ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Favorite Video? - Party in the MLC!
Koehn
Ex-teacher gets five months for sex with teen girl she mentored
Ex-teacher, coach was girl's mentor
By Frederick Melo
fmelo@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 02/05/2010 11:18:19 PM CST
A Kenosha, Wis., woman has been sentenced to five months in a county jail and 10 years' probation for maintaining a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student at a private West St. Paul high school.
Melissa Diana Koehn, 31, a former teacher and basketball coach, was ordered to pay $200 and register as a sex offender. Prosecutors had asked for a state prison sentence, but Dakota County District Judge Robert King stayed the execution of a three-year prison term. Her jail sentence begins Feb. 11.
Koehn taught history at St. Croix [WELS] Lutheran High School, where she befriended the girl and began an unofficial mentoring relationship with her during the girl's sophomore year.
When the girl began showing signs of depression, Koehn held frequent meetings with her and got to know her family, who at first warmed to the mentoring. Koehn joined them for dinners, holidays, social outings and overnight visits.
Authorities believe the relationship escalated by July 2008, shortly before the girl's senior year. During Koehn's jury trial in November, the girl's mother described frequent phone calls and finding an elaborate love letter.
In December, an Apple Valley police officer discovered Koehn kissing the girl in a parked car in a park. Koehn was arrested the next day.
On the witness stand, the teen denied any sexual contact with Koehn, then later said she couldn't remember.
Under Minnesota law, sexual contact with a 16- or 17-year-old is a felony if the
perpetrator is more than four years older and in a position of authority over the teen.
Koehn's attorney maintained that the relationship was not a crime because Koehn had taken a leave of absence from the school in the summer of 2008. Prosecutors noted, however, she had the girl in history class her freshman year and coached her in basketball her sophomore year.
On Nov. 20, a jury deliberated three hours before finding Koehn guilty of three counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.
Frederick Melo can be reached at 651-228-2172.
The story was previously covered on Ichabod - where else? Read the details. Was a deal made to create the memory lapse? See the details in the linked Ichabod story.
Mary Lou College really needs a gaydar dish installed, or they should change the name to Mother Jones College.
This Archbishop Could Fill the Weakland Chair at Wisconsin Lutheran College
Roman Archbishop Weakland publicly taught at WLC,
apparently "outside the framework of fellowship."
Listecki misled legislators on policy, Eau Claire police chief says
The Eau Claire police chief is accusing Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki of being untruthful to lawmakers about the notification procedure for clergy sex abuse allegations in the La Crosse Diocese, where he previously served as bishop.
In a development that victims' advocates say is related, a La Crosse priest has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman he was counseling through a divorce, months after the diocese investigated and found no credible evidence supporting her accusations.
In a Jan. 22 letter to state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, Eau Claire Police Chief Jerry Matysik takes issue with a La Crosse Diocese policy that directs those with accusations of clergy sex abuse involving children to notify the diocese - rather than civil authorities, as directed by some dioceses.
According to Matysik, Listecki told Erpenbach during a Jan. 12 Senate Judiciary hearing that the policy was not current, saying, "If you take a look at the statement, that's not something that is happening now."
Matysik said the policy has remained unchanged, only substituting Diocesan Administrator Monsignor Richard Gilles' name as the point of contact for Listecki's, who took over as Milwaukee's archbishop in January.
In the letter to Erpenbach, Matysik said: "Senator Erpenbach, I carefully reviewed the interchange between you and Archbishop Listecki and it is clear that Archbishop Listecki's response was untruthful."
In an interview Thursday, Matysik said about Listecki: "He either misunderstood the question or misled the committee."
For more than a year, Matysik has been trying to get the La Crosse Diocese to change the statement, which appeared in the La Crosse Catholic Times as recently as late January.
"Archbishop Listecki appears more interested in protecting the organization than he is in protecting children," he said.
Listecki was not available for comment Thursday, his spokeswoman said. Erpenbach did not return a call seeking comment. The Jan. 12 hearing involved a bill that would make it easier for sex abuse victims to sue their offenders, which Listecki testified against.
Attorney defends diocese
La Crosse Diocese attorney James Birnbaum said the diocese's notification policy has been vetted by auditors and law enforcement officials on its sex abuse review board and made available to prosecutors in the diocese's 19 counties, and that no one but Matysik has taken issue with it. He said the policy lets the diocese respond more quickly to protect children, and that it turns over all allegations involving children immediately to civil authorities as required by law."We've never failed to report (child sex abuse) immediately to authorities," he said.
The Milwaukee Archdiocese's notification statement, which is posted on its Web site at www.archmil.org, directs those with complaints of sexual abuse involving victims younger than age 18 to notify civil authorities.
The latest sex abuse charge in La Crosse, against the Rev. Edmund Donkor-Baine, a visiting priest from Guyana, involves an adult, for which there is no state requirement to notify civil authorities. But it illustrates the concerns raised by victim advocates who say the La Crosse Diocese, where Listecki served as bishop from 2005 until 2009, sides overwhelmingly with priests over victims.
Donkor-Baine, 47, is accused of indecently touching a 47-year-old woman and forcing her to touch him in August while they sat in a vehicle in the Town of Shelby, according to the La Crosse County Sheriff's Department.
Donkor-Baine, who is free on a $250 signature bond, is scheduled for a hearing Feb. 11 in La Crosse County Circuit Court on a charge of fourth-degree sexual assault.
La Crosse County Sheriff's Capt. Kurt Papenfuss said the woman first reported the incident to the diocese, but it dismissed the allegations as not credible.
Birnbaum denied that characterization in an interview Thursday but was quoted in the La Crosse Tribune as saying "sufficient evidence did not exist to confirm the woman's story. There were no other like or similar allegations ever made."
A letter from Listecki to the woman in December said he needed a "sufficient amount of corroborating evidence to proceed" and could not "conclusively determine what happened," but the diocese has taken steps to limit and monitor the priest's activities.
A study for the U.S. Conference of Bishops found that the La Crosse Diocese sided with priests over victims in 64% of cases, compared with the national average of just less than 10%.
"This is a real-time illustration of what we've been trying to bring forward about the problem up there," Peter Isely of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests said of the charges against Donkor-Baine. "The bishop is instructing Catholics to report sex crimes to him. That's what this woman did, and this is what happened."
Papenfuss and Matysik, who was not involved in the investigation involving the woman, said victims of crimes should notify police, not the perpetrator or his employer.
"If my car is stolen, I'm not going to go to the thief," Papenfuss said. "Why would you go to the person who wronged you?"
Drive-By DMins Promote Drive-By Prayers
ELCA Bishop Confused - It's a Bully Pulpit - Not a Pulpit Bully
The Rev. Dr. Gary M. Wollersheim
Bishop
Chief Operating Officer, Spiritual Leader, Teacher of the Faith,
Pastor to all, and Servant of the Synod above all Synods - ELCA
Pastor to all, and Servant of the Synod above all Synods - ELCA
815-964-9934
bishop@nisynod.org
bishop@nisynod.org
Gary's response to our requested meeting
February 4, 2010
Ms. K---- M-----
Congregational Council Secretary
Faith Lutheran Church
1611 41st Street
Moline , IL 61265
Dear Ms. M------ and Congregational Council members of Faith Lutheran Church :
Grace, mercy and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I find the request to meet with me from the Congregational Council of Faith Lutheran Church to be inconsistent with your past behavior.
I have made offers to meet with members of Faith Lutheran Church but they have either been ignored or refused. I have even suggested dates and times when I would be available.
I have written your pastor on several occasions and my letters for the most part have not been answered.
An attorney from Faith Lutheran Church has attempted to limit my contact with congregational members even though I serve as the pastor of the Northern Illinois Synod.
When the properly instituted Northern Illinois Synod Consultation Team was scheduled to conduct interviews at Faith Lutheran Church they were refused access to the Church building and were threatened: “This team will not be allowed to enter our property and will be removed by the Moline Police Department if they attempt to do so. “
I have also been accused by members of Faith Lutheran Church of being a liar and denying the basic tenants of the Christian faith as confessed in the Apostles’ Creed. These accusations are absolutely false and are a clear violation of the Eighth Commandment and Luther’s meaning:
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”
“What does this mean?” ‘We are to fear and love God so that we do not betray, slander, or lie about our neighbor, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain his actions in the kindest way.’
Now, if you still wish to meet with me, I will need some explanation of the above behavior. Then we will need to agree on the purpose of said meeting and the agenda. After this is accomplished, I am willing to receive Congregational Council members only, at my office at 103 West State Street , Rockford . An appointment may be made through my administrative assistant, Ms. Julie Lewis. You may reach Ms. Lewis at (815) 964-9934.
In Christ,
Bishop Gary M. Wollersheim
Hard copy mailed to:
Ms. K---- M-------
Faith Lutheran Church
1611 41st Street
Moline , IL 61265
Bishop Gary M. Wollersheim
Northern Illinois Synod
103 W. State Street
Rockford, IL 61101
Phone: (815) 964-9934
Fax: (815) 964-2295
Email: bishop@nisynod.org
Unpublished Snarkers Get Themselves into Trouble
I love it when unpublished, anonymous snarkers try their GA-style humor in the comments section.
Flash news for y'all - Your publishing house sold my Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure for years and gave me the publishing rights. The book went through three printings, so someone was buying it. Liberalism will be available soon, via Lulu.
According to the logic of many Sausage Factory graduates, you are in fellowship with me and approve every word I have ever published, every book I have ever quoted, every comic book I have ever read. See the fake blog for examples of WELS illiteracy.
That also means Liberalism will be a free download for anyone.
NPH is currently selling Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant.
NPH wants me to review its books, and I have several more to write up in the near future.
Justification will be done fairly soon, March, God willing. I can do revisions instantly through Lulu, so I can move that along. Future question - do you subscribe to the Unaltered JBF?
More bad or good news - Printed copies of Thy Strong Word are gone, except for the second-hand market. I found all the files on my computer. I will probably print each chapter as a small book and everything together as a monster book.
All the PDFs are free from Lulu. I could charge but I would rather sow the seed than build new barns. Look what that did for St. Marv of Schwan. Premature death. Second wife went back to Rome. Foundation loot facilitated WELS/LCMS financial meltdowns.
I gotta hand one thing to Marv, and only a billionaire could do it. He proved once and for all that money is NOT a Means of Grace.
---
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Unpublished Snarkers Get Themselves into Trouble":
Brett,
I am firmly in Pastor Jackson's camp. However, I am one of many people who absolutely cannot be publicly associated with this blog. It is not a matter of faithlessness or cowardice. It is simply a matter of survival. I do not know if you have every been under the authority of the CG crowd, but they are unforgiving and ruthless when openly challenged. Here is the choice many of us face: openly attack and undermine them, and lose the ability to do what good we can for and with faithful people in the WELS or resist them behind the scenes and continue to serve, encourage, and strenghthen those we are called to serve and serve with.
Not all of us have the luxury of fighting our battles out in the open, and life is not always as black and white as you may like it to be. Believe me when I say that hundreds of little skirmishes in WELS and its institutions are fought every day (still at great risk to those who fight them) in ways that you will never see or know about.
***
GJ - I don't remember "fighting a battle out in the open" ever being a luxury! I do know the apostates never fight in the open. They deny, deceive, and destroy.
I recognize that there are many faithful pastors who are doing the best they can. I have been impressed with the number of LCMS pastors who identify as pro-life Book of Concord Lutherans.
---
Scott E. Jungen has left a new comment on your post "Unpublished Snarkers Get Themselves into Trouble":
Brett,
I'm going to have to second that Anonymous 4:08PM has to say. I'm in the Northern WI District, can you imagine having to fight Deputy Doug publicly? Who do you think makes up the call lists for the District? Since I'm no longer a WELS called worker, I have the freedom to speak my mind. I've already had my "means of income" taken away. There's nothing the district as a whole can do to me. Anonymous 4:08, feel free to look up my e-mail address in a WELS 2008-2009 yearbook and contact me. I'm the son of a CIA cryptographer, I know how to keep a secret!
Hi Steve! (inside joke to a friend I've steered to this website.
---
Scott E. Jungen has left a new comment on your post "Unpublished Snarkers Get Themselves into Trouble":
Dr. Jackson,
Ooops! It should read "second what Anonymous 4:08..." I've already seen you wield a pretty mean red pen so I will correct myself.
***
GJ - I chasten those whom I love.
There are many different ways to blow apostasy wide open. Providing information that I can publish is one way. Many people participate. I shared some between two researchers and one said, "That person is doing some heavy-duty research." They did not know each other and still do not. Others get in touch with each other various ways, but I do not reveal sources unless there is an agreement to do so. Once two people got together for something worthwhile and I did not even know the identity of one of them at the time.
The Internet means that most of us will not meet each other face-to-face on this earth.
I think it is essential to know how the money is being spent on apostasy and to stop it every way possible. Anyone can oppose these louts to their faces. Not everyone feels strong enough to do so, but there are those who are glad to do what is necessary and possible. Not attending is another vote against apostasy.
Pastors and councils and voters can write letters. A letter has a lot of impact. It should be factual, doctrinal, and copied all over the place.
DP Robert Mueller did not even acknowledge my letters, so I sent one all over Creation. That shocked him. "Why did you do that?" He must have heard from a few people. I said, "You never even acknowledged my letters."
Some people start blogs. A blog can be read all over the world and gets picked up by various softwares and Google. The best blogging is persistent, but even a good collection of facts, documents, and opinions will get around.
When I was your age, I would say to a new blogger, I did my own copying, addressed my own envelopes, paid my own postage, and reached about 20 people at the time, most of them trembling in their rabbit-warrens, fearful that someone would see my envelope on their desk. Now people can read it without fear of discovery and act upon the facts.
Ah, how the apostates are crying and whining now. Team Ichabod can outproduce them easily, by multiples. Over 40,000 pages were read here last month. Meanwhile, the CG experiments are oozing flop-sweat and clawing for more money to support their Copy and Paste Ministries.
This is what tickles me the most. What is the one prevalent theme of the Shrinkers in WELS? Right. They plagiarize.
What do they do to counter me, after howling about my creative artwork?
Correct. They plagiarize, without permission, from my blog. I am happy that they do. If I were not proud of Deputy Doug's graphic, I would not have designed and posted it - truly a labor of love. If five more people see it, I am happy, even if the thief is ranting about something he cannot comprehend, drunk or sober.
The Shrinkers cannot compose a case for what they do, so their only refuge is to obsess about what I do and call it a sin. A fake blog aimed against one person is rather peculiar, most people would say. I am not going to say the guy was potty-trained at gunpoint, but something went terribly wrong in his upbringing.
I assume he will run away and erase all his files, as he did twice before. If so, I will be crestfallen, because his fulminations are the nilhil obstat and imprimatur of this blog.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Justification Book Schedule
God willing, I will have the justification book done before the April UOJ conference, perhaps with enough extra time to have the essays writers pen some condemnations. More likely they will ignore it, because:
a. It's easier than copying their yellowed dog notes from J. P. Meyer.
b. That is really the highest compliment, even though they do not realize it.
The cat is out of the bag, as shown by the anti-anti-CG blogs, the enraged comments, and the sense of panic communicated by this Texas conference. The one constant in the old Synodical conference has been Enthusiasm - Receptionism, Church Growth, and UOJ.
Here is the tentative plan:
Chapter One - The Efficacy of the Word
Chapter Two - Enthusiasm in the Book of Concord
Chapter Three - Calvin and Zwingli
Chapter Four - Pietism
Chapter Five - Justification by Faith
Appendices on - Disputed passages, UOJ quotations and why they are wrong, Justification by Faith quotations.
If you would like to do homework in advance, study "The Righteousness of Faith" in the Formula of Concord.
---
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Justification Book Schedule":
Dr. Luther was always pointed in his attacks on false doctrine. Yet he did draw a careful distinction between doctrinal warfare and personal warfare, even when he got carried away by his passions. He recognized that personal warfare added nothing to the Truth of God's Word, but always distracted attention away from it. Indeed, such captious endeavors were a disservice to the Truth.
May the Lord God grant His people, through hearts of faith, such a bold humility.
garycepek@yahoo.com
***
GJ - That is an imaginary Luther being channeled by Gary Cepek. I am going to call the comment section A Treasury of Unsubstantiated Claims and Unwarranted Assertions.
---
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Justification Book Schedule":
Thank you for the Justification book post. Two days ago my internet was on the brink,so I decided to read some esaays in my saved documents. John Buchholz 2005 convention essay was one that I decided to read. One aspect that may not have been discussed on the blog was Buchholz's use of the word 'mismash.'
In other words you have the Sig Becker,J.P. Meyer, and Kokomo versions of Justification. In Bucholz's OWN words he calls these takes a mishmash. Remember Brenner did not give his speach until 2009.(and I do not recall Buchholz namming Brenner, CORRECT me if I am wrong...Buchholz's essay was 2 miles long!)
This only raises more questions than it answers. I will answer one thing! Buchholz is now included in the mishmash. In late 2005 FIC publishes his series of articles on UOJ. Keep in mind FIC is a magazine upheld by the Synod. So who are we supposed to be in agreement with? Sig Becker?(no, not according to Buchholz)J.P. Meyer?(nope!)Kokomo?(not that either) He basically is saying that he is correct and the others wrong.
This is disturbing and needs attention that is long over due. I pray that Pastor GJ's book sheds light on a much needed examination on the Doctrine of Justification. The main point of my comment was Buchholz's denoucing of the mentioned leaders. Which one are we supposed to be following? But hey, Scripture and the BOC are not mishmash.
In Christ,
from WELS church lady
***
GJ - The key error is repeated by Buchholz - absolution of the world, without the Word, without the Means of Grace, without faith. All the double-justification schemes have that in common. Since he has said, ex cathedra, that WELS was wrong about Kokomo, the topic has been opened up for discussion. Another precedent is admitting that a Mequon professor (J. P. Meyer) erred in his Human Nature. Both admissions facilitate doctrinal clarity in the future.
---
Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Justification Book Schedule":
WELS Church Lady, I've asked all of the UOJ schleppers I've talked to in the WELS, ELS and LCMS for the definitive document detailing the precise explanation and confession of UOJ. No one has provided one. And it's not as though they present some document written by so and so, they provide nothing for a response. They will go on and on about how I misrepresent their doctrine but cannot provide the benchmark for what the doctrine teaches. What a sham! And this is the central doctrine of the Christian faith. Where's Martin Luther's sermons on UOJ? They must see it as an oversight for Martin Luther to have never written a sermon on the central article of Christian faith. Did Luther only focus on Subjective Justification like the Book of Concord and forget about Objective Justification? The whole sordid doctrine, the blasphemous contradictions and absence of written confession from the Lutheran Church fathers is too much to swallow. What a wicked cabal that exists within the Lutheran churches today.
We need to brainstorm a way to advertise the new book within the Lutheran churches. Pastor Jackson can give you my personal email if you would like to exchange ideas.
In Christ,
Brett
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Justification Book Schedule":
Will there be any legitimate, solid exegesis in this book?
***
GJ - Not if I quote WELS materials exclusively!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
This Congregation Is Incensed!
Does the audience applaud the bong or the catcher?
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."
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.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
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?
Margaret Sanger in her own words.
 | 1:45 PM Wed, Feb 03, 2010 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz Bio |  E-mail | News tips |
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.
- The Lutheran schools teach Zwingli's doctrine or lead future pastors into Romanism. Millions of dollars have been wasted to undo the Reformation.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
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.
---
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.
Monday, February 1, 2010
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.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Septuagesima Sunday
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?
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