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Last month there was a discussion in the ELCA Clergy Facebook group where one person mentioned concerns that had been shared by a member of the congregation regarding last summer’s…
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Response to The Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church: Myths and Facts Nov 23, 2024 By Bishop Michael Rinehart Note from the Director: I was absolutely amazed to read the…
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December 2024 Dear Friends in Christ – Luke tells us that the angel Gabriel said to Mary, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will…
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The purpose of this communication is to inform you about a movement called the Lutheran Congregations Support Network. Their goal is to develop a means to inform ELCA congregations of…
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September 2024 ASTOUNDED BUT NOT SURPRISED Dear Friends in the Savior-King – I found myself fluctuating between being astounded and not surprised when a friend of Lutheran CORE told me…
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Summer 2024 Dear Friends - In the March 2024 issue of our newsletter, CORE Voice, I wrote about the DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility) audit which the ELCA had commissioned…
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April 2024 Dear Friends in the Risen Lord – For me among the most powerful and hope-and-strength-giving things that Jesus said are the following– “God so loved the world that…
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Editor's note: Bob Rognlien is a Lutheran (LCMC) pastor, author, and discipleship expert. Per Pr. Rognlien, "...the window for organizing and inviting people to such an event is rapidly closing!"…
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KNOWING THE OUTCOMEGIVES COURAGE AND STRENGTH IN THE MEANTIME Dear Friend in the Savior-King: For me one of the most inspiring, encouraging, and strength-giving passages of Scripture is John’s vision…
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Please join me in praying for Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishop of the ELCA. A recent news release from the ELCA reported that her request had been approved by the Church…
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The following is an excerpt from the October Letter from the DIrector of Lutheran Core, Dennis Nelson. In my Summer Letter from the Director I gave a very detailed account…
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Certainly one of the most complex, difficult, and volatile situations in the world today is therelationship between Israel and its neighbors. The Jewish people suffered horribly during theHolocaust. After World…
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We Need Rest Dear Friends – A few Sundays ago the Gospel reading included the words of Jesus in Matthew 11: 28 -“Come to Me, all you that are weary…
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Year End 2022 Dear Friends – I have been enjoying doing a weekly Bible study based upon the lectionary readings for the following Sunday. A couple churches post them on…
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Dear Friends: One of the most enjoyable parts of my work as executive director of Lutheran CORE is the group of young adults that I meet with via zoom once…
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The Revisionists Have Completely Taken Over: A Review and Evaluation of the ELCA Churchwide Assembly
The ELCA held its Churchwide Assembly August 8-12 in Columbus, Ohio. The gathering sent a strong message to confessional Lutherans with traditional views – You are not welcome. In this…
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The ELCA will be holding its triennial Churchwide Assembly next week, August 8-12, in Columbus, Ohio. The Churchwide Assembly is the highest legislative body of the ELCA. There is much…
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Note: This post is intended to be short and to the point. Dennis Nelson, CORE's Executive Director, has also written a longer version which can be found here as well…
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June 2022 Dear Friends – I am very grateful for the positive responses we receive to the video book reviews that are posted on our YouTube channel. On the first…
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On May 17, a couple weeks after the news broke of a leak of a draft opinion written by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton released…
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For years I have been writing articles about the ELCA – often with the subtitle, “What Will It Be Next?” The images I have chosen for those articles have often…
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Speaking of “oh, what a mess,” here is the latest from Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Awhile back the board of Luther voted to continue to not be RIC. …
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Last September the ELCA celebrated the election and installation of its first transgender bishop, Meghan Rohrer of the Sierra Pacific Synod. ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton served as the lead…
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Speaking of the Gospel of John, there is a movement afoot to “cancel” the passion narrative in John 18-19 and remove it from the readings for Holy Week. The claim…
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An Invitation to City Mission: BALTIMORE & BEYOND—‘22 Sponsored By: River's Edge Ministries Dear Friends—It is with great joy and expectation that I’m pleased to announce our first City Mission on the…
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A friend of Lutheran CORE 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…
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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. …
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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…
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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.…
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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…
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“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…
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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…
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“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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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July 17, 2020 Dear Bishop Eaton: As I was reviewing the section on the homepage of the ELCA website entitled, “Resources for the LGBTQIA+ Community,” I was surprised to find…
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Dear Friend in Christ – “The Last Full Measure” is a 2019 American war drama film that tells the story of William H. Pitsenbarger, a U. S. Air Force Pararescueman…