and tons of money. Yes, money is their only means of grace.
The Hydra has many heads but no brains.
Cut off one head and another two or three grow in its place.
bruce-church (http://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Pietism Has a Different Agenda":
I re-read this post and compared it to my experience with the WELS, and after reflection I'd say the post is 100% right on target, and actually makes sense of what goes on better than the current wisdom about why the WELS and even LCMS are the way they are. For example:
1) conventional wisdom says that the reason the WELS and LCMS can invite heretics to speak, e.g., Catholics and Sem-Ex, but not people who are nearly the same in doctrine and heritage, is that the presence of those who differ in one or two points leads to divisions and argumentation, but everyone can accept and tolerate and learn from those who are waaay different. But in reality, the Ockham's Razor explanation is that it's all about shunning, except that word shunning can't be mentioned because Lutherans don't do that.
2) I commented a few times on how I bought all the books and booklets that NPH and CPH had to offer on certain doctrines, but they didn't answer my questions or refute the heretics very well, so I had to look up Books in Print and write apologetics ministries for other resources. Not long ago I admitted to using the internet to study certain doctrines--to see what other authors of different persuasions were saying about certain doctrines. The WELS and LCMS people with whom I was shared this were appalled that I would, heaven forbid, look on the internet to find doctrinal resources!
3) That quip at the Mequon sem about only needing a Triglotta, Lenski and boxer shorts is meant to be taken more seriously than it sounds, meaning they want you to keep your nose in certain books and out of others.
Anyway, I'm confident that soon the true history of the synodical conference will appear (maybe on the internet), and then we'll know where all these doctrines and practices and shunning came from that separate the synodical conference Lutherans from other Lutherans, and I'm sure that the WELS, ELS and LCMS won't like it one bit.
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GJ - They will shun you, Bruce. Oh, they already do.
