Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "New WELS.net Website - Another Embarrassment":
They may have failed to post the Lutheran Confessions, which we hope will be rectified, but they did not fail to provide links to Kelms attack on the Lutheran Church. Kelm comes out swinging with, "It may be difficult to agree on the line between tradition and traditionalism, but you can recognize the musty smell of religion better suited to a museum than a marketplace."
http://www.wels.net/news-events/forward-in-christ/december-2005/freedom-from-formalism
11 comments:
That was a sweet article.
>>Kelm comes out swinging with, "It may be difficult to agree on the line between tradition and traditionalism, but you can recognize the musty smell of religion better suited to a museum than a marketplace."<<
Once again, a lack of reasoning that appeals to compulsion and other disordered thinking.
Kelm should know. WELS sows these seeds in its education system by insisting students simply believe or do it because they said so instead of checking Scripture.
Fox Mulder, how is Kelm's Pentecostal siren song sweet? It sounds more like the drum beat intended to energize the Martin Luther College kids to create a pro homosexual romp video which is more gay than the "fellas" who are out at the Fire Island Pines.
Kelm, "We are free from cultural taboos and social inhibitions. We can “clap [our] hands [and] shout to God with cries of joy” (Psalm 47:1). Just as David “danced before the LORD with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14), so can we. Or we can bow our heads in silent awe and kneel in reverent sorrow over our sin. We can thrill to an organ processional or sway with a gospel choir or tap our feet with the drummer in a praise song. We can be real, in whatever idiom expresses grateful praise. Jesus made us that free."
Sounds like the time when current CA/NV District President Pastor Jon Buchholz tried to get the congregation to spontaneously shout Halleluiahs during services.
The love beatings will continue until your enthusiasm improves!
The question is: Why, if Kelm is being removed from Parish Services is he allow to continue to write in the WELS publication FIC? The objective observer would have to believe that SP Schroeder does not think Kelm is a problem.
I make it a habit to save all issues of FIC. Both the February and March 2006 issues contained a feedback concerning Kelm's Freedom From Formalism. Besides the guy who used the museum and market place example, there are at least two others. One feedback states, "Was not tradition involved in teachings God gave to Moses and Aaron?" Another opinion states, "Formalism is a spiritual malady. It's a matter of the heart, not a matter of forms."
In February 2006 Kelm wrote an article titled "Freedom From Subjectivism." From an orthodox view, the article appears to be pretty solid. However, thse statements were written by Kelm. "Why would I do what is not beneficial and what does not glorify God." "Jesus has freed us from self-centered thinking and feeling. Christian freedom is all about others."
Fellowship with Willow Creek does not glorify the Triune God. Perishing away the services involved a little bit of self-centered feeling. President Schroeder removed Kelm and therefore showed his love toward the Synod.
On a side note, Jon Buchholz five part Justification series appears in these same FIC issues.I yeild my comments concerning Buchholz and UOJ to Brett Meyer.
In Christ,
from WELS church lady
I agree that some parts of the new website are weak, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that the "Our Worship" section describes the WELS as a church body that uses "the historic and timeless Christian liturgy". There's no mention at all of contemporary worship. It even talks about the fact that our praise is actually proclamation of what Christ has done for us.
I can't help but think that President Schroeder had his hand on this section of the website.
Anonymous at 11:33AM, the section Our Worship is interesting. When I pull it up on my PC the main body of the statements doesn't come up, just the side bar comments. When I pull it up on my mobile phone I get the full body.
In the full body are these statements, "Lutheran worship meets this need because it is saturated with the gospel, the good news of God's love in Christ. This message is far more than information; it is also "the power of God" (Romans 1:16). Of course, divine power is nothing if we think our week has been "good enough" for a perfect God."
BM - Best construction? this is poorly written and needs to be corrected. It subjugates the power of the Word to the level of importance given by the individual.
It goes on to state, "Lutheran worship showcases this transforming and empowering "gospel focus" within the framework of the historic and timeless Christian liturgy"
BM - This is more Emergent Church transformational new age doctrine. Very Baptist in it's promotion of emotion.
Also, "Lessons from the Bible help us to see both the bad news of our failures and the meaning of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection - to pay for our sins and guarantee eternity for each of us."
BM - More Universalist doctrine - they can't help it because UOJ teaches it. "No it doesn't", "Yes, it does", "No, it doesn't", Yes, it does and you just slipped up."
Hi Brett,
I'd be curious to know if you think SP Schroeder is as 'good' as everyone claims.
Do you think he's going to help reform the WELS or do you think that he's too invested to want to make waves?
I'll take the comments off the air.
Just how much power does the synodical president have over the staff and content of Forward in Christ? Can the synodical president conduct a general purge of errorists working for the magazine or does some independent board or commission have the power to fire editorial staff?
Anonymous at 9:23PM, I have a few reactions to him.
First I've never heard or read anything from him that I can remember disagreeing with. I liked his 2009 Convention address. I think he's articulate and concise in his speach and in his ability to address a specific issue. I like that he did not promote UOJ in his Convention speach as others couldn't help doing.
Second, I personally think that in order to make a sound, orthodox confession a person should, when possible, do as the Lutheran Confessions - use both positive and negative statements. This is what we confess, this is what we reject. I have seldom heard him do this and have never heard him address the public false doctrine and practice in the WELS. To avoid openly and swiftly dealing with it is a grave error. It silently promotes the idea that clergy and synod are inerrant. It gives the falsehood the darkness it needs to culture and spread. It keeps the congregations in the dark and steals from them the opportunity to learn what false doctrine and practice look like, how they are to be addressed Scripturally and removes the chance to be built up together in the Word. Gradually it will assist in helping foster apathy toward the Word and deadens concern for the pure Word and right practice. Basically it's a sin of omission. Scripture and orthodox Lutheran doctrine teaches that public sin needs to be dealt with publicly.
At this point I don't know enough to tell if he's avoiding his responsibility intentionally or not. Certainly we know he is surrounded by a number of wolves and hirelings who war against Christ. That certainly can't be helping anything. I'm convinced if he was going to do anything that would make any difference in bringing the WELS closer to being Confessional and kicking out the money changers he would have done it already and Confessional Lutherans would not have to debate if had or not.
Also, if he and the DP's were doing their job and truly loved their neighbor they wouldn't allow the festering boil called Time of Grace to infest another Synod but would deal with it with a swift lance. MLC isn't the only institution that has shown they don't love their neighbor. At least so far.
Sorry this answer is so long winded. So much to say and so little time.
In Christ,
Brett Meyer
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