Research and Publish - The Apostates Will Cry and Run

Joseph Schmidt is one of many younger Lutherans who studies Christian doctrine and promotes orthodox teaching.

Rogue Lutheran shows what one lady can do with a browser and search engine. I can think of several Lutheran ladies who are doing the same, one way or another.

One said, "If I give it to my pastor, one person reads it. If I give it to Ichabod, everyone reads it."

We even have a Doctor of Divinity helping out with Ichabod.

We also have men of all ages participating, with an emphasis on the laity. One blogger (Church Mouse) is in England. Another (Extra Nos) is down under.

I added Bad Vestments to the blog list for the enjoyment and edification of readers. I enjoy the way that site pillories bad taste in clergy wear and tacky services (clown eucharist, Calvinist puppets of doom, giant marching animals in a pagan Presbyterian ceremony). The examples show what anti-confessional clergy do to destroy worship, the flip side of Emergent Church but the same flip attitude - we can do whatever we want.

Ichabod is linked many places but not linked where it is deemed unsafe. I am not annoyed but charmed. A blog has to be dangerous to be left off a list of confessional Lutheran URLs. Forbidden fruit is sweeter. What were the WELSians reading during the last convention? It wasn't WELS.net. What were the college kids reading, between text messages, when their gay video was posted?

Meanwhile, Fake-o-bod has gone mute again, after kissing up to the Intrepids. What is more hypocritical of the Appleton blogger: denouncing unionism while preaching Groeschel, or smooching Intrepid Lutherans in public while blocking their emails in private?

Once again. the treatment itself is the highest commendation. As Luther said, it may be an honor that vice pays to virtue, but hypocrisy is still a sin.

I expect nothing in the short-run. Eventually, if people continue to research and publish, the apostates in power will bawl and run away. That does not mean adopting the 30-year plan. There is too much patience and too little urgency.

Someone in Columbus asked why I was adamant about doctrine. I asked what the congregation would do if the furnace were about to explode. "They would fix it right away. No delay." I asked why nothing was done about dangerous doctrine, which threatened everyone. That was 23 years ago.

WELS Columbus sheltered an adulterous CG fanatic and gave him another congregation to ruin, endorsed by the WELS district VP, coddled and flattered by the ELS and Thoughts of Faith. The false doctrine promoted there nurtured the undiscerning mind of Tim Glende, who now advocates even worse versions in Appleton while his mentor still works in Columbus.

As I said, that was 23 years ago, and WELS is asking for another 30 years to fix matters, with no change visible, except new exploding scandals.

I am waiting for the promised report about Piepenbrink.

And I heard Toledo is changing pastors faster than a cheap motel changes the sheets. Michigan District anti-anti-CG meddling is bearing fruit in Toledo and elsewhere.

The volunteer bloggers are all citizens, but we are doing the work American DPs won't do. They say the installation service for a DP includes an operation where the spine is removed.

I am not so sure about that. Deputy Doug went after me - big time! Capn Huff-n-Puff roared from his cabin below the deck of the Leakin' Lena. Read the letter. It was totally fierce.

Mrs. Ichabod wanted me to mention that I am teaching the following courses soon: Christian ethics, world religion, mythology, urban ministry, spiritual formation, and church history. A reader said I could teach at Mary Lou College, but the fact is - I am tied down at the moment.

Another Ichabod Scoop

Rogue Lutheran confirms the spillage from the Sweet honey-wagon.

Ichabod Scoops Lighthouse Trails - LCMS & Len Sweet

September 8, 2010

Dear carol,

There will be no online e-newsletter this week. However, we want to let you know about a special CrossTalk radio program that will be taking place on Thursday, September 9th between Ingrid Schlueter and Sandy Simpson (Deception in the Church ministries). Below is our posting today, announcing the program.

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LTRP Note: In relation to the article below by Ingrid Schlueter and her upcoming radio program on Thursday, September 9th on CrossTalk, it is worth noting that on the same day, Leadership Network (the launchers of the 1990s emerging church movement) is presenting an online, digital “conference” calledThe Nines featuring 100 evangelical pastors and leaders, some of whom areRick Warren, Dan Kimball, Francis Chan, Wayne Cordeiro, Andy Crouch (Christianity Today), Bill Easum, Jonathan Falwell, Miles McPherson, Larry Osborne, Ed Stetzer, Thom Rainer (LifeWay Books),and Leonard Sweet.

New Age Sympathizer Leonard Sweet–Coming to a Church Near You? Crosstalk Thursday

Thursday’s Crosstalk will be addressing the increasingly popular teachings of Leonard Sweet. Tune in live at 2pm Central or listen to the archived show later.

Leonard Sweet is making his way into otherwise conservative evangelical churches, schools, colleges and organizations by speaking on things like postmodern culture and theology or “education in the age of Google.” But why would pastors and teachers from churches and institutions that are supposedly faithful to biblical Christianity promote and listen to a panentheist and New Age teacher like Leonard Sweet? Guest Sandy Simpson will explain what Leonard believes and teaches. It’s shocking. We will also be offering Warren Smith’s excellent book, A Wonderful Deception, which contains an entire chapter on Sweet and his “Quantum Spirituality.”

(cw-Ichabod caught this Sweet item 10-9-2010 first, see:  

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2010/08/isnt-this-sweet-asks-lcms.html)

The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is one supposedly biblical denomination that has increasingly brought Leonard Sweet in for teachers conferences, convocations and educational seminars as keynote speaker. The South Wisconsin District of the LCMS is bringing Sweet in for a full DAY seminar at Lake Country Lutheran High School. (October 9, 2010) But why? Why would those who claim to believe in the authority of Scripture and the true Gospel of Jesus Christ bring in someone who thanks occultist David Spangler for his spiritual influence? (See below.) As preparation for the broadcast, please see this excerpt below from former New Ager Warren Smith’s book chapter on Leonard Sweet and his Quantum Spirituality. It’s a warning about how hereticaloccult teachings are no longer viewed as such in many churches. Unless God’s people learn to biblically discern these things, they are easy targets for deception.

Here’s the excerpt:

Leonard Sweet, in acknowledging Willis Harman, Matthew Fox, M. Scott Peck,and the others he refers to as “New Light leaders” in [his book] Quantum Spirituality, states:

I believe these are among the most creative religious leaders in America today. These are the ones carving out channels for new ideas to flow. In a way this book was written to guide myself through their channels and chart their progress. The book’s best ideas come from them.

Speaking of spiritual “channels,” Sweet expresses his personal gratitude in [his book] Quantum Spirituality to channeler and veteran New Age leader, David Spangler. Spangler, in attempting to cast off the negative stereotype of a New Age channeler, would now more likely describe himself as a conscious intuitive.

A pioneering spokesperson for the New Age, Spangler has written numerous books over the years that include Emergence: The Rebirth of the Sacred, Revelation: The Birth of a New Age, and Reimagination of the World: A Critique of the New Age, Science, and Popular Culture. His book Revelation: The Birth of a New Age is a compilation of channeled transmissions he received from his disembodied spiritguide “John.”

Two Comments

And lo, they raideth the Egyptian garbage and hauleth it away.

And it came to pass, the Egyptians stayeth home and cebrateth forthwith.

erickel (http://erickel.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Union of Pietist Sects":

WELS embarrasses me over and over again as a member, and they want me to do mission work for THEM.

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Michael Schottey has left a new comment on your post "Not A Duck - A Soaring Eagle - The GIA Eagle":

Bored,

My "Dr. Goebbels-style" education taught me that generalizations often speak volumes more about the subject rather than the object.

You're right, you don't know me, so I kindly ask you to keep your faulty opinions to yourself.

You, and John have (twice now) fantastically missed the point of what I said and why I said it.

It isn't about "massaging the message" it's about using the FULL body of evidence to nail the butts of schwaermer to the wall instead of half.

It isn't about softening the blow...it is about giving no recourse of thought or action--so no one can point and call this a half-truth.

We're all in agreement that the disclaimer does not exculpate anyone, rather it makes the case that much more forceful--that a pastor would willfully lead his flock into a wolf's lair untended.

How in the world is that "massaging the message?"

In your haste to point out my need for "reprogramming" you didn't realize that putting the disclaimer on there (and commenting on it) only increases the validity of the point.

***

GJ - Michael is paying a price for signing his name, unfair in this day of anonymous blogging.

I understand his point. I used his response to point out the typical WELS answer to anything, which is, "You did it wrong so you are the sinner and he is the victim."

Michael has been on the side of traditional Means of Grace worship all along, and he has identified with the Intrepids by signing his name there. I know many WELS/ELS pastors who are too timid to sign their names, even though they have groaned about CG Enthusiasm for decades. Yes decades.

Michael and I spar on Facebook about politics, but he does not un-friend me, which is more than I can say for others. We need more younger Lutherans like Michael. I just hope he forgets to vote.

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Scott E. Jungen has left a new comment on your post "Two Comments":

I second that comment. We do need more young Lutherans like Michael. What a blessing he would have been to a congregation of Confessional Lutherans. I totally understand why he chose not to attend WLS. Another black mark on the WELS that they drove away this fine young man from the ministry.

No, I don't know Michael personally either, but I think I'd like to!
Scott E. Jungen

Not A Duck - A Soaring Eagle - The GIA Eagle

This awe-inspiring duck eagle can be received as a paint-by-numbers kit or as a painting on velvet project, FREE with a $1,000 donation or monthly pledge to GIA. Remember, this is God's work, but He needs your money to do it.


John has left a new comment on your post "Guess Who Is Working with the New Jeske-Patterson ...":

Mr. Schottey:

Ah. I think I understand, now. It's up to the reader to pick out exactly what Pilgrim posts on its website is what the pastor and congregation actually hold to.

No thanks. I'll only think of associating myself with a congregation that clearly states and practices its confession.

I'm talking about my eternal life here. I'm not about looking for disclaimers.

Disclaimers are worthless. They're meant to cover the back sides of the folks who post them, only.

Any confusion is caused by the congregation posting links to churches with which it is not in doctrinal agreement.

Something I was taught at a very young age is: If it walks like a duck, swims like a duck, looks like a duck and quacks like a duck - it's probably a duck.

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John has left a new comment on your post "Not A Duck - A Soaring Eagle - The GIA Eagle":

Mr. Schottey.

You are absolutely correct. I did miss your point, and I sincerely apologize for not only missing your point, but also for sarcastically turning it on you.
I was careless in commenting without first being certain that I fully understood what you were saying.

I ask your forgiveness.

John

Union of Pietist Sects

Does my child have to give up Catholicism to attend WLC?
No.

Didja wonder why a WELS pastor copied Mission Covenant leader Swindoll's devotional?

How a WELS college could invite a Roman Catholic archbishop to lecture about religion?

Answer - the Lutheran organizations in America are not Lutheran at all. They are Pietistic sects with some Lutherans scattered among them.

America is a Pietistic nation, with the Methodists and Babtists dominating the scene, the Lutherans imitating them as much as possible.

Division among the so-called Lutheran groups is not according to doctrine but according to Pietistic standards.

The so-called conservative groups distinguish themselves from ELCA, but they work with ELCA anyway.

The so-called conservative groups maintain an official stance of not working with each other, but they do anyway.

Pietists do a lot of pretending about their standards. A dry town or dry county will feature lots of ways to enjoy a bountiful supply of beverages. For instance, Benton County considers every restaurant a private club. All the customers sign the members' registry to allow some members to order alcoholic drinks. I have seen Elvis' signature, so it is true that he is still alive.

The nominal Lutherans seldom acknowledge their own heritage today. They consider the Book of Concord to be old-fashioned, boring, and irrelevant. They know more about Groeschel than Luther. They make fun of doctrinal knowledge while extolling their "relationship with Jesus." As one Pentecostal said about his students, "Are they tight with Jesus? You know the trouble starts when they are not tight with Jesus." Luther said - "They talk about Jesus all the time, but they tear down the bridge, the Means of Grace, to reach Him."

Why are the Lutheran pastors running to Fuller or Rome? Because they are Pietists seeking the True Pietism, the Holy Grail of Schwaermer-Vision.

Why are all these conservative Lutherans so happy to worship with Babtists, Pentecostals, papists, and Eastern Orthodoxists? They never had a problem with false doctrine, because Pietism teaches love above sound doctrine and love as the path to manufacturing disciples.

Why does WELS praise its own shoddy educational system and hate anyone for having a real education? Answer - They want the conformity of Pietism rather than the doctrinal knowledge of the Lutheran Church. Pietists will agree among themselves that no one can drink alcohol and be a true believer, so everyone pretends to be dry. WELS takes this another step by introducing alcholism as an important step in conforming, during college or prep school. Instead of being a dry hero, their leaders are falling-down drunk heroes.

Here is a guide to the real attitudes in the Union of Pietistic Sects:

ELCA - We are honest about what we believe and practice, so we have the real Gospel. Everyone is following our example, even though they deny it. Imitation acknowledges our purity.

WELS - We are so pure than no one is in fellowship with us, including the unreliable and loosey-goosey ELS. We do not acknowledge our bi and homosexual pastors so we can praise ourselves for not being ELCA. We thank God every day we broke with the Missouri Synod. We saw the dangers of unionism long before we enjoyed the pleasures of Fuller. But that is another story. If we attend lots of Schwaermer schools and churches, it is never within the bounds of fellowship. If you question that, you have already broken fellowship with us, so begone.

ELS - We are so pure that we congratulate ourselves every day, privately, that we are not WELS. Yes, we are the abused spouse of WELS, but that is our cross to bear for holding up the light of the Confessions, to shine whenever it seems expedient.

CLC (sic) - We may be even more corrupt in doctrine and practice than anyone can imagine, but no one brags about fellowship more than we do. Like the Hapsburg dynasty in Europe, we have unity through intermarriage. If a pastor's daughter has an oopsie baby, we adopt him out to a CLC (sic) family. The only people who leave the CLC do so via a coffin or the Left Foot of Fellowship. Our summer camp college in the woods is so small that proximity leads to marriage, even if the other person is a cousin six ways from Sunday. Proof of our orthodoxy Pietism - We are not ELS or WELS or LCMS. Therefore, we can indulge in every false doctrine without being tainted by those evil groups that we covet.

Short on Money? Try Being Real, Relational, and Relevant

Trained by Babtist Andy Stanley: this photo is from Ski's bragging blog about the Drive conference.

The CORE by the Numbers:

The CORE held its grand opening on April 19, 2009.

• $250,000 spent
• 200 average weekly attendance since the grand opening
• 15 members

The information for the above attendance numbers was gathered at St. Peter’s open forum on June 16, 2009 A.D., and the above numbers are current as of that date.

As of this week, The CORE has yet to serve the Lord’s Supper, and is waiting until special hand made communion-ware is manufactured. According to Pastor Glende, most new congregations do not serve the Lord’s Supper for several months. Once The CORE begins to serve communion, then they will have a better idea of how many of its attendees are members of other area WELS congregations.

Objection Refuted

Michael Schottey has left a new comment on your post "Guess Who Is Working with the New Jeske-Patterson ...":

Look, I'm all for "guilt by association" and questioning why these links would be included. However, it is a little dishonest to not include the disclaimer RIGHT above the the links.

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At Pilgrim we believe Christians need to be informed about news and trends in the world of religion and the world at large. The fact that we've included these links on our page should not be taken to mean that we agree with or condone the ideas and opinions you may see on these sites.
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Now, does that "make up for" the fact that schwaemer links permeate the list? No....

But not including it really makes the post look like a sham.

***

GJ - Not so fast, Michael. I reproduced the list before, with the disclaimer. I believe the disclaimer emphasizes the dishonesty of the staff, the congregation, and WELS. I was sparing the poor deluded fellow who runs this congregation. Since I provide links with my information, anyone can check out the material in context and look over all the pages.

The Wisconsin Sect has been promoting this style of deception for a long time. Gaze upon the photos of all the false teachers portrayed above. I took a long time selecting so many faces, so many denominations, so many false teachers, getting them into one coherent gang. These men are the heroes of WELS. They were and still are, as revealed by my latest posts.

These heroes have been promoted by WELS with the warning - "while we are not in fellowship with..." - but making it clear that true spiritual wisdom comes from their lupine fangs. Picture Valleskey gushing about "spoiling the Egyptians" from Fuller Seminary, where he studied, not to mention the Schwaermer books he recommended to all of WELS in FICKLE (nee NWL).

And they made Valleskey president of the Sausage Factory for this great service to confessional Lutheranism.

Swimming with Schwaermer will yield mush like this:

"Intellectual knowledge is great, but Christianity is really a relationship with Jesus. Sure, we pass along biblical truth by passing along facts. We want children to know the name of Ruth’s mother-in-law, and the books of the Bible in order. Some children do very well remembering those facts, others don’t. Are the quick ones somehow better off spiritually than the slow ones? Of course not! Jesus loves them all. He gave himself for all of us, no matter our age or test scores."

Wait three seconds and some WELS pastor will say, "This c-a-n be understood correctly." The word c-a-n should be stretched out to display the brilliance of the speaker as he ponders a translation into Lutheranese.

This is another real, relational, relevant church.

Two Responses To Two Examples of Apostasy

John has left a new comment on your post "Guess Who Is Working with the New Jeske-Patterson ...":

I couldn't decide whether to reach for a tissue or a barf bag when reading what this supposedly Lutheran pastor and congregation recommend to readers of their site.

Their recommendation of churches that deny the efficacy of the Means of Grace is, in fact a statement of this pastor and congregation regarding the efficacy of the Means of Grace.

Accordingly, wouldn't anyone partnering with this pastor and congregation also be denying the efficacy of the Means of Grace?

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dkrause (http://dkrause.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Donate To the Mark Jeske Synod:Thrivent, Foundatio...":

They insult Jesus with their focus on donations (money). Jesus did not teach His disciples to go out and beg.

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GJ - Looking at The SORE, Glende's Groeschel franchise, Bethany Appleton, St. Mark Depere, Fox Valley in general,
Church and Changers running wild, and Minneapolis, no one should conclude that this is my fault.

A pastor's wife in the LCMS said she was well aware of Emergent Church apostasy in WELS. The PR flacks can promote the same old mirage for years, but people see through it. Like the puddle of water shimmering on the highway, the conservative nature of WELS disappears when approached with eyes wide open.

Pastor Never-Stood-Up-For-Anything was complaining behind my back about his reputation. If the facts seem so painful, then what would the synod slime machine feel like to Rev. Duncan Run?

The greatest damage does not come from the obviously evil parsons, like the Church and Change leaders, but from those pastors who wear the cloak of conservatism, kiss up to the apostates, and betray their fellow pastors and their members with alacrity. They will gladly feed their flock to the wolves if they can get a better position from it.

The turmoil from all those congregations listed above has come from the Rev. Do-Nothings and DP-Pleasers.

I watched the Michigan District get rid of three pastors in Toledo for daring to disagree with the official Church Growth dogma in WELS - although no one to date has admitted to that continuing error. If I have my dates right, the "conservative" John Seifert got rid of two of them. The third one had to travel to another call before he was pushed out. No one was allowed to disagree with the confessional Lutheran Valleskey (Fake-o-Bod) and remain. Bruce Becker hisself got rid of the third pastor, who was allowed to attend an ELS church but not allowed to take communion.

Ponder the enormity of the joke played on everyone. The pastor who insisted on the efficacy of the Word was excommunicated for life by Bruce Becker, who openly denies the most basic Biblical doctrine - efficacy of the Word. Meanwhile:

1. Murderer Al Just can help with a WELS youth group.
   
2. Felon Scott Zerbe is defended as "repentent." Relax, everyone is forgiven in WELS, UOJ-like, except the chosen few.
   
3. Geezer Paul Kelm gets a divine call to mislead even more college students, even though he could not start a brush fire with FUEL at The SORE.
   
4. Second Synod President Jeske is loaned out to Missouri for money-raising purposes.
   
5. Adultery earns a promotion to Mission Counselor.
   
6. Founding Church and Change is considered resume leverage for a call to the Asian board.
   
7. The Little Sect on the Prairie goes along with this, shares eagerly in the work of apostasy, and claims to be different from WELS.