ELCA Headquarters Boasting of Church Hosting Muslim Prayers

8/4/2017

USA Today recently featured two articles highlighting an ELCA pastor who invited Muslims to use his church to hold their prayer services. Apparently, being very proud of this the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America posted about it on social media a number of times. (see below)

ELCA pastor Fred Schenker and Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Pittsburg, Pennsylvania area opened their church building up for Muslim worship starting in 2007, up until Pastor Schenker's recent retirement. Pastor Schenker said, "There was a group of Muslims, a congregation, and they were trying to find a space to pray. They had been to different churches, trying to find a space just for Friday, and they got nos. And they came to Trinity, and I said well sure. Christ tells us to love all people, and these guys want to pray? Wonderful." (see here and here is the second article)

Is it the lack of Biblical knowledge, lack of common sense, the placing of ones own values over that of Scripture or succumbing to Satan's influence that causes a pastor of a Christian church to allow people who worship a deity other than the One True God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, to use their building, their worship space, to worship this false god? The same question can be asked of ELCA leadership who lift it up as praiseworthy.

Pastor Schenker goes on to say, "In our church family, loving our Muslim neighbors and inviting them to use our church facilities for Friday prayers and activities, sends a strong message that Christians and Muslims not only can tolerate one another, but they can love and respect one another."

Loving your neighbor is helping him or her know the Truth. It is not "loving your neighbor" to provide your church building, a place dedicated to the things of the One True God, so people can worship false gods. Should a church allow prostitutes to use their building to have sex with their customers? Should drug dealers be invited to sell and store their drugs in a church in the name of "love your neighbor?" What this church is doing is wicked, harmful and blasphemous.

There is but one way to heaven, through Jesus Christ, who is revealed to us in the Bible. Other religions are highways to hell. It is eternally destructive for people to worship other gods. Additionally, it is strike in the face to God to have His building used to worship "any other god."

Below are three different posts by official pages of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America about this issue:

When Muslim community members were without a worship space, Rev. Fred Schenker opened the church doors. (@USATODAY) https://t.co/H6IVSn2YsI
— ELCA (@ELCA) August 1, 2017

As of Friday afternoon the above post by the ELCA has garnered 766 “likes” and 133 people/churches have "shared" it. You should read the comments and shares, and you will find all kinds of praise of this action from readers. Some of them include:

- "Thank-you for doing the right thing."

- "It's all about loving our neighbors as ourselves."

- "Yes!!! This why I love being a Lutheran."

- "My church in South Texas did the same before their mosque was built." (see here)

How can people applaud this? Where are the true ministers of God who will inform people that this is wrong? Obviously not in the ELCA. They are failing, and most of them are wolves in sheep's clothing.