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?"
