Thrivent Slashes Giving Programs

Church and Change is doomed! Doomed, I tell ya!
What was that about building on a foundation of shifting sand?

Friday, September 18, 2009

Thrivent Financial cuts outreach funding, offers buyouts

The Business Journal of Milwaukee - by Katharine Grayson Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is cutting the amount of money it spends on outreach programs and offering buyouts to some employees who support related efforts.

Minneapolis-based Thrivent, a not-for-profit financial-services firm with a large operations center in Appleton, will spend $125 million on tax-exempt activities in 2010, down from about $172 in the prior year.

The decision was partly driven by the downturn in the financial markets, said Tim Lehman, senior vice president of member experience strategy for Thrivent. The company expects to restore funding to tax-exempt activities in the coming years.

About 260 employees work on tax-exempt programs. Lehman declined to disclose how many of those workers have been offered voluntary severance packages. The deadline to accept buyouts is today.

Thrivent’s outreach programs range from offering financial education programs to matching donations. Along with budget changes, Thrivent will eliminate two of its giving programs, Care and Congregations and GivingPlus, which provides a 50 percent match for donations members make to Lutheran organizations, Lehman said. The programs will be replaced with a new offering, Thrivent Choice, which allows members to direct funds to organizations of their choice.

The Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal is a sister publication of The Business Journal Serving Greater Milwaukee.

Sick of Church Movement

They have their own website. Watch their videos here.

The key motivator of Church Shrinkage, now called Emerging Church, is "sick of church." Don Pieper uses it on his website. Ski exudes it at The CORE. I could find more examples, but the bored are extremely boring. They copy each other's ennui and call it evangelism.

Long ago and far away, Rick Miller (WELS, now ex-WELS) used the same language in starting a mission for those "sick of church." Church was boring, meaningless, irrelevant. That sounds like Ski today. They all sound the same. Miller, Freier, and Voigt managed to turn a Missouri/WELS start into an Evangelical Covenant congregation.

They like to denounce everyone as "money-grubbing" (Don Pieper, etc). No one scrounges for money more than Church and Chicanery. There is not one self-supporting church among them. They waste incredible amounts of loot from foundations, Thrivent, and the synod. Gunn, Parlow, Doebler, Ski, and Patterson have their hands out all the time. Their political managers at The Love Shack "help" (divide) congregations and demand $5,000 to $35,000 for boilerplate nonsense. They call their business "Parish Services."

Leveraging the Left - Supplanting the Good

Apostate activism in the visible Church parallels Leftist activism in society. Both use the same tactics.

They leverage their marginal status by sticking together and excommunicating anyone who dissents from the program. They use a constant (albeit anonymous) stream of abuse against anyone who gets in their way, but they howl like worn brakes whenever someone identifies what is wrong with their agenda. For example, while the Shrinkers were busy destroying doctrine in the ELS, WELS, and LCMS, anyone who questioned them was "lazy, brain-damaged, senile, contentious, legalistic, and always finding something under a rock."

Best of all, the Left and the Apostates love to have nominal conservatives in positions where they can advance the agenda by appearing to be moderate, reasonable, and willing to negotiate. By appearing seriously concerned, they block what needs to be done while demoralizing the faithful. For example, most people would call WELS DPs "conservative," and I have often heard Glaeske and others called "conservative." But who will block the Love Shack clean-up ordered by the convention? The Doctrinal Pussycats will.

Bush I and II did their best to destroy the conservative base in American society. Barry-McCain, once elected, did their best to communicate their loathing and contempt for the LCMS conservatives who elected Barry. The Bush team paved the way for the Obama victory, and the Barry team made it possible for the LCMS Left to get their candidate permanently installed.

In the visible Church, the confessional Lutherans need to get over their need to be loved by Apostates. That will never happen. The Apostates have their own support system, and it is extremely effective. If they savage the Second Table of the Ten Commandments, losing everything to fast women and slow horses, their people say, "They are only human." If they savage the First Table, which is far more serious, the conservatives say, "Oh! They are so creative!"

Interesting Concept for Campus Reform

The American Spectator

Campus Reform Done Right

By Quin Hillyer on 9.18.09 @ 6:07AM

To be "venerable" doesn't mean to be behind the times.

When in the June issue of the parent magazine I wrote about how conservative groups are planning to catch up to the left organizationally in this new linked-up world, I mentioned that "the venerable Leadership Institute... remains one of conservatism's greatest resources." Little did I know. I vastly understated the case.

This past Tuesday, LI launched what is almost certainly its single most ambitious project http://www.campusreform.org/ in its three decades of effective conservative activism -- and LI founder Morton Blackwell is absolutely right to be excited about it.

What it is, is an attempt to go "virally" toe to toe with the left. Without top-down, command-and-control organization, LI wants to generate conservative activism on college campuses far surpassing even its own impressive record. It does so by creating a website, CampusReform.org, seemingly based on the maxim that "if you build it, they will come."

And an incredibly well-organized, informative, and user-friendly website it is indeed.

CampusReform.org contains sub-sites for every single one of the 2,446 four-year college campuses in America. Each sub-site contains a blog, an event list, a chat room, a list of leftist faculty, a list of and links to local and campus-based conservative groups that already exist, a list of conservative jobs, and a place to review textbooks for accuracy and leftist bias.

The main site, meanwhile, contains an even greater wealth of resources and information, including extensive "how-to" primers on campus activism, solicitation of speakers for campus events, and a veritable cornucopia of other helpful features. Even for techno-tards like yours truly, the main sites and its thousands of sub-sites are incredibly easy to navigate. Even better -- and, it turns out, quite importantly -- it welcomes and encourages alumni to participate as well, in supportive roles, so the students can draw on the resources of conservatives with fond memories of their alma maters.

"I signed up as a 'friend' at LSU," Blackwell told me. "The addition of non-students who are interested in the campuses is going to be important. When we have studied campus organizations through the years, we have found that the ones that grow and have longevity are those that have alumni involvement. Similarly, you know that fraternities and sororities survive better than other student organizations because you have alumni who are interested in their old chapter."

Even with 1,220 active campus conservative groups nationwide right now, Blackwell said, far too few are automatically self-sustaining.

"For a dozen years I have sent out field staff to find conservatives and we have been very successful at it. But the number of groups has proved directly proportional to the number of resources I can raise to send campus representatives out. There's just not enough money to cover every campus. I wanted to figure out how to get more activism on campuses more cost-effectively."

That's why CampusReform.org is designed to work and expand through "viral marketing," or "social networking." The proposal Blackwell wrote for the project, finished in April before work actually started in building the site, put it this way: "To a much greater extent than in a line organization, activities which grow through social networking are thought up, organized, and implemented at the grassroots, without centralized direction and sometimes even without the knowledge of those who set up the process…. For this process to work, grassroots people have to be sufficiently motivated to use their own online social networks, persuasive skills, and Web technologies to recruit their own personal contacts, who in turn recruit their respective personal contacts, and so on."

For younger, tech-savvy conservatives, this might sound like a revelation that is just so 2007. They understand this already. But that's the point: This is a site designed primarily for younger conservatives. And while the concept is one with which they already may be familiar, the platform may be the best they've ever seen. Again, go and navigate it for yourself: It's so well constructed, not to mention visually attractive, as to be a perfect vehicle, or even a pluperfect vehicle, for the networking tendencies that come naturally to today's college students.

Leadership Institute's existing supporters certainly seem excited about it. Back in March, when the concept was still being fleshed out, Blackwell mailed a fund-raising appeal specifically for CampusReform.org to 11,000 of LI's "largest and most recent donors," and received more than 2,000 donations -- a 19 percent response, which is phenomenally good for direct mail -- at an average donation of $692.

"I have had a long-term awareness of how the campuses have become left-wing indoctrination centers," Blackwell said, "and many, many students can go their entire college educations and never see any representations of conservative principles on their campuses -- but they see innumerable amounts of propaganda both in campus curriculum and with speakers and in campus newspapers. It has always bugged me that conservatives have not done likewise."

This is the newest, biggest attempt by Blackwell and LI to do just that. And as tens of thousands of LI graduates will surely tell you, when it comes to engaging young conservatives in civic and political work, Morton Blackwell's attempts almost always succeed -- to the benefit of the conservative cause and the country it serves.

New Ad Campaign Features Norman Teigen

Time of Generic Grace Fan Welcomes Gurgle

Shrinkers Gurgle and Patterson.

WELCOME: Rev. Karl Gurgel and his wife, Barbara, arrived this past week. We are pleased to have them with us. Rev. Gurgel will preach the sermon today.
[GJ - I thought Karl was still in hiding.]

UNITED WAY CONTRIBUTIONS: The 2009-2010 United Way campaign began this month. Last year Wisconsin Lutheran Child and Family Service received gifts from over 50 different United Way agencies and workplace giving programs throughout the United States as a qualified 501©3 non-profit agency. If you have questions about your participation in such a program, ask your Human Resource Director at work, call WLCFS toll free at 1-800-685-9522, extension 225 or e-mail info@wlcfs.org.

[GJ - Isn't United Way a pro-abortion agency? Note the WLCFS-Patterson connection.]

THRIVENT PROGRAM: Although the supplemental Thrivent program is scheduled for the entire year, we have heard that the funds alloted (sic) for 2009 may not last until the end of the year. So giving your gifts by the end of September or first of October is recommended lest the fund be depleted and your gift would not be supplemeted (sic). Thanks for considering making a timely gift.

[GJ - Can liberals spell? Edit? If y'all buy enough Thrivent insurance, Holy Word can get another free staffer.]

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS: Our School is participating in several programs which help us earn extra money for school equipment. By collecting UPCs from numerous Campbells’ products and lids from V8 juices, we earn equipment. The General Mills Boxtops for Education Program provides 10¢ for each logo collected. Collection containers have been placed in the fellowship hall and in the school hallway for your convenience. Check your October Lamplighter for additional information and lists of eligible products and what to save. Thanks for your help.

RANDALLS’ PROGRAM: Randalls’ stores have a program which we use to help fund our school hot lunch program. You can help by asking the cashier to add #326 to your Randall’s card. Randall’s periodically sends a check for a small percentage of these sales.

[GJ - Commercialism is not working very well at Holy Word, because they still need synod subsidies after decades of growth.]

ATTENDANCE LAST WEEK
1st Service 92
2nd Service 172
Communion 205
Bible Class 72
Sunday School 38
Youth Bible Class 12
Spanish Chapel 18
Lunchtime Bible Study 4
Collinwood Bible Study 10
Men’s Bible Breakfast 10
Wednesday Bible Study 13
Youth in Christ 33

[GJ - They need more latte and Rock.]

The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship
Bethany Lutheran Worship, 10 AM Central

The Hymn #361 O Jesus King 4.1
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual Galatians 5:25-6:10
The Gospel Matthew 6:24-34
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #123 Our God Our Help 4.3
The Good Samaritan Is Christ

The Hymn #371 Jesus Thy Blood 4.6
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior 4.24

Galatian 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For every man shall bear his own burden. 6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. 7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

KJV Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank Thee for all Thy benefits: that Thou hast given us life and graciously sustained us unto this day: We beseech Thee, take not Thy blessing from us; preserve us from covetousness, that we may serve Thee only, love and abide in Thee, and not defile ourselves by idolatrous love of mammon, but hope and trust only in Thy grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Fruit of the Spirit
Galatian 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
I combined the Epistles for the last two weeks because we missed last week’s service and the two selections are in sequence.

The key to understanding this lesson--and all related passages--is simple, but profound. A correct understanding here means that the great division in Christianity is made clear. On one side are the Enthusiasts. On the other are those who understand the work of the Holy Spirit.

When the Bible speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit, it is always associated with the Word of God. The two are never separated.

Notice how easily people take a passage like this into another realm. When the Spirit is separated from the Word, they look for special signs they have the Spirit. The emphasis is then man-centered. Pentecostals think they have to smile all the time and make plenty of money. As Luther said, and we confess, they talk about Jesus but take away the bridge to Jesus. The Savior comes to us through the Means of Grace.

In the Epistle selections for this Sunday and last Sunday, Spirit and flesh are contrasted, along with Law and Gospel. The situation in the congregation was quite serious. The Gospel was being adulterated by people who wanted to impose Law conditions on the members so those people would be deserving of salvation. The logic was compelling – Jesus was a Jew who obeyed the Torah. So were all the Apostles. The early Church preached in the synagogues until they were expelled, literally thrown out, as Jesus predicted in the Gospel of John.

Our Old Adam wants to have something to offer God – merit, works, obligations, and so forth. When people are weak in the faith, false teachers easily lead them into error. One person said, “I have to witness or God will not let me grow as a Christian.” All the “have to” and “must” language is Law.

Whenever Law is added to the Gospel, the Gospel is turned into Law. The effect of the Law-Gospel confusion is going to be crushing, because the obligations mount up. Or they create vanity, pride, and obstinacy – Look at what I have done for God. In fact, many false teachers are excused for “all they have done for the church,” as if God’s work needs propping up while His Word is being disparaged and diminished.

So why do we have Law and Gospel, flesh and Spirit?

The Law is good, useful, and spiritual, but limited in effect. No one is saved by the Law. The Law cannot produce healing or any good work (on its own). When the Law does influence good works, it is because (third use of the Law) it is reflecting the Gospel, just as the moon has no light of its own but reflects the sun (Luther’s insight).

In this situation, false teachers were making Jewish ritual law mandatory, and that included circumcision. This imposed a load of guilt on people for the wrong reasons. It also encouraged the legalists to think of salvation as conformity to the Law. Both effects were harmful, so that is why Paul used such strong language against it.

Luther used his commentary on Galatians to drive a permanent wedge between all the Protestants (called Evangelicals at first) and the Roman Catholics. He used every possible argument to remove any possibility of mixing Law and Gospel. That is why the Formula of Concord spends so much time on this topic. And Walther left a permanent impact on America with his Law and Gospel lectures – which he gave but did not write down. The lectures were transcribed and published in German, then English.

The Law attacks the flesh, showing us our need for guilt. It is like a medical diagnosis, showing us what is wrong. But the Law also makes people proud when they misuse or misunderstand it. They are like the people who say, “I am in perfect health.” That is so far from the truth that medical examiners mistrust anyone who claims that remarkable achievement. I even saw that written on one report – The client claims (underlined) to have no medical conditions. In fact, he had several which were relatively minor. Why would someone lie about that – deliberately so?

The Law stirs up wrath and opposition. As soon as the Law is announced, even with our own resolutions, we rebel. And yet, we yearn for Law salvation, which is another sign our flesh belongs to our Old Adam.

The confusion of the apostolic era is very much like the invasion of Pietism among the Protestants. In both cases, earnest false teachers wanted to have outward signs of inner salvation, so they invoked the Law to produce those good effects. They turned the “want to” of the Gospel into the “have to” of the Law.

For example, the Bible does not say, “You have to pray or else.” Instead, all the passages encouraging prayer are accompanied by assurance of God’s love, power, and compassion – His faithfulness to His people.

What Paul offers, in contrast, is the Gospel and its fruit. The fruit of the Spirit can only come from the pure Gospel, not the Gospel mixed with Law.

Galatians 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

The list is written to indicate there are many other works of the flesh. That is one way of saying, “If you want what can be seen, then here is what our flesh has to offer, an endless list.” The Law is like the broom sweeper of Pilgrim’s Progress, who stirs up the dust until it chokes everyone.

The Gospel is pure forgiveness and comes to us through the Word and Sacrament. The Gospel announces what Christ has accomplished for us, earning our forgiveness, distributing this treasure through the Means of Grace. A good illustration is infant baptism. The Sacrament is brought to the baby. How offended are those who want a child to “make a decision” or perform some obligation to earn membership in the Kingdom – along with a contradictory claim that babies do not sin or know sin until age 7! (My answer in two words – Terrible Twos. Also – have you ever changed a diaper when a baby resisted with all his might?)

The Holy Spirit distributes the treasure of the Atonement through preaching, teaching, and the Sacraments, but many spurn this treasure in various ways. Faith means trusting in the Word of God, in His Promises. Faith receives what God freely offers in the Means of Grace. Man’s pride tries to change this, making the Christian faith “reasonable” or conforming to a new set of man-made rules, such as Zwingli’s “The Holy Spirit does not need a vehicle, like an oxcart.”

So the baby receives the Gospel in Holy Baptism and the parents nurture this Spirit-Word faith as the child grows. The growing child learns more about the sin and the Gospel as he grows. From the Gospel, and the Gospel alone, will come the fruit of the Spirit. “Do this or else” will not produce the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

The fruit of the Spirit is nine-fold, a trinity of trinities, reminding us of the Three-ness of the One God.

love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,
faith, 23 Meekness, temperance.

Those who want an abundance of love will find it as a product of the abundance of the Word, because the Spirit is never without the Word, and the Word is never without the Word. Love does not convert people to the Gospel, as Luther observed. Love is a product of the Gospel. All those trying to love-bomb people into the Kingdom are using the Law. “The ushers have to be friendly or the sermon will have no effect.” What a tragic disrespect for the power of the Word. (Do the silk ribbons saying usher or greeter have to be a cheery color, too?)

Joy is not the same as happiness. The unbelieving world wants us to believe that joy comes from material happiness, in spite of all the contrary evidence. Joy is best represented by the father of a family of five. I don’t know how he managed on his salary, yet every phrase seemed to start with “I am thankful to God for…”
Where people look for joy as a product of material blessings, believers experience joy as a result of the Gospel proclamation. Joy is often experienced in the midst of the cross, because the work of the Spirit is so clear and the vanity of the world so obvious.

Peace – everyone yearns for peace, and the Word directs us to that peace. The Scriptures never address peace apart from forgiveness and salvation. Inner peace can only come from the forgiveness won for us through Christ and received in faith. With that peace, the world may be in turmoil but the heart is calm. Luther’s best phrase is – God does not take the trouble from your heart, but your heart from the trouble.

Much more can be said later about the final six fruits of the Spirit.

WELS Doctrinal Pussycats - The Big Three

Rev. Douglas J. Engelbrecht supports Ski, Church and Change, and the Fox Valley apostasy.
Northern Wisconsin District President
nwdpwels@sab.wels.net

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DP Rutschow guards the doctrine of his district. Seriously.

"Not that Word and Sacrament are ineffective in incorporating new souls into our fellowship. Not at all! But according to some serious Church Growth studies, as many as one-third of the people gained for protestant church membership today do not feel they really belong."
David N. Rutschow The Evangelism Life Line (WELS), Winter, 1985, p. 3.
Rev. David N Rutschow is seriously addressing Mark Jeske's sworn (RSO) fidelity to LCMS doctrine and practice, so do not be anxious.
Southeastern Wisconsin District President
sewdp@aol.com
630-852-7914

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DP Herb Prahl approved the vicar who would learn Church and Change gourmet coffee brewing under Randy Hunter. Prahl's son vicared for Kudu Don Patterson.
Rev. Herbert H Prahl
Western Wisconsin District President
wwdpwels@sab.wels.net
715-834-2595
***

GJ - Watch the Big Three block any attempts to clean house at The Love Shack, in spite of an overwhelming WELS convention vote.

Convention actions are meaningless if people do not actively support correct doctrine and practice.

New Jeske Translation

"Sit down right chere, Jerry, let's talk about incentives for the switch.
I, ahem, the members, need RSO status. Done deal? Aw-right!" 

Sample Agreement The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod Recognized Service Organization
Section 1. Recognized Service Organization
… RSO agrees (a) to foster the mission and ministry of the Synod, (b) to engage in programs in harmony with the Synod and (c) not to act contrary to the doctrines and practices of the Synod …

https://www.lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/Service %20Opportunities/RSO%20Agreement.pdf

I am a 5th generation WELS guy and have no plans to leave.

KJV 1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

King Jeske Version - Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man trace his DNA back five generations. There, I said it.

Ski, Jeske, and CEO Ministries. Ski can teach new missions how to turn $250,000 into a mega-church of 15 members, starved of Holy Communion because "the custom Holy Communion set has not arrived."
The ELS recently asked, "How significant is Church and Change in WELS? Is Jeske really the leader of that group?"

Answer - Church and Chicanery still infests WELS Headquarters (aka The Love Shack).

The Church Growth Movement = Church and Change = Perish Services, Mission Boards, and FIC. Perish Services has spent lavishly on itself while charging enormous sums to congregations for boilerplate advice, without putting in the right fill-in-the-blanks information. One WEF had this - "When the bells stop ringing, and the service starts..." Members laughed. Another church saw the wrong congregational name here and there in their custom report. For this, Perish Services charges $7,000 to $35,000. Next, Ron Roth and Jeff Davis step in to raise funds - for themselves. Nice work.

Jeske the head of Chicanery? Listen to him blab about himself and change in his Mequon lecture. Read his blog about "everything must change" - with awe and wonder. Look at the Church and Change stealth board of directors:
Brian Lampe - from St. Markus.
Ski - worked at St. Markus.
Bruce Becker - now works for Time of Generic Grace.

Nathan Krause presents at Chicanery conferences but serves as a pastor in the confessional ELS? Where is the Left Foot of Fellowship so vigorously extended by the hobnail boot of Pope John the Malefactor?

Bible Translation Questions

Eagles, by Norma Boeckler

Isaiah 40: 21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "A Changing Gospel in a Changeless World":

Dr. Jackson,

Any thoughts on Concordia's new "Lutheran Study Bible"? They are promoting it as the first Lutheran only study Bible, but they also use the term "pan-Lutheran", which makes me nervous. I'm unfamiliar with the ESV translation that this study Bible uses.

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John has left a new comment on your post "A Changing Gospel in a Changeless World":

Dr. Jackson,

You mention KJV, NIV, Beck and ESV.

How do you feel about the New King James Version?

***

GJ - Pardon my summary judgment, but I put all translations into two families - King James and Other. I believe the ESV is a version of the RSV, the first translation to remove the Virgin Birth from Isaiah 7.

The original King James is a version of the Tyndale, who was burned for his trouble. Faithfulness to the Word is always accompanied by the cross, while apostasy is rewarded with money and worldly honors. Ask Church and Change if this is not true.

William Tyndale

William Tyndale was the Captain of the Army of Reformers, and was their spiritual leader. Tyndale holds the distinction of being the first man to ever print the New Testament in the English language. Tyndale was a true scholar and a genius, so fluent in eight languages that it was said one would think any one of them to be his native tongue. He is frequently referred to as the “Architect of the English Language”, (even more so than William Shakespeare) as so many of the phrases Tyndale coined are still in our language today.

William Tyndale (1494-1536) Biblical translator and martyr; born most probably at North Nibley (15 miles south-west of Gloucester), England, in 1494; died at Vilvoorden (6 miles north-east of Brussels), Belgium, Oct. 6, 1536. Tyndale was descended from an ancient Northumbrian family, went to school at Oxford, and afterward to Magdalen Hall and Cambridge.

William Tyndale Overview

Tyndale was a theologian and scholar who translated the Bible into an early form of Modern English. He was the first person to take advantage of Gutenberg’s movable-type press for the purpose of printing the scriptures in the English language. Besides translating the Bible, Tyndale also held and published views which were considered heretical, first by the Catholic Church, and later by the Church of England which was established by Henry VIII. His Bible translation also included notes and commentary promoting these views. Tyndale's translation was banned by the authorities, and Tyndale himself was burned at the stake in 1536, at the instigation of agents of Henry VIII and the Anglican Church.

The Early Years of William Tyndale

Tyndale enrolled at Oxford in 1505, and grew up at the University. He received his Master’s Degree in 1515 at the age of twenty-one! He proved to be a gifted linguist. One of Tyndale’s associates commented that Tyndale was “so skilled in eight languages – Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Spanish, French, Italian, English, and German, that whichever he speaks, you might think it his native tongue!” This gift undoubtedly aided him in his successful evasion of the authorities during his years of exile from England.

Early Controversy Surrounding Tyndale

Around 1520, William Tyndale became a tutor in the family of Sir John Walsh, at Little Sodbury in Gloucestershire. Having become attached to the doctrines of the Reformation, and devoted himself to the study of the Scriptures, the open avowal of his sentiments in the house of Walsh, his disputes with Roman Catholic dignitaries there, and especially his preaching, excited much opposition, and led to his removal to London (about Oct., 1523), where he began to preach, and made many friends among the laity, but none among church leaders.

A clergyman hopelessly entrenched in Roman Catholic dogma once taunted Tyndale with the statement, “We are better to be without God’s laws than the Pope’s”. Tyndale was infuriated by such Roman Catholic heresies, and he replied, “I defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spare my life ere many years, I will cause the boy that drives the plow to know more of the scriptures than you!”

William Tyndale First Prints The Scripture in English

He was hospitably entertained at the house of Sir Humphrey Monmouth, and also financially aided by him and others in the accomplishment of his purpose to translate the Scriptures into the commonly spoken English of the day. Unable to do so in England, he set out for the continent (about May, 1524), and appears to have visited Hamburg and Wittenberg. The place where he translated the New Testament, is thought to have been Wittenberg, under the aid of Martin Luther. The printing of this English New Testament in quarto was begun at Cologne in the summer of 1525, and completed at Worms, and that there was likewise printed an octavo edition, both before the end of that year. William Tyndale’s Biblical translations appeared in the following order: New Testament, 1525-26; Pentateuch, 1530; Jonah, 1531.

His literary activity during that interval was extraordinary. When he left England, his knowledge of Hebrew, if he had any, was of the most rudimentary nature; and yet he mastered that difficult tongue so as to produce from the original an admirable translation of the entire Pentateuch, the Books of Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings, First Chronicles, contained in Matthew's Bible of 1537, and of the Book of Jonah, so excellent, indeed, that his work is not only the basis of those portions of the Authorized King James Version of 1611, but constitutes nine-tenths of that translation, and very largely that of the English Revised Version of 1885.

So the KVJ is really an official version of the Tyndale, and Tyndale is directly linked to Luther himself.

The KJV we use today is an updated version of the original, so there is no sin in updating it again. However, the non-Lutherans love the KJV and they produce all the updated KJVs, such as the New KJV, KJV II, etc. Those variations have adopted the Reformed elimination of the Sacraments and change "teach all nations" into "make disciples." As one Lutheran observed, "They know their market."

People tolerate the sacraments in the old KJV but the same wording disappears in the newer versions. "Baptism now saves you" - that has to go. "Communion with the body of Christ" - vanished.

If someone has not grown up with the old KJV and does not know German, the New KJV is a good solution. I have yet to see any other modern effort better than the New KJV.

I know the old KJV has readings that would simply baffle any younger reader, but so does Shakespeare. Anyone can compare the New KJV to the older one to see what some peculiar wordings actually mean.

After we confess all the supposed faults of the old KJV, can anyone read the above passage from Isaiah and not get goosebumps?

Paul McCain, colporteur of the LCMS, may hype their newest product, but I am reminded of the Concordia One Volume Commentary, based on the wretched NIV. The book denied key Messianic passages in the Psalms. One of the key editors bragged afterward that upon retiring from Concordia Seminary as a professor, he could say anything he wanted. He denied Luther's justification by faith in favor of some Romanizing version. That was Robert Hoerber.

McCain and Barry were key players in allowing the Church Shrinkage Movement to take over the LCMS, while posing as conservatives. They also did nothing about LCMS Pentecostalism and Benke's pan-religious unionism.

McCain now has a grand total of three years as a parish pastor, most of the time spent campaigning for Al Barry, conniving with Herman Otten while denying and bragging about it. Schlepping books is not a divine call.

Sure, I would buy any book McCain recommends! After I win the lottery, and I never play the lottery.

Not getting behind a new Lutheran KJV was a disaster for WELS, Missouri, and the ELS. Not backing the New KJV (lazy, cheap alternative for synod executives) was another major mistake.

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RSV Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

***

GJ - It is worth noting that all new versions feel free to change their publications willy-nilly. I was reading the NKJV at one service in Nicollet and again in New Ulm. I was startled by a word change. Imagination? Too much coffee? Not enough? I checked the next week. The two NKJVs disagreed. The NIV has been all over the place with its trendier versions. Willow Creek demanded a feminist version and would not order Bibles unless the Word of God agreed with Hybels - typical Church Growth thinking.

Another value of the KJV was its consistency from one generation to the next, making memorization relatively easy. How does one memorize a version where changes are made annually?

I wrote in another post that most--if not all--new versions accept the fantasy textual criticism started by Wescott-Hort and carried on by new generations of theological fiction writers. They expel the Byzantine tradition (Greek Christian Empire for 1100 years) because there are so many Byzantine manuscripts. They slobber on Vaticanus and Sinaiticus because one man fortuitously (?) found them and made his reputation with them, even though no one really knows the origin of either one. And to top it off - these two great, perfect, best manuscripts do not agree with each other.

Where did lack of trust in the revealed Word of God start? Wescott and Hort. Let me know if a modern version (apart from the KJV family) disavows the snip and clip of the modernists. For verification, look at the footnotes in the NIV, including the ending of Mark.

A Changing Gospel in a Changeless World

Borgwardt's stealth church was featured in FIC.

"A Changeless Gospel in a Changing World" is a motto found at some Church and Change congregations in WELS. That by itself does not define a congregation. Some may use it innocently. Others are Shrinkers but borrow "We Still Believe," sometimes with their own verbiage, which falls harshly on unwaxed ears.

The original motto used by Shrinkers would be true if they reversed the order, as I did in the headline. People have not changed since Biblical times, and we live--once again--as minorities in the midst of paganism and occultism. The same sins, against the First and Second Tables of the Ten Commandments, are a regular feature of our frail, fallible, and corrupted nature.

Disturbing to many is the Shrinker effort to change the Gospel in their marketing efforts. Once again, the word Lutheran, by itself, is not the key element but a symptom of the change. By now the uneducated public thinks of Lutheran in the same category as interior decorator, male model, and Hollywood star. I would second the motion to use a new phrase, such as Church of the Augsburg Confession.

The words themselves are not the problem, but the attitude behind them. The Shrinkers believe, thanks to their marketing experts, that hiding their confession is the best way to attract their audiences. After all, Andy Stanley--Babtist guru to at least seven WELS pastors and Bishop Katie--hides his own confession by calling his church Northpoint Community when he is a Babtist who denies and teaches against baptismal regeneration and infant baptism. Ditto - The Simple Church, which Peter Pan-denominational follows and promotes at his WELS church.

Hiding the confession of faith is prelude to hiding the practice of the faith. I heard from Roger Zehms, part of the Wayne Mueller team, that WELS churches were moving Holy Communion to Wednesday to avoid offending the visitors on Sunday. I learned that 22 years ago. The next step, taken by Ski and Gunn, is not having Holy Communion at all.

The president of the WELS congregation told me I offended people by preaching about infant baptism when extended family members (Babtist of course) attended the baptism of a baby. The issue was hotly debated so it should have been avoided altogether.

Strange - I heard this story about missionary work in China. The Roman Catholic priest said Mass every day, in a public place where the ruler could hear it. Finally the ruler became intensely interested in what this was and became a Christian. Perhaps the story is false, but the anecdote illustrates a profound faith in the Sacrament as God's work. I cannot imagine a Chinese ruler being intrigued by a Seeker Service, Friendship Sunday, or Smores and Rock in the Park. More likely the cacophony of Rock would have led to a summary execution.

Kieschnick, Jeske, and the Chicaneries have changed the Gospel. They have adulterated it in a desperate move to attract more people. They believe in the efficacy of man's methods but not in the efficacy of God's Word.

"The child is the father of the man," as one Romantic poet said. In this case, Mark Jeske's father, John Jeske (aka Jumpin' Jack, aka Jester) is the father of this situation. Professor Jeske joined in the ecumenical effort to produce the worst ever translation of the Bible - the NIV. WELS and Missouri went on to make it their official version. WELS excommunicated pastors who dissented, even though they originally promoted the KJV (closest to Luther) and said modern versions were the Devil's tool. (A changing Gospel, many decades ago)

Now Concordia Publishing House is promoting the ESV while Otten counters with the Beck. Schwan funded a revision of Beck, to the tune of about $800,000 a year, so the Missouri pastor in charge could translate and remain in his adulterous situation. If you have a Beck revision, check on the Sixth Commandment - I am sure the "not" was omitted.

Lutherans, the Biblical guys, could not get behind a confessional translation. A slight revision of the KJV would have been great: no omitted verses, no erasing of the Sacraments, no feminazi language, no alteration of the Virgin Birth. But no, in all these years, the Lutherans can only promote this or that non-Lutheran effort. Meanwhile, the Book of Concord gathers dust on most pastors' shelves and remains a mystery to most laity.

The Biblical foundation has been abandoned because it did not matter to the organizational types. The scent of money did concern them deeply. Given the cash generated by volume sales of books, I am sure synodical enslavement to the NIV was richly rewarded.

Lutherans illustrate this sentence, which I recorded in Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure - "The Church that marries the spirit of this age will be a widow in the Age To Come."

WELS Orthodoxy - DNA

Mark Jeske is related to the Piepers and many more, so how could he be wrong?

Comment from reader, via email:

"Looks like the 5th generation WELS should be about enough do you not think. These guys are always big on how long they have been WELS. I think too much inbreeding. His Grace is a big supporter of UOJ."

"No, No, No, We Won't Go!" - Insubordinate WELS Perish Services Drones Refuse To Leave Posh Positions

Paul Calvin Kelm (DMin in Church Growth, Concordia Seminary, LCMS, St. Louis) will be 65 in December.

Another key player in the Escape to Missouri scenario is Paul Calvin Kelm. He was an editor of TELL (founded to promote CG in WELS), the first secretary of Evangelism in WELS, and the Church and Change leader who refused to dis-invite Leonard Sweet. Kelm's CG brother was welcomed into Missouri with a sweetheart deal - drop by the seminary every so often and we have a call for you. Kelm's son also joined the LCMS.

Everyone knew the fix was on when Perish Services boss Bruce Becker (Chicanery board) hired Kelm in the midst of a budget crisis, with Becker leaving soon after to join the Jeske team at Time of Generic Grace. Coincidence or connivance?

The WELS convention took away the power of Perish Services, gave them a public thumping about their false doctrine, and made them the cutting edge of budget reductions. Shrinkers like Radloff wanted to close both prep schools, but the convention found plenty of fat to trim in Perish Services.

Now the Perish Services guys will not obey the command to "Please go now," as Dr. Seuss put it so eloquently. They will seek and get the support of the Doctrinal Pussycats from the biggest districts.

Can anyone imagine Ski's DP opposing the will of Perish Services?

Mark Jeske's Memory Problems, etc.

"You dare offend the great and terrible Oz?!"

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Hymn Study from NPH":

Part 1 of 2

Between Mark Jeske and You

Bob Smith September 7 at 5:06pm
a rogue (quasi)lutheran website offers conjecture that you are going to leave the WELS and join the LCMS. Please!! Say it ain't so!! Maybe you can squash this rumor--ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com

Mark Jeske September 9 at 9:10am
Forgive me for my slowness to respond. I am underwater in writing projects and haven't had a day off in weeks.

Greg Jackson is a crabby blogger who enjoys abusing me. I pay no attention to him whatsoever. I am a 5th generation WELS guy and have no plans to leave.

Bob Smith September 11 at 5:40pm
Yes, Greg Jackson does seem 'a little' (extremely) crabby. Did you know him when he was in the WELS? He's obviously a very angry person, but I get the impression that he's trying to do the right thing (which is why I've read his stuff. I'm trying to disseminate he theological stance and wouldn't mind a little aid. If you have a chance I'd appreciate you helping me 'Test some Spirits'. thanks

What are you writing about these days? Oh and... curious... I saw an advert for Time of Grace. I could've sworn that the person talking (announcer or ad narrator) said "Mike" Jeske. The other people in the room watching the ad thought the narrator said Mike too.

You probably don't mind as long as it's a one syllable name that starts with M:)


Take care.

Mark Jeske September 14 at 9:05am
Greg went through various Lutheran organizations. When he was in Milwaukee, going to our seminary for a colloquy semester, i (sic) think, he would sometimes visit St. Marcus for worship. [GJ - Mark phoned me and asked me to speak at St. Marcus. And I did. ] He is very well-read, well-traveled, interesting, and sharp of mind. But I fear he is using his gifts for the dark side. His bitter, insulting, libelous rants may make gossip-inspiring reading, but they hurt God's people. He is not helping to build the Lutheran

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Hymn Study from NPH":

church of the future.

Bob Smith September 17 at 4:31pm
Well,

I guess I want to steer clear of what's some call a genetic fallacy. I can get behind what you said regarding his insults etc. But what about his central gripe with modern Lutheranism?

I don't suppose you have enough time to read his stuff, being busy busy and all. I'll give you the super-abbreviated "Cliff Notes" edition. Jackson says that Scripture (and Luther) does not teach what modern people call Objective Justification. Jackson claims that the "reconciliation" that 1 Cor. 5:19 talks about is not Justification. Jackson argues with most modern Lutheran sects by asserting that God didn't justify the entire world on Easter morning, but rather He Atoned for the worlds sin. Justification (i.e. being declared innocent) only happens to those with faith because of the renewal that happens as a result of faith.

Jackson says the Bible teaches: No faith, no perfection. Jackson also insists that many theological problems can (and have, according to him) arisen because of Objective Justification: namely, a uniquely American brand of Synergism. I just don't see it, myself.

But I have to acknowledge, put that way, Jackson's argument makes perfect Biblical sense, however much his methods might detract from what he says.

So my question for you is: Objective Justification? What do you make of Jackson's opinion? If the vinegar were honey :) does his position hold water? I really would like to hear your perspective about this because I'm trying to wade through. Personally, I'm kind of at a crossroads and I'm trying to figure out some stuff.
I'd appreciate any insight.

Thanks a bunch


Mark Jeske September 17 at 9:33pm
Hi--
Sorry that I don't have time to do a thorough presentation. Here are just some quick thoughts. I haven't read Jackson's writing on the subject, so I can't respond to his particular points.
I am very comfortable with the term and concepts of objective justification, as long as it is not considered in isolation. It could lead to universalism and a downplaying of the need for faith and the means of grace.
I think the passage you are referring to is from II Corinthians, ne c'est pas?
Grace is shocking and exists before faith ever happens. In fact, grace is the cause of faith. It produces faith. For a passage that means a lot to me and illustrates the shocking nature of grace, consider Romans 4:5 which says that God justifies the wicked. If that beautiful grace results in faith in a person, all that justification is credited to him by faith. If he rejects that beautiful grace, he loses the value of Christ's substitution for him.
Hope this helps.
In haste,
MAJ

***

GJ - I imagine Mark will use and abuse the ELS/WELS market as long as he can, but the LCMS RSO status he just earned is golden in Missouri. If he can play the martyr and get kicked out of WELS, taking his church and organization with him, the Shrinkers will be tempted to follow. Kieschnick will have a media guy for free, and Jeske Inc. will thrive on additional gifts and foundation grants - not to mention Thrivent dough.

I would like to see these big, successful churches donate money instead of always soaking up all the subsidies, free vicars, foundation grants, and Thrivent donations.

Mark is clearly the leader of Church and Change. Too bad he is not as much in love with the word Lutheran as he is with the word change.

Mark does not read Ichabod, but he is rather verbose about what he has not read: "But I fear he is using his gifts for the dark side. His bitter, insulting, libelous rants may make gossip-inspiring reading, but they hurt God's people. He is not helping to build the Lutheran (sic)..." What happened to Church and Change, Canon Law, Tome XLVII, Book II, Chapter 5, paragraph 3, subsection a - "You must sit down with me, hold my hand, and tell me my sins, or you have violated the Eighth Commandment, Matthew 18, and the Bill of Rights"?

Would Luther have said that arguing for sound doctrine was Satanic? No, but Spener did, and Jeske has a publicly professed fondness for Pietism.

The Missouri Synod he has sworn to promote (RSO documentation) might make Five-Generation-WELS-Jeske uncomfortable. The previous Synod President, Al Barry:
1. Attended the Little School on the Prairie (ELS).
2. Attended an orthodox seminary where classes were held in a church basement.
3. Vicared in a WELS congregation.
4. Joined the LCMS.
How does that compare to five generations in WELS and then oof, the Left Foot of Fellowship?

The Missouri branch of the Preus family might object to having someone as stable as Mark in their midst.
1. Robert and Jack Preus went to seminary at the proto-ELCA School - Luther.
2. Robert's wife said they were WELS for a period of time.
3. Robert, then Jack, joined the Little Sect on the Prairie. Robert was the first graduate of Bethany Seminary.
4. The Preus brothers denounced the liberalism of the LCMS and offered a motion to break fellowship with Missouri.
5. Next, they joined the Missouri Synod as professors. Jack became seminary, then synod president.
6. Rolf joined the Little Sect on the Prairie, after serving as a Missouri pastor.
7. Pope John the Malefactor extended the Left Foot of Fellowship to Rolf, who formed the Rolf Synod.

Hymn Study from NPH

Paul Gerhardt wrote many of the finest Christian hymns of all times. 

 

A Study of Lutheran Hymnody

Series: Bible Insights

Goeffrey A. Kieta

This Bible study in the NPH Bible Insights series works through various hymns from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal. These seven lessons deal with Lutheran hymns in roughly chronological order, with some information on the periods in which they were written, plus one additional lesson on hymns from from the new Christian Worship: Supplement.
Author Kieta leads class members through many of the great hymns that express the truths of Scripture in beautiful language set to timeless melodies which make the best tools for Christians to confess their faith and sing praises to God.

Class members leave this class with a renewed appreciation for their Lutheran hymns and the ability to sing them with greater understanding and enthusiasm.

Lessons include:
Sing Praises to God
Hymns of the Early Church
Martin Luther's Hymns
Hymns of the Reformation Era
Hymns from the Age of Lutheran Orthodoxy
Lutheran Hymnody During the Age of Opposition
Lutheran Hymns in the Awakening and Beyondd
(Optional Lesson) Lutheran Hymns in Christian Worship: Supplement
Leader's Guide 54 pages, Student Lessons 45 pages. Teaching index 6. Published 2009. Teaching Index
View Sample Pages
Catalog Item Number: OL-221158
Price: $41.50

***

GJ - I didn't get my free review copy, but I thought this was worth listing anyway. This kind of study will go a long way to encourage congregations to sing good hymns with Biblical content.

PS

My jocular comment, above, got me a PDF of the book, so I was able to read through it. I like the way the various eras of hymn-writing are discussed, with Biblical passages throughout the study, illustrating Biblical hymns.

We tend to read and sing hymns by season, and overlook biographical information. This is a good study for making people aware of their Lutheran heritage. They will also find out more about theological movements influencing hymns. The Pietistic hymnal collected under Francke's son-in-law profoundly affected Lutheran worship.

When unionistic Lutherans want to be more like the Reformed, they mock Lutheran hymns, liturgy, and sermons. Lutheran is not a brand, where we need a new, improved version to market to the masses. A Lutheran hymn is faithful to God's Word, emphasizing justification by faith and the Means of Grace.

People like to sing familiar hymns, so congregations should always keep the great Lutheran hymns in rotation rather than relying on the Methodist-Babtist hymns favored by default. There are many ways to educate a congregation about hymns:

1. Featuring a hymn of the month.
   
2. Writing up hymns, authors, and composers in the bulletin.
   
3. Discussing hymns in the service.
   
4. Using a hymn as a doctrinal lesson.
   
5. Following Luther in replacing parts of the liturgy with hymns.
   
6. Copying the embed code of a You Tube hymn into the congregation's website or blog, so people can sing along at home. Ichabod has a long list of great hymns to sing, including German ones.

WELS Beta Website

Someone wrote me about the WELS beta website, now being tested. He thought Lutheran was not being emphasized enough.

The situation is similar to the time when Jack Preus was elected LCMS President, backed by members and pastors, but not at all by the synodical staff, who got their jobs under the previous liberal administrations. Here is a story from those days - When Jack stepped onto a floor of the office building, every door slammed shut.

When Mark Schroeder was elected WELS Synod President, he inherited a staff from Gurgel, Wayne Mueller, Mischke, and Kelm. Perish Services (Wayne's first domain) was and is interchangeable with Church and Change leadership. FIC--the name says it all--was and is the Xerox room for Church and Change. The world and American mission boards were Fuller-trained, hotter than Georgia asphalt for Church Growth, but oblivious about their own results (division, scandals, lawsuits, millions of bucks wasted).

Was someone removed from the ministry for reciting, verbatim, the sermons of Hybels at Willow Creek? No problem - they made him head of technology. That may be why Church and Change was pronounced DOA after one conference while they were registering people for the next conference on the WELS.net website. That Chicanery link is not likely to appear for the upcoming conference.

The Shrinkers have fouled their own nest by fighting the will of the convention, undermining the elected leader, and opposing clear directives. They say "Lord, Lord" and "Jesus, Jesus" but they do not recognize Biblical mandates. Clergy make the most obnoxious trouble-makers because they learn their skills from destructive congregational trouble-makers.

The LCA was organized with General Motors as the model! They learned not to lavish so much attention on a huge structure, because the costs were infinite. Every denomination will have to downsize permanently now. This is a good opportunity to put synod drones out to pasture, perhaps back to work in a parish or school.

Lutheran synods are not going to improve unless the members and pastors get serious about doctrinal study. I enjoy providing lessons on various topics. At Bethany we have gone through the entire Book of Concord, Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, and the history of Pietism. Our next study is Galatians, with Luther's commentary as the main book.

When Will This Morganatic Marriage Be Revealed?

Mark Jeske (WELS) and Jerry Kieschnick (LCMS Synod President) have a morganatic marriage, WELS-LCMS.