Moral Compass

 

New morality fails the smell test.

Humankind, as it continues to advance into a new enlightened age, has determined that gender is no longer a biological reality. In a few short years, gender dysphoria morphed from a diagnosed mental disorder to being celebrated as heroic and normal, replete with school curriculum adapted to this new reality. It has become all-important to those on the left that children be indoctrinated into accepting this abhorrent ideology. In fact, anyone can choose to change their gender at a moment’s notice and that decision must be respected. That person’s chosen pronouns must be accepted and any deviation from their preferred terminology, or what is now referred to as misgendering, by any person addressing that person will be promptly corrected, and in some states, remedied with a court summons for the “misgenderer.” Transgender activists make certain to call out any who fail to accept their “truth”.

Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:15-20. Our society boasts many false prophets today, and many have not only fallen for their deceptions but further promulgate their lies. Far too many mainstream churches misdirect the call to love your neighbor as a command to affirm them in their sin. Love of neighbor is important, cited by Jesus as the second most important commandment. Loving your neighbor and affirming them within their sinful proclivities are two entirely different things. Reach out in love to open a door to repentance.

“Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind of the flesh is hostile to God: It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.  Those controlled by the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8: 5-8. Those who are consumed by their sexuality, engage in the LGTBQI+ lifestyle, or choose to disregard their birth gender are indeed ruled by the flesh. Pleasing God is not on their radar, their chosen sexual preference or identity rules their lives. This places themselves, their personal ideology, and their identity above God. Many of the choices we make are not always pleasing to our Lord and Savior. Deliberate and continued disobedience is another story. Fail as we may to live a life pleasing to God, we recognize and acknowledge our sinful behavior, repent, and endeavor to follow the path that is pleasing to our God.

God declares that the sacrament of marriage is created for one man and one woman. “Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh.” Matthew 19:4-6. Together they comprise a team that procreates and shares the responsibility to instill faith, morals, and to nurture their children. With the rise of transgenderism, government endeavors to usurp the parental role and advance and instill morals contrary to parental desires. In an age where schools cannot give a student an aspirin or go on a field trip without parental consent, concealing something as life-altering as a child choosing to deny their biological gender from their parents, is insane.  

In our natural state, we are enemies of God. Our minds focus inward toward ourselves and not outward to God. There is an emptiness in our souls that can only be filled by Jesus Christ and His everlasting love. Our minds are not right until we finally give in and let Jesus be the Lord of our lives. Transgenderism is all about a mind that believes their physical being, crafted intricately by God in their mother’s womb, is not the person that they truly are. Their physical being is as it was intended but, their mind is at war, not only with God, but with themselves. Once one’s mind becomes right with God, any confusion about your physical being is cleared away. The transgender community and those who promote this insanity are living a lie. They are unduly influenced and led astray by the evil one. Once you please God, you will be pleased yourself. And what are we, as Christians, called to do with our brothers and sisters led astray? Love them as you love yourself. All of us are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. The church and faith community must welcome all sinners, no matter what.

We must open a door for all to come to Christ, not build a wall with misdirected judgementalism. It is not our task to judge our neighbors. “A servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing (patient). He must gently reprove (engage in discourse with) those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.” 2 Timothy 2:24-26. We should never be accusatory when engaging with our confused brothers and sisters. We need to channel the love of Christ and be forgiving. But, turning a blind eye is not an option. We cannot stand by idly and allow them to be lost to the evil one. Love them, pray with and for them, but do not affirm their disobedience. Affirm that God loves them and has a place for them in His heavenly kingdom. Our mission is to plant the seed and let the Holy Spirit work to restore their soul.

Casualties of Tolerance

In every game there are winners and losers. Someone always ends up at an advantage, while someone else ends up licking their wounds. President Obama is fond of citing the travails of the middle class and the poor, blaming the wealthy for taking more than their “fair share” and succeeding on the backs of those less privileged. Political correctness is out of control in the world. The word police are out in force and it seems as if there is always someone or some protected group that is offended by some “hate speech” that was never intended to harm anyone. One must always be extremely careful to properly articulate so that those perennially disrespected factions are not incited into organized protests, costing you your job or worse. Jude 1:14-16, “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.”

The purveyors of racial bigotry are no longer just the one’s wearing the white hoods. They now don fine suits and belong to organizations such as the “Rainbow Coalition” and are summarily declared civil rights activists. Racism is no longer under the dominion of white supremacists. The Al Sharpton’s and Jesse Jackson’s of the world have taken the lead and foment racial anger, while promoting themselves rather than racial injustice. In Milwaukee a police officer is fired after he shot to death an unarmed black man. This after the police chief stated that the shooting was justified. There is much information about this incident that has not been made public. Notwithstanding that the grand jury has yet to recommend any punitive action nor has the district attorney issued any charges against the officer, civil rights activists are not satisfied and demand that the fired officer be charged with homicide. The investigation into the truth of this tragic incident remains unresolved, but innuendo and conflicting witness accounts drive the mob. This impatient gang of protesters cannot wait for the wheels of justice to complete its’ journey before flying off the deep end. Philippians 2:14-16, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.” As happens much too frequently in our society, the squeaky wheel gets the grease and someone loses his job. But, why wait for the truth to come out. It is much easier, more politically expedient to kick the can down the road, fire the “bad apple” and let someone else take the heat.

Proponents of gay marriage take to the courts and only request “fairness” from the courts. After all, doesn’t everyone know, or know someone, or know someone who knows someone who knows a gay person? A recent poll by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) showed that less than 1.5% of those polled self-identified as LGTBQ. Secular society is determined to normalize alternative lifestyles, but those efforts are being driven by the smallest of minorities. How could a same-sex couple be satisfied with a civil union that affords all the benefits of marriage according to humankind’s laws? Those in Hollywood would lead one to believe that homosexuality is not only mainstream, but that it has quite a large constituency. Perhaps, in Hollywood it does, but not in conventional America. Constitutional amendments, enacted to safeguard the sanctity of marriage, blessed by God, between a man and a woman, so that they may love one another, have children, and raise them together, are rendered null and void by the opinion of human judges. Furthermore, some of God’s churches side with the secular world and open the doors to make human selfishness right and salutary as unrepentant homosexuals are welcomed into the pulpit and accepting homosexuality is celebrated as appropriate to properly love their neighbor. We need to bring our neighbor to the Lord, so that they can leave their life of selfishness behind, not promote that fellow believers return to their lives of selfishness and deny our Savior. The ELCA, for instance, bends over backwards to reinterpret God’s word and contrives nonsensical doctrine to uphold their flawed interpretations. 2 John 1:9-11, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.”

When we worship at the altar of tolerance, the only one who is harmed is ourselves. Satan spins lies and works to get us to believe that what is right is wrong and what is wrong is right. He uses our innate selfishness to trick us into believing that we are wiser than our God. He is getting rather good at it lately as even men and women of God turn the tables and enact errant doctrine that drives a wedge between them, their congregants and God. The plight of the Palestinians, yeah those same people who rejoiced on the streets on 9-11 and allow rockets to be launched at Israel daily, is now championed by none other than the ELCA. God’s chosen are reviled and the leadership of the ELCA encourages an embargo on all goods manufactured by Israel. Is it no coincidence that many in Hollywood share this opinion? The ELCA protects a woman’s “right” to murder their unborn child by providing health care that covers abortions. The ELCA abandons Christ’s command to bring the lost to Him and make disciples of all nations by slashing missionary support and calling their world mission effort “accompaniment.” At least the secular world will approve of ending Christian evangelism.

The real losers in all this are those who sit in ELCA pews, believing that they are being fed the bread of life, when they are simply buying in to the secular rhetoric spewed by the leadership of the ELCA. The devil himself could not come up with a better plan to lead the faithful into the abyss. Jeremiah 5:21-22, 31-32, “Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear: “Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord. “Should you not tremble in my presence?” A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?” Pray unceasingly for our brothers and sisters in Christ to see the truth and be rescued from these charlatans that would lead them away from Him.

Peaks and Valleys

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-38.

Our lives have many peaks and valleys, ebbs and flows. Our highs can be as brilliant as the sun, while we can also fall into the utter darkness of our lows. No matter how hard we try, some things will always be out of reach. Even our greatest successes come with the realization that our journey is not complete. Reaching the mountain peak ends with the trip back down that is just as arduous, perhaps even more dangerous than our ascent. No matter what achievements we accomplish, there is another hurdle waiting for us to conquer. No measure of fame or fortune will ever fully satisfy our longing. We were carefully crafted by our Creator. There is a deliberate emptiness ingrained into our souls that can be filled with the one and only thing that truly completes us.

Problem is, we need to deny our very self in order to welcome this life saving thing into our lives. Our selfish nature fights against giving in to the very thing that can truly fill our empty hearts. Self-preservation is the natural state of humanity and giving up our autonomy grates against that fact. What is so special about this thing that saves us from ourselves? That one special thing that your heart longs for is the saving grace of Jesus Christ. How do we get it? Open your heart and allow Jesus Christ to enter your heart. What is the cost? The cost was already borne by a Savior that stood in for you. When we come to the realization that we are bound to sin and cannot free ourselves without His saving grace, we can finally let go. No matter what we do, we cannot earn our salvation. No matter what we say can free us from the condemnation that is the consequence for our actions and inactions.
But, when Jesus was nailed to that cross, He took with Him all of our sins. He freely substituted Himself for us and accepted the punishment we rightly deserve. Three days after His death His resurrection opened the door to eternity for each and every one of us. How can this be? Don’t we have to earn this grace? Don’t we have to obey all the rules? It is simply having faith in the Risen Savior. That’s all. Allow Christ into your heart and let Him fill you with the joy of your salvation.

So many in the secular world decry Christianity as simply a religion of rules that cannot be kept, a religion that is critical of non-believers, and a religion that excludes, rather than welcomes. Why would anyone choose to belong to an organization with people who cannot even remotely live up to the commandments they profess to believe and revere? Because it is not about us. Because we are every bit as sinful as those who do not know Christ. Because nothing we can do or say can earn even a portion of the grace granted those who believe in God’s one true Son. Yet, the only thing God asks in return for this gift is your heart. When you believe in the Risen Christ, all is granted to you. When you step away from the shackles of this life that constantly pull you down and accept the freedom that comes with giving your heart to Christ, a great weight is lifted. When you realize that God is in control, the emptiness fades. From Casting Crowns praise hymn, "All You’ve Ever Wanted", “All You've ever wanted, all You've ever wanted, all You've ever wanted was my heart. Freedom's arms are open, my chains have all been broken. Relentless love has called me from the start. And all You wanted was my heart. I was chasing healing when I'd been made well. I was fighting battles when You conquered hell. Living free but from a prison cell, Lord, I lay it down today. So I'll stop living off of how I feel and start standing on Your truth revealed. Jesus is my strength, my shield and He will never fail me. No more chains, I've been set free. No more fighting battles You've won for me. Now in Christ, I stand complete.”

Mainline Protestant churches fight to stem the loss of members by watering down the Truth, choosing to fight for social justice rather than proclaiming the Gospel, affirming sinful behavior rather than standing for the authority of Scripture and acquiescing to secular society rather than leading the lost to Christ. The leaders of the ELCA, UCC and Episcopal churches have lost their way. Far too many of our brothers and sisters in Christ have put their trust in churches that are leading them away from the Truth. Pray for those adrift in the heresies promoted by these errant denominations, that they open their hearts, eyes and minds and return to the path that the Lord has set before them. “Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32.

Righting Wrongs

The old proverb goes, “Two wrongs do not make one right.” Stating otherwise is simply advancing a faulty argument. To advocate that when one is wronged it is appropriate to commit another wrong to that person to in order to even things out is illogical, at best. This misconception has been fully discredited since committing a wrongful action is not a morally appropriate way to rectify a previous wrongful action. Thomas Hobbes, a 16th century liberal philosopher, conceived a notion that if a moral standard or common social rule is violated enough in society, then an individual or group within society can break that standard or rule as well, because this prevents them from being unfairly disadvantaged. Apparently, Saul Alinsky was not the first to come up with rules for radicals. In the real world this way of thinking can only serve to get one in trouble. See how this way of thinking will work with your local police. “Officer, everyone else goes 20 MPH over the speed limit on this road” will not justify your actions and will definitely result in a speeding citation for you.

There are many erroneous assumptions one may make to justify wrongful conduct, but fact of the matter is, as Christians, we are called to a higher standard. Our Lord and Savior did not tell us to strike out at those that would harm us, Jesus said in Matthew 5:39-42, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

Unfortunately, illogical arguments permeate our society as from those who choose to surrender to their human cravings, yet argue that those cravings, no matter how depraved, must be accepted by society and even God’s church. Murdering an unborn child becomes acceptable because a woman has the right to choose what to do with her body. Too bad the child is left without a voice in the matter. Homosexuality morphs from an abomination to a “loving monogamous relationship between two persons of the same gender.” And most troubling of all, many progressive churches have minimized our Lord and Savior and pushed Him to the back of the bus in our all-knowing, enlightened new world religious order.

The ELCA promotes a “Big Tent” embracing any number of interpretations of Scripture and welcomes diverse opinions on theology, even some that deny the very truths of the faith. Jesus dealt with those on the fringe of society, in need of healing of mind, spirit and body. He embraced those shunned by society, healing lepers, eating with tax collectors and walking with Samaritans. Each of those He encountered were made whole again, not by affirming them within their sin, but forgiving their sin, lifting up their faith and leading them to embrace obedience of God’s law. The leaders of the ELCA deceive those searching for God and craving forgiveness by reaching out with their imperfect love and affirming behavior that is prohibited by God. Instead of reaching out and leading them to Christ, they direct them to the wide road that leads to destruction. Repent is not a word that has any meaning with this heretical church. Ignoring sin while affirming the sinner is far easier, although falling membership numbers indicate that not all agree it best to deny our Savior in order to lift up the selfish desires of humanity.

The leaders of the ELCA wrong the faithful, by leading them to believe that their desires for themselves are the same as God’s desires for His children by adhering to the false doctrine of bound conscience. They further commit the gravest wrong of all to their membership when they choose to promote a social gospel rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Indeed, two wrongs do not make a right. It serves only the evil one when they promote a gospel that leads God’s children astray. Zephaniah 3:1-5, “Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God. Her officials within her are roaring lions; her rulers are evening wolves, who leave nothing for the morning. Her prophets are unprincipled; they are treacherous people. Her priests profane the sanctuary and do violence to the law.” While these verses refer to the people in the city of Jerusalem, they follow perfectly the path that the leaders of the ELCA have chosen from their tower in the city of Chicago. How is God's sanctuary defiled by improper teaching and preaching? And how vile are the comments to those who offer correction? Who says the Bible is not pertinent to today? From this, less than well known, book of the Old Testament comes a prophesy meant for today. Continue in prayer for our brothers and sisters adrift in the apostasy that so permeates the ELCA. Pray that God opens their hearts and minds to His truth and leads them to a safe haven away from these false gospels.

A New Creation

Our family just welcomed our fifth grandchild, Kyle Frederick, middle named in honor of my late father-in-law. Kyle was scheduled to arrive 3 days before my birthday, but decided to give my wife a special birthday present and come into this world on her birthday. He truly is a gift from God. I marvel at how such a tiny human being will grow to be an adult someday. God is great all the time and I am so thankful for all the gifts he has given me and my family.

The leaders of the ELCA proclaim lots of new creations these days. Each time the secular world decides to embrace what our Lord prohibits, they decide that now God is telling them “new things” that allow them to support those secular ideals. 1 John 4:1, 5, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.” It would appear that the all-knowing leaders of the ELCA fail that smell test. Murdering the unborn becomes a woman’s right to choose and the child is depersonalized and described as fetal tissue. Even the ELCA health insurance plan covers any and all abortion procedures. Homosexuality becomes a loving monogamous relationship between persons of the same gender. Church doctrine is then contrived in order to allow the ELCA to lift up and affirm behavior specifically prohibited in Scripture to show the world how welcoming and tolerant they are. Masculinity is offensive to the feminists and God becomes a woman with pagan goddess worship replacing God in the church’s liturgy. Acknowledging that humans are by nature sinful and unclean harms the self-esteem of those wanting to be affirmed within their sin and confession and absolution is made optional. Satan serves up the Kool-Aid and the enlightened leaders of the ELCA can’t drink enough.

We are all made a new creation the day we, through the power of the Holy Spirit, come to believe that God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ took our sins to the cross, suffered the penalty we deserved, died and rose again, opening the door for us to have eternal life with our Father in Heaven. Whatever we were prior to that time dies and we are born again to love and serve the One who gave His life so that we may live. Every verse of Scripture does indeed speak to us. What the leaders of the ELCA call so quaintly a book of faith stories, is the blueprint that God gave His children to help us lead godly lives. Certainly, God is not asleep at the wheel and if you open your hearts and minds, He will speak to you.

Artwork done by grandson Jack, July 2012.


Jack and Ian, Kyle’s six year old twin brothers, are as different as can be. Jack is very analytical and deliberate, while the elder Ian shoots from the hip, tending to be more reactionary. Grandma and grandpa were spending time with the twins to keep them occupied while mom recovers from the delivery. Grandma was tasked to put the boys to bed and was going to pray the standard, Now, I lay me down to sleep prayer, when Jack asked for a special prayer. Grandma prayed a short prayer asking for healing of Kyle’s diaper rash, for mom to recover, for forgiveness for any misbehavior, and thanks for all of God’s gifts to them. After praying, Jack said, “When you are listening, Jesus can talk to you. He told me what you were going to pray before you said it. Jesus is in your heart, but he is also in your head.” Out of the mouths of babes. Grandma affirmed that God can talk to you if you truly listen. Jack again said that Jesus really did talk to him. Ian was skeptical and raised his doubts, but Jack was steadfast, certain that Jesus is alive and speaks to all His children, if we only listen.

Perhaps as we get older, our ability to hear our Savior speak wanes with all the distractions of our busy lives. Sometimes we need to listen with that innocence of a child, with the faith that He is present in our lives. Jesus speaks to us in many different ways. Each opportunity to serve is an invitation from our Lord to do as He would do. Each prayer we offer is answered, sometimes very obviously, sometimes not always as we would want them to be answered, but we always ask to do what is His will, not ours. From the praise hymn, He is Here, “He is here, He is near us, in our hearts, in our lives, in our midst. He is here, He is near us, calling us to trust in Him.” Talk to the Lord. Offer your prayers. He will answer if we only listen.

Deliberate Inaction

The late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a man who transformed society by not just talking the talk, but walking the walk of Jesus Christ. Dr. King influenced generations with his words and deeds. “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.” He was calling out those that stand by when their brothers and sisters in Christ were treated unjustly, simply because of the color of their skin, and turning their heads away as if they could not see. Jesus said in Matthew 25:46, “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” Far too often we turn a blind eye to man’s injustice to his fellow man. Even more frequently, we fail to do those things that could truly make a difference in the lives of our neighbor.

Today, we live in an age that celebrates when a professional athlete admits to deliberately breaking God’s heart. Society applauds his “coming out” by dubbing him a hero, as if it is truly right and salutary, that in all times and in all places we give thanks to those that push God aside and place themselves upon the altar to worship. This is how far humanity has fallen away from God. We are all sinful and unclean and we sin incessantly by thought, word and deed, by commission and omission. Christians today speak volumes by what we fail to say than those times when we choose to actually proclaim our faith in the Risen Christ. As a former member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, I know from where I speak. Far too often, when delegates were needed to attend synod assemblies, I kept my hand down and tried not to make eye contact with my pastor, lest he shame me into accepting an invitation. When I finally relented and attended my first Greater Milwaukee synod assembly in 2008, what I found was a church that I no longer recognized.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Instead of being fed the bread of life and worshipping, the assembly concentrated on social issues, such as anti-racism, which was described mostly as “white privilege”, immigration reform, the Iraq war, human sexuality, universal health care and environmentalism. Resolutions were brought forward that advocated for the synod to actively violate law, engage in civil disobedience and to openly overturn Scripture. I felt as if I had stumbled into a Democrat convention or the Occupation Movement, not a gathering of God’s people. Standing at the red microphone to challenge the resolution advocating for universal healthcare for all living within the borders of the US, which included those in this country illegally, the GMS bishop Paul Stumme-Diers told me I needed to go to the green mike to speak in favor of the resolution. When I told him that I was at the correct mike, his eyes widened.

Romans 13:1-5, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.” As a person who protected the public and upheld those laws for 30 years, urging God’s people to engage in unlawful conduct was not only improper, it violated the words of Scripture. I was almost shouted down after reading from the Bible. This just reinforced that this church was not just walking away from God, they were running away.

“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” We have remained silent for too long. It is time to lift up our voices for the Lord. Progressive churches like the ELCA are leading the faithful away from our Lord and Savior, using the false gospels of affirmation, bound conscience and lifting up the love of the neighbor over the love of God. Jesus said in Mark 9:26, “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Is our silence evidence of our shame? Those that profess their faith in the Risen Christ in other parts of the world are subject to physical violence, even the loss of their life. In the US we worry about being looked upon as a “weak minded” Christian Bible thumper that clings to the Bible and our guns. We are called to proclaim His glory to the ends of the earth. Far too many of God’s churches are preaching a gospel other that the Gospel that our Savior taught and lived. The responsibility now falls to us. Continue to meet and study His word and build up your spiritual armor so that you will be properly equipped to save the lost. Our Lord and Savior said in Mark 4:21-23, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” Now is the time to take action. Stand up and be counted among the faithful! Share the joy of your salvation, given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

“A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.” Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Guity as Charged

As Christians we have a Savior that offered Himself and accepted the punishment that we deserve. Those who believe that God sent His one and only Son, to suffer and die for our sins, to descend into hell and on the third day rose to defeat death, receive the grace of God that leads to our salvation and eternal life with the Father. What far too many Christians forget, however, is that we remain guilty as charged. Though we no longer fear the punishment for our sins, we stand convicted, our sentence borne by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Romans 3:19-20, “Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.” And we are truly sinful, disobedient children. There is no one that is righteous and there is no one that deserves the gift of grace offered by our loving Father. Each and every time we dwell in His word, we learn more about our sinful selves. Scripture indeed convicts each one of us, yet that same Scripture lifts us up as it reveals God’s infinite love and abundant mercy for His children.

Galatians 2:17-21, “But suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! Rather, I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.” We break the law every day, sometimes so frequently, we cannot even keep track of our transgressions. But, even as His disobedient children cause our Father consternation, we receive forgiveness for our sins, through faith in the Risen Christ. Does this mean that grace cancels the law? No, the two are intrinsically linked, for the law allows us to know right from wrong and the Gospel frees us from the consequence of our sin. Even though we are no longer under the punishment of the law, the law remains a guide for God's children to follow. To truly love our Lord means to obey and follow Jesus’ teachings, which includes obedience to the law.

For members of the ELCA, the doctrine of bound conscience means never having to say you’re sorry. It also means that members of the ELCA may believe whatever it is that trips their trigger, because the leaders of the ELCA reach out in their imperfect love and affirm those lost in sin. There is no need for repentance. There is no gratitude for a Savior who spilled His blood so that they may live. There is no guidance from the deceitful leaders of the ELCA to lead their members onto the narrow path that leads to salvation. The false doctrines that the leaders of the ELCA allow have no need of a Savior, because all are saved regardless of faith. Of course, this is not the official teaching of the ELCA, but these teachings are more than simply tolerated, they are given equal time to the teachings of Christ Himself. The doctrine of bound conscience is the lynchpin that all the other heresies accepted by the ELCA are connected. For without a method to allow a variety of beliefs and teachings, some that are contradictory to the very tenets of Christianity, the authority of Scripture could not be challenged, declared invalid in this "enlightened age" and amended by a sinful humanity to feed their selfishness.

Jesus said in Luke 9:23-24, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” The doctrine of bound conscience allows one to selfishly maintain their sinful nature, denying our Lord and Savior. Is this what Jesus meant to deny himself or does this fit the actions of one who wants to save their own life?  Feeding the selfish nature denies no one but our Savior.  Does this necessarily cause one to lose their salvation? Not in and of itself, but it puts a foot in the door to continue to lift up one’s sinful nature that will eventually push God right out of the picture. As more and more Scripture is decared irrelevant by this misguided church, there will eventually be no need to rein in any of our sinful behavior. Without the law, we devolve into nothing more than intelligent mammals, clothed in our own selfish desires. No matter how hard we try, we continually fall into sin. But, when the sin is willful, deliberate and without repentance, it is displeasing to our God. And every Christian should want to please God first and foremost, denying oneself and carrying His cross, leaving our own desires secondary. Pray unceasingly for the true Gospel of Jesus Christ to be, once again, taught from every pulpit in every church.

Me, Me, Me, I

Pride, one of the seven deadly sins, is actually the basis for all sin. Pride is mentioned 297 times in the Bible, most often in a negative connotation. When pride drives the self, it causes one to have an inflated opinion of one’s importance in the grand scheme of things. Pride, overdone, will eventually lead to vanity where one cannot pass by a mirror without admiring oneself and produces an undue desire to be admired by others, sometimes overwhelming reason. Vanity leads to conceit that manifests itself as an overinflated assessment of one’s status in this world. Then conceit leads one to fall in love with one’s self and suffer from the malady known as egotism. Unfortunately, all of humankind falls into this trap sometime or another. Our selfish human nature compels us to place our needs first. The First Commandment states, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Who then is our god when we decide to worship ourselves, our possessions and our identities? For we certainly worship ourselves when we place ourselves before God.

LGTBQ activists have long advocated for full inclusion in the church. Apparently, acceptance as a child of God, sinful and unclean, like all of God’s children is insufficient. The sin of homosexuality must be accepted as not sinful in order to properly love and welcome this misguided class. Oh, how much easier it would be if God’s church affirmed my misbehavior by decreeing that it is no longer a sin. Too bad it would do nothing to make me right with God. In the Lutheran worship service there is what is known as confession and absolution where we confess our sins and the pastor affirms that God does indeed forgive us. 1 John 1:7-10, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” When one claims that the sin of homosexuality is no longer a sin, he deceives himself and makes God out to be a liar.

Are those that choose a lifestyle that is prohibited by God any worse than any other child of God? Absolutely not! Just like the rich man that would not follow Jesus because he did not want to give up his wealth, those who selfishly cling to the things of this world fall into the same trap. Each and every one of us commits the gravest of sins every day. Rather than give our God the first of ourselves, our time and our possessions, we selfishly take the first fruits, relegating the leftovers to God. God has given everything to us. Nothing belongs to us, it all belongs to Him. Yet, we cling to the notion that whatever we decide to give to Him is acceptable. Those that tithe simply give 10% to the church. Is that sufficient? “Gracious God, we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us - ourselves, our time and our possessions - signs of your gracious love." When one invokes their bound conscience to usurp the authority of Scripture, they withhold themselves from God. They do not freely give themselves to Him. They withhold what the selfish nature wishes to retain. When Jesus told the parable about the rich young man, attaining the kingdom of heaven is not only difficult for a rich man to attain, the selfish will also find it difficult to attain.

The leadership of the ELCA has abdicated their responsibility to preach sound doctrine. They look at the world and have become enamored with it. They not only live in the world, they love the world. And this love of the world turns them away from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”

The pursuit of social justice instead of the pursuit of souls for Christ cements this wayward denomination’s place in this world. No longer is the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed to the world. Now the leadership of the ELCA determines that the love of the neighbor is paramount in their effort to repair our broken world. The gods of tolerance and acceptance are placed upon the altar to be worshipped. What is called sin by God is overruled and affirmed as no longer sinful by the leaders of the ELCA. Romans 6:11-14, “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” Offer yourself fully to the Lord. Love Him with all your heart, mind and soul. Love your neighbor as yourself, subservient to our Lord, not above Him.

Faith in the Risen Savior allows God’s grace to cancel your debt to sin. Even though we all fall short, our love and appreciation for what Jesus did for us compels us to please him in all we do. What pleases Him most is our willingness to serve Him with our obedience. The leadership of the ELCA has betrayed their call to serve the Lord. The leadership of the ELCA must reconcile with God in order to lead their membership back to the Lord. Their penchant to falsely affirm sinful behavior only widens the chasm between God and humankind. Pray unceasingly for the leadership of the ELCA to return to the Lord and once again do God’s work by reaching out to save the souls of the lost.

Speak the Truth to Power

This pretentious phrase has become a common expression used by liberal activists, or what they prefer to call themselves, progressives. Truth has little to do with those that utter this contradiction of terms, but it has much to do with power. This catchphrase is simply the excuse used by those on the left to disparage and demean conservative logic, since it is primarily used as a means to end an argument without the benefit of rational debate. The power is simply used to shut off any and all logical argument, especially conservative argument. There is little thought involved in much of the liberal or progressive agenda as, it merely involves vilifying someone or something, or pitting one class against another. We have witnessed the progressive left in politics speak this "truth", aiming their epithets and talking points at their declared enemies, the one percent. Most of these leftists cannot even articulate what it is that they so loudly protest. As a former liberal, I know of what I speak.

Now those who want to help those who have lost their way return to the Lord’s path are in the crosshairs of those they are trying to help. “Progressive” Christians chastise those with the temerity to uphold the authority of Scripture, by invoking this liberal talking point.  Lifting themselves up as tolerant, welcoming and loving they look with contempt at their conservative brothers and sisters in Christ who uphold the authority of Scripture, judging them to be hateful, bigoted and homophobic. They parrot tired and worn out slogans in a vain attempt to justify their selfish and deliberate disregard of God’s will. Rational argument quickly turns to verbal confrontation when those who adhere to traditional or classic Christian theology attempt to “gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 2:25 Criticisms also appear as comments in local newspapers, in Christian blogs, many by those with no stake in the local issue at hand (see Grace Lutheran in Eau Claire, WI) and in various articles written for the more progressive churches, such as the ELCA.

Progressive Christians continually proclaim that our Lord’s command to love one’s neighbor allows one to ignore that which the Lord prohibits, in order to properly welcome them to our Father’s house. It is simply a false argument that asserts that since God is good everything He has made must also be good. Since God made those with sinful proclivities, they “reason” that those proclivities must also be good.  So, those trapped within that sin are affirmed by declaring that behavior no longer sinful. Affirmation of those with a proclivity to engage in sinful behavior is NOT the way that our Lord taught as a way to properly love and welcome the neighbor.  Leaving a life of sin to love, worship and honor our God is a lesson taught over and over again in Scripture. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you. Titus 2:11-15

The amoral attitude of those that have the audacity to challenge God’s law simply advocates for man to usurp God’s role as the sole authority in our lives. The leaders of the ELCA lead the faithful over the edge like lemmings in their misguided attempt to normalize that which our God forbids. What the world accepts is of no consequence to our Lord’s command. What His church accepts is another matter altogether. Scripture is the sole authority in our faith lives and any church that would have its members disregard God’s word and replace it with “new things” leads its members away from Him. Jesus has all authority and it is the leaders of God’s church that are called to uphold His word. “After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. “ John 17:1-5

Pray that the leaders of the ELCA abandon their attempt to be of the world.  Continue to pray that those true to the Lord recognize the truth and walk away from the apostasy of the ELCA.

Queer Eye for the Faith Guy

The Bravo Channel, a cable network, offered up a show “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”, from 2003-2007, where 5 gay men, adept at interior design and personal clothing selection helped straight men become more contemporary. Usually the straight guy needed an upgrade from his typical ensemble of blue jeans and a flannel shirt or his home and/or apartment needed to be transformed into something that did not fall into the category of man-cave or worse, a pigsty. This show was popular for several years and became a favorite of the twenty-something college crowd.  The effort to mainstream the LGTBQ lifestyle eventually led to the formation of the LOGO cable network, launched in 2005, that caters to that lifestyle choice. Those that have chosen an alternate lifestyle are now often looked upon and cool, hip and enlightened, especially in the secular world.  Bishop Mark Hanson of the ELCA follows in the footsteps of those cable networks as he caters to those choosing to lead an alternate lifestyle. Much effort is put into anti-bullying, directed primarily as support for LGTBQ individuals through the “It gets better” project. Understand that it is absolutely reprehensible to discriminate, bully or treat those that choose alternate lifestyles as someone to scorn. Everyone is a child of God and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves, no matter their life choices. What is problematic though, is that Bishop Hanson affirms that lifestyle even though Scripture is abundantly clear that God does not approve.

So, why does the leader of the largest Lutheran Church in America decide that what God has obviously forbidden, is to be affirmed by God’s church? Hanson tries to explain that, somehow, God is telling us new things and that apparently, God (through the Holy Spirit inspired authors of Scripture) could not possibly fully understand that the alternate lifestyle would evolve as it has. It is also the misguided love of neighbor that drives his crusade to normalize the homosexual lifestyle. Is the sin of homosexuality any worse than any of the sins supposedly good Christians commit every day? No, it is not. Whenever I, as a married man, look at a woman with lust in my heart, I commit the sin of adultery. Whenever I place my needs ahead of God’s will, I place myself on the altar and push my Lord away. Should the church affirm this type of behavior as right with God? Of course not! 1 John 1:8-10, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, Hanson has the authority to declare the entire forgiveness of all of our sins. But, what he does not have, is the authority to declare that which God has forbidden, is no longer prohibited and is acceptable in the eyes of God.

We trust that the leaders of God’s church are inspired by the Holy Spirit to lead us in ways that are pleasing to our Lord. We accept that the message from the leaders of God’s church is the truth and they would never lead us astray. But, they are not only ministers of God’s church. They are also sinful human beings just like every one of us. When one uses human understanding to try to discern God’s will, one may just hear what they long to hear, rather than where the Holy Spirit is leading. When one believes that their own imperfect human love approaches the pure and perfect love of our God, one can disregard the truth and replace it with the desires of imperfect human beings. All believers are equally inadequate before God and fall woefully short of the glory of God. But, when God’s children trust the leaders of God’s church and are led astray by those leaders, a heavy burden falls upon those leaders. Just as the police officer is held to a higher standard of the law, the leaders of God’s church must endeavor to preach the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ, so that with the power of the Holy Spirit, those that are lost may come to believe. If they lead their flock astray, Jesus said in Luke 17:1-3, “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. So watch yourselves.”

The misconception that one must accept sinful behavior as somehow pleasing to God in order to properly love the neighbor, makes no sense whatsoever. Do I expect that my brothers and sisters in Christ look upon me as righteous, even though I am a greater sinner than they? Do I withhold my love of my brother until they accept my sin as acceptable to God? It doesn’t matter what your sin. It doesn’t matter what you have done. It doesn’t matter what you have failed to do. Faith in the living Christ is what matters. And if you truly love the Lord, you will want to please Him. If you want to please the Lord, you will try your best to delight in His will and walk in His ways. If you love Him, you will want to give all the glory to His Holy Name. My Savior and king died for me, an unworthy sinner and I am forever grateful. It is time for Mark Hanson lead his flock to the truth and not simply placate those that want their earthly desires affirmed.

Always a Bridesmaid

The old adage of always a bridesmaid, never a bride, refers to that selfless woman that is always hard at work to make everyone else’s life complete. Always fussing about to make sure everything is in place, serving others first, often to the point of placing her own needs secondary to others. She is never the most important person in any situation, always deferring to someone else. So it is with those who accept Christ and turn their lives over to Him. One’s own needs become secondary when it becomes more important to please our Lord and Savior. Filled with the love of Christ, one places Him above all else. Ephesians 5:1-5, “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.”

The primary benefactor of greed is one’s self. Where would we be if our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ placed His needs above ours? What if Jesus decided that we were not worth dying a death on the cross? What if He decided that it was more important that He bypass the suffering and be lifted up into heaven and safety? For He could have with a word, call down angels that would have prevented any harm befalling Him. But no, He humbly took on the form of a human being, experiencing all the pain and suffering meant for a selfish, sinful humanity. He died for us so that we may live. And this is a life eternal in paradise. Our salvation, the gift of grace from our Father in heaven. What is required of us to gain this wonderful gift of salvation? Faith in the living Christ. Belief that my Savior, God’s own Son, took upon Himself all of my sin, suffered the just punishment that I deserve, died and rose to life, defeating death and opening the door for all who believe to defeat death and live eternally with our Father in heaven.

This is such a small price to pay for such a wonderful gift. We die to our former selfish lives and are reborn to be a child of God. But, being a bridesmaid is not acceptable to all. The enlightened leaders of the ELCA, by invoking the doctrine of bound conscience, bow to no one. Deny yourself, well how can a loving God prohibit the things of this world that we selfishly desire. Don’t tell me that I can’t do as I please and that there are consequences to my actions. Self-esteem is paramount to this misguided denomination. Self-identity is so very important, more important than our identities as Disciples of Christ. What God prohibits, this denomination selfishly proclaims acceptable so that no one needs to deny oneself! Place God first in our lives? A loving God would never demand that. For the ELCA, the children make the rules and tell their Father what they want, not the other way around. And yet there are those, when this false doctrine is challenged, that choose to stand up for a church and thereby deny God’s authority. The church is nothing without Jesus Christ, and the ELCA is swiftly leading their flock away from Him.

In Matthew 8:34-38, Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” Humble yourself and place Christ first in your life and you will be justly rewarded. Accept the false doctrine peddled by the leaders of the ELCA, and you will find that you are ashamed of Him and His words. Continue in prayer for those trapped within the ELCA to have their hearts and minds opened to the Truth that is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

What's New?

There are so many new things happening in the ELCA these days. Even though Jesus said that it is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law, the leaders of the ELCA proclaim that God is saying all kinds of new things that apparently invalidate His law. One of the evil one’s most commonly used ruses is to stroke the egos of those wanting to be affirmed within their sin, using our inherent selfishness to place our desires first. The supposed enlightened leadership of the ELCA falls for this deception and proclaims that, somehow, this is God speaking to us in “new ways”.  Using this erroneous (or perhaps deliberate) assumption enables them to reinterpret Scripture to fit societal norms. These “new things” are prompting them to reconsider their very relationship with God. The Bible is looked upon as a book of faith stories, with tales that are wedded to the time and place they were written, and often no longer pertinent to our new enlightened society. Scripture is no longer accepted as the word of God, but is described as a book that “tells the truth” in that the Bible tells the story of God’s relationship with the world. But, to the leaders and scholars of the ELCA, human experience, tradition and knowledge lifts up one’s bound conscience above the authority of Scripture and allows them to disregard verses that do not correspond to their terms and allows members to make Scripture say whatever it is that one desires.

Repentance? That is so old school. Repentance requires changing our point of view. We need to see things as God sees them. God simply asks us to turn away from our selfishness and turn to Him. This is how we accept His gift of grace and salvation. However, the leadership of the ELCA has a different point of view.  The ELCA preaches that the affirmation of those within their sin is the way to reach out to truly love our neighbor. Believe and preach the Gospel, are you kidding? They believe that those looking to be accepted as they are must be welcomed without any obligation to repent and turn to God and away from sin. The idea that God is good and only good, and everything He has created is also good, leads to the ELCA to affirm any and all sinful proclivities. There no reason to be “made new” by the act of giving your life to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Somehow, playing into mankind’s inherent sinful nature and granting license to act as one chooses by affirming those that disregard God’s word, will bring them closer to God? This “Big Tent” that the ELCA has been striving to fill, continues to play to smaller and smaller audiences, leading this church into a steep decline as they move farther and farther away from our Lord’s teachings. How many congregations and members have been lost since the 2009 CWA and the "great diving" into the deep end of the pool of heresy, declaring that God’s children now make the rules? Hebrews 6:4-6, “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.”  Surely, the ELCA must believe that these verses of Scripture do not pertain to their actions as they deepen the chasm between their membership and our Lord.

So, the leadership of the ELCA has decided that their target audience does not want to be told that they are sinful beings, unable to prosper without God taking control. They decide to tell those seeking to fill the emptiness within their very souls, that can only be filled by Jesus Christ, that it is not necessary to made new. Those lost are told that God made you that way and there is no reason to change, and if God can’t accept you as you are, then we will create a god in your image, one that meets mankind’s expectations and allows one to be whatever one wants to be. They proclaim freedom for all to sin without remorse, without the need to ask for forgiveness, and without the need for a Savior. Even in this new and modern age, God’s people fashion for themselves graven images to worship. Problem is, the people have placed themselves upon the altar, worshipping themselves, their identities and accomplishments. And this church not only condones this, it promotes and proclaims that this makes their church stronger. How many people will be led into the abyss with these false teachings, all the while believing that their hands are doing God’s work? Jesus quoted the book of Isaiah in Matthew 15:8-9, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” Jesus is the truth and the way and the life. Without repentance, we become like the weeds to be thrown into the fire along with the chaff from the harvested wheat.

The Enemy Within

In 1948 Walt Kelly created a comic strip entitled “Pogo”. Pogo was an opossum living in the Okefenokee Swamp with his numerous friends, including Albert the Alligator, Howland Owl, and Churchy LaFemme the turtle. This comic strip was seeped in social and political satire making many of the politicians and organizations of that day targets of the clever wit of Mr. Kelley, as told through his characters. Pogo coined one particular philosophical phrase that still resonates today, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” The ELCA has met and actually embraced the enemy. The enemy is the sin of lifting up the self over our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This love of the self is how Satan leads us to sin, by inferring that we are equal or more important than our God. In the garden of Eden, Satan as the snake, led Eve to partake of the fruit of the tree of life. How? Genesis 3:4-5, “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan tempts Eve with the implication God lied to her and that she will become like God if she simply eats the fruit. How often do we also eat of that fruit?

The deepest and darkest sin that man can commit is placing possessions, identity, and the self above the love of our Lord. When we come first, necessarily our Lord comes in second. When we truly love our Lord, our greatest goal should be to please Him. The leaders of the ELCA seek the things of this world instead of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and seeking the souls of the lost. When they reach out with their imperfect human love to the LGTBQ community in order to be more welcoming, tolerant and diverse, they fail those that need to come to the Lord, repent of their sin and make themselves right with Him. Affirming those who choose to please themselves, not God, and lead a sinful life, only bestows upon them the errant blessing of the church to continue to love themselves, their possessions and their identities above the love of the Lord.

The Lutheran rite of confession and forgiveness, that has now become optional in the ELCA, comes from 1 John 1:8-10, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” Then we continue, “Most merciful God, we further confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought word and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.”

We are all sinners, no better or no worse than any other. When we fail to acknowledge our sinful nature, we make it even easier to partake of the forbidden fruit, fooling ourselves into believing that we are, somehow, like God. Even though these words and this prayer is spoken each worship service by confessing Lutherans, it now in the process of being eliminated by the enlightened leadership of the ELCA. Apparently, God is lower in the pecking order according to the enlightened elites of the ELCA. Of course, those backward Bible thumping churches are still allowed to use these obsolete rites, but those elightened churches that choose to be more diverse and incorporate other religion's rites are lifted up by this wayward denomination.  God has become an afterthought as it is grace for all, believe as you want, just make sure to come to our church and lay your money down. How sad it is for those thirsting for His word to fall into the trap that the leaders of the ELCA have laid.

The ELCA has been faced with the reality of falling membership because the leaders have decided to make social justice, intrinsically wedded to the love of self, the overriding emphasis of their ministry. Problem is, that this social activism that the ELCA continues to engage in, does little to lift up our Lord’s ministry on this earth. This far left agenda has placed the ELCA at odds with those that cling to traditional or classic Lutheranism. As more and more Lutherans that adhere to the authority of Scripture leave the pews of ELCA churches, someone needs to replace them and the financial support that has left with them. So, the leaders, ever aware that their left leaning doctrine pushes the traditional Lutheran away, decide to move even further left and court those that want to be affirmed within their sin, rather than to seek Him. Jeremiah 29:11-13, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”  The ELCA continues to lift up the love of self, citing that their diversity of beliefs somehow adds to the strength of their church.  This does nothing but trick those who place their trust in this misguided church, just like the serpent tricked Eve.  Continue in prayer that more deny themselves and seek the Lord with all their hearts, that they open their hearts and minds to the Truth and return to Him.

Nobody's Perfect

Make a mistake or fall short of someone’s expectations and you may find yourself using the phrase; ”Well, nobody’s perfect.”  As a fallen, sinful humanity, we should be using this phrase often.  Only one human being in all history was perfect, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, true man and true God, being one with the Father.  None of us, even on our best of days, even approaches the perfection of our Lord.  Psalm 19:11-17, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.  9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.  10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.  11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” 

Amy Grant penned a song, Perfect People that broaches this subject.  From the lyrics of this song: “There's no such thing as perfect people. There's no such thing as a perfect life. So come as you are, broken and scarred. Lift up your heart and be amazed and be changed by a perfect God. Suddenly it's like a weight is lifted when you hear the words that you are loved. He knows where you are and where you've been and you never have to go there again.  So, be changed by a perfect God who lived and died to give new life to heal our imperfections.  So look up and see love and let grace be enough.”  The real message in this song is that God is perfect and we need to be changed by a perfect God once we give ourselves to Him. 

So much of this new and modern Christian theology really looks to change God, not the believer.  This new theology seeks to remake God in humankind’s image and has the audacity to place conditions upon God.   When we place conditions upon the Lord, we do not truly love Him, but still place the love of self ahead of our God.  This is where the leaders and scholars of the ELCA fail our Lord and lead their membership away from Him.  Consider the misguided new doctrine that preaches that all are saved, or what is commonly called universal salvation.  Now this particular belief is not part of the official doctrine of the ELCA, but is becoming increasingly involved in mainstream discussions.  That all are saved regardless of belief is extremely appalling.   That a church would even consider that faith in the Risen Christ is optional is pure apostasy. 

Other “new things” that God is supposedly telling the leaders of the ELCA revolve around the mistaken assumption that since God is perfect, everything he has created is also perfect.  Those created by a perfect God are assumed that any proclivity that drives their being is considered good by the Lord, because He created them that way.  One needs only to look around the world and realize that humankind is inherently evil, not good, and certainly not perfect.  Using the doctrine of bound conscience to justify homosexuality can also be used to justify any aberrant behavior that one may be involved.  People afflicted with mental diseases that trigger behaviors that are unacceptable to God and society were also made that way by a perfect God.  Should we also institute doctrine to make those behaviors acceptable to the church?  Not being as enlightened as the Biblical scholars and leaders of the ELCA, the answer is quite clear.

Our Lord is perfect, we are flawed.  We need to look to our perfect God for guidance and the best place to find that knowledge is in the Bible.  His word is made clear for us.  Those that preach the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ, without the secular political correctness that permeates the ELCA, will allow those that listen to hear His word, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, they may come to know the Lord and understand the path He desires us to follow.  When we place our Lord’s will before our own, only then will even approach the perfection that He intends for His children.  Colossians 1:21-23, 28-29 “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.  28 We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. 29 To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.”  Fill yourself with His spirit and love.  Place our Lord first and foremost in your lives.  Let God’s spirit flow like a river through you, a vessel that lives to serve and adore Him that gave His life so that you may live forever.  Amen.

The Wages of Sin

Those that choose to accept the gospel of affirmation that the ELCA is peddling need to look to Scripture to understand just how our God will deal with those that choose to willfully disregard His law. The ill advised belief that our God is simply all loving and not to be feared, is a very dangerous assumption to make. Yes, we are justified by grace when we truly believe in the Risen Christ, but we are still subject to God’s law. Romans 7:7-12, “What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of covetous desire. For apart from law, sin is dead. 9 Once I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. 10 I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. 11 For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. 12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good.”

Evil remains as part of our human nature. It is much easier for us to disregard God’s law and do what we think is best for ourselves. Without God’s law we, as sinful human beings that continually fall short of God’s glory, would be like a rudderless ship at sea, lost and floundering upon the waves. While the law does open our eyes as to what behavior is prohibited by God, it is our evil nature that chooses to disobey. Without God’s law one may covet someone else’s possessions., steal, lie, or commit adultery, but not understand that those behaviors are wrong. God’s law creates boundaries to help us rein in our desires, and teaches us what is right and what is wrong. It teaches where mere overindulgence ends, and where sin begins. Without God’s law, we are left without a moral compass and will only attempt to justify our wickedness as good in our sight.

So, when a church decides that God’s law is not applicable because it does not fit in with this new and modern society, they choose to willfully disobey and declare that God is now telling them something new. This is as if God, who created the very universe with a word, could not envision what was to come in this age. Our God is all knowing and all powerful throughout all time, and for the leaders and scholars of the ELCA to infer that He did not realize what our society would become today, is demeaning our God and is promoting heresy. When the leaders of Gods’ church decide that God is wrong and that the church should acquiesce to a society that accepts aberrant behavior, they lose their standing as one who speaks for the Lord. We need to be examples for the world, not put down our God in order to lift up the desires of the world.

So many have fallen prey to this misguided doctrine promoted by these self proclaimed enlightened leaders of what will soon no longer be the largest Lutheran Church Denomination in North America. Those that promote the disregard of God’s law and proclaim that all are saved, no matter what you believe, are leading those that accept this new religion away from God. The wages of sin is death. Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" Those teaching that God’s law is no longer valid teach a false gospel. Those accepting this teaching stand to lose their very salvation. Romans 6:15-16, “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?" When one fully gives their life to Christ, obedience replaces our sinful desires. When one continues to be estranged from the Lord, it is much easier to remain selfish and disobedient because it comes so naturally to the imperfect human being that God created. 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power.” God sets rules and boundaries for His children. He also administers the just punishment for those that choose to willfully disobey.

The leaders of the ELCA encourage those that defy God’s law to continue in their sin and enact doctrine to vindicate their behavior, while they admonish those that remain true to the Lord. How unfortunate for those that place their own sinful conduct ahead of God’s commands. Romans 2:6-7. “God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” Continue in prayer for those that mistakenly accept these false teachings, that they may find and accept the truth. Pray that the leadership of the ELCA abandons this love affair with the things of this world, returns to the Lord and once again proclaims the true Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Spare the Rod

The old adage, spare the rod and spoil the child, is no longer acceptable in our modern society. Corporal punishment is frowned upon since it may negatively affect the child’s self esteem. The more modern and enlightened parent will simply try to reason with their child, sometimes treating them as if they were equals. As we can see from our dysfunctional society, this weak handed approach is seldom successful. When there are no consequences for inappropriate behavior, there is no deterrent to prevent the child from continuing to misbehave. Our responsibility as parents is to make certain that when our children engage in behavior that is dangerous or inappropriate, that we reinforce that those types of conduct are unacceptable. The punishment meted out must be equivalent to the severity of the objectionable actions of the child. Any punishment must serve as a deterrence, so that the improper behavior will not be repeated. We must also explain why those acts are considered improper and reinforce that we love the child.

Our God has provided us His rules of conduct, delivered to us in His word, the Bible. As disciples of Christ, we are obligated to obey these rules of conduct. Although these laws were written thousands of years ago, they remain authoritative to this day. Many laws adopted by society mirror those laws that our God gave to the Israelites long ago. So, why would a church adopt doctrine to ignore those rules of conduct that are so plainly set out by our God? The leadership of the ELCA wants to preside over a truly enlightened church, complete with a variety of opinions, thereby allowing a “Big Tent” where many people that have a wide variety of beliefs can have fellowship. They feel that the similarities among them are larger than their differences, and that somehow a diversity of opinion can make them grow stronger. Well, the first foray into the diversity pool has left the ELCA in the deep end, realizing that they don’t know how to swim and are without a life preserver. What’s worse though, is that those trusting members of the ELCA that accept this false gospel are dragged under by the leadership’s plunge away from the Lord.

Lifting up the identities of the LGTB community, thereby placing the emphasis on the self, not on our God, the leaders of the ELCA have rejected Scriptural intent and have reinterpreted God’s word to feed worldly desires. By invoking the doctrine of bound conscience they have opened the door to sin freely and have placed human reasoning, experience and understanding in authority over Scripture. By accepting the validity of other religions and agreeing that there are alternate ways to Salvation, they encourage those who do believe in the Risen Christ to look elsewhere. By promoting the false gospel of affirmation, they advance the opinion that there truly is no sin, no need for repentance or forgiveness and that a Savior is unnecessary.

It would appear that this experiment into “diving into the pool of heresy with both feet” isn’t working out so well for the misguided leaders of the ELCA. Congregations are leaving at a rate that may cause this enlightened new world order of Lutheranism to fall by the wayside before the end of this decade. Pensions to retired ELCA pastors are being reduced, the operational budget of the synod has been reduced 40%, synod staff have been let go, and losses from congregations that have left or have redirected benevolence has cost the ELCA well over 14 million dollars this year alone. When will they realize that those that are searching are not looking for a social club to gather with those that they have little in common with? Those that are searching are looking for the only thing that can truly fill their longing hearts, the love of Jesus Christ. Only He can fill that empty place in our hearts. Only when we come to accept the truth that is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ will we truly be fulfilled. As the petulant child that receives no guidance or discipline from their parents continues to misbehave, the leaders of the ELCA promote this new religion that has no consequence for sinful behavior and leads their membership away from the Lord. Romans 2:12-13, “All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.” Without the rod that is God’s law, we shall truly be like a spoiled child and be disobedient to the Lord. While we have God’s grace through our faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ, we must also adhere to the law that our God provided for us. Continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will open the hearts and minds of all to the truth that our unity is in Christ, not to a church that surely denies Him.

Give Them What They Want

“Give them what they want, they’ll get what they deserve” was a moniker local law enforcement adopted in the late 80’s and early 90’s after several “overzealous” police officer actions led to a number of abuse of authority complaints. This slogan was to remind the police officers that justice will be done to the offender and to allow the system to mete out the punishment. This would encourage police officers to treat criminals with more respect and prevent them from engaging in any type of “street justice”. The false gospel of affirmation alludes to the first portion of the above slogan and, in fact, gives those thirsting for acceptance, whatever it is that they want. This false doctrine promotes the idea that God affirms us all because He loves us unconditionally, so that you can have whatever it is that you want. There is no need for forgiveness, since our sinful nature is ignored by God and we are supported in whatever sinful activity we engage in. And we don’t need to feel guilty when engaging in sin, because, again there is no need to ask for forgiveness.

Unfortunately, the second part of the slogan will pertain to those that adopt this false doctrine. Those accepting of this false gospel will “get what they deserve” and be due the just punishment for disobeying the Lord. Deluding oneself to believe that God affirms us all and acquiesces to our sinful acts, will simply be leading toward Gnosticism. Gnosticism was a movement away from Christianity that began in the 1st century A.D. Gnosticism relies upon the individual or experiential knowledge of God and of the spiritual nature within us. (see Our mother, who is within us) Gnostics believe that they have privileged knowledge about God and the universe of which everyone else is unaware. Gnosticism allows and accepts different religious beliefs and incorporates tenets of those beliefs into their own. They promote the concept that salvation is achieved through relational and pragmatic knowledge. In other words, they rely upon human reasoning and experience! Sound familiar?

When one longs to have his or her lifestyle accepted and places demands that in order to be welcoming, the church must ignore Scripture and accept and affirm that lifestyle, that person places self and their identity as paramount, pushing aside our God and worshipping the self. The ELCA’s doctrine of bound conscience enables sinners to “thumb their noses” at the Lord and to engage in sinful behavior, believing that they can do so without consequence. The leadership of the ELCA continues their headlong rush to transform the church into what they consider an all loving and all inclusive social club by embracing all religions as truth and incorporating non-Christian principles to replace the long held foundational truths taught by Jesus and the Apostles. Those that believe there is no need for forgiveness deny our Savior, Jesus Christ. Where there is no need for forgiveness, there is no need for a Savior.

So, where is the leadership of the ELCA leading their membership? It would appear that this new world order of Christian Lutheranism perpetrated by the ELCA is far from the path that serves our Lord. This new and all accepting, all welcoming, church that is tolerant of everything is advocating for the worship of the self instead of our Lord. If this new religion promoted by the ELCA doesn’t need a Savior, doesn’t promote morality, advocates that other religions offer another path to salvation, and that one need not believe in anything at all to be saved, why would one choose to worship at an ELCA church? Why would we remain in fellowship with an organization that does not share the belief system ingrained in all of us since childhood? Those that choose to remain a part of this heretical organization are doing nothing short of supporting the denial of the truth that is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If enough churches remain in fellowship with the ELCA, they will just continue down this path and lead more Christians into the abyss. Proverbs 1:28-33, “Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me. 29 Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD, 30 since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, 31 they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. 32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; 33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

We must choose Jesus and deny the ELCA. There is no other way to turn the ELCA back to the Lord and if this fails, continue to pray for the faithful that remain, that they too, will rise up and break fellowship with this errant denomination.