Megachurch pastor stuns congregation by announcing he’s converting to Catholicism

The Deacon's Bench ^ | March 10, 2014 | Deacon Greg Kandra

[NYer]

Details:

During his Sunday morning service, Ulf Ekman announced the he and his wife, Birgitta, are converting to Roman Catholicism.

Ekman is the founder of Word of Life, a megachurch in Uppsala, Sweden. News reports and blogs coming out of the nation reveal congregation was “partially stunned” after hearing what was packaged as a “special announcement.” The theme was “follow the Lamb wherever He goes.”

“For Birgitta and me, this has been a slow process where we have gone from discovering new things, to appreciating what we have discovered, to approach and even learn from our fellow Christians,” Ekman says on his ministry website.

“We have seen a great love for Jesus and a sound theology, founded on the Bible and classic dogma. We have experienced the richness of sacramental life. We have seen the logic in having a solid structure for priesthood, that keeps the faith of the church and passes it on from one generation to the next. We have met an ethical and moral strength and consistency that dare to face up to the general opinion, and a kindness towards the poor and the weak. And, last but not least, we have come in contact with representatives for millions of charismatic Catholics and we have seen their living faith.”

According to the Alethia blog and think tank, Ekman’s conversion is a news story that affects a relatively large part of Swedish Christianity. Word of Life has about 3,000 members and a staff of 12 pastors. The church’s school has about 1,000 students. Ekman also launched Scandinavia’s largest Bible school, constructed Scandinavia’s largest free church building, and rolled out a media program with TV on all continents, recorded teaching that has been spread around the world, books in 60 languages, and a strong engagement for Israel.

“We have as many know, followed Ekman’s steps towards Roman Catholicism since 2007, at times under a lot of ridicule from both members and leadership of the congregation, but also from others within the Christian Community in Sweden,” writes Andreas Glandberger, who operates the think tank. “Based on Ulf Ekman’s various articles, sermons, statements, and even type of organizations he decided to support financially, a painstaking puzzle has been laid in which the last piece of the puzzle now is in place.”

Glandberger went on to say that “shock, anger, sadness, despair and confusion” among the reactions to the news. Others, he writes, were relieved that Ekman’s long love affair with the Catholic Church finally was consummated openly, which is also a help in theological discussions.

Continue reading.

[wardaddy]

From what I have seen...most Lutherans here in US are apostate....aside from MOSYN

I saw a large convention of them in NOLA two years ago

Looked like those folks in North Carolina who cry over old growth forests long gone

The theme was diversity diversity diversity

Nauseating

Gray haired makeup less chubby women with Bob cuts and mandala and yellow toenails

Moonbeam teens

Skinny husbands wearing birkies and cardigans

You just know....

BTW...I went to a Catholic funeral in Mobile today...it was well done I thought.

[AliVeritas]

FYI.

The 2007 thread link to the original, theological satire site no longer works.

[AliVeritas]

What would a conservative Novus Ordo priest be?

Could you break that down for me re: examples?

You posted to this link:

This was a previous response I gave on the same topic on another swimmer thread:

“On my Catholic education:

8 years Catholic grade school

4 years Catholic high school

weekly CCD classes by quite conservative Novus Ordo RCC priest

parents subscribed to National Catholic Register, the Wanderer, Fidelity and The Remnant, and I read them while growing up

my parents fought the Novus Ordo modernism tooth and nail and are now in the SSPX - I would politiely challenge you to ask them if they considered me to be inadequately catechized

I subscribed to Fidelity and Remnant in undergrad college and never stopped contending against modernism in the Catholic Church.

---

What’s the point of repeated, yet different versions of this posted? Maybe i’m messing something.

Tell me about your conversion, that’s what i’d like to hear about. The path God put you on. I’m sure you’ve probably posted it a thousand times, so a previous link to my mail will work.

Should you wish to share it.

[Elsie]

Joel says MORMONs are Christians...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaE9w8RNJao

 

When I hear Mitt Romney say he believes that Jesus is the Son of God — that he’s the Christ, raised from the dead, that he’s his Savior, that’s good enough for me

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/pastor-joel-osteen-responds-to-backlash-for-saying-romneys-belief-in-christ-is-good-enough-for-him/

 

Well; the leaders of Romney's chosen church have said just a WEE bit more on the subject...

 

What Joseph Smith Means to Us  

 

 

 

 

"He (Joseph Smith) is the man through whom God has spoken... yet I would not like to call him a savior, though in a certain capacity he was a god to us, and is to the nations of the earth, and will continue to be."

- Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 8:321

 

 

 

 

"You call us fools; but the day will be, gentlemen and ladies, whether you belong to this Church or not, when you will prize brother Joseph Smith as the Prophet of the Living God, and look upon him as a god..."

- Herber C. Kimball, Journal of Discourses 5:88

 

 

 

 

"If we get our salvation, we shall have to pass by him [Joseph Smith]; if we enter our glory, it will be through the authority he has received. We cannot get around him [Joseph Smith]"

- (as quoted in 1988 Melchizedek Priesthood Study Guide, p. 142)

There is "no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith. If Joseph Smith was verily a prophet, and if he told the truth...no man can reject that testimony without incurring the most dreadful consequences, for he cannot enter the kingdom of God"

- Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p.190

 

 

 

 

"I tell you, Joseph holds the keys, and none of us can get into the celestial kingdom without passing by him. We have not got rid of him, but he stands there as the sentinel, holding the keys of the kingdom of God; and there are many of them beside him. I tell you, if we get past those who have mingled with us, and know us best, and have a right to know us best, probably we can pass all other sentinels as far as it is necessary, or as far as we may desire. But I tell you, the pinch will be with those that have mingled with us, stood next to us, weighed our spirits, tried us, and proven us: there will be a pinch, in my view, to get past them. The others, perhaps, will say, If brother Joseph is satisfied with you, you may pass. If it is all right with him, it is all right with me. Then if Joseph shall say to a man, or if brother Brigham say to a man, I forgive you your sins, "Whosoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them;" if you who have suffered and felt the weight of transgression—if you have generosity enough to forgive the sinner, I will forgive him: you cannot have more generosity than I have. I have given you power to forgive sins, and when the Lord gives a gift, he does not take it back again."

- Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p.154-155

 

 

 

 

"It is because the Lord called Joseph Smith that salvation is again available to mortal men.... If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation,"

- Bruce McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 396, 670

---

---

They succeeded in killing Joseph, but he had finished his work.

He was a servant of God, and gave us the Book of Mormon.

He said the Bible was right in the main, but, through the translators and others, many precious portions were suppressed, and several other portions were wrongly translated; and now his testimony is in force, for he has sealed it with his blood.

As I have frequently told them, no man in this dispensation will enter the courts of heaven, without the approbation of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Jun.

Who has made this so?

Have I?

Have this people?

Have the world?

No; but the Lord Jehovah has decreed it.

If I ever pass into the heavenly courts, it will be by the consent of the Prophet Joseph.

If you ever pass through the gates into the Holy City, you will do so upon his certificate that you are worthy to pass.

Can you pass without his inspection?

No; neither can any person in this dispensation, which is the dispensation of the fulness of times.

In this generation, and in all the generations that are to come, everyone will have to undergo the scrutiny of this Prophet.

They say that they killed Joseph, and they will yet come with their hats under their arms and bend to him; but what good will it do them, unless they repent?

They can come in a certain way and find favor, but will they?

Brigham Young,

--JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES, vol. 8, p. 224

[Elsie]

Well let’s not derail the good news of this thread but if you re-read this topic you’ll see a few cheap shots that are unrelated to the topic at hand.

A million here, a million there, pretty soon, you're talking real money.

-- Everett Dirksen

[RetiredArmy]

Amen to the great falling away. It is growing rapidly. About as fast as one of those flows from a volcano blowing its top.

[Elsie]

Protestant ministers have been molesting young people and children at a HIGHER rate than Catholic priests for many decades.

Even if we accept your statement here; with NO evidence shown; to be true; at least PROTESTants have no Catch and Release program!

[Elsie]

You are a bigot.

Tsk tsk...

And in the RELIGION forum; too!

[Elsie]

Dime to a dollar that his conversion is temporary.

Hungry wolves tend to go where the sheep are...

[Elsie]

That is why I can say with absolute assurance that there are two reasons Catholics become protestants:

1) un-confessed sin
2) Poor catechesis.

Dang!

You absolutely SURE you ain't a MORMON??

[Elsie]

If you guys don’t watch the news on TV; you are uninformed.

If you DO read the news in the papers; you are misinformed.

[Elsie]

The Catholic and the Protestant faiths all profess Jesus as the son of God....all baptize.

SLC preaches EXACTLY the same thing.

[Elsie]

The 2007 thread link to the original, theological satire site no longer works.

Let's see if I can get SOME of it to work....

I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. So I ran over and said, "Stop! Don't do it!"

"Why shouldn't I?" he said.

 

I said, "Well, there's so much to live for!"

He said, "Like what?"

 

I said, "Well...are you religious or atheist?"

He said, "Religious."

 

I said, "Me too! Are you Christian or Buddhist?"

He said, "Christian."

 

I said, "Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant?"

He said, "Protestant."

 

I said, "Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?"

He said, "Baptist!"

 

I said,"Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist Church of GOD or Baptist Church of the Lord?"

He said, "Baptist Church of GOD!"

 

I said, "Me too! Are you Original Baptist Church of GOD, or are you Reformed Baptist Church of GOD?"

He said,"Reformed Baptist Church of GOD!"

 

I said, "Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of GOD, reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of GOD, reformation of 1915?"

He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of GOD, reformation of 1915!"

 

I said, "Die, heretic scum", and pushed him off.

-- Emo Phillips

[for-q-clinton]

Where is your proof of that? And more importantly did the church and school board work to cover it up?

[brooklyn dave]

I am surprised that there was a mega-church in Sweden. I know that the Evangelical Lutheran church is the state church—but who goes to church in Sweden? Interesting that this guy’s wife’s name is Birgitta—she is the patron Saint of Sweden. She lived in the 1300s. Good luck. I wonder how many native Swedes are catholic? There is a huge immigrant population maybe some Italians, Spaniards Portuguese?

[verga]

I will pray that Jesus comes into your heart.

[Elsie]

Gee; Thanks!!!

I’ll pray that MORE mega-church leaders come to the loving arms of the Roman Catholic Church.

[Elsie]

NEWS!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[escapefromboston]

Ha! Thanks, that made me smile.

[escapefromboston]

I’ll take back the weeping but I stand by my gnashing of teeth comment.