Memorial Day Poem

Hoover Dam

Charles M. Province wrote a poem called The Soldier:

It is the soldier, not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier, not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier, not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the soldier,
who salutes the flag,
who serves under the flag,
and whose coffin is draped by the flag,
who allows the protester to burn the flag.

Pastor Karen

The Lutheran Church Canada has a blogger who links to church websites. This linking to public sources is considered an abomination by those who think their public websites constitute a private sin, requiring a personal visit. Does that remind anyone of Kelm and Parlow's plagiarized sermons, posted on their website? "Have you talked to them about this?"

The blog is Virtual Lutheran.

Here is the link to Pastor Karen, the worship pastor for this congregation. Supposedly, the Canadian version of the LCMS does not ordain women.

Staff
Brian Smith - Lead Pastor
Stephan Bouwer - Associate Pastor
Cory Illingworth - Youth Pastor
Chad Hoffman - Children's Pastor
Karen Swanson - Worship Pastor
Julia Zhang - Admin Assistant
Debra Bohlken - Admin Assistant
Bill Wiskar - Custodian

Bruce Church Note: Byzantium at The Fort

Dost thou promise to put incense on automatic delivery, to link Eastern Orthodoxy sites on thine congregation's webpage, and to preach on the necessity of elaborate robes? If so, answer, "Yes by the help of the Metropolitan."

Bruce Church has comments on Eastern Orthodox culture at Concordia, Ft. Wayne.

The situation at Ft. Wayne (and St. Louis, Otten claims) reminds me of the universities during the 1960's. Tenured professors encouraged students to join the radical cause. The professors enjoyed watching the young occupy buildings and engage administrations in various debates. The Leftist professors never had to abandon the comfort of their positions to accomplish their goals. Calling themselves confessional Lutherans, the Byzantium lobby has infiltrated the LCMS. The photo above is the ordination of the newly departed Ft. Wayne graduate. Only two years later, he sinuflected to Byzantium. Many will eventually join Rome with Neuhaus, Wilken and the other confessional Lutheans, as they called themselves then.

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Bruce Church has another interesting comment the funding of the LCMS:

Add to the KFUO debacle the fact that the districts take in $100 million per year, and only $20 million gets to the synod HQ, and one wishes Ministry Watch would slap a big fat F grade for Transparency on the entire LCMS! Ministry Watch should brand an F on Kieschnick's forehead. By rights, Ministry Watch should spam LCMS members' email boxes with "Donor Alerts," too.

The appeals for mission money at the congregational level mean that only 20% donated will make it past the district pope's staff headquarters. The Purple Palace takes its 20% share and pays a small army of administrators. Thus a miraculous abundance is turned into five loaves and two small fish.