Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Pope Gerry To Visit Saginaw:
Quiche-Niks Thrilled


Great Lakes Bay Lutheran congregations are excited for a pope-like visit on Good Friday

By Eric Joyce | The Saginaw News

March 28, 2010, 3:00PM
Congregation members of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod are preparing for an important visitor at their annual Good Friday service.

The Rev. Gerald B. Kieschnick, president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, a 2.5 million-member Lutheran organization, is the keynote speaker of the annual Community Good Friday Worship Service at 1 p.m. Friday April 2 at Horizons Conference Center, 6200 State in Saginaw Township.

RevDrGeraldBKieschnick.JPGView full sizeRev Dr Gerald B Kieschnick“It’s a great honor and privilege for him to be here, and he takes his role very seriously to preach and pray the true word of God,” said the Rev. Edward A. Meyer, pastor of St. Mark Lutheran Church, 2565 N. Miller in Thomas Township. “It would be likened to having the pope come to Saginaw in the same manner.”

Good Friday is a holy day recognized by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the Friday before Easter Sunday.

Meyer said the congregations of more than 60 churches in the Great Lakes Bay Region have united for the service for more than 25 years.

Friday may be the only opportunity that local congregation members have to see the organization’s leader, Meyer said. He said he expects Kieschnick’s presence will increase attendance from about 1,500 to more than 2,000 people.

“We are projecting out into the community the love of Christ,” Meyer said. “It’s just a great opportunity to reflect on what our Lord and savior has for us, no matter where people come from.”

Kieschnick was the director of development at Lutheran Foundation of Texas from 1986 to 1988 and later served as its executive director from 1988 to 1991. He was elected president of the organization’s Texas District in 1991.

He was chairman of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Commission on Theology and Church Relations and served on the program committee of the organizations Council of Presidents beginning in 1998, until he was elected president by more than 1,200 delegates of the organization in July 2001. Kieschnick was installed that September.

The service is preceded by a Good Friday Bible Breakfast at 9 a.m. at St. Mark Lutheran Church, followed by the Crosswalk, a march from the church through the nearby Thomas Farms subdivision.

All events are free and open to the public. Call the Rev. Steve Starke for information at (989) 686-0176 or (989) 686-4184 or e-mail pastor@stjohn-amelith.org.


Mollie's PhotoShop, I believe.


Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Kelming the Airport Story


Stelljes is part of the odious Kudu Don Patterson Network.



Here is one post on the hoax story.

Snopes has another version of the hoax.

Church and Changers are always borrowing sentimental mush. Parlow and Limmer actually cloned an entire email from their hero, Bill Hybels at Willow Creek Community Church.


Street Gangs in Calgary, Eh?
What's That All A-boot?


Street gangs.

Monday, March 29, 2010

The Aroma of an Empty Theologian


Ja, they are both German.
The guy in the middle is not.


Braaten was one of the neo-theos of the LCA. He was one of the frauds behind the Christian Dogmatics book used at all the seminaries. The two-volume work rejected all the articles of the Christian faith, and it was seen as a confessional bulwark against the inroads of the radicals. I am not kidding.

Now he is angry and perplexed that ELCA has taken his work to the next logical level, downward.

He wrote about it here. Read it if you are bored, lonely, and reruns of Wheel of Fortune are canceled.

WELS-ELS-LCMS neos - that is your future. As you rot away in retirement, you will see all your work go down the drain as you watch even worse radicals throw it all away. God does indeed grant Hell on earth, and you will experience it. So mote it be.


Davenport, Iowa Renames Good Friday


By Norma Boeckler


Here is the link.

Rescinded.

Take note, those who think we are stuck with Obama's Cuban Health Care takeover.

***

GJ - Davenport is part of the Quad-Cities.

Baraboo Three


Posted by Mollie Hemingway

Growing up as a pastor’s kid, my aversion to congregational meetings was earned honestly. I don’t know what it is about people, but time somehow becomes no object when contending for how you want the bathrooms remodeled. And I’m glad that people care about how their congregation is operating, but sometimes that concern translates into some pretty tense moments. I was reminded of my feelings about voters assemblies when reading this horribly imbalanced story about a Wisconsin Synod Lutheran congregation’s recent vote regarding a principal who had been accused of teaching contrary to the denomination’s position.

So the WELS, as you may know, requires congregational voters to be male. Some congregations, I’ve heard, even limit families to one vote per family. I realize that many people here may find this odd, but I’m pretty sure I’ve been part of congregations that had only male voters and sometimes I fantasize about my own congregation doing that so that I wouldn’t have to go to voters’ assemblies ever again! Conservative Lutherans just have a different culture when it comes to the role of men and women. I’d hardly say the WELS women I know (or know of) are shrinking violets, they just believe in a traditional Biblical understanding of men being the head of the household.

Okay, so the story by Channel 3000 (WISC-TV) is just not well done. The story is about a “firing” when in fact, judging from the comments below the story, it was about the “rescinding of a call.” It may seem the same to outsiders but terminology matters. Here’s the sensationalistic opening:

BARABOO, Wis. — A church meeting where women weren’t allowed to speak is drawing controversy in Baraboo.

Women from St. John’s Lutheran Church said they want basic rights and that the lack of those rights is what led to the firing of the school’s principal.

The Lutheran school’s principal, John Hartwig, was fired on Sunday, mainly because of his beliefs that women should be respected more in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod Church, WISC-TV reported.

Apparently the school’s principal had distributed articles advocating for … something related to women’s role in the church. We’re not told what, just that it is contrary to the church body’s doctrine on the matter. Instead we’re told that it all comes down to one side that respects women and the other that doesn’t. Come on. I mean, I’m pretty sure that all sides on this issue like to think that their understanding of the proper roles for men and women are the most respectful of women so the line above is just blatant editorializing.

The story quotes two women, one who is a member of the congregation and one who sends her children to the school but is not a member. Their quotes are interesting but they’re never balanced. Note this, for instance:

Some St. John’s School parents said that lack of respect for women was evident in the meeting that led up to Hartwig’s termination.

“(Hartwig) had different opinions than the church, and they basically booted him because of his opinions,” said Carla Lentz, a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church.

This may blow some people’s minds but in confessional church bodies, pastors aren’t really allowed to have different opinions than the ones they promise to uphold. The idea is that if they disagree with church doctrine, they should no longer be called pastors who promise to teach and preach that doctrine. But that viewpoint is never presented.

Likewise, we never learn that there were, in fact, two meetings to discuss the issue. The first one lasted for three hours and members and non-members of the voters assembly were allowed to speak, including women. At the second meeting on Sunday, some 300 people showed up and the organizers decided to just let voters — who, as we’ve already ascertained, are all men — speak. Even though only voters were allowed to speak, that meeting still lasted six hours. Yes, six hours.

People may agree, disagree, celebrate or abhor the idea that only men are members of a congregational voters assembly, but these basic facts should be included in a story about the controversy.

The story manages to mention precisely no doctrine about why the WELS practices in this manner. It uses political language and a political frame for viewing. That may be good for firing people up, but not so much for helping people understand. And I sort of feel there’s a double standard here in how this traditional community is being written about compared to, say, a traditional Jewish or Muslim community that also teaches that men are responsible for church affairs.

If a local media outlet is going to find a particular voters meeting newsworthy, the least that reporters could do is make sure they understand the culture and doctrine of the group they attack.



***

GJ - I am a Journalism School dropout, but I did learn that many future journalists are not very smart or energetic in learning the facts. We read a "mystery story" in one class, which I quickly identified as coming from a well known satirical writer. "How did you find out?" the class cried.

Mollie Hemingway is far above the rest of the breed. I was happy to kelm her article.

Attending a meeting and voting are not constitutional rights.

We live in an era when open communion is considered the gold standard of Christianity when it actually one of the surest signs of apostasy.



---

Blog author is Mollie Ziegler, not Hemmingway (sic).

No wonder you dropped out of J-School. ;-)

***

GJ - The blog author is Mollie Ziegler Hemingway, married to M. W. Hemingway, both in Facebook. Comments like that are exactly why I dropped out of J-School!

That came above from a friend, but I just had to say something.



Norman Teigen has left a new comment on your post "Baraboo Three":

It appears that this man lost his job and his livelihood because of his opinions. In the ELS we take this very seriously. We do not think that a person should lose his job because his thoughts might be at variance with the official position of the synod. Persons in the ELS have no fear of losing their jobs under similar circumstances.

We will ask the WELS to explain its actions.

Norman Teigen
official spokesman for the ELS

***

GJ - I am sure Rolf Preus and many others will back you up on that claim, Norman.

I do not agree with Rolf about his precious UOJ, but what Pope John the Malefactor did in that congregation was dishonest and despicable. The congregation was wrong to cave in, too.

I know there are ELS congregations where Moldstad is not allowed to show his face. That is quite a distinction.

Pastors and teachers should be removed from time to time, but it should be done in an orderly way. WELS has an almost perfect record in preserving the careers of blatant false teachers. In fact, there is no better way to become a seminary professor, Love Shack drone, or college chaplain than to be a known, published false teacher.

Baraboo Too


John Hartwig


Wiscnews

Following a meeting last Sunday in which male members of St. John's Lutheran Church voted narrowly to fire St. John's School Principal John Hartwig, some parents are planning to remove their children from the school, even as Hartwig himself urges families to stand by St. John's.

Media coverage of the decision, following accusations by church leadership that Hartwig had distributed materials questioning Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod doctrine about women's role in the church, has focused in part on the church's decision to exclude women from both speaking and voting at the meeting.

That decision, and the doctrine on which it was based, is one of the main reasons parent Jennifer Hopper says she has enrolled her daughter Kyla, a second-grader who has attended St. John's since kindergarten, in the Baraboo School District.

"If they didn't want our opinion on our child's education ... then they didn't need our money either," Hopper said. "She'll be starting at North Freedom as soon as spring break is over."

***

GJ - I questioned the WELSian promotion of adulterous pastors and false doctrine, and they struck back hard.

At the moment there are several WELS positions on women usurping authority:
A. Women already serve as pastors and no one does anything about it.
B. Women teach men at Mary Lou College and at various WELS events dominated by Church and Change leaders.
C. The W/ELS boards of doctrine are not man enough to reject women consecrating Holy Communion.

The feminist crowd will take care of Hartwig, but that will not make the newspapers.

Missouri Ablaze! With Quiche-niks




Sunday, March 28, 2010

Archbishop R. Weakland - WLC Lecturer



"Archbishop Rembert Weakland was the fair-haired boy of the liberals when he was out campaigning against Ronald Reagan’s policies, when he was doing his anti-war, anti-defense protests, and when he was defending liberation theology in Latin America.

Weakland was curiously silent in other major issues like abortion. The life of hypocrisy and deceit that Weakland led make him a fitting source for the New York Times. One hopes that he may find forgiveness in God. He should be less fortunate on earth."

---

"The second source was Archbishop Rembert Weakland, retired archbishop of Milwaukee. He is the most discredited and disgraced bishop in the United States, widely known for mishandling sexual-abuse cases during his tenure, and guilty of using $450,000 of archdiocesan funds to pay hush money to a former homosexual lover who was blackmailing him. Archbishop Weakland had responsibility for the Father Murphy case between 1977 and 1998, when Father Murphy died. He has long been embittered that his maladministration of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee earned him the disfavor of Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, long before it was revealed that he had used parishioners’ money to pay off his clandestine lover. He is prima facie not a reliable source." Source.

---

Here is the relevant timeline, drawn from the documents the New York Times posted on its own website.

15 May 1974

Abuse by Father Lawrence Murphy is alleged by a former student at St. John’s School for the Deaf in Milwaukee. In fact, accusations against Father Murphy go back more than a decade.

12 September 1974

Father Murphy is granted an official “temporary sick leave” from St. John’s School for the Deaf. He leaves Milwaukee and moves to northern Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Superior, where he lives in a family home with his mother. He has no official assignment from this point until his death in 1998. He does not return to live in Milwaukee. No canonical penalties are pursued against him.

9 July 1980

Officials in the Diocese of Superior write to officials in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee about what ministry Father Murphy might undertake in Superior. Archbishop Rembert Weakland, archbishop of Milwaukee since 1977, has been consulted and says it would be unwise to have Father Murphy return to ministry with the deaf community. There is no indication that Archbishop Weakland foresees any other measures to be taken in the case.

17 July 1996

More than 20 years after the original abuse allegations, Archbishop Weakland writes to Cardinal Ratzinger, claiming that he has only just discovered that Father Murphy’s sexual abuse involved the sacrament of confession — a still more serious canonical crime. The allegations about the abuse of the sacrament of confession were in the original 1974 allegations. Weakland has been archbishop of Milwaukee by this point for 19 years.

It should be noted that for sexual-abuse charges, Archbishop Weakland could have proceeded against Father Murphy at any time. The matter of solicitation in the sacrament of confession required notifying Rome, but that too could have been done as early as the 1970s.

10 September 1996

Father Murphy is notified that a canonical trial will proceed against him. Until 2001, the local bishop had authority to proceed in such trials. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is now beginning the trial. It is noteworthy that at this point, no reply has been received from Rome indicating that Archbishop Weakland knew he had that authority to proceed.

24 March 1997

Archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, Cardinal Ratzinger’s deputy at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, advises a canonical trial against Father Murphy.

14 May 1997

Archbishop Weakland writes to Archbishop Bertone to say that the penal process against Father Murphy has been launched, and notes that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has advised him to proceed even though the statute of limitations has expired. In fact, there is no statute of limitations for solicitation in the sacrament of confession.

Throughout the rest of 1997 the preparatory phases of penal process or canonical trial is underway. On 5 January 1998 the Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee says that an expedited trial should be concluded within a few months.

12 January 1998

Father Murphy, now less than eight months away from his death, appeals to Cardinal Ratzinger that, given his frail health, he be allowed to live out his days in peace.

6 April 1998

Archbishop Bertone, noting the frail health of Father Murphy and that there have been no new charges in almost 25 years, recommends using pastoral measures to ensure Father Murphy has no ministry, but without the full burden of a penal process. It is only a suggestion, as the local bishop retains control.

13 May 1998

The Bishop of Superior, where the process has been transferred to and where Father Murphy has lived since 1974, rejects the suggestion for pastoral measures. Formal pre-trial proceedings begin on 15 May 1998, continuing the process already begun with the notification that had been issued in September 1996.

30 May 1998

Archbishop Weakland, who is in Rome, meets with officials at the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, including Archbishop Bertone but not including Cardinal Ratzinger, to discuss the case. The penal process is ongoing. No decision taken to stop it, but given the difficulties of a trial after 25 years, other options are explored that would more quickly remove Father Murphy from ministry.

19 August 1998

Archbishop Weakland writes that he has halted the canonical trial and penal process against Father Murphy and has immediately begun the process to remove him from ministry — a quicker option.

21 August 1998

Father Murphy dies. His family defies the orders of Archbishop Weakland for a discreet funeral

— Father Raymond J. de Souza is a chaplain at Queen’s University in Ontario.

***

GJ - I just want to remind readers about the incompetent leadership of WLC. They not only picked Weakland and his priests to lecture at their school, they also picked the worst possible leader in the Church of Rome and heavily advertised their public lectures.

And they lied about it, calling it a "private luncheon," as if that honker of a coverup made any sense.

The only justification for inviting Weakland was that he was just as evil as WELS in covering up criminal activity. ("Never happened" - Tabor, Just, Zerbe, etc - WELS) Perhaps that is what they admired so much about Weakland.

---

Another comment on the Net:

"What baffles me is why Weakland is made to look like he's some kind of hero for asking Rome to defrock Fr. Murphy. Weakland was my archbishop and I loath the man. He took our donations and paid off an extortionist (his gay lover who threatened to make his affairs public) without telling us about it. Weakland hid news of pedophilia in the diocese, he took extremely liberal stances on issues and hinted that abortion might be ok. Once he was replaced, he has refused to just "go away" and be quiet. He befriended some woman from the New York Times who has written sympathetic articles about him and has written a book about his life and affairs. Ugh, please be quiet is all I can ask of this guy."


Palm Sunday





Palm Sunday, The Sixth Sunday in Lent


Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Daylight Savings Time


The Hymn #160 All Glory, Laud 4:49
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
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 162 Ride On 4:80

Let This Mind Be in You

The Communion Hymn # 42 O Thou Love 4:93
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 # 388 Just As I Am 4:91

KJV Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

KJV Matthew 21:1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.

Palm Sunday
Almighty and everlasting God, who hast caused Thy beloved Son to take our nature upon Himself, that He might give all mankind the example of humility and suffer death upon the cross for our sins: Mercifully grant us a believing knowledge of this, and that, following the example of His patience, we may be made partakers of the benefits of His sacred passion and death, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Let This Mind Be in You

There is only one message in the Bible, and that is the forgiveness of sin. The Scriptures have only one answer for that problem – that is faith in Jesus Christ.

Drawing upon his enormous knowledge of past theologians, Martin Chemnitz wrote his Two Natures of Christ. In this passage, Paul proclaims the Two Natures and teaches what they mean to us as believers.

The structure of this passage is clearly poetical, so it is often described as an early creed or catechism, or hymn. It could easily be both a catechism and a hymn.
Paul is also calling upon their memory of what they have been taught. We can find many examples of that method in the New Testament. The letters called on the believers to remember their Gospel lessons and the sermons preached to them in the past.

Here is the structure of Philippians 2.

The introduction deals with strife in the congregation, a setting for this Christ-hymn.

KJV Philippians 2:1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels [tenderness or sympathy] and mercies, 2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

In this introduction, Paul is drawing all readers into the concept of having the same mind as Christ. They should be “of one mind” – and “let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus.”

Jesus taught His followers to be meek, to follow His example:

KJV Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

KJV Matthew 21:5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.

KJV 2 Corinthians 10:1 Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

KJV Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Paul indicated that the current problems were caused by vainglory and strife, selfishness, and pride. I was at an LCA conference where every single person mentioned was preached into heaven for all his virtue, and great thankfulness was expressed. Finally an elderly pastor I knew took the microphone and said, “Why are we praising each other? We should be praising God?” That cut down on the vainglory for a time, and doubtless most people resented his introduction of Scriptural thoughts!

Today, many different denominations are aping the newest trend in claiming to “transform lives.” They realize that their statistical claims work against them, because they have reduced so many congregations and denominations in size by emphasizing numbers. So now they will “transform lives.” They engage in that activity by praising themselves for transforming lives through the Law, and naturally they cannot do that.

In contrast, this Gospel proclamation transforms lives. The Gospel itself has the power to accomplish more than man can imagine. Notice that all the therapies advanced by man are based upon law – you must do this and that. Of course, the experts demand a lot of money because they know how to make those law demands.

However, the Gospel transforms us by showing us what Christ has done for us and why He has done this. This particular poem teaches us the Two Natures of Christ – His human nature and His divine nature.

Here is the structure of the hymn/creed/catechism:

Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man,
he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him,
and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven,
and things in earth,
and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Prelude:
Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Jesus is not simply godlike, or better than all humans, or just a very nice man. He is God. This is an important introduction to what He accomplished, so we realize He did this as God-man, not simply as one or the other (the basis for much of the false doctrine throughout history).

First Stanza:
7 But made himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man,
he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross.

Verse 7 indicates the Virgin Birth, which did not have to be argued, since it was well known and taught, not disputed at that time. Centuries later certain false doctrines arose, exalting Mary, leading to the Assumption of Mary. People claim that Paul did not teach the Virgin Birth. However, this verse is a transition from Jesus being equal to God and being “made in the likeness of man,” without an explanation. How this could be true apart from the Virgin Birth is a mystery.

This teaching is being recalled so people think of the attitude of Christ in His public ministry, as an adult. They should be like Him, even though He was equal with God. They are exalting themselves and creating strife, while He humbled Himself.

This section is extremely important because Christ appeared to be an ordinary man most of the time. He taught with authority and performed miracles that no one (until recently) would try to claim. Raising the dead was the ultimate miracle, especially because the most notable case, Lazarus, was known to the entire area, was prominent, and was a living witness to the divine power of Christ.

Nevertheless, Christ did not show off His power and allowed Himself to be treated as an ordinary man during His trial. Roman soldiers collapsed from His statement of “I AM” and Jesus destroyed the fig tree with one curse, but He did not struggle or fight off the arresting soldiers.

Jesus was the example of winning when appearing to lose, just as the victors of the moment lost by appearing to win. The martyrs who followed spread the Gospel upward by accepting their fate in front of angry mobs and cheering coliseum hordes.

The ultimate obedience of Christ was shown in His death on the cross, which He had the power to avoid completely. If we doubt His human nature, we only need to read His prayer that “this cup be taken from Me.”

The great humility of Christ is shown in His death, which He accepted while being innocent and also able to avoid. No human being can imitate that humility completely, but it remains our example to follow.

It was this painful and humble death which earned the forgiveness proclaimed in the Gospel Promises.

Second Stanza:
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him,
and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven,
and things in earth,
and things under the earth;

The second stanza explains why the entire Bible focuses on Christ and glorifies Christ. Although the Holy Trinity is clearly taught from the beginning, the greatest emphasis is upon Christ, from Genesis 3 onwards.

The humility of Christ is the reason for His exaltation.

Man is always exalting himself, and that never works well. There are so many who have gloried in their accomplishments and power, only to find themselves reduced to nothingness because of it.

No matter what happens and how we are treated because of the cross, every knee will eventually bow before Christ. Everyone will acknowledge Christ, but for many it will be far too late.

Conclusion:
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

No matter how much people deny Christ now, they will eventually confess Christ as Lord. At the end of time, that will exalt all believers and torture all those who denied and betrayed Him.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Justification Book Plan


Cover by Norma Boeckler


The two universities have given me a bounty of classes to teach lately. I enjoy lulls in teaching, which enable me to finish a planned book. However, those pleasant times are rather light on income.

Stage one is going to be an essay, which will be done this week and available for editing. The essay will follow the plan for the book and show the main concepts:

  1. The efficacy of the Word.
  2. Enthusiasm.
  3. Zwingli and Calvin.
  4. Pietism.
  5. Walther's Pietistic Easter absolution of the world.
  6. Justification by faith.


I want the material available for the Texas WELS UOJ conference, even though no one will admit reading it. That is the highest possible commendation, so I am not worried. I borrowed this idea from somewhere, and I still think it is true:
1. If everyone agrees, it was not worth saying.
2. If people are furious, it was right on target and drawing flak.
3. If people act as it it was never written, it has them so frightened that they cannot deal with the issue.

When Thy Strong Word came out, no one would write a serious review. One professor would not even admit that he got a free copy. Rolf Preus claimed he read it before anyone had a copy! (UOJ fanatics lie? Tell me it isn't so.) Rolf wanted a free copy after he denounced it before reading it.

Logia got a review copy and deathly silence ensued. But lately people have asked again for copies, which are out there in the used market. I am going to Lulu-fy the original book, so people can print it or use the free PDF files. But that will be later this year.

You've Lost Your Mulchness


The Mad Hatter: to Alice - "You used to be much more...muchier.
You've lost your muchness."


I garden based on the Biblical doctrine of Creation. Since God mulches everything, so do I. Many people today have lost their mulchness. They spend enormous amounts of energy carting away their mulch, then buy their mulch and various concoctions to make up for their lack of mulchness.

Trees cover the ground with a blanket of leaves. Every plant does the same. For some reason, people love to rake away that mulch and leave bare soil, which the wind blows away - unless kept in place by newly sprouting weeds.

Mulch has many advantages, and earthworms take advantage of those benefits. Mulch:

  1. Shades the soil. This frustrates weed growth and provides an umbrella for the light-hating earthworms. They can come up and do their work under the shade of mulch.
  2. Holds in moisture. Earthworms and plants need moisture, and harsh sunlight evaporates it away.
  3. Keeps the soil in place. The best soil is on top, so we call it topsoil. The wind turns it into dirt, blown away. Earthworms mix and grind soil ingredients, so soil left in place and worked by worms will become even better.
  4. Rots. Organic matter feeds worms and worms feed plants - ultimately us, just as we ultimately feed them. Mulch provides a constant supply of food, helping the vermicular population grow.
  5. Looks and smells good. Cocoa mulch leaves a chocolate smell at first. I love the smell of chocolate in the morning. It smells like...victory.


I have used tons of spoiled hay and leaves for mulch. The strange thing about using fast rotting mulch is the amount of organic material the soil can absorb.

I should have posted this in the fall. I pile up leaves on future gardening areas, so they can rot into the soil over the winter. If I want leaves to rot faster, I run them through the lawnmower and leave the fragments on the bare soil, with more layers on top.

I have used grass clippings on corn and vegetable gardens. There is never enough.

One of the benefits of mulch is watching starlings march through the garden, suddenly flipping over a leaf to reveal a bug. They look like pompous soldiers on patrol. Birds love a worm-and-bug-rich environment. People buy mealy worms to feed their bluebirds. Birdwatchers order them live, roasted, and sauteed in suet. My worms are free.

The ultimate goal of Creation gardening is humus soil. Humus is that miraculous end- product of compost, a miraculous complexity that improves sandy soil and clay alike.
Rich soil feels like jello, something I noticed when creating a garden area comprised of a pit of upside-down sod. It was 100% topsoil, grass, clay, and roots. Because of the nitrogen in the grass, it rotted fast. Every time I walked on that area, the soil wiggled under my feet.

I read that the prairie soil of the Midwest used to feel like gelatin when people jumped down from their wagons. That soil was created by centuries of tall prairie grass and their enormous root systems, on the spot composting, manured by endless herds of bison. One herd took three days on the hoof to pass an observer.

We have the best soil in the world because of that grass growing and dying, millions of miles of roots mining the soil for nutrients and dying, opportunistic earthworms thriving on this God-designed feast so we could live and prosper.

Some readers are saying to themselves, "But does he leave rose clippings and leaves around his bushes as they grow?" One principle of mulching is to take away disease bearing trash. Roses love to harbor blackspot, for example. If I find blackspot on leaves and trim them, the trash goes elsewhere. I mulch with wood and with garlic chives. Garlic chives provide a good ground cover and a gassy deterrent to insects. The garlic family is highly regarded for improving the health of plants and humans.


Friday, March 26, 2010

Local Area Network Restored




LI came over with his family to fix my LAN. First we had to fortify ourselves at Dairy Queen, which is down the hill. We got a zillion hugs and kisses from the grandchildren, one dressed as batman. It is great fun living here.

I have the obligatory modem, plus a router (more like a post office) and a server. The Cox people did not understand the configuration and neither did I. Now all the hardware is talking to each other and the conflicts are over. Our granddaughters pick up wireless from the router and use their laptops to play games and stay in touch with friends.

Fortunately, I took courses in all this, so I can follow the lingo. Oddly enough, that got me into the position of being one of those education professors in the graduate program who is certified in computers. I have a blast with teaching a regular course on education technology every few weeks. We discuss Unix, Linux, Twitter, social networking, broadcasting on the Internet, blogging, etc.

We should have a normal service in the normal chapel on Sunday.

Trying To Reach the College Demographic -
Doing Anything, Short of Trusting the Word,
To Reach Them


Kelm is good at getting the bosses to push him on everyone,
whether they like it or not.
He was ObamaCare before ObamaCare.


ELS Pastor's Son To Face Reduced Charges




Here is the article.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Federal prosecutors filed reduced charges Friday against conservative activist James O'Keefe and three others who were accused of trying to tamper with the phones in Sen. Mary Landrieu's New Orleans office.

The new charges are contained in a bill of information, which can only be filed with a defendant's consent and typically signals a plea deal. The new filing charges the four with entering a federal building under false pretenses, a misdemeanor. They had been arrested Jan. 25 on felony charges.

O'Keefe, a videographer famous for wearing a pimp costume in a stunt that embarrassed the ACORN community organizing group, has said the group was trying to investigate complaints that constituents calling Landrieu's office couldn't get through to criticize her support of a health care reform bill.

J. Garrison Jordan, a lawyer for another defendant, Robert Flanagan, said his client has "an agreement worked out with the government" but wouldn't elaborate or confirm that the others also have reached a deal with prosecutors.

"I think it's a fair resolution to the charges, and I'm happy with the agreement we've worked out," he said.

Lawyers for the other three defendants didn't immediately return calls. A spokesman for Landrieu said he couldn't immediately comment, and a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office in New Orleans would not comment on a possible plea deal.

Federal authorities initially accused the four of trying to tamper with Landrieu's phones, but the new filing merely says they planned to pretend to test the phone system.

The FBI said O'Keefe, 25, of New Jersey, used his cell phone to try to capture video of two other men who posed as telephone repairmen and asked to see the phones at Landrieu's office. The fourth allegedly waited outside in a car with a listening device.

The two suspects who posed as repairmen—Joseph Basel and Robert Flanagan, both 24—wore white hard hats, tool belts and fluorescent vests. One of them had a camera hidden in his helmet.

Flanagan, of New Orleans, is the son of the acting U.S. Attorney based in Shreveport. Basel, of Minnesota, and Stan Dai, 24, of the Washington, D.C. area, also were arrested.


***

GJ - The stunt struck me as dumb, post 9-11. Offering a false ID in a federal building is going to get law enforcement types very excited.



Wisconsin's Little College: Jobs Bill at Work


Leonard Sweet-heart Paul Kelm teaches secrets of staying young.




25 March 2010
Second campus pastor

Willowcreek Liberal Wisconsin Lutheran College welcomes back Pastor Paul Kelm, who recently accepted a call to serve as the second campus pastor alongside Pastor Nathan Strobel. Kelm previously served the college from 1979-1984 and 1993-1998.

Pastor Kelm spoke during today’s chapel service, following the week’s theme of The Lord’s Supper.

***

GJ - Kelm is in charge of organizing Pietistic cell groups and contemptuous worship services, both very popular with aging Boomers. The WLC board serves Geritol during its breaks.

Feel the buzz? Enthusiasm at work.

Donkey Poem - By G. K. Chesterton - Over 7,000 Views



The Donkey -
a poem by G.K. Chesterton

WHEN fishes flew and forests walked
And figs grew upon thorn,
Some moment when the moon was blood
Then surely I was born.

With monstrous head and sickening cry
And ears like errant wings,
The devil's walking parody
On all four-footed things.

The tattered outlaw of the earth,
Of ancient crooked will,
Starve, scourge, deride me I am dumb,
I keep my secret still.

Fools, for I also had my hour,
One far fierce hour and sweet,
There was a shout about my ears
And palms before my feet.


Kelmed from Norman Teigen

Gottesdienst


John Berg, Ma Vie en Rose


Gottesdienst sent me their latest issue, mistakenly thinking I subscribed earlier. They want money to send it to me in the future.

I had to wait through a routine appointment at the hospital, so I took it along.

One writer decided that ELCA would start using quotas, now that the 2009 convention voted for Please Ask, Please Tell clergy. ELCA began with quotas in 1987, which shows how timely and discerning the journal is.

I found the entire issue dismal, devoid of Lutheran content, and trying so hard to be cute. My gaydar issued a warning signal, but I thought, "Impossible. Gays are actually clever and creative."

Gottesdienst
absorbed the Berg brothers' earlier effort, which they tried to sell over the Net.

The alleged Lutheran answer to the Church Growth Movement of Norm Berg is priest-craft. That is why so many Lutheran clergy flip over to Rome or Constantinople. After working with Paul McCain, MDiv, on a worship book, LCMS Pastor Fenton crossed over to Eastern Orthodoxy, denouncing Lutheran doctrine.

That upset McCain, who has no doctrinal position.

Leonard Sweet-hearts Are Occultic




Here is a good link about Leonard Sweet.

In defending Paul Calvin Kelm, Frosty Bivens called him "no mean theologian," praise intended to awe the audience.

Kelm was pointman for the Church and Change Leonard Sweet conference. Kelm's buddies begged him to dis-invite Sweet, but Kelm would not even answer his critics on the Church and Change listserve. I have published that conversation.

Those who read the link will see that Sweet is clearly in touch with the demonic. The blog author discovered the connections with the Evangelicals back in 2000. I was writing about it in the 1980s - and being ignored, as usual.

The Shrinkers start out in the Reformed-Calvinistic camp with their precious UOJ, but their itching ears soon hear the siren call of occultism. Paul Y. Cho, South Korea, was one of the early blenders of occult and Christian thought - the ultimate winner being his Father Below. I heard Cho and met him in Wheaton, Illinois.

Earlier than Cho was a WELS favorite - Norman Vincent Peale. That man's Power of Positive Thinking was largely plagiarized from an earlier occultic work. Peale was kelming before Kelm! My source for that claim is the final issue of a quarterly journal the LCA produced. I was editing an article for one of my professors and it was published in that issue, as I recall.

Swimming in the same cesspool is Napoleon Hill, whose Think and Grow Rich has influenced so many, including Robert Schuller, who rightly claims to have invented the Church Growth Movement. Hill wrote about communing with the ancient spirits who hovered in his office.

If you think Hill is old news, he influenced Mary Kay of cosmetics fame, and many others as well. A quick Googling linked Mary Kay, W. Clement Stone (insurance fortune and his own foundation) and Hill.

Where did it all begin? The Father of Lies is the founder of all this, but Asian religion has served as a good mediator. Hinduism, Taoism, and Buddhism are anti-confessional, a-historical, and perfect for combining their concepts with formulas for success.

Cho combined South Korean religion with Pentecostalism and earned rave reviews in America. He was a guest professor at Fuller Seminary, thus proving my Unified Field Theory of Church Shrinkage. In the name of success, the false teachers have used the demonic to destroy their own denominations.

Who is denounced?

And who is paid lavishly for proclaiming these falsehoods and denying their associations?

The answers tell you how bad it is.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Birds in the Rain




One reader expressed marvel at my bird habitat activities. She lives in the People's Paradise of California, with all its complications.

I do not spend much time or money on that hobby, but I get a lot of entertainment. For example, she wrote about providing nectar for hummingbirds and getting wasps as a result. Lots of wasps. An invasion.

I planted bushes for the hummingbirds, investing about $4.50 in all three, which grew and sprouted an abundance of orange blossoms. That was in Phoenix.

I can buy bird nest fluff balls from Duncraft, to help birds build their nests. Instead I have dogs who shed their own fluff for the birds to use.

I have been bringing popcorn back from the movie theater for 30 years, putting me in the awkward position of keeping my relatives from eating it all. My last attempt at feeding the birds popcorn, on the window sill, ended up with all three dogs coming in reeking of popcorn. The sill was low, so they discovered it right away.

I thought Sassy would be good at eating the loose popcorn out of the Ichaboat, but she would not vacuum it for me. I gathered it in my hands and tossed it in the bushes. Sassy went into the bushes and ate the popcorn there. If Sassy senses I am a little peeved at her, she hangs her tongue out in a grin, "Don't you just love me?"

The newly planted roses got a perfect rainstorm, last night and most of today. I always watch the feeders to see how the birds are reacting to a storm. They normally come out in droves before a storm and stay in during the storm. This time they also came out in the worst rain, perhaps signaling that the rain would last a long time.

I have a good mix for the birds at two locations, both near windows. Each one has suet, sunflower seeds, Nyjer, and water. The squirrels may raid the sunflower seeds. So far they are content with the corn on the cob. I know squirrels and most birds love sunflower, but I gambled anyway because Bruce Church reminded me of how stunning a feeding cardinal can be.


By Norma Boeckler


Another solution is to raise a field of sunflowers. I am buying the giant Russian sunflower seeds and planting them in the sunniest locations. They can create some comical scenes, with squirrels riding the heads, bopping back and forth, eating the blossoms and later the seedheads.

If you doubt the abundance God provides, count the seeds on one Russian sunflower (striped seeds).

Unfriended - Only 900 Left


One of your classmates is looking for you on Facebook.


I expressed my opinion about Obama's Cuban Health Care takeover and abortion activism on Facebook. A classmate posted on the wall of another class, "I just unfriended Greg Jackson." That was followed by some name-calling. The second guardian of the Left, who received that message, followed by unfriending me and taking down the Photoshop I created for him. I was OK with them until I supported individual freedom and the sanctity of unborn life.

I only have 902 Facebook friends left now, so I am not too sad.

I point this out only because the Left does not tolerate an ounce of dissent. They excommunicate swiftly and without remorse.

David Scaer and Paul McCain unfriended me. I thought that was pretty funny too. The LCMS leaders who fall over themselves being friendly to ELCA are gratuitously rude to others. That's what I get for correcting Editor McCain's spelling. I do not know about Scaer. The last time I saw him, he thanked me for writing against Waldo Werning. Of course, Scaer did that sotto voce.

LP Cruz on Pieper, or, The British Empire Strikes Back


UOJ Stormtroopers love to debate...their way.


LP Cruz from Extra Nos sent a perceptive note, so I asked him if I could publish it:

I have been reviewing Maier's paper again.

I found the Calov quote that Jay Webber quoted to me.

This [Maier] paper is a clear and solid refutation of UOJ and is quite complete in that it even suggests how UOJ terminology should be corrected.

The fallacy of Pieper was the thinking - Tertium non Datur, meaning, he taught that either accept UOJ or you wind up believing you are saved by works which faith is a subset of. He believed there was no other alternative position.

This is a serious blunder and people are assuming what Pieper assumed, that there is no 3rd alternative to his idea of objective justification.

It has become serious because people are saying that if you do not believe in UOJ you do not believe the Gospel. Maier's paper is very sound and he paraded his exegesis of passages. For this to not be taken up by folk in LC-MS shows to me that there must have been a political spirit operating at LC-MS.

LPC

***

GJ - The basic fallacy of the Synodical Conference is the infallibility of CFW Walther. Therefore, they had to construct arguments to support everything he wrote, and Walther was prolific.

UOJ was cleverly used by the Preus brothers to push Maier out of the seminary presidency.

Rolf Preus, Jay Webber, and Paul McCain--three difference synods--promote UOJ as the pure Gospel when it is plagiarized from the Pietists. Those who reject their Calvinism are called "Calvinists"! That shows how little they have progressed from their repeat-after-me training at Ft. Wayne.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

First Corinthians Question


A sincere request: Would you please write or post on your blog your commentary on 1 Corinthians 9... especially verses 19-23? What does this mean? Please define how a present-day pastor might "do what Paul did" without being CGM. I would benefit most from a positive statement of what it means and how it applies, rather than negative statements on how others are doing it wrong. But I can't tell you how to write.

Thank you.

(P.S. This may already exist on your site, but I couldn't find it. If it does, a link, please.)

***

GJ - I am not sure what the issue is. An additional comment would help.

---

PoultryMan wrote:

As background info for you, that passage was also used in the Martin Sprigs "Outreach in a Digital World" presentation to cajole attendees that "see, Paul would use the computer."


(Page 5, here is the use of the passage. This link is to the resources page for the presentation.)


Yeah, Paul certainly would have a laptop on his travels. He would also travel steerage on his missions, and not spend most of his time at conferences and fundraising strategy sessions with his board of directors.


Grab your red-letter Bible and see what, if anything, Jesus said would fit in a Tweet.

Roses, Compost, and Birds




On Saturday we began to get about 10 inches of snow. An email told me the roses I ordered were on the way! Yesterday some snow was still in the parking lots and in the woods. The roses arrived late in the afternoon.

The altar guild decided to Go Galt this year, since one rose bush costs as much as one inexpensive bunch of roses at Walmart (about $10). I decided to order aromatic hybrid tea roses since Wayside Gardens had a special on them.

Today we had to pick up a scan of Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure, since my gruff but likable editor is ready to get it prepared for Lulu.com publishing. Northwestern Publishing House gave me the rights. Like Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, it sold very well for them. CLP is still listed with NPH. All the completed books are available from Lulu.com as free PDF downloads - no limit.

I looked at the sky and said, "Let's get home to get those roses in the ground."

I picked some good areas in the yard for the roses, although shade is a bit of a problem. To make sure it would rain, I washed and waxed the Ichaboat afterward. That worked, and the rain will stay until Sunday.

Nothing is better for new seeds and roses than steady rain. The bushes need to have the soil washed around their roots so the plant awakens from dormancy and begins to grow. In Arizona I planted them with paper grocery bags around them, to prevent drying out. That does not appear to be a problem here.

Next I will plant garlic or chives around them as a bug deterrent and aroma enhancer. Opposites grow best together, so the garlic family is used as a companion plant with roses.

Some people really believe in digging soil amendments into the ground. I learned from no-dig composting that the earthworms will do the job. All they ask is a soggy, rotting blanket of organic material above them. Compost is best, because it is finished and ready to shade the soil while feeding the worms. Leaves, grass clippings, and many other organic materials can also be used as mulch to accomplish the same thing.

The earthworms will:

  1. Tunnel up and down, providing channels for the rain.
  2. Sweeten the soil with their unique calciferous glands.
  3. Devour and grind up rocks and organic matter.
  4. Pull organic material into the soil.
  5. Produce nitrogenous waste, which is good for the plants.
  6. Place their castings on the soil surface or beneath the surface - the finest soil amendment of all. Try buying it - very expensive.
  7. Produce eggs, which will survive the harshest weather.
  8. Die, leaving a little bundle of nitrogenous matter to improve the soil.


Birds enjoy a Creation-based yard. Our backyard is a ravine with at least four dead trees lying on the ground or standing up, hollow and inviting. What people see as trash, animals see as condos. Needless to say, with abundant water, trees, bushes, grass, and hollow trees, we have plenty of birds: bluebirds, finches, bluejays, cardinals, starlings, woodpeckers, and juncos.

Finches love Nyjer seed (sometimes called thistle or niger), so I have two socks of Nyjer hanging at two windows. Bluebirds and many other species enjoy suet, so I have two suet stations. Bruce Church chatted up cardinals, so I added a sunflower feeder to each location. Cardinals like platform feeding, so I scatter some sunflower seeds on the front patio each day. Mr. Squirrel gets his ear of corn daily, after I walk Sassy - who hunts squirrels without fail and without success.

All that bird food costs very little and lasts a long time. I overdid the suet at Christmas, but the stations lasted almost three months. At $6 a lump, that is only $2 a month for suet, if the birds have only one bag of it. The bounty was probably a good idea, because we quickly became bird central. I wanted to get birds feeding at the window, and now they are.





Birds are noisy eaters and bathers, so a few happy birds establish a choice location for the rest of them. I added two inexpensive birdbaths for them, near each feeding area. One catches water off the roof, because the dripping noise is attractive to birds. The other one is on the back deck. It will be more attractive during dry weather, if that ever happens this year. Birds need to bathe and preen their feathers, so they favor areas with shallow water supplies. I took a $2 tin and places some rocks and a big rock in it, to allow the birds to step in and out easily. One giant rock serves as the waiting area.

Birds provide cheerful entertainment for very little investment. Our friends are coming soon, and they will be able to sit in the living room and gaze out the picture windows at birds enjoying suet, sunflower seeds, Nyjer, and water. Standing in the kitchen, they will see the bush where the same food and water are provided.



Stetzer Fans, Saddle Up! - More Proof That Pietists Become Political Activists





Source

What is Salvaton? – Answering Ed Stetzer’s Missional Question
Jump to Comments

There is an amazing conversation going on right now around the term “missional.” Every Monday Ed Stetzer (president of Lifeway Research) posts a question for missional thinkers to answer. Yesterday his question was on the topic of salvation.

It is a large and complicated question, so first I will recap his post and then answer it a piece at a time.

RECAP OF THE QUESTION:

I saw three underlying frustrations fueling Stetzer’s question:

1. Stetzer commented that the understanding of salvation on the individual/personal level should not be dismissed. He then gave multiple Biblical examples of salvation on this level and concluded that an individual’s personal commitment to Christ comes first and then his/her transformation toward social justice.
2. He pointed to a growing movement of people who would define “salvation” as bringing justice through political and economic reform (corporate, not individual level). This movement began as a both individual and corporate but has more recently become solely corporate tossing out the individual.
3. Many missional thinkers speak of salvation happening outside the church (specifically when speaking about God being on mission – the Missio Dei – and people joining God in that mission). Stetzer again mentioned his concern with this phrase hoping for a more further definition.

Stetzer then asked two questions:

“Should the definition of “salvation” be expanded beyond personal redemption of sins to include social justice through the reformation of economic and political institutions? We are not debating here whether we think social justice is right or wrong but rather should it be included in what we mean we we talk about “salvation.” Evangelicals have generally said no and mainliners have generally said yes.”

“Second, what is the difficulty with the question of personal salvation? Why is that hard for some to answer? Perhaps it is too unsophisticated, but I think it matters deeply. Actually, I think that just about all evangelicals would say it matters. Tim Keller has stated the concern and I share it. If you broaden “God is working outside the church” to one direction, you have to answer if it includes personal redemption. Perhaps I am obsessed, but I am O.K. being obsessed with the redemption of men and women. So, I think the “missional conversation” needs to ask (and answer), is God saving people outside of the proclamation of the gospel?”

IS GOD WORKING OUTSIDE THE CHURCH?

I’m going to table Stetzer’s first question for a later post (hopefully tomorrow) because the concept of justice is complicated. Rethinking my theology and the Biblical narrative through the lens of the Missio Dei has radically changed my understanding of justice and its place in the salvation discussion.

So now I would like to clarify why I (a grass-roots missional thinker with a Southern Baptist background) use the phrase “God is at work outside the church.”

The meaning of the phrase is determined for me by the context of the conversation.

1. God is working outside your understanding of church.

Often I use the phrase “God is working outside the church” to combat the idea that those who are not a part of an institutional church are somehow not able to be used by God. Let’s be honest, in our culture the word church is most often used to denote an institution. Buildings, worship services, beloved clergy, and programs are all central to our understanding of “church.” Many times when I use the phrase I am speaking directly to that understanding. I am part of a missional community that meets on Monday nights. We look nothing like an institutional church; but God is working through us in the community to bring salvation (individual/personal) to the lost. You would be amazed what a struggle this is for the average, everyday joe. You would be blown away how often I have been asked things like, “So when do you preach?” or “So when you grow big enough you are going to get a building right?” or “So what church is your small group a part of?” When I use the phrase in this context what I am really saying is, “God is working outside your understanding of church.”

2. The temptation toward universalism.

I don’t use the phrase to mean that some other form of salvation exists outside the Lordship of Christ; although I understand the temptation to use it in this way.

Growing up I was very much protected within the walls of the church. My church family was like an unbreakable bubble. We (believers) were in the bubble and they (non-believers) were out. I got passing glimpses of those outside of it, but never a monstrous amount of contact because my life revolved aournd (sic) the church. What defined those of us inside the bubble were the rules and rituals that dominated our lives. Following the rituals and rules is what it meant to be a disciple. Now don’t get me wrong, we preached grace and mercy. We spoke about the saving blood of Christ. We railed against legalism and salvation by works; but when it came to describing what the life of a believer looked like we gave examples like: we go to church on Sunday, we participate in the following five programs, we don’t drink, we don’t cuss, we don’t dance (where anyone can see you), we pray when we are in trouble or need something, we only listen to Christian music, and on, and on, and on.

---

GJ - Asking the question is a good way to promote the subject being raised.

Leftist Evangelicals quickly become pure Leftists who hide behind the cross to hide their hammer and sickle.

Church and Change hired Stetzer to be their main speaker, then lied about it until the cows came home. The Conference of Pussycats finally woke up and insisted the invitation be withdrawn.

WELS discipline consists of denying that it ever happened, or as Don Patterson handles it - hiding the eggs.

Texas WELS has a message to those concerned about organized Easter egg hunts:

No hay huevos.

Cuban Health Care Celebration



Missouri Shrinker Snuffs His Own Blog




Here is the shocking admission.

Click on his link for all the Shrinker trends, including Craig Groeschel, the Delphic Oracle of The CORE.

Community Church Easter Egg Hunt


Two choices here.

Dateline: Bella Vista, Arkansas.

I got my first Easter egg hunt invitation in the mail yesterday. No, it was not from Holy Word Lutheran Church (WELS) in Austin, Texas.

The Bella Vista Community Church invited me to their Easter egg hunt. There was not much room on the postcard, so that Easter egg hunt must have been very important to them.

One sect makes a big deal about Easter being named after a fertility god Oster, and the day being marked by giving colorful eggs. Such customs go back to Zoroaster, the religion of Queen's founder, Freddy Mercury.

One Lutheran, who does a lot of research for this blog, suggested I look at a search for WELS and Easter eggs. I did another for Missouri and Easter egg hunts. The results were appalling, in both cases.

I was discussing religious holidays with some pastors. We agreed that Easter was our favorite because it was the least commercialized. Advent has become a time of "I'm too busy because of all the parties." We have to hear Little Drummer Boy, sung by Bing Crosby, in every store and elevator.

Why detract from the value of Easter by associating it with a non-Christian tradition, an event staged by dozens of community groups at once?

Holy Word is so proud of their effort that they advertise it as a clever idea at the Church and Change website. They omit the eggs in the write-up, lest someone think they are Chicaneries. Patterson has issues with Church and Change. That is why he speaks there, attends their conferences, and organizes WELS workers to attend the Exponential conference.

Enthusiasts find each other and work together. They have a common bond, a common un-faith. They do not trust the Word.

Imagine the apostles gathering the crowds for an Easter egg hunt rather than teaching them about the resurrection of Christ.

That is what the WELS and Missouri disciples of Church Growth are doing. They are ashamed of the Gospel. They are Enthusiasts, looking for something "that works."

----

wildcard (http://wildcard.myopenid.com) has left a new comment on your post "Community Church Easter Egg Hunt":

Holy Word is so proud of their effort that they advertise it as a clever idea at the Church and Change website. They omit the eggs in the write-up, lest someone think they are Chicaneries. Patterson has issues with Church and Change. That is why he speaks there, attends their conferences, and organizes WELS workers to attend the Exponential conference.

They are so arrogant AND stupid!

---

wistex (http://wistex.myopenid.com) has left a new comment on your post "Community Church Easter Egg Hunt":

The reason why the eggs aren't mentioned is because they are an afterthought. Most non-members come to the sunrise service because they saw a road sign. These signs don't say anything else except "Easter Sunrise Service", the time, and the location.

The Easter Egg Hunt is done in between the sunrise service and the regular Sunday service, mostly to give the kids something to do. Similarly, Holy Word offers a breakfast to give the adults something to do.

If people weren't so willing to put the worst possible construction on things, you might see how inconsequential the Easter eggs really are.

But then we wouldn't have funny pictures of pastors in bunny suits, would we?

***

GJ - I thought my Doebler bunny was especially flattering. Alice in Wonderland 3-D, Part Deux, is having a casting call right now. Hurry hurry!

Howzabout having the adults hunt for eggs while the kids eat? The Shrinkers assume everyone is a kid needing entertainment?

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Renewable Energy Repair Bills, II



Renewalble Energy Repair Bills, I



Mid-Week Lenten Service, Because We Are Not an Emerging Church, 7 PM Central


By Norma Boeckler


Mid-Week Lenten Vespers


Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 6 PM Phoenix Time

The Hymn #268 Zion Mourns 4:98
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody Psalm 23 p. 128
The Lection The Passion History

The Sermon Hymn #40 The God of Abram Praise 4:94

The Sermon – The Humanity of Christ

The Prayers
The Lord’s Prayer
The Collect for Grace p. 45

The Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior 4:24