Lutheran (EL
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.
Earlier in the day I received emails from two Voting Members who are utterly demoralized by all that has taken place. One had spoken several times on the assembly floor and was questioning if it was even worth the fight.
This, my friends, is the goal of the Enemy--to cause us to give in to despair, the evil twin of pride.
* as of August 19, AD 2009, a liberal protestant SECT, not part of the holy, catholic and apostolic CHURCH.
“Pr. Laurie Larson Caesar, Oregon. I serve a Lutheran/Roman Catholic parish; my colleague is a priest.”
How is this possible?
It is too late for the ELCA. Satan has been running the ELCA from its conception. It will only get worse. If you really cared about the people, you would encourage them to leave the ELCA.
Huh? What the heck?
Reply # 5 on the ALPB forum discussing this post is worth of wider distribution:
The Call for Unity:
To folks like Brian [a revisionist troll]:
The liberal activists who have dragged the ELCA over the edge say they need us who are orthodox. WHY?
Why do they call us to be in unity with them? Why do they say they need us?
They may need our money. They may need our numbers or our congregations. They may even need us to give them some theological cover. But they do not want us.
The anxious desire for unity does not extend beyond the institutional survival of the ELCA.
We who are bound by the WORD of God are ridiculed as “literalists” and “fundamentalists”.
We are maligned as “self-righteous” and “homophobic” and hateful.
Our concern that the ELCA has abandoned the authority of scripture as the norm for the practice of the faith is trivialized as “banning homosexuals” by you and others.
When we warn of theological heresy, we are dismissed as outdated people who need to be surprised by the Spirit and given a spiritual wedgie.
As orthodox seminarians can detail the ridicule they experience in ELCA seminarians these days, we can expect the same ridicule and pressure to conform.
I do not believe for an instance that the resolution 4 will have any effect in stopping the steamroller us “fundamentalists” will be under.
Once these policies are firmly in place, those “bound by conscience” will find no sympathy for their position.
While they talk of unity and a broad diversity, tolerance for those bound by the Word of God will evaporate.
All we have to do is listen to how ELCA leadership maligns Baptists and other Evangelical Christians to know how much loving unity will be extended to those “bound by conscience.”
All proclamations of unity are a farce. We do not have unity now. To talk of a broad diversity is inane. Two opposing truths cannot occupy the same space.
For those revisionists who trivialize this simply as a struggle over the issue of GLBT’s and dismiss our warnings that the ELCA has abandoned of the authority of Scripture in favor of human wisdom, WHY would you say you desire unity with Christians who hold such “outdated” beliefs?
WHY would you want unity with those who you applaud and cheer you have won a victory over?
If we are such wretched “hate-filled” believers, I cannot see why you would say you need us except to re-educate us.
WHY DO YOU WANT US IN THE ELCA?
You do not respect us. You do not want us derailing your agendas. You belittle the people in the pews as backwwards hicks.
Do not tell me we do not respect you either. We have listened to the revisionists. We have been impacted by your pleas to your antedotal stories, but we have found your eisegesis wanting.
And I will say it, no, I do not believe there is unity with those who overthrow the scriptures. If we do not have unity in the Faith and in the Word, we do not have unity in the Spirit.
For Brian and others, if you have not recognized - this has been a long time in coming from our perspective. It is the last straw.
For those who see themselves as orthodox, just like many warned the Concordat with the Episcopal Church would lead us to this drastic vote, this decision to overturn scripture will lead to growing universalism (See Mt 28:19-20 note in the Book of Faith Bible), introduction of neo-pagan rituals (See UCC) and continued erosion of Trinitarian language.
The buzz words of Lutheranism will remain, but increasingly the traits of being an ELCA Lutheran will be defined by their politically correct core values rather than the Lutheran Confessions. The ELCA will remain.
Few pastors will be willing to risk salary, pension and mobility to leave the ELCA.
Few congregations comfortable in their own context and actively ignoring the ELCA will feel the drive to take on synods to depart the ELCA.
The ELCA will remain a large institution, but the pretense of unity is shattered.
For those who leave a reinvigorated faith will emerge in the midst of struggle. This is the promise of Jeremiah 24:1-10.
Amen!
"...Voting Members who are utterly demoralized by all that has taken place...."
I beg all who are lurking to remember the pastor lightmans and their flocks in our prayers. Pray they remember that God is always with us even though he may seem distant.
- A couple of confirmation verses to remember:
"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
and also:
"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world."