Unitarian minister sees liberal renissance in Christianity

I don't know that it is with liberals and their urge to take control over everything.

As I have posted before, progressive theology has infiltrated the Christian faith in many denominations. Now, a Unitarian-Universalist minister is defending this by saying that this is great for Christianity.

He also has a wife who is an Episcopal priest. He calls themselves "the odd couple" in his piece. I wouldn't really call them the odd couple myself, as both denominations are merging into one at a rapid pace.

Christianity does not change. Any change that moves away from the Holy Bible is not true Christianity.

People may say that my liberal theology church is doing so much good in the community. It may have a food pantry, or helps in other ways. Do you know what else does some goods? Scientogy, or various other cults.

True Christianity does not say other religions are its equal and do not acknowledge other "gods." A Christian cannot say "Allah" is equivalent to God.

The same goes within the Christian denomination. As some denominations have strayed away from the Bible. You either follow the Bible or you don't. Picking and choosing what you believe is always taken out of context, much like soundbites you may hear on television and radio news.

Many Christian denominations have strayed away from what they say they believe, such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church-USA, Episcopal Church and the worst of all, the United Church of Christ.

IN THE NEWS:
WASHINGTON POST: A liberal religious renaissance?

Liberal United Church of Christ sends donation to ELCA

Courtesy of The Lutheran, official magazine of the ELCA:

5/5/2010
UCC: $50,000 gift to Lutheran seminary
First United Church of Christ (UCC), Bridgeport, Conn., donated $50,000 each to the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia and to the UCC-affiliated Lancaster Theological Seminary May 2. The ELCA and the UCC are full communion partners.

"These gifts acknowledge our oneness in Christ and the ministry that is ours," said Karen DeWerth-Wamester, an ELCA pastor serving at First UCC.

Faced with a dwindling membership, the congregation, founded in 1894 by Hungarian immigrants, sold its building in 2006 to a Seventh Day Adventist Church, with the agreement that the UCC congregation could worship there, rent-free, for another 20 years. Funds from the sale have allowed the congregation to give and minister in new ways.

"We're in a unique position [to give]," Chief Elder Nancy Szwejkowski said in a UCC Connecticut Conference news release. "My theory is that it doesn't do any good sitting in the bank."

"What a wonderful witness to the full communion agreement for the First United Church of Christ to give a generous gift to the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia," said LTSP President Philip D. Krey. "Our traditions have grown together, our students study together, our pastors like Pastor DeWerth-Wamester serve one another's congregations, and now we support one another in the preparation of leaders. Scores of thankful students and faculty will remember this Bridgeport congregation."

The congregation's gift will also be counted toward the ELCA New England Synod's goal of raising $1.5 million for the seminary, and the seminary, in turn, will name a seminar room in its Brossman Center in honor of First UCC.

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All I can say is...How nice! It's a gift from a dying church. They now have money to give now that they've lost their church building. This is progress.

When will the ELCA wake up?

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has driven away tens of thousands of its members. And why? Because the ELCA wants to be inclusive. It has whitewashed its Lutheran theology and replaced it with its theology of "change."

Since August 2009 homosexual ministers vote, the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ has benefited the most in gained membership. The LCMC, founded in 2001 by former ELCA churches, has gained 205 former ELCA churches to now have 376 congregations. The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod have also seen an influx of former ELCA members, but not a congregational gain like the LCMC.

The problems in the ELCA did not begin in 2009, however. The downfall of the ELCA began back in 1987, before the merger of the American Lutheran Church, Lutheran Church in America and Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches that would become the ELCA.

In November 1970, the LCA, the most liberal Lutheran denomination, ordained America's first female Lutheran pastor. It later ordained the first black female Lutheran pastor in 1979, first Latina Lutheran pastor in 1979 and first female Asian American Lutheran pastor. The LCA was all about firsts.

The ALC, the more conservative church of the merger, also later ordained women. Prior to this point, however, the ALC and LCMS were discussing a full fellowship in 1962 and invited the LCA into talks, but the LCA declined. In 1969, the ALC and LCMS established altar and pulpit fellowship with each other. This lasted until 1981 when the LCMS terminated the fellowship due to concerns within the ALC and the forthcoming possibility of an ALC-LCA merger.

The ordination of women and theological concerns began a slippery slope that one sect within the ALC left prior to the 1988 ELCA merger. (I am not blaming women, they just happen to be at the beginning of the slope.) The American Association of Lutheran Churches began in 1987 did not like the change to the Lutheran theology, particularly the changes within the LCA. This denomination saw what was happening before the worst was yet to come. (The AALC is now in communion with the LCMS.)

At the merger, for some reason, the ELCA decided to have an episcopal structure instead of a congregational structure as the denominations prior. Instead of having a president, they chose to have a presiding bishop. With this way, the ELCA would have more power over its congregations.

Throughout the 1990s, the young ELCA reached out to denominations outside the Lutheran denomination. This later "watered down" the Lutheran theology in order to allow other denominations into Holy Communion. The denominations that are now in full communion with the ELCA are the Moravian Church in America, Presbyterian Church (USA), Reformed Church in America, United Church of Christ, Episcopal Church in the United States and the United Methodist Church. According to Lutheran tradition and theology, only Lutherans could partake in Holy communion at a Lutheran church, because each denomination sees the sacrament differently. The ELCA got rid of this position. Lutherans see the Body (bread) and Blood (wine) of Christ as the true Body and Blood of Christ. It is both bread and wine and the body and blood.

On the spectrum of similarities in they way Lutherans understand communion only the Episcopal Church came close, but not close enough. The UCC sees communion as only symbolic and thus was not in the same world as the Lutheran belief.

Some ELCA churches left because of the additions to communion, but the vast majority did not care to notice the change.

Also in the decade, the ELCA changed its view on the Holy Bible and on the Lutheran confessions. Instead of taking it as is, infallible or divinely inspired, they chose to take a critical look at its theology. Through this, it began to pick and choose at what Bible passages were good enough. And said some did not matter.

Because of this change, the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, or LCMC, was formed by former ELCA churches in 2001.

As the 1990s came to a close, the ELCA began exploring the idea on ordaining gays and lesbians. Through much thought, it finally came to a vote in 2009.

At the ELCA Churchwide Assembly on August 21, 2009 in Minneapolis, the ELCA voted to ordain gays and lesbians in committed monogamous relationships to serve as clergy. Almost immediately, this caught the attention of hundreds of thousands of ELCA Lutherans.

Since the ELCA began supporting gays and lesbians as pastors, the LCMC has increased 205 congregations to a total of 376 congregations. The LCMS and WELS has also seen an increase.

Today, the ELCA has began preaching progressive theology. This is the total whitewashing of the Lutheran theology. This is pro-Earth and also promotes socialist causes.

When will the ELCA finally wake up and realize where they are at? They are no longer LUTHERAN!

As of 2010, the ELCA claims it has 4.6 million members at its 10,396 congregations. At the rate the ELCA is on with change, it will no longer be the largest "Lutheran" denomination at 2020.

The LCMS, WELS and LCMC will be moving up the membership ladder as the ELCA plummets.
The LCMS currently has 2.4 million members at its 6,155 congregations. WELS currently has 390,000 members at its 1,290 congregations. The LCMC has about 55,000 members at its 376 congregations.

At the rate the ELCA is on, the LCMS will be number one and the ELCA may not even be in second place in members.

As the ELCA loses members, it will be the gain of the next three largest denominations. The third, the LCMC, being only founded in 2001.

I know the real reason for the ordination of gays and lesbians and allowing full communion with non-Lutheran churches. It is that the ELCA has a pastor shortage. But why all the change in theology? This is forcing many people to leave the ELCA who may have become an ELCA minister. But, realistically, the ELCA would not want these folks becoming an ELCA minister. They may try to turn back the change.

I fear it is already too late for the ELCA to turn back from its mistakes. It would take so much to untangle the change.

SOURCES:
American Lutheran Church history
Lutheran Church in America history
Evangelical Lutheran Church history
Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod history

'Plan B' for Socialists is Religion

As the American people have become more aware at the socialism that the Washington liberals want to force on the American people for the "greater good," these liberals are looking at "converting" people at the local level: at church.
This in fact was tried and failed in the 1920s and 1930s at the height of the American communist movement. Plus, it was through the church, the Roman Catholic Church and some extent, the Lutheran state church, that Adolf Hitler convinced Germany that it was the fault of the Jews that they were in financial turmoil. The corrupt Roman Catholic church just gave Hitler and Benito Mussolini the power necessary to convince their peoples that war was for the "greater good."
It's all about progress
Today, this type of church theology is back and it's powerful. It is progressive theology. It is now being practiced in a church near you. Maybe even your church.
Here are some warning signs:
* A spiritual vitality and expressiveness, including participatory, arts-infused, and lively worship as well as a variety of spiritual rituals and practices such as meditation
* Intellectual integrity including a willingness to question
* An affirmation of human diversity
* An affirmation of the Christian faith with a simultaneous sincere respect for other faiths
* Strong ecological concerns and commitments
* Social justice commitments
Or, have you been told that your view of God must change? Or, that the Holy Bible is just historical and does not relate to today? Or, is your church picking and choosing that Bible verses are good enough?
Progressive theology has taken hold in at least three of the ten largest Christian denominations in the United States.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Presbyterian Church-USA and United Methodist Churches have all been infiltrated by progressive theology. Progressive theology is socialism. It destroys what you believe in, all the way down to catechism and liturgy.
As a former member of an ELCA church, I know what is going on. It destroyed my church. The ones who believed in Lutheran theology left for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
Below is what I see happening:
For example, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America now has many of its churches practicing Progressive Christianity. One of them is an ELCA church in north central Indiana, where I used to be a member. I recently checked on this church's Web site because I saw in the news that hundreds of ELCA churches are leaving the denomination, because of gay clergy, gay rostered staff and plain taking the "Luther" out of its theology. To put it frankly, the ELCA is not Lutheran anymore, at least at the governing level. Some churches are still Lutheran, but it's a matter of time until they are snatched as well.
Getting back to my point, the ELCA, United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church-USA, Episcopal Church-USA, United Church of Christ and some others are now practicing this new Progressive Christian theology. This is where you question everything and pick and choose what you like in the Bible. In my opinion, not very Christian, or not at all Christian.
Through this, the socialists are transforming, or brainwashing, congregations to their worldview, not the Christ-centered worldview.
When I went on the Web site, I looked at what the pastor wrote in the latest monthly newsletter and I found it troubling, and very close to cultish: http://www.christlutherankokomo.org/WN%20pastor%20message.htm
The way I took the message was that if you leave the ELCA, you are leaving God. And since when does God change. The reason I left, as well as hundreds of others, was for the changity-change. It did not feel like my church anymore. Also, I felt in the message that he was starting over with each paragraph and then the last paragraph I found to be very cultish.
I also looked up the authors he cited in the message and they are equally as nuts and consider themselves to be Progressive Christians.
What was more troubling were the sermons that were more like college lectures and had no relation back to a certain reading lesson of that day. If you want to check them out, they are on the main page's left column. I recommend you look at them, they are way out there.
http://www.christlutherankokomo.org/index.htm
I think this church is just a case study of the ELCA. It is the future as the Indiana-Kentucy bishop agrees with everything going on. I wouldn't be surprised if this pastor became the next IN-KY bishop.
Socialists never give up, they are now in the local churches to convince these congregations into the socialist worldview.
The thing is that the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is not immune to this, where I am now. As well as other sects, or synods, within any given denomination. People need to be aware of what's going on in religion.
Now that the ELCA, UMC, PC-USA, E-USA, UCC and some others are now ordaining gays, what will stop them from urging gay marriage? Plus, other government entitlement programs?
On a side-note, the ELCA presiding bishop Mark Hanson in Chicago is also in charge of the Lutheran World Federation. This means he is practically the "pope" over the state churches in Europe and we all know how well they are doing. Power has corrupted the ELCA, much like power has corrupted politicians. I also see the IN-KY synod bishop as a "cardinal."
Martin Luther did not like the structure of the Roman Catholic church as he saw it as corruption, yet, the ELCA went the way of the RC church. Meanwhile, the LCMS and Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, or WELS, each went for the congregational structure, rather than episcopal structure. So LCMS and WELS churches are more independent than ELCA churches are.

ELCA turns its back on Christ, Luther

Check out my opinion on my Christianity blog.