Heretical happenings in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

The ELCA Vault - Room 26

The 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.

ELCA Bishop Speaks at Installation of the First Gay Bishop in the UMC - Witness Stone Blog

. . .The ELCA, never wanting to miss a moment to celebrate homosexual milestones that go against Scripture, and in this case may split the Methodist church, was there and actively participated in Bishop Oliveto's installation. . .

ELCA Releases Supplemental Resources To Aid Clergy in Homosexual Marriage Services

. . .Preceding many of the great judgments of God throughout biblical history, you will find sexual immorality among the people. God destroyed entire cities (Genesis 18:16-19:29) because his creation practiced these things that are detestable to him. . .

US Lutherans Vote to Discontinue Investments In FossilFuels, to Work Towards a Sustainable Future

. . .the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) voted to work towards the goal of discontinuing any investment by the church in fossil fuel companies. . .

The ELCA Sexism Study

. . .This is not what the pundits within the ELCA preach. Instead they proclaim: hold onto your identity; hold onto your sexuality; hold onto your gender; hold onto your ethnicity because this makes you authentic. God loves you just the way you are. In reality, God loves you in spite of who you are. . .

Boylan grad pursuing inclusive religious journey through ecumenical order and Lutheran church

. . .he is comfortable with his religious self as a representative of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community at Emmanuel Lutheran Church. . .

ELCA introduces supplemental resources for marriage service

. . .That sounds like a lot more than "finding ways to allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support and hold publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships," don't you think? . .

Ken Ham Tells Pastors: If Noah Is a Myth, Then Jesus Is a Liar

. . ."A Lutheran-ELCA pastor says the account of Noah is not history, but if that's true then Jesus, Peter, and the author of Hebrews lied. The pastor says Genesis is myth. Well, then the Gospel would also be, as it's preached in Genesis 3:15, 21.". .

ELCA Church Worships the Divine Feminine

. . .HerChurch is a “sacred space for those who wish to worship at the cutting edge and outside of the traditional Christian framework.” It is an “open and affirming community” for those who want to be “loved by Christ-Sophia and the Great Mother of us all.”. .

Luther’s ghosts

. . . Luther vindictively urged the destruction of Jews. He outlined his ideas in his book On the Jews and Their Lies which included setting fire to synagogues and schools, the confiscation of Jewish books, razing homes, rabbis banned from teaching on pain of death, cash and jewellery confiscated and expulsion of Jews from German lands. . .

Dear Alumni, Alumnae, and Friends of PLTS

. . .the University has been seeking out alternative locations. The Board of Regents has now made a decision to relocate PLTS to downtown Berkeley starting in fall of 2017. . .

(How Those Openly Disobedient to Scripture Saw the ELCA Assembly) -Invisibility and Possibility: Reflections from the ELCA Churchwide Assembly

. . . There are now 659 Reconciling in Christ ministry settings, with another 430 on the journey. There are 230 openly LGBTQ pastors, deacons, and candidates for ministry. . .

Lutherans vote to bridge gap with Catholics, protect migrant children

. . .The ELCA developed the strategy for to obtain the following goals:..

to engage as a church with all of its companions, affiliates and partners to respond to the migration situation and its causes; and

to advocate for migrant children and their families. . .

Episcopal Seminary Succumbs to “Unsustainable” Spending

. . .“A menu of recycled 1960s-era liberation theology themes garnished with radical sexuality and gender studies proved unappealing to prospective seminarians. . .

ELCA compromise reflected in host school

. . .As for the host university and its historical roots with the ELCA, Harvey says churches that embrace the homosexual lifestyle and support it are far from the will of God."It's one more example where some of the most aggressive activism on homosexuality and transgender behavior is coming from Christian denominations – or what were formerly faithful Christian denominations – that have been deeply compromised," . .

July 29, 2016 Update on Unifying the Seminaries in Philadelphia and Gettysburg

. . .At the same time, the current ELCA network of seminaries (and theological education across the church) is proving unsustainable, as the eight ELCA schools collectively ran an operating deficit of $70MM over the last decade. . .

Lutheran university to host 'Gay & Gray' event for elderly LGBT residents

. . .“It will broaden the conversation about the needs of aging LGBT Iowans; make connections between individuals, communities, and resources; and help LGBT seniors understand their rights.”
The event will be held in the Grand View University. . .

Seminaries Squeezed

. . .Mainline Protestant theological schools are exploring mergers and campus sales as they feel a prolonged enrollment and financial pinch. . .

Synod assemblies: A time to learn and serve

. . .They defeated a memorial to rescind the human sexuality decisions passed by the 2009 Churchwide Assembly. . .

Consolidation, mergers key to survival for some ELCA churches

. . .The attendance drop also has “pressed us financially” as there are fewer dollars in the collection plates while costs continue to increase, he said. . .

Sudbury: St. John Lutheran Church votes to welcome LGBTQ community

. . .The congregation decided that although Scripture will still play a major role in determining how the church operates, it should be considered as one voice in the debate as opposed to a strict rule book, allowing them to look past the parts of the Bible that condemn homosexuality. . .

Churches & Same Sex Marriage

. . . many beautiful oldline Protestant sanctuaries of this city and other cities, proudly waving their rainbow flags, are largely bereft of young people. Why are socially liberal young people in overwhelmingly socially liberal cities drawn to churches that are counter culturally at odds with their own beliefs. . .

Churches pass divestment resolution, despite opposition

. . .The annual assembly for the Greater Milwaukee Synod passed a resolution in early June, calling for divestment from companies profiting from the Israeli “occupation,” despite objections from the local Jewish Community Relations Council...The resolution will be bundled with those of other communities, for consideration at the ELCA national assembly Aug. 8-13, 2016, said Bishop Jeff Barrow of the Greater Milwaukee Synod. . .

St. Stephen Lutheran Church chooses new pastor

. . .At Gettysburg, he was a two-term president of the student association and led a student movement to become a “Reconciling in Christ” seminary, welcoming people of all genders and sexualities. . .

Grand Forks church member vote leaves choice of performing same-sex marriages to pastors

. . .The church council called the meeting and 225 confirmed members of the congregation attended. There were 147 votes for the proposed resolution, 76 against, and two abstentions. All voting was anonymous. . .

Harboring a Hermeneutic of Faith—Breaking the Scarlet Letter

. . .In fact, if anything the liberal church has reinvented the law by trying to dissolve and politicize it. Designer hermeneutics are creating a monster. This monster is the scarlet letter in a postmodern weary age hungering for the real Gospel but getting all this other stuff instead…

Why So-Called Progressive Religion Always Fails

. . .let the “progressive” prognosticators and pundits go on with warning us that we are on the wrong side of history, that we must embrace abortion and same-sex “marriage” and other liberal social issues in order to be “relevant.” We can smile at them and say, “Actually, we’re on the right side of God, and that’s what will matter in the long run.”. .

PCUSA General Assembly: Top Issues for 2016 (ELCA Full Communion Partner. Same liberal resolutions)

. . .Multiple anti-Israel resolutions propose divesting from companies doing business in the Jewish state. One specifically calls the PC(USA) to prayerfully consider “boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against the state of Israel.”At least five resolutions at General Assembly deal with climate change or fossil fuels. . .

Holy Trinity hosts gay marriage event (ELCA Bishop Wayne Miller presides over the service)

. . .exchanged vows for the first time and 17 other couples, both gay and straight, renewed their vows from earlier marriages, civil unions or commitment ceremonies in front of about 200 family, friends and well wishers.Holy Trinity's two gay pastors, Craig Mueller and Michelle Sevig were among the couples renewing their vows. . .

After 30-year wait to fulfill true calling, ND's first married, gay ELCA pastor leads Fargo church

. . ."We have a long history with that church. We've seen a lot of changes," she said. "Some of them were hard to accept at first, . .

The Dreamiscle Ghouls

. . .People are dying. Children are afraid to play outside. Near North is a shooting gallery.And after disclaiming “finger pointing” at gangs, cops or politics, The Rev. Nancy Nord Bence wants to blame it on “the gun lobby?” . .

The Humanities in Church-Related Higher Ed: A Broader View

. . . the two ELCA colleges with the sharpest declines in humanities were St. Olaf (-11.0%) and Augustana-Illinois (-10.2%), both ranking on the U.S. News national liberal arts college list. Muhlenberg College, whose president recently celebrated the enduring value of elite liberal arts colleges like his employer, has had a four point decline. . .

U.S. religious groups and their political leanings

. . .Members of mainline Protestant churches look similar to Catholics in this regard. For example, 44% of members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) identify as or lean Republican in the survey, compared with 47% who are Democrats or Democratic-leaning. . .

Trinity Lutheran votes to sell downtown church

. . .The Rev. Brian Bankert acknowledged the congregation's stress about the potential changes in a May letter: "These are stressful times here at Trinity. . .

Forced Into the Transgender Blender

. . .If less than 0.5% is transgender and only 3.5% are homosexual, then why are TV shows, news programs, and movies saturated with LGBT? To desensitize, to make it seem like normal and common behavior. To keep tearing apart this country’s fabric. . .

Should Christians hold seders?

. . .The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America also has warned its congregations that "taking a tradition that does not belong to us and practicing it in our congregations could be an imitation that is not welcomed at best and very offensive at worst." . .

Nadia Bolz-Weber Turns Pentecost Sunday into a Farce…

. . .shows how much more important it is to be theatrical (in her mind anyway) than to be substantive. . .

Lutheran Church (ELCA) Moves Towards Repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery

. . .Minneapolis Area Synod Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has voted overwhelmingly to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery and has asked the national ELCA church body to do the same. . .

The Church’s Problem With Sin

. . .The church, at least the American church, has a problem with sin. Sin these days is almost something someone else does. Oh, liberals and progressives will sadly and tearfully proclaim their “complicity” in systems and structures of sin (racism, oppression, capitalism, sexism, blah blah blah) but because they mean well and want these things undone (whatever that might mean), they are only sinners in an abstract way. . .

Trinity Lutheran Seminary Becomes Reconciling in Christ

. . .President Rick Barger said, “I am very proud of our students, faculty, and board for not only embracing this movement, but for their acclaim of it. Moreover, my life has been profoundly blessed by the rich gifts and faith of those identifying as LGBTQ on our campus.” . .

Study: Changes in racial composition lead to decline in church attendance

. . .Researchers studied the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, where racial diversity doubled from 1993 to 2012, and found that, at the same time, churches with the greatest diversity growth also had the steepest declines in attendance. . .

PCUSA Report Says 1 in 5 Members 'Disappointed,' Considering Departure (ELCA Full Communion partner)

. . .Nineteen percent of respondents were "Disappointed and Discerning," which was identified as 76 percent conservative, 23 percent moderate/mixed, and 1 percent liberal. . .

Pastor Calls for National Boycott of Lutheran Social Services

. . .Says Rev. Conner, "Christians are being slaughtered, children beheaded, and Lutheran Social Services has abandoned them. Not unlike the Lutheran Leftists in Hitler's Germany who turned a blind eye to the Jewish Holocaust, LSS of Minnesota has turned their back on the victims of the Christian genocide. LSS would rather play footsy with the likes of Hassan Ali Mohamud." . .

Two Lutheran seminaries will merge instead of closing, forming a new school

. . .Now they’re exploring whether both schools will endure under the umbrella of the new institution, or if one will cease to exist. Either way, at least some tenured positions should be retained. . .

Bridging secular and religious work

. . .Murray is now GLAAD’s Director of Programs, focusing on global and the US South. The GLAAD Global Voices program partners with LGBT organizations doing work in various countries to offer support and expertise in media engagement for LGBT advocacy. Similarly, in the US South, GLAAD is working to create a cultural shift towards LGBT acceptance and understanding in the region. . .

New Mexico: “Understanding Islam” event at Lutheran church spreads falsehoods about Islam

. . .“I have realized that when people hear a narrative repeated often enough, they will buy into it — even when that narrative is false.” Indeed. That’s what this dialogue in Las Cruces is all about: repeating that false narrative so that more people will buy into it. . .

Should Christians Welcome Muslims and Support Mosques?

. . .my family recently left the church I’d been a member of all my life because the leaders of the church, and associated synod (ELCA) support of progressive ideals including LGBT efforts… those same people signed the “ad” of declaration of support for the mosque that was in my local paper. . .

The Decline of the Mainline...and Why. (podcast)

. . .Tom Brock of www.pastorsstudy.org is my guest as we look at the theological decline of Mainline Protestantism. For years, Tom has studied just where the mainline churches have gone wrong, and we cover a wide range of social, moral and Biblical issues.

S.D. ELCA takes pass on payday lender fight

. . .Efforts to recruit the church, which is one of the most influential religious organizations in the state, have failed.Supporters of the cap say they know why: The lawyer who represents the South Dakota Synod of the ELCA in Pierre also represents the payday lending industry. . .

St. Olaf student protests sexual misconduct policy with T-shirt

. . .a 22-year-old nursing student, says she was raped by another student in a dorm last May. She blames the school for clearing him in a campus investigation that she believes was deeply flawed; and now she’s going public with her frustration. . .

Overwhelming Support in Luther Seminary Paper For the School to Become RIC - an LGBT Affirming Seminary

(Eight articles in support, one that is not)

Many churches face challenge of declining clergy numbers

. . .Nationwide, the ELCA has seen enrollment in seminaries drop by 50 percent in the past 10 years, Prois said. There will be only 80 candidates to fill the 180 openings for first-call candidates, those who are just out of seminary.Of the 130 congregations in the Western Iowa Synod, which covers the western half of Iowa, more than half are sharing a pastor, Prois said. . .

Financial Crunch Hits United Church of Christ

. . .oldline Protestant churches such as the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and others have been cutting national staff as their adherents’ numbers decline. But two-thirds of national staff gone in the past 16 years is a singular distinction even among the UCC’s struggling peer group. . .

CORE Voice - Lutheran CORE newsletter

. . . their synod recently canceled the ordination candidacy process for two seminarians simply because they are members of that congregation; a congregation whose very long-term pastor recently retired so they are now looking for an orthodox, confessional interim; and a layperson who was recently removed by the church council from her position as youth leader because she was seen as divisive, simply because she was advocating for traditional views on human sexuality. . .

Lawsuit aims to stop resettlement of refugees to South Carolina

. . .“When I found out that agents of the non-profit Lutheran Services couldn’t legally share their religion or Judeo-Christian values or invite the refugees to church…I realized the high degree of negligence and reckless misrepresentations being perpetrated on me as a taxpayer, my family and the Public interest,”. . .

Rev Brock Radio Interview About the ELCA (starting at 13:30)

Giving reasons to leave the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Living in a False Narrative

. . .I cannot live in a narrative I know to be false. I can not order my life in that way. Either it is true and I will live in it or it is false and I will leave it behind.

Fantasy Islam (Kafir Edition): Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota, Part II - Who is "reforming" who?

. . .it is hard to see how a version of Islam that includes significant omissions and broad assertions can possible contribute to a better understanding of the Islam of Muhammad. However, it will certainly help one better understand the Lutheran Social Service Reformed Islam.

Fantasy Islam (Kafir Edition): Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota

. . .Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota created a booklet seeking to educate non-Muslims about Islam and encouraging them to have a welcoming attitude toward Muslim refugees coming into their neighborhoods. Ironically, the Muslim imam selected to endorse this booklet appears to be a Hamas supporter, believes that Shariah Law should be enforced in American communities where Muslims are the majority, heads one of two mosques that have been the focus of articles about Somali youth leaving Minneapolis to fight for a terrorist organization, and was recently refused a government security clearance. . .

The ELCA Vault - Room 26

ELCA Church Worships the Divine Feminine​

​PCUSA General Assembly: Top Issues for 2016 (ELCA Full Communion Partner. Same liberal resolutions)

​Holy Trinity hosts gay marriage event (ELCA Bishop Wayne Miller presides over the service)

​Pastor Calls for National Boycott of Lutheran Social Services

ELCA Church Worships the Divine Feminine

PCUSA General Assembly: Top Issues for 2016 (ELCA Full Communion Partner. Same liberal resolutions)

Holy Trinity hosts gay marriage event (ELCA Bishop Wayne Miller presides over the service)

Pastor Calls for National Boycott of Lutheran Social Services