zion34736 said:In what way has the ELCA become more Epscopalian than Lutheran?
If it is regarding the notion of bishop - that is actually the historic stance of the European Lutherans since Luther. We have an "historic episcopacy" already since the days when Catholic Bishops (not yet Roman until the Council of Trent) became Lutheran and then installed their successors or neighboring new bishops. American Lutheranism to a great extent forgot, found it inconvenient or rejected this ministry.
We all hold to the Book of Concord as our defining documents, and hold the Bible is inspired and authoritative for faith
Yes and no. German Bishops stayed with Rome, so German Lutherans (who happened to form the LCMS) didn't really care at all about AS. In the Scandinavian state churchs AS was maintained, but most immigrants who came to America from Scandinavia resisted the State Churches' attempts to come with them, thus also stopping AS. I was in the ELCA until I started going to LCMS services about a year ago. One of the things that disturbed me most about the ELCA was its desire to play the ecumenism game with everyone. The LWF should not be communicating with Rome until Rome clears up the abuses that it justifies in the name of tradition. The ELCA should not be in communion with the PCUSA because they PCUSA has very different views on what the sacrament is. While the ECUSA has a compatible view on the sacrament, it has far too many different strains of doctrine (many of which are at odds with Lutheran beliefs) within it for the call to common mission to be justifiable.
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