I was wondering why the Shrinkers rage against my education. I remembered several episodes, which are typical of WELS pastors. The laity should know that the seminary does have any academic requirements or final tests. In 1987 they did not issue grades, but apparently kept secret grades. The reason, they explained, was that anyone could graduate in the old days.
When people dared to question the feminist creed in the dreadful WELS hymnal, the defense was, "I am an expert in Greek, and this is what the Greek means." Since few laity have ever studied Greek, that was the equivalent of - "Do you dare arouse the wrath of the Great and Terrible Oz?"
Few WELS pastors are more than adequate in Greek, although it is commendable that they are expected to know more than the average seminary dolt in America. The actual reason for the feminist creeds in the WELS hymnal is the passion of James Tiefel for apostasy. The creeds were adopted from a unionistic, Left-wing commission full of non-Lutheran mainliners of questionable doctrine and sexual orientation. WELS did not have to - WELS wanted to, itched to, panted and slavered to adopt the feminist language. The pastors fell in line because they are expected to do so. They are afraid of sticking out, even if the WELS heresiarch Ted Hartwig was the guy who defended the feminist creeds to the hoi polloi.
Back to the subject - WELS expertise and other laughable claims. Some WELS pastors are genuine scholars in various topics. If you want to find them, get a piece of string and start out at the far end, as far as possible from the headquarters, where the liberals are densest. I hesitate to blacken any reputations by saying something good about a pastor and naming him. I know they are out there.
Most WELS pastors are not expected to know much beyond WELS canonical law, which includes their claim of superb education. I mentioned one episode, above, which I witnessed, my jaw slack in horror at the arrogance and stupidity of the pastor. Browbeating does not prove expertise.
One of the WELS Shrinkers recently yelled at a lawyer, "I have eight years of higher education in theology," or words to that effect. I do not have a videotape, and if I did, the Appleton Dumpling Gang Circuit would say it was Photoshopped.
A lawyer has a superior education, compared to a WELS pastor, because a lawyer is in school just as long and must pass the bar exam. Moreover, a lawyer worth his salt has studied argumentation and logic. The use of rhetoric is directly related to our Western heritage of democracy, literature, and law. One cannot separate those academic fields very easily because they go back to the golden age of Athens, about 2400 years ago.
Many WELS pastors list seminary as "graduate school" on their web biographies. Really? Try to teach at a university on an unaccredited MDiv (Mequon) or even with one from an accredited institution. When Sparky Brenner tried to earn a PhD at a state university, they were so impressed with his education that they made him take a remedial year first.
There are more reasons why WELS pastors go nuts over talk about a real theological education. The Shrinker leaders have DMins from a hodge-podge of Schwaermer schools: Larry Olson, Fuller!; Paul Calvin Kelm, Our Lady of Sorrows; Steve Witte, Gordon Conwell; John Parlow, Denver; Rich Krause, Ohio Consortium of Dying Liberal Theological Schools - mentor Larry Olson, DMin.
The DMins call themselves "Dr." and refer to their degrees as doctorates. A DMin consists of a few courses and a paper, so no one considers it a doctorate. The degree name was made up to earn money for seminaries in promoting continuing education. It was a successful marketing ploy.
I was fortunate to study under a number of world-famous theologians and Biblical scholars, in addition to studies at Ft. Wayne and Mequon. I also attended many theological events, where I heard such Protestant leaders as Billy Graham, Paul Y. Cho, D. James Kennedy, Pat Robertson, and Jack Hayford. The fact remains - I have a unique perspective on the American religious scene, one a bit broader and deeper than going to a WELS parochial school, enduring years of hazing, and graduating with a degree in Reformed theology from Mequon.
Most of my work at Notre Dame was in comparative dogmatics. I just checked - Church and Change still cannot spell comparative correctly. We studied the differences between the main Christian confessions, which led to Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant.
I have noticed that opposition from Shrinkers consists of anonymous snarkiness and unsupported accusations. That is why their arguments crumble so quickly. If they had to argue their case in court without evidence, a judge would gavel them into silence. No wonder they love to post and blog anonymousely.
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wildcard (http://wildcard.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Why Does a Real Education Burn Up the WELS Shrinke...":
Education threatens to expose them as fakes, phonies, and frauds.
The student who did this is a Changer in the ELS now.
