Counterfeit Truth

A teenage runaway is alone in the city, out of money, with nowhere to sleep but the street. She meets a man, who asks about her, but does not understand that he has ulterior motives. He offers her food and shelter. Once he gains her trust, he leads her into the world of prostitution. All she wanted was to be loved and accepted by the very person that has led her into a life without hope. The inner city youth that does not fit in at school or in society, falls for the lie that he can belong to something important and find companionship by joining a street gang. He then becomes involved in criminal activity, losing any hope to live a normal life. The outcast who is not accepted by the “in crowd” is befriended by someone who offers drugs to help him feel better about himself and escape from the reality of this cruel world. He accepts this gift, but as he becomes dependant, the drugs are no longer complementary. He becomes a drug addict, steals to pay for his habit, and is lost in hopelessness. When one hungers to be accepted and loved, they will often grasp at anything or anyone that welcomes them, even those that only want to use them.

The false hope that arises from the counterfeit truth of bound conscience draws those that want their sinful lifestyle accepted in order to feel welcome and loved by the church. They do not want to give up their selfish desires and refuse to seek God’s forgiveness. The ELCA entices them with the false offer that their lifestyle choice will be no longer be sinful to God and His church if only they accept this “truth”. We know that this doctrine is not of our Lord because it circumvents the authority of Scripture. The ELCA uses this false doctrine as an excuse to pass resolutions and to adopt doctrine to affirm homosexual behavior as normative and acceptable to this denomination. In doing so, they disregard Scripture in the name of being more welcoming, tolerant, and loving of our neighbor. We surely can love our neighbor as our Lord commanded without disregarding His word. This doctrine that attempts to legitimize aberrant behavior only serves to distance this church from God’s will.

Unfortunately, this doctrine will allow those engaging in homosexual behavior to continue in their sin, with no need to repent before the Lord. This doctrine will also lift up the self while diminishing our Lord. If we truly love the Lord, we will sacrifice for Him. We will place our own needs and desires secondary in order to please our Lord. If one's desire for their lifestyle to be accepted and affirmed is more important than their love of the Lord, then they love themselves more than they love Him. Is it so difficult to understand that as Christians, as Disciples of Christ, we are to place Him foremost in our lives? Any doctrine that relegates our Lord to a secondary role is, plain and simple, promoting a false gospel. For God’s church to lead their membership astray in this way is unconscionable.

This misguided denomination takes a cue from the George Orwell novel, Animal Farm, in their interaction with the LGTB community. In the novel, when the pigs took command of the barnyard, they also took more for themselves, while other animals had to do with less. When some of the other animals protested, the pigs contrived a doctrine that stated that although all animals were equal, some of them were more equal than others. In the June 2010 edition of the Lutheran Magazine, an article entitled, Rite and Bound conscience appeared in the news section on page 8. This news article stated that “The ELCA church council authorized a rite that synod bishops can use to receive 17 pastors from Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries onto the ELCA roster. ELM credentials candidates of all sexual orientations and gender identities for ordained ministry. The rite, “Reception to the Roster of Ordained Ministers with Prayer and the Laying on of Hands,” was recommended to the council by the ELCA Conference of Bishops and is authorized for “no other use,” the council said.” It would appear that some pastoral candidates are more equal than others in having their own exclusive ordination rite.

Additionally, a working group was convened to study the concept of bound conscience, especially relating to same-gender relationships. It also has a goal to engage people across the denomination in conversation about the theological foundation of the ELCA decision making and respect for people whose consciences are bound to different understandings of Scripture. 1 Timothy 1:5-11, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. 8 We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God” While there is still much good to be found in the ELCA, it is obviously rotting away from the top down. Those that choose to remain and accept these destructive doctrinal changes will eventually be swept into the abyss with the enlightened elites that lead this misguided denomination. Continue in prayer, that more will be saved from the false teachings of the ELCA.

The Evolution of Theology

For years the great divide between science and religion has been the theory of evolution. Christianity professes that God created the universe and all that is in it. Science believes that random events caused universe to come into being and that life originated as a single cell organism, created by a chance comingling of amino acids. The theory of evolution further states that over the millennia natural selection caused this single cell organism to evolve into the varying plant and animal life we have in this world. Christianity believes that God created the earth and filled it with plants, animals, and human beings, created in His own image. For the ELCA theologian, much discussion and argument ensues about, not only the interpretation of Scripture, but the very theology of Lutheranism. Theology is defined as the study of the nature of God and religious truth, or the rational inquiry into religious questions. The primary doctrine of Lutheranism is simply justification by grace alone through faith alone because of Jesus Christ alone. Lutheran Theology teaches that the Bible does not merely contain the Word of God, but that every word has been inspired by the Holy Spirit and therefore, is the divine command of God. When ELCA theologians challenge the authenticity and authority of Scripture, they indict our Lord. In fact, they are insinuating that God is a liar.

In the December 2009 edition of the Lutheran Magazine, the featured article, written by Heidi Ernst, and entltled “Our Worldwide Church, Global contexts challenge Lutheran Theology”, she cited Karen L. Bloomquist, an ELCA pastor and director of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Department for Theology and Studies since 1999. Bloomquist addressed the LWF Theological Conference, in Augsburg, Germany, March of 2009, in what Ernst described as, one of its’ largest and most diverse gathering of Lutheran Theologians. Ernst wrote, “In her welcome at the event, Bloomquist made a case for continual theological evolution: “A Lutheran identity cannot be based only on coded Lutheran formulas, or historical legacies brought by missions, or on the basis of ethnic or tribal identities, or historical accidents. Instead, sifting through, reconceiving and transfiguring Lutheran theology is a dynamic movement.” Sadly, we are all experiencing this transfiguring of our Lutheran faith into something that no longer resembles the faith that has been handed down for centuries. Theologians are charged to raise rational questions about religious questions, not to promote a paradigm shift away from the foundations of our faith. Yes, we need to temper and adjust our proclamation of the Gospel to different cultures and other parts of the world, but the central truths remain intact, as we have believed through the word of God and has been reinforced through the Creeds and Augsburg Confessions.

Those of us that remain traditional and orthodox in our theology are accused of lagging behind in this enlightened movement to redefine Lutheranism in the 21st Century. Those of us that cling to our Bibles and truly believe that we are justified by faith in Christ alone are looked upon as obsolete. Those that dare to speak out for our Lord are jeered at, mocked, called hateful and accused of spreading malicious gossip. We are chastised and accused of breaking the unity of God’s church. Our unity is in Christ, not a church that places their own selfish understanding in authority of Scripture. We must choose to expose the heresy that these enlightened leaders of the ELCA are promoting. We must choose to stand up and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ until we can speak no more. The intellectual elites of the ELCA are chipping away at the very core of the Lutheran faith. It would appear that the primary goal is to eliminate God from His church and replace Him with themselves and the things of this world.

For what reason would the leaders of the ELCA talk about the love of the Lord when all the while they promote these heretical assumptions? Why would they choose to serve a master that leads to sin and death? Understand that the great majority of ELCA members are true to the Lord and have no idea how these elitists are plotting to weaken their faith. Most are filled with the Spirit and love of the Lord. Most pray the Lord’s Prayer and recite the Apostle’s, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds, truly believing every word. Most accept the Augsburg Confessions as a true testament of their faith. Why are so many blind to what is happening to their church? Why are so many defending the actions of the misguided leadership of the ELCA?

Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” Let us be eager to do God’s will and to proclaim His word. Continue in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Christ, that they too, will awaken from their slumber and realize that the leaders of the ELCA are preaching a false gospel.