Presbyterians Reveal Why They Have Lost Half Their Members

Cynthia Bolbach is the new boss of the liberal Presbyterians.
Married? Boston marriage?
Bruce Church recently linked the Presby decline on Ichabod.
"Bolbach grew up as a Lutheran in Pennsylvania (where she had a rabbit named Calvin, a guinea pig named Pope and a hamster called Luther). After graduating from a Lutheran-affiliated college, Wittenberg University, in Springfield, Ohio, she moved to Washington, D.C., to attend Georgetown University Law Center."

For Presbyterians, a new leader and more controversy

By William Wan
Some news over the weekend coming out of the Presbyterian conference meeting in Minneapolis: they've chosen a new moderator -- Cynthia Bolbach, an elder from National Capital Presbytery in Washington -- and they are preparing to debate the question of same-sex marriage.

And the two seemed intertwined this weekend as the general assembly listened to candidates for new moderator -- the top leadership position for the assembly. According to the PCUSA's account of the election, Bolbach was the only one of the six candidates who "expressed unqualified support for same-sex marriage."

This week, the denominational conference will consider the controversial issue of whether to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples and allowing ministers to perform same-sex weddings. If adopted, the change would come in a constitutional redefinition of marriage from "between a man and a woman" to "between two people."

The church leaders are meeting at a tough time -- with new figures showing that membership has been cut by more than half since its heyday in 1965. Some good analysis in this Courier-Journal article from Louisville where the church is based. In the most recent year alone, the membership has continued to decline by 3 percent.

In her speech, the new moderator Bolbach, from Arlington, VA., likened the church to the paralyzed man from Luke 5 who was later healed by Jesus. "Our denomination is that paralyzed man," she said, "paralyzed by fatigue, uncertainty, fear, grief over the loss of the kind of church some of us have known and loved all our lives."

In her comments, she also said: "Who poses the greatest threat - Larry King, who's been married seven times, or a gay couple [friends of hers] in Washington, D.C., who have been together for 62 years and who got married two weeks ago?"

Fortunately, the Wisconsin Synod has put a stop
to the promotion of the gay culture.
Hasn't it?
Bring back the MLC version of party in the USA!!!!!!
1345 Facebook Fans.
Posted on YouTube - again.

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Voices for Justice Awards Luncheon offers moments for meditation, celebration

With over a hundred people present, the new Presbyterian Voices for Justice gathered on Sunday, July Fourth, just after the Assembly worship service.

The Rev. Bill Dummer, PVJ co-moderator, welcomed everyone to the luncheon, and then introduced the Rev. Landon Whitsitt, the newly elected Vice Moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Whitsitt greeted the group on behalf of Moderator Cynthia Bolbach, and expressed appreciation for the work of both the Witherspoon Society and Voices of Sophia in the cause of justice.

The invocation was offered by the Rev. Catherine Snyder, and after giving everyone a few minutes for enjoying their breakfasts, PVJ Treasurer Darcy Hawk and Secretary Mitch Trigger made a pitch (with the Treasurer in drag of sorts, playing the role of “Sophie Witherspoon”) for support for PVJ through memberships and gifts.

Facial Hair

Future LCMS SP Matt Harrison.
"Rev. Harrison graduated in 1989 with a Master of Divinity degree and in 1991 with a Master of Sacred Theology (STM) degree from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. He is presently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis."

Facial hair is showing up in the oddest places
on Facebook to show support for Harrison.

Jerry Kieschnick jumped the shark several times lately. "Jumping the shark" is an expression currently used for going too far, based on the low-point in Happy Days when Fonzie on skis jumped over a shark.

Some episodes include:
1. Backing Benke and getting Wally Schulz fired. Barry-McCain did nothing about Benke, so Wally had to pay the price. Dan Preus blinked, recusing himself. Remember the Reformation anyone?
2. Kicking Issues Etc off the air and selling KFUO.
3. Promoting the Blue Ribbon Commission to accumulate power in his office.
4. Fueling additional inroads in Church Growth, after years of "conservative" CG support from Bohlmann and Barry-McCain.

Missouri is really a loose federation, so leading it is more like herding stray cats. However, there is such a thing as doctrinal leadership, which is sadly lacking in the Lutheran Church today.

Harrison seems to be promoting a synod-wide study of the Scriptures and the Confessions, which is developing in WELS too. If this catches one, hundreds of officials are going to say, "Oh my, I just realized - I am a Babtist!"

Nothing else has worked. They might as well try the efficacious Word.

Some thought ELCA members would be fleeing in 1987. I seemed to be the only one sounding the alarm. The rest were snoozing. Now the exit doors are jammed open as pastors, congregations, and retired bishops leave ELCA.

The convention starts July 10 in Houston.

More Analysis from Extra Nos

Son, if you study your dogmatics from Knapp,
you can be a big UOJ Stormtrooper at Mequon.

Theological Fallacy II

Dedicated to my USA readers who just celebrated their 4th of July.

There is a common notion that in order to believe in something, that something must exists a priori. Although in human interaction and in some cases this is true, it is not true in all cases. Another corollary to this is that in order for a promise to be true, the content of that promise must, a priori, already be a reality. To make it more concrete, UOJers teach that in order to believe you are justified you must believe that your justification has already occurred. Otherwise, so the reasoning goes, faith has nothing to grab a hold on. I suggest that this type of reasoning or assumption is flawed. It misses the nature of faith and has misunderstood the nature of a promise. This is also reasoning not Biblically but philosophically. Philosophy, let us face it, is often based on observation not revelation.

Let me give an example. If I say to you I will be there in our meeting tomorrow and I will be on time, does that mean tomorrow has already come so that you can believe me - my words and actions? The answer of course is "no". What does it take for you to believe me? I suggest what you need from me so you can believe my words is my character. Am I a person who is known for integrity, is my word my bond? Isn't that what you need from me to believe that what I say, I will do? You do not require the existence of tomorrow, a priori, to believe me, right? Now transfer that notion of character to God who does not lie. We can then see why faith is precious to God.

Furthermore, the notion that in order for faith to grab a hold on something, that something must already exists, does not take faith as a gift. It does not take faith as an entire creation from nothing to something. This "a priori existence thinking" makes faith like it is just a matter of rearranging the furnitures in a room. The furnitures are already there but they are just not in the right places. Scripture does not speak of saving faith in this manner. Rather it speaks of faith as a creation through the Means of Grace i.e., the preaching or proclamation of the Gospel Romans 1:16-17. Faith is creation ex nihilo just like God created the Universe. The Gospel in the BOC is designated an offer. Namely AP XII, v.29

And this contrition takes place in this manner when sins are censured by the Word of God, because the sum of the preaching of the Gospel is this, namely, to convict of sin, and to offer for Christ's sake the remission of sins and righteousness, and the Holy Ghost, and eternal life, and that as regenerate men we should do good works.

As a counter example of why I believe the "a priori existence" notion is false, I give Hebrews 11:

¹³ These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. To believe in the promises of God, that is to see them afar of and yet be assured of them and embrace them is to have a faith whose author is not man but Christ, the author and finisher of faith.

Discussing Justification is always a good thing for in the discussion we get a clearer understanding of where faith is anchored, where it should rest.

Dr. Jackson says it well when he says

Wondering out loud is not permitted in the synods. I believe doctrinal friction is a positive factor in creating doctrinal clarity - as evidenced in the Formula of Concord.

Justification by faith, like subnet masking, is learned rather than taught. Going over every issue is essential in sorting out the Biblical truths.

The Widow Murphy - Another Hero

Pam Murphy, widow of actor Audie Murphy, was veterans’ friend and advocate

April 16, 2010 posted by Robert Rosebrock · 15 Comments

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Pam Murphy, the widow of Audie Murphy, was involved in the Sepulveda VA hospital and care center over the course of 35 years, treating every veteran who visited the facility as if they were a VIP. Pam Murphy died last week at the age of 90

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By Dennis McCarthy

After Audie died, they all became her boys. Every last one of them.

Any soldier or Marine who walked into the Sepulveda VA hospital and care center in the last 35 years got the VIP treatment from Pam Murphy.

The widow of Audie Murphy – the most decorated soldier in World War II – would walk the hallways with her clipboard in hand making sure her boys got to see a specialist or doctor — STAT. If they didn’t, watch out.

Her boys weren’t Medal of Honor recipients or movie stars like Audie, but that didn’t matter to Pam. They had served their country. That was good enough for her.

She never called a veteran by his first name. It was always “Mister.” Respect came with the job.

“Nobody could cut through VA red tape faster than Mrs. Murphy,” said veteran Stephen Sherman, speaking for thousands of veterans she befriended over the years.

“Many times I watched her march a veteran who had been waiting more than an hour right into the doctor’s office. She was even reprimanded a few times, but it didn’t matter to Mrs. Murphy.

“Only her boys mattered. She was our angel.”

Last week, Sepulveda VA’s angel for the last 35 years died peacefully in her sleep at age 90.

“She was in bed watching the Laker game, took one last breath, and that was it,” said Diane Ruiz, who also worked at the VA and cared for Pam in the last years of her life in her Canoga Park apartment.

It was the same apartment Pam moved into soon after Audie died in a plane crash on Memorial Day weekend in 1971.

Audie Murphy died broke, squandering million of dollars on gambling, bad investments, and yes, other women.

“Even with the adultery and desertion at the end, he always remained my hero,” Pam told me.

She went from a comfortable ranch-style home in Van Nuys where she raised two sons to a small apartment – taking a clerk’s job at the nearby VA to support herself and start paying off her faded movie star husband’s debts.

At first, no one knew who she was. Soon, though, word spread through the VA that the nice woman with the clipboard was Audie Murphy’s widow.

It was like saying Patton had just walked in the front door. Men with tears in their eyes walked up to her and gave her a hug. “Thank you,” they said, over and over.

The first couple of years, I think the hugs were more for Audie’s memory as a war hero. The last 30 years, they were for Pam.

She hated the spotlight. One year I asked her to be the focus of a Veteran’s Day column for all the work she had done. Pam just shook her head no.

“Honor them, not me,” she said, pointing to a group of veterans down the hallway. “They’re the ones who deserve it.”

The vets disagreed. Mrs. Murphy deserved the accolades, they said.

Incredibly, in 2002, Pam’s job was going to be eliminated in budget cuts. She was considered “excess staff.”

“I don’t think helping cut down on veterans’ complaints and showing them the respect they deserve, should be considered excess staff,” she told me.

Neither did the veterans. They went ballistic, holding a rally for her outside the VA gates.

Pretty soon, word came down from the top of the VA. Pam Murphy was no longer considered “excess staff.” She remained working full time at the VA until 2007 when she was 87.

“The last time she was here was a couple of years ago for the conference we had for homeless veterans,” said Becky James, coordinator of the VA’s Veterans History Project.

Pam wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help some more of her boys.

Funeral services for Pam Murphy will be held Friday at 2:30 p.m. in the chapel at Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles.

ORIGINAL STORY POSTED: http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_14885262

See larger image

To Hell and Back (Paperback)

By (author) Audie Murphy

Preaching and Teaching Without a Call - McCain and Kilcrease

Paul McCain MDiv has no divine call, neither does his Roman UOJ pal, Jack Kilcrease.

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "McCain - The Spare Bedroom Blogger and Otten Polit...":

McCain's promotion of Kilcrease is advantageous.

McCain points to the Kilcrease blog discussion on UOJ as a refutation of Justification by faith alone and the doctrine of Election as clearly taught in Scripture and purely expounded in the Lutheran Confessions.

Read through the discussion and note how man's reason dominates the UOJ doctrine taught and defended by Kilcrease and McCain. How many times do they declare, "we must then assume" or "stop quoting Scripture and start talking conceptualities."

To clarify McCain's obsession one only needs to see where they claim I made a critical error in my confession and then McCain blames Pastor Jackson for what I said. How absurd and pathetic.

***

GJ - Various LCMS pastors have objected to UOJ too. Pastor Hartley did and published several papers on this topic.

Another pastor was in California. Guess what? According to Paul McCain, it was my fault that the California pastor departed from UOJ. The trouble was - I had no contact with the California man. Also, I assume people can think for themselves. Bullies assume otherwise.

McCain sent around his false accusation commendation about the California pastor, but he did not send it to me. When I asked for the letter, he did not send it. McCain got himself into legal trouble with someone else about that letter. He also got into a pickle with Trinity in Bridgeport.

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity

The Fifth Sunday after Trinity


Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 7 PM Central Time


The Hymn # 199 Jesus Christ is Risen 1:83
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 #200 I Know that My Redeemer 1:80

At Thy Word

The Communion Hymn # 187 Christ Is Arisen 1:45
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 # 195 (Luther) Christ Jesus 1:46

KJV 1 Peter 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: 9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: 11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. 13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? 14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

KJV Luke 5:1 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret, 2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets. 3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship. 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. 6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake. 7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord. 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken: 10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men. 11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.

Fifth Sunday After Trinity
O Jesus Christ, Thou Son of the living God, who hast given us Thy holy word, and hast bountifully provided for all our temporal wants, we confess that we are unworthy of all these mercies, and that we have rather deserved punishment: But we beseech Thee, forgive us our sins, and prosper and bless us in our several callings, that by Thy strength we may be sustained and defended, now and forever, and so praise and glorify Thee eternally, Thou who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

At Thy Word
This seems to be such a simple miracle story, because we know it so well. However, we should also look at the application of the main lesson.
This miracle pits the experience and knowledge of professional fishermen against Christ, the Son of God and Lord of Creation. We all know who is going to win.

But that is why the miracle is so important to apply to our own lives. These men knew how to fish and had the equipment. They were not lazy. They labored all night and did the best they could, without catching any fish.

They were all done for the night and washing the nets when Jesus appeared and entered Peter’s ship. He sat down in the ship, which is the custom for rabbis teaching (see the Sermon on the Mount), and began teaching.

Therefore the fishermen were filled with the Word when Jesus asked them to push out from the shore and let down their nets.

One can hear the exasperation in the voice of Peter when he said, “Master, we labored all night and caught nothing. But at Thy Word, I will let down the net.” He spoke from faith because the teaching of Jesus already filled him with trust in Him. Still, his experience and knowledge also pulled at him.

When he let down the net, such a large shoal of fish filled it that it began to break. He asked his partners to help, and both ships were so filled with fish that they began sink.

Lenski:

5) Peter realizes what Jesus means. Not the deep but the places of moderate depth are the right ones for fishing; not the broad daylight but the nighttime is the best for fishing. And he is certainly susceptible to the opinion of the crowds on the shore. Luke never uses “Rabbi” but always the vocative ἐπιστάτα as the address to Jesus, “Master,” one standing over others. Peter has a word for the second of the indicated considerations: “having labored through the whole night, we took not a thing.” Jesus did not perhaps know that. Peter is not raising an objection as though he were refusing Jesus; he is uttering a misgiving, for he and his helpers worked in the best places of the lake at the best time and continued their labor many hours with absolute failure. Jesus was asking much of Peter, and by this word Peter shows how strongly he felt it.
Peter declares that he will obey. The emphasis is on the phrase, which is put forward for that reason: “on thy utterance” will I lower the nets, and ῥῆμα refers to the mere speaking of Jesus. He intends to say, “The fact that thou hast spoken commands my will.” That is exactly what Jesus wanted: Peter was to drop everything else and to throw himself absolutely on his Lord’s utterance alone. Yea, he was to go counter to all his own experience, science, wisdom, reason, or what not, including all that men might say and to hold to only one thing, his Lord’s word. It was a great test of genuine faith in whatever Jesus might say; on top of that it was to be an unforgettable experience for Peter to have absolute confidence in his Lord’s word in all his future apostolic work. And Peter’s experience is set down for us so that in us, too, layman and preacher, it may produce the same effect. It is thus that faith overcomes the world, the faith that conquers by the Word and by nothing but the Word. The weakness of our believing and of our preaching lies in not taking Jesus altogether at his word.
Peter says “I will lower,” for the boat is his, and he is in command. Jesus uses the singular “put out” and then the plural “lower your nets.” So from the start Peter had his men with him in the boat, which was of good size, for it at times carried all the disciples and Jesus. We are not certain whether Andrew was there too, for he is not mentioned in the entire account. Note also the plural “nets.” These required several men to handle them. Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. Luke's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN : Augsburg Publishing House, 1961, S. 279

These are large, flat fishing ships designed for their vocation, so an enormous catch starting to sink them is a wonder enough. But these fish were caught in the day, in the sight of the crowds, and in relatively shallow water.

Simon Peter knew at once he was in the presence of God. He was overwhelmed with his sinfulness, so he said, “Go away from me. I am a sinful man.”

Jesus said, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will be catching men.”

Each phrase is important, especially when Jesus spoke it. “Do not be afraid” is the same as saying, “Have faith in my Word.” The lack of faith causes fear.

Trusting God goes against the Old Adam. We have our wealth of knowledge and experience, which says, “This cannot be done.” I find it interesting that so many missions have to be started with a million dollars and a carefully crafted plan. They know how to buy land, build a first unit, organize, and measure everything. Because so much money is at stake, they hedge their bets with all kinds of sure-fire cures. Magazines and websites are full of them, from pop music and puppets to sound systems and movie screens.

And people have to be very old to remember the last time the country was facing so much economic turmoil at once. The uncertainty only grows. God’s Word says repeatedly, “I will take care of your material needs.”

KJV Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. 26 He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

God provides, as this miracle show, and He provides in such abundance that our wisdom is confounded.

Peter and the others could not say they used their skill. They already knew they had done their best all night, when fishing was supposed to be productive. After being complete failures with their human skill and wisdom, they were spectacular successes with the Word of God.

This was necessarily a parallel to their future work as apostles. Their work was just as doomed as the day they were told to push out from shore and let down the net. Doubtless they reminded each other about this from time to time. They had more than one experience with a miraculous catch of fish and also with feeding the multitudes.

They did not catch fish or feed multitudes with their abilities - but because of the Word.

Whatever we accomplish is because of the Word. God’s work is exclusively through the Word.

How can someone’s sins be taken away completely? That is more miraculous than the catch of fish and the feeding of the multitudes.

How can Christ be present in both natures in these common elements of bread and wine? It is because they are consecrated by the Word. Some asked how this could be across the Internet. I have asked them, “If there is an overflow crowd in the basement or another room at a church, is the Word of God still effective in consecrating the elements?”

Similarly, people wondered in the past how they could have a church if they did not have an ordained pastor present. During the days of expansion, many pastors rode the circuit with laymen filling in for them in multiple parishes. In the same way the apostles appointed and trained pastors to take care of local congregations.

Now big old churches have multiple pastors who cannot even get out and visit their own members, they are so busy planning growth! And synods have hundreds of ordained pastors who would die before taking a call to serve a congregation, especially if they were expected to go out with nothing and start from scratch without that million dollars.

If we are to raise our families, there is a greater miracle than graduating from Parent Effectiveness classes – it is using the Word of God. Not many can be pastors, but every father can be the spiritual leader of his family. The Word of the Gospel, forgiveness and love, will work miracles that others have never seen or experienced. That is God’s plan, that people will honor and glorify His Name.

CORE Celebrates Year of Apostasy - Thank You! Deputy Doug Englebrecht

The blind leading the blind.

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From: The CORE [mailto:info=gotocore.com@mcsv5.net] On Behalf Of The CORE
Sent: Monday, July 05, 2010 9:17 AM
To: gregjackson1948@qwest.net
Subject: The COREspondence

Keeping You "In The Know" After celebrating a year of a service in the city of Appleton, we held our first In The Know Event for members and supporters of The CORE. We took time to celebrate the great things God has done here at The CORE, as well as look ahead at what He has planned for us next as a church. God has used the ministry to transform lives and bring people closer to Jesus - and our mission has only just begun. We are incredibly thankful and excited to see how the Lord will continue to bless the church and ministry. An Upcoming Event at The CORE Jesus Cares Ministry will be holding an upcoming event at The CORE. The summer ministry is giving WELS and ELS college students hands on ministry experience as they prepare to enter congregational leadership. This ministry travels around to various churches and prepares individuals who are seeking an outreach opportunity beyond the walls of the church. The event will be held on July 10th at 1:00 PM at The CORE. We are looking for volunteers that are passionate about helping others and eager to learn how to care for those with developmental disabilities. Come see what the Jesus Cares Ministry is all about! Why Should You Join A Small Group? If you are looking to get connected with other Christians in a welcoming, relational environment or if you are looking to fellowship with people will help strengthen and support your relationship with Christ - then Small Groups is a great fit for you. Stay tuned for new information regarding small groups coming in August. For more information on how to join a small group, go to The CORE's website. Looking Ahead... "Miracles" July 4th- July 25th "Secrets" August 1st - August 15th Miss a sermon? No worries. Click here to listen to the podcasts or subscribe in iTunes. Join us on Facebook "Let's quit fiddling with religion and do something to bring the world to Christ." - Billy Sunday Thank You Isn't Enough An Expression of Thanks from Katie Strandlund Words truly do not seem sufficient to express my heart and gratitude to you, The CORE. The CORE is a church. But it is not a church because of a building, it is a church because of the people that gather together as family in Christ and call themselves The CORE. And leaving that family and those I’ve had the honor to serve alongside for almost two years is bittersweet to say the least. “Thank you” does not seem enough for the endless support and encouragement that you all have so freely given me. “Thank you” doesn’t seem enough for being incredible partners in carrying out The CORE’s mission to transform lives for Christ through faith that is real, relevant, and relational. Yet, “thank you” is the best I’ve got. I am truly humbled when I reflect on the ministry God has given me the opportunity to be a small part at The CORE. The fight in Appleton is far from over. “Greater things are yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city.” * And I pray for God’s continued blessing and strength for all of you as you daily fight the fight and strive to live as a city within the city of Appleton to impact lives for Jesus with the Gospel. *lyrics from “God of this City” by Blue Tree From The CORE It has truly been a blessing having Katie serve in our ministry at The CORE. We wish her many blessings as she sets out to fulfill God's calling on her heart. We would like to think of this not as a "goodbye" but rather a "see you later". Many thanks for your years of service! Blessings, Your Friends at The CORE Do you know someone who might be interested in hearing about what God is doing at The CORE? Foward this newsletter to them today.

The CORE 215 E Washington St. Appleton, WI 54911 920-364-0200 Check us out online!www.gotocore.com

Sent to gregjacskon1948@qwest.net. Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Forward to a Friend

***

GJ - I am so thrilled that I am sharing it with my 60,000 readers.

McCain - The Spare Bedroom Blogger and Otten Politcal Pal - Cites Roman Catholic Teacher

From the WELS Facebook discussion thread:

Paul T. McCain Just a note to those who may not be aware of this fact.

Mr. Jackson is not a Lutheran pastor. He used to be, but wound up being removed and/or leaving several Lutheran church bodies, including the WELS and the smaller CLC.

He is not a Lutheran either. He teaches false doctrine on the doctrine of justification.

A thorough refutation of Mr. Jackson's false doctrine can be found at the blog site of Dr. Jack Kilcrease. Read the post linked and then read around for follow up posts. Dr. Kilcrease has, quite completely, demolished Mr. Jackson's assertions about justification.

http://jackkilcrease.blogspot.com/2010/06/discussion-on-uoj.html

***

GJ - McCain forgot to mention a few things in his toxic, deceitful rant, which he posted before on the same thread:

His boss, Al Barry, was a member of four different synods. Barry studied at Bethany in Mankato (ELS), at a basement seminary in Minneapolis (orthodox something or other), but vicared in WELS, and landed in the LCMS. McCain told me he and Barry were ready to leave for the ELS if Barry had lost the election.

McCain has never been a full-time parish pastor. His first call in Iowa was spent campaigning for Barry to unseat Ralph Bohlmann. As soon as Barry won, McCain left congregational work. Nevertheless, he postures as a pastor and poses as one for his photos.

To win for Barry, McCain worked with Herman Otten to leak all of Barry's materials early. Both of them bragged about it to me, but both denied it publicly. That is called lying. That means we never know exactly where McCain stands on anything. He should be friends with Otten, because they are both politicians, both UOJ supporters, and both CG promoters when it suits them.

McCain's career under Kieschnick has not been pleasant, but he has avoided a congregational call - with 600 vacanies! McCain was very briefly in charge of the Concordia Hagiography Institute. He was supposedly the head of Concordia Publishing, but that was always tenuous. He is not the big boss now, but an editor and promoter. I noticed him promoting his books on the WELS thread. If he worked for Thrivent, he would probably try to sell them policies on their doctrinal discussion board.

McCain has come out as a big-time supporter of the UOJ fallacy. His doctrinal pal is Jack Kilcrease, formerly ELCA, nominally LCMS (I think). Kilcrease teaches at a Roman Catholic college, so he is an expert on Lutheran doctrine.

Meanwhile, McCain is acting tough with Al Benke on the ALPB discussion forum. McCain swore off on ALPB, but he is back to show how tough he really is. However, he and Barry did nothing when they had a chance. In fact, for nine years McCain and Barry let apostasy flourish and Church Growth grow. McCain got very hostile when I said Barry was weak on CG.

I teach online so I am aware of all the blogging McCain does. That seems to be all he does. I am impressed. He wants to be dismissive but why is he so worried about someone so insignificant as he portrays me?

Tonight I will be providing a traditional Lutheran worship service - no hail Mary's for the McCain crowd - and teaching the Gospel of Mark. I do this every Sunday and add Advent/Lent services as well. I provided a service for Ascension Day, too. I have members around the US. Our technical expert says that thousands have used the saved files of our services and adult studies.

McCain should sow the Word rather than deceit. I do not understand his obsessive animus. It is not becoming a Man of the Cloth.

KJV Galatians 6:8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

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bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "McCain - The Spare Bedroom Blogger and Otten Polit...":

McCain overreaches just as UOJ fanatics historically have, saying that Dr. Jackson's position on justification is not Lutheran, and is false doctrine. One UOJer and Lutheran pastor told me, because I believe what Luther believed on justification and dismissed UOJ as a newfangled doctrine, that I had "left the truth." Ha!

***

GJ - McCain does not have a resume (academic or pastoral) to back up his claims as an expert. Relying on Kilcrease at Aquinas (!) does not add to Paul's credibility - or Jack's. When Jack becomes Father Jack, will Paul express shock and dismay, as he did with EO Priest Fenton?

A common theme in the recent string of UOJ hissy-fits is the lack of argumentation. For instance, Paul needs to say, "I believe in the whole world being forgiven but Greg supports justification by faith. I agree with Knapp, but Greg agrees with Luther. I pledge my troth to the Brief Statement, but Greg sticks with the Formula of Concord."

Clarity has never been Paul's strongpoint. "Error loves ambiguities."

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "McCain - The Spare Bedroom Blogger and Otten Polit...":

McCain's promotion of Kilcrease is advantageous.

McCain points to the Kilcrease blog discussion on UOJ as a refutation of Justification by faith alone and the doctrine of Election as clearly taught in Scripture and purely expounded in the Lutheran Confessions.

Read through the discussion and note how man's reason dominates the UOJ doctrine taught and defended by Kilcrease and McCain. How many times do they declare, "we must then assume" or "stop quoting Scripture and start talking conceptualities."

To clarify McCain's obsession one only needs to see where they claim I made a critical error in my confession and then McCain blames Pastor Jackson for what I said. How absurd and pathetic.

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LPC has left a new comment on your post "McCain - The Spare Bedroom Blogger and Otten Polit...":

What gives McCain the right to say that Pr Jackson is not a pastor? McCain does not have a visible congregation himself so why does he still call himself Reverend?

If as I seem to think McCain's standard of being a pastor is that one must have a visible congregation then McCain is disqualified by his own standard. This is hypocrisy.

LPC

***

GJ - The congregation is visible from time to time. Members come to church and participate. I also plan to visit when possible. McCain makes me laugh when he has to say "Mr." too. That sounds like he is hung up about his lack of theological education.

This is where you can find the WELS discussion group and McCain Book Nook.

Arkansas Photography

If you want to see how beautiful Arkansas is, check out this photography website by Pastor Randy Moll.

He is pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran in Rogers, Arkansas.

Orwell

"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."

George Orwell

Worship Service - Monday at 7 PM Central Daylight

Wanamaker

The service is moved to Monday at 7 PM due to Josie's confirmation.

Imitation Is the Highest Form of Flattery - Multiple Blogs Copy Ichabod

How many copy my style?
Badly?

Some people think I am offended by the anti-Ichabod blogs, but they are a great honor, albeit one I deserve.

An Englishman said, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

How many blogs have picked up my ideas in order to counter my influence:

Rock-N-Roll was the first, produced by Church and Change's Joe Krohn. He picked up my nickname for his mission congregation - Christ the Rock Lutheran in Round Rock, Texas. Kudo Don Patterson and Where's-the-Loot Gurgle are now planting a new site almost next door to Doebler and Krohn. This blog tanked early.

Fake Ichabod came along, copying my blog name to grab some readers. He was supported immediately by Joe Krohn and Tim Felt-Needs. Tim's real last name is Niedfelt, but he adopted my nickname for him. Fake Ichabod started out trying to defend UOJ and the Church Shrinkers, doubtless because he knows the two go together like rats and the plague. Fake is typically WELS, full of anonymous sanctimony, contradictions, and self-parody. Fake took it on himself to attack my departed daughters, Bethany and Erin Joy, to make himself feel important. He erased all his files, disappeared, came back, disappeared, came back, etc.

Anonymouse is the nickname I gave to a daily comment producer, virulently nasty and always anonymous. A parallel blog popped up with that name and uses the same template as Fake Ichabod. People immediately saw the real character of the blogger (who is Fake Ichabod) when he posted about toilets and vomit, with bad Photoshops provided. That was all erased, and he urged readers to go to the "scholarly" Fake Ichabod. This sad specimen wants to make things better by attacking people by name. He objects to my dealing with false doctrine, using the sources, but he indulges himself in scatological personal attacks so low they would be banned by any broadcast, even given the low standards of cable TV.

He calls it satire but I call it typical WELS pastoral training. UOJ gives them a license to be Antinomians. Ask the murderers, the child molesters, the embezzlers, and the leaders who promote known adulterous pastors.

Plagiarism
I have known for a long time that the blogger is from Fox Valley. When I step on Fox Valley toes, he rages.

I received a copy of a Christmas sermon written and copyrighted by a Baptist minister and placed on his website. I also received a copy of the same sermon, preached by WELS Pastor John Parlow and posted on his website as his own. This happened in 2007.

I was going to post both texts, but I realized Doug the Unready will still protect Parlow and nothing will be done. I added another step to the WELS pastor quiz, on plagiarism, and the Fox Valley blogger lit up again.

The Shrinkers are un-original plagiarists, enchanted with the Babtists. One WELS pastor said, "We all used to think Kelm was so creative. We found out he was just copying from the Schwaermer."

The plagiarism issue reminds me of the issue in the college classroom, where it is a real plague. I have dealt with the issue many times. Some do not know any better and want help, because high school let it go by and never taught them otherwise. I worked with one woman for five weeks, which ended with her earning a C. She wrote, "You are the best teacher I have ever had, believe it or not."

Most plagiarists are not like that, and they make administrators laugh. They get caught and phone the bosses.
"That is the worst teacher I have ever had in my life."
"No one ever said it was wrong."
"I gave the citation" (for a 99% copied essay).
"You can't prove it."
As I have said more than once to a supervisor, "They already lied once when they plagiarized. You expect the truth from them now?" I have had learning teams cheat together and tell the same bad story.

I see a parallel with the WELS Shrinkers. Because the Shrinkers are too lazy and stupid to do their own work, they attack anyone who notices their handiwork.

Fox Valley not only hosted the team of Parlow and Kelm, notorious copiers, but also the current Groeschel tag team of Ski and Glende.

As some may recall, Parlow and Limmer actually plagiarized an email from Hybels of Willow Creek. Their church was a long-time member of the Willow Creek Association and linked there - until I published that fact a zillion times.

The head of technology for WELS also plagiarized Hybels, in his first and only congregation in WELS.

WELS paid mission pastors to be trained at Willow Creek.

Does anyone notice a pattern?

The Shrinkers flatter Fuller, Willow Creek, Groeschel, Driscoll, Stanley, etc because they love false doctrine. Someone imitates my blog because he thinks he can write polemics and satire.

Please keep revealing your brittle, dishonest, copycat nature - Fake Ichabod. We need a laugh after musing about how little is done about pastors like you.

You Can Be a WELS Pastor If You Pass This Quiz

Answers are provided below,
because we know how hard they study at The Sausage Factory.

1. How do you get ahead after graduation?
Answer - Get a drive-by DMin from Fuller Seminary.

2. How you become a Mequon professor?
Answer - Go to Fuller Seminary and lie about it.

3. You are not in fellowship with Missouri, so where can you go for some continuing education?
Answer - Willow Creek, Trinity in Deerfield, Granger Community Church, Mars Hill.

4. What if you do not have enough money for all those conferences?
Answer - Join Life.TV with Craig Groeschel. He will give you a license to use all his sermons, promotions, videos, and graphics.

5. Where can you meet leaders of WELS, such a district VPs and future DPs?
Answer - Exponential is a great conference for meeting all the leaders we admire from other denominations, plus many WELS pastors and staff members.

6. How do you deal with people discussing certain outrageous facts about WELS?
Answer - First say, "Who told you?" Second, trash the person who gave up the information. Third, make the curious individual a criminal for asking about it.

7. How do you make a DP go away?
Answer - Schedule a meeting where he knows there are doctrinal issues.

8. How do you explain GA?
Answer - "There is no GA."

9. How do you explain classmates and a DP in state prison?
Answer - Look blank. Feign stupidity and lack of knowledge. Try not to sweat.

10. Where did all the Schwan money go?
Answer - In the fulness of time, this will be revealed.

11. Is plagiarism wrong?
Answer - When Ichabod quotes us and gives the source, that is a horrible sin and against the law, especially since we have no time to erase the evidence. If we borrow Baptist or Pentecostal sermons and copy Groeschel, that is not plagiarism, because we are doing it.

Lenski in Every WELS Pastor's Study

Lenski's commentaries stay in print for a reason.

I bought my set of Lenski at a Mequon seminary book sale. Everyone else already had a set.

WELS students have often repeated this quip, "All you need to be a pastor is a Triglotta, Lenski, and boxer shorts."

Audience: "The horror. The horror."

ELCA Member Involved in NKJV Audio Bible

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

July 2, 2010

ELCA Member Directs Award-Winning Audio Bible Project
10-183-JB

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- JoBe Cerny said it took him about 10 seconds to say yes to a project that would shape his life for three years -- directing more than 600 actors in the largest audio production of the Bible ever produced. The result was "The Word of Promise" Audio Bible, an award-winning dramatic presentation featuring well-known celebrity actors on 79 CDs with 98 hours of audio.

This was new ground for Cerny, an actor, director, producer and writer, and member of Zion Lutheran Church, an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America congregation in Deerfield, Ill. You may have seen him in movies such as "Somewhere in Time" or "My Best Friend's Wedding," or on television, where he once starred in a well-known commercial for Cheer. You've probably heard Cerny's voice -- his is that of the "Pillsbury Doughboy," a role he has had since the 1970s.

None of those roles compared to his work as director of Thomas Nelson's Audio Bible, a Protestant version based on the New King James Version (NKJV). The multi-year project culminated in the release of the Audio Bible in October 2009.

***

GJ - WELS and Missouri are abandoning the horrid NIV, but doctrinal clarity does not seem to be the issue. They are trading the NIV for a retread of the RSV - the ESV.

The New KJV follows the language patterns of the KJV, which is the Tyndale in disguise. Tyndale is closest to Luther.

Paul McCain MDiv likes to portray himself as a pastor when he is not, and confessional, which is even funnier. He is promoting the ESV for Missouri, or at least fronting for it. Otten, his old political ally, is still beating the drums for the Beck.

The constantly changing translations, which also change from printing to printing, have made memorization almost impossible.

Justification by Faith Is Simple - Only the Sem Robots Fail To Grasp It

UOJ Stormtroopers stand on the Book of Concord,
to keep people from reading it.

When WELS Pastor Papenfuss (the pope's foot) was stirring up a national controversy over guilt-free saints in Hell, he admitted, "I never heard anything about UOJ until I went to seminary."

The families who agreed with the Bible and the Book of Concord were kicked out of WELS for not subscribing to the Kokomo Statements, which are no more ridiculous than the Missouri and ELS versions of the same thing - Halle's Professor Knapp.

I understand Papenfuss next went to Africa, to teach them that the Hottentots and Judas Iscariot were already justified.

Justification by Faith
The Gospel is the message that Christ has died for our sins. When this is preached to adults, the Holy Spirit creates faith in the hearts of the audience. They receive the Gospel message in faith and are declared innocent by God because of Christ.

Infants also hear the Gospel when they are baptized and become believers. The efficacious Word accomplishes this, just as it does when preaching to adults. The newborn babies are examples to us. If we do not believe as these children do, we cannot enter the Kingdom of God.

The Babtists, who are so dear to the UOJ Stormtroopers, deny infant faith and their justification. These tiny newborns, who trust and love their parents, turning to hear their voices, cannot trust and love God or hear His Word, according to the Babtists.

We call the Word and Sacraments Means of Grace because they are the Instruments by which God gives us His grace. The Holy Spirit is always at work in these Instruments and constant in fulfilling God's will. They are Means of Grace because God has appointed them as the way in which He offers His forgiveness, love, and compassion. They are Means of Grace because this forgiveness is not based upon merit.

Someone stays under God's wrath and outside of the Kingdom as long as he remains a unbeliever. As the Parable of the Sower reveals (Matthew 13), many lose the Gospel for various reasons, which are not due to God's failure or the ineffectiveness of the Word.

The Scriptures and the Confessions teach that we should broadcast the Word, trusting in God to accomplish His will. If anyone does this, in spite of the Enthusiasts' best efforts, the Stormtroopers fly into a rage and disparage the person who relies on the Word instead of their opinions - but they do it in the name of love.

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Justification by Faith Is Simple - Only the Sem Ro...":

In all the versions of UOJ promoted in the Lutheran churches the distribution and application of God's grace, upon the whole unbelieving world, outside of the Holy Spirit working through the Word is universal.

Scripture condemns this as the Lutheran Confessions confirm.

Romans 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

The Smalcald Articles, Confession:
3] And in those things which concern the spoken, outward Word, we must firmly hold that God grants His Spirit or grace to no one, except through or with the preceding outward Word, in order that we may [thus] be protected against the enthusiasts, i.e., spirits who boast that they have the Spirit without and before the Word, and accordingly judge Scripture or the spoken Word, and explain and stretch it at their pleasure, as Muenzer did, and many still do at the present day, who wish to be acute judges between the Spirit and the letter, and yet know not what they say or declare.
http://www.bookofconcord.org/smalcald.php#confession

Harrison Rap Video

Team Harrison has been running circles around Kieschnick, who began his first campaign by sizing up Herman Otten. The old way of divide and conquer worked for a time.

Harrison has regular posts on Facebook. I imagine Twitter supplements that, too.

This video makes little sense to me, but it is popular and spreading via Facebook and blogs. Kieschnick is a disaster, so anything to move him into retirement is good.

Syn Conference Professors Unfit To Teach

Starting with Enthusiasm makes the downhill slide easy and quick.
Here a Mequon professor demonstrates.

Lutheran pastors and leaders must begin with the efficacy of the Word, or, from another perspective, the work of Holy Spirit through the Word. If that is not foundational, everything else will be an error.

There are two reasons why Lutherans have fallen into Church Shrinkage, Receptionism, Pietism, and the road to Rome. All are aspects of Enthusiasm.

One is they have never learned the efficacy of the Word, how the Holy Spirit is never without the Word, the Word never without the Holy Spirit.

The second reason is their habit of getting into bed with the false teachers while excusing it.

Lutherans lost their nerve many decades ago, perhaps because they were led (in all synods) by a host of historical-critical apostates. WELS had them. Missouri fostered them. The LCA/ALC bred them. That may be why they forgot about teaching the divine efficacy of the Word.

Ecumenical gatherings made the paraments look greener on the other side. Baptists sang more joyfully. Romanists did pageantry to perfection. Pentecostals demonstrated how much could be accomplished with a cardboard building and fanatical adherents.

What the Lutheran Enthusiasts lack in doctrinal discernment they make up in sanctimony. Anyone who offends their Enthusiasm is ordered, anonymously, to repent. Telling the truth about them is not allowed.

Let's See Some Denouncing by the WELSian Shrinkers

rhs (http://rhs.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Door Wide Open":

They love the seminary president who made it all possible - Valleskey.

Their love of Valleskey’s belief system demonstrates their inability to discern good from not so good.

***

GJ - Some people are secretly concerned about doctrine, anonymously befuddled about unionism. They have a convenient target who has published his false doctrine in WLQ and the former Northwestern Lutheran.

As a WELS pastor, he attended Fuller Seminary, denying it and also admitting it, depending on the audience - but furious that he was exposed as clumsy liar. His sect saw his slobbering over Church Growth books in the Quarterly and synod magazine, so they elevated him to Sausage Factory president.

When will the secretive bloggers denounce this infamy. They parade their righteous indignation about anything outside of their sect.

No wait. I get it. If a WELS professor does it, the action is conservative, confessional, worthy of imitation, commendable, admirable, amazing, stunning, beyond all expectations, above and beyond the call of duty.

As soon as the troubled blogger gets back from his AA meeting, he will probably tell us as much.

Door Wide Open

A good WELS leader will constantly warn people away from Lenski while excusing the use of materials, verbatim, from false teachers.

They are not being hypocritical but consistent. Lenski annoys them by teaching Lutheran doctrine and revealing the shortcomings of the Enthusiasts. The UOJ of WELS is pure Enthusiasm, supporting a wide variety of false perspectives: Roman Catholic, Babtist-Pentecostal, New Age, Universalist.

Luther observed that the Roman Empire welcomed every god except the One True God - Christ.

WELS honors every religious perspective except one - Luther's. They love the seminary president who made it all possible - Valleskey.

No Sale for Dana College - 125 Year Old College Will Close

Here is the link.

Other colleges will tank in the next five years. You read it here first.

Dana is ELCA. I have been there, for band tour. As Diablo says, "You've been everywhere."