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.
That is Mark Jeske, describing himself at Concordia LCMS, Mequon.
Pardon me, but does St. Markus have a product recall program that would ship Ski back to Milwaukee so they can repair his Lutheran doctrine?
No, St. Markus would have to sub-contract the work. The man who hired Bruce Becker is not going to make Ski a Lutheran.
"Our pastor: The Rev. Christine Thompson is a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Ordained in 1995, Rev. Thompson served as pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Detroit, and as the Episcopal/Lutheran campus pastor at Wayne State University, also in Detroit, before accepting her current call as campus pastor at the Corner House. She has been serving at UW-Milwaukee since May 2007.
A native of Chicago, Rev. Thompson received her Master of Divinity degree from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
Rev. Thompson is a gifted preacher, teacher and vocalist. In 1997, she was a member of a delegation invited to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the National Choir of Cuba in Havana and Santiago, Cuba. The group conducted workshops on African American worship and sacred music. In June 2005, on Pr. Thompson’s second trip to Tanzania, East Africa, she was a presenter at “Women As the Eyes of the Church,” a consultation on women’s work in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania/Mbulu. She also served as spiritual advisor to the group of southeast Michigan women who attended the conference. Pr. Thompson preached at Haydom Lutheran Church/Tanzania in the summer of 2005 and at St. Paul Lutheran Cathedral/ Namibia in the summer of 2006. She is regularly invited to preach ecumenically. She has preached revivals at Calvary Baptist church and Calvary Presbyterian church in Detroit, Michigan. She has been well received in Episcopal pulpits including, All Saints/Detroit and (sic - the sentence broke off there).
Rev. Thompson has served on many strategy teams as a facilitator and a writer.
She is a member of the writing team that produced, “Following The Way: A Strategy for Mission by African Americans for African Americans in the Southeast Michigan synod.
She is certified by World Impact school for cross-cultural church planting. She was certified as a Peer minister trainer in June 2006, and certified as a Bridgebuilder consultant in September 2006.
Rev. Thompson loves singing, reading and analyzing movies. She is the mother of two adult sons."
Closing of Lutheran campus ministry at UWM raises questions
By Annysa Johnson of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Mar. 27, 2009
The abrupt closing of a longtime Lutheran campus ministry at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee - while leaving its sister program intact at Marquette University - has opened a painful schism in its sponsoring synod over questions of race, class, gender and the future of campus ministry in Milwaukee.
The Corner House at 3074 N. Maryland Ave., operated by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Milwaukee Synod, has been closed since mid-March after the board that oversees both campus ministries announced it was letting Corner House's pastor, the Rev. Christine Thompson, go.
Synod Bishop Paul Stumme-Diers said the decision by the Lutheran Campus Ministry-Greater Milwaukee board was strictly financial. He said the program would be insolvent by summer if it didn't make drastic cuts, and that a new ministry would emerge at the Corner House.
But critics say the less-than-transparent process and its outcome - UWM's urban ministry is shuttered midsemester and its African-American female pastor out of work, while its more-affluent counterpart remains open with a white male pastor - raise troubling questions.
The synod's decision to now consult anti-racism team members on the appointment of new campus ministry board members, they said, heightens their suspicions that biases might have played a role.
"We can't know what played into this, so we're left to make assumptions," said the Rev. Steve Jerbi, pastor at All Peoples Lutheran Church, which has worked with both campus ministries. "The process has left far more questions than it has answers."
The Synod Council's executive committee and the Lutheran Campus Ministry board will address those questions at a listening session from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday at Adoration Lutheran church, 3840 W. Edgerton Ave. in Greenfield.
Even the location is controversial for some, who see it as too far removed from those committed to and served by the UWM ministry.
Thompson, whose contract ends March 31, did not return a telephone call seeking comment.
At least two board members have resigned after the controversy. Pastor Viviane Thomas-Breitfeld stepped down as vice president of the campus ministry board after voting against Thompson's dismissal. Lay representative Catherine Alexander resigned from the Synod Council, which oversees the campus ministry board, citing the "vague and secretive processes used in reaching this decision."
The ELCA's Milwaukee Synod has ministered to students and staff at the two universities for decades - from a former brick duplex near UWM, named for its location at N. Maryland Ave. and E. Kenwood Blvd., and from offices in Marquette's Alumni Memorial Union.
Marquette's serves about 150 students a semester, according to its pastor, the Rev. Brad Brown.
The Corner House's outreach has waned in recent years as it struggled with staff turnover and the demands of an aging building, said a former interim pastor and a former board member.
But supporters said Thompson was making progress on programming since her arrival in 2007. They said the Corner House holds much potential and that the synod would support it financially if it considered it a priority.
"There is a great opportunity to use that ministry and facility to help young adults develop their faith, identify their spiritual journey, at a time in their lives when that is critical," said Venice Williams, executive director of Seed Folks youth ministry, who had begun collaborating with Thompson.
The campus ministry board has struggled. Founded in 2005 to oversee and provide financial management, including fund raising, for the ministries, its membership had dwindled from nine in January to four after Thomas-Breitfeld's departure this month.
Stumme-Diers said its decisions on the Corner House and Thompson were based on the report of a task force. Critics say they've been unable to see the report or know the identities of its three authors. Stumme-Diers told the Journal Sentinel that it would be available at Monday's meeting.
The bishop said biases did not play into the decisions regarding Corner House or Thompson, but that input by anti-racism team members in the creation of a new board is essential for a synod that is primarily urban.
"As a synod that takes seriously our anti-racism work, we want to include an anti-racist commitment to this (campus ministry board) leadership as we plan for the future," he said.
Stumme-Diers said he would work to place Thompson in a different ministry in the synod.
WHAT'S NEXT
There will be a meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at Adoration Lutheran church, 3840 W. Edgerton Ave. in Greenfield, to address concerns about the closing of a Lutheran campus ministry operation at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
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GJ - One WELS member said, "Send them Kelm." Catholics would call that the ultimate sacrifice.
If she can copy and paste, I would refer her to Point of Grace WELS Lutheran Campus Ministry.
"Dr. Luther, who, above others, certainly understood the true and proper meaning of the Augsburg Confession, and who constantly remained steadfast thereto till his end, and defended it, shortly before his death repeated his faith concerning this article with great zeal in his last Confession, where he writes thus: 'I rate as one concoction, namely, as Sacramentarians and fanatics, which they also are, all who will not believe that the Lord's bread in the Supper is His true natural body, which the godless or Judas received with the mouth, as well as did St. Peter and all [other] saints; he who will not believe this (I say) should let me alone, and hope for no fellowship with me; this is not going to be altered [thus my opinion stands, which I am not going to change]."
Formula of Concord, Epitome, Article VII, Lord's Supper, 33, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 983. Tappert, p. 575. Heiser, p. 267.
Jennifruit Yup. It was a gr8 conference. Granger has pretty impressive facilities.
about 4 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to Jennifruit
@Jennifruit i do remember u vaguely. i was at GCC in Nov for a conference. only time but hope 2 get back. u have some amazing leaders there!
about 2 hours ago from web in reply to Jennifruit
@kstrandlund have you ever been to GCC? I grew up in South Bend, was in Milwaukee for WLC & after (total 15 yrs). Moved back here 2 yrs ago.about 12 hours ago from web in reply to kstrandlund
GCC = Granger Community Church, in the South Bend, Mishawaka area (Indiana).
Meet the staff at Granger.
@kstrandlund Hey Katie! Remember me from St. Marcus? You totally follow many of the staff members/pastors at my Church - Granger Community!
about 12 hours ago from web in reply to kstrandlund
is intrigued to see that @pastorski is following @timastevens. Small world! Ski was my Pastor in Milwaukee and Tim Stevens at current church
about 13 hours ago from web
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A WELS layman wrote: "This is that Leadership Conference ski and katie are twittering about lately...they both attended the one back in November at Granger Community Church. I am so hurt and offended...................
http://www.catalystoneday.com/"
What is it?
Why is it important?
How do you get it?
Once you have it, how do you keep it?
Hear Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel uncover the secrets to creating and sustaining momentum. Learn about creating systems, environments, and entire cultures that will set the right initiatives in motion and fuel progress. Whether you need fresh insight for your staff, your church, your business, or yourself, this is an exceptional, can’t-miss opportunity.
Make plans now to be part of Catalyst's newest offering: a One Day leadership experience packed with teaching and insight from two of the leading voices in the Church today. Connect with other influential leaders in your area. Gain fresh perspective. Challenge the process.
Catalyst One Day, part of the Catalyst Voices series, is an opportunity to hear the nuts and bolts of leadership, up-close with Andy and Craig. The event features dynamic worship with the North Point worship team, idea-inducing Q & A, and candid conversation between Andy and Craig. See you there!.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
At Catalyst One Day, you will:
Discover the key to creating and sustaining momentum in your organization
Identify and break through the barriers to momentum
Overcome personal leadership lids
Leverage the three triggers which ignite organizational momentum
Create a culture of continual improvement
Embrace a new approach to leading organizational change
***
GJ - Can everyone see where this is going? Education at WLC, membership at St. Marcus, new membership at a totally awesomely mega-church of Enthusiasm.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Stay in WELS, Enjoy Groeschel's Sermons: At the Po...":
The CORE is not WELS. They just say they are. I don't know why they say they are WELS.
I am supposedly WELS. I cannot be in fellowship with The CORE. I cannot believe WELS is allowing the CORE to operate calling themselves WELS. This has gone way way way too far. I no longer have a place to call my church.
Three doofus Synod Presidents in a row--Naumann, Mischke, Gurgel--promoted the Church Growth Movement in lockstep with ELCA, Missouri, and the Little Sect on the Prairie. ELCA had more than two parts then: ALC, LCA, AELC, Lavender Mafia. Thrivent was AAL and LB. Now all are one, driven by fear of the future and lack of trust in the Means of Grace.
They knew in 1978 that Lutherans were moving away from their former strongholds into the Sunbelt, that few of the children baptized in a parish would stay to be confirmed and married. I knew those statistics because I attended national LCA evangelism training time after time. The LCA taught exactly what the WELS was learning, in a manner of speaking.
For example, the LCA trained me in Management by Objective, by Peter Drucker. MBO is a business model I heard repeated within WELS, years later.
The LCA cast its covetous eyes on the Enthusiasts of the day: D. James Kennedy and others, making the LCA version far more mainline while denouncing the examples they copied so adroitly. The Wisconsin Sect sent all their leaders to be trained at Fuller, Willow Creek, and Trinity Deerfield. Wally Oelhafen could recite the party line on Reformed doctrine while gushing about Church Growth. The Sausage Factory did the same thing, teaching Church Growth in one class while criticizing Reformed doctrine in another. One sausage gave me his "Lord, Liar, Lunatic" paper from Mequon, where he repeated the Josh McDowell sales pitch. I said, "Where did you learn this nonsense?" He clammed up.
So WELS has an alien synod growing from within, highly trained in all the anti-Lutheran dogma of the Enthusiasts. Try to do your Matthew 18 due diligence with their leaders. They will--like Ski, Kelm, and Bruce Becker--brush aside all criticisms. Like thistle growing in the field, they will not be moved.
The Reformed synod-within-the-synod will continue to work at total control. Younger pastors like Glende and Ski have grown up under Fuller leaders, always rewarded for "getting it." They will not relinquish their power with grace and humility.
VP Don Patterson has lined up ex-SP Gurgel as his vicar. That gives Gurgel a podium for politicking, so maybe people will forget his stewardship as DP and SP. Gurgel got his brother a teaching position at the Sausage Factory, so Patterson can tap the signals intelligence from Zion Hill in Mequon.
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Thoroughly Disgusted has left a new comment on your post "The Synod Within the Synod":
Are you really so arrogant to believe that Pastor Ski took down his blog simply because you posted copy and pasted it to yours? You call on others to repent but you ought to repent. You are constantly plotting and causing division among the church.
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GJ - The reading comprehension skills of WELS liberals are awesomely bad. I wrote that Ski took away the link after I wrote about it. The content is still there. The blog is still there. I can ascetain the timing of the lost link but not the cause. Ski would have to sit down with me and explain why he removed the link but kept the content - and why.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "The Synod Within the Synod":
Pastor Jackson is not plotting and causing divisions. He is exposing errors, something which God's Word commands. He is an unofficial spokesman for those that have been shushed by circuit pastors and district presidents.
No president has been more anti-life than Obama. His record goes far beyond advocating abortion on demand. He supports using the tissue of unborn babies and has no qualms about letting accidental live births end in death.
The Church of Rome has been consistently pro-life, but the University of Notre Dame has decided to flatter Obama with an honorary doctorate and a chance to speak.
Notre Dame is the center ring for all Roman Catholics. Fans follow the football team with a passion exceded by no other college team. Although another school was supposed to become the official Catholic school, Notre Dame shouldered all others aside and achieved star status through Knute Rockne and the Fighting Irish. The Holy Cross fathers followed with an endless financial campaign that even left Joe Kennedy behind as roadkill. (He was on the board but did not give generously enough, so they booted him.)
Notre Dame invited Obama and will not un-invite him. Does that sound like Wisconsin Lutheran College and Martin Marty? Or Church and Change and Leonard Sweet? All apostates are the same. Whatever forbearance they are given by conservatives, they flaunt their degenerate positions by going far beyond what anyone expected or feared.
The University of Notre Dame has a tradition of inviting new presidents to speak at graduation. But this year's selection of President Barack Obama has been met by a barrage of criticism that has left some students fearing their commencement ceremony will turn into a circus.
Many Catholics are angered by Obama's planned appearance at the May 17 ceremony because of his decisions to provide federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and international family planning groups that provide abortions or educate about the procedure.
The consensus Thursday on the campus of the nation's largest Catholic university was that any president should be welcomed at Notre Dame.
Truly, the top prize in snottiness and lying belongs to Wisconsin Lutheran College, for hosting Archbishop Weakland and a group of priests in a series of lectures open to the public. WLC, scrofulous womb of Church and Change, tried to claim the talks were closed sessions - as if that mattered at all. They glided over the fact that Weakland paid off his boyfriend but got involved in a messy, public dispute over his affair anyway. The Holy Father, who never seemed bothered by any other apostate, was quick to scrape Weakland from the bottom of the Shoes of the Fisherman.
"Pastor Craig Groeschel began lifechurch.tv in a two car garage with 40 people. In 2001 MetroChurch merged with lifechurch.tv and lifechurch.tv had its first permanent campus. Since then it has grown to 12 campuses plus a second life campus. Pastor Craig still preaches to all of them by broadcasting through satelites." Squidoo
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"Craig Groeschel is the founding and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv and is known for his creative and relevant Bible teaching..." [GJ - So that is why Ski's sermons are relevant.]
"Craig Groeschel (born December 2, 1967) is the founder and senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv, a church with thirteen locations in six states. He is married with six children and lives in Edmond, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City, where LifeChurch.tv is based.
Groeschel was born in Houston, Texas and grew up in southern Oklahoma. He attended Oklahoma City University, a private university in Oklahoma City affiliated with the United Methodist Church, on an athletic scholarship, pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Marketing. Shortly thereafter, he met his wife Amy, and the two married in 1991. That same year, Groeschel entered the ministry as an associate pastor in the United Methodist Church. He attended Phillips Theological Seminary, which is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and secured a Master of Divinity degree. He was an associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City.
In 1996, Groeschel and a handful of people started Life Covenant Church in a two-car garage. Groeschel’s non-traditional style was successful and attendance of Life Covenant grew rapidly, eventually evolving into what is now the thirteen LifeChurch.tv campuses in six states (including Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Tennessee, and New York).
Craig was named the 5th most influential pastor in 2006 and LifeChurch.tv was named America’s Most Innovative Church in 2006 and 2007.[who?]
Groeschel has authored several books including Chazown: A Different Way to See Your Life and It: How Churches and Leaders Can Get It and Keep It." Wikipedia
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2. What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
Craig: "Small thinking." [GJ - Parlow says, "Dream big. Copy and paste."]
3. Who made the biggest influence in your life as a leader?
Craig: "My parents and wife made the biggest difference personally. Lyle Schaller has made the biggest difference in my life as a minister."
4. What books have changed your life?
Craig: "The Bible is the book that brought me to Christ. I am inspired by reading biographies of great Christian leaders and stories of martyrs. Business and leadership books that spoke to me were, "Good to Great,""The Purple Cow," "The E-Myth revisited." The Leadership Blog
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@iamdiddy Working on a sermon for Sunday - Painlkiller - The Pain of Loss - & answering emails.
about 3 hours ago from TweetDeck in reply to iamdiddy
Ski
Craig Groeschel (an Andy Stanley buddy)
Pain Killer
View this series. Series ID: 19
3 week series
Life can be full of pain sometimes. What do you do when life is really hard? How do you heal from hurt? Don't miss the "Painkiller". Pastor Craig will teach us Biblical ways to overcome the pain of loss and the pain of suffering and the pain of rejection.
Click below to explore this series.
Global Series Elements
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Lower Third Graphic This is an image file to be used as a supplement to video teaching for the series. These lower third graphics contain transparency and can be keyed over video as a background for names, titles, and verses (a live keyer or video editing software is required).
Open Video (NTSC) Series Open that can be used as an introductory video prior to the message, or weeks before.
Open Video (PAL) Series Open that can be used as an introductory video prior to the message, or weeks before.
READY TO DOWNLOAD? VISIT THE 'MY DOWNLOADS' AREA TO ACCESS YOUR ITEMS.
Week 1 The Pain of Loss
Global Series Elements
Name Description Type Preview Download
Lower Third Graphic This is an image file to be used as a supplement to video teaching for the series. These lower third graphics contain transparency and can be keyed over video as a background for names, titles, and verses (a live keyer or video editing software is required). Remove Item
Open Video (NTSC) Series Open that can be used as an introductory video prior to the message, or weeks before. Remove Item
Open Video (PAL) Series Open that can be used as an introductory video prior to the message, or weeks before. Remove Item
READY TO DOWNLOAD? VISIT THE 'MY DOWNLOADS' AREA TO ACCESS YOUR ITEMS.
Week 1 The Pain of Loss
Name Description Type Preview Download
Message (DVD) Message DVD that can be used for teaching. Remove Item
Message Outline Outline of a single message that can be used as talk notes for people to follow during the teaching.
Freddy Finkelstein at Bailing Water said...
Anon @ 03/23/2009-09:01AM,
My apologies for confusing/offending you – be assured that my intention is certainly not to drive you away from WELS. Obviously, writing on a WELS blog, to WELS Lutherans, one feels justified in making many assumptions regarding general understanding of Church Fellowship. I have debated Church Fellowship issues a number of times with laymen in our Synod, so perhaps I should have known better. Making assumptions does not seem to be possible any longer. Rather than turn this into an essay contest (after all, I don't want to gain the reputation for writing long blog posts...), I'll direct you to John Brug's Church Fellowship: Working Together for the Truth. It is a gentle introduction to the Scriptural teaching of Church Fellowship. Anon @ 03/22/2009-05:27PM recommended this work as well (although he did so in a way that make me wonder if I may have missed a point of application that Brug emphasizes – if so, I would ask him to point out which sections of Brug he has in mind...). I have read Brug's book, although I must admit it has been several years ago now, and I appreciate it for what it is – I keep several copies on my shelf to give away to friends, family, and new members of our congregation, as the topic comes up.
However, for discussion of Fellowship among Confessional Lutherans, I reach first for Seth Erlandsson's Church Fellowship: What does the Bible say? (also published by NPH). Although it is much shorter than Brug's book, it is also much more pointed, and has much more information that is interesting to a Confessional Lutheran. Indeed, I think that it has been mis-titled. It should have been, Church Fellowship: What does the Bible say, What do the Confessions say, and What is the testimony of the orthodox Lutheran teachers of the past? As a description of style, Rev. Erlandsson, who was writing to the Swedish Lutheran church, has been referred to by my pastor as, “A warrior in the heat of battle” – and this comes across rather directly.
In addition, I frequently refer to the NPH title, Essays on Church Fellowship. One particular essay in this collection, Egbert Schaller's "Concerning Christian Brotherhood and Christian Fellowship," which distinguishes the “Brotherhood,” which is invisible, from the visible recognition of Christian Brothers, is particularly enlightening. Here are a few quotes:
“It should not require extensive demonstration to establish active fellowship as an essential fruit of the Christian brotherhood. Fellowship is the confessional act of belonging together which Christians own one another” (pg. 159).
“The critical question is: What must be the basis of Christan fellowship? ...Let us begin by stating that, while the basis of the Christian brotherhood is regeneration and true faith, the basis for recognition and the practical exercise of Christian fellowship is not regeneration and faith. The reason obviously is that recognition must precede fellowshipping, and recognition must have as its object something that can be seen. Faith cannot be seen. Hence, it is impossible to recognize a brother by his faith, and equally impossible to fellowship with him on that basis... Personal faith cannot be the basis of Christian fellowship. Instead, Christian fellowship can be based only on profession of faith, by word and deed, which is something else again... This passage [referring to 1 John 4:1-3], in urging discrimination and recognition of the spirit that is in men, sets up the confession of a man as basis of recognition... We must now amplify the statement that confession is the basis for fellowship by saying that the deciding factor in establishing Christian fellowship is that of a common and correct confession” (pp. 160-161).
“Out of the confusion of those who have been unwilling or unable to analyze the scriptural doctrine of the communion of saints and the fellowship of believers, there has come a welter of confused attitudes, theories, principles, and practice in matters of fellowship. Symptomatic and not actually new is the proposal of selective fellowship..., a practical recognition of individual Christians or congregations, by word or deed, which ignores synodical affiliation. It argues for the right to call a man a brother and treat him as a brother when he is formally separated by synodical lines. ...Membership in a church body is confessionally decisive for conclusive action regarding fellowship. ...We are not concerned with whether or not [one] is a Christian. Christianity in others is a matter of faith with us, not of determination. But practical fellowship is purely a matter of outward confession” (pp. 162-163).
“Can anyone who does not recognize heterodox affiliations be said to practice in accordance with God's Word? Is not that a contradiction in terms? If a man, or a congregation, does these two things simultaneously: (a) Make a verbal confession that is correct; and (b) Make and uphold a second confession by affiliation with a heterodox church body – then those two confessions form one whole. And together they form one false confession. ...Fellowship practiced under such circumstances constitutes recognition of a confession which is thoroughly in conflict with divine truth” (pg. 164).
“We do not, in other words, feel bound to declare anyone a Christian, by word or act of fellowship, simply because we believe or hope he may be one. ...Only if we refrain from trying to see the invisible and content ourselves with careful weighing of the visible, audible evidence, can we truly establish fellowship with brethren and successfully avoid syncretistic affiliations” (pg. 166).
When I begin conversations regarding Church Fellowship with my Evangelical friends, I usually begin with these three references:
Mark and Avoid
"Now I beseach you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple." (Romans 16:17-18)
Anyone, Anything
"But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:8-9)
Full Agreement
"Now I beseach you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." (1 Corinthians 1:10)
Generally, this is enough for someone with respect for the authority of Scripture to become very thoughtful (and in my experience, we have great opportunity on this basis to correct Evangelicals and guide them to purity in doctrine – they have an ingrained respect for God's Word and its authority). If necessary, I usually follow up with 2 John 9-11, Philippians 1:27-2:11 (which emphasizes not only unity, but that which perpetuates it, humility), and Ephesians 4:2-16 (which describes how Christians function as a unit).
Hope this helps,
Freddy Finkelstein
March 23, 2009 2:48 PM
Freddy Finkelstein said...
Anon @ 03/23/2009-11:32AM,
You state: “One also sees a politicking increasing in the synod over the years. The very nature of politicking implies a division in direction and possibly some doctrines.”
I agree. Of course, in any organization there is a political reality. In WELS, we pride ourselves on our humility, unity, and brotherliness, and rely on these attributes as we come together in Convention to make decisions and move forward together. We find politicking to be utterly distasteful, because, as you rightly point out, it is evidence of disunity. And this is as it should be, when disunity is not the reality.
But what is the reality, today? I suggest that disunity is manifest, and growing, and that as much as we hate to admit it, so is the politics. But what is the alternative? How will we be returned to a state of unity in doctrine and practice if solid pastors are not positioned for leadership?
Many good conservative pastors, in a spirit of peace and conciliation, and wishing to avoid confrontation, may play their own form of politics by “rushing toward the center,” while more liberal pastors, perhaps on the Church Growth end of the spectrum, remain immovable. And what is the result? Anyone who has studied Mathematics knows what the Gaussian or Normal distribution looks like – you know, the Bell Curve. Further, anyone who has studied Mathematics knows what happens when the data sampling from the right side of the Mean moves left toward the center – the Mean moves left with the data. Likewise, a machinist does not need to be a rocket scientist to know what happens when the metal on the right-hand side of a piece of bar stock is shaved off – the center of mass of the whole moves left. Church Growthers, who have their noses stuck in statistics tables every day, know this reality quite well. Thirty years ago, they began their efforts – perhaps with the best of evangelical intentions – while our good-hearted conservative pastors indulged them. And this has continued, as Church Growth supporters have continued to hold their ground, become more outspoken, and gained a strong following among the clergy and laity, and as our good-hearted conservative pastors have continued to indulge them for the sake of peace. Today, Church Growth perspectives have grown to such prominence and power in our Synod as to be virtually normative among the laity and clergy of this generation. Will our good-hearted conservative pastors continue to chase the Mean, as it continues to move left?
Of course, this raises a different question. What would a Confessional pastor do? Would he continue to indulge in order to maintain a peaceful political unity, or would he stand his ground regardless of the commotion it creates? If there are any Confessional pastors left in our Synod, I would expect that, very soon, the public discussion regarding many of these issues will become quite noticeable and rather animate.
If not, however, I have another political reality of which we must be cognizant. For as much as we layman may spout in public forum, or even privately among the brothers in our congregations, what we say ultimately has very little organizational impact. We are not members of Synod, proper. I was reminded of this as I read Manthey's paper, 15 Years Under the MOV over on Ichabod. The fact is, only pastors, male teachers, and congregations as corporate entities are members of synod. The only voice that laymen have is as representatives of their congregations during Convention. I'm not saying this is good or bad, it is just the reality. Therefore, we must choose our delegates very carefully, and educate them fully. Even so, not much will happen without Confessional leadership among the clergy.
Freddy Finkelstein
March 23, 2009 4:02 PM
looking for somewhere in/around Appleton to lease a fountain soda machine - any ideas?about 3 hours ago from TweetDeck
kstrandlund
Katie Strandlund
pastorski http://twitpic.com/2fadl - 1st CORE worship band practice. Can't wait 4 April 19th!
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Anonymouse has left a new comment on your post "The Work of the Lord Continues, Even During Lent,A...":
Spoken like a true Ichabodian who doesn't have their facts straight even when it's right under the nose. Look again at the band's start date and take the plank out of your eye while you are at it. You're not following the church calendar very well either. :)
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GJ - I give the Popcorn Cathedral free publicity, and I get nothing but ingratitude. This mission to the unwashed and unchurched has been devouring money for months, but there is no Lent at the Popcorn Cathedral. The rock band is not even ready for Easter Sunday. They have to get their ditties ready for the First Sunday after Easter. I am not sure what liturgical year they are following, but in the old system, that Sunday celebrates Doubting Thomas. We all wait with bated breath for Craig Groeschel's sermon that Sunday.
Every wonder why C and C congregations have such cool graphics and sermon themes? The highly-trained WELS pastors are copying the sermons of anti-Lutheran sects where there is no church year, hence no appointed texts. They copy the graphics for those themes and the content. Thus a vast and expensive system exists in Wisconsin Synod to feed anti-Lutheran material to congregations in the name of the Gospel!
When the former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, a one time professor with a doctorate in history from Tulane University, was leading a Republican majority in Congress, his vitriolic critics routinely assailed him for neglecting his duties while profiteering from his publishing ventures. Gingrich wrote or collaborated on five books from 1994 through the time of his resignation from the Congress in 1997. His vocal detractors claimed that these literary exercises, which included a work of fiction, an autobiography and three politically themed titles, interfered with the speaker’s official duties.
How the times have changed! President Barack Obama has signed a half million dollar contract to adapt his first book, “Dreams From My Father” into a children’s book. The only appropriate response from the chattering classes is to cheer their beloved leader. I wonder if school districts will assign the new version as a textbook.
Although numerous presidents have written books on a variety of topics after tiring from the presidency and several were published authors before being elected, Obama is in the unprecedented position of accepting a publishing contract while serving as the chief executive. The deal was finalized immediately before the inauguration, but not made public until now. It is good to know that the economic crisis has been settled and foreign affairs are in good order. Otherwise, how could Obama find time to moonlight as the author of a children’s book?
Perhaps, the president will employ the services of a capable ghostwriter. It has been suggested by certain cynical persons that it may not be the first time. Some readers have pointed out the similarities between Obama’s prose and that of his neighbor William Ayers. One curious feature common to both men’s writings is their shared preference for using nautical similes and metaphors. Interestingly enough, Obama has never been known to have taken an active interest in boating whereas Ayers is an lifelong enthusiast.
While Ayers promoted Obama as an author before anyone else was aware of the fact, this premature boosterism did not resonate with the reading public. “Dreams From My Father,” which was initially published in 1995, sold poorly until after it was reissued to coincide with Obama’s keynote address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention. The re-release sold like hotcakes and its belated success resulted in a second book deal for “The Audacity of Hope.” The title of the latter book was derived from a sermon by the controversial minister, Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
What makes “Dreams From My Father” unique is that so few of those praising the book for its supposed merits seem to have actually bothered to read it. Numerous copies have been sold to Obama’s liberal camp followers, but, unlike Chairman Mao’s “Little Redbook,” no one was actually expected to memorize it cover to cover or to become familiar with its contents. Lord knows, I tried, but, time and time again, I had to put it aside. Based upon those chapters that I managed to slog through, I was reminded of Oscar Wilde’s comments upon reading about the death of little Nell in “The Old Curiosity Shop” by Charles Dickens. To paraphrase Wilde, one could not read portions of Obama’s autobiography without dissolving into tears of uncontrollable laughter.
Portions of the book are unintentionally hilarious. While describing the completion of his undergraduate studies at Columbia (after transferring from Occidental College), Obama described living in an impoverished New York neighborhood. While sitting on the fire escape outside of his apartment, he and his room mates would shout at the elites who would travel from their posh residences uptown to the inner city in order to let their pampered dogs run wild. The dog owners would permit the animals to defecate at will without any consideration for the downtrodden locals. The bigoted snobs did not even bother to have the decency to clean up after their pedigreed pets! No wonder Obama wants to enact punitive tax policies that will soak the rich! He must have ruined several pairs of shoes.
Does anyone actually believe this type of thing occurred on a regular basis, if at all? Imagine the same thing in local terms: how many Chicago suburbanites would travel to Englewood or the Lawndale to walk their dogs? Do city residents from Sandburg Village frequent Cabrini Green or Seward Park to exercise their canines? Like so many episodes in the book, including the author’s imagined relationship with his absent and uncaring biological father, which suggests a need for therapeutic counseling, the entire dog poop sequence seems to be fabricated. Later in the book, Obama depicted his mother as a struggling single parent making ends meet while using food stamps. In actuality, Stanley Ann Dunham was a perpetual graduate student who elected to apply for public assistance to subsidize her studies rather than working her way through the university. Thirty-four years after matriculating at the University of Hawaii in 1960, where she met and married Barack Obama, Sr., Dunham completed her doctoral thesis on rural blacksmithing in Indonesia. I am unaware if the manuscript has been published.
In “The Audacity of Hope,” Obama repeats an anecdote from Jeremiah Wright about the selfish indifference of affluent Americans to the needs of the poor. Allegedly, the galleys of the Carnival Cruise Line discard more food on a daily basis than the starving residents of Haiti can dream of eating to satisfy their appetites over the course of several months. What wasteful gluttony, wealthy (read “white”) Westerners practice! How insensitive of them not consider the needs of the poor. It is a parable of selfishness comparable to that of poor Lazarus, the hungry beggar, sitting outside of the rich man’s kitchen. Lazarus would consider himself fortunate to have a crust of stale bread, but the rich man is willfully blind to his needs.
It is almost possible to be swept away by the rhetorical flourishes employed by the Marxist oriented Wright and his one time protégé. If you pause, however, and ask salient questions, you may reject most of the arguments as invalid and fallacious. Why are the Haitians poor? No answer. Could it have something to do with their government and its pervasive corruption? Why is food being discarded from the cruise ships? Does it relate to health and sanitation codes that mandate that old food be disposed of? Can you imagine the outcry that would ensue if the cruise ship owners attempted to distribute spoiled food and stale bread to the Haitian masses? It might set off a public relations controversy greater than the AIG bonuses that were incorporated into economic recovery legislation sponsored by the Democrats.
In recent decades, autobiographical works by former presidents have become almost obligatory as publishers rush to secure the rights to the memoirs of past leaders of the free world. Obama managed to secure his first literary advance largely on the basis of being named the first African American editor of “The Harvard Law Review.” While serving as editor, Obama failed to produce much in the way of legal scholarship. His sole contributions to the review appears to have been one or two miniscule footnotes.
It is worth remembering, however, for all of the mileage that Obama has gotten out of being chosen as the law review editor at Harvard, where affirmative action policies may have altered the selection process in Obama’s favor (a fact that Obama had the honesty to acknowledge on at least one occasion), that former US Representative Mel Reynolds received a Rhodes scholarship to attend Oxford University. In an era of mandated diversity recruitment programs and
unchallenged political correctness, academic accolades and honors can be conferred without being properly earned all in the name of egalitarian social engineering.
Unlike other public figures, including several politicians who produced autobiographies or scholarly books worth perusing, men such as Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Winston S. Churchill, or, arguably, John F. Kennedy, Obama never felt it necessary to actually accomplish something concrete or tangible other than attending classes at a university before sharing his life story with us. Obama produced two largely autobiographical books before the age of forty-five. He was not even a state senator when his first book was published. So much for modesty being a virtue. While some of the books written by the former world leaders that I have cited have become hopelessly dated, others remain enduring masterpieces. Grant’s memoirs and Churchill’s Nobel Prize winning writings have lost none of their original vitality. The most notable thing about Obama’s trite writings are the large royalties that he has earned from books that are purchased and shelved without necessarily being read. Maybe this is on a par with most of the Oprah Book Club selections.
In 1935, the Nobel Prize winning author and satirist, Sinclair Lewis published a book about an ambitious US Senator who advanced to the presidency. Senator Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip, an otherwise unaccomplished and semi-literate politician, rose to prominence largely on the strength of having published a bestselling book that was largely ghostwritten by his handlers.
As the French say, the more things change, the more things stay the same.
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Don't forget, Ichabodians, that DP Gurgel's administration devoured the MilCraft estate and fought the widow in court, losing a million bucks of your money as a penalty, plus all the legal costs. Now Gurgel is back and working with Kudu Don Patterson: fear and loathing in Texas.
The CORE message would have us remove everything Biblical from the portrait of Jesus and substitute a pop icon from the entertainment world.
The constant drumbeat of the Church Growth/Emerging Church frauds is - We have to get back to the pure message of Jesus.
The liturgy is a barrier to Church Growth, they claim. (Truthfully, not real church growth, but the Church Growth Movement of their illusions.) If we take away that fussy old liturgy, people can have an exciting service where they can focus on Jesus, we are told ad nauseum.
Misdirection of the Eyes
They swap the Biblical Jesus for a version of themselves. Presto chango. You may applaud now.
Jesus observed the worship and teaching customs of Judaism, which was born liturgical. Shouldn't we pause and wonder, during this season of Lent, if anyone in that circus has read the Bible in the last 30 years?
Jesus was circumcised. Luke 2:21
Jesus taught as a rabbi. Matthew 5:1 ff.
Jesus read appointed lessons in the synagogues. Luke 4:17
Jesus observed the Jewish liturgical year. John 2:13
Jesus and His disciples sang hymns. Matthew 26:30
Jesus observed the Passover, but Rock and Roll Lutherans do not observe Lent. Luke 22:15
The Last Supper was a Passover meal, with centuries of worship tradition.
The sacraments of Holy Communion and Holy Baptism are based on Jewish sacramental actions.
The Christian Church began on the Day of Pentecost, a Jewish holy day celebrated for centuries and still observed today (but not by Pentecostals). Acts 2:1
Paul also observed Jewish liturgy and marked days by the worship calendar. 1 Corinthians 16:8
Paul, like Jesus, consistently referred to Jewish religious terms.
The foundation of all Christian preaching was the Old Testament, which is liturgical and sacramental.
Nowhere does the New Testament reveal Jesus as a Godspell-entertainer, dancing through the streets and singing pop ditties.
The New Testament Church did not copy paganism and the circus to convert people to Christ. Instead, they took people away from the Roman culture of self-centered hedonism, substituting the Word for the flesh.
The rock idols of the Emerging Church are just as degenerate as ancient Romans - and in the same way.
The Church and Chicaneries say it is legalistic to insist on a pipe organ (which no traditional Lutheran claims) but they insist upon and demand a rock group for their so-called worship services. They badger congregations into installing a rock group to attract more people.
What Have We Learned?
The entire Don Patterson Network is besotted with the anti-Biblical fulminations of their anti-Lutheran heroes.
In the name of of Jesus, they take away Christ and the Means of Grace, substituting their clownish and bumbling entertainments to keep people from realizing the truth behind their fraud.
The Church Shrinkers have swindled Missouri, Wisconsin, and the Little Sect on the Prairie of millions of dollars, funneling the funds into their pet projects, which only serve to spread the Message of Me from Fuller, Willow Creek, Trinity Deerfield, Stetzer, Sweet, Driscoll, Groeschel, Kent Hunter, Waldo Werning, and Andy Stanley.
Ichabod also appears here.
Church and Chicanery comments are getting especially ugly, indicating they are losing...big time. When I get a chance, I will link the C and C blogs together. They are worth reading because they have such poor, angry, shallow arguments.
I can already hear the flopsweat dripping from the Popcorn Cathedral of Rock.
