I found this interesting: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/14/bachmanns-former-church_n_899353.html
I couldn’t believe the Wisconsin Synod would still teach this, so I looked it up on their website, and sure enough, they feel one is not a confessional Lutheran if one does not agree that “the Papacy” is the anti-Christ! For those unfamiliar with the Lutheran community, WELS is a conservative Lutheran body of 390,000 in the U.S, separate from the ELCA. The ELCA does not teach that the Pope is the anti-Christ.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/14/bachmanns-former-church_n_899353.HTML
The Iowa Synod joined the ALC which joined the ELCA.
July 22, 2011 at 2:56 pm
If an ELCA pastor / member subscribes to the Lutheran Confessions, then they in effect subscribe to this Lutheran teaching. Unless ELCA pastors / members pick and choose to which confessions they subscribe…
July 23, 2011 at 8:56 am
Most Lutherans would disagree. Most Lutherans would say the statement is absurd. We do not teach that the papcy is the Antichrist. Indeed, there have been corrupt popes (and also Protestant church leaders) who worked against Christ’s purposes, but this doesn’t mean every church leader does. Many of abuses of the 16th century church were addressed in the Counter-Reformation. Just because one pope executed those who disagreed based on their conscience does not mean all popes should be lumped together. Certainly, we have our differences with Rome, but this is much different than saying the papcy is the antichrist. This is the 21st century not the 16th. Time to stop hurling anathemas.