In recent posts such as The Nightmare Beginning For Mainstream Evangelicalism here at Apprising Ministries I’ve been doing what I can to send a warning. The highly divisive issue of those having sexual relations with another of the same sex i.e homosexuality is now ripping apart the mainline denominations such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Sadly, it’s also the immediate future of evangelicalism. For those who wish more detail concerning the ELCA’s tragic vote this past Friday, now placing them in open rebellion against the Word of God with their absolutely  ludicrous decision to allow their churches to have clergy who are openly practicing sexual immorality, we refer you to ELCA And Homosexuality.

Here we bring to your attention once again “Queer Inclusive” ELCA “pastor” Nadia Bolz-Weber, who’s set to be a featured speaker at the upcoming conference Christianity 21  (C 21). This conference itself is being put on by “Gay Affirming” theologian Tony Jones and his quasi-universalist pastor Doug Pagitt, both leaders in the egregiously ecumenical Emerging Church aka Emergent Church—now morphing into Emergence Christianity (EC).

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:9)

For False Prophets Will Arise And Deceive Many To Gain Disciples For Themselves

However, the fact remains that this C 21 has about as much to do with the historic orthodox Christian faith as the funny pages in your local Sunday newspaper. Today Bolz-Weber aka SarcasticLuther Tweets:

My sermon following the ELCA church-wide assembly is up –> http://tinyurl.com/m84m3o (Online source)

That link takes us to a sermon following the ELCA church wide assembly, which uses John 6:56-69 as its text. In the following we’ll get another vivid illustration as to why God did not call women to the pastorate. First, Bolz-Weber gives us an EC “exposition” of this passage of Scripture:

In our text for today Jesus is teaching in the synagogue and when he’s done a bunch of his followers say “This teaching is haaaard.” and Jesus is like, O I’m sorry, does this offend you?” and several of them left right there on the spot.  He then asks “Do you also want to leave?” and Peter replies “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Online source)

Then she reminds her ELCA church that “the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America met in church wide assembly this week.” Bolz-Weber also informs us that this assembly was the “highest governing body of the church” and:

several historic decisions to be made around what this church’s stance is on issues of human sexuality. In the end, we approved a social statement as well as policy changes which now allow congregations to bless and hold publicly accountable those in same sex life long monogamous relationship as well as to call GLBTQ pastors in such relationships to serve as their clergy. (Online source)

Bolz-Weber goes on to explain that during the “debate on the floor” there were “green microphones” for those “who support these steps” made their arguments, etc., and then “the red microphones” were for those “who reject these steps” so they might present their views. She also shares her personal take on what went on in “the ELCA church-wide assembly”:

As an ELCA pastor serving you, a community committed to the full inclusion of all GLBTQ brothers and sisters in Christ, I watched the proceedings with my heart in my throat. If these policy changes hadn’t been approved I honestly had no idea what I could possible come back to you and say…

I watched people say prayerful things, hurtful things, thoughtful things, and idiotic things on both sides of the aisle. Yet there several of my friends were: standing faithfully at the Green microphones. Standing faithfully to make this church a house of prayer for ALL people. And I couldn’t help but think…if Jesus was here, he’d be standing in the green line. (Online source)

This is key to the point of this particular post. For you see, in addition to being an up-and-coming EC voice, Bolz-Weber has also aligned herself with self-described outlaw preachers currently Turning God’s Grace Into An Idol. I’ve previously brought out e.g. in John MacArthur: Jesus Vs. The Pharisees that there’s growing, largely Biblically illiterate, group of “preachers” sprouting up around head Outlaw “Gay Affirming Pastor” Jay Bakker.

As a matter of fact, Bakker himself recently spoke at The ELCA Youth Gathering. As we return our focus to Bolz-Weber’s musing concerning the doleful decision made by her ELCA, to be fair, she does go on to say, “I knew that Jesus was really in between the red and green microphones.” And further:

Jesus right there between the liberals and conservatives speaking the word that the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Jesus standing there between those who are harmed and those doing the harming saying forgive as you have been forgiven. (Online source)

It’s a lovely sentiment and does play the heart-strings well; but, it isn’t true. God is not between two polar opposites in the case of homopressive people like Bakker and Bolz-Weber, who are lying to GLBTQ people and leaving them under the oppression of their sin, because they don’t love them enough to tell them the truth: Jesus died for the sins of everyone who will believe; and He will set them free from their sin.

Bolz-Weber, who wants us to know that she thinks “the people who hate me are a little silly,” then closes her sermon around Peter’s realization—that despite the difficulty in following Christ’s teachings—Jesus has the Words of eternal life; there’s nowhere else to go: 

Part of me is with the disciples who say These teaching are difficult, who can accept them? So when Jesus says Do you too want to leave….I think the only reasonable answer is well yeah. I do. cause these teachings are haaaard and I’m very aware of how much these policy changes mean to this community I love but I’m also aware of how painful these policy changes are to a minority in this denomination I love. (Online source)

Those Who Truly Love Jesus Will Follow Him And Obey God’s Word

Here we can sympathize with Bolz-Weber and practicing GLBTQ people within the rapidly apostatizing ELCA. I’ve been alerting people in the mainstream evangelical community for months now to get ready for this same issue to detonate soon within their own denominations, especially those who are—in clear violation of God’s Word—already ordaining women to the role of elder and pastor; because there Satan will lay his charges first.

We do, however, find a point of agreement with Bolz-Weber when she says that “the words of eternal life tell us that we must die. We must die to self and live to Christ.” Absolutely; but we live for the real Christ, not the false Jesus of the EC and effete denominational leaders, which often talk precisely as Bolz-Weber quotes Bishop Mark Hanson speaking below:

At the beginning and the end of these debates Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson reminded us that “WE MEET ONE ANOTHER FINALLY, NOT IN OUR AGREEMENTS OR OUR DISAGREEMENTS, BUT AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS. WHERE GOD IS FAITHFUL, WHERE CHRIST IS PRESENT WITH US, AND WHERE, BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, WE ARE ONE IN CHRIST. (Online source, caps hers)

I also feel sorry for the Bishop because his position in the ELCA comes with much personal cost — Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly (James 3:1). What Hansen says above does have an element of truth, but it is also serves as an attempt to negate any valid reason for even having those differences. However, that’s just not Biblical:

in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you. (1 Corinthians 11:18-19, NASB)

Here the Holy Spirit has clearly told us that division does have its place within the visible church. Jesus does not stand in limbo between those who defy the Word of God by—in this case—affirming GLBTQ people in their sin, and those who do their best to present [themselves] to God as [those] approved, [being] a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15, ESV).

So unless Bolz-Weber, and other gay affirming fools like her brazen enough to teach GLBTQ people to disobey God’s Word, turn in repentance they are going to have to answer Jesus — “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say” (Luke 6:46). All the more so now for Bolz-Weber herself; who then closes her sermon with the right idea:

So let’s again look to Christ and not ourselves because in the end there are no winners and losers, there is just what there has always been, the good news of Jesus Christ The Holy One of God. To whom else shall we go? (Online source)

Well, let’s go to Him then. In The Sin Of Homosexuality Is Different I show that Jesus of Nazareth—our Creator—Who, by the way is speaking from the perspective of an eyewitness, defines marriage when He informs us:

“But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.’ ”  (Mark 10:6-8, ESV)

This is where Jesus stands, which means it’s also where every genuine Christian must stand as well. It also means that, from a Biblical standpoint, homosexual activity will always be outside of the marriage covenant; and therefore, is among the sexual immorality we are repeatedly told to flee from in Scripture. And no one has the right to call themselves a Christian and then not do what Jesus says.

Today in the Lord I admonish Nadia Bolz-Weber, these gay affirming outlaw preachers, and others in the ELCA supporting this travesty of a vote affirming unrepentant sinners as clergy, to stop their rebellion.

See also:

“QUEER INCLUSIVE PASTOR” NADIA BOLZ-WEBER ON PRAXIS

NADIA BOLZ-WEBER: SERMON ON JUDAS AND GRACE GONE WILD

HOMOPRESSIVE AS JAY BAKKER

AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY

BUT DO EMERGENCE CHRISTIANITY AND BRIAN MCLAREN REALLY LOVE GAY PEOPLE?

THE NEW CHRISTIANS WITH CHRISTIANITY WORTH BELIEVING—NO SOLA SCRIPTURA: YES, WOMEN PASTORS AND QUEER CHRISTIANS

AM MAILBAG: DR. WALTER MARTIN ON APOSTASY