The WELS/Chicanery marriage cannot last much longer.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Reformation Is Possible When Lutherans Lead With D...":
You are right. I love to hear our Pres. Schroeder and all he has to say about the Doctrine of the Cross and keeping WELS on the confessional straight and narrow. What I don't understand is how the Church and Change group is allowed to meet and assemble to basically do the opposite and undermine what Pres. Schroeder just reported at the convention this past summer. It's all very confusing and it makes the WELS look like they are speaking out of both sides of their mouth. It's one way or the other- either/or. You cannot have both factions under the same tent or umbrella. The question is.... which is it? Which way will the lot be cast?
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Another WELS layman:
I wonder what Mequon is teaching future pastors about faith and works. The Shrinkers hate Ichabod because you quote Luther, the book of concord, and other confessional Lutherans (notice I did not say synodical Lutherans). We have the Word and plenty of the above mention to quote. They instead quote every thing or everybody that is not Lutheran. They are the enemy within. They really hate their own synod. Notice how they drop the Lutheran name whenever given the chance. Names like pilgrim, crosswalk, the core. SP Schroeder has his work cut out. How this comes out in the next few years will be something to watch. I guess the question should be will synodical (WELS) Lutherans turn back to confessional Lutheranism or go the way of ELCA and the Anglicans. Join Rome or they become non denominational (Baptist like).
---Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Can the WELS/Chicanery Marriage Be Saved? Let's Ho...":
Ditto.
In my opinion, just by virtue of the fact that the Church and Change crew would choose to continue to hold its alternative convention, it's a slap in the face and a thumb of the nose to everything Pr. Schroeder is trying to accomplish. There are only two options. Yes, either you agree that our synod should strive to be a confessional Lutheran church, holding to Christ's teaching as recorded in the Holy Bible or you don't. It's black and white.
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GJ - Confessional Lutherans should part with a few dollars and attend the Enthusiasm convention hosted by Church and Change this week. If the Southern Baptists had a parachurch group devoted to promoting infant baptism, the Real Presence, and the efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace, the smell of boiling tar would chase that opposition group out of town.
I wrote before - do not look for officials to do the right thing - do it yourself with polite but firm emails, letters, phone calls, and conversations with the false teachers and with their enablers, the Doctrinal Pussycats.
At the same time, encourage those who are applying the Word of God and the Confessions.
3 comments:
Ditto.
In my opinion, just by virture of the fact that the Church and Change crew would choose to continue to hold it's alternative convention, it's a slap in the face and a thumb of the nose to everything Pr. Schroeder is trying to accomplish. There are only two options. Yes, either you agree that our synod should strive to be a confessional Lutheran church, holding to Christ's teachinga as recorded in the Holy Bible or you don't. It's black and white.
The new WELS.net beta site has at the top center the text, "We are a confessional Lutheran church body, firmly rooted in the Word of God."
Seems like a line is being drawn in the sand.
A few questions for Ichabodians:
What form ought discernment take for WELS pastors and laymen who are faithful to the Bible and the Confessions?
Another way to ask the same question: In Matthew 7:16 Jesus say “You shall know them by their fruits.” What would I expect to see from Confessional WELS pastors and laymen who are practicing discernment regarding doctrine and practice in the WELS?
Most of the readers, I assume, are familiar with WELS official position on fellowship and probably agree with it. Below are several quotes from the WELS “Doctrinal Statements” found on www.wels.net/ I would ask that people read and compare them to what is actually happening.
>>>>From the statement on Church and Ministry:
“The Lord in His Word admonishes us to withdraw our church fellowship from those who persistently teach, spread, condone error and demand recognition for it.”
From the statement on fellowship (the theses by Walther):
“Weakness of faith is in itself not a reason for terminating church fellowship, but rather an inducement for practicing it vigorously to help one another in overcoming our individual weaknesses. In precept and example, Scripture abounds with exhortations to pay our full debt of love toward the weak.”
“THESIS III.
Even if an open error against the Word of God has infected a whole church body, this does not in itself make that church body a false church, a body with which an orthodox Christian or the orthodox church would abruptly have to sever relations.”
“THESIS VIII.
The Church must take steps against any deviation from the doctrine of the Word of God, whether this be done by teachers or by so-called laymen, by individuals or by entire church bodies.”<<<<<
I ask the question again: What fruits should I see from pastors and laymen who are opposed to the liberal underground movement in the WELS? Have the people responsible for liberalizing the WELS been officially classified as ‘weak brothers’?
Are WELS leaders reading Thesis III and ignoring Thesis VIII? Why?
I’ll ask another few questions:
How did Paul and the Apostles deal with Doctrinal errors in the church? How does the power structure in the WELS deal with problems?
One more question, betraying my opinion:
If the current President is sooo vastly different and such an almighty-conservative-confessional-all-around-good-Lutheran guy, WHY is church discipline being carried on with the same lack of fervor as it was during Gurgel’s reign? Why hasn’t there been a shakedown? Ooooo… Parish services was shut down. Good, now rinse and repeat! Kelm lost his job, but none of his problems were addressed? Oooo…Decisive! Why is Ski still preaching? Why has Jeske been allowed to tie the WELS to the LCMS through Time of Grace?
The WELS leadership, including President Schroeder, seem to be trying to avoid official public recognition that there are problems in the WELS. Whatever the reasons for the subterfuge, the WELS leadership, including President Schroeder, seem to be unaware that layman are being led astray by these false teachers AND THE LAYMEN WOULD BE GREATLY BENEFITED if the WELS publically identified errorists, followed by Biblical admonishment. If the sins of the errorists are never publically recognized by the WELS leadership, the WELS leadership is just as much to blame.
Any confessional WELS pastor who reads this, who thinks I’m being cheeky, is invited to my home for a dinner party. The other guests will be my old WELS friends who’ve been led away from Confessional Lutheranism by the liberal contingent in the WELS. It’ll put some reality into the conversation.
dk
Folkright@gmail.com
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