Friday, July 30, 2010

Rebuke False Doctrine

Patmos

bored has left a new comment on your post "Bored Advice":

Pastor Jackson

Point taken. I didn’t really want to go on record giving advice to “leave the WELS”. I guess I did, and I should be more careful.

To correct that I’ll say that we desperately need every person willing to ask the hard questions AND provide the right answers: the Word. Laymen need to encourage their pastors in this. It’s really difficult to be beholden to the WELS in the way that so many pastors are, and laymen should not abandon their pastors in this fight. That would be as bad as withholding our tithes, and requiring our pastors to live in poverty.

Let’s each encourage those men given spiritual authority in the WELS who wish to see the synod rebuke and correct it’s errant members. Let’s pray for them to have the raw guts it’ll take to accept the risk, to speak with the audacity and clarity of Martin Luther. Prayer is the next best step.

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GJ -

KJV 2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

I am not saying "Stay" or "Leave" but "Rebuke false doctrine." Everyone who is ordained pledges to obey these verses posted above. The verses do not say, "Keeping in mind the PR of the synod..." or "Deceive people so no one knows who the criminal clergy are."

WELS is especially vulnerable to protecting the synod's image first, which has led it far deeper into the Slough of False Doctrine than most people realize. One can trade on a reputation only so long. If hundreds of people see the links and the photos, month after month, they will realize that the PR is more than a smoke screen - it is a fog bank.

Someone could say as much about the Little Sect on the Prairie. They were running Thoughts of Faith as a carnival of wasted money and corruption. But the synod leaders act as if their feet never touch the ground, and the sick are healed, whenever they raise their predestined and predestinating arms in blessing.

McCain in Trouble at ALPB Online

ptmccain
ALPB Contribution Leader
*****
Posts: 601



Editor McCain,

Some of us here appreciate and wish to continue to hear Pr. Austin's reflections on the LWF assembly. This is your last chance. Here's the deal: I am asking you to STOP commenting on any of the threads related to the LWF. If you fail to do so, I will suspend your membership on the forum until after the LWF assembly is over. Are we clear?

Whatever you say, Moderator Johnson.



ALPB Online Forum

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GJ - Note that McCain has 600 posts on a forum he quit because it was harming his mental health.

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Daniel has left a new comment on your post "McCain in Trouble at ALPB Online":

This ptmccain character joined my website (it was a somewhat successful Christian forum community) after a discussion started about the new Lutheran study Bible a few months ago.

I thought it was strange at the time that he would do so, for no other reason than to support the sales of the bibles. Apparently he doesn't have better uses of his time?

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GJ - I read things from all over, which takes some time, but I only post at Extra Nos. Commenting all over would take a lot of time, so I have to conclude that blogging is his main job at CPH.

I read ALPB because it gives me a perspective on ELCA and liberal Missouri. McCain is the only person I have seen warned on that site. It may have happened to someone else, but I have not witnessed it. Generally the discussions are fairly light in tone. Perhaps McCain has been on LutherQuest (sic) too much.


Slaughter of the Lambs

Avoid WELS tattoo artists. Seriously.



Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Here Is an Idea for Those Who Follow Babtist Stanl...":

Thought people should read the blog of Pastor Ben from Victory of the Lamb, WELS. A few real, relevant and relational statements that can be read online and in context are:

"First off we’ve got Hallepalooza! coming up this Friday, July 9th, from 5-8 pm at Lions Legend Park in Franklin. In case you’re wondering, you are invited! This is our party in the park with live music, free food, kids’ events, karaoke, horseshoes, and door prizes donated by local business. Come whenever you can after work. Food will be served from 5:30-7. I’ll be leading a devotion from God’s Word at 7:00 and door prize giveaways will be after that."

"Twice a month, I regularly invite people at worship to text me whatever questions they have on my sermon. We then have a Q and A time during the service when I do my best to answer some of those questions."

"As for me…I have no hidden agenda. I just love to help people like you see what the Bible actually says so that you can make up your own mind about it on the basis of at least knowing what it says."

"So maybe the timing wasn't right even though we though it was. Maybe God wants me to spend more time develping leaders from within our church."

"So let me just share some more exciting news about our church. This week Thursday, God-willing, our church will we get a second pastor to complement me and we’ll learn who he is. I am really pumped about this. After a couple months of planning and prayer we’ve been able to request a graduate from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. I’ll be the lead pastor who’ll focus on outreach, preaching, worship, and leadership. Our second pastor will primarily be a discipleship pastor. His main roles at first will be to teach a weekly Bible study, to get to know our people and help them find a plan for individual and family spiritual growth, and to develop and oversee a plan to connect people in small groups gathered around God’s Word on a regular basis."

"Bible Quest: is our awesome ministry for kids ages 2-10 which takes place during the regular Sunday morning worship service."

http://pastorbensblog.blogspot.com/

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GJ - Church and Change? You betcha.

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Joseph Schmidt has left a new comment on your post "Slaughter of the Lambs":

"develop and oversee a plan to connect people in small groups gathered around God’s Word on a regular basis."

Yay! Cell groups. Haven't those been tried before?

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GJ - When will WELS leaders admit that cell groups are Pietism and Enthusiasm? Here is an easy way to do it - I went to John Lawrenz and said, "How could you write a book for home Bible studies when you know that is the essence of Pietism?"

He was very emotional, but he never addressed the question itself.

That is all it takes - direction questions - plus a mass exodus of members and money.

Later I learned from the Church and Change listserve that he was a contributor to the whole problem.


Apology and Correction

True contrition.


I wrote that Ichabod was averaging 1,000 page reads a day. The figure is running 1,300 to 1,500+.

I apologize for the error.


Bored Advice

Perusing Ski's photo albums is an education in itself.
"Foward (sic) this newsletter..."
Two full-time employees and they cannot run a spell-check.



bored has left a new comment on your post "Scott Makes Some Valid Points":

Scott

To answer your question about where to go: I can’t be certain there’s anything close…don’t know where you live. But http://www.lutheranliturgy.org/ is a trustworthy site for finding a congregation, in my experience. If you live in the Milwaukee area email me at boredbyyourrhetoric@gmail.com I can give your more specifics about Milwaukee churches.

Rev. Gary Gelbach, the site administrator, has done good work. I’ve used his site on several occasions to find a church. No church is perfect of course, and I couldn’t swear that every church listed is Confessional, but it seems to be true that (most often) if a church uses the historical liturgy they also teach Confessionally sound Lutheran doctrine.

I think Scott, to find a place where you can receive the benefits of the divine service without having to dance the hokey pokey, you might have to bail on the WELS, if no Confessional WELS church is close. Your allegiance lies with correct doctrine? Then go where the doctrine is good, regardless of the acronym. Both LCMS and WELS have officially sanctioned error being taught and promoted. Both have great churches. The only difference is that the good guys in the LCMS will admit to anyone their synod’s problems and the good guys in the WELS won’t. With this in mind, does it matter whose doctrine of Fellowship is right? LCMS has no standards for who stays in their synod, and the WELS has standards but doesn’t enforce them. Which is better?
(hope the bus tire marks come off your shirt.)

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GJ - I appreciate the guest bloggers today. I agree with Brett Meyer and Bored in this respect - if the synod cannot face its doctrinal apostasy, there is no hope. That may happen in time, but many laity will have to force the issue. Too many clergy have been abused to expect leadership from them.

The answer is not getting rid of Doug the Unready, but applying the Word until he cries "Quia." No one has done that. He was allowed to promise a meeting about Fox Valley, skip the meeting, leave a letter (!), and blame me (?). That was when the entire ministerium should have marched with torches and pitchforks. But I guess the meeting was a secret. Sure, keep everything a secret so no one can discuss the incompetence of the leaders.

In short, applying the Word is the solution, not going or staying or using a website. We must sow patiently.

T

Scott Makes Some Valid Points




Scott E. Jungen has left a new comment on your post "Disgusted, Not Bored":

Bored,

I second Brett's "Hear, hear." My only question is this: If I would shake the dust off my feet and "blow town", to where should I go? ELCA?,LCMS?

To me, the WELS on my personal congregational level is still the place I want to be as a Lutheran, even in the Northern Wisconsin District!

I joined Intrepid Lutherans because I finally found a group who was at least willing to admit there is a problem. Would I like to see names called out and people held accountable for their false teaching? Of course I would! Will it happen right away? I doubt it.

Remember, the WELS has been in the spiritual cancer of the Church Growth Movement for over thirty years. This type of deep rooted problem does not go away in a day or a year. Keep speaking, praying, and the powerful Word will do what the Lord intends it to do on His timetable, not ours.

Crawling out from under the bus,

Scott

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GJ - Scott has made some good points. The chief one is that turning to Confessional Lutheran doctrine will take time - if it happens at all. I trace the Shrinker Movement to 1977, when the odious TELL magazine began, with the approval of SP Naumann.

For that to happen, pastors had to be working on a palace revolution before that time. Now the two colleges and the seminary are subsidiaries of Fuller, Willow Creek, and Mars Hill. The Love Shack and FICL (pronounced Fickle!) are vessels of dishonor.

From Luther's death to the Book of Concord took 24 years, from meltown to publication. Luther's approach was to apply God's Word and let His will take effect. Luther was excommunicated, so the Evangelical Lutheran Church was born.

We have the advantage of knowing Luther's doctrine - if we do - and possessing the Book of Concord - if we study it. I cannot say what the best approach is for each individual. I have confessional friends everywhere.

The foundational issue is applying the Word. Faith makes us bold.


Happy Birthday, Bethany and Erin Joy


Bethany Joan Marie at four months.


Erin Joy loved her swing.


A cluster of birthdays includes Mrs. Ichabod, Alicia Meyer, the sainted Walter Boeckler, Bethany and Erin Joy, all within a few days.

Bethany and Erin Joy are the stars of Angel Joy, the title based on their nicknames. Nurses always called Bethany "Angel" for her curly blond locks. Erin was so full of joy that the nurses called her "Joy," surprised at seeing it was her middle name. We used to say "Where's the Party?" was her middle name.

Look at my daughter's faces. I baptized both of them. The fake blogger used the death of both girls to attack me for questioning UOJ, Church Growth, and clergy adultery in WELS. I am pointing that out so the readers understand the criminal nature of WELS leadership. Nothing is too low for them.

Criminal actions have consequences. If the perps escape the noose in this life, they still have the next life to answer for their actions. Matthew 7:15ff comes to mind.

When you hear a WELS apostate talk about the Eighth Commandment, remember the helpless children they use as a smokescreen for their evil.

Remember the late Mrs. Al Just, murdered in her own bed.

Remember Mrs. William Tabor, shot to death in her own home by her husband's mistress.

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Happy Birthday, Bethany and Erin Joy":

Angel Joy is a wonderful book that is a testament to the supreme efficacy of the Word and the everlasting grace, abundant mercy and loving kindness of God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

The Lord's will be done,
In Christ,
Brett Meyer



Bethany Book Sale and Publishing News



Book cover by Norma Boeckler.


The book sale list will be available very soon. The sale will finance book projects. Books will include British history, literature, and children's classics. Many books are Easton leather bound. Others are Folio. There are also some Luther books and Lutheran books from before.

The new version of Thy Strong Word will be available in print through Lulu and also at Lulu for unlimited, free PDF downloads. All the books are available as free PDFs.

Additional books will be appearing:

Liberalism: Its Cause and Cure.

Jesus Priceless Treasure.

Angel Joy.

Jesus Lord of Creation.

The upcoming book on justification will be next. A lot of details are being sorted out to turn the research into a book.