jeremy has left a new comment on your post "STS Union Service Getting More Interesting":
Please substantiate your claim that there have been women leading worship at Trinity Chapel at Bethany Lutheran College. As a recent graduate of the college, I find this hard to believe, unless it's practice has changed in the past few months.
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GJ - I am glad to repeat what is public knowledge. Professor Kuster organized a chapel service at Bethany around 1996 where women were the lectors. There was a fuss about it, so Bethany said, "If the seminary objects, we won't do it again." Notice the patronizing tone. The WELS/ELS approach about their depredations is to say, "For those who are weak in faith, we will abstain for their sakes." Very thoughtful.
The practice stopped after Kuster's experiment. But that was just the first attempt. More will come in the future, perhaps more from WELS. See below.
WELS? According to my source, who works in the prison system, once as a guard over WELS DP Ed Werner--A WELS DP in state prison? Yes--James P. Tiefel organized a chapel service at Mequon with young women as lectors. The former prison guard was a student there and an eye-witness. But wait, there is more.
James P. Tiefel arranged the pan-denominational worship conference at Carthage College (ELCA) where women taught men. Same difference. Then there is the Church and Change hive meetings, where ministry teams (men and women) teach. The ELS has not been known to object to this, to Church and Change, or anything else of substance.
Now there are women giving communion. I do not know the whole story, which is just more of the same anyway. The WELS approach is that it is not wise, not that it is wrong. The ELS is a little antsy about it.
Watch what Team Kelm is doing in WELS and you will see the future of the Wisconsin Sect and the Little Sect on the Prairie.
