Prayer Warriors of WELS

Many WELS members and pastors do not realize how Pietistic they are, so they see nothing wrong with Reformed tendencies. As a result, Paul Kelm, David Valleskey, and Waldo Werning have driven through the citadel's gates in a hay wagon.

The Reformed have rejected the Biblical Means of Grace and have made fun of these divinely appointed instruments. To make up for their deficiencies, the Reformed have substituted prayer as their singular means of grace. They actually believe, in many cases, that God cannot act until He is moved by prayers. Yes, you can reform your community just by getting enough prayer wsarriors together.

And they have this advantage: who can be against prayer?

Too many WELS pastors lack discernment. Some have discernment but they would rather play politics to get the coveted job--divine call--they long to hold.

Lutheran Service Book (LCMS)

Lutheran Forum on the new LCMS and ELCA worship books:

Reforming the Daily Office: Examining Two New Lutheran Books
by Philip H. Pfatteicher — August 31, 2007

The creation of Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as I understand it, was generated by the convergence of two factors. One was the fervent desire on the part of a relative minority in the church to end the use of masculine pronouns (“he,” “him,” “his”) to refer to God. The other was the increasingly serious financial situation of the church’s publishing house, Augsburg Fortress...

The creation of Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW) by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, as I understand it, was generated by the convergence of two factors. One was the fervent desire on the part of a relative minority in the church to end the use of masculine pronouns (“he,” “him,” “his”) to refer to God. The other was the increasingly serious financial situation of the church’s publishing house, Augsburg Fortress. A new worship book would make congregations pray and talk about God in ways that the influential minority considered essential and would at the same time be a big seller to bail out the publisher. And so it has happened.

Concordia, the publishing house of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, also with a keen eye to marketing, could not countenance a book that could possibly draw off some of its own source of income, and so the 2004 convention of that church approved a “new hymnal,” Lutheran Service Book (LSB)...

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GJ - Someone questioned whether a new hymnal could bail out a Lutheran publishing house. I read elsewhere that ELCA's Augsburg-Fortress finally got out of the red when the new hymnal began selling.

I have experienced the new LSB twice. It is probably the best new Lutheran hymnal. WELS' CW (Charismatic Worship) is doubtless the worst. CW is also the only new hymnal to avoid the word Lutheran. The national magazine of WELS defenestrated Lutheran from its title years ago. Now people see nothing wrong with avoiding almost any connection with Lutheran.

Luther: The False Teacher as a Peacock

"The peacock is an image of heretics and fanatical spirits. For on the order of the peacock they, too, show themselves and strut about in their gifts, which never are outstanding. But if they could see their feet, that is the foundation of their doctrine, they would be stricken with terror, lower their crests, and humble themselves. To be sure, they, too, suffer from jealousy, because they cannot bear honest and true teachers. They want to be the whole show and want to put up with no one next to them. And they are immeasurably envious, as peacocks are. Finally, they have a raucous and unpleasant voice, that is, their doctrine is bitter and sad for afflicted and godly minds; for it casts consciences down more than it lifts them up and strengthens them."
Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 642.

"There is a false, ungodly, carnal zeal that does not come from God and is not produced by the Holy Spirit, but is rooted either in animosity against those who teach a different doctrine or in the selfish thought that a display zeal will bring the minister honor, at least in certain congregations, or in fanaticism. In the days of Christ, what zeal in the discharge of their office do we behold in the high priests, elders, scribes, and Pharisees who opposed Christ!"
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 380.

Bethany College (ELS) and Red China

Mankato Free Press

Published October 04, 2007 12:38 am - A deal signed Wednesday between Bethany Lutheran College and United International College in China will set up an exchange program for faculty and students.

Bethany Lutheran inks exchange deal
Student, faculty exchange program set up with United International College in China

By Robb Murray
Free Press Staff Writer

MANKATO —
Let the learning begin.


For months Bethany Lutheran College and United International College in China officials have been working toward a student and faculty exchange program.

With a few strokes of the pens of Bethany President Dan Bruss and UIC Executive Vice President Kwok Siu Tong, the deal was sealed.

UIC is a college that is trying to launch the first liberal arts college in China since the 1950s. The school, while probably not fully resembling a Minnesota private college, will emphasize education of the “whole person” instead of teaching skills applicable to a specific occupation.

All that’s left now is the learnin’.

That’s where students such as Eric Anderson and Daniel Tyrrell come in.

For the inaugural run of the exchange program, they’ll — most likely — be heading to China in February along with business instructor Janet Moldstad.

Anderson says he’s excited about the trip.

“I’d love to study abroad,” he said. He hopes that spending several months in China in an academic setting will give him the best perspective possible for learning all he can about China and its people.

He also likes the idea of this trip abroad not being in a “safe” place. He’s been to Europe and Mexico, but those trips, especially the Europe trip, don’t exactly offer an experience that’s far beyond what you can find in the U.S.

He says a trip to China, however, will get him out of his “comfort zone” and help him learn and grow as a person.

“I’m a little nervous, of course,” he said. “It’ll take courage and it’ll take faith.”

Tyrrell has also traveled abroad before, and he also says he’s a little nervous about the China trip.

Over the summer he traveled to Ukraine and western Europe. He used some of his time abroad to teach Bible classes to children.

He said he was approached by the college and asked whether he’d be interested in making the trip to China. He said he’s not 100 percent sure he’ll be going, but said it is likely that he’ll be on a plane to China come February.

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GJ - There may be some things different in moving from the People's Republic of Minnesota to the People's Republic of China: relentless persecution of religion and a savage campaign against the unborn.

The PRC is clever in getting people to come back to America singing the praises of their enlightened land.

I wonder if Marvin Schwan, for all his faults, wanted Bethany College students to have their brains washed in the PRC.

One dividend - Pope John the Malefactor will have another exotic outpost to visit. I never saw a tinier sect with so much world travel. How the natives must marvel when Pope John raises his predestined and predestinating arms in blessing.