Pastor Charlton:
As a faithful Lutheran, I trust Scripture, Creeds and Confessions and seek to be loyal to them. As a faithful Lutheran I do not trust the decisions of assemblies, because, as Luther himself argued, Church Councils can err.
I comment:
The creeds and confessions, And to some extent, scripture, were developed by councils. Could they have erred?
Take a look at the Leipzig debate and see what Lutheran had to say about that. There is nothing un-Lutheran about questioning the decisions of councils.
Pastor Charlton:
\In a similar manner, I respect the office of bishop, but as a faithful Lutheran, I know that bishops cannot establish articles of faith, nor can they bind the consciences of Christians. As an ordained minster, I am bound by my ordination vows to point out when assemblies err and to disobey when a bishop tries to compel me to violate Scripture, Creeds or Confessions.
Me:
So the “bottom line” is you. You decide what is true, you decide what is correct, you decide what your ordination vows mean. You are a Church, a Council, a denomination and a synod of one. Rather un-Lutheran, I think. And it will be impossible for you to be fully committed member of any denomination.
You are not that dumb, Charles. You know that is not what I said. The ELCA itself recognizes that its assemblies cannot alter the Creeds and the Confessions. It recognizes that bishops cannot establish articles of faith and bind consciences. You and your anonymous friend known as "evangelical catholic" espouse a kind of sycophantic loyalty that even the ELCA doesn't expect of its pastors. Your demand for loyalty to human institutions is positively un-evangelical.
"anonymous" no more dear Pastor
Below is the email I sent to the bishop of the Sierra-Pacific synod with copies to Pastors Johnson and Hannah/ ALPB officers. My bishop also received a copy and subsequently invited me to the mid-week staff Eucharist at Synod headquarters. The pericopes were from All Saint's Sunday. Gospel is attached. The photo is me with Rt Rev. Erwin presenting a print from Ed Riojas' work entitled "Redemption".
"Greetings dear bishop Holmerud,
My bishop is Rev. R. Guy Erwin. Recently I communed at St Matthew's Church here in Glendale though I am not a member of a parish. Life-long Lutheran, I was educated in LCMS schools from parochial to seminary [Seminex for a year]. I greeted Bishop Erwin at his visitation to Good Shepherd parish in LA last year and took this photo including Pastor King and the parish president right before Mass.
Now, retired with plenty of time to reconnect to others; I recently discovered the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau website and joined the discussion forum. Many contributors are also members of "The Society of the Holy Trinity" and share my love for the liturgy/ seeking the healing presence of our Lord in Holy Communion. A surprising number of fellow forum participants are actual classmates when I was a student at Concordia Fort Wayne. Pastor Johnson was born in Chico the same year as me and where my mother was born and where I lived in early childhood. Many of the pastors who participate identify their congregation with direct links. All fine liturgical parishes of Word and Sacrament. The kind of Lutherans I have known all my life.
My interest has primarily been with the Lutheran World Federation and the ELCA but mostly photos/ videos highlighting great parishes/ clergy and worship or discussion of Reformation history. I happened onto the discussion of tax exemptions for religious organizations and joined in by supporting concerns that Democratic presidential candidate Beto O Rourke proposal would hurt the work of the Church. But as I read the posts of others including Pastor Johnson, I discovered the primary reason for concern was over LBGTQ people. Call me naive, but I was shocked by the comments of Pastor Johnson and several other ELCA pastors and asked how they reconcile their opinions with the policies of the ELCA and LWF. Speaking open contempt of the very Church body these pastors are members of really surprised and greatly saddened me.
I posted the Wikipedia article on Bishop Erwin pointing out that he was entering his second 6-year term. Photos of Bishop Erwin leading worship, as well as Lutheran bishops standing with the king and queen of Sweden, were included. I suggest a visit to the ALPB forum for more insight into the comments about bishop Erwin and LBGTQ people.
Evidently I have been banned for supporting the ELCA but only get this response from Pastor Johnson.
"Upgrading the forum...
Don't worry, we will be back shortly with an updated forum. It will only be a minute 
."
When the Church, in general, is facing serious decline in membership, I find it ironic that some of our pastors would openly exclude fellow Lutherans. Obviously I would feel very unwelcome/ unsafe in worship at Pastor Johnson's church. This is an unexpected betrayal since the familial rejection of me, as a Gay man, is still very painful. Now 70 years old and after hospitalization for suicidal ideation, I am seeking out fellowship with my Lutheran brothers and sisters. Perhaps Pastor Johnson would allow me to be part of the Christian community.
Thank you bishop Holmerud, I understand that Pastor Johnson is an active minister of your Synod.
Pax,
Charles Happold"Gospel – Matthew 5:1-12A
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
2 He began to teach them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
12A Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”
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