A "common" what?

Shrimp here. While we find ourselves talking about sexuality a lot (indeed, probably waay too much), we at Shellfish have long been asserting that sexual, uh, confusion in the ELCA and other "mainline" (aka "oldline" or "side line") Protestant churches is merely a symptom of deeper troubles.

It has been some time since we noted that we have "Evangelical Lutheran Church in America" as a setting on the Google News page that is the default page for our web browser, and it's a setting that helps us find other symptoms.

What caught our eye today was the headline, "Attend Lenten study of criminals in the bible." This actually intrigued us -- in a positive sense -- so off we went to NorthJersey.com to find out more:

The congregation of St. Paul's Teaneck invites the community to a weekly Lenten study concerning criminals in the Bible.

The Rev. Gary C. LeCroy will lead a lively discussion about the outcasts, wrongdoers and miscreants that is found in both the common and New Testament. Coffee, refreshments and fellowship will be provided. The series begins Thursday evening Feb. 25 and every Thursday through Lent at 7 p.m....

We were reading the rest of the announcement when a double-take in our mind finally took effect: "common and New Testament"???

We've already been disheartened by Wartburg Seminary, which has the image of being one of the more, uh, mild ELCA seminaries, having professors of the "Hebrew Bible." Which now has us checking out the other ELCA seminaries...

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Oh, dear, at Southern (reputedly the most confessional/conservative of ELCA seminaries) it is "Professor of Hebrew Scriptures"...

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... well, everybody else manages to get the more usual Christian designation for that section of the Bible in there somewhere.

But if there are local and churchwide ELCA leaders who avoid speaking of the "Old Testament," what else are they avioding when it is time to contend for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints"?

We need to learn about the criminals in the Bible. But what about possible "criminals" of the faith today?

Shrimp out.