I don't know for sure. But what I do know is that it did not sit well with me at all. It might not have broken the camel's back, but I think it may have cracked it.
For many years, I have held fast as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. I have done this despite my many misgivings and severe disagreements with decisions and the overall direction the national church has taken. I am not a fan of leaving or leading a congregation out just because of disagreements. Hey, I am astute enough to know that there is no perfect church, and there will never be a denomination with which I completely agree. In a very real way, leaving a denomination trades one set of issues for another, and while the grass certainly looks greener in some close relatives, sometimes that just means the grass is over a septic system.
But...sometimes there are things which make you think, maybe not. Maybe the grass truly is greener. Why is my perspective changing?
First, I must acknowledge a bit of personal bias which has influenced this. For what seems like an eternity, but really has been almost a year or two, my family has been walking through a dark valley. It's not the valley of the shadow of death, but it's been pretty dark. Since my dad died, there have been multiple road bumps which have hurt. I will not list them because they are a bit personal and involve those dearest to me. In particular, the last five months have really been hard. Draining. Both physically and mentally. And that, of course, affects you physically.
Over the past month, things seemed to be turning in a different direction. There was the faintest glimmer of light peeking through the darkness, and then, this past Monday, there was a burst of light! For the first time in a long time, we had tremendous reason to rejoice and celebrate! When we got the good news on Monday, my wife and I looked at each other and said, "This Thanksgiving, we have much to be thankful for!"
Gratitude had infused our week. Of course, the next day, we both were dragging somewhat as a huge emotional burden had been lifted. When you are able to let go of major stress, you are weary and need rest. We took that rest with joy and prepared for a day which was set apart to especially give thanks.
The vast majority of our country does the same thing with Thanksgiving. There's always the busy-ness that surrounds the holiday. There's always the cussing and discussing the preparations for the meal and the work that goes into it. There's always a sense of, "Do we really have to do this?" But, when family has gathered and those connections are made; when arguments are set aside and you simply come together to remember how truly blessed we are...then, it's all worth it. We wouldn't keep doing it if it weren't.
And this year...well, this year was different because there was an acute sense of gratefulness in my heart.
Then, I checked Facebook. That was probably a mistake, and I saw this post from my church's official FB feed:
Leave it to my denomination to take a day meant for gratitude and turn it into a day for guilt and grief.
It's par for the course.
For some time, the ELCA has drifted far from the Gospel. And when I say the Gospel, I define it in the terms of the Reformation of the 1500s. That we are sinful, self-serving creatures who have rebelled against God and who deserve nothing but divine punishment. Yet, despite our unworthiness, God took on human flesh to live the life we were supposed to live and then died the death that we deserved to pay the cost for our sin. We were redeemed not with gold or silver, but with Jesus holy and precious blood. When we trust in Jesus' work and not our own, we experience forgiveness, life, and salvation. This is the Gospel. This is grace. This Gospel produces immeasurable joy, humility, and gratitude because it recognizes God's love to save every single sinner--every single person who has fallen short of the glory of God.
But this is not the gospel preached by many in the ELCA. Jesus dying for our sins is considered divine child abuse. Grace means that God simply loves you as you are and that you are worthy of God's love. The good news is that God is on the side of the oppressed and marginalized and against those who oppress. There is an incentive to show that one is oppressed and marginalized. Victimhood is celebrated. Being on the margins is virtuous, and if you are not in these categories, then you are privileged. Your voice doesn't count nearly as much. You must listen to those with whom God has sided with. This gospel produces guilt, grief, and self-righteousness.
This false gospel is behind the ELCA's post because it lifts up the margins. It lifts up the victims. It lifts up the voice of the oppressed. And it emphasizes grief and guilt--two things the true Gospel overcomes and transforms. While the true Gospel acknowledges sin, it emphasizes forgiveness and reconciliation--not a wallowing in victimhood. The true Gospel proclaims that even though we fall victim, God raises to new life and empowers us to love even our enemies. "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us," writes St. Paul in Romans chapter 8. Not victims. Conquerors.
I thought really hard about voicing my concerns with this post by making a comment, but I didn't. Too often those in charge of the FB account of the ELCA delete comments they perceive as negative or hateful--I am somewhat surprised that they actually left up many of the responses as of the writing of this post. I have had several comments of mine deleted even though they were theologically sound and written carefully to come across as critical but without hatred. No use to ruin my Thanksgiving by constantly checking my phone to see who may or may not have responded. It just isn't worth it.
It was and is worth focusing on gratitude: Thanksgiving. I find it becoming increasingly difficult to do so in a denomination which seems to continue to try and drag people into guilt and grief. The camel's back is not broken yet, and I am wondering how many straws it may still hold.
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