So it looks to me like the Word Alone, CORE types are on the defensive about their "Well we will stay, call ourselves members of the ELCA, keep our jobs as pastors and other positions in the ELCA, vote in conference and synod assemblies, insist bishops and other leaders in the ELCA listen to us, scold and lecture the ELCA but will not sully our pure wallets by supporting the ELCA with our gold and silver" stance. In this article over at Word Alone they actually compare the ELCA to an international corporation profiting from Apartheid! Everything I learned about the redirection of financial support, I learned from the ELCA
The church is not an international corporation. It is the Body of Christ. It is made up of YOUR Christian brothers and sisters. People you went to seminary with. People who love Jesus as much as you do. People who pray they are doing the right thing but are ready to fall on the mercy of Christ if they are mistaken.
I tell you what -- if I EVER thought the church I belonged to was as cold hearted and profit minded and evil as a soulless multi-national corporation that had no problem profiting from the oppression and torture of other human beings, I would not mess around with "redirecting my funds" I would renounce my membership in that organization. Pronto. Yesterday. And take the consequences.
Either the ELCA is evil and you need to leave today or it is the Christian community made up of saints and sinners with whom we don't always see eye to eye but need to figure out how work together for the mission of Christ. For a group that is so so very sure they are the ones on top of this authority of scripture thing, I'm still waiting for the SCRIPTURAL justification for using your money to teach your church "a lesson"
Good for you. I wonder how these pastors, any pastors, feel about a member "withholding" funds if that person doesn't like a sermon. Oh, yeah, that is already done occasionally, isn't it? I guess I have to think that the pastors who are urging this stance wouldn't be so happy if their congregations took this on wholeheartedly and also withheld their pension an medical insurance payments.
ReplyDeleteOh Lord where do I start. These folks are the frustrated "evangelicals" among us. They are far more comfortable directing funds to para church organizations like Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Promise Keepers and the like. Many have adopted the corporate style mega church model of doing church. Liturgy is a burdensome bother to them because it doesn't bring in the crowds. At least Community Church of Joy a.k.a. First Church of Walt Karlstad in Glendale AZ. was honest enough to leave when the pastor's personal politics no longer matched the social justice stands of the ELCA. Frankly they hadn't been Lutheran for years. I for one hope the ELCA will be a bit more wary of adopting any old model for planting new churches. Talk about caving to the culture have you seen some of what passes for "Contemporary Worship"? It's really pastor worship. Warning !! if your pastor spends his or her spare time going to Rick Warren seminars look out !
ReplyDeleteDon't get me started on "contemporary" worship. When I'm on vacation and looking for a church to worship if I read the words "Praise Worship" or "Contemporary" - I pass.
ReplyDeletewell, not all contemporary worship is created equal. AT least, ours isn't like that. maybe that's the problem, hmmmm.
ReplyDeletebut that's not what I was going to say. about re-directing income -- I'll bet that's not what they want the people in their congregations to do to their own church. How would they feel if a member said -- well, I don't agree with your stance on that, so I'm not going to give to this congregation any more. However, I'm still going to come. in the meantime, I'll be having coffee with people in the community and telling everyone how rotten our pastor/leadership board etc is.