Here is the new place for the SORE, sometimes called The Second Temple.
An escapee from the WELS mind-control cult has written some observations about Call Day at The Sausage Factory:
"Anyhow, I wanted to write to you with a blog post/essay request. I'd
love to read your views on Call Day at WLS. While I know that God is in
charge, and his will will be done regardless, what I see in Call Day at
Sem seems to almost make a mockery out of the Holy Spirit's guidance of
the event. I've heard some liken the event to the NFL draft, with DPs
trading and bargaining for one man over another. I've not been witness
to that, only secondhand info. What gets me though is that every year
going back to my Junior year at Sem, I can predict with about 80%
accuracy which Sem grads will be getting calls to the college and prep
schools as Tutors. I've been out of the system for over X years, so I
do not know any of these men from Adam, but just by looking at last
names, I can tell who is going to get those calls. On a side note, I
think they are cakewalk calls, a chance to live expense free for 2
years, sock away cash and/or pay off debt, and have very little real
responsibility. That being the case, those calls go almost exclusively
to those who have "strong synod connections." Have you noticed the same?
Would love to see you write on this, or at least a response to your
thoughts on the matter."
***
GJ - Nepotism is rampant in WELS, the Little Sect, and the CLC (sic). The calls are supposed to be Top Secret, but I knew one famous name who knew exactly where he was going. I heard similar stories about the Swedish Augustana Synod, almost verbatim - the wheeling and dealing, with a service of reconciliation afterward.
In WELS, being related is the main path to advancement. Another make or break factor is graduation from NW Prep. A common conversational opener is, "My father was..." or "My grandfather was..." Someone noted that so many are related that when a pastor is not related to anyone, the conversation stops.
A DP's son or professor's son may be a terrible call to begin with, to show how humble they are. The second call is 18 steps above the first one.
Calls are also used to bribe people into conforming with CG, and it works well, as three of my former friends can attest, once they emerge from their rabbit warren.
In the CLC (sic), the issue is "how are we related" and "in how many new ways are we related." They have whittled their collective IQ down to about 37 from in-breeding. Soon the race will be sterile or merged with another sect.
The Little Sect on the Prairie is run by three families and "not one has a theologian in them."
All this comes from people paying more attention to their bellies than to the Word of God. In all disputes, it seems, blood is thicker than doctrine.
