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ELCA Bishop Protesting Trump

3/13/2016

14 Comments

 
Whether you like Donald Trump or not, the statements and planned actions of Timothy Marcus Smith, Bishop of North Carolina Synod, ELCA are disgraceful. He is rallying people and going to a planned speaking engagement to protest against Donald Trump. It will be at Lenoir-Rhyne University, an ELCA school that has invited Mr. Trump to speak. 

Here is a part of what the bishop said last Friday:

"My position: This candidate, in my opinion not only as a private citizen but as a bishop in this Church, is a farce, an embarrassment, and a danger to nearly everything I hold dear. That he this late in the game is still leading one of our major political parties with his rhetoric fueled by fear and anger is diametrically opposed to any reckoning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ I can imagine. Even leading 'Evangelicals' have said as much.

My plan: Assuming he indeed shows up, I plan to be there, clerical collar and bishop's cross on, to protest NOT the fact that he's there but his platform that would deny refugees access, that would invoke violence at every turn, and that would stir up bigotry and hatred. I could go on, but you get the point. I would be deeply honored to be the one escorted out or even punched out as the heckler that Trump so condescendingly points out at each rally. But I won't try to drive out hate with more hate and anger. I will stand there, pray, sing, march, chant, wave signs, whatever I need to do and with whatever consequence to say, 'This is not who we are, America. This is not who we are, North Carolina. This is not who we are, Church.' And I hope the reporters and the cameras are there, and I hope they might care what I/we have to say in the name of Jesus." (see here or the screenshots below)

ELCA bishop Timothy Marcus Smith has asked for others to join him and from the looks of the comments he is getting on Facebook, there will be a bunch of ELCA pastors and members doing just that. The bishop's Facebook post has garnered nearly 900 "likes." 

The bishop's statement is another example of the typical rhetoric of the ELCA and liberals --to brand anyone who disagrees with them on certain policies a "hater" or "racist." They have done so to Bible-believing Lutherans for at least the last 6 years. And is trying to silence someone and disrupt someone's speech really a Godly action? 

The ELCA is controlled by radical liberals who support their political causes while twisting Scripture to make it sound like they are on Christ's side. Name me one ELCA bishop that has gone to Washington D.C. to March for Life? Or how about an ELCA bishop protesting politicians who advocate killing of unborn children? That is a cause worth standing up for! But there are none.

​---
​
Update: Bishop Smith is now saying "After consultation with many, many people, I am for sure not going into the auditorium..." but he and those with him will be getting "as close to PE Monroe (the auditorium where Trump will speak) as the police and Secret Service will let us get." (see here) 



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14 Comments
Henry
3/14/2016 03:55:05 pm

"There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers." (Proverbs 6:16-19)

So where does Bishop Smith get the idea that all hatred is immoral? The same goes for anger. Here's just a tiny sampling of Bible verses that talk about God's anger:
"Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the Lord's anger burned against them. The Lord said to Moses, 'Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the Lord, so that the Lord's fierce anger may turn away from Israel.' So Moses said to Israel's judges, 'Each of you must put to death those of your men who have joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor.'" Numbers 25:3-5)
"Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, 'Because this nation has violated the covenant that I laid down for their forefathers and has not listened to me, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died.'" (Judges 2:20-21)
"Arise, O Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice." (Psalm 7:6)
"I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put and end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless....Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of his burning anger." (Isaiah 13:11-13)
"I trampled the nations in my anger; in my wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground." (Isaiah 63:6)
"See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord.' (Isaiah 66:15-16)

It's not legitimate to condemn Trump or his supporters simply because they use angry rhetoric. "He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord." (Proverbs 17:15)

Reply
Henry
3/14/2016 06:54:14 pm

"In the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Matthew 7:2)

It's obvious that Bishop Smith hates Donald Trump, and expresses his hatred of Trump with angry rhetoric. Smith condemns hatred and anger in Trump, but doesn't condemn those things (or perhaps even recognize them) in himself.

Reply
Sasha Kwapinski
3/15/2016 06:22:19 pm

Why not just make at official and come right out and state that anyone who supports Trump cannot be a Christian? Then people can decide if they agree with the good Bishop of NC or if he has lost all credibility? People support Trump for a multiplicity of different reasons and concerns. Condemning them across the board as non-Christian is skating on thin ice. (This coming from a non-Trump supporter).

Reply
Dennis Di Mauro
3/17/2016 03:22:23 pm

I have no problem with a bishop protesting Trump or any other candidate who appears to be opposing the gospel of Jesus Christ. We should be doing more of this, not less. We need to boldly speak out in prophetic witness in our political system. So I applaud this bishop for speaking out against a misogynistic bully (his comments against Megan Kelly are unrepeatable) who wants to ban all Muslims from the US and wants to kill the family members of terrorists like a two bit mafia thug.

My question is this: where is Bishop Smith at the Clinton rallies? Is Hillary Clinton a better example of Christian witness than Trump? A woman who supports Planned Parenthood's selling of baby parts for the top $? A woman who lied to the families of the Americans killed in Benghazi by telling them that it was a popular riot against an anti-Muslim film instead of a coordinate Al Qaeda attack? A woman who erased thousands of emails in direct violation of a federal subpoena? Where is Bishop Smith's outrage? Crickets. He is absent at the rallies of a candidate who is a much less acceptable candidate to Christians than Trump will ever be.. Which proves that at a certain level this is all partisan politics...the ELCA is simply an arm of the DNC.

Reply
Richard
3/18/2016 09:08:06 am

Since Rev. Di Mauro could not bring himself to repeat Donald Trump's exact words, I'll do it for him. Mr. Trump said, "I do not think Megyn Kelly is a quality journalist." You can read the whole story at http://www.washingtimes.com/news/2015/aug/25/trump-i-dont-think-megyn-kelly-quality-journalist/?page=all

Reply
Dennis Barker link
3/17/2016 05:21:25 pm

While I am NOT a supporter of any politician at this time, I am against religious organizations getting involved in the political process and any organization should pay the price according to the law. The IRS is very explicit about what the ELCA did. They (The ELCA) and any church that had a pastor involved in this shameful demonstration needs to lose their tax exempt status according to the law. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1828.pdf Chapter 7 spells out that "they must not participate in, or intervene in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office".
Here, the ELCA participated, recruited and organized in opposition to a candidate.

Reply
Brenda
3/17/2016 11:40:49 pm

I am embarrassed by the ELCA Bishop. He should not have participated in the demonstration of encouraged anyone to participate. He is very fortunate he was not reported and in the news media which would have been another embarrassment to the ELCA. I have not decided who I will vote for later in the year. God has given me wisdom to do my own research and not rely on sounds bytes from the media that distortes the truth. I don't want anyone saying if I am a Christian or not by the way I vote. We are not to judge. We are trying to build the ELCA up and this type of behavior will for sure split us even more. It reminds me of the behavior of Westboro Baptist. I am embarrassed and disappointed in the ELCA.

Reply
Nick Hobson
3/18/2016 07:46:40 am

"Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world.'" (John 18:36).
"The Gospel does not introduce laws concerning the civil state." (Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article 16, Section 58) http://bookofconcord.org/defense_15_politicalorder.php

That means that the Gospel does not annul the government's responsibility to punish criminals (Rom. 13:1-5) or accessories to the crime, such as the families of terrorists. The Gospel does not obliterate national boundaries (Acts 17:26) nor require open borders.

Top military and intelligence officials have stated repeatedly that there is no way to vet Muslims entering the United States to determine if they are radicalized.

And the path from "moderate Muslim" to "radical Muslim" is not a long journey. Radical Muslims are orthodox Muslims: they interpret the Koran literally and follow the example of their prophet Mohammed. Here's what the Koran says:
"O ye to whom the Scriptures have been given! believe in what we have sent down confirmatory of the Scripture which is in your hands, ere we efface your features, and twist your head round backward, or curse you as we cursed the Sabbath-breakers: and the command of God was carried into effect." (4:50)
"Those who wage war against God and His Messenger [i.e., Mohammed] and strive to spread corruption in the land should be punished by death, crucifixion, the amputation of an alternate hand and foot, or banishment from the land." (5:33)
"Thy Lord spake unto the angels, 'I will be with you: therefore stablish ye the faithful. I will cast a dread into the hearts of the infidels.' Strike off their heads then, and strike off from them every finger-tip. This, because they have opposed God and His Apostle." (8:12-13)
"When the sacred months are passed, kill those who join other gods with God [i.e., Christians] wherever ye shall find them; and seize them, besiege them, and lay wait for them with every kind of ambush; but if they shall convert, and observe prayer, and pay the obligatory alms, then let them go their way." (9:5)
"Make war upon such of those to whom the Scriptures have been given as believe not in God, or in the last day, and who forbid not that which God and His Apostle have forbidden, and who profess not the profession of the truth, until they pay tribute out of hand, and they be humbled." (9:29)

Reply
Nick Hobson
3/20/2016 07:02:42 pm

"The emperor may follow the example of David in waging war to drive the Turk out of his country." (Augsburg Confession, Article 21, Section 1) http://bookofconfcord.org/augsburgconfession.php#article19

"Again, [we might] ask God to endow the emperor, kings, and all estates of men, and especially our princes, counselors, magistrates, and officials, with wisdom, strength, and prosperity to govern well and to be victorious over the Turks and all our enemies." (Large Catechism, Part 3 [The Lord's Prayer], Section 77) http://bookofconcord.org/lc-5-ourfather.php

Reply
Alvin
3/22/2016 05:15:42 pm

I recommend watching the video "Jihad Returns to Belgium" at www.answeringmuslims.com.

Reply
Ruth Daggett
9/28/2016 11:05:20 am

I am very disappointed when I see political signs on our pastors cars. Lutherans are taught not to judge others. Perhaps Trump is a King Solomon We are voting for our principles not a person

Reply
Bart
5/17/2017 04:41:00 pm

First thing Comrade Smith. We are not a democracy. We are a constitutional republic. Second. It's OK for your church hierarchy to play around on their wives, (Brian) with other women and men, but Trump is bad. You and the dude from Hickory was not too good either Comrade Tim. And you think Trump needs to step down.

Reply
Carmen Divers
5/4/2019 07:28:55 am

whatever happened to separation of church and state? regardless of his personal views..the bishop had no right to be there representing the church!! clearly his own personal views/agenda have exceeded the tenants of our constitution. this among many reasons is why i am glad we left elca for missouri synod!!

Reply
Jim Stevens
6/2/2020 02:03:12 pm

ELCA needs to keep their eye on Jesus and forget politics. I quit this church once because of the constant political left wing rhetoric from it's leadership. Every time I read stuff like this it reminds me why!

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    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.


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