at the Sausage Factory, Mequon.
I was standing in the driveway with the Midland, Michigan circuit pastors, at the home of Pastor John Seifert, before he was District Pope. Frosty Bivens was there. So was Tim Buelow. Seifert and the other pastors were all standing around in one circle.
The conversation was memorable and brief. Terry Nukolls was discussed. Bivens said, "Nitz is the second most spineless DP in WELS." Someone asked, "Who is the most spineless?" Bivens said, "Mueller." That was a shocker, because the establishment pastors normally spoke favorably about everyone in power.
Soon I was discussing the Church Growth Movement. Bivens said, "I went to Fuller Seminary and I happen to believe we can use Church Growth methods to bring people in, so we can apply the Means of Grace."
I said something very critical about anyone going to Fuller Seminary.
Buelow chimed in by criticizing Bivens directly, pointing out how disappointing it was for someone to leave the LCA (as I did) and to hear something like that.
Bivens went inside and sat with the women. I was told, "No one does that at a WELS pastors' gathering."
Twice after that, Seifert bragged about how orthodox the Northern Conference of the Michigan District was, and how his circuit was perfect. Bivens was part of both, so I reminded him about Fuller each time. Seifert said each time, just like the Chicago cash-register artists when caught short-changing me, "Oh!" He forgot.
Soon after, Bivens joined his friend Valleskey at the Sausage Factory.
So students would come up to Bivens and say, because of my publications, "Where does Jackson get the idea that you went to Fuller?"
He always responded, "I don't know."
Valleskey never admitted going to Fuller to me, and even denied it to my face, but he admitted his attendance there to David Koenig, CLC (sic), who was angry that I published that fact.
So what do we call someone who calls the truth-teller a liar?
Answer - a seminary professor.
