In our January and February 2022 publications I wrote a two-part article which explored the question of how the LGBTQ+ agenda and community were able to be so successful in completely taking over the ELCA and in such a short time. Here are links to that two-part article, which I entitled, “How Did It Happen?” – LINK and LINK.
I described the strategies and principles of Community Organizing as outlined in a resource from ReconcilingWorks, “Building an Inclusive Church Toolkit” (BIC). Here is a link to that Toolkit – Building an Inclusive Church – ReconcilingWorks.
On its website ReconcilingWorks describes its mission in this way. “Since 1974, ReconcilingWorks: Lutherans for Full Participation has advocated for the full welcome, inclusion, and equity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual/aromantic (LGBTQIA+) Lutherans in all aspects of the life of their Church, congregations, and community.”
The Toolkit outlines steps to take to gain the support of Early Adopters, the Early Majority, and enough of the Late Majority in order to achieve the 75% approval vote that is required by ReconcilingWorks for an organization to become Reconciling in Christ (RIC).
I am a retired ELCA pastor, rostered in the Grand Canyon Synod. I attended one of the recent Spring Conference Assemblies. At the gathering it was mentioned that a motion will be coming to the 2027 Synod Assembly that the Synod become Reconciling in Christ and (typical of the ELCA) that there be a full year of study and discussion leading up to the vote. It was also said that ReconcilingWorks is no longer a one-issue organization. It is no longer focused solely on the welcome and inclusion of all forms of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. It is also concerned for the full welcome and inclusion of people of all races as well as differently abled people.
With their approach of building relationships and capitalizing on shared values, I immediately recognized Community Organizing.
I wrote to the Bishop of my Synod, stating that I found the presentation to be manipulative, questionable, unfair, and unjust.
What is manipulative is adding the inclusion and welcome of people of all races and differently abled people to the meaning of being Reconciling in Christ. I assume that is being done in order to “grease the skids” and gain support for a more wide-spread acceptance of the inclusion and welcome of people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.
What is questionable is the statement that the focus of being Reconciling in Christ has been expanded from being merely LGBTQ+ welcoming and inclusive to also being welcoming and inclusive of people of all races and as well as differently abled people.
The website of ReconcilingWorks does not speak so clearly of such an expansion of concern. Here is a link to their website – Home – ReconcilingWorks.
True, the description of “Our Vision” and “Our Values” in the purple rectangles on their Home Page does not restrict their attention solely to LGBTQ+ persons as the purple rectangle “Our Mission” does, but still it appears that the local, Grand Canyon Synod task force – I assume following the principles of Community Organizing as outlined in the Toolkit and in order to gain wider support – is misrepresenting what it means to be Reconciling in Christ by giving their own, expanded definition and version of Reconciling in Christ. If the local task force has a definition and meaning of being Reconciling in Christ that is not the same as the definition and meaning of ReconcilingWorks as a whole, then the local task force should not use the term Reconciling in Christ.
I clearly remember a few years ago the tensions between the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) LGBTQ+ community and the non-BIPOC LGBTQ+ community within Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries after the dust up in the ELCA’s Sierra Pacific Synod regarding former bishop Megan Rohrer (the ELCA’s first transgender bishop). I would be surprised if there is now such peace and harmony between these two groups that the LGBTQ+ community is willing to share equally the spotlight with the BIPOC community.
That is what is manipulative and questionable. What is unfair and unjust is the way in which people who are welcoming of all races, are concerned for differently abled people, and hold traditional views on marriage and sexuality who therefore vote No on the resolution that the Grand Canyon Synod become Reconciling in Christ will then be made to appear as racist and uncaring. People who hold traditional views on marriage and sexuality will be further isolated and stigmatized. For example, the “Building an Inclusive Church Toolkit” calls those with traditional views Laggards. (Which does not sound inclusive to me.) Once again, the truly marginalized in the ELCA will not be the LGBTQ+ community (who constantly claim that they are marginalized) but those who hold traditional views.
Either way – whether ReconcilingWorks as a whole is now expanding its focus to include people of all races and differently enabled people or the Grand Canyon Synod Task Force is coming up with its own version of what it means to be Reconciling in Christ – either way this is an example of the strategy of Community Organizing. ReconcilingWorks – either as an entire organization or at the Grand Canyon Synod level – is setting people up so that if they are open and welcoming to all races and differently abled people, then they certainly will be just as open and welcoming to all forms of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.
Life long Lutheran, 77 years. LCA then ELCA. My wife and I joined the First Baptist Church, Altoona, FL last month.
Just will not follow Satan into the abyss that the ELCA is creating.
I miss the liturgy, the communion, the church calendar but no way will I accept leadership of what is taking place in the ELCA nor will I support it.
I have all the hymnals from my childhood through the Green book in my bookcase. I cherish the memories of growing up in the church and all the activities and learning I received. The pastors and their families were my friends. Sadly, some of the pastor’s kids have now gone down the wokeness path so I now avoid contact with them. Even my own sister is now the chair person for their Social Justice ministry so we never discuss that subject.
Read two weeks ago that Lutheran Services was still settling Somalis in Minnesota – Really.
This whole thing is so sad and so unnecessary.
Dear John – Thank you for sharing. I sorry that because of circumstances you are no longer able to receive the spiritual blessings of liturgical worship and a sacramental view of Holy Communion. I pray that God will continue to bless you in your new church home.
AMEN🙏🏻
Thank you for your very gracious and encouraging response.
They don’t include in their inclusive agenda the trans-species population. How can they leave out the poor little kitties and puppies, cows, llamas, groundhogs, and the list goes on and on? Do they not deserve their own equal access to litter boxes and scratching posts? Of course, I’m being sardonic here, but the furries are a real thing. My granddaughter has several in her high school. Most of the kids laugh about it, but there’s nothing funny about mental illness, which is what these aberrations are.
Shows what happens if you take “I am who and/or what I identify as” all the way.
I suspect that too many, though not agreeing with the on-going path being taken by the ELCA, will go along-to get along even as the ship sinks.
Sad but true. We are working hard to alert people to the seriousness of the situation.
In what is likely to be the final straw, our congregation plans to “explore what it might mean to be RIC” this year. I’ve been appreciating all your past efforts on this topic. The BIC guide illustrates many of the traps for those who resist inclusion. Particularly troublesome, when BIC finally gets around to discussing Holy Scripture near the end of the process, it suggests that those not fully on board should be engaged in conversation about _why_ their views of Scripture are so hopelessly backwards:
“Consider asking people who are struggling the following questions in hopes of being able to learn more about them and their relationship with Scripture:
1. Where did you learn about Scripture?
2. Who taught you about Scripture?
3. What role does Scripture play in your life?
4. Can I share with you about the values I have learned through Scripture?”
Nobody else need to be browbeaten. Just those who aren’t on the right side of history yet. It’s a guaranteed way to get people to bend over, or else leave. I also noticed the template for voting on a proposed welcome statement contains only two options, “yes” or “not quite yet.”
“PROPOSED WELCOME STATEMENT
This community commits to welcoming, including, and celebrating people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and
gender expression, and is commited to work for racial equity/anti-racism. If a vote were held today on the above welcome statement, how would you respond?
YES wholeheartedly.
YES, but I would appreciate more education
YES, but I would appreciate more scriptural engagement.
NO, because I need more _____________________”
It’s diabolical.
ReconcilingWorks will not stop until they have totally silenced and eliminated traditional views.
S. M. Hutchens: LEAVING BEHIND
“I do not believe it is as difficult to decide when to leave corrupted religious bodies as those who stay in them often make it appear. Typically, part of the official confession or constitution — to which all members by simple virtue of their membership automatically become party — is altered to oppose the faith at a single meeting or convention or ballot or publication. The point at which that is done — at which a person can no longer as a Christian subscribe to the entirety of the group’s stated beliefs or practice — is the point at which leave must be taken. If it is not, the sea of ambiguity on the conditions of departure immediately becomes bottomless, and no reason to withdraw except the ridiculous “some-further-outrage-or-other-will-be-the-last-straw” is any longer possible.
“In cases where the noxious change is not formally instituted, it is not much more difficult to make the decision. When it is clear to honest observation that an Alteration of Desolation has become generally tolerated or accepted, it is time to withdraw.”
— S. M. Hutchens (Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity, May/June 2014)
Dennis,
This is Ray Barclay and I’m a retired ELCA parish pastor of 10 years; however, I have been either serving as Interim (1 parish) and Supply for a small rural congregation composed of older truly wonderful believers. I feel SO blessed.
Enough about me. I look so forward every month to intently reading the CORE newsletter. In large part because of what you reveal going on with the all-out ‘trashing’ of the perfection of the Gospel.
Honestly, after all these years, I had no clue that such an organization/movement existed (Renewing…) that you wrote about in the Lutheran Core March newsletter.
Just so sad.
Honestly? Their logic of our Gospel abandonment to their ideology Is absurd.
ThANK YOU.
Unfortunately many people in the ELCA are completely unaware of the relentless agenda of ReconcilingWorks. They will not stop until they have totally silenced and eliminated traditional views.