THE ELCA VAULT - ROOM 30
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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.
Iowa Native Can’t Get Married in His Childhood Church Because He’s Gay, Rules Could Change. . .Harmon cannot be married in the church. He is gay and the church’s constitution forbids the pastors from marrying he and his partner, Jésus. On Sunday, the congregation will take a vote to amend the constitution. They need a two-thirds majority to allow the marriage. . .
'Find a Church that’s Alive & is Teaching the Conservative True Word of God' - Witness Stone BlogDetroit Lakes pastor resigns after liquor store incident. . .Simonson, 38, was accused of stealing liquor from the Detroit Lakes municipal liquor store and scratching a person's vehicle with a metal object after an altercation with a woman at the liquor store on Dec. 20. . .
Common ground: Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles and St. Stephen Lutheran Church become one congregation in Arbutus. . .Both churches were in financially dicey shape — not yet about to run out of money but neither able to operate sustainably on their own. . .
5 Signs Your Church Might Be Heading toward Progressive Christianity. . .One of the main differences between Progressive Christianity and Historic Christianity is its view of the Bible. Historically, Christians have viewed the Bible as the Word of God and authoritative for our lives. Progressive Christianity generally abandons these terms, emphasizing personal belief over biblical mandate. . .
Religious, civil rights groups ask Pompeo to request expert probe of US racism. . .Scores of religious and civil rights organizations have asked U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to request an evaluation by a U.N. expert of the scope of racism in the country. . .
Trinity Lutheran launches new incarnation of concert series. . .the April concert, the partner will be the LGBT Center of Greater Reading, in honor of the fact that both Wolfe and Trupp were openly gay. . .
Is ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton Losing Touch with Reality?. . .If anything is “beyond what we could have imagined a decade ago,” it is not the “strength and blessings” that the ELCA has been experiencing, but the speed with which any restraint against an “anything goes” view of human sexuality is collapsing. . .
I’m a “church leader” who doesn’t really go to church. . .Adam J. Copeland is director of the Center for Stewardship Leaders at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. . .
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ELCA Update From Rev. Dennis Di Mauro - Witness Stone Blog
A Decommissioning and a Groundbreaking: Joy and Hope in Both Journeys
. . .I recounted that I had attended the service there with my husband for the two lesbian women and the gay man who were ordained in an “illegal” service, back in 1990. . .
Churches welcome LGBTQ community for Ash Wednesday services
. . .“My hope for the future is that the church will become much more welcoming than it has been. That the church will learn to not just accept, but affirm the identities of people who are gay and lesbian and transgender and bisexual,” said Pastor Donna Simon of St. Mark Hope and Peace Lutheran Church. . .
Churches hold Glitter Ash Wednesday for LGBTQ community
. . .Two metro (ELCA) churches are having special Ash Wednesday services for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer community. . .
The latest Lent challenge for churches: Give up plastic
. . ..Dozens of Pennsylvania churches near Pittsburgh that belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America are encouraging their churchgoers to forgo commonly discarded single-use plastics. Each week, parishioners will be encouraged to give up a different item: shopping bags, drinking straws, water bottles, Styrofoam and food wrappers. . .
Churches Serving Beer To Lure People
. . .With a church development grant from the Florida-Bahamas Synod and other fundraising, they secured a spot for their brewery church in a diverse neighborhood near Orlando’s airport. . .
Talking Points Regarding the Revision of “Vision & Expectations”
. . .Prescribing behaviors and norms = colonization and oppression. . .
Public Statement Concerning the Revision of “Vision and Expectations”
. . .We seek to offer our lived experiences and queer wisdom in the creation of a sexual ethic for our church that creates healthy and thriving church leaders, and in turn, congregations. . .
The “One Church” Plan: Another Step on the Wide Path NOT to be Embraced
. . .I read Nadia’s first New York Times best seller, Pastrix. In it she writes about how there are many legitimate expressions of the Divine, including the Wiccan goddess, whom she refers to as God’s aunt. She says she sometimes needs to hang out with Gods’ aunt! She also brags about using the baptismal liturgy to bless and rename transitioning transgenders. She likens one such blessing to the conversion of the apostle Paul and Martin Luther. During the conference she cussed profusely and even called certain conservatives that she disdains vile names. She also bragged about sacrilegiously using the baptismal font at her church as a chocolate fountain for a party after a worship service. . .
The Point: An Idol to Impurity
Nadia Bolz-Weber has cultivated an unconventional image for a Lutheran pastor, from her sleeveless clerical garb to her numerous tattoos. More recently, she endorsed “ethically-sourced” porn (whatever that could be) and has launched a campaign against Christian sexual morality. . .
Feminist Pastor Unveils Vulva Sculpture Made Of Old Purity Rings
. . .On Thursday, Bolz-Weber presented the sculpture to activist Gloria Steinem at the 2019 Makers conference. (Makers and HuffPost share a parent company.) The pastor said that Steinem’s writings on feminism and women’s bodies “changed my life.” . .
Nadia Bolz-Weber and Gloria Steinem | The 2019 MAKERS Conference
Nadia Bolz-Weber Says She’d Melt Down Purity Rings and Build Vagina Statue for Feminist, Gloria Steinem
. . .Nadia Bolz-Weber is a Lutheran ‘pastor’ who has been described as “Superhero from Planet Alternative Christian”. . .
Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber Wants to Remove ‘Shame’ From the Porn Industry
. . .Bolz-Weber argued we shouldn’t shame those who consume pornography if, and only if, the pornography is “ethically sourced.” . . .
Cultural Depravity
. . . She has been enslaved and mastered by her sexual appetite and deviancy, as much of the world has. As the pastor above was quoted as saying, "she tells the world what they want to hear, and calls it Christianity." It is not. . .
‘Brewery church’ is the latest in craft of luring folks to church
. . .With a church development grant from the Florida-Bahamas Synod and other fundraising, they secured a spot for the brewery in a diverse neighborhood near Orlando’s airport. . .
ELCA Is Using Old Membership Numbers - Witness Stone Blog
Time to update your website, ELCA.org. . .
Feminist “Pastor” Who Had an Abortion Says That Life Doesn’t Begin Until “Breath”
. . .the Bible speaks of lost, unregenerate people who deaden their conscience by suppressing the truth about God (Romans 1). They often surround themselves with people who will affirm them, lie to them, so that they don’t have to face the burden of conscience on their sin. . .
Sermon about the Bible and How Some Churches and Denominations are Rejecting Its Authority (Staring at Min. 32)
Don’t Blame Trump for Young People Dropping Out of Church
. . .If the political alienation theory fully explained what’s going on in American religion, millennials would be leaving conservative religions in favor of ones that are liberal and LGBT-affirming. Plenty of churches like that exist, where those on the political left would feel welcome and comfortable. But they are not growing. . .
Fargo City Commissioner accused Lutheran Social Services of hiding tuberculosis risk; makes motion to stop refugee inflow into Fargo
. . .City Commissioner Dave Piepkorn accused Lutheran Social Services (LSS) of hiding the tuberculosis risk, and made a motion to stop refugee inflow into Fargo. . .