Being ex-ELCA myself, it pleases me greatly to hear of other converts.

" In August, The Layman Online published a story about a warning by Carl E. Braaten, one of the nation’s leading Lutheran theologians, to the president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America."

"In the article, ‘Leading Lutheran scholar: ELCA’s liberal drift causing ‘brain drain’ from denomination,’ Braaten lamented the exodus of Lutheran scholars and ministers from the mainline Lutheran denomination to the Roman Catholic Church. He expressed his dismay over the direction the ELCA in strong words, including ‘heresy,’ ‘pious piffle,’ and ‘empty body.’ He warned that the denomination was on a ‘trajectory that leads to rank antinomianism.’"

"Braattan said his departed colleagues were ‘convinced that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has become just another liberal protestant denomination. Hence, they have decided that they can no longer be a part of that. Especially, they say, they are not willing to raise their children in a church that they believe has lost its moorings in the great tradition of evangelical (small e) and catholic (small c) orthodoxy (small o), which was at the heart of Luther’s reformatory teaching and the Lutheran Confessional Writings. They are saying that the Roman Catholic Church is now more hospitable to confessional Lutheran teaching than the church in which they were baptized and confirmed. Can this possibly be true?’"

"On Oct. 9, the Rev. Tom McMichael of Hope Lutheran Church in Lynden, Wash., cited similar reasons for his resignation from the ELCA to enter into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. ‘

"On October 9th, Pastor Tom McMichael resigned his ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, after seventeen years of ordained service. He and his wife will soon enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. Here is the letter he sent to his congregation. Please keep Pastor McMichael, his family, and Hope Lutheran Church in your prayers."

The pastor of my sister’s ELCA church said in a sermon that very recently an agreement was reached between the RCC and ELCA allowing members of each to share each other’s communion. I haven’t heard of any such thing. Have any of you? Have I missed the biggest ecumenical news story of the year somehow? A Google search seems to confirm my immediate suspicion that the pastor is grossly misinformed. Can anybody shed more light on this?

Five hundred years before a post on a blog could have national and global impact, Martin Luther made a primitive posting on a door. The Church has been reeling from this event’s consequences ever since.

Recently, someone suggested to me that Luther was only asked by the pope to recant 48 of his 95 theses. Does anybody know if this is true? If so, which theses were acceptable and which were not? I wonder how events might have played out if Luther had chosen to be less defiant.

Here are some good conversion stories I’ve found.

From Lutheran to Catholic
Coming Home [A former Methodist minister]
Better Late Than Never [A 93-year-old Methodist]

On a related note: Why Tom Casey Loves the Catholic Church

The Lord works in mysterious ways. I have long suffered with frequent anxiety attacks brought on by fear of death. That fear has been a severe stumbling block to my faith. When I accepted Christ in my life again and went through RCIA, it wasn’t because I’d beaten my fears and doubts. It was because I learned that I could fight with doubt every day of my life and still be faithful. Faith is not giving up in the face of fear and doubt.

Recently I learned that my sister suffers from the same problem. She sometimes calls me because she needs to talk to someone who understands and shares her pain. It’s bitter-sweet for me when she calls. I’m glad she comes to me for help since we haven’t always gotten along. On the other hand, I’m also sad and scared because I have to walk through hell to pull her out.

I was watching a movie tonight when another anxiety attack hit. It wasn’t severe, but I knew getting to sleep would be difficult. I decided to do some blogging. As I was finishing up, my cell phone rang. It was my sister. She was having an anxiety attack, too.

I wanted so badly to help her. I told her that I wish I knew some good Protestant chants to soothe her and that if she were Catholic, I’d suggest that she pray the Rosary. She was bothered by my hesitancy and told me that she doesn’t feel bound by denominational boundaries and, while certainly not Catholic, she isn’t opposed to all things Catholic.

My heart skipped a beat and I nervously asked if I could teach her the Rosary. She said yes and for the next twenty minutes I taught her the Joyful Mysteries. I was so happy and nervous that I nearly broke down in tears as I read from my prayer book (I don’t pray it often myself - still lingering Protestant bias I guess). We were interrupted because her husband, who’s in the National Guard, called from Iraq. I’m sure she’ll sleep well after hearing from him. I’m glad I could comfort her until his call, though. She probably won’t remember all the prayers I taught her or necessarily even say them, but she listened and it helped her feel better.

I had expected to go to bed tonight feeling scared, helpless, and full of doubt. Instead, I may cry myself to sleep with tears of joy because my Protestant sister let me teach her the Rosary. The Lord certainly works in mysterious ways.

Recently, the ELCA (the denomination in which I was raised) has announced the recommendations of their task force for the studies on sexuality. The basic gist, as I understand it, is that each congregation must decide for themselves how accepting of homosexual behavior will be. Apparently, the task force cares more about group unity than orthodoxy. I suspect that the ELCA, which has been developing close ties to the ECUSA in recent years, will follow the Episcopalians into chaotic heterodoxy and ultimately disintegrate.

Here are some reactions from around the blogosphere.

Recent Developments Among The Lutherans and Episcopalians (Sed Contra)

"[The third recommendation] is incoherent because it essentially puts forth two versions of the Gospel, one in which God made human beings with bodies that have meaning and design and whose use matters and one in which such values that appear in scripture and which Christians have held for more than 2000 years are simply deemed to be of less importance. Whatever calls itself "love," whether or not it is, objectively, loving, trumps everything else, including God."

Lutherans choose not-so-sudden-death overtime (GetReligion)

"The ELCA (1) is ready for shared Communion with the via-media experts at the Episcopal Church and (2) the ongoing storm of sex-war headlines will continue in oldline Protestantism as people fight over clashing concepts of truth — experiential progressives vs. traditionalists who stress moral absolutes. The issue of sex outside of marriage (gay and straight) makes for great headlines and points toward more fundamental differences in almost every set of pews in America."

ELCA Sexuality Task Force Delivers Report (I Am a Christian Too)

"I see this less as a moral stand by the task force, than as a pastoral attempt to allow disagreement within the ELCA while maintaining unity on what we all hold dear: the gospel of justification by grace through faith."

Lutheran panel says ‘no’ to same-sex marriage; proposes tolerance for homosexuality (CNA)

"The panel, consisting of clergy, seminary professors and lay people, also recommended that the five-million member ELCA tolerate homosexuals within their congregations."

I’m curious about what my Christian readers think of this. Comments are appreciated.

Readers of Shaun Pierce’s article on sola fide might find this interesting. In 1997, the Roman Catholic Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America produced this document:

JOINT DECLARATION ON THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION

The doctrine of justification was of central importance for the Lutheran Reformation of the sixteenth century. It was held to be the “first and chief article” and at the same time the “ruler and judge over all other Christian doctrines.” The doctrine of justification was particularly asserted and defended in its Reformation shape and special valuation over against the Roman Catholic Church and theology of that time, which in turn asserted and defended a doctrine of justification of a different character. From the Reformation perspective, justification was the crux of all the disputes. Doctrinal condemnations were put forward both in the Lutheran Confessions and by the Roman Catholic Church’s Council of Trent. These condemnations are still valid today and thus have a church-dividing effect.

Dr. Phillip Blosser, the Pertinacious Papist, wrote an interesting article on Martin Luther’s Bible. It dispels some common Protestant myths.

“A common assumption among Lutherans and other Protestants is that Luther…was the Reformer, more than any other, who is to be credited with making the Bible available in the common language…What is not generally known is that there were 18 Catholic translations of the whole Bible into German before Luther’s translation saw the light of day.”

Catholic Maniacs has an interesting bit about Luther’s mother.

“As we know Martin Luther left the church to start Lutherism but his mother remained true to the Catholic faith.”

I generally find that women don't appreciate being instructed about their proper roles from men. That's understandable. I'd imagine most men don't like being told their roles by women, either (though my gut tells me women hate hearing about womanhood from men more than the reverse). The author of the following defense of the all-male priesthood is a women. Even cooler, she's an ex-Lutheran minister (I'm an ex-Lutheran as well).

Former Lutheran Pastor Debunks Women's Ordination (Part 1)
Jennifer Ferrara Was Won Over by the Pope's Theology of the Body

SPRING CITY, Pennsylvania, JUNE 21, 2004 (Zenit.org).- When she was younger, Jennifer Ferrara never would have foreseen the day when she became a sort of apologist for the all-male Catholic priesthood.

Former Lutheran Pastor Defends All-Male Priesthood (Part 2)
Jennifer Ferrara on Proper Roles in the Church

SPRING CITY, Pennsylvania, JUNE 22, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Women can find innumerable opportunities for service in the Church if only they embrace their proper role, says a former Lutheran minister who now extols the all-male Catholic priesthood.

Also regarding women in the Church:

Scholars rethink image of biblical figure
By Mary Kaye Ritz, The Honolulu Advertiser

How did Mary Magdalene, who has inspired legions of the faithful, gnostics and scholars, and even affected pop culture, come to be so popular — and so misunderstood?