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…
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…
Structural and governance changes will most certainly come about from the work of the ELCA’s Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church. An all-encompassing redefinition of mission and ministry will most…
As a friendly commenter noted, my last article needed some serious editing. It is never good for me to find myself writing too close to a deadline; the result is…
“MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR YOU” The first time I began to really understand and value Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians was during my second year of seminary. It…
An Analysis of the Work Of the ELCA's Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church As promised, we continue to monitor the work of the ELCA’s Commission for a Renewed Lutheran…
Although the appellation “woke”—used by Ricky Gervais to the Hollywood establishment at the Oscars as “insider” language just a few years ago—is eschewed by progressives now that cultural conservatives have…
WOE TO THE SHEPHERDS The First Reading for July 21, the day after the conclusion of the ELCA Youth Gathering, was from Jeremiah 23. In verse 1 the Lord says…
Most people would call me a “conservative” Lutheran, although I would prefer to be called orthodox or traditional. Nevertheless, I will accept the label. Therefore, as a conservative Lutheran, it…
How DEIA, Anti-Racism and CRT Are Becoming the New Gospel in the ELCA Any meaningful discussion of these modern-day heresies absolutely must begin and end with scripture. DEIA (Diversity, Equity,…
“What’s all this ‘Father’ stuff about in the Lord’s Prayer? Why should we call God ‘Father,’ anyway?” she intoned petulantly, fixing me with a stare that clearly thought no reasonable…
There is an old adage that says, “You show your values through what and whom you feature.” That certainly is true of the ELCA. Again this past June, in observance…
THE COMMISSION FOR A RENEWED LUTHERAN CHURCH: HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE The ELCA’s Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC) was formed in response to action taken by the ELCA’s 2022…
In my office hangs my ordination certificate. Across it is emblazoned the name of the ordaining body, the body whose confessional commitments I pledged to uphold on the day I…
Almost 30 years ago, I had my first introduction to the tactics of postmodern argumentation. A professor at Texas Lutheran made the statement that he could not be racist because…
Recently, the ELCA posted the results of a DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) Audit1 which was authorized by the Churchwide Assembly. The audit laid out its findings and made…
Many thanks to Kevin Haug for his very insightful article about the DEIA audit which the ELCA recently commissioned a law firm to do of its governing documents. I hate…
I am very grateful for the recent invitation to have a zoom conversation with the director and associate director of the ELCA’s Reconsiderations process. This is the task force that…
RUNAWAY TRAIN A pastor colleague recently wrote to me regarding the ELCA – “The question remains as to whether this progressive freight train has any brakes at all.” I replied,…
In the September and November editions of CORE Voice, Dennis Nelson analyzed the activist constituency of the members of the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC). The fact that…
We all remember with horror the ways in which traditional views on such matters as human sexuality were rejected and belittled at the 2018 ELCA Youth Gathering. Here is a…
In the September 2023 issue of CORE Voice I gave an analysis of the expected outcome from the ELCA’s Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church. After reading the biographical paragraphs…
Director's Note: Spencer Wentland is uniquely qualified to write this article analyzing the ELCA’s concept of global mission as accompaniment rather than evangelism – as responding to requests for help…
With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? –Mark 4:30 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall…
If there ever will be a time when that old adage will be proven true, it will be with the ELCA’s thirty-five-member Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church. This commission…
Note from our Executive Director: Many thanks to Kevin Haug, ELCA pastor in Texas, for his article about the Sparkle creed. This so-called "creed" has received a lot of attention…
In my letter from the director for December 2022 I wrote about several concerns that arose in my mind as I read a November 16 news release from the ELCA…
ARE YOU READY FOR CHRISTMAS? Editor's Note: This Lightstock image used for this post is described as a "Fresco painting of the Nativity, from the chapel of the Shepherd's Field…
IT SHOULD NOT SURPRISE ANYONE It should not surprise anyone that a movement is developing to get the ELCA to commit a massive breach of trust and to eliminate any…
No Mention of God Here is a link to the ELCA’s description of the Highlights of its own recent Churchwide Assembly. Please notice. Two words are conspicuously absent – the…
Note from CORE's Executive Director: Many thanks to a seminarian, who wishes to remain anonymous, for writing about what it was like to attend an ELCA seminary. Students considering enrolling…
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…
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…
Rev. Thomas E. Jacobson, Ph.D. It is now old news that the issue of abortion in the United States, which has long simmered on medium heat in our national discourse,…
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…
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…
I am very grateful for all the people who expressed deep concern over the movement I described in my April letter from the director to “cancel” the Gospel of John…
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. …
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…
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…
After reading two recent communications from ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, the only conclusion I can come to is this. She just does not get it. The first communication is…
On September 27 the ELCA released a “Declaration of the ELCA to American Indian and Alaska Native People.” The document contains a full page of confessions to the American Indian…
WHAT WILL IT BE NEXT? There are two things we know for sure about the ELCA. First, they will always give us plenty to write about. And second, they will…
Here’s a true story, related to me by someone who witnessed it. A small church, considering departure from the ELCA, solicited questions from the congregation. One question surprised people, but…
