Forward in Chicken Soup for the Soul

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Comment on WELS Materials and Synod Help":

Forward in Christ is a good example of the dumbing down aimed at adults. Many of the articles read like "Chicken Soup for the Soul". Perhaps they can glean some of the easier material, assemble it into a how-to manual and call it "Christianity for Dummies". NPH could publish it and all of the synod's financial woes could be over. Some articles also tend to have that Reformed slant that is similar to Dobson and Rick Warren claptrap.

Comment on WELS Materials and Synod Help

"That's my problem with all of the Synod materials anymore, they treat everyone like spiritual idiots. Please feel free to quote me. I will have to jump into your blog and share some of the issues we've experienced in our school, and the HELP we've received from various DP's. You're definitely up against it and I'll pray for you."

GJ - I answered an email saying that all the Sunday School materials were dumbed down now. I could not think of anything good. Feel free to post good materials you may know about - Name of the materials, how to get them, synodical source.

Another WELS Comment

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "From a Lifelong WELS Member":

This is encouraging to read that another lifelong WELS member, like myself, feels this way. I can get some knowledgeable WELS laity to agree with many of our criticisms. But, most of them have been whipped into shape and are too cowardly to be vocal about it. Fear is control and many of the synodical officials enjoy having a subserviant, mute laity. After all, when you are infallible, you are above reproach.

MLS, R.I.P.

Michigan Lutheran Seminary was taken off death row...for now. However, I expect the efforts to close MLS to accelerate. The first, loud comments about closing MLS started in the 1980's.

Item: Wayne Mueller is still the First VP.

Item: James Huebner, Fuller alumnus, is also a VP.

Item: The Curia at The Love Shack, 2929 N. Mayfair Road, is all Church Growth - Ron Roth, Hagedorn, etc.

Item: WELS is still broke and cannot face its doctrinal problems.

From now on, The Love Shack will say to Michigan - "Boost your offerings. We kept MLS open for you." And...

"Why can't you get more students at your school? If you can't do better, you will have to close."

The Love Shack has driven down enrollment at MLS. Knowing how WELS works, I imagine people will use a whispering campaign to keep students going to Luther Prep rather than MLS. "Biting off the nose to spite the face" is an unquenchable desire in WELS.

MLS will get a slight boost from Apaches being sent from Arizona, where Mueller/Gurgel shut down that high school.

Besides, they have driven prep tuition and board up to the level of a state university. Parents need a federal student loan program to get their children through high school.

When the Curia at The Love Shack went to school, prep tuition was easy to pay, college and seminary were inexpensive. They received all their tuition back upon graduation from seminary, so the shepherd could buy his new shepherdess some furniture for their parsonage. Now tuition is sky-high and there is no refund at ordination.

The destruction of the school system began during the Niagara Falls of funding from the Schwan Foundation. Where did all that money go?

From a Lifelong WELS Member

"Pastor Jackson,

I discovered your blog several weeks ago and have really enjoyed the commentaries. As a lifelong WELS member, I have seen and experienced many of the problems with our Synod and its hierarchy first hand."