Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "The Ichaslang Lexicon":
I think that you should be angrier, more negative. I love the way that you quote Luther as if he were God. Do you have any scripture quoted in here? You talk about growth as if it were a plague - fine, go ahead and ignore it, and 20 minutes after you start moldering in your grave (something everyone can celebrate) - the last Lutheran can turn out the lights.
You are so dim. It's about saving people by preaching Christ and him crucified. The word can go out in so many ways. It is his message, not the methods - you worship the methods, not the message. It's about changing lives through the Gospel, not about keeping sad old traditions alive. It doesn't have to come from a pulpit, with organ music droning in the background with lifeless stiffs mouthing the words from their comas. Get real.
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GJ - I hope the innocents see the real spirit of Church and Change in this comment.
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Some Scripture for Mouse, via Brett Meyer:
2 Peter 2:12-22, "But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption; And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you; Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet. These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."
1 Peter 3:12-17, "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing."
Jude 1:10, "But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves."
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Church and Change Takes Off the Mask, Reveals the ...":
"It doesn't have to come from a pulpit, with organ music droning in the background with lifeless stiffs mouthing the words from their comas. Get real." And yet "it is his message, not the methods." Such logical inconsistency! If the method supposedly doesn't matter, why such disdain for historically tried and true methods, which are centered on "his message" (better said, the Word of God)? It reminds me of postmodernism - there is no absolute truth... but if you don't believe that, you're wrong.
It is just the same pattern of upheaval as always: tolerance, acceptance, dominance, oppression. First they sought "only tolerance" of their false ways, but then they wanted acceptance on an equal footing. And now, apparently, they have both an attitude of dominance and even the gall to oppress God-centered worship. Hopefully it is just the conceited attitudes and oppression of some and not the reality among the church at large.
-K
ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Church and Change Takes Off the Mask,
Reveals the Slavering Fangs
Lutheran Notes - On Kieschnick Suing His Own Pastors
Read the semi-annual Lutheran Notes update.
Google Lutheran Books and Periodicals
Copied from LutherQuest (sic):
The Lutheran Watchman (1866-7) (a predecessor to the Lutheran Witness)
http://books.google.com/books?id=zGEVAAAAYAAJ
Concordia Cyclopedia
http://www.archive.org/details/concordiacyclope009 499mbp
The Concordian (1916)
http://www.archive.org/details/concordian1917conc
The Concordian (1917)
http://www.archive.org/details/concordian1917conc
The Concordian (1918)
http://www.archive.org/details/concordian1918conc
Taps (1922)
http://www.archive.org/details/taps_1922conc
The stewardship life (1929)
http://www.archive.org/details/MN41380ucmf_5
Touring with God: devotions for Christian pilgrims (1927)
http://www.archive.org/details/MN40286ucmf_2
Here I stand! : narratives and sketches from Reformation days
http://www.archive.org/details/hereistandnarrat00g raeiala
Into all the world; the story of Lutheran foreign missions (1930)
http://www.archive.org/details/MN41448ucmf_0
Church finances: a handbook for the pastor and the layman (1922)
http://www.archive.org/details/MN41699ucmf_13
Four Hundred Years: Commemorative Essays on the Reformation of Dr. Martin Luther
http://www.archive.org/details/fourhundredyear00da ugoog
Luther Discovers The Gospel New Light Upon Luther S Way From Medieval Catholicism To Evangelical Faith (1951)
http://www.archive.org/details/lutherdiscoverst013 337mbp
Popular symbolics: the doctrines of the churches of Christendom and of other religious bodies examined in the light of Scripture (1934)
http://www.archive.org/details/MN41551ucmf_1
Why Should a Lutheran Not Join Any Sectarian Church?
http://books.google.com/books?id=OPL0XZG7j70C
Spiritism: A Study of Its Phenomena and Religious Teachings (1919)
http://www.archive.org/details/spiritismastudy00graegoog [Mild Colonial Boy - thnx]
Victory Through Christ Radio Messages Broadcast In The Tenth Lutheran Hour (1943)
http://www.archive.org/details/victorythroughch011 911mbp
Patrick Hamilton. The first Lutheran preacher and martyr of Scotland (1918)
http://www.archive.org/details/patrickhamiltonf00d all
Sermons on the Gospels of the ecclesiastical year (1902)
http://www.archive.org/details/sermonsongospels00s iec
Great leaders and great events, historical essays on the field of church history by various Lutheran writers (1922)
http://www.archive.org/details/greatleadersgrea00b uch
At the Tribunal of Caesar: Leaves from the Story of Luther's Life Vol 1.
http://www.archive.org/details/leipzigdebatein101d auw
At the Tribunal of Caesar: Leaves from the Story of Luther's Life Vol 2.
http://www.archive.org/details/leipzigdebatein102d auw
At the Tribunal of Caesar: Leaves from the Story of Luther's Life Vol 3.
http://www.archive.org/details/leipzigdebatein103d auw
Luther on education (1889)
http://www.archive.org/details/lutheroneducatio00p ainuoft
The voice of history (1913)
http://www.archive.org/details/voiceofhistory00som miala
William Tyndale : the translator of the English Bible
http://www.archive.org/details/williamtyndaletr00d all
Great religious Americans (1918)
http://www.archive.org/details/greatreligiousam00d all
Christian art in the place and in the form of Lutheran worship (1921)
http://www.archive.org/details/christianartinpl00k retiala
John Ludwig Krapf : the explorer-missionary of northeastern Africa
http://www.archive.org/details/johnludwigkrapfe00k retiala
Education among the Jews from the earliest times to the end of the Talmudic period, 500 A.D
http://www.archive.org/details/educationamongje00k ret
Evolution : an investigation and a criticism (1922)
http://www.archive.org/details/evolutioninvesti00g raeuoft
Evolution: An Investigation and a Critique (1921)
http://www.archive.org/details/evolution19321gut
Luther Examined and Reexamined: A Review of Catholic Criticism and a Plea for Revaluation
http://www.archive.org/details/lutherexaminedan163 22gut
Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal (1896)
http://www.archive.org/details/evangelicalluth00st atgoog
Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal (1891)
http://www.archive.org/details/evangelicalluth01st atgoog
Sunday-school hymnal (1901)
http://www.archive.org/details/sundayschoolhyml00u nknuoft
The Fourth Reader
http://books.google.com/books?id=Y9ROAAAAMAAJ
American Lutheranism v.1
http://books.google.com/books?id=A4oSAAAAYAAJ
American Lutheranism v.2
http://books.google.com/books?id=booSAAAAYAAJ
Schwan Catechism
http://books.google.com/books?id=l9MPAAAAYAAJ
English District Convention Proceedings, 1912-19
http://books.google.com/books?id=YoW5nWGuTuUC
Homiletic Magazine 1876-1921 (some articles also printed in English, in my opinion this is more likely in the later volumes)
http://books.google.com/books?q=editions:LCCNsc760 00448
Half a Century of Sound Lutherianism in America
http://books.google.com/books?id=MooAAAAAMAAJ
Ebenezer: Reviews of the Work of the Missouri Synod During Three Quarters of a Century
http://books.google.com/books?id=fIgSAAAAYAAJ
Yes, I Joined Facebook
One of my courses for journalism is advanced digital media, and that includes social networking, for example - Facebook, LinkedIn.
Facebook uses software to connect people with common interests (work, school, hobbies) and makes it easy for them to share links, photos, messages. Facebook's policy is: "We own everything you give us." For those who value privacy, that is a real downer.
LinkedIn is another approach, which is far more left-brain (logical, text-oriented) and is often used for professional networking for jobs. I keep track of some people because of their LinkedIn updates. Academics can keep track of professionals who move and get job referrals that way. With online teaching, distance is no barrier to income, but time and eyestrain are.
Both approaches use the email directory to identify friends. I found out about where some relatives were, since it takes so much effort for them to send an email.
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Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "Yes, I Joined Facebook":
No wonder you get things so back asswards, Greg. The right brain is the logical reasoning side. The left is the creative freeform side of the brain. This has been well accepted in our society.
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From the Herald Sun, and many other sources:
LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe
RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses feeling
"big picture" oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking
***
GJ - That is why I get the big bucks for teaching. I can keep the two straight, unlike Anonymouse, who is letting his disturbed nature show through in his use of foul language. Crude words may seem eloquent at Hooters, but not in print. I thought they taught better at DeVry. Here is how to keep it straight: l or left is for logical. R or right is for r-tistic.
Do Lutherans Have Any Subscription to the Book of Concord?
I enjoy watching the humorless taking issue with obvious satire. No, I don't mean Norman Teigen. One person raged about the World Headquarters of Ichabod, a hyperbole so obvious that I did not think it needed an explanatory note. Another thorn was the use of "Mrs. Ichabod," surely a major thorn in his anonymous side.
When I began reading news blogs, I noticed the trend of using the blog names for family members. Instapundit referred to his wife as Instawife and his daughter as Instadaughter. BlackFive called his son Little BF. If something makes my friends laugh and my opponents rage, I am going to continue.
Here are some things which edify or enrage, depending on the reader:
- Funny photos of animals.
- Quotations from orthodox Lutheran writers.
- Quotations from false teachers.
- Writing about the past.
- Writing about the present.
- Writing about the future.
Back to the Book of Concord. This is serious but may cause some to smile.
If Lutherans really subscribed to the Book of Concord, they would drive intellectually lazy pastors out of town, pelting them with dog manure, a statement the Synodical Conference (or its twitching corpse) subscribes to:
12] And what need is there of many words? If I were to recount all the profit and fruit which God's Word produces, whence would I get enough paper and time? The devil is called the master of a thousand arts. But what shall we call God's Word, which drives away and brings to naught this master of a thousand arts with all his arts and power? It must indeed be the master of more than a hundred thousand arts. 13] And shall we frivolously despise such power, profit, strength, and fruit-we, especially, who claim to be pastors and preachers? If so, we should not only have nothing given us to eat, but be driven out, being baited with dogs, and pelted with dung, because we not only need all this every day as we need our daily bread, but must also daily use it against the daily and unabated attacks and lurking of the devil, the master of a thousand arts. Introduction to the Large Catechism, Book of Concord
I would love to catch sight of a Doctrinal Pussycat chasing a Church Shrinker out of town, pelting him with dog manure, followed by the entire District Mission board, laity and clergy alike.
Instead, a DP serves both as criminal defense lawyer (for the false teacher) and prosecutor (for the person who dares to question the false teacher). The false teacher is defended, kept in place, or promoted. The person who questions this is pounded like a tent peg into the ground or given the Sisera treatment with tent peg and mallet (Judges 5:24).
The various Lutheran entities are not only unLutheran. They are anti-Lutheran. Those were the gold old days, when a favorite hymn chosen was Methodist. Now the rock band is mandatory for aging Boomers who should know better by now. It's bad enough to watch ancient reptilian bands like Rolling Stone slither onto stage. Now we are supposed to be converted in church by cheap imitations of a bad concept.
Now that I have a digital organist, I enjoy picking the finest Lutheran hymns without regard to the number of sharps or flats, the novelty of the melody, or the popularity of the hymn.
I get to watch the second counter on Mr. Bose, to help me repeat a verse. That has taught me something. Many hymn verses take 30 seconds to sing. A longer hymn verse is 1 minute. Every so often, one hymn will take 1 minute, 30 seconds to sing. If a hymn verse takes all of 1 minute to sing and has 10 verses, the congregation takes 10 minutes to sing the entire hymn in all its eloquence and beauty. More likely, 10 verses will take 5 minutes, which we often waste watching a string of commercials on TV: "I believe in miracles!" featuring sobbing fast-foods.
Nothing reflects our true confession of faith more than the worship service. Missouri and the ELS have made sections of the Book of Concord part of the worship service. WELS tends to make the explanation of the Second Article of the Creed replace the Creed, a novelty I never understood, especially in the light of "everything is adiaphora."
Lutheran hymns--and all great hymns--glorify God and teach the Word of God. If the goal of church music is to entertain, then only that goal will be attained. I observed a Willow Creek service one Sunday. The deadness of the service and the total lack of a Gospel message was most impressive. No cross was seen on the building or in the worship area.
But Willow Creek services cannot be condemned by someone who has never been there, as one Northwestern College professor said, and even if someone has been there. The Synodical Conference Lutherans have to admit that have spent millions of dollars joining the Enthusiasts in disparaging Lutheran doctrine and worship.
Look at the senior ministers of the LCMS, WELS, and ELS. They are the ones who have deliberately ignored--even defended--the growth of false doctrine. Perhaps their conscience is bothering them now, so they are starting to murmur against the Church Shrinkers. Too bad their fellow pastors, whom they shunned as vermin, cannot join them in finally addressing apostasy. You see, when those dissenting pastors were extended the Left Foot of Fellowship, these surviving senior pastors joined the shunners and made their classmates unpersons.
I told my friend, who was fired by one District Pope and called a jerk by another, "If you want a friend in the Lutheran Church, buy a dog."
From L P Cruz
L P has left a new comment on your post "My Doubts about the Quia Subscription to the Book ...":
Pr. GJ,
This is one of your best posts.
I could not wipe off the grin ;-)
LPC
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His blog is Extra Nos.
The CORE on Facebook
What am I forgetting?"
WORSHIP AT 5:30PM and then PARTY from 6PM - 9PM
Join us for the unveiling of The CORE website. There will be lots of food, a brief presentation to highlight the functions of the website, and stand up comedy entertainment. This is a night at The CORE you will not want to miss. Everyone is welcome so spread the word and bring a friend.
Follow the CORE on Facebook.
The CORE (http://www.gotocore.com/) updated their profile. They changed the following: Phone and Location.
First of all, a huge "thank you" to everyone who came out tonight for the first worship service at The CORE. We will continue holding worship on Sunday nights at 5:30. Worship right now consists mainly of a sermon and prayers. We will add the band on April 19th.
http://www.gotocore.com/
http://www.twitter.com/gotocore
General Information: The CORE exists to transform lives for Christ through faith that is real, relevant, and relational. We are a WELS church in Appleton that loves the city of Appleton but recognizes it is sick with sin. We strive to live as a city within that city in order to transform the city for Jesus. We love Him, and we want to show His love to others.
Fox 11 video.
February 2nd: Big shout out to all who came and helped out tonight. I'd say 35+ isn't bad for our first "event." Thank you for your time and service.
January 29th: that is indeed the old IMAX theatre:) what better use for a failed business than a church, right?
From the website:
core (n): (1) the central, innermost, or most essential part of anything; (2) the deep and superficial muscles that stabilize, align, and move the trunk of the body
We now have a presence on Facebook - follow the progress or just say hi, click here to check us out on Facebook.
Services are being held at 5:30 on Sundays - we'd love to see you!
Join us for the website launch party - Its February 22nd at 5:30 pm at The CORE. [GJ - Their worship time - when most congregations launch their websites. Commune with the Internet.]
You may be asking yourself, The CORE? What kind of a name is that for a church? The idea behind it is simply that Christ will be at the core of everything we do as a church and ought to be at the core of everything we do in our day to day lives as Christians here on earth. At The CORE we will focus on strengthening our most important core - that is our spiritual one.
At The CORE we strive to connect people in a personal, intimate, and lifelong relationship with their Savior. We will do that through worship that is relevant as well as through small groups where Christians can be real and relational, and live their faith together to bring others into a relationship with their Savior. Our goal is to create an environment where people can connect on a personal level with their Savior and other Christians.
We are opening soon! For more information please contact us at: info@gotocore.com
Or call Katie at: 920-540-5298.
Jim Buske (fellow worshiper at Andy Stanley's Babtist conference) and Matt Doebler (Rock and Roll Church) are fans. What a surprise. Tim Glende is listed.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The CORE on Facebook":
The band is coming April 19th. When will the Lord's Supper make an appearance?
A half hour "worship service" followed by a three hour party. Do we really need to know more?
Oh, wait, just in case we did: success of the first night measured in...(drumroll, please)...NUMBERS.
Wu Through
While Willow Chicago searches for a new campus pastor, Todd Katter will be serving as interim campus pastor, according to the Tribune. Meanwhile, Wu has been removed from the church's web page. Christian Post
Willow Creek to Open Downtown Chicago Campus on October 1
Orginally published on Monday, August 07, 2006 at 3:08 PM
by Todd Rhoades
Named for the Palatine movie palace in which the suburban megachurch got its start, Willow Creek Community Church now plans to establish a city home in a theater of a different kind. Beginning Oct. 1, the historic Auditorium Theatre's gilded walls and massive archways will become home to Willow Creek Chicago, the church's newest campus, under a handshake agreement reached by both parties Monday.
The city satellite of the South Barrington church, which expanded its auditorium in 2004 to accommodate its 18,000 members in multiple services, was launched in March and has been drawing about 150 people on Sunday afternoons to the Union Station Multiplex on West Jackson Boulevard. The church now hopes to draw hundreds more to hear its pastor preach from a stage that has featured Frank Sinatra, Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen and the Joffrey Ballet.
The unconventional location is not unusual for an evangelical church--especially one that hosts worship services that resemble Broadway productions.
But the Auditorium Theatre is a cornerstone of Chicago history, a granite monument to the days when the young city aimed to outshine New York as the nation’s cultural hub. A national historic landmark, the Romanesque building at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Congress Parkway was designed by legendary architects Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler.
Leaders of Willow Creek were conscious of the history of the Auditorium as they planned the megachurch’s urban expansion.
“It’s got Chicago written all over it,” said Rev. Steve Wu, who moved to the city earlier this year to lead Willow Creek Chicago.
Willow Creek members will be able to worship in the theater on Sunday mornings for one year, with the caveat that they must clear out before Sunday matinees, said the Auditorium’s Executive Director Brett Batterson, who declined to disclose financial details of the arrangement.
The goals of the two organizations are the same, he said.
“The [theater’s] mission is to make it accessible to all of Chicago,” Batterson said. “If the renter is a church or a Broadway producer, we’re more than happy. It’s an auditorium for everyone.”
The history of the Auditorium Theatre is as grand as its architecture. Even before it was finished, the theater hosted the 1888 Republican National Convention that nominated Benjamin Harrison for president. When the theater officially raised its curtain a year later, new President Harrison watched from a box seat. That night, star soprano Adelina Patti performed her signature song, “Home, Sweet Home.”
Recalling the nostalgia of that era and welcoming its neighbors, Willow Creek Chicago’s first series of sermons will be titled “A Place to Call Home.”
“We want to communicate that Willow is here in the city to provide a place to call home--as a church, as an outreach to the city around us, to the community that so desperately needs the great message of the Gospel,” Wu said.
Wu, 41, who moved from California’s Silicon Valley, said he discovered the Auditorium Theatre while wandering around downtown and praying.
“There would be days I’d walk around and absorb the city, feel the culture, emotion and heartbeat,” he said. “When I walked down in the theater district, I just had this sense in me that this would be a great place to land.”
The performing arts, including live music, dance and drama, have always been a hallmark of Willow Creek’s worship, and services at the acoustically perfect Auditorium Theatre will be no different. Worshipers will hear show tunes, jazz numbers, blues and gospel, Wu said.
“One of the things we believe musically is we need to have breadth of genres that resonate with the city instead of one wedge of Christian music,” he said. “We want to really resonate with the deep musical history of the city.”
Music does not have to be Christian to draw a listener closer to God, he said.
“Music is a great gift from God we can use to speak to each other,” Wu said. “When people hear a certain tune it evokes certain thoughts and emotions. The message might not be out-and-out Christian, but it resonates with the human soul.”
The art and architecture of the theater also stirs the soul, said Willow Creek Chicago member Kathryn Tack, 60, an executive coach and mother of three. Her first visit to the theater was to see a production of “The Phantom of the Opera,” she recalled.
“There’s just the awesome presence of the Creator,” Tack said. “The building in and of itself gives you so much to fill you intellectually and touches your heart. That’s part of what God represents to so many people. It would be really amazing to have church there.”
The theater has 3,800 seats, but Wu said he believes the house will soon be full. In addition to the performances, Willow Creek Chicago plans to develop its ministries for the homeless and prostitutes.
Wu said the expansion to Chicago is not only more convenient for city dwellers but enhances the partnerships Willow Creek already shares with social service agencies. In addition to its South Barrington campus, Willow Creek has regional sites in McHenry, DuPage and Lake Counties.
“Our dream and our hope,” Wu said, “is to really bring something wonderful here to the city.”
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Wu, 43, began pastoring Willow Creek Chicago in 2006 with 22,500 attendees, according to a 2008 list of Outreach magazine. The Willow Creek megachurch community was founded by Bill Hybels and has six other locations in Illinois. [GJ - And one in Depere, Wisconsin]
Todd Katter has agreed to serve as interim campus pastor while church officials search for the next campus pastor. Records of Wu have been removed from the church's website. The Voice
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Luther - On Judging Whether a Work
Is God-Pleasing
(Luther makes the following general comment on Romans 2:6-10): "Patient continuance is so altogether necessary that no work can be good in which patient continuance is lacking. The world is so utterly perverse and Satan is so heinously wicked that he cannot allow any good work to be done, but he must persecute it. However, in this very way God, in His wonderful wisdom, proves what work is good and pleasing to Him. Here the rule holds: As long as we do good and for our good do not encounter contradiction, hatred, and all manner of disagreeable and disadvantageous things, so we must fear that our good work as yet is not pleasing to God; for just so long it is not yet done with patient continuance."
Luther's Commentary on Romans, trans. J. Theodore Mueller, Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1976, p. 55. Romans 2:6-10.
Wu Who!
Wu
From Senior Pastor Bill Hybels’ childhood trips to Chicago to Willow Creek’s 20th anniversary event at the United Center, Willow Creek has had a long history in the city of Chicago. On January 19 at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Hybels began a new chapter in that history when he introduced Steve Wu as the pastor of the church’s Chicago campus.
According to Hybels, when Jim Tomberlin resigned as Willow Creek Chicago’s pastor last summer, it became clear that the church’s vision for the Chicago campus had to be put on hold until the church found another campus pastor. As soon as Hybels met Wu, he said he knew God had spoken.
“There’s this huge confirmation in my spirit that not only is he is the right guy, he’s God’s man for the job,” added Jeff Small, who served as the Chicago campus’ interim pastor during the search for a new pastor.
Though Hybels and Small immediately knew Wu was the right man for the job, Wu admitted he was not so convinced. Wu first became familiar with the Chicago campus when he briefly visited a monthly gathering last October. The next day, driving back to Chicago after meeting with Small in Barrington, Wu said he felt the tap of the Holy Spirit and knew God was calling him to Chicago. Wu said he initially had objections about moving to Chicago, and was particularly opposed to the prospect of leaving California’s warm weather and fishing.
“In the weeks to come, my heart completely changed,” Wu told the gathering of approximately 250 congregants. “I fell in love with the city.”
Wu spent years working in California’s Silicon Valley providing leadership in various capacities to Genesis Technology, Inc. and Twin Peaks Software. Then, twelve years ago, he started a church and most recently served as a pastor at Crosswinds Church in the San Francisco Bay Area. With his initial objections about moving to Chicago behind him, Wu is now committed to building Willow Creek’s Chicago campus.
“I so look forward to the day we can say, ‘Look what God has done in this place,’” Wu said. “I am thrilled to the core about Willow Chicago.”
For details on the Chicago Regional gatherings, visit http://www.willowcreek.org/chicago/
"Desire: Money, Power and Sex, Part 1
CD
by Steve Wu
$10.50 List Price
$8.40 WCA Member [GJ - Notate bene, John Parlow and Paul Kelm ]
Steve spent years working in California’s Silicon Valley providing leadership in various capacities to Genesis Technology, Inc. and Twin Peaks Software. Then, 12 years ago, he started a church and most recently served as a pastor at Crosswinds Church in the San Francisco Bay Area. Wu is now committed to building Willow Creek’s Chicago regional campus.
Who?
Willow Creek Community Church's Senior Pastor Bill Hybels has announced the resignation of the head of the church's Chicago campus because of "sexual impurity."
The Rev. Steve Wu has left as campus pastor of the Chicago branch of the South Barrington megachurch. He's "taken full responsibility for his sin," according to a church statement.
Hybels, who founded Willow Creek, hired Wu in 2006 to lead and help establish Willow Creek Chicago, which held its first service that year.
A church elder read a statement on Jan. 25 during services at the Chicago congregation announcing Wu's resignation. Church spokesman Ted Allen Miller said the church's staff was told of Wu's departure the next day, while Hybels told the South Barrington campus the news earlier this month.
Willow Creek, with its 20,000 members, is routinely listed as one of the most influential Evangelical churches in the country.
The church's statement also read that Wu wants to participate in a restoration process. Miller didn't have details of what that would entail.
"Our desire is we reconcile and restore," Miller said.
Miller would not provide further details.
According to Willow Creek's Web site Wu worked for years in California's Silicon Valley and also started his own church in California. He also served as pastor Crosswinds Church near San Francisco.
Willow Creek Chicago convenes inside the city's historic Auditorium Theater. Todd Katter is serving as interim campus pastor while church officials search for Wu's replacement.
"We would ask you to pray diligently for Steve in these difficult days," the church's statement concludes.
My Doubts about the Quia Subscription to the Book of Concord
Someone wrote a correction to a comment where someone used "in so far as" in relation to Luther, the Book of Concord, and the Scriptures. That is known as a quatenus subscription to the Book of Concord, according to Dogmatics 101. If you do not remember the corrective comment about this, it is because I decided to pursue the topic later. As I recall, the original comment was not meant to diminish the Confessions in any way.
The quia subscription is defined as agreeing with the Book of Concord, because (quia) it is a proper exposition of the Scriptures. Supposedly, quatenus is the moderate position on the Confessions.
I do not like the distinctions or the practice of signing a statement, as some do when joining a congregation. Like the distinctions between one subscription and another, the practice has become meaningless.
If I can play the role of James, Brother of the Lord, on this topic - a quia subscription--without standing for the Confessions--is a dead and meaningless term.
Some LCMS pastors remember the Barry years through the filter of convenient memories, but SP Barry set the stage for the Kieschnick years by doing nothing about false doctrine. Not only that, the newly installed Barry experts tolerated no criticism from conservatives while the management team courted the liberals and empowered them. Unionist Benke was absolved instead of disciplined, so the spineless administration kicked the can down the street for others to handle without administrative support.
Kieschnick has shown how to discipline. He is taking the radio show Issues, Etc to court for using a name the synod abandoned years ago. The lawsuit may be entirely without merit, but simply explaining details to a lawyer can cost thousands of dollars before the case even starts. The St. Louis seminary almost buried Christian News under a frivolous lawsuit. Someone provided insider information to Otten, ending the matter, but that person will never be ordained by Missouri. No good deed goes unpunished in the Church Triumphalistic.
Paul McCain's blog marked the death of Luther, which was yesterday, reminding me of the WELS/ELS amen chorus for Gerhardt's hymns. Would Luther, who never backed down about doctrine, recognize McCain, who has no position, as one of his own? McCain recently praised apostate Richard J. Neuhaus for helping Missouri sit down with the Antichrist and offer their spin on Lutheran doctrine. According to McCain, B-16 was impressed.
Why would the ELS and WELS glorify Gerhardt when their seminary leaders are identical in character to those who drove Gerhardt out of the pulpit for being a Lutheran? The seminary leaders value empty sentimentalism over action against false doctrine. When Valleskey said aping Fuller Seminary was "spoiling the Egyptians," an ELS pastor gave an Amen! paper at the ELS conference. The ovine--in truth, lupine--pastors were silent. Both disgusting papers were published in the officious journals of their sects. Did anyone react? Did the faculties rebel in horror? I walked up to John (Sparky) Brenner and asked him how the Mequon faculty could publish such tripe. He said, "Write a letter," and "The editor has been sick." More telling was his shock that anyone could question their seminary publication, which should be renamed The Popes Speak. So Brenner too kicked the can down the street. The problem went away, if one ignores Leonard Sweet, Brother Stetzer, and the Emergent Churches springing up as if by magic.
The quia subscription of WELS, ELS, LCMS, and the micro-minis is set aside by the unwritten rules of each sect:
- No one with an official position can ever be questioned.
- No one related to a given family is ever wrong.
- No one who rocks our little boat will be forgiven.
- No false doctrine, once published, can ever be retracted by our little sect.
So what does a quia subscription mean after a layman or pastor goes through all the unwritten rules in his mind? The Book of Concord is a rabbit's foot for the vast majority of pastors today. Very few laity know the content of this great book of Biblical exposition. Many pastors are openly scornful of the Confessions and Luther, and they do not hesitate to communicate their attitudes.
Everyone would be better off with a thorough knowledge of Luther's Large Catechism. Most of the errors promoted by the clergy today are answered by that rather small work of supreme quality. That could be why the Large Catechism is shunned - too clear about each issue. Trying the Eighth Commandment ploy would be as difficult as an armed robbery at a gun store. The Matthew 18 gambit would be laughed at as people recited what the Large Catechism says about published errors and known miscreants.
I am suggesting that actual study of the Confessions is preferred over a rabbit's foot quia subscription. When I look at how often the pastors have retreated from the field of battle, I conclude they must have misundstood the term. They must have heard "an Ikea subscription."
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The Big Picture - with CORE
APPLETON — There will be a new focus for the former Big Picture Theater of Adventure and Discovery.
A one-year lease was signed Feb. 3 to turn the large format theater, which has been closed for more than two years, into The Core, an outreach ministry of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Freedom.
The daughter congregation will target the 18-to-35-year-old demographic, said the Rev. Jim "Ski" Skorzewski, who will pastor the 300-seat (plus handicapped seating) church.
The Core's vision is to become a city within the city, Skorzewski said.
"In the same way we've been transformed by Jesus, then our responsibility and opportunity is to share that Gospel message that transforms lives," he said. "We're going to start very small like a township and our goal is to grow into a city that affects the city for our Savior Jesus."
More than 100 people turned out for an impromptu service and Bible study Sunday.
The $5.1 million Big Picture opened in March 2005. It closed in October 2006 and has remained vacant since.
In August, Skorzewski, formerly with St. Marcus Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, received a call from St. Peter's pastor, the Rev. Tim Glende, to start the new ministry. Skorzewski and a friend had began working on a new model for starting a church a year ago targeting two areas in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod: Oconomowoc and Appleton.
"A year later I got a call from both places the same night four minutes apart to do almost the exact same thing," Skorzewski said. "My philosophy has been if we're going to go after and target the 18-to-35-year-old age group you need to be downtown."
Once interior modifications are made to the theater — such as shrinking the size of the 80-by-60-foot screen using curtains and installing a performance platform, The Core hopes to launch its first service April 19. A Web site launching party is planned Feb. 22.
"It's an exciting time for our congregation and also for this daughter congregation," Glende said.
"Our tag line is real, relevant, relational," said Skorzewski. "We're going to be a pretty non-churchy church. It will be the more reverent irreverent service you've been to. … We're going to do something I haven't seen done in the Valley, so to speak. …So often churches become 'I have to,' not 'I get to.'"
***
GJ - Would CORE be a clone of what Ski and Parlow drooled over in Atlanta - the Emergent Church, multi-screen, Rock and Roll Babtist Northpoint Community (sic) Church?
Read your publishing house's books, Ski and Glende. Deutschlander calls this kind of mission "whoopee worship."
Try This Safe and Effective Computer Screen Cleaner
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Click on this link.
Anonymous Callers
"Are you living at this address....?"
GJ - "What does this concern?"
"A personal business matter. Are you Greg Jackson and living at this address?"
GJ - "What personal business matter?"
"I just told you."
GJ - "What is your mother's maiden name?"
"It's... Answer my question."
GJ - "What are the last four numbers of your social?"
(Increasingly frustrated.) "If you can't answer a simple question."
GJ - "What is your favorite foood?"
(Muffled outrage.) "That has nothing to do with..."
GJ - "What grade school did you graduate from?"
"Just tell me if you are living at that address."
GJ - "I can't answer personal questions from anonymous callers."
---
Tired of getting those expired car warrantee phone calls, I have tried to extend my warrantee on:
1. A Stutz Bearcat.
2. A Dusenberg.
3. An Edsel.
4. A Model T.
I also wanted to refer them to friend, if they covered stolen cars.
One caller from India began laughing.
Illinois Senator Burris' Grave
Check this link.
Illinois Senator Burris has his own tomb ready, with all his resume material carved in stone, including his year as a foreign exchange student.
He lied about promising ex-governor Blago money in return for the appointment to the Senate, so he may not be able to add that line to the tomb.
Your Daily Mouse Attack
Put another grant in the off'ring plate, baby."
Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "What Would Luther Buy?NPH Sale Only Through Saturd...":
Well, I suppose that commenter has a point in that you get up day after day not taking people's words and actions in the kindest possible way, but rather you slander against others telling lies or truths for some sick pleasure that you assure yourself at the end of the day is right and just and that God will pat you on the back for it. (sic: run-on sentence) But do as you please, you will answer to God for it on the last day.
***
GJ - The post above reminds me of an email from the daughter of a WELS Church Growth guru. After calling me every name in the book, she added, "You are unloving and violate the Eighth Commandment." But at least she identified herself and signed her email.
Monday, February 16, 2009
What Would Luther Buy?
NPH Sale Only Through Saturday
Could you announce that NPH has a 40% to 60% off sale--including on their Pietism and UOJ-related books, but its (sic) only through Saturday either online or at their store:
STOCK-UP SALE
http://online.nph.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?10435&categoryID=4339
Here a list of just a few books your blog readers might be interested in obtaining:
1. Our Great Heritage Volume 3
Catalog Item Number: OL-150483
Sale Price: $28.50
http://online.nph.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?10418&productID=150483
2. The Complete Timotheus Verinus (excellent choice)
Catalog Item Number: OL-150594 Sale Price: $24.30
http://online.nph.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?10406
3. The History of Pietism
(excellent choice) Catalog Item Number: OL-150743
Sale Price: $24.30
http://online.nph.net/cgi-bin/site.pl?10406
Thanks much!
---
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "What Would Luther Buy?NPH Sale Only Through Saturd...":
Remember the Eight (sic) Commandment
What Would Luther Do? Part 2
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Fifty WELS Pastors Still Think Highly of Luther":
Is it appropriate to offer a motion at the next congregation voters' meeting restricting our offerings down to Synod until the apostates are driven out? How does one phrase such a resolution?
***
GJ - Any written memorial passed by a congregation is very powerful, especially if it is circulated around the circuit, conference, and district. I will be glad to post anything, whether Anonymously, Anonymousely, or Nonymously.
The Church and Chicaneries have laid down their cudgels lately. I believe they finally realized they were drawing attention to their repugnant doctrine and personalities. When things are quiet, a lot is happening. Beware - They will not give up their power and purloined loot with grace and dignity.
On the positive side, I suggest writing individual letters of support for the Synod President, plus whatever can be mustered by the council or voters. Those letters should be widely circulated and mailed to President Schroeder. One letter is worth 10, because for every letter actually written, 9 people think about doing so and do not.
What Would Luther Do?
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Concerned Laity in WELS Cannot Get a Break":
I've already quietly put my hat the ring to go the convention this summer.
It's up to you other men to man up to your responsibilities to your faith. Go ahead and watch the movie, "Luther" then try to complain about having to spend a few days in Saginaw.
Good men and women *died* to build the Lutheran church and proclaim the Gospel message. Keep that in mind as you plan your relaxing summer vacation.
***
GJ - The Saginaw convention will be packed with Church and Chicanery supporters: its odious board, The Love Shack staff, and covert operatives like Don Patterson. They were once led by Wayne Mueller, but he fled the scene. Alas, Wayne is forgotten but not gone.
If the pastors and laity cannot stand up to blatant false doctrine, they will continue to reap the price of their apathy. The Church and Chicaneries have bled the synod dry with their special projects, meeting, and over-priced staff.
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"Since now, in the sight of God and of all Christendom [the entire Church of Christ], we wish to testify to those now living and those who shall come after us that this declaration herewith presented concerning all the controverted articles aforementioned and explained, and no other, is our faith, doctrine, and confession, in which we are also willing, by God's grace, to appear with intrepid hearts before the judgment-seat of Jesus Christ, and give an account of it; and that we will neither privately nor publicly speak or write anything contrary to it, but, by the help of God's grace, intend to abide thereby: therefore, after mature deliberation, we have, in God's fear and with the invocation of His name, attached our signatures with our own hands."
Thorough Declaration, Of Other Factions and Sects, Formula of Concord, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1103.
"'If there ever was a strictly conservative body, it surely is the Missouri Synod. Nevertheless, this growth!...It is a mark of the pastors and leaders of the Missouri Synod that they never, aye, never, tire of discussing doctrine on the basis of Scripture and the Confessions. That is one trait that may be called the spirit of Missouri. People who thus cling to doctrine and contend for its purity are of an entirely different nature from the superficial unionists who in the critical moment will declare five to be an even number. God will bless all who value His Word so highly.'" (Dr. Lenski, Kirchenzeitung, May 20, 1922)
cited in W. A. Baepler, "Doctrine, True and False," The Abiding Word, ed., Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 515f.
"We should not consider the slightest error against the Word of God unimportant."
What Luther Says , An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 637.
"Error and heresy must come into the world so that the elect may become approved and manifest. Their coming is in the best interests of Christians if they take the proper attitude toward it. St. Augustine, who certainly was sufficiently annoyed by wretched sectaries, says that when heresy and offense come, they produce much benefit in Christendom; for they cause Christians industriously to read Holy Scriptures and with diligence to pursue it and persevere in its study. Otherwise they might let it lie on the shelf, become very secure, and say: Why, God's Word and the text of Scripture are current and in our midst; it is not necessary for us to read Holy Scripture."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 639.
“You cannot of a truth be for true doctrine without being unalterably opposed to false doctrine. There can be no 'positive theology' where the God-given negatives have been eliminated from the Decalog."
Norman A. Madson, Preaching to Preachers, Mankato: Lutheran Synod Book Company, 1952. Preface.
Catastrophic Decline in Income - WELS SP
The financial challenge before us
From the office of President Mark Schroeder
"I will be with you, to the very end of the age." With those words, Jesus gave his sure and unchanging promise that he would be with his people as they carry out the mission he had just given them. Those words, as familiar as they are, need to fill our thoughts and hearts as our nation and the world struggle with growing economic problems, and as we address some of the most difficult financial challenges our synod has faced in many years.
This newsletter was begun 18 months ago as a way to provide information to you that is both current and accurate. As we've tried to share with you both the good news and the bad, the information has changed rapidly and repeatedly. In recent weeks, the latest information of one week became outdated by the next. Plans based on yesterday's information have had to be adjusted to fit today's new realities.
The new reality is, by any measure, very difficult. We are faced with the simple and painful fact that the level of funding available to support our synod's mission and ministry will be significantly less in the next two years than it is today. While support from congregations has been commendable and steady in these difficult times, expected support from other sources has dropped significantly. The blunt reality is that we will need to reduce our synod's budget by approximately $8 million, from about $38 million today to approximately $30 million in the next fiscal year. When the Synodical Council presents a balanced budget to the convention in July, which it is required by the constitution to do, significant reductions will need to be made in all areas of our synod's work.
All areas of ministry have been asked to determine and describe how reductions will be made and the impact they will have. We will begin by sharply reducing the administrative costs across the synod, including significant staffing reductions. We are working to identify one-time expenditures that can be delayed, reduced, or eliminated. From there, areas of ministry will also need to plan for significant reductions in the size and scope of their ministries. There is no sugar-coating this situation. The reductions will be deep and they will be painful; all areas will be affected. The current situation will require us to evaluate everything we do, determine our programs in keeping with expected funding and the synod's stated priorities, and focus on the essential programs that can be retained. We will need to do less than we are doing now; whatever we continue to do, we will need to do it better and more efficiently.
Our desire to proclaim the gospel to more and more people has led us to adopt ambitious plans across the synod. That is a noble goal, but we have often looked to support those plans on anticipated gifts from foundations, individuals, and other sources. We are now in a situation where some of those large gifts have been suddenly reduced. As commendable as our plans may have been, we simply do not have the financial means to continue at the same level as before.
Determining where those reductions in mission and ministry are to be made will be extremely difficult, since every current program is valuable and important. On the positive side of this, the cuts—while very difficult and painful—will require us to plan our mission and ministry at a level that is sustainable with the ongoing funding available to us. Faithful stewardship of God's resources demands that we plan in this way.
For that reason, the Synodical Council will not simply be wrestling with the short-term reduction in the budget. It will also be looking to the need for providing long-term stability to our finances. The Synodical Council will be considering at least one proposal to achieve this goal. This proposal for long-term stability will not enable us to avoid difficult cuts now, but it will seek to provide a new approach to budgeting and planning that will greatly reduce the likelihood of a similar situation occurring in the future. One main element of the proposal is a commitment to planning our ongoing ministry based primarily on our most stable source of funding (Congregation Mission Offerings) and using large donations from other sources for one-time or limited-time programs. All ideas to provide long-term financial stability will be explored.
Because the funding situation changed so suddenly, the Synodical Council will not be able to adopt a complete budget recommendation at its February meeting. Adoption of a final budget and the reductions it will require will need to wait until April, in order to give areas of ministry the time to adjust their plans and programs. For that reason, the Conference of Presidents has agreed that the Book of Reports and Memorials, which contains the budget recommendation and all other business that will be considered at the synod convention in July, will be published somewhat later than normal. The plan is to have the information in the Book of Reports and Memorials available electronically in time for district conferences in June. The published book will be in the hands of convention delegates a few weeks later.
In all of these challenges, we remain confident that God is using these circumstances somehow to bless his believers and to benefit his church. We continue to place our trust in him, and we pray that God would use these difficult times to unite us more closely with him and with each other.
Serving in Christ,
Mark Schroeder
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GJ - Early 2009 will look good compared to the end of the year. The house of cards is still falling down. Everyone in retirement age or nearing retirement has lost a ton of money from the global financial meltdown. Therefore, giving will be much weaker from now on. I think synods will have to prepare Depression-era budgets: no frills, no junkets, no Church and Changers.
Luther on Justification by Faith
From the Baker Book House set of Luther’s Sermons – 8 volumes.
Sermons of Martin Luther, Vol. 5, p.211 Nineteenth Sunday After Trinity, (p.222) “25. Therefore it is necessary that we rightly learn to know this treasure, and seek forgiveness where it may be found; that is, that we thoroughly learn to know, comprehend, and keep the Lord Jesus Christ. For it is ordained that no one shall come into God’s presence, find grace, nor obtain forgiveness of the least sin except through Christ. Because you are a sinner, and will always remain one, your conscience is ever present, condemns and threatens you with God’s wrath and punishment, so that you cannot see the grace of God.”
“28. The third thought is how and by what means we may appropriate such righteousness, so that we may receive the treasure acquired by Christ. Here also we need to give heed that we take the right way, and not make the mistake, which certain heretics have made in times past, and many erroneous minds still set forth, who think that God ought to do something special with them. These imagine that God will deal separately with each one by some special internal light and mysterious revelation, and give him the Holy Ghost, as though there was no need of the written Word or the external sermon. Consequently we are to know that God has ordained that no one shall come to the knowledge of Christ, nor obtain the forgiveness acquired by him, nor receive the Holy Ghost, without the use of external and public means; but God has embraced this treasure in the oral word or public ministry, and will not perform his work in a corner or mysteriously in the heart, but will have it heralded and distributed openly among the people, even as Christ commands, Mark 16,15: Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, etc.”
“30. Therefore this part also, namely the external word or preaching, belongs to Christianity as a channel or means through which we attain unto forgiveness of sins, or the righteousness of Christ, with which Christ reveals and offers us his grace or lays it into our bosom, and without which no one would ever come to a knowledge of this treasure. For whence should any man know, or in what man’s heart would it ever come, that Christ, the Son of God, came from heaven for our sake, died for us, and rose from the dead, acquired the forgiveness of sins and eternal life, and offers the same to us, without publicly having it announced and preached? And although he acquired this treasure for us through his suffering and death, no one could obtain or receive it, if Christ did not have it offered, presented and applied. And al that he had done and suffered would be to no purpose, but would be like some great and precious treasure buried in the earth, which no one could find or make use of. “
“31. Therefore I have always taught that the oral word must precede every thing else, must be comprehended with the ears, if the Holy Ghost is to enter the heart, who through the Word enlightens it and works faith. Consequently faith does not come except through the hearing and oral preaching of the Gospel, in which it has its beginning, growth and strength. For this reason the Word must not be despised, but held in honor. We must familiarize and acquaint ourselves with it, and constantly practice it, so that it never ceases to bear fruit; for it can never be understood and learned too well. Let every man beware of the shameless fellows who have no more respect for the Word than if it were unnecessary for faith; or of those who think they know it all, become tired of it, eventually fall from it, and retain nothing of faith or of Christ.”
“32. Behold, here you have all that belongs to this article of the righteousness of Christ. It consists in the forgiveness of sins, offered to us through Christ, and received by faith in and through the Word, purely and simply without any works on our part. Yet I do not mean that Christians should not and must not do good works, but that they are not to be mingled and entwined in the doctrine of faith, and decorated with the shameless delusion that they avail before God as righteousness, whereby both the doctrine of works and of faith are besmirched and destroyed. For everything possible must be done to keep this article pure, unadulterated and separate from all our own doings. But after we have this righteousness by faith, works are to follow and continue here on earth, so that there may be civil righteousness, and that both be maintained, each in its proper place, but separate in their nature and efficacy, -- the former before God in faith over and above all works, the latter works in love to our neighbor, as we said plainly enough above and always taught.”
Memorials for Robert Marshall,
LCA President
The Preus clan originated in Berlin, Prussia,
but one branch moved to Scandihoovia.
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
February 6, 2009
Lutheran Memorials Celebrate the Life of Former President Robert Marshall
09-038-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Memorials have been planned to celebrate the life of the Rev. Robert J. Marshall, biblical scholar and president of the former Lutheran Church in America (LCA), who died Dec. 22 in Allentown, Pa. He was 90. A funeral was held Jan. in Burlington, Iowa.
In 1962 Marshall was elected president of the LCA Illinois Synod, and six years later he was elected president of the LCA. During his decade as LCA president, groundwork was set for that church's merger with the American Lutheran Church and Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in 1987 to form the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
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CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Robert J. Marshall, a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), biblical scholar and president of the former Lutheran Church in America (LCA), died Dec. 22 in Allentown, Pa. He was 90.
Funeral plans are being made in Burlington, Iowa, and memorials are being planned for 2009 in Allentown and across the United States.
In 1962 Marshall was elected president of the LCA Illinois Synod, and six years later he was elected president of the LCA. During his decade as LCA president, the groundwork was set for that church's merger with the American Lutheran Church and Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches in 1987 to form the ELCA.
Marshall "became one of those giants among Lutheran leaders who served in the 20th century," said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop.
"The years do pass quickly. Leaders are called by the church and serve during their particular time, but their contributions should not be forgotten. We now remember such a leader -- a leader who showed grace, dignity, dedication, courage and vision as a faithful witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ," Hanson said in a tribute to Marshall.
Born in Burlington, Marshall graduated from Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio, and the Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary, Maywood, Ill. He earned a doctorate from the University of Chicago and, during his professional life, received 15 honorary doctorates.
Ordained in 1944 in the Wartburg Synod of the former United Lutheran Church in America, he served as pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Alhambra, Calif.
One of Marshall's confirmands in Alhambra went on to become the ELCA's second presiding bishop. "I will always remember him as 'Pastor Marshall,'" said the Rev. H. George Anderson, Decorah, Iowa.
"He was indeed a shepherd -- vigilant, hard-working and always accountable to his Master. He led, he taught, he challenged," Anderson said. "I am grateful for all he gave to me and to this church."
In 1947 Marshall joined the faculty of Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pa., as an instructor in religion. He became head of the religion department in 1952. From 1953 to 1962 he was a professor of Old Testament at Chicago Lutheran Theological Seminary (now the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago), and he served as a visiting professor at the American School of Oriental Research, Jerusalem, before his election as LCA Illinois Synod president.
Marshall was director of the Office on Mission, Service and Development, Lutheran World Ministries, New York. After his service as LCA Illinois Synod president and LCA president, from 1981 to 1988 Marshall was professor of Old Testament at the Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, S.C., before returning to LSTC as an adjunct professor of Old Testament. Marshall also served LSTC as senior scholar in residence and director for its Center for Global Ministries.
"Dr. Marshall was a faithful, impressive and skilled Lutheran leader as a pastor, seminary professor, synod president, and as president of the LCA. Perhaps less well known is that Dr. Marshall was both a son of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and a steadfast supporter," said the Rev. James K. Echols, LSTC president.
"Throughout his life he gave consistently to The Annual Fund, even as several endowed student scholarships were established in his honor," Echols said of Marshall. In 2001 LSTC established the Robert J. Marshall Graduate Fellowship to create an endowment in the master of theology and doctor of philosophy degree programs.
Marshall served as vice president of the Lutheran World Federation, as chairman of Lutheran World Relief and Church World Service, and as a member of the Commission for a New Lutheran Church and the ELCA Church Council, the board of the Wheat Ridge Foundation and the executive committee of the World Council of Churches.
Marshall is preceded in death by his wife Alice Hepner Marshall. He is survived by their two children: Robert E. Marshall and the Rev. Margaret A. (Peggy) Niederer, Holy Spirit Lutheran Church, Leonia, N.J.
***
GJ - I met David Preus and Jack Preus, but I knew Robert Preus best of those pictured above. Robert Mashall sat next to me at a Michigan Synod, LCA convention. He offered constant patter about his favorite left-wing causes. Marshall was the Illinois president who asked me years before if Salem, Moline, used the Votum. I was new to the Lutheran liturgy and had no idea what the Votum was.
Various articles say Marshall earned a PhD from the University of Chicago. I think that is an error. Wikipedia even changes his last name to Kaufman midway in their article. I wrote to Marshall when I was working on my dissertation. His letter hinted that the dissertation was the point where his degree stopped. He never used PhD on his letterhead and no one claimed he had one during his active career, as far as I know. Did he go back and finish? That is possible but unlikely.
Marshall's devotion to social activism doomed the LCA. His next-in-command considered Marshall an idiot who destroyed the synod in 10 years. Marshall chose not to run again because he would have been defeated. His next gig was working with WELS and Missouri as head of Lutheran World Relief, which also got involved in social activism. Imagine that.
Franklin C. Fry (ULCA, then LCA president - Mr. Lutheran) chose Marshall as his successor. Fry would not even discuss women's ordination. As soon as Marshall took over, he changed the LCA constitution to allow women's ordination. That opened the doors for abortion and gay activism. Mrs. Ichabod and I knew Franklin D. Fry (President Fry's son) fairly well from his connections with the Michigan Synod, attendance at retreats.
Franklin C. Fry led a constant campaign against the inerrancy of the Bible in his ULCA days. He was very effective. The ALC did the same as soon as they were formed in the 1960s. Franklin D. Fry was a liberal social activist, using old Social Gospel bromides, but he refused to let his congregation sponsor a Masonic Lodge meeting. He said, "If it is held here, I will resign as pastor." The congregation withdrew its sponsorship of the lodge gathering.
Let Me Guess What ELCA Will Say
Imagine future ELCA ordinations.
ELCA ready to issue stance on gay ordination
By JEFF STRICKLER, Star Tribune
Last update: February 13, 2009 - 2:47 PM
The battle lines are about to be drawn for this summer's confrontation over the ordination of gay people by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
With the matter scheduled for a vote at the biannual national convention in Minneapolis in August, church leaders will release a position paper Thursday that is expected to indicate their stance on the issue.
This is the second public step in a process that began in 2001 when the ELCA Churchwide Assembly commissioned a social statement on human sexuality.
A draft version of that study, "Human Sexuality: Gift and Trust," was released last March and distributed to congregations for reaction. That report, which did not take a stand on gay ordination, also will be released in a revised version that incorporates members' comments.
But the main focus is going to be on the second document, which will address recommendations for possible changes in the standards for clergy and professional lay workers in the ELCA.
Fifty WELS Pastors Still Think Highly of Luther
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Review of Deutschlander's The Theology of the Cros...":
Perhaps it might warm your heart to know that there are roughly 50 or so pastors attending a 1 1/2 day seminar by Professor Deutschlander on the topic "How Luther Became Lutheran". Even though you may not think so, there are still many pastors who think highly of Luther and his works.
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GJ - This two-sentence response to a long, thoughtful, and positive review of Deutschlander has two snide remarks in it. Too bad the author forgot to sign his name.
I post material for the pastors and laity who do appreciate Luther. Unfortunately, WELS provides a lot of comic relief. For example, since we are on the subject, Pastor James Skorzewski (aka Ski) bragged in his blog that he saw Deutschlander in Atlanta. The professor emeritus was there to speak at a WELS conference. Ski was there to kneel at the feet of Babtist Andy Stanley. Ski even admitted to Deutschlander that he chose whoopee-worship over a gathering of his fellow pastors.
If 50 WELS pastors applied the lessons of Luther and rebuked false doctrine, there would be a dramatic change in the synod. There is something in Paul about that too, usually read at ordinations. Paul does not say - rebuke those who think Holy Mother Synod is less than perfect.
KJV 2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
behind the movie screen!"
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Fifty WELS Pastors Still Think Highly of Luther":
So it's acceptable for you to include snide remarks in your postings, but it is somehow unacceptable for people who comment to include snide remarks? Makes perfect sense...
And let me guess...you're going to pull out the "They don't have the right to post snide remarks because they don't publish their name" card.
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GJ - Somebody has tender toes.
The laity are seeing what the pastors are like when they can hide behind anonymity. I eager to see the fruit of Deutschlander's labors in the work of the pastors, as they finally bring an end to the Emergent Church apostasy promoted by WELS officials at The Love Shack. Remember, folks, Church and Change was funded by your offering money.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
URL Error
I guessed that the URL for Northwestern Publishing House was http://www.nph.com.
I kept looking for the Deutschlander book, to get the price. The more I looked, the more appalled I became. "Nothing but Schwaermer books at NPH, and I can't find his book for love or money."
I kept wondering, "Why is NPH so interested in the holiness movement. One book might be interesting - but a whole series?"
Finally I did a search for NPH and found it was NPH.net, not NPH.com.
NPH.com is...
The Nazarene Publishing House!
Review of Deutschlander's The Theology of the Cross
The Theology of the Cross:
Reflections on His Cross and Ours
Daniel M. Deutschlander
Northwestern Publishing House, 283 pages, paperback, $17.99.
Book review by Gregory L. Jackson, PhD
Professor Daniel Deutschlander was loved and respected by his students at Northwestern College, Watertown, Wisconsin (WELS). Many took the German courses just so they could have him as a teacher. His courses were marked as German language classes, but he also taught Lutheran theology. He was a tough teacher who expected preparation for each class. When he heard that one student took German at Michigan Lutheran Seminary, he said, “That’s good. Mrs. Lawrenz does not teach whoopee-Deutsch.”
Now retired, Deutschlander has written a book that will be influential for many years to come. The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod would be wise to distribute and promote this book. The Evangelical Lutheran Synod pastors will doubtless welcome this work as a welcome antidote to the theology of glory promoted by the Schwaermer and their covert allies in the Lutheran Church.
Schwaermer is a term used by Luther to describe the Enthusiasts who separate the Holy Spirit from the Means of Grace. They buzz around like bees, filling the world with their books while claiming the Word of God alone is not effective.
One Evangelical Lutheran Synod member asked me, “Do we need another book about Luther’s theology of the cross?”
I said, “Yes, we do. It will be good for the Wisconsin Synod and the ELS because it comes from one of their own, a highly respected teacher.”
The preface to the book would make a good conference essay by itself, an excellent summary of the situation today. One quotation indicates the wisdom and wit of the book that follows:
“The phony and the artificial church turns worship into a spiritual happy hour devoid of repentance, with cheap absolution, with no thought of taking God seriously in either the law or the gospel. And people love it. They still get to be their own god, their own bible, their own source of ultimate truth and salvation.” (p. vii)
The chapters include:
Chapter 1: What Is the Theology of the Cross?
Chapter 2: The Paradox
Chapter 3: Slivers on the Cross
Chapter 4: Slivers under the Cross
Chapter 5: The Theology of the Cross and the Hidden God
Chapter 6: The Hidden God in the Christian
Chapter 7: Crosses—A Sampler
Chapter 8: The Special Crosses of Pastors and the Visible Church
Appendix 1: A summary of Hermann Sasse’s “Luther’s Theology of the Cross”
Appendix 2: Lenten Sermon Series: Behold the Hidden Glory of the Cross
C. F. W. Walther wrote, “The nearer to Luther, the better the theologian.” But Lutherans have forgotten this admonition. Deutschlander’s book is a careful examination of Luther’s thought and how it applies to our situation today.
“But when speak of the theology of the cross in dogmatic theology, we are speaking not only about Christ’s cross but also about our cross, the cross of the Christian in his life of faith. While never losing sight of Jesus’ cross, it is the cross he sends us that will also occupy our attention in this book.” (p. 1)
When people read this book, they will be struck by Deutschlander’s broad education and his spiritual wisdom derived from study of the Word. Even more, he comes across as a German who understands the Luther corpus. Some have argued that the Lutheran Church began to turn Schwaermer when it gave up German. Numerous WELS pastors said to me in shock, “You can read German?” I responded, “You graduated from seminary and you can’t?” I remember the Mequon librarian overhearing one such exchange and nodding, “That’s what I say too.”
When German Lutherans were made ashamed of their heritage after WWI, they turned to a wide variety of English theology books, often with the claim - “to improve my English.” Also, WWI brought Lutheran groups together to help in the relief of Europe after the war. Cooperation in externals led to many other forms of cooperation today, including joint evangelism and worship efforts with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Many Lutheran pastors of that era saw the Reformed as their allies in doctrine, since the conservative Reformed authors favored inerrancy and regarded the papacy as the Antichrist. The influence of Pietism also influenced Lutherans to regard the Reformed as partners. The congregations of Germany were mostly union congregations where Lutheran doctrine was stifled to create an artificial harmony.
In contrast, Deutschlander, a German in name and doctrine, does not begin by trying to manufacture an artificial bridge between the Schwaermer and Luther, to subordinate Luther’s doctrine to the doubtful claims of the Enthusiasts.
“Notice first that Jesus makes the cross for is followers a consequence, not a cause, of discipleship. He is addressing those in whom the gospel has already created faith and who now wish to follow him.” (p. 2f.)
Luther wrote, and we confess:
“If we would be Christians, therefore, we must surely expect and reckon upon having the devil with all his angels and the world as our enemies who will bring every possible misfortune and grief upon us. For where the Word of God is preached, accepted, or believed, and produces fruit, there the holy cross cannot be wanting. And let no one think that he shall have peace; but he must risk whatever he has upon earth-possessions, honor, house and estate, wife and children, body and life. Now, this hurts our flesh and the old Adam; for the test is to be steadfast and to suffer with patience in whatever way we are assailed, and to let go whatever is taken from us.” (p. 4; see also - http://www.bookofconcord.org/lc-5-ourfather.php)
The Theology of the Cross combines a thorough knowledge of Luther, the Book of Concord, and the Scriptures. Deutschlander is an author who writes from a lifetime of study, so there is never an impression of grabbing a quotation to make a point. There is perfect harmony in his use of Scripture, Luther, and the Book of Concord. If the theology of the cross is true to Luther and the Word, then the worship service should express that concept – an odd counterpoint to “Twenty sub-woofers behind that movie screen!”
Luther’s doctrine should be a litmus test of the Sunday service. Deutschlander’s exposition shows how the cross is both necessary and good, a joy for the Christian. Conversely, it must be a fatal error to avoid what God sends to the believer, since it is divinely ordained and graciously willed. ”Suffering and joy are two sides of the same coin in the Christian’s life.” (p. 10)
I was warned that The Theology of the Cross is not an easy book to read, but it is better to study one book methodically than to rush through several whoopee-inspirational books, or worse, something like Your Church Can Grow. The first chapter alone is an excellent review of the topic, with many insights for future sermons and classes. Sadly, Lutherans have shunned the cross and made fun of those who have crosses to bear, as if God’s grace only comes in the form of large audiences, institutional advancement, perfect health, and impressive salaries. Luther’s theology of the cross is a source of comfort, and Deutschlander explores that comfort from many different perspectives.
The Paradox (Chapter 2) discusses how the cross is both a source of joy and pain, a comfort but still oppressive. Luther often referred to it as “the dear cross” and “the holy cross.” This paradox cannot be resolved. The only way to remove the cross is to get rid of the Gospel, a temptation too great for many to resist. They do not say or even admit they are jettisoning the Gospel. They are only trying to remove the pain of the cross. However, they cannot have the Gospel without the cross Jesus promised:
KJV Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
KJV Matthew 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
One summary statement from Deutschlander shows his eloquence and understanding: “Only in loss do we begin to grasp how overly dependent we had become on the gift for our joy rather than on the giver of the gift.” (p. 45)
Slivers on the Cross (Chapter 3) deals with the cultural clash between the Christian faith and the world. The chapter title is unforgettable and easily remembered in connection with the topics covered, such as the influence of rationalism and evolution. A believer is going to have his belief in the inerrancy of the Word challenged, leaving a tiny sliver of the cross embedded and annoying his flesh. One Presbyterian minister said to me, “We laughed when we heard you would not share in performing the marriage with me.”
Slivers Under the Cross (Chapter 4) begins: “To carry the cross in the grand procession of the saints on the way to heaven is to deny self. The parade is a messy one. The path is strewn with the dead souls of those who gave up along the way because they were spiritually lazy.” (p. 89) This chapter is ideal for those who imagine that the religion of self-esteem is their medicine for happiness. The cross we bear is directly related to our station in life and our duties to others. There is a humorous and insightful paragraph on husbands and wives (Ephesians 5), p. 100. The point of the chapter and book is to say that joy comes from bearing the cross, not from demanding an easy life free of the cross.
The Theology of the Cross and the Hidden God (Chapter 5) uses the examples of Biblical figures to show how God seemed to be hidden from them. Sentimental portrayals of Biblical heroes tend to emphasize glory rather than the cross. One aspect of Reformed preaching is to have a series of sermons on Biblical figures, moving the focus from God’s promises to man’s experiences. Some churches feel a need to dramatize these efforts, dressing up pastors as those figures for a greater effect. The absolute nadir was reached when one conservative Lutheran pastor dressed as the woman at the well (John 4) to give his transvestite sermon. Deutschlander’s chapter is a good review of what Luther said – that God did not spare his saints. Is it any wonder that the pie in the sky, by and by churches develop into temples of occultic apostasy? I think not. This chapter may seem to be bitter medicine, but an ounce of efficacious medicine is better than a quart of tasty but useless sugar syrup.
“Look at how Christ reveals himself. He conceals his glory, hiding it in lowliness and suffering. His two greatest miracles he hid from the world.” (p. 118)
This chapter addresses the necessity of Lutheran worship reflecting the theology of the cross rather than the theology of glory. (p. 132) Roman Catholic worship is focused on the glory of the pope, the special abilities of the priest to consecrate, and the works of man in earning God’s favor. As a witness to numerous Catholic services, I can say that they are impressive examples of pageantry, well organized and choreographed to perfection. But, like Deutschlander, I also have to say they are monstrous in overthrowing the Gospel in the name of God. (p. 133)
Another theology of glory worship is more familiar to Lutherans, since they want to ape it – “whoopee worship.” Those in attendance are entertained, titillated, and amused, but the service does not address sin and guilt, forgiveness and salvation.
One unfortunate error remains in the book, the unhappy consequence of the Synodical Conference’s Objective Justification error, enshrined in the Brief Statement of the LCMS and found in the WELS Kokomo Statements. Deutschlander writes:
“ For faith receives the completed work of Christ; faith does not cause it. It is justification already accomplished and a salvation made entirely ours by faith alone.” (p. 138)
If the author had said, “It is atonement already accomplished,” he would have been correct. The Bible does not have God “declaring the entire world righteous.” Luther and the Book of Concord only teach justification by faith alone. Robert Preus clearly stated in his last book, Justification and Rome, that justification is only used for justification by faith.
Synodical Conference members are teaching the truth when they use the Biblical terms of atonement, reconciliation, propitiation, and redemption – all witnessing to the objective truth of Christ’s sacrifice, even if no one ever believed it. But it is long past-due time to bury the dual justification language, which has been used and abused, borrowed from the Halle Pietists, and preserved only among Midwestern Lutherans.
Some relevant quotations from Luther and the Book of Concord are listed at the end of this review.
Deutschlander also deals with the crosses borne by various age groups and by various pastors. His treatment of the temptations of young pastors is especially germane for today, since the institutional church places so much emphasis upon numbers rather than faithfulness to the Gospel. The old mainline churches tended to view the ending of a congregation as a noble act. As one pastor said, “It was my mission to close that church.”
So Fuller Seminary got everyone to view an increase in numbers as a noble act, no matter how this was achieved. If harmony, huge donations, and worldly admiration are the mark of a good pastor, very few in church history fit that model. Luther’s Reformation lost members as soon as the cross was felt. The Reformer said, “It was like a wind blowing through an orchard, knocking down apples.”
The sermon series material in the appendix shows that this book has been planned and executed to serve the needs of worshiping Lutherans. I hope pastors and laity will make this work, a lifetime achievement, a best seller and a basic book for regular review. This book will help laity and pastors alike, and all age groups as well.
The Theology of the Cross is an ideal gift for baptisms, confirmations, weddings, ordinations, and funerals. Some may gasp at The Theology of the Cross being opened by the bride and groom, amidst gasps and whispers. And yet people joke all the time about marital conflict. This book is a comfort for all who bear the cross, including husbands and wives. Pastors will make better spiritual counselors if they take Deutschlander’s advice to heart. This book is just the opposite of secular counseling. Imagine young people learning about the theology of the cross instead hearing about their rights as victims of parental and educational oppression. Teens have many sorrows, and that pain is not healed by secular nostrums.
Quotations on Justification by Faith
J-520
"It is a faithful saying that Christ has accomplished everything, has removed sin and overcome every enemy, so that through Him we are lords over all things. But the treasure lies yet in one pile; it is not yet distributed nor invested. Consequently, if we are to possess it, the Holy Spirit must come and teach our hearts to believe and say: I, too, am one of those who are to have this treasure. When we feel that God has thus helped us and given the treasure to us, everything goes well, and it cannot be otherwise than that man's heart rejoices in God and lifts itself up, saying: Dear Father, if it is Thy will to show toward me such great love and faithfulness, which I cannot fully fathom, then will I also love Thee with all my heart and be joyful, and cheerfully do what pleases Thee. Thus, the heart does not now look at God with evil eyes, does not imagine He will cast us into hell, as it did before the Holy Spirit came...."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 279. Pentecost Sunday. John 14:23-31.
J-528
"Faith is that my whole heart takes to itself this treasure. It is not my doing, not my presenting or giving, not my work or preparation, but that a heart comforts itself, and is perfectly confident with respect to this, namely, that God makes a present and gift to us, and not we to Him, that He sheds upon us every treasure of grace in Christ."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, IV. #48. Of Justification. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 135. Heiser, p. 36.
J-545
"These treasures are offered us by the Holy Ghost in the promise of the holy Gospel; and faith alone is the only means by which we lay hold upon, accept, and apply, and appropriate them to ourselves. This faith is a gift of God, by which we truly learn to know Christ, our Redeemer, in the Word of the Gospel, and trust in Him, that for the sake of His obedience alone we have the forgiveness of sins by grace, are regarded as godly and righteous by God the Father, and are eternally saved."
Formula of Concord, Thorough Declaration, III. #10. Of the Righteousness of Faith before God. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 919. Tappert, p. 541. Heiser, p. 250.
J-590
"For neither you nor I could ever know anything of Christ, or believe on Him, and obtain Him for our Lord, unless it were offered to us and granted to our hearts by the Holy Ghost through the preaching of the Gospel. The work is done and accomplished; for Christ has acquired and gained the treasure for us by His suffering, death, resurrection, etc. But if the work remained concealed so that no one knew of it, then it would be in vain and lost. That this treasure, therefore, might not lie buried, but be appropriated and enjoyed, God has caused the Word to go forth and be proclaimed, in which He gives the Holy Ghost to bring this treasure home and appropriate it to us. Therefore sanctifying is nothing else than bringing us to Christ to receive this good, to which we could not attain ourselves.”
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III, #38, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 689. Tappert, p. 415. Heiser, p. 194.