ELCA Vault - Room 14
The ELCA Vault is a collection of articles, blogs, and documents related to issues with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
‘Sin is Sin’ t-shirt stirs debate. . .Concordia student has gone public about her plans for a t-shirt campaign during National Coming Out Week to counter what she views as the majority student body attitude towards homosexuality. . .
You don't have to like it. Just respect it (ELCA Church Gay Wedding). . .Lutheran wedding service, in a big ELCA church with 300 guests and three ministers. We'll sing, we'll say vows, we'll exchange rings, we'll pray, we'll thank and praise God for all our blessings. . .
Leading Lutheran scholar: ELCA's liberal drift causing 'brain drain' from denomination (2005). . .Braaten expressed his deep love for Lutheranism, but also his great displeasure about the direction of the denomination. He used strong words, including "heresy," "pious piffle," and "empty body" and warned that the denomination was on a "trajectory that leads to rank antinomianism.". .
Churches at the center of marriage amendment battle. . .Visit the websites of both groups and they each boast a lengthy list of religious organizations backing their efforts. All six of Minnesota's ELCA Lutheran churches have come out against the marriage amendment. . .
Roadkill Churches. . .What is justice, as the flatliners see it? Abortion. Same-sex pseudomarriage. The destruction of Israel. The destruction of economic freedom. Massive government intervention in our lives to combat the imaginary threat of Man-Made Global Warming. (You can still say “man”-made if it’s something bad.) Coercive redistribution of wealth. The abolition of God’s law. . .
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F-M campuses roll out rainbow welcome mats
. . .The religiously affiliated college has also taken its cues from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which three years ago voted to allow the ordination of gay and lesbian ministers in same-sex relationships.
That and other gay-friendly teachings led many congregations to distance themselves from the church, but Concordia has embraced the message. . .
That and other gay-friendly teachings led many congregations to distance themselves from the church, but Concordia has embraced the message. . .
Attention Deficit Disorder
. . .There are no medications that can open the eyes of the leaders of the ELCA that persist in focusing on the secular world to the detriment of the saving of souls. Their focus is so plain to so many, but the plank that is in their collective eye, unfortunately goes unnoticed by so many of their members who would rather maintain unity than uphold the authority of Scripture. . .
Grace Lutheran, Eau Claire Finds Blessings Through Struggles (starts on page 3)
. . .“Grace Lutheran Church is not a church deeply divided. A year ago, there were some members who were unhappy with the discussion and unhappy that the majority were critical of the theological drift of the ELCA. They have since left active membership and participation in the church. The members who remain have been filled with a joy and purpose few of us have experienced in our lives. The Spirit has led us out of fear and anger into relationship with Him and with each other. . ."
If I Were the Devil - Witness Stone Blog
by Paul Harvey
Atheists in the Pulpit — The Sad Charade of the Clergy Project
. . .defining an unbelieving pastor is actually quite difficult. Given the fact that so many liberal churches and denominations already believe so little, how is atheism really different? In the name of tolerance, the liberal denominations have embraced so much unbelief that atheism is a practical challenge. . .
Out of Egypt or Jerusalem?
. . .many persons who are attempting to find solid apostolic ground within the ELCA, to stay with them, are having their footing challenged by liberalistic rants from that organization. Lengthy, coercive policies exist against those sheep who would even bleat about leaving for more faithful grazing. . .
In a Twinkling of an Eye
. . .Even though many “mainstream” churches, such as the ELCA, tacitly accept that grace is offered without the condition of faith, Christ own words reveal that such a teaching is in obvious error. . .
Minnesota gay marriage vote: Augsburg College opposes amendment
Augsburg College is publicly opposing the amendment to ban gay marriage in Minnesota's constitution. . .
Bachelorettes and Humanae Vitae
. . .A friend reminded me, first, of a 1997 critique I wrote in reaction to an article in The Lutheran, the house magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Lutheran’s piece highlighted two couples, active church folk, one couple married and the other couple cohabiting. What The Lutheran did with marriage wasn’t anything recognized in classic Lutheran theology. . .
An Interview with Craig Blomberg on Jesus and the Reliability of the Gospels
. . .I vividly remember being very puzzled in confirmation class when I was taught/shown how the Synoptic accounts of the Last Supper contradicted each other as an illustration of how our doctrine of Scripture should focus on the main points and basic thoughts of the text but allow for contradictions in the details. Even in junior high, it seemed to me that there were plausible ways of combining the texts into a harmonious whole and seeing each as a partial excerpt of a larger narrative. . .
Lutherans meet in MN, divided over marriage amendment
. . ."We think that advancing agendas where you end up compromising some of the most basic of doctrine in the church is not faithful." NALC Bishop John Bradosky said. . .
News and Notes - Witness Stone Blog
. . .Here is an interesting article about what is happening in the Episcopal church. They seem to be one step ahead of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. . .
Jesus: God and King
. . .the church he serves had invited a theologian of our Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to speak. Later, there was a Q-and-A and a member told the theologian, “I understand that there are faculty at your seminary who don’t believe that Jesus was born of a virgin.” The theologian asked: “Why would anyone believe that?”. . .
“Pursuing freedom from Scripture's clear teachings, by arguing for their ambiguity, results only in tyranny” – Part Two
. . .the issues raging in the ELCA, to which Dr. Nestingen applied his studies. . . are very much the same issues raging in greater society today, which impact us everywhere outside the walls of our church buildings, and threaten to enter our Church through our exposure to these issues everywhere else. . .
Like-minded Lutherans
. . .Baker said the homosexual issue is not about hatred of people. It is about hating sin, which he said is clearly delineated in the Bible.“We are all sinners, and we are called to love sinners, just not the sin,” said Baker. “When the ELCA voted to approve this (homosexual ordination) they shook their fist at God and said ‘we’ll decide what is sin.’”. . .
“Pursuing freedom from Scripture's clear teachings, by arguing for their ambiguity, results only in tyranny”
. . .Through the eyes of those who were there, we caught a glimpse in that post of the decay in clarity of Scripture’s teaching that occurred in the ELCA. As the Second Use of the Law was replaced over time with its Third Use, the perspicuity, or clarity, of Scripture and certainty of its teaching was rendered more and more ambiguous. . .
What’s Next for Gay-Affirming ELCA Lutherans — Allowing Porn-addicted Pastors? The Folly of Voting to Overrule God
. . .This is indeed a “Culture War” to define Truth — yet so many Christians are AWOL. But at least they are not traitors: shame on the ELCA majority for passing this measure that does great violence to the Word of God. There are atheists with a better understanding of Christian sexual morality than these religionists with their trendy heresies. Political and cultural power — and the ability to organize a vote — does not equate with truth. . .
Statement of the Lutheran Communion in Africa on "Marriage, Family, and Human Sexuality"
. . .the majority of African member churches say “NO” to homosexual acts and regard it to be sinful.” Further to this affirmation of our position on this matter, we are extremely disturbed and deeply regret the recent developments taking place in some member churches of the communion who have taken unilateral decision on same sex marriages. . .
Upset About ELCA 2012 National Youth Gathering - Witness Stone Blog
. . .I don't want my year old to miss out on the fun of a large youth group experience, but my husband and I will not be sending her to the Gathering in Detroit in 2015. Nor will I ever attend another ELCA gathering. . .
Guilty as Charged
. . .As more and more Scripture is decared irrelevant by this misguided church, there will eventually be no need to rein in any of our sinful behavior. . .