Thanks to the Evangelical Lutheran Church for making paragraphs in news stories like this one possible…
"It's going to be an extremely glorious and festive ceremony because it's the culmination of decades of work to welcome LGBT people into the ELCA," said Amalia Vagts, executive director of the Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, a nonprofit that credentials openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people for ministry.
Megan Rohrer, one of the pastors who will participate in Sunday's rite of reception service, grew up in South Dakota and attended a Lutheran college where she said students tried to exorcise her "gay demons" by throwing holy water on her. Some of those people are now Lutheran pastors in South Dakota, she said.
Rohrer, who is transgender and a lesbian, was ordained by four congregations in San Francisco in 2006, but could not join the ELCA roster until the denomination's national assembly approved the new policy in August
I am not even sure what that means. Ms. (Mr.?) Rohrer was once a dude and now is a transgendered, lesbian “pastor”? I am afraid I don't find that glorious or festive, I find it tragic.
That paragraph comes from the latest story out of the ELCA and shockingly enough it is NOT a sudden reversal and call to repentance for the entire denomination. No indeed, the ELCA takes another step in embracing sin. Here is the crux of it...
Churches can now hire noncelibate gay clergy who are in committed relationships.
What exactly does that mean? We have a date this weekend, I am committed to it. Are we in a committed relationship? What about a heterosexual male ELCA pastor (assuming there are any) who is living with his girlfriend. Is that OK? What if she just sleeps over, does having a toothbrush and a change of clothes at his place count as them being in a “committed relationship”? Does this interpretation require a joint checking account? What if a pastor is committed to a half dozen women? Can he/she/whatever be "hired" as a pastor?
I have a better idea. Since we are supposed to emulate the lives of the elders of the church and since God has made clear that the only acceptable “committed” relationship is one man and one woman in the covenantal bounds of marriage, how about we stop playing social engineering games and stick to the book?
Showing posts with label perversion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perversion. Show all posts
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Does God need a $130 million edifice to be glorified?
I ran across a link tonight and nearly had a meltdown. I am naming names and pointing fingers and I do not apologize for it. First Baptist Dallas has decided to "honor" God by building a $130,000,000 "state of the art" church campus in Dallas.
As I look around downtown Dallas, I see spectacular temples of commerce, of culture and of government – many new, some restored to former glory, and all intended to stand for generations. The Kingdom of God needs a home to equal them – a spiritual oasis in the middle of downtown. - Dr. Robert Jeffress
Seriously. My God is glorious beyond all measure and His Kingdom is magnificent in such a way as to set all the wonders of the this world to shame.
From the press release:
In two special services this morning, Dr. Jeffress informed the congregation that already more than $62 million has been committed to this campaign. Mark Lovvorn, chair of the church’s Planning and Development Committee, further noted that the economic downturn has led to unprecedented potential savings in construction costs, citing research showing that for every dollar spent the church will receive up to $1.30 in value.
Oh that makes it OK. We are getting a good value because the economy is in the toilet. Some more:
“For more than 140 years, God has put First Baptist Church at the center of Dallas, the nation’s fastest-growing city in the heart of America,” Dr. Jeffress continued. “Jerry Jones recently unveiled a new $1.2 billion ‘temple to sport.’ In these tough economic times, why can’t we use our gifts to build a church building that provides a spiritual oasis and matches the splendor and majesty of God?”
A church building that matches the splendor and majesty of God? What sort of blasphemous statement is that? The thought that a building can even begin to match the splendor and majesty of God is a damnable heresy.
Is this what the Gospel ministry is about, building $130,000,000 church buildings in the midst of a time of economic crisis? Jesus didn't call us to try to outdo Jerry Jones, He called us to humility and servanthood. Do you think the hurting people of Dallas will read about "Christians" building this temple to wealth and see God glorified?
I am sure I am going to get aggrieved comments about "not judging". Before you do, here is my response:
Bull
Anyone who can defend this perversion of stewardship has a serious and sinful misunderstanding of the Kingdom of God and Christian ministry. Christ my King did not need or desire earthly riches because He has the cattle on a thousand hills and will reign over streets of gold. This building is an idol, pure and simple, an idol to greed and covetousness and worldliness and is unfit to wear the name of the King of Kings. This is a modern day Tower of Babel and the folly and pride of mankind is on full display.
Friday, October 10, 2008
government of the people, by the people, for the people?
No longer.
These are some of the words of one of the greatest speeches in our history, the Gettysburg Address. It probably isn't taught in public schools anymore because Lincoln was a white guy.
It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Noble words and a noble sentiment, but one that is rapidly fading into the twilight in America. The will of the people, the right to govern ourselves, is becoming a anachronism. In my last post I wrote this:
The idea of having to show ID before voting seems common sense, but not to the Left. The reason for that? Because they believe that they know better than the average American citizen, so if they win elections by fraud and deceit it is OK, because they are doing it for our own good. I mean, how can average Americans be trusted to vote? We don't trust them to educate their own kids or run their own businesses. Why even bother with the farce of an election in the first place? The Soviets had "elections" but the slate was chosen by the elite. We might as well do that here. Let the NEA, AFL-CIO and Harvard professors tell us who we can vote for so we don't damage our standing in the world.
Then I read this story...
Conn. high court rules same-sex couples can marry
HARTFORD, Conn. – Connecticut's Supreme Court ruled Friday that same-sex couples have the right to marry, making the state the third behind Massachusetts and California to legalize such unions.
The divided court ruled 4-3 that gay and lesbian couples cannot be denied the freedom to marry under the state constitution, and Connecticut's civil unions law does not provide those couples with the same rights as heterosexual couples.
----
Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Friday that she disagreed, but will not fight the ruling.
"The Supreme Court has spoken," Rell said in a statement. "I do not believe their voice reflects the majority of the people of Connecticut. However, I am also firmly convinced that attempts to reverse this decision — either legislatively or by amending the state Constitution — will not meet with success."
So Connecticut becomes the latest state to permit the sham of "gay marriage" to take place by judicial fiat. It doesn't even really merit mention in the news. The Governor knows this is not the will of the people, but doesn't care enough to even try to do anything about it. "The Supreme Court has spoken"? So the people have no voice here? Everyone is so concerned about their 401k statement that they can't even see the ongoing crumbling of our nation around us.
Government of the people, by the people, for the people has been replaced with government of the government, by the government, for the government.
These are some of the words of one of the greatest speeches in our history, the Gettysburg Address. It probably isn't taught in public schools anymore because Lincoln was a white guy.
It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Noble words and a noble sentiment, but one that is rapidly fading into the twilight in America. The will of the people, the right to govern ourselves, is becoming a anachronism. In my last post I wrote this:
The idea of having to show ID before voting seems common sense, but not to the Left. The reason for that? Because they believe that they know better than the average American citizen, so if they win elections by fraud and deceit it is OK, because they are doing it for our own good. I mean, how can average Americans be trusted to vote? We don't trust them to educate their own kids or run their own businesses. Why even bother with the farce of an election in the first place? The Soviets had "elections" but the slate was chosen by the elite. We might as well do that here. Let the NEA, AFL-CIO and Harvard professors tell us who we can vote for so we don't damage our standing in the world.
Then I read this story...
Conn. high court rules same-sex couples can marry
HARTFORD, Conn. – Connecticut's Supreme Court ruled Friday that same-sex couples have the right to marry, making the state the third behind Massachusetts and California to legalize such unions.
The divided court ruled 4-3 that gay and lesbian couples cannot be denied the freedom to marry under the state constitution, and Connecticut's civil unions law does not provide those couples with the same rights as heterosexual couples.
----
Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Friday that she disagreed, but will not fight the ruling.
"The Supreme Court has spoken," Rell said in a statement. "I do not believe their voice reflects the majority of the people of Connecticut. However, I am also firmly convinced that attempts to reverse this decision — either legislatively or by amending the state Constitution — will not meet with success."
So Connecticut becomes the latest state to permit the sham of "gay marriage" to take place by judicial fiat. It doesn't even really merit mention in the news. The Governor knows this is not the will of the people, but doesn't care enough to even try to do anything about it. "The Supreme Court has spoken"? So the people have no voice here? Everyone is so concerned about their 401k statement that they can't even see the ongoing crumbling of our nation around us.
Government of the people, by the people, for the people has been replaced with government of the government, by the government, for the government.
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