Benjamin Kjendal, LCMS, Semi-Popes

The congregation's website has a note about the pastor leaving the parish. Perhaps the letter has been edited. LutherQuest [sic] (hardly a reliable source for anything) reports that he has joined Eastern Orthodoxy, only two years after graduating from Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne. Joining the Church of Rome is called poping, so this would be semi-poping.

So far a Google search has not added any additional information. Confirming information from the Fentonistas is welcome.

I was just thinking of when this started. The first clue was over 20 years ago, when graduates of Ft. Wayne were showing an unhealthy interest in Eastern Orthodoxy. I have nothing against incense, fancy robes, and interest in other confessions. However, the Ft. Wayne crowd has been exhibiting an unhealthy coveting of anything from Eastern Orthodoxy.

I noticed that Kjendal's ordination featured a lush abundance of pricey robes. The website features Eastern Orthodox icon art and that gushy spirituality associated with fresh converts.

Ft. Wayne's faculty has long been turning out EO-wannabees. The ELDONA sect is proof of that. The Fort, as its delusional graduates call it, has been turning out men who are sinuflecting toward Rome, one step at a time. Given the assupmptions of Eastern Orthodoxy, that is the next logical step to take. Wives are welcome, as long as the Roman priest does not marry again. Eastern Orthodox priests can marry, but not after ordination. If they marry, they cannot be bishops, except in ELDONA.

Something more is at work than the dishonest doctrine of the Ft. Wayne faculty. The Church Growth Movement and Eastern Orthodoxy have one attribute in common: both are non-confessional. For many decades the LCMS has been mincing away from the Book of Concord and a serious translation of the Bible. The LCMS, WELS, and the Little Sect on the Prairie could have adopted the New KJV for their publication work, with some explanations about the anti-sacramental changes in a few passages. Instead, they adopted the NIV, an atrocious and ever-changing feminist translation.

The so-called conservative synods have worked closely with ELCA (the LCA/ALC before 1987) and emulated apostasy in every way possible, lying about it to those who inquire. "Who told you?" - followed by abusing the original messenger.

The genius of EO and CGM their method, their trick of being non-confessional. They cannot be called anti-confessional. No, believe whatever you want. The key to success is the external method, not the external Word. ELDONA, a nano-synod, began with opposing views of justification. Did that matter? Not as long as the robes matched.

A Ft. Wayne graduate, disgusted with Cousin Brunhilda singing "Amazing Grace" in a prom gown, might prefer instead to chant in his own gown. As long as he does not look too carefully at the flaws in Eastern Orthodoxy doctrine, he is fine.

Let us applaud the Fentonistas for their honesty. Those who favor Eastern Orthodoxy and Rome should leave and honestly state their reasons. Likewise, those who favor Baptist-Pentecostal theology should announce their beliefs and head for the exit. However, both sides of non-confessionalism will stay and contend for the money and members of the Lutheran Church.

***

Carl Vehse has left a new comment on your post "Benjamin Kjendal, LCMS, Semi-Popes":

Had these classmates already dipped their toes into the Bosphorus (or Tiber) before they came to the sem, or was there some subverting influence present at the sem that enticed them to fall from their Lutheran confession?

And what kind of vetting goes on at the sems? Do these guys give off clues that are just ignored or do they just out of the blue pop it on their professors, classmates, congregations, DPs, circuit counselors, etc.?

***

GJ - Ho ho! The seminary is not vetting candidates to keep them away from Eastern Orthodoxy. They are preparing their own graduates to semi-pope soon after graduation. The Ft. Wayne faculty is devious and the students are dishonest. I suppose this is a way to get an education as cheaply as possible before semi-poping.

One excuse at The Fort is just too clever: "It's just a matter of polity." Where did I hear that before? I remember. The Church Growth drones kept saying, "Our methods are doctrinally neutral. They work everywhere." Their methods are so neutral that the stars of Church Growth in WELS have become Evangelicals and Pentecostals.

Niles Links

Brigadoon-like, these links periodically appear and disappear from this ELDONA congregation's website. I have copied them from their last appearance:

Neither Pastor Rutowicz nor Saint Boniface Evangelical Lutheran Church necessarily endorse all the positions taken on any of the following web sites. These sites are listed because it is felt that they have some value. The reader is responsible for his or her own use of these sites.

Issues, Etc. ~ The Radio Voice of the Lutheran [the links have been updated since they were last discussed on Ichabod, but the link does not work again! It's almost like being in love.]

Faith for the 21st Century

Links of Interest

Project Canterbury

The Survival of the Historic Vestments in the Lutheran Church after 1555
by Arthur Carl Piepkorn

Project Canterbury

The Proper Communion Vestments
by P. Severinsen

Vestments and Liturgies

A plea for a more general use of the historic Vestments

and Liturgies of our Church

By J. A. O. STUB, D. D.


Salem Lutheran Church in Malone, Texas

Saint Augustine's House

Lutheran Monastery & Retreat House,
Oxford, Michigan [featuring a chapel devoted to Mary]

The Left Wing of the LCMS also loves this monastery and also links it on their website - American Lutheran Publicity Bureau.

Breaking News - Stabbing at Lutheran School

"Just remember to omit the LCMS name, whenever possible."
Student Stabbed At Sheboygan Lutheran

Michael George

Katie DeLong

SHEBOYGAN - A student was stabbed inside a private Christian high school in Sheboygan.

Sheboygan Lutheran High School is the last place you'd expect to hear about school violence, but parents are thinking twice after a teen was stabbed by a classmate in front of several other students.

Parents at Sheboygan Lutheran never thought their kids would witness a stabbing at school.

"My daughter was actually there when it happened. She helped the student who was stabbed go to the office,” Lori Wieck said.

It started Wednesday with an argument in a school hallway between two 16-year-old boys. Classes had just ended for the day.

Police say one 16-year-old boy was angry because another student was making fun of one of his friends. So he got a knife from a female classmate and he stabbed the teen.

"He came actually walking to our principal, the student who had been stabbed, and very quickly we called and brought in the authorities,” Jim Pingel the school's Executive Director said.

The victim had a two-inch cut to his chest, but he's expected to be OK. The suspect and the 15-year-old girl who gave him the knife were arrested.

"You definitely would not expect this in a Christian school,” Wieck said.

Now, the school is trying to reassure parents that their kids are safe.

"It's a scary situation I have to admit. It can happen anywhere nowadays,” Wieck said.

The attacker has been kicked out of school, and the school is still debating the punishment for the 15-year-old girl. School administrators say they're going to take a second look at their security procedures.

***

GJ - I tried to find out the school's affiliation. I found links to other schools. One admitted to being LCMS, so I have to assume SHS is also LCMS.

WELS Catfish Are Scavengers

"The WELS catfish comes from Europe. It is the second largest catfish in the world growing to lengths of 16 feet. WELS catfish are scavengers. They scower the bottom of rivers for food and eat anything they can fit their mouth around which literally is anything."

------

"WELS catfish have even been credited with the eating of a small boy long ago. Although it is an isolated freak event that hasn't been repeated in decades."

Bailing Water Warned

Anonymous said...
John,

Your blog has been quoted extensively over on Ichabod the past day or two. If you want people to take you even in the least bit seriously, you need to talk to Jackson and tell him to stop.

How Would I Change Seminary Training?

Home of the Wow-Wow-Tosa Doctrinal Inventions

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Martin Luther College, WELS, Adds $7.5 Million Cha...":

Okay, imagine you're in charge of the seminary. How would you prepare pastors differently? What would you change?

***

GJ - I am straining to imagine it. Getting rid of the Wauwautosa delusions would be essential. The worst thing about the Wisconsin sect and the Little Sect on the Prairie is this - Synod Worship. If one must always bow to the synod's Talmudic glosses on everything, what is the point of studying the Scriptures and using the Book of Concord as a rabbit's foot?

If a senile professor invents something even more preposterous than the previous incarnation of UOJ, the synod must be follow lest the old geezer be found wrong.

As District Pope Nitz wrote in one of his threatening letters to me, "You are taking on the whole seminary faculty!"

I think the system has to unravel before something new replaces it.

If a pastor can be known as adulterous and get promoted for it, the synod has not changed. A lot of pastors need to resign, retire, or go to prison before substantial changes take place.

Someone with a Real Name Sent This

Baptists on Church Growth say, "Ew-w-w-w-w."
Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Bailing Water Comments":

I didn't submit the first article but have read this one and seems to fit.

http://www.newswithviews.com/PaulProctor/proctor152.htm

SOUTHERN BAPTISTS NOW IN DECLINE

By Paul Proctor

April 29, 2008

NewsWithViews.com

In a story from the Christian Post, Lillian Kwon reports that Southern Baptists are now a declining denomination, meaning they are no longer getting the Results and Relationships they covet.

The troubling article begins this way:

For the first time, Southern Baptists can say membership has reached a tipping point and the nation's largest Protestant denomination is now declining, says one long-time Southern Baptist.

"The decline that many of us have already believed is there is now becoming real," said Ed Stetzer, director for LifeWay Research, in an interview featured on MondayMorningInsight.com, a Web site for pastors and church leaders.

Baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention fell for the third straight year in 2007 to the denomination's lowest level since 1987, dropping nearly 5.5 percent to 345,941, according to LifeWay Christian Resources' Annual Church Profile (ACP), which was released this week.

Total membership also declined by 0.24 percent to 16,266,920.

Later in the article, Kwon offered a quote from the head of LifeWay Christian Resources, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, in response to the findings:

"This report is truly disheartening," said LifeWay president Thom S. Rainer, according to Baptist Press. "Total membership showed a slight decline. Baptisms have now declined for three consecutive years and for seven of the last eight years, and are at their lowest level since 1987. Indeed, the total baptisms are among the lowest reported since 1970. We are a denomination that, for the most part, has lost its evangelistic passion."
Well, Mr. Rainer, that’s not all we’ve lost.

A quick stroll through the trinkets, toys and knickknacks for sale at LifeWay Christian Stores, formerly the Baptist Book Store, speaks volumes about our passion, doesn’t it?

Besides being president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, Thom Rainer is also the author of many books – one of which encourages churches to simplify and “unclutter their ministry” in order to “become more effective for the glory of God” – emphasizing “the importance of eliminating nonessential programs” to “focus on those ministries that really matter” – which is curious considering all the clutter and nonessentials being retailed by LifeWay.

Does he honestly think the Lord Jesus wouldn’t pull out a whip and start turning over tables if He walked into one of LifeWay’s ecclesiastical emporiums today? No, they’re not temples or houses of worship – but trivializing God’s Word by putting it on novelties, notions and assorted household items just so you can sell them to churchgoers is tacky. And does LifeWay really think there’s nothing wrong with using the Lord’s name in vain on their products and play pretties as long as it’s not in a curse word?

Is there nothing sacred anymore?

Where’s the awe, reverence, fear and trembling of our faith for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – in the bottom of a LifeWay bag with a receipt?

How can we expect the unredeemed to take Jesus seriously, if we don’t?

Ronaldo Shoots the Moon

RonaldoMoon has left a new comment on your post "Liberals Are Jumping on Mark Jeske":

I find it to be absolutely hilarious that you think I'm a liberal.

What makes you think I'm a liberal?
Is it my anti-U.N./world government stance? Is that liberal? Is it the fact that I am against amnesty for illegals and against the North American Union? Is that liberal, as well? It must be my desire to make our government stick to the constitution and abolish all of the unconstitutional laws passed by both "liberal" and "conservative"
lawmakers and Presidents. We must have our civil liberties. These used to be the conservative positions until recent years. Now we have turned from liberal/conservative to socialist/fascist. It doesn't matter which group is in control, though. They all serve the same masters, the international financiers who are building a one world government. If you are truly a Christian, you would know that this world government would be the government of the anti-christ. Now, I don't really go that far with it, but the thought crosses my mind occasionally.

Well, anyhow, it seems to me that if you want to do the work of God you need to be fighting the anti-christ's world government, right?

But when you judge me so quickly, it makes me wonder - do you think you are God? Or, perhaps you know well what you are doing...

More wisdom from the Moon:

If you are a Christian, this should disturb you. I’m not a Christian, and it sure does disturb me.

This is why I don’t like organized religion. Just read the Bible yourself. Don’t listen to idiots like this.

***

GJ - I just thought it was interesting that Jeske is annoying everyone but the money men.

Bailing Water Comments

Bailing Water

Anonymous said...
Wow, even WELS is wandering to Rick Warren (and his ilk...ever notice, ilk is never a good thing)

So how does WELS measure success?
Nickels and Noses or faithful preaching of the Gospel and administering the Sacrements? Since numbers aren't going up, do you leave the Gospel for a marketing plan??
Just askin'

May 21, 2008 7:37 AM


rlschultz said...
"Who promised that your congregations would grow?"

Very good question which needs to be asked in a situation like this or any other which relies upon "M&M's" - marketing and methods. Furthermore, where is numerical growth even made a requirement of the so-called Great Commission? So much of this type of approach demonstrates a lack of discernment.

The final, default argument for all of this nonsense is that they are just trying to save souls.

***

GJ - Somewhere on the Internet, a Baptist has said that the Church Growth ninnies are destroying the Baptist Church. True, I posted some remarks from one article. The one I wanted to find told about the decline in baptisms, the weakness in theology, the cheap marketing tactics.

If someone knows which article I mean, which may have been linked to me recently, I will post it.

It's Over Man!Baptists Turn on Church Growth

C. Peter Wagner, Pentecostal Baptist, endorsed by conservative Lutheran leaders.

Dangers of the Church Growth Movement, by Ralph H. Elliott. Dr. Elliott is senior pastor of the North Shore Baptist Church in Chicago.

Pseudo-gospel

The dangers inherent in the church growth movement are many, and the crucial issue in assessing those dangers is whether we are talking about becoming Christians or about building institutional membership. The greatest danger in the movement may be that it obviously succeeds. If one tailors the church to identify with its culture and engages in the pseudo-gospel of "possibility thinking," promising to assuage guilt with the minimum of pain and connecting that promise with marketing techniques, there will be success. The question is whether the result will bear any similarity to the church.

A second danger is that the movement encourages sinful prejudices. A third is that it misses the major gospel note of reconciliation, forgetting that the key theme of the Christian gospel is the breaking down of the walls of partition between male and female, Jew and Greek and so on. The body of Christ should not be merely a reflection of the divisions that exist on earth predetermined by the exterior similarity of social class and cultural background.

The church growth theology is also dangerous in dooming the city to hopelessness. The strong emphasis on choosing target populations according to the criterion of success leads the church growth people to neglect the city with its economic mobility, its changing neighborhoods and racial mixture. The preference is for the suburbs and for each succeeding suburban ring which mobility and economics establish. One suburb gets old, so emphasis shifts to the next one because that’s where the best possibilities are. The biblical concern for the powerless is totally overlooked. The movement also sanctifies the unholy status quo. In regarding the church as "our kind," church growth sees no problem, for example, with apartheid churches in South Africa, regarding them as routine.

In warning against any ecumenical concerns, the movement also violates the unity of the church. Followers suggest that ecumenical concerns drain away energies and smooth the sharp edge of competitiveness that beats out the other person and leads to success.

In truth, the movement prostitutes the church. Wagner calls on Dean Kelley’s book Why Conservative Churches are Growing for theological support, yet the church growth thesis and Kelley’s are opposites. Kelley portrays the successful church as being against culture, whereas Wagner wants the church to identify the given culture as "my culture." This is surely a sell-out for the gospel which often calls us to leave father and mother and brother and sister.

Finally, church growth theories neglect the biblical dimensions of truly meaningful growth, such as those discussed by Jitsuo Morikawa in his little book of sermons, Biblical Dimensions of Church Growth. In it the author examines the call to grow as individuals and as a faith community -- adhering to qualitative, not merely quantitative, standards.

Martin Luther College, WELS, Adds $7.5 Million Chapel To Its Shrinking Campus

Ex Cathedra
Saturday morning, 137 graduates, including two master's graduates and thirty-seven graduates headed to Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon, received their hard-earned diplomas.

The language is ambiguous, but it seems that 37 or even 39 graduates are headed to the Sausage Factory for GA, the secret hazing ritual known only to the Wisconsin sect. Yes, innocent ones, GA still goes on. The lies about GA being abandoned or sanitized are part of the Wisconsin ministerial mindset. Tiefel loves GA. "GA, ergo sum."

Let us round off the numbers to 40 for the incoming class, assuming no legs are broken, no teeth knocked out during GA. An incoming class of 40 can yield as few as 20 graduating seniors. Even if no one is arrested during the vicarage year, no one has a military wedding, only 30 are going to graduate.

The Little Nashotah House on the Prairie is only graduating four (4) seniors per year - average for the last five years. Even when supplemented by an expelled grad from Concordia Ft. Wayne, the yield is small.

The Little Sect on the Prairie and its Big Brother WELS have embraced apostasy together, driven out Lutheran pastors, and tip-toed toward school bankruptcy. The Episcoal Church in the US is an example for those who want to follow the latest trends.

MLC had shared its worship area with the auditorium. For some reason, Concordia in St. Louis and MLC were both able to have worship services for many decades before someone noticed the chapel-deficit issue. "We have a chapel-defict!" The "Oh Noes!" and "OMGs!" rose to a crescendo until foundation grants eased their pain.

Martin Luther -- remember him from last week's lesson? -- said in the Middle Ages that they did not need another church building, that people should help the poor instead. I am thinking that the church leaders should ease the pain of confiscatory tuition bills before they build another monument to their egos.

"But we can't!" they claim. "That money is Corban. Mark 7:11. We must use it only for a chapel." That never bothered WELS before when dipping into all their designated funds.

Episcopalians Lead the Way In Closing Schools

Feminist PB and Bishop Gather Triumphant Feminist Priests

Bankruptcy of Liberalism as Episcopal Seminaries Face Closure

News Analysis

By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
5/20/2008

Three Episcopal Seminaries, bastions of liberalism, face closure with struggling costs, second career middle-aged priests on fixed incomes, bad theology and programs that reflect the current spiritual zeitgeist of The Episcopal Church.

The first seminary to nose dive was Bexley Hall Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, which announced they would close their satellite campus in Rochester, N.Y., because of declining enrollment and accreditation concerns.

The seminary describes itself as "a seminary in the liberal Anglo-Catholic tradition of Anglicanism." That, in itself, should tell you why it failed. There is no future for that brand of Anglicanism. The Episcopal Church is almost uniformly liberal and revisionist with a small handful of legitimate Anglo-Catholics and Evangelicals, but almost nothing is left of liberal Anglo-Catholicism or, as it is now known, Affirming Catholicism held up by former Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold and Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.

More recently, officials at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., announced plans to eliminate the residential Master of Divinity program and to discontinue faculty contracts in 2009. Their mission statement "to develop empowered and empowering leaders for Christ's Church and God's mission in the world with a particular focus on congregational vitality" has clearly failed to make an impact. The Trustees of Seabury-Western Theological Seminary declared that the Episcopal Seminary "is in (a state of) financial crisis that threatens survival of the institution" and gave notice to all faculty members that their employment would end June 30, 2009.

[GJ: Seabury-Western is located on the beautiful campus of Northwestern University, one of the elite schools in the Midwest. The seminary tution page says: "Admissions & Financial Aid Important Notice: As of February 20, 2008, the Board of Trustees has suspended recruitment for all programs for the coming academic year, 2008-2009. Courses of study are continuing for current students in Spring 2008. Summer 2008 Doctor of Ministry residencies will take place as scheduled."]

The school has also eliminated nine staff positions. The final date of employment for most of these positions was this week - a week after graduation and the school's 150th anniversary celebrations. Money, or the lack of it, was blamed, but if you have no ringing endorsement of what it is that "empowers leaders" in proclaiming the Good News, then failure is inevitable. Ironically, not more than 15 miles up the road at Deerfield IL, is Trinity Evangelical Divinity School for Ministry, a thriving interdenominational Evangelical seminary. 40 miles west is Wheaton College, a leading Evangelical Liberal Arts College where 50% of its student body claim Anglicanism as their churchmanship!

In April, the Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) in Cambridge, Mass, said it was selling seven buildings to nearby Lesley University for $33.5 million as a part of a partnership agreement to stabilize the seminary's finances.

EDS President and Dean, Steven Charleston told Episcopal News Service that it would help to anchor EDS into a foundation that will secure the financial future of the school as well as opening EDS up to continue its innovative work in theological education for the church.

[GJ - EDS is located near the Harvard University campus, allowing it to share programs and professors with Harvard, ideal for students or professors who covet Harvard but cannot get in the front door. "Central to EDS's educational programs and community life is our emphasis on antiracist and multicultural learning. The curriculum also values adult learners and acknowledges the variety in students' ages, races, cultures, life experiences, motivations, preparation, and possibilities for ministry." One major area of study is "Feminist Liberation Theologies (FLT) furnishes students with critical tools to examine and confront interlocking forms of oppression, such as sexism, racism, classism, and heterosexism, in today's world. FLT begins its theological endeavors with the experiences of marginalized peoples and their struggles for liberation, especially women and their communities. In every aspect of the students' educational and ministerial formation, FLT invites them to reflect theologically on these struggles, analyze the systemic and cultural sources of conflict that give rise to them, and create new opportunities for social transformation and change. FLT integrates rigorous academic work, praxis, thoughtful reflection, and collaboration between students and faculty to provide students with the leadership necessary to pursue their work in today?s society and church."]

It is those two words "innovative work" that marks it out for death. The seminary was once described by Methodist theologian Thomas Oden, in his book "Requiem" (1995), "as an institution that has now become self-designated as an openly homosexual-welcoming seminary. It will not evoke the response of the laity and they will be repulsed by moral and spiritual consequences of that seminary. Even with McGovernized representation, the old line church constituency is smarter than to allow its institutions to be permanently commandeered by an orientation and ideology so alien as proto-Marxian lesbianism and all-orifice any-gender promiscuity."

Charleston himself once opined that Jesus' command to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations" does not give Christians the authority to tell other people how to believe and how to pray, how to dress and how to speak, how to act and how to think. "That is authority Jesus never gave to us, because he knew that we could not handle it," he says. With theology like that, it is no wonder there is no Great Commission proclaimed and the seminary is dying. It should come as no surprise that overall enrollment is down by 25%! Charleston says he has no job after June 1.

The question is how long will it be before six of the remaining eight liberal Episcopal seminaries will announce cut backs and closures?

Two Episcopal seminaries, both orthodox in faith and morals, are not in decline and are in fact flourishing.

Nashotah House in Wisconsin, is thriving, so is Trinity School for Ministry based in Ambridge, PA.

Nashotah House is Anglo-Catholic in orientation and has doubled its enrollment to 108. It also has a new Doctor of Ministry program. Durham Bishop N. T. Wright says of the institution, "I have a sense that maybe Nashotah House, like the Irish in the Dark Ages, is called to hang onto certain things which other bits of the tradition have thrown away against the time when the rest of the church realizes it needs them again."

[GJ - Nashotah House is where ELS Seminary President Gaylin Schmeling earned an STM. My conservative Episcopalian friend at Notre Dame, Charlie Caldwell, was called to teach there to help turn around the feminist gay lib school. Apparently that worked.]

Trinity School for Ministry is also on the rise. Although its graduate ordinands are scorned, despised and rejected by liberal Episcopal dioceses, it is training many of the sons of Global South Anglican bishops and archbishops. TESM has seen its residential Master of Divinity program grow by more than 30 percent since the late 1990s, and today has about 40 students per class. It recently received a $1 million donation for students coming from the Global South (Nigeria and the Middle East) who want a thorough Evangelical Anglican education not easily available elsewhere.

Interesting too, is the fact that interdenominational evangelical Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, offers a Master of Divinity degree in Anglican/Episcopal studies with a marked historical and biblical bent that is rapidly growing even as EDS slowly withers and dies. You can read more about their program here: www.gordonconwell.edu:7777/hamilton/registration/pdf/handbook/degrees.pdf - Similar pages

Regent College, Vancouver, on the campus of the University of British Columbia also has an Anglican Studies Center offering a program in world Anglicanism. It partners with Wycliffe Hall, a permanent private hall of Oxford University to offer a unique initiative in theological education. These schools offer programs, which enable prospective ordinands the opportunity to experience Anglicanism in two different cultural contexts: Vancouver and Oxford. It is ironic that this program is being offered in the Anglican heart of darkness that is the revisionist Diocese of New Westminster and its Bishop Michael Ingham.

If anything has been learned from the consecration of openly homoerotic Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, it is that liberal seminaries are slowly declining while orthodox seminaries thrive, a fact overlooked by those who preach the loudest for an inclusive and diverse church.

The Episcopal method of training clergy "is a very expensive way to do theological education," said Daniel Aleshire, executive director of the Pittsburgh-based Association of Theological Schools. "There is significant financial stress in the Episcopal seminary system," he told the Religious News Service, but that doesn't explain the loss of interest in the Episcopal Church, its aging congregations and increasingly aging seminarians. Those who leave seminary with debt face average annual student loan payments of more than $12,000 -- with an average starting salary of just $45,500, reports RNS. If vocation, calling and ministry are reduced to money, it is no wonder that these institutions are dying. Jesus sent his disciples out with little more than the clothes on their backs. Retiring Episcopal priests and bishops can expect to receive pensions that rival and exceed most anything the secular world has to offer.

Trinity's dean of students, Tina Lockett told RNS that "But by and large, people are picking their seminary based on the quality of the academics, the theology of the faculty and the theological position of the seminary. They'll work out the money as a secondary issue."

Money or the lack of it doesn't explain it all away. The problem lies in the message, or lack of same, being promulgated in the seminaries. Evangelical seminaries are thriving. TESM is but one example. Centrist and liberal seminaries, with no clearly defined message but pluralism and accommodationist to the culture, are withering and dying. Who wants to hear, absorb and regurgitate the thoughts of EDS feminist-lesbo-womanist "theologian" Carter Heyward? Who honestly thinks it will fill churches. Better to build a columbarium and they will come. "Central to EDS' educational programs and community life is our emphasis on antiracist and multicultural learning," says Heyward.

If that is the case and it is not the proclamation of the Good News, then a local university or college could just as easily provide such learning, and probably much better. Ironically, if racism is a problem in TEC, it has come more from the liberal side of the pews than the orthodox. The attitude and utterances of liberal Episcopal bishops towards African bishops over the years is decidedly racist. One recalls the statement of inhibited Pennsylvania Bishop Charles E. Bennison who likened the growth of the church in Africa to Hitler's Nazi Party!

After all, if a priest can't tell the difference between The Great Commission and Millennium Development Goals, then they shouldn't be leading an Episcopal parish; better to join the UN or the Kiwanis Club or any of the multitudinous agencies that press good works.

As go the seminaries, so go the churches. Aging and withering congregations can no longer support newly minted liberal Via Media type priests. That day is over. The Episcopal Church is losing a thousand or more persons a week. Those numbers will only increase in the coming months. The children of those fleeing Episcopalians will never darken the doors of TEC's liberal seminaries. That day, too, is done.

END

CCM Peacocks in WELS

Inquiring minds said...
Please explain your comment that the COP seems to be on a "confessional witchhunt" lately. It might be helpful to give specific examples. Is this a witchhunt hunting confessional people, or a witchhunt by confessinal people? Your phrase could be understood either way. Again, specific factual examples would seem to be in place.

May 16, 2008 6:01 AM


John said...
Ok..here's the deal. Look at who is the COP representative on this ad-hoc committee. He certainly seems to be a good 'ole boy. In fact, Vi continually scolds his own district pastors that they better not take pots shots from the weeds.

His very own district has several congregations being led by pastors that are glossy eyed over Church growth methods and in fact look more Methodist than Lutheran.
Yet no church discipline is carried out on these pastors. He looks the other way. However, when a confessionally liturgical pastor or pastors stand up and point out the reformed flaws in the synod they are driven down and out.

May 16, 2008 9:16 AM

John said...
Just shout'in,

The most recent WELS contemporary worship service I attended was more like an ole fashion Methodist revival than a confessional Lutheran church service. So that is what I mean by reigning in the liberal Methodist practices happening in the WELS. So I will flesh this out. First of all, this church doesn't have Lutheran in its name. The Sunday service began with a greeting by the robeless and tieless reverend who isn't addressed as pastor at all. Then he asked us to turn and greet our neighbor. Than the praise band leader took over and led the audience in a few pop songs. The first one being "Here I am to worship" and another couple of diddies about our great God (I think the melody was taken from a U2 song). The reverend than lead a Bible study type sermon that lasted about 30 minutes. The offering happened next, followed by some prayers. A contemporary version of Amazing grace was sung next. Then the blessing (hurray). One more pop song and the Methodist revival was done. I kid you not. Oh yea, there of course was a powerpoint with the lyrics and a small little kiddie church going on across the hallway since the kiddos can't read or see the powerpoint cause of the swaying adults (I kid you not). I thought the mrs in front of me was doing the electric slide. The service was held on a Sunday during the lenten season. But this church doesn't hold Wednesday evening lenten services (ie Methodist?).

So I hope that paints a better picture for you.

May 18, 2008 10:38 PM

Let Us Prey

"I will be on that famous Lutherans list. I will be on that famous Lutherans list. I will be on that famous Lutherans list! Stay tuned for the Paul Kelm Synod. Eeeeyah. "


Anonymous said...
A small clip from a WELS church bulletin in an area about 20 miles from St Mark Depere..... Is this the direction WELS wants to go???

"Some people from our church have approached our pastors about starting a daughter congregation in the Appleton area. These WELS people would fund the entire project for a certain number of years. It will not be financed by our congregation. This daughter congregation would have its own pastor and a part-time music director. The main feature of this church would be: 1) contemporary worship only; 2) small group ministry; 3) lay-driven; 4) Appleton area focused; 5) and will reach out to the unchurched. This congregation will be directed by a separate executive committee. It will have a different name than St. Peter and will worship in facilities outside our campus and not at FVL.
We will have two open hearings to discuss the concept of a
daughter congregation between the services on June 8 & 15, 2008, in church.
We will vote on this proposal at our June 23, 2008 voters’ meeting."

May 19, 2008 4:55 PM


Anonymous said...
Thanks for the laugh!

The 40+ WELS congregations in the Appleton area really need help getting the word out????

May 20, 2008 1:22 PM


miket said...
Anonymous (5/19 - 4:55 pm):

Your comment refers to a church growthy outreach proposal and asks whether this is the direction the WELS wants to go. Obviously, it is the direction that at least some in one congregation want to go. I trust that you are not ascribing the thinking of these few to the whole synod. I think most of the people in WELS would have concerns about starting the kind of mission described in that bulletin note.

The history of the WELS is full of cases of liberal pastors leading their congregations in directions not consistent with God's Word. Some of those pastors came to see the error of their ways; most are no longer WELS.

Seeing a bulletin note like this does not alarm me. What would alarm me is false doctrine that goes undisciplined. Do you know of anything along those lines that needs to be addressed?

May 20, 2008 1:35 PM


Anonymous said...
"The main feature of this church would be: 1) contemporary worship only; 2) small group ministry; 3) lay-driven; 4) Appleton area focused; 5) and will reach out to the unchurched."

Am I missing something? What is not consistent with God's Word in those four? The only false doctrine that needs to be addressed in this vain is elevating personal preferences to the level of Scripture and addressing those who are not in agreement with your opinions "false teachers'. That's called legalism and that is a sin -- period. That is also an issue that also needs to be addressed in the WELS.

I live in the Fox Valley, the number of people we are reaching in our 40+ congregations, the number sitting in His house regularly, and the number of adult confirmations are in most cases, not rising. The synod stats, which I have a copy of, indicates a need to at least look at different ways to gain an audience so that God's means can be shared.

Just shout'in

May 20, 2008 7:59 PM

Liberals Are Jumping on Mark Jeske

Son of Jester: His Lopsided Smile

Liberals disown their own liberal preacher, Mark Jeske.

OK, I know I just said “don’t listen to this idiot”, but I meant “don’t believe anything this snake says”. I want you to listen to him, so you can see what’s going on here. Notice that he says that you should be obedient because you don’t want to “make the name of God look bad”. Seriously!?!? Since when is “God” worried about “looking bad” in the eyes of man?

Daily Kos Commentary.

Ichabod agrees with Jeske about one thing: we are both ashamed he is a Lutheran.

Christ Our Good Shepherd

This photo does not fit, but it is cute.

"Thus too, if our confidence is to begin, and we become strengthened and comforted, we must well learn the voice of our Shepherd, and let all other voices go, who only lead us astray, and chase and drive us hither and thither. We must hear and grasp only that article which presents Christ to us in the most friendly and comforting manner possible. So that we can say with all confidence: My Lord Jesus Christ is truly the only Shepherd, and I, alas, the lost sheep, which has strayed into the wilderness, and I am anxious and fearful, and would gladly be good, and have a gracious God and peace of conscience, but here I am told that He is as anxious for me as I am for Him."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, IV, p. 86. Third Sunday after Trinity, Second Sermon. Luke 15:1-10.

Luther - On Pain

"We have the comfort of this victory of Christ--that He maintains His Church against the wrath and power of the devil; but in the meantime we must endure such stabs and cruel wounds from the devil as are necessarily painful to our flesh and blood. The hardest part is that we must see and suffer all these things from those who call themselves the people of God and the Christian Church. We must learn to accept these things calmly, for neither Christ nor the saints have fared better."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 263. Exaudi. John 15:26-16:4.

"Therefore the Holy Spirit must come to our rescue, not only to preach the Word to us, but also to enlarge and impel us from within, yea, even to employ the devil, the world and all kinds of afflictions and persecutions to this end. Just as a pig's bladder must be rubbed with salt and thoroughly worked to distend it, so this old hide of ours must be well salted and plagued until we call for help and cry aloud, and so stretch and expand ourselves, both through internal and through external suffering,that we may finally succeed and attain this heart and cheer, joy and consolation, from Christ's resurrection."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 253. Easter, Third Sermon. Mark 16:1-8.

"Now what does the poor woman do? She turns her eyes from all this unfriendly treatment of Christ; all this does not lead her astray, neither does she take it to heart, but she continues immediately and firmly to cling in her confidence to the good news she had heard and embraced concerning Him, and never gives up. We must also do the same and learn firmly to cling to the Word, even though God with all His creatures appears different than His Word teaches. But, oh, how painful it is to nature and reason, that this woman should strip herself of self and forsake all that she experienced, and cling along to God's bare Word, until she experienced the contrary. May God help us in time of need and of death to possess courage and faith!"
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 150. Matthew 15:21-28;

"If I only kept in mind that He gave me eyes, truly a very great treasure, it would be no wonder if shame caused my death, because of my ingratitude in that I never yet thanked Him for the blessing of sight. But we do not see His noble treasures and gifts; they are too common. But when a blind babe happens to be born, then we see what a painful thing the lack of sight is, and what a precious thing even one eye is, and what a divine blessing a healthy, bright countenance is; it serves us during our whole life, and without it one would rather be dead; and yet no one thanks God for it."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 129. Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity. Luke 7:11-17

The Bethany Worship Site Stores Video Files

"E = E-Learning."
The term E-Learning is being applied to online education,
which is growing faster than kudzu.

The Book of Concord introduction was received well. Those who cannot watch the service and the education series (due to 56k downloads) can try to watch the saved files. I understand the sound comes through but does not match the video exactly.


They are at our video site.

Click here to see them.

I am learning by doing. I see that the last recording is the first one. I do the adult lesson without my robe on. So you should see a variety of knit shirts featured in the coming weeks. Fashion comments will be blocked by the blogmeister.

I will be posting material on the Ichabod and Bethany blogs, to supplement what is said during the lesson. I plan to take plenty of time to cover the Book of Concord. I find this quite enjoyable.

The college students are in awe of my broadcasting over the Internet. For once I am ahead of them in techno-literacy.

The Feast of the Holy Trinity

By Norma Boeckler

The Feast of the Holy Trinity

Live Lutheran Worship Service, Sundays, 8 AM, Phoenix Time

The Hymn #246 - Nicea
The Invocation p. 15
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual Romans 11:33-36
The Gospel John 3:1-15
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Athanasian Creed p. 53
The Sermon Hymn #251 by Luther - Wir glauben all’
The Sermon

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

The Hymn #250 Grosser Gott
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #464 - Boyston

Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Romans 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

One of the familiar claims of liberal theology books is this – The Trinity did not exist until around 500 AD, when the term first began to be used, after the Council of Chalcedon, in 451 AD.

As I said before, the term Trinity is rather late, because the word itself was invented to serve as shorthand for all the discussions, a way of saying Three-in-One, the Three-ness of the One God, the Unity of the Three Persons. Trinity is a concise way of saying – Tri-unity.

In this brief lesson from Romans, there are three different indications of the Trinity. The one is hidden by the translation. It is more like this – O the depth of the:
1. Riches
2. Wisdom
3. Knowledge
Of God.

This is followed by three questions:
1. For who hath known the mind of the Lord?
2. or who hath been his counselor?
3. Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?

And then we have another series of three:
1. For of him,
2. and through him,
3. and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Throughout the Bible, God’s attributes are described in groups of three. But the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are specifically named together in many places – long before Chalcedon. (There are many Trinitarian passages in the Old Testament, but I will get to those in another sermon.)

One illustration of the Holy Trinity is well known to everyone. When Jesus was baptized, the voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Paul’s letters are full of Trinitarian references.

Titus 3:4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

The lessons from John about the coming of the Holy Spirit are explicit teachings about the Trinity:

John 14:16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever --
17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

Matthew shows Jesus addressing the Trinity.

Matthew 22:43 He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying: 44 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool" '? 45 "If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"

Matthew closes with the Great Commission, where the Holy Trinity is named. Jesus’ Gospel command is to teach all nations (not to manufacture disciples) and to baptize in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Cults Hate the Trinity
The cults, including the cult of apostate liberal theology, all hate the Holy Trinity. They do not want to name the Name of God. They fight against it. Jehovah’s Witnesses will come to the door just to teach against the Trinity. (JWs use liberal scholarship to prove the Trinity is wrong. There is something amusing and deadly about JWs and liberal scholars in agreement.) Mormons use the word Trinity but teach polytheism when they do.

Feminists do not want to baptize in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So they use Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier (three terms also used for the Hindu group of three main gods). Agreement with Hinduism is not good, since they accept around 300 million gods.

The Holy Trinity Named and Defined
There can only be one true God. He has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Teaching against this is a grave sin because there are many false claims about the godhead.

Avoiding the Trinity means a denial of God Himself. The liberal apostates have chosen to pick and choose what aspects they approve, but that is not possible.


Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

The epistle expresses the nature of God, as far beyond anything we can imagine. The general trend in the last 100 years has been to move from seeing everything from the perspective of Creation to seeing everything from the perspective of man. If man approves and understands, then it is accepted.

We can see this in the area of evangelism, ethics, and ministry. Something is true because a group did a study about the issue. It is true because it is superficially successful. It is true because it is popular at the moment.

Born From Above

Maxfield Parrish - New Moon
John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.



NICK AT NIGHT



Luther said that the Bible is a book for heretics, and John's Gospel has been especially favored in promoting false teaching. Nevertheless, the Fourth Gospel clearly teaches Christian doctrine in the simplest language. People have misused the Gospel from the beginning because its clear message.



The Gospel of John has the clearest apostolic authority, assuming the use and knowledge of the first three gospels. The other gospels have more narrative, while John's gospel has more of Jesus' teaching.



Knowledge of the original text of the Gospel can defeat many false views, but a proper understanding of the English will also defeat the wolves. English alone is enough, but when Greek is used to advance a phony argument, Greek is needed to defeat it. For instance, Lutheran feminists would have us believe that the Greek word anthropos (the root for anthropology and misanthrope) can only refer to humankind in general and never to a man. For that reason, they cannot confess that the Son of God "became man," only that he became "fully human." But let's read the first phrase of this lesson again, ” There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus…"



The word for "man" in this phrase is anthropos! It is impossible to translate the word in any feminist form and make it sound like English. Examples:

1. There was a fully human from the Pharisees named Nicodemus.

2. There was a human being from the Pharisees named Nicodemus.

3. There was a person from the Pharisees named Nicodemus.

4. There was an individual from the Pharisees named Nicodemus. (We use "individual" when we want to hide the gender and ordination status of someone. Confessions are not meant to hide information.)



I recall someone who wondered a bit about having a woman preacher at his Pentecostal church. I said, "The Bible clearly precludes women preaching to men and teaching men. And how can she be "the husband of one wife" when she is the wife of one husband? The man answered, "She says the passage doesn't mean that."



We would have funny looking homes if every builder and contractor had a different concept of one inch. The canon of Scripture means "measuring rod." The standard is unchanging. Otherwise we must argue that God's Word is infinitely flexible and constantly changing.



The use of John's Gospel by heretics can be clearly seen in this lesson. As we know from this familiar passage, Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, probably because of his fears, since he was a religious leader of the Jews. Jesus converted Nicodemus to faith in Him by teaching him the Word, as we see from the Gospel.



He spoke up for Jesus when the leaders wanted to kill the Son of God:

John 7:50 Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them…



He was rebuked for his attempts.



Later, he helped in the burial rites.



John 19:39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.



In the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, the Savior said, "You must be born from above." This is a pun, because the same word can be used for again, and Nicodemus in his confusion asked how a full-grown man could be born all over again.



We might ask, "Why didn't Jesus speak more clearly?" But whenever Jesus spoke of spiritual matters, people misunderstood Him. This happened with the woman at the well and when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. It reminds us that when God speaks to us about matters of eternal salvation, we worry about the daily concerns of this earthly life.



When parents take children on a long car trip, they will ask, "When are we going to eat?" The father or mother is tempted to say, "Do you think we are going to let you starve to death? Don't be so anxious."



In the discussion with Nicodemus, Jesus defined what He meant by "You must be born from above." The decision theology people say that He meant we must make a decision for Christ, defining that moment when we decided to accept Jesus, an act of the will. This is so important that some denominations have made that a requirement, giving the date in which the person made a decision.



Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.



Here we must mention Greek again, because the original text is our standard. "Born of water and of the Spirit" is often mumbled by Baptists. Once a radio sermon by a Baptist, passed over this phrase very quickly. The actual phrase completely destroys their anti-Sacrament argument. Non-Lutheran Protestants deny that baptism grants forgiveness of sin, planting faith in the heart of the baptized person. Some of them baptize infants; some refuse to, although they dedicate them with the Word. But they agree together that baptism is not God acting upon us.



By taking this away, these same people have paved the way for Pentecostals, who separate water baptism and Spirit baptism, by saying, "I was a baptized Christian for many years, but I was not a real Christian until I was baptized by the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues." False teaching about baptism leads to confusion, two or more baptisms. Many are baptized again and again. Many tongue-speakers look for ever increasing signs of God's blessing upon them.



Jesus does not separate water and Spirit baptism. Neither should we. The phrase " Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit" lacks any articles. The Greek New Testament is very generous with its use of the word "the." Therefore, when "the" is lacking, the words can be seen as hyphenated. Except a man be water/Spirit born. This is the real meaning of the phrase. Water baptism is Spirit baptism because the Gospel promises are linked to the earthly form of water.



Luther's opponents wanted to make fun of water accomplishing anything, but they ignored the role of the Word of God connected with baptismal water. A dog or a cat would look into a baptismal font and see only something to quench their thirst. We are not to listen to God's Word and hear no more than an animal would.



Being water/Spirit born teaches us that God is indeed involved in each and every true baptism. Birth itself suggests an image of a new person. The apostle Paul also wrote of washing and rebirth. Washing is the clearest possible image of sins being forgiven. Rebirth means a new life has started.



Jesus distinguished between the carnal and the spiritual. The apostle wrote: 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.



The "natural man" is used by the Greeks to describe the noblest aspect of man. Whoever is considered a great hero for all his virtues - he cannot receive Spiritual things. They are comical to him. He sees no more than a cow or a horse. Many wise men of the ages have said that the Bible is nothing but foolishness to them.



No one can believe unless the Holy Spirit has planted faith in that person's heart through the Word. Adults are converted and receive baptism as God's sacrament of forgiveness. Children hear the promises of God through baptism and are converted to faith. Their parents, then, must nurture this faith. One does not plant a seed and then let it dry up and wither away. People spend more time nurturing their gardens than nurturing their children's faith.



The comfort of baptism cannot be overstated. No baptized person need doubt his standing with God. All despair can be answered by this, "God has baptized you into His kingdom. He has done this because of His gracious, kindly and forgiving nature." If someone has fallen into deep and terrible sins, he can nevertheless rest forgiveness upon his baptism. Through faith we receive the Gospel message of Jesus redeeming us from sin, death, and the devil.



Parents also have the comfort and blessing of baptism in their children. They have no reason to question whether their baptized children are in fact in the Kingdom of God. It is a sad day when we have to plead for the innocence of children when their lives are cut short by accident or diseases. The most helpless child can be proud, obstinate, jealous, and even vindictive. The Old Adam does not wait to arrive until a convenient time. We inherit this sinful nature. But when we lose a child, we can say, "God made him a member of His kingdom through baptism."



The blessings of baptism are infinite. Children grow up with faith and hear the Word of God with great love and confidence. They have their little distractions but they do not have the skills of adults in rejecting what they hear in the Word. They are dry sponges, absorbing what they hear. One girl cried and begged her family to take her to Sunday School, when they wanted to sleep in all weekend. This does not come from the flesh, because kids like to goof around too. It comes from the Holy Spirit.

A child who grows up in the Christian faith will be blessed in many ways and be a blessing to everyone as well. His impact will be impossible to determine, but God knows.

As adults and as children, we are united by what God has done for us, so that we are water/Spirit born.

Famous Lutherans

Steve Jobs, Apple Computer, was confirmed in the LCMS.
He died October 5, 2011.
Famous Lutherans List

Famous Living Lutherans
Here is a list of “Famous Living Lutherans” compiled from various sources. Those listed are ELCA members, unless noted otherwise. This list is accurate to the best of our knowledge. Please send your additions and/or corrections to michelle.daniels@elca.org Updated March 2008.

Politics
U.S. Representatives: Michele Bachmann (WELS), Lois Capps, John R. Carter, Norman Dicks, Stephanie Herseth, Darlene Hooley, Ron Kind (WELS), Tom Latham, Zoe Lofgren, Collin Peterson, Thomas Petri, Dave Reichert (LCMS), John Shimkus (LCMS), Bill Shuster, Tim Walz.
U.S. Senators:
Sherrod Brown, Byron Dorgan, Ernest F. "Fritz" Hollings, Tim Johnson and Nikki G. Setzler
Nane Annan, wife of former UN Secretary General Koffe Annan
Douglas K. Bereuter – former US House, now head of the Asia Foundation
Bob Bergland, former US Secretary of Agriculture
John Bolton, US Ambassador to the United Nations
William Dannemeyer, former US House of Representatives (LCMS)
Tim Goeglein, special assistant to President Bush and Deputy Director of
Public Liaison (LCMS)
Steve Gunderson, former US House of Representatives, now known as an author
Gaylord T. Gunhus. former chief of chaplains for the U.S. Army
John Hamre, former deputy director, US Department of Defense
Donald Hodel, former US Secretary of Energy and Interior
John E. Jones III, judge, US District Court, Pennsylvania (ELCA)
Judge Dan Joy, New York State
Thomas S. Kleppe, former US Interior Secretary
Conrad Lautenbacher, Jr., Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
Cynthia Lummis, Treasurer, Wyoming (LCMS)
John Marty, Minnesota State Senator
Ed Meese, former US Attorney General
Mark Neumann, former US House of Representative (WELS)
Tim Penny, former US House of Representatives
Dale Sandstrom, Justice, North Dakota Supreme Court

Sports
Shane Battier, Memphis Grizzlies NBA
Kim Bauer, Womens PGA Golfer (WELS)
Tom Brady, New England Patriots quarterback
Matt Bullard, Houston Rockets
Karyn Bye, US Women’s Hockey Olympic Team
Dan Califf, San Jose Earthquakes (soccer)
Dom Capers, Houston Texans coach
Bill Cartwright, former Chicago Bulls coach
Chris DeMarco, PGA golfer
Morgan Ensberg, Houston Astros baseball (LCMS)
Darin Erstad, Los Angeles Angels
Phil Hansen, former Buffalo Bills defensive end
Elrod Hendricks, former Baltimore Orioles catcher
Tony Kubek, former NY Yankee (WELS)
Michael Jackson, former Seattle Seahawks & Washington Huskies football
Dale Jarrett, NASCAR driver
Ned Jarrett, NASCAR commentator & retired NASCAR driver
Calle Johansson, Washington Capitals (hockey)
Janet Lynn, Olympic skater
Madeline Manning Mims, former Olympic athlete, current Olympic chaplain
Scott Madson, Soloflex ads (LCMS)
Carmelo Martinez, professional baseball player
Luis Matos, Baltimore Orioles baseball player
Paul Molitor, Baseball Hall of Fame
Andy North, PGA Golfer, former US Open champion (LCMS)
Gregg Olson, retired professional baseball player
Lute Olson, University of Arizona basketball coach
Hank Peters, former general manager of the Orioles and Indians (LCMS)
Brian Propp, NHL (ELCIC)
Paul Reuschel, former Chicago Cub
Rick Reuschel, former Chicago Cub
John Scheirholz, general manager, Atlanta Braves
Jerry Seeman, head NFL referee
Richard Steele, referee
Terry Steinbach, Minnesota Twins baseball (WELS)
Gary Suter, NHL
John Vambiesbrouck, Philadelphia Flyers goalie, NHL (LCMS)
Duffy Waldorf, professional golfer
Bruce Weber, coach, University of Illinois basketball
Jim Wilson, former Chicago White Sox
Mark Wilson, PGA Tour player (ELCA)
Dave Winfield, Baseball Hall of Fame
John Zimmerman, professional skater

Television News and Sports
Troy Aikman, FOX Sports, former NFL player
Emily Akin, NBC news, Houston
John Bachman, WHO TV, Des Moines, Iowa
Dick Bremer (LCMS), Minnesota Twins TV announcer
Jack Cafferty, CNN anchor
Gretchen Carlson, FOX news (former Miss America)
Mary Hart, "Entertainment Tonight" host
Jim Henderson, radio announcer
Joel Hochmuth (WELS), former CNN reporter
Donna Kelley, CNN anchor
Verne Lundquist, CBS sports
Ann Martin, KABC-TV (L.A.), news anchor
Lisa Malosky, NBC Sports
Cliff Michaelson, WCSH TV, Portland, Maine
Mike Miller, Milwaukee TV news
Pat O’Brien, former "Access Hollywood" host, now “ The Insider” host
Dane Placko, FOX news, Chicago
Dick Reeves, CBS radio news anchor, retired
Jane Robelot, CBS news
Christine Romans, CNN anchor
Orion Samuelson, WGN TV and radio
Flip Saunders, NBA head coach, Detroit Pistons.
John Scott, NBC news (LCMS)
Susan Spencer, CBS news
Ron Steele, KWWL-TV, Waterloo, Iowa
Michelle TaFoya, CBS sports
Bill Whitney, CBS radio news
Paul Yeager, KWQC-TV news, Quad Cities

Actors/Entertainers/Musicians/Film Industry Folks
Erika Alezander, actor ("Bill Cosby Show")
Loni Anderson, actor
Brice Beckham, actor, Wooley Owens on “Mr. Belvedere”
Beverly Benda, soprano
Beau & Jeff Bridges, actors (entire Bridges family are active Lutherans)
Dana Carvey, comedian and actor
Gary Cole, actor, “Brady Bunch” films
Brandy Dejongh, actor (LCMS)
Justino Diaz, opera singer
Fred Durst, singer and actor
Kirsten Dunst, actor
Rusty Edwards, composer
Kurt Elling, jazz musician
Paul "Ace" Frehley, rock musician "KISS" (LCMS)
Janie Fricke, country music star
Michael Gesme, Conductor of Bend Oregon Symphony Orchestra
Annabeth Gish, actor, "The X Files"
Jerry Hadley, opera tenor
Don Hahn, Disney film producer
Hilary Hahn, young violinist
Patti Hansen, actor and model
David Hasselhoff, actor/producer, "Baywatch"
Marty Haugen, composer
Adolph Herseth, retired Chicago Symphony lead trumpeter
Felicity Huffman, actor “Desperate Housewives”
William Hurt, actor
Marta Casals Istomin, cellist
Craig Hella Johnson, singer, music director
Kris Kristofferson, singer/actor
Gary Lewis, musician "Gary Lewis and the Playboys"
Lyle Lovett, singer (LCMS)
William H. Macy, actor
Paul Manz, organist
Kurt Masur, former conductor, New York Philharmonic
Ron Maxwell, film producer ("Gettysburg")
Peter & Jim Mayer, Jimmy Buffet band
John Mellencamp, musician and singer (LCMS?)
Kirsten Nelson, actor, “The West Wing” & “Pysch”
Thomas Ian Nicholas, actor
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (attended a Lutheran day school)
Ann-Margaret (Olson), actor (LCMS)
Christopher Orr, actor, "The Mighty Ducks" movies (WELS)
Ivaan David Ortiz, film director
Ivan Gonzalo Ortiz, film producer
Michael Peterson, country music star
Frances Williams Preston, president and CEO of Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI)
James Rebhorn, actor ("The Game," "Fatal Attraction," "Seinfeld")
Andy Richter, former "Late Night with Conan O’Brien" co-host
David Rupprecht, actor, game show host (WELS)
Paul Schrader, film director and screenwriter
Elke Sommer, actor
Kevin Sorbo, actor, "Hercules" and Andromeda
David Soul, actor, "Starsky & Hutch"
Rick Steves, PBS travel host, travel author
Sally Struthers, actor - “All in the Family” and “Gillmore Girls”
Liv Ullman, actor
Stephen Werner, rock drummer
Roger Williams, pianist
Bruce Willis, actor
John Woo, film director ("Windtalkers" among many others)
John Ylvisaker, singer and composer ("Borning Cry")
Steve Zahn, actor "Sahara" and “Out of Sight” (LCMS)

Authors, Artists and Scholars
Gerald Barney, Millennium Institute, Washington, D.C.
Paul Bouman, composer
Warrin Bennis, author on leadership
Peter Berger, sociologist
Robert Bly, poet and author “Iron John”
Sandra Bowden, artist (LCMS)
Herbert Brokering, author
Rita Mae Brown, author "Bingo" and "Rubyfruit Jungle"
Jill Alexander Essbaum, poet
Jean Garton (LCMS), author of "Who Broke the Baby?"
Richard Hillert, composer
Bill Holm, poet
Edna Hong, author
Howard Hong, author
Ichabod, independent blogger
Marta Istomin, director, Pablo Casals Foundation
Cecile Johnson, watercolorist
Betina Krahn, author
Gary Larsen, cartoonist "The Far Side"
Jean LemMon, former editor, "Better Homes & Gardens"
George Lindbeck, scholar/author
Betty Mahmoody (WELS), author of "Not Without My Daughter"
Paul Maier, author (LCMS)
Janet Letnes Martin, author
Martin Marty, church historian
Cindy McTee, composer
Francisco Molina, poet
Alexandra Nechita, artist
Larry Rasmussen, Union Seminary, New York, ethicist
Jose David Rodriguez, author
Carl Schalk, composer
Peter Schieckele, composer, musician
David E. Schrader, Executive Director, American Philosophical Association, Newark, Delaware
Bob Sylwester, author, pioneer in brain-based learning (LCMS)
Walter Wangerin Jr., author/speaker
James Wind, Alban Institute
Karl A. Ylvisaker, artist (WELS)
Harriett Ziegenhais, composer

Science, Military, Business, Beauty, etc.
Linda Ahlers, Dayton Hudson, President, department store division
Bradbury Anderson, CEO, Best Buy
Gerald Barney, the Millenium Institute
Linda Bartlett, president "Lutherans for Life" (LCMS)
David Beckmann, President, Bread for the World
Mary Beth Blegen, 1996 Teacher of the Year
Norman E. Borlaug, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal for his work in agricultural science.
Don Branderstein, astronaut
Tom Buis, President, National Farmers Union
Robert Cade, inventor of Gatorade (LMCS)
Doris Christopher, CEO, the Pampered Chef
Lt.General Roger DeKok, Air Force Space Command
William Foege, former executive director, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta
Ron Gangelhoff, Chicago Cutlery Company founder
Bryan Holderby, US Navy Chief of Chaplains (1996 – 2000)
Steve Jobs, Apple Computer co-founder (LCMS)
Michael Johns, health care executive
Rebecca O. Kendall (Gass), retired Eli Lily VP & general counsel
James M. Kilts, CEO, Gillette
Grant Krafft, scientist (Alzheimer’s research)
Ed Kruse, CEO, Blue Bell Creameries, Inc.
Victor Langford, US Army General & chaplain
Judith Larson, scientist
Mark Lee, former astronaut
John Moellering, US Army General, former West Point commandant (LCMS)
Don Muchow (LCMS), former Navy chief of chaplains (1992 – 1996)
George "Pinky" Nelson, former astronaut
Marilyn Carlson Nelson, CEO, Carlson Companies
Paul Olson, President, National Farmers Organization
Ardath Rodale, CEO Rodale Press
Carolyn Sapp, former Miss America
Alfred Schwan, CEO, Schwan Foods (WELS)
Norman Schwarzkopf, US Army General
Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation
Diane (Baum) Thormodsgard, President of Corporate Trust Div. at U.S. Bank
Ross Trower, former Navy chaplain chief
General John Vessey, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (LCMS)
Jeff Williams, astronaut

***

Joe Abrahamson has left a new comment on your post "Famous Lutherans":

Greg,
Too funny if the reference
"Ichabod, independent blogger"
means you!!! And without the parenthetical qualification of membership, the ELCA is claiming you as their own!!

Of all the stupid ironies.

I guess that shows us how reliable the rest of the list probably is.

My name isn't on the list. So, I know two things. 1) I'm not a famous Lutheran, and 2) The ELCA doesn't consider me a member. Well, yet, I suppose. I'll try to avoid both.

Wishing you the best,
Joe A.

***

GJ - Joe, I have to admit scratching my name in the wet cement. I could not resist. I wondered if anyone would notice. Diablo saw it right away. So did Kovaciny-Mouse, squeaking away as expected.

Formula of Concord - Bethany Lutheran Worship

How the Formula Of Concord Was Forged


Luther's Death

When Luther died, Lutheranism collapsed. Military defeat of the Lutherans worsened the weaknesses of the Wittenberg faculty. This era is painful to read about and seldom studied, but it is important for two reasons. First: God used the compounded tragedy to bring about the Formula of Concord and the Book of Concord. Second: our era is very close to that following Luther's death -- orthodox doctrine almost completely forgotten, conservative Lutheran seminary faculty members
promoting Calvinism, conflict and confusion abounding.

Luther died on February 18, 1546. On the fourth of July, the Pope issued a bull: "From the beginning of our Papacy it has always been our concern how to root out the weeds of godless doctrines which the heretics have sowed throughout Germany. . . Now it has come to pass that, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, our dearest son in Christ, Charles, the Roman Emperor, has decided to employ the sword against those enemies of God."

Charles V, the Roman Catholic emperor who heard the Augsburg Confession read in 1530, attacked the German Lutheran forces and quickly defeated them. His victory was facilitated by the neutrality of some Lutheran princes and the secret treachery of Maurice of Saxony, who was given John Frederick's position. The Elector of Saxony, John Frederick, was taken captive.

Charles V entered Wittenberg on May 23, 1547 and stood at Luther's grave. He was urged to have Luther's body dug up and burned at the stake for heresy. He responded by saying he was warring with the living, not the dead. His forces controlled most of Germany, and he used his military might to force the Lutherans back into submission to the papacy.

Luther feared the loss of sound doctrine. Stephanus Tucher reported Luther saying, "After my death not one of these (Wittenberg) theologians will remain steadfast." Luther not only saw the inconstancy of Melanchthon, Bugenhagen, Cruciger, Eber, and Major, but also their indifference to false doctrine, especially about the Lord's Supper.

Luther's blast against George Major is a perfect antidote to the current attitude of "spoiling the Egyptians," promoting and defending the false doctrine of non-Lutherans:

It is by your silence and cloaking that you cast suspicion upon yourself. If you believe as you declare in my presence, then speak so also in the church, in public lectures, in sermons, and in private conversations, and strengthen your brethren, and lead the erring back to the right path, and contradict the contumacious spirits; otherwise your confession is sham pure and simple, and worth nothing. Whoever really regards his doctrine, faith, and confession as true, right, and certain cannot remain in the same stall with such as teach, or adhere to, false doctrine; nor can he keep on giving friendly words to Satan and his minions. A teacher who remains silent when errors are taught, and nevertheless pretends to be a true teacher, is worse than an open fanatic and by his hypocrisy does greater damage than a heretic. Nor can he be trusted. He is a wolf and a fox, a hireling and a servant of his belly, and ready to despise and to sacrifice doctrine, Word, faith, Sacrament, churches, and schools. He is either a secret bedfellow of the enemies, or a skeptic and a weathervane, waiting to see whether Christ or the devil will prove victorious; or he has no convictions on his own whatever, and is not worthy to be called a pupil, let alone a teacher; nor does he want to offend anybody, or say a word in favor of Christ, or hurt the devil and the world.

After Luther's death, Major taught that good works were necessary for salvation, a false doctrine refuted by the Formula of Concord.

The Wittenberg faculty abandoned Luther's theology to such an extent that by 1566 the scriptural truths of the Reformation were taught publicly in only a few places.