Lutherans (ELCA) may follow Episcopal Church in Aug

[IowaJay]

just to expand on this a little. These different groups of American Lutherans trace their roots back to dfifferent ethnic and geographic European foundings.

Goodness, Jay. I had forgotten all about that group, well, the name anyway. Thanks.
Jon

The LCMS breakup in the early 70s is also historically interesting because many of the “evangelical catholics” who left the LCMS at that time later left the ELCA as well. The two most famous would be Richard John Neuhaus, who became Catholic, and Jaroslav Pelikan, who became Orthodox.

 

[JonNC]

1. No, LCMC. Not many congregations would be able to go to LCMS, unless maybe they leave the pastor behind. The differences in how the scriptures and the Book of Concord are handled pretty much means very few congregations will go LCMS. The most visible thing to many laypersons is the women pastors but the fundamental things are actually the higher criticism of the Bible in ELCA vs the historical grammatical hermaneutic in LCMS, and the LCMS’ requirement of a quia subscription to the Book of Concord at least by the clergy.

Some individuals will go LCMS, I suspect there would be ELCA members who’d actually find the LCMS believes what they thought they were a part of all this time, but not congregations.

LCMC basically says ELCA is right, it is just now going too far.

1. Finances. Yes, you aren’t alone, that’s why ELCA has actually been having continuing financial problems, giving has been gradually going down. I’m just thinking that there is going to be a sharp drop after August.
2. It is hard to tell the difference sometimes in the salt water districts, but yes, to the person in the pews the women’s ordination is the most visible. The worship service itself is similar, but the theology is different and is getting further apart. It’s really pretty hard to take two groups with two such divergent views of the bible and say they are similar at all.

ELCA will continue to find “new and glorious” things to change on it’s march back to Rome. All the foundations have been set. Strangely, the homosexual ministers will, in the future, be one of the major problems as they try to go back to Rome. Matter of fact, if I was against homosexuals in “committed lifetime relationships” I’d fight against it on the basis that it would bar the ELCA from ever uniting with Rome. Not that I’d want to unite with Rome but one might as well get the eucumenical people into the fight, they’ve been sitting on the sidelines not caring. They don’t think they have a horse in this race.

You could mention that many of the Lutherans overseas that are currently in communion with the ELCA will break over this but I don’t think many if any actually care about that.

Thanks, Joe.

Jon