Sunday, October 31, 2010

Only Ichabod Gets Them Upset

A Doctrinal Pussycat has been caught reading Ichabod.
The Capon Pastors are no better.



twissted_sisster has left a new comment on your post "Weren't Jeske Just Doing That at the Appleton BORE...":

"The (W)ELS Synod president and each District President should not be allowed to show their faces in public following the pathetic and shameful lack of Confessional fortitude and action."

Truer words were never spoken. Is there ANYTHING that gets these so-called leaders off their duffs to defend the Church against the poison arrows being flung at it from every direction? They are ALL an embarrassment to our synod. Modern day Martin Luthers, they are not! On this Reformation Day, I say we need yet another reformation. We need to wrest our synod from the clutches of these cowards who have a stranglehold on it. I pray for leaders who have the courage to do what we and they know is right. By their silence, our current elected synod officials are aiding and abetting the apostates, making them all accomplices in the downfall and eventual elimination of our church. Most of all, we need leaders who are ready, willing, and able to lead this church and get it back on track. It's time to clean house like Jesus Himself did in the temple. I'm thinking maybe the housecleaning should start in at the Synod's headquarters.

"to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen." ~Martin Luther

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GJ - Those leaders are needed, but they are gone, quashed, kicked out, and shunned. Every blog attempt has been neutered or silenced. While everyone was asleep, the Changers in WELS and UsFirst in Missouri took over and replicated.

God is punishing the old Syn Conference for embracing Enthusiasm in one form after another, falling prey to:
  1. Forgiveness without faith, UOJ.
  2. Receptionism, the denial of the efficacy of the Word.
  3. Unionism with Fuller, Willow Creek, ELCA.
  4. Romanism.
  5. Replacing the efficacy of the Word with supreme trust in Holy Mother Synod. [Brett Meyer]
  6. Supporting the New Age religion of the Antichrist through Thrivent, Lutheran World Relief, Habitat for Humanity, New Age Emergent false teachers such as Leonard Sweet promoting a Cosmic Christ and Contemplative and Taize worship. [Brett Meyer]
  7. Dishonest Academics (Every UOJ Enthusiast plays nasty and thoughtless games to destroy any discussion about UOJ) [Bored]
  8. Illogic/irresponsible language (Even good pastors who preach Justification by Faith Alone run like heck from any conversation that causes them to disagree with Mother Synod-- Some pastors teach the Truth but vehemently defend the falsehood their synod Officially teaches. [Bored]


PS - Two points are kelmed from Brett Meyer and two from Bored. Additional points are welcome, whether named or anonymous.

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norcal763 has left a new comment on your post "Only Ichabod Gets Them Upset":

I live 800 miles away, but, as the gang-bangers say: "I'm down for it".
How many people could we get to Milwaukee for a peaceful protest?
Jim Becker-ex WELS

Weren't Jeske Just Doing That at the Appleton BORE (WELS)?



LCMS DP Wille graduated from The Sausage Factory, about the same time as Jeske.


Jeske is not LCMS or WELS. He is New Age.


LCMS News

Fall gathering in Reedsburg Oct. 4 reprises 'God's gifted seniors'
Thursday, August 19, 2010 :: 460 Views :: 0 Comments :: Article Rating :: Announcements, Older adult, Human care, Events ::

The SWD's spring gathering at Cedar Valley was so well attended that the senior gathering committee decided to offer it again in a new venue with a “Fall Gathering in Reedsburg” at the Voyageur Inn Oct. 4, 2010, 200 Viking Drive (County Hwy H), Reedsburg, WI 53959. The theme is the same, "God’s Gifted Seniors—Yesterday and Today."

At the spring gathering a capacity crowd enjoyed hearing Rev. Mark Jeske of Time of Grace ministry share his insights about what’s happening with Lutherans today. He will do this again in Reedsburg after the morning devotional Bible study with Rev. Mark Meier of Emmaus, Poy Sippi. After lunch, Rev. Ron Riemer will coax you into filling in the blank space in his "God’s __?__ servants" presentation. Some good Lutheran-style singing (that would make Garrison Keillor smile) will be a prelude to Jeske’s afternoon chat about God’s gifted seniors. [GJ - Keillor never was a Lutheran. He is a Plymouth Brethren Pietist.]

Registration for this event is $50 for the day that will begin at 9:30 a.m. and close at 4 p.m. Breaks and lunch are included. If you have questions, please call Peg Raabe at the District office, (414) 464-8101. The deadline for registration is Sept. 22, 2010.

Fall colors will be at their peak in early October, so you might like to enjoy the whole weekend, or at least Sunday, in Reedsburg. Golfers checking in at the Voyageur Inn enjoy a special $38 rate for 18 holes and a cart at the lovely Reedsburg Country Club. Quilters alert! The Quintessential Quilts store is within walking distance. Or take a tour of the Wollersheim Winery which is 40 minutes away.

You can take advantage of the Voyageur’s special weekend rate of $59 per night (double or single occupancy) offered to fall gathering participants. Please make your own reservations by calling the Voyageur at (800) 444-4493 and mention that you will be attending the South Wisconsin District fall gathering on Oct. 4. More information about area attractions in and around Reedsburg can be found at voyageurinn.net.

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Mark Jeske - ANOTHER speaking engagement (Keynote speaker) in the LCMS coming up this week: http://stmarksymco.org/oct%2010%20news.pdf (PAGE 8) clipped below:

(PS WELS has a congregation in Weston - but Mt Olive is LCMS)
DISTRICT & SYNOD NEWS

The 2010 Adult Gathering will be held on Thursday, November 4 at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Weston. The theme, "All Things to All People‖ is based on I Corinthians 9: 22-23. Entertainment for the Gathering will be provided by The Junior Choir of Trinity Lutheran School, Wausau. Pastor Mark Jeske, Senior Pastor at St. Marcus Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will be the keynote speaker.

St. Marcus, once a small struggling church going through troubled times, is now, under Pastor Jeske’s leadership, a multicultural congregation of 1,000 members that operates numerous outreach ministries. Pastor Jeske has also

spent a year in Columbia, South America starting a mission church and two years teaching at Northwestern Preparatory School in Watertown, Wisconsin.

http://www.nwdlcms.org/assets/files/Workshops/2010%20Adult%20Gathering%20brochure.pdf

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PAGE 5 PHOTO OF MARK JESKE entertaining members of LCMS

http://swd.lcms.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=4EYzDh1nqPc%3D&tabid=36

Reformation Sunday





The Festival of the Reformation, 2010


Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time


The Hymn # 265 Thine Honor Save Erhalt Uns Herr
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 # 262 A Mighty Fortress 1:86
The Gospel Shows the Father’s Grace
The Communion Hymn # 264 Preserve Thy Word 2:55
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 # 347 Jesus Priceless Treasure 2:77

KJV Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

KJV Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. 15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Collect
O almighty, eternal God: We confess that we are poor sinners and cannot answer one of a thousand, when Thou contendest with us; but with all our hearts we thank Thee, that Thou hast taken all our guilt from us and laid it upon Thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and made Him to atone for it: We pray Thee graciously to sustain us in faith, and so to govern us by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may live according to Thy will, in neighborly love, service, and helpfulness, and not give way to wrath or revenge, that we may not incur Thy wrath, but always find in Thee a gracious Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The Gospel Shows the Father’s Grace

Lenski:
“The angel has “the everlasting gospel to preach” εὐαγγέλιον αἰώνιον εὐαγγελισαι; the noun and the infinitive repeat and thus emphasize the gospel and the idea of good news. We need not ask what this gospel is, for its content is stated in v. 7. The older Protestants regarded this first angel flying in midheaven as a prophecy of Luther and his gospel, and to this day Rev. 14:6, 7 is the regular pericope for Reformation Day. Sometimes it was thought that Luther was prefigured by the third angel. The other two were thought to be Wycliff and Huss. When commentators reject this interpretation they do so without sufficient reason. The text for Reformation Day is well chosen, for the fathers of Reformation days selected it not because they identified the first angel wholly with Luther. The Reformer, too, preached only the old apostolic gospel. The angel with the eternal gospel is the messenger from heaven for the whole New Testament Era and thus most certainly includes a man like Luther who once more made the eternal gospel ring out in all its saving power and purity in the whole wide world despite all the devil’s effort to hush his voice. Use the text as the fathers intended it to be used, and all is well. If any made the angel apply only to the Reformer, their only fault lay in the narrowness of their interpretation.” Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. John's Revelation. Columbus, O. : Lutheran Book Concern, 1935, S. 428.

Some stained glass windows have a figure of Luther with wings, carrying the Bible. The symbol is quite powerful, because Luther and the Reformers went against 1000 years of Medieval tradition to restore the Gospel.

The Gospel, in the simplest words, shows the Father’s grace. The Reformation worked against ten centuries of Law preaching, fear, and condemnation.

The concept of Purgatory came from Plato, from pagans, as the Roman Catholic Church has admitted. Anyone who belongs to the Church of Rome agrees with Purgatory by virtue of membership. Purgatory fits well with man’s wisdom – we are imperfect and need to be cleansed after death. That by itself is a repudiation of the Gospel. Even worse, Purgatory is a system of works teaching people how they can earn their way into heaven by pleasing God with works. Although a few people may reach heaven immediately after dying, they claim, the vast majority spent hundreds and thousands of years being tortured in Purgatory, comforted by the Virgin Mary and consoled by the presence of so many priests, nuns, and Notre Dame coaches. Mother Angelica spoke glowingly of Purgatory by saying, if she died and woke up there, “I made it!”

The fear-stoked Catholics are told to aim at heaven so they land in Purgatory. If they aim for Purgatory, they may miss and…

Grace
The issue is how we receive grace and what this grace means.

KJV Genesis 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

The ark saved Noah from the global destruction that followed, and that ark became a symbol of Holy Baptism.

KJV 1 Peter 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Luther was trained to be a Biblical scholar. Even with all the Medieval traditions he had to learn, he studied the Word of God. Luther was an Augustinian monk, which meant that Augustine was especially respected in his order (compared to other figures, such as Aquinas, who is still the favorite of Rome today).

Augustine is the greatest theologian of the Christian Church, next to Luther, and he emphasized God’s grace and the power of the Word.

Paul, Augustine, and Luther were converted by the Word of God, so they knew and experienced the grace of God in His Word.

The Word of God must necessarily go against the traditions of man. God reveals His Word and calls men to teach it, but Satan fulminates against the Word and tries to destroy it by supplanting it with an imitation Gospel.

When prisoners escaped from Alcatraz, they fooled the guards by having dummies in the beds. The guards saw human forms and heads, and assumed the prisoners were in bed for the regular head count.

Satan uses grand and popular worship services to re-assert the folly of a religion of works. Modern man faces the same withering religion of Law that Medieval man suffered under. Two versions are popular. One is the Law religion of political activism, where the church is used to advance the Marxist agenda in the name of caring about the poor and making peace a reality.

The other Law religion concerns itself with prosperity, self-fulfillment, and transforming lives. These are two versions of the same Enthusiasm, new revelations from man and his Father Below, displacing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The religion of works teaches that man must do to earn God’s grace and favor,

The Gospel teaches God’s grace, converts man to faith, and brings to man that grace of the Gospel, earned by Christ in His titanic struggle against Satan.

The religion of grace teaches that God’s favor and forgiveness come to man through faith alone, apart from the works of the Law.

When man is not certain of God’s grace, he looks for ways to make himself confident. Man is not good at this, so he always fastens onto something wrong, whether emotions (religious ecstasy) or works of the Law (suffering, giving, lobbying for the Left).

To counter this, God has given us the clearest possible tokens of His grace. They symbolize His grace and favor, but they also provide what they symbolize. These are the instruments of His grace, the Means of Grace.

The Word is the Means of Grace in each instance. We are confident in His forgiveness because it is based upon the objective Word, not our feelings or works.

People confuse that proclamation. The atonement of Christ is the universal payment. The crucifixion is the redemption of the entire world. The message of this atonement or redemption (propitiation, expiation, ransom payment, reconciliation) is the Gospel.

The purpose of Gospel preaching is to teach man first that he does not believe in Christ. Secondly, to show by the empty grave and Ascension that Christ lives eternally to give us eternal life.

Conversion itself is important, but re-emphasis is also an essential part of worship and teaching. Man loses his confidence in the Gospel and begins to trust in himself. That is a natural process called entropy. We drift away from the truth, just as engines wear out and fires die down.

When man begins to lose his trust in the Gospel alone, he reaches out for certainty in other forms – traditions, works, emotions, and worldly honors. Grace plus works is no longer God’s grace but some form of Law – not God’s Law, but man’s Law leavened with snippets of Christianity.

Luther’s sermons emphasized faith in Christ, faith in God’s Word, because that is God’s message –
1. That He has done everything for us.
2. That He has given us certainty in the Means of Grace, no matter what others or our feelings may tell us – not even if Satan assails us with doubts.
3. That the Word is our only light, our foundation, our assurance of God’s grace, favor, and forgiveness.

The power of the Gospel is so great that it permeates every aspect of our lives. The Gospel makes us impatient with false teachers and intolerant of false doctrine. The world begs us to give the cancer of works and feelings a little more time to be straightened out. Friends urge us to be flexible and compromise on just a few points, to be uniters rather than dividers.

The Gospel brings the cross, but it also brings that inner peace that does not abandon us when people rage against the Word.

WELS Kwik Trip Supports Abortion Agenda of Dayton - One of the Worst Politicians Ever

Two corporations gave to DFL leaning Win Minnesota

Posted at 8:59 AM on October 26, 2010 by Tom Scheck (0 Comments)
Filed under: Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor
A lot of attention has been given to the corporations that have been giving to groups supporting Republican Tom Emmer's campaign for governor. But two companies gave money to Win Minnesota, a group working to elect Democrat Mark Dayton. Kwik-Trip gave $25,000 to Win Minnesota. Anheuser Busch gave $10,000 to the group.
Source - Minnesota Public Radio

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"Kwik Trip is supposedly owned by WELS members who have donated a lot of money to various WELS ministries.  (In case you don't know, Kwik Trip owns and operates a ton of gas station/convenient stores in WI/MN.)

As you may also know, a recent Supreme Court ruling now allows corporate support for political candidates.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, supposedly WELS Kwik Trip has donated to Win Minnesota, a group focused on electing radical pro-abortionist Democrat Mark Dayton as Minnesota's next governor.  http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/polinaut/archive/2010/10/two_corporation.shtml

Maybe Kwik Trip has a corporate board that decided to do this over the supposedly WELS owners' objections.  I suppose that would be the most charitable possibility to assume.  But I can no longer support Kwik Trip with my business, even though the owners support WELS ministries, when they use their profits to support pro-abortionists."
WELS Member
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Campaign Crawlers

Blundering Toward the Governorship

By his own admission, Mark Dayton wasn't much of a senator. Minnesota Democrats have decided to give him a chance to prove he'd better a better governor, as he is the party's choice to run against Republican Tom Emmer in the race to succeed outgoing Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Dayton won Tuesday's primary in a tight race with state representative Margaret Anderson Kelliher. While none of the Democrats on the ballot seemed like a good choice to pull Minnesota through the Great Recession, on a scale of one to ten in terms of liberalism, Dayton comes in at 11.

In a recent editorial for the Star Tribune, Dayton laid out his glorious plan for lucky would-be constituents: Tax the rich -- even more. He opined, with pride: "My first objective in offsetting an estimated $6 billion deficit for the next biennium would be to make the richest Minnesotans pay at least that same share of their incomes in Minnesota taxes."

While Minnesotans tend to elect liberals, the occasional conservative slips through. Pawlenty, the departing governor was one. Under his tenure, Minnesota slipped from one of the most heavily taxed states.
Dayton's biography differs considerably. He was a legislative aide for Walter Mondale, another liberal Minnesota gem, and then served as U.S. Senator from 2001-07. He earned a reputation, albeit a poor one, during his tenure in Congress. Dayton told a group of high school students in 2006 if he were to grade himself on his accomplishments as a U.S. Senator, he'd give himself an "F." That same year Time magazine named Dayton one of the country's five worst Senators (they called him "The Blunderer") because he "exhibited erratic behavior" and at one point closed his office for a month because of an "unspecified terrorist threat."
Unfortunately his political philosophy is even worse. He's as progressive as President Barack Obama, siding with him on policy issues from advocating universal health care, to opposing privatization of Social Security and raising taxes on the wealthy. He opposes the Iraq war, supports same-sex marriage, and is pro-choice. Hardly any of those positions would be as harmful to Minnesotans -- or more in line with the President's playbook -- as an increase in taxes on the rich. On his web page he unabashedly declares:
Read my lips, "Tax the rich." Minnesota's wealthiest citizens pay only two-thirds of their fair share of state and local taxes. That's wrong. As Governor, I will raise taxes on the rich of Minnesota, NOT on the rest of Minnesota.
Dayton actually supports as many as three new income tax brackets including persons/couples earning between $130,000 and $150,000, those who earn over $500,000, and those who rake in $1 million. He says he would also tax million dollar homes and eliminate tax loopholes which allow "snowbirds" -- Minnesotans who bear its frigid winters in warm climate for six months plus one day -- to evade paying personal income taxes. The plan is based on data from the Minnesota Department of Revenue's Tax Incidence Study. From it he derives that if "the richest 10% of Minnesota households paid the same percentage of their incomes in state and local taxes as the rest of taxpayers, they would provide $3.8 billion in additional revenues for the current biennium and, by extrapolation, over $4 billion in the next biennium."

His logic is faulty, though certainly consistent with liberal thinking. He concludes this would erase the future deficit and balance the budget (and though he fails to mention it, throw some wealthy folks into irascible rage). What he of course neglects to realize, or at least acknowledge, is that a tax on the rich does the opposite because it compels them to relocate, affecting the economy and the deficit.  Rich States, Poor States authors Arthur Laffer and Stephen Moore argued in the Wall Street Journal last year, "Here's the problem for states that want to pry more money out of the wallets of rich people. It never works because people, investment capital and businesses are mobile: They can leave tax-unfriendly states and move to tax-friendly states."
The real irony about Dayton's soapbox regarding money is how much of it he has. Dayton is the heir to the Dayton-Hudson fortune of Dayton department store -- now Macy's -- fame. The Dayton Company started Target Corporations and financed his 2000 run for Senate with related funds.

That's not all. The group "Alliance For a Better Minnesota" has been pummeling his opponent, Republican Tom Emmer with negative ads for a while. One of their biggest contributors is "Win Minnesota" which operates via the generous donations from members of Dayton's own family, including his ex-wife (the eldest daughter of John D. Rockefeller III). His mantra: If you can't convince them; buy them. Dayton might succeed at both. In a mid-June KSTP/Survey USA poll of likely voters, in a three-way race Dayton would win a plurality.

Minnesotans have already elected one embarrassment, whose blunders never cease. They don't need two in the nation's limelight.

Nicole Russell writes from Northern Virginia.

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Voted NO on banning partial birth abortions except for maternal life.

S. 3 As Amended; Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. Vote to pass a bill banning a medical procedure, which is commonly known as "partial-birth" abortion. Those who performed this procedure would then face fines and up to two years in prison, the women to whom this procedure is performed on are not held criminally liable. This bill would make the exception for cases in which a women's life is in danger, not for cases where a women's health is in danger.


Reference: Bill S.3 ; vote number 2003-51 on Mar 12, 2003

Rated 100% by NARAL, indicating a pro-choice voting record.

Dayton scores 100% by NARAL on pro-choice voting record For over thirty years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has been the political arm of the pro-choice movement and a strong advocate of reproductive freedom and choice. NARAL Pro-Choice America's mission is to protect and preserve the right to choose while promoting policies and programs that improve women's health and make abortion less necessary. NARAL Pro-Choice America works to educate Americans and officeholders about reproductive rights and health issues and elect pro-choice candidates at all levels of government. The NARAL ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization's preferred position.



Source: NARAL website 03n-NARAL on Dec 31, 2003


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Mark Dayton and the Comeback Trail




The seemingly remarkable comeback of former Senator Mark B. Dayton in Minnesota’s gubernatorial campaign has apparently confounded DFL activists and pundits alike. While most political observers had written off the 63-year-old former lawmaker four years ago when he called Washington a “cesspool” and refused to run for reelection, Dayton suddenly finds himself with a double-digit lead in the DFL’s August primary.

While Dayton, whose last political comeback involved spending $12 million of his own money to win a seat in the U.S. Senate a decade ago, is mounting his third political comeback, he’s also remembered for thwarting a similar comeback attempt by one of the most famous political figures in Minnesota history.
This is a look at that long-forgotten — and lopsided — primary campaign.

An heir to the Dayton-Hudson department store chain who just happened to be married to a Rockefeller, the 35-year-old Dayton made his political debut as a candidate when he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1982, a period in which the U.S. Senate was quickly becoming a “millionaire’s club,” largely as a result of Federal Election Act of 1974. Enacted in the wake of the Watergate scandal, that law enabled affluent candidates like Dayton to spend an almost unlimited amount of their own money on federal campaigns while limiting non-wealthy candidates to maximum individual contributions of $1,000.

Dayton, a graduate of Yale, enjoyed the enthusiastic support of almost the entire DFL leadership, including former Vice President Walter F. Mondale, during that campaign. That wasn’t surprising given the fact that Dayton was a close personal friend and longtime financial supporter of the ex-Vice President.

But there was another candidate eyeing that seat, arguably a far better-qualified individual who actually once held that very seat in the U.S. Senate. He was also one of the most fascinating political figures ever produced by a state that had given the nation more than its share of political talent. Sadly, the DFL never gave him the time of day — largely because of Dayton’s immense personal wealth.

That candidate was Eugene J. McCarthy, the former two-term Senator who risked his political career in 1968 to arouse the nation’s conscience and help bring an end to the Vietnam War.

Encouraged by old friends and supporters in Minnesota, McCarthy announced that he would seek his old seat in the U.S. Senate. Hoping to restore the Senate to its historic role as a kind of counterbalance to adventuresome presidents, the avuncular poet-politician had been living in an eighteenth-century farmhouse in rustic Woodville, Virginia, in the years following his last foray in national politics — a forlorn independent campaign for the presidency against Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford in 1976.
Some folks thought he was jesting when be buzzed through Minneapolis in the summer of 1981 hinting that he wanted his old Senate seat back. But McCarthy was serious. Returning to Minnesota, the 66-year-old blast from the past officially declared his candidacy the following March.

An original thinker, McCarthy had continued putting out weighty, if largely ignored, policy ideas long after leaving the Senate in 1971. It mattered little to him that his influence as a national political figure had lessened considerably. Ideas were important. As such, he had a pretty interesting platform that year.

Calling for “absolute political confrontation” similar to the kind which finally ended the war in Vietnam as a way of curtailing the nuclear arms race, the white-haired McCarthy once again found himself as the peace candidate. He also called for the creation of an International Agriculture Agency, patterned after the highly successful Canadian Wheat Board, to promote agricultural exports — a huge issue in Minnesota. To combat foreign competition, the former Senator proposed a “defense import tax” on goods imported from countries receiving military protection under treaty with the United States.

McCarthy, who proposed that the appointment of the Federal Reserve chairman should run concurrently with the president’s term, also sharply criticized the deregulation of the savings and loan industry — several years before the Savings & Loan crisis that ultimately cost U.S. taxpayers some $160 billion — and advocated a revision in the home interest tax deduction policy to create a larger pools of savings for home mortgages.

Source

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Big Questions for the Synodical Popes on Reformation Sunday



Rev. Craig Groeschel has a host of groupies and plagiarists among the conservative Lutherans,
not just in Fox Valley, WELS.


Hey Big Guys - SPs Harrison, Schroeder, Moldstad:
  1. Why can't you teach your graduates to preach their own sermons?
  2. Is their dishonesty worse than yours, since you do nothing about it?
  3. What is the attraction to ELCA? Sure, they are big and adored by the Left, but what compels you to work with them while clucking your forked tongues over how bad they are?
  4. When can people count on liturgical services, Lutheran hymns, and creeds, on a regular basis? Maybe just start with fresh, new Lutheran sermons crafted during the week - based on Scriptural study and the Confessions.
  5. What binds your greedy minions to Thrivent? You know better than anyone that Thrivent is the umbrella organization that brings all Lutheran groups into a dishonest union, chiefly to benefit ELCA and Habitat For Humanity. Have you no shame?
  6. When will you apologize to your members for the decades of emotional, sexual, and physical abuse visited upon them by your clergy and covered up by your leaders?
  7. Will you support your faithful clergy and laity at some future date, or will everyone keep watching lobbies like Church and Change, Jesus First, and the others romp around freely?

The Fourth Reich - Proposed Constitutional Changes at St. Peter - Light from Light



"You seconded that schtoopid motion??


Proposed Constitutional Changes at St. Peter � Light from Light


Proposed Constitutional Changes at St. Peter

On June 28, 2010, the voters of St. Peter met to consider proposed changes to our congregation’s constitution and bylaws. A number of changes were approved, and these proposed changes will be voted on at the Autumn voters’ meeting sometime in November 2010.
Article VI, Powers and Rights of the Congregation, Section 4, of our current (unchanged) constitution reads as follows:
No group or society may be organized within the congregation without the approval of the congregation. The congregation shall be assured that the aims of such a group are in complete harmony with the congregation’s aims before it grants its approval (1 Corinthians 1:10; 12:25).
This is the proposal that was presented to the voters on June 28:
No group or society may be organized within the congregation without first speaking with the pastor(s) who will discuss it with the church council (the approval of the congregation). The congregation shall be assured that the aims of such a group are in complete harmony with the congregation’s aims (before it grants its approval) (1 Corinthians 1:10; 12:25).
I moved to delete the parenthesis, and add a comma & the word “and” after “council,” so that the first sentence would read:
No group or society may be organized within the congregation without first speaking with the pastor(s) who will discuss it with the church council, and the approval of the congregation.
I believed that “the approval of the congregation” was the most important phrase, and was too important to be relegated between parenthesis. As part of the discussion, Pastor Glende revealed that the parenthesis were supposed to mean that what was between the parenthesis would be deleted, and that the words in parenthesis were intended to show what the original language was. (16:30). (My impression was that most people did not catch that the parentheticals were proposed deletions).
So to clarify for the reader, here is what was actually being proposed (with the proposed additions underlined, and the proposed deletions crossed out):
No group or society may be organized within the congregation without first speaking with the pastor(s) who will discuss it with the church council the approval of the congregation. The congregation shall be assured that the aims of such a group are in complete harmony with the congregation’s aims before it grants its approval(1 Corinthians 1:10; 12:25).
The first problem with this language is that in order for someone to form a small group, all they have to do is first speak with the pastor. Nothing is said about the pastor’s approval. That is not what was intended, but that is what the language says. I believe the intent was to take away group and society approval from the congregation, and give it to the pastor(s) and council. Pastor Glende said this would make small group approval more efficient.
I believe that it is important for the congregation to have the only say with regard to any group or society formed within the congregation. The ratification of any small group or society within a congregation is too vital a power to take away from the full congregation.
Because my motion was seconded, there was a vote. However, the person who seconded my motion apologized for doing so, and explained that his second was only so that we could have some discussion, not because he actually supported my motion. Thus, lacking any additional support, my motion was defeated.
A church council member stated that our “church council has been elected to make decisions for the congregation,” and we need to trust them. If “there is anything major, then it will be brought to the congregation for a vote. But if it’s a minor group that wants to start up, the pastors and church council should have the right to allow them to do that.” (35:15). He then proposed language which the congregation adopted:
No group or society may be organized within the congregation without first speaking with the pastor(s) who will discuss it with the church council the approval of the congregation. The congregation shall be assured that the aims of such a group are in complete harmony with the congregation’s aims before it grants its approval (1 Corinthians 1:10; 12:25).
The “approval of the congregation” was struck from the first sentence. Receiving only one “no” vote, this proposed language passed. The end result is unclear. (However, when a written constitution is unclear, it allows the interpreters to forbid and permit what the interpreters wish).
Overall, because the proposed constitutional changes were presented to the voters in bold and (parenthesis) instead of being underlined and crossed out, it is difficult to determine what was supposed to be in parenthesis (such as Bible citations) and what was actually supposed to be deleted. (When I read through the proposed changes before the meeting, I did not fully realize that some of what was in parenthesis were proposed deletions).
Moreover, some language in the proposal just disappeared without any parenthesis. (Article VIII of the Constitution “Officers of the Congregation,” Section 3 would be an example of quietly disappeared/changed language).
Below are some additional changes to our constitution and bylaws that passed this first meeting with little discussion. For purposes of clarity, disappeared language from our present bylaws is included here (and crossed out), and the proposed new language is underlined, so that the reader can see more clearly the proposed changes:
  • Committee members shall be elected approved at the October Junevoters’ meeting. (Bylaws, Article IV, Section 7. Terms of Office, A – Committees of the Church Council).
  • Vacancies occurring on any of these committees shall be filled through appointment approved by the church council. (Bylaws, Article IV, Section 8. Vacancies – Committees of the Church Council).
  • Language in the constitution was made gender-neutral.
  • Also, numerous bylaws were made to be non-binding by changing words like “shall” to “should.” For example, in Article IV, Section 4 the Committee of Elders no longer “shall consist of at least three members,” but instead “should consist of at least three members…”
One of the reasons given for these proposed changes is that we need to bring our constitution and bylaws in line with “reality,” i.e. what works and what we are actually doing. (34:20). If the congregation approves the proposals a second time, they will then be sent to the Synod for final approval.
Recently, all of St. Peter’s members were encouraged to fill out a congregational survey that was supposed to identify our membership’s strengths and weaknesses. This was to assist the “Vision Team” as they work to modify the congregation’s “Vision.” One of the purposes of this effort is to help establish more small groups.
According to a sermon preached by Pastor Sievert on September 16, 2010, St. Peter will be aggressively targeting and training lay-leaders and facilitators to conduct small group programs outside of the church building. The lay-leaders and facilitators will be chosen and trained beginning in October 2010, and the entire membership will be encouraged to join a small group starting in January 2011. (Sermon entitled “Be the Church: Devoted to God’s People,” 38:30).

***

GJ - Confidential to Pastor Tim - we all miss your posts on Fake-O-Bod.

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "The Fourth Reich - Proposed Constitutional Changes...":

Directly related -
Rogue Lutheran.

J-641.1


"Sixth, our false apostles justly reward us by smiting us in the face. That is, they consider us inferior to dogs; they abuse us, and treat us as foot-rags."

Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VII, p. 112. Second Sunday in Lent. 2 Corinthians 11:19-33; 12:1-9.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Pope John the Malefactor's Reformation Day Address


First the good news. Everyone is already forgiven. More or less. God declared everyone forgiven on Easter or maybe a few days before that. That fact is clearly implied in many passages.

To be really forgiven you must believe that everyone is forgiven, otherwise that first forgiveness does not really count.

Some think they can make fun of our precious synodical doctrine. They are not forgiven. They lose their second forgiveness and the first forgiveness. Do I make myself clear?

If a pastor doubts the clarity and power of my decrees, he and his congregation (really my congregation - they all are) will be extended the Left Foot of Fellowship, sinistra podia lutefiskae.

If there are any questions, Skype me with your name, address, email address, and where you want your remains sent.

Pax mecum.

Will Ski Come Out as a Babtist on Reformation Day?


The CORE (www.gotocore.com) Upcoming events at The CORE: Last service in The Big Picture Theater on October 31st at 5:30pm. There is also a surprise. See you then!



Tuesday at 1:34pm via Selective Tweets · ·


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GJ - Many mysteries surround the sudden departure of The BORE from the giant movie theater:
  1. Why did they move so fast?
  2. Who bought the theater out from under them?
  3. Why are they moving into a larger space when their attendance is shrinking?
  4. Why do they have offices in another building, 10 minutes away?
  5. How can they share a church building with another Emergent Church?
  6. Can they hang their expensive signage on the old WELS church building?
  7. Will the new property require a reverse exorcism before they move in?

    "Remove thou, the spirit of fellowship principles.
    Book of Concord, get thee behind me.
    Smite the opponents of unionism and Enthusiasm.
    Bless us, Father Below."
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Joel [Lillo - Fox Valley WELS pastor] has left a new comment on your post "Will Ski Come Out as a Babtist on Reformation Day?...":

A clarification on point 6:

The frame of the sign actually came with the building. All the members of The Core did was to install an insert with the congregation's logo into the frame(and that insert has faded in the year and a half it's been there). They couldn't take the sign along with them if they wanted to.

By the way, their new place of worship is magnificent. I saw Pastor Mark Jeske there last night as he gave a presentation on Time of Grace to a packed audience. The sound, lighting, and ambience (sic - definitely a WELS pastor) are all absolutely amazing. It will be a great place to hear the Word of God proclaimed in its truth and purity Groeschelty (as Ski does) and to worship our God in song!

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GJ -The Jeske groupies are bound to agree on their love for more dollops of false doctrine.

Vicki Gunvalson in Hospital

Orange County's Vicki Gunvalson Hospitalized for Internal Bleeding

Orange County's Vicki Gunvalson Hospitalized for Internal Bleeding

Real Housewives of Orange County's Vicki Gunvalson has been hospitalized for internal bleeding. TMZ reports she's being held overnight for "observation for upper G.I. problems." Last week Gunvalson filed for divorce from her husband of 16 years, Don.

***

GJ - Vicki and Don are members of Rick Warren's Purpose-Filled Church - Saddleback. Mrs. Ichabod and I were at the Gunvalson home for a party. Don wanted me to say how much I liked Rev. Warren. The topic came up because we stopped earlier that day at Saddleback, where Chris talked us into getting inside to watch Warren goof around.

Vicki sponsored the insurance conference because of her ambition. She is already Top of the Table, the Jedi Knight rating in insurance sales. The party was supposed to be taped for the TV show. Nothing untoward happened and we left on the early bus.

Joe Sittler - The Leonard Sweet of His Day

A Biography of Joseph Sittler

http://www.josephsittler.org/biography/ - The favicon in the browser is his picture!
 
The human is created for transcendence....

This phrase from Gravity and Grace exemplifies the man who wrote it, Joseph A. Sittler. He was born in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, on September 26, 1904, the son of a Lutheran pastor (also named Joseph) and a remarkable woman, Minnie Vieth Sittler. He was a graduate of Wittenberg College and the Hamma Divinity School and began his career in the ordained ministry as pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church in Cleveland, Ohio. For most of his life, however, he was a Professor of Theology, first at the Chicago Lutheran Seminary in
Maywood, Illinois, then at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. He ended his nearly 58-year career as theologian with fifteen years of association with the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC); that association included the title of Distinguished Professor in Residence.

The biographical statement in the bulletin for the Service of Thanksgiving for his life, at LSTC in January of 1988, well summarizes his varied and rich contributions to theology: “Significant areas of his impact can only be enumerated: a leading member of the Commission on Faith and Order, the highest theological council of the World Council of Churches (WCC), in which capacity he gave the keynote address (‘Called to Unity’) to the Third Assembly of the WCC in 1961 in New Delhi; an important contributor to the theological self-understanding of the Lutheran Church in America, especially its Confession of Faith (The Doctrine of the Word in the Structure of Lutheran Theology, 1948); a commentator upon literature, architecture, classical and jazz music, science, and ecology; a theologian concerned with ecology long before it became a popular theme (The Care of the Earth, 1964, Essays on Nature and Grace, 1972); a profoundly feminist thinker; he gave theological foundation to the situational approach to Ethics (The Structure of Christian Ethics, 1958). In the late 1950's, he was featured in a Life magazine article as one of America’s “Ten Most Influential Theologians.”
He was a preacher to the intellectual community without peer. In his prime, he was said to have been the single most sought after university and college preacher in America. He gave both the Beecher Lectures at Yale (The Ecology of Faith, 1961), and the Noble Lectures at Harvard, both devoted to preaching. Many of his preaching themes are included in his later books, Grace Notes and Other Fragments (1981), and Gravity and Grace (1986).”

But such a statement cannot begin to capture the transcendent humanity of Joseph Sittler. He delighted in Polish sausage and beer (and conversation!) at Jimmy’s, an “establishment” close to the University of Chicago and LSTC. He saw theological significance in the most ordinary activities of common folk in everyday life. He relished encounters with all sorts of people and never conveyed any hint of condescension. He had a marvelous sense of humor and could be astonishingly frank without ever offending. As his eyesight failed in later life, he drew on an amazing store of memorized poetry and literature, and he continued to carry on a vast correspondence with all sorts and conditions of people – he was never too busy to neglect noting some important event in the life of a friend or colleague. [GJ - The previous sentence is nonsense, never too busy to neglect! - The problem with faux-profundity.] He and his wife Jeanne, herself a fine musician and composer, raised six children. Sittler died on December 28, 1987, but the legacy he left, not only in spoken and written words but in the lives of those he touched is well illustrated in the introduction to Running with the Hounds, written by Donald Hetzler.

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GJ - I remember LCA pastors cooing like schoolgirls over Sittler. "Did you have him or ever hear him?" He was the Sweet of his day, loaded up with worldly honors and talking gibberish like the gurus of today. Bruce Church referenced him in his comment about UOJ -

bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "How Does UOJ Differ from ELCA's Position?":

The article implies that ELCA universalism comes from Joseph Sittler, Jr., a "contemporary" theologian who flourished in the 1950s. Walther was a contemporary theologian in his time, too. Best to stick to dead theologians, as Dr. Jackson sometimes says:

http://www.josephsittler.org/biography/ 

From Tim "Felt-Needs"

My Photo
Tim Niedfeldt
"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant"



Thursday, October 21, 2010


Crusader Update???

Alright I have been silent for many months in the area of debating those I affectionately named the Confessional Crusaders. It has been a lesson about be careful the terms you coin, you just might become one. 

I have spent the time still observing debates but moreso just studying and absorbing than participating. I would like to announce that my views are quite a bit different and muted than they used to be when I took up the supposed arguments. So to update those who may care, here is a more revised statement on the issues I used to fight for so much in the past.

Contemporary Worship

Indeed we still participate at Victory and are active there. We are active there because I believe Victory is still true to its Lutheran origin. We work hard to maintain our Lutheran hymns in worship despite their being done in a contemporary way. We stick with the basic CW liturgy. We visibly and regularly promote the Sacraments and pastor still gives law/gospel sermons of his own creation (not hijacked from some non-dom site like lifechurch or groeschel). However, I will confess this, as the church grows the dangers of evangelicalism and non-dom’s that many have warned of are there and continually and increasingly require attention. Increasingly I hear comments by newer members who want to reduce the number of hymns and replace it with that ewwy gooey modern crap that use endless refrains to say absolutely nothing. Members who want to be even more contemporary than we are. Basically new Christians (praise God) that want the more emotion based worship (sigh!!) Now we are working on calling a second pastor and hopefully the introduction of a pastor that can work with new members and lead bible studies and congregation education can add more meat and potatoes to the new Christians we are gaining. This is ever so important so as not to develop a church that has no knowledge of what it means to be Lutheran. 

Doctrines and Trends

This is my biggest fear. That if the vigor of maintaining Lutheranism ever waned at Victory, that it too will fall the way of other WELS churches that seem to be caving in totally to the non-dom or emergent church model. It is sad enough to see some relatives fall away from the doctrinal soundness of the confessions, and forgoing the benefits of the sacraments, the dangers of decision theology, and focusing on all the sanctified living kind of thing of a Baptist non-dom but at least it is clear because it is a non-dom. You expect a kind of “feel good” church light in doctrine and heavy on goo when you think of that model. It is so much worse if a Lutheran church pretends to be Lutheran but in its essence is a non-dom. That is the sad part of what I have been observing more recently in some WELS experiments.

I think that a number of WELS churches and ministries are starting to cross the lines of Lutheranism. It is sad that we are not doing more to draw some lines in the sand. I have heard some sermons at some of the oft cited synod “bad boys” churches and have to admit they were poor. Basically more about sanctified living and vague gospel notions. No law…very light on the proclamation of the gospel work of Christ as a response to the preaching of the law. I think it is unfortunate these kinds of churches are not called on the carpet more often. There is no excuse for borrowing from other denominations for sermon series. There is no excuse for preaching a watered down message filled with sanctification and “goodness”. It is sad that a church who I think does traditional Lutheran music in a contemporary way probably the best as can be done, then blows it big time with a sermon that is filled with blehhh. However it’s not just the churches the WELS is cropping up all kinds of ministries…particularly on campuses…that if adopted to the WELS mainstream will put the confessional stance of the synod in serious jeopardy. 

There is a particular debate that continues nearly non-stop regarding universal objective justification that I must say I have learned a lot about and definitely feel the synod should clean up its position on. Their statements on this doctrine are sloppy and misleading for some. I think most people like me who were confirmed 30 years ago (using the old brown KJV Luther’s catechism from days of yor ) the doctrine is clear and often in the debates we are all arguing for the same thing using different definitions for terms trying to find a way to make the current statement on justification from the WELS fit the doctrines we learned years ago. In this department I have appreciated the debate and the clarification of terms. I regret many of my statements of two years ago and I will say that I have grown a lot in this area. I have elected Joe Krohn to be my spokesman in this area and rarely need to add more.

To one degree I wonder what difference the minute distinctions being made effect the day-to-day life of the WELS churches as so far I have not seen a WELS church take the implications of a poor understanding of UOJ to the ultimate extreme warned about and illustrated in the Blogosphere. However I guess I do see it illustrated in what is loosely called a Lutheran (or even Christian) church, the ELCA. So whereas I don’t see the WELS sloppiness on the issue leading to such dire consequences…it is something to watch out for… just like those members who want to take the church the non-dom route. I guess as I read out there somewhere “What is the harm of clarifying this one up all nice and tidy?”

What does this sum up to? I am definitely a more cautious individual and I scrutinize a lot more. If I hear a song played in worship that reeks of sanctification I call it out. If a sermon is weak in law or gospel I make a note of it. I want to promote the sacraments more. I am studying a lot more and am more cautious about a blanket endorsement of all things contemporary. Restraint and respect for Lutheran doctrine are still necessary and even moreso today. We need to police ourselves better and resist the urge of ecumenism and doctrinal compromise. To undo the statement of Groeshel who said “we must do everything short of sinning to reach people.” I say not true as ignoring doctrine in order to reach people is not doing any Christian a service. So I guess when I use the term Confessional Crusader these days I don’t mean it with derision as I use to. I have found it is indeed something we need to keep close and study or indeed we will lose the truth restored to us at the reformation one little piece at a time.

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GJ - Tim is in a position to see where the best of intentions lead.

Lenski wrote, "Resist the beginnings."

Some WELSians think it is horrible to quote a Lutheran Biblical scholar used by all the synods and other denominations as well. They would rather quote Groeschel, Driscoll, and Leonard Sweet.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

How Does UOJ Differ from ELCA's Position?



Could this be why hundreds of ELCA congregations have left Holy Mother Ho and decided against joining the WELS, ELS, or LCMS? -
same universalism as ELCA.


Exposing the ELCA

Exposing the ELCA has documented that the ELCA’s official website supports and promotes Universal Salvation, the belief that “everyone will be saved.”  Within a section called “What We Believe,” on a page dealing with “Salvation” the denomination states:

"Because Jesus is the unique and universal Savior, there is a large hope for salvation, not only for me and others with the proper credentials of believing and belonging to the church, but for all people whenever or wherever they might have lived and no matter how religious or irreligious they may have proved to be themselves. It is clearly God’s announced will that all people shall be saved and come to the knowledge of truth (1 Timothy 2:4)."
(See here)


This is not the only mention of this false teaching on the ELCA website.  On “The Resurrection” page, is a subheading “Resurrection for all?”  The ELCA document, after first saying that most of the verses in the Bible say not everyone will be saved, goes on to say, 

"(B)ut ELCA members also look to New Testament texts that go beyond those parameters . . . Lutheran theologian Joseph Sittler coined the phrase ‘Cosmic Christ’ in his 1952 address to the New Delhi assembly of the World Council of Churches, saying, ‘It is now excruciatingly clear that Christ cannot be a light that lighteth everyone coming into the world, if he is not also the light that falls upon the world into which everyone comes.’"

A little later it states, “For ELCA members, the resurrection that completes the victory of Christ over sin and death is not intended for Christians alone.”

The article continues, 

"Beyond that,

  • our belief that Christ came into the world to redeem the world (John 3:17)
  • our belief in the proclamation that God has ‘a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth,’ (Ephesians 1:10) 
  • our trust in God’s righteousness 
causes us to bear witness that Christ, the principal of creation, is also the principal of the new life initiated by his resurrection for all creation. For St. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:19, ‘in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.’

ELCA members believe that, being ‘entrusted’ with this message of reconciliation, we are to proclaim this salvation intended for all humankind, this redemption of the whole world, this resurrection to new life.” (see here

This is on the ELCA’s official website, and it is contained in a section called “What We Believe.”  Is there any doubt the ELCA is preaching Universal Salvation?

To read more evidence that the ELCA teaches and promotes Universal Salvation see here.  


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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "How Does UOJ Differ from ELCA's Position?":

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and School (W)ELS teaches this clearly:

Brett,
I now must say that you are splitting hairs. ALL MEN ARE SAVED (the guilt of their sins has been washed away), because Christ paid the price for ALL sins. Once again I would go to Romans 5: 12 – 19. Are all going to heaven (saved)?NO. Because not all believe in Jesus as their Savior. Just as the
analogy of the money in the bank asserts: If you don’t believe it is there for you the account will do you no good. Objective justification says that the forgiveness of sins has been completely earned by Christ’s merit, i.e. it is “objectively” there for faith to accept. The faith of the believer doesn’t add anything or complete justification.

That’s all I can say.

In His Service,
Stephan Rodmyre
Principal HTLS