The ELCA creates problems

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) membership is in a decline. People going into ELCA seminary is in a decline as well. Here is what may have caused this: the liberalization of the ELCA (Bible interpretations and just letting anyone out of seminary).

Why is the ELCA ordaining gays? This creates a problem that they are facing today.
The Bible suddenly isn't the Bible anymore, it means nothing.
This is the future and the doom of the church.

ELCA Churchwide Assembly and LCMS Regular Convention

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (Aug. 6-11)
CHICAGO (Navy Pier)--
*reception of Evangelical Lutheran Worship hymnal (965-71)
*approved full communion with Moravian Church provinces (999-23)
*re-elected Rev. Mark Hanson as presiding bishop (888-139, 2nd ballot)
*elected David Swartling as ELCA secretary (611-366, 5th ballot)
*blessing of same-sex relationships passed to task force (733-278)
*restraint of discipline of pastors in same-sex relationships passed (538-431)
*referrals to the task force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality passed (697-245)
(for more information: http://www.elca.org/assembly/votingmatters/results.html )

Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (July 14-19)
HOUSTON (George R. Brown Convention Center)--
*re-elected Rev. Gerald Kieschnick as synod president
*elected Rev. William R. Diekelman as first vice president
*approved altar and pulpit fellowship with the Association of American Lutheran Churches
*Lutheran Service Book hymnal wins the 2007 FiberMark Specifier Award in religious publishing
(for more information: http://www.lcms.org/pages/default.asp?NavID=8410 )

Watered Down Lutheranism

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is in communion with:
Episcopal Church (USA)
Moravian Church in America
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Reformed Church in America
United Church of Christ [many this church the most liberal denomination]
United Methodist Church

How could this happen? These denominations have nothing to deal with Lutheranism, in fact they all see Holy Communion differently than the ELCA does. Lutherans believe that communion meal is the actual body and blood of Christ in the form of bread and wine. However, the other denominations see communion as only symbolic. When was the last time the ELCA hierarchy actually paid attention to what Luther said?

In July 2007 the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod voted to be in altar and pulpit fellowship with the Association of American Lutheran Churches (AALC). The AALC are former American Lutheran Churches (ALC) that were not in favor of the 1988 ELCA merger. The ALC was the conservative branch of the ELCA merger.

Pope: Only true Christians are Catholic

I thought the Reformation was over! Apparently Pope Benedict XVI is living in the time of Martin Luther. The pope needs to realize that the first Christian church was not the Roman Catholic Church, it was the gnostic church. If you believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are saved and you will go to Heaven. There is a joke that Roman Catholics convert to Lutheranism when they are on their deathbed, when they actually do pray to God Himself, instead of to a saint.

It is nice that the pope feels it is necessary to bad mouth the Eastern Orthodox Church and the protestant denominations. It wasn't that long ago he attacked the Muslims. He loves to live in controversy.

Now this pope is wanting to go back to pre-Vatican II. The time that the Catholics were not particularly nice to Jews and protestants, especially Lutherans. Pope John Paul II's work has been forgotten by this pope. We were all starting to get along for once, and this pope has to go and goof it all up.

Lutherans to allow pastors in gay relationships

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Homosexual Lutheran clergy who are in sexual relationships will be able to serve as pastors, the largest U.S. Lutheran body said on Saturday.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) passed a resolution at its annual assembly urging bishops to refrain from disciplining pastors who are in "faithful committed same-gender relationships."

The resolution passed by a vote of 538-431.

"The Church ... has just said 'Do not do punishments'," said Phil Soucy, spokesman for Lutherans Concerned, a gay-lesbian rights group within the church. "That is huge."

The ELCA, which has 4.8 million members, had previously allowed gays to serve as pastors so long as they abstained from sexual relations.

The conference also instructed a committee that is developing a social statement on sexuality to further investigate the issue. The committee is scheduled to release its report in 2009.

Since the ELCA was founded in 1988, the group has ordered three pastors in gay relationships to be removed from their ministries. The most recent case was decided in July when the ELCA's committee on appeals voted to remove an openly gay pastor from St. John's Lutheran Church in Atlanta.

The gay clergy issue has become a flashpoint in other faiths, including the Anglican Church.

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070811/us_nm/religion_lutherans_dc_1

Here is my take---

Wow, it didn't even take 20 years since the ELCA merger to forget about what it means to be a Lutheran. Being Lutheran isn't about just gaining members, that's a bonus, it is about pure teachings of the Holy Bible. This vote totally ignored Biblical teachings of the New Testament and also ignored The Book of Concord. The liberals have officially taken over the hierarchy of the ELCA, and we all knew this was bound to happen. The traditional Lutherans are either old or have died, what would they think of this? What would Martin Luther think of this? Pastors are supposed to be looked up to, trusted and be role models to the entire congregation, this includes children. The ELCA according to what the Book of Concord teaches is no longer following the Lutheran faith. The conservatives no longer have a voice in the ELCA. People wonder why the ELCA membership is in a decline, the ELCA notes that, this is why, dumb things like this get the real Lutherans upset.

Soon, and very soon, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod will be the largest Lutheran body. The ELCA conservatives have no where else to go than the LCMS. Many ELCA members believe that the LCMS is very different from the ELCA, they are very wrong. The LCMS is a lot alike the ELCA in many ways, except that the LCMS does not ordain women and they see the Bible as inerrant, as the ELCA used to believe.