Brian Mueller, New Boss at Grand Canyon University: LCMS Background

Mueller, former boss of the University of Phoenix, credited with moving UOP Online to amazing levels of growth (300,000 total students),
is now at GCU.

Video Link Now Available
From the first Chapel of the 2008/2009 school year…
with CEO Brian Mueller!

Click Here to view:

Brian Mueller joined Grand Canyon University in 2008, and brings over 25 years of teaching, enrollment, and leadership experience in higher education to his position of Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Mueller graduated from Concordia University with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with majors in Theology and History, and a Master of Education. Centered in Seward, Nebraska, Concordia’s Mission Statement is to be a Christ-centered learning community for students preparing to be dynamic servant leaders in the church and world. Mr. Mueller spent 7 years as a high school instructor in the areas of History, Theology, Sociology and Psychology, as well as being the head basketball coach. He taught in a Catholic school in Michigan for 2 years, followed by 5 years at a Lutheran High School in Colorado. In 1983, he accepted a position as Head Basketball Coach for Concordia University, where he also taught in the Education Department for 4 years.

Texas Free Conference

The schedule and papers (linked) can be found here.

Daniel Preus, et al.

Dan was First Veep of Missouri, pushed out by the Kieschnazis in spite of saying nothing and doing nothing for the entire term.

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The site still has this note: "There is also a lot of written material, anti-CG, anti-unionism, Means of Grace, on Pastor Gregory L. Jackson's site, http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Pantheon/7366." That site is so old I do not know how to log on anymore. I am guessing it was done around 1999.

The Sleep of Reason

The Sleep of Reason, by Goya

KJV Luke 16:8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

Several sources in WELS have told me that "calls are few and far between now."

I was astounded. "How can that be, after 30 years of Church Growth in WELS?" The WELS schools are all in trouble with sky-high tuition. Parochial schools are closing faster than bars after a Carry A. Nation visit. Congregations are merging to disguise how many are failing.

My quip drew a "LOL" from Pennsylvania. Finally the Wisconsin Sect went sour on their Church Shrinkage Movement. As Jesus admonished us, the non-believers are often wiser than the Christians.

Non-believers would have canned or caned the Church Shrinkage leaders for their poor results. All those CGM clowns ever talked about was growth, but they never produced the statistical growth they used to swat the conservatives.

Non-believers would have asked, "Why did we do so well previously when we are hitting the skids now?"

Reason must be captive to the Word, but that does not mean we should abandon common sense.

The Church Shrinkage leaders were never for anything. They were and are against:

1. The Lutheran Confessions;
   
2. The Inerrancy of the Bible (in lock-step with Fuller);
   
3. The Clarity or Perspicuity of the Word (g-r-e-y areas of Scripture, dontcha know);
   
4. The Efficacy of the Word;
   
5. The Means of Grace;
   
6. A scholarly educational system (because any idiot can be a Church Shrinker).

Church Shrinkers are definitely for unionism. Apostates are unionists; unionists are apostates. Reu had that figured out 100 years ago. A True Blue WELS member can listen to a Roman Catholic priest teaching the Word at a WELS college (WLC) and say, without blushing, "That c-a-n be understood correctly."

Church Shrinkers say they want love, but they really promote hatred. That is why I call the WELS headquarters The Love Shack. Church Shrinkers are angry, hateful, and completely intolerant of anyone who disagrees with them in the slightest. While crying out "Slander! Eighth Commandment! Matthew 18!" they violate the laws of common decency with their facile fabrications.

Contending for the Faith

"The sleep of reason breeds strange monsters."
Title of a famous painting.

Apostasy did not take over the Purple Palace, or ELCA's highrise, or the Little Schoolhouse on the Prairie, or The Love Shack by accident. Two forces worked together in each case.

1. One was the zeal of the apostates, who for various reasons, hated the Faith and wanted to convert the synod to their causes.
   
2. The other was the lethargy, indolence, timidity, and ambition of the conservatives, who gladly exchanged their doctrinal birthright for a bowl of soup, whether the bargain was a call, a committee position, or synodical prestige.

Pope Kieschnick was working on his goals many years ago when he eyeballed Herman Otten and said to him, "So you are the man who makes or breaks synodical presidents?"

Now Pope Jerry the Omnipotent has over-reached himself. Missouri may toss him out, but his supporters will unite behind Kieschnick. The question is whether self-congratulating conservatives can overturn the Kieschnick machine when apostates unite around causes while conservatives divide according to personalities.

The only chance for reform may be in the Wisconsin Sect, where SP Mark Schroeder is making some progress at The Love Shack. Various reports from all over WELS tell me the laity and pastors are pleased with his leadership. The Mueller-Gurgel-Valleskey combine is not going to accept defeat quietly. The Church Shrinkers have placed their men and women all over the synod. They work lock-step in forwarding their agenda, which is anti-Lutheran, anti-Means of Grace, pro-unionism. How else can one explain Wisconsin Lutheran College (home of Church and Change) inviting a pedophile Roman Catholic archbishop to give a special lecture?

Working against WELS is that old habit of keeping incompetents in office, because tossing them out suggests an error was made. Gurgel was the dream candidate of conservatives a few years ago, as I love to remind certain people. Wayne Mueller was so bad that WELS broke its own rule and voted him out as synod first veep, only to have the winner tuck tail and run from office, letting Mueller return as "re-elected" - when in fact he was unelected.

Contending for the faith is the only issue. Whenever someone tries to promote another aspect of false doctrine, in any given synod, the wary should rise as a group and fight it down. Mostly, the contented conservatives let one person deliver the talking points alone, so they can remain under cover.

No matter how bad things are now, they will only get worse without a fight. A house does not clean itself. An engine does not repair itself. A synod does not get better and better with neglect.

Those who seem to contend alone should not despair. There is something in Shakespeare or the Bible about bearing the cross. That applies specifically to hardships accompanying the teaching of the pure Word. Not even bishops are spared (see the Episcopalian story).

God's gracious will is behind the experience of the cross. Yesterday I was recalling the absolute insanity of some people in the LCA. I am grateful that circumstances compelled me to experience the old Synodical Conference in all of its glorious decay. All of the strutting, preening, and bragging (John Seifert, John Lawrenz, Kincaid Smith) was so much hot air, but I got the chance to know sincere Lutherans. The Church Shrinkers (Kuske, Robert Mueller, Stolzenburg, Larry Olson, Valleskey, Bivens, Huebner, Roth, Werning, Hunter) introduced me to the Book of Concord in a way no graduate school could.

Alarming is the myth that synods control the ministry. Any pastor can sit down, teach the Word, and gather a congregation. Given the circumstances, defenestration is good for the resume, although a temporary setback in income. In November I will be able to make a full-time income teaching, without leaving home. Mrs. Ichabod and the Shelties think that is great.

Defenestration is the best way to pare down the Christmas card list. Real friends stick around.

Most pastors are afraid of their own synoda, but the synods should be terrified of the pastors' wrath. Let me paint a picture. Suppose I were to be invited to lecture at The Surrendered Fort, The Sausage Factory, or the Little Schoolhouse on the Prairie. Would there be massive protests, burning torches, waving pitchforks? Of course. The same thing should happen when even one point of sound doctrine is disputed anywhere at any time, from the circuit level to the carpeted and scented hallways of synodical headquarters.