Something profound has happened inside portions of American Christianity. The church was once understood as a place where sinners came to encounter a Savior who loved them enough to change them. Increasingly, however, some mainline denominations appear to be embracing a very different message: come as you are--and expect the church to affirm you as you are. That distinction may sound subtle. It is not. It represents a fundamental change in what Christianity is supposed to accomplish. One of the clearest examples can be seen in the direction of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the people shaping its...