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I Am 'Hate-Filled' Because I Preach Repentance

1/15/2016

7 Comments

 
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org.  You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and twitter - here.)
 
I wrote an article criticizing Pastor Hiortdahl of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for saying that a homosexual couple will be reunited in heaven. (see here) I Corinthians 6:9-11 and other passages teach that those who live in impenitent sin will not be saved. A private ELCA clergy Facebook page has been taking me to task.
 
One ELCA pastor (a former classmate of mine) writes:
"I wonder what Tom…says at the funeral of an obese person
(sin of gluttony) or a person who has continued to amass
wealth over the years and not shared with others or any
other sinner who has persisted in impenitent sin? Lord have
mercy!"

My response: I don’t think it is a pastor’s place to necessarily put anyone in heaven or hell at a funeral. Funerals are a time to preach the Gospel. But I would say to anyone, whatever their sin, that living in impenitent sin puts their soul in danger. The Bible warns against the “cheap grace” that Bonhoeffer wrote about. “Shall we continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be!” (Romans 6:1) says the Apostle Paul. And Jesus Himself warned that there will be people on the Last Day who call Him “Lord, Lord” but are lost because they were “workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23). It is wonderfully true that we are saved by grace alone and not by good works. But I heard something at a clergy conference once I will never forget: We are saved by grace alone, but grace never is alone. Grace always changes a human life. Yes, we continue to sin in thought, word and deed, but when we sin we repent, we battle with sin. If there is no fight, no battle, no repentance, the Bible is clear that “the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God” (I Corinthians 6:9-11). One cannot live in impenitent sin and be saved. And repentance is not a “work” that we do. Repentance itself is a gift of the grace of God (see Acts 11:18, 2 Timothy 2:25-26).
 
I have been open that I personally struggle with same sex attraction (see my story at pastorsstudy.org). Another person on this Facebook page writes:
"For the fact that he struggles with same sex attraction, that is
particularly uncharitable.Could someone let him know that
having gay sex isn’t going to condemn him to hell? Let alone
loving a man?"

My response: A man having sex with a man is not “loving” him. It is being hurtful to him. The Bible teacher that “gay sex” is a sin (see my article “What does the Bible say about homosexuality?” at pastorsstudy.org).
 
Another person writes:
"Screw him and screw his hate-filled blathering. He’ll get his
desserts when he is welcomed to heaven by a chorus line of
queer folk singing Broadway show tunes."

 
Particularly tragic is that a woman who is the Director of Justice for Women at ELCA headquarters praised those words by responding:
"The imagery of your post truly soothes me! Thank you for
your prophetic words!"

 
Lastly, I received this tweet about my criticism of the pastor:
"(Pastor) Hiortdahl’s gospel-filled ministry beats your crusade
of hate anytime. Jesus must weep to hear you call yourself a
pastor."

 
So, if you disagree with the homosexual agenda, you “hate”. Actually, the opposite is true. Those who are approving of homosexual behavior are the ones who are hurting homosexuals. Homosexual behavior can take years off of a person’s life, and then there is eternity.
 
In Jesus our Savior,
 
Pastor Tom
pastorsstudy.org

(see comments from ELCA Clergy Facebook group at the bottom of the page)
 
UPDATE:
 
ELCA pastor says I am an "---hole, picketing funerals"

Because I wrote an article criticizing an ELCA pastor for saying a homosexual couple will be reunited in heaven, another Lutheran pastor is claiming that I am like Westboro Baptist and I am "picketing funerals". He also called me an "---hole." (see below) This is the same pastor who wrote that if Jesus wasn't single, he was in a committed relationship with the disciple John--we shouldn't assume Jesus was attracted to women.
It is tragic to see a Lutheran pastor malign Jesus, spread falsehood, and use profanity. Please pray for him, his congregation, and the ELCA.

In Christ,
Pastor Tom Brock


(Clint Schnekloth is a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
Picture
(Below are the comments from the ELCA Clergy Facebook page.)
Picture
7 Comments
Didaskalos link
1/16/2016 06:28:42 am

"And you are arrogant. Ought you not rather to mourn?"

The libertine wing of the ELCA (pretty much the entire ELCA clerical "leadership" these days) thinks that verse means "mourn when the meanies in the confessing Church won't affirm you in your impenitent, kingdom-excluding sin."

It means, of course, absolutely nothing to the ELCA that Martin Luther is counted among those who won't affirm the ELCA in impenitent, kingdom-excluding sin:

** http://www.lutherdansk.dk/Web-sommerpostillen%20AM/Kirkepos.htm --points 9-10

** http://apprising.org/2009/08/30/martin-luther-on-homosexuality/

With its few remaining confessional Lutheran members, the ELCA is trying to foist homosexual pastors on unwilling congregations [ http://www.exposingtheelca.com/exposed-blog/deceitful-maneuvers-by-elca-leadership-to-get-homosexual-pastors-into-your-pulpit ] and bully dissenters into silence [ http://www.lutherancore.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/7a.2015.pdf ].

To try to stave off the inevitable jailbreak after its 2009 convention's proud homosexual apostasy, the ELCA offered the blandishment that it would respect everyone's "bound conscience." Now, after a 1.5+ million member exodus, the ELCA imperiously tells its shrinking membership, "All your bound consciences are belong to us, peons."

And thousands upon thousands every year keep telling the ELCA, "No thanks. We're leaving. Our consciences are captive to the Word of God."



Reply
greg
1/16/2016 06:40:07 pm

I wonder what contrition and repentance mean to ELCA clergy? Wait...no need to address the issue of sin since there isn't any. What a shame!

Reply
T Hoffart
1/16/2016 07:58:14 pm

The responses by ELCA clergy are yet another reason we are trying to get our congregation to leave the ELCA. The folks that are supposedly so tolerant spew hateful rhetoric and cause further division. Thankful for Pastor Tom Brock and this website for continuing to reveal the truth of the ELCA hypocrisy.

Reply
Pastor David Mielke
1/18/2016 01:33:01 pm

I am so sorry you have received these mostly inappropriate comments about your work. As an ELCA pastor I am ashamed of these responses. Disagreements MUST be stated at a higher level of Christian response and civility.

Reply
Hans Erdman link
1/18/2016 03:23:32 pm

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:10

Reply
PastorSteve
1/18/2016 03:56:19 pm

The absurdity of comments like the one below would make me laugh if it weren't so sad that they come from someone leading a congregation.

"I wonder what Tom…says at the funeral of an obese person
(sin of gluttony) or a person who has continued to amass
wealth over the years and not shared with others or any
other sinner who has persisted in impenitent sin?"

Either he's parrallelling homosexuality with something that he admits is sinful (gluttony) which is a tacit admission that homosexual relationships are sinful, or you take his logic to it's natural conclusion which would be there is no sin. By that logic he's just as hateful as he egregiously accuses Pastor Tom of being because he judged Pastor Tom.

Reply
Sasha Bill Kwapinski
1/18/2016 09:46:25 pm

Politically correct, theologically irrelevant, morally bankrupt, and numerically in "free fall." Welcome to today's ELCA, "Unitarian-lite."

Reply

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    Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.  
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    Former ELCA seminary student and former ELCA member who is fed up with the ELCA's consistent mockery of God's Word.


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  • Home
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