_94 Theses by Rev. Doug Gast
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INTRODUCTION Martin Luther got fed up with the way things were going in the church of his day. He loved his church. He loved his faith. He loved his Lord. He knew that being a Christian was the most important thing of all. But there were problems . . . . deep and divisive problems within his church. He saw them and named them. Five hundreds years ago when the Catholic Church and its representatives were defending the special interests of the church, Luther and others began questioning the integrity of the church leaders and especially the Pope. It put him in the middle of a life and death conflict with those he had previously served alongside. And so in the midst of heated theological controversy the Lutheran evangelical movement was born. Dietrich Bonhoeffer faced a similar crisis of ecclesiology in the 1930’s. In fact, there are so many parallels to what was going on in the Lutheran church in Germany in the 1930’s and what is going on in the Lutheran church in the United States today it is frightening. The German Lutheran Church deviated from the authentic orthodox Christian faith which made it into a hollow institution that stood for nothing and no one took seriously. At that time representatives of the church also had their own special interests that made the church ineffective and irrelevant. The integrity of the top church leaders was non existent, and most knew it, but remained silent and compliant. Karl Barth and Bonhoeffer could not reconcile what was going on in the German Lutheran Church on moral and theological grounds. They saw the church cave to the inside and outside pressures to forego the Gospel. What they faced might be greater but not unlike we as ELCA Lutherans are facing today. From their orthodox Christian view, they believed the ultimate sovereignty must belong only to God. That is why Bonhoeffer and other faithful Lutheran clergy began the Confessing Church of Germany that became the faithful expression of the Lutheran doctrine. He would not compromise or give in. He would not be intimidated by the pressures of the church powers. Those who made up the Confessing Church, despite heavy persecution by both the Nazis and the politically sanctioned German church, took a stand and lived what they believed and remained faithful to their beliefs. No wonder, one hundred years after his birth Christians all over the world are inspired by his life, his teaching, and his legacy. We are at a parallel crossroads. There were great hopes and expectations when the ELCA was created in 1988. However, over the past 23 years what has taken place in the church, especially at the highest levels, has left this denomination dysfunctional at best and broken beyond repair at worst. Special interests and special interest groups have dictated the direction of the church and church leaders speak out of both sides of their mouth. Bishop Hanson is the epitome of double talk. Thank God for the sexuality statement adopted in 2009. It brought to light far more disturbing and ugly stuff that is being taught at our seminaries and coming down from Higgins Road like edicts from the Pope or directives from Johann Muller, the Bishop of the German Evangelical Church in Nazi Germany. After much personal study and investigation I have concluded that what is at issue is not specifically the sexuality issues but rather issues of theology and Biblical integrity. The ELCA has cut the lines of traditional theological teaching and now aligns itself with cultural relativism. Oh, that we can learn from the past and repent before it is too late. Ministry and serving the Lord used to be fun for me. Where ever I have served, the church has become my extended family. For 34 years I have devoted my life and my heart to the mission and the ministry of Jesus Christ. Reaching out to people in the name of Christ with the Gospel has been my passion since I was ordained in July of 1976. It has not always been easy, but the rewards and fulfillment of serving Christ and His church far outweighed the trials and tribulations. No matter what has happened during those years I have strived to lead with faith, integrity, care, and conviction. |
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_But now I am weary and disheartened. I feel de-energized as a leader in Christ’s church as I have never felt before. It breaks my heart to see where we are headed. I have enough experience of the time when the Lutheran church was healthy to see how sick the church is now. The ELCA is dying, and the thinking and teaching that is being professed is accelerating that process. Perhaps that is part of God’s plan, so that He can raise up a new shoot from the stump of Jesse. I
still love Jesus . . . . I still love His church . . . . I love being a
Lutheran, I still feel called to serve, but not so much in/with the
ELCA.
In fact, I believe the ELCA has become a millstone that keeps us from
our main mission which is to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ.
It has and continues to move in ways that compromise my call as a
minister and has cut us off from our brothers and sisters in Christ
worldwide.
We are at a crossroads . . . . we are trying to decide what to do and where to go. I am reminded of a favorite and often used statement of Martin Luther,“what does the scripture say?” Bonhoeffer said it differently but with equal power: “Do not try to make the Bible relevant.Its relevance is axiomatic . . . Do not testify to God’s Word, but testify to it . . . . . Trust to the Word.”
Lutherans have always believed that the Scriptures are the inspired Word of God which includes both law and gospel. Luther believed that law and gospel MUST be in tandem. They are always in tension. The Holy and Righteous God is also our gracious loving Father. Today in liberal theology, with which the ELCA has aligned itself, the emphasis is on grace and love and the law has been deemed not relevant. Bonhoeffer called this “Cheap Grace.” Basically this view has created a new theology (me-ology) that tells us that whatever we think is acceptable will be OK with God even it if goes against God’s Word. From Luther’s perspective we have adopted a “theology of glory” and forgotten the “theology of the cross.” Bonhoeffer would asked whatever became of sin and “why have we replaced the gospel with an ethical and social idealism borne by a faith in progress that –who knows how –claims the right to call itself Christian. I’m with them.
Right now thousands of Lutheran pastors, members of the academic realm, and lay people are bravely embarking upon a new reformation to restore the authority of God’s Word and will and purpose. This bold stance will likely place them at great risk in their personal careers, convenience, and comfort. It is a grassroots movement that has gained great momentum. There is an excitement, a new freedom, a joy of serving and being the body of Christ again. It scares the ELCA, but not enough to force it to do any serious introspection and/or change. The only response so far from the ELCA is to become more heavy handed. I always thought that being part of the church was something we did freely, but from the edicts and mandates coming down from on top, that is not the case. At some point God will break the spiritual arrogance of the ELCA elite. We all know that we are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. We cannot allow ourselves to think that just because we are Lutheran we have it all together and we absolutely need to be more like David in Psalm 51 and come before God on our knees with a contrite spirit and broken heart and seek His forgiveness.
During the past 20+ years the ELCA has undergone changes of monumental proportion. To say the ELCA is broken is an understatement. Rather it would be more accurate to say that it is fractured at its very foundation. Lutheranism in the United States will never be the same no matter what we do. The renewal efforts as exemplified by Word Alone and CORE (coalition for renewal) Movements within the ELCA offer the only hope for life, vitality and authentic ministry.
I believe that what is happening within the ELCA will lead to the demise of the Lutheran church as we have known it here in the United States. Theologically that might not be a bad thing, because there has to be death before there can be a resurrection. Billy Graham once said that the Lutheran church has the strongest theology of any Christian church denomination in the world and it they ever tapped into it the Lutheran church would be the most authentic, inspiring, and compelling church in the world. The ELCA is not tapping into that power, but running from it as fast as it can. But the power that raised Jesus from the dead can also raise, and is now raising, a new Lutheran body out of the remains of a dying denomination. There is hope of a renewed and faithful and vibrant Lutheran witness, just don’t look for it in the present form and denomination. That is why I look with great hope to both the Lutheran Church in Mission for Christ and the North American Lutheran Church. There is excitement, renewed enthusiasm, a gospel centered and evangelical passion for doing ministry and mission in the name of Jesus Christ.
Certainly within the ELCA headquarters there are people who are honorable, orthodox, faithful and in need of our prayers. They are facing unbelievable adversity on a daily basis. There are also pastors and congregations who share those same qualities and will continue within the ELCA to strive to the best of their ability to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a faithful manner. Martin Luther was able to speak to the dysfunction of the church of his time through a prophetic voice calling the church back to its Biblical roots. My concerns are not only for my generation but for the generations that will follow. Bethel is not going to change in the next year or the next five years, but at some point in the future, what is being taught and pronounced today will filter down and affect our future. If we don’t learn from the past, we will repeat it. God help us.
Two strong and consistent values have steadfastly prevailed within the Lutheran church: truthfulness and unity. Both of these are great values. Jesus spoke to each of these values in the Gospel of John. We know the disruption and turbulence that occurs when one or both are missing. However, when push comes to shove, which is the situation we now find ourselves in, it becomes necessary to choose between these, and I believe truth must trump unity. The ELCA is filled with lies and I can no longer live with them. Therefore, when the truth is known about the ELCA, my hope and prayer is we would embrace the truth. . . . . God’s truth . . . . . and in unity and one accord . . . . . gracefully and graciously . . . . . depart the ELCA and find a place where we can feel at home and do and be the church Christ has called us be.
For the average Bethel member, nothing has changed, therefore everything must be alright. For years, I insulated Bethel from what was going on in the greater church. We have operated as an independent community of faith which has done very well. But as Martin Niemoller penned these infamous words after being imprisoned for eight years in the concentration camps,
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out –because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew.
And then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Those words convict me more than ever. I lived under the assumption that whatever happened on Higgins Road would not affect us and for the most part that was true. We never stirred up problems. We were an anomaly in the ELCA . . . . we were and are a growing, vibrant and alive congregation. We were a part of the ELCA and we were apart from it as well. I realize now that I was wrong. I bear the guilt of being silent and sitting on the sidelines when I should have been speaking up and getting involved. I was trying to be like the protective dad shielding his children from the painful realities of real life. The shocking reality of the real world can no longer be denied.
This played right into the ELCA’s hand which I believe was a part of their inner strategy. They assumed that no more than 2% of the congregations would leave the ELCA. With ten to twelve congregations leaving weekly that is no longer the case. ELCA leadership hoped people in congregations would remain complacent, uninformed and continue funding the church at large with blind trust while the church is really moving away from its core foundation. It counted on unmotivated and theologically naïve parishioners who believe the changes in the church don’t affect them. And for the most part that is the case. A college classmate of mine from Philadelphia who is a member of an ELCA congregation told me, “We don’t talk about it.” A valued colleague from Florida also said, “We don’t talk about it.” My daughter Rachel belongs to an ELCA congregation in North Carolina. She told me, “We talked about it in the beginning, but not any more.” My brother in law in the Chicago area echoed the same thing, “It has never been discussed.”
Because of what happened two summers ago, what has been happening for years came to a head. As gut wrenching and disconcerting and upsetting as this is for us here at Bethel, we are aware, we are taking action, we are striving to be more aware of where we are being led. There still is hope here. We ought to be upset and willing to take a stand because authentic, traditional, orthodox Lutheran theology has been pushed aside for enlightened, revisionist, liberal thinking and theology. And this is a big deal.
What has happened in the ELCA has subsequently moved our denomination from the solid rock of God to a church which finds itself on sinking sand. The morale of the pastors and congregations are at an all time low. Many pastors just say they are going to do their own thing. (Unfortunately that won’t be possible.) Many pastors my age are not willing to fight the issue and have decided to just “coast until they retire.” What the ELCA has done is make us a collection of independent congregations who hope or believe that the synod guidelines won’t affect them and they can just continue to “do their own thing.” The ELCA is confident they can outwait rebel congregations and bring in “their people” when the time is right. What that creates is an erosion of the confidence of church leadership. Colleagues and friends find themselves in conflict. People are leaving the church because their conscience won’t let them stay. Several families have left Bethel already – just “silently disappeared” - because of this situation. Church attendance in most congregations has suffered. For the first time in twenty years we planned a Discovery class that we had to cancel for lack of interest. God will not honor or bring people to His church that is not honoring Him. The image of the ELCA in other denominations is diminished and at times has been ridiculed. The result of all of this turmoil is a massive denominational dysfunctional meltdown.
The typical Lutheran congregation, including Bethel, has been living in a little cocoon hoping and praying that it can ignore what has become a growing cancer and a heresy that will ultimately consume this church body as it has so many others. In the last ten years there has been an erosion in our churches and our denomination. Erosions occur over time. Erosions are subtle and often barely perceptible. The first signs of erosion don’t set off alarms. Erosion eats away at the ground by taking away the best and leaving only rocks and ravines behind. Erosion can destroy farmland and cut deep ravines on hillsides. Ground that is eroded is no longer rich, fertile, or productive as God intended it to be.
But erosion is not just about land. Unfortunately, erosion can happen in denominations, in seminaries, and in churches as well. In the latest surveys that come from the ELCA itself, you see erosion in membership numbers. The ELCA has lost 600,000 members since 1988, the year the ELCA was formed. The average attendance in ELCA churches has decreased by 300,000 over the last twenty years. The number of missionaries the ELCA sends out has also decreased dramatically. The influence of the ELCA has also eroded. How many people say, “I used to be a Lutheran but . . . .”There is an erosion in the amount of money that is given to support the ministry of the greater church. There is an erosion within congregations themselves and in the influence they have in their communities. There is an erosion of orthodox, evangelical teaching at the seminary level. Add to that the erosion of trust, integrity, respect, and reputation at the highest level and you see how sad the situation has quickly become. And because it has all happened so gradually and so cleverly, most people were not aware of the changes and the effects they have had and will continue to have on our churches. I understand that numbers do not tell a whole story, but numbers do indicate whether a movement or institution is moving forward or backward. People who have been devoted and faithful members don’t withhold or withdraw their support without serious consideration and heartfelt prayer.
It is important to me that Jesus never talked about erosion. He only spoke about growth and life and the importance of bearing fruit. When Martin Luther was faced with the erosion in his church, he knew that action had to be taken and taken immediately if the church was to continue to be the heart and center of people’s lives. He found that he could no longer represent his beloved church that had strayed so far from its biblical roots. He had to put down his objections and concerns in written form. Bonhoeffer took action and spear-headed the organization of the Confessing Church and started an underground seminary. He did as much as he could to support fellow pastors who were on the front lines courageously standing up for what was true.
I attended the CORE (coalition for renewal) convocation last August and was very moved by those who shared their history and vision for the Lutheran Church in America. The scholarship, integrity, background, the Biblical and theological perspectives that each speaker offered brought clarity and understanding about where the ELCA is going and how we have gotten to this point. They spoke a prophetic word about what is going to happen to Lutheranism in the U.S. if we continue on the path of erosion we are on. Without a return to an authentic expression of traditional, orthodox, evangelical teaching the Lutheran church will be church on hospice watch or reduced to a small insignificant irrelevant sect that no one cares about or listens to.
I believe that pastors and congregational members would have benefited greatly had they had this information and insight two years earlier. The clarity and understanding that these men brought to the table was convincing and convicting. I kept thinking to myself that if everyone in the ELCA had heard the truth and understanding that these scholars brought to the table, we would be on a much different path than we are on now.
To believe that Bethel will remain unaffected and untouched by what has and is taking place in the higher levels of the ELCA is naive. The theological, Biblical, spiritual, and ecclesiastical warning signs are all around. The only question is will we heed them? No matter what a congregation decides to do, it is going to be difficult and painful. Many Bethel members have been waiting to hear exactly where their pastors stand. They look for direction and leadership. This is my effort to share as clearly and honestly as I can where I am. I am sorry I have not done this sooner. I beg your forgiveness. I have sat in silence too long. It would be much easier to pass the leadership buck to the council and let them take the heat and the criticism. The council is entrusted with the practical, operational, fiscal, and organizational matters of the church. It is my job as the senior pastor to set the direction and the content of the spiritual life of Bethel. I am and I have been the resident theologian for twenty years now. It seems to me that what I have been trying to avoid is going to take place no matter what. If I don’t face the issues and tell you where I stand it will only amplify the problems and confuse you and create even more internal bickering than we have now. My hope and prayer is that together the pastoral staff could share a united voice.
The Bible tells us that shepherds lead from the front - they don’t follow the sheep. This is my attempt to share my thoughts and concerns with all of you and do the same as Martin Luther did when he could no longer sit on the sidelines in silence. I have written 94 thesis based on my research and study. I would be happy to give you a copy. I believe this document will give you new insight to what is really at stake.
PASTOR DOUG’S 94 THESES
1. What is at stake first and foremost is the Authority of the Scriptures.Does the word of God have anything to say that is relevant for human behavior today? We can’t say maybe on this, nor is this an a la carte menu, where I pick what I like and dismiss the parts that make me uncomfortable. We are facing a worldwide epidemic of moral confusion, not unlike what happened during the time of Jesus and Paul. Therefore, it is essential that we know and can articulate what we believe. And what we believe must be grounded in God’s Word.
2. No longer does the sovereign and sacred Word of God create, shape or control the ELCA.Instead, the ELCA controls the interpretation of the Word. It finds the clear meaning of the Word insufficient. Theologians have deconstructed the Scriptures and then re-constructed them in ways completely unrecognizable and have come up with conclusions that leave the average lay person scratching his head and asking, “How in the world did that smart guy come up with that?” Dietrich Bonhoeffer said: “if one cannot communicate the most profound ideas about God and the Bible to children, something is amiss. There is more to life than academia.” The revisionist ELCA theology has made the Word of God a point upon which we can agree or not.
3. No longer is the ELCA the steward of the Word of God. A steward takes care of what belongs to someone else. They have become managers of the Word and control it for the ends they have in mind. I am sick of the church hierarchy urging us to stay together for the “mission” of the church which is nothing less than demanding blind obedience.
4. At the time of the Reformation, Martin Luther stated that he was captive to the Word of God and upon that word he placed his trust and confidence. Now, according to the ELCA, individuals and their bound conscience and the desires of the self are the defining order of the day.“ Bound conscience” is a new erosive theological concept created at the last church wide assembly. Now bound conscience means that whatever I think or believe is OK. However, it is looking more and more like if your conscious is not bound to the ELCA, expect retribution. Through theological gymnastics, the revisionist theologians have reshaped the Bible into their own image. From their standpoint the Bible doesn’t really mean what it appears to mean. What this amounts to is the arrogant belief that some people are smarter than God. These ELCA Lutherans have in essence rewritten the first commandment to now read theologically they are greater than God.
5. If it comes between you and me and our “bound conscience,” who is to say who is right? Here I lean on God’s Word!God reveals in His word what is right or wrong, what is moral or immoral. God has provided us with a book that answers the tie breaking questions in life. The Holy Scripture never stutters, doesn’t contradict itself, and doesn’t change God’s mind.He doesn’t say all along that something is wrong and then one day says, “Oh, never mind, I changed my mind.”
6. What has been forgotten is the fact that the writers of the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit. When we leave the Holy Spirit out, then we have a book no different than any other book ever written.
7. You must know there is a serious eroding of the authority of Scripture and changes in theology and the doctrines of sin, forgiveness, and salvation. We must be suspicious of those who seek to poke holes in the Scripture so that they do not have to take the Word of God seriously.
8. The proper approach to the study of Scripture is to ask in all humility: “What is it that God is trying to say to us through this witness of Scripture?” Luther was right on when he said, “When I don’t understand the Word of God I stand under God’s Word.”
9. We are committed to the main thing which has been and always will be the main thing . . .Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples of ALL nations.
10. The ELCA has departed from traditional stance in significant ways over the past eleven years which dates back to Call for Common Mission. During the past decade the ELCA has continued to move away further from the traditional orthodox Christian faith as it has been passed down to us for generations.
11. For 500 years the Lutheran church has stressed “Sola Scriptura” which means “scripture alone.” Luther went to great ends to make sure the scriptures were written in the vernacular of the people so they could read and understand them. Today the ELCA has made the Scriptures so complex and so confusing that the average person has difficulty understanding them. It’s almost like going back to pre-reformation times.
12. Ralph Klein, an ELCA Professor of the Old Testament at The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, has stated that, “. . . . much of the Bible could be described as (very helpful) words about God rather than ‘the Word of God.’” He has suggested that God wasn’t part of the writing of Scripture. He also said, “we must accept the possibility that a position taken by a Biblical writer is wrong or unhelpful.” Those were not the teachings of the Old and New Testament professors that were the foundation of my education at LSTC.
13. People are leaving the ELCA because it has officially renounced the Lordship of Jesus Christ as He speaks in the Holy Scriptures. In the past the larger church has provided educational and worship materials that were faithful to the Word of God. It educated men and women for pastoral ministry and sent missionaries into the world to name the name of Jesus and bring Christ into places that have not heard Him and do not know the Gospel. But at the highest levels of the ELCA false teaching has crept into the seminaries, the political agenda is seeping into material being sent out for congregational use, and the mission of the Gospel has been relegated to a back burner that was turned off 20 years ago.
14. We at Bethel are truly a part of a Reformation Church, which means that we are always in need of reforming. “Reforming sometimes means separation as the most faithful decision.” (Ken Sauer, former Lutheran Church in America Bishop of the Southern Ohio Synod)
15. In a response to Bishop elect Bill Gafkjen, Dr. Robert Benne said: “The Bishop says the ELCA did not formally leave the Great Tradition in August of 2009 because it still holds to its Constitution. Of course it did not repudiate its Constitution. But it is doubtful that it follows the directives of its Constitution, which affirms that, ‘This church accepts the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith and life.’ By its decisions it repudiated its statement of faith.”
16. When making choices about faith and life, morality, and ethics, where do you place the importance of the Bible? By their own admission and writings, the ELCA no longer considers the Bible the most important guide. Rather, the ELCA advocates one to ask, first and foremost, “What does your conscience tell you? How do you feel about this? What is your experience?” Second in importance is science. We must let scientists govern our faith. Third, is philosophy, as if faith is a matter of mind and reason. And finally, fourth is the Bible. THE BIBLE RANKS FOURTH IN IMPORTANCE WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT MATTERS OF FAITH AND DAILY LIVING!
17.What Luther believed about the scripture is a topic the ELCA and their “friends” like to twist and undermine and unfortunately, because most Christians are (1) too trustworthy of human authority and figures and (2) too uneducated about Luther’s true teaching –most have no way to combat the misinformation being spewed as fact by the powers that be on this subject.
18. People have told me that Lutherans believe in the Word of God and that Word shapes their thoughts and theology. Apparently they have not read the ELCA statement on sexuality because it doesn’t have one reference to God’s Word as support of its position.
19. “Fear of the Lord” is a central theme throughout the Bible, but it appears we have forgotten that today. We seem to want to change God’s Word to fit our needs rather than fulfill God’s needs and direction for our lives. Check the Scriptures to see what happens when God’s people think they know more than God.
20. The Church has always been plagued by false teaching. Why should we be surprised that it emerges within our church today? I am, but I am not. False teaching is what it ultimately comes down to. Can you live with false teaching or do you have to take a stand on Scriptural witness? Again, Martin Luther said, “If I don’t understand the word of God then I have to stand under the word of God.”
21. A defense of this new theology by two members of the Metro Chicago Synod’s Executive Committee states that “there are no absolutes.Scripture defines sin and humans define scripture.” Synod Secretary Steve Srock and Synod Council member John Dumke have said that we are changing the 10 commandments and Srock said “we have done it before and we can do it again . . .” A pastor friend of mine asked him if that was his position, the position of his church, or the position of the synod, and he said, “of the synod.”
22. We are facing a worldwide epidemic of moral confusion, not unlike what happened during the time of Jesus and Paul. Therefore, it is essential that we know and can articulate what we believe. And what we believe had better be grounded in God’s Word. There is a cost of discipleship in order to remain faithful. We are going to have to do more study, prayer, confession, reflection, thinking, and research than ever before.
23. God has commanded us to name the name of Jesus Christ unashamedly, boldly and joyfully and to share that name with the world. Conversely, he also warns us of the consequence of denying His name. (Matt. 7:21, Titus 1:16, II Thess. 3:2, Jude 1:4, I John 2:22-23)
24. If the church was serious about the Great Command of Jesus to go and make disciples of all nations we would be about transforming the hearts and lives of Christ followers into those who can lead and do justice, show mercy, without making it a divisive resolution passed at a synod assembly.
25. What would it take to implement the vision Rev. Jim Stuck had when he first took office as the bishop of the Indiana/Kentucky Synod a dozen years ago? He wanted all churches to disciple people so that every member would be a missionary, every pastor a mission director, and every congregation a mission outpost.
26. The ELCA has give up “pioneer” missionary work with those who have never heard the Gospel which is two thirds of the world’s population. We only do “accompaniment” with those who are already established as Christian churches. The latter is fine but to give up pioneer work is a denial of the Great Commission.
27. In 1988 there were more than 700 Lutheran missionaries, but today there are about 100. Of these, only twelve have anything in their call that encourages them to name the name of Jesus. These missionaries are involved in educational and agricultural improvement projects but if they don’t do them in the name of Jesus Christ they are no different than the Peace Corps. Wouldn’t you think that missionaries should serve in the name of the faith they were called to serve and the church that supports them? Mission outreach was always to be the focus of the ELCA, but when the focus and energy today is being diverted by social justice issues, there is little left for evangelism.
28. There were only 21 mission starts in the ELCA last year. My colleague, Pastor E.Dean Windhorn, said that back in 1984, at a time of inflation and high interest rates, the old ALC started 54 mission congregations. His mission in Zionsville was number 34 and the ALC at that time was half the size of the ELCA. It’s a matter of having first things first.
29. If Bethel goes along with everything that is happening in the ELCA then Bethel will have to take the word “Evangelical” out of its name.
30. Here is a quote from the new NALC which shows they are getting it: “Discipleship is not a part of, but the heart of the NALC; it is not what we do, but who we are.” The hope of its leaders is to see the vision of discipleship as the DNA of the new Lutheran Church. To prove its intentions, the NALC is designating a one million dollar gift solely to the work of missions.
31. If there was only one heresy being perpetuated through the teachings of the ELCA, it might be manageable. It seems to me that there are at least four central Christian doctrines that are under attack and being undermined: 1) the Trinity, 2) the doctrine of original sin, 3) the doctrine of the two natures of Jesus (no longer is He regarded as fully God), and, 4) the doctrine of God Himself.
32. It used to be that when you said Lutheran, or LCA or ALC, or the ELCA in its early years, you knew what they stood for. When I go to Burger King, and order a whopper whether it is in Noblesville or Chicago or Holly Springs, North Carolina, I know what I am getting. I thought the same thing about the Lutheran Church but that is no longer true. Is Jesus the same? Is Sophia the new lord? Is the Bible preached in its fullness or do we do like the Mormons and cut and paste according to what we feel?
33. The Church is commissioned to speak a clear word about the Trinity, therefore, anything other than the Trinitarian formula of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is an apostasy.
34. I am concerned that if we remain in the ELCA, we may likely be viewed as supporting the revisionist theology of the ELCA.
35. I find it deeply troubling that at some Lutheran seminaries students are not allowed to call God, Father, and our publishing houses are referring to God as mother in some of their published materials.
36. Neo-paganism or goddess worship has crept into many American Protestant denominations, including the ELCA. “God reveals Himself in the Bible.If you’re worshipping somebody, and that somebody is not to be found in Christ or in the revelation, (the revealed word, the Bible), then that somebody whom you are worshiping is not God, but an idol. Any god who is not Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a false god.” (Robert Walters, Des Moines, Iowa.)
37. When Carl Bratten spoke at the CORE conference in Columbus he quoted a woman named Cathryn S. who said, “To insist Jesus is the only way to God is to limit God.” His rhetorical question was: “We wouldn’t want to limit God would we?”
38. It is apparent that in writings coming from the ELCA we are being told that salvation comes from the ELCA and not from God alone. That sure sounds like the indulgences stories I’ve read from Luther’s days.
39. On the ELCA website you read that it no longer supports the virgin birth as miraculous. A Lutheran seminary professor has stated that atonement happened before the cross and that no loving God would let His son die on a cross. That sounds like Islam. The cross was completely human. A Wartburg professor teaches that Jesus is the Christian’s savior and that every religion has a savior. I was always taught that you can only know the Father through the Son, Jesus. For 34 years I have been teaching and preaching that Jesus is the only way and the truth and the life.
40. The resurrection of Jesus is the heart of our faith. Yet the resurrection is denied by some who are looked as being spokespersons of that faith. The ELCA considers it no longer essential to believe that Christ rose from the dead. A book entitled “The Resurrection of Jesus” by Gerd Luedemann published by Augsburg-Fortress comes to the conclusion that the body of Jesus decayed in the grave. I can’t wait to preach that this Easter.
42. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “In New York they preach about virtually everything, only one thing is not addressed, or is addressed so rarely that I have yet been unable to bear it, namely the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the cross, sin, forgiveness, and death and life.” Could not the same be said about the ELCA?
43. Many Lutheran theologians and magicians share a similar characteristic. Both use magical ways to change what you see into something you don’t.It leaves the audience wondering how on earth it got there.
44. The one thing thatthe Christian Church is called to do that no other faith does is to tell the redeeming story of Jesus - the one born of Mary, who suffered and died a horrendous death on the cross and was raised to glory and honor and who invites us into a living, dynamic, personal relationship with Him today.
45. I am here to tell you the ancient heresy of Gnosticism is alive and well. Old time Gnostics rejected the law of God as irrelevant and claimed they had a higher knowledge that came from within the self. The problem was no longer sin but ignorance. Sure sounds like what is being purported within the ELCA today. The only way we are going to get ourselves out of this revival of Gnosticism is to cling to the authority of Scripture.
46. “Bound conscience” is now the new “catch phrase” of the ELCA which frees us to teach whatever we deem right. To me that says ELCA congregations are now a collection of individual churches free to do whatever they want. Therefore, Bethel is free to choose what is normative for us. In reality, Bethel has always operated independently so we are in effect being sanctioned to do what we have always done anyway. As long as I am pastor of Bethel we will continue to teach and preach a traditional, confessional, orthodox, Christ centered Christian faith. That is my personal DNA and the DNA of Bethel. Therefore, it might be time to look for a church body –within the Lutheran tradition – that more closely reflects the moral and Biblical climate of Bethel Lutheran Church.
47. When Martin Luther said, “I am bound by the Scriptures and I am captive by the Word of God,” it’s ironic because the Word of God is cited by Luther and is useful for and has the power to change the bound conscience” whereas the ELCA encourages the toleration of falsely bound conscience. From Luther’s perspective there is a biblical place and time for “bound conscience,” and that had to do with what Lutherans would call “adiaphora.” He cited St. Paul’s counsel to respect conscience with regard to Jewish ritual and dietary laws. But with regard to core beliefs about Jesus or core moral teachings there was no such leeway. (I Corinthians 5)
48. Those who believe that universalism has not infiltrated the ELCA just need to look at where it is being taught - in churches, in seminaries, by youth pastors and by ELCA’s leadership.
49. Both the ELCA website as well as the ELCA funded Lutheran Bible that was produced by Augsburg espouses universalism. Dr. Walter Bouman, Lutheran professor at Trinity seminary, has been quoted as accepting and teaching universalism. Universalism boils down to “it doesn’t matter.” It doesn’t matter what you believe, how you act, what you do or don’t do because God’s is going to save everyone. There are many facets to it, but basically universalism holds the false belief that everyone, no matter what, is going to heaven, and that Jesus is just one of many ways to get to heaven. And since all people go to heaven, there must be no hell. The heresy of universalism dates back to the very beginning of the Christian church and just keeps re-emerging. In so many of the things that I’ve read coming from the leaders and the professors at our seminaries, they have bought into this heresy big time. I am here to tell you universalism is alive and well in the ELCA. The Bible teaches that there will be a future separation of the sheep (believers) and the goats (un-believers). Jesus believed in the reality of heaven and also the reality of hell.People will have one or the other eternal destinies.
50. The ELCA is increasing the pressure to fall in line with its mandates. Pastors, churches, professors, and seminarians who disagree have been rebuked, censored, and even dismissed. Pastors have had their pensions, their health insurance and their calls threatened. Bound conscience my foot!
51. Many passages of scripture tell us again and again that lukewarm is not an option. Just check out Rev. 3:14-16; II Corinthians 4:2; II Timothy 3:16-17; and I John 4:1-3, 32 for some examples.
52. Many quote Genesis 1 which tells us that God created everything good. That is all well and true.God did create all things good. But then Genesis 3 happened and God’s original design was compromised by sin. Does God create children with spinal bifida or cerebral palsy? Does God choose some to be alcoholics or develop cancer? No, but because of original sin bad things happen in this world.
53. The “inclusive” or “gender-neutral” language that has been creeping into Scripture, hymns, and liturgy are undermining the true nature of God. God says, “I am who I am.” Jesus always referred to God as Father.
54. If you think that admitting homosexuals into the rostered clergy of the ELCA will not promote the gay agenda with its many disturbing doctrinal changes you are sadly mistaken.
55. Rev. Jeff Johnson, recently elected to the Sierra Pacific Synod Council, and his church, University Lutheran Chapel (ELCA) in Berkeley, CA, are conducting a monthly “Goddess Rosary” service. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see this type of service spread to other synods.
56. Even though the Wiccans (the pagan religion of witchcraft) do not understand how Lutheran theology embraces this idea of “mother god” and “new age god” as part of our faith, they celebrate this awakening for Lutherans. The Wiccans applauded that Lutherans recognized “mother god” in a recent worship service of ordination of a lesbian in California. Shirley McLane must be beaming. I never thought I would see the day when witchcraft and Lutheran would have anything in common.
57. We cannot ignore the fact that the Sophia or goddess theologies mentioned by the ELCA and other denominations have been supporting a “re-imaging of god” philosophy (not theology) since 1993. This has led to a substitution of Biblical language which links it with cultic practices that date back before the time of Jesus.
58. If any of us think resolving this single issue is going to restore peace and harmony we are seriously mistaken. This is just the beginning. If sex can be holy and blessed between any consenting adults, why not a return to polygamy? Why not return to the communal communities of the 60’s? If you want to see how this plays out, check outGustavus Adolphus’ college freshman class orientation (it is on UTube) - this will shake you up. At Muhlenberg College (ELCA), you may sign up for a course entitled, “Of Kings and Queens: Drag Theory and Performance.” Assistant professor Troy Dwyer leads a class in dressing the part and playing the role of a drag queen/king. At the end of the class they put on a performance for the community – all you need is the $7 admission charge and a valid ID. It seems to me there are better subjects to educate our young people.
59. If we are going to address the homosexual issue, which is all well and good, we also are compelled to face the heterosexual issues that have been overlooked and basically ignored for much too long . . . . . divorced pastors, premarital sex, divorce in general, living together prior to marriage, pornography, to name a few.
60. One of the most critical social issues has been what constitutes a marriage. The Bible is not fuzzy on marriage. The Biblical witness is very clear in both the Old and New Testaments. Genesis 2 & Matt 19 tell us marriage is “one man with one woman for life.” In 1522 Martin Luther wrote a paper called “The Estate of Marriage” in which he firmly described and established marriage as the union between a man and a woman. He seldom mentions homosexual behavior but when he does, his evaluation is always negative, congruent with the Scriptural view.
61. The Protection of marriage: A Shared commitment” is an open letter signed by 26 religious leaders of different faith communities throughout the United States that expresses a shared commitment to protecting marriage in our society as the union of one man and one woman. How deeply disheartening it is that our denomination was not represented. Both the Missouri Synod and the North American Lutheran churches were represented.
62. The Bishop of the ELCA, Mark Hanson, is pro Hamas and anti Israel. He speaks highly of Islam and blames Israel for the state of affairs in that country.
63. In Bishop Hanson’s assessment of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict he revealed his “universalist tinged outlook (theology).” Antinomianism (the claim that the saved man is free from all moral obligations or principles), has always been linked to anti-semitism.
64. The Bishop has not admonished the Palestinians for their awful mistreatment of the dwindling Christian minority.
65. Hanson believes that any persecution of the Christians or the Jews is exaggerated. Hanson denounces any fellow Christians who disagree with him on issues in the Mid East.Apparently he has not talked to any of the Palestinian Christians.
66. Jon Pahl, professor at the Philadelphia seminary, wrote a column in a Philadelphia newspaper that criticized Christians for not sharing the Eucharist with Muslims. Why doesn’t it surprise me that our seminarians are eating that stuff up?
67. I learned that less than half of the professors who form the teaching staff at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago are Lutheran. That was certainly not the case when I was there. Is there a shortage of Lutherans with quality credentials to teach at our seminaries? It seems to me that potential pastors will not learn about the foundations of the Lutheran tradition if they don’t have teachers who teach them. I bet you won’t find many non-Mormons teaching at BYU.
68. The arrogance of the ELCA leadership is appalling. When we don’t learn from history, we tend to repeat history. We have aligned ourselves with the United Church of Christ and the Episcopalian churches that are dying on the vine, and yet our leadership somehow doesn’t see this. Just look at the most recent membership statistics from the ELCA and you will see this is the case.
69. I was always proud of my church and always looked up to the leaders of my church. Lately, however, the more I study the more I am embarrassed and frightened by the heavy handed, under handed, and sleight of hand tactics the leaders at the top are using to control, manipulate, and run ramrod over any who have different opinions and/or points of view. I have heard that by next summer there will be new rules in place that will make leaving the ELCA even more difficult.
70. I am deeply disheartened that there are so many ELCA Lutherans who are greatly distressed and feel forsaken by our National Synod’s departure from orthodox teaching and faith filled Biblical values. However, I am gratified that my teaching and preaching over the years has impacted so many Bethel members and they do understand the bigger issue and the bigger picture.
71. I just read again the letter from the rostered leaders of the Florida-Bahamas Synod who in one voice repudiated the new policies of the ELCA declaring them to be incompatible with Christian teachings and the traditions of the Christian Church. And, as Martin Luther did in his own day, they rejected the idea that ANY human being, prelate, council, or assembly can rightfully vote to invalidate the teachings of Holy Scripture. It is amazing to me that those (people of color and different ethnic backgrounds) who the ELCA has said they were trying to reach out to have now been turned away forever from the ELCA.
72. Separating ourselves from the ELCAdoes not mean leaving the Church or the Lutheran tradition. In fact, it is being faithful to the Lutheran tradition. Lutherans define the Church as, “the assembly of all believers among whom the Gospel is preached in its purity and the holy sacraments are administered according to the Gospel.” (Augsburg Confession, Art. VII & VIII.)
73. Because the ELCA is striking out in a more liberal direction, I would think that it wouldn’t want to be burdened by the presence of a centrist, orthodox, evangelical, congregation like Bethel. You have to think that it is “poor advertising” to tell newcomers to Bethel that we are part of a liberal denomination which we generally ignore because we are going to do our own thing here.
74. Many people who have been the most committed to the ELCA throughout the years are leaving in large numbers. In a letter to Mark Hansen, Carl Braaten cited at least seven well known professors and Lutheran scholars who have left the ELCA and joined the Roman Catholic Church because they are finding the Catholic church is more hospitable to confessional Lutheran teaching than the church they were baptized and confirmed in. How did things erode so deeply? Add to that list names like Robert Jenson, David Yeago, James Nestingen, Stephen Paulson, Karl Donfried, Paul Hinlicky, Stephan Hultgren who are leading the resistance movement to the ELCA revisionist views and teaching. One of the latest people to leave the ELCA is Michael Root, the former dean at Lutheran Southern Seminary. Why are leading scholars, respected theologians, and people with deep roots in the Lutheran church leaving to join the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches? Is it because they can no longer serve with integrity in a church that has gone astray? For those of us who have been handed this mess in the trenches, the question is, “do we stay or do we follow them?”
75. Dr. Preus and Dr. Crumley, presidents of the former ALC and the LCA, respectively, have been working diligently to correct the errors of the ELCA. They said that if they knew the ELCA was going to go in the direction it has they would never have encouraged the merger. They are deeply saddened by what has happened in their church.
76. I love what Dr. Robert Benne, director of the Center for Religion and Society at Roanoke College in Virginia since 1982, said: “I don’t believe in works righteousness, but I do believe in righteous works.” That says to me that we should spend more time focused on sanctification and discipleship. If we are to live as faithful Christians in this world we have to be armed with the weapons of the Spirit.
77. We must remember that organizations like Word Alone and CORE are not the enemies of the church as portrayed by those who are threatened by their exposure of lies, falsehoods, and manipulations perpetuated at the highest levels within the ELCA. These are people who deeply love the Lutheran church and the Lutheran theology.
78. Some Lutheran parishes are debating whether the cost of separation from the ELCA is worth it. And for fledgling congregations, which include the ELCA’s 105 mission churches that serve African immigrants in the United States, the financial issues do play an important role. Most of the ELCA’s African mission churches in the United States don’t own their buildings and depend on ELCA financial support to pay pastors and fund outreach programs. Yet all 105 strongly oppose the ELCA’s new policies, according to Jordan Long, a pastor in Rochester, N.Y., who directs African ministries for Lutheran CORE. Perhaps this is a mission opportunity for CORE churches to financially support our African American brothers and sisters so they can be released from bondage.
79. The reality is that the agenda of the ELCA today is not what the average person in the pew thinks it is. We must let people know that benevolence money given to the greater church is actually promoting non-Lutheran and even a non-Christian understanding of salvation and the role of Christ’s church in this world.
80. The ELCA predicted that only about 2% of the churches would leave the denomination. To date that number is closer to 10% and about eleven congregations are leaving weekly. Most are joining the Lutheran Church in Mission for Christ or the North American Lutheran Church. The LCMC is the fastest growing affiliation of churches in the country and is now the third largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S.
81. When the moderate centrist churches have left the ELCA, including a number of large flagship churches, the dissenting and orthodox traditional voices will be silenced and will allow the ELCA to move even further toward cultural relativism.
82. ELCA leadership is planning to recommend to the churchwide assembly in August 2011 constitutional amendments that will make it even harder for churches to leave the ELCA. I always thought we were in a church that was there to serve its constituent churches and would want churches to desire to be a part of their organization and not have to hold them hostage.
83. There is an erosive trend in all statistics. Benevolence support from congregations to the ELCA is down 40% in the last 20 years. Approximately 68% of churches have lost more than 5% of their worship attendance in the last ten years. Since the formation of the ELCA in 1988 worship attendance has dropped by 300,000. The average worship attendance of congregations in 1990 was 148, and by 2013 that number is expected to drop to 114. As best I can figure the ELCA has lost nearly one million members in the last twenty years. If this trend continues by the year 2030 we will be down to three million people, by 2050 it will be two million, and by 2090 it will be one. The Lutheran church will be extinct in us in ninety years. We don’t have Hitler to blame for the extermination of the Luther church, only ourselves.
84. It is heresy to read that we must recognize – and that seminary professors are teaching - that there can be other ways to God and salvation than by Jesus.
85. It is futile for us to rehash this erosion and ask where the leadership of the church was when these decisions were being made. To second guess what could have and should have happened is pointless now. Moses didn’t ask the Israelites whether or not they wanted to go back to Egypt. Now is the time to move forward.
86. We must be firm in our resolve to move forward. We must be firm in our resolve to maintain the traditional orthodox Lutheran doctrine. Despite the opposition or the resistance we receive we must continue to operate out of truth in love . . . God’s truth and God’s love.
87. Lutherans have always thought of themselves as God’s people. When the people of the Old Testament neglected God’s Word they were always hammered into submission for their arrogance and backsliding. But God always found a “faithful remnant” to carry on His message and His work. Might that be the NALC or LCMC?
88. In spite of the ELCA leadership stated acceptance of differing opinions on the direction of the church, they are now moving forward in an expeditious manner using benevolence funds in ways that would appall most trusting laypeople if they knew how their contributions were being used.
89. In Martin Luther’s 95 Theses he constantly challenged the Pope about his absolute power, his supremacy, and his control over the church, and the image he portrayed that he was sinless. Is there any correlation today?
90. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German pastor, prophet, and martyr warned of “cheap grace.” He would be rolling over in his grave if he knew that his Lutheran church was having a “fire sale” on grace.
91. There have been disturbing repercussions from around the world. The ELCA has set itself apart from 98% of Lutherans world wide. The Ethiopian Lutheran Church has given the ELCA a year to repent. The Lutheran Church of Tanzania is distancing itself from the ELCA as well.
92. The ELCA church is in its eleventh hour, and it is high time we realize this. The ELCA is dying and is on hospice watch.
93. The ELCA is teaching that there is no prophecy in the Scriptures. How could men know ahead of time what the future holds. If there is no prophesy, then what do we do with all those Old Testament lessons for Advent from Isaiah? What do we do with Jesus who seemed to think His purpose was a fulfillment of prophesy?
94. The ELCA supports abortions upon demand in their medical coverage. They also actively promote and lobby for the use of public funds for abortions. Here is how one Lutheran theologian expressed his thinking: “Destruction of the embryo in the mother’s womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed upon this nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life. And that is nothing but murder.” (Deitrich Bonhoeffer) He does have a way of saying it exactly as it is.
CONCLUSION
Thank you for taking the time to read my 94 Thesis. It is the culmination of lots of prayer, study, reflection and discernment. It is my prayer that what you have read will guide your thinking about what we need to do next and the decisions facing us in the near future. This is a pivotal moment in time and in the life of the church. This whole issue is much greater than the resolution about sexuality passed in August 2009. The erosion is far deeper and more pervasive than that single issue. But what it has done is expose the ELCA in ways I never thought possible. The question is, “has the ELCA created a new religion?” My wife Terri has said many times that this is a church that her grandfather, a Norwegian Lutheran pastor, would neither have recognized nor participated in.
Many people have asked why we can’t we just get along together and continue business as usual. I wish with all my heart that was possible. The problem is not here at Bethel. The problem is higher up. The ELCA has changed the product line that we have been representing here in Hamilton County for 157 years. It is a product that I cannot in good conscience promote or encourage others to join. There is a cancer that is making the whole body sick. And usually the only treatment for cancer involves radical measures.
It is time for our church to join CORE (Coalition of Renewal in the Lutheran Church). It is committed to working with all Lutheran bodies to maintain the faithful confessional foundation that has been the heart and center and the strength of the Lutheran Church throughout its history.
It is time to look for a church body within the Lutheran tradition -- one that more closely reflects the Biblical and the moral tradition of Bethel Lutheran Church. For me that is the NALC. It is time to diversify our financial outreach for the benefit of our church family. My hope is that we take charge of our benevolence dollars and give money to those organizations that move our congregation forward and move God’s kingdom in the same direction.
When someone asked D. Bonheoffer whether he should join the German Christians (ELCA of his day), he said that he couldn’t. “If you board the wrong train,” he said, “it is no use running along the corridor in the opposite direction.”
We may very well be on the verge of a spiritual revival – in our own congregations, in Lutheranism, and around the world, not the likes of which we have seen for 500 years. We may well be a part of the new Reformation God is working in and through us.
But whatever happens and where ever this leads us may we continue to treat one another with mutual respect and Christian kindness, with an open heart and a humble spirit.
We are at a crossroads . . . . we are trying to decide what to do and where to go. I am reminded of a favorite and often used statement of Martin Luther,“what does the scripture say?” Bonhoeffer said it differently but with equal power: “Do not try to make the Bible relevant.Its relevance is axiomatic . . . Do not testify to God’s Word, but testify to it . . . . . Trust to the Word.”
Lutherans have always believed that the Scriptures are the inspired Word of God which includes both law and gospel. Luther believed that law and gospel MUST be in tandem. They are always in tension. The Holy and Righteous God is also our gracious loving Father. Today in liberal theology, with which the ELCA has aligned itself, the emphasis is on grace and love and the law has been deemed not relevant. Bonhoeffer called this “Cheap Grace.” Basically this view has created a new theology (me-ology) that tells us that whatever we think is acceptable will be OK with God even it if goes against God’s Word. From Luther’s perspective we have adopted a “theology of glory” and forgotten the “theology of the cross.” Bonhoeffer would asked whatever became of sin and “why have we replaced the gospel with an ethical and social idealism borne by a faith in progress that –who knows how –claims the right to call itself Christian. I’m with them.
Right now thousands of Lutheran pastors, members of the academic realm, and lay people are bravely embarking upon a new reformation to restore the authority of God’s Word and will and purpose. This bold stance will likely place them at great risk in their personal careers, convenience, and comfort. It is a grassroots movement that has gained great momentum. There is an excitement, a new freedom, a joy of serving and being the body of Christ again. It scares the ELCA, but not enough to force it to do any serious introspection and/or change. The only response so far from the ELCA is to become more heavy handed. I always thought that being part of the church was something we did freely, but from the edicts and mandates coming down from on top, that is not the case. At some point God will break the spiritual arrogance of the ELCA elite. We all know that we are sinners and fall short of the glory of God. We cannot allow ourselves to think that just because we are Lutheran we have it all together and we absolutely need to be more like David in Psalm 51 and come before God on our knees with a contrite spirit and broken heart and seek His forgiveness.
During the past 20+ years the ELCA has undergone changes of monumental proportion. To say the ELCA is broken is an understatement. Rather it would be more accurate to say that it is fractured at its very foundation. Lutheranism in the United States will never be the same no matter what we do. The renewal efforts as exemplified by Word Alone and CORE (coalition for renewal) Movements within the ELCA offer the only hope for life, vitality and authentic ministry.
I believe that what is happening within the ELCA will lead to the demise of the Lutheran church as we have known it here in the United States. Theologically that might not be a bad thing, because there has to be death before there can be a resurrection. Billy Graham once said that the Lutheran church has the strongest theology of any Christian church denomination in the world and it they ever tapped into it the Lutheran church would be the most authentic, inspiring, and compelling church in the world. The ELCA is not tapping into that power, but running from it as fast as it can. But the power that raised Jesus from the dead can also raise, and is now raising, a new Lutheran body out of the remains of a dying denomination. There is hope of a renewed and faithful and vibrant Lutheran witness, just don’t look for it in the present form and denomination. That is why I look with great hope to both the Lutheran Church in Mission for Christ and the North American Lutheran Church. There is excitement, renewed enthusiasm, a gospel centered and evangelical passion for doing ministry and mission in the name of Jesus Christ.
Certainly within the ELCA headquarters there are people who are honorable, orthodox, faithful and in need of our prayers. They are facing unbelievable adversity on a daily basis. There are also pastors and congregations who share those same qualities and will continue within the ELCA to strive to the best of their ability to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a faithful manner. Martin Luther was able to speak to the dysfunction of the church of his time through a prophetic voice calling the church back to its Biblical roots. My concerns are not only for my generation but for the generations that will follow. Bethel is not going to change in the next year or the next five years, but at some point in the future, what is being taught and pronounced today will filter down and affect our future. If we don’t learn from the past, we will repeat it. God help us.
Two strong and consistent values have steadfastly prevailed within the Lutheran church: truthfulness and unity. Both of these are great values. Jesus spoke to each of these values in the Gospel of John. We know the disruption and turbulence that occurs when one or both are missing. However, when push comes to shove, which is the situation we now find ourselves in, it becomes necessary to choose between these, and I believe truth must trump unity. The ELCA is filled with lies and I can no longer live with them. Therefore, when the truth is known about the ELCA, my hope and prayer is we would embrace the truth. . . . . God’s truth . . . . . and in unity and one accord . . . . . gracefully and graciously . . . . . depart the ELCA and find a place where we can feel at home and do and be the church Christ has called us be.
For the average Bethel member, nothing has changed, therefore everything must be alright. For years, I insulated Bethel from what was going on in the greater church. We have operated as an independent community of faith which has done very well. But as Martin Niemoller penned these infamous words after being imprisoned for eight years in the concentration camps,
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out –because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew.
And then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.”
Those words convict me more than ever. I lived under the assumption that whatever happened on Higgins Road would not affect us and for the most part that was true. We never stirred up problems. We were an anomaly in the ELCA . . . . we were and are a growing, vibrant and alive congregation. We were a part of the ELCA and we were apart from it as well. I realize now that I was wrong. I bear the guilt of being silent and sitting on the sidelines when I should have been speaking up and getting involved. I was trying to be like the protective dad shielding his children from the painful realities of real life. The shocking reality of the real world can no longer be denied.
This played right into the ELCA’s hand which I believe was a part of their inner strategy. They assumed that no more than 2% of the congregations would leave the ELCA. With ten to twelve congregations leaving weekly that is no longer the case. ELCA leadership hoped people in congregations would remain complacent, uninformed and continue funding the church at large with blind trust while the church is really moving away from its core foundation. It counted on unmotivated and theologically naïve parishioners who believe the changes in the church don’t affect them. And for the most part that is the case. A college classmate of mine from Philadelphia who is a member of an ELCA congregation told me, “We don’t talk about it.” A valued colleague from Florida also said, “We don’t talk about it.” My daughter Rachel belongs to an ELCA congregation in North Carolina. She told me, “We talked about it in the beginning, but not any more.” My brother in law in the Chicago area echoed the same thing, “It has never been discussed.”
Because of what happened two summers ago, what has been happening for years came to a head. As gut wrenching and disconcerting and upsetting as this is for us here at Bethel, we are aware, we are taking action, we are striving to be more aware of where we are being led. There still is hope here. We ought to be upset and willing to take a stand because authentic, traditional, orthodox Lutheran theology has been pushed aside for enlightened, revisionist, liberal thinking and theology. And this is a big deal.
What has happened in the ELCA has subsequently moved our denomination from the solid rock of God to a church which finds itself on sinking sand. The morale of the pastors and congregations are at an all time low. Many pastors just say they are going to do their own thing. (Unfortunately that won’t be possible.) Many pastors my age are not willing to fight the issue and have decided to just “coast until they retire.” What the ELCA has done is make us a collection of independent congregations who hope or believe that the synod guidelines won’t affect them and they can just continue to “do their own thing.” The ELCA is confident they can outwait rebel congregations and bring in “their people” when the time is right. What that creates is an erosion of the confidence of church leadership. Colleagues and friends find themselves in conflict. People are leaving the church because their conscience won’t let them stay. Several families have left Bethel already – just “silently disappeared” - because of this situation. Church attendance in most congregations has suffered. For the first time in twenty years we planned a Discovery class that we had to cancel for lack of interest. God will not honor or bring people to His church that is not honoring Him. The image of the ELCA in other denominations is diminished and at times has been ridiculed. The result of all of this turmoil is a massive denominational dysfunctional meltdown.
The typical Lutheran congregation, including Bethel, has been living in a little cocoon hoping and praying that it can ignore what has become a growing cancer and a heresy that will ultimately consume this church body as it has so many others. In the last ten years there has been an erosion in our churches and our denomination. Erosions occur over time. Erosions are subtle and often barely perceptible. The first signs of erosion don’t set off alarms. Erosion eats away at the ground by taking away the best and leaving only rocks and ravines behind. Erosion can destroy farmland and cut deep ravines on hillsides. Ground that is eroded is no longer rich, fertile, or productive as God intended it to be.
But erosion is not just about land. Unfortunately, erosion can happen in denominations, in seminaries, and in churches as well. In the latest surveys that come from the ELCA itself, you see erosion in membership numbers. The ELCA has lost 600,000 members since 1988, the year the ELCA was formed. The average attendance in ELCA churches has decreased by 300,000 over the last twenty years. The number of missionaries the ELCA sends out has also decreased dramatically. The influence of the ELCA has also eroded. How many people say, “I used to be a Lutheran but . . . .”There is an erosion in the amount of money that is given to support the ministry of the greater church. There is an erosion within congregations themselves and in the influence they have in their communities. There is an erosion of orthodox, evangelical teaching at the seminary level. Add to that the erosion of trust, integrity, respect, and reputation at the highest level and you see how sad the situation has quickly become. And because it has all happened so gradually and so cleverly, most people were not aware of the changes and the effects they have had and will continue to have on our churches. I understand that numbers do not tell a whole story, but numbers do indicate whether a movement or institution is moving forward or backward. People who have been devoted and faithful members don’t withhold or withdraw their support without serious consideration and heartfelt prayer.
It is important to me that Jesus never talked about erosion. He only spoke about growth and life and the importance of bearing fruit. When Martin Luther was faced with the erosion in his church, he knew that action had to be taken and taken immediately if the church was to continue to be the heart and center of people’s lives. He found that he could no longer represent his beloved church that had strayed so far from its biblical roots. He had to put down his objections and concerns in written form. Bonhoeffer took action and spear-headed the organization of the Confessing Church and started an underground seminary. He did as much as he could to support fellow pastors who were on the front lines courageously standing up for what was true.
I attended the CORE (coalition for renewal) convocation last August and was very moved by those who shared their history and vision for the Lutheran Church in America. The scholarship, integrity, background, the Biblical and theological perspectives that each speaker offered brought clarity and understanding about where the ELCA is going and how we have gotten to this point. They spoke a prophetic word about what is going to happen to Lutheranism in the U.S. if we continue on the path of erosion we are on. Without a return to an authentic expression of traditional, orthodox, evangelical teaching the Lutheran church will be church on hospice watch or reduced to a small insignificant irrelevant sect that no one cares about or listens to.
I believe that pastors and congregational members would have benefited greatly had they had this information and insight two years earlier. The clarity and understanding that these men brought to the table was convincing and convicting. I kept thinking to myself that if everyone in the ELCA had heard the truth and understanding that these scholars brought to the table, we would be on a much different path than we are on now.
To believe that Bethel will remain unaffected and untouched by what has and is taking place in the higher levels of the ELCA is naive. The theological, Biblical, spiritual, and ecclesiastical warning signs are all around. The only question is will we heed them? No matter what a congregation decides to do, it is going to be difficult and painful. Many Bethel members have been waiting to hear exactly where their pastors stand. They look for direction and leadership. This is my effort to share as clearly and honestly as I can where I am. I am sorry I have not done this sooner. I beg your forgiveness. I have sat in silence too long. It would be much easier to pass the leadership buck to the council and let them take the heat and the criticism. The council is entrusted with the practical, operational, fiscal, and organizational matters of the church. It is my job as the senior pastor to set the direction and the content of the spiritual life of Bethel. I am and I have been the resident theologian for twenty years now. It seems to me that what I have been trying to avoid is going to take place no matter what. If I don’t face the issues and tell you where I stand it will only amplify the problems and confuse you and create even more internal bickering than we have now. My hope and prayer is that together the pastoral staff could share a united voice.
The Bible tells us that shepherds lead from the front - they don’t follow the sheep. This is my attempt to share my thoughts and concerns with all of you and do the same as Martin Luther did when he could no longer sit on the sidelines in silence. I have written 94 thesis based on my research and study. I would be happy to give you a copy. I believe this document will give you new insight to what is really at stake.
PASTOR DOUG’S 94 THESES
1. What is at stake first and foremost is the Authority of the Scriptures.Does the word of God have anything to say that is relevant for human behavior today? We can’t say maybe on this, nor is this an a la carte menu, where I pick what I like and dismiss the parts that make me uncomfortable. We are facing a worldwide epidemic of moral confusion, not unlike what happened during the time of Jesus and Paul. Therefore, it is essential that we know and can articulate what we believe. And what we believe must be grounded in God’s Word.
2. No longer does the sovereign and sacred Word of God create, shape or control the ELCA.Instead, the ELCA controls the interpretation of the Word. It finds the clear meaning of the Word insufficient. Theologians have deconstructed the Scriptures and then re-constructed them in ways completely unrecognizable and have come up with conclusions that leave the average lay person scratching his head and asking, “How in the world did that smart guy come up with that?” Dietrich Bonhoeffer said: “if one cannot communicate the most profound ideas about God and the Bible to children, something is amiss. There is more to life than academia.” The revisionist ELCA theology has made the Word of God a point upon which we can agree or not.
3. No longer is the ELCA the steward of the Word of God. A steward takes care of what belongs to someone else. They have become managers of the Word and control it for the ends they have in mind. I am sick of the church hierarchy urging us to stay together for the “mission” of the church which is nothing less than demanding blind obedience.
4. At the time of the Reformation, Martin Luther stated that he was captive to the Word of God and upon that word he placed his trust and confidence. Now, according to the ELCA, individuals and their bound conscience and the desires of the self are the defining order of the day.“ Bound conscience” is a new erosive theological concept created at the last church wide assembly. Now bound conscience means that whatever I think or believe is OK. However, it is looking more and more like if your conscious is not bound to the ELCA, expect retribution. Through theological gymnastics, the revisionist theologians have reshaped the Bible into their own image. From their standpoint the Bible doesn’t really mean what it appears to mean. What this amounts to is the arrogant belief that some people are smarter than God. These ELCA Lutherans have in essence rewritten the first commandment to now read theologically they are greater than God.
5. If it comes between you and me and our “bound conscience,” who is to say who is right? Here I lean on God’s Word!God reveals in His word what is right or wrong, what is moral or immoral. God has provided us with a book that answers the tie breaking questions in life. The Holy Scripture never stutters, doesn’t contradict itself, and doesn’t change God’s mind.He doesn’t say all along that something is wrong and then one day says, “Oh, never mind, I changed my mind.”
6. What has been forgotten is the fact that the writers of the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit. When we leave the Holy Spirit out, then we have a book no different than any other book ever written.
7. You must know there is a serious eroding of the authority of Scripture and changes in theology and the doctrines of sin, forgiveness, and salvation. We must be suspicious of those who seek to poke holes in the Scripture so that they do not have to take the Word of God seriously.
8. The proper approach to the study of Scripture is to ask in all humility: “What is it that God is trying to say to us through this witness of Scripture?” Luther was right on when he said, “When I don’t understand the Word of God I stand under God’s Word.”
9. We are committed to the main thing which has been and always will be the main thing . . .Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples of ALL nations.
10. The ELCA has departed from traditional stance in significant ways over the past eleven years which dates back to Call for Common Mission. During the past decade the ELCA has continued to move away further from the traditional orthodox Christian faith as it has been passed down to us for generations.
11. For 500 years the Lutheran church has stressed “Sola Scriptura” which means “scripture alone.” Luther went to great ends to make sure the scriptures were written in the vernacular of the people so they could read and understand them. Today the ELCA has made the Scriptures so complex and so confusing that the average person has difficulty understanding them. It’s almost like going back to pre-reformation times.
12. Ralph Klein, an ELCA Professor of the Old Testament at The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, has stated that, “. . . . much of the Bible could be described as (very helpful) words about God rather than ‘the Word of God.’” He has suggested that God wasn’t part of the writing of Scripture. He also said, “we must accept the possibility that a position taken by a Biblical writer is wrong or unhelpful.” Those were not the teachings of the Old and New Testament professors that were the foundation of my education at LSTC.
13. People are leaving the ELCA because it has officially renounced the Lordship of Jesus Christ as He speaks in the Holy Scriptures. In the past the larger church has provided educational and worship materials that were faithful to the Word of God. It educated men and women for pastoral ministry and sent missionaries into the world to name the name of Jesus and bring Christ into places that have not heard Him and do not know the Gospel. But at the highest levels of the ELCA false teaching has crept into the seminaries, the political agenda is seeping into material being sent out for congregational use, and the mission of the Gospel has been relegated to a back burner that was turned off 20 years ago.
14. We at Bethel are truly a part of a Reformation Church, which means that we are always in need of reforming. “Reforming sometimes means separation as the most faithful decision.” (Ken Sauer, former Lutheran Church in America Bishop of the Southern Ohio Synod)
15. In a response to Bishop elect Bill Gafkjen, Dr. Robert Benne said: “The Bishop says the ELCA did not formally leave the Great Tradition in August of 2009 because it still holds to its Constitution. Of course it did not repudiate its Constitution. But it is doubtful that it follows the directives of its Constitution, which affirms that, ‘This church accepts the canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired Word of God and the authoritative source and norm of its proclamation, faith and life.’ By its decisions it repudiated its statement of faith.”
16. When making choices about faith and life, morality, and ethics, where do you place the importance of the Bible? By their own admission and writings, the ELCA no longer considers the Bible the most important guide. Rather, the ELCA advocates one to ask, first and foremost, “What does your conscience tell you? How do you feel about this? What is your experience?” Second in importance is science. We must let scientists govern our faith. Third, is philosophy, as if faith is a matter of mind and reason. And finally, fourth is the Bible. THE BIBLE RANKS FOURTH IN IMPORTANCE WHEN IT COMES TO MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT MATTERS OF FAITH AND DAILY LIVING!
17.What Luther believed about the scripture is a topic the ELCA and their “friends” like to twist and undermine and unfortunately, because most Christians are (1) too trustworthy of human authority and figures and (2) too uneducated about Luther’s true teaching –most have no way to combat the misinformation being spewed as fact by the powers that be on this subject.
18. People have told me that Lutherans believe in the Word of God and that Word shapes their thoughts and theology. Apparently they have not read the ELCA statement on sexuality because it doesn’t have one reference to God’s Word as support of its position.
19. “Fear of the Lord” is a central theme throughout the Bible, but it appears we have forgotten that today. We seem to want to change God’s Word to fit our needs rather than fulfill God’s needs and direction for our lives. Check the Scriptures to see what happens when God’s people think they know more than God.
20. The Church has always been plagued by false teaching. Why should we be surprised that it emerges within our church today? I am, but I am not. False teaching is what it ultimately comes down to. Can you live with false teaching or do you have to take a stand on Scriptural witness? Again, Martin Luther said, “If I don’t understand the word of God then I have to stand under the word of God.”
21. A defense of this new theology by two members of the Metro Chicago Synod’s Executive Committee states that “there are no absolutes.Scripture defines sin and humans define scripture.” Synod Secretary Steve Srock and Synod Council member John Dumke have said that we are changing the 10 commandments and Srock said “we have done it before and we can do it again . . .” A pastor friend of mine asked him if that was his position, the position of his church, or the position of the synod, and he said, “of the synod.”
22. We are facing a worldwide epidemic of moral confusion, not unlike what happened during the time of Jesus and Paul. Therefore, it is essential that we know and can articulate what we believe. And what we believe had better be grounded in God’s Word. There is a cost of discipleship in order to remain faithful. We are going to have to do more study, prayer, confession, reflection, thinking, and research than ever before.
23. God has commanded us to name the name of Jesus Christ unashamedly, boldly and joyfully and to share that name with the world. Conversely, he also warns us of the consequence of denying His name. (Matt. 7:21, Titus 1:16, II Thess. 3:2, Jude 1:4, I John 2:22-23)
24. If the church was serious about the Great Command of Jesus to go and make disciples of all nations we would be about transforming the hearts and lives of Christ followers into those who can lead and do justice, show mercy, without making it a divisive resolution passed at a synod assembly.
25. What would it take to implement the vision Rev. Jim Stuck had when he first took office as the bishop of the Indiana/Kentucky Synod a dozen years ago? He wanted all churches to disciple people so that every member would be a missionary, every pastor a mission director, and every congregation a mission outpost.
26. The ELCA has give up “pioneer” missionary work with those who have never heard the Gospel which is two thirds of the world’s population. We only do “accompaniment” with those who are already established as Christian churches. The latter is fine but to give up pioneer work is a denial of the Great Commission.
27. In 1988 there were more than 700 Lutheran missionaries, but today there are about 100. Of these, only twelve have anything in their call that encourages them to name the name of Jesus. These missionaries are involved in educational and agricultural improvement projects but if they don’t do them in the name of Jesus Christ they are no different than the Peace Corps. Wouldn’t you think that missionaries should serve in the name of the faith they were called to serve and the church that supports them? Mission outreach was always to be the focus of the ELCA, but when the focus and energy today is being diverted by social justice issues, there is little left for evangelism.
28. There were only 21 mission starts in the ELCA last year. My colleague, Pastor E.Dean Windhorn, said that back in 1984, at a time of inflation and high interest rates, the old ALC started 54 mission congregations. His mission in Zionsville was number 34 and the ALC at that time was half the size of the ELCA. It’s a matter of having first things first.
29. If Bethel goes along with everything that is happening in the ELCA then Bethel will have to take the word “Evangelical” out of its name.
30. Here is a quote from the new NALC which shows they are getting it: “Discipleship is not a part of, but the heart of the NALC; it is not what we do, but who we are.” The hope of its leaders is to see the vision of discipleship as the DNA of the new Lutheran Church. To prove its intentions, the NALC is designating a one million dollar gift solely to the work of missions.
31. If there was only one heresy being perpetuated through the teachings of the ELCA, it might be manageable. It seems to me that there are at least four central Christian doctrines that are under attack and being undermined: 1) the Trinity, 2) the doctrine of original sin, 3) the doctrine of the two natures of Jesus (no longer is He regarded as fully God), and, 4) the doctrine of God Himself.
32. It used to be that when you said Lutheran, or LCA or ALC, or the ELCA in its early years, you knew what they stood for. When I go to Burger King, and order a whopper whether it is in Noblesville or Chicago or Holly Springs, North Carolina, I know what I am getting. I thought the same thing about the Lutheran Church but that is no longer true. Is Jesus the same? Is Sophia the new lord? Is the Bible preached in its fullness or do we do like the Mormons and cut and paste according to what we feel?
33. The Church is commissioned to speak a clear word about the Trinity, therefore, anything other than the Trinitarian formula of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is an apostasy.
34. I am concerned that if we remain in the ELCA, we may likely be viewed as supporting the revisionist theology of the ELCA.
35. I find it deeply troubling that at some Lutheran seminaries students are not allowed to call God, Father, and our publishing houses are referring to God as mother in some of their published materials.
36. Neo-paganism or goddess worship has crept into many American Protestant denominations, including the ELCA. “God reveals Himself in the Bible.If you’re worshipping somebody, and that somebody is not to be found in Christ or in the revelation, (the revealed word, the Bible), then that somebody whom you are worshiping is not God, but an idol. Any god who is not Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a false god.” (Robert Walters, Des Moines, Iowa.)
37. When Carl Bratten spoke at the CORE conference in Columbus he quoted a woman named Cathryn S. who said, “To insist Jesus is the only way to God is to limit God.” His rhetorical question was: “We wouldn’t want to limit God would we?”
38. It is apparent that in writings coming from the ELCA we are being told that salvation comes from the ELCA and not from God alone. That sure sounds like the indulgences stories I’ve read from Luther’s days.
39. On the ELCA website you read that it no longer supports the virgin birth as miraculous. A Lutheran seminary professor has stated that atonement happened before the cross and that no loving God would let His son die on a cross. That sounds like Islam. The cross was completely human. A Wartburg professor teaches that Jesus is the Christian’s savior and that every religion has a savior. I was always taught that you can only know the Father through the Son, Jesus. For 34 years I have been teaching and preaching that Jesus is the only way and the truth and the life.
40. The resurrection of Jesus is the heart of our faith. Yet the resurrection is denied by some who are looked as being spokespersons of that faith. The ELCA considers it no longer essential to believe that Christ rose from the dead. A book entitled “The Resurrection of Jesus” by Gerd Luedemann published by Augsburg-Fortress comes to the conclusion that the body of Jesus decayed in the grave. I can’t wait to preach that this Easter.
42. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “In New York they preach about virtually everything, only one thing is not addressed, or is addressed so rarely that I have yet been unable to bear it, namely the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the cross, sin, forgiveness, and death and life.” Could not the same be said about the ELCA?
43. Many Lutheran theologians and magicians share a similar characteristic. Both use magical ways to change what you see into something you don’t.It leaves the audience wondering how on earth it got there.
44. The one thing thatthe Christian Church is called to do that no other faith does is to tell the redeeming story of Jesus - the one born of Mary, who suffered and died a horrendous death on the cross and was raised to glory and honor and who invites us into a living, dynamic, personal relationship with Him today.
45. I am here to tell you the ancient heresy of Gnosticism is alive and well. Old time Gnostics rejected the law of God as irrelevant and claimed they had a higher knowledge that came from within the self. The problem was no longer sin but ignorance. Sure sounds like what is being purported within the ELCA today. The only way we are going to get ourselves out of this revival of Gnosticism is to cling to the authority of Scripture.
46. “Bound conscience” is now the new “catch phrase” of the ELCA which frees us to teach whatever we deem right. To me that says ELCA congregations are now a collection of individual churches free to do whatever they want. Therefore, Bethel is free to choose what is normative for us. In reality, Bethel has always operated independently so we are in effect being sanctioned to do what we have always done anyway. As long as I am pastor of Bethel we will continue to teach and preach a traditional, confessional, orthodox, Christ centered Christian faith. That is my personal DNA and the DNA of Bethel. Therefore, it might be time to look for a church body –within the Lutheran tradition – that more closely reflects the moral and Biblical climate of Bethel Lutheran Church.
47. When Martin Luther said, “I am bound by the Scriptures and I am captive by the Word of God,” it’s ironic because the Word of God is cited by Luther and is useful for and has the power to change the bound conscience” whereas the ELCA encourages the toleration of falsely bound conscience. From Luther’s perspective there is a biblical place and time for “bound conscience,” and that had to do with what Lutherans would call “adiaphora.” He cited St. Paul’s counsel to respect conscience with regard to Jewish ritual and dietary laws. But with regard to core beliefs about Jesus or core moral teachings there was no such leeway. (I Corinthians 5)
48. Those who believe that universalism has not infiltrated the ELCA just need to look at where it is being taught - in churches, in seminaries, by youth pastors and by ELCA’s leadership.
49. Both the ELCA website as well as the ELCA funded Lutheran Bible that was produced by Augsburg espouses universalism. Dr. Walter Bouman, Lutheran professor at Trinity seminary, has been quoted as accepting and teaching universalism. Universalism boils down to “it doesn’t matter.” It doesn’t matter what you believe, how you act, what you do or don’t do because God’s is going to save everyone. There are many facets to it, but basically universalism holds the false belief that everyone, no matter what, is going to heaven, and that Jesus is just one of many ways to get to heaven. And since all people go to heaven, there must be no hell. The heresy of universalism dates back to the very beginning of the Christian church and just keeps re-emerging. In so many of the things that I’ve read coming from the leaders and the professors at our seminaries, they have bought into this heresy big time. I am here to tell you universalism is alive and well in the ELCA. The Bible teaches that there will be a future separation of the sheep (believers) and the goats (un-believers). Jesus believed in the reality of heaven and also the reality of hell.People will have one or the other eternal destinies.
50. The ELCA is increasing the pressure to fall in line with its mandates. Pastors, churches, professors, and seminarians who disagree have been rebuked, censored, and even dismissed. Pastors have had their pensions, their health insurance and their calls threatened. Bound conscience my foot!
51. Many passages of scripture tell us again and again that lukewarm is not an option. Just check out Rev. 3:14-16; II Corinthians 4:2; II Timothy 3:16-17; and I John 4:1-3, 32 for some examples.
52. Many quote Genesis 1 which tells us that God created everything good. That is all well and true.God did create all things good. But then Genesis 3 happened and God’s original design was compromised by sin. Does God create children with spinal bifida or cerebral palsy? Does God choose some to be alcoholics or develop cancer? No, but because of original sin bad things happen in this world.
53. The “inclusive” or “gender-neutral” language that has been creeping into Scripture, hymns, and liturgy are undermining the true nature of God. God says, “I am who I am.” Jesus always referred to God as Father.
54. If you think that admitting homosexuals into the rostered clergy of the ELCA will not promote the gay agenda with its many disturbing doctrinal changes you are sadly mistaken.
55. Rev. Jeff Johnson, recently elected to the Sierra Pacific Synod Council, and his church, University Lutheran Chapel (ELCA) in Berkeley, CA, are conducting a monthly “Goddess Rosary” service. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see this type of service spread to other synods.
56. Even though the Wiccans (the pagan religion of witchcraft) do not understand how Lutheran theology embraces this idea of “mother god” and “new age god” as part of our faith, they celebrate this awakening for Lutherans. The Wiccans applauded that Lutherans recognized “mother god” in a recent worship service of ordination of a lesbian in California. Shirley McLane must be beaming. I never thought I would see the day when witchcraft and Lutheran would have anything in common.
57. We cannot ignore the fact that the Sophia or goddess theologies mentioned by the ELCA and other denominations have been supporting a “re-imaging of god” philosophy (not theology) since 1993. This has led to a substitution of Biblical language which links it with cultic practices that date back before the time of Jesus.
58. If any of us think resolving this single issue is going to restore peace and harmony we are seriously mistaken. This is just the beginning. If sex can be holy and blessed between any consenting adults, why not a return to polygamy? Why not return to the communal communities of the 60’s? If you want to see how this plays out, check outGustavus Adolphus’ college freshman class orientation (it is on UTube) - this will shake you up. At Muhlenberg College (ELCA), you may sign up for a course entitled, “Of Kings and Queens: Drag Theory and Performance.” Assistant professor Troy Dwyer leads a class in dressing the part and playing the role of a drag queen/king. At the end of the class they put on a performance for the community – all you need is the $7 admission charge and a valid ID. It seems to me there are better subjects to educate our young people.
59. If we are going to address the homosexual issue, which is all well and good, we also are compelled to face the heterosexual issues that have been overlooked and basically ignored for much too long . . . . . divorced pastors, premarital sex, divorce in general, living together prior to marriage, pornography, to name a few.
60. One of the most critical social issues has been what constitutes a marriage. The Bible is not fuzzy on marriage. The Biblical witness is very clear in both the Old and New Testaments. Genesis 2 & Matt 19 tell us marriage is “one man with one woman for life.” In 1522 Martin Luther wrote a paper called “The Estate of Marriage” in which he firmly described and established marriage as the union between a man and a woman. He seldom mentions homosexual behavior but when he does, his evaluation is always negative, congruent with the Scriptural view.
61. The Protection of marriage: A Shared commitment” is an open letter signed by 26 religious leaders of different faith communities throughout the United States that expresses a shared commitment to protecting marriage in our society as the union of one man and one woman. How deeply disheartening it is that our denomination was not represented. Both the Missouri Synod and the North American Lutheran churches were represented.
62. The Bishop of the ELCA, Mark Hanson, is pro Hamas and anti Israel. He speaks highly of Islam and blames Israel for the state of affairs in that country.
63. In Bishop Hanson’s assessment of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict he revealed his “universalist tinged outlook (theology).” Antinomianism (the claim that the saved man is free from all moral obligations or principles), has always been linked to anti-semitism.
64. The Bishop has not admonished the Palestinians for their awful mistreatment of the dwindling Christian minority.
65. Hanson believes that any persecution of the Christians or the Jews is exaggerated. Hanson denounces any fellow Christians who disagree with him on issues in the Mid East.Apparently he has not talked to any of the Palestinian Christians.
66. Jon Pahl, professor at the Philadelphia seminary, wrote a column in a Philadelphia newspaper that criticized Christians for not sharing the Eucharist with Muslims. Why doesn’t it surprise me that our seminarians are eating that stuff up?
67. I learned that less than half of the professors who form the teaching staff at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago are Lutheran. That was certainly not the case when I was there. Is there a shortage of Lutherans with quality credentials to teach at our seminaries? It seems to me that potential pastors will not learn about the foundations of the Lutheran tradition if they don’t have teachers who teach them. I bet you won’t find many non-Mormons teaching at BYU.
68. The arrogance of the ELCA leadership is appalling. When we don’t learn from history, we tend to repeat history. We have aligned ourselves with the United Church of Christ and the Episcopalian churches that are dying on the vine, and yet our leadership somehow doesn’t see this. Just look at the most recent membership statistics from the ELCA and you will see this is the case.
69. I was always proud of my church and always looked up to the leaders of my church. Lately, however, the more I study the more I am embarrassed and frightened by the heavy handed, under handed, and sleight of hand tactics the leaders at the top are using to control, manipulate, and run ramrod over any who have different opinions and/or points of view. I have heard that by next summer there will be new rules in place that will make leaving the ELCA even more difficult.
70. I am deeply disheartened that there are so many ELCA Lutherans who are greatly distressed and feel forsaken by our National Synod’s departure from orthodox teaching and faith filled Biblical values. However, I am gratified that my teaching and preaching over the years has impacted so many Bethel members and they do understand the bigger issue and the bigger picture.
71. I just read again the letter from the rostered leaders of the Florida-Bahamas Synod who in one voice repudiated the new policies of the ELCA declaring them to be incompatible with Christian teachings and the traditions of the Christian Church. And, as Martin Luther did in his own day, they rejected the idea that ANY human being, prelate, council, or assembly can rightfully vote to invalidate the teachings of Holy Scripture. It is amazing to me that those (people of color and different ethnic backgrounds) who the ELCA has said they were trying to reach out to have now been turned away forever from the ELCA.
72. Separating ourselves from the ELCAdoes not mean leaving the Church or the Lutheran tradition. In fact, it is being faithful to the Lutheran tradition. Lutherans define the Church as, “the assembly of all believers among whom the Gospel is preached in its purity and the holy sacraments are administered according to the Gospel.” (Augsburg Confession, Art. VII & VIII.)
73. Because the ELCA is striking out in a more liberal direction, I would think that it wouldn’t want to be burdened by the presence of a centrist, orthodox, evangelical, congregation like Bethel. You have to think that it is “poor advertising” to tell newcomers to Bethel that we are part of a liberal denomination which we generally ignore because we are going to do our own thing here.
74. Many people who have been the most committed to the ELCA throughout the years are leaving in large numbers. In a letter to Mark Hansen, Carl Braaten cited at least seven well known professors and Lutheran scholars who have left the ELCA and joined the Roman Catholic Church because they are finding the Catholic church is more hospitable to confessional Lutheran teaching than the church they were baptized and confirmed in. How did things erode so deeply? Add to that list names like Robert Jenson, David Yeago, James Nestingen, Stephen Paulson, Karl Donfried, Paul Hinlicky, Stephan Hultgren who are leading the resistance movement to the ELCA revisionist views and teaching. One of the latest people to leave the ELCA is Michael Root, the former dean at Lutheran Southern Seminary. Why are leading scholars, respected theologians, and people with deep roots in the Lutheran church leaving to join the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches? Is it because they can no longer serve with integrity in a church that has gone astray? For those of us who have been handed this mess in the trenches, the question is, “do we stay or do we follow them?”
75. Dr. Preus and Dr. Crumley, presidents of the former ALC and the LCA, respectively, have been working diligently to correct the errors of the ELCA. They said that if they knew the ELCA was going to go in the direction it has they would never have encouraged the merger. They are deeply saddened by what has happened in their church.
76. I love what Dr. Robert Benne, director of the Center for Religion and Society at Roanoke College in Virginia since 1982, said: “I don’t believe in works righteousness, but I do believe in righteous works.” That says to me that we should spend more time focused on sanctification and discipleship. If we are to live as faithful Christians in this world we have to be armed with the weapons of the Spirit.
77. We must remember that organizations like Word Alone and CORE are not the enemies of the church as portrayed by those who are threatened by their exposure of lies, falsehoods, and manipulations perpetuated at the highest levels within the ELCA. These are people who deeply love the Lutheran church and the Lutheran theology.
78. Some Lutheran parishes are debating whether the cost of separation from the ELCA is worth it. And for fledgling congregations, which include the ELCA’s 105 mission churches that serve African immigrants in the United States, the financial issues do play an important role. Most of the ELCA’s African mission churches in the United States don’t own their buildings and depend on ELCA financial support to pay pastors and fund outreach programs. Yet all 105 strongly oppose the ELCA’s new policies, according to Jordan Long, a pastor in Rochester, N.Y., who directs African ministries for Lutheran CORE. Perhaps this is a mission opportunity for CORE churches to financially support our African American brothers and sisters so they can be released from bondage.
79. The reality is that the agenda of the ELCA today is not what the average person in the pew thinks it is. We must let people know that benevolence money given to the greater church is actually promoting non-Lutheran and even a non-Christian understanding of salvation and the role of Christ’s church in this world.
80. The ELCA predicted that only about 2% of the churches would leave the denomination. To date that number is closer to 10% and about eleven congregations are leaving weekly. Most are joining the Lutheran Church in Mission for Christ or the North American Lutheran Church. The LCMC is the fastest growing affiliation of churches in the country and is now the third largest Lutheran denomination in the U.S.
81. When the moderate centrist churches have left the ELCA, including a number of large flagship churches, the dissenting and orthodox traditional voices will be silenced and will allow the ELCA to move even further toward cultural relativism.
82. ELCA leadership is planning to recommend to the churchwide assembly in August 2011 constitutional amendments that will make it even harder for churches to leave the ELCA. I always thought we were in a church that was there to serve its constituent churches and would want churches to desire to be a part of their organization and not have to hold them hostage.
83. There is an erosive trend in all statistics. Benevolence support from congregations to the ELCA is down 40% in the last 20 years. Approximately 68% of churches have lost more than 5% of their worship attendance in the last ten years. Since the formation of the ELCA in 1988 worship attendance has dropped by 300,000. The average worship attendance of congregations in 1990 was 148, and by 2013 that number is expected to drop to 114. As best I can figure the ELCA has lost nearly one million members in the last twenty years. If this trend continues by the year 2030 we will be down to three million people, by 2050 it will be two million, and by 2090 it will be one. The Lutheran church will be extinct in us in ninety years. We don’t have Hitler to blame for the extermination of the Luther church, only ourselves.
84. It is heresy to read that we must recognize – and that seminary professors are teaching - that there can be other ways to God and salvation than by Jesus.
85. It is futile for us to rehash this erosion and ask where the leadership of the church was when these decisions were being made. To second guess what could have and should have happened is pointless now. Moses didn’t ask the Israelites whether or not they wanted to go back to Egypt. Now is the time to move forward.
86. We must be firm in our resolve to move forward. We must be firm in our resolve to maintain the traditional orthodox Lutheran doctrine. Despite the opposition or the resistance we receive we must continue to operate out of truth in love . . . God’s truth and God’s love.
87. Lutherans have always thought of themselves as God’s people. When the people of the Old Testament neglected God’s Word they were always hammered into submission for their arrogance and backsliding. But God always found a “faithful remnant” to carry on His message and His work. Might that be the NALC or LCMC?
88. In spite of the ELCA leadership stated acceptance of differing opinions on the direction of the church, they are now moving forward in an expeditious manner using benevolence funds in ways that would appall most trusting laypeople if they knew how their contributions were being used.
89. In Martin Luther’s 95 Theses he constantly challenged the Pope about his absolute power, his supremacy, and his control over the church, and the image he portrayed that he was sinless. Is there any correlation today?
90. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German pastor, prophet, and martyr warned of “cheap grace.” He would be rolling over in his grave if he knew that his Lutheran church was having a “fire sale” on grace.
91. There have been disturbing repercussions from around the world. The ELCA has set itself apart from 98% of Lutherans world wide. The Ethiopian Lutheran Church has given the ELCA a year to repent. The Lutheran Church of Tanzania is distancing itself from the ELCA as well.
92. The ELCA church is in its eleventh hour, and it is high time we realize this. The ELCA is dying and is on hospice watch.
93. The ELCA is teaching that there is no prophecy in the Scriptures. How could men know ahead of time what the future holds. If there is no prophesy, then what do we do with all those Old Testament lessons for Advent from Isaiah? What do we do with Jesus who seemed to think His purpose was a fulfillment of prophesy?
94. The ELCA supports abortions upon demand in their medical coverage. They also actively promote and lobby for the use of public funds for abortions. Here is how one Lutheran theologian expressed his thinking: “Destruction of the embryo in the mother’s womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed upon this nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life. And that is nothing but murder.” (Deitrich Bonhoeffer) He does have a way of saying it exactly as it is.
CONCLUSION
Thank you for taking the time to read my 94 Thesis. It is the culmination of lots of prayer, study, reflection and discernment. It is my prayer that what you have read will guide your thinking about what we need to do next and the decisions facing us in the near future. This is a pivotal moment in time and in the life of the church. This whole issue is much greater than the resolution about sexuality passed in August 2009. The erosion is far deeper and more pervasive than that single issue. But what it has done is expose the ELCA in ways I never thought possible. The question is, “has the ELCA created a new religion?” My wife Terri has said many times that this is a church that her grandfather, a Norwegian Lutheran pastor, would neither have recognized nor participated in.
Many people have asked why we can’t we just get along together and continue business as usual. I wish with all my heart that was possible. The problem is not here at Bethel. The problem is higher up. The ELCA has changed the product line that we have been representing here in Hamilton County for 157 years. It is a product that I cannot in good conscience promote or encourage others to join. There is a cancer that is making the whole body sick. And usually the only treatment for cancer involves radical measures.
It is time for our church to join CORE (Coalition of Renewal in the Lutheran Church). It is committed to working with all Lutheran bodies to maintain the faithful confessional foundation that has been the heart and center and the strength of the Lutheran Church throughout its history.
It is time to look for a church body within the Lutheran tradition -- one that more closely reflects the Biblical and the moral tradition of Bethel Lutheran Church. For me that is the NALC. It is time to diversify our financial outreach for the benefit of our church family. My hope is that we take charge of our benevolence dollars and give money to those organizations that move our congregation forward and move God’s kingdom in the same direction.
When someone asked D. Bonheoffer whether he should join the German Christians (ELCA of his day), he said that he couldn’t. “If you board the wrong train,” he said, “it is no use running along the corridor in the opposite direction.”
We may very well be on the verge of a spiritual revival – in our own congregations, in Lutheranism, and around the world, not the likes of which we have seen for 500 years. We may well be a part of the new Reformation God is working in and through us.
But whatever happens and where ever this leads us may we continue to treat one another with mutual respect and Christian kindness, with an open heart and a humble spirit.