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.

Spiritual Logic

“We don’t have to force Jesus on anybody, or convince individuals that their spiritual logic is faulty. Our task is to embody Christian love, not play savior” Peter W. Marty, an ELCA pastor in his column, Leaving Church Behind for the June 2014 “The Lutheran” magazine. Marty is a good soldier for the ELCA. Now fulfilling his oath to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is another matter. As with all good ELCA henchmen, the church and its’ congregational life is the most important aspect of their faith. Inclusivity, tolerance and diversity are what church is all about, isn’t it? After all, how could one properly embody true Christian love without an organization that leads the otherwise faithful. Marty muses about those that have kissed congregational life goodbye or have grown indifferent to faith. Curious the choice to place congregational life before faith is so very typical to this wayward denomination. This essay details several parishioners that fled his congregation. One couple left after reading his essay, Serendipitous, where on a particular Wednesday night, Marty inexplicably stopped at home to find his wife collapsed due to a brain aneurism. Marty’s Wednesday nights are typically filled with church activities and he seldom got home until very late. Not this day though. No credit given to God for directing him home at the precise time to enable him to save his wife’s life, simply an acknowledgement of a convergence of circumstances. Take a look at all some of the comments that accept Marty’s explanation that God is not in charge and that the Holy Spirit had nothing to do with this apparent miracle. It is so sad when a pastor decides that he needs to lead his flock astray in order to declare himself to be the smartest person in the room.

Marty cites another example of a self-absorbed man at whom Marty snarkily comments, “I sometimes wonder if Shawn is addicted to himself. He certainly figures frequently into the center of most conversations.” It appears that pastoral guidance and direction are above his pay grade. Marty then poses the question of what to do with those who were once shaped by Christian community and are a great distance from anything that hints of religious practice within an institution. Concern for their spiritual well-being will have to wait for someone else, perhaps like the ELCA doctrine of “Accompaniment”, since the seeds of faith were planted, his work is done. From there Marty moves into the blame game. Oh, those Christians that have the temerity to believe in the authority of Scripture. Those rotten Bible thumpers are always casting aspersions (and stones) on those lost souls that do not believe as they do. Holding true to the faith, believing that Jesus is the way and the light and the truth, believing that there is no way to the Father but through faith in the living Christ, apparently makes traditional Christians purveyors of exclusivity, building a wall between themselves and humanity. Yes, Marty does not specifically state this in his essay, but the inference is loud and proud. “Presumptuousness over our preferences and tastes is not a virtue.” Marty may liken himself to some of the great theologians that espoused novel and innovative interpretations of Scripture, but he doesn’t get it at all. In other words, his version of an explanation of the path God has set looks like so many lemmings falling off a cliff.

Yes, as followers of Christ, we are to embody Christian love. We are to share the love that He first gave us. We are to share the forgiveness that He gave to those who don’t deserve it. When we allow ourselves to be filled with the Holy Spirit, the love of Christ will flow from our hearts like a river. Everything we are is a gift from God. Pleasing Him is our greatest joy, yet our deepest disappointment as we fail, over and over, to follow our Father’s will. Paul said in Romans 7:14-25, “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” Jesus chose Paul to preach His Gospel to the world and even Paul found that his inner sinful nature caused him engage, over and over, in sinful behavior. We are no different. Through faith in the Risen Christ, one is no longer subject to the law, whose penalty is death. But, knowing that obedience to the law is pleasing to God, we can come to better understand the path He has set before us.

Therein lies the dangerousness of the doctrine of bound conscience that affirms sinners and disregards their sin. Without our acknowledgment that we are indeed sinful and cannot free ourselves from the grip of sin without our Lord and Savior, we are destined to fall away from His presence. Jesus Christ was sacrificed for us, a sinful humanity. Faith in the Risen Savior grants everlasting life. Our call is to share the love of Christ in our actions, in our words, and in our lives. It is the Holy Spirit working within us, not us trying to play savior. If someone’s spiritual logic is faulty, it is our responsibility to act to help lead them back to the Truth. 2 Timothy 4:2-4, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” Sorry Marty, the theology of the ELCA is drifting much closer to myth as it continues to abandon God’s Truth.

Again, as in most ELCA essays there is the cursory nod to diversity and sensitivity. “We get to think and talk thoughtfully, bringing fresh clarity to our faith convictions while expanding our sensitivity toward what may seem like the odd practices of others.” This is also promoting the idea of universalism that seems to be overtaking the ELCA and the hands off approach to evangelism that abandons their responsibility to reach the lost for Christ. Seems to me that Marty is intent upon challenging Christians to stand down and accept the diversity of other religions, rather than to proclaim the Gospel and reach the lost for Christ. If this distorted version of Christianity continues to be exposed to the world, more and more of God’s children will be lost.

Historically Critical

The historical critical method is one way that literary critics use to examine origins of ancient manuscripts in an attempt to interpret the historical and experiential prisms used by the author. This method of ascertaining intent attempts to identify the historical context in which it was written. Historical critics seek to reconstruct ancient texts by delving into the historical records of the time when it was composed. These critics attempt to recreate the historical facts known from that time and piece them together with the data compiled by the author. This method of research, when done appropriately, should allow the critic to properly interpret the historical significance of those documents. Most importantly, the researcher should have no preconceived notions regarding the specific text that is examined, using whatever facts that are available to uncover the truth.

Many of the historical critics of today tend to minimize the historicity of the Bible, maintaining that most of the information contained within is either fictional or are simply exaggerations by the authors. Further, many maintain that the original documents were altered by the scribes that translated the Bible into different languages in an effort to bolster claims made by the authors of Scripture. Many historical critics tend to lean on the notion that the Bible is primarily a literary collection from the early history of Israel. Many of these critics state that although it is a historical fact that Jesus Christ did exist at the time described in the Bible and it can be proven that He was a valid figure in the history of Israel, they remain skeptical of the miracles attributed to Him and His status as the Son of God. Some of the most prominent ELCA theologians have made it clear that they have made up their minds regarding the authority of Scripture.

Contrived doctrines, such as bound conscience, are evidence that ELCA theologians regard their opinions over the word of God. They pick and choose which verses of Scripture tend to advance their preconceived notions and desired conclusions. Abandoning the tenets of Lutheranism and replacing sound doctrine with human reasoning and opinion only prove that Biblical scholars in the ELCA truly do not believe in Scriptural authority and more often, fall in line with many of the secular critics. And those that hold fast to Biblical authority continue to be called out by ELCA pastors. In an April 5th edition of Salina.com, an on-line feature of the Salina Journal, ELCA pastor Lorna Paulus, in an article entitled, Ultimate Truth of Message , denounces those Christians that adhere to the authority of Scripture and believe God’s word to be without error. In a stunningly dishonest comment she states, “However, the ELCA does read Scripture differently than many of the groups who like to talk about "inerrancy." We believe that all Scripture is inspired by God. It is the norm for our Christian life. It is not, for us, as Beckmann quoted Borg, just a "human cultural product." But we refuse to take isolated verses of Scripture out of context and treat them as if they were the whole message as many of the "inerrancy" folk tend to do. We believe that taking Scripture out of context distorts the message of Scripture and can be used to twist Scripture to say things God never intended.” I could hardly believe this when I read it. Talk about having a plank in one’s eye!

Perhaps, Paulus should take the time to read the ELCA statement, Human Sexuality-Gift and Trust, and determine if, in fact, the ELCA Biblical scholars cherry pick Scriptural verses when attempting to justify behavior that God prohibits. Perhaps, she should educate herself as to how ELCA theologian, Tim Wengert disregards Scripture while he misinterprets and/or outright contrives illogical arguments to bolster the false doctrine of bound conscience. Obviously not all ELCA pastors are this misguided in their interpretation of the “new things” that are affecting the doctrine of the largest Lutheran Church body in the United States. But, pastors like this do lead their respective flocks and those in the pews listen to what these persons, ordained to preach the Gospel proclaim when they are in the pulpit. When our brothers and sisters in Christ have this type of preaching imposed upon them when they attend worship, some will come to believe and accept this as God’s will. We need to continue to proclaim the Gospel, loud and proud, so that all will come to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior, and make certain that those who have come to believe, do not fall away.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:1-2

The Devil is in the Details

Often big plans are derailed by those small things that are routinely overlooked but frequently cause serious problems later on, or leading to what can be called unintended consequences. President Obama has found this out with the myriad of failures brought about by the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Again, it is the small things that disrupt these new and grand experiments. The ELCA birthed the doctrine of bound conscience in 2009. It was to be the vehicle by which behavior strictly prohibited by God, could be overturned by man and eased into mainstream Lutheranism. As with the problems associated with socializing medicine for a nation with a population of over 300 million, the grand design of this new way of interpreting Scripture is rife with false assumptions and contradictions. The Devil truly has his fingerprints all over the underlying opinions that are cited in order to prop up this misguided doctrine.

The entire premise behind the doctrine of bound conscience is to elevate man’s experience when interpreting Scripture. Societal evolution becomes a determining factor when inferring that the author apparently misunderstood the intent of the Holy Spirit because they were unaware that this generation would become so enlightened as to transcend the authority of God Himself. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America disregards the very articles of the Lutheran faith by accepting the flawed logic of bound conscience. The new and apparently improved official ELCA website no longer contains the “what we believe” section, instead it is replaced by a new faith section where it explains what is taught by ELCA churches. It states that the ELCA confesses the Triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that they proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. That in their preaching and teaching the ELCA trusts the Gospel as the power of God for the salvation of all who believe. It further states that ELCA teaching or theology serves the proclamation and ministry of this faith. Teaching or theology prepares members to be witnesses in speech and in action of God’s rich mercy in Jesus Christ. Apparently, no longer does the ELCA proclaim that the Bible was inspired by God's Spirit and that God spoke through their authors, who recorded and announced God's revelation centered in Jesus Christ.

The ELCA’s official Confession of Faith identifies the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments (commonly called the Bible); the Apostles’, Nicene and Athanasian Creeds; and the Lutheran confessional writings in the Book of Concord as the BASIS (emphasis mine) for their teaching. ELCA congregations make the same affirmation in their governing documents, and ELCA pastors promise to preach and teach in accordance with these teaching sources. Just wondering out loud here, but does not “Her Church” teach outside of those boundaries? Promises apparently are meant to be broken by some ELCA pastors. I would guess that their guidelines on human sexuality and bound conscience are found within those teaching sources. They’re not either??? Well, never mind then, they must just be some of those “new things” that the Holy Spirit is revealing to a select few of the more enlightened among us. Since the Father of Lies uses all kinds of wordplay to appeal to our innate selfishness, it would appear that the Devil is surely in these details.

With the ELCA further watering down their statement of faith, one needs to ask, why would they do this? As the leaders of the ELCA become more and more enamored of the world, they conform more and more to what they believe the world expects of them. The more they seek the approval of the world, the further away they drive themselves and their members away from God. Rather than submit to God and understand and teach that all human beings are sinful and cannot free ourselves from the burden of that sin without the saving grace of our Redeemer, ELCA members are called to enable their bound conscience and do what they believe is right. Rather than knowing that human beings are enslaved to sin and continue to engage in evil and immoral conduct, the leaders of the ELCA proclaim that God made you as you are and God does not make evil and immoral beings. I guess Satan was a spontaneous combustion or something like that according to the logic of some ELCA leaders. Rather than denying oneself and pleasing the Lord, the leaders of the ELCA promote that you should please yourself and deny the Lord.

Romans 3:28, 31, “For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.” The doctrine of bound conscience serves to nullify the law, replacing it with human sensibility. The Apostle Paul was called by Christ Himself to serve to proclaim His Gospel throughout the world. I think he nails it right on the head, exposing all of us as frauds. Without first submitting to our Lord and Savior, we remain on the outside looking in. While the righteousness bestowed upon believers in the Risen Christ grants them salvation, the law serves to remind us of our sin and teaches us what is wrong in the sight of God. The leaders of the ELCA would have you temper your acceptance of the authority of Scripture and replace it with what they determine is a more sensible approach. This church has fallen so far it is unlikely to ever regain footing on the solid ground that is our Lord and Savior. And unfortunately, there are over 4 million of our brothers and sisters in Christ that are subjected to these false teachings. Pray unceasingly for their eyes to be opened to the Truth.

Shades of Gray

In almost thirty years as a police officer in a Milwaukee suburb, I learned that the law had few exceptions or what could be called “gray” areas. The law is invariably black and white; choose to break the law and you will pay the consequences. As the saying goes, “Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.” If an officer failed to properly conduct an investigation, the only gray area was that in which the perpetrator’s attorney found a loophole in the law and the guilty walked away from his or her just punishment. The law is pretty plain for the police. Observe someone break the law and take appropriate enforcement action. Investigate crimes, identify a suspect and make an arrest. Prepare reports, appear and testify in court. Of course, there were those minor issues, such as speeding, where an officer could actually use his or her discretion. But, as the years rolled on, more and more discretion was eliminated from the police officer’s role in law enforcement. Mandatory arrests were required in every domestic violence situation. Every traffic stop was video recorded. Most interactions with citizens were also recorded for further review, requiring every officer to make certain to dot every “I” and cross every “T”. Police officers now operate in a fish bowl, with every decision made picked apart by the public, media and the administration.

The law in Scripture is quite clear. God declares a number of behaviors immoral, or more commonly referred to as sinful. The hot button issue of our time, homosexuality, is clearly defined as behavior that is unacceptable to God. No gray area here. Look no further than the 6th Commandment, You shall not commit adultery. Adultery is defined as sexual relations outside of marriage and God defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Jesus said so in Matthew 19:4-6, “that at 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. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

The leaders of the ELCA would have their membership believe that Scripture is chock full of gray areas and is not relevant to this new enlightened age of man. In lifting up R. Guy Erwin the first openly gay as bishop in the ELCA Southwest California Synod, they disregard their own contrived doctrine, specifically adopted to normalize homosexuality within the ELCA. Resolution 4 passed by the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly explicitly states, “This resolution called upon members to respect the bound consciences of those with whom they disagree; declared intent to allow structured flexibility in decision-making about candidacy and the call process; eliminated the prohibition of rostered service by members in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationships; recognized and committed to respect the conviction of members who believe that the ELCA should not call or roster people in committed same-gender relationships; called for development of accountability guidelines; directed that amendments to ministry policy documents be drafted and approved; and stated that this church continue to trust congregations, bishops, synods and others responsible for determining who should be called into public ministry." (Adopted 667-307 as amended)

Well, those of you in the Southwest California Synod who disagree are given no choice but to accept Bishop Erwin as their pastor. So much for bound conscience and allowing those who disagree to not call or roster people in committed same-gender relationships. From ELCA website, Conference of Bishops; "Each of the 65 synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America elects a bishop to serve as the synod's chief pastor and to exercise administrative oversight of the synod's work." When redirecting the authority of God’s church to advocate for those engaged in behavior prohibited by God Himself and place willful sinners that have no intention of repentance for their actions in a position of authority, the ELCA relinquishes any authority to remain as a church of God. No, it is not about disobedience. It is why the choice is made to disobey. Human authority replaces God’s authority. Human desires replace God’s will. Humans worship themselves, their identities and accomplishments instead of worshipping the Lord our God. When your doctor tells you that certain behaviors will end up costing you your life, either you change and eliminate those risky behaviors or the prognosis will come to fruition. Is it not more important to acquiesce to God’s will since it is your eternal life that is at risk? 1 Peter 1:24-25, “For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.”

Those that succumb to homosexual desires are no worse a sinner than any other supposedly faithful Christian. After all, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ said in Matthew 5:28, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” We don’t need to act on our desires. We commit the sin as if we actually indulged in the act. 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 is not in us.” When we choose to refuse to repent of sinful behavior, we deceive ourselves and make our God out to be a liar. When we deny our sin, we diminish the gift of life given through the death of our Savior. When we refuse to deny ourselves, we fail to give our Father the glory and praise that He deserves. It is not about us. It is not only about the love of the neighbor. It is about what He did for all of us, even though we deserve nothing less than what our Savior suffered upon that cross. Place your love and trust in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and not in this apostate “church”.

Written on Your Heart

You get too much change back from the cashier and that little voice is telling you to correct that mistake and return your windfall. You see that confused elderly woman apparently lost and you take the time to approach her and help. You pass the bell ringer at the local market and you dig into your wallet and take out a ten dollar bill and place it in the red container. Every time we feel that gentle nudge, that so many call our conscience, is nothing of the sort. Our conscience is simply God’s laws that are written upon every human being’s heart. Even unbelievers have these pangs of conscience. Criminals, those from broken homes, those that were never taught any moral values, those that have never stepped foot in church, and even sociopaths do know right from wrong. This is not a learned response. Whether or not we want, what breaks our Lord’s heart does indeed break ours. Romans 2:14-15, “(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)”

When we are faced with ethical and moral choices, God’s law shows us the way, even though He does not require that we obey. Romans 10:14-19, “because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.” Our Lord and Savior, our Redeemer Jesus Christ has already paid the penalty for our sin. We are free and clear if only we believe in God’s one true Son. If we were required to obey the law in order to gain our salvation, we would all fall woefully short and Heaven would be a truly empty and lonely place.

So, what of those that choose to invoke their bound conscience and willfully disobey? For certain, God is not pleased. It takes much convincing from the misguided leadership of a church to overcome what God has indelibly imprinted on His children. Lies, disguised as “new things” must be repeated over and over, hidden behind the flawed goals of social justice and the imperfect love of the neighbor, masquerading as imparting God’s perfect love. Acceptance of alternate lifestyles, fixing our “broken” planet, decrying white privilege and promoting anti-heterosexism, as what is called anti-racism, and siding with terrorist nations while denouncing God’s chosen people, Israel, are promoted in numerous social statements and messages from misguided churches looking to diminish sin by affirming what an immoral society has accepted. This new religion persuades the faithful to engage with the world and transform God’s word to conform with secular values, rather than working to change the world and bring the lost closer to God. Those engaging in this ill-advised assault on God’s law know full well the evil they are promoting. Every brother and sister in Christ lost in the apostasy of the ELCA, UCC and Episcopal churches, adds another millstone around the neck of those leaders that promote these false gospels.

When we fall into the selfishness that so permeates our society, we push our God aside and worship ourselves, our identities and our accomplishments. Love your God with all your heart, all your mind, with all your soul, and all your strength is replaced with affirmation of the self, minimization of sin, and human experience and tradition replaces the authority of Scripture. Want to please the Lord? Dwell in His word and keep His commandments. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ inspired the authors of Scripture, through the Holy Spirit and put to words our Father’s instruction manual for His children. Anyone who teaches a gospel other than the one Jesus taught, teaches a false gospel and leads those who listen away from Him. Galatians 1:9, “If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

For Lutherans, the doctrine of Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone) guides us in our spiritual lives. Study and learn God’s word and the false teaching of charlatans disguised as “ELCA Biblical scholars” will be apparent. Our obedience is an insignificant undertaking for those who love God and want to please Him in all we do. Continue in prayer for those lost and adrift in those churches that lead them away from the Lord.

Legalistic Evangelicalism

In the September 2012 edition of The Lutheran magazine, the featured article included the term legalistic evangelicalism. I’ve never heard this before, but I can actually somewhat agree with its premise. The author was casting aspersions on Christians that use a form of Spiritual abuse when they attempt to uphold the authority of Scripture. You see, many, and you can include me among them, were up in arms about the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly action to de-sin homosexuality and allow practicing homosexuals to preach from ELCA pulpits. Many faithful Christians that view this new doctrine as rebellion against God’s law, but only emphasize the defiance of God’s law and the sin it produces, are truly missing the point. The question is not what we do when we engage in sin, but why we choose to disobey.

Deliberate disobedience of our Lord’s commands is not exclusive to liberal or progressive Christians. We all commit sins against our God daily. We admit that we sin by what we have done and what we have left undone, so we do acknowledge that we sin by commission and omission. Even though believers are no longer subject to punishment for breaking God’s law, we will repent and ask God for forgiveness. So, since it is more than apparent that all of us deliberately engage in sin all too often, why are the actions of the leadership of the ELCA so troubling? Are we falling into the trap of rating our sinful acts on a scale that minimizes one’s particular chosen indulgence?

Progressive “Christians” criticize those that object to their misguided attempt to modernize our faith with their flawed human logic. They wag their fingers at those they view as unenlightened Bible thumpers that are intentionally using their Bibles as war clubs, calling them hateful, homophobic and judgmental. Well, when we call out our brothers and sisters simply on the basis of their disobedience, we indeed become the Pharisee that Jesus called out in Scripture. Fact of the matter is that we are no longer required to obey the law in order to attain righteousness. The Gospel bestows righteousness to those who believe in God's one true Son. We are no longer subject to the punishment our disobedience warrants. When Jesus went to the cross he took all, that’s right all sin, committed yesterday, today and tomorrow. He suffered and died, in our place, willingly accepting the punishment meant for us, so that we could be forgiven by, and reconciled with our Father. When Jesus rose three days later, defeating death, He opened the door for all those who believe, to eternal life with Him in Heaven. Jesus said in John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Once we truly believe, we endeavor to please our God by obeying His commands. Is this mandatory? No, even when we try our best to obey, we continue to fall short. Even with our best of intentions, we still choose to deliberately disobey. Does our God love us any less because of our shortcomings? No, His love is unconditional. Faith in the Risen Christ is enough. Good works, obedience, tithing or submitting to any other law does not gain us any special favor with God. So, we must be careful when we call out our brothers and sisters in Christ that decide to invoke their bound conscience and defy our Lord and Savior. Again, it is not what they do, but why they choose disobedience. Bound conscience is simply a tool used by those who do not want to deny their selfish human nature. Bound conscience uses man's imperfect love to overturn the authority of Scripture. Bound conscience creates a god in the image of man, a god that would never restrict man's liberty in any way. The issue is just how do we convince our brothers and sisters in Christ that the ELCA is peddling a false gospel so that they can return to the narrow path?

We must remember to reach out in love to correct, rebuke and encourage, with great patience and careful instruction. Far too often we dwell on the breaking of the law, when we should give counsel, explaining where that disobedience will lead. Far too many of our brothers and sisters in Christ that remain in churches steeped in apostasy, truly believe that they are doing God’s will. When we are viewed as angry and judgmental, it becomes easy for those we only want to help return to the Lord, to shut us out and make them even more determined to continue on their path.

Perhaps, we should heed the words of the contemporary Christian group, Casting Crowns from their song, Jesus Friend of Sinners.

Jesus, friend of sinners, we have strayed so far away. We cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing. Jesus, friend of sinners, the truth's become so hard to see. The world is on their way to You, but they're tripping over me. Always looking around but never looking up I'm so double minded, a plank eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided.

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers. Let our hearts be led by mercy. Help us reach with open hearts and open doors. Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours.

Jesus, friend of sinners, the one who's writing in the sand, who made the righteous turn away and the stones fall from their hands. Help us to remember we are all the least of these. Let the memory of Your mercy bring Your people to their knees. Nobody knows what we're for, only what we're against when we judge the wounded. What if we put down our signs, crossed over the lines, and loved like You did.

You love every lost cause; you reach for the outcast, for the leper and the lame; they're the reason that You came. Lord I was that lost cause and I was the outcast, but you died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet.

We are no longer under the law, but under grace when we have faith in the Risen Christ. When we reach out to help our brothers and sisters lost within the heresies of the ELCA, reach out in true Christian love, praying unceasingly for their hearts and minds to be opened to the Truth..

Eye on the Prize

Keeping your eye on the prize is a motivational maxim often used in sports. Enduring demanding training is made more palatable when one knows that hard work may lead to a championship. We are told to keep focused on achieving the end result, rather than the obstacles that get in the way of our goals. Each step taken brings one closer to that desired outcome. When reaching for that accomplishment that somehow we believe will define us, we will often deny ourselves the things that we think may be a hindrance to achieving that goal. We believe that keeping our eyes on the prize will make all our sacrifices worthwhile. Problem is that once we reach these supposedly lofty goals, we rejoice for a time, but there always seems to be an emptiness as time goes on. For every goal achieved, another presents itself. One can never make enough money, rise high enough in the corporate world, or win enough championships. No matter how much we accomplish in this life, it is never totally satisfying. When we finally realize that the ultimate prize is eternal life with our Father in Heaven, the importance of earthly rewards begins to fade away.

Philippians 3:13-14, “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” We need not win the game to be awarded the ultimate prize. Open the door and welcome Jesus into your heart. Jesus is depicted by a number of artists, standing outside a door and knocking, and most have one thing in common. There is no doorknob on the outside of the door. Only the occupant can open the door to allow Him in. When, by faith, we believe in the one true Son of God, that He freely offered Himself as a sin offering for each and every one of us, that He suffered and died for us, and defeated death with His resurrection, we are granted, through the grace of God, our salvation. Scripture tells us that at that moment, we are made anew or become a new person and that we die to our sinful selves and become a new creation, lifted up by the love of our Lord and Savior. We realize that our former person is someone to be discarded and we pledge our lives to giving all the glory to God. You see that even if we fall short in this life, the life to come is far more important than anything that can happen here on earth.

Sin persists in this world and has infiltrated Christ’s church through the worldly ambitions of those who have pledged allegiance to God, but instead have chosen to betray Him. Isaiah 43:18-19, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” Twisting these words of the prophet Isaiah, leaders of the ELCA tell their membership that God is now telling them new things that fit in with their vision of an all accepting new religion. The prize they seek is not the kingdom of Heaven. It is to create a heaven here on earth promoting tolerance, diversity and justice. The leaders of the ELCA abdicate their responsibility to lead the lost to Christ and instead challenge the ageless truths of Christianity. Those that love Christ endeavor to please Him in all we do, the leaders of the ELCA entice their membership with the false gospel of bound conscience, allowing them to please themselves instead. Those foolish enough to embrace these false gospels perpetrated by the leaders of the ELCA take their eyes off the prize and jeopardize their very salvation.

Hebrews 8:10-13, “I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.” The intent of this passage is clear. When we belong to God, His law is written upon our hearts. Making the first covenant obsolete does not mean that God wants us to rewrite His laws. On the contrary, the first covenant condemned sin and was unable to offer forgiveness. The new covenant is Christ. His death and resurrection opened a door for us to be truly forgiven by our Father in Heaven. This new covenant pardons our sin and through the power of the Holy Spirit, gives us the ability to understand, the capacity to love, the courage to profess our faith, and the will to obey His laws.

We can do nothing to earn God’s mercy and grace. It is by our faith in the Risen Christ that opens that door. God’s mercy endures forever. His grace rains upon us without end. The prize is there for all who truly believe. Keep your eye on the prize that is the Risen Christ. Do not be deceived by those that would have you believe a gospel other than the one taught by Jesus. The enlightened leaders of the ELCA have fallen for the trap laid by the evil one. They remain not only in the world, but of the world and they truly love this world. 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.”

Cruel to be Kind

Back in the 80’s when MTV actually played music videos, Nick Lowe performed his one and only hit song, Cruel to be Kind. This song is based on the old adage that you’ve got to be cruel to be kind. This expression is typically used when you say or do something to a friend or family member, (most often your spouse or significant other), that will usually cause them anger or dismay, but, at least you believe that you did that act in that person’s best interests. We often find that constructive criticism will cause resentment from the person that is subjected to that criticism and that resentment is directed right back at the criticizer. Even though we have the best of intentions when pointing out that particular shortcoming or suggesting that perhaps an alternate approach would be wiser, our helpfulness is often perceived as unwelcome and meddlesome. Truth of the matter is that one would indeed be cruel if we would fail to correct our loved ones, because failing to do so could place them at risk to harm themselves, physically or perhaps spiritually.

As disciples of Christ we are often called to step out of our comfort zones to advance the Kingdom of God. Scripture teaches us how important it is to lead a godly life, endeavoring to achieve some level of righteousness that would be pleasing to our God. Scripture also teaches how critical it is to continue to meet with each other, sharing our prayers and encouraging each other, making certain that we all grow and remain strong in the Spirit. One of those tasks our Lord would have us undertake is correcting our brothers and sisters in Christ that have gone astray, no matter how well intentioned they believe they are. 2 Timothy 4:2-5, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.”

So many comments from our more enlightened brethren in the progressive ELCA are directed at traditional Christians that uphold the authority of Scripture, chastising them for, what they perceive, as an overemphasis on the Law, while accusing them of failing to properly understand Christian love and unity. Luke 6:41-42, Jesus said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” We are not called to judge, but to correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction. Our brothers and sisters in the ELCA are faced with the ever present doctrine of bound conscience. Bound conscience is used by the leaders of the ELCA to affirm any number of worldly desires and opinions that are at odds with God’s written Word.

This bound conscience allows one to not only question the long held tenets of our faith, but to also disregard those statutes handed down through the words of the Bible. Maintaining the unity of the ELCA takes precedence over maintaining unity in Christ. We are called to be of one mind in matters of our faith, and bound conscience, in and of itself, leads the faithful to themselves instead of to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is no unity when we cannot agree on proper Christian doctrine. When one can believe whatever it is that suits them, there is no unity in Christ. When all are called to respect a brother or sisters opinion that is in obvious error, how can we possibly maintain the unity of the body? When the presiding bishop of the ELCA fails to maintain sound doctrine and allows lay people to undermine God’s authority, he betrays his pledge to our Lord.

Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus said, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.” For many years, Lutheran Core and the Word Alone Network have been in discussion with the leaders of the ELCA in an effort to lead them back to traditional Lutheranism. They have been fought with, marginalized, and flat out ignored, leading to a schism in the church that eventually birthed the LCMC and NALC, safe havens for Lutherans that continue to uphold the authority of Scripture.

It continues to greatly grieve many former ELCA members that the church that they grew up with has left the Lord behind. And it is so troubling that so many of our brothers and sisters that remain fail to understand why so many have left the ELCA. Many who remain steadfast in their support of the ELCA continue casting their anger toward those who have left to walk with a church true to the Gospel. 1 Peter 3:15-16, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.” Pray that our brothers and sisters that remain in the ELCA choose to dwell in the Word, rather than to simply listen to those who would turn them away from God and toward a closer relationship with the evil one. Continue to pray that the collective plank in their eyes be removed so that they can truly see where the leaders of the ELCA are leading them. It may seem cruel to them that so many brothers and sisters have chosen to leave, but it may be the greatest kindness to lead them away from the wide path of tolerance, acceptance and diversity that the ELCA would have them travel upon.

You Didn't Build That

When President Obama addressed a crowd in Ohio during his election campaign this fall, he ventured off the teleprompter and spoke from his heart. Driving another wedge into his strategy of promoting class warfare, he admonished those who have been successful in business, stating that “You didn’t build that.” The President further stated that without the help of government provided infrastructure that included teachers, road building, and workers, their success would not have been possible. Obviously, the president truly believes that without government, nothing is possible. Obama’s true ideology was revealed in that moment of candor, exposing his belief that government rules first and foremost. Mitt Romney’s statement that 47% of the United States are beholding to government by virtue of entitlements or employment and would continue to vote to continue their benefits, garnered much negative reporting in the mainstream media. Other than in conservative talk radio, President Obama’s slip of the tongue was widely ignored as he was elected for a second term. While many conservatives were angered by his statements, what the President stated actually IS true. Unfortunately, his reasoning could not be more inaccurate. The concept that we cannot do anything without our Lord and Savior may be foreign to our president, but it is, in fact, true. Those of us who try to go it alone soon discover that without God we only get ourselves into a myriad of predicaments.

John 15:4-5, Jesus said, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Without our Lord and Savior filling our hearts, without placing our lives under His guidance, and without us giving Him the glory, we are simply nothing. All of our successes, and sometimes even our failures, are truly gifts from God. The God of all creation, who spoke the universe into existence and breathed life into everything that was, is, and is yet to come, deserves all the credit for everything that we can possibly accomplish. For without God’s infinite love of His children, we and the world we live in would not exist. God created everything for us. For us, His children!

The leadership of the ELCA, by invoking their doctrine of bound conscience, continues to lift up, what they call, “new things” that minimize our Lord’s role in their church. “God didn’t literally father Jesus”, “Mary wasn’t really a virgin when she conceived”, and “Jesus wasn’t resurrected in a physical sense.” While these self-proclaimed enlightened scholars attempt to diminish long held Biblical truths, they lift up the things of this world and proclaim, “God’s work, our hands” while their call to bring the world to Christ is largely abandoned. Humankind’s selfish proclivities are celebrated and joyfully proclaimed from the pulpits of ELCA churches and declared as right with God in numerous social statements. While their God is left in the dust, they continue to be obsessed with human sexuality, particularly the crusade to normalize homosexuality, in effect, thumbing their collective noses at God’s commands.

Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” The ELCA has torn down a church built upon a rock and created a misguided religion erected upon the loose sands of heresy. As more and more congregations leave this misguided denomination, it teeters closer and closer to the precipice.

Far too many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are fooled into believing that the ELCA is doing God’s work. Yes, many ELCA congregations remain in Christ, but all are at risk of falling into the trap set by the leaders of the ELCA. When Bishop Hanson does his little two step dance, placing the false gospel of radical inclusiveness on equal terms with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, far too many nod their heads in agreement. God did build that and everything that is. Pray that no more are lost to the false gospels promoted by the leadership of the ELCA.

On Your Permanent Record

The 1982 film Fast Times at Ridgemont High featured a young Sean Penn (good actor, bad politics) as a pot smoking slacker that was constantly harassed by a teacher played by Ray Walston. (My Favorite Martian for all of you in my age bracket) Walston warned Penn that his bad behavior would be noted on his permanent record and would follow him forever. Acts 13:38-39, “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.” Even slacker Christians that violate the law with regularity are justified by their faith in the Risen Christ. No, these offenses are not noted on your permanent record with God, and for many of us that fall short way too often, that is a welcome relief. Our God is a forgiving God that loves His children beyond any human’s ability to comprehend.

So, does that mean that we are no longer bound by or restricted by the law? Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-19, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” So, what of those who decide to invoke their bound conscience to overrule verses of Scripture with which they disagree? When we truly love our Lord and Savior, we necessarily want to please Him in all we do. And how can we better please Him but by being obedient servants? Scripture is the written word of God. His rules are set out before us, put to words by the Holy Spirit inspired authors of the Bible. Jesus said in John 14:23-24, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”

It cannot be plainer to anyone who reads the words of Jesus, that the law remains important for every believer. In fact, the Gospel cannot exist without the law. The two are inseparable. The law demands righteousness, the Gospel bestows righteousness. Christ is the living embodiment of the law and it is through faith in the Risen Christ that righteousness is bestowed upon believers. In other words, any Christian deliberately behaving in a manner contradictory to what the law demands, denies that Christ is foremost in their lives for all to see. Our actions are to show the world our love for Christ so that others may see and also want to know Christ. Every action, no matter how small, is done to give the glory to God. When we place our opinion over the word of God, we give glory to ourselves and deny our God. This does not go unnoticed by the world. Those thirsting to fill that emptiness within their hearts are watching and just may be turned away from the cross and be compelled to look elsewhere, if we behave contrary to the law.

Our brothers and sisters in the ELCA continue to reach out with their imperfect love, allowing the doctrine of bound conscience to remain an open avenue to disregard Scripture and fulfill the cravings of a sinful humanity. Granted, it is difficult to deny oneself in order to please our God, but our obedience will not only be pleasing to God, it will fill our own emptiness by allowing Christ into our hearts. Actions pleasing to God are also very satisfying to those engaging in them. Every time one acts when the Spirit presents an opportunity to serve, the servant often receives as much satisfaction from performing that act as does the recipient of the service. This is how the Holy Spirit works in us. Our obedience leads us to proclaim the Gospel by allowing us to be filled with His love and then to pour out that love to those in need. All of this to bring glory to God. All of this to show the world the love our God has for His children. All of this to reveal the Truth to the world in order to bring all His children to faith in the Risen Christ.

As you celibrate during this Christmas season, remember who it is that you serve. Much is asked of those who serve the Lord and much more will be required, and those entrusted with much responsibility will receive even more responsibility. Once you become a good and faithful servant of the Lord, it becomes easier and easier to serve Him. Be a joyful servant and serve the Lord, obedient to the best of your ability.

Joy to the world for unto you a Savior has been born. Serve Him with all your heart, mind and soul ever mindful that your service is to proclaim the glory of God by sharing His love with those in need of Him. Merry Christmas to all!

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.

Owning Up

As a child, my parents stressed that if did something wrong, I needed to own up to that mistake by admitting what I had done. If I decided to lie or attempt to minimize my participation in whatever shenanigans I was involved in, I only made matters worse and my punishment was much more severe than if I just owned up to what I had done. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. There is good reason that the leadership of the ELCA has made confession and absolution optional for member churches. For without confession, there is no need to acknowledge one’s failings before the Lord. Without our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we are nothing. We can accomplish nothing without the guidance of our Savior. Without first being filled with the Holy Spirit, we cannot even believe and accept the grace that God offers His children. For the leaders of the ELCA, it is more important that everyone’s personal identity is respected and accepted in order to welcome and properly love the neighbor. In order to make certain that the neighbor is not ashamed of their sin and does not feel unwanted, the ELCA enacts doctrine to officially accept that behavior as no longer sinful. So when a neighbor makes a conscious and deliberate decision to remain in sin, denying our Lord and Savior to placate his or her worldly desires, this errant denomination reaches out in their imperfect love and amends God’s law.

1 Peter 1:22-25, “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you.” The leadership of the ELCA has abandoned the Truth by their deliberate and calculated disobedience. They do not own up to the fact that man is by nature sinful and left to himself is capable of all kinds of evil. The leaders of the ELCA stoke the flames of disobedience by enacting doctrine to allow one to engage in sin without remorse or need to acknowledge their sinful nature. Now, sin is not simply the act of disobeying the Lord. It is when we place ourselves first in our relationship with Christ that we begin to fall into sin. All humans are imperfect beings that fall far short of the glory of our God, and some of us are more imperfect than others. (Put the writer of this blog in the latter category) When we attempt to use our imperfect love as an excuse to disobey our God, then we commit the gravest sin of all, we place ourselves upon the altar and worship ourselves, our intellect and our identities.

Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” The leaders of the ELCA hold their membership captive through the hollow and deceptive philosophy known as the doctrine of bound conscience. Far too many accept this false doctrine, believing that it allows them to better love their neighbor. It does nothing of the sort. Acceptance of the doctrine of bound conscience allows one to relegate our Lord to an afterthought, placing their own imperfect love as the cornerstone of their faith. How insidious it is for the evil one to use love as the temptation for man to place himself above God! And make no mistake. The leaders of the ELCA may believe that God is telling them new things, but these new things are whispers and murmurs spoken to them by the very prince of darkness. By urging their members to disregard Scripture, they are simply doing the evil one’s bidding. How sad for these enlightened elites. As the leaders of the ELCA fall all over themselves promoting the things of this world in an effort to repair our broken world, their emphasis on social justice actually divides and the false gospels they teach drive the faithful away from God.

Colossians 2:6-7, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Dwell in His word. Keep the faith as you were taught, thanking God for every blessing. Continue in prayer that those trapped in the ELCA may be delivered from the clutches of the evil one.

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.

Willfully Ignorant

Jesus said to His Disciples in Matthew 8:17-18, “Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember?” When one engages in willful ignorance, one must actually suspend belief by ignoring any information that tends to contradict one’s own standard of reality. If you choose to seek out only that which confirms your opinion, you just might be willfully ignorant. Ignorance, in and of itself, is simply being unaware, but adding to that fact, being willfully ignorant, involves refusing to acknowledge any fact which may prove one’s preconceived notions are in error. Many in the secular world, especially in politics, adhere to talking points, deliberately ignoring any evidence that may lead them to a conclusion other than the one they choose to accept. Preexisting beliefs often lead one away from solutions to problems, in fact, often creating additional complications for that person. We see this happen over and over in many liberal groups. The occupy movement, preconceived racial injustice marches, environmental protests, just to name a few, often act without a full accounting of facts, causing untold damage to society. But, being liberal means never having to say you’re sorry. This type of thinking has been embraced by the liberal, or what some now call, progressive churches, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, United Church of Christ and the Episcopal Church in America. The enlightened leaders of these wayward churches choose to take a road less traveled. In order to deliberately disregard God’s written word, they proclaim that God is speaking to them today and has said “new things” that obviously overturn accepted Christian doctrine.

Apparently these new things that God is saying advise the enlightened leaders of these apostate churches to lift up the longings of a depraved humanity as good in His sight. These religious elites believe that God is telling them “Nevermind” as Emily Littella (Gilda Radner from Saturday Night Live, back when it was actually funny). would say. To these misguided church leaders, a God that uses masculine terms to describe Himself is now somehow offensive to the radical feminist that must be placated. Scripture is no longer the sole and normative source to be used to determine matters in our faith life and the doctrine of bound conscience allows it to be tempered with our human reason, experience and traditions. The Virgin Birth and even the resurrection of our Lord and Savior is questioned by these elites, as, at least confused, or just plain inaccurate.  They explain that the authors of Scripture may have misunderstood what God was saying or they simply did not possess the reason necessary to properly explain these events.

These new things disregard that which our Lord commanded. Yes, God commanded. The authors of Scripture were inspired by the Holy Spirit and for thousands of years have been accepted as the word of God. That God’s churches would proclaim these heretical teachings as if God actually changed His mind and decided to reconsider the laws He gave us for all time. As the leaders of these misguided churches forge ahead through paths unknown, they willfully ignore that which our Lord taught. One wonders what these leaders truly believe and why do they insist upon ignoring God’s will. They disregard established tenets of Christianity in order to appease the secular world’s vision of a tolerant society. Rather than promote that discipleship entails rejection of the self, new doctrine places self ahead of our God. When one can place conditions upon God’s church, such as when the LGTBQ community demands that they be accepted, not as a sinful being that all of us are, but somehow above those that choose to endeavor to obey God’s law. And when they decide that being LGTBQ is more critical than their identity as a Christian, they indeed place themselves and their identity ahead of God. Deuteronomy 11:26-28, “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.” And still these leaders encourage their membership to place themselves upon the altar and worship themselves, their identities and their good deeds.

Jeremiah 5:21-22, “Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear: 22 Should you not fear me?” declares the LORD. “Should you not tremble in my presence?” When will God’s people listen to His reason and decide to simply obey. For when one truly loves the Lord, the goal to please Him should be paramount, not the goal in looking for excuses to disobey when Scripture does not please them.  Pray that more will have their hearts and minds opened so more will be saved from these errant denominations.

Addicted to Love

Addiction is normally associated with the physical or psychological dependence upon certain drugs. Addiction can also be a persistent commitment to an objective in spite of the negative consequences that it brings. The leadership of the ELCA persists in proclaiming the love of the neighbor as foremost in their ministry. They reach out with imperfect love in an effort to repair our broken world. This love of neighbor, over the love of our God, leads them to affirm behavior acceptable by secular society instead of recognizing that our God does indeed have rules.  We must not willfully disobey.  We must accept and understand that certain behavior is not acceptable to Him. John 14:23-24, “Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” Many of those who choose to disregard God’s law cite many verses in the Old Testament in an effort to discredit those who uphold the authority of Scripture. Jesus stated many times, “Is it not written”, confirming the Old Testament laws. So even though believers are no longer subject to the punishment for breaking God’s law, which we all do with way too much regularity, we still should aspire to obedience to show our love for our God.

When we put the cart before the horse and try to replace God’s perfect love with our imperfect love, we lift up the things of this world, rather than that which our Father desires. The elevation of secular ideals and placing a greater emphasis on social justice rather than striving to save the souls of the lost is the ELCA’s greatest shortcoming. The leaders of the ELCA look to use their misguided goal of fixing our broken world, disregarding the fact that, if more came to the Lord, that in and of itself, would necessarily make this world a better place.  If more accept the Truth and obey our Lord’s teaching, more would reach out to their neighbor in true Christian love. Any organization can work to make the world a better place, but how much better could it be if this church would actually reach out in true Christian love and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world as the way to repair our broken world. When a greater emphasis is placed on lobbying for the “Dream Act” while our God’s business is ignored, the leadership of the ELCA is simply preaching a gospel other than the one our Lord taught. When statements issued by the presiding Bishop, on behalf of the ELCA, are filled with deliberate misrepresentations and inaccuracies, as he did with a statement condemning Israel for boarding ships violating the Gaza blockade, he discredits the entire synod.

Man’s flawed desire to love the neighbor too much, leads to the affirmation of that which our Father prohibits. The whole issue of human sexuality was turned chaotic when the leadership of the ELCA decided to place their own experience, knowledge and tradition above the authority of Scripture. Does loving one’s neighbor also require us to affirm sinful behavior and to disregard words of Scripture? Is one obligated to accept behavior that is specifically prohibited by our God in order to be welcoming to our neighbor? We are called to preach the word to our brothers and sisters in Christ and “correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.” When the ELCA adopted the doctrine of bound conscience, it abandoned its’ responsibility to maintain proper doctrine and began teaching its’ membership a false gospel.

When love is not rooted in the Risen Christ, it is truly directed from within, from the self and to the self. The leadership of the ELCA is addicted to the imperfect love of the neighbor that is embedded in the love of the self. We are to be a vessel for our Lord with Christ central in our hearts. When we place Christ first in our hearts His love will truly flow through us and to our neighbor. For, if one is not dedicated to pleasing our Lord, he only pleases himself. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” It is when we choose to place Christ first in our hearts, and only then, will we truly be able to reach out in His love.

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.