Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Quotations - The Holy Spirit":
This is from an update on the most recent meeting of the WELS COP. These sections fall under the heading "Doctrine Committee" and reads as follows:
5.D.03 Establishment of “non-traditional” (“new style”) congregations (P. 16)
We feel that the underpinnings of this “non-traditional” type of worship cannot be ignored.
We also feel that the issue is extremely complex and will take great care to be careful to walk the “narrow Lutheran road” between legalism and ignoring and failing to admonish where practices are contrary to or a danger to the principles of gospel proclamation and the efficacy of the means of grace.
We move that an ad hoc committee be convened that can study and address this issue and produce a study document that can be shared with circuits and also congregations for study and careful evaluation of practices in worship, sacraments, outreach, organization, music selection, etc. Motion carried.
[Here is a another section, under the same heading]:
5.D.05 C & C and outside speakers (P.14)
We recommend that our Synod President and District President(s) continue to work with the representatives of Church and Change to come to an understanding of our desire for them to withdraw their invitation to the speaker proposed for their next conference.
Some may see positive signs in this. I see only cowardice. I know cowardice well, because I'm too cowardly to use his name here. The COP are cowards like me. They growl and show their teeth to each other when they meet in private. They've had twenty years to condemn these sorts of things and here they are...talking about it...still. They will still be talking about 20 years from now, after their synod has been torn apart by these two issues. Half of it will become Baptist in both name and practice (they already are in practice). The other half will become non-denominational in both name and practice (they already are in practice).
After it happens, the COP will probably pass a resolution to discuss the possibility of maybe condemning them...if they feel like it...finally...some time in the future...maybe.
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GJ - The comment above is precise and accurate. The Doctrinal Pussycats, Circuit Pussycats, and pastors all have role in shutting down the openly Babtist congregations in WELS. The laity are ignored. If any layman questions the obvious doctrinal errors, he is summarily dropped from any committee work. Discerning pastors face varying degrees of Mennonite-style shunning.
The synod of "you must talk to me privately about my published false doctrine" has a special way of dealing with faithful Lutheran pastors. I have watched many pastors pushed out of their congregations and out of the ministry for one reason only - questioning the Church and Change ideology of false doctrine and cheesy worship.
One was excommunicated by Bruce Becker for teaching the Biblical doctrinal of the efficacy of the Word. The Easy Lutheran Sect (no surprise) upheld the excommunication. The pastor was allowed to worship at an ELS church (such grace, such benevolence) but not allowed to commune. And the ELS has long been known for open communion. There is Open Communion and open communion, I suppose.
The laity and pastors have a chance to reverse the trend. There are some good signs that this is happening. Relying on the Doctrinal Pussycats is not a solution. They are a problem, not a solution.
I have some staggering statistics on grantsmanship coming up. They make the previously published one look like coffee hour donations, to spin a phrase.
