Posted on 06/06/2021 7:02:02 AM PDT by deport
The Rev. Dawn Bennett, an ordained pastor who graduated from the Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Bennett, 54, serves a majority-LGBTQ congregation at The Table, a "faith collective" in Nashville, Tennessee. She said she prefers "faith collective" to "church," because "church," to some people, is synonymous with exclusion
Bennett was ordained last year, making history as Nashville's first queer female Evangelical Lutheran pastor. At her ordination, she wore high-top rainbow Converses. There was a gospel choir, along with nuns dressed in drag.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
Leni
wow..... God does a reach around
It is necessary to keep this most important fact before FReepers. In the Bible, there are TWO G(g)ods spoken of.
There is the Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, and there is the “god of this world.” One is worshiped by Born-again Christians and covenant Jews.
The other is venerated by the rest of humanity, including all religions (including Islam).
“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
Understanding this simple truth will go far in helping you to understand your Bible much easier, and account for most of the celebrities and athletes and politicians (both sides of the aisle) that “give thanks to god . . .”
Demons abound. She is only screeching to the choir.
We’re all sinners.
But you are foolish to point out a sin and treat it as a virtue.
So words like church, parish, religion are now out of fashion, in favor of the anodyne, rather meaningless “faith collective.” Soon enough, even that term will be forced to give way to something even more meaningless for fear of offending someone, or breaking away from contemporary traditions. It’s just more manifestation of reducing language to little more meaning than grunts.
That’s a seriously dysfunctional family. Worshipping sin doesn’t bring you closer to God. It brings you closer to the dark one.
God didn’t let go, you walked away.
You are one seriously sick person.
Exactly. They were groomed. Genetic insanity.
Problem is, and I say this as an individual that was Lutheran, you need a microscope to see the Biblically faithful Lutherans. The denomination has been hijacked and isn't coming back, sad to say. My crystal ball is out of order but the ELCA is determined to take the "M" and "W" synods with them on the trip down to the pit.
They will be successful in my view because the opposition is unwilling to condem and make a loud and public distinction. This is exactly what happened 100 years ago in the Liberal/fundamentalists controversy, the fundamentalists hoped that using the Bible and reason would solve the problem but no one ever backslides into fundamentalism. Not interested in fundamentalism? Keep in mind that what we consider fundamentalists today are what would have been a normal Christian 150 years go.
In evangelicalism today, regardless of the name of the sign on the front lawn of the church, there are two problems that work together bringing this on. First is the person(s) in the pulpit are Bible illiterate and second, the people in the pews are Bible illiterate. MOST in both parties are happy to be in this enlightened state. Church members don't want to abandon the building they spent a lifetime building, pastors don't want to retire without having a pension, seminaries don't want to lose their endowments or have a public spat over doctrine.
40 years ago Francis Schaeffer wrote "The Great Evangelical Disaster" giving precise detail as to what will happen. He got it exactly right. If the Bishops/policy makers in your synod have any control over the seminaries, pastors pensions and local church owned real estate, the denomination is doomed. Consider making plans now, it will be ugly. I don't mean to offend anyone, just being honest.
If misery loves company, the Southern Baptist Convention is in the process right now of falling into the pit. The United Methodist Church has already stepped off the ledge. Watch, read and learn.
But there is a solution to keeping the denomination intact. It involves personal sacrifice and hard work. If Lutherans want to see Lutheranism survive, they will have to place their full faith in the Holy Writ, depend on it completely and acknowledge that Jesus said that if they hate me (which they do) then they will hate those that follow me. Martin Luther and the very small number of early Lutherans paid a huge price for their belief in the actual words of the Bible. Modern Lutherans will have to do the same or bail out. The question is not is fatboy a mean person but are there any Lutherans willing to say "Here I Stand" loud and firmly enough so that the whole world can hear it?
She said she prefers "faith collective" to "church," because "church," to some people, is synonymous with exclusion
Well it isn't also isn't "church" with that kind of content, so that's fine for her to call it something else.
The book of Jude repeats itself.
I know many who have already said here I stand and removed their entire congregations from the ELCA. If Christ does not return soon we may soon all have our here I stand moment regardless of denomination. I do not see the LCMS weakening at this time but I am not naive enough to think it can’t happen. I will continue to remain in the LCMS and support it as long as it remains faithful and do my best to speak against any weakening of the synod. It’s all any of us can do. That and pray for Christ to sustain His church until He returns
Too add, within 10 miles from my home there are 5 Lutheran Churches with at least one of each synod represented. So you have the full range of Lutherans. Attendance is so low in each that if you combined all 5 churches into one, the treasurer would still struggle to pay the electric bill. These are buildings that would be packed to the rafters 50 years ago.
Agree I believe it very likely that anyone who is born again and willing to make it public, to take a stand for Christ, has a reasonable chance of having to make a Here I Stand stance in our lifetime. You are correct on that. The big question for us is are we personally prepared for this right now? Are those who lead us willing to put it all on the line to prepare us and our children, friends and neighbors for this possibility? We need to know what we know.
“You are one seriously sick person.”
Lighten up Francis... It was a slam on the idea put forth by that so called the person of God.
I am ready. with His help.
You can be as snarky as you’d like and you will hear nothing from me as long as it doesn’t involve disrespecting Almighty God.
I have placed you on my prayer list.
Can you imagine, 40 years ago we were members of an ELCA church where as a laymen I actually knew more about Martin Luther and his theology than the pastor, who was a graduate of Philadelphia Lutheran Seminary. I was in it up to my eyeballs, a trustee, officer and occasional lay preacher.
Both the pastor, who I knew well from high school and his wife, both had masters degrees from that school. I say all this not to brag about my learning rather to show how little the seminary prepared students (back in the mid 1980s) for the Gospel Ministry. I tied to bring things back to an even keel but no one was concerned and the pastor was not interested in any kind of reformation. I finally gave up.
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