We Knew Something Was Fundamentally Wrong

(Below is a recent testimony from a gentleman about his family making the difficult decision to leave their ELCA church)

Friends--

Approximately 5 months ago, my wife and I made what we would classify as the most painful decision of our married life…to leave a local church that we had known and loved for many years. This is not a topic we have spoken about publicly to any degree, but I feel it necessary to do so now, to an intentionally limited audience, in prayer that the Lord may use it in service to you, to your family, and to the furthering of His work.

The church we left was the only church our children had ever known. It was/is the site of countless memories precious to our broader family history (baptisms, confirmations, weddings, etc). The earthly remains of loved ones lay buried in the churchyard awaiting the resurrection. The fellowship in the church was precious to us, as we loved (and still do) each person in the pews of that congregation.
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There was every reason that we wanted this church to be an anchor point for our walk in the Lord. But increasingly, we knew something was fundamentally wrong in our church body, which was/is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). And this brings me to my reason for sharing.

I don’t know how much attention you pay to what is happening within your church hierarchy above your local congregation. As a friend whose only motivation is to warn you of danger, I am today risking friendships to tell you that I believe that if your church is associated with the ELCA, there is much reason for you to be alarmed. Many of the highest leaders of the ELCA have openly taught that hell does not exist, that all will ultimately be saved, that other religions are equally as valid as Christianity, that Christ sinned, that Christ’s death was not a substitutionary atonement for our sins, that He was not virgin-born, that He was not literally bodily resurrected, and a host of other heretical teachings which fly in the face of our holy Scriptures. Teachings such as these are not coming from rogue congregations or pastors who have gotten off course, these teachings are being embraced at the very highest levels of the ELCA…those who teach in ELCA seminaries, those who are chosen to speak to our youth at national gatherings, those who write for the ELCA main publications, elected bishops, including the ELCA’s current presiding bishop.

Friends—you may believe that your church’s main obstacles are financial in nature, or perhaps that you’re challenged with how to properly foster church growth. I’m humbly submitting though, that if your church is affiliated with the ELCA, you face a much more present and menacing danger. By their words and actions, the ELCA has shown that they are a blind guide that will lead your church body straight into a pit, and they’ll eagerly then devour the carcass to capitalize on the assets your church held.

Why should you believe me? You shouldn’t. You should research these issues yourself. If I can help direct you to resources to do so, I would be glad to, and I would stand ready to assist in any other way that I am called upon in accordance with God’s will. I implore you though: Do what is necessary to take hold of your congregation and turn it back to the pure teaching of God’s holy Word. This is a difficult road. But resources are available to walk alongside you on this path.

My family is healthy and happy, having been embraced by a confessional Lutheran congregation where we receive Christ each week in Word and Sacrament. My children have been buried with Christ in the waters of holy baptism. We are blessed. But we still pray for the congregation we left. We still love the saints in those pews. I pray that you receive these words in the spirit in which they were intended.

In Christ,

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