LCMS President Al Barry and his assistant Paul McCain did nothing about this congregation for nine years, just as they did nothing about Al Benke. St. John's in Ellisville is a stone's throw from the Purple Palace. St. John's was already a union church during the McCain-Barry administration, belonging to the Missouri Synod and the Willow Creek Association at the same time. Now DoLittle McCain postures about Ellisville.
The Video From Hell
Click on the link to YouTube
or go to St. John's CuzChristmasIsNotMyBirthday,
or pick up the link from St. John's.
to watch the blasphemous video.
The senior pastor of St. John's, Steve Hower, posing as Jesus, stars in the video. He has been a Church Growth icon in the LCMS for many years. Here are some highlights of the video, in case you cannot view it or you click it off in disgust:
- Jesus begins by peering into the lens and asking if the camera is on.
- Jesus appears a bit fuddled, like a pot-head.
- Jesus reads cards addressed to Him, asking for presents. Does anyone do this? Hower seems to have confused Christmas cards (where no one asks for gifts) with letters to Santa.
- Jesus drinks some wine and says, "Take and drink," mocking Holy Communion.
- Jesus licks off some icing from a cake and says, "Take and eat," making the mockery abundantly clear.
- Jesus seems to be demanding that everyone show up for His birthday. There is nothing about Christmas in this video, no hint of the Gospel.
- The video pretends to be clever and funny, but it is embarrassing, unfunny, and truly disgusting.
Hower is embedded in the Parish Leadership Initiative, the attempt to train all LCMS pastors in Church Growth apostasy. PLI's reading list is heavy with Management by Objective, Peter Drucker, that gasbag John Maxwell (a Robert Schuller mime), Barna (Fuller favorite), Covey (Mormon), Luecke, and Hower. I like Hower's book title: Sharpening the Sword. Is it not amazing that all the CG puppets end up saying they can improve on the Word? Olson, Huebner, Valleskey, and Kelm are just as clever.
On his St. John website, Hower lists seminary training as graduate school. No one considers seminary graduate school. I do know some blokes who portray a D.Min. as a doctorate and call themselves Dr! Typically they earn their D.Min. at Fuller (Larry Olson) or St. Louis (Paul Kelm).
Hower's assistant pastor went to Fuller Seminary. Now that was a surprise! I am guessing that both men are familiar with Fuller and Willow Creek training.
McCain makes a big deal about St. John's not using Lutheran on their new signs. The term Lutheran is meaningless today, so it is re-assuring that Hower will not add to our shame, pain, and discomfort by identifying himself with Luther. I fought that battle and lost 20 years ago. Paul Kuske, Floyd Stolzenburg, and Roger Zehms founded Pilgrim Community Church in Columbus, Ohio. They wanted no identification with the name Lutheran, with Lutheran worship or music. They eventually had three in attendance.
Soon after, when I urged McCain (as Barry's ghost writer) to be tougher on CG, as he appeared to be pre-appointment, he became hostile. McCain has discovered that three steps to the Left and one step to the Right will fool most folks.
