Don't Ask, Don't Tell

After much debate, Congress eventually passed the “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” bill that allowed gays to enlist in the military. Recently, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that ruling, allowing gays to serve openly. Far too many ELCA pastors also evoke the, “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy. These pastors don't tell their congregants about the doctrinal shifts in the ELCA and they don’t respond when asked about it. They will ignore your concerns, and will stand mute if confronted with the false gospel that the ELCA is peddling, instead complementing the ELCA for promoting a "big tent" and a "diversity of opinions". Unfortunately for them, our Lord has not altered His ruling on the responsibilities of pastors to lead their flocks. 1 Peter 5:2-3, “Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock." What kind of example is a pastor that refuses to challenge false doctrine? When we confess our sins, we pray, “We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone”. When the shepherd of his or her flock fails to lead by example, what does this say to those that God has entrusted them with?

What of those pastors and bishops who are very well aware of the ELCA’s descent into apostasy? Why do these frightened pastors and bishops fail to trust the Lord and worry more about their “job” status than their promise to the Lord? If their pastoral responsibility and obligation to serve the Lord is just a job to them, then they are in the wrong profession. What else does the Lord command those who have a responsibility to their flocks? Ezekiel 34:2-4, 8-10, “This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the shepherds of Israel who only take care of themselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 10 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.” The clergy who fail to trust in the Lord and cite that they answer to their bishop and not their congregations, are not serving the Lord. When someone declares an oath to the Lord to dedicate their lives to serving Him and instead chooses to serve the ELCA, they will be held accountable by our Lord and will be due the just punishment for their selfishness.

Pastors that uphold their responsibilities to serve the Lord and protect their congregations from false doctrine are being persecuted by the leadership of the ELCA. Any pastor with the temerity to challenge the ELCA’s shift away from the traditional Lutheran doctrines are being called before their respective bishops and face being charged with conduct unbecoming a pastor. Matthew 5: 10-12, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  It should be a badge of honor to be persecuted for proclaiming the Gospel of Christ, but precious few of our pastors will stand up for the Lord. What of those leaders of the Lord’s Church, the ELCA bishops that are charged to safeguard our church’s doctrine and enforce discipline against false doctrine? How can those that advocate the disregard of Scripture and elevation of secular values above God’s word, enforce discipline? Luke 17:2, “Jesus said to his disciples: "Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come.”

The leaders of the ELCA are causing their membership to fall into sin by disregarding God’s law and elevating an earthly authority that they call “bound conscience”. The leaders of the ELCA are intimidating their clergy into denying our Lord and Savior and acquiescing to this doctrinal shift that diminishes the Lord’s role in our faith. The buck stops here! If one has to choose between an earthly establishment that is the ELCA or proclaiming the Lord’s Word, there is no choice, especially for those who have accepted the call to dedicate their lives to serving the Lord. It is time to turn away from the ELCA and lead your flocks to the safety of a denomination that is true to the Lord. It is time to challenge this false gospel that the leaders of the ELCA are perpetrating upon their membership. Galations 1:10, “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Lead your flock, proclaim His word, and serve the Lord.