Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Rev. Mouse Needs Anger Management And -
A Lutheran Education




A. Nony Mouse has left a new comment on your post "Rev. Mouse Unleashed: Frog in Kettle Simmers":

You wrote: "Anyone who has preached a sermon according to the Scriptures, taught according to the Word, baptized, or communed someone has spread the Gospel."

Your explanation of the word "evangelism" is correct, but let's use it in the sense almost everyone uses it today--What have you ever done that could be considered deliberately sharing law and gospel with an unbeliever? Have you ever worked in a mission field? HAve you ever done a door to door canvas? Have you ever had a Bible class with your former congregations about how to share law and gospel with their friends, neighbors, family and co-workers?


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GJ - Correct, but... That is Kelmian logic. I could list many things that Baptistic WELS clergy call evangelism. They have to go to Fuller and Willow Creek to understand real evangelism. Le't not trouble ourselves with the Means of Grace when we can entertain people into the Kingdom. My purpose now is to convert the synodical leaders to Lutheran doctrine. The evangelism work I do goes all over the world, and I will leave it at that.

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More Mouse:

I' ve never seen anyone make such a big deal about the schools he attended--accredited or not. By the way you brag about your schools so much, methinks you're trying to impress your readers. It even seems as if you're trying to equate the words "accredited" with "orthodox."

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GJ - Since we do not know who you are, Rev. Mouse, your statements are difficult to judge. We all know WELS has a thing against education, unless it is in-house, Willow Creek, Trinity Deerfield, or Fuller Seminary. I have noticed Olson and Kelm calling themselves Dr. on the strength of a D.Min. in Church Growth. I would call that bragging about nothing. The D.Min. was invented by seminaries as the equivalent of an STM. No one wants to pick up an STD today, even from Fuller.

I read Olson's D.Min. paper from Fuller, jabbing myself with a compass to stay awake - or was it to keep from laughing out loud in the sanctum sanctorum of the MLC library?

Doctorates are rare in the Wisconsin sect. So is intelligent debate. Get out the yellowed dog notes and repeat after me: WELS is perfect.

I would not equate unaccredited with orthodox, if that is what you imply. I have the advantage of age, experience, and education. Everyone has a unique perspective, but few have an original one. Obviously Mouse has a deep need to engage my arguments. For that I am glad. Perhaps I can rescue him from the swamp of apostasy.

I follow Wesley's maxim: "If you can't convert them, at least make them angry." In that I consider myself a rousing success.