heritage at the ELCA's Wartburg Theological Seminary.

His article was posted by the ELCA Facebook page eight hours ago and has garnered 290 "likes." It has been shared 106 times and many of those sharing it are ELCA churches. See below)

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ELCA Lutheran Leader Curses God if John 3:36 is True

12/18/2016

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(Below is an article written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. At the end of Pastor Brock's article I have posted some additional comments and information. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)

Francisco Herrera, a graduate of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's seminary, Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, doesn't like that John 3:36 teaches that those who reject Christ will be lost. So, in an obscenity-laden "Advent devotional", he says this to the Apostle John:

"...if the God that we serve would condemn such gorgeous souls to eternal torment, let that God stand accursed — and you with him!"

You heard right, this ELCA leader curses John--and God – for teaching that those who reject Christ are lost.

I have read many heresies, but this is one of the worst. Please pray for this man's soul. He is one more reason people should leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for a more biblical denomination.

In Jesus our Savior,

Pastor Tom Brock
Pastorsstudy.org

(Read Francisco Herrera's words here. This was all part of an advent devotional put out by two ELCA pastors, Tuhina Verma Rasche and Jason Chesnut. Note: Language Warning. The advent devotional's title is below).

(If there was any doubt how horrific and vile these devotionals are, take a look at the headings of the following days "devotionals.")

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At an ELCA Church today: Universalism, de-sexing God, and Yertle the Turtle

8/29/2016

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(The following was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)

I am at a South Dakota church camp today and attended the closest church, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (the liberal branch of Lutheranism). About 8 years ago I attended here one Sunday, during which the pastor had the congregation sing the hymn from the ELCA hymnal "Mothering God, you gave me birth." He then preached that he didn't know why people are so upset about referring to God as "Mother", must be 2000 years of sexism. He also said "Feel free to talk to me about this after the service." I did. I said "I think the reason Christians are not comfortable referring to God as 'Mother' is that Jesus taught us to pray 'Our Father who art in heaven.'" I could tell by the pained expression on his face that he didn't want to talk about it. I later googled him and discovered that his lesbian daughter was touring the county on the Soulforce bus trying to get churches to be open to homosexuality. He now serves a pro-gay church in another state.

Today a woman pastor preached. The service began with a wonderful hymn from the ELCA hymnal which was sadly changed to eliminate masculine references for God, making it difficult to worship. During her sermon she told the Dr. Seuss story of Yertle the Turtle, making the point that all are equal in Christ. "All people are children of God, whether you believe it or not, whether you know it or not, you and all people are God's children, all are welcome at God's table." Inwardly I was shaking my head. We are indeed all God's creatures, but we are not all God's children. In fact, the Bible teaches we all start out "by nature children of wrath, as the rest of mankind" (Ephesians 2:3). We only become "children of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26). The universalism heresy, the teaching all people are saved regardless of faith in Christ, appeared to be where she was coming from (later I noticed she had a "Co-exist" bumper sticker on her car.) Then came the Nicene Creed, which was also altered. Instead of "Jesus became incarnate of the Virgin Mary and was made man" we recited Jesus "became truly human." Many in ELCA leadership believe it is sexist to only refer to God in masculine terms which is why the ELCA hymnal de-sexes hymns and has de-sexed all the masculine God language from the Psalms.

Other than those issues, it was a good service. But that is like saying "Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you like the play?"

Sincerely in Christ,

Pastor Tom Brock
pastorsstudy.org

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Imaginary Hell

6/6/2016

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Jesus talked about hell, more than anyone in Scripture, but many ELCA leaders are so enamored with their own "enlightened" views that they have decided and teach that hell is not real and everyone goes to heaven. They believe they are more attuned to truth then the Son of God, I guess. This is ELCA pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber’s teaching. She has already revealed that she is a universalist (see here) and in a recent sermon Nadia tells us that hell is "imaginary." Here is her direct quote,
“One of the more interesting things folks will say to me is: ‘I’m not religious or anything, I just hope that being a good person is enough.’ To which I always want to say… ‘enough for what?’ … avoiding the punishment of burning in the eternal fires of some kind of imaginary hell?” (see here)

As I’ve already mentioned, “hell deniers” must be deceived or in a state of denial because Jesus continually warned people about hell and being eternally separated from God. In Matthew 25, Jesus talks about people being separated like sheep and goats and He says the goats "will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Elsewhere He says, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

Hell is real. Telling people that it is not, is a lie from Satan, and it can lead people to think that faith in Christ is not necessary, that one can believe what ever they want and still go to heaven. People will end up in hell because of this lie.

Stop listening to people who teach contrary to God’s Word and warn others about them. They are false teachers.

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More ELCA prayers to save the planet, not the lost

1/24/2016

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(The following two articles were written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)

Still waiting for one ELCA prayer for the lost

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's weekly "Prayers of the Church" printed in the bulletin are less than evangelistic. Prayers are regularly made for the environment, but I am still waiting for one prayer asking God to "save the lost" or "bring unbelievers to Christ". Instead, this Sunday we prayed:

"... For coastlands and mountains, rivers and deserts, prairies and valleys; for wilderness and cities, lakes and oceans; for farmlands and pastures, forests and rangelands; and for orchards, vineyards, and gardens. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer."

There was a prayer for the Church, pastors, bishops, teachers and missionaries, but that is as close as we get to pleading for God to bring people to Christ. Wouldn't a prayer like the following be great?

"Lord, bring Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, atheists and all kinds of people to saving faith in the Lord Jesus, and use our missionaries to save the lost."

But we never hear an ELCA prayer like this. Instead, we often pray for plants. I fear part of the reason is that many in the ELCA hold to the heresy of universalism, namely, that all people will be saved, regardless of whether they believe in Christ. The number of missionaries the ELCA sends out has gone done dramatically since its founding in 1988. Head bishop Elizabeth Eaton of the ELCA was quoted to say "The work of the Church is not so much saving souls, that's God's work." It is God's work, but it is a work that Jesus has given into the hands of the Church in His last words (Matthew 28:19-20). Until the ELCA realizes that Jesus' main command is to "go ye therefore", I am afraid there will be more prayers for "lakes and oceans, vineyards and gardens."

Sincerely in Christ,

Pastor Tom Brock
pastorsstudy.org

(And)

More ELCA prayers to save the planet, not the lost

Again, today's prayers from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Augsburg/Fortress Press that are used in ELCA worship services had no mention of praying for the lost to be saved. Instead we asked the Lord to "preserve the whole creation so that animals, plants, and land flourish. Protect endangered species and renew polluted waterways....Lord, hear our prayer."

"Endangered" grabbed my attention. Do we care that human souls are endangered with a Christ-less eternity? Or do we care more about "endangered species and polluted waterways"? Years ago, when I was still in the ELCA, some conservative pastors and I offered a resolution reaffirming the Bible's teaching that Jesus is the only way of salvation (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). It lost. But a statement warning church coffee drinkers about the dangers of the non-biodegradable styrofoam cup was received warmly. I got to the microphone and pointed out that if we cared half as much about the dangers of Hell as we do about the dangers of styrofoam cup, there might be hope for the ELCA. That was years ago. The number of ELCA missionaries has gone down dramatically since.

In Christ,

Pastor Tom Brock
pastorsstudy.org

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'Angry White People,' Universalism, Hindu Prayer and MOre

11/24/2015

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Could this ELCA synod be talking about conservative and/or Bible-believing Christians?

Percentage of people of color in the #ELCA has increased not b/c we've attracted more POC but b/c the angry white people left #ntnlife #elca
— NT-NL Mission (ELCA) (@NTNLMission) October 28, 2015

They don't like you, but I would bet they will still gladly take your money.

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The belief in universalism is strong in the ELCA, as you know if you frequent this website. Here is another example -

“I believe God is big enough to have many ways to be reached; although I confess Christianity, I also believe there are many other paths to God.” – The Rev. Patt Kauffman on ELCA clergy Uncensored Facebook group. The link goes to the Closed group, which only those in the group may view. (here)

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An ELCA news story about the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut does not mention the Islamic faith of the terrorists. (see here) I wonder why the ELCA is so free to condemn Israel (falsely, I might add) but they can not state the facts and motivation behind the terrorists actions we are seeing worldwide.

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Wartburg College, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) school, shared a video of their “Weekday Interfaith Chapel” (Sept. 30, 2015) in which a Hindu prayer was offered by the guest speaker. (see video here. View the video dated Sept. 30, 3015)

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On Reformation Sunday, ELCA prays for 'New life for plants'

10/25/2015

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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.)

Today is Reformation Sunday, the day Protestants praise God for Martin Luther's rediscovery of the Bible's teaching that we are saved by grace alone through faith in Christ alone. Sadly, many in liberal, mainline Protestant denominations no longer believe we are saved by faith in Christ alone. Many pastors and seminary professors have embraced the heresy of universalism which teaches that all people, whether they believe in Jesus or not, will go to heaven. The problem with universalism is that Jesus taught the opposite. Jesus frequently preached about Hell, more than anyone else in the Bible. Jesus insisted He is the only way to the Father (John 14:6), and those who reject Him are condemned (John 3:18). This was also the preaching of the Apostles (Acts 4:12).

But universalism has zapped the missionary zeal of the Church. The number of missionaries sent out by liberal denominations has fallen dramatically in recent decades.

Back to the prayers from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Augsburg/Fortress Press. Today in church we prayed:
Reinvigorate those places that have become desolate through human
intervention or natural disaster. Breathe new life into
plants, animals and watersheds, Lord in your mercy, hear our
prayer.

Nothing is wrong with praying for the environment, but when we pray regularly for the salvation of the planet and rarely or never for the salvation of unbelievers, something is wrong. I am waiting for one prayer from the ELCA that goes something like this:
Lord, we pray for the missionaries to bring the Good News to the
lost, that Jesus is the only Savior who can bring salvation
from Hell, forgiveness of sins and eternal life for all who believe.

I have yet to hear the words "only Savior", "lost", or "Hell" in ELCA prayers.

In Jesus, the only Savior,

Pastor Tom Brock
pastorsstudy.org

1 Comment

ELCA'S "The Lutheran Magazine": Literalists bad, liberals have "open heart and mind"

8/14/2015

1 Comment

(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

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<<Previous

Bishop Elect of the ELCA Says Hell Is Empty

Unitarian Universalists and the ELCA's 1517 Media

ELCA Pastor Preaches the “Beauty of Queerness” and Universalism to 31,000 Lutheran Teenagers

Prominent ELCA Pastor Says He is a Universalist

Choosing Liberal Politics Over the Salvation of Souls

ELCA Prays for Wolverines and Manatees, Never the Unborn or the Lost

Head ELCA Bishop Says There May Be a Hell But She Thinks It Is Empty

Universalism Heresy is Alive and Well in the ELCA

ELCA Lutheran Leader Curses God if John 3:36 is True

At an ELCA Church today: Universalism, de-sexing God, and Yertle the Turtle

Imaginary Hell

More ELCA prayers to save the planet, not the lost

'Angry White People,' Universalism, Hindu Prayer and MOre

On Reformation Sunday, ELCA prays for 'New life for plants'

ELCA'S "The Lutheran Magazine": Literalists bad, liberals have "open heart and mind"

Dan Skogen

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