ELCA Seminary Professor Portrays Jesus and Disciples as Women

11/14/2013

The Roman solders mocked Jesus the day they crucified Him (Mark 15:16-20). Today we have an ELCA seminary professor, and the institution which employs her, doing the same.

The Rev. Wil Gafney is an Associate Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, an ELCA seminary. Incredulously, Rev. Gafney has a habit of mocking and insulting Jesus (see past blog here). It seems Rev. Gafney revels in it. This time the ELCA seminary professor placed an image on her website of the “Last Supper” where Jesus and His disciples are depicted as women. (see here)

We all know that calling a person of one gender, the opposite gender, is extremely insulting. Rev. Gafney, a professor and educator of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, whose job is to instruct future leaders and pastors in the denomination, continues to intentionally insult the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.

More on Rev. Gafney next week...

17 Comments

Kathy S

11/15/2013 12:17:53 am

Lovely. Words are powerful but pictures are more powerful.

Didaskalos

11/15/2013 08:36:20 am

Yeah, Wil Gafney, you’re a feminist first, last and always. We knew that. Yeah, they’re all womyn. We figured they’d be. Big deal.

But for a card-carrying, unreconstructed feminist, you’ve given us a pretty pallid painting.

Why are all the womyn babes? Lookism at its worst. How insensitive to the millions of more ordinary-looking womyn.

Why aren’t there more womyn of color? How insensitive to minorities.

Why aren’t a few of the womyn snuggling affectionately up to each other? How insensitive to the GLBTQQIA contingent.

Why isn’t the “Christ/a” passing out contraceptives or tracts (scrolls) extolling “reproductive freedom"? How insensitive to the Party of Death (your ELCA’s favorite political party), Planned Parenthood and its coven of abortion acolytes.

Even if you are lionized by your fellow Bible eisegetes in the Ersatz Lutheran Church in America, you’ve submitted a sophomoric, jejune attempt at engendering controversy. Your grade is a D- . Your teaching assistants would have done better. You’re lucky you’ve got tenure.

Kathy S

11/16/2013 02:34:21 am

Bravo, Didaskalos. A+. What do you think of Gafney's "unrepentant," "ash heap" theology and Bible translation, and her "alright" god? Actually, I welcome them. By pushing her views and issues to the extreme, she makes their absurdity more evident. The agendas of the antichrist: "Do whatever you feel like especially in sexual matters" and "Females, grab power!," become so much more obvious.

By the way, as a parent I have sometimes wondered: What if one of my children had wanted to go to seminary? What would have happened? -- It would have been like sending a young person into a jungle filled with wild beasts. How would he have survived?

Didaskalos link

11/16/2013 01:09:16 pm

Gafney's sermon itself isn’t redolent with specific ELCA heresies (which are enumerated in profusion elsewhere on this website), but it surely lays the Bible-diminishing groundwork for them . . . in classic ELCAspeak:

** “. . . supple, flexible faith rather than a brittle, unyielding one.” ELCAspeak translation: “Hey, you bucolic bumpkins, the Bible is nothing if not wholly malleable. Listen to your bound conscience, grasshopper.”

** “. . . pray for those who tried to force you to fit in their simple theological paradigms.” ELCAspeak addendum: “Those prayers should include Jesus, whose ‘Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins’ warning is not to be taken seriously by sophisticates in our enlightened postmodern age."

The ELCA has a lot in common with the current atheist evangelism effort known as the Sunday Assembly movement. In fact, the atheists may have taken a few cues from the ELCAnites, spiritually feckless as they are.

According to its founders, “The Sunday Assembly is a godless congregation that celebrates life. We’ve been called the ‘atheist church’ but it’s really all the best bits of church, but with no religion, and super pop tunes."
The ELCA’s response: “We’ll go you one better, atheists. We’ve got everything you have plus God Lite, the veneer without the substance. Better yet, we’ve remade God into our own individual images so that whatever self-indulgent way we want to live, mirabile dictu, God wants it, too."

The Sunday Assembly motto: "live better, help often and wonder more.”
The ELCA’s response: “We live better since we only give about 1 to 2 percent of our incomes to our churches. We help earth-worshiping environmentalists, Palestinians, Planned Parenthood, and any cause approved by Democrats. We wonder why some churchgoers still persist in taking the Bible seriously. Lighten up, people.”

The Sunday Assembly mission:"to help everyone live this one life as fully as possible.”
The ELCA’s response: “We certainly wouldn’t want to be dogmatic about it, but a lot of us think there’s life after this life. If there is, we’re all going to heaven since our new and improved god is The Great I’m OK, You’re OK, Let’s Not Worry About That 'Sin' Thing Anymore."

The Sunday Assembly vision: "a Sunday Assembly in every town, city and village that wants one.”
The ELCA’s response: “Hmmm, evangelism? Uh, we gave that up about 25 years ago. Since every path leads to God, we’d never risk the world’s wrath by promoting religious imperialism."

Kathy S

11/18/2013 04:40:10 am

Interesting. Over the past 25 years I have watched the ELCA "evolve" from heretical to blatantly heretical. Now I see it merging with the Episcopal Church and other denominations -- and morphing into what may be the Church of the Antichrist.

You have to give the atheists some credit. At least they are honest and admit they are not on God's side....

Norm

11/18/2013 01:44:19 pm

Kathy S -

I think you are spot-on. Since the ELCA gave into the Episcopal Churches demand for the "historic episcopate" for the merger, they are on the path to undoing the Reformation. The Episcopal Church is basically Romanism (ie Works righteousness) that broke away for purposes of English nationalism. Since the Anglican/Episcopals are now on the verge of joining the Roman Catholic church, this will drag the ELCA under "authority" of the Anti-Christ on earth aka the Pope.

The ELCA is now only concerned with radical "social justice" left-wing politics which is simply a form of works-righteousness that is SELF-CENTERED not Christ-centered. The Roman Church promotes both left-wing "social justice" works righteousness and right-wing "social morality" works righteousness so is taking into its fold these apostate protestant churches. Any heresy you can imagine is tolerated by the Pope so long as its human centered and NOT Christ centered and you agree to bow down to his human "authority" as being "infallible".

Any church that does not promote Scripture Alone, Faith Alone and Grace Alone and points people to self-reliance instead of Christ-reliance needs to be avoided. Unfortunately, this describes the ELCA to a T these days.

Kathy S

11/20/2013 01:35:12 am

Norm

I, too, think it is very strange that the ELCA has adopted the Apostolic Succession of the Episcopal Church. ELCA pastors are now really Episcopal priests. Strange.

I know that I am going out on a limb when I speak about "Antichrist." I was really speculating.

I am not sure what you mean by "works righteousness." If you mean that Catholics believe they can work their way into heaven as opposed to being saved by Christ, this is a misunderstanding. I have been a Catholic for almost 40 years. Catholics believe that we are saved by the Sacrifice of Christ, the Blood of Christ, BUT that we can sanctify our lives by works such as prayer, confession, mass, etc. There is absolutely no difference in our central beliefs as Lutherans and Catholics. Yes, there is the issue of Purgatory, and that good works help us stay out of Purgatory -- but this is not a critical, central belief. You don't have to believe in Purgatory to be saved -- you only have to believe in Jesus. The Pope is only "Infallible" (and this is a very technical theological term) in matters of Faith and Morals when the entire Church is behind the particular issue. This is another serious misunderstanding between Lutherans and Catholics. I think you can easily see that Pope Francis is a simple, holy Christian, as Luther was.

The problem with the "Alones" is that they lead to doctrinal confusion... part of the root of the ELCA's problem, in my opinion.

Bella

11/20/2013 12:12:16 am

Look closer at the linked pic. Those aren't just any "babes", but are famous actresses of 30's-60's. I think I have most of them right, but may be missing a few. From the left: Mae West , Hedy Lamarr, Natalie Wood, Jayne Mansfield, Jennifer Jones, Ava Gardner, Greer Garson (Jesus), Veronica Lake, Jeanne Crain (?) (?) Ingrid Bergman and Marilyn Monroe.

Pretty crazy.

Norm

11/20/2013 06:51:56 am

What is up with this blog? Supposedly its to promote the ELCA to return to Biblical Christianity. It appears instead that it is here to promote unBibilcal Romanism.

Norm

11/20/2013 06:49:22 am

Kathy S -

Now I understand why you are on here - to further confuse Christians already under attack by one apostate church (ELCA) into accepting another false and, in fact, Anti-Christic one (Roman Catholicism).

From your indoctrination, you spount many falsehoods in your reply. I will attempt to correct you on the most egreious of them.

First, the problem with the ELCA is a failure to ADHERE to the truth of Scripture Alone, Faith Alone and Grace Alone. The heresies of the ELCA stem from a failure to accept the God's Authority as He speaks it to us in his word. They deny clear commandments of God (Law) and do not trust the promises of God (Gospel). Thus, they promote both sinful individual behavior (gay ordination for example) and works righteousness (the politcal "social justice" agenda). Unfortunately for you, the falliable human institution that you are staking your soul on (Roman Church) has NOT been listening to God for centuries and has MANY worse heresies then the ELCA has yet dreamed of (worship of Mary & Saint, Purgetory, denial of the sinful nature of man, denial of the sufficientcy of Christs work on the cross, etc) all in attempt to preserve the imaginary "free will" of the old Adam who is hopelessly trapped in sin. The fact that the Roman chruch openly accepts human speculation as being "infalliable" when if comes from a very falliable group of humans makes it a far worse threat to your salvation then the ELCA. What leads to "doctrinal confusion" is to treat salvation as a matter of human action and the law as Romanism does. Hense, you must sort through reams of huge volumes of the human law such as the Council of Treat, the (huge) Roman Catecism, etc. Thus you need the "spirtual dictator" to tell you what "good works" to do so that you can supposedly do them for your salvation.

Further, you cannot possibly be serious if you think that there is "no difference" between Confessional/Biblical Christianity and Romanism. I would refer you to read the entire Book of Concord then get back to me.

In a nutshell, your "Church" directs the person to trust themselves and NOT in Christ. Romanism confuses justification and sanctification that makes a person reliant upon his own actions under the law (both God's and the "churches" man made law). If you buy into the notion that "sanctification" is something YOU DO and not something God does (see the Pauline epistles) then you are promoting works righteousness. According to Romanism, you think that Christ did not take upon him your sins (a denial of God's word - see Isiah 53) and you MUST perform works or "earn merit" - at your own hand or with "grace" that God supposedly "owes" you for "following the rules" therefore, if it is earned, making it something that is NOT grace). Thus you promote "faith" in self but not in Christ. Romanism is NOT Christianity which trusts in Christ's work alone on the cross to both justify and sanctify you - him bearing your sins and taking your punishment - as your ONLY means to salvation. You DO NOT earn your own righteousness (or as you put it "sanctification") but rather get it ONLY by having Christ's righteousness credited to you (which is the promise given to you in Baptism).

It is very odd and sad to me that you Roman Apologists argue very falliously and disengeniously in order for YOU TO RETAIN YOUR SINS rather then trust God has FORGIVEN ALL OF THEM ON ACCOUNT ON OF CHIRST!

As far as your human leader being a "good Christian" as Luther was, why does he not direct people to Christ but rather back to themselves?

He, and the previous two Popes, have publically stated that belief in Christ is not necessary for salvation - they have said that all God wants is someone who is "sincerly trying to be good." That is a very clear statement of a belief in human action - works righteousness - as a means of salvation instead of faith alone in God's/Christ's action to save you!

I will pray for you that the Holy Spirt ends your resistance to the truth: God has FORGIVEN ALL YOUR SINS UNCONDITIONALLY ON ACCOUTNT OF CHRIST!

Kathy Suarez

11/20/2013 07:27:23 am

Hey Norm -- I'm not proselytizing for the Catholic Church. I spent the first 27 years of my life as a dedicated Lutheran, and I feel for the Lutheran Church. That's all. Also, I think the world is changing very fast. We are not living in the 16th century. It's time to really look at the issues -- with all the info we have available at our fingertips -- and work for Christian Unity -- which is the will of Christ.

Norm

11/20/2013 11:53:30 am

"Kathy Suarez" -

For "not proselytizing" for Rome you sure are espousing the same tired talking points/half-truths that they train their apologists to repeat endlessly to entice Biblical Christians to give into an unBiblical human authority.

The simple fact that you keep repeating the words "I think" endless tells me you are hopelessly lost in the Roman maze of being your own God.

What matters is not what "I think" or what any other fallible human "thinks" but what GOD SAYS - and the ONLY place he is doing that is in scripture. And if you actually bother to listen to God, not the voices in your head or other human voices telling you things you want to hear, you will find some very wonderful things!

For example: God forgives you UNCONDITIONALLY on account of his son Jesus Christ!

First, yes the essential issues of the 16th century have not changed.

The question is the same now as in the Reformation: What does God require from YOU to be saved for eternity?

Confessional Lutheranism and God himself (in his WORD) says: NOTHING

The Catholic Church says: Follow the commandments, follow the rules of the church, perform human created rituals, perform undefined type and unquantifiable number of self-appointed "good works", go to purgetory to continue to do more "works" just as a starter. In other words, what God did through Christ on the cross is not enough.

Here is the "Roman Catholic Salvation Plan" - let me know where Christ does anything in as he is NOT MENTIONED in it (but there is plenty of work for you the human!):

http://beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com/2010/09/faith-that-was-once-for-all-delivered.html

The "real issue" is the exact same thing: Do you trust Christ fully with your salvation by accepting his word of UNCONDITIONAL FORGIVENESS OF SINS - or you trust in your own "works" which means to trust in yourself (as your own God).

Confessional Lutheranism professes the Biblical truth that there is NOTHING fallen man can do to save himself.

Rome insists that sinful man can and must save himself by his own hand (your so called "santification").

Confessional Lutheranism insists on the Kingship and authority of Jesus Christs, who is present and with us at all times, alone.

Rome insists that Christ is an absent and harsh judge who has given his kingship over to a falliable human "authority" called the papacy.

Confessional Lutheranism says that infalliable, inerrant Scripture alone speaks God word to us today. And that the WORD IS GOD IN THE WORLD and our SOLE AUTHORITY.

Rome says that fallible men can make up anything they want to add or subtract from God's word. They call human authority (ie the Pope and Magistrium) "infalliable" and take every opportunity to degrade God's word and authority (as you do by saying the "alones" are the problem!)

Confessional Lutheranism professes the truth that we are saved by God's Grace alone - which is a free gift that we can do nothing to earn or merit.

Rome insists that God's Grace is not free or sufficent. Rather you, the human being, can "earn merit" and God's Grace by "cooperating" in the human created rituals of the its own making.

Confessional Lutheranism accepts the truth that we are saved by faith alone IN THE WORK OF CHRIST - and faith is not a work or "choice" of ours since that would put us in the position of God and controlling our salvation. Faith is a gift from God alone.

Rome says that the human being can play God by "choosing" to have faith or not. Then they further expound this error by saying that faith is only a "good start" to a life based on trusting your own works.

Rome has NEVER recanted its position from the 16th century and declares in the Council of Trent that anyone who confesses belief in Faith in Christ alone is "anathema" (which is a polite word for condemned to hell). But Rome insists that if you have "faith" in the power of Papacy you will be "saved".

Rome is not Christian. It is Anti-Christian.

Your "unity" is false as it is only a "unity" of human rebellion against God's word and authority. Here is Rome's "unity" under its supposedly "infalliable" human authority:

http://beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com/2009/12/special-pleading-of-sola-ecclesia-ists.html

Every error that is in the ELCA is in Roman Chruch in spades.

The idea of the marxist "social justice" works righteousness taht is infecting the ELCA came from a Jesuit priest in 1840:

http://churchmousec.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/the-origins-of-social-justice-you-might-be-surprised/

Saul Alinsky, the person that the Apostates in the ELCA now bow down to, has long collaborative history with the Catholic Bishops of the US:

http://churchmousec.wordpress.com/2009/08/25/how-the-catholic-church-bankrolled-alinsky-projects/

http://churchmousec.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/alinskys-influence-on-catholic-bishops-in-the-us/

Sounds like to me that the Catholic Church is doing Satan's work by helping promote this Aliskyist view of man-first, works righteousness as som

Norm

11/20/2013 12:04:41 pm

For "Kathy Surarez" or "Kathy S" or whoever is shilling for Rome, here is another thought for you.

Real Christian unity is based on TRUTH not lies and spiritual authoritrianism.

The will of Christ is that all men come to the knowledge of the truth - the truth being Christ himself who sets you free.

Rome gives you a faux-unity based on human rebellion against the truth.

Real Christian Unity is based on ONLY on TRUTH - which is to say Christ himself who is THE WORD MADE FLESH.

Kathy Suarez

11/21/2013 03:06:08 am

Norm -

I agree that real Christian Unity is based only on Truth.

As I tried to say earlier, I trust in Christ 100% for my Salvation. This is Lutheran and Catholic Doctrine. This has been settled by the JDDJ (Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification).

Jews, Catholics, Muslims and Protestants all have had the Word for thousands of years. They have different interpretations of the Word. You and I and the ELCA interpret the Word differently.

The question is: How should the Word be interpreted, for the people and for the Church? And more importantly for our times: How is the Word interpreted for a united Church?

Norm

11/21/2013 06:51:27 am

"Kathy" -

You have all the politically correct yet false lines down.

You do not care about Truth or specifically, the Truth aka Christ.

According to the teachings of your Roman Church, Faith alone in the work of Christ is not sufficient for salvation. You cannot claim to be a "Catholic" and say you trust Christ for salvation but you must trust your own "good works" and choices to achieve "Final Salvation".

Please address the volumes of data that are official dogma from your Church. Why do you not do that?

Why do you spout meaningless politcally correct platitudes.

Again, the fact that you say that people "interpret" the Scriptures simply gives away that fact that you trust in yourself as your own God because you wish to make the True God into something that conforms to your personal biases.

To quote Martin Luther, which he put in his reply to your "infallible" pontiff's bull of excommunication condeming him to hell for daring to preach the true Gospel of Christ, man DOES NOT INTERPRET THE SCRIPTURES since the WORD (see JOHH 1) IS CHIRST HIMSELF but rather the WORD/SCRIPTURES INTERPRET YOU (since God's opinion is the only one that matters in the end).

The scriptures all point to only one thing: Salvation through Christ alone.

If you say you "interpret" scripture then you say you the human being sits above GOD! This is sin of the worst kind.

Our role of human beings is to simply listen to God speak to us, not try to super impose our own ideas, biases, and doctirnes upon God.

As for the "muslim" scriptures etc. These are not God's words because they contain numerous errors and were not witnessed to by the hosts of people as are the Judaic OT and Christian NT (especially the Life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ). So Holy Scripture is only that which is verifiably true from witness not something one guy walked out of a cave with (like Muhammad).

Again, please save the talking points if you want to respond again. Adress the facts and doctrines your "church" promotes. And spare me the pleas for "unity" based on human rebellion against God.

Norm

11/21/2013 07:43:56 am

Also, WRT to the "Joint Declaration" that settled NOTHING.

That document basically said we agree to disagree.

The second it was issued, the Cardinal who was the Negotiator for the Vatican immediately said that it changed NOTHING as far as the supposed "infalliablity" of the Council of Trent which declared that anyone beleiving in salvation by faith in Christ alone is to be condemned to hell.

You cannot negoitate with Liars - clearly Rome did not negotiate in good faith. Therefore, the document is meaningless as they do not intend to adbide by any of it from the start.

The Lutheran body that signed it (the "Lutheran World Federation") does not have authority to speak for its member denomination therefore anything they sign on to is non-bind to its component members. And in fact, the vast majority of Lutheran Theologians and denominations rejected and denounced it as a sell-out of the truth of the Gospel:

http://www.lcms.org/page.aspx?pid=690

Of course, the ELCA is all for this because it become just like Rome: an Apostate, works-rigtheousness faux-Church.

Kathy S

11/21/2013 01:46:23 pm

from the JDDJ --

4.1 Human Powerlessness and Sin in Relation to Justification

19.We confess together that all persons depend completely on the saving grace of God for their salvation. The freedom they possess in relation to persons and the things of this world is no freedom in relation to salvation, for as sinners they stand under God's judgment and are incapable of turning by themselves to God to seek deliverance, of meriting their justification before God, or of attaining salvation by their own abilities. Justification takes place solely by God's grace. Because Catholics and Lutherans confess this together, it is true to say:

4.2 Justification as Forgiveness of Sins and Making Righteous

22.We confess together that God forgives sin by grace and at the same time frees human beings from sin's enslaving power and imparts the gift of new life in Christ. When persons come by faith to share in Christ, God no longer imputes to them their sin and through the Holy Spirit effects in them an active love. These two aspects of God's gracious action are not to be separated, for persons are by faith united with Christ, who in his person is our righteousness (1 Cor 1:30): both the forgiveness of sin and the saving presence of God himself. Because Catholics and Lutherans confess this together, it is true to say that:

4.3 Justification by Faith and through Grace

25.We confess together that sinners are justified by faith in the saving action of God in Christ. By the action of the Holy Spirit in baptism, they are granted the gift of salvation, which lays the basis for the whole Christian life. They place their trust in God's gracious promise by justifying faith, which includes hope in God and love for him. Such a faith is active in love and thus the Christian cannot and should not remain without works. But whatever in the justified precedes or follows the free gift of faith is neither the basis of justification nor merits it.

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ELCA Seminary Professor Portrays Jesus and Disciples as Women

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