The time for talking has passed. The time for confessing is at hand. Division has been thrust upon us. No more time can be wasted trying to convince “hard cases.” Upon such hardened hearts only the Word of God can be effective. So I will declare the sweetness of the Gospel (“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes” Romans 1:16) into the depths of their error, announcing to them that our Lord Jesus Christ has forgiven them their sin. With that preaching of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit will “call, gather, enlighten, sanctify and keep them in the one true faith” —which is Jesus Christ, OR God will continue to harden their hearts so that they may be bound to the consequences of their sin and thereby know the wrath of God (“Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their bodies among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” Romans 1:24-26)
A Call for Repentance and Faith
Whereas
The ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)—by its actions during the 2009 Church Wide Assembly (CWA) and by the actions of previous CWAs— has
· Made itself different “from the historic Christian tradition and the Lutheran Confessions.”[i] It is now heretical and heterodox; and
· Ceased to be “church” as defined by Article VII of the Augsburg Confession.[ii] It has “unchurched” me and all confessors;[iii]
· Confused Law and Gospel. It now “binds the loosing and looses the binding;”[iv]
· Changed the Sixth Commandment and altered the order of marriage, thereby denying the God who gives commandments and orders creation. It is now “Apostate”—outside of the faith handed down from the Apostles;
Therefore, I say
· to the voting members of the ELCA’s 2009 CWA who voted in the affirmative for the “sexual” issues;
· to the ELCA’s institutional leadership who have through the years promoted the agendas that have brought the institutional ELCA to such heterodoxy, unchurching, confusion, and apostasy;
· to the members of the ELCA—pastors and lay—who support and celebrate the success of those agendas;
YOU ARE WRONG!
Repent and Believe!
Your sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son+
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
