THE ELCA VAULT - ROOM 25The ELCA Vault is a collection of articles, blogs, and documents related to the ELCA. The purpose of the Vault is to provide this important information to it's readers and at the same time not overload other sections of the website so as they become too convoluted.
Fire causes major damage to historic Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Duluth - (very liberal ELCA church - see here)
. . .In previous decades, there were times when the congregation was asked to consider closing or relocating. . .
Blood is NOT thicker than water
. . .Not too long ago I was talking with an ELCA pastor about their recent decisions to allow gay clergy and the like. I ask him what his rural Kansas congregation thought about all of that. He said with obvious sadness, that unfortunately many of his people would soon embrace the very same positions as the church body (even though they did not now). . .
How Shall We Regard the Bible?
. . .Jesus regards what is written in the Old Testament as true and accurate. “Have you never read what David did . . . ?” (Mark 2:25). Jesus regards Adam and Eve and the story of Jonah, Moses, etc., as actual people and events (Matt. 19:4ff.; 19:8). . .
Second Class Religion
. . .I find this article in the publication of my denomination a bit troubling.
One of the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights of the Constitution in our nation is the right of non-establishment of religion. . . Mindfulness! Heard of It? What does it mean, and where is it showing up in Christian circles?
For those who have never heard of “mindfulness,” it is a Buddhist meditation practice that’s emphasized in Zen Buddhism. Many professing Christians are involved in this pagan practice and shouldn’t be. . .
Living in a False Narrative. . .There are many in the Church in our day who deny the reality of many scriptural accounts (Creation, Jonah, the Flood) and yet still claim to live within the narrative of Scripture. They have no trouble ordering their life according to what they call the “epics” of the faith. They say, “Who cares if they they are reality?” . .
ELCA Bishops in Illinois Respond to LSSI Reductions - (LSSI places children into gay adoptive families. See here)
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. . .Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) has announced a very significant reduction in both its workforce and its program portfolio for the delivery of essential human services to the people of Illinois. The cuts will eliminate 758 jobs. . .
Good Shepherd recognized as first Reconciling church in state
(the ELCA pastor is Clint Schnekloth, whom we have highlighted a number of times here)
. . .the first Reconciling in Christ congregation in the state of Arkansas and the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod. . .
. . .the first Reconciling in Christ congregation in the state of Arkansas and the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod. . .
Nadia's Church and a Drag Queen
. . .The church of Nadia Bolz-Weber, the most beloved pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has an "Epiphany Pageant & Wizards Ball" that is hosted by a drag queen? . .
Champan: Scherer Memorial Lutheran Church Closing
. . .At a congregational vote in late October, faced with declining membership and attendance and a relatable decrease in stewardship and missional support, the decision was made to close its doors permanently.
Missionaries, Essential or Obsolete?
. . .Furthermore, in most mainline churches, the outreach mission programs that do exist are little more than social programs wrapped in the heretical doctrine of universalism. This false doctrine maintains that one religion is as good as another, and that there is no need to evangelize because people of all religions, including people with no religion, will reach heaven’s shores regardless of faith or belief. . .
Luther Seminary signs land deal with Ecumen
. . .Luther has cut staff, sold the Sandgren and Burntvedt apartment buildings on Eustis and rented space to Augsburg College to house its physician assistant studies program. . .
Parishioners burn St. Olaf Lutheran Church to ‘close a chapter’
Firefighters ignited a planned blaze Friday for St. Olaf Lutheran Church near here, closing the book on 129 years of service by the building to rural parishioners. . .
Rural Kindred church sued by couple claiming defamation over gay marriage opposition
. . .The lawsuit says when the Grabanskis made their views known, they were subjected to "public ridicule, scorn, intimidation, isolation" by the church leadership, and were told the congregation was too liberal for them. . .
Discrimination lawsuit filed against Synod, ELCA
. . .new lawsuit alleges the Eastern North Dakota Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America discriminates against conservative members. . .
A Letter In Solidarity With the Sandra Bland Vigil Participants in Waller County
. . .We join our voices to the voices of all who seek a fair and transparent investigation of the death of Sandra Bland. We say, with them, “Black Lives Matter.” . .
Standing in Solidarity with Muslims at Luther College (this is wrong in so many ways)
. . .anti-Muslim hate crimes intensify, prominent politicians support proposals advocating for mosque closings, registration programs, internment camps, and halting refugee resettlement...We repudiate the hostility and hatred aimed at Muslims in and beyond our community. We pledge to challenge Islamophobia whenever and wherever it occurs, to foster relationships with Muslims based on friendship and not fear
First Lutheran pastoral intern goes from politics to preaching (gay ELCA pastor)
. . .Eldred also teaches seventh- and eighth-grade confirmation classes Wednesday evenings, while Bray teaches the ninth grade...Eldred and his husband,.. married in August 2013 at their home church, . .
Church involvement varies widely among U.S. Christians
. . .Mainline Protestants and Catholics are least involved in their congregations. Just 20% of mainline Protestants are highly involved. . .
Unholy Alliance: Christian Charities Profit from $1 Billion Fed Program to Resettle Refugees, 40 Percent Muslim
Though they are officially “non-profit” organizations, Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services, and several other Christian organizations are profiting from lucrative contracts with the federal government to resettle refugees in the United States. . .
LGBTQ Seminarians – Still at the Forefront
. . .Who are today’s LGBTQ seminarians?
They are scholars. Seven current Proclaim seminarians are recipients of a merit-based full tuition ELCA Fund for Leaders Scholarship and several others were awarded partial Fund for Leaders scholarships. . .
They are scholars. Seven current Proclaim seminarians are recipients of a merit-based full tuition ELCA Fund for Leaders Scholarship and several others were awarded partial Fund for Leaders scholarships. . .
Who Actually Is Doing The Bullying And Who Is Being Bullied These Days?
. . .is it also your experience in the ELCA that those being bullied, discriminated against, and marginalized these days are not the LGBTQ community but those holding to a traditional view of the Bible, theology, and human sexuality? . .
Scandal: U.S. Christian Groups Prioritize Muslim Refugees over Christian Ones. Here’s Why
. . .There’s also this: According to official data from the State Department’s Refugee Processing Center for Fiscal Year 2015, resettled Syrian refugees were 97% Muslim. The Hudson Institute’s Nina Shea, in a November 2 article in National Review, showed that in the past five years only 53 of 2003 Syrian refugees accepted by the United States have been Christians (only about 2.5% of the total). . .
Rending the Rainbow Veil: How to Make Your Church a Safe Space for Christians with Same-Sex Attraction
. . .Both of us were confused, wondering whether we should continue to embrace our lesbian identity with abandon, give it up for our faith, or try to have it both ways by twisting the Scriptures and suppressing the voice of conscience. . .
Mainline Protestant Churches Are Warmer To Potential Members If They’re White
. . .ELCA churches were much more likely to reply to whites than people of other races, and American Baptist churches were more likely to reply to blacks than people of any other race. . .
UPDATE: Wartburg Announces Faculty Cuts
. . .Nine other faculty positions were originally recommended by Brian Ernsting, Dean of Faculty, in consultation with the Faculty Council to be cut. Those further cuts will be considered along with possible staff reductions later. . .
Christian and Jewish charities sign up for self-destruction
. . .These organizations long for a perfect world where there is no suffering and we all live in harmony. And toward that end, they are blind to the fact that we will lose any sense of “dignity,” “respect,” “justice,” “fairness,” and “safety” by admitting more and more people who hate us and who embrace a totalitarian ideology that mandates world domination. These charities, with their lock on big grants and a steady stream of money, are facilitating immigration jihad (hijra). . .
North Baltimore Episcopal, Lutheran Churches Combine
. . . The building, in the 5500 block of York Road, had been built in the 1950s for a peak congregation of 3,000. Yet weekly attendance was down to about 150 people. . .
Halloween is Not Quite Over
. . .Halloween is not quite over, at least for some of those who use the day to take shots at Catholics. There is nothing obscene about dressing up dogs in clerical and nun garb, but it is still meant to ridicule Catholics. When the pictures are still up on Facebook several days after Halloween, on the page of a Lutheran bishop, it makes us wonder whether there is more than ridicule at work. . .
You Can Lead a Horse to Water...
. . .During my years in the ELCA, I found that making the good confession was a lonely business. I tried to do my duty and warn my congregations of what was happening. On one hand, they thanked me for standing up for what they, too, believed. But on the other, they refused to act on what I was telling them, or to fight back. . .
Gustavus Adolphus College Promotes Perversion to Freshmen
. . .this should come as no surprise from a college that invited a transgender speaker to give the daily chapel message during National Coming Out Week over six years ago and that celebrates and affirms such behavior without even an acknowledgment that they are departing from a biblical understanding of sexuality. . .
Kindred Man Says Church Pushing Out Conservatives
Altar-ed states: Greenpoint church re-brands as co-op
. . .added services including Dancorcism — where parishioners and outsiders “dance out their demons” — and Sound Church — where people gather under the church’s reverberating high ceilings to make sounds like meditative “ohms,” chants, and songs. . .
Universalism and the Gospel of John
(a number of ELCA Lutherans mentioned) . . . The extent to which universal salvation has become widely accepted in today’s Lutheran churches can be seen in a number of recent articles. . .
Opinion: College in Schools defended against St. Olaf-led attacks
. . . why it’s acceptable for St. Olaf to employ teaching faculty who don’t have a master’s degree, while insisting that high school faculty who teach college-level courses earn these degrees. St. Olaf also has one of Minnesota’s least accepting policies toward credit for Advanced Placement, Postsecondary Enrollment Options, and College in the Schools. Many institutions grant up to two years of credit; St. Olaf grants less than a year. . .
Atonement, Orlando--A Legacy (ELCA Church Closing - Worth Over 4 Million)
. . .Atonement agreed to sell their property and share the proceeds with other synodical, ELCA, and community ministries. . .
People Change - Witness Stone Blog
. . .Americans view on gay marriage changed, for the most part, because of the decline in Biblical belief and the normalization of homosexuality brought into our homes through the entertainment we watch. . .
FactChecker: Are All Christian Denominations in Decline? (may need to refresh this after click on link)
. . .When tracking changes to gauge the overall health of a denomination, it makes more sense to look at long-term trends. If we look back 50 years (to 1965) we can see a clear and unequivocal trendline: liberal denominations have declined sharply while conservative denominations have increased or remained the same. . .
Radical Hospitality Letter Evokes Strong and Varied Response (Page 3) and ELCA Bishops Ignore Letter from Lutheran CORE (Page 5)
. . .At the heart of the discussion was the issue of whether the Lord’s Supper is a meal for believers, for the baptized people of God, or whether all people should be invited. . .
Interview with Pastor Steve Berntson Who Recently Resigned From His ELCA Church
Letter to RNC and DNC Chairs on anti-Muslim rhetoric in US Presidential campaign
. . .We ask you to categorically reject this type of bigotry and state on the
record that it is incompatible with this country’s founding principles. Further, we
ask you to speak out publicly against those in your parties who promote anti-
Muslim bigotry or any other rhetoric that seeks to divide Americans based on how
we look or how we pray.. . .
record that it is incompatible with this country’s founding principles. Further, we
ask you to speak out publicly against those in your parties who promote anti-
Muslim bigotry or any other rhetoric that seeks to divide Americans based on how
we look or how we pray.. . .
Does the ELCA Teach and Believe in Universalism?
Yes, the ELCA does teach and believe in universalism. Many ELCA leaders are believers in universalism. Many ELCA seminary professors are teachers of universalism. The ELCA publishes articles supportive of universalism. . .
Mainline Denominations Continue Crusade Against Manmade Global Warming
. . .They added that “we repent and ask forgiveness” for environmental sins including causing climate change and the “desecration of the world God so loves.” . .
House GOP in tizzy over Obama's Muslim refugees
. . .The fact that private contractors – such as Lutheran Social Services, the International Rescue Committee, World Relief and Catholic Charities – are doing the government’s work means that critical facts and figures are not available to the public through the Freedom of Information Act. . .
Ruhl’s In the Next Room Opens (at Gustavus Adolphus College)
. . .In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play has been creating quite a buzz on the campus this spring. . .This production involves adult themes, nudity, and the use of primitive sex toys. . .