Lutheran CORE wants to be of support and assistance to orthodox, confessional congregations in every way that we can.  Three of the ways in which we are seeking to do that are through a catalog of sermon resources, Clergy Connect, and Congregations in Transition.

I have spoken with lay leaders of congregations that are either too small or too remote to be able to find and call a pastor.  Other congregations are in the process of calling a pastor, and at this point do not have an interim.  Some of these congregations have a pastor who is available to come, preach, and preside at communion once or twice a month.  Many times it is a retired pastor, or a chaplain in a nearby care facility, who is able to help out.  I have spoken with some pastors who travel a great distance in order to provide care for the people of God.  Because of the distance, some of these pastors will preach and lead worship one Sunday a month, and then write and send sermons which a lay leader in the congregation can deliver on the other Sundays of the month.  There are many different kinds of situations, and many different kinds of arrangements that have been made.  We want to thank all of the lay leaders of congregations who “step up to the plate” and all the pastors, including retired pastors, who help meet the need.

We are also very grateful to Cathy Ammlung, NALC pastor and former secretary of the board of Lutheran CORE.  Cathy has a special passion and heart for smaller and/or more remote congregations and congregations that do not have a pastor.  She has begun the process of compiling a resource bank of sermons that lay leaders could use on the Sundays when their congregation does not have a pastor.  She describes her concept and vision in an article in the March issue of CORE Voice.  A link to that article can be found here.

Many thanks to all those who have already responded and sent Cathy one or more of their sermons.  If you have not already done so, please consider sending her one or more of your sermons which can be added to this resource bank.  Sermons will be organized by topic, Scripture passage, and Sunday of the church year.   Please email her your “best sermons” at cammlung@gmail.com. 

Another resource I want to lift up is Clergy Connect.  A link to this page on our website can be found here.

Many congregations have reported how difficult it is to find an orthodox, confessional, Great Commission minded pastor.   An anticipated increase in the number of retirements of pastors post-COVID, and the decrease in the number of seminary enrollees, will make and have made this situation even more severe.

We invite you to post your position on our website.  If you check out the page you will see the kind of information that other congregations have provided.  Congregational search committees are asked to submit church name, location, description of the position and the congregation, and contact information.  Vacancies can be emailed to lcorewebmail@gmail.com.   

Third, if you have a pastoral vacancy, please also consider our Congregations in Transition ministry initiative.  We have a group of (mostly) retired Lutheran pastors who have been trained to be transition coaches.  They are able and available to help congregations whose pastors have retired or resigned, or soon will be retiring or resigning, maintain stability and momentum in regards to the congregation’s vital ministries during the transition process.  For more information check out our Transitions page or contact lcorewebmail@gmail.com. 

April 2021

Dear Friends –

Every year the Gospel reading for the second Sunday of Easter is from John 20: 19 ff.  I remember how last year – when we first went into lockdown during the middle of Lent – around the middle of March – many felt that certainly we would be able to worship again in person by Easter.  But it did not happen.  Who would have thought at the time that some churches would not even be meeting indoors in person by Easter 2021?

As we have been living for a year now in various stages of lockdown, and some have been under quarantine because of exposure to COVID-19, I have gained a new understanding of the position the disciples were in in John 20: 19 ff.  The Bible tells us, “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week (Easter Sunday evening), and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews.”  In that kind of situation, what did Jesus do for them?

• He gave them His presence.  “He came and stood among them.”  (verse 19)

• He gave them His peace.  Twice He said, “Peace be with you.” (verses 19 and 21) 

• He gave them unmistakable evidence of the resurrection.  He showed them His hands and His side.  (verse 20)

• He gave them a renewed sense of purpose and a calling.  He said, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  (verse 21)

• He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (verse 22)

• He gave them authority.  He promised, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (verse 23)

If we are going to be able to not just survive, but actually be strong in our witness for Christ, if we are going to be able to advocate for the historic, orthodox Christian faith in the midst of all of the pressures and opposition – not only from the world, but also unfortunately from within the church – we are going to need the same gifts from Jesus.  We need His presence, peace, unmistakable evidence of His resurrection, a renewed sense of purpose and calling, the Holy Spirit, and His authority.  The good news of Easter is that Jesus has all those same gifts for us.

I would like to tell you about one of our newest ministries.  We are working with a group of younger persons that includes two students at an ELCA seminary, four college students who are planning on attending seminary, and others.  Of this group –    

• One of them is leading a young adult group at his church.
• Two of them are working at starting new groups – one at his university, one at his church.
• Several have written articles that have appeared or will appear in our newsletter, CORE Voice.
• One of them made a video book review, which has been posted on our You Tube channel.
• Three of them attended NEXUS while in high school.  Two of those three have been college-aged mentors for NEXUS and plan to be mentors again this summer.

NEXUS is a program of Grand View University in Des Moines for older high school students, which includes a week of Bible study, theological discussion, fellowship, relationship building, and being challenged to consider a church-related vocation. Lutheran CORE is sponsor of the week of NEXUS which will be held this summer.  

• From this ministry we are seeing develop –

A support system for orthodox students at ELCA seminaries.

Young adults leading and starting groups for young adults. 

Opportunities for NEXUS alumni to stay connected and continue to be involved in ministry as they prepare to enroll in seminary.

Seeing the risen Christ, the disciples had the strength and courage to face all the challenges and opposing forces in life.  Because we know that Jesus is alive, we are able to continue our work of confronting the forces that are undermining the historic Christian faith, offering guidance and assistance to congregations that are or soon will be between pastors, working with congregations that are reviewing their church body affiliation, providing a system of support for orthodox ELCA pastors and seminarians, hosting our annual Spanish language and bi-lingual ministries festival, and challenging the ELCA to honor its commitment to also provide a place for traditional views and those who hold them.    

Thank you for all your words of encouragement and your faithful prayer and financial support.  Please click here for a form that you can use to let us know how we can be praying for you.  Your timely gift to Lutheran CORE will help enable us to continue to be a VOICE for Biblical Truth and a NETWORK for Confessing Lutherans.

Living with hope because of the resurrection of Jesus,

Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

Visit our website www.lutherancore.org

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“WHY ARE YOU FRIGHTENED?”

Are you a worrier?  Do you know someone who is a worrier?  Are you married to someone who is a worrier?  I know that for me most of the things I worry about never happen, and the bad things that do happen, usually are things that I never thought of to worry about.  But still, I keep worrying.  Whenever my wife says to me, “Now don’t panic but,” I always start to panic.

In the Gospel reading for the third Sunday of Easter from Luke 24 Jesus asked His disciples, after He appeared to them on Easter Sunday evening, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” (verse 38)  Those are good questions for us as well.

Many people are worried about and are afraid of the future.  For many the pandemic has made their fears only worse.  The disciples also were afraid of the future.  Things were looking pretty bleak, and they were having to face some pretty tough enemies.  It would have been very easy for them to wonder, What will the future hold?  Will we even have a future?  So Jesus said, “Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself.  Touch me and see.” (verse 39)  Jesus wanted His disciples to know that He was alive.  It was all real.  Death has been defeated.  God has won.  The Gospel is true. 

Second, many people are worried about and are afraid because of the past.  Once again, Jesus speaks to our greatest needs.  He said to His disciples, “Repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in (My) name to all nations.” (verse 47)  As followers of Jesus we have a way for dealing with sin and guilt that will work in a way in which nothing else will work.  And it is God’s way.  Repentance and forgiveness of sins.  Are you worried about and afraid because of the past?  Believe in the Gospel.  Jesus has the answer.  Jesus is the answer.  His blood can blot out and cover over your past. 

Third, many people are worried and afraid because they feel powerless to deal with the present.  They feel overwhelmed with the here and now.  What did Jesus say to His disciples?  He told them, “Stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (verse 49)  That’s what we need – power from on high.  And that’s what the disciples received on the day of Pentecost.  Human power is so limited when we compare it with the circumstances in which we find ourselves.  But even the worst of situations has no real power when compared with God’s power.  And God’s power is available to you. 

So, to get back to Jesus’ question, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?”  Is it because of the future?  God has the future under His control.  Is it because of your past?  Your sins can be thrown into the deepest sea and because of Jesus need never be retrieved again.  Is it because of the present?  There is power available to all who call upon His name.

* * * * * * *

PROPOSED REVISION OF “DEFINITIONS AND GUIDELINES FOR DISCIPLINE” –

A CHANCE FOR HONESTY

OR ONE MORE EXAMPLE OF DUPLICITY?

After more than a year of consulting and writing, the ELCA Committee on Appeals has completed a draft for the revision of “Definitions and Guidelines for Discipline.”  As required by the ELCA constitution, this document was reviewed by the Conference of Bishops in early March, and now will be considered for possible approval by the ELCA Church Council when it meets in mid-April.  The document may be found (here).  The report from the Committee on Appeals concerning its work may be found (here).  This document describes the grounds for which discipline may be imposed.   

One of the first things to note about this document is how little of it actually has to do with human sexuality.  In section B., which is entitled “Conduct incompatible with the character of the ministerial office” (under the larger section “Guidelines for Discipline of Rostered Ministers”), only one out of fifteen sub-sections (B.5.) deals with “Sexuality and public ministry.”

The Committee on Appeals has published a summary of the responses which they received to various surveys as they conducted their work.  A link to that summary can be found (here).  People who participated in the surveys should be happy to note that the document does address such issues as confidentiality, relationship to family, addiction and substance abuse, fiscal responsibility, harassment of persons, inappropriate behavior on social media, plagiarism, copyright infringement, and even an inappropriate relationship with a prior congregation.  The list of organizations that a rostered person could be disciplined for joining has been expanded to include those that are white supremacist, racist, sexist, and homophobic.  There are also sections on Guidelines for Discipline of Congregations and Members of Congregations.  Those who responded to the surveys should be happy to see that harassing or attacking a rostered minister is also included within the reasons for discipline. 

The next thing to note is how basically conservative the section on “Sexuality and public ministry” (B.5.) actually is.  This relative conservatism stands in sharp contrast with the actual current practices, emphases, and priorities of the ELCA.  Footnote 9 refers the reader to “A Social Statement on Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust” and the social message, “Sexuality: Some Common Convictions.”   “Sexuality: Some Common Convictions” is a social message adopted by the ELCA Church Council in 1996.  “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust” is a social statement approved by the 2009 Churchwide Assembly.  After acknowledging a lack of consensus within the ELCA on how to regard committed same-sex relationships, and after describing four different views, including two more traditional views, held by people within the ELCA, the 2009 social statement says that the ELCA, “on the basis of ‘the bound conscience,’ will include these different understandings and practices within its life.” (page 19)  The ELCA website says that the social statement, “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust,” “now serves as the primary and comprehensive teaching and policy document of the ELCA.”  

Page two of “Definitions and Guidelines” is entitled “Grounding Context.”  The final sentence on that page states, “No language in this document may be construed to contradict or override a current authorized social teaching of this church.”  That sentence in and of itself is pretty amazing.  We have written much about how often the ELCA rejects any obligation to honor the commitments expressed in or to respect the boundaries defined by the 2009 human sexuality social statement.  But here in footnote 10 it says, “In 2009, this church expressly addressed the question of sexuality and public ministry in ‘A Social Statement on Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust.’”  Later in this same footnote it states, “Provision B.5. is substantially based on this teaching of this church.  This provision does not change the aspirational teaching of this church, set forth in its social statements, that all members of this church should abstain from sexual intercourse before married.”

But before we become too optimistic, we should realize several things.

First, according to the report from the Committee on Appeals referenced above, the Conference of Bishops held two separate votes on the document.  The Conference first voted 57-8 to support the draft document except for section B.5.  Then the Conference voted 33-32 to support section B.5.  It would not take much to have a different outcome to the vote.  In fact, just the election of one new bishop in one synod would do it.  And we all remember that the issue of blessing and ordaining persons in same sex relationships was pushed and pushed and voted on over and over again until those who wanted a change in ELCA policy and practice got what they wanted.

Second, the use of the phrase “aspirational teaching of this church” in footnote 10 under B.5. is interesting.  “This provision does not change the aspirational teaching of this church, set forth in its social statements, that all members of this church should abstain from sexual intercourse until married.”  What in the world is the status of an “aspirational teaching of this church”?  It is not required, mandated, or even expected.  It is just an “aspirational teaching of this church.”  Talk about a weak and limp statement.  Is this intentional so that the most famous ELCA pastor can continue to brag about her sex outside of marriage?

Third, it is interesting that the section on “Definitions” does not define “promiscuity.”  It defines all the other behaviors listed in the second paragraph of B. 5., which are examples of “conduct incompatible with the character of the ministerial office.”  It defines infidelity, adultery, and sexual abuse, but it does not define promiscuity.  As in the previous paragraph, one wonders if there is a reason.    

Fourth, my greatest concern is that the relative conservatism of this document will be just ignored in the actual practice of “this church.”  As stated above, the final sentence on the page entitled “Grounding Context” reads, “No language in this document may be construed to contradict or override a current authorized social teaching of this church.”  And there are three places where footnotes 9 and 10 for section B.5. refer to the 2009 social statement, “Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust.”  But do we have any reason to believe that the ELCA will now actually take any more seriously what that social statement actually says?

We have written often and much on this subject.  Examples of the ELCA’s ignoring if not actually violating the commitments and boundaries of that social statement include the ELCA’s claim to be celebrating the tenth anniversary of LGBTQIA+ persons’ being able to serve freely in the church, a transgender activist as keynote speaker at the 2018 ELCA youth gathering, another keynote speaker at that same gathering who led 31,000 young people in renouncing traditional views as a lie, providing a link on the ELCA website to resources from ReconcilingWorks but not also to resources advocating for traditional views, the choice of workshop leaders for the 2021 ELCA youth workers extravaganza, and the refusal of “Living Lutheran” to publish or post an article offering an alternative (traditional) view of the Netflix Queer Eye episode that featured a gay ELCA pastor and a gay ELCA bishop. 

The ink on the Conference of Bishops’ acting to approve and recommend this revised version of “Definitions and Guidelines” barely had time to dry before two ELCA synods acted to ignore and even violate the covenants, commitments, and boundaries of the 2009 human sexuality social statement.  I assume there have been more.  These are the ones I am aware of. 

The Rocky Mountain Synod in their email newsletter dated March 31 promoted March 31 as the “Trans Day of Visibility.” A March 26 email from the Southwest California Synod announced Elle Dowd as the presenter for their April 14 spring multi-conference assembly.  Elle Dowd is a graduate of an ELCA seminary and an ELCA candidate for ordained ministry.  On her website she describes herself as a “bi-furious pastor-in-training who preaches, writes, and teaches about God’s desire to liberate us from the things we use to oppress each other.”  Those oppressors include cis-heterosexism and queerphobia.  The next sentence reads, “She believes . . . that a queer/femme interpretation of scripture is at the center of grace.” 

How could two bishops – even if they were among the thirty-two who voted against approving section B.5. of “Definitions and Guidelines” – so blatantly violate what had so recently been approved by the Conference of Bishops?

But if you think that is bad, it gets worse.  The email from the Rocky Mountain Synod was sent out on March 31 – the Wednesday of Holy Week.  Even though it was Holy Week, top billing in the email went to the Trans Day of Visibility.  The second item was a letter from ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton about gun violence.  Holy Week came in a sad and disappointing third – with the Easter letter from Bishop Eaton.

Even worse is the choice of presenters for the Southwest California Synod’s spring multi-conference assembly.  The promotional material for Elle Dowd’s book, Baptized in Tear Gas, describes her as “an Assata Shakur-reading, courthouse-occupying abolitionist with an arrest record, hungry for the revolution.”  Assata Shakur is a former member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA), who was convicted in the first-degree murder of a state trooper during a shootout on the New Jersey turnpike in 1973.  Assata is wanted by the FBI, there is a two-million-dollar reward for her apprehension, and she has fled to Cuba.  I have written to the interim bishop (this synod was my synod before I retired), saying, “It is outrageous that the Southwest California Synod would lift up and choose as a presenter someone who would be promoting those kinds of values.”  As I expected, I have not received a reply.        

Fifth, section B. 2. under “Conduct incompatible with the character of the ministerial office” reads, “Rostered ministers must be honest and forthright in their dealings with others.  Dishonesty, deception, duplicity, or the manipulation of others for personal benefit or gain is conduct incompatible with the character of the ministerial office.” 

With very few exceptions ELCA leaders consistently fail to respond to the communications I have sent about their not abiding by the commitments in the 2009 human sexuality social statement to honor also those with traditional views.  In addition, the ELCA does not remain within the boundaries of what was actually considered and approved in that social statement.  I cannot see that behavior as anything other than the ELCA’s not being honest and forthright in its dealings with people with traditional views.  The social statement and ministry policies that were approved by the 2009 churchwide assembly are far more traditional and conservative than what the ELCA is fully embracing today.  How are we to view the 2009 social statement and ministry policies as anything other than dishonesty, deception, duplicity, and the manipulation of those with traditional views for the eventual benefit and gain of those with highly revisionist views?  Did anyone really think that what was presented for action and approval in 2009 was “as far as it was going to go” rather than “presenting what we can get a Yes vote on at this time so that we can go further next time”?  If the ELCA expects its rostered ministers to be honest and forthright in their dealings with others, does not the ELCA also need to be honest and forthright in its dealings with those with traditional views?     

Sixth, the fifteen and final paragraph under “Conduct incompatible with the character of the ministerial office” (B.15.) is entitled “Adherence to covenantal relationships.”  It reads, “Rostered ministers who actively and affirmatively incite, initiate, or encourage a congregation to leave the ELCA are engaged in conduct incompatible with the character of the ministerial office.”  That sentence references footnote 18, which reads, “Consistent with the faith and practice of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . . . Each pastor with a congregational call shall, within the congregation . . . encourage adherence to covenantal relationships with this church as expressed in the Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.” 

We have already discussed how the ELCA does not abide by and adhere to its covenantal relationships.  How could it imagine itself to have the integrity and moral authority to discipline rostered ministers whom it says are not abiding by and adhering to their covenantal relationships?  Also, since the process by which a congregation can vote to disaffiliate from the ELCA has been defined in the Model Constitution for Congregations of the ELCA (Section C6.05), how can the ELCA say that a rostered minister is not encouraging “adherence to covenantal relationships with this church” if that rostered minister is urging and leading a congregation in following the provisions provided and outlined in the Model Constitution for Congregations of “this church”? 

Writing all of this, I find solace and protection in the fifth definition on the “Definitions” page of the “Definitions and Guidelines” document.  There it says, “’Harass’ means to persistently annoy another or to create an unpleasant or hostile situation by uninvited and unwelcome verbal or physical conduct.  Mere criticism or disagreement is not harassment.”  As always, what I have written is criticism and disagreement, not harassment.    

Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com

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A while back someone asked how Lutheran CORE supports faithful, confessional, orthodox ELCA pastors who are serving in ELCA congregations.  It is a good question.  In the March 2019 issue of our newsletter, CORE Voice, I sought to answer that question.  Here I will be providing an update to my answer. 

First of all, I would again want to say that when I speak of confessional, orthodox ELCA pastors who are serving (or did serve) in ELCA congregations, I am also speaking of myself.  I am ELCA rostered.  I served the same congregation (first ALC, then ELCA) for forty years before my retirement in June 2014.  So I will also be speaking of ways in which Lutheran CORE was of support to me during my years of ministry.

Let me also say at the beginning that we feel that part of our calling as Lutheran CORE is to alert people to ways in which orthodoxy is being threatened in the ELCA.  We inform people of how the ELCA is not keeping its promise to honor also the traditional view of marriage and human sexuality.  We know that there are many faithful, confessional, orthodox pastors still in the ELCA, and we want to be of support to them in every way that we can.  But we also believe that that number is continually diminishing as many of them have retired, are retiring, or soon will retire.  Our role is to support those who are working to be faithful in the ELCA, those who have decided that being faithful requires them to leave the ELCA, and those who are in the process of determining how God is calling them to be affiliated. 

Having said that, I will now list a number of ways in which CORE seeks to support confessional, orthodox ELCA pastors who are faithfully serving in ELCA congregations.

• Assurance that you are not alone.  Connection with many others who share your concerns and are engaged in the same struggles.

• Providing Facebook groups in which you can engage in conversation with like-minded people.  We have a private and visible (Facebook terminology) Facebook group that includes pastors, seminarians, and lay people with several different church body affiliations.  We also have a private and hidden (again Facebook terminology) Facebook group that is only for ELCA pastors and seminarians.  In addition, we have a third Facebook group, the Lutheran CORE Worship Group, where people can post worship services and Bible studies.  We also have a MeWe page and group.

• Resources for worship, including prayers and hymn suggestions.

• Daily devotionals.

• Our annual Encuentro – a day of support, connection, fellowship, inspiration, and resources for those who already are involved and for those who are considering becoming involved in bi-lingual (English-Spanish) or Spanish language ministries.

• Some day you will retire or resign to take another call.  Through our Congregations in Transition ministry initiative we have a group of (mostly retired) Lutheran pastors who have been trained to serve as coaches for congregations who are between pastors who either do not have an interim pastor available to them or do not have the resources for an interim pastor.  This ministry also works with pastors still serving in congregations who either already have announced or soon will be announcing their retirement.   

• Clergy Connect – a resource on our website through which congregations that are looking for an orthodox pastor and pastors who are looking for another call can find each other.

• Guidance in evaluating ELCA communications and decisions such as the social statement, “Faith, Sexism, and Justice” and the “Declaration of Inter-Religious Commitment,” both of which were approved at the 2019 Churchwide Assembly. 

• Assistance for pastors who want to gather examples to communicate to their church leaders of ways in which orthodoxy is being threatened within the ELCA.    

• Articles in our bi-monthly newsletter, CORE Voice, on such topics as critical race theory, how to share the faith with people who are hostile to the Christian faith, and how to communicate in a way that is relevant to technically sophisticated, younger generations. 

• Representation to ELCA leaders.  We have advocated for traditional views in our communications to the presiding bishop and synodical bishops concerning such things as the Supreme Court decision regarding same sex marriage, the choice of keynote speakers for the 2018 youth gathering, and state legislation regarding abortion.

• Through our sponsoring of the July 11-17, 2021 week of NEXUS at Grand View University in Des Moines, we are providing a resource for pastors who would like their high school students to attend a week of Bible study, theological reflection, fellowship, involvement in ministry, and challenge to consider attending seminary and become involved in a life of Christian service. 

• On our website an annotated List of Confessional Resources – books, magazines, ministries, and other resources recommended by other confessional pastors.

• We have video book reviews, including video reviews of some of the books on the list of confessional resources

The author of the letter to the Hebrews wrote, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us . . . run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” (12:1-2)  Our goal as Lutheran CORE is to help you look to Jesus and to run with perseverance the race that is set before you.  

Lutheran CORE continues to provide monthly video reviews of books of interest and importance.  Many thanks to David Charlton, ELCA pastor and vice president of our board, for doing this month’s video review.  His review is about the book, The Genius of Luther’s Theology: A Wittenberg Way of Thinking for the Contemporary Church by Robert Kolb and Charles P. Arand. 

Concerning this book Pastor Charlton writes, “Twenty-first century Lutherans are often confused and conflicted about the place of good works, service to the community, and social justice in the Christian life.  Kolb and Arand use Luther’s distinction between the Two Kinds of Righteousness to help us find a way to talk about all those things without losing sight of the doctrine of justification by grace through faith in the process.”

These reviews are posted on YouTube.  Our YouTube channel, which contains four other reviews, can be found here.  Many thanks to Pastor Charlton for having done a previous review, and to LCMC pastor, Chris Johnson; NALC pastor Brett Jenkins; and LCMC pastor Bob Rognlien for making the other reviews. 

Our plan is to publish a new video book review during the first week of every month.  Many of the books that will be reviewed are described in the List of Confessional Resources on the Seminarians page of our website.  That list can be found here.

When you look at a video review for the first time, please click on the Subscribe button.  As enough people do that, it will eventually help us to get a channel name that will include our organization’s name.  

“I DID NOT HEAR ANYONE NEAR ME PRAYING THAT VERSION OF THE PRAYER”

I remember after the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, which provided for the possibility of the ordination of persons who are in (PALMS) publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same sex relationships.  There were several people who had already been ordained as Lutheran pastors, but outside of approved ELCA procedures.  The question was raised, How do these people now come onto the ELCA roster?

It was felt that they should not be ordained, since they had already been ordained – though not through established and approved ELCA procedures.  Instead there was a service of welcome.  Several ELCA bishops participated in that service, including the bishop of the synod in which I was rostered at the time.

As part of the service – at the time when we would normally pray the Lord’s Prayer – there were seven different prayers offered (you could take your pick!), including a prayer to the goddess Sophia.  This prayer was provided by Ebenezer HerChurch, a radically feminist ELCA congregation in San Francisco.

I had read that the ELCA Conference of Bishops had had a discussion of the service as part of their next meeting.  At a subsequent gathering at which my bishop was present, I asked him about the discussion.  I asked him how did the bishops feel and what did the bishops have to say about the service – including the prayer to the goddess Sophia.  His response was the same minimize-the-whole-thing kind of response that I have received countless times from ELCA bishops ever since.  He said, “I did not hear anyone near me praying that version of the prayer.” 

I would like to thank the friend of Lutheran CORE who has written a side-by-side, phrase-by-phrase comparison of every phrase in the Lord’s Prayer as used by Ebenezer HerChurch with the version of the Lord’s Prayer as translated by the English Language Liturgical Consultation.  Here is a link to that comparison.

Here is a link to the website of Ebenezer HerChurch, a congregation in the Bay Area that is in good standing with the Sierra Pacific Synod of the ELCA.

Reading that comparison, learning more about that congregation, and seeing what the ELCA will allow, how could you possibly say something like the following?  “It is OK because it does not affect me.”  “It is OK because I did not hear anyone near me praying that version of the prayer.”

* * * * * * *

A NEW LOW  

In the July 2018 issue of our newsletter, CORE Voice, we told you about the agenda that the ELCA was relentlessly pushing at the triennial youth gathering.  One of the keynote speakers was a transgender activist and her pre-adolescent transgender child.  Another one was a highly celebrated ELCA pastor, who led 31,000 young people in a chant rejecting traditional views of human sexuality as a lie. 

What kind of workshops on human sexuality do you think were provided for the adults who work with our young people at the annual ELCA Youth Ministry Network Extravaganza, which was held online and at host sites earlier this month?   

I need to warn you, some of this material is very explicit and deeply offensive. 

Here are videos that were used to promote three workshops on sexuality that were offered at the ELCA Extravaganza.

Sexuality and Faith Conversations

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlIzlQEl0Gk?feature=oembed&w=1080&h=608]

Affirming Logistics: Showing God’s Care for LGBTQ Youth in the Practical Details of Ministry

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZGPu7qXrFs?feature=oembed&w=1080&h=608]

Internal Welcome and External Witness: LGBTQ Youth Ministry and Public Advocacy

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPfgGA5Stxk?feature=oembed&w=1080&h=608]

If you want or need further evidence of the kind of perspective that the ELCA is pushing and promoting to those who work with youth, here are links to two sections of the website of the presenter at the first workshop.

Section 1

Section 2

What can we say?  All three presenters are LGBTQ+ affirming.  All three presenters leave the LGBTQ+ affirming position as the only option for faithful advocacy, caring about and for LGBTQ+ youth, and providing “safe space” for them.  There is no support at all for a traditional position and/or for youth workers who hold and want to teach a traditional position.  There is not even a mention of an alternative that would affirm the value of LGBTQ+ persons while also helping and equipping them to live faithfully. There is no concern at all to provide support and a “safe space” for youth workers and youth who hold to traditional views.

The ELCA has reached a new low.  Once again, how can the ELCA claim to be inclusive?  How can the ELCA claim to want diversity?  How can the ELCA claim to have any moral integrity when it so blatantly violates the commitments that were made at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly to also honor and give a place to traditional views and those who hold them? 

Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com

There are three things I would like to talk about in this letter.  The first one is something I would highly recommend.  The other two are matters of great concern.

VIDEO BOOK REVIEWS AND ONLINE SEMINAR

I hope you have checked out the video book reviews, which have been posted on our You Tube channel.  Here is a link to the four that have already been posted.

Our intent is to post a new video review during the first week of every month.  Many thanks to the people – so far all Lutheran pastors – who are making the reviews.

The most recent one is a review of the book, Recovering the Way: How Ancient Discoveries Help Us Follow Jesus Today, by the author, LCMC pastor Bob Rognlien.  In addition to his other work, Bob leads Footsteps of Jesus and Footsteps of Paul pilgrimages.  In the fall of 2016 I had the privilege to join him on a two-week journey to Turkey and Greece to follow in the footsteps of the apostle.  With his extensive knowledge of the Bible, history, and archaeology, he makes the Scriptures come alive. 

I have had the privilege of traveling to Israel five times.  The first time was in 1980 when I was thirty-two years old and I went with a friend.  Two young males are able to experience a country in a way that no one else can.  We did extensive hitchhiking in the West Bank (something I would neither do nor recommend today).  Israel was in the process of giving the Sinai peninsula back to Egypt thirteen years after the Six Day War.  The overland route between Tel Aviv and Cairo was opened on June 1.  We took it on June 2.  Along the way we traveled through the Gaza Strip (again something I would neither do nor recommend today).  After re-visiting the land in 1982, in 1990 and 1993 I studied at the Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem (now called Jerusalem University College).  In 1995 I took a group with a professional tour company. 

How much I wish I could go one more time.  If I were able to go one more time, I would sign up for one of Bob Rognlien’s Footsteps of Jesus pilgrimages.  But at the age of seventy-three I would no longer be able to keep up.  I would no longer be able to hike the trails and climb the steps at the various sites. 

The next best thing – in addition to reading Recovering the Way – would be to attend one of the weekend, in person seminars that Bob has been offering.  But even that is not currently available because of COVID. 

So Bob has converted his weekend seminar into an online format.  I participated last fall and found it to be outstanding.  Bob has scheduled another online Footsteps of Jesus Weekend Experience for Friday-Sunday, March 5-7.  I highly recommend it.  Bob writes –

“Come and join us on a virtual pilgrimage as we follow the life of Jesus and gain insights into what it means to follow him by exploring the history, archaeology, and culture of the places where he carried out his mission! We will gather online via Zoom and Bob will be using hundreds of photos, illustrations, and maps to illuminate the life of Jesus and what he means for our lives today. There will be lots of opportunities for Q&A and personal reflection as well. Register as soon as possible to take advantage of the Early Bird Discounts: https://fojwkndexp03-05-21.eventbrite.com.”

* * * * * * *

“I DID NOT HEAR ANYONE NEAR ME PRAYING THAT VERSION OF THE PRAYER”

I remember after the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, which provided for the possibility of the ordination of persons who are in (PALMS) publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same sex relationships.  There were several people who had already been ordained as Lutheran pastors, but outside of approved ELCA procedures.  The question was raised, How do these people now come onto the ELCA roster?

It was felt that they should not be ordained, since they had already been ordained – though not through established and approved ELCA procedures.  Instead there was a service of welcome.  Several ELCA bishops participated in that service, including the bishop of the synod in which I was rostered at the time.

As part of the service – at the time when we would normally pray the Lord’s Prayer – there were seven different prayers offered (you could take your pick!), including a prayer to the goddess Sophia.  This prayer was provided by Ebenezer HerChurch, a radically feminist ELCA congregation in San Francisco.

I had read that the ELCA Conference of Bishops had had a discussion of the service as part of their next meeting.  At a subsequent gathering at which my bishop was present, I asked him about the discussion.  I asked him how did the bishops feel and what did the bishops have to say about the service – including the prayer to the goddess Sophia.  His response was the same minimize-the-whole-thing kind of response that I have received countless times from ELCA bishops ever since.  He said, “I did not hear anyone near me praying that version of the prayer.” 

I would like to thank the friend of Lutheran CORE who has written a side-by-side, phrase-by-phrase comparison of every phrase in the Lord’s Prayer as used by Ebenezer HerChurch with the version of the Lord’s Prayer as translated by the English Language Liturgical Consultation.  Here is a link to that comparison.

Here is a link to the website of Ebenezer HerChurch, a congregation in the Bay Area that is in good standing with the Sierra Pacific Synod of the ELCA.

Reading that comparison, learning more about that congregation, and seeing what the ELCA will allow, how could you possibly say something like the following?  “It is OK because it does not affect me.”  “It is OK because I did not hear anyone near me praying that version of the prayer.”

* * * * * * *

A NEW LOW  

In the July 2018 issue of our newsletter, CORE Voice, we told you about the agenda that the ELCA was relentlessly pushing at the triennial youth gathering.  One of the keynote speakers was a transgender activist and her pre-adolescent transgender child.  Another one was a highly celebrated ELCA pastor, who led 31,000 young people in a chant rejecting traditional views of human sexuality as a lie. 

What kind of workshops on human sexuality do you think were provided for the adults who work with our young people at the annual ELCA Youth Ministry Network Extravaganza, which was held online and at host sites earlier this month?   

I need to warn you, some of this material is very explicit and deeply offensive. 

Here are videos that were used to promote three workshops on sexuality that were offered at the ELCA Extravaganza.

Sexuality and Faith Conversations

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlIzlQEl0Gk?feature=oembed&w=1080&h=608]

Affirming Logistics: Showing God’s Care for LGBTQ Youth in the Practical Details of Ministry

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZGPu7qXrFs?feature=oembed&w=1080&h=608]

Internal Welcome and External Witness: LGBTQ Youth Ministry and Public Advocacy

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPfgGA5Stxk?feature=oembed&w=1080&h=608]

If you want or need further evidence of the kind of perspective that the ELCA is pushing and promoting to those who work with youth, here are links to two sections of the website of the presenter at the first workshop.

Section 1

Section 2

What can we say?  All three presenters are LGBTQ+ affirming.  All three presenters leave the LGBTQ+ affirming position as the only option for faithful advocacy, caring about and for LGBTQ+ youth, and providing “safe space” for them.  There is no support at all for a traditional position and/or for youth workers who hold and want to teach a traditional position.  There is not even a mention of an alternative that would affirm the value of LGBTQ+ persons while also helping and equipping them to live faithfully. There is no concern at all to provide support and a “safe space” for youth workers and youth who hold to traditional views.

The ELCA has reached a new low.  Once again, how can the ELCA claim to be inclusive?  How can the ELCA claim to want diversity?  How can the ELCA claim to have any moral integrity when it so blatantly violates the commitments that were made at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly to also honor and give a place to traditional views and those who hold them? 

Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com

Lutheran CORE continues to provide monthly video reviews of books of interest and importance.  Many thanks to Brett Jenkins, NALC pastor and former member of our board, for doing this month’s video review.  Here is a synopsis of his review of the book Live Not by Lies by Rod Dreher.

“Support for free speech is plummeting among the young, while social mobbing and shouting have largely replaced principled debate on college campuses.  There are striking cultural parallels to the early 20th century in pre-totalitarian Germany, Italy, and Russia.   At a time when orthodox, Biblically serious Christians have increasingly found themselves not only culturally sidelined, but the objects of scorn and derision in the dominant Western culture, powerful new world-shaping technologies are changing communication and the market in ways whose closest parallel is the invention of the printing press… and the levers of power are in the hands of people who despise traditional Christians.  While the reader may have serious questions as to how accurately Rod Dreher has read the signs of our times, his book Live Not By Lies is a forceful and timely call for Christians to remember the truth of the old adage that, ‘An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’”

These reviews are posted on YouTube.  Brett’s review can be found here.  Our YouTube channel, which contains two other reviews, can be found here.  Many thanks to Chris Johnson, LCMC pastor, and David Charlton, ELCA pastor, for making the other two reviews.  Both Chris and David are members of our board.

Our plan is to publish a new video book review during the first week of every month.  Many of the books that will be reviewed are described in the List of Confessional Resources on the Seminarians page of our website.  That list can be found here. When you look at a video review for the first time, please click on the Subscribe button.  As enough people do that, it will eventually help us to get a channel name that will include our organization’s name.  

Two recent news stories from the ELCA speak loudly about the values and priorities of that church body.  The first one is dated November 16, 2020 and is entitled “ELCA Future Church design affirmed by ELCA Church Council.”  A link to that article can be found here.  The second one is dated November 4, 2020 and is a transcript of a video message from ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton about the national elections, which occurred the day before.  A link to that article can be found here.  There are four things I would like to say about those two articles.

First, the article on the ELCA’s Future Church design described the desired outcome as “so that more people may know the way of Jesus and discover community, justice, and love.”  Now certainly community, justice, and love are important.  They definitely are a part of what the church needs to work for and offer to the world.  But Jesus said that He is the truth and the life as well as the way (John 14: 6).  The ELCA seems concerned only about pursuing the way of Jesus as they define it — working against gender injustice, racism, and white supremacy and affirming the full LGBTQIA+ agenda.  The ELCA does not seem to value whether people know the full truth about who Jesus is and what Jesus did and whether people are experiencing the life that Jesus gives through a saving faith relationship with Him. 

In Bishop Eaton’s video message regarding the national elections, she describes “the gospel of Jesus Christ as the basis for equity, justice, and peace for all people and creation.”  Again, I would fully agree that as followers of Jesus we must pursue equity, justice, and peace for all people and creation.  But the gospel of Jesus is not primarily about equity, justice, and peace for all people and creation.  It is primarily about what God has done so that we can be in right relationship with Him.  Pursuing equity, justice, and peace for all people and creation, though important, is part of our response to what God has done for us, not our main message or the prime focus of our faith and mission.    

At least Bishop Eaton’s video message regarding the national elections was an improvement over the “Summary of Actions” which came from the ELCA’s 2019 Churchwide Assembly.  A link to that summary can be found here.  At least Bishop Eaton mentioned Jesus in the elections video.  But one would hope that the Presiding Bishop of a Lutheran church body would mention Jesus.  In contrast, the “Summary of Actions” from the ELCA’s 2019 Churchwide Assembly never mentions Jesus.  And it only mentions God once.  And the sentence in which it mentions God is not focused on God.  Instead it is focused on people.  It states that all people are created equal in the eyes of God. 

At least Bishop Eaton mentions Jesus as she refers to “the gospel of Jesus Christ.”  But in what she says next she does not seem to see the gospel as a record of what God has done so that we can be in right relationship with Him and with each other.  Instead – typical of the ELCA – she speaks of the gospel as the basis for what we need to do.  And what she defines as what we need to do has nothing to do with sharing the saving message of Jesus.  Instead it is all about typical ELCA priorities – our holding “fast to our commitments to gender justice, to dismantling white supremacy as an anti-racist church, to welcoming the stranger and accompanying the neighbor, to affirming LGBTQIA+ siblings, and seeking economic justice for all.” 

If anyone were to claim that I am misrepresenting the ELCA and/or being unfair to the ELCA, I would refer them to the “Declaration of Inter-Religious Commitment,” which was approved by the 2019 Churchwide Assembly.  A link to that document can be found here.  In that document the statement is made that we must be careful about claiming to know God’s judgment regarding other religions, and that our main role is to love and serve our neighbor.  In other words, according to the ELCA, the church – including the ELCA – has nothing unique to offer to the world. 

Second, the article about the ELCA’s Future Church design places great emphasis upon the need to reach and engage “new, young, and diverse people.”  Now certainly if the ELCA wants to have a future it needs to reach and engage “new, young, and diverse people.”  Any congregation that wants to have a future needs to reach and engage “new, young, and diverse people.”  Lutheran CORE needs to reach and engage “new, young, and diverse people.”  Any Christian ministry that wants to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 19-20) needs to reach and engage “new, young, and diverse people.”   

The ELCA knows that it is in major decline.  It is fully aware of the fact that those who built the congregations, built and paid for the buildings used by congregations, and developed the educational and social service agencies are aging and dying.  The builders and developers are not going to be around much longer to maintain the ministries and pay the bills.  But ELCA leaders show no concern about the disaster they are creating and the fact that they are alienating those who built the organizations and built and paid for the buildings that ELCA leaders are selling in order to balance synodical and churchwide budgets.  ELCA leaders are creating a disaster in the way in which they are reaching out to and engaging some “new, young, and diverse people.”

For example, for the November 2020 issue of CORE Voice I wrote an article entitled, “You Reap Whatever You Sow.”  A link to that article can be found here.  In that article I told about an ELCA pastor by the name of Lenny Duncan, author of the book, Dear Church: A Love Letter from a Black Preacher to the Whitest Denomination in the United States.  The ELCA had made Lenny Duncan into a hero-celebrity-poster boy.  But now that hero-celebrity-poster boy has turned against the ELCA.  He is demanding that over the next three years the ELCA set aside $32 million in reparations funds in order to right the wrongs of centuries of racial injustice here in the United States.  And if the ELCA does not do that, he will work through his “Defund Churchwide” movement to get people to divert $32 million in contributions away from the ELCA to his reparations fund.  Lenny Duncan is now also advocating for polyamory (multiple partners). 

Lenny Duncan is only the latest in a series of people who are doing such things as demanding that the ELCA eliminate any kind of expectation that pastors be married in order to be sexually active, throwing out the Bible because they claim that for centuries the Bible has been used to abuse people, and eliminating the Lutheran Confessions because they were written by white males. 

As an aside, a while ago the synod in which I was rostered before I retired created a new staff position called Assistant to the Bishop for Authentic Diversity and Ethnic-Specific Ministries.  As a white, confessionally orthodox male within the ELCA, I should be an example of authentic diversity.  So I responded to the announcement by writing to the synod asking how this new staff person would be relating to someone like me.  As I expected, I did not receive a reply.  I am no longer new and young (though I once was new and young), but within the ELCA I am an example of diversity – and maybe even authentic diversity.  So the ELCA should have an interest in reaching out to and engaging with someone like me.     

Those who valued the organization of the church built the organization of the church.  Will the ELCA learn – from their experience with Lenny Duncan – what will happen if they continue to enable, empower, and cater to those who do not value the organization and would be very happy to tear the organization down?  When will the ELCA come to realize what they are eventually going to have to deal with because of whom they have been enabling, empowering, and catering to?  Or do those in leadership realize that these movements are already beyond their control?  

Third, I am concerned about the second of six “new criteria” which “were affirmed for the ELCA” in the Future Church design – “Unite all expressions of the church (congregations, synods, and the churchwide organization) into one church – together.”  That statement was not further explained in the article.  I am concerned about what that statement might mean for the future integrity and identity of congregations.    

Fourth, there was one place where I found myself agreeing with the article on the ELCA’s Future Church design.  And that is where it reported how Bishop Eaton told the Church Council that the ELCA has been witnessing “a pattern of significant decline” for more than thirty years and that “the COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharper focus the need to respond more quickly to this rapidly changing world.”  Here I would totally agree.  Dr. Thom Rainer from Church Answers describes the pandemic as a change accelerator.  He says that during this past year the dynamics and trends present in every congregation have been advanced by about four years.  For example, if a congregation is in decline, its decline has been advanced by four years.  In 2020 it already was where pre-COVID it would not have been until 2024.  

The ELCA with its current leadership reminds me of a family where one generation built up the family business, and then the next generation is driving the family business into the ground.  One generation gathered the resources.  The next generation is consuming, if not squandering, the resources.  The ELCA will be able to keep going for a while – because of all the buildings they can sell because of all the churches that will close.  But even that source of income can only keep the ELCA going for so long. 

The ELCA needs to re-design itself in a way that is faithful to the Scriptures rather than in a way that is in line with the current, top, social justice warrior causes if it is going to have a future.  

UNWANTED JOURNEYS

I can imagine Mary, about to give birth, between contractions, forcing back the tears and saying, “It was not supposed to be this way!  I was not supposed to have to give birth in a barn.”

We sing, “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright . . . Sleep in heavenly peace.”

And yet it was not a silent night, it was not all calm and bright, and it was not all heavenly peace.  Rather it was disappointing and depressing and hard.  We all know that life can be disappointing and depressing and hard.  This past year – for everyone – life has been disappointing and depressing and hard.

Our Savior’s birth came through and during a situation that must have been disappointing and depressing and hard.  He was born not in a hospital, not in an inn, and not even in the guest room of Joseph’s family’s house.  Rather He was born in a cave where animals were kept.  A feeding trough was His first bed. 

But in the middle of all the disappointments and hardships that Mary and Joseph had to endure, in the middle of all the ways in which it was not happening as Mary and Joseph had hoped, God was at work to redeem the world.  What do we see here?  God is able to use every circumstance of life – even the oppressive decree of a pagan emperor – to serve His saving purposes.

The trip to Bethlehem was not a journey that Mary had wanted to take.  The circumstances of Jesus’ birth were not the way she had imagined it and had wanted it to be.  But this was not the last unwanted journey that Mary was going to have to take.  Shortly after Jesus’ birth, Herod tried to kill the child.  So she and Joseph had to take baby Jesus and go on another unwanted journey.  They had to flee to Egypt and live there as refugees.  Thirty-three years later she had to take another unwanted journey down the Via Dolorsa as she followed her Son to Calvary. 

We all have to take unwanted journeys.  The entirety of this past year for all of us has been an unwanted journey.  One person told me that he plans to stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve not to welcome the new year, but to make sure that the old year comes to an end. 

For many the journey has been made even worse because of sickness and even death within the family.  Many have suffered unemployment and/or other financial crises.  Some are struggling with major mental health issues.  Yes, life has its moments of major disappointment, overwhelming sorrow, and intense pain.  We wonder whether, how, and when it will end.

We today are able to see what Mary was not yet able to see as her contractions kept getting closer and closer together.  She could not hear the angels.  She could not yet see the shepherds, who would come running to the cave.  She did not yet know that Magi would arrive with gifts to honor the new-born King. 

And so, during this Advent and Christmas season, I urge you to believe that – just as He did for Mary – so God can take all of your adversities, disappointments, heartaches, and pain – all of your unwanted journeys, including the unwanted journey of 2020 – and use them for His purposes. 

Romans 8: 28 is just as true as ever during this year of COVID.  All things still do work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purposes.  As Mary and Joseph were on their unwanted journey, as Mary must have been thinking, “It was not supposed to be this way!” they were about to learn that God’s greatest work often comes out of and during the journeys we do not want to take.  God has a way of bringing hope out of despair, good out of bad, and great joy out of disappointment, suffering, sorrow, and pain.  That is what Mary and Joseph came to see again and again.  And that is what we can come to see as well.

And so – during this Advent and Christmas season – I urge you to look back over your life, especially back over this year of COVID.  Can you see how God has been with you, watching over you, and blessing you even when you have been on one of those journeys you did not want to take? 

Trusting God to be with us even on all of our unwanted and unexpected journeys,

Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com