Thursday, December 20, 2007

WELS Apostasy Proven



Issues in WELS Official Mascot


I was at a WELS gathering, after the dedication of a church building, around 1991 or so. I wore my Fuller Seminary sweatshirt, so I would fit in better. That made many of the pastors uneasy. Later, Northwestern College students borrowed the sweatshirt to wear around campus. More unease.

I told the son of Oscar Naumann, "WELS is a liberal denomination."

He said, "Why do you say that?"

I responded, "The liberals are rewarded and the conservatives are punished." He left the room. His father began the Church Growth Movement in WELS by approving of The Evangelism Life Line, that tacky little newsletter started to promote the cause of the CGM. Ron Roth, Bob Hartman, and Paul Kelm all promoted CG through TELL and found themselves promoted.

Where are the WELS false teachers now?

Ted Hartwig is the champion apostate. He was exposed for advocating the Historical-Critical Method. Nothing substantial was done. He continued to teach at MLC (nee Dr. Martin Luther College). Hartwig remained very influential in WELS and introduced the feminist creed in Charismatic Worship to WELS, in the journal and the magazine.

Larry Olson went to Fuller Seminary for a D.Min. and became the Waldo Werning Professor of Church Growth at Martin Luther College. Paul Kelm earned a D.Min. at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and worked his way down through the ranks. Now he is a pastor at one of WELS' largest and most ridiculous congregations. President-in-Waiting Wayne Mueller got in trouble over doctrine at Mequon, so he was put in charge of Parish Services, then elected First VP of the sect. Joel Gerlach got in trouble about doctrine while teaching at Mequon and remained influential in WELS.

Slick Brenner, the father of Mequon professor John Brenner, told me about Wayne Mueller and Joel Gerlach.

David Valleskey went to Fuller as a parish pastor and became the president of Mequon, something little noted nor long remembered, but significant for the sect's growing passion for Reformed doctrine and marketing savvy. His friend Frost Bivens went to Fuller as a parish pastor and became a Mequon professor.

James Huebner went to Fuller and is now a synodical VP, which may mean next to nothing, but it is a post no opponent of CG will ever have.

No one even minds that WELS works with ELCA on a wide variety of ecumenical efforts, from worship to evangelism. Sure, WELS cared enough to lie about Snowbird, the Joy radio show, the multi-cultural project, and some other events. But no one is going to fuss too long or too hard.

The Michigan District passed a resolution about having Martin Marty lecture at Wisconsin Lutheran College. (He already had at Orlando, at a joint WELS-ELCA-LCMS evangelism event, but so what!) That resolution is still celebrated as The Moment of Spine...in the Michigan District. WLC thumbed its nose at Michigan (gave it the finger, according to Pastor Guy Purdue) and had Marty speak anyway. No one said anything about the Roman Catholic Archbishop and pedophile Weakland speaking (with other priests) at WLC. After all, that fulfilled one of the multi-cultural goals.

Archbishop of Canterbury, Apostate



Satire Turns Into Reality as the Archbishop of Canterbury Denounces the Christmas Story


It's all a Christmas tall story Three Wise Men

by Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent
The Times
December 20, 2007


The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, dismissed the Christmas story of the Three Wise Men yesterday as nothing but "legend".

There was scant evidence for the Magi, and none at all that there were three of them, or that they were kings, he said. All the evidence that existed was in Matthew's Gospel. The Archbishop said: "Matthew's Gospel doesn't tell us there were three of them, doesn't tell us they were kings, doesn't tell us where they came from. It says they are astrologers, wise men, priests from somewhere outside the Roman Empire, that's all we're really told." Anything else was legend. "It works quite well as legend," the Archbishop said.

Further, there was no evidence that there were any oxen or asses in the stable. The chances of any snow falling around the stable in Bethlehem were "very unlikely". And as for the star rising and then standing still: the Archbishop pointed out that stars just don't behave like that.

Although he believed in it himself, he advised that new Christians need not fear that they had to leap over the "hurdle" of belief in the Virgin Birth before they could be "signed up". For good measure, he added, Jesus was probably not born in December at all. "Christmas was when it was because it fitted well with the winter festival."

Related Links

A special baby is the integral part of the tale

He said the Christmas cards that show the Virgin Mary cradling baby Jesus, with the shepherds on one side and the Three Wise Men on the other, were guilty of "conflation".

But in spite of his scepticism about aspects of the Christmas story, as told in infant nativity plays up and down the land, he denied that believing in God was equivalent to believing in Santa Claus or the tooth fairy.

"The thing is, belief in Santa does not generate a moral code, it does not generate art, it does not generate imagination. Belief in God is a bit bigger than that," the Archbishop said.

Dr Williams was speaking live on BBC Radio Five to the presenter Simon Mayo when Ricky Gervais, star of The Office and a fellow guest, challenged him about the intellectual credibility of the Christian faith.

He said he was committed to belief in the Virgin Birth "as part of what I have inherited". But belief in the Virgin Birth should not be a "hurdle" over which new Christians had to jump before they were accepted.

He hinted that decades ago he was not "too fussed" with the literal truth of the doctrine of the Virgin Birth. But as time went on, he developed a "deeper sense" of what the Virgin Birth was all about. And he went on to do a literary-critical analysis of the traditional Christmas card that features, as often as not, a Virgin Mary cradling a baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes, with shepherds on one side, the Three Wise Men on the other and oxen and asses all around. Sometimes the stable is depicted with snow falling all around, and often with a bright star rising in the East.

Most of it, the Archbishop said, could not have happened like that.

One of the few things that almost everyone agreed on was that Jesus's mother's name was Mary. That is in all the four Gospels. It was also pretty clear that Jesus's father was called Joseph.

Dr Williams was not saying anything that is not taught as a matter of course in even the most conservative theological colleges. His supporters would argue that it is a sign of a true man of faith that he can hold on to an orthodox faith while permitting honest intellectual scrutiny of fundamental biblical texts.

The Archbishop admitted that the Church's present difficulties, with the dispute over sexuality taking the Anglican Communion to the brink of schism, were off-putting to outsiders. "They don't want to know about the inside politics of the Church, they want to know if God's real, if they can be forgiven, what sort of lifestyles matter more and they want to know, I suppose, if their prayers are heard."

Dr Williams's views are strictly in line with orthodox Christian teaching. The Archbishop is sticking to what the Bible actually says.

A special baby is the integral part of this tale

The essential part of the Christmas story is the baby. God came to us in human form, as part of creation and absolutely integral to it. That is the heart and essence of it. This is why the last reading at the service of Nine Lessons and Carols held in churches throughout Britain at this time of year is the first few verses of John's Gospel, about the incarnation of the "Word". This culminates in that spine-chillingly wonderful declaration: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth." Without that, Christmas would be a rather vague festival.

In carols we sing about a baby, sweet and mild, one that "no crying makes". This is wishful thinking, along with other parts of the story.

But some of it cannot be challenged, such as Mary, or in Greek, "Theotokos", literally "God-bearer". Her willingness to be part of God's plan is central.

There seems little doubt that Jesus was born in a stable. The Bible says "outside the house", and this was probably because the house was full. If it was a stable, there could have been animals at the birth of Jesus. We are also told that there were witnesses from the fields, shepherds taken by surprise by the news from the angels, rushing down from the hillsides, wondering in awe and then going back to their sheep, transformed by the coming of the baby.

The Wise Men were witnesses of the opposite kind. They were careful, calculating, educated men who think that they begin to discern God's imminent arrival and who blunder their way across the region until they find what they think they've been seeking. They, too, go back transformed.

These are the really important bits of the story.

- The Rev John Jennings is a Church of England clergyman and adviser to the Archbishop of Canterbury

***

GJ - As a long-time reader of The Episcopalian, the American tabloid newsletter of the denomination, I can vouch for the anything-goes-theology of the group. As I recall, the English Archbishop was ordained as a Druid pagan priest just before he was installed in his post, appointed by the Queen.

Not all the Episcopalian leaders are so fatuous. Some conservatives are Roman Catholic in their perspective. Others are Evangelical. Obviously they cannot live with leaders who attack the most basic Christian doctrines. As Rush Limbaugh said today on the radio, the doctrine of the Virgin Birth is not negotiable.

Likewise, how can WELS and LCMS leaders work with ELCA leaders? Apostates have no trouble working with apostates. I leave it to Missouri and WELS to prove they are not apostate by breaking with ELCA on all projects, however they are defined.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Apostasy: While McCain Fiddled, Missouri Burned



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:


  1. Jesus begins by peering into the lens and asking if the camera is on.
  2. Jesus appears a bit fuddled, like a pot-head.
  3. 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.
  4. Jesus drinks some wine and says, "Take and drink," mocking Holy Communion.
  5. Jesus licks off some icing from a cake and says, "Take and eat," making the mockery abundantly clear.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.

Reaction to Dissent in Holy Mother Synod


Holy Mother Synod - The Golden Calf



1. "You have criticized the synod."
2. "We will not publish the book until your attitude changes about the synod."
3. "You have shown contempt for synod resolutions."

Number Three is just not so. I tried hard to hide my contempt for synod resolutions.

By studying organizational methods, the synods have devised a clever way for a tiny minority to rule and rake in the loot for themselves. World trips, perks, jobs for useless relatives. Felonious cover-ups of criminal activities for pals. The Left Foot of Fellowship for conservatives. Hoo-rah.

Holy Mother Synod is the golden calf. No, it does not matter which synod. Each synod is. There is a certain amount of posing about each synod being better than all the others combined, but the actual attitude is - "We hate dissent." The synod popes identify with each other, confer with each other, help each other.

By making Holy Mother Synod the object of worship, the apostate leaders have solved all problems. Anyone who disagrees with them is really attacking the synod. Anyone attacking the synod must be dis-membered, in more ways than one. When they are done with the loathsome beast who has disagreed, no one decent will talk to him. The worst accusation is then, "Are you his disciple?"

Apostasy






Leonard Sweet (Methodist) is near the top, just below the Fuller Seminary mascot. Reggie McNeal is in the middle. The founder of Church Growth in the Synodical Conference is on the bottom - Donald McGavran, Disciples of Christ. Their theology glorifies man and disparages Lutheran doctrine. All three get better press (among Lutherans) than Luther, Chemnitz, Melanchthon, and Gerhard combined.


Someone who never gets anything right asked about apostasy. His straw-man response was: "Are you accusing all the pastors and professors of WELS of being non-Christians?"

My answer is - No, just the leaders of WELS, the Little Sect on the Prairie, and the LCMS.

The term apostasy comes from the New Testament, which is why A. Nony Mouse knows so little about it.

KJV 2 Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away (apostasia) first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The term in Greek literally means "falling away." An atheist cannot be an apostate. A Hindu cannot be an apostate. Someone must have saving faith and then lose that faith. The prime objective of all mainline seminaries has been to turn believing students into apostates. One seminary chaplain (former LCMS, then ELCA, now Roman Catholic) published an article bragging about that goal.

The genius of the old Synodical Conference leaders (LCMS, ELS, WELS) has been their ability to posture as conservatives (in contrast to ELCA, as they work with ELCA) while bowing and scraping to McGavran, McNeal, and Sweet. ELCA venerates the Baptist-Pentecostal wing too, but they generally prefer the Church of Rome.

Many of these leaders have lost all faith in Christian doctrine. Proof is their constant measuring of material results (which God denies them in His wrath or His humor) and their disparaging of spiritual treasures. Moreover, the passage from Fuller Fever to outright apostasy is impossible to measure. Who knows exactly when a man decides that Christianity is a joke but his training suits him for no other vocation? We can only measure them by what they say they believe. That is where the claw and fangs emerge from the fleece.

Apostates lie about their beliefs, unless questioned closely. I know of three Mequon seminary professors who were trained at Fuller facilities; only one admitted it consistently. Someone who studies at Fuller and either denies it or brags about it (depending on the audience) is far along the road to apostasy. The brother professors who know and yet pretend not to know are just as bad.

By now most people realize that Concordia Seminary St. Louis went slowly apostate, with the old conservatives saying nothing for decades. Rehwinkel tried to stir the faculty up about false doctrine, but the only result was his exile to foreign seminaries. (How original!) The end result was the explosion and a repetition of the same debacle.

WELS is apostate because the synod allows Church and Change to organize its conference, even worse when registration takes place through the official WELS website. The ELS is apostate for saying and doing nothing, not that they are pure otherwise. Missouri is simply retro-ELCA, a few years behind their big sister.

The Good News is - this was all predicted long ago in the New Testament.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Why Are ELS Pastors So Timid?



Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, agh burzum-ishi krimpatul. One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.
Tolkien, Lord of the Rings.


One ELS member answered why ELS pastors are so timid and afraid to speak out about anything. "They all want to be on a board."

They all know about retaliation.

Fear can work two ways. Currently almost all pastors are afraid of the officials they elected to high office. The officials should be afraid of the pastors, but they are not. The apostate officials know they can use the British method of divide and conquer to make their lackeys kiss the episcopal ring (and pretend to enjoy it).

No, I will not explore the Latin word for ring and Freudian implications thereof.

The ELS pastors get their jollies by criticizing WELS in private, doing nothing in public. The LCA masterfully took care of dissent by having public forums about their disastrous policies. People could spout off about having a gay activist speaking at the next youth rally. Inevitably, someone did. All the shouting took place unofficially. When the votes came, no one had anything to say.

***

Norman Teigen has left a new comment on your post "Why Are ELS Pastors So Timid?":

Well, I am an ELS layman, and it does seem that ELS pastors have been reluctant to speak on many occasions. I know that when my late father's book, The Lord's Supper in the Theology of Martin Chemnitz was published, the official line of the Synod was not to disturb WELS who felt that it was troublesome.

The ELS had just come in to the Schwan money and the feeling was that it was best not to rock the boat. Rocking the boat was synonymous with differing from WELS.

My father's book was savaged by the ELS because it was felt that the money was more important than the theology.

Fortunately, it was able to survive and now it is available from LOGIA at no cost.

As one pastor told me once, most of the synods get in trouble when the young guys go off to seminary and learn modern theology. In the ELS, he said, the problem is with the older guys.

The older guys thought that all of their preaching was in vain and it sure would be nice if some cash could come in to confirm the validity of their work. The cash did come from Schwan Foundation. It was on the same conceptual level as a miracle in the desert. From that time forward this pastor refers to the synod as the $ynod.

***

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "President Schroeder (WELS)":

The apostates within the WELS stand condemned by their testimony and their own actions. As you have stated, Dr. Jackson, this is what really defines them. SP Schroeder seems sincere enough in his short time as president. Some of the laity within the WELS are also sincere. But, many appear to be naive to the real root of the problem, which is not trusting in the efficacy of the word. Far too many lay members trust the synodical leadership to always do right by them. Therefore, all synodical offerings have automatic legitimacy. The next one in my area will be a "Personal Witnessing Workshop". Like the Church and Change Conference, well intentioned members participate because they think that they are learning how to do evangelism. Implicit in all of this is the underlying theme of using the right technique or methods, whether that is in "personal witnessing", worship, evangelism in order to reach the unbeliever. Also, some of these conferences and workshops have their share of "WELS celebrities" who lead them. Perhaps a more fitting term might be "living saints", such as St. Jeske, St. Sorum, St. Kelm, et al. It is more than just a tolerance by members. It is celebrity worship. Until serious doctrinal discussions are brought forward, the falling away within the WELS will only get worse. The aping of the mega-churches continues within the WELS when church growth methods are always given a positive image in the WELS connection videos. New and innovative forms of ministry seem to be the focus. Once again, the emphasis is upon technique. My guess is that the workshops and conferences employ a loose and shabby use of scripture, like the style of the Purpose Driven Life.


It is possible to speculate, as some have in the ELS, that honest discussion by a pastor means that he will be called only to places like East Overshoe Lutheran Church.

In a worldly sense, I suppose, one could say that some parishes in the ELS pay a living wage, while others can't afford to pay an honest salary for a pastor.

The ELS is made up of many small parishes. I would presume that the four or five largest ELS parishes might pay the equivalent of a comparable WELS/LC-MS/ELCA salary. The other small parishes will find it difficult to make ends meet.

The idea of living in poverty while preaching is probably practiced more in the ELS than it is in the Benedictine order. That such a state of poverty could be used as a public weapon to enforce conformity is not something that one would hope to be true.

An examination of any recent ELS Synod report clearly reveals that the funding of the President's salary is firmly established by a generous grant. The ELS may flounder, spiritually or financially, but the President's office will stay afloat.

I don't mean to disparage the current president of the ELS because his family and mine are long-standing friends. I do question the wisdom of the ELS presidency as it is so funded.

President Schroeder (WELS)




I believe that’s true about the blessings that God gives us through this extended spiritual family that we call the Wisconsin Synod. We may not consciously think of how God blesses us in our synod. We may tend to focus on what’s wrong instead of rejoicing in what’s right. We sometimes allow those outside of our synod to define us and characterize us. We may become apologetic, defensive, maybe even sometimes a little embarrassed when it comes to our synod and what it represents. And failing to appreciate what God graciously does for us, we miss opportunities to fully benefit from those blessings and to invite others to be part of this synod in which those blessings come to us.

Over the next year, it seems good for us to remember and to emphasize some of those blessings; to remind ourselves of what this synod stands for, what it does, and why we are a part of it. You’ve already seen a few hints of those reminders in the “Together” newsletter and in WELS Connection. In the January issue of Forward in Christ (p. 32), you’ll see the first in a series of columns summarizing those blessings, focusing on our identity: Who are we? Where does WELS stand? What is our synod for, as opposed to what we are against?

You will also see efforts to sharpen and define our synod’s identity as we work to improve the look and content of all WELS communications. Already we’ve begun to plan for the redesign our synod’s Web site, aiming to make it more usable for our members and more effective in communicating who we are to the outside world.


***

GJ - One reader asked, "Does he read Ichabod?"

I let WELS define WELS, and that definition is still pathetic at this time.


  1. The so-called conservatives remain too weak to knock the skin off a pudding.

  2. Wisconsin's effect upon the Little Sect on the Prairie has been to light the kindling around the martyr's feet during the disgraceful Moldstad purge.

  3. Church and Change has morphed from

    Banned-in-2005

    to
    Official-Recognition-and-Registration
    on the current WELS website. A parallel contradiction would be to have Herman Otten and Jack Cascione concelebrate the Eucharist with ELCA Bishop Mark Hanson at their next multi-cultural meeting.

All these toxic effects were cresting during the change from Gurgel to Schroeder. One person does not decide the image, fate, and message of synod, even a tiny and tinny one like WELS.

Two things have to be overcome for WELS to crawl out of its Fuller-Willow Creek hole:

1. Wisconsin has to be honest about issues, which is tough for pastors hazed by GA and raised in a climate of pathological dishonesty. For example, people were telling me Church and Change was a goner when I found the link on the official WELS website. They believed the lie until I gave them the actual link.
2. The conservatives (if any are left) have to rattle the cages as noisily as their apostate counterparts. The Left is good at shrieking when their icons are threatened. Conservatives are good at shirking their duties.

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant
Is a Remarkable Book



The Tree of Life, by Norma Boeckler


Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant is a remarkable book. At a time when doctrinal indifference is taught and practiced to varying degrees by all Lutheran Synods this book comes as a blessing from the Lord. For certainly we do not keep or teach His Word purely in and of ourselves but it is a gift from God given by grace through the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Gregory Jackson has appropriately addressed the similarities and differences between these doctrines of faith. They are presented clearly and without emotional emphasis by the author. Pastor Jackson remains consistent with his other writings by measuring every teaching by Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions and includes the scripturally faithful statements of our Church Fathers. This is the foundation which many in the churches and synods today are tearing down in favor of human reason, worldly success, personal relationships and temporary security.

I found his insights to be accurate and detailed concerning the doctrines covered and he thoroughly presents the origins and reasoning behind the false teachings being taught by Lutheran churches, Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church. I believe he gave appropriate emphasis of the Reformed doctrines which are so prevalent in Lutheran churches and Catholic heresies as these speak to where we are today and where the world is heading.

In our day, when the ELS is removing churches from membership because they exercise the office of the keys in response to public sin, the WELS enthusiastically rejects the work of the Holy Ghost through promotion of Church Growth practices and the LCMS lunges headlong toward fellowship with the ELCA and Rome, it is especially important to understand the differences between true Biblical doctrines and the false doctrines of men. For as we daily draw nearer to the glorious return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we will continue to be tempted, by our own sinful flesh, Satan and the doctrines of false teachers, to abandon our only Rock and sure Foundation for the false security and comfort of widely accepted false doctrines. As apostate pastors, corrupt synod officials, blind church leaders and an unbelieving world continue their journey toward Rome and the Antichrist it will remain the responsibility of the orthodox Lutheran layman to discern the truth using Scripture and our Lutheran Confessions in order to remain faithful to Christ and by God’s grace endure to the end.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who has an interest in pure doctrine and even more so to those who don’t. But I would be remiss if I didn’t also recommend Pastor Jackson’s other exceptional books Jesus Priceless Treasure, Thy Strong Word and Liberalism: It’s Cause and Cure.

Brett Meyer

Sermon - Third Sunday in Advent



The Last Supper, by Norma Boeckler


KJV 1 Corinthians 4:1 Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. 4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

Stewards of the Mysteries of God

This advent epistle teaches us about the pastoral office in light of the coming of Christ. The season of Advent focuses on the birth of our Savior, but also our need to be always be ready for His return.

Someone may think, “Now he is only going to talk about pastors.” But let’s look at what the Holy Spirit is saying to us through Paul. He uses two parallel phrases, which help us, since one is equal to the other. The two phrases are “ministers of Christ” and “stewards of the mysteries of God.” We seldom use the term minister in the sense of the Scriptures. It did not mean “an ordained clergyperson” then, but a household servant. A minister of Christ is someone who serves Jesus the Lord and Savior. If someone comes to our home and Qwest is repairing a phone, no one thinks to say to the repairman, “Are you the head of the household?” The repairman does only what he is told to do. He may do a good job or a bad job, but he is not the owner of the house. He has a work order and fulfills what that order tells him to do.

God teaches us through Paul that the apostle himself had exactly the same role. He was a servant of Christ, not a tyrant over the believers. The phrase he used is the same we would use for accounting or an audit. “What am I?” says Paul. “Consider me a household servant of Jesus the Messiah.”

This is important, because the apostle’s role is defined as serving Christ. Paul had a responsibility toward all the congregations he served. Not everyone is called to serve in the role of preaching, as Luther wrote:

"All Christians serve God but all are not in office."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VI, p. 65. 1 Corinthians 4:1-5.

The current trend among Lutheran synods would have us believe otherwise. I have a photo from the Wisconsin Synod showing the men and women from Martin Luther College (nee Dr. Martin Luther College). They are all listed as “future ministers.” In fact, the theme most often heard among the conservative Lutherans is that “everyone is a minister.” That is why I designed a web page, “Every dog a minister.” It makes as much sense.

In the broadest sense, every Christian has AN office. If a man is married and has children, his calling is to serve his wife and children according to the Scriptures. His office is not the same as that of a wife and a mother. Then too, the children also have an office or place in life, one appointed by God. The duties are clearly taught in the Small Catechism.

Luther often called pastoral work: “the preaching office” or Predigtamt. The person called by the Holy Spirit through the congregation has the responsibility to preach the Word of God faithfully. Someone may substitute for him, but he still has the responsibility. The pastor may sign a check (generally not a good idea) or help with the books (also to be avoided) but he is not the treasurer. That is not his office.

This does not keep the members from learning about Christian doctrine, debating Christian doctrine (with the proper attitude toward the norms of the Word and the Confessions), or sharing in the teaching that takes place. But they do not have the office, that is, the responsibility. The responsibility of the preaching office means absolute subordination of pastor to Christ. The phrase we use from The Lutheran Liturgy is: “called and ordained servant of the Word.” It can be seen as a restricting burden or as a joy. Lutheran ministers know that every result of the Word is God’s will, whether apparently good or bad. (We cannot and should not judge.) If he sees preaching as preaching his own personal opinions, or whatever research has shown to be effective, then he is not a servant of the Word and will be damned for his error and for the souls he has destroyed.

"Thus this text also strongly opposes all human doctrine; for since the Word of God is the light in a dark and gloomy place, the conclusion follows that all besides it is darkness. For if there were another light besides the Word, Peter would not have spoken as he did. Therefore look not to how gifted with reason they are who teach any other doctrine--however grandly they set it forth. If you cannot trace God's Word in it, then doubt not that it is mere darkness. And let it not disturb you at all that they say they have the Holy Spirit. How can they have God's Spirit if they do not have His Word? Wherefore they do nothing else but call darkness light and make the light darkness, as the prophet Isaiah says, in Isaiah 5:20."
Martin Luther, Commentary on Peter and Jude, ed. John N. Lenker, Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1990, p. 248. 2 Peter 1:19.

If the same man told a cleaning crew to clean his house and they painted it purple and pink instead, he would be furious. Yet God tells him to teach the truth and a mere man substitutes his own ideas.

"Paul does not speak of opposing or antagonistic doctrines, but of those placed beside the true doctrine; they are additions, making divisions. Paul calls it a rival doctrine, an addition, an occasion of stumbling, an offense and a byway, when on establishes the conscience upon his own goodness or deeds. Now the Gospel is sensitive, complete and pre-eminent: it must be intolerant of additions and rival teachings."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 376. Romans 16:16-17.

The parallel phrase used by Paul is “stewards of the mysteries of God.” Once again, steward is a fine secular word never found in today’s English in the same way. A steward was a household manager.

KJV Luke 16:3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.

In that parable we can see that the household manager is supposed to do his job to benefit his lord, or he will be fired. He is being fired, in fact, so he makes friends with the men who owe his master money, so they will hire him. His master sees how clever he is and commends him. It is a strange parable, but we can see in the portrayal of the Lord/steward relationship that the steward is absolutely accountable to the master.

So the term “steward” is fairly obvious. But what are the “mysteries of God.” Some people have tried to create false parallels. This has nothing to do with the mystery religions of paganism. Also, the term mystery is not the same as sacrament. That is, the term is not limited to “sacrament.”

Mysteries apply to everything revealed by the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is a mystery revealed by God, not something we deduce by math or science or prove with logic. That is why we rely on the Word to convert people rather than reason and logic. A person without faith cannot see or understand the mysteries of God. That is why it is so important that the underling of Christ, the pastor, be a faithful household manager of these mysteries.

Can a pastor say to God, “While you were gone, I decided that evolution was better than Creation, a flow of ice better than the Flood. The 10 Commandments are a burden. I declared them obsolete. I am all Gospel. We are all Gospel. I will give Holy Communion, the sacrament you established through the death of Your Son, to anyone who strolls into my church, whether they believe it or not. God, I have a vision for my congregation. One day it will have 8,000 communicants. 8 THOUSAND. And our parking valet ministry will be known throughout the world.”

You are saying to yourselves, “He is making that up to prove a point.” No, I am stating the open and public confession of a WELS pastor who had the support of the district president, vice president, and the friendship of synodical leaders, even the mission board chairman. No effort was spared to protect his position and keep him in the pulpit. Finally, the members had to say, “You must retract your errors.” He said, “I will resign first.” The congregation responded, “Resignation accepted.” He was not a faithful steward. Nor were the synod officials. The members finally accepted their office, which is to discern the spirits, to judge between sound doctrine and evil doctrine.

Oh well, they got away with it for a long time. And everyone has forgotten. Except One.

"On that day every false teacher will wish that he had never been born and will curse the day when he was inducted into the sacred office of the ministry. On that day we shall see that false teaching is not the trifling and harmless matter that people in our day think it is."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 88.

So much is said by Paul about this very subject. He could not be judged by any man. He was not above it all. Ultimately what a minister has done can only be judged by God. Man looks at huge buildings, huge parking lots, and huge budgets, and says, “They are doing well.” God looks at the heart. We cannot do that. We can see certain outward characteristics. For instance, the most successful pastor, in the worldly sense, in Columbus, Ohio, was in the paper. A painter wanted the good reverend to pay for the painting of his mansion. The Pentecostal minister and his father held down the painter and beat him up, according to the news account. That suggests a lack of humility and honesty. But perhaps he will repent before he dies.

On the other hand, someone may be completely orthodox for many years and yet fall away from the faith before dying. Many temptations come along. Probably the obvious sins come after a loss of faith, but the obvious sins end the call. That is why we should not be hasty to judge. Liberals grow into the historic faith and we know many people trained properly fall away completely. I know a pastor who hated all the radical liberal tendencies of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He joined the LCMS. Then later he joined the United Church of Christ, a group that makes the ELCA look staid and hidebound.

At the end, everyone will have his due praise from God. That is another unfair aspect of the Christian faith. The person who believes in Christ alone for his salvation does not have his sins held against him. They are wiped from the account books by the atoning death of Christ. The believers places all his trust in the great exchange made by Christ, who became sin (while without sin Himself) to give us His righteousness. The believer receives this blessing each and every day. His sins are forgiven and forgotten. God moves all believers to do good works to glorify His name. The motivation to follow God’s will and to do God’s will comes from God alone, yet God will praise believers for being His servants and doing His will, even though tainted by sin. The sin is set aside and the good works are rewarded. That is not fair. God is not fair. He is gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

The last verse is a great comfort for those believers who sacrifice a great deal, or endure great hardships, or patiently take on thankless jobs (such as being a mother). Nothing that belongs to God is highly regarded by the world. And yet God will praise these things in the end. He knows and he will reward people. And God will show how little He values what the world esteems. Many Christian paupers will suddenly find the treasure laid up in heaven, where moth and rust do not corrupt.

"When the time comes that the worldly shall gnash their teeth, they shall witness all the elect and angels saying to God: 'This man has been a faithful minister and teacher. He has proclaimed the saving Word of God to a world of castaways. On yonder earth he was despised, persecuted, and maligned, but he shines now as a star with imperishable luster.'"
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 402. Daniel 12:3.

This does not apply to pastors alone, but to all believers who have endured hardships because of the Word and have faithfully served in whatever office God has given them.

Friday, December 14, 2007

ELCA News Release - Dead Serious Stuff



Do Something About Your Own Methane, ELCA!


ELCA NEWS SERVICE

December 13, 2007

ELCA Advocacy Offices Purchase Carbon Offset Credits
07-205-AL


WASHINGTON (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Washington Office, ELCA Corporate Social Responsibility, Pittsburgh, and Lutheran Office for World Community, New York, have purchased carbon offset credits to mitigate their carbon emissions accumulated through air travel.

"Our offices have been working to reduce our carbon footprints by turning off lights and power strips when we're not in our offices, for example. But short of turning off all electricity and ceasing to travel, it's very difficult to eliminate your carbon emissions entirely," said Mary Minette, ELCA director for environmental education and advocacy.

"Since the advocacy staff travels extensively, we've purchased offset credits to balance those carbon emissions. The credits will go toward renewable energy projects, thus reducing the overall amount of power generated by burning fossil fuels," said Minette.

The specific projects funded by the carbon offsets purchased by the advocacy offices will support the use of anaerobic digesters, machines that dramatically reduce the amount of methane that escapes into the atmosphere while simultaneously generating renewable energy for the dairy farms that run them. Methane, like carbon dioxide, is a major contributor to global warming.

To determine the amount of the offices' carbon emissions that needed to be offset, Minette surveyed the staff about their air travel. She used that information with a carbon emissions calculator on the Internet and then purchased the appropriate
amount of credits needed to compensate for the travel.

Minette hopes this move by the advocacy office will start a trend in the ELCA. "Imagine the amount of carbon emissions we'd save if the entire churchwide organization, every synod office, and every congregation were to reduce their energy use and budget for the purchase of offset credits for the remaining energy consumption," she said.

"Our social statement, 'Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice,' commits us as individuals, as a worship community, and as a public church, to address the threat of global warming. I encourage all Lutherans to calculate their carbon footprints, reduce their energy consumption, and purchase carbon offset credits where appropriate," Minette said.

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GJ - Greenland was once fertile farmland, long before people worried about cow methane and global warming. According to the book 1421, Greenland was circumnavigated during that time, before the area froze over again. Warming and cooling cycles are not caused by ovine, bovine, and human methane.

J.K. - I read about the ELCA buying "carbon credits". What's that anyway? From whom does one buy carbon credit? I never heard of this, but I do have planet for sale that is currently unoccupied by any Mormon patriarch.

GJ - Roman Catholics would call it reparation - paying for one's sins with money. Money is given to various green projects to atone for one's sins. This is crucial for ELCA's ultra-sensitive (to fads) departments. They love traveling all over the world on the offerings of the laity. However, they are burdened with guilt for spewing all that exhaust into the atmosphere. So they use even more offering money to satisfy the rage of AlGore, deity of the Greens. Meanwhile, AlGore is making money from the loot being offered to these projects.

NIV Isaiah 33:1 Woe to you, O destroyer, you who have not been destroyed! Woe to you, O traitor, you who have not been betrayed! When you stop destroying, you will be destroyed; when you stop betraying, you will be betrayed.

The Wauwatosa Gospel at Work




Police Called To Wauwatosa Denny's Over 100 Times
TODAY’S TMJ4 ^ | 12/13/07 | Mick Trevey


WAUWATOSA - There are problems at a Denny’s restaurant in Wauwatosa.

TODAY’S TMJ4 has video showing people punching each other in the dining room. We're talking about the Denny’s location on North Avenue right by Highway 45. Police are called their constantly, nearly every other night according to police reports.

That's too much for some Wauwatosa leaders. One melee broke out at 2:00 a.m. Saturday as people were trying to eat at Denny’s. Punches flew. People rushed from their tables to see what was going on. Chris Gilbert was there.

“A little wrestling and then it got broken up and I was in between and kind of separating both sides,” Gilbert said.

Dartell Delarosa was in the fight. He has broken blood vessels in his eye.

TODAY’S TMJ4’s Mick Trevey: “Do you think there should be people fighting in a Denny’s restaurant?”

“No. Ithink there should be better security. There was a guard there but he didn't really do much,” Dartel Delarosa said.

People inside say they don't like eating with violent fighting nearby.

“When you go to a restaurant, you expect to go eat, calm, peace, but things happen,” Gilbert said.

This Denny’s drains Wauwatosa police resources. Officers were called to the diner 100 times in 2006 and about 150 times so far this year.

Most of those calls come in the very early hours of the morning.

Aldermen think something needs to change.

“My own particular preference is that they close their, reduce their, business hours and are closed between midnight and 5:00 a.m.,” Wauwatosa Alderman Don Birschel said.

Late Thursday afternoon, Denny’s announced changes because of the serious problems. They say the location will close from midnight until 5:00 a.m. on weekends. They're deciding whether to make that change permanent.

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rlschultz
has left a new comment on your post "The Wauwatosa Gospel at Work":

This Denny's is but a few blocks away from the Love Shack at 2929. Why can't we all just get along?

A. Nony Mouse has left a new comment on your post "The Wauwatosa Gospel at Work":

Keep up the wonderful articles, Greg! People will see how nuts you really are.

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The premier Wauwatosa website of the Wisconsin Synod remains silent about these shocking incidents.