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Lutheran Church of Hope WDM Teaches Disturbing View of Creation, Evolution

1/6/2020

3 Comments

 
Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, Iowa, is the largest ELCA church in the country.  As the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America continues its downward spiral, turning away from the Truth of God's Word in ever-increasing fashion (see this website for proof), Lutheran Church of Hope remains in the ELCA. They even host the ELCA's Southeastern Iowa Synod Assembly, which is their synod, every two to three years.
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ELCA leadership has rejected the creation account that God has given us in Scripture (see here and here). Does Lutheran Church of Hope agree with their denominational leaders? We see and hear the answer in a sermon preached at the megachurch when questions from the congregation were answered:

​“How can I fit my beliefs in God with physical science, evolution, etc.?”

Senior pastor and founder of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) megachurch, Mike Housholder, answered first, saying “…if you look at the pattern of creation in Scripture and you line that up with scientific views of the order how things happened, there is a lot of alignment and there isn’t nearly as much conflict as a lot of people would suggest” (See video below or here).

​
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Rev. Housholder speaks as if all science agrees on  the time-frame and order of creation; they do not. There is a great deal of scientific evidence that shows the Earth to be young (here, here and here are a few).

​Claiming that God's creation account lines up with the most popular scientific conclusions like those of the  Big Bang Theory and the macro-evolutionary time-frame, is completely false ​(See here and the Answers in Genesis chart above).

Dr. Caroline Boehnke-Becker, who was part of the team of three Lutheran Church of Hope pastors/leaders answering questions from the congregation, confirmed Pastor Housholder's answer, that evolution and the Bible fit together saying, “...you can not ask the ‘how’ question of the Bible.” “I see no problem…the more I delve into science. It makes so much sense from a faith standpoint. And the more I delve into the Biblical text, it all makes sense and it all comes together.” 

So Lutheran Church of Hope is teaching that God, through His Word, is not communicating to people how He made everything, how creation came into being, despite that clear reading of Genesis. God is in fact doing that.

ELCA Pastor Mike Housholder also replied “I've never understood those who turn it into an 'either' 'or.'" Rev. Housholder continued on by lifting up scientist Francis Collins, who is a theistic evolutionist. (Read about Francis Collins here).  Francis Collins "founded and served as president of The BioLogos Foundation, which promotes discourse on the relationship between science and religion and advocates the perspective that belief in Christianity can be reconciled with acceptance of evolution and science, especially through the advancement of evolutionary creation" (See here).
 
Pastor Michael Mechsner viewed the Lutheran Church of Hope sermon, questions and answers and commented, “The problem with 'theistic evolution' is that it allows for DEATH before the fall. Death is the result of sin. That is the real problem for 'theistic evolution.' Jesus CONQUERED death which is what defines mankind's SIN” (See here).

Biblical creation champion Ken Ham addressed the compromise of God's Word on evolution and God's Genesis account, like what you see at Lutheran Church of Hope: 


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A couple of Christian articles address the pattern this way:

-  "there is simply no way to merge theistic evolution with the witness of Scripture as to what actually happened in history. They are incompatible." (See here. “Lesson 4: Adam, Eve, & the First Sin” from the Is Genesis History? Bible Study.)


-  "There are major contradictions between a straightforward reading of Scripture and the order claimed by uniformitarian/evolutionary ‘science’." (See here) 

Lutheran Church of Hope has embraced the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). This is a denomination that preaches universalism (that all are saved), is pro-abortion, demonizes Israel, encourages homosexual relations even with their pastors, allows goddess worship, pushes liberal policies, ordains transgender individuals, pays for employee sex-change surgery/drugs and abortions, twists and ignores Scripture and rejects God's clear historical account of creation recorded in Genesis. 

Members of the ELCA and of Lutheran Church of Hope should be ashamed to be part of this wicked, faith and soul destroying denomination.

​
​Below is the Lutheran Church of Hope sermon. The question on evolution starts at 24:20 minute mark.

May 21, 2017—Open Q&A With the Pastors from Lutheran Church of Hope on Vimeo.

​
Evolution and the Big Bang theories do not fit with God's account of creation. It is ignorant and disingenuous to say they do. Martin Luther tells us:

“The days of creation were ordinary days in length. We must understand that these days were actual days (veros dies), contrary to the opinion of the Holy Fathers. Whenever we observe that the opinions of the Fathers disagree with Scripture, we reverently bear with them and acknowledge them to be our elders. Nevertheless, we do not depart from the authority of Scripture for their sake.” - Martin Luther as cited in E. Plass, What Martin Luther Says: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian, Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, Missouri, 1991, 1523.

Luther further commented on this critical topic: 

“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. For you are to deal with Scripture in such a way that you bear in mind that God Himself says what is written. But since God is speaking, it is not fitting for you wantonly to turn His Word in the direction you wish to go.” -  What Luther Says. A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian, compiled by Ewald M. Plass, Concordia, p. 93.


3 Comments
Bob Snitzer link
1/7/2020 08:46:55 pm

At least the ELCA is being consistent with their LOW view of scripture. It is only god’s word when it agrees with their agenda.
This is not surprising just very sad for those who follow. I was taught this at Luther Seminary back in the mid 70’s. It only gets worse and more depraved.😞

Reply
Steve
1/10/2020 12:18:35 am

The clerical staff at Lutheran Church of Hope takes it that evolution (i.e., that the universe and life within it are products of chance) is an established fact. It is not. Nevertheless, for purposes of argument, let us assume that LCH is correct and evolution (i.e., that the universe and life within it are chance occurrences) is an established fact. Logic tells us that A and not-A cannot both be true. Did the universe and life within it come about by chance or not by chance? Did the universe and life within it come about by design or not by design? Did the universe and life within it come about by design or by chance?

Stephen Hawking told us that, in spite of the fact that the universe and life within it appear to have been designed, in fact they aren’t. Francis Collins tells us that in spite of the fact science has demonstrated that the universe and life within it are in fact the results of unguided chance, the scientists have it wrong and that what science has proven to be the result of chance is actually a the result of a process that has been guided by design—or at least it might be so.

In the case of Hawking and the likes of him, it is easy enough to see that the only way one can conclude that what appears to have been designed in fact is not designed is because one assumes that there neither is nor could be a designer. St. Paul argued that creation is plain evidence of the Creator. Discounting that possibility is not scientific. This is not a matter of science against faith. It is a matter of faith in materialism against faith in a supernatural Creator.

Evolution (chance) is a necessary belief only if there is no Creator. The only real question is whether or not there is anything observed that, in face of the apparent design, supports chance. Nothing in geology, nothing in biology (particularly with recent discoveries in micro-biology and DNA), nothing in cosmology (including the mathematical model of the big bang) supports chance—regardless of how much time is assumed. This is not a matter of chance v. faith. It is a matter of chance standing on its own and found to be wanting.

If chance cannot stand on its own, then chance with an unseen guiding hand going out of its designing way to make the design seem to be the plausible result of chance, is just plain silly. If chance cannot stand on its own, “theistic evolution” can’t save it. Both designed chance and chance design are oxymoronic.

Let us make a comparison between creation and another basic Christian doctrine, resurrection. To paraphrase St. Paul in I Corinthians 15, if they find the body, it’s all over. Similarly, if they prove chance, it’s all over. Instead of trying to reconcile the irreconcilable (chance and design), those concerned about the bugaboo of evolution and its relationship to revealed religion (Christianity), would better spend their energies investigating the underpinnings of evolution or the lack of them. There is no reason to accept chance (evolution) as even credible.

Similarly there is no excuse for supposing that a group of nineteenth century German enlightened “higher critics” should continue to inform understandings of Scripture. They were out to discredit it, and, like their evolutionary counterparts, they used their supposed erudition to cow the rest of us. Darwinism has been revised and even renamed again and again during its short 150+ years, and the fallacies of the “higher critics” have been exposed.

The lead pastor of LCH has it partially right when he says that it is not a matter of science v. faith. It is not a choice between the two. A Christian worldview allowed for the development of science. The problem is in linking evolution with science. Similarly Pastor Caroline has it partially right when she says that those of our times are both Biblically illiterate and scientifically illiterate. I fear, though, that when she says the more she delves into science, the more it all makes sense, what she means by “science” is “evolution.” But, she would be hard pressed to reconcile evolution with science.

The more that is observed, the stronger becomes the case for longstanding understandings of Scripture, for the hollowness of evolution, and for the emptiness of the materialist worldview generally.

The Christian church has nothing to fear from evolution, but it cannot allow the matter to be characterized as being one of science v. faith where evolution is viewed as scientific. The matter of first concern is one of how well the idea of evolution can be supported by all that has been revealed and all that continues to come into the light. This is not a matter of science v. faith. It is more basic and profound; it is a matter of revelation v. materialism.

The proper answer to the question about how to reconcile one's faith with physical science is to ask the questioner what is meant

Reply
Liz
1/18/2020 11:31:38 pm

Please keep calling out this church. I went to it because it was close to me not knowing anything about it. God had me get out of there fast, but I had no idea why until recently. There are so many getting suckered into this church including some of my family members.

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