ELCA Vault - Room 19
The ELCA Vault is a collection of articles, blogs, and documents related to issues with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
O Brother, Where Art Thou: Palestinian Lutheran Bishop Provokes Questions in Pittsburgh. . .As criticized in the past, the ELCA has often been just as anti-Israel as pro-homosexual. Issues involving Israeli security with weapons that do not simply enrich “merchants of death,” favorite Leftist bogeymen, however, demand impartial scrutiny. . .
Always Declining: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s Stillborn Quarter Century of Existence. . .the ELCA’s anniversary slogan of “Always Being Made New: 25 Years Together in Christ” on display at Pittsburgh’s David L. Lawrence Convention Center rings bitterly ironic in light of ECLA’s dwindling, aging congregants and sinking contributions. Liberal theology and politics in America’s so-called Mainline Protestant denominations apparently just gets older and older. . .
Lutherans complete 1st day of bishop vote. . .Since it was formed in a 1988 merger, the ELCA has dropped from 5.3 million members to 4 million. Losses had been mostly by slow attrition in the aging denomination until 2009, when approval of local option on partnered gay clergy led to a loss of about 500,000 over the next two years. . .
To Counter Christian anti-Israelism, It’s Time to go Local. . .The letter is also a signal that the Israel will be on the agenda at next year’s national gatherings of three mainline churches – the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the United Church of Christ, and the Disciples of Christ. . .
Pittsburgh to host gatherings of split Lutherans. . ."I think that those who are working for the full inclusion of all sexual minorities, not just gays and lesbians but transgendered people, believe their work has only begun. They have not nearly accomplished their goals and are very involved in debates about the states providing full legal marriage," Bishop Kusserow said. . .
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Baby Steps
. . .We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus said that this was the second most important command. Problem is, some of us are so concerned with loving our neighbor that we forget to love our Father first, which Jesus said is the most important command. . .
Herbert Chilstrom: Gay acceptance and churches (former ELCA Presiding Bishop promoted the homosexual agenda from the beginning)
. . .in 1991, I urged the 65 regional bishops of the ELCA not to bring disciplinary action against parish pastors who felt free in conscience to bless homosexual pairs who came for an affirmation of their relationships. . .
Thrivent Promoting Witchcraft and Idolatry
. . .Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) of Apollo Beach, Florida is the church.
Really, though, one should not be surprised that superstition over a charm or modern relic has gained such a strong foothold in a supposedly Lutheran congregation. . .
Really, though, one should not be surprised that superstition over a charm or modern relic has gained such a strong foothold in a supposedly Lutheran congregation. . .
Moorhead congregations weigh same-sex ceremonies
. . . The Rev. Holly Johnson found out she’ll be able to marry same-sex couples a week before Minnesota’s law legalizing same-sex marriage takes effect.
Johnson heads the Project F-M, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America initiative aimed at helping people in their 20s and 30s find God. . .
Johnson heads the Project F-M, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America initiative aimed at helping people in their 20s and 30s find God. . .
Churches deciding whether to do same-sex weddings
. . .Christ the King Lutheran Church, with a congregation of about 2,700 people, is the first ELCA church in Mankato to decide that it will. . .
A New Creation
. . .Church doctrine is then contrived in order to allow the ELCA to lift up and affirm behavior specifically prohibited in Scripture to show the world how welcoming and tolerant they are. Masculinity is offensive to the feminists and God becomes a woman with pagan goddess worship replacing God in the church’s liturgy. . .
Open Letter to PA Churches...
. . . if a church entity that has performed marriages for the state in the past (having lent your church stamp from your congregation and its ordained clergy to marriage certificates on file at PA courthouses) your church may be vulnerable to discrimination lawsuits if you refuse marriage, or facility rental of a space or hall, to GBLT couples that obtain future license by the state to marry. . .
Minnesota churches prepare for gay weddings
Karl Starr and Christopher Haug pledged their love for each other on the altar of Central Lutheran Church — preparing for the day they will walk into Minnesota history. . .
Trayvon Martin and the ELCA
. . .If the ELCA — which is based in Chicago – truly wants to help Black people, it should start by turning its focus to the horror in Chicago… almost literally in its own backyard on Higgins Road. Charity begins at home. . .
CAMERA Contacts Trustees of Christian Century
. . .Wall's name needs to be removed from this masthead.
It needs to be removed because in the years since he stopped writing for the magazine, Rev. Wall has become associate editor of Veterans News Now, an anti-Semitic website that demonizes Israel and its Jewish supporters in the United States. . .
It needs to be removed because in the years since he stopped writing for the magazine, Rev. Wall has become associate editor of Veterans News Now, an anti-Semitic website that demonizes Israel and its Jewish supporters in the United States. . .
Churches Fear Lawsuits over Gay Weddings
. . .Alliance Defending Freedom, a religious liberty legal organization, has already provided churches with sample bylaws that define marriage.
“I think we’re in a day where every church needs to have a statement in its bylaws of its doctrinal beliefs on marriage and sexuality,” attorney Erik Stanley told Baptist Press. “This is a proactive approach that churches can take to head off any claims of discrimination in the future, should they occur.” . .
“I think we’re in a day where every church needs to have a statement in its bylaws of its doctrinal beliefs on marriage and sexuality,” attorney Erik Stanley told Baptist Press. “This is a proactive approach that churches can take to head off any claims of discrimination in the future, should they occur.” . .
ELCA Has Biggest Split in American Church History
. . .Even among those congregations remaining in the ELCA average weekly worship attendance from 2003 to 2011 dropped 26%. The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod has 2.3 million members and the similarly conservative Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod has 300,000 members, yet even with our smaller combined membership of 2.6 million the LCMS and WELS have more people actually sitting in the pews each Sunday than the ELCA with 4 million members. . .
Church leaders also split on same-sex marriage issue
. . .“I am totally in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act. Marriage is between one man and one woman. I’ll never move off my biblical principles on marriage.”. . .
Iran's Secret 'Interfaith' Outreach in America
. . .A more direct interfaith partner of the Iranian regime is the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization that supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction campaign against Israel. It was part of a Christian coalition that wrote a letter to Congress criticizing U.S. military aid to Israel. Fifteen Christian groups endorsed the letter. . .
Bloomberg vs. CAIR’s Interfaith Friends
. . .The Campaign’s members include American Baptist Churches USA, the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Church of Christ and many others. . .
Update on Lawsuit Against Bethel Lutheran - Witness Stone Blog
. . .an update on the lawsuit by ELCA supporters against Bethel Lutheran Church in Holdrege, Nebraska. . .
ELCA Church Sign
. . .University Lutheran Church - Seattle
Celebrating Pride Day! . .
Celebrating Pride Day! . .
The Opposite of Faith is...
. . .Yet, despite this, there are those who wish to push for redefinition and further movement from orthodox Christian faith. . .
If the Shoe Fits
. . .The leaders of the ELCA trivialize the tenets of the Lutheran faith, leading their membership away from the Lord and pushing them to worship themselves, their possessions and their identities by adopting the doctrine of bound conscience. . .
Political Gaps Strain Churches (2010)
. . .Among Episcopal and Evangelical Lutheran (ELCA) clergy, Democrats outnumber Republicans by 3:1. Yet Episcopal and ELCA members are divided almost down the middle. . .
Is Islam Truly Standing 'Shoulder to Shoulder' With Other Religions? (the ELCA is a member of 'Shoulder to Shoulder')
. . .The Shoulder-to-Shoulder interfaith coalition, whose motto is "Standing with American Muslims, upholding American values," was founded to address alleged bias against Muslims. This is particularly ironic given ISNA's history of anti-Semitism and promotion of and financial support for terrorism. . .
Thirty Theses on a Failed Merger (2005)
. . .Theologically, the institutional ELCA no longer seeks or is able to differentiate between “law and gospel” because the institutional ELCA has raised itself above the word of God as revealed in both divine law and salvific gospel. . .
The Christ and Eros
“… but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, And being found in human form… became obedient to the point of death — even death on a cross” (Phil 2:7,8) This is “erotic abduction”? Is this what is taught at Luther Seminary?..
ELCA Hypocrisy
. . .Those of you foolish enough to remain in fellowship with the ELCA; Keep filling the offering plates so that these ungodly purveyors of lies can continue in their wickedness or finally open your eyes and see what atrocities these co-conspirators of Satan are doing to the Lord’s church. . .
Adherence to Scripture must not be compromised
. . .My heart is with the many people sitting in ELCA pews who are wondering what’s happening to the church they love. For those who are concerned, I gently encourage you to go on a fact-finding mission. . .