The unionists want us to believe that the differences between Lutherans and the Reformed are minor, easily overlooked, and no barrier to joint education and religious projects (on Reformed terms alone). As David Valleskey said, "They are Christians, too. We can learn from them."
One General Council theologian said, "I admire everything about the Reformed - except their doctrine."
The Zwingli-Calvin doctrine of the Word is anti-Biblical, so this is not a matter of comparing brands or franchises.
The Scriptures are the revealed Word of God for the Reformed, but they deny the divine efficacy of the Word. Their famous comparison is - The Word is like a statue of Mercury, which only points the way. In contrast, Isaiah 55 and many other passages consistently teach that God's will is accomplished through His Word alone.
The Church Growth obsession with methods is based upon the Reformed lack of trust in the Word. The poor dears actually think that God relies on them to make the Word relevant, reasonable, and attractive. If I said they were trying to market the Gospel, the Chicaneries would rise up as one and condemn me. But Missouri and WELS have both promoted "Marketing the Gospel," the actual name of the blasphemous video. True, this was when the dark shadows of Gurgle and Mueller passed over the land, but it remains a recent memory.
If we say that we believe in almighty God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - but prop up His Word with gimmicks, slogans, and marketing, we are contradicting ourselves. That contradiction is why Shrinkers become atheists. Their foundation is sinking sand. Rationalism begets more rationalism until nothing is left. Besides, there is the nagging reality that all the Shrinker principles--so carefully noted and taped and written down and memorized and recited--are bogus. How does a deluded Shrinker go back to the liturgy he raucously mocked for many years? How does a Chicanery build a congregation with vanished money, without the Word? How can synodical royalty admit he is a beggar, like the rest of us? (Luther died with a scrap in his hand - "We are all beggars.")
God's divine power is so great in His Word that He overcomes the frailty and weakness of His followers to accomplish His will through the Word - without fail. A Shrinker says, "Not Thy will but mine." A believer says, "Not my will but Thine."
The Shrinker motto is bound to disappoint in time, because delusion has a way of multiplying until Satan takes away the blinders to let the deceived see what they have done - ruined marriages, ruined families, ruined congregations, lawsuits, failure, humiliation, despair.
Believers bear the weight of the cross daily, and our Old Adam complains eloquently. But God surprises us by answering our prayers before we ask them, by adding abundance to anything we request, and by giving divine wisdom in the way He answers.
Paul made it simple in telling the Corinthians - sow abundantly to reap abundantly. Any gardener or farmer knows that. Abundant proclamation of the Word yields an abundance of spiritual fruit. There is no other way.
God is patiently waiting for Shrinkers to see the folly of their ways. WELS members and pastors can help by attending the next Shrinker convention in November and confronting the Chicaneries with their false doctrine.
Happily, the Chicaneries have listed their favorites in their new brochure. It is not too late to rescue them from doctrinal error. Sometimes they arrive locally too, like the cultists at the door. Trusting God's Word means applying it to brothers living in error.
You may snatch them from a future of atheism, lawsuits, and despair.
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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Faith in the Holy Trinity Means Trust in God's Wor...":
Thanks for the link to the Chicaneries' brochure. They may have disinvited Ed Stetzer, but it is still a Chicanery conference. There definitively is an overtone of undermining the public office of the holy ministry with all of the lame leadership workshops offered. Yes, folks, everyone is indeed a minister, or at least, a leader. From the beginning of the brochure, you can see how the issue has been framed in terms of Church Growth. There are WELS congregations on life support. But, lets look at the ones that have grown numerically and learn from what they have done. There is also the implication that these are the ones that have been blessed because they have been doing church right. Who needs Stetzer when you have Hunter, Becker, Lampe, Stroh, et al?
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GJ - And be truthful. Ski netted 9 members (probably transfers from WELS) after spending $250,000 - figures revealed at the church where he was called and is listed as a pastor - St. Peter, Freedom, WI.
Gunn started revising his resume once the outside money dried up. Whoa - I thought that was a successful stealth mission to emulate.
