“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 was a particularly difficult year for me – one of my most difficult – and I found Paul’s letter speaking to my heart and giving me hope, strength, and encouragement.

I knew that Paul had a particularly difficult relationship with the Corinthians, especially after his first letter to them. But in 2 Corinthians he also addresses what he had been experiencing in Ephesus. You read Luke’s account in Acts 19 and it sounds like everything is wonderful and going great. The value of the books that were burned by those who had practiced magic but then turned to Christ was fifty thousand denarii (verse 19). “The word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed” (verse 20). So many people were becoming followers of Jesus that the silversmiths who made images of Artemis were in danger of going out of business (verse 24-27). And even some of the officials of the province were friendly to Paul and wanted to protect him from the screaming crowd in the theater (verse 31). But then you read a couple statements that Paul made in his letters and you find out how tough that time had actually been for him. He writes in his first letter, “I fought with wild animals at Ephesus” (1 Corinthians 15: 32). And then he adds in his second letter, “We do not want you to be unaware of the affliction we experienced in Asia; we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1: 8).

One of the keynote speakers at the recent LCMC (Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ) gathering, Dr. Stephen Witmer, led us in a study of 2 Corinthians. Dr. Witmer is a pastor in Massachusetts and adjunct professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He spoke of how the apostle was very open and honest in revealing his struggles and weaknesses. In chapter 1 Paul tells of how he is now able to console others in their afflictions with the consolation which he himself received from God in his afflictions. Dr. Witmer pointed out that this is far more than Paul’s merely saying that he is now more empathetic towards others in their suffering because of his own suffering. Rather Paul is saying that he is able to pass on to others nothing less than the divine consolation that he himself received from God (2 Corinthians 1: 4). And his afflictions have led him to rely not on himself but on “God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1: 9). Any God who can raise the dead can also take care of all my other problems as well.

As Dr. Witmer continued to speak, I was reminded of how – during my second year of seminary when I for the first time began to really understand and value this letter – God also spoke to me through the eleventh and twelfth chapters of the letter. In chapter eleven Paul lists several of the severe trials that he has gone through. I especially remember reading in verse 25 “three times I was shipwrecked.” And the shipwreck on the way to Rome, recorded in Acts 27, has not happened yet. I know that for me, if I have already been involved in three shipwrecks, I would have a hard time getting back into a boat.

And then in chapter twelve Paul talks about his thorn in the flesh and how he had pleaded with God three times to remove it (verses 7-8). I remember how at that time in my life there were some things in my life that I really would have liked to have changed. But God’s response to Paul was, “No, I am going to let you keep it – that thorn, weakness, limitation, or struggle – because of what you will learn through it and because of how you will grow and be changed because of it.” God said to Paul what I also needed to hear. “My grace is sufficient for you” (verse 9). Paul learned that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness (verse 9) and that as we have to deal with our own weaknesses, we more and more realize that we are totally dependent upon God’s strength (verse 10).

Dr. Stephen Witmer addressed powerfully the whole issue of weakness, as did the other keynote speaker, Dr. Kyle Fever. Kyle Fever is pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Adair, Iowa (LCMC) and director of academic formation at the Master’s Institute. While Stephen’s presentation was more of a Bible study, Kyle gave a personal testimony where he shared about the pain, struggles, and severe testing of faith that he and his wife endured after their oldest child suffered a severe brain injury from a bad automobile accident. Kyle shared openly and honestly as he spoke to our hearts and lives. Their suffering was great, their pain was overwhelming, but God’s grace saw them through. When Kyle showed a picture of his family on the day that his daughter enrolled in college, everyone erupted into applause. We were all encouraged, blessed, and strengthened.

What an inspiration it was to attend a gathering where the keynote presenters spoke to the real issues of life and strengthened us and helped us prepare for the next chapter of life and ministry. What a contrast to the ELCA’s Rostered Leaders Gathering in July 2023, where I feel that only one speaker expressed care and concern for how we as rostered leaders are doing personally. Everyone else focused on recruiting us for and getting us on board with the ELCA’s agenda.

After flying back to Phoenix and picking up my car at the airport, I started my vehicle. The first song that played on Sirius XM was “Faithfully” by TobyMac. In that song the contemporary Christian artist tells of his struggles after the death of his twenty-one-year-old son Truett from an accidental overdose of fentanyl and amphetamines. He writes –

“But when my world broke into pieces, You were there faithfully.
When I cried out to You, Jesus, You made a way for me.
I may never be the same man,
But I’m a man who still believes.
When I cried out to You, Jesus, You were there faithfully.”

Stephen Witmer, Kyle Fever, TobyMac, and the apostle Paul all encouraged us and helped us by telling us of how they have cried out to Jesus and how they still believe even when their world broke into pieces.

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BEWARE OF THE LATEST
FROM 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 Church (CRLC). That Commission was formed in response to action taken by the ELCA’s 2022 Churchwide Assembly, which directed the Church Council to establish a Commission that shall “reconsider the statements of purpose for each of the expressions of this church, the principles of its organizational structure, and all matters pertaining thereunto.” The Commission was instructed to be “particularly attentive to our shared commitment to dismantle racism” and to “present its findings and recommendations to the 2025 Churchwide Assembly in preparation for a possible reconstituting convention.”

A written summary of the Commission’s seventh meeting – held from August 8-10 – can now be found on their website. A link to that website can be found HERE – Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church – Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (elca.org). There are several items in that written summary that I believe should cause great concern.

Fourth bullet point under August 8 –
The CRLC received updates from the Church Council and a subcommittee on the progress of the DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) audit.

The ELCA continues full speed ahead with the DEIA audit. Please see my article, “A Warning of What Is Coming,” in the March 2024 issue of our newsletter, where I list several of the expectations of congregations from that audit. A link to that article can be found HERE – A Warning of What is Coming – Lutheran Coalition for Renewal (CORE) (lutherancore.website).  In that article I raised the question of whether and how congregations will be penalized if they are not DEIA compliant. I also asked pastors and church leaders to consider how the ministry and mission priorities of their congregation will be derailed and the energy of their congregation will be consumed by efforts to become DEIA compliant. If you do not believe what I said in the article, just look at the Minimum DEIA Standards for Congregations and the changes in the Model Constitution for Congregations as recommended by the law firm that did the audit. A link to that report can be found HERE – DEIA_Report_Part_2.pdf (elca.org).

Some people have said that they see DEIA as very compatible with the Gospel. My response is that it is the exact opposite of the Gospel. DEIA is legalism at its worst and pure Marxism. Its demands are insatiable, it can never offer forgiveness, and it cannot provide deliverance. No matter how much you repent of and grovel because of your own oppressive behavior as well as the oppressive behavior of your ancestors and others of your race, it is never enough. You cannot do enough. You will always fall short. You cannot be forgiven, because if you are forgiven, then those who claim that you are oppressing them lose their power over you. And it cannot provide deliverance. If you are white, male, straight, and/or a member of any of the other privileged, oppressive people groups, then you cannot not be an oppressor. Rather the systems that privilege and empower you must be dismantled.

Third bullet point under August 9 –
The Who We Are Committee led the CRLC in a discussion about constitutional language updates.

Nothing specific – which raises the question, Why is there nothing specific? The natural concern is that the new constitutional language will make the ELCA more hierarchical and reduce congregational autonomy. If that is not the case, why are the Commission and ELCA leadership doing nothing to recognize and alleviate those concerns?

Fourth bullet point under August 9 –
The How Are We Governed Committee . . . began discussion . . . of matters relating to accountability, autonomy versus uniformity, and the need for structural flexibility.

Again, nothing specific. And again, congregations have every reason to fear that they will lose autonomy and be forced into greater uniformity. And congregations with traditional views are certainly not going to be the ones who will be blessed with structural flexibility.

Second bullet point under August 10 –
The How Are We Governed Committee presented draft proposals of possible changes to governance structures.

Again, nothing specific. And again, congregations have every reason to fear that the changes to governance structures will increase and further empower hierarchy and decrease and further disempower congregational autonomy.

The written summary does say under the fourth bullet point under August 10 –
The Communications Committee . . . presented an update on how the final CRLC report can be shared with the wider ELCA community.

Again, nothing specific. It does not say when or at what point in the process the final report will be revealed, but pastors, lay leaders, and congregations with traditional views have every reason to fear that by then it will be too late. And if the net result of the work of the commission, the DEIA audit, and the reconsideration of bound conscience in the human sexuality social statement is not to tighten the squeeze on those with traditional views, then why is the ELCA not acknowledging and not showing any concern whatsoever for the fears and concerns of those with traditional views?

We will keep you posted.

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VIDEO MINISTRIES

“JOINING JESUS ON HIS MISSION” BY GREG FINKE

Many thanks to Aaron Heilman for his review of “Joining Jesus on His Mission” by Greg Finke. Aaron is currently serving as worship leader at Pointe of Hope Lutheran Church (LCMS) while pursuing a BA in Christian Ministry at Spurgeon College. A link to Aaron’s video book review can be found HERE. A link to our YouTube channel, which contains over fifty reviews of books and videos on topics of interest and importance, can be found HERE.

Mission. Outreach. Evangelism. As a Lutheran, do you feel a twinge of anxiety when you hear these words? These are big and scary concepts to the average churchgoer. The past few decades, we have struggled with these concepts and the fruit, or lack thereof, is painfully evident. Thankfully, God has provided a resource to help us get comfortable with the thought of engaging in mission, outreach, and evangelism.

Greg Finke has blessed us with a great book, “Joining Jesus on His Mission: How to Be an Everyday Missionary.” There are many books written on these topics but many of them are overly process based and seemingly complicated, to the point where they become overwhelming. Greg Finke has recognized this and provided an approach that works for anyone at any comfort level with mission, outreach, and evangelism.

With a down-to-earth, common sense attitude, Finke will make you feel like you can, in fact, join Jesus on His mission in this world. The book reads well with a conversational tone. Each chapter has questions for reflection and discussion which makes this great for small groups. This book is highly recommended and commended.

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As we once again give thanks to God for His working powerfully through the lives and efforts of His people to bring about the Reformation, let us recommit ourselves to preserving and sharing a faith that is based on the authority of Scripture and the Gospel of salvation by grace through faith. And let us recommit ourselves to fulfilling the Great Commission and living according to the Great Commandment.

Blessings in Christ,

Dennis D. Nelson
Executive Director of Lutheran CORE

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 to the leaders of God’s people, “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!”  I believe that the same thing could be said about the leaders of the ELCA, including the planners of the youth gathering, which was held July 16-20 in New Orleans. 

Because of COVID, the last youth gathering occurred six years ago in 2018.  That time recordings of the messages from the keynote speakers were available for some time after, so I was able to listen to them, analyze them, and report on some of them in detail.  This time the sessions were live streamed (except for when the arena was having difficulties with the internet connection) and the recordings were available only for a short time before they were removed.  I was able to watch the evening session on Tuesday, part of the evening session on Thursday, and the closing worship service on Saturday morning.  Other than that I am dependent upon written comments, including on Facebook, and the daily summaries – complete with ELCA spin – in the ELCA’s digital magazine, “Living Lutheran.”  Even the video recaps for days 1, 2, and 3 – which are still available on the gathering’s YouTube channel – do not give any content from the keynote speakers.  They basically show young people being energetic and doing service projects.  It gives the impression that the gathering planning team do not want people to know what the keynote speakers said.    

However, the team did put together a five minute “Week in Review” video, which is still available.  I will use that video to share my reflections on the gathering.  A link to the video can be found HERE.

The video concludes with the person who actually opened the gathering – Bishop Michael Rinehart of the host synod, the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod (4: 40).  He began not with an opening prayer calling upon the Lord to bless the event but instead by acknowledging the indigenous people who had previously lived on the land and from whom the land was stolen.  It reminded me of the opening of the August 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, where greater emphasis was placed upon the rivers that flow through the area of the host synod than upon the God who created the rivers.  Bishop Rinehart told of how one of the indigenous tribes had sued the federal government and had succeeded in getting their land back.  At the announcement that a tribe had been successful in a lawsuit against the U. S. government, the young people cheered.  Hearing their cheers, I wondered what else they would become (and had already become) conditioned to cheer for.

But what I thought was most significant in Bishop Rinehart’s comments in the “Week in Review” video is the fact that he is the only person in the video who mentions Jesus.  And how does he describe Jesus?  As the “Jesus who calls us to challenge systems of oppression and power.”  Jesus through the lens of Marxism, critical race theory, and DEIA ideology.

The “Week in Review” video opens with Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton.  This is not in the video, but on Tuesday (opening) night Bishop Eaton was introduced by one of the emcees, Rebekah Bruesehoff, as having worked for eleven years for “inclusivity, advocacy, and social justice.”  The introduction certainly shows what is considered most important.  I thought it was very interesting that Rebekah Bruesehoff, who along with her mother Naomi spoke at the last gathering in 2018 promoting transgenderism, was now one of the emcees.  In 2018 Rebekah was a pre-adolescent, transgender child.  Her mother is the author of “Raising Kids beyond the Binary: Celebrating God’s Transgender and Gender-Diverse Children.”  The ELCA reveals what it values most by whom it elevates, lifts up, and makes heroes of.

The “Week in Review” video quotes Bishop Eaton as saying with joy and anticipation on opening night, “You can make a change; you can be disruptive” (0: 01).  Actually on opening night Bishop Eaton used three phrases – “You make a difference; you can make a change; you can be disruptive.”  Anyone who does public speaking knows that in a series like that, whatever you want to give the greatest emphasis to – whatever you want to be the climax of your comments – you put last.  On opening night, when Bishop Eaton said, “You can be disruptive,” the crowd cheered.

Many times during the five days the youth were told that they were “Created to Be Brave, Free, Authentic, and Disruptive Disciples.”  I noticed that none of the keynote speakers were brave and free enough to be introduced without including their pronouns.  (When I register for ELCA synodical events, I make sure that I do not give my pronouns.)  The model for being disruptive that was held up was Jesus’ overturning the tables of the money changers in the Temple.  But I wonder what kinds of behavior 16, 000 youth thought were being approved, endorsed, and even promoted when they were told that they were created to be disruptive.

Evidently there was one example of being disruptive that did not please everyone.  At the closing worship service Bishop Eaton mentioned that there had been a low point during the gathering when a group was made to feel as if they did not matter.  She said that the group had been offered a heart-felt apology on a previous evening.  Again, because recordings of the evening sessions were very quickly removed, I was not able to watch that apology and find out exactly what it was in response to.  But I can think of one strong possibility.  Someone posted on Facebook that his group had felt “triggered” by one of the speakers.  “Triggered” seems to be a favorite term for those who feel offended.  So the group started talking about it out loud.  People who were nearby asked them to be quiet because they wanted to hear the speaker.  That request led to the group’s feeling even more triggered and claiming that they were being subjected to racist behavior so they will never attend a future youth gathering.  I do not know if that is the incident that triggered the apology, but if it is, it does raise the question of whether talking out loud as a group near other people during a public gathering was validated and legitimized by the ELCA’s saying that we are created to be disruptive.  If my public rudeness leads to your having to apologize publicly because I feel triggered and subjected to your racist behavior, it also shows – in the strange world of wokeness, critical race theory, and DEIA ideology – that the one who is the most empowered is the one who claims to be the most victimized and oppressed.

For me the bright spot of the gathering was the presentation Tuesday evening by Michael Chan (2: 06).  Michael’s message at the ELCA’s Rostered Leaders Gathering last summer was also the bright spot at that event for me.  At the Rostered Leaders Gathering I felt that he was the only keynote speaker who expressed care and concern for us – the ministers of the church – rather than merely viewing us as underlings who need to get totally on board with fully supporting the ELCA agenda and priorities.  At the youth gathering he spoke on Psalm 139: 13 – “You formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”  He began by saying, “Wonders happen in the dark,” and then said so many other good things that I would have wanted the youth from my former congregation to hear.  These comments include “You were loved and treasured long before you performed your first good act” and “You were precious long before you could prove it.”  He talked about the difficult circumstances that can bury us and then said, “You are not in the grave, you are in the womb: something is happening in the darkness.” 

I would have been happy to have the youth from my former congregation hear Michael Chan.  I would not have wanted them to hear another keynote presenter, ELCA pastor Keats Miles-Wallace, who spoke on Thursday evening (3: 00).  Pastor Miles-Wallace shared that he always knew that he was different.  In middle school he did not fit in anywhere, and he made himself miserable trying to be what every group that he wanted to be a part of wanted him to be.  He finally learned that God created him to be free – “free to be my weird, different, unique, transgender, non-binary, neuro-divergent, and Anglo-Mexican-Indigenous self.”  Rather than finding his identity in Christ, he found his identity in being himself “out loud.”  He found peace when he finally experienced the “freedom of expression that God intended for all of creation.”  He is a member of the task force that is reviewing the 2009 human sexuality social statement. 

A video was shown on Thursday evening about ten minutes before Pastor Miles-Wallace spoke, which certainly set the stage and prepared the way for Pastor Miles-Wallace’s remarks.  This video went through the various days of creation in Genesis 1 as it prepared the young people to fully embrace the LGBTQ+ agenda.  Its argument was that at first glance, creation seems full of binaries.  God created light and then separated the light from the darkness, but there are also sunrises and sunsets, dawn and dusk.  God separated the land from the waters, but there are places that are not fully land or fully water, such as marshes and bogs.  God created the sun and the moon, but there are also stars, planets, and asteroids.  God created creatures of the land, sea, and sky, but there are also land animals such as penguins that swim and fish that fly.  God created male and female, but He also made all other types of people.  The video concluded, “At a glance creation seems full of binaries, but there is also a beautiful in between.  Genesis gives examples, but does not exclude the possibility of more, and God saw that it was good.”

The video said nothing about God’s creating male and female not as just two of an endless number of possible varieties, but instead so that two could become one flesh and so that the two would be able to be fruitful and multiply.  (Genesis 1: 27-28, 2: 24; Matthew 19: 4-6)  The stage was now set for ELCA youth to fully embrace the full LGBTQIA2S+ agenda and every variety of gender identity.  No wonder the “Week in Review” video even showed a group of youth with a drag queen (2: 00).  

The video of the closing worship service on Saturday ended with a short introduction of the location of the 2027 gathering – Minneapolis.  Minneapolis was described as a city that has a “commitment to inclusivity,” “celebrates diversity and embraces dialog,” and where “every voice is heard and every story matters.”  I noticed the Palestinian flag at one point in the “Week in Review” video (4: 20).  I am sure that during the gathering the voices of the Israeli people were never heard and their story did not matter.  Typical of ELCA youth events, there was not even one person who spoke in support of traditional views of human sexuality and gender identity.  Typical of the ELCA, this time also not every voice was heard and there were stories that did not matter. 

Dennis D. Nelson

lcorewebmail@gmail.com