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Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Failed a Big Test of Faith
By the Rev. C.J. Conner
Christian Newswire
July 28, 2010
The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod- LCMS- had its national convention in July, completely re-structuring the organization, electing Biblically confessional leaders to most of its national posts, and re-affirming its commitment to mission in a weary world.
But the denomination of nearly 3 million members failed its greatest test this year, following behind denominations all over the world that have condemned the departure of the American Mainline and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America from biblical orthodoxy, only to retreat into empty statements.
For 20 years the LCMS has been issuing cautions and statements and pastoral admonishments to the ELCA. A few years ago, the denomination said that the ELCA is no longer a biblically orthodox denomination over that group's march towards instituting gay marriage and allowing sexually active gay pastors.
No admonishment, no statement, no dialogue or discussion the LCMS has ever had with the ELCA ever led to a change in direction for that apostate denomination.
This year the LCMS, even in the face of the decisive action last summer of the ELCA to unequivocally trample on 2000 years of Biblical teaching, offered more admonishments at the LCMS voter's assembly. Just more word salad- statements with no teeth.
The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod not only failed to seize the opportunity God offered them this year to sever all ties with the ELCA, but in their decision to remain yoked to a denomination that has so clearly left historic Christianity, the LCMS has failed American Christianity and Christians all over the world in a miserable and lamentable way.
The LCMS has acknowledged that its membership has been in decline all these years they've been issuing admonishments while working hand-in-hand with the ELCA. Scripture is clear that no church community will be blessed that goes down that road- that fails to sever the bonds with impenitent idolaters (1 Corinthians 5:9-13)- and LCMS leaders play a risky game in betting that God will make an exception in their case.
I'm betting God won't, and that the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod- so long as the group supports, finances, and works together with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for "social justice" - will continue to dwindle and whither on the vine, hanging by a tether, until the day that the "vine-dresser" finally cuts them too from the tree of life (John 15:1-8).
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