Twenty-seven Years Ago

Click the image for a clearer version of the letter.
The late Paul L. Holmer taught philosophical theology.

Holmer with a young theologian.

Contributions from Two WELS Laymen

The Next Church and Change Conference:

Stetzer Is Still Being Promoted by The Love Shack Staff

Elton Stroh's Epistle of Straw (stroh in German)
Also in Perish Assistance: Paul Kelm, Greg Schmill, Sharon Winslow.

You thought Stetzer was gone from WELS? Ha! You are paying synod staff to promote Stetzer in WELS.


From: Elton Stroh
Date: Tue, Jul 21, 2009 at 12:58 PM
Subject: [church_and_change] Comeback Churches - Media Clips
To: Church & Change Listserve

Brothers and Sisters in Mission:

I encourage you to view and perhaps pass on to others the following media clips (if you agree they have value). The six headings are:

1. Introductions, The State of the Church in the U.S, Re-Focusing on the Lost (9:26)

2. The Bridge to What God Desires, The Keys to Change (6:06)

3. The First 100 Days of Change (7:15)

4. The Role of Leadership/Teamwork (8:44)

5. Mistakes to Avoid (7:33)

6. A Word to Denominational Leaders - Making it About the Mission, Not the Machine (10:58)



http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/2009/07/comeback-church-videos-part-1.html



Dr. Ed Stetzer (currently President of Lifeway Research and author of “Comeback churches” and many others) is being interviewed by a couple of denominational leaders in the Illinois District of the Assemblies of God. Of course, we would have much more to say about the gospel, means of grace, faithfulness to the Word, etc. if we were participating in the interview. But still, these media clips have some excellent content, the likes of which we need to be talking about in WELS.

Elton

******************************************************************

Pastor Elton C. Stroh, Director

WELS Parish Assistance

251 Luther Drive, Sun Prairie, WI 53590

Email: Elton.Stroh@wels.net

Phone: 608-837-3819

Website: www.wels.net/pa



"I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God" (Romans 15:17).

---

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:
Date: Tue, Jul 21, 2009 at 1:34 PM
Subject: Re: [church_and_change] Comeback Churches - Media Clips
To: church_and_change@yahoogroups.com

Elton,

Thanks. This kind of stuff is invaluable, even when it comes from heterodox sources.

Kenn Kremer - Editor, WELS Parents Crosslink.

Kelm would not budge with the Leonard Sweet Church and Change conference. Could he also be backing this Stetzer promo?

***

GJ - This is what I mean, readers, about WELS Conventional Wisdom. Plenty of exposure got Stetzer dis-invited from the November 2009 Church and Change Conference. However, shortly after that, the secretive sect is promoting Stetzer as invaluable and excellent. Who is promoting this? Team Kelm - two synod staff members, Stroh and his Amen Corner - Kremer.

WELS Conventional Wisdom

Can you feel the love from Baby Buzz?
Lazy Bones B & B awake too late in the morning to catch up.


The WELS convention itself will not be a turning point in history, as important as it is. More significant is whether the Book of Concord Lutherans, laity and clergy alike, begin to stand up for the truths of the Confessions. They will have to be persistent and articulate for the next decade to undo the damage wrought by the Shrinkers. The current Doctrinal Pussycats are not up to the task. They have supported apostasy, defended it, and funded it. They will not easily let go of their power. The alleged teachers of WELS--groveling at the feet of Enthusiasts--have proven themselves "not apt to teach."

The issue is not whether it can be done, because that kind of notion puts the emphasis on clever political action rather than the efficacy of the Word. The Word of God can accomplish anything, as Paul Gerhardt's "A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth" explains.

"Yea, Father, yea, most willingly
I'll bear what Thou commandest;
My will conforms to Thy decree,
I do what Thou demandest."
O wondrous Love, what hast Thou done!
The Father offers up His Son!
The Son, content, descendeth!
O Love, how strong Thou art to save!
Thou beddest Him within the grave
Whose Word the mountains rendeth.

The Reformed, who reject the efficacy of the Word alone, cannot comprehend this and leave Jesus locked in the grave until the Son of God is released by the angels opening the door. Likewise, they think the Savior cannot be present in both natures in Holy Communion. Nor can the Sacraments effect anything. Turning away from the Word itself, the Reformed offer themselves as the key to effectiveness in the Church. No wonder their most ardent followers become atheists.

Lutheran doctrine and worship will lose if the Missouri Compromise is copied. In the Missouri Synod it was decided (by an unwritten rule) that conservatives and liberals would live together and share power. Thus Barry-McCain did nothing for nine wasted years, paving the way for Kieschnick Klan, where apostates only rule.

Apostates live and rule by supporting one another, as the Chicaneries have proven, and by engaging in constant character assassination. If someone points out their false doctrine, they sob, "Eighth Commandment!" and insist on Matthew 18 for dealing with their public errors. If someone persists in showing them their error, which is godly love rather than schmoozy-schwaermer love, the apostates outdo themselves in slinging mud. Still, they carefully avoid the doctrinal issues.

I love seeing the apostates rile themselves up and reveal their true nature. The fleece is quickly tossed away so the fangs and claws can do their work.

Some asked who wrote the late, fake Ichabod blog. Clearly Joe Krohn and Tim Felt-needs are the main authors, with feeds from Chicanery leaders. I nominate Kudu Don Patterson as the main feed, because Joe and Don are buddies and live in the same burb, where Rock N Roll plagiarizes various Enthusiasts (supported by the COP, of course).

There could be different or other clergy involved, because all the Chicaneries work alike. They imagine themselves pretty clever, and they never give away their names. They are miserable that their names and faces are now well known to WELS members and clergy.

I used to dredge the Lutheran PR releases and various blogs to find things to write about. Now I get so much information from concerned members that I can barely keep up with it.

I am honored that the apostates have tried so many things to keep me from publishing. Nothing is too low for disgraceful for them, as they have shown repeatedly. Their trouble comes from repeating the same old tactics in public. The prefer whispering anonymously behind everyone's back. I never knew exactly who called Corky "brain-damaged" for writing his essay (posted on the left column). That is how the WELS grapevine works. No one told me precisely who identified the retired seminary president as "senile" for opposing amalgamation. (How did that work for WELS? Two viable colleges became one collapsing school.)

One known Chicanery, Rick Johnson, has not done well at all in his congregation, according to his own offering reports. He is eager to get on conservative blogs and publish names, but he is not so eager to give away his agenda. As soon as I identified him as a Leonard Sweet fan, he erased the information. (Ditto his diastrous offerings)

The Shrinkers keep their listserve secret, and they are outraged when I publish verbatim what they have said on it. Tch. Tch.

The Shrinkers never told the truth about their Stetzer invitation, even when Church and Change appeared on Stetzer's Twitter records, his schedule, and his blog. C and C lied again by not revealing that the COP finally forced them to dis-invite Stetzer. Do you think, gentle readers, that this would have happened if the invite had remained a secret? No.

What happened when people, including C and C listserve members, warned Kelm not to have Leonard Sweet as a keynoter? Nothing, because it remained a background discussion.

What happened when WLC invited Martin Marty to be a speaker? The entire Michigan District grew a temporary spine and opposed it. WLC gave them the finger and invited Marty anyway.

What happened when WLC had Archbishop Weakland and some of his priests as speakers at the college? A few people made some noise. WLC lied about it. Most people did not know it happened.

The COP supported Rock and Roll Lutheran Church, meeting at Patterson-Gurgle's church.

Randy Hunter got himself a vicar when others were denied one. The poor vicar will turn into a barista and ask people, "Do you want an extra shot?"

Patterson got himself another free vicar, when missionaries and teachers are being canned for lack of funds.