Well, you and I are on different sides of this issue, so I won't offer point/counterpoint to every single thing you post on this matter. However, there was one terribly disturbing bullet point in the linked post, and I'd like to offer my response.
First, near the bottom of her list, Kay writes, "In the 3 months after CWA, about 150 congregations held both votes to leave. 100 succeeded. ELCA’s spin is that it isn’t such a big number. But two months after the budget was passed, ELCA had to cut the budget by 10% & lay off 40+ employees. Our dollars ARE talking!"
Wow. Lutheran CORE celebrates that people are losing their jobs and funding for mission is being reduced? Perhaps Lutheran CORE also takes credit for the steep economic decline we've seen in the past few years (because as you likely know, charitable giving trails the performance of the economy - so the huge economic crisis that was drowning us a year ago is just now making a significant impact on giving ... but sure, if Lutheran CORE wants to celebrate and take credit for declined giving to the ELCA, that's fine with me.)
By the way, does Lutheran CORE have any numbers to show how gifts they've asked to be redirected are being used, or that the decline in giving to the ELCA is directly proportional to the rate of increased giving to Lutheran CORE or to other, non-ELCA ministries? Just wondering. I mean, if they're going to take credit for inflicting a serious financial wound on the ELCA, I'd like to see some numbers to back it up. It's easy to take credit for something, but much harder to prove it.
Like I said, I won't offer counter-points to everything you post here that is critical of the ELCA and supportive of Lutheran CORE. But I had to respond to the celebratory tone of that sad point about the budget cuts at the ELCA.
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Well, you and I are on different sides of this issue, so I won't offer point/counterpoint to every single thing you post on this matter. However, there was one terribly disturbing bullet point in the linked post, and I'd like to offer my response.
First, near the bottom of her list, Kay writes, "In the 3 months after CWA, about 150 congregations held both votes to leave. 100 succeeded. ELCA’s spin is that it isn’t such a big number. But two months after the budget was passed, ELCA had to cut the budget by 10% & lay off 40+ employees. Our dollars ARE talking!"
Wow. Lutheran CORE celebrates that people are losing their jobs and funding for mission is being reduced? Perhaps Lutheran CORE also takes credit for the steep economic decline we've seen in the past few years (because as you likely know, charitable giving trails the performance of the economy - so the huge economic crisis that was drowning us a year ago is just now making a significant impact on giving ... but sure, if Lutheran CORE wants to celebrate and take credit for declined giving to the ELCA, that's fine with me.)
By the way, does Lutheran CORE have any numbers to show how gifts they've asked to be redirected are being used, or that the decline in giving to the ELCA is directly proportional to the rate of increased giving to Lutheran CORE or to other, non-ELCA ministries? Just wondering. I mean, if they're going to take credit for inflicting a serious financial wound on the ELCA, I'd like to see some numbers to back it up. It's easy to take credit for something, but much harder to prove it.
Like I said, I won't offer counter-points to everything you post here that is critical of the ELCA and supportive of Lutheran CORE. But I had to respond to the celebratory tone of that sad point about the budget cuts at the ELCA.
Sigh. May the Lord have mercy on all of us.
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