postlaestadianrevival

Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us he is able to accomplish infinitely more that we would ever dare ask or imagine. Ephesians 3:20, 21 NLT

My parents were members of the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church--a denomination that is a Finnish Lutheran pietistic group. Its roots are in northern Finland and Swedish Lapland, and its followers believe that they are the only true Christians. There are several splinter groups of this sect in the United States, that go by names like…. the Finnish Apostolic Church, The Apostolic Lutheran Church, The Old Apostolic Lutheran Church and the Laestadian Lutheran Church. These churches are all exclusive in that each believes their own group is the only true Christian church.

The church my family attended was in Brush Prairie, WA.

I grew up in this church, was baptized as an infant, sent to Sunday school, and at the age of fourteen I attended two weeks of confirmation school. In both Sunday school and confirmation school we studied a small book titled catechism and bible history. It contained a condensed version of some old testament and new testament events, the lord’s prayer, the ten commandments, the apostle’s creed, and I suppose a few other things as well. We had a children’s bible at home and my mother used to read to us when we were small. When we got older most of us read it for ourselves--we all loved to read. I don’t know if other homes had this benefit or not. I have encountered people of this faith who were afraid to read the bible

The church was pretty strict, legalistic some would call it. Among its prohibitions were TV, movies, Christmas trees, dancing, musical instruments, make-up, jewelry, pictures on the walls, and radios to name a few. One friend told me as children she and her sisters liked to play a game with the sears catalog, taking turns picking outfits to wear--but first she said they had to decide if they were going to be Christians--if they were they couldn’t pick out jewelry or any thing that looked “vain.” I had kind of the same idea about being a Christian. I wasn’t quite sold on it. There were so many things one could not have or do.

However, when I attended Confirmation school I understood for the first time the gospel message. I had heard bits and pieces over the years of Jesus’ death on the cross--but I did not realize its significance. I thought it was a horrible injustice…but had no clue about atonement. I thought it was what you abstained from that made you a Christian. I don’t know that my teachers intentionally gave the gospel message, but I guess God did.

I repented of my sins and began to walk in the faith.

For my sixteenth birthday I received a bible of my own. I read it some. I did not have a devotional time or a quiet time because I had never heard of those things. I just read my bible whenever the mood struck. No one ever said anything about giving control of my life to God, about making Jesus Lord of my life…or trusting him to provide. I thought I had to take care of myself and was determined to do a good job of it. When things went poorly I blamed myself. When things went well, I thought I was smarter than everyone else. I didn’t know very much about God and pretty much did things my own way. He was true to his word, none-the-less, He didn’t leave me or forsake me.

I continued to be a member of that church until I was in my thirties. Over time, the false teachings were gradually exposed. I found that the “love we had for all the other Christians” was largely limited to outward appearance of it. I found that the Preachers, who were supposed to preach only what was revealed by the Holy Spirit were told what to preach by those with more authority. The advice one received from the preachers, which one was to accept as the word of God did not come from God at all but from the men who led the church. And the counsel they did give was more for the benefit of the church than the individual. The fellowship with other believers, which was touted to be a great encouragement to ones faith was little more than gossip, discussions of how some person was related to old so-and-so, or ones house, one’s remodeling project, or some one else‘s.. Then the rules began to change, things that had been permissible were no longer allowed… Each revelation was a betrayal. It grieved and angered me. My faith was slipping away, like sand through my fingers.

I remember praying one evening--telling God I could not possibly stand it any longer--knowing in my heart that if I wanted to follow Him I had to continue in the church.

At last, this lie too was exposed…after we began attending another church. At the age of 37 I enrolled in my first Bible study…Beth Moore’s study on the old testament tabernacle. It changed my life profoundly.

Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:11-12 “…no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any one builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is because the Day will bring it to light.”

The teachings of my old church were mostly traditions and teachings of men and they are like the wood, hay and straw which decay over time and scatter in the wind and are easily consumed by fire. God allowed me to see them for what they were, then led me to His word, the bible, which is like gold, silver, and precious stones for these are things that endure. His word is true for every person, every culture, for all times, for all places and in all circumstances. It is as true for you as it is for me.

I can sum up my experience simply by re-stating psalm 40:1-3.

I waited patiently for the Lord
He turned to me and heard my cry,
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire,
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God
Many will see and fear
And put their trust in the Lord.

Thank you for taking time to read this.

Helo Soapbox,

Good to see your forum up again. I don't think we can have too many ex-Laestadian sites on the net. I don;t have time right now to post much, but I will try to keep in touch and contribute when I can.

Your leaving the oalc after many years mirrors that of myself. It was a slow agonizing process. Some of my family had left the church before me, so that I had others to confide in about my doubts. Now that I have left, I look back and wonder why I took so long to admit the obvious!

Again, greetings to you. 4eyes

Soapbox, your comment about the advice the preachers gave being more for the good of the church than of the individual reminded me of something I had forgotten about. I knew a girl from the church who had been sexually assaulted by her cousins--when she told the preachers about it, she was instructed to not tell her parents. Isn't that the saddest thing? Having to endure the awful experience and not be able to confide in her own mother and father? The reason for this advice was to keep unity in the church...

Hello 4eyes! Thanks for posting. I'd love to hear your story!

Thank you for an unapologetically Christian forum for us refugees of Laestadianism. It grieves me that so many have totally rejected Christ after their experiences with the Laestadian churches. It really isn't that surprising that it happens, just sad. I am so greatful to have made my journey out and into the hand of a loving gracious Father in heaven. Praise Him from whom everything flows to us His beloved!

Wasn't it an amazing experience to see the teachings of the
church exposed for the lies that they are? One of the biggest
lies that bound me there in fear was that there was only one
true church through which you could be saved, and they were
IT. So no matter how many things seemed wrong, it felt too
scary to dare to question that teaching.

I found myself on my knees crying out to God, begging Him to
reveal His truth to me, and give me the grace & strength to
embrace it. I had to come to a place where I was willing to
give up everything and everyone to follow Jesus Christ alone.

Every time I hear that hymn, "I have decided to follow Jesus--
no turning back....Tho' none go with me, I still will follow..." I
remember the struggle as satan tried to hold me back and
Jesus beckoned me to come into the freedom He had for my
troubled soul.

Another teaching that brought so much fear to my heart was
that I would die without my sins forgiven & end up in hell even
though I had been trying to walk as an obedient Christian. There
were some threats in some of Laestadius' sermons of such, and
also confusing teachings from the preachers, as well as a big
emphasis on someone being there to testify your sins forgiven
right before you die.

When I learned from Dr. Charles Stanley about how the Bible
clearly teaches the eternality of our salvation, it totally debunked
that lie. I wept with joy and relief, and rest in assurance now that
no one can ever snatch me out of my Savior's hand. If there was
ever a blessed assurance, that is it!

Another huge lie perpetuated in the Apostolic Lutheran churches is
that the Holy Spirit is guiding their oral sermons. That is an outright
insult to credit the Omniscient God with the foolishness that is
preached there. The Holy Spirit's job is to show Christ clearly and
to draw people to Him. The Holy Spirit reveals the Word of God &
helps us grow in grace and in the KNOWLEDGE of Jesus Christ.
Biblically illiterate men have no business pretending that they are
being used by God to tend His sheep. God does not want lazy
shepherds who hardly know Him calling themselves preachers and
then getting up in front of a congregation and talking about their
own sinfulness & wretchedness. That is worse than pitiful in my
estimation, since they are using the time that they should be teaching
about God to toot their own "I-am-so-humble-and-unworthy" horn.

The thing that stands out in the previous post is: FEAR. Fear seems to be the way the OALC maintains their numbers. I know I spent years unlearning it. Fear and timidity keep people submissive/subservient.

God has not given us a spirit of fear. Fear is not of God. The fear/reverence of God is the beginning of knowledge.

Many in the church apparently believed that Marion H. had a nasty website that said horrible things about the church. Those who knew her well told me that she needed help to set up an e-mail account. No web master she! However, a church member I am acquainted with thought that Marion's untimely death was a punishment for her website.

I was taken aback with the awful thought of "What if that is true?" Then I remembered--GOD knew it wasn't Marion's site therefore it wasn't punishment from God.


The person or persons who have set up websites are still alive and kicking as far as I know.

Let me check! HMMM! Yep! I still have a pulse!

Long Gone, could you give us some details of how you overcame the fears?

Any bible teaching or personal experiences that helped?

Marian Halberg loved the Lord and He loves her. She is crowned and bejeweled with the God she loved, worshipped and served. If you want to be constructive pray for her children, especially her young ones, Pam, Karla, Gabe and Josh. She would thank you for those prayers. The salvation of her chidren was heavy on her heart when she was here among us. She was NOT computer literate and she had no website.

Dealing with fear was a battle for my mind. The battle started with a Kay Arthur study through the books of Timothy. When the overwhelming fear would come I would do as Jesus did when He was tempted He used Scripture to overcome. The fear was replaced in my mind with the truth of His Word, "God has not given the spirit of fear." No, this is not a mantra, it is replacing lies with Truth.

I have been through program of scripture saturation from SAFE ministries. We began with the verse: For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12.

As Long Gone said, Jesus answered the temptations of Satan by quoting scripture to him. The word of God is one thing that Satan cannot stand against. By repeating the truths of scripture we can erase the lies of Satan that have dictated how we think, believe and react.

When we have ingested the word so that it is the truth that we live in we become emotionally stable and at peace.

At one time I was characterized by anxiety. Now I am rarely, if ever, anxious. My verse was Philippians 4: 5-7. "Let your gentleness be evident to all, the LORD is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of Gd, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

I tried to say it 100 times each day and remind myself to say it if I was beginning to feel overwhelmed by anxiety.

I love what you said about the Word of God and how we live IN it, also about how it dispels lies and shapes how we think and believe.

One of the most meaningful verses for me when storms come up that really rock my boat and bring terror to my heart is Isaiah 26:3, which in the KJV says: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." In the NIV it reads: "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You." In this case, I like the KJV better because it reminds me where my focus needs to be while my boat is rocking out of control--on the Ruler of the wind & waves who really DOES have everything under His control no matter how it appears to me. On one occasion, as I was driving alone to an emergency room that was hours away to face a serious situation, I had to keep saying that verse over & over again to still my troubled heart. God answered my prayers and gave me the strength to deal with that situation with calmness and peace, totally trusting in Him for the outcome.

God has blessed me with trials that I have had to face alone, without anyone else propping me up. They have taught me this truth: when Jesus is all I have, Jesus is all I need. He has never let me down yet, and I know He never will!

Free at Last wrote:When I learned from Dr. Charles Stanley about how the Bible
clearly teaches the eternality of our salvation, it totally debunked
that lie. I wept with joy and relief, and rest in assurance now that
no one can ever snatch me out of my Savior's hand. If there was
ever a blessed assurance, that is it!

Another huge lie perpetuated in the Apostolic Lutheran churches is
that the Holy Spirit is guiding their oral sermons.

So you embrace the eternal security doctrine, or that all true believers will never fall eternally from their heavenly destination(Jude verses 1 and 24 are my favorite references for this preservation of the saints, also another verse which says we are "kept by the power of God"). I believe the same, which puts me at odds with the vast majority of the various Laestadian groups.

As for your second paragraph, I have heard it said by some Laestadians that the Word of God is both the written Bible as well as what is preached. This doesn't sit well with me. This is like a form of papal infallibility, which I don't accept. Even the pope does not claim to be infallible except in extreme cases, certainly not in every papal sermon. Papal infallibility is of course rejected by Protestants...also by the Eastern Orthodox churches. Accepting a pastor's sermon as equal to the Word of God is certainly a violation of the Protestant principle of Scripture Alone. Scripture Alone encourages us to measure the content of a sermon for faithfulness and integrity. I don't think I've ever heard a perfect sermon. Most of them have had at least something that seemed off. Of course, I could be off as well.

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your stories--I was raised in the OALC only until I was 15 (thanks to my mom); but it helps to know that I'm not the only one dealing with leftover FEAR from the way I was raised. Everyone I ever knew, all my hundreds of aunts, uncles and cousins go to that church, so it can be hard to find people who can really relate to what we've been through.

Hello KellyB, thanks for posting. I agree that it is difficult to find someone who understands what it is like to come out of the oalc community. Many people have attended churches that are odd in some way or another--who
will sympathize, but they don't understand, and maybe we don't understand enough to explain that the oalc isn't just a church. It is a distinct culture. When one's relatives-grandparents. aunts, uncles, and cousins are all still in the church, it can be pretty lonely when you leave. It is a huge loss. Some of us have had trouble figuring out how to navigate social situations outside of the fold. What we thought was normal we find others think is rude. Boundary issues are huge. In other churches people are not as open with each other and do not know other peoples business. They don't visit at one anothers homes, as much, nor do they often vacation together. Leaving this church is not like leaving the average protestant church. It is a much more significant part of who we are than most churches are. Leaving it is a very big deal. It is like moving to Australia, with no forwarding address.