Spoiled Rotten

Our society has embraced the practice of providing whatever it is that our children want without question. Play Station, Xbox, and WII with all their inherent violence is offered as a substitute for the responsibility of parental nurturing and direction. Cell phones and any and all technological advances are offered as bribes so that parents need not bother themselves with “quality time” with their kids. It used to be that the television was called the babysitter, something to keep the kids attention while we attend to our own desires. Now there is so much technology to occupy our kids, we don’t even need to talk to them personally, as we can now simply text the daily instructions. Somehow this is considered adequate. Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging have replaced one on one conversation and include information that was at one time considered private and personal. Not only are our children spoiled, the ease in which we lavish gifts upon ourselves is utterly mind boggling. We lack for nothing in our modern society. Or do we?

Public school systems in major urban areas in the US typically have graduation rates less than 30%. Those institutions produce high school students that, on average, are reading at a 6th grade level or less. Many of these urban children come from impoverished single parent families that lack a father as a role model. Federal and state governments attempt to fill this void by subsidizing these low income families, apportioning them just enough to get by, but failing to provide enough assistance to eliminate the poverty that surrounds them. The government has decided to replace the ”nuclear family” by offering a subsistence existence by providing financial aid that, in effect, preserves a state of poverty. Politicians and advocates call our school system broken and look to place more public funding to “fix” the problem. This “new” single parent family, dependent upon government assistance, does little to install the values and morals that our God has placed before us. Deuteronomy 6:5-9, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

This self-centered society of ours relies upon secular values while it diminishes the role of our God. Placing God secondary to oneself is a recipe for disaster. The doctrine of bound conscience, so integral to the “new things” that the ELCA pronounces that God is telling them, is rooted in the worship of the self. This doctrine places man in authority of Scripture and in effect, of our God. God’s spoiled rotten children have become so enamored of themselves that they have the audacity to tell Him that they will not feel welcome in His church unless their immoral behavior is accepted as good in His sight. Some of us are apparently so used to getting our way, that they demand that God meets their criteria and the leadership of the ELCA bends over backwards to placate those who complain about “outdated rules”. Those unwashed and uneducated Apostles, overflowing with the power of the Holy Spirit, compile God’s word in the Holy Bible, and the ELCA is quick to proclaim that they would have no idea how modern man understands human sexuality. I’m sorry, but God made, not only the entire universe, but He created humankind with a word. Our God is intimately aware of human sexuality and took the time to inform those Apostles and other authors of Scripture of the importance of human sexuality and that it is a gift to be shared by one man and one woman within the bonds of holy matrimony.

Our God comes to us, offering eternal life, simply requiring that we believe and have faith in the Risen Christ, and there are those who will only accept this gift on their terms! And the ELCA is a willing accomplice to those who do not want to give up their sinful lives. Even though we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God, He welcomes us in spite of our shortcomings. The ELCA welcomes sinners, but deceives them with the promise to affirm them within their sin. There is no need for forgiveness for the leaders of the ELCA teach that there is no sin. Galatians 6:8, “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. “ By falling into the trap set by the evil one and placing human desires before our God’s law, the leaders of the ELCA sows to please the sinful nature, putting their membership at risk. Continue in prayer for those lost within the ELCA that they will see the Truth, turn away from the things of this world and return to the calling of pleasing the Spirit.