Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Ethiopia Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) no longer receives support from the ELCA due to the 2009 ELCA churchwide assembly.  Prior to that point, the ELCA had been among the greatest supporters of the EECMY.  The EECMY is now the largest Lutheran body in the world, growing by over 60,000 per month.

On August 17^th, 2021, an unprecedented flash flood on the campus of the their main seminary destroyed 96 dormitory rooms as well as the homes of 21 families including 5 missionary families.  Damage is in the millions of dollars.  Eight lives were lost from the seminary community.  Here is a link to a video showing damage.  We grieve the loss of our brothers and sisters, yet not as the world grieves (1 Thes. 4:13ff).

The future of their main seminary is now at risk.  Much of the campus needs to be rebuilt.  Students and faculty no longer have places to stay.  Serious steps are being taken to guarantee such flooding does not take place in the future.

In the words of Bishop Dan Selbo in the September NALC newsletter, “We will also be inviting ‘every pastor, congregation and member to enter into intentional and intensive prayer for Ethiopia’”.  The story needs to be told and retold, as the EECMY has no other full-communion relationship with other bodies in North America.  The NALC has only 500 congregations.

You can help.  Tax-deductible disaster relief contributions are being received by the NALC.  

It is likely that short-term relief efforts will still not adequately rebuild the campus.  Thus, if you feel called to support the seminary in their efforts to recover and achieve long-term self-sustainability, a noteworthy building project on higher ground, untouched by the flooding, has been underway in partnership with Lutheran Bible Translators.  This project provides much needed assistance as well as creating an ongoing revenue stream of $225,000 per year to the seminary.  (Details and how to give are included in a separate handout, “God is on the move in Ethiopia!”)  If 250 congregations, or one from their membership, respond with a $4,000 donation, that project will be completed, generating revenue starting early in 2022.

Both of these opportunities provide much needed assistance to Mekane Yesus Seminary at this critical point in time. 

With a heavy heart for our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia,

John Conrad,

Chair, Mekane Yesus Seminary Advancement Team

Pastor, First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Floresville, TX

JTCSwede@gmail.com

Mobile: 830-534-3139

September 2021

Dear Friends:

The Psalm for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 12, speaks powerfully about why we need a faith, a theology, and a relationship with God that is more than just woke and latest-social-justice-cause oriented.

Verses 3, 4, 6, and 8 of Psalm 116 say –

“The snares of death entangled me; the anguish of the grave laid hold on me; I came to grief and sorrow.”

“Then I called on the name of the Lord: ‘O Lord, save my life!’”

“When I was brought low, He saved me.”

“You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.”

For all of us, it is only a matter of time until the snares of death entangle us, the anguish of the grave lays hold of us, and we come to grief and sorrow.  It is only a matter of time until we find ourselves being brought low, sinking into the waves, and – like Peter – crying out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14: 30)

In contrast, what do we see happening and what do we see being offered by and emphasized in much of the church today?

• In 2019 the ELCA posted a summary of actions that were taken at the Churchwide Assembly.  Many resolutions were passed against racism, sexism, and white supremacy, but Jesus was never mentioned.  Can you even imagine a church body meeting in assembly for several days but then never mentioning Jesus in their summary of actions?

• At the recent assembly of the ELCA synod in which I was rostered before I retired, hardly anyone ever mentioned Jesus.  Almost everyone gave their pronouns and advocated for diversity, equity, and inclusion, but they did not mention Jesus. 

• For that same ELCA synod, their weekly newsletter rarely ever mentions Jesus.  But they do talk about many ways in which I could fight for justice, advocate for “authentic diversity”, promote inclusivity, and combat world hunger.

• They talk about grace, but it is always grace without the cross.  It is a grace of my being more inclusive and accepting rather than a grace that tells me that Jesus paid the price for my sin and won the victory over death and the devil. 

And yet the truth of the matter is that if the Christian faith is mainly about what we do, the battles we fight, the social justice causes that we expend our energies on, sooner or later we will come to the realization that we cannot do enough.  The problems are too great.  Merely human resources are too few and too small.  Sooner or later the snares of death will entangle us.  The anguish of the grave will lay hold of us.  We will come to grief and sorrow.  It is only a matter of time until we find ourselves sinking into the waves and with Peter crying out, “Lord, save me!”

We all need a faith, a theology, and a relationship with God that tells us what God has done, what God can do, and what God will do to rescue us, and not just what we can do and need to do to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.  

Thank you for your prayers and financial support of Lutheran CORE.  It is because of people like you that we are able to continue to do such things as the following –

• Sponsor a week of Bible study, theological reflection, fellowship, and vocational discernment for high schoolers through the NEXUS program of Grand View University

• Provide a system of support for young adults who are serious about and want to share their faith, as well as a system of support for orthodox ELCA pastors and seminarians

• Work with congregations that are between pastors or whose pastor will soon retire or resign to take another call

• Work with and support pastors and congregational leaders who are seeking to show their congregations how the historic Christian faith is at risk

• Expose people to contemporary dynamics and movements that threaten the historic Christian faith, such as critical race theory

• Continue to challenge the ELCA to honor its commitment to also provide a place for traditional views and those who hold them

Thank you again for all your words of encouragement and your faithful prayer and financial support.  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.

In the Name of Jesus who will reach out and save us whenever we cry out to Him, 

Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

Visit our website www.lutherancore.org

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/LutheranCORE

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/LutheranCORE

Join us on MeWe https://mewe.com/p-front/lutherancore

Last weekend I attended the online synod assembly for the ELCA synod in which I was rostered before I retired.  My two strongest impressions from the gathering are as follows.

First, the words that I heard most often were “diversity,” “inclusivity,” and “equity.”  That is what almost everybody talked about and what everybody seemed to make their top priorities.  After the assembly was over, I wished that I had kept track of the number of times that somebody mentioned Jesus.  I did not keep track of the number, but I am certain that Jesus was mentioned far less often than diversity, inclusivity, and equity.  I also definitely got the message that the diversity and inclusivity that they were talking about do not include people like me. 

In mid-May that synod held an online pre-assembly gathering.  Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton was one of the presenters.  She told the group, “We talk about justice; we also need to talk about Jesus.  We need to name the Name.”  Please pray with me that what she said was meant, was heard, and will be heeded. 

Second, the discussion about the proposed budget was amazing.  It was mentioned that during the last nine years – from 2012 to 2021 – receipts from congregations to the synod have dropped from $1.4 million to $800,000.  Which amounts to more than a 40 percent decline in nine years.  And that does not include the drop during the years immediately following the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

The proposed spending plan for the 2022-2023 fiscal year included income of $899,000 (the major addition to the receipts from congregations was over $70,000 from the assets obtained from the sale of a former church property), but expenses of over $1.2 million.  The assembly rejected the budget, not because it was not balanced, but instead because it did not provide funding for all of the favored ministries.  The attitude of the assembly was, We need to sell more buildings from closed congregations, and we need to use more of the dollars already obtained from already selling buildings from closed congregations.

It is astounding to me that people want to fund their agendas, values, and priorities from the sale of properties built and paid for by people whose view of the Bible, theology, moral values, and view of the mission of the church they reject.  They show neither appreciation for the past nor any concern to do their part to make the future viable.  Rather they just want to have the financial resources today to fund their agendas, values, and priorities.

It was also mentioned during the assembly that twenty-five percent of the synod’s 107 congregations (twenty-seven congregations) do not have a regular pastor, and several more are challenged because of their size and/or financial instability.

If all that is not enough to tell the ELCA that something is very wrong, what would be enough?

To read the entire June letter from the director, click here.  

* * * * * * *

Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

dennisdnelsonaz@yahoo.com

Lutheran CORE | PO Box 1741, Wausau, WI 54402-1741

Lutheran CORE defines its mission as being a Voice for Biblical Truth and a Network for Confessing Lutherans.

As a Voice for Biblical Truth we alert people to ways in which the authority of the Bible, the historic, orthodox Christian faith, and traditional, Biblical moral values are being compromised and even rejected.

1. We offer 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.   
2. We challenge the ELCA to keep its promise made at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly to honor also the traditional view of marriage and human sexuality.  We confront the ELCA over their complete lack of support for traditional views, as evidenced in such things as the choice of keynote speakers for the 2018 youth gathering and the choice of workshop leaders and topics for the 2021 youth ministry extravaganza.
3. We provide assistance for pastors and church leaders who want to gather examples to communicate ways in which orthodoxy is being threatened within the ELCA.
4. We include articles in our bi-monthly newsletter, CORE Voice, on such topics as critical race theory, how to share your 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.

As a Network for Confessing Lutherans we assure confessing persons that they are not alone.  We provide connection for them with many others who share their concerns and are engaged in the same struggles.

1. We provide Facebook groups in which orthodox pastors, seminarians, and lay people can engage in conversation with like-minded people.
2. We have a private and visible (Facebook terminology) Facebook group that includes pastors, seminarians, and lay people with several different church body affiliations.
3. We have a private and hidden (again Facebook terminology) Facebook group that is only for orthodox ELCA pastors and seminarians.
4. We have a third Facebook group, Lutheran CORE Worship, where people can post worship services and Bible studies.  
5. We also have both a page and a group on MeWe.
6. We are working with a pan-Lutheran group of younger persons to do four things: (1) develop a support network for orthodox students at ELCA seminaries, (2) develop a support network for college students considering attending seminary, (3) support people who are leading and/or seeking to start young adult ministries, and (4) find ways to communicate the Christian faith to younger persons in a clear and compelling way.   
7. Through the Clergy Connect page on our website, we help Biblically faithful, confessional congregations find a Biblically faithful, confessional pastor and vice versa.
8. As requested, we work with congregations that are reviewing their church body affiliation and walk with them through the process.
9. Through our Congregations in Transition ministry initiative we have a group of (mostly retired) Lutheran pastors who have been trained to be coaches for congregations where the pastor either already has or soon will be retiring or resigning to take another call.     
10. Through our sponsoring of the July 11-17, 2021 week of NEXUS at Grand View University, we are helping provide a way for high school youth to attend a week of Bible study, theological reflection, fellowship, involvement in ministry, and being challenged to consider attending seminary and become involved in a life of Christian service.   
11. We hold our annual Encuentro festival in the Chicago area – a day of support, connection, fellowship, inspiration, and resources for pastors, lay leaders, and congregations that are already involved in or are considering becoming involved in Spanish language and/or bi-lingual (English-Spanish) ministry. 
12. We provide on our website daily devotions and worship resources, including prayers and hymn suggestions.  We are also developing a bank of sermon resources for congregations that do not have a regular pastor. 
13. We also provide on our website an annotated List of Confessional Resources – books, magazines, ministries, and other resources recommended by confessional pastors – as well as video reviews of some of these resources.
14. We provide a listening ear for pastors who want to talk about such things as congregational dynamics, personal health issues, and/or are anticipating retirement or transitioning to life after retirement. 

“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11).

Not obtain, but attain.  What is the difference?  We shall all be raised in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last day.  But not all shall be raised with Christ in a resurrection like His.  Those who have loved the Lord will receive in themselves the resurrection like Christ and the others will be raised for condemnation.   The Lord is at work.  Is He at work in you?

Lord, help me to pay attention to the little things so that I may be guided by Your Word and walk according to Your will.  Lead me, O Lord, in order that I may attain the resurrection You have prepared for me in Christ.  Help me not waver as many in this world do, but to walk boldly in the truth of Your presence and purpose.  Help me Lord through the difficulties of this age so that I may always stand firm in the faith You give.

Lord Jesus, You are the way and there is no other way beside You.  You have been glorified through Your death and resurrection and have invited us to join You.  Help me today to be raised up for good works so that I may do what is pleasing in the Father’s eyes.  Help me now and always to humbly walk behind You and in Your example.  Grant all that I need for this day is to do Your will.  Amen.

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

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/LutheranCORE

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/LutheranCORE

Join us on MeWe  https://mewe.com/p/lutherancore

“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

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

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

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

Dear Friends:

Have you ever noticed that among the first words of the angels to Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds were the words “Do not be afraid”?

In Luke 1 the angel said to Mary, “Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God.”

In Matthew 1 the angel said to Joseph, “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.”

In Luke 2 the angel said to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid; I bring you good news of great joy for all people.”

We today have many reasons to be afraid.  In fact, many people are deathly afraid.  Between the pandemic, the economy, political unrest, and racial tension we have many reasons for fear.  Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds also were living at a time when there were many reasons for fear.  But in the midst of those times, God said to them, and God is saying to us, “Do not be afraid.”

“Do not be afraid, for you have found favor with God.”  Romans 8: 31 says, “If God is for us (which He is), who is against us?”

“Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.”  God is saying the same thing to us.  “Do not be afraid to continue on with your life.”  It will not be the same.  It will not go back to exactly what it was.  It may never develop into a new normal.  But it will develop into a new reality, and God will be with us in that new reality.

“Do not be afraid; I am bringing you good news.”  Into the midst of such a bad news world, we as the Church need to bring good news – good news of great joy for all people.  A Savior, who is Christ the Lord, has been born.

Thank you for standing with us as we work to be a VOICE for Biblical Truth and a NETWORK for Confessing Lutherans.  We are glad that we can count on you as we work to help people to not be afraid even in the midst of all the forces that challenge the historic Christian faith and seek to undermine traditional, Biblical moral values.

Recently I was talking with an ELCA seminarian who was saying how much he wished that there was a list of Biblically and confessionally faithful books and other resources.  I was very pleased to be able to tell him about the List of Confessional Resources, which can be found on the Seminarians page on our website, www.lutherancore.org.  You can find the Seminarians page by clicking on the hamburger symbol in the upper righthand corner of our website.  Seeing that list of books, commentaries, videos, ministries, and movements that have been recommended by friends of Lutheran CORE, he said, “That is exactly what I have been looking for.”

That resource is now being taken to the next level.  We have begun the process of providing video reviews of some of the books on YouTube.  Here is a link to our YouTube page:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtoknmLRxWxGeLkpBeRjRVA

Here is a link to the first video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeX_hZTTBnM

A link can also be found on the homepage of our website, www.lutherancore.org.  Our plan is to publish a new video review during the first week of every month.

Another new ministry that we are working on is a new medium of communication by and for younger people.  The idea here is to develop a platform which will give younger people an opportunity to express their faith and which will present the historic Christian faith in a way that is clear, relevant, and compelling for younger people.  We of Lutheran CORE want to make sure that we do our part to pass on the faith to younger generations.  Please pray for the team of younger people – including younger pastors, seminarians, and lay young adults – who have responded and/or will respond to the invitation to work on this project.  It will be fun to see how this idea unfolds and how God blesses.

Both of these new ventures are in addition to our already existing ministries 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, challenging the ELCA to honor its commitment to also provide a place for traditional views and those who hold them, and supporting the work of Grand View University to help raise up future leaders for the church.

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.

Thanking God for His presence, protection, and promises, which enable us to not be afraid,

Dennis D. Nelson

Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

Visit our website www.lutherancore.org

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/LutheranCORE

Join us on MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/lutherancore

Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/LutheranCORE

Lutheran CORE

P.O. Box 1741

Wausau, WI 54402-1741

September 2020

Dear Friends:

I am always blessed and encouraged whenever I talk on the phone with friends of Lutheran CORE.  You are very interested in and supportive of our work, and you are very generous in the ways in which you express your support.  A question I am often asked is, “How do you keep on doing it?  What gives you the strength to keep on facing and confronting the issues?”

I always answer that I have a huge sense of the importance of what we do, I get to work with a wonderful board, I have the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people, and I am constantly encouraged by the support I receive from the friends of Lutheran CORE.

A passage of Scripture which gives me – in the words of the great Gospel hymn, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” – “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow” is Revelation 7: 9-17.  There are five elements in this image of heaven which encouraged John, as he was in exile on Patmos, and which can encourage us.

First, a gathered throng.  John describes “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (verse 7).  In the Gospel reading for a recent Sunday – in Matthew 16: 18 – Jesus said, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”  Here in Revelation 7 we see unmistakable evidence that Jesus built His church and the gates of Hades did not prevail.  Even though many who call themselves the church pursue an agenda that does not focus on the cross and that relies upon the power of human activism rather than the power of the resurrection, still there are those who are faithful, Jesus is building His Church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail.

Second, an occupied throne.  The gathered throng is “standing before the throne” (verse 7).  God is not absent.  God has not abandoned us, even though many have abandoned Him.  He is still on the throne.  He is still in control.

Third, the slain Lamb.  The gathered throng cries out in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb” (verse 10).  I was deeply alarmed when I read the summary of actions from the ELCA’s Churchwide Assembly last August.  It never mentions Jesus.  When a group that calls itself a church meets for several days, takes many votes, but never mentions Jesus in its summary of its own actions, something is wrong.  The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world is at the heart of our faith, is the core of our message, and is the one whose grace and love empowers and enables us to continue to do His work.

Fourth, worshiping angels.  All the angels standing around the throne “fell on their faces and worshiped God” (verse 11).  The angels have seen it all.  They saw the fall.  They joyously announced His birth.  I love those words in 1 Peter 1: 12 – “Things into which angels long to look!”  As I read that verse, they have been watching God’s plan of salvation unfold, and they are in awe.  They have now seen salvation come to completion, and they are rejoicing.

Fifth, springs of living water.  “The Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; He will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (verse 17).  We all need to be refreshed.  We all have tears that need to be wiped away.     

I am reminded of a song we used to sing while I was growing up –

Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Him.
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase.
So bravely run the race ‘til we see God.”

Trusting in the promises of God, having a huge sense of the importance of what we do, being able to work with a wonderful board, having the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people, and constantly being encouraged by the support I receive from the friends of Lutheran CORE, I am able to keep on doing it.  I have the strength to keep on facing and confronting the issues.      

In previous communications I have shared with you about our ongoing work as well as our new areas of ministry involvement.  I am amazed, but not surprised, that I have not heard from ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton in regard to my challenging the honesty and integrity of the ELCA.  I have written a response which shows how much the LGBTQIA+ movement twists and misuses Scripture to support their agenda.  We want to get the word out.  Thank you to all who have shared our response with others.  Thank you to all who have given to support our sponsoring a week of NEXUS during the summer of 2021.  If you have not already done so, please read my review of NEXUS in my August letter from the director.  Please pray for a new project, as we are working to gather a group of younger people to develop some sort of medium of communication geared to younger people.  It is absolutely imperative that our concern for the historic, orthodox Christian faith be passed on to future generations.     

Thank you again for your encouraging words and faithful prayer and financial support.  Please click here for the 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.

As a steward with you in the ministry of the Gospel, 

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

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I often wondered – during the years I was serving as a pastor – why God would bring the particular group of people together at the church where I had been called.  I have often wondered why Jesus chose the particular people that He selected to be the first twelve disciples.

According to Matthew 10: 2-4, the twelve included Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot.  Why would Jesus have chosen to be among His first followers and those to whom He would entrust the work of the Kingdom two people who could not have been more poles apart politically?  Matthew, the former tax collector and employee of the Roman empire, and Simon the Zealot, a member of a revolutionary movement. 

The Zealots were passionate about obeying the Torah, especially its commandments against idolatry.  As the Romans continued to impose their pagan ways upon the Jewish people, the Zealots sometimes turned to violence.

One of the offshoots of the Zealots was a group of assassins called the Sicarii, or daggermen.  They would mingle in crowds, slip up behind a victim, and then stab him with their sicari, or short curved knife.  One interpretation I have read is that Judas Iscariot had been a member of the Sicarii.  Talk about disastrous consequences if you do not practice social distancing.  Through their acts of terrorism the Sicarii sought to disrupt the Roman government. 

In Luke 22: 38, just before they left the Upper Room for the Garden of Gethsemane, the disciples tell Jesus, “Lord, look, here are two swords.”  It is not hard to imagine that one of the swords belonged to Simon the Zealot or Judas Iscariot, who kept it hidden.  We all know what Peter did with his.  He pulled it out and cut off the ear of Malchus, the high priest’s servant. 

And yet what is amazing is that you never read of politically charged and divisive conversation among the disciples.  They lived during some very tense and difficult times.  We also live during some very tense and difficult times.  Matthew on one side, and potentially both Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot on the other side, would have come from totally opposite sides politically.  And yet you never read of politically charged discussions.  The only real dissension that I can think of among the disciples was the debate over who was the greatest, brought on by the request from James and John (or their mother, dependent upon which Gospel account you are reading) for the top seats in the Kingdom.

If the first century disciples could find their unity in Jesus and avoid explosive, divisive political rhetoric, then we – the twenty-first century followers of Jesus – should be able to do the same.

The days between now and the election in early November are going to be very difficult.  There will be many times when it will be very easy to get involved in very heated, even angry exchange, such as on Facebook.  I would urge all of us to take a deep breath, express ourselves in a responsible way, give each other the benefit of the doubt, not let comments from others “push our buttons,” and look to Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith.

May the Lord bless you,
Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE