WHY are we still affiliated with the ELCA?
In August of 2009, the ELCA, through their social statement “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust”1 took a controversial stance on homosexuality in the church that ignited what I call “The Great Conflagration”. This fire is still burning with as much ferocity as it was eight years ago. And despite what the ELCA wants everyone to think, there’s more fueling this fire than just everyone’s opinions on homosexuality.
Back in 2009 my family and I were members of an ELCA congregation in the Southwest Texas Synod that decided to appoint a committee to investigate whether it was in our best interests to leave the ELCA or stay affiliated. It was their recommendation that the congregation stay affiliated with the ELCA because there were no alternatives to the ELCA whose core beliefs were close to our own. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and a few other, smaller organizations were deemed TOO conservative by the committee. The result of the committee’s decision led to several families leaving our congregation. Most of us who stayed for the most part looked at the ELCA’s statement as something that would NEVER affect our congregation because marriage between homosexuals wasn’t even legal in Texas. At the time, I did a little investigating on my own, but what I found was basically what I likened to opening the door to a big banquet hall and watching a bunch of people yelling, screaming and throwing food at each other! So, I “closed the door” and moved on, confident in the knowledge that this whole “homosexual thing” would NEVER affect me or MY congregation. I didn’t have anything against homosexual folks anyway, so why worry about it?
In 2013 my family and I moved to San Angelo and happily joined the congregation at Calvary Lutheran Church. In 2015 I was elected to lead the church council as president. Having served on the council at our previous congregation, the most controversial thing I ever had to deal with was a small argument over how much to spend on a new coffee maker. In the summer of 2015, our synod bishop “came out of the closet” at a synod youth gathering. Several people in the congregation left as a result. Looks like the “homosexual thing” is affecting my congregation at this point! This was a much bigger issue than the price of a new coffee maker.
That same summer, Dylann Roof, a disturbed young man in Charleston, South Carolina, killed several people at a predominantly black church.2 Because he was on the rolls of an ELCA congregation in South Carolina, ELCA leadership took the opportunity to direct all their pastors to devote a sermon to declaring that “Black Lives Matter” and that “we are all racists”. Our pastor at the time reluctantly complied. Several congregation members were so upset about the sermon they threatened to leave. To avoid further consternation within the congregation our pastor resigned. (I know THIS incident has nothing to do with the ELCA’s statement from 2009, but I promise I WILL connect the dots a little later on!)
In the fall of 2015, the church council was approached by several congregation members who requested we investigate alternative organizations to the ELCA. Rather than form a committee and have them investigate, the council decided to let the congregation decide whether we should form an investigation committee. During a called meeting on December 6th, the congregation voted 60% to 40% NOT to form a committee to investigate alternatives to the ELCA. There was quite a bit of discussion and, yes, most of it centered on the “homosexual thing”. One member of the congregation asked “why does it always come down to sex?” Another member of the congregation declared that “marriage between homosexuals was the law of the land” and that any other members of the congregation who didn’t like it “should leave and go to the ‘other’ (LCMS) Lutheran church”.
Since the congregation voted to not even INVESTIGATE ALTERNATIVES, several more people left the congregation. Once again, my congregation is affected.
I started wondering WHY no-one wanted to even INVESTIGATE alternatives to the ELCA! What was the 60% afraid might be uncovered in an investigation? Was it really all “just about sex?” I took it upon myself to once again walk into that “banquet hall” and see what all the yelling and screaming was about. What follows is what I’ve discovered after almost two years of digging. I’ve discovered that the yelling and screaming ISN’T all “just about sex”. As I said earlier, the ELCA wants you to THINK it’s “all about sex.” When it’s “all about sex” they can claim the moral high ground (they think) and scream that everyone who disagrees is a hater and bigot and should just leave and go to that “other” Lutheran church! Easy. Paint everyone who disagrees with you as the monster and then they leave and the ELCA doesn’t have to worry about opposing viewpoints (and votes) anymore! Basically what I’ve found makes the statement “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust” more of a SYMPTOM than the main problem. I’m sure that if you take the time to look at what I’ve found you too will be asking: WHY are we still affiliated with the ELCA?
There’s a difference between tolerating a behavior and endorsing it: In their 2009 statement on sexuality, the ELCA asked those of us who view homosexuality as a sin to at least tolerate those among us who are homosexual. And I believe the VAST majority of us DO tolerate homosexual behavior. We hate the sin and pray for the sinner. But, the ELCA is actively ENDORSING this behavior. They take every opportunity to say how wonderful homosexuality is and to celebrate homosexuals’ “pride”3. Not something that I want to participate in with my offering dollars.
The ELCA as an organization is pro “Palestinian” and anti-Israel: The ELCA has more than once petitioned our government to withhold foreign aid to our greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel. The ultra-left-wing liberals (which seem to make up the majority) of the ELCA have decided to take sides against our ally by supporting the Palestinian Authority4. Not something that I want to participate in with my offering dollars.
The ELCA actively supports Planned Parenthood: The ELCA is VERY pro-choice. In addition to supporting Planned Parenthood, your offering dollars go to support a healthcare program that will pay for on-demand abortion for employees of the ELCA5! Not something that I want to participate in with my offering dollars.
The ELCA supports “sanctuary” cites: Not only does the ELCA fight our leaders at every turn when it comes to trying to secure our borders, but there are several “sanctuary synods” in the ELCA6. Not something that I want to participate in with my offering dollars.
“Pastor” Nadia Bolz-Weber: This foul mouthed, ultra-liberal “pastor” is the ELCA’s pride and joy. She’s more concerned about getting people to come to her church than her message. She will say and do just about anything to get people in the door using language that would make a sailor blush. Just google her and listen to what she has to say and how she says it. The ELCA treats her like an absolute superstar7! Not something that I want to participate in with my offering dollars.
Find ANY wacky, left-wing, liberal “cause du jour” and you’ll find the ELCA knee deep in it!: In May of 2017, the ELCA’s Southwest Texas Synod held their annual convention like every other synod. The theme of one of their services was Texas’ diverse culture and they had a “polka themed” service to celebrate the German influence on Lutheranism in Texas. ELCA pastors outside of Texas (and one VERY liberal pastor in Austin) went off the rails NUTS and sent a letter to the synod’s bishop to voice their displeasure at this blatant example of racism and white privilege. Just another example of the ELCA knowing NOTHING about the members of the organization8! Not something that I want to participate in with my offering dollars.
You’ll notice in my foot notes that I link to a site called exposingtheelca.com. This website is owned and run by a man named Dan Skogen who has been collecting articles about the ELCA for many years. Although there are many opinion pieces on the site, most of the links I use as references are to other websites. I encourage you to visit the site and look at the plethora of information he has collected on the ELCA and see for yourselves how far left and away from YOUR values the ELCA has drifted over the years.
As I noted previously, during the congregational meeting on the 6th of December in 2015, the congregation voted 60% to 40% to not even INVESTIGATE alternatives to the ELCA at the request of quite a few members of the congregation. This was taken as a “sit down and be quiet” order by those members and frankly, broke MY heart! I thought SURELY the congregation would be open to at LEAST investigate alternatives! Instead, everyone was told that it was “just about sex” and that anyone who didn’t like it should leave the congregation. How many more members of the congregation have to leave before we realize that there really IS something wrong in the ELCA and that maybe we SHOULD look at alternatives? As someone who has been a confirmed Lutheran for forty years, I have reluctantly come to the realization that I didn’t leave the ELCA, the ELCA left ME! If you take the time to look into what the ELCA has been doing the last few years, you’ll come to the same conclusion.
I wanted to present this information to the congregation BEFORE I was elected to serve a second term as council president, but as you all know, I’ve been a little under the weather. If bringing this information up to the congregation in this manner is something you’d rather your council president NOT do and you feel it’s not my place, I will be more than happy to step down as president. Please know that I take this subject very seriously and hope you do as well. Please let God guide your heart and consciences and take a good, hard look into this information.
Your Brother in Christ,
Dave Puckett
Back in 2009 my family and I were members of an ELCA congregation in the Southwest Texas Synod that decided to appoint a committee to investigate whether it was in our best interests to leave the ELCA or stay affiliated. It was their recommendation that the congregation stay affiliated with the ELCA because there were no alternatives to the ELCA whose core beliefs were close to our own. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and a few other, smaller organizations were deemed TOO conservative by the committee. The result of the committee’s decision led to several families leaving our congregation. Most of us who stayed for the most part looked at the ELCA’s statement as something that would NEVER affect our congregation because marriage between homosexuals wasn’t even legal in Texas. At the time, I did a little investigating on my own, but what I found was basically what I likened to opening the door to a big banquet hall and watching a bunch of people yelling, screaming and throwing food at each other! So, I “closed the door” and moved on, confident in the knowledge that this whole “homosexual thing” would NEVER affect me or MY congregation. I didn’t have anything against homosexual folks anyway, so why worry about it?
In 2013 my family and I moved to San Angelo and happily joined the congregation at Calvary Lutheran Church. In 2015 I was elected to lead the church council as president. Having served on the council at our previous congregation, the most controversial thing I ever had to deal with was a small argument over how much to spend on a new coffee maker. In the summer of 2015, our synod bishop “came out of the closet” at a synod youth gathering. Several people in the congregation left as a result. Looks like the “homosexual thing” is affecting my congregation at this point! This was a much bigger issue than the price of a new coffee maker.
That same summer, Dylann Roof, a disturbed young man in Charleston, South Carolina, killed several people at a predominantly black church.2 Because he was on the rolls of an ELCA congregation in South Carolina, ELCA leadership took the opportunity to direct all their pastors to devote a sermon to declaring that “Black Lives Matter” and that “we are all racists”. Our pastor at the time reluctantly complied. Several congregation members were so upset about the sermon they threatened to leave. To avoid further consternation within the congregation our pastor resigned. (I know THIS incident has nothing to do with the ELCA’s statement from 2009, but I promise I WILL connect the dots a little later on!)
In the fall of 2015, the church council was approached by several congregation members who requested we investigate alternative organizations to the ELCA. Rather than form a committee and have them investigate, the council decided to let the congregation decide whether we should form an investigation committee. During a called meeting on December 6th, the congregation voted 60% to 40% NOT to form a committee to investigate alternatives to the ELCA. There was quite a bit of discussion and, yes, most of it centered on the “homosexual thing”. One member of the congregation asked “why does it always come down to sex?” Another member of the congregation declared that “marriage between homosexuals was the law of the land” and that any other members of the congregation who didn’t like it “should leave and go to the ‘other’ (LCMS) Lutheran church”.
Since the congregation voted to not even INVESTIGATE ALTERNATIVES, several more people left the congregation. Once again, my congregation is affected.
I started wondering WHY no-one wanted to even INVESTIGATE alternatives to the ELCA! What was the 60% afraid might be uncovered in an investigation? Was it really all “just about sex?” I took it upon myself to once again walk into that “banquet hall” and see what all the yelling and screaming was about. What follows is what I’ve discovered after almost two years of digging. I’ve discovered that the yelling and screaming ISN’T all “just about sex”. As I said earlier, the ELCA wants you to THINK it’s “all about sex.” When it’s “all about sex” they can claim the moral high ground (they think) and scream that everyone who disagrees is a hater and bigot and should just leave and go to that “other” Lutheran church! Easy. Paint everyone who disagrees with you as the monster and then they leave and the ELCA doesn’t have to worry about opposing viewpoints (and votes) anymore! Basically what I’ve found makes the statement “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust” more of a SYMPTOM than the main problem. I’m sure that if you take the time to look at what I’ve found you too will be asking: WHY are we still affiliated with the ELCA?
There’s a difference between tolerating a behavior and endorsing it: In their 2009 statement on sexuality, the ELCA asked those of us who view homosexuality as a sin to at least tolerate those among us who are homosexual. And I believe the VAST majority of us DO tolerate homosexual behavior. We hate the sin and pray for the sinner. But, the ELCA is actively ENDORSING this behavior. They take every opportunity to say how wonderful homosexuality is and to celebrate homosexuals’ “pride”3. Not something that I want to participate in with my offering dollars.
The ELCA as an organization is pro “Palestinian” and anti-Israel: The ELCA has more than once petitioned our government to withhold foreign aid to our greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel. The ultra-left-wing liberals (which seem to make up the majority) of the ELCA have decided to take sides against our ally by supporting the Palestinian Authority4. Not something that I want to participate in with my offering dollars.
The ELCA actively supports Planned Parenthood: The ELCA is VERY pro-choice. In addition to supporting Planned Parenthood, your offering dollars go to support a healthcare program that will pay for on-demand abortion for employees of the ELCA5! Not something that I want to participate in with my offering dollars.
The ELCA supports “sanctuary” cites: Not only does the ELCA fight our leaders at every turn when it comes to trying to secure our borders, but there are several “sanctuary synods” in the ELCA6. Not something that I want to participate in with my offering dollars.
“Pastor” Nadia Bolz-Weber: This foul mouthed, ultra-liberal “pastor” is the ELCA’s pride and joy. She’s more concerned about getting people to come to her church than her message. She will say and do just about anything to get people in the door using language that would make a sailor blush. Just google her and listen to what she has to say and how she says it. The ELCA treats her like an absolute superstar7! Not something that I want to participate in with my offering dollars.
Find ANY wacky, left-wing, liberal “cause du jour” and you’ll find the ELCA knee deep in it!: In May of 2017, the ELCA’s Southwest Texas Synod held their annual convention like every other synod. The theme of one of their services was Texas’ diverse culture and they had a “polka themed” service to celebrate the German influence on Lutheranism in Texas. ELCA pastors outside of Texas (and one VERY liberal pastor in Austin) went off the rails NUTS and sent a letter to the synod’s bishop to voice their displeasure at this blatant example of racism and white privilege. Just another example of the ELCA knowing NOTHING about the members of the organization8! Not something that I want to participate in with my offering dollars.
You’ll notice in my foot notes that I link to a site called exposingtheelca.com. This website is owned and run by a man named Dan Skogen who has been collecting articles about the ELCA for many years. Although there are many opinion pieces on the site, most of the links I use as references are to other websites. I encourage you to visit the site and look at the plethora of information he has collected on the ELCA and see for yourselves how far left and away from YOUR values the ELCA has drifted over the years.
As I noted previously, during the congregational meeting on the 6th of December in 2015, the congregation voted 60% to 40% to not even INVESTIGATE alternatives to the ELCA at the request of quite a few members of the congregation. This was taken as a “sit down and be quiet” order by those members and frankly, broke MY heart! I thought SURELY the congregation would be open to at LEAST investigate alternatives! Instead, everyone was told that it was “just about sex” and that anyone who didn’t like it should leave the congregation. How many more members of the congregation have to leave before we realize that there really IS something wrong in the ELCA and that maybe we SHOULD look at alternatives? As someone who has been a confirmed Lutheran for forty years, I have reluctantly come to the realization that I didn’t leave the ELCA, the ELCA left ME! If you take the time to look into what the ELCA has been doing the last few years, you’ll come to the same conclusion.
I wanted to present this information to the congregation BEFORE I was elected to serve a second term as council president, but as you all know, I’ve been a little under the weather. If bringing this information up to the congregation in this manner is something you’d rather your council president NOT do and you feel it’s not my place, I will be more than happy to step down as president. Please know that I take this subject very seriously and hope you do as well. Please let God guide your heart and consciences and take a good, hard look into this information.
Your Brother in Christ,
Dave Puckett