Koine (Greek for "common") WELS Rock Band

In Music Koine rocks St. Marcus, releases debut disc

Koiné actually played one Christmas hymn, “Once in a Royal David’s City,” to let the congregation get a taste of what they do at that time year.

"You have to get the difference between the way the evangelicals and Lutherans look at theology," said James Tiefel, dean of chapel and a professor of worship and homiletics at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. "The evangelicals will say that a human being has to make a decision to become a Christian. And so the way you get him to make that decision becomes very important. You have to find a way to raise his emotions or convince his intellect. Lutherans will say the Holy Spirit works through the word (Scripture) to create a Christian."

So what is James Tiefel? Markus Jeske? Pente-baptist or Lutheran?

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Michael Schottey has left a new comment on your post "Koine (Greek for "common") WELS Rock Band":

As usual Rev. Jackson, your analysis is lacking. I'm sorry, but 1) have you ever heard Koine? 2) Did you even read the articles you linked?

I cannot speak for every Koine performance but I know that when at MLC they played ONLY hymns and their CD that my wife owns is ONLY hymns.

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GJ - "As usual," people all over the world are reading Ichabod and reacting, mostly in a positive way. "As usual," the synod-minders respond with exceptionally lame retorts.

Somehow I linked three reviews without reading the sentences linked. That is how I finished six academic degrees and seven certifications, without reading or comprehending. (John W. Montgomery inspired me.) I never remember anything correctly, either, if someone from the CGM in WELS is speaking about my manifold and unrepentant errors, which include making fun of Fuller, Willow Creek, and them.

Michael throws out the whipped cream defense of WELS. As some may recall (if they remember better than I), I described a Starbuck's where they served fake whipped cream, which I refused to order. The retort from one True Blue WELS woman was that she worked at a Starbuck's using real whipped cream. Quod est demonstrandum - I was wrong again.

Koine (TM) played real hymns at Martin Luther College? One reviewer said they actually played one hymn at another concert, implying that the execution of one hymn was the exception to their usual fare.

The Church Shrinkage Movement loves rock music in church. Their superstar Mark Freier was an early proponent. I would mention his nickname, but minors read this blog and I do not want to shock them. The nickname was well earned, as I know from being an eye and ear witness to Freier's wisdom.

Needless to say, I despise rock music in church or in any church institution. I despise pop, charismatic, Pentecostal, and jazz music in ecclesiastical institutions. The labored defenses of these sacrileges are too pitiful to list. The proponents have show degenerate music is far more effective in removing people from the Kingdom than in bringing them in. Only the Word is effective. The more adulterated the Word is, the less impact it has on anyone. In fact, the danger with adulterating the Word is that the seeming harmony with the Faith makes the exit door to apostasy more appealing. Ask Mark Freier and his lovely wife, who gladly manage and perform atheist and Hindu weddings. Once again, I have to hand it to District Pope Robert Mueller, Vice Pope Paul Kuske, and a host of others for making that transition possible.

Remember how the Lutherans officially blabbered about Paul Gerhardt's anniversary? I was getting out the emesis pan when I read those synodical posts. The various sects should be featuring the hymnody of Gerhardt, Speratus, Luther, Melanchthon, and the great chorales enriched by J. S. Bach's arrangements. Those works glorify God and teach justification by faith. The moderns have dropped Luther's first hymn, "Flung to the Heedless Wind," and substituted the garbage of their contemporary friends, suggesting that Cousin Fritz can write a better hymn than the greatest Biblical expositor of the Christian Church.

Now that I have Mr. Bose playing the organ for me and no one to caterwaul about my hymn selection, I choose mostly great Lutheran hymns for our weekly service. I am now going to feature the words on the blogs as well, since the great hymns teach the faith so well.

Ever since ordination in 1973, Lutherans have complained to me whenever I picked too many Lutheran hymns for the service. Why are they so weak on singing Lutheran hymns? Because Lutheran ministers have bowed to pressure to use generic Protestant hymns, many from revivalism.

Singing in chapel at the Sausage Factory, I was introduced to many hymns we never sang in the LCA. I still love those hymns today. Hearing 200 men sing "A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth" is quite an experience. I would rather experience a great hymn of orthodoxy than have my emotions tweaked by a manipulative song of Pentecostalism.

No one has ever suffered hearing loss from traditional Lutheran hymns. Rock music is destroying the hearing of many artists (sic) and their suffering audiences.

Columbus had a CG rock band too, called Soter (Greek for Savior). The group was ecumenical, loud, boorish, and absent any musical talent whatsoever. And yes, I heard them, playing a Youth Concert in Jenera, Ohio, at the WELS church there. One hymn selection was "Go, Johnny, Go."

With all the comments I am letting through, I should get royalties from Koine for helping to sell their CD.

Short Takes on Mainline Self-Destruction

Aargh! I was partially blinded by a two week course at Fuller.

Lavender Anglicans

Virtue Online has disclosed that the Archbishop of Canterbury gave away his lavender agenda before the global conference at Lambeth, but the ABC did it with two letters to journalists that no one read until the shindig was over.

That is the journalists' story, which reminds me of the people covering for John Edwards. One pal claims to be the father of the love-child, although Edwards went to see the baby. Another pal moved the mistress to various locations with his own money, without telling Edwards. Meanwhile Mrs. Edwards is saying, "Our mistress is better looking than Clinton's." (OK, I made that up.)

What is the purpose of institutional deception? Everyone knows the actors are lying, so the lying must be a strategy to say, "We are sticking with this story, and you cannot prove otherwise." As Hillary once said of the cattle futures receipts, "There is no proof."

I discussed this with reporters some years ago. I told them how the LCA did not answer my letters until I sent several. Then the LCA would respond, "Oh, this was written but got stuck in the files." I would get my reply, back-dated. The reporters laughed and said, "The public school system in Midland is always getting their letters stuck, too."

So two people who got the same letter from the ABC (Archbishop of Canterbury) claimed they were never around their desks to open the mail. Apparently the time lapse was around three weeks. I find this claim far beyond belief. Everyone catches up with mail, looking for checks, bills, and the rare personal note. Both players sounded so much alike, it seems the story was worked out in advance. If the gay agenda had been announced before Lambeth, the place would have been in an uproar. Now the bishops are finding out how they were snookered - another win for the ABC. Of course, the mainlines lose by winning. Power and control is their agenda, not doing something worthwhile or--gasp--Biblical.

Secretive Lutheran: Tell It Not in Gath

Secret Lutheran blogs allow only certified disciples to read their files. They probably think this protects them within Holy Mother Synod: pension plus privacy. At least one pal per conventicle is probably a synod-minder, ratting to the DP to promote his own career. Besides, a good hacker can probably get inside. So secrecy does not protect the timid dissenters but only serves to isolate them from the rest of the synod.

"..Confessionalism is told to whisper low in Jerusalem lest it be heard on the streets in Gath." Theodore Schmauk

SP Schroeder inTELL

My ready-to-go Megatron database (Larry Olson's description) found this quotation in a 1986 TELL issue. TELL was the notorious sheet used to promote the Church Growth Movement in WELS.

"We can assume that the leaders of the Christian Church in Jerusalem consulted and planned how they might most effectively spread the good news." Mark G. Schroeder

[GJ - Update: the quotation from M. Schroeder is a coy way of getting to his main point, which is - the apostolic church grew through preaching and teaching the Word of God. When I read the whole article, I got a different perspective. Therefore, I erred in my human nature in presenting an isolated quotation out of context.]