Bishop Herbert Chilstrom, first bishop of the ELCA, recently wrote an article published by the Mankato, MN Free Press. It is addressed to those leaving the ELCA, with three questions for them to answer:
1. What is it about sex that pushed you over the edge?
2. Why are you organizing new churches?
3. What will you say to your sons and daughters, sisters and brothers and others in your churches when they tell you they are homosexual?
Chilstrom concludes his article by saying in so many words: Don't let the door hit you on your way out. I am relieved that you left, now that you are gone, we can get on with our mission.
When Bishop Chilstrom took office as the first bishop of the ELCA, his goal was to achieve the full acceptance of homosexuals in the church. There is nothing going on in the ELCA now that was not taking place 22 years ago.
Chilstrom and current ELCA leaders think that those of us who left the ELCA did so because of "sex." No, Bishop, we left not because of sex but because of Scripture, which you have chosen to distort and defy!
To all Bible-believing ELCA members who have not yet made up their minds about leaving, I say: Wake up! Get out now, if not for your own sake, do it for the rising generations. Let your loyalty be to God's Word, not to a denomination. As Chilstrom said, the vast majority in the ELCA are "relieved" to see you go. We too have a mission to perform--it is called proclaiming the Gospel of salvation to those who are lost.
I am leaving the ELCA because the ELCA has abandoned Sacred Scripture. It has become like the RC church. Man's Law does not supercede God's word or His law. I wish the LCA had not become the ELCA this is disgusting. I love my fellow man and must discern/judge what path I will follow. I will not sit in judgement that is His job.
ReplyDeleteI left my ELCA church not because of sex but the process that was used to arrive at the decision on ordaining pastors in same sex relationships. They first hand picked the representatives, ignored the ELCA theological leaders and then barely passed the vote and declare this fundamental change. With this process, given time they could declare anything, including that the resurrection didn't really occur.
ReplyDeleteLooking for another church.