Pastors Respond to the ELCA

 

​Christian leaders slam Lutheran denomination's transgender bishop: a 'revolt' against God

. . ."The ELCA isn’t just trying to preach the old gospel with a new bishop. It’s a new religion..."It’s a new religion that is trying to inhabit the space of traditional Christianity, trying to claim the titles, to claim ownership of the buildings, and to take ownership of the institutions while representing a religion that is at virtually every point contradictory to biblical Christianity," he told Fox News. "The gospel of Jesus Christ in biblical terms is left far behind."

"When I speak of the gospel, I’m speaking of the good news that God saves sinners through the atonement accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ, this comes to those who repent. That’s a very different message than what is being preached by the ELCA," Mohler argued. By redefining sin the denomination "redefines the saving work of Christ."

A Lutheran denomination becomes radically liberal

. . .the ELCA has become the denomination of “anything I want.” Martin Luther believed that “the Bible alone” is the highest authority for the Church and he would grieve if he could see what the ELCA has become. . .

An Open Letter to the Voting Members of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly

. . .The proposals are in fact no compromise. They clearly imply that same-sex blessings and the ordination and rostering of homosexual persons in committed relationships are acceptable within the ELCA. The teaching of the church will be changed. . .

An Open Letter to Bishop Hanson by; Rev. Martha Uecker Nelson, an LCMC Pastor

. . .During seminary & the years after, I had not realized the extent to which the seminaries were teaching things that go against sound Biblical teachings.  When I was there, LSTC was starting to teach political correctness of situational ethics and the devil was a debatable entity, the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand was an issue. . . Now, I understand, that we are to believe that there are no miracles, no virgin birth, no walking on the water, no resurrection, Jesus is just one savior among many, the Bible is just one authority- not THE Authority for our lives...I could go on. I had a fellow pastor, who is on Synod staff, say to my face that we can change the 10 Commandments any time we want. . .

Lutheran CORE letter to ELCA Presiding Bishop asking her to take action in light of some of the keynote speakers at the recent youth gathering

. . .One of the keynote speakers, Nadia Bolz-Weber, led the audience through a series of questions, in which she asked thirty thousand young people whether they renounce a list of lies. Included in these renunciations was the question, “Do you renounce the lie that queerness is anything other than beauty?” The arena full of young people shouted their agreement. . .

What Has Gone Wrong in the ELCA? by Pr. Bryan Anderson

The sexuality votes of the August 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly were only the tip of the iceberg. Underneath this was the true problem—a crisis of authority of God’s Word. The crisis dates back to the birth of the ELCA and results in numerous problems affecting the governance, mission, and core theology of the ELCA. This resource paper seeks to highlight the key issues and offers the open-minded-reader source documents to investigate the matter for themselves. . .

. . . In my interactions with bishops and various other church leaders over the years, they always seemed to have a standard response to any question about the future of the ELCA. Whenever I would share a concern, the answer I would get was, “Don’t worry. That will never happen.” . .

Loving Your Neighbor: What Does Love Mean?  By Rev. David N. Glesne

. . .We have a tendency to think that in order to love someone – let’s say someone in our family who commits sexual sin – I can’t think that what they are doing is really that bad. Because if I think that what they are doing is really bad, it’s really tough for me to love them. That is getting it all backwards! Jesus reaches out aggressively in love precisely because the bad things people do put them at great risk of not inheriting God’s kingdom which he is proclaiming. . .

Confessional Crisis Created by the Decisions of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly

. . .Such actions are in violation of our Confession of Faith. The ELCA ought to repent of these actions, take steps to render them ineffectual, and overturn them at the first opportunity. The synods and congregations of the ELCA ought to reject these actions and refuse to abide by them on the basis of our own and identical Confession of Faith. . .

Wearing the Disguise of Faithfulness - by Rev. Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr.

. . .The claim that these two contradictory understandings of the Bible’s teachings on human sexuality can coexist and be recognized as being equally faithful to the Scriptures is nonsense. Those pressing for the normalization of homosexuality must put the Scriptures through hoop after hoop of theological acrobatics. The claim that a church can both condemn and bless homosexual relationships with equal faithfulness falls false on its face. Worst of all, it sows a disastrously deadly confusion about the nature of sin — a confusion that subverts the Gospel and brings eternal consequences. . .

94 Theses by Rev. Doug Gast

. . .After much personal study and investigation I have concluded that what is at issue is not specifically the sexuality issues but rather issues of theology and Biblical integrity.  The ELCA has cut the lines of traditional theological teaching and now aligns itself with cultural relativism.  Oh, that we can learn from the past and repent before it is too late. . .

Time For Faithful Christians To Stand Together Against Error

. . .The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ECLA) erred when the leadership of that community "voted" to abandon Christian orthodoxy. Their national assembly in Minneapolis struck down a policy that no longer required those with same sex attraction issues to remain celibate. In doing so they rejected the clear unbroken teaching of Christianity. . .

Pastor Letter to Church Council and Congregation

(by Pastor Joel Berthelsen) . . . the following will be a concise list of reasons why I think Hope Lutheran church should leave the ELCA, with brief explanation. . .

With a Profound Sense of Sadness - by Pr. Marshall Hahn

. . . not only was I convinced that there was no Scriptural warrant for changing our teaching on human sexuality and our ministry standards with respect to homosexual behavior, I also could not reconcile myself with the fact that an argument from Scripture was not even offered within the documents approved by the assembly which authorized these changes. . .

"ELCA Journeys: Personal Reflections by Bishop McDaniel

. . . However "good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity," we must not sacrifice God's truth on an altar of unity. . .

Escaping Egypt: Undeserved Loyalty (2024)

. . . I’ve had friends in ministry question why it took so long for me to finally exit the ELCA and roster with another church body, a fair question and one that needs to get lifted for those who are still inside. . .

Wresting the Wheel from God: Theological Roots of the Current Crisis in Christianity

. . .As most of you know, the life of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has been marked by a perpetual series of controversies. At the very beginning was the disagreement over the office of ministry. The Commission for a New Lutheran Church, which formed the ELCA, could not agree on an understanding of ministry, so it decided to postpone the issue, thinking that it would be easier to reach agreement after the merger. It was not. After a long and expensive study by a task force, its report was rejected by the churchwide assembly in 1993. . .

A Pastor's Letter Resigning From ELCA Clergy Roster

. . .I cannot in good conscience meet the expectation (from “Vision and Expectations”) that an “ordained minister supports not only the work of the congregation, but also the synodical and churchwide ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.” I also cannot meet the ELCA’s expectation that a pastor respect the beliefs of those who persist in error regarding the teaching of the Bible and of the Christian Church rather than call them to repentance and faithfulness. I believe that the expectations “to confess and teach the authoritative and normative character of the Scriptures ‘as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith, and life’” and to “teach nothing ‘that departs from the Scriptures or the catholic Church’” stand in opposition to the ELCA’s new teaching and practice on marriage and sexual ethics. . .

From the ELCA to the NALC - by Russel E. Saltzman

. . .My real disaffection with the ELCA didn’t start with sex. It began in earnest over the ELCA abortion statement and the subsequent decision by the national council to treat elective abortion for pastors and dependents as a reimbursable medical expense under the church health plan. . .

Speech by Ryan Schwarz To ELCA Churchwide Assembly

. . .I believe that we are not of one mind as to how we read and interpret Scripture. 
I believe that we are not of one mind as to the proper role of human experience, reason, and the tradition of the church in the interpretation of Scripture. . .

95 Reasons - By Rev. Roger K. Miller

“. . .For a church which allows itself to be pushed to regard homosexual activity as no longer a departure from the biblical norm and to recognize homosexual partnerships as a form of personal relationship equivalent to marriage would no longer stand on the foundation of the Scripture but rather in opposition to its unanimous witness. . .”

Letter to the ELCA's Upper Susquehanna Synod

. . .I read with considerable confusion and concern your letter to the Rev. W. Stevens Shipman informing him that action had been taken by the Upper Susquehanna Synod Council to remove him from the Word and Sacrament roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. . .

"God Will Not Be Mocked . . .Especially When Steeples Are Falling"

. . .Instead of prostrating ourselves face down on the ground before God, Our Father and Our Creator, in humble obedience and prayer, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America—as a shrinking “sideline” denomination—decided to continue its in-your-face unfaithful and disrespectful conduct toward God, Our Maker, ignoring all interventions, warnings and signs. . .

Letter of Resignation

. . .For many years, however, I, with many in the ELCA, have been concerned that our denomination has been departing from its confession of faith. During the past 10 years or so, I've been able to continue to serve as an ELCA pastor only because of the support of the many friends and colleagues who remain committed to that confession within the ELCA. . .

The ELCA? By Pastor Mark Bankson

. . .The ELCA has been forging a new identity. The crafting and shaping has not been one that has happened overnight. Over the last two decades, shaping this new identity has been strategic and methodical by its leadership. . .

Greenford Congregation Knew What It Was Doing in Leaving ELCA

. . .reconciliation cannot take place at the expense of the truth revealed in God’s Word. That is so even within that most forgiving and accepting of places, the church. . .

What is Happening in the ELCA? (Christian Einertson) (2024)

Just the Tip of the Iceberg by Pastor Donald Allman

. . .In a culture that has trouble believing in absolute truths, we as God’s children are called to believe in the Bible as truth from God. Even if we find that this Word is counter cultural or politically incorrect we still need to stand on the Word. . .

Reflections on Churchwide Assembly (2007)

After attending the 2007 churchwide assembly I now realize that not only does this new gospel exist, but I have now had confirmed in my mind the realization that because of this new gospel we cannot have a unified church. . .35% would like to revise our theology. . . The 35% that would like change are smaller in number but they are in control of our seminaries and our youth gatherings and are in many of the leadership positions of the ELCA. And so even though they are smaller they have great influence and when they are patient they can see the tide turning their way and they keep paddling the boat in this new direction. . .

A Message for Lutherans out on a Limb

. . .Love without the cross is mere passion. We no longer let Scripture define what love is. We define love ourselves, then use our fallen understanding of the term to reject parts of Scripture we disagree with. . .

God is a Majority of One!

(by Rev. Vance A. Fossum)   . . .For many years the ELCA has been operating under the false notion that by a majority vote of poor, sinful human beings they may decide what is “true” and “right”before God, even though God has already spoken in His Word – the Bible. . .

Rev. Jim Cords Letter of Resignation

. . .I firmly believe that the Lutheran Confessions, which I have vowed to follow, are very clear that salvation is through Jesus Christ alone. I believe they are very clear that the Bible is the only authority to which all teachings and teachers are subordinate. I see the ELCA moving away from these convictions and I do not wish to do so. . .

An Open Letter to Bishop Murray Finck

. . .My concern with the ELCA began a decade ago during seminary. It has increased as the ELCA has endorsed many things consistent with Liberal Protestantism: Called to Common Mission, an obsession with political and social projects, Human Sexuality Gift and Trust, and Full Communion with the United Methodist Church. . .

An Open Letter—to Presiding Bishop, Mark Hanson (2007) from Bishop Emeritus George Paul Mocko

All my life I have been proud to call myself a Lutheran. Given my Hussite roots, I have quipped that I was a Lutheran a hundred years before Luther. That pride is not what it was, as I feel it breaking down before feelings of betrayal and alienation. This is happening as I watch my church, like a juggernaut follow the path of the ECUSA (The Episcopal Church USA) in the matters of the ordination of those openly living in homosexual relationships and the blessing and marrying of those in such relationships. . .

David Yeago, Facing Reality in the ELCA

. . .In all those years, no one in the ELCA has ever asked me, as a theologian of the church, to come and talk to them about the Lord Jesus Christ. . .

“Where have you been David?”

. . .It wasn’t until our South Carolina Synod assembly last year that I realized the body I served as pastor, the ELCA, had headed off in a direction moving away from biblical authority and confessional witness with no plans of ever looking back. The traditional and confessional voice is no longer a part of the proclamation of the ELCA in so much as defined and practiced by the church catholic. . .

Excerpts from an Email to ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson from Jaynan Clark, President, WordAlone Ministries

. . .So “enough is enough” and the time to stand up according to the true Spirit of God as revealed in His Word is now. Your Heavenly Father has not given you a spirit of timidity.  It is His temporal adversary who demands this type of silent, even cooperative, obedience. . .

The Gospel of Barney: In our Neo‐pagan, Hedonistic Narcissistic Society by Pr. Alan L. Baglien

. . .Liberal revisionist and progressives dismiss the Authority of Scripture, because it does not match current culture and customs and laws, pure ethical relativism. The Bible is reinterpreted to suit the individual’s pursuit of pleasure and happiness! . .
Dr. Dean O. Wenthe
President
Concordia Theological Seminary
Pastor David Bott

The ELCA - Quo Vadis?

. . . Despite the ELCA’s intentions to start 1,200 new congregations in the first seven years of its existence, quite the opposite has happened.  According to its own statistics, the ELCA began its life with 5.3 million members in 11,133 congregations. By 2011, those figures had withered to 4.1 million members in 9,638congregations, declines of 23 percent and 13 percent, respectively.   In that light, the question “ELCA, whither goest thou?” becomes in the indicative, “ELCA, wither goest thou.”. . .

The New ELCA Gospel

The new ELCA gospel boils down to a natural man’s religion replacing fundamental Bible truth with politics. A vague ethic of love is preached for the betterment of society. Sin is seen as ignorance. Jesus is not savior but only an example of sacrificial living. Universal salvation is proclaimed for all. Gone are missionaries, the urgency for lost souls, honest awareness of sin and the need for conversion. Gone are theological and moral absolutes. Present is the undermining of scripture, protests, endless social statements and lobbying platforms. . .

ELCA Disintegrating Under Pressure (from 2003)

. . .the sad reality is that most so-called *church-related* colleges, like Muhlenburg College here in Allentown, no longer have a Christian religious identity. In a few years when my children are ready for college, I doubt that we would consider any Lutheran college, except for those affiliated with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. . .


‘A caring community’ — what Pastor Eric Miletti has found in La Vernia

. . .That same year, due to theological differences, he left the ELCA. . .

Comment Posted on Exposing the ELCA 

Pastors and bishops in the ELCA take vows to teach and preach in accordance with the Scriptures, the Creeds, and the Lutheran Confessions. But here's the problem: a lot of them don't! And no one holds them accountable for it. Most ELCA lay people have limited knowledge of the Scriptures and even less knowledge of the Lutheran Confessions, so it's easy for pastors and bishops to spout off their heresies to a captive audience. The rare lay person who knows the Truth who challenges his or her pastor is treated with disdain--as a crank with a "Sunday School faith." Honestly, as one who has served the ELCA for nearly two decades, I don't know if this is fixable. False teaching is so ingrained in the ELCA and there are so many rationalist revisionist 'progressives' ELCA pulpits that it seems to me a hopeless situation. Of course, the Scriptures show us God often brings hope in times of hopelessness to those who are faithful to His Word.

A Call to Repentance to Liberal Lutherans – Dr. Curtis Leins

Dr. Curtis Leins, Presiding Pastor of The American Association of Lutheran Churches

Posted on The American Spectator

“I was a pastor of the ELCA until about seven years ago when I could no longer square my ordination vows with the apostasy which the ELCA expected of me.” - Michael Zamzow (here)


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