ELCA Pastor Believes the Biblical Creation Account is Not 'Real Truth'

ELCA leadership, for the most part, believes in evolution. (see here) It seems crazy to me that church leaders and pastors who are supposed to shepherd their flock can twist the clear reading of scripture and outright deny what is says.  Seems to me God would know better than they on how He made everything.  Yet ELCA pastors and seminary professors revel in their “superior” knowledge and belittle those “simpletons” who believe God.

I get the impression ELCA leaders do not like being called out as evolution supporters and creation deniers.  Most of them wouldn’t dare get up in the pulpit and tell you that they believe God’s account of creation is false.  They should be challenged on their belief. 

That brings me to a written dialog I've been having with an ELCA pastor.  This ELCA pastor wrote me and evidently was not happy with a blog I wrote called “ELCA Churches Celebrate Evolution Weekend” (see here).

The pastor at one point said “The Bible is not science and to try and make it so just makes us all look ignorant. Don't be afraid sir, as God has created everything even science. If you must believe that the earth was created in 7 days please don't bash those of us who are not afraid to move into the centuries and acknowledge the findings that bear the real truth.”

I responded by email saying, “Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I disagree with your position on creation and believe it is everyone’s right to know what their ELCA pastor or leadership believes on the issue when they have decided to ‘go public’ with it. It is good to know where your pastor is coming from when they are teaching you.

There are thousands of scientists that believe in Biblical creation and a plethora of evidence to prove that evolution is not good science. Here is a list of 'renown scientists in the past and today' who believe in the biblical account of creation. - http://creation.com/creation-scientists#presentsci

I will leave you with this, 'When Moses writes that God created heaven and earth and whatever is in them in six days, then let this period continue to have been six days, and do not venture to devise any comment according to which six days were one day. But, if you cannot understand how this could have been done in six days, then grant the Holy Spirit the honor of being more learned than you are.'  - Martin Luther, What Martin Luther Says: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian.

God bless you”

Today the ELCA pastor replied saying “This is not about evolution. It is about common sense.
Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Morning Prayer, LBW, pg. 137”

I responded, “It is not common sense but it is your blind faith in evolution/big bang. You just don't like what God said. Something very common in the ELCA.

In Christ,

Dan Skogen”

Two questions you should ask yourself, 1) do you believe your ELCA pastor's view of creation or God's?  And 2) do you want to be under leadership who denies something so clearly stated by our Creator?