Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The Intrepids Are Doomed - Endorsed by Tim Glende





Suffering from the crabs in Seattle,
Glende and Ski attended a passtor's conference.
But WELS was not hosting one anywhere.
Marc Driscoll, the cussing pastor?


TUESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2010

A Welcome New Blog

If you haven't seen it yet, we would encourage our readers to visit the new Intrepid Lutherans website. We would especially invite you to read the following posting:

http://www.intrepidlutherans.com/2010/08/pietism-and-ministry-in-wels-brief.html

Unlike Dr. Gregory Jackson's blog, "Ichabod, the Glory Has Departed," IntrepidLutherans.com offers scholarly insightful articles on the church growth movement, pietism and other issues affecting confessional Lutheranism in our day.


***

GJ - Abandon hope if Glende endorses anything, albeit anonymously.

This may be a sign of repentance.

Stay tuned.



Why Purchase Hell When Heaven Is Given Away for Free?




My title is from a statement by Luther - so many purchase Hell by their works when they can have Heaven for free.

I was debating these matters by IM on Facebook last night. I seem to have a lot of conversations that way, often very late. They tear me away, reluctantly, from grading student papers.

Hygienic doctrine (aka sound doctrine - look at the Greek) teaches us how God does everything through the Means of Grace. I found a little piece by Prof John Brenner, published in FICKLE, on that topic. I did not swoon, because I saw no antitheses. If Sparky really believed what he wrote, he would have added: "So why are we promoting Reformed and New Age doctrine at this school and around the synod?"

Satan wants the sheep fed, fat and tender, but not warned.

All false doctrine devolves into a system of works, which is our default belief system. That is why works-religion is so popular and works-salesmen attract crowds. The Gospel is thinly sown. When people have their self-justification taken away by preaching the Means of Grace, they are just as furious as the Pharisees who trusting in their own righteousness. No longer does it matter than someone is fifth generation WELS--or, as they said in Byzantium--born to the purple. No longer does the acreage of the parking lot matter.

He got a grant? God grant him spiritual wisdom instead.

When Lutherans teach works religion--via their heroes Hybels, Warren, Sweet, Groeschel--they touch the hearts of the audiences, by hardening them even more. The works-preachers harden their own hearts too. A few decades of this sick doctrine and an entire synod is destroyed while the vultures feast on the bones. No discernment is left. No one has the will to stop the cackling carrion birds.

Luther is inexpensive. Luther is free. I would rather spend the rest of my life reading Luther than crack open a book from the latest works salesman.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Bullying Is Not Going To Work



Tim Glende hates the kitteh pictures, so keep sending them, Sine Nomine.



rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Antinomianism - The Law Is Obsolete":


I believe that President John Adams once said that "facts are stubborn things". There are those timid ones who will always avoid conflict, even to the point of abandoning their faith. In the WELS, blood is often thicker than doctrine. Digital photos of pastors with a Playboy model will circulate for a long time on the Net. Pietistic shunning and lame attempts to discredit a reliable source no longer work today. WELS pastors and laity can tell the truth to each other publicly and privately without worrying about a water carrier asking - "who told you?". The WELS brainwashing tools are powerful. But the Word of God is quicker and more powerful than any double edged sword.

When I first witnessed bullying, deception, and intimidation by WELS called workers, I was taken aback. Finally, I realized that much of management in private sector employment behaves in a more ethical manner. Hourly employees were permitted to voice their opposition to management, if done so respectfully, without fear of reprisal. In fact, at my present employer, the Federal anti-retaliation law is displayed on the company bulletin boards, as required by law.

***

GJ - Telling the truth suppresses the criminal element, the clergy who violate the law and continue in office, the way DP Ed Werner did. One pastor managed a DWI and a world missionary call within a short period of time. How arrogant is that, to thrust a drunk upon a trusting population in the name of Christianity?

Absolving the unrepentant only hardens their hearts, but that is done without remorse by those with similarly hardened hearts. Or, as my pappy used to say, "There is no love like the love of one drunk for another."

Meanwhile, the anonymous grapevine corrupts the criminal element, driving away decent members and pastors while protecting felons. Many WELS people know how they demanded the truth about Mrs. Tabor being murdered, only to have The Love Shack protect the murderer and move him to a new call in Escanaba, Michigan - to serve a congregation there!


Must Read Groeschel Article




Craig Groeschel Hisself.



Copycat blogger Tim Glende is also a copycat preacher of Groeschel.


The Intrepid Lutherans have posted a brilliant essay on Craig Groeschel's doctrine. Every Lutheran should read it. Lutheran DPs should act on it.

Here are resources to use:

1. Intrepid Lutherans post.

2. My fact page with links provided.

3. A visit to The SORE.

Twelve years of WELS training...down the drain.
Ski does Groeschel dishonestly - each week.


Catalyst WELS with all the Wisconsin Sect favorites - Groeschel, Warren, Andy Stanley.

Will Some Lutheran Leaders Please Stand Up




UOJ Stormtroopers read their favorite journal each week.


The blessed reign of Matthew Harrison, LCMS Synod President, begins shortly. He is a pleasant scholar with a sense of humor. He has already made a favorable impression on many Missouri Synod members, with the possible exception of Mark Jeske.

Some people think they are Lutherans because their families were and they have remained attached to something where the name Lutheran has not been effaced. Others imagine they are Lutheran because they have a sentimental regard for such things as the liturgy, confirmation, and tiger meat.

The Reformation began under Luther and continued under the Concordists because the leaders taught the truth but also condemned false doctrine in no uncertain terms. That quality is entirely lacking today. All the Lutheran synods (even the ELCA partners) began embracing Reformed and New Age doctrine through the Church Growth Movement, starting in the 1970s. The Concordia Ft. Wayne seminary even endorsed Church Growth Principles, as WELS and Missouri did.

Which leader in 40 years has condemned the Church Growth Movement as utter rot? Christian News endorsed and sold Valleskey's CG textbook. Bohlmann let CG grow. Barry-McCain did nothing, said nothing. Kieschnick fanned the flames. WELS SP Nauman allowed TELL to start and endorsed it. WELS SP Mischke did what he was told and promoted it, via Paul Calvin Kelm.

The ELS is known for strutting about how confessional they are. Orvick on CG? He promoted it by having Valleskey endorsed. Pope John the Malefactor? Oh please. The Concordists would not have let that ninny sweep the floors, let alone run the Little Sect on the Prairie.

"Apt to teach" is a requirement for all pastors. If a man cannot teach sound doctrine, he should resign from the ministry, whether he is a parish pastor or a District President, a mission manager or a CP.

KJV 1 Timothy 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

KJV 2 Timothy 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

Apt to schwaffle is now the requirement. The schwaffle term is slang for dancing around a topic, waffling with a German accent.

Note that WELS condemns people, not false doctrine. Members and pastors are afraid to state their questions and opinions in public, lest they be hit by the Shrinker Slime Machine, which operates 24/7 anonymously and targets the entire family, yea unto the fifth generation.

Those who cannot or will not condemn false doctrine have already condemned themselves. They brag about the calls they have in the filing cabinet or their synod-paid trips abroad, but they are not apt to teach.

The Word is always efficacious, even among synod officials. What they handle so casually has a way of acting upon those who treat it as a toy.

The fake blogger has condemned the Intrepid Lutherans:

"With the IL site, we did catch hints of mistrusting the called leaders of the WELS. If that's really the case, it is truly unfortunate."

The anti-Lutheran doctrine of the fake blogger shines through the shiny Dreck of Glende's blog. Everyone should trust the called leaders (Roman Catholic doctrine) not the Word of God.

---

Scott E. Jungen has left a new comment on your post "Will Some Lutheran Leaders Please Stand Up":

Mr. "Fake Blogger",

I'm going to make it very simple for you. How can I trust the leaders of the WELS? Let's just look at the last thirty years: we have a school system that is a shadow of its former self, millions of dollars have been spent with little if anything to show for it, and allowed Church Growth and sectarian worship to flood into our churches. Thankfully, by the work of the Holy Spirit, I trust in the efficacious Word of God, and not men.

If that makes me "unfortunate", well, too bad. If I trusted only in men, I would have left the WELS a long time ago.

---

bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Will Some Lutheran Leaders Please Stand Up":

The reasons the shrinkers give for encroaching on another's parish is, stated positively, we are doing more to reach the lost in their parish, and stated negatively, the established church is not doing enough to reach the lost in their parish. However, this doesn't wash because they could take their shrinker program to a ton of parishes not served by the WELS.

This brings us to the real reason the shrinkers start their new churches near established churches. According to church growth theory, one needs to start to build one's church upon scaffolding, i.e., stable members. So they are taking scaffolding from the established church. That's saves 25 years of work and teaching right off the bat.

Thus, a good part of church shrinking can be summed up in one rhetorical question: who wants to be a Paul when he can be an Apollos?:

1Co 03:6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.

10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.

***

GJ - Bruce, I would say it is more like, "Who wants to be a shepherd when he can be a wolf?"

Apollos and Paul believed in the efficacy of the Word. The First VP of WELS does not. The previous First VP was also a Shrinker. That does not happen by accident.



Sunday, August 29, 2010

Introducing the Links Du Jour



Proverbs 7:22


People send me good links from time to time. I just got one from...forgot his name already. Maybe it was a she.

Kelming an article messes up the blog's HTML because of table codes, etc. I decided to put current links up for a time, on upper left hand corner, the Link Du Jour, the link of the day. I will keep a few going all the time, for your edification and amusement.



Kelming Luther Will Lead To a Sermon Being Kelmed



Today's sermon reflected Luther's on the same text.


b.r. has left a new comment on your post "The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity":

Fake Ichabod comments that your sermons contain only law. Apparently they have read them with their eyes closed.

Many are ashamed of the pastors/leaders in the WELS for their mean-spirited attacks.

You, on the other hand, with your spirited writing are pretty much right on, and many WELS members agree.

As for your sermon this week, it was one of the best explanations of the Good Samaritan I have heard and seen. I plan on Kelming it and using it in my classroom. The Lord is truly using you to begin our reform. Thank you!

A WELS teacher.

***

GJ - I appreciate the kind comments about the sermon. If you look up Luther's on the same text, you will see that I kelmed his exegesis. I did not have the sermon open at the time, but I remembered Luther's treatment as being so compelling that I had to follow his basics. As someone else has said, if the Shrinkers are so keen on copying - why not copy Luther? The old Lenker series is in the public domain.

Fake Ichabod is from Appleton and is most likely Tim Glende. He manufactures a few comments from a small collection of friends. Pastor Lillo knows who it is because the fraud said he would apologize to Lillo when I suggested the blogger could be Lillo.

The fake is always furious when I deal with Glende/Ski false doctrine. He defends UOJ ineptly and claims the unionist Valleskey is a confessional Lutheran.

The fake blogger has never posted a sermon or anything edifying. As "Anonymouse," his favorite name for posting comments to this blog, he posted photos that reveal a warped and twisted mind. Not content to attack me anonymously, he added the names of active WELS and ex-WELS members. He ordered those same people he insulted by name to stop listening to him.

What do we know about the fake blogger? Let's do a psychological profile.
1. He is from Appleton. He lit up the Appleton light on Feedjit when sending a comment. Once I had fun with that fact, he stopped sending comments to this blog. The same thing happened with the person from Garland, Texas, the hometown of Patterson. The comments stopped when I identified their origin.
2. The faker is a coward, because he continues to post anonymously, just as he commented anonymously. The more he says, the more he gives himself away.
3. He is a bully. He and his little band of knot-heads clearly need to gang up together and boss people around. I saw the same behavior in Columbus, Ohio, where Glende failed to grow up. Like many WELS pastors, he continues to act like a freshman football player, posing with celebrity ho's starlets and posting those photos to his Facebook home page. Most pastors would pose with their wives. Not Glende and Ski. They want everyone to see them looking like calves led to the slaughter. Proverbs 7:22.
4. He is a copycat, like all the Church and Money Changers. He has copied the name of this blog to trick people into reading his disturbed posts, yet he calls himself "The Real Ichabod." But he advocates using a blocking software to keep my posts from registering on Google searches.
5. My study at Yale and Notre Dame before I joined WELS seems to drive the fake blogger wild, but his Uncle Brug studied at Yale.
6. I actually joined WELS, but Tim Glende was a non-member of WELS most of his way through school. His home congregation of St. Paul in German Village sponsored Floyd Luther Stolzenburg to spread Church Growth all over Columbus and the Michigan District. Tim's congregation practiced open communion, women's suffrage, Masonic Lodge membership, and even had their own Scout troop. Nitz and Schumann had a woman leading a Bible study, etc. The fake blogger seems to have a tender conscience due to his checkered past.
7. There is no mistaking the ugliness of the fake blog. It is all too familiar as the WELS management system, a style of abuse people will no longer accept. Thank you, Tim, for making public what most people would not believe about a small, closely related sect. Let us see your magnificent sermons, Tim. Let us see one edifying essay about the Book of Concord, the Confessions, sound Lutheran doctrine.


Need Help with WELS Women Pastors - aka Larry Oh!'s Staff Ministers:
Patterson's Secret Woman Pastor



Richard Jungkuntz began the apostate trend in WELS,
teaching HCM at NWC, moving to Missouri's Springfield seminary,
retiring in The ALC.


One source tells me there are four women pastors in WELS now, thanks to Larry Oh!'s unsupervised and out-of-control staff ministry program. I was looking for the list, which was once open on the Net. Now it is sealed behind their security screen. Afraid? You betcha.

Kudu Don Patterson has one of his own. So does Randy Hunter at his Latte and Loveseat franchise.
If someone has a complete and up to date list, please post it as a comment. I can copy an email without your name, also.

I am sure WELS will study this important topic, with the help of the Little Sect on the Prairie, after about 25 years. That is how they handled Church Growth. They promoted it, starting in 1977, and studied it in 1992. Valleskey studied it (under duress, he claims) and found it wonderful. The seminary published his article, showing their endorsement. The ELS clammed up, as they are paid to do.

Women staff ministers have already consecrated Holy Communion, usurping the role of pastors in the most blatant, hussified way possible.

PS - I heard Ex-SP Gurgle was behind the new woman pastor at Holy Word, Austine, Texas. I could not find her beaming face on the website. Nor was her name mentioned, as far as I could tell. Someone who knows says Patterson has wised up about the Internet and now hides what he is doing.

But I am sure Doctrinal Pussycat Glaeske is hotter than Georgia asphalt about this obvious breach in doctrine. <--This is an example of ironic humor.






---

WELS church lady has left a new comment on your post "Need Help with WELS Women Pastors - aka Larry Oh!'...":

This is exaclty the kind of stuff that makes everybody shake their head. First of all, are these women assuming the role of pastor. I know Pastor GJ has connections, but I need some rock solid proof to comment further. Yes, we are aware of the staff minister/deaconess program, but this latest news is troubling. This should be a topic for Intrepid Lutherans to discuss, for it is long overdue. DP Glaeske is two steps ahead of Patterson. Pastor Glaeske spoke out against Leonard Sweet being invited by Church And Change. Furthermore, DP Glaeske assisted another pastor in sending a letter up the Synod Hill. This "letter" concerned the possible apostasy of Mark Jeske! Glaeske did one other noble thing, which I thank God for, but I do not wish to discuss this matter on the blog. (it would not be fair to the CG/C&C guys)

It is funny though, other than the blogosphere, I NEVER hear any pastor mentioning Gurgel's name. How many lay members even know he serves in Austin? Strange!

---

I tried to make a direct comment on Ichabod several times - kept getting rejected. Sorry.

Here's my comment:

Greg,

It's really no big mystery. Here's the list, right out of the WELS Yearbook. [By-the-way, just about everything WELS of an "official" nature these days is now located on the "WELS Connect" secure site. Privacy and all that, you know. Just FYI]

Anyway, here they are:

Judith Eggers, serving as an "RA" at WLC

Kristen Koepsell, serving as Minister of Worship at St. Andrew, Middleton, WI

Linda Loeffel, serving as a Financial Aid officer at WLC

Kristine Metzger, serving as the Planned Giving Director at WLC

Marilyn Miller, serving as ??? at Abiding Word in Houston, TX

Sarah Owens, serving as a Deaconess with WLIM

Donna Stoollenwerk, serving as a Financial Aid officer at WLC

Lisa Uttech, serving as Music Coordinator at Grace, Manitowoc


Also, please realize that this information is more than a year old, so some of it might be out of date.

Again, no big secret, at least not that I know of.


P.S. - I have no idea why the Financial people at WLC have to be full Staff Ministers, except maybe simply "because they can." Seems kind of silly to me.

---

Scott E. Jungen has left a new comment on your post "Need Help with WELS Women Pastors - aka Larry Oh!'...":

Just as an FYI to all. Lisa Uttech resigned her postition at Grace, Manitowoc about two months ago.


***

GJ - We need a name for Patterson/Gurgle's newest addition, if my information is correct.


The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity



By Norma Boeckler




The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity


Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time


The Hymn # 281 The Savior Calls 1:29
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 #259 Flung to the Heedless Winds 1:64

Many Vehicles of Grace

The Communion Hymn # 308 Invited, Lord, by Boundless Grace 1:63
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 # 464 Blest Be the Tie That Binds 1:39

KJV Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

KJV Luke 10:23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Thirteenth Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, we most heartily thank Thee that Thou hast granted us to live in this accepted time, when we may hear Thy holy gospel, know Thy fatherly will, and behold Thy Son, Jesus Christ! We pray Thee, most merciful Father: Let the light of Thy holy word remain with us, and so govern our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may never forsake Thy word, but remain steadfast in it, and finally obtain eternal salvation; through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

To Hear the Voice of God

KJV Luke 10:23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

When we read the Scriptures or hear the Word, we should remember this introduction to the most famous parable. Those who have exalted positions, prophets and kings, longed to know what the truth was. A man who has conquered all his enemies and sits on the throne has the time to think about the meaning of life. So does the prophet who deals only in religious belief and practices (unless he is busy copying the work of others and presenting it as his own). If we look at those ages were most people were illiterate, it was the rules and the religious leaders who had the monopoly on education. As one historian said about England during Queen Elizabeth’s reign – there were so road signs because no one could read, no advertisements in town, because no one could read, no papers or magazines in their homes – because no one could read them. Queen Elizabeth was so well educated that she could berate a foreign ambassador in perfect Latin. The noblemen had libraries and clergy could read during that time of illiteracy.

Christianity began as a “mouth church” to use Luther’s expression because the Gospel was spoken to people. Jesus used the spoken Word to convert people to faith. So did the Gospels. This did not keep people from becoming scholars of the Word, as many did.

But imagine it the other way. Confucius began a religion or philosophy based on wise sayings, and it always remained book-centered. For many centuries the way of advancement in government was in being a Confucian scholar, taking exams on one’s grasp of the philosophy.

So we have a spoken religion and the only one where God is truly communicating with the world. Every phrase from Scripture is God’s voice. When the liturgy uses phrases and verses from the Scriptures (which it does almost 100%), it is the same as hearing the Word directly from the text. For instance, the blessing at the end of the service is as old as Moses, a three-fold use of “The Lord”, a three-fold blessing. It is God speaking to us as a group and as individuals and we should take each word to heart.

When people trust in God’s Word, they treat it accordingly. The presence of entertainment, noisy snacks, and sloppy dress imply that God’s Word is marginally important when presenting a secular philosophy. For example, when I attended a cult gathering called Xenox, I looked at my watch and waited for God to be mentioned during the “sermon.” No mention was made until 20 minutes had lapsed. Before that the speaker gave a monologue about himself. Yet many hundreds filled that vast gathering place.

Necessarily, if the speaker is fascinated with himself, he has little interest in God. If he has no knowledge of the Gospel, he will teach some form of the Law.

The Lawyer
That introduction is the prelude to the parable, which begins this way. Note that a concise Gospel--and even more concise parable--has details which we should overlook.

25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

This introduction is terribly confusing for the humorless, because Jesus often used ironic humor. The lawyer asked about what he needed to do in order to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked for a law response, which He was given. The lawyer gave the two-fold summary of the Law – to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus said, “Do this and you will live.”

The correct follow-up would be to say, “How is that possible?” But the lawyer did not hesitate. His own question assumed he could follow the Law.

No one can possibly fulfill the Law. As Luther observed, we cannot get past the First Commandment and say “I have always done this,” let alone the rest of the Commandments. Can anyone claim “I fear, love, and trust God above all things”?

The Law always condemns, whether it is God’s revealed Law or man-made Law. There are many sad examples of false prophets who laid heavy burdens on everyone else but never felt moved to obey the same rules.

The lawyer wanted to justify himself (not the same as being justified by God). He asked “Who is my neighbor?” The answer is the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

The Word of God is turned around so completely that people interpret this as a Law parable. In other words, they imagine the parable condemns people for not doing enough to help others.

At the end of a sermon on the Good Samaritan, where people feel the sting of the Law for not doing enough for others, the congregation slinks out, with some resolving to join one improvement society or another – all with good intentions. Thus a Law sermon is going to promote the formation of political activism. What we see today in Left-wing activism is Messianic without the Messiah. R. Reuther in The Radical Kingdom, connected Left-wing activism to Jewish and Christian Messianic hopes (as the foundation of their political program).

The legislative program of Franklin Roosevelt was the agenda of the Social Gospel – labor laws, child labor laws, pure food and drugs, urban renovation and children’s playgrounds, etc. In America, all the mainline church leaders belong to one party because it represents the their ideals of Messianic hope without the burden of believing in the Messiah.

The Parable
We can see the genius and clarity of Jesus’ teaching by reflecting on how well we know this parable. It is easy to imagine and repeat.

1. A man is robbed and beaten almost to death on the road to Jericho. (Social Gospel answer – make the road to Jericho safe!)
2. A priest saw him on the road and went to the other side to avoid him.
3. Likewise, a Levite went to the opposite side of the road, rather than help him.
4. The third person was a Samaritan, who had compassion on the man.
5. The Samaritan bound up his wounds.
6. He poured oil and wine in the wounds.
7. He placed the man on his beast and brought him to an inn.
8. The Samaritan took care of him at the inn.
9. When the Samaritan left, he gave money to the innkeeper for continued care.
10. He also promised to repay anything spent on the stranger for his recovery.

Jesus asked the lawyer which was proved to be a neighbor (“Who is my neighbor?”) The lawyer had to say, “The one who showed mercy.”

So what do we conclude about Jesus’ answer – “Go and do likewise”?

Those who live in the Law only see the Law, so they flog everyone with the Law. They do not know the origin of mercy since they show no mercy.

Clearly this parable shows Jesus as the Samaritan. The story answers the challenge about God providing so many Means of Grace. That has been one of the attacks on historic Christianity, started by Zwingli – “God does not need a vehicle, like an oxcart.”

And yet the Samaritan had a vehicle.

How many ways did the Samaritan offer his help?

a. He bound up the wounds.
b. He poured wine (the Law) on them.
c. He poured wine (the Gospel) on them.
d. He lifted the man onto the beast.
e. He took him to the inn.
f. He cared for him at the inn.
g. He promised future pay for his continued care.

Did the Samaritan need all this for the half-dead man, or did the victim need it? At any one point, people might say, “That is quite enough to help a stranger,” but the Samaritan did more and more, far beyond our expectations.

All these steps, which are quite detailed compared to other parables, show us how many ways God provides for our healing, forgiveness, and eternal life.
We can see from this parable that man needs the Instruments of Grace (Means of Grace), and God graciously provides them.

What happens when Lutherans want to be another denomination but are too chicken to join that other group? They abandon the Means of Grace. They replace the baptismal font with a movie screen. They have no altar or pulpit. They have a stage. They have wireless mikes so they can prance around like their spiritual snake-oil cousins. Their own words betray them more than the d̩cor Рthey copy verbatim the words of false teachers and publish them as their own.

They are the priest and Levite who pass by on the other side of the road, lest they help the dying man.

The lawyer had to say that his neighbor was “The one who showed mercy.” To show mercy, we need to know what mercy is. That mercy begins and ends with faith in Christ. Apart from that faith, anything done is a sin, whether it means donating a billion dollars to charity or speaking a fake Gospel with 20 sub-woofers in the background.

The entire Bible only teaches one point – forgiveness (justification) comes from faith in Christ. Works do matter, but they follow faith and forgiveness. They are the result of justification and not its cause.

Note how the Christian Pharisees add their law to the Gospel, rendering a false law and a death-causing fake gospel. They have a long list of what people must do, and they parade their works to provide a good example (in their hardened hearts). They are doing what no one else is doing, they tell us, and reaching the people no one else is reaching, they emphasize. But they do not publish their stolen sermons. They do not broadcast their plagiarism, which would give away their dishonesty and criminal behavior.

When Law and Gospel are confused, people think the Law saves them by doing good works to earn God’s favor. That makes them insecure, because they are never sure. In time, they cling to the works and no longer have faith.

In contrast, the Gospel itself is the energy and motivation behind good works. Starting with all our sins forgiven through Christ crucified, our human mercy flows from the divine mercy already provided in so many ways.

Trust in God’s Word is essential. When the minister says, “Your sins are forgiven,” that is God speaking through a fallible, ordinary person. That forgiveness is true no matter what our feelings may be. We are to look at the Word and not our feelings.

Whenever we seek to justify ourselves, we doing the opposite of what the Gospel teaches – justification by faith alone, apart from the works of the Law. God alone justifies. It is His work. Knowing our weaknesses, which are many, He provides many forms of the Gospel – Word, Sacrament, mutual consolation, absolution. One poor over-worked minister may preach to the same person for 20 years, with no apparent effect, but the next mention of the Gospel may provide the final work of God upon that person and the conversion is clear and compelling. One organist never took communion for decades in his church. One day he appeared at the altar rail, down from the balcony, a mysterious stranger to the children in that congregation.

A legend? Perhaps, but I have seen many example which are similar. Sadly, many move in the opposite direction, turning away from the Word of God with the excuse of man’s many failings, the church’s many failings. It is good to be disillusioned because that means we were living with illusions. Man’s great works are glittering cloaks of sin, as Augustine said. We should trust in the Word of God, not the works of man.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Hymn 603



Hymn 603, The Lutheran Hymnal, lyrics under copyright.


Shrinker Modus Operandi


rhs (http://rhs.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Shrinkers Scared into Using Blocking Service":

The fake Ichabod makes a big stink about slander and libel when that is exactly what it does. What deceitful, yellow journalism!

***

GJ - You have identified the modus operandi of the Second Synod, WELS Church and Change. They howl in pain when their false doctrine is identified. They scream "Slander!" whenever someone dares to confront them. But they are lazy, lying slanderers.

It takes 12 straight years of WELS brain-washing to render a pastor so inept that he publishes an anonymous blog demanding an answer to his ignorant rants.

I would like to thank Ash, Kelm, Parlow, Witte, Glende, Englebrecht, Ski, and the plagiarizing pastors at Bethany, Appleton - for revealing to WELS what Church and Change is all about.

---

From the fake blog:

Protect Your Reputation

Listening to the car radio this afternoon, I heard an advertisement for ReputationDefender.com. This software allows people to react and respond online to those who would post slanderous and libelous statements about them.

For those who names and reputations have been dragged through the gutter by Dr. Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D. on his Ichabod the Glory Has Departed blog, you may want to check out ReputationDefender.com.

https://www.reputationdefender.com/index.php


***

GJ - Here is the funniest joke of all. The fake blogger used a variation on this blog's name so he (Glende) could get people to read his material from the Google links. The very technology Glende used to get a few readers by craft and deceit is what he blocks to hide the true and verified information about him, Groeschel, Glende, and Doug the Unready - on this blog. I appreciate the joke, because the Money Changers are the butt of it. Like their leaders Jeske, Patterson, and Gurgle, they have to hide, sneak around, cover up, deny, and falsify. You can run, but you can't hide.



Shrinkers Scared into Using Blocking Service




A WELS member has informed me that the Shrinkers are using a paid blocking service on the Net, to keep people from reading about them from Google searches.

The service must be doing a whale of a business, because all the Shrinkers covered frequently are blocked (images and Ichabod links) - about 90%, according to my IT department.

Last year I heard about people bawling all around WELS. No matter what search they did, Ichabod came up first. In fact, I saw that happening as I did research with Google. I was the first choice on any given Lutheran topic. I was the source for graphics too.

If you think someone is pulling my leg, I can quote the fake Ichabod blog where that very service is named, promoted, and linked. In contrast, they dare not link me or quote me because I can refute the Shrinkers so easily. Anyone with an IQ above room temperature can, so that is no boast.

Fear is the reason why they are spending money to keep off Google, where the proof is quoted and linked, even if the links mysteriously disappear. Fear comes from their lack of faith.

Too late for blocking, Church and Money Changers. Everyone is finding out how millions of dollars were wasted, how Lutheran doctrine was attacked, how New Age paganism was advanced by your scrofulous friends.

Instead of fixing the links, you should have corrected your doctrine.

PS - My idea. Instead of paying $20 a month to block Google, why not pay half that per month to keep me from writing? I will call the service skeered_of_ichabod.com.

Phone call. My attorneys - Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe. Just a minute. "OK, hold on guys. I understand." They said that my idea would be prosecuted under RICO, FERPA, HIPAA, and UGMA.

Mrs. Ichabod added, "Those yahoos would couldn't finance a trip to Hooters, let alone a monthly service, unless they tapped their congregational budgets, three foundations, Thrivent, and synod subsidies."




Church of the Augsburg Confession



Martin Chemnitz saw himself as a theologian of the Augsburg Confession.


People have asked me about Church of the Augsburg Confession. I used that term because Diablo thought Triglotta Lutheran was a bit awkward on my Facebook page.

I have nothing against the name Lutheran, so I am not in synch with the leading lights of apostasy. However, there are so many variations on Lutheran synodical names that some are being repeated, like Hollywood B movie titles - King Kong, Frankenstein, Dracula. The confusing term Augustana Ministerium has been revived, although it properly describes the pastors of the Augustana Synod.

Luther and Chemnitz called themselves theologians of the Augsburg Confession. I have to wonder about any Lutheran pastor who thinks the Book of Concord is boring, irrelevant, or out of date. The same people think Groeschel, Sweet, and Driscoll are relevant!

We do not have an Augie League for kids - so far. Our Altar Guild consists of ladies from three states who work on improving the chapel.


Antinomianism - The Law Is Obsolete


WELS is now facing what I predicted 18 years ago - the force of the law.

For instance, if their colleges wink at underage drinking and other crimes, how big will the lawsuit be when someone establishes liability for the school officials, the school, and the synod? ELCA lost a lawsuit for $40 million because of its attitude about being above the law. That is more likely to happen in the future, no matter which synod is involved.

WELS has a deep respect for man-made law, since they cherish 4,117 unwritten rules laid down by their savants from the recent past. One is - a student can only sit with his classmates in chapel. That law is enforced with rigorous shunning and warnings. They also defend the inerrancy and authority of Holy Mother Synod while confessing the Scriptures are full of g-r-a-y (stretch out the word gray) passages, which only their expert MDivs can interpret.

I remember WELS Pastor Robert Schumann taking the classic position of the Antinomians when he was in Columbus - the Law is a tutor that leads us to Christ. Paul did say that in Galatians, but the Apostle did not conclude the Law was obsolete. Schumann did, just like his spiritual father Agricola, another bright fellow. The Michigan District knew they had a full-blown heretic on their hands, but did nothing about it. Heresy was a hobby, not a sin, in the Tailhook Circuit. Schumann also denied Creation, which was one of the reasons the church left The ALC in the first place. I wondered what the sainted Pastor Lange would have said about the spiritual oversight of his congregation.

Schumann was simply being honest about a common attitude in WELS, which has its parallels in ELCA. In the name of UOJ, there is no sin, so they can do whatever they want. Their spiritual pride does not allow them to admit being wrong about anything, so they punish and shun anyone who questions their teetering Tower of Babel. Like all Pietists, they shun for life, and this shunning is visited upon the extended family wherever possible. If WELS can destroy a marriage in the name of synodical fidelity, then all glory be to God. They have no problem with destroying friendships. Better that one should die for the sake of many, as the Pharisee once said.

One would guess that the Michigan District would have avoided repeating the disastrous Antinomian decisions of DP Mueller and VP Kuske, who were retired by "decision" and by being voted out. But Columbus happened because of the lax Circuit Pastors, who could not manage to knock the skin off a pudding, let alone deal with legal and doctrinal issues. They replaced one "spineless DP" (in the words of F. Bivens) with another one. The vicarage supervisor of Jailhouse Rock Zerbe was restored by former CP and now DP John Seifert. Thus WELS basks in eons of grace without the Means of Grace - UOJ Antinomianism.

I did not just get off the bus from Little Flower Convent School. I work in institutions where instructors violate the law and bosses deceive others. However, the law constrains them with brutal force. They may not confess with David Scaer that "The devil aims at the crotch," but they recognize that principle and act accordingly. I heard about two incidents where the instructors were canned on the spot after dalliances or attempts to begin something. In fact, instructors are fired after one session for being lazy bags of wind or not showing up as scheduled. I work under various constraints of newly written federal law, which are mostly good and must be obeyed - or else. They deal with disabled students and the right of privacy.

In higher education and in corporate life, the web of regulation is protective in a way never experienced in a church body today. No one can march in and get rid of someone, for having questions, the way Pope John the Malefactor did. The secular powers also know that protecting an evil person could cost them millions of dollars. That does not make them perfect, but they are more likely to think twice before violating the law. Appeals can be messy and expensive. Some people complained about policies at one school and the entire workforce was changed to reflect those charges.

If someone asks about problems in WELS, there are two avenues used to cover them up. One is to defame the person with the information (a crime not recognized by WELS). The other is to make up a minor concession--chuckle, we are not perfect--while lying promiscuously. The discipline of shunning is no longer working so well. Before, people were afraid of The Stare and the silence following. Now they are discussing matters instantly, facilitated by the Net.

Two approaches may be used in dealing with The SORE in Appleton - not to mention St. Peter, Freedom...Bethany, Appleton...St. Mark, Depere.
One - blame me and my little blog for all the trouble. DP Englebrecht has already tried this without success. Pastor Tim Glende and his Gang of Four have blogged and commented anonymousely without effect, except to encourage and empower me. Timid Lutherans have pulled back in horror, afraid of taking a position on anything.
Two - face the doctrinal and legal problems involved. Plagiarism is a crime. So is violating the contract, the call, where promises are made on both sides. The congregation promises to pay if the pastor fulfills his stated duties. Copying a sermon and lying about it caused one WELS pastor to leave the ministry years ago. Now, under Englebrecht, it is reason to support the men involved and promote them as district leaders. Naturally, the divine call involves doctrinal issues, so everyone should be dealing with those matters.

Trepid Lutherans are ignoring the same issues elsewhere, such as CrossWalk in Phoenix, CrossRoads in Chicago, Latte in Wisconsin, and the new female pastor at Holy Word, Austin, Texas.

Synod officials can be sponsors of heretics. They usually are. The question is whether they can be Confessional Lutherans before it is too late. "When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith?"

Emergent Church






Critics are saying:


"I laughed out loud and almost spewed coffee on my computer screen this morning.

Same cell, sprayed for bugs, detailed cars..... what a hoot!

I cannot wait to see the next one!

Sincerely,"

Name withheld and blocked on Google


Friday, August 27, 2010

Church Mouse Review of Seminaries





The Church Mouse has a review of seminaries. Normally I would not look at their catalogs. Few readers would. Look over the observations to see how far down the gutter theological education has gone. The Episcopal Church is just as willing to be snookered as the Lutheran synods.

Emerging Church is all over WELS and Missouri, but that is just a coincidence. Everyone should pretend it has not been happening for the last 33+ years.


WELS Heretic Update




The Second Synod - Little Hope Babtist Church.



Daniel Baker has sent letters about The SORE and added to his blog. Here is an example, which explains the Ski-Glende concept of sacred music runs to modalism. Modalism means that one god has three names, so this one god is the Father or the Son or the Holy Spirit. I would use the term Sabellianism, but I cannot spell it.

Quote:

UPDATES on recent "CORE Review"

After posting my review of the experiences I had at the CORE last Sunday, I have been troubled to discover even more alarming facts about the "service." Firstly, as I noted in the previous post, much of the content from the CORE's service was directly ripped off from the LifeChurch.tv site of false teacher Craig Groeschel. Well, upon gaining access to Groeschel's website, I downloaded his "Message (aka sermon - "message" is the word Ski uses too)" outline, and discovered that it was the *same* outline in the CORE bulletin! What's more, the discussion questions were verbatim from Groeschel's site as well! Truly troubling.


***

GJ - I understand Kudu Don Patterson has a female assistant pastor. I dredged his websty and did not find the evidence, but the site is rather strange. The SP-in-Exile Gurgle is not pictured. The newsletter is partially blank, including a church council meeting heading for the year 2001. I found this below, which may be copied from Victory of the Movie Theater:

Soccer Is My Game - Jesus Is My Life

Soccer Bible Camp
HIS PASSION
OUR VICTORY
Holy Word Soccer Bible Camp 2010
About The Camp

Soccer Bible camp is a fun way to meet new friends, learn new skills and get some exercise. It's a great break from summer boredom for both parents and kids alike. Our caring and loving staff of volunteers will teach your kids Gospel truths and soccer skills in a safe, Christian atmosphere.

The camp runs from August 2-6 from 9:00 - 11:30 am at the
Wells Point Park Soccer Complex in Pflugerville located near Springhill Elementary School on Heatherwilde Blvd. [map to complex] The cost is only $35 per child. (There is a discount of $10 per child for each additional sibling who attends.) Please bring soccer shoes, shin guards, and sunscreen.

Every child that attends Soccer Bible Camp will receive a soccer ball and a Soccer Bible Camp T-shirt.

---

wildcard said...

What will the children remember and cherish the most, the soccer ball or the T-shirt? Oh, I forgot the word Bible was in there.



***

GJ - Kudu Don is not Church and Change. Oh no, but he links their newest neoplasm:

League of Leaders



Your Move, Bishop:
Bishop Bilks Beautiful People in St. Louis with Ponzi Scheme

Let us prey. The bishop is also an attorney.


Here is one article.



Bishop Sigillito, Low on Funds, Represents Himself in RICO Suit as Judge Bows Out


eagleton courthouse.JPG
Image via
Sparks are flyin' in the civil case vs. Sigillito!
Clayton attorney and American Anglican bishop Marty Sigillito stands accused of running a $45 million Ponzi scheme that fleeced both regular Joes and members of the St. Louis Racquet Club. He's currently under federal investigation. See last week's feature, "White Collar Crime."

Marty Sigillito is attempting to fight off his accusers in federal civil court, but he'll have to do it solo AND in front of a different judge.

Yesterday, the honorable Donald J. Stohr recused himself from hearing the matter any further, without giving specifics (Daily RFT suspects it had something to do with his colleague, judge Henry Autrey, whose clerk happens to be married to Sigillito.)

As for the bishop, he'll be going it alone henceforth because, according to a filing from his erstwhile attorneys, David Helfrey and Doug Roller:
Mr. Sigillito does not have sufficient funds to pay [us] for the work already done on his behalf nor for future representation.

Sigillito's first foray onto the battlefield was a motion to at least get the allegations against him clarified -- after all, he wrote, the complaint contains various "misstatements" and alleges he was behind hundreds of phone calls, faxes, e-mails and packages but doesn't specify any dates or recipients.

"It is virtually impossible to answer the complaint the way it is drafted," Sigillito writes, adding that he only "has access to sporadic loan agreements" because the FBI seized all his files back in May.

He's also moved to get the case thrown out for lack of jurisdiction. Why? Backstory: the main beef of the plaintiffs is that Sigillito arranged for them to loan money to a real-estate developer in the U.K. Now, the American plaintiffs aren't getting paid back and it's unclear where the money all went.

Sigillito is arguing that the plaintiffs haven't even submitted any of the loan agreements into evidence (which is true). The only loan agreement to which he has access clearly states that any dispute arising from the transaction would need to be handled by English courts. Because his accusers haven't proved the rest are any different, he argues, the case should get thrown out or moved across the Atlantic.

Here's an excerpt from the incredulous response filed by opposing lawyer, Sebastian Rucci:
"the complaint against Martin Sigillito is not a breach of contract from England, but about racketeering in the United States....To suggest that the American victims must proceed in foreign soil is simply absurd. Under this logic, every defrauder could simply create some connection to a foreign country and deny the American victims their rights to compensation in an American court. It's [a] wonder that Martin Sigillito did not offer to sell land in Cuba in order to deny the plaintiffs any rights at all."
Rucci has further moved to depose Martin Sigillito. We'll see what the next judge decides to do about all this.                            

Welcome to the School Up Yonder, Where Beer Does Flow and COS Chunders



We have official denials that COS still exists,
so we know the story is true.
T-shirts and sheriff department complaints.
The MLC gay video is still posted on YouTube
If you click on the link, YouTube will suggest other gay videos to watch.

Several people have recently discussed Martin Luther College with me. They have a faux-secret group there called COS, which was formed decades ago to support under-aged drinking and other illegal behavior. I remember hearing about it at Northwestern College, when President Voss said to an assembly, "Welcome to the land of COS," and the place erupted with cheers. Information about the term and the roar of approval was sketchy, to say the least.

Teen drinking is a great prelude to a lifetime of alcoholism, and WELS is known for being the ecclesiastical version of Country Western singing. There are the WELS drunks and the drunks' drunks. I could mention names and the pastors would easily associate them with being alcoholics. UOJ does more than promote Antinomianism. UOJ is Antinomianism in disguise. But WELS is like Ireland, where public intoxication is nothing while trivial matters are heinous sins.

Another component is the amalgamation of DMLC and NWC. Before, WELS had two small colleges - one for teacher training and one exclusively for future pastors. The future pastors had to get their language studies done before seminary, so they were learning Greek, German, Hebrew, and perhaps some Latin. DMLC included some men but had more women students. The WELS joke was that DMLC stood for Dumb Man's Last Chance, since someone could drop out of NWC due to languages and finish at DMLC as a teacher.

WELS, being such great stewards, pushed the two colleges together, creating one small and shrinking college out of two stable schools. Gurgle was the genius behind this. He swore it would only cost $8 million and blew $30 million on it. Prairie was turned into a prison and Northwestern Prep took over the NWC campus as the re-baptized Martin Luther Prep. The new Prairie prison got a brand new music of building, which WELS built for $500,000 to $1 million. Doubtless they sing "Prisoner of Love" with greater gusto, thanks to Wisconsin's money management skills.

This bifurcation of educational goals at Mary Lou College means that the pastor-track students have to study many extra hours while the teacher-track students go out to party. That makes it easier to downgrade to the teacher program, which was somewhat shameful before, meaning a guy had to move to another state. Now all he needs is a form filled out and a sturdy liver.

WELS is not very good at teaching the languages required. Unfortunately, those who get foreign languages easily are those who end up teaching them. They really think that memorizing word lists and grammar rules will teach students to translate, because it worked for them.

My fellow students of English - did you teach your children how to talk that way?

"Billy, we are learning the imperative mood today. Here are the rules..."

Billy - "Give me a cookie."

"Later, Billy. First you must learn the rules."

Does the government teach its spies and military people that way? Ha!

I learned the Roland Bainton method at Yale, which he used to master 20 languages. He used the Gospel of John in Greek and the same Gospel in a new language to learn the basic vocabulary and grammar.

I modified this for the Bonehead Method. The Bonehead Method begins with the Gospel of John and adds a few simple rules -
1. Avoid the pony or jimmy (English translation, called pony for a free ride, jimmy for the King James). The pony is the last-ditch crutch, never left open. We are all lazy.
2. Translate the known words, guess the rest.
3. No writing of the English word in the text.
4. Forget grammar rules, such as objective versus subjective genitive. Is that the origin of two justifications - mission creep?
5. Parse carefully, using the Schluessel if necessary. Use it in German for Brownie points. Oh wait - WELS is death on Brownies.
6. Look for the root words and use them in translation, to get used to the feel of the language. In Greek, phone (called) is translated "phoned." Jesus phoned the disciples. That is a bit funny but it helps the student look for root words and translate more freely. One can also find many fun and even shocking words in Greek and Latin. In Latin, a bowl of water is a pelvis of water.

The Bonehead Method works with all students, whether they are horrible in languages or truly gifted.

This is how I tutored in Greek and Latin.
A. We translated the first four chapters of John slowly, picking up the basic insights about vocabulary and parsing.
B. Start over from John 1:1 and translate the entire Gospel.
C. By the end of John's Gospel, students can read the Greek or Latin and translate on the fly.

Pastors should start out students in Greek and Latin before they take the formal classes. That way the student can go to class without being in constant flopsweat over "what does this word mean" and "what is this rule."

WELS goes through the motions, but a lot of the pastors never catch Hebrew or Greek. They rely on their jimmies to get through.

---


bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Welcome to the School Up Yonder, Where Beer Does F...":

"Doubtless they sing "Prisoner of Love" with greater gusto"

or "Jailhouse Rock."

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Between a Round Rock and a Hard Place



Easter egg hunts and New Age conferences work for Kudu Don Patterson.
Why not for me?


WELS church lady has left a new comment on your post "Fine Young Cannibals - WELS Mission Churches Canni...":

Nice picture of Pastor Doebler! You could have photo-shopped some pants (jeans) on poor Brother Matt. Christ The Rock (no Lutheran in its title) can best be described as seventy percent Core fused with thirty percent Grandfather's WELS church. Nuclear secret number one-Pastor Doebler is friends with Ski. Nuclear secret number two-Pastor Doebler likes the Core's website. Christ The Rock was a creation of the evil Church Growth Gurus. Unfortunately the joke is on Pastor Doebler and his congregation. The CG guys addiction just got much stronger, so they are going multi-site and thus squeezing out Christ The Rock. It is not too late to repent and become 100% Grandfather's WELS church.

Ski and Pastor Doebler are minions. Go after their overseers!

In Christ,
from WELS church lady


Holy, Holy, Crunch, Crunch, Crunch - Worship at The SORE




Do you want your prayers plain or buttered?


"Following that portion of the service was a prayer, about halfway through which the muffled sounds of crunching popcorn finally ceased."

WELS Eye Witness

***

GJ - I am sure the ELS and WELS Boards of Doctrine are jumping on this like a hobo on a hotdog.

Hey Ski, where did you get your machine?

Do you really have a soda fountain?

How much has that increased your attendance?

Would you speak at our convention?

---

Joseph Schmidt has left a new comment on your post "Holy, Holy, Crunch, Crunch, Crunch - Worship at Th...":

The music played at The SORE, Philips Craig and Dean, is from an anti-Trinitarian band. Looks like they're on their way to Unitarianism in Appleton.

***

GJ - They began The SORE that way, with a rock band noted for mocking the Christian faith.


---

Comments from his blog:

Freddy Finkelstein said...

Keep it coming Mr. Baker. Good Review.

Intrepid Lutherans said...

Pastor Spencer here, of Intrepid Lutherans. I very strongly encourage you to send this in hard copy form to Ski himself and the District President, with copies to Ski's Circuit Pastor, the Pastors of the "mother" church, the rest of the District Presidium, and the Synod President. Please add specific charges of the use of false doctrine and plagiarism and detail them clearly. Do this today. If you don't get a reply within 5 business days, send it all again, and keep doing so. This is the only way we're going to force the issue to be dealt with, if at all. Thank you for your work. I'm sure it must have been very unpleasant.

Daniel Baker said...

Alright Pastor Spencer, will do.