This Congregation Is Incensed!

I want to catch the incense bong at the end, and twirl it.
Does the audience applaud the bong or the catcher?

Bong pulley.

Northern Illinois Has Good BMs - Becoming Missionals

Here is the link.

Pat Boone Hosts - "You Talk Too Much"

Rogue Lutheran on LCMS

"Too many LCMS'ers are just too polite and fold like a cheap lawn chair when they should be presenting arguments."

Hold On a Minute While I Unwind These Synods

Kitteh Job Interview - Enjoying Lamb

Kitteh Job Interview - No More Grant Money

Kitteh Job Interview - Facebook Link Vanished

Kitteh Job Interview - Archived Past Blogger Work

Kitteh Job Interview - School

Inarticulate Rage - Another Candidate for Anger Management Classes

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Kitteh on Lemons Makes for a Sour Puss":

Your opposition of [sic - of?] false doctrine would be admirable if it only stopped there (and in some cases, actually correct--think UOJ and your buddies Schmid and Lenski), but it doesn't. [Run-on sentence, for starters.] You make patently false statements and pair them up with ridiculous pictures in the manner of Dreck (the guy who wrote the 404 theses that said essentially said [sic - remember where you were after taking another sip of Ripple] that Lutherans are no different from the Protestants). I suppose the closest "cognate" of sorts that would fit you would be too harsh to print on your blog, but I suspect/hope that anyone reading would figure it out very easily. The way to prove me wrong (that you aren't some barnyard animal like Eck.) [sic - sentence fragment. It's best to write when sober, but that never stops Changers.]

***

GJ - I enjoy the sanctimonious, patronizing tone of the gibberish above. Can anyone make sense of it? I have tried. Too bad I skipped the college course on abnormal psychology (nicknamed "Nuts and Sluts").

Remember the Fox Valley pastor who sent all the obscene words and later apologized?

He sent another message saying he wanted to correspond with me so he could tell me what was wrong with me. He wanted to do that anonymously!

I think the cusser, the fake blogger, and the commenter above are all the same Fox Valley parson. He was active in the beginning of this blog, always in a rage when I took on Church and Change. He blows up when I post his comments with corrections and rages when I do not post his other comments. Some comments have been too obscene to print.

That could be cleared up if he identified himself. He said in the beginning that he was too frightened to do that. Cowardly bullies are standard in Church and Change. They keep their list secret. They deny belonging and going to their conferences. They insist on being subsidized by everyone so they can go to their Schwaermer conferences and lie about that, too.

Rogue Lutheran Joins Blog List

 

Rogue Lutheran is a new blog about apostate trends among the conservative Lutherans, especially the Missouri Synod.

The author is a Missouri Synod businesswoman who has done plenty of research.

I created the image above because of the statement once made by another woman in the church (not Joan of Arc): "If the bishops are going to act like women, then the women are going to act like bishops."

Many younger men are fighting this too. Rogue Lutheran surprised me by revealing how deeply embedded this cancer is in the LCMS.

Rick Warren has taken this to another level, a new depth, and he is far more influential that I would have thought.

At the Borders Bookstore, I opened the new, adulatory book about Rick Warren and wondered about the author of such bilge. Shock! He was my recent journalism professor. I imagine the book will sell 100,000 copies or more because of its complete lack of discernment. More stories will be added to the canon about St. Rick of Saddleback.

I hope this trend of dissenting blogs continues. Each one adds to the material available. A new topic or a new perspective draws in another group of readers. I heard that MLC and WLC students stopped tweeting for two weeks while they discussed the infamous video and Ichabod, which still gets dozens of responses on the story.

Kitteh on Lemons Makes for a Sour Puss

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Mike Wallace Interview with Margaret Sanger, Plann...":

Oh gee, how did I know that the first comment would have a something negative about the WELS? Well, at least it keeps with the topic of this blog--more WELS bashing. Only season the blog with other things the number one priority of this blog and its supporters is to speak ill of the WELS.

***

GJ - The number one priority of this blog is carefully and precisely described - dealing with doctrinal apostasy.

How ironic that the Church and Changers--like the Brothers Gurgle and Kelm and Valleskey and Roth--advanced their careers by bashing WELS. The first thing I heard upon joining WELS was a sneering comment about "page 5 and 15" Lutherans. Church Growth offered something so superior to the liturgy, the creeds, original (Lutheran) sermons, and actual hymns.

Like the Global Warming frauds, the WELS Changers had to suppress anyone who was Lutheran while their wolf-pack made fun of the substance of the Gospel. It worked great until they ran out of money to loot from the synod, foundations, and Thrivent.

I am only too happy to bash false doctrine, which is the purpose of this blog. I have to make up for what the colleges, seminary, and feckless DPs failed to do. Luther said he had a prayer for the false teachers - May God dash them to the ground.

The WELS answer has been to promote false teachers to the highest positions possible.

Those with reading comprehension skills have noticed my regard for the new leadership of WELS, for the positive steps taken (alone among all the synods) toward confessional integrity. It was a long way down, as Mischke and Gurgle know, so the road back will be lengthy and difficult.

The person commenting is like the man who refuses a scan because it might show a cancer growing. "You're just patient-bashing!"

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Kitteh on Lemons Makes for a Sour Puss":

I too had a similar experience of hearing all the bashing of p. 5 and 15 by some in WELS who have gone on to full blown Enthusiasts. It bother me enough to actually find out why. That was learned by actually reading the confessions of the Lutheran church.

I just nearly broke out in holy laughter a few minutes ago, when I realized that I thought seminary graduates had actually READ or STUDIED the confessions. I mean, I would THINK they would when they say they "quia subscribe" to them, but then never teach them in classes. Funny how those things just kind of hit you out of the blue.

***

GJ - Justifying all kinds of Babtist and pop music with "adiaphora" is proof they have never comprehended the Book of Concord. That is like saying, "I can drink that fluid because the label says it's poison."

More proof - "You are equating the Confessions with the Bible."

Bonus proof - "I worship Jesus, not Luther."

And even more - "You are a legalist."

Mike Wallace Interview with Margaret Sanger, Planned Parenthood Founder

 

Why does ELCA include abortion on demand in its medical plan?

Why does Quiche-nik work with them?

Here is the video.

Margaret Sanger in her own words.

TEXAS FAITH: Tim Tebow's Super Bowl advertisement
	1:45 PM Wed, Feb 03, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz William McKenzie/Editorial Columnist    Bio |  E-mail  |  News tips

University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, a Heisman winner, has prepared an ad that CBS has said it will run during the Super Bowl. Supported by groups like Focus on the Family, Tebow's ad will tell the story of how his mother decided to give birth to him despite medical complications that were severe enough that doctors recommended against it. Serving as a missionary abroad at the time, she returned home and went ahead and gave birth to him.
Some organizations, including the National Organization for Women, want CBS to pull the ad. They claim introducing the subject of abortion is political advocacy and doesn't belong in a Super Bowl telecast.

Norman Rockwell in the Home

 

Norman Rockwell - Family Tree

Norman Rockwell defined our week as I grew up in Moline. We always received the Saturday Evening Post, so we looked forward to his covers. The same magazine covers were kept by our teachers and framed for our classrooms, so the humor continued. In doctor's offices, I still see the famous illustration of the boy examining the doctor's diploma as he awaits his shot. The humor of the painting dispels the anxiety...somewhat.

We also received Boy's Life, another large and well written magazine. Rockwell painted for them as well. Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts were big in that era. I had a uniform, handed down, and peaked at the level of Wolf, with one gold and one silver arrow. I quickly ran out of awards which could be earned without going outdoors. Reading the Post was more interesting.

When my wife and I saw a sign for the Norman Rockwell museum, we went there without hesitation. Moline was very much a Norman Rockwell town, with parks and baseball games and amateur theater. Any day at Melo-Cream brought an array of colorful characters, from the DJs of WQUA to the permanent residents living on the margin of society. Several visitors could be counted upon to ask for a little work to tide them over, from time to time. My father would give them a broom, which they pushed slowly and reluctantly through the shop, growing thirstier by the minute for their reward. One man, round enough to be the Pillsbury Dough-boy, told me about the cure for alcoholism - eating brewer's yeast each day. That quenched the craving for John Barleycorn. He did not seem to be benefiting from the cure.

Even the most eccentric characters were no threat. Like Mayberry on TV, Moline had characters who knew their limits.

One time our night watchman came in for a rest and coffee. His technique was to leave paper scraps in doors, to check on whether anyone had entered a business after hours. Someone pointed out that the slips also told robbers when he had last been there. No one minded much because robberies were extremely rare, even at a 24 hour shop like Melo Cream.

The watchman was complaining about how tired he was when a well dressed gentleman said, "I have cool room where you can rest as long as you want."

The watchman said, "No thanks."

When they left, I asked one of the workers, "Who was the man in the suit?"

"The funeral director from down the street."

Knowing the Stars

 

Left-click to enlarge Orion.

When I had a telescope with a 10-inch reflector, I read the astronomy magazines, went to the local astronomy club, and discussed celestial events with friends. The telescope, nicknamed the Water Heater, attracted people who begged to look through eyepiece. 

The prominent stars, all the planets, and the constellations have names. I learned the Messier objects, how to find them with star charts, which are just like road maps. The Messier objects have names and numbers, like the star cluster in Hercules, M-13. I still remember the name and number. People used to gasp when they first saw the hundreds of thousands of stars in that compact cluster. "How do you know all these names?" they asked. It helped that one of my members was a retired, published scientist.

I kidded people about learning what was going on around them, every night. Knowing the names and events gave me a greater appreciation of God's Creation. That also began my efforts with gardening based on Creation rather than man-made chemicals. I sold the telescopes and bought earthworms, organic gardening books, and seed. Recently I learned that the pioneer of organic gardening in America, J. I. Rodale, departed from life during a TV interview with Dick Cavett. Rodale had just told a journalist he was going to live to be 100.

Curiosity

Curiosity leads people into asking why things are so, but many do not seem to want that knowledge. 

Curiosity led me into research about the conservative Lutherans. The conflict between what they claimed and what they practiced was simply too bizarre. They also made it clear that such topics were too sacred to touch, like the emblem on the floor of a school.

A number of Lutheran writers were like Erasmus before the Reformation, willing to identify some problems but afraid to go any farther. Some leaders have retired (or should retire) from their Fuller-educated, Church Growth saturated careers. Others are retiring in another way, secret critics of CG, timid dissenters who have urged others to do what they would not, for fear of the Enthusiasts. They have lived well by doing and saying almost nothing, trembling at man's word instead of God's Word.

The results are in from this clever plan. 

1. The Lutheran schools teach Zwingli's doctrine or lead future pastors into Romanism. Millions of dollars have been wasted to undo the Reformation.
2. The Lutheran insurance company--promoted in the conservative and apostate congregations--donates millions to secular causes and champions the radical Left. I asked one famous editor about this, but he just received a big grant from Thrivent. His congregation was a Gold Star member. I asked another editor years before, who wanted an article. He got his grant and lost interest.
3. In spite of all this brilliance, the conservative Lutheran schools are all in trouble, in spite of serving their Father Below for decades. How could that cloven-footed rascal let them down? The Father of Lies has a reputation for promising everything and giving nothing. A little research might have shown that.
4. As if they have to prove how foolish Lutherans have been, ELCA is busy driving out their biggest congregations while re-instating the very pastors who never should have been ordained, due to their desire to be the husband of one husband or the wife of one wife. While all that was brewing, the conservatives were secret or open bedfellows with ELCA.

Confirmation

Every day I get confirmation that the information on this blog is useful. If I get a signed email from someone new, expressing appreciation, I also get anonymous accusations that only support what I have been publishing. Both are encouraging in their own way. Otten's former co-worker - Paul McCain, MDiv, has made his hissy-fits public.

One pastor said, "Your posts really get me upset. Then I read the comments and realize you are correct." I joked with one minister that WELS could have silenced everyone by publishing one issue of The Northwestern Lutheran where the Book of Concord was discussed and recommended to readers. He laughed and agreed it was true. Instead, the wizards at the Love Shack renamed their magazine FIC and gloried in their shame.

That is improving in WELS. I even hear that... I will keep that one to myself for now. Reading the Feedjit map is fun. Whenever I post, Appleton and Texas light up, along with Mankato and Milwaukee. 

The apostate leaders thought, "We have Marv Schwan's money, Thrivent grants, and our own Tetzel program for draining estates of cash. We have it made." Spending went up while Schwan money decreased. People realized Thrivent was not their best bet. Selling indulgences got to be very competitive, too. An inundation of money through various headquarters proved that cash was not a Means of Grace after all. Who will speak for these sleek bureaucratic cats when they face the Day of Judgment - the widows they robbed, the congregations they destroyed, the children they betrayed?

Lutherans to Fuller: "You lied and programs died." And apostates cried.

To mock the apostate Lutherans who coveted and emulated them, the citadels of Schuller and Kennedy are selling assets to stay afloat.

Hope and Change

I see a few glimmerings of hope and change. The financial crisis has doomed spendthrift Reformed evangelism as synods begin to go Galt, living for less. Quiche-nik is being threatened by the next election in Missouri. Pope John the Malefactor, Dark Lord of the Little Sect on the Prairie, may not stay in office as long as George the Everlasting. People and congregations are escaping ELCA at last, relearning what they should have known about the Christian faith.

In small but significant steps, WELS is experimenting with Lutheran doctrine. I suggest trying it for a few years. If that does not work, they can always go back to puppets, popcorn, rock music, and soul cafes. The WELS schools may have to collapse to reshape them as Lutheran entities. The next few years are going to be very difficult, even if some common sense returns to the political realm.

Institutions are temporary. Jesus did not say, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but your synod will not pass away." He said, "My Word will not pass away." The Gospel rain moves on, especially when people do not thank God for the Scriptures and the Confessions. 

M-13, the star cluster in Hercules.

Katy Perry - WELS Poster Girl for The CORE and St. Peter, Freedom, Wisconsin

Katy Pery posted this photo, 

which I had to censor.

I thought The CORE transformed lives.

WELS The CORE: transforming lives,for the worst.

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Katy Perry - WELS Poster Girl for The CORE and St....":

Pastor Jackson,

You have gone too far in posting this. It is one thing to criticize Ski and Glende for their photos with Perry, but it is another thing to post offensive material which has nothing to do with those men or The Core.

It is one thing to link an offensive video that is topical in your endeavor to expose Lutheran apostasy, it is another thing to post offensive material that is not topical--even in an attempt to be humorous.

This post makes you no better than the students you criticize for doing the same thing.

Though it is to be expected of sinful people, it is disappointing to see your slip into hypocrisy with this post.

***

GJ - It is disappointing that you anonymously attack someone for posting news and connecting it with WELS. But I am glad you opened this up for discussion. I appreciate your sanctimonious sanctions.

Ski and Glende were so proud of posing with female celebrities, even when partially dressed (like Katy Perry and MariQueen) that they posted those pictures on their Facebook websites, for everyone to see. Glende featured his Katy photo on his main page for weeks. They are the only two men I know (not to mention pastors) who have emphasized photos with other women. After a few weeks of exposure on their public websites, the open access was shut down, but that does not mean anyone apologized or took away the pictures.

Katy Perry is so infamous that even an old unhip guy like me knows who she is. My college students know all the facts about the younger celebrities, so I wonder what this culture approach at WELS in Fox Valley says to that crowd. We are just like you? We will try anything--except God's Word--to reach you? That is juvenile, pathetic, and on the low end of the Reformed way of thinking.

Ski's office is also full of his favorite photos. He is the only male groupie I have heard about. That seems to be far more than a part of his life - it is his life.

Why should anyone forget that Fox Valley is the face of Church and Change? Kelm has a call there and was helping Parlow with that Willow Creek Community Church in Depere. Ron Ash at Freedom is chairman of Church and Change. Ski was listed on the board.

Fox Valley is famous for studying Babtist Andy Stanley's book, as part of their circuit study. What? They need to be even more Babtist? Is that possible?

So Katy Perry and her pal, showing their immaturity on the Net, are a perfect backdrop for WELS Church and Change.

Katy, I learned, began her music career as a Gospel singer, but flopped. Later, her first big hit was "Ur So Gay," followed by "I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It."

The Internet news showed Katy Perry going with a British lout known for his vulgarity.

This all belongs with walking together, hoof and claw, with servants of their Father Below.

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Katy Perry - WELS Poster Girl for The CORE and St....":

Well said Pastor Jackson!

Ski, a married man and a pastor, showing scantily clad Katy Perry photos with himself publicly, is so way beyond the pale--even for the WELS ministerium.

Due to the WELS anti-Pietistic stance regarding sanctification, they are always pushing the moral outrage envelop further and further out.

They get away with it at synodical schools due to mob rules. If anyone objected, they would be sorry they had year after year after year, because the mob has a memory like an elephant.

I think that God, frustrated after trying all the normal routes to disciplining, had Al Gore create the Web just so he could get at the WELS ministerium.

***

GJ - Of course, I also got a few nasty comments from the usual WELS crowd, the ones who confuse gross name-calling with wit. As Reagan said about Gary Hart's affairs, "Boys will be boys, but boys don't become president." Unfortunately, immaturity is no barrier to ordination in WELS.

Sprinter versus Luther Video - Finally Yanked from YouTube

It's a knockout.

The odious statue fight from Martin Luther College (WELS) is finally gone from YouTube. Someone commented on one of the videos being gone. The gay video, "Party in the MLC," lives on via Facebook, with 1150 fans so far.  

The worse one, the statue fight, did not show up in my searches, so I looked for my own embed on Ichabod. The search feature is handy.

Sure enough - the video was removed. Before, removing the video was impossible because the students were already graduated. That is a pretty lame excuse. Perhaps they pulled the video because it did not make a good recruitment tool, except for future Church and Changers and Miley Cyrus lip-synchers.

People wonder, "Why go on and on about these things?" The reason is that readers start at the main page and may look for more material. Many do not.

The Ichabod effect continues. Odious material disappears from the Net after getting the spotlight on this blog. That is only a tiny portion of the effort. Pastors and laity are making the WELS world uncomfortable for apostasy.

I know it is happening, but that is all I can say. If you can't run with all the information provided, you can only blame yourselves for indolence and timidity.

---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Sprinter versus Luther Video - Finally Yanked from...":

I'm the "director" of the 'Luther vs. Sprinter' video. I'd like to by apologizing for any offense it may have caused. It was certainly not the intent.

A couple quick points, and then I'll be going:

1 - The "bible" Luther threw down was actually an old book of poetry painted gold. However, I realize that Luther is holding the bible in the statue, thus making it appear that he throws it down in anger. It was a thoughtless oversight on my part and I apologize.

2 - "Luther" does not use the Lord's name in vain at the end of the clip. On the "master" copy he can be heard saying "gosh" as clear as day. The compressed audio quality on youtube may have made the audio less clear. But again, leaving the door open even to the possibility of someone thinking he used God's name flippantly is unacceptable and I apologize.

3 - MLC had absolutely nothing to do with this video being posted on youtube. I uploaded the video myself after several classmates requested it.

I received an email late last week asking me to remove the video which was being used to drag the name of Martin Luther College through the mud. I had never heard one objection to or concern about this video before I received the aforementioned email. I took the clip down immediately.

To say that I could not be contacted because I had graduated is patently false and rather absurd. The video had a clear link to the person who uploaded it where you could send me a message, email, or comment on the video. It would seem to me that if you truly were concerned about any sinful error of mine in making/posting the video, or the stumbling block it may be to others, you would have made an effort to contact me. No such effort was ever made.

Again I apologize for any offense I have caused. It was never intended (which, I realize, is far from an excuse).

***

GJ - Yes, I should have phoned 1-800-Anonymous. In fact, someone else objected to the video and I posted it with my objections. The offense was public, especially obnoxious,and puerile. I cannot imagine wasting so much time and energy on such vapid entertainment. One person is right - more homework needs to be assigned.

I find it odd that WELS workers include accusations in their supposed apologies. Has anyone ever objected to anything in exactly the right way? No wonder so few try.

---

More Snarling:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Sprinter versus Luther Video - Finally Yanked from...":

I can't imagine wasting so much of my time tearing down others.

And really? You can't figure out how to send a message to a person on youtube? By taking a quick glance at your blog, your smear campaigns, and your obvious mastery of "photoshop" I would have assumed you knew your way around a computer a little better than that.

Then again, I guess I should expect no less from a smicklehunt who knows full well that the cream is in the carafe, yet continues to visit the front stoop of the schnitzel shop nightly.

Oh... but I guess you'd have to know my slang to understand that.

I'll have to get around to starting a blog and posting that...

I kid. Although something tells me you aren't one you can take a joke...

But anyways dear mogwai, it's after midnight, so I believe I'd be wise to stop feeding you now.

This is the last you'll hear from me. In all seriousness, one more time, I apologize to all whom the video offended. The video was in poor taste and the decision to publicly display it was an ignorant one. Please accept my apology.

Your sinful, yet mercifully forgiven brother in Christ.

***

GJ - Nothing says WELS church worker more than the anonymous apologies/attacks.



---

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Sprinter versus Luther Video - Finally Yanked from...":

You Are an A****** Greg = YAAG! That's what I'll call you from now on, YAAG!! Bonus!!

***

GJ - Another Changer loyalist above, an average comment from an Enthusiast devoted to outreach. Notice he cannot even spell YAAAG. Typical.

---

 Even More Snarling:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Sprinter versus Luther Video - Finally Yanked from...":

Hey YAAG what I can do is turn around the word YAAG and call you GAAY!! I think that's what I'll call you from now on, GAAY!

You are an a****** but in reverse you're also gay!

---

Michael Schottey has left a new comment on your post "Sprinter versus Luther Video - Finally Yanked from...":

Pardon my arrogance...

But are we sure the same person posted the apology and the "GAAY" comment?

IIRC, I know the director of the sprinter video and the apology sounds like him, the profanities don't.

***

GJ - I am assuming they are different people, but both WELS.

Paul Calvin Kelm's Second Call

Ehlert, Rev Leon R - Beautiful Savior - Green Bay WI - 01/28/2010
Lead Pastor, Part Time Call

Kelm, Paul Calvin (DMin, Concordia, St. Louis) - Beautiful Savior - Green Bay WI - 01/28/2010
Associate Pastor, Semi-Retirement Call

Doctrinal discipline is rugged rigged in WELS. Steve Witte was one of the founders of Church and Change. He went from Beautiful Savior to the WELS Asian board to oversee such overseas changers as John Lawrenz. Witte has a DMin from Gordon Conwell and wrote on - guess what - the Church Growth Movement. He was at Depere before that, if memory serves me.

Kelm has a DMin in Church Growth from Our Lady of Sorrows in St. Louis. The seminary has three branches:
A. I wanna be ELCA.
B. Fuller certified.
C. Deciding between Rome and Eastern Orthodoxy.

If Green Bay is a semi-retirement call, what is the WLC chaplaincy?

I could do stand up in Milwaukee.

Didja hear about Paul Calvin Kelm?

Bada boom.

PS - Don't complain. You read this every day for the insider news. This is not a gossip blog. When a scholar gathers current information, it is history. Check Suetonius.

Smart-Aleck Culture from WELS/ELS Church and Change

Here is a web designer joke:

"When is a website finished?"

Various answers follow.

Answer - "When the budget is used up."

Church and Change will be finished when their money is gone. They are not self-sustaining. They have been living on the synod dole, Schwan grants, Thrivent loot, and the generosity of the women's groups. "Tell me again why you need $5,000 for rock n roll equipment at a church? Outreach? OK, we'll write a check tonight."

What will endure is the smart-aleck culture they have established so effectively in both synods, in most of their schools. Note how this mirrors what happened with Seminex in Missouri, a trend they denounced with righteous wrath for years.

Part One - Deception. No, it was not happening and everyone named was a Confessional Lutheran, "a fine, upstanding, healthy normal, patriotic, American boy." Someone could pose as a Confessional Lutheran missionary to the Commies in Russia and work with a CG fanatic or two. No problem. Nothing to see. Move on.

Part Two - We all know, but. The smart-alecks, winking at their buddies, began their attack on Biblical doctrine with "we all know" while taking away what they just said or wrote by adding "but..."

Part Three - Dummy Discipline. The same smart-alecks run around admonishing anyone who seems to be a fly in the ointment of their unctuous false doctrine. They scream, whimper, and cry about their hurt feelings while flailing anyone who notices their schemes.

Roman Catholic Endorses WELS School

 

Here is the video.

Septuagesima Sunday

Norma Boeckler

Septuagesima Sunday

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time


The Hymn #479 Zion Rise 2:13
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 # 151 Christ the Life 2:78

Fairness or Grace, Law or Gospel

The Hymn # 227 Come Holy Ghost 2:72
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 #409 Let Us Ever Walk 2:91

1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

KJV Matthew 20:1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. 2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. 8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. 13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Septuagesima Sunday
Lord God, heavenly Father, who through Thy holy word hast called us into Thy vineyard: Send, we beseech Thee, Thy Holy Spirit into our hearts, that we may labor faithfully in Thy vineyard, shun sin and all offense, obediently keep Thy word and do Thy will, and put our whole and only trust in Thy grace, which Thou hast bestowed upon us so plenteously through Thy Son Jesus Christ, that we may obtain eternal salvation through Him, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Fairness or Grace, Law or Gospel
This parable illustrates an important concept in the Christian faith. While we think normally in terms of Law, the Gospel teaches grace.

The parable is stated in the plainest terms, but many who heard the parables did not comprehend what was said. Jesus taught them privately. In the body of the New Testament we have the explanations and parallel passages we need to understand the more difficult passages.

This parable is plain to the believer, but the Old Adam resists. The Old Adam enjoys righteousness through the Law, whether Old Testament ritual law or civil righteousness.
Paul took care of both in Romans, which we are studying today. No one is righteousness through the Law, however Law is interpreted.

The story is clear enough. A man hired workers during the day, to work in his vineyard. We can see that this symbolizes God and those in the church (the vineyard). The first hired were promised a penny a day. That was before the Minimum Wage Law. Others were hired later in the day, promised whatever was right as their pay.

The conflict came because the last hired were paid a penny, even though they worked only a short time. Everyone else also received a penny, but they thought they would receive multiples of a penny, since they worked many more hours.

11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.

The same man who hired them gave them their pay, and he responded.

13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

The problem is from people converting the Gospel into Law. As children always say, “That’s not fair.”

One student failed his class by not doing his weekly assignments. He asked for another chance once the class was over and his financial aid was in jeopardy. He submitted his work and received a passing grade. His response was, “That’s not fair. I wanted a higher grade. I did all my work.”

When parents deal with their children, the “not fair” complaint is common. Kids measure the size of dessert, who got privileges, who sat by the window, and all kinds of other things. We were regular Pharisees at our home, always talking about our own virtues and the unfairness of favorable treatment of our siblings. Children have trouble with their parents treating the other children differently because of a variety of factors. A child’s concept of “fair” can be remarkably self-centered.

Some children have special needs. Others have special talents. Parents are always in training, so they start out with certain objectives and modify them as they are blessed with more children. They expect the most out of the first-born children and only children, so those children grow up to be pilots, CPAs, and architects.

In contrast, parents relax quite a bit when the baby of the family arrives. Everything the baby does is cute. The baby is always funny and entertaining. So typical babies become entertainers and salespeople.

Middle children are the most ignored, so they end up with different characteristics too. This is part of God’s design to build society through the lessons learned in the family.

In the church, this parable applies to all believers. The ending shows that God’s doctrine, being different from man’s opinion, caused many to fall away – Many are invited but few are elect. The Gospel calls many but few remain steadfast in the Gospel.

Murmuring against the Gospel is common. When God promises grace, that grace cannot be turned into law and remain grace.

God’s grace means His favor, which is undeserved and unearned our part. The message of the Gospel is that Christ earned this favor and bestowed it on us through the Gospel promises.

I was re-reading Lenski today. In his Romans commentary he wrote about Luther’s discovery of grace. Luther labored under the concept of earning God’s favor. When he was turned into a professor of Scripture, he saw that the entire Bible taught something different from what he learned as a Medieval monk.

Luther learned to earn God’s favor by depriving himself, enduring long vigils of prayer, and confessing his sins endlessly. His spiritual advisor said, “You do not love God. You hate him.” Luther grew to realize that in making Christ a fearsome and condemning judge, he led a spiritual life of resentment and anxious works.

When people talk about the god they reject, they often give this away. “I do not believe in a god who…” Their hatred and resentment comes from a concept of their own righteousness.

When Luther discovered justification by faith for himself, he felt set free from the law condemnation he had lived under. He did more than teach justification by faith. He also condemned:
· justification by works,
· paying money for forgiveness,
· and the entire structure of Medieval righteousness.

He let the Word attack the papacy, and the beast was mortally wounded from that time on. Luther would have been tolerated, even praised for teaching the Gospel by itself. What they could not abide was his attack on false doctrine, which threatened the entire financial structure of Medieval society. The churches, hotels, saloons, and relic museums all depended on the pilgrimage money from anxious believers, moving from place to place to earn forgiveness. The monasteries and nunneries were filled with people working for their salvation, hoping to reduce time in Purgatory for their friends and family.

One response to Luther was – That is not fair. How can the repentant murderer receive God’s grace on the scaffold, the same as the monk laboring for 50 years?

Thrivent - Just Gathering Money for ELCA To Spend on Their Agenda

"Application denied, dearie."


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Government Subsidies for WELS Schools":

Talking about taking money from Thrivent and its forbears (as was noted in other posts on this blog), now Thrivent is going to a checklist system similar to United Way's. Not only is the Boys Scout troops (affiliated with LCMS congregations) off the list, but reportedly synodical schools and local churches will not be listed. In other words, only liberal-approved causes are on the list. Just how liberal? One of the Thrivent board members is a lesbian. Notice how they get all the conservative on board, and then they tilt the program liberal, depowering and defunding conservative groups.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Thrivent - Just Gathering Money for ELCA To Spend ...":

It is time to turn Thrivent from a "fraternal" organization into an insurance company. Let them pay taxes like any other insurance company. At least the federal budget funds some things conservatives agree with, even under the Obama regime.

***

GJ - Thrivent has played WELS-ELS-LCMS for suckers, making their company seem like a service to conservative Lutherans when so many premium dollars are drained away to fund Habitat For Humanity and ELCA.

Thrivent could become a mutual company and share its profits with the mutual policy holders. There are tax advantages for a mutual company as well.

Thrivent has become the corrupting leaven which leavens the entire lump.

Government Subsidies for WELS Schools

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Money for Kelm, Not To Finish Degrees":

Hi Jim Becker WELS,

I'll tell you exactly why the WELS is getting into pre-school. Ever hear of state-funded 4-year-old Kindergarten and state-fund childcare? Here's how it works. The state pays for 4th grade Kindergarten in many place regardless of parental income, and they allow for an optional devotional time that parents can opt their children out of.

In addition, there's a pool of children/parents that qualify for childcare/pre-school based on low income.

Similarly, but for older students, the WELS has several school-choice "charter" schools such as Jeske's St. Marcus school, in the vicinity of failing public schools.

The thing to watch out for is whether the state pays enough, because otherwise these schools can become a drain on church resources if the church or some religious foundation(s) have to kick in a thousand dollars per student, as is the case in Milwaukee WELS school choice schools. That's what's occurring in Jeskeland.

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California Lutheran Orphan has left a new comment on your post "Government Subsidies for WELS Schools":

So what else is new? Government money for WELS schools was a big issue way back in the 70's when when WELS' lay members' protests resulted in expulsions in Milwaukee area, and one of several reasons for termination of this California Lutheran Orphan who agreed with the protesters who were labeled the "Milwaukee Nine". WELS statment of doctrine at the time stated."We reject any attempt on the part of the Church to seek the financial assistance of the state in carrying out its saving purpose". (THIS WE BELIEVE pg.23) When it was pointed out that it was understood that WELS schools existed for the church's saving purpose, government grants were defended with WELS leaders saying that the school didn't "seek" the government grants, they were "offered" to them. The more things change the more they stay the same.

***

GJ - The same thing happened with insurance money and joint meetings with ELCA and Missouri (Snowbird). WELS engaged in one religious activity after another with the other four-letter synods because the money was thrown at them. If they did not spend it, someone else would. Didn't want all that loot going to those nasty, unionistic liberals! QED - all AAL-LB-Thrivent programs were good, wholesome, and anointed by the Holy Spirit.

My favorite of all the lies told was the denial of working with ELCA on the Joy radio show. When ELCA put out their news release on the first joint project with Missouri and WELS, the Wisconsin Synod said ELCA was lying. (Sound familiar? It does to me.) So I followed Matthew 18 and phoned the ELCA person named. He was shocked because "Barber was at all the meetings." The ELCA official asked, "Do you believe me?"

Mischke sent a letter saying it was not true but that WELS was called in as consultants. Does that sound like GA, alumni of the Sausage Factory? It was not true but it was true in the way they said it was true, in a limited, ambiguous but purely innocent way.


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Jim Becker WELS has left a new comment on your post "Government Subsidies for WELS Schools":

When I posted concerning my comments to WELS President Mark Schroeder a month ago admonishing the Synod in advance for sanctioning the behavior of Pastors Glende and Skorzewski (see Ichabod "Write a Letter") ,I indicated that Schroeder's comments regarding WELS involvement with Thrivent were also forthcoming. Considering the subjects under discussion here, I felt his remarks to be timely now.

Given ongoing fellowship issues with Thrivent's close ELCA ties and new information brought to light on this blog (e.g. matching funds for Thrivent employees to Planned Parenthood and favorable mention of Thrivent as a gay-friendly employer by a Minnesota LGBT publication), I further admonished Synod for its continued violation of our unit fellowship doctrine by continued involvement with Thrivent Financial. Schroeder's reply was thoughtful and empathetic. He shared nearly all of the moral concerns I listed and gave me the impression that if he thought our Synod was directly involved with Thrivent he would have some real misgivings.

"I agree completely that the Thrivent organization has adopted policies and principles which are clearly not in keeping with biblical teaching...we do not regard Thrivent as a church or church-related organization. We regard it purely as a business and as a financial services organization that, according to its own business model, serves primarily Lutheran clients. Unfortunately, even though Thrivent would not claim to be a church or to engage in work normally done by the church, it often acts and speaks in a way that gives the opposite impression...Thrivent's social views are also areas in which we have no common ground.

"Having said that, I must also say that WELS has absolutely no direct involvement or relationship with Thrivent. We are not represented on their board of directors. We do not consult with them on their business or charitable efforts, nor do they provide any input or advice on our synod's mission efforts. The only connection we have with Thrivent is the annual block grant Thrivent donates to WELS...Thrivent does, of course, have more direct dealings with individual congregations through their local chapters or whatever they call them today. In those cases, it is my prayer that pastors and congregations are being careful to keep the relationship as a purely business relationship, not one in which the line between the role of the church and the role of Thrivent becomes blurred."

Pastor Schroeder went on to say that he would forward my concerns, which he said deserved to be taken seriously, to the Conference of Presidents, and asked for prayer on behalf of those who deal with these issues at the synodical level.

He added that Synod has admonished Thrivent for its involvement in Habitat for Humanity. I also notice just this week that Thrivent is matching funds ($1 for every $2 donated, up to a million) for members of the WELS Committee on Relief working with the Haitian situation.

***

GJ - Has anyone admonished Mark and Avoid Jeske for his involvement in Habitat for Humanity? He is far more a member of WELS than Thrivent is.

The basic problem is depending on outside sources to support the church: foundations with their agendas, Thrivent, Schwan, and the govmint. The Golden Rule prevails - "Whoever has the gold makes up the rules."

The Jackson Corollary is - "Having extra loot from the outside impoverishes the church while prostituting it." For obvious reasons, my corollary has never caught on among church bureaucrats.

 

Thrivent takes WELS-ELS-LCMS money

and makes massive grants to

Jimmie Carter's favorite charity - HFH.

Rent-a-Rev Jeske does the dedication ceremony.
Left-click the picture to see the details.

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Government Subsidies for WELS Schools":

Good news! It appears that not all schools are hurting for money after all. In the February edition of Forward In Christ A Lutheran Voice, there is an ad in the bulletin board section:

"Business professors-The business department of Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, Wis., is seeking names of people qualified to teach in the areas of accounting, finance, and investments,marketing, and management. Potential positions are full and part time and require at least a master's degree."

Now that Kelm is no longer with Parish Services, he has time to teach marketing and serve as chaplain. Hey, I bet Kelm has some "friends" that know a little bit about finance and investments.

In Christ,
from WELs church lady

***

GJ - The ex-SP is a whiz at finance. He knows how to find designated funds to float the shortage, how to find someone to take the blame, and how to have a pleasant vacation afterwards, with pay. They need him for an MBS program at WLC.

"Who Picked Your Shirt - Ray Charles?" and Other Schuller Mistakes

"Who picked your shirt, Junior? Ray Charles?"

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Crystal Cathedral - Home of Church Growth Movement...":


The 80-year-old Schuller demoted his son when the offerings went down, but I think that was a way-bad call on the senior's part. It had nothing to do with the son, but just bad economics, and their established flock was getting older and was quickly dying off.

***

GJ - The lesson - All the big Evangelical media ministries of the 1980s are fading fast. I remember the mainline leaders being enraged that any given TV ministry was taking in more money annually than their national, centuries old denomination. They raved against D. James Kennedy, Billy Graham, Robert Schuller, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and a few others. Pat Robertson was in TV early and has made a bundle with his talk show, entertainment style format. His son is carrying on the show, and it is even harder to believe under his guidance.

The WELS-LCMS-ELS gurus are pursuing the fads of the moment. Andy Stanley the covert Babtist is so cool that the foxes of Fox Valley are studying his book on how to be just like him. Glende and Ski are channeling so many Schwaermer leaders that one can hardly pick the number one false teacher they are following.

Shoveling snow today, I concluded that getting even is the biggest single motivation for CG in WELS. The guys started out with doctrinal problems and got biffed around for it. Other dysfunctional types found comfort and security in a secretive anti-establishment group. They rejoiced that they could advance one another's careers while icing their more able peers'.

So follow the megas of WELS-ELS-LCMC and buy up their assets in a few years, 10 cents on the dollar, max.

I have always wanted to broadcast with 20 sub-woofers behind me, popcorn machines popping, soda fountains giving up mounds of ice cream, Coke on tap.

Mrs. Ichabod said that one is leased.

Never mind.

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dk has left a new comment on your post ""Who Picked Your Shirt - Ray Charles?" and Other S...":

Hey professor

I think that under the entry "Gurgel" in the Ichaslang lexicon there oughta be a second meaning:

2. verb, to gurgel, gurgling:

The vocal affectation or mannerism a person acquires when pretending to be Confessionally Lutheran. This behavior often may be associated with...(fill in the blank)

***

GJ - I spell his name "gurgle" because that was the sound of WELS going down the drain during his inspired leadership. He was the conservative dream candidate originally. Really. No kidding. He was against merging NWC and DMLC, then led the deception that resulted in a fading, failing MLC. As he said, "Denying that he had the gifts of leadership would be false modesty."

May he do for Patterson what he did for WELS.

Money for Kelm, Not To Finish Degrees

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Two ELCA Problems Parallel WELS, LCMS, and ELS":

I know this comment is in the wrong place, but did not see a recent post on Wimpy Little College (WLC).

I am surprised that no one has yet commented that WLC rather recently cut some major degrees from their curriculum, leaving some students high and dry. Now they have money for Paul Calvin Kelm as a second campus pastor to work with other pastors' members, maybe do a little WELS sheep-stealing among the non-WELS churched students, and I suppose to make WLC a "mission arm" of the "church" among their unchurched students.

Whence this sudden wealth at WLC to add a "pastor" after cutting curriculum so recently? It must be living proof that a fool and his money are soon parted. Why support a college that leaves students high and dry while pampering a retired reject with a cushy call?

***

GJ - A few seconds ago I was thinking, "Nobody cares about this extra call." I heard from a parish pastor that people dismiss it as WLC going its own way, Kelm wanting a college call when he qualifies for Social Security and Medicare. The same parish pastor says that people on campus think the college needs zero chaplains, not two.

The published description of the call shows that the apostate board--drawn from MLC and CrossWalk Phoenix--wants to promote the failing Church Growth methods of Pietism. Bones would say to Kirk, above, "It's dead, Jim."

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Money for Kelm, Not To Finish Degrees":

WELS provides NO financial support to WLC. It is not a synodical school.

***

GJ - Wade a minute. WLC collects donations as a Wisconsin Synod institution, Brigadoonish. When Martin Marty (ELCA) or Archbishop Weakland (Church of Rome) lectures there, it is not WELS. When raising money from the Schwan Foundation, it is WELS. The faculty is WELS, many of them trained at Marquette, which I understand is Roman Catholic. The board is WELS but not Lutheran.

I guess I won't get any fund-raising letters in the mail.


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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Money for Kelm, Not To Finish Degrees":

"A 4-year, private, co-ed, Christian liberal arts college affiliated with the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod."
* * * * * * * * * * *
This is a quote from the college's website. They sure don't get to be affiliated with the WELS without funding, finance, and support.

***

GJ - Certain there is a cost based on the synod's connection to WLC. No staff time? Please. The funny thing is - this is used to justify their dabbling in Roman Catholic ecumenism, CGism, and Martin Marty-ism. At those precious moments they are not WELS but totally, seriously independent.

How many millions have gone from the Schwan Foundation instead of MLC or the seminary or the preps? That is not a cost?

Brigadoon.

Why It's Almost Like Being in WELS!

Maybe Marv Schwan gave me the pow'r,
For I could swim Michigan and be home in half an hour.
Maybe the beer gave me the drive,
For I'm all aglow and alive.
What a day this has been! What a rare mood I'm in!
Why, it's almost like being in WELS!
There's a smile on my face for the big Kelm disgrace!
Why, it's almost like being in WELS!
All the music of life seems to be like a bell that is CCMing for me!
And from the way that I feel when that funding appeals,
I could swear I was joining, I would swear I was joining,
It's almost like being in WELS.

Two ELCA Problems Parallel WELS, LCMS, and ELS

 

Her Goofiness, the Big Nasty at Episcopal Headquarters,

may have set the ELCA prisoners free.

Lo, the religious empires are crashing: 

1. Church Without Walls has its expensive walls in foreclosure;
2. D. James Kennedy's Coral Ridge is selling off assets;
3. Schuller cannot even sell property on his main campus;
4. Time of Grace is shopping for a bigger, richer synod;
5. ELCA went through another round of staff firings as congregations leave.

Katharine Jefferts-Schori pushed the limits of radicalism and began suing the congregations for daring to leaver her feminist-pan-sexual paradise. With entire sections willing to leave the Episcopal corporation and face their day in court, ELCA congregations--velcroed to these high-church Unitarians--have found their way to the exit doors. ELCA Congregations from my hometown of Moline are engaged in the same disputes. They used to be Augustana Synod: Augustana, as in Augsburg Confession.

The content of the departing ELCA members and pastors indicate how they are struggling to leave behind what was once familiar and comfortable. Two areas should be familiar to WELS, Missouri, and the Little Sect on the Prairie:

A. Reading material.

B. Trusting God's Word.

Reading Material

The ELCA members and pastors have been directed away from good theological reading for over 50 years. Instead of reading their own substantial material from the past, they get the latest publications coupled with warnings against the evils of dead theologians. Under a pile of books, they became illiterate about Lutheran doctrine. Are WELS, Missouri, and the ELS any different? They were handed Fuller and Fuller-cloned materials for decades while training at their sausage factories veered into making the Lutheran Church safe for Enthusiasm. "They have so much to teach us, those Babtists and Pentehowlers and occultists."

If the ELCA members and pastors had stuck to Lenski, Schmid, Jacobs, Krauth,  and Schmauk, they would have remained closer in doctrine to the Synodical Conference. 

If WELS, Missouri, and the ELS had featured a few good theologians in their training and publications--Luther, Chemnitz, Gerhard, Gerhardt--they would still be Lutheran. 

ELCA is closest to Missouri in going Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox, closest to WELS-ELS-LCMS in promoting the Enthusiasm of Missouri.

Trusting God's Word

The revolution in the Episcopal Church shows that the Word is efficacious, even in the midst of apostasy. A core group has found the new thinking completely alien, so they have nothing left to trust but the Word of God. They are emphasizing the Scriptures instead of culture and tradition.

Stan Hauerwas always liked to say at Notre Dame, "The Lutherans are always a day late and a dollar short." I am waiting to see a Lutheran bishop take his entire district out of ELCA, following his peers in the Episcopal Church.

Meanwhile, LCMS-WELS-ELS clergy and laity need to get over their lockjaw and start speaking out on doctrinal issues. Some will pay a price for this, which is called bearing the cross. There are also intangible rewards, which are great, because tangible rewards do not transport well after death.

Every doctrinal debate is a victory, even if there is a short-term setback. The apostates in the Lutheran Church do not want a debate. They accuse, following the pattern set by their Father Below. They scream:
1. You are criticizing Holy Mother Synod!
2. You dare the attack one of our Great Ones?
3. You are an evil, evil person.
4. All we want to do is make things better.

They want a political battle, because they always win those. Look at Wayne Mueller being voted out of office, or Gurgle voted in!

They fear a doctrinal battle, knowing they have nothing to offer and plenty to hide.

Every Church and Changer "has issues with Church and Change."  And yet, they are posting on the secret listserve and galloping off to each Schwaermer conference.

They hate having their secrets exposed. They hate being quoted verbatim, almost as much as they hate traditional Lutheran quotations.

They even hate cute kitteh pictures. That should seal their fate once and for all.

Crystal Cathedral - Home of Church Growth Movement - Hammered by Plunge in Giving

 

"Dad, if you fire me, I will totally put a hex 

on this Synagogue of Satan.

Seriously."

GARDEN GROVE, Calif. – The Southern California megachurch founded by televangelist Robert H. Schuller Sr. is selling property, laying off workers and pulling its signature TV program "Hour of Power" from some markets to offset a nearly $8 million drop in revenue.

The church saw revenue drop 27 percent from roughly $30 million in 2008 to $22 million in 2009, church spokesman Mike Nason told The Associated Press. The church had projected an 18 percent revenue drop.

Church leaders blamed the decline on the struggling U.S. economy. They intend to save $4.9 million and stave off further financial collapse by selling 170 acres in southern Orange County, including a retreat and wedding center, laying off 50 employees and cutting "Hour of Power" from eight of the 45 domestic broadcast TV stations that air it.

Church officials declined to name the cities where the program would be cut because station managers have not yet been notified.

The 10,000-member church will also cancel this year's "Glory of Easter" pageant, which attracts thousands of visitors and is a regional holiday staple along with the church's "Glory of Christmas" show.

"Hour of Power," which has aired for 40 years, will continue to appear on cable networks such as Lifetime and TBN, and on broadcast TV in markets including California, Colorado, Florida and Ohio, said John Charles, director of development and public relations.

"If we can just hang in there and be smart about surviving the downturn in the economy, this storm will pass and we will be OK and we can begin to grow again as a ministry," Sheila Schuller Coleman, Schuller's daughter and the church's recently appointed leader, said in a prepared statement.

The disclosure mirrors the troubles in recent months at other megachurches that have suffered from the downturn and reduced charitable giving.

Rick Warren, best-selling author and founder of Saddleback Church, made an appeal on New Year's Eve for urgent donations after finding his organization was nearly $1 million in the red. Parishioners raised $2.4 million for Saddleback and its ministries within days.

The Crystal Cathedral doesn't expect a similar outpouring from its members or viewers of "Hour of Power."

"It would be nice, but we understand the economy and people are hurting and our audience are not rich people," Charles said. "There's a lot of people on fixed incomes and they're giving what they can."

That aging membership base, along with the bad economy, could be a big part of the Crystal Cathedral's problem, said Richard Flory, a senior research associate for the Center for Religion & Civic Culture at the University of Southern California.

The era of blockbuster televangelists is fading and viewership is declining even as the age of the average viewer creeps upward, he said.

"I can't imagine anybody younger than 40 watching some sort of televangelist," he said. "Younger people are worshipping in smaller venues. I think the megachurch is always going to appeal to groups of people, but the television piece of it, I just don't see that as a growth market anymore."

The church, founded more than 50 years ago, and its internationally known telecast have been bleeding dollars and members for years — a trend that accelerated when Schuller Sr. stepped down and passed his senior pastor role to his son, Robert A. Schuller Jr.

Schuller Jr. became engaged in a bitter family feud, disappeared from "Hour of Power" broadcasts and abruptly left the church in 2008, less than three years after he took over for his father.

Schuller Jr. announced his own weekly show on AmericanLife TV Network last summer. Coleman, his sister, was appointed as the ministry's top administrator.

"Hour of Power" changed formats, with Coleman and her father appearing on the show with a stable of up to six guest pastors. Last year, Schuller Sr. pleaded for donations in an open letter posted on the church's Web site, saying the final months of 2008 were devastating.

Nason rejected the idea that the losses were the result of turbulence among leadership. A random survey last fall of nearly 700 members showed the departure of Schuller Jr. was not a factor in reduced giving, he said.

"What was significant was the economic downturn, and they were giving 30 to 40 percent less dollars to the ministry in 2009 than they did in 2008," he said.

Flory, the professor, said the economy undoubtedly plays a large role in the church's troubles — but the leadership changes at the top don't help keep viewers tuned in.

"The turbulence at the top blows up and nobody's ever heard of the daughter," he said. "I think since the beginning it's been pretty much an entertainment, feel-good place and it probably doesn't feel very good right now."

The Crystal Cathedral has a storied history.

Schuller Sr., now 83, first formulated his outreach to the unchurched in the mid-1950s when he opened a ministry at a drive-in theater in the suburbs of Orange County that catered to Southern California's emerging car culture. He pulled people in with his sermons on the power of positive thinking.

The little church later grew into the Crystal Cathedral, a worship hall with a soaring glass spire that opened in 1970 and remains an architectural wonder and tourist destination.

The "Hour of Power" telecast, filmed in the cathedral's main sanctuary, at one point attracted 1.3 million viewers in 156 countries. Charles said he didn't know what viewership is now but suspected it's lower.

Nason said the property to be sold is a church campus in southern Orange County known as Rancho Capistrano.

About 150 acres of the property — including 80 acres of open space — are already in escrow, he said.

The remaining 20 acres, which contain a spiritual retreat center with hotel rooms, a church building, acres of gardens and a Spanish mission-style hacienda popular for weddings, will also go on sale.

The Family Life Center on Crystal Cathedral's main property in Garden Grove, has been on the market for a year with no buyers, Charles said.

Employees who will be laid off received pink slips Friday and were given 60 days notice, he said.

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Kenneth J. Schmidt has left a new comment on your post "Crystal Cathedral - Home of Church Growth Movement...":

Basing your ministry on self-esteem rather than the gospel is a recipe for disaster. When the charismatic leader dies, the church dies with him. Churches based on sound doctrine can survive the retirement or semi-retirement of a pastor. When Shuller gives up the ghost I think he will mutter "Rosebud."

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GJ - Citizen Kane he is not.