ELCA Pastor Defends Using Offering Dollars to Pay for Abortion

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

I am on a Facebook page with present and former pastors and seminarians of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I left that denomination years ago because it pays for abortion for any reason in its healthcare plan for pastors and their families, and the healthcare plan is paid for with offering dollars. I shared on the Facebook page that years ago I received a letter from an ELCA person, I believe a pastor’s wife, who was so glad the ELCA “was there” to pay for her 16-year-old daughter’s abortion. I said “Your offering dollars at work.”

An ELCA pastor from Iowa responded: "Tom... who makes you judge and jury over this little girl?? From what I gather of Jesus he tells us to "Judge not, lest we be judged.” Just saying... Instead of reacting with condemnation over this 16 year old's abortion, why not react with compassion? Do you know what she was facing? Did you understand the circumstances of her life? Personally I am grateful for an insurance company who stays out of these kinds of decisions and fulfills their obligations, paying for the procedure. Its hard enough as it is. To compound that with the judgement of your insurance company would be even worse."

My response to this pastor: It is tragic to me that a pastor thinks it is OK to destroy an unborn child with the offering dollars of the people of God. It is not “compassion” to affirm abortion, neither for the mother nor the child.

If you are still in the ELCA, are you aware that your offering dollars can be used to pay for abortion, for any reason, in the ELCA healthcare plan?

One more reason to take your money, time and talents and join a more Biblical denomination.

Sincerely in Christ,

Pastor Tom Brock
pastorsstudy.org


Update: 

We pick up here with his next response to me:
"Tom, what is tragic is how many people who claim to be pro-life really don't care about the woman at all. You obviously don't. Nor would I imagine you would help this young woman or any raise their children.  Stop judging and assuming YOU or anyone else knows the circumstances of their decision."

My response:  
"You claim many pro-life people (and I) don't care about the woman at all. But it isn't the pro-choice people who run crisis pregnancy centers and help women before and after childbirth to care for the newborn. It is more accurate to say that pro-choice people don't care about the woman and child. They prefer the "quick and easy" solution of killing the unborn baby. Using offering dollars to kill unborn children is about as low as the ELCA has stooped--with the possible exception of putting an 11-year-old boy who thinks he is a girl on stage to promote transgenderism to 31,000 teenagers at last summer's ELCA Youth Assembly."

Please say a prayer for this ELCA Lutheran pastor, and for his congregation.

In Christ,

Pastor Tom Brock