(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
In yet another article affirming transgenderism, the April edition of Living Lutheran, the national magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, tells the story of Pastor Rose who has become Pastor Peter in a “renaming ceremony to reflect his transition from female to male.” The article states: “He (my note: the article calls this woman “he” throughout the article) had openly self-identified as queer for many years…the congregation was fully accepting, which, given its reputation as a radically welcoming place, didn’t surprise him.” Did the ELCA bishop do anything to discipline this pastor and congregation? No, quite the contrary, the ELCA bishop of New Jersey was present at the re-naming ceremony and called the pastor a “faithful, joyful servant of Christ”. According to the article, the bishop “believes the renaming ceremony was important for the church and for her to be part of it. “I felt it was appropriate and important for me to stand with Pastor Beeson and the people of St. Matthew Trinity. We have been providing education and events for congregations to learn about becoming safer and more welcoming places for LGBTQ youth. Standing with this congregation and their pastor seemed a logical way to demonstrate what we have been teaching.”” (NOTE: Head bishop of the ELCA Elizabeth Eaton has also taken a stand for transgenderism telling a Chicago newspaper “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…”) The article concludes: “Beeson…isn’t that different from other ELCA pastors, ministering out in the world…at a congregation that he said is dominated by a “deep commitment to God’s grace.” Here again we see God’s grace being used as an excuse to sin. I couldn’t help but think of the warning of Jude 4 regarding “certain persons (who) have crept in unnoticed…ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” And also Romans 6:1 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue to sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?” May the Lord have mercy on this confused and rebellious denomination that is encouraging people to live in sin, In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock pastorsstudy.org -- (Here is the referenced article in the ELCA's Living Lutheran.)
3 Comments
John
4/13/2018 11:27:46 pm
Hey, I transitioned too.
Reply
4/14/2018 11:52:03 am
No, ELCA pastors and bishops, this woman hasn't "changed"; she's still a woman, albeit one who now thinks she's a man. She isn't: philosophically, Biblically, or scientifically.
Reply
The Rev. Richard Bowley
4/16/2018 03:38:33 am
If one goes back into history, the E"L"CA has become the 21st Century version of the "Frankean Synod" that lead to the schism, lead by the former Pennsylvania Ministerium that was newly-revitalized by a wave of Neo-Lutherans from the Prussian Exodus, to leave the former General Synod to form the (now former) General Council. I say this that as that Synod I mentioned only accepted the Augsburg Confession only to identify themselves as Lutheran, but had total disregards of it and acted like the heretical body it was (along with Samuel Schmucker and his "American Recension" to the AC). Sadly the E"L"CA also has it's Confessional congregations under it's thumb, that instead of letting them leave without losing their property, it would rather revoke their charters and take their property to sell and fill their coffers, a la Rome under Pope Leo X in 1517.
Reply
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
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.
Give online by clicking the "donate" button below: Categories
All
Archives
February 2025
Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. - Ephesians 5:11
|