People Change

10/20/2015

People change. Over the last 14 years support for same-sex marriage in America has increased by 20%. (see here) When I went to Wartburg Theological Seminary (ELCA) there were a few Bible-believing, orthodox/conservative students that I could look to for support. Today I came across one of those students (now an ELCA pastor) pictured on the ReconcilingWorks website along with an article saying that his church is now a Reconciling in Christ congregation.

"ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation" is an organization that "advocates for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Lutherans in all aspects of the life of their Church and congregations." (see here) And his church has now become a congregation that "welcome and affirm people of...every sexual orientation and gender identity" (see here)

Americans view on gay marriage changed, for the most part, because of the decline in Biblical belief and the normalization of homosexuality brought into our homes through the entertainment we watch.

If you are not reading your Bible and you study or sit under the leadership of liberal teachers, pastors and bishops who support homosexuality (and other liberal theological positions) you are in danger of compromising your Biblical beliefs and conforming to their position.

2 Comments

Didaskalos link

10/21/2015 02:50:45 am

Pastors cave. Bishops cave. Seminary professors cave. Whole denominations cave.

The ELCA is now proudly proclaiming, "Yes, we bless unrepentant sinners in soul-damning sin, but we make them feel so good about themselves. And we love the praise we're getting from the world."

". . . In 1 Corinthians 6, St. Paul gives vital clarification on a subject where there is much foggy thinking among those who ask questions like, "What should the Church's approach to homosexual Christians be?" The apostolic answer is that there is no such thing as a homosexual Christian. There are brethren who struggle with various temptations, to be sure, and may on occasion fall to them before rising again. But believers who resist homosexual lust are not "homosexuals." They are just Christians, as are the rest of us with our own besetting sins.

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? [Then comes a list of sinners, including "sexual perverts."] And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of
our God." --

"Such were some of you. The apostle is writing to the baptized saints in the church of Corinth who are no longer these things. He does not say they are no longer susceptible to their old sins, nor that these old sins mustn't be dealt with: addressing the problems old sins create is a large part of the epistle's burden. Given this apostolic definition, however, we cannot—we dare not—say there is any such thing as a "gay (or lesbian, etc.) Christian," for the Christian by definition has been cleansed of his homosexuality. He cannot regard himself as a homosexual—or idolater, or thief, or drunkard—nor can the Church affirm him, or the various acts associated with the old vice, as such.

"There is no "homosexual voice within the Church," for the homosexual's conversion entails a choice—This, or That—the sin, or the Faith. He cannot have both, nor can the Church in any way accommodate the sin from which he has been cleansed. It is wholly and actively and vehemently against it as a destroyer of the souls it has been called to save. It labors among the saints only in the accomplishment of what has already been done in Christ: cleansing, sanctification, and justification in the Name of the Lord."

http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=26-04-003-e -- "Just Christians"

Chuck Braun

10/21/2015 07:21:14 am

That's a shame, someone who was on the side of the Truth was led astray to damning lies. As Jesus instructed us, for those who would cause one of us little ones to stumble, it would be better for them to have been drowned in the sea tied to millstones. The leaders of the ELCA have put their souls in the deepest of jeopardy, for Jesus also said that those in authority in His Church would receive the stricter judgment. Having prayed for their repentance and seen none, the ELCA leaders have denied Jesus as Savior and Lord by their wanton disregard for His Holy Word. Are none of them the least bit concerned about the wrath which they are storing up for themselves on Judgment Day? Apparently they don't believe in God's wrath...

While it is true that I personally believe that those with same-sex attraction did not choose it, and perhaps they have a virtually incurable mental condition at the root of it. But God's Word is clear that acting on such attraction is clearly serious sin. Such sin may be forgiven, as any other sin, by repentance, Confession and Holy Absolution. Blessing the sin is tantamount to encouraging an alcoholic to continue drinking, or allowing a pyromaniac to continue setting things on fire.

Do I hate gay people? No. Most of those I've encountered seem like really nice people, and it grieves me that they are trapped in their condition. Often I pray, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do! Holy Spirit, convict them of their sin and lead them towards a spirit of repentance! Jesus, keep seeking Your lost sheep!"

But Jesus to came to forgive their sins as well as mine and the whole world's. Jesus came to save homosexuals by His Gospel. But one thing's required. Being broken by the Law to repentance. But in a church where the pastors take out parts of the Law they don't like to accommodate the sins of some people, these pastors are false shepherds. Do any of them have the least concern for that day when they will stand before God Almighty?

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