Neither Rhyme nor Reason

The term, neither rhyme nor reason, usually credited to Shakespeare, was first coined in 1460 by John Russell in the “Boke of Nurture”. This quaint saying means that which has neither rhyme nor reason makes no sense, from either a poetic or logical standpoint. As the leaders of the ELCA pilot their church into the raging sea of apostasy, so many of their membership blindly accept false doctrine. ELCA Bishop Mark Hanson states that the gospel of radical inclusiveness is equal to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, explaining that one cannot exist without the other and many accept this as sound doctrine. The leaders of the ELCA proclaim that God is now telling them a new thing, that the Bible is simply a book of faith stories written by men that could not possibly understand this enlightened present age and this also resonates as truth to those that trust their church's leaders. So, armed with this new "truth", God’s law is voted out by man and instead of standing up for God’s word, the leaders of the ELCA fiddle away while Rome burns. This makes no sense whatsoever.

While the ELCA publicly pronounces that they profess their faith in a manner that pleases God, in reality the leadership accepts many versions of Christianity, including pagan goddess worship. Up is down and down is up. As Christians we are freely offered the grace of God, eternal life with our Father in heaven, if only we believe and have faith in the Risen Christ. In the ELCA that is not necessarily true, since the leadership will also accept other paths to one’s salvation, but do include the caveat that Christianity is a “better way”. I’ve been taught and accept that there is only one way. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” When my Lord and Savior tells me that He is the way and the truth and the life and without faith in Him there is no salvation, that’s good enough for me.

There are those that are much too trusting of this church and accept these new and modern doctrines that contradict our Lord's commands. There is a reason that we need to dwell in His word to discover what our God is really telling us. Failure to engage in regular Bible reading or Bible study will make us vulnerable to false teachings.  Learn and know His truth and you will be better equipped to recognize false teachings. We are made a “new creation” when we allow God to mold us in His image. He is not now telling us something new, He has told us what He expects of us in His word. He, who made the whole universe and created the earth and all that is in it, justly has all authority to place His laws before us. God has every expectation that His children will endeavor to obey His laws. In this present age we are not so enlightened to disregard that which our Father has commanded. Every generation seems to believe that they have reached the pinnacle of enlightenment until they are proven woefully wrong. This generation of progressive religious leaders that direct the ELCA think that they know more than God Himself, are sadly mistaken.

So, for what reason would the leadership of the ELCA accept as appropriate doctrine, that which God prohibits? Why would paths other than through faith in the Risen Christ be acceptable? Why do we pray the Lord’s Prayer and the Creeds if they are not that important to the ELCA? Jesus said in John 8:31-32, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” His truth is written in the words of the Holy Bible. His word is there for all ages. The word is alive and speaks to each one of us if only we read and accept. Our God, through the Holy Spirit is with us always and we need only to listen with our hearts. Plain and simple, the leaders of the ELCA have watered down the Christian faith that they profess by accepting that which God does not. It is all well and good to publicly state their faith appropriate to what has been taught by our Lord. It is problematic that they also consider and support doctrine that places the very salvation of their members at risk. Paul said it well in 1 Timothy 1:3-7, “As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer, 4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work—which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.” It has become obvious that by accepting doctrine that is contrary to God’s law the ELCA is engaged in meaningless talk, confidently affirming their false teachings, all the while betraying themselves and their membership. The time has come to turn away from this misguided denomination, continuing to pray that they will come to understand their error and return to the Lord.