Posted on 05/05/2009 11:08:28 AM PDT by SmithL
Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota is a congregation of the more conservative Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. It is not unusual these days to find families leaving the ELCA to join the church. However, a new member’s class at Bethlehem Lutheran is an unusual place to find young men from the ELCA’s Luther Seminary in Saint Paul. Pastor of the Church, Robert Krueger, says that he sees more ELCA students coming to his traditional and liturgical congregation. “They all have expressed a disappointment in the direction the ELCA is going, and its general disregard for the Bible as the Word of God.”
One of those seminary students, Barcon from Madagascar says, “The ELCA’s acceptance of practicing gay pastors and gay marriage would not happen in my region of the world. Even if the homosexual lifestyle is fully accepted by society, how can the Christian Church go against what is taught in the Bible? Even the un-churched know that this is not the teaching of God or of real Christianity.”
This doesn’t surprise Rev. Bill Sullivan, national service coordinator for Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, a young denomination established primarily for Churches leaving the ELCA. “For some time now we have gotten a few calls a day from congregations planning to leave the ELCA, who want to research their options.” These are mostly congregations that are planning to leave regardless of the outcome of the sexuality vote and he hears often from seminarians planning to leave the ELCA too.
Another edit of the “Draft Social Statement on Human Sexuality” was prepared by the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality and was released in February, 2009. As anticipated, it recommends the full acceptance of practicing gay pastors and gay marriage in a call to “the love of God and neighbor.”
In disagreement, ELCA Theologian Dr. Carl Braaten wrote, “The summary of the law is love to God and neighbor. This summary, however, does not nullify the force of the individual laws and commandments of God. They are binding on the people of God, the church of Jesus Christ. “ Braaten expresses concern that foreign missionaries would be at risk for persecution, particularly in Muslim lands, if the ELCA goes forward with the recommendation to fully embrace homosexuality. He also says that such a move would put the ELCA in impaired fellowship with most of the world’s Christians. He chides such a unilateral move as arrogant, disregarding Christians in the rest of the world.
Outside of the official “dialogue” in the ELCA, there is a silent conversation happening nation-wide. It may very well be a conversation that is underestimated in influence because it is not well publicized.
In 2005 and again in March of 2009, the ELCA has had to re-structure in light of financial constraints, eliminating nearly 100 high level positions. These were actions taken in both time of economic expansion and recession. In 2009, 5.6 million dollars was trimmed from the mission budget, a radio ministry was eliminated, and significant cutbacks in hunger appeal funding were introduced. Most of the ELCA’s seminaries have also made significant cuts, as well as the ELCA publishing house Augsburg Fortress. The ELCA continues its “contingency budget planning” in preparation for the upcoming sexuality vote.
Since 2001, the ELCA reports a loss of 400,078 members. In 2007, on any given Sunday, only 28.9% of ELCA’s 4,709,956 members attend services. This is a steady annual drop in Church attendance, and leads many to theorize that the trends suggest the loss is far higher than the ELCA is able to quantify.
John Brooks, ELCA communications director says that all of these things have nothing to do with the protracted debate in the ELCA on homosexuality. He points to the economic recession that engulfs all of America right now. He also maintains that the loss of membership recorded for the last 7 years is due to congregations “clearing their rolls of inactive members” and is relatively equivalent to membership losses experienced across the mainline churches.
Brooks echoes the sentiments represented in a recent Public Religion Research survey of Mainline Pastors, including ELCA pastors. 46% of those surveyed do not believe that the mainline churches are declining because they are becoming theologically liberal. In fact, 47% thinks that the decline has been caused by a loss of courage among the churches to take prophetic stands for justice.
Mark Hanson, presiding Bishop of the ELCA, has consistently and strongly urged his clergy to take prophetic stands on social justice issues. At the same time, he has asked his members not to let the ELCA’s position on homosexuality to detract from all the good work the denomination does. “The issue of homosexuality in this Church is not all that we are,” he says.
But to many in his flock it seems the conflict has consumed the church, has depleted valuable resources, tarnished the ELCA name, and has overtaken the Christian priority of bringing people to Christ. For them, the ELCA has indeed become too liberal. Many of the polite and gracious people of the ELCA, primarily of quiet and reserved Scandinavian background, are more apt to vote with their feet and pocketbooks than to engage a fight with denominational polity.
An 82 year-old great grandmother from California, who was a Lutheran long before the inception of the ELCA, says that people aren’t leaving just because of the recommended position on homosexuality. She wrote, “The ELCA has become a social justice advocacy group, where political activism trumps good theology and scholarship, and liberalism and social justice have replaced the Gospel.” Like the young seminary students seeking Lutheran churches with traditional values and theology, she intends to remain a Lutheran if her congregation leaves the ELCA.
Pastors and Theologians who have advocated reforming the ELCA rather than leaving it, are beginning to concede that the conflict is not about sexuality. It is really about broad irreconcilable differences in how traditionalists and progressives understand the authority and interpretation of the Bible. They maintain that the authority of Scripture is a core value that cannot be negotiated and that abandoning teachings accepted for thousands of years destroys the foundation for fellowship articulated in the ELCA constitution. For many of them, the mergers that formed the 20 year old ELCA have proven to be a mistake.
Judging from these “silent conversations,” it appears that the ELCA may have underestimated the true cost to pursuing this particular social justice agenda. 7 years is a long time to fight in a Church about homosexuality, no matter what side you are on. The damage already done may be irreversible. Few congregations can survive such a church fight, and even if they do, their success in the long-run is often in doubt.
The ELCA is quick to dismiss such a dismal prognosis, but right now things are not looking good for them as they clamor to plug the dikes in what is shaping up to be a tsunami of members leaving the denomination.
“The issue of homosexuality in this Church is not all that we are,” he says.
My dad, a retired ELCA pastor, sent me this email:
“EVERY TIME HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVIOR IS MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE, IT IS
CONDEMNED! That is a very strong statement and one with meaning!
The Holy Bible always treats heterosexuality as normative:
See I Cor. 7; Eph 5 and I Peter 3.
Old Testament references to read:
Genesis 19:4-5 Their sin is homosexuality
Leviticus 19:22
Leviticus 20:13
New Testament references to read:
Romans 1:18-19
1:21
1:24
1:26-27
I Cor. 6:9-11 A very significant reference.
I Cor. 6:16-20 and
I Tim 1:9-11
I began - and now I will close - with the very powerful reminder
that EVERY TIME HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVIOR IS MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE, IT IS
CONDEMNED!”
Please use these verses, when trying to persuade people that no Christian church should consider ordaining gays.
Look at the strife it causes. It tears apart any organization that embraces, or even compromises it. Not because God curses them. But because of what homosexuality does to people.
Come to the WELS. We too are losing youth. The jury is still out on my own, sad to say. But then I think back to my own younger days. If the Lord could rescue me from that pit, then best not to give up on them.
I was in the LCA. Am now a WELS pastor in a very liberal area of CA. We are not ashamed of the Gospel. The LC-MS congregation has suffered one pastor problem after another. Too bad, we need a strong LC-MS congregation here for the many who wouldn’t think of the WELS. In any case, it is a blessing to see the devotion of our families and individuals as they come together for mutual encouragement, seeking to serve, in this difficult area.
In Dante’s Inferno there is a special place in Hell for corrupt church leaders (granted they were all Catholic, but that was his environment). While I do blame the people for moving away from God, I blame the church leaders even more for LEADING them away. Liberal church leaders are perverting doctrine in order to convince the people that they’re still within God’s teachings all the while being completely out of it.
ELCA is in “full communion” with the Episcopal Cult, the original “Gay Church.”
You are correct, but also the people that are wanting this have itchy ears, and their leaders tell them what they want to hear.
Ha ha ha ... have never heard the term “itchy ears”, but it does describe who they are. Unfortunately, there are church leaders who are all too willing to facilitate their desires in order to maintain power.
I’ve very lucky to be a member of a parish whose priest is very willing to speak REAL Biblical truth. He’s a very devout man. (had to chuckle this past Sunday when he scolded the people coming in late to Mass .. explained that it was counter to the purpose of coming to Mass)
The ‘itchy ears” reference in from Scripture.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 For the time will come when they will not endure the sound doctrine; but, having itching ears, will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn aside unto fables.
Beautiful!
How about this pastoral Society that adds about 10% to its membership at every annual General Retreat?
Strange as a reform movement within a reform movement may sound, there is a pan-Lutheran (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) oratory of biblically conservative, liturgically steeped clergy that has gathered for mutual support and to resist the tide of modernity.
I encourage you to check out the website of the Society of the Holy Trinity http://www.societyholytrinity.org Read the page on "The Rule" http://www.societyholytrinity.org/rule.htm, paying particular attention to the section entitled "Parish Practices".Members of the Society are deeply committed to the weekly Eucharist, Private Confession and Absolution, and the public recitation of the Daily Office
Then look at the membership directory http://www.societyholytrinity.org/stswebdirectory.htm to see if there are any STS members serving a congregation within a reasonable driving distance. Although not every parish is practicing every aspect of the Rule at this time, most subscriber clergy are committed to working toward those goals and have a deliberate plan to achieve them incrementally. These clergy would be delighted to receive visitors and/or new members who share those commitments.
Like you, they are somewhat embattled. They would welcome your support and you would benefit from their ministry.
Oh, my. Do you mean to tell me that Bible-believing Lutherans are not satisfied with the ELCA “brand”?
The people running ELCA today talk about the Church as is it is just another commodity, another brand—like cigarettes, soap powder, or automobiles.
The Church is no longer your family, your Christian community, your spiritual home, your place of solace and love. It is a BRAND!
And they think their marketing techniques are going to make a difference.
This is ridiculous secular pap for the masses!
Can you translate this from the article: ‘prophetic stands for justice’.
Brandmark
ELCA emblem, tagline and graphic standards
A brief sermon about a brand: Before we talk about the importance of a brandmark, we should start at the beginning with a brief explanation of just what a brand is. In a simple sense, a brand is the meaning behind logos and products.
Organizations are brands, too. They have similar goals as companies in that they want people to see their organizations as more than the brick and mortar that make up their operations.
The ELCA, like any church, is also a brand. The foundation for building a strong brand identity is the brandmark. And consistency is the key to our effectiveness. All of us need to follow these guidelines to present a consistent appearance and message to both members and non-members throughout the world. Variations to the brand mark, even slight, can cause confusion, and give the impression of disorganization.
Open borders, gay agenda, immediate withdraw from Iraq-—you know, the Obama playbook.
Ironic, isn't that, coming from an organization that otherwise celebrates "diversity" and "inclusiveness" and encourages "local option" with regard to disciplining non-chaste clergy.
A couple months ago a letter went out to every congregation insisting that all web sites and stationary be redesigned to add the words "God's work, our hands" beneath the logo.
Round file for that one.
Sorry Mark, but it IS all you are. Recycling milk jugs and embracing Homo's yes those are the worlds most important issues today!
I figured that from the ‘justice’ part, but how does that qualify on the ‘prophetic’ count?
“Prophetic” as in false prophets and blind guides.
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