Lutheran Ping!
Posted on 04/14/2007 3:50:10 PM PDT by SmithL
Chuck Wallner believes the leadership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is taking the church in the wrong direction.
“It is my belief and the belief of a number of others that sin, repentance and redemption are soon to be considered antiquated words within the ELCA,” he said. “Orthodox theology is a theology of repentance and redemption as opposed to what I believe the new theology is, and that appears to be a theology of tolerance and social justice.”
Wallner, 69, said he has no ax to grind with the latter theology, but it should grow from what he calls the primary theology.
Next Saturday, Wallner will lead a discussion about these and other topics at Olivet Lutheran Church.
A retired obstetrician and gynecologist, Wallner has been a member of French Creek Lutheran Church in Ettrick, Wis., for seven years, although he no longer attends. On Easter, he attended Olivet, which is associated with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, a church body formed to accommodate churches that had disagreements with the ELCA.
The group was started by WordAlone, a network of congregations and individuals working for conservative reform within the ELCA. WordAlone’s Web site says its “primary concern is that the ELCA is losing its Christ-centered focus” and “turning to authorities other than the authority of God’s word, revealed in his risen Son, Jesus Christ, and in his inspired word in the holy Scriptures.”
Tension in church bodies is nothing new. The Lutheranism was born from disagreements between Martin Luther and the Roman Catholic Church. While WordAlone’s influence in the La Crosse Area Synod has not been as strong as elsewhere in the church — none of the synod’s churches are affiliated with the group — people like Wallner hope to see that change.
Bishop April Ulring Larson, head of the synod, said the church remains faithful to the ELCA Constitution.
“I feel very strongly that the church has not wandered away from its rootedness,” she said. “Nobody is giving an inch that we are deeply rooted in God’s saving action through Jesus Christ, which justifies us by God’s grace through faith.”
She said concerns about war, civil rights, poverty, apartheid and refugees have been a passionate part of Lutheran history.
One concern of WordAlone is the document “Called to Common Mission,” through which the ELCA and the Episcopal Church entered into full communion.
The Rev. Shane Anderson, 37, pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Askov, Minn., said the agreement is the main reason he became involved with WordAlone.
“Roman Catholics would in no way give up the pope for the sake of visible unity,” he said. “ELCA Lutherans, we’re not willing to sacrifice our view of the primacy of Scripture for the sake of visible unity. For us, it’s not the pastor, it’s not the bishop, it’s not the presiding bishop, it’s the word. The word is what does the action. It’s hearing the word that creates faith.”
Anderson, WordAlone’s contact for the Northeastern Minnesota Synod, will give a presentation during Wallner’s discussion.
Anderson and Wallner both mentioned concerns about the ELCA’s direction with homosexuality but said it’s a symptom of a greater issue, which is new interpretations of Scripture.
Larson said she believes Scripture stands over Lutherans.
“We believe as Christians who are Lutherans that we are rooted deeply in Scripture and stand under Scripture,” she said. “We think the core witness of the faith that drives us is found in Scriptures.”
Larson said the ELCA has retained its traditional policy concerning homosexuality in marriage and ordaining pastors. She also said it’s an issue that’s not going away.
“Because we live in a world in which most of our young people disagree with the viewpoint of their elders, I think it’s going to keep coming up,” Larson said. “It doesn’t seem at all to me that this is settled in our society, and since Christians live in Christ and they live in their congregations and they live also in the world, I think these issues will continue to come at us. But nobody is willing it or trying to make it happen.”
WordAlone has 234 member churches and more than 6,000 individual members, 1,000 of whom are pastors, said the Rev. Mark Chavez, director.
Wallner, the contact person for WordAlone in the La Crosse Area Synod, has consulted with them for the meeting and sent out a letter announcing the meeting to all of the churches in the synod Friday.
“We are in a time where there is need for another Martin Luther,” he said, but emphasized that’s not him. “I want to start a fire, and this is what I’ve wanted to do ever since I’ve gotten involved with this. I want to be a match.”
If You Go
WHAT: “Views from the Pews: Information on Lutheran Orthodox Activism”
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 21
WHERE: Olivet Lutheran Church, 2100 Bainbridge St.
CONTACT: For more information, call (608) 783-1484
Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ Ping
Bishop “April”?
The cadre of Lutherans trained at the very liberal MN church schools have a solid lock on ELCA management, and they will march the church right into the ground.
Just fight the good fight at your home front and let the ELCA march itself into the ground if they insist on it. Please keep this in mind.
From Romans 8
More Than Conquerors.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
My point is don't love being Lutheran, love Jesus!
And yes, I am a member of a Lutheran Church ELCA but it is more important to remember that we are all part of the body of Christ. If there is a split in the future than so be it. For it could have God's predestined purpose in it.
Lets not just go down without a fight there is such a thing as truly rightous anger.(Truly From God through the Holy Spirit)
When those in authority push you away from God's will in his word it is time for a "Truly Rightous disobediance" in the Church."
Hmmmmm...... Reminds me of a guy from long ago named Martin. This is simply a fight to keep the Bible as the Word in the ELCA Lutheran Church, and not just "pew decoration" its our weapon of rightousness against biggest Loser "satan" and his agenda of distraction from the real santification of Gods Children.
Please people post more scripture for us to use in this fight.
This is a wake up call to all Christians!
This has the ring of ancient history to me. My church is a charter member of LCMC. Out of the elca for good. It is such a relief to wake up in the morning and not have to worry about what that smarmy bunch of hay shakers on Higgins Road are up to.
This part I agree with. It's not just the ECLA, but churches of other faiths and even some LCMS congregations have strayed from the Gospel also.
This part is confusing though.
WordAlone has 234 member churches and more than 6,000 individual members, 1,000 of whom are pastors, said the Rev. Mark Chavez, director.
?????????
6,000 members
- 1,000 pastors
____________
5 members per pastor?
5,000/ 234 = just over 21 members per church. That sounds a like somone made a mistake with numbers.
No mistake...it is a lot simpler for individuals (lay or clergy) to become members of WA/LCMC than for congregations. Congregations must follow their existing constitutional requirements for meetings and vote plurality plus obtain approval of their judicatories. Many more hoops to jump through. Many laity are not aware that individual WA membership is available to them. The clergy are better informed, thus the ratio.
My thoughts were that some people may also be members of several different congregations. I know several people who attend and are “members” of more than one church.
How far will things have to go before the “conservatives” leave?
I belong to the WELS (Wisconsin Synod) which is very conservative and in today’s world, we’re being chastised by other churches for being “too” stand pat...we’re small, but the Word of God is everything to us...no social gospel, no homo agenda, no female ministers, just pure study and application of the Law and Gospel to show the glory of our God...check out a local WELS church sometime, you might be surprised at the difference of the focus on Gospel.
Regards and blessings in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The new feminazi/peacenik/heretic ELCA hymnal has wandered far, far away from Lutheran and Christian "rootedness", "Bishop" April!!! That's even before one considers "gay" and New World Order issues, and bogus "full communion" agreements with the likes of the UCC and ECUSA/TEC.
The great majority of women bishops are total disasters. And April Ulring Larson was the first one in the ELCA. I'm surprised that she is still in office.
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