Contact: Rev. C.J. Conner, cjconner@revcjconner.com

MEDIA ADVISORY, March 13 /Christian Newswire/ -- On March 13th, 2008, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) released their draft statement on human sexuality in which they support blessing gay unions in the church, leave the door open for the ordination of practicing gay clergy, and urge the denomination to continue indefinitely their 6 year old conversation about sex.

But most striking is, rather than chart a new course to address the reasons why they have shrunk significantly in membership while Biblically grounded conservative churches have seen considerable growth in recent years, the ELCA has decided to "re-define" what it means to be an Evangelical Christian.

And why not?

They have already "re-defined" Christian Marriage, not only creating a gender neutral marriage ceremony, but holding that if the Government approves of gay marriage, so should the Church.[1]

They have deftly re-defined the meaning of "victim" in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict- not surprisingly in favor of the Hamas "Freedom Fighters."[2]

They have even re-defined the definition of a sovereign Christian nation. Head of the ELCA, Bishop Mark Hanson suggests that Christians who want to secure American borders and end illegal immigration are biblically illiterate.[3]

There is a reason why Bishop Hanson, a long time proponent of gay marriage and practicing gay clergy, has overseen the largest loss of membership in the history of American Lutheranism.[4]

There is a reason why Bishop Hanson has overseen some of the most costly clergy sexual abuse cases in history.[5]

There is a reason why hundreds of congregations have left the ELCA in recent years, and thousands more are preparing to leave.

The problem goes much deeper than this statement on homosexuality. It goes beyond the leadership's use of Clintonian tactics to impose a radically left political agenda dressed up in theological language.

Their problem is, it is much easier to re-define what it means to be an Evangelical Christian than it is to actually be an Evangelical Christian.

Hanson insists that the direction he is leading the ELCA will bring people in droves to a denomination that puts much less emphasis on faith and the disposition of souls than they do on instituting gay marriage, the U.N.'s Millennium Development Goals, and "peace with justice" for a Palestinian victory against Israel. However, the time tested research, as well as their latest numbers, disagree. The ELCA is a dying denomination desperately clamoring for relevancy while simultaneously rejecting so many of the Christian principles that have sustained and prospered the Church for centuries.

Lucky for the future of the American Church, the average person not only knows what the word "is" is, but they know that there is nothing Evangelical about the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Rev. C.J. Conner

Author- Jesus and the Culture Wars: Reclaiming the Lord's Prayer.