Funeral of an ELCA Lutheran bishop praised for being an "LGBT champion"

Funeral of an ELCA Lutheran bishop praised for being an 'LGBT champion'

6/13/2022

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

Below is last week’s memorial service for Lowell Erdahl, long-time bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Bishop Erdahl was a difficult bishop for me. As you may know, I have struggled with same sex attraction most of my life but I follow the Bible's teaching and abstain from such behavior. But Erdahl championed it. I remember a difficult meeting I had years ago with Erdahl in which another pastor and I urged Erdahl to follow the Bible's teaching on this issue, but we left grieved by Erdahl's stance. Erdahl co-authored a book with head ELCA Bishop Herbert Chilstrom entitled "Sexual Fulfillment: For Single and Married, Straight and Gay, Young and Old" in which both Lutheran leaders affirmed gay sex, masturbation and more.

At minute 1:09 below you will see a homosexual pastor praise Erdahl for championing the LGBT cause and that Erdahl "unlearned" what he had been taught.

May you and I never unlearn the Scriptures. May we follow God's Word even if it goes counter to our desires and to the direction of our culture. What a tragedy to be praised at one's funeral for violating the Word of God and for causing such damage to Christ's Church. Erdahl's view won over the ELCA in 2009 when the ELCA voted to ordain practicing homosexuals. Today the ELCA has the world's first transgender bishop and many ELCA congregations perform homosexual and transgender "weddings". But at the below funeral service, Erdahl was praised as a "faithful servant".

Sincerely in Christ,

Pastor Tom Brock

PS Tap this link to see Erdahl's "testimony time" of how he came to believe in homosexual behavior. Erdahl states that he ordains practicing homosexuals because “I try to follow Jesus “. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5ZNWtPRGF8&t=226s

1 Comment

Didaskalos link

6/13/2022 05:09:26 pm

If it weren't sufficiently depraved to champion sexual sin in his own ELCA, Bishop Chilstrom also tried to inveigle Catholic bishops into spurning God's Word. Apostasy craves company, as Martin Luther noted:
Luther on Gen. 19:24-5 — “Arrogant and stubborn people despise the Word of God and laugh at well-intentioned words of caution…We must guard against this false teaching. It’s not enough for these people to bring destruction on themselves. They intend to drag us down with them. Like the people of Sodom, they don’t realize that their sins will soon be punished.” (LW,3:239)

Confessional Lutheran pastors stood against the apostasy of Chilstrom (and Erdahl). Excerpts from the letter of one such pastor follow:

PASTOR DAVID R. BARNHART RESPONDS TO BISHOP CHILSTROM'S LETTER TO ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF MINNESOTA
-- https://davidbarnhart.blogspot.com/2011/12/pastor-david-r-barnhart-responds-to.html

December 11, 2011

"Dear Catholic Bishops of Minnesota,

"I am writing in response to an open letter addressed to you by Bishop Herbert Chilstrom, a former bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), in which he expressed his support for the homosexual lifestyle and for same-sex marriage, and in which he challenged your stand against the same.

"As a Lutheran pastor I want to make clear Bishop Chilstrom’s opinions regarding these matters do not reflect the beliefs of Bible-believing Lutherans, nor does the counsel he gave you reflect the clear teachings of God’s Word. Most of all, I express my profound regret that a former ELCA bishop has advised you under the banner of Lutheranism to set aside the clear teachings of the Scripture and accept, instead, the opinions of men.
[ . . .]
"Regrettably, while Bishop Chilstrom asked you to spend time pondering what homosexuals might say, he did not ask you to spend time with God’s Word or read its unequivocal statements that identify homosexual behavior as sinful. Instead, he asked you to restructure your beliefs according to the misguided reasoning and beliefs of the homosexual community. Extended visits with homosexuals could reap a harvest for God’s kingdom, if both law and gospel were rightly presented to them and if repentance of sin ensued. However, without a true presentation of God’s Word, such visits would be futile.

"In his letter Bishop Chilstrom did not offer a single verse of Scripture for your consideration; instead, he asked you to draw conclusions from your own reasoning about “how Jesus would treat these sons and daughters of my church.” The sad fact is this— the ELCA long ago exchanged the authority of Scriptures for the opinions of men. Yet, apart from Scripture it is impossible to know the heart of Christ or discern His will regarding the issues of life."
[ . . .]
"The good news of Christ’s gospel is this—Our Lord is able to change and transform lives, and the Holy Spirit is able to empower them to walk in true obedience to His Word. Paul writes, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such WERE some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

"Finally, I applaud your stand against abortion, homosexual acts, same-sex marriage, as well as the adoption of children by same-sex couples. I especially applaud your support of Minnesota’s proposed “Marriage Amendment.” As bishops, it is your duty to uphold the teachings of the Bible on these matters, which is precisely what you are doing. Such a stand is worthy of commendation, not condemnation. I encourage you to hold the blood-bought ground and lift high God’s Word, that people will hear the truth from bishops whose God-given responsibility it is to uphold truth!"

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Funeral of an ELCA Lutheran bishop praised for being an 'LGBT champion'

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Dan Skogen

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