June is Pride month and every year the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) displays their support and encouragement of LGBT+ ideology and lifestyles. With very little effort I found the posts below, coming from all segments of the ELCA. I did not come across any segment of the denomination stating the Biblical position on homosexuality, that it is a sin.
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This is Edina Community Lutheran Church, an ELCA Church in Edina, MN. In the video below the congregation is confessing the Sparkle Creed:
The congregation was celebrating Pride Sunday.
During the children's message (starting at 6:00): - the children were given props and dress up clothes to help them celebrate. - the children were told Jesus says "'I love you just the way you are.' And sometimes we like to celebrate that." This is obviously gay pride related and that is confirmed by the children being told they can take their clothes/props and have their picture taken by the rainbow flag after the service.
At the beginning of the service the pastor acknowledged they worship on the traditional, ancestral and contemporary lands of the Dakota nation. And how they were complicit in injustices done to native people.
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) In yet another gay pride video produced by a bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the below bishop regrets the “harm” done by prior ELCA teaching that homosexual behavior is wrong. That teaching changed in 2009 (not 2012 as the bishop states) when the ELCA supposedly became enlightened and compassionate and started ordaining practicing homosexuals and performing gay weddings. I myself personally struggle with same-sex attraction but I abstain for the sake of Christ and my soul. I can tell you that the below video is not loving. It is not loving to condone a behavior that will exclude people from God’s Kingdom for eternity. The bishop needs to follow the Bible’s teaching in I Corinthians 6:9-11 and stop kowtowing to the culture. Back in 2009 when the ELCA approved homosexual behavior, conservatives were assured that their viewpoint would also be honored in the ELCA. I know of not one ELCA bishop who publicly upholds the traditional, biblical point of view. Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock An ELCA pastor is publicly stating that he is going to preach "against" the Word of God at his church service. The only surprise here is that he is admitting it.
ELCA pastor Clint Schnekloth writes, "this Sunday I plan to preach AGAINST the text. I do so in solidarity with the millions around the world who have been the targets of this non-reciprocal and colonial discipling." The Biblical text for Rev. Schnekloth's "speech" is from Matthew 28:16-20. (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Living Lutheran magazine, the official magazine of the liberal Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, has once again produced a glowing pro-transgender article. If you read it below, you’ll notice the good guys are those who believe “God made me transgender” and the bad guys are those who disagree with the LGBT movement. This, even though the ELCA claims to allow both conservative and liberal views on the subject. But you will never read a conservative viewpoint on LGBT matters in Living Lutheran, it has been banned. In the article’s last paragraph, you will see that the good guys are also those who support abortion rights, Roe v. Wade, and “gender affirming care“ for youth (which often means allowing hormone blockers and sex change operations on children). Most Americans are opposed to this destructive surgery on minors, but you can read Living Lutheran’s support of “gender affirming care” for youth below. In addition, the ELCA tragically pays for hormone blockers for children in its national healthcare plan, which is funded by offering dollars. May we always believe what Jesus taught: “He who made them in the beginning made them male and female” (Matthew 19:4). Jesus didn’t add “and bisexual and homosexual and transgender and two spirit and…”. And Jesus had very serious things to say about those who harm children (Luke 17:2). Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (Read the ELCA article in Living Lutheran here) What does the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America believe about the Bible? We can tell by what they say, by what they promote, by what they deny, by what they preach. (I document this throughout this website) This month the ELCA's magazine, Living Lutheran, published an article titled "The Story Behind the Story: Finding Greater Truths Behind Bible Tales". (Read here) As you read this article you will see the ELCA cast doubt on the Bible's account of historical events such as the Biblical six-day creation account, the miraculous parting the Red Sea, David fighting and killing Goliath, and Jesus walking on water. Here are some quotes from the ELCA article: - (Talking about the Biblical creation account and other culture's creation stories) "I can appreciate the beauty and poetry of these mythical details without taking them literally— and still worship the glorious Force that created the universe in ways I still don’t understand." - "Many ancient civilizations had flood stories similar to the Genesis story of Noah’s ark, but that doesn’t take away from the core message: God loves us and will not let us be extinguished. God’s word, God’s promise of protection, can be trusted. So in a profound way that story is true." - "Even the dramatic encounter between the little shepherd boy David and the giant Philistine Goliath may be misunderstood, says author Malcolm Gladwell. If it did actually occur..." - "Jesus turning water into wine and walking on the sea? Modern physicists hoping to prove or disprove the first story have written scholarly papers breaking down the chemical elements of both wine and H2O. Critics of the second posit that Jesus might have been treading on a thin sheet of ice. To me both miracles beautifully symbolize Jesus’ care for us, however they came to be." - "What Bible stories do you question? Which have strained credulity and even been stumbling blocks to belief? Why not let go of a desire to force these old, old stories into a rigid mold they may never have been meant to fit?" Pastor Tom Brock writes this about the ELCA article, "But in Living Lutheran magazine, a person’s subjective opinion about what may or may not have happened in the Bible trumps the Bible’s claim to historical accuracy." (See here) The Dean of Students and professor at an ELCA seminary told me personally that not one ELCA seminary professor believes Adam and Eve were real people.
When the ELCA chose this article for publication, they validated it. This is a teaching that is embraced by the denomination. Denial of the Truth of God's Word is the root of the the problem, the source of evil, that has made the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America what it is today. It is a faux Christian church that embraces evil, that cast doubt on what God says, much like Satan did in Scripture. (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) I graduated from Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, many years ago when it was still moderate to liberal. It has become radical. The seminary chapel brought in Native American “smudging”, the burning of herbs in order to drive away evil spirits and negative energy. Luther chapel brought in a transgender preacher to pray to “Our Mother in heaven”. A “womanist theologian” at chapel had all the students stand in a circle and imagine they were in the “pushy womb of God”. Luther Seminary chapel has observed National Coming Out Day for homosexuals and also the Transgender Day of Remembrance. Recently, Luther hired a “queer theologian” to be a professor at Luther. So, sadly, it is not surprising that recently Luther Seminary sang a Buddhist hymn about being one with everything. This is pantheism, the Buddhist teaching that God is everything and everything is God. You are God, I am God, the leaves are God, the waves are God, the mountains are God. In contrast, Christian teaching is that God is transcendent, separate from and above His creation. As Jesus taught us, “Our Father art in heaven”. Luther Seminary announced a few years ago that because of failing finances it would have to sell off a number of its campus buildings. It reminded me of Revelation 2:5 where Jesus says “I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.” Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock PS. Tap on the below and you will see Luther students singing the Buddhist hymn, followed by Buddhist worshipers doing the same https://thedissenter.substack.com/p/lutheran-seminary-chapel-sings-buddhist (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) For a biological man to say that he is really a woman is to deny who God made him to be. But you won’t hear anything like that from the head bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Instead, it’s all “unconditional love and acceptance“. The ELCA even pays for hormone blockers for children and sex change operations for adults in its national healthcare plan which is funded by church offering dollars. You can see Bishop Eaton’s transgender video by tapping on the below. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (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 more heresy from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s website. No, all people are not children of God. The Apostle Paul taught that we begin life as children of God’s wrath and only become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:4, Galatians 3:26).
The ELCA bids us to speak truth to power. So let us do that… ELCA leaders, please stop killing unborn children in the womb with the offerings of the people of God through the ELCA’s healthcare plan. ELCA leaders, no, a little boy cannot become a little girl, so please stop giving hormone blockers to children through the ELCA’s healthcare plan, again, funded by offering dollars. ELCA’s leaders, no, a man cannot become a woman, so please stop paying for sex change operations with offering dollars. ELCA leaders, you should not ban the Bible’s teaching that homosexual behavior is sinful as you are doing in your national publications like Living Lutheran magazine. ELCA leaders, you should not be embarrassed by “Father, Son, Holy Spirit” language for God as you instead seek for more “expansive, inclusive” language for God. ELCA leaders, you should not deny Jesus’ teaching on the reality of Hell as your head bishop did when she told a Chicago newspaper “If hell exists, I think it is empty“. ELCA leaders, your head bishop should not produce another gay pride video this June as she has done the last two years to celebrate LGBT pride month. ELCA leaders, you should not put a confused 11-year-old boy who thinks he is a girl on stage to promote transgenderism to 31,000 teenagers at the national ELCA Teen Assembly. ELCA leaders, you should not send your head bishop to the White House to promote abortion rights as she did before the fall of Roe v. Wade. ELCA leaders, you should not vote down an amendment stating that Jesus is the only way of salvation (John 14:6) as you did at the ELCA national assembly. Because of all of the above, I encourage everyone who is still a member of this denomination to find a more biblical Christian denomination to join. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America made the following post on Facebook. The ELCA has failed to correctly impart God's Word to people, as is documented on this website. Here is another example of the ELCA telling people something that goes against the truth explained in Scripture. The post, speaking to God, says "You call all people of the world your children." This is not what the Bible says. God's Word tells us in John 1:12, "But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, the gave the right to become children of God". You can read similar statements like this in the Bible that have the same sentiment. (learn more about this here) Please stop listening to ELCA leaders, ELCA pastors, ELCA institutions, and ELCA publications. Know the Bible, do not just believe what you are told by others. Check them against what God's World says. This is true for all pastors, including those that are not ELCA but have been educated by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
(The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
In the November, 2021, edition of Living Lutheran, the official magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, a writer talks about how she practices both Native American religion and Christianity. She partakes in smudging ceremonies, burns tobacco as worship, and makes offerings to “Mother Earth”. I remember years ago when I was still part of the ELCA, the Minneapolis Area Synod convention had a prayer time in which people turned to the north, south, east, and west, to pattern our worship after Native American prayers to the four winds. I got to the microphone and said “I am German, my ancestors worshipped Thor and Odin, are we going to incorporate Thor worship at our next convention?” I went home to my Lutheran congregation and preached how the convention is now incorporating pagan practices. A dear Native American woman of my church came up afterward with tears in her eyes and said “They are trying to take us back to what Jesus saved me from!” Some believe that the various world religions are all aspects of the same God. The Apostle Paul did not. He believed pagan Roman religions were not worshiping God, but demons (1 Corinthians 10:30). It is tragic the ELCA’s national magazine does not see that. In Jesus our Savior, Pastor Tom Brock (See page 28 of article here) ELCA Lutheran denomination has zeal for social issues, but not for the salvation of the lost…4/24/2023
(The following article was written last year by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.)
Below is the latest news item from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Yes, we should all be against racism, but I have a friend who left his ELCA church because of the constant mention of white supremacy from the pulpit. Look through the news releases at elca.org and you will see liberal politics and various social issues mentioned regularly but rarely anything about evangelism, missions and bringing lost people to Christ. Indeed, Elizabeth Eaton, head Bishop of the ELCA, has said that if hell exists, she believes it is empty. So, if everybody is going to heaven, what will the ELCA do with its time and money? Promote liberal politics. This was never more evident than when some states were passing minor restrictions on abortion and Eaton reminded people that the ELCA supports abortion rights. Indeed, the ELCA pays for abortions for any reason whatsoever in its denomination’s healthcare plan, which is funded by offering dollars. In Christ, Pastor Tom Brock (The following article was written by Rev. Tom Brock of pastorsstudy.org. You can follow Pastor Brock on Facebook - here and Twitter - here.) Revamping gendered bathrooms and cabins, using youth's "preferred pronouns", and helping them be "their authentic selves", Outlaw Ranch of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will host its first gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender/queer camp for youth this June. Outlaw Ranch states "We know that our traditional format of gendered cabins and bathrooms doesn’t provide the space that some of our campers need to feel safe and comfortable." So, youth will be able to "stay with those with whom they feel most comfortable." And, because some youth have felt wounded by the Church, Bible study will be optional. This is especially grievous to me. I attended this camp as a teenager and remember the wonderful time of Christian fellowship there. I would never have dreamt that one day Outlaw Ranch would be promoting the acceptance of homosexuality and transgenderism to 14 through 18-year-olds. This is the bizarre new world of liberal, mainline churches. I can't help but think of the verse: "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fashioned around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:6). Sincerely in Christ, Pastor Tom Brock
The Vice President of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Imran Siddiqui, took to Facebook to address some of the new state child protection laws, which he calls "anti-trans laws". He calls them "unchristian". See the full statement below.
Siddiqui also addressed what he called "my trans family in Christ" saying, "Know that you are deeply loved by God. Not in spite of who you are, but because of the entirety of who you are." This seems to say that the ELCA Vice President believes God loves the transgender aspect of these persons. Up till ten years ago most would call these transgender thoughts dysphoria, confusion, spiritual deception, and/or sin-based. Claiming to celebrate women, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) featured a man who is transgender in an ELCA article for Women's History Month. (See here)
It is an incredible display of disrespect and mansplaining for a man to be highlighted for Women's History Month and then for him to explain what he believes "are the most pressing issues facing all women today?" and what actions "the ELCA could take to better support and empower women within the church and in the wider community?" This is the world we live in, where those who claim Christianity encourage sin, deny science, and reject God's creation. Where society and faux Christian denominations propagate and generate the belief that men are women, usurping the dignity and blessings of women. |
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 Dan Skogen
Former ELCA seminary student and former ELCA member who is fed up with the ELCA's consistent mockery of God's Word. If you have been helped and blessed by Exposing the ELCA's ministry, please help us continue to proclaim the truth of God's Word to ELCA members who need to hear it.
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Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. - Ephesians 5:11
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