Hymn 603

Hymn 603, The Lutheran Hymnal, lyrics under copyright.

Shrinker Modus Operandi

rhs (http://rhs.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Shrinkers Scared into Using Blocking Service":

The fake Ichabod makes a big stink about slander and libel when that is exactly what it does. What deceitful, yellow journalism!

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GJ - You have identified the modus operandi of the Second Synod, WELS Church and Change. They howl in pain when their false doctrine is identified. They scream "Slander!" whenever someone dares to confront them. But they are lazy, lying slanderers.

It takes 12 straight years of WELS brain-washing to render a pastor so inept that he publishes an anonymous blog demanding an answer to his ignorant rants.

I would like to thank Ash, Kelm, Parlow, Witte, Glende, Englebrecht, Ski, and the plagiarizing pastors at Bethany, Appleton - for revealing to WELS what Church and Change is all about.

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From the fake blog:

Protect Your Reputation

Listening to the car radio this afternoon, I heard an advertisement for ReputationDefender.com. This software allows people to react and respond online to those who would post slanderous and libelous statements about them.

For those who names and reputations have been dragged through the gutter by Dr. Gregory L. Jackson, Ph.D. on his Ichabod the Glory Has Departed blog, you may want to check out ReputationDefender.com.

https://www.reputationdefender.com/index.php

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GJ - Here is the funniest joke of all. The fake blogger used a variation on this blog's name so he (Glende) could get people to read his material from the Google links. The very technology Glende used to get a few readers by craft and deceit is what he blocks to hide the true and verified information about him, Groeschel, Glende, and Doug the Unready - on this blog. I appreciate the joke, because the Money Changers are the butt of it. Like their leaders Jeske, Patterson, and Gurgle, they have to hide, sneak around, cover up, deny, and falsify. You can run, but you can't hide.

Shrinkers Scared into Using Blocking Service

A WELS member has informed me that the Shrinkers are using a paid blocking service on the Net, to keep people from reading about them from Google searches.

The service must be doing a whale of a business, because all the Shrinkers covered frequently are blocked (images and Ichabod links) - about 90%, according to my IT department.

Last year I heard about people bawling all around WELS. No matter what search they did, Ichabod came up first. In fact, I saw that happening as I did research with Google. I was the first choice on any given Lutheran topic. I was the source for graphics too.

If you think someone is pulling my leg, I can quote the fake Ichabod blog where that very service is named, promoted, and linked. In contrast, they dare not link me or quote me because I can refute the Shrinkers so easily. Anyone with an IQ above room temperature can, so that is no boast.

Fear is the reason why they are spending money to keep off Google, where the proof is quoted and linked, even if the links mysteriously disappear. Fear comes from their lack of faith.

Too late for blocking, Church and Money Changers. Everyone is finding out how millions of dollars were wasted, how Lutheran doctrine was attacked, how New Age paganism was advanced by your scrofulous friends.

Instead of fixing the links, you should have corrected your doctrine.

PS - My idea. Instead of paying $20 a month to block Google, why not pay half that per month to keep me from writing? I will call the service skeered_of_ichabod.com.

Phone call. My attorneys - Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe. Just a minute. "OK, hold on guys. I understand." They said that my idea would be prosecuted under RICO, FERPA, HIPAA, and UGMA.

Mrs. Ichabod added, "Those yahoos would couldn't finance a trip to Hooters, let alone a monthly service, unless they tapped their congregational budgets, three foundations, Thrivent, and synod subsidies."

Church of the Augsburg Confession

Martin Chemnitz saw himself as a theologian of the Augsburg Confession.

People have asked me about Church of the Augsburg Confession. I used that term because Diablo thought Triglotta Lutheran was a bit awkward on my Facebook page.

I have nothing against the name Lutheran, so I am not in synch with the leading lights of apostasy. However, there are so many variations on Lutheran synodical names that some are being repeated, like Hollywood B movie titles - King Kong, Frankenstein, Dracula. The confusing term Augustana Ministerium has been revived, although it properly describes the pastors of the Augustana Synod.

Luther and Chemnitz called themselves theologians of the Augsburg Confession. I have to wonder about any Lutheran pastor who thinks the Book of Concord is boring, irrelevant, or out of date. The same people think Groeschel, Sweet, and Driscoll are relevant!

We do not have an Augie League for kids - so far. Our Altar Guild consists of ladies from three states who work on improving the chapel.

Antinomianism - The Law Is Obsolete

WELS is now facing what I predicted 18 years ago - the force of the law.

For instance, if their colleges wink at underage drinking and other crimes, how big will the lawsuit be when someone establishes liability for the school officials, the school, and the synod? ELCA lost a lawsuit for $40 million because of its attitude about being above the law. That is more likely to happen in the future, no matter which synod is involved.

WELS has a deep respect for man-made law, since they cherish 4,117 unwritten rules laid down by their savants from the recent past. One is - a student can only sit with his classmates in chapel. That law is enforced with rigorous shunning and warnings. They also defend the inerrancy and authority of Holy Mother Synod while confessing the Scriptures are full of g-r-a-y (stretch out the word gray) passages, which only their expert MDivs can interpret.

I remember WELS Pastor Robert Schumann taking the classic position of the Antinomians when he was in Columbus - the Law is a tutor that leads us to Christ. Paul did say that in Galatians, but the Apostle did not conclude the Law was obsolete. Schumann did, just like his spiritual father Agricola, another bright fellow. The Michigan District knew they had a full-blown heretic on their hands, but did nothing about it. Heresy was a hobby, not a sin, in the Tailhook Circuit. Schumann also denied Creation, which was one of the reasons the church left The ALC in the first place. I wondered what the sainted Pastor Lange would have said about the spiritual oversight of his congregation.

Schumann was simply being honest about a common attitude in WELS, which has its parallels in ELCA. In the name of UOJ, there is no sin, so they can do whatever they want. Their spiritual pride does not allow them to admit being wrong about anything, so they punish and shun anyone who questions their teetering Tower of Babel. Like all Pietists, they shun for life, and this shunning is visited upon the extended family wherever possible. If WELS can destroy a marriage in the name of synodical fidelity, then all glory be to God. They have no problem with destroying friendships. Better that one should die for the sake of many, as the Pharisee once said.

One would guess that the Michigan District would have avoided repeating the disastrous Antinomian decisions of DP Mueller and VP Kuske, who were retired by "decision" and by being voted out. But Columbus happened because of the lax Circuit Pastors, who could not manage to knock the skin off a pudding, let alone deal with legal and doctrinal issues. They replaced one "spineless DP" (in the words of F. Bivens) with another one. The vicarage supervisor of Jailhouse Rock Zerbe was restored by former CP and now DP John Seifert. Thus WELS basks in eons of grace without the Means of Grace - UOJ Antinomianism.

I did not just get off the bus from Little Flower Convent School. I work in institutions where instructors violate the law and bosses deceive others. However, the law constrains them with brutal force. They may not confess with David Scaer that "The devil aims at the crotch," but they recognize that principle and act accordingly. I heard about two incidents where the instructors were canned on the spot after dalliances or attempts to begin something. In fact, instructors are fired after one session for being lazy bags of wind or not showing up as scheduled. I work under various constraints of newly written federal law, which are mostly good and must be obeyed - or else. They deal with disabled students and the right of privacy.

In higher education and in corporate life, the web of regulation is protective in a way never experienced in a church body today. No one can march in and get rid of someone, for having questions, the way Pope John the Malefactor did. The secular powers also know that protecting an evil person could cost them millions of dollars. That does not make them perfect, but they are more likely to think twice before violating the law. Appeals can be messy and expensive. Some people complained about policies at one school and the entire workforce was changed to reflect those charges.

If someone asks about problems in WELS, there are two avenues used to cover them up. One is to defame the person with the information (a crime not recognized by WELS). The other is to make up a minor concession--chuckle, we are not perfect--while lying promiscuously. The discipline of shunning is no longer working so well. Before, people were afraid of The Stare and the silence following. Now they are discussing matters instantly, facilitated by the Net.

Two approaches may be used in dealing with The SORE in Appleton - not to mention St. Peter, Freedom...Bethany, Appleton...St. Mark, Depere.
One - blame me and my little blog for all the trouble. DP Englebrecht has already tried this without success. Pastor Tim Glende and his Gang of Four have blogged and commented anonymousely without effect, except to encourage and empower me. Timid Lutherans have pulled back in horror, afraid of taking a position on anything.
Two - face the doctrinal and legal problems involved. Plagiarism is a crime. So is violating the contract, the call, where promises are made on both sides. The congregation promises to pay if the pastor fulfills his stated duties. Copying a sermon and lying about it caused one WELS pastor to leave the ministry years ago. Now, under Englebrecht, it is reason to support the men involved and promote them as district leaders. Naturally, the divine call involves doctrinal issues, so everyone should be dealing with those matters.

Trepid Lutherans are ignoring the same issues elsewhere, such as CrossWalk in Phoenix, CrossRoads in Chicago, Latte in Wisconsin, and the new female pastor at Holy Word, Austin, Texas.

Synod officials can be sponsors of heretics. They usually are. The question is whether they can be Confessional Lutherans before it is too late. "When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith?"

Emergent Church

Critics are saying:

"I laughed out loud and almost spewed coffee on my computer screen this morning. Same cell, sprayed for bugs, detailed cars..... what a hoot! I cannot wait to see the next one! Sincerely,"

Name withheld and blocked on Google

Church Mouse Review of Seminaries

The Church Mouse has a review of seminaries. Normally I would not look at their catalogs. Few readers would. Look over the observations to see how far down the gutter theological education has gone. The Episcopal Church is just as willing to be snookered as the Lutheran synods.

Emerging Church is all over WELS and Missouri, but that is just a coincidence. Everyone should pretend it has not been happening for the last 33+ years.

WELS Heretic Update

The Second Synod - Little Hope Babtist Church.

Daniel Baker has sent letters about The SORE and added to his blog. Here is an example, which explains the Ski-Glende concept of sacred music runs to modalism. Modalism means that one god has three names, so this one god is the Father or the Son or the Holy Spirit. I would use the term Sabellianism, but I cannot spell it.

Quote:

UPDATES on recent "CORE Review"

After posting my review of the experiences I had at the CORE last Sunday, I have been troubled to discover even more alarming facts about the "service." Firstly, as I noted in the previous post, much of the content from the CORE's service was directly ripped off from the LifeChurch.tv site of false teacher Craig Groeschel. Well, upon gaining access to Groeschel's website, I downloaded his "Message (aka sermon - "message" is the word Ski uses too)" outline, and discovered that it was the *same* outline in the CORE bulletin! What's more, the discussion questions were verbatim from Groeschel's site as well! Truly troubling.

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GJ - I understand Kudu Don Patterson has a female assistant pastor. I dredged his websty and did not find the evidence, but the site is rather strange. The SP-in-Exile Gurgle is not pictured. The newsletter is partially blank, including a church council meeting heading for the year 2001. I found this below, which may be copied from Victory of the Movie Theater:

Soccer Is My Game - Jesus Is My Life

Soccer Bible Camp

HIS PASSION … OUR VICTORY Holy Word Soccer Bible Camp 2010 About The Camp Soccer Bible camp is a fun way to meet new friends, learn new skills and get some exercise. It's a great break from summer boredom for both parents and kids alike. Our caring and loving staff of volunteers will teach your kids Gospel truths and soccer skills in a safe, Christian atmosphere. The camp runs from August 2-6 from 9:00 - 11:30 am at the Wells Point Park Soccer Complex in Pflugerville located near Springhill Elementary School on Heatherwilde Blvd. [map to complex] The cost is only $35 per child. (There is a discount of $10 per child for each additional sibling who attends.) Please bring soccer shoes, shin guards, and sunscreen. Every child that attends Soccer Bible Camp will receive a soccer ball and a Soccer Bible Camp T-shirt. --- wildcard said... What will the children remember and cherish the most, the soccer ball or the T-shirt? Oh, I forgot the word Bible was in there.

***

GJ - Kudu Don is not Church and Change. Oh no, but he links their newest neoplasm:

League of Leaders

Your Move, Bishop: Bishop Bilks Beautiful People in St. Louis with Ponzi Scheme

Let us prey. The bishop is also an attorney.

Here is one article.

    Bishop Sigillito

Bishop Sigillito, Low on Funds, Represents Himself in RICO Suit as Judge Bows Out

By Nicholas Phillips, Fri., Aug. 13 2010 @ 10:25AM

Image via

Sparks are flyin' in the civil case vs. Sigillito!

​Clayton attorney and American Anglican bishop Marty Sigillito stands accused of running a $45 million Ponzi scheme that fleeced both regular Joes and members of the St. Louis Racquet Club. He's currently under federal investigation. See last week's feature, "White Collar Crime."

Marty Sigillito is attempting to fight off his accusers in federal civil court, but he'll have to do it solo AND in front of a different judge.

Yesterday, the honorable Donald J. Stohr recused himself from hearing the matter any further, without giving specifics (Daily RFT suspects it had something to do with his colleague, judge Henry Autrey, whose clerk happens to be married to Sigillito.)

As for the bishop, he'll be going it alone henceforth because, according to a filing from his erstwhile attorneys, David Helfrey and Doug Roller:

Mr. Sigillito does not have sufficient funds to pay [us] for the work already done on his behalf nor for future representation.

Sigillito's first foray onto the battlefield was a motion to at least get the allegations against him clarified -- after all, he wrote, the complaint contains various "misstatements" and alleges he was behind hundreds of phone calls, faxes, e-mails and packages but doesn't specify any dates or recipients.

"It is virtually impossible to answer the complaint the way it is drafted," Sigillito writes, adding that he only "has access to sporadic loan agreements" because the FBI seized all his files back in May.

He's also moved to get the case thrown out for lack of jurisdiction. Why? Backstory: the main beef of the plaintiffs is that Sigillito arranged for them to loan money to a real-estate developer in the U.K. Now, the American plaintiffs aren't getting paid back and it's unclear where the money all went.

Sigillito is arguing that the plaintiffs haven't even submitted any of the loan agreements into evidence (which is true). The only loan agreement to which he has access clearly states that any dispute arising from the transaction would need to be handled by English courts. Because his accusers haven't proved the rest are any different, he argues, the case should get thrown out or moved across the Atlantic.

Here's an excerpt from the incredulous response filed by opposing lawyer, Sebastian Rucci:

"the complaint against Martin Sigillito is not a breach of contract from England, but about racketeering in the United States....To suggest that the American victims must proceed in foreign soil is simply absurd. Under this logic, every defrauder could simply create some connection to a foreign country and deny the American victims their rights to compensation in an American court. It's [a] wonder that Martin Sigillito did not offer to sell land in Cuba in order to deny the plaintiffs any rights at all."

Rucci has further moved to depose Martin Sigillito. We'll see what the next judge decides to do about all this.                            

Welcome to the School Up Yonder, Where Beer Does Flow and COS Chunders

We have official denials that COS still exists,

so we know the story is true.

T-shirts and sheriff department complaints.

The MLC gay video is still posted on YouTube

and FaceBook.

If you click on the link, YouTube will suggest other gay videos to watch.

Several people have recently discussed Martin Luther College with me. They have a faux-secret group there called COS, which was formed decades ago to support under-aged drinking and other illegal behavior. I remember hearing about it at Northwestern College, when President Voss said to an assembly, "Welcome to the land of COS," and the place erupted with cheers. Information about the term and the roar of approval was sketchy, to say the least.

Teen drinking is a great prelude to a lifetime of alcoholism, and WELS is known for being the ecclesiastical version of Country Western singing. There are the WELS drunks and the drunks' drunks. I could mention names and the pastors would easily associate them with being alcoholics. UOJ does more than promote Antinomianism. UOJ is Antinomianism in disguise. But WELS is like Ireland, where public intoxication is nothing while trivial matters are heinous sins.

Another component is the amalgamation of DMLC and NWC. Before, WELS had two small colleges - one for teacher training and one exclusively for future pastors. The future pastors had to get their language studies done before seminary, so they were learning Greek, German, Hebrew, and perhaps some Latin. DMLC included some men but had more women students. The WELS joke was that DMLC stood for Dumb Man's Last Chance, since someone could drop out of NWC due to languages and finish at DMLC as a teacher.

WELS, being such great stewards, pushed the two colleges together, creating one small and shrinking college out of two stable schools. Gurgle was the genius behind this. He swore it would only cost $8 million and blew $30 million on it. Prairie was turned into a prison and Northwestern Prep took over the NWC campus as the re-baptized Martin Luther Prep. The new Prairie prison got a brand new music of building, which WELS built for $500,000 to $1 million. Doubtless they sing "Prisoner of Love" with greater gusto, thanks to Wisconsin's money management skills.

This bifurcation of educational goals at Mary Lou College means that the pastor-track students have to study many extra hours while the teacher-track students go out to party. That makes it easier to downgrade to the teacher program, which was somewhat shameful before, meaning a guy had to move to another state. Now all he needs is a form filled out and a sturdy liver.

WELS is not very good at teaching the languages required. Unfortunately, those who get foreign languages easily are those who end up teaching them. They really think that memorizing word lists and grammar rules will teach students to translate, because it worked for them.

My fellow students of English - did you teach your children how to talk that way?

"Billy, we are learning the imperative mood today. Here are the rules..."

Billy - "Give me a cookie."

"Later, Billy. First you must learn the rules."

Does the government teach its spies and military people that way? Ha!

I learned the Roland Bainton method at Yale, which he used to master 20 languages. He used the Gospel of John in Greek and the same Gospel in a new language to learn the basic vocabulary and grammar.

I modified this for the Bonehead Method. The Bonehead Method begins with the Gospel of John and adds a few simple rules -
1. Avoid the pony or jimmy (English translation, called pony for a free ride, jimmy for the King James). The pony is the last-ditch crutch, never left open. We are all lazy.
2. Translate the known words, guess the rest.
3. No writing of the English word in the text.
4. Forget grammar rules, such as objective versus subjective genitive. Is that the origin of two justifications - mission creep?
5. Parse carefully, using the Schluessel if necessary. Use it in German for Brownie points. Oh wait - WELS is death on Brownies.
6. Look for the root words and use them in translation, to get used to the feel of the language. In Greek, phone (called) is translated "phoned." Jesus phoned the disciples. That is a bit funny but it helps the student look for root words and translate more freely. One can also find many fun and even shocking words in Greek and Latin. In Latin, a bowl of water is a pelvis of water.

The Bonehead Method works with all students, whether they are horrible in languages or truly gifted.

This is how I tutored in Greek and Latin.
A. We translated the first four chapters of John slowly, picking up the basic insights about vocabulary and parsing.
B. Start over from John 1:1 and translate the entire Gospel.
C. By the end of John's Gospel, students can read the Greek or Latin and translate on the fly.

Pastors should start out students in Greek and Latin before they take the formal classes. That way the student can go to class without being in constant flopsweat over "what does this word mean" and "what is this rule."

WELS goes through the motions, but a lot of the pastors never catch Hebrew or Greek. They rely on their jimmies to get through.

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bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Welcome to the School Up Yonder, Where Beer Does F...":

"Doubtless they sing "Prisoner of Love" with greater gusto"

or "Jailhouse Rock."

Between a Round Rock and a Hard Place

Easter egg hunts and New Age conferences work for Kudu Don Patterson.
Why not for me?

WELS church lady has left a new comment on your post "Fine Young Cannibals - WELS Mission Churches Canni...":

Nice picture of Pastor Doebler! You could have photo-shopped some pants (jeans) on poor Brother Matt. Christ The Rock (no Lutheran in its title) can best be described as seventy percent Core fused with thirty percent Grandfather's WELS church. Nuclear secret number one-Pastor Doebler is friends with Ski. Nuclear secret number two-Pastor Doebler likes the Core's website. Christ The Rock was a creation of the evil Church Growth Gurus. Unfortunately the joke is on Pastor Doebler and his congregation. The CG guys addiction just got much stronger, so they are going multi-site and thus squeezing out Christ The Rock. It is not too late to repent and become 100% Grandfather's WELS church.

Ski and Pastor Doebler are minions. Go after their overseers!

In Christ,
from WELS church lady

Holy, Holy, Crunch, Crunch, Crunch - Worship at The SORE

Do you want your prayers plain or buttered?

"Following that portion of the service was a prayer, about halfway through which the muffled sounds of crunching popcorn finally ceased."

WELS Eye Witness

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GJ - I am sure the ELS and WELS Boards of Doctrine are jumping on this like a hobo on a hotdog.

Hey Ski, where did you get your machine?

Do you really have a soda fountain?

How much has that increased your attendance?

Would you speak at our convention?

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Joseph Schmidt has left a new comment on your post "Holy, Holy, Crunch, Crunch, Crunch - Worship at Th...":

The music played at The SORE, Philips Craig and Dean, is from an anti-Trinitarian band. Looks like they're on their way to Unitarianism in Appleton.

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GJ - They began The SORE that way, with a rock band noted for mocking the Christian faith.

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Comments from his blog:

Freddy Finkelstein said...

Keep it coming Mr. Baker. Good Review.

August 25, 2010 12:41 PM

Intrepid Lutherans said...

Pastor Spencer here, of Intrepid Lutherans. I very strongly encourage you to send this in hard copy form to Ski himself and the District President, with copies to Ski's Circuit Pastor, the Pastors of the "mother" church, the rest of the District Presidium, and the Synod President. Please add specific charges of the use of false doctrine and plagiarism and detail them clearly. Do this today. If you don't get a reply within 5 business days, send it all again, and keep doing so. This is the only way we're going to force the issue to be dealt with, if at all. Thank you for your work. I'm sure it must have been very unpleasant.

August 25, 2010 1:33 PM

Daniel Baker said...

Alright Pastor Spencer, will do.

August 25, 2010 2:10 PM

WELS School Teacher Arrested; LCMS Pastor Arrested

Crown of Life, W. St. Paul, WELS


Crown of Life, W. St. Paul

News report - teacher arrested in online prostitution sting.

Another story on the sting is here.

This scandal is LCMS, reported by KCRG.

Fine Young Cannibals - WELS Mission Churches Cannibalize WELS Churches, Calling It Outreach

Two Wisconsin Synods exist.

One is officially headed by the synod president, Mark Schroeder.

The second Wisconsin Synod is headed by Mark Jeske and run by the administration, magazine, and schools of the synod.

Cannibal Congregations
Millions of dollars are wasted because the Second WELS deliberately sets up new missions near established WELS congregations and parasitizes them, coaxing their members out by playing Shrinker games.

The Shrinkers have the Eighth Commandment on their lips at all times, but do they obey the Tenth?

The Tenth Commandment.


Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is his.


What does this mean?--Answer.


We should fear and love God that we may not estrange, force, or entice away our neighbor's wife, servants, or cattle, but urge them to stay and [diligently] do their duty.

That must include pastors enticing members away from another congregation, especially when they belong to the same synod.

Gurgle and Patterson in Round Rock, Texas
The forced-to-leave-office Gurgle and Kudu Don Patterson are setting up a church and school two miles from the WELS mission called Christ the Rock (Doebler). Gurgle, who is always full of himself, cannot even spell, but he is crowing about this great outreach - which will take a whole lot of money. Most people expect a failed SP to live on the roughly $3 million he earned while driving his synod into insolvency, but Gurgle had to have a job where the teachers lost wages to pay him.

Note that a leading layman at Patterson's church is named Stelljes.

The LOL Mission
Remember how Kudu Don gathered up a bunch of WELS church workers for the pan-denominational Exponential Conference in Orlando, Florida? John Stelljes was rumored to be among the chosen.

John Stelljes opened up Light of Life near two other WELS congregations and is taking members from them.

The mission folks from the Second Synod set up LOL without asking anyone and plunked it near two others. That is how Hagedorn has wasted offering money to keep the Church and Change takeover moving ahead.

Shrinking the Shrinker Church

WELS did the same thing near Larry Olson's church, setting up Mark Paustian (Church and Change) to raid the local congregations. Love's Park is trying to raise money to move away, another large expense created by the enormous expense of setting up the cannibal congregation. Paustian moved on to Mary Lou College.

CrossWalk
Jeff Gunn has done the same thing in Phoenix for the Second Synod by raiding WELS congregations for members. Note that any criticism of Church and Change is met by cries of "Unbrotherly!"

Latte Church
Randy Hunter was given a vicar to train him in raiding nearby WELS congregations. Many congregations cannot get vicars, but the Shrinkers can. Grant money flows to Second Synod.

Latte has its own female pastor. WELS did not have to vote on this change, because the Second Synod decided to approve it and fund it.

The best part of my job is knowing that my work directly impacts the spiritual lives of those who worship here and enables them to connect with God. I say this with a full and complete understanding (and appreciation!) of the fact that the actual work is done by the Holy Spirit through the means of grace – but it is a great privilege and a great joy to be an instrument in ‘administering God’s grace’ in the form of worship gatherings.

The SORE
The Second Synod's most ridiculous mission was set up next door to an established WELS church. Ski seems to be limited to running his silly Groeschel echo chamber as a perpetual youth rally. Ski and Glende even painted a Groeschel slogan on the wall. See the photos here. The Groeschel mantra is this: "In order to reach the people no one else has reached, we must do the things no one else has done." Part of the slogan is in the photographs from a WELS member's blog.

"Certainly, there may have been some guests and visitors from other areas, but more often than not these were just local WELSians. If there was any doubt of this analysis, it could be confirmed in the worship songs. It is funny to see WELS members trying to be the happy clappy type." My Thoughts

Ski fills the place with local WELS youth at a fantastic cost. Who is paying for all this? Is Hagedorn sending synod money on top of support from Patmos or whoever else is being tapped?

The Second Synod demands answers but does not offer any.

WELS Members Are the Suckers Financing the Fine, Young Cannibals
By now most readers have concluded that the Second Synod is run for itself and its greedy, narcissistic leaders. All the slogans about outreach are a smokescreen. These belly-servers are not interested in any real work, but they do want the money of the members.

Not Exactly an Ichabod Fan - Responds To The CORE Report

Why not confess all religions? This is kelmed from badvestments.blogspot.com


KFax has left a new comment on your post "Happy Clappy Whoopee Worship at Groeschel's The CO...":

How very sad. I would have left in disgust.

***

GJ - Kfax has not been a big fan of this blog. I wonder when Ski, Glende, Ash, and Doug the Unready will realize they cannot pull off this scam forever.

Do not forget, my anonymous audience, that this fiasco is deliberately and routinely copied from Craig Groeschel.

Glende and Ski copy everything they do, because the seminary and college taught them to plagiarize false teachers. They are in a circuit (see Bethany in Appleton) where deceit is normative. They work in a district where the pastors and teachers re-elect a Doctrinal Pussycat who skips a scheduled meeting and leaves behind a letter. Remember how everyone has to meet with the false teacher first? What do pastors and teachers and laity do when the false teacher and his enabler slither away?

Happy Clappy Whoopee Worship at Groeschel's The CORE

My Thoughts by Daniel Baker:

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Analysis of My Worship Experience at the CORE, Appleton, Wisconsin

After reading the growing outcry against the rumored apostasy and fraud propagated by the CORE “church” in Appleton, Wisconsin, I was compelled to travel to the city this past Sunday, August 22, to see for myself just how bad the place really is.

We (another anonymous individual joined me on my venture) pulled up to the location about 10 minutes prior to the advertised start of the service. Upon arrival, I was immediately struck by the sheer size and grandeur of the building. A giant, fancy, protruding sign stuck out from the edifice with the words “CORE Real, Relevant, Relational.” Giant tinted windows also adorned the front wall. You can see in the picture provided for yourself.

After entering the building, I was no less impressed by what I saw. Flat screen TVs lined the walls; movie-like posters with Scriptural references hung around the lobby - there were even high-speed computers in one corner for public use. Engravings of bible passages and quotes were on the walls, and in the middle of the room was a giant snack bar, much like at a movie theatre (considering that’s what the place is, a renovated movie theatre, this was not surprising). At this snack bar were dozens of pre-packaged popcorn bags and pre-filled soft drinks. I chose raspberry iced tea for myself to enjoy during the show.

After getting our food, I noticed the pastor himself – the infamous “Ski.”

Officially titled Pastor James Skorzewski, “Ski” - as he likes to be called – is an ordained graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon. He began his career as a pastor by serving a brief term at a mission church in Florida before being called to work under Pastor Mark Jeske at St. Marcus in Milwaukee in the year 2001. There are many rumors and stories about Ski that float around the internet, but I don’t feel the need to promote hearsay. What I do want to focus on is his calling and work at the CORE. For a little background, the CORE was started as a “daughter Congregation” of St. Peter’s church in Freedom, Wisconsin, which is near Appleton. Another infamous Pastor, Timothy Glende, also ordained in the WELS ministry, runs St. Peter’s. Suffice it to say, Ski and Glende must have worked closely together to get CORE off the ground.

According to a blog that is run by a member of St. Peter’s church:

http://vdma.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/the-cores-encore

the CORE had its grand opening on April 19, 2009, with an expense fee of $250,000.00 (judging by the adornments throughout the facility, internal and external, I would not be surprised if millions more than this have been spent in total). At that time, the membership was about 15 people, however hundreds of other WELS members from local area congregations also attend the CORE.

Now that I have digressed a bit, I will get back to my story. So there I was in the lobby, looking at Ski himself. I snapped a picture before ducking into the theater . . . I mean sanctuary. Upon entering, there were two little kids handing out free pens with a CORE logo on them, as well as an adult handing out the “bulletin.” The bulletin had a survey attached, as well as a fill-in-the-blank outline for the sermon. Behind these greeters was a small altar ornamented with little crosses and candles. The theatre room itself was very large, having perhaps 15 or so rows with maybe 30 seats in each row, though admittedly I did not think to count. We sat about in the center of one such row, 2/3 of the way to the top row.

Looking down, I immediately made note of the looping PowerPoint presentation, designed to look like advertisements before a movie begins. I noticed also the worship band positioned in the lower left corner, with an audio/video specialist poised somewhere near central stage.

Although I had seen it coming in, my eyes finally refocused on the cross, which was positioned off to the right of the main stage so as not to interfere with the precious movie slides. It was elaborately designed, with faux bloodstains where Christ’s wounds would have been (i.e. head, hands, side, feet). There was also a spear propped up against it, as well as a crown of thorns. I have a few pictures (pardon the quality; the battery on my camera was dying so I had to turn the flash off):

After I had finally gotten my bearings, I began to briefly look over the bulletin when Ski made his grand entrance. There he was, in all his glory . . . wearing a wrinkled up “cool” collared shirt and “cool” jeans. He made a joke related to running and his physique, and proceeded to make a few general announcement-like comments before inviting us to fill out the surveys and then interact with our neighbors in a “meet and greet” fashion. After this forced fellowship time was over, we progressed into the first worship song, a tune entitled “Revelation Song,” by Phillips Craig and Dean. It is basically an expansion on the song sung by the saints and angels in the Revelation, i.e. “Holy Holy Holy is the Lord Almighty” and “worthy is the Lamb,” interspersed with pious references to how we and all creation should and will praise God. It wasn’t the worst song I have ever heard, though as I said I was giving the service the benefit of the doubt at the start.

We then proceeded to have a confession and absolution. In his favor, Ski did pay lip service to Holy Baptism and its relevance in the life of a Christian (i.e. as a means used by the Holy Spirit to work faith in the heart), and the fact that there was confession and absolution in Christ’s name was also a general plus. Following that portion of the service was a prayer, about halfway through which the muffled sounds of crunching popcorn finally ceased.

I didn’t mention this earlier, but about at this point in the service I made mental note of how nice it was to be surrounded by fellow young people for once. When I say young people, I include little kids, teenagers, and young adults. All three groups were in larger quantities than I had ever seen at another WELS institution; in the end, the vast majority of people in attendance were under the age of 20. In fact, the worship band was composed of mostly kids as well, save for the lead singer. While this seems nice in theory, in reality the truth of the matter is that most of these kids are simply attending the CORE in addition to – or worse, in lieu of – their home WELS congregation. Certainly, there may have been some guests and visitors from other areas, but more often than not these were just local WELSians. If there was any doubt of this analysis, it could be confirmed in the worship songs. It is funny to see WELS members trying to be the happy clappy type. There was no hand waving or emotion really in the congregation during the songs, but nonetheless most were making an attempt to sing. It was very forced, and like oil and water, trying to mix Lutherans with the happy-clappy worship style doesn’t work out.

Back to the service, though. Following the Confession, there was a reading of the Word, Romans 5:1-5. After another song entitled “You Deserve,” we finally got to the core of the CORE: The sermon (or the “Message” as it was called in the bulletin), entitled: “Elijah – The Making of a Man of God.” It is at this point that I stopped trying to give Ski the benefit of the doubt and became fully nauseated. I can count on one hand the words of the gospel contained in the sermon; in fact, I wrote them down:

“I know. Jesus does it for you.” Ski said that in about the middle of the sermon after a hypothetical response from God in reference to how we can’t keep the law perfectly. Other than that, the only other reference to the gospel or Christ was a BRIEF summation at the very end of the sermon regarding how we have a Lord, Christ, who died and is risen for us. But even after that, he recapitulated his main point, which was law-focused, man-centered. I will now provide you with the outline of the sermon.

Basically, he began with the story of Elijah, and with an explanation of the meaning of Elijah’s name (“The Lord is my God”). He then demonstrated what can be learned from Elijah’s example.

1. The making of the God Man means isolated pain.
2. The making of the God Man means total dependence.
3. The making of the God Man means unconditional obedience.

So basically, the point of the sermon was that hardships come from God to refine us like coal into diamonds, and if we are completely dependent upon and obedient to God, he will work our best interests out in the end. Huh. And here I thought the foundation of the Christian faith was JESUS’ blood and righteousness. If only I had known it was about getting blessings for being dependent and obedient! Boy, someone should revise that song . . . how does it go? “Jesus your blood and righteousness, my beauty are, my glorious dress . . . “

As you could imagine, I was NOT impressed. As if to make matters worse, after the sermon we had another prayer . . . and at this point he made prayer out to be some kind of third sacrament (or perhaps only sacrament), an all important means by which we commune with God (there was no reference to the Lord’s Supper at all, big shocker). What’s more, during the “prayer,” the pianist started playing this sappy music as if this were some Lifetime special.

After the final song, we made for the door opposite of the one we came in, as during the service I had seen this stone monument and wanted to inspect it closer. Turns out, it was an ornate baptismal font, chiseled out of stone and topped with a bronze basin (I assumed the connection was with the Old Testament bronze basin between the Holy Place and the altar). After exiting the “sanctuary,” we entered the little gift shop where CORE memorabilia was sold. Interestingly, and as a side note, there was an enormous stuffed giraffe in the gift shop. Seeing it was the highlight of my experience.

After coming home and doing a little research, I learned some more appalling facts about my experience at CORE. Firstly, the Elijah sermon series was completely ripped off from a non-WELS, mega/online church.

See this lifechurch.tv site and related image: http://open.lifechurch.tv/series/3683

The image of Elijah used by the CORE is EXACTLY the same as this one - see the CORE’s bulletin:

He made no note of the fact that he copied the series from the lifechurch.tv site, a website run by a pastor by the name of Craig Groeschel. Groeschel is a pastor with non-Lutheran theology, as you can tell from the sermon message propagated through Ski. Since he must be too busy to write his own material, perhaps Ski would like to copy a sermon series by Martin Luther next time? I have a volume full of his sermons if he’d like to borrow them.

Suffice it to say, although CORE claims to do everything short of sinning to reach sinners, they have (in my opinion) not only crossed the line into actual sin by means of false doctrine, but have also not reached very many sinners at all! The blatant apostasy of the CORE should not be allowed to go unchecked any further. Ski’s superior, Rev. Douglas Engelbrecht, President of the Northern Wisconsin District, needs to do something about this. But will he? Such remains to be seen.

One final point: As we were driving home, the symbolism of the cross finally struck me. As I said earlier, the entire message of the CORE when I visited was law-centered, man-focused, rather than Christ-centered, cross-focused as it should be. Looking back, the cross being pushed off to the side to make room for the screen is an appropriate symbolic testament to this fact.

Let's Parse an Unsolicited Review of Ski and Glende's The CORE

Moral has left a new comment on your post "Let's Parse an Unsolicited Review of Ski and Glend...":

Third time's the charm: I noticed a picture of Kelm on that tombstone.

FYI, Kelm is being installed on Sunday at WLC for the third time in his career.

What goes around comes around, I guess.

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Daniel Baker has left a new comment on your post "Academic Inbreeding in the Lutheran Synods":

I traveled to Appleton this past Sunday to see how bad the CORE really is for myself. I am going to write a formal review of my experience at a later date, but suffice it to say he didn't even try to hide the reference to that lifechurch site. He used the EXACT same image of the ravens, only he added a small "CORE" logo on the top right.

I really tried to give the service an honest, open assessment. But between popcorn chewing during the prayer, the watery, emotionless, doctrine-less songs, and the law focused sermon (I can count the words which referenced Christ and the gospel in the sermon on one hand), I left the "service" nauseated.


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GJ - I was really surprised, because the compliant District Vapid Pussycat (also known as Super-Cecil) was ga-ga over The CORE's entertainment efforts, endorsing them without qualm or conscience.


Here is my exegesis of the review:


1. Ski makes no effort to hide his reliance on Groeschel graphics and message. He has conceded that to many objecting visitors. They are legion.
2. The SORE obviously sends people into church with popcorn and drinks, just like Victory of the Lamb, meeting in another movie theater. The audience is so disrespectful that they munch popcorn during the prayers. No wonder they like going there. The blind lead the blind, and WELS endorses this, protecting it from any harm or change, with tons of money wasted on this Bacchanalia.
3. The songs are "watery, emotionless, and doctrine-less." That is no surprise, because the Gospel offends some and Lutheran doctrine offends many. Ski and Glende are training their audience to despise the Means of Grace, to embrace New Age culture.
4. Law-focused sermon, with little mention of Christ - But we are told how Glende and Ski are "passionate" about Jesus (a weird expression, even for straights) and "passionate" about outreach. Nevertheless, they reject the only way God conveys forgiveness to use - the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace.


Team Glende is charging around the Net again, obviously wounded by the attention they are getting. They really need more attention, more visits by faithful Lutherans, more letters to the right persons (cc Deputy Doug, who uses them for kindling).