So tell me this, what is your education?
Like Peter and the Apostles, God's word -- the Bible!
You keep appealing to your church and not the Bible. As to size of congregations the largest church in the South is a SBC congregation not an ELCA congregation, so if you want to appeal to size, then the SBC is more numerous and more Biblical than you and your church. I used to appeal to the UFMCC until I learned the truth of Scripture and discovered the real truth. As to the size of your church, the number of people in the world who deny Jesus Christ is numerically more than those who claim salvation through faith in Christ. For sheer numbers Christians are in the minority, so does that make eastern religions right?
I pity you and hope those you are leading down the primerose path to hell will find the truth before it is to late.
It has been said: "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it." America is on the same path as the Roman Empire since their history is ignored.
BTW, "Love you neighbor" is subordinate to "You shall love God with all your heart, mind, and soul." What does "You shall love God" mean?
] Matt 22:38
Matthew 22:38
This is the first and great commandment.
[This is the first and great commandment.] It is so:
1. In its antiquity, being as old as the world, and engraven originally on our very nature.
2. In dignity; as directly and immediately proceeding from and referring to God.
3. In excellence; being the commandment of the new covenant, and the very spirit of the Divine adoption.
4. In justice; because it alone renders to God his due, prefers him before all things, and secures to him his proper rank in relation to them.
5. In sufficiency; being in itself capable of making men holy in this life, and happy in the other.
6. In fruitfulness; because it is the root of all commandments, and the fulfilling of the law.
7. In virtue and efficacy; because by this alone God reigns in the heart of man, and man is united to God.
8. In extent; leaving nothing to the creature, which it does not refer to the Creator
(from Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Biblesoft)
Matt 22:34-40
[Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart] The meaning of this is, thou shalt love him with all thy faculties or powers. Thou shalt love him supremely, more than all other beings and things, and with all the ardor possible. To love him with all the heart is to fix the affections supremely on him, more strongly than on anything else, and to be willing to give up all that we hold dear at his command.
[With all thy soul] Or, with all thy "life." [/b]This means, to be willing to give up the life to him, and to devote it all to his service; to live to him, and to be willing to die at his command.[/b]
[With all thy mind] To submit the "intellect" to his will. To love his law and gospel more than we do the decisions of our own minds. To be willing to submit all our faculties to his teaching and guidance, and to devote to him all our intellectual attainments and all the results of our intellectual efforts.
"With all thy strength" (Mark). With all the faculties of soul and body. To labor and toil for his glory, and to make that the great object of all our efforts.
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
The best educated Jews during Christ's lifetime were the Pharisees and Christ called them "hypocrits and white washed tombs". Education is useless without application that benefits you and others.
Why is it so important to you that people accept your opinion, an opinion that cannot be backed up with Scripture, but can only be substantiated by perverting God's truth.
Rev 21:7-8
7 "He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. 8 "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." NAS
It is he who overcomes who shall inherit, not those who twist Scripture to justify practicing a sinful lifestyle.
Since you have chosen to teach error I pray you understand the significance of this:
James 3:1
3:1 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment. NAS