Unintentional Reformation Humor Department

WELS Fuller Seminary District President Paul Janke
District President’s Report

Fall 2007

For some years now I’ve tried to read a book on Martin Luther or on Lutheranism during the month of October, prior to celebrating the Reformation. It seems that during this month I’ve got more than the usual amount of time on planes, time that can be devoted to reading. This year I picked up a copy of Why I Am a Lutheran: Jesus at the Center by LCMS Pastor Daniel Preus (CPH, 2004, also available from NPH). The book serves as a great reminder of the blessings God has given us through his Son, Jesus Christ, and the blessings he continues to bestow on us through the gospel in Word and Sacraments. The beautiful, soul-saving truth of the gospel—salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith in Jesus Christ alone—which was so badly obscured by a theology of works in the years leading up to the Reformation, is confessed and taught in the Evangelical Lutheran Church as nowhere else. In the course of his book, Pastor Preus also points out how the errors of mainstream American Protestantism, namely Arminianism and Pelagianism, obscure the gospel and rob Jesus of his glory by giving man a share of the credit for his salvation. One caveat is that like the book by Klemet Preus, The Fire and the Staff, the chapter on “The Office of the Holy Ministry” reflects a different doctrine of the Ministry.

***

GJ - I wonder how many WELS pastors and leaders have come to California to study at Fuller Seminary. I am curious about who or what entity paid for all that tuition. Oelhaven and Adrian (Michigan District Missions Board) said they were trained at Fuller. Fuller once bragged in a letter about all the WELS pastors they trained. Joel Gerlach, Norm Berg, David Valleskey, Frosty Bivens, and their LCMS mentor Waldo Werning - all studied at Fuller. So did the C. Peter Wagner Professor of Church Growth at Martin Luther College - Lawrence Otto Olson.

And to think he liked what Preus said about Arminian/Pelagian theology! Rev. Janke, are you trying to kid us?

But - hush - the DP warns us against Preus' false view of the ministry. Preus does not dance the Wawautosi.

Have the WELS leaders warned anyone against the doctrine of Fuller Seminary, which they are so eager to promote?

***

Bonus: Even More Unintentional Reformation Humor

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Unintentional Reformation Humor Department":

I can't believe your commentary. It's typical of you. There's nothing in Pres. Janke's write-up that says anything about "Church Growth" or Fuller, but yet that's how you spin it. You're pathetic!

GJ - Rev. Mouse, it has been established that you cannot believe my commentary. A typical WELS statement warns the innocent against the errors of the LCMS but ignores the apostasy promoted by the Wisconsin sect. Janke said nothing about Fuller because he would then condemn himself for participating in the biggest rape of Christianity since the Sack of Rome.

***

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Unintentional Reformation Humor Department":

It gets even better. Toward the end of the report he writes:

"I attended the ELS-WELS Forum on September 28 as the COP’s representative. The main subject of the forum was “Women Communing Women.” Concerns about this practice arose in both the WELS and the ELS after one WELS congregation called MLC female staff ministry interns to administer communion to female shut-ins. After review of the practice by the COP, the congregation was asked not to continue having women commune women. The congregation complied with the request. The COP conceded in its January 2005 statement on this issue that the Bible doesn’t specifically address this matter, but concluded that for numerous reasons it was not wise to continue having women commune women."

It’s apparent now that the COP’s call to refrain because the practice is “not wise” is not as strong a statement as some in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod were hoping to hear. According the 2006 ELS Synod Report, the ELS has urged its Doctrine Committee, “To continue its discussions with the CICR on the matter of women communing women noting that we unanimously agree that Scripture clearly teaches that women are not to be in the pastoral office, because this presiding office includes the exercise of authority over men (1 Cor. 14:34-35, 1 Tim. 2:11-12). Also, when Scripture refers to one who officiates at the word and sacrament liturgy it speaks in male terms (1 Tim. 3:2, 1 Tim. 4:13). Therefore women shall not read the Scripture lessons in the divine service, preach the sermon, administer Baptism or distribute the Lord’s Supper, for these things are intimately related to the pastoral office.” (Underlining mine) WELS, through its Commission on Inter-Church Relations, clearly needs to continue talking with our brothers in the ELS on this matter, but I hope it’s also clear that we in the WELS—even if there were no concerns from the ELS—are not in a position to have women read Scripture lessons in worship or to have women commune women."

Is this what it sounds like when someone talks out of both sides of their mouth?

***

GJ - "Error loves ambiguity," as Krauth said. No, kindly Anonymous (not to be confused with the rabid and seldom coherent Rev. A. Nony Mouse) there is nothing in the Bible against ordaining women, according to John Brug in the Wisconsin Synod Quarterly (aka The Pope Speaks). Once something has been infallibly published in The Pope Speaks, it cannot be undone. In time the ELS will come around. A few well-aimed cuffs will stop the growling.

Various WELS pastoral papers have also echoed "there is nothing in the Bible against women's ordination," reminding me of LCA pro-abortion advocates saying the same thing about abortion.

Eastern Orthodoxy Connections:Infant Communion

(Tune: We Three Kings of Orient Are)

We three priests of stealth-mode EO,
Lacking gifts we borrow them so
Chalice, patten, Greek, not Latin,
Bishops will save our soul.

O-o Orthodoxy, floats our boat
Orthodoxy gets your goat
Eastward leaning, incense steaming
Using Luther to misquote.

I was advised by someone that Pastor Berg would never join Eastern Orthodoxy, because Berg said so. Nevertheless, Berg is obsessed with infant communion, so much that he just released his thoughts on the topic, that the Lutheran Reformation had no problems with it. The same argument from silence could prove anything.

I just want to list some of the tidbits I have been noticing on the Internet:

Here is the Crypto-Eldona Conference agenda from August, 2007 -

The Second Annual Theological Conference and Plenary Session of The Augustana Ministerium will be held August 30-31, 2007 hosted by Charity Lutheran Church, Burleson, TX and her pastor, the Rev. Dr. Kent Heimbigner.

A stimulating and timely theological agenda, open to all—pastors and laity—is being planned that will address two important areas that need discussion and clarification in our midst. The first is to put Eastern Orthodoxy into focus vis-à-vis Confessional Lutheranism. These will include: EO vs. confessional Lutheranism on Original Sin, Pr. John Rutowicz, facilitator; on Justification, Pr. David Juhl, facilitator; on Sanctification/Theosis, and how they relate to God’s plan of salvation, Pr. Gary Gehlbach, facilitator. The second major area is Sanctification, and topics will include: “Sanctification: What is it? What causes it? What are its consequences?” Dr. Steven Hein, facilitator, and “Modes of Communication in the Ministry of the Gospel,” Pr. Robert Schaibley, facilitator.

Gary Gehlbach was a source for Berg's infant communion essay. Do they realize people know how to blog?

Here is an interesting exchange on Cyberstones:

Mar 30, 2007 14:32:44 Re: Infant Communion - Gary Gehlbach

Fr. Weedon, thank you for your well-reasoned comments. You said it much better than I could.

GVG
Mar 30, 2007 18:53:42 Re: Infant Communion - weedon

Fr. Gehlbach,

What I presented was nothing but a condensation of the arguments you have assembled and helpfully presented for all to read. For that the Church owes you a debt of gratitude indeed.

Gehlbach's blog is Lutheran Enigma.

Items:

1. Eastern Orthodoxy is heavily promoted by Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne. The seminary trains LCMS pastors who turn EO when they graduate.
2. Heiser's first breakaway group had problems when a pastor favoring infant communion was invited to join.
3. Gary Gehlbach is an officer in the so-called Augustana Ministerium, which is clearly designed to lead people into ELDONA.
4. Gehlbach is clearly teaching Berg and others to advocate infant communion. Notice the smart-alecky discussion about this on Cyberstones.
5. The crypto-ELDONA conference description lacks any suggestion that Eastern Orhtodoxy might contain heresy. The ambiguous wording allows someone to conclude it is a critical look at EO or it is a fawning promotion of EO. Krauth wrote: "Error loves amibiguity."

***

Brian P Westgate has left a new comment on your post "Eastern Orthodoxy Connections:Infant Communion":

I think ELDONA has come out against infant communion. I do think you meant to say that, it just didn't come out quite as clear as it could have.

As for Fr. Berg, he's not obsessed with infant communion. That article was probably written due to Fr. Frey's article on it.

Your parody is funny, but way off, as Fr. Rutowicz and others have been trying to tell you. There is nothing wrong with incense, and nothing wrong with bishops, as you know.

***

I hear you Brian, but I have to judge the words, not the intentions. Until recently, Eastern Orthodoxy was not even on the Lutheran map. Now there is a conference on EO for Crypto-ELDONA, plus the many other things going on. I think it is a mistake to call it sacerdotalism, as some have. That term is too vague and sounds like high church or high church-in-overdrive. This new trend, a tidal wave coming from Ft. Wayne and ELCA, is an embrace of Eastern Orthodoxy.

Some things are harmless by themselves but the new fanatics make me wonder about the necessity of using them: the title father, the title bishop, the incense, the fancy threads. There is no clear Eastern Orthodoxy confession of faith. It is amorphous. Nevertheless, Eastern Orthodoxy is the closest thing to Roman Catholicism. They have the same relationship to Rome that the Little Sect on the Prairie has with WELS, resentful and obedient at the same time.

Most alarming is the way this is paralleling the Church Growth infection. First there were some little suggestions, panel discussions, open wondering if CG would help Lutherans. Gradually they came out of the Fuller/Willow Creek closet. Now they operate out of the Love Shack, the Purple Palace, and the Seminary Built on a Bluff.

My parody is funny because it is right on target. Anyone who links an ecumenical/Marian monastery as "Confessional Lutheran" is Neuhausian in strategy. I recall Neuhaus calling himself a Confessional Lutheran until he became a priest. His buddies who joined Rome were also labeled Confessional Lutheran until they poped.

I have a better term for the Fuller/Willow Creek boys and the future papists/EO monks: Recessional Lutherans. They are backing away from Luther's doctrine as slyly as they can. One wit called it sinuflecting toward Rome.