[MarilynBr]

False doctrine is true. Some ELCA pastors in my area are teaching that it was necessary for Christ to die, but it is not necessary for people to believe in him in order to be saved.

[Nosterrex]

This is form of universalism. Christ died for all sins including the sin of unbelief. Everyone will be saved, regardless of their beliefs or actions, by grace for the sake of Christ's suffering and death. If this is so, why bother evangelizing? In fact, why even have a church? It seems that God wasted much ink by inspiring men to record the necessity of faith. Here is THE problem. There is no salvation OUTSIDE of Christ. All who are saved are saved IN Christ. Salvation or justification is not some extrinsic to Christ. Faith unites us with Christ in which we receive what Christ has achieved for us.