Sunday, September 19, 2010

Publication Plans



Cover design and artwork by Norma Boeckler


I have uploaded the second rough draft of Luther versus Pietistic UOJ: Justification by Faith.
The PDF download is free.

I receive so much enjoyment and fulfillment from studying these doctrinal issues. I wish others would do more of the same.

God willing I will have a finished version ready for Reformation Day this year, with improvements to follow later. More research is developing.

Thy Strong Word will also be ready from Lulu.com in the near future, perhaps by the same date. The original volume was 650 pages, so this will be a big book.

I would like to devote some donations to promoting the books. That can be done in a number of ways:
1. Sending them to Lutheran libraries.
2. Having them reviewed - not likely but it can happen.
3. Providing several of them as e-books, which costs an extra $200 to prepare. My choices would be CLP and Luther versus the UOJ Pietists.

The costs add up but they are worth it. The WELS Shrinkers in Texas felt they had to organize a conference just to prop up their wheezing gasbag UOP opinions. Thy Strong Word has fueled many a debate where the laity have trounced their UOJ opponents. The last defense of UOJ I heard from a WELS DP was, "I haven't unpacked your book yet."


Library Book Sale To Promote New Publishing Efforts






I am going digital, so the library is being reduced with only a few exceptions. The income will be used to help promote the new books and get into e-books.

The general book categories are:

1. Lutheran and related theology books.
2. World literature.
3. Classic children's literature.
4. English history.

The books are listed in Excel. I would rather sell them by groups. Many are leather bound Easton books. Others are from Folio in England.

I can arrange payments from people I know - EZ pay.

If you are interested, send an email to:

gregjackson1948@qwest.net

I will send the Excel attachment, tomorrow at the earliest.

Every book in every category will be listed - all in one Excel file.



The Holy Spirit Speaks Directly to Karl Gurgle - "Move To Pflugerville and Keep Using Spell-Check"





Holy Word (part 2) Rock and Roll church pushed further away from Doebler's Rock and Roll church.....not by choice...



------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: SPREAD the WORD - Issue 6


SPREAD the WORD
Holy Word Ministry Expansion Project

September 15, 2010

Soon, God-willing, Holy Word North will be meeting at the Rowe Lane Elementary School, 3112 Speidel Dr, Pflugerville. It's quite easy to find. Take FM 685 north past Kelly Lane to Rowe Lane. Turn right, take the second right, Speidel Drive. Follow it nearly to the end. The school is on the left.
Soon, at a date to be announced, we will begin with Worship and Children's Church at 9:30am with a Bible Study Hour to follow for adults and children.
I'm sure you got the word, Holy Word North will not be meeting at the Children's Courtyard on Gattis School Road. At the last minute they changed their mind. For a moment it was disappointing; we were counting on it so much. But then, when we really stop to think about it, it was evident God was at work again, as he always is, doing something for us that was even better.
It reminded me of something St Paul experienced. Having finished visiting again the churches in central Turkey, Paul's intention was to go north toward the Black Sea. But the Holy Spirit told him "No!" And not long after that, in a dream, a man from Macedonia invited Paul to enter Europe. It was the beginning of Spreading the Word to the West, including one day, in the then distant future, the Word coming to America, eventually to Holy Word, Austin, Texas.
We see it all so clearly now. Did Paul see it all so clearly then? But do we really see it clearly now, what plans the Lord has for us as we Spread the Word? After all, it's still his plan and purpose at work. Since we can be confident he wants us to Spread the Word, we can count on him finding a place for us.
The Pflugerville School District has 21 days to act on our request, positively, we pray. When they do, we will give you more exact information about a starting date. For now "Kick Off Sunday" is still scheduled for October 17th. Tell your friends; Spread the Word. We will soon Spread the Word at Holy Word North in Pflugerville!
With You to Spread the Word,
Karl Gurgel






---

WELS church lady has left a new comment on your post "The Holy Spirit Speaks Directly to Karl Gurgle - "...":

Temporary worship center? More like the "Emergent" church! "Chruch Growth" fed the smaller addiction. When Emergent(muti-site falls in this category) becomes too small, "Progressive" church will take over. Then, and only then, will laymen and clergy protest in outcry. By that time it will already be too late for some souls.

One would almost feel sorry for Christ The Rock, except that they do not identify themselves as Lutheran. Worse, Doebler teaches a Bible Instruction class with study materials that are written by a Baptist minister! Brother Matt also did a sermon series on Driscoll's Rebel Joy series. Long story short, Christ The Rock is almost no different than the Core. CTR is not a theater motiff and does have adult members who are part of the church council. Pray for Pastor Doebler. Trust in the Word. The older CG leaders put him in this position. True faith is the work of The Holy Spirit.

In Christ,
from WELS church lady

Lunch Is Served




The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity




The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time


The Hymn # 191 Christ the Lord 2:97
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 #188 Hallelujah 2:20
Faith Praised in the New Testament
The Communion Hymn # 206 Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense 2:81
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 # 212 A Hymn of Glory 2:93

KJV Ephesians 3:13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. 14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

KJV Luke 7:11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. 12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. 16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. 17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst send Thy Son to be made flesh, that by His death He might atone for our sins and deliver us from eternal death: We pray Thee, confirm in our hearts the hope that our Lord Jesus Christ, who with but a word raised the widow's son, in like manner will raise us on the last day, and grant us eternal life: through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Faith Praised in the New Testament

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Luther:
“These are the three parts we have in this Gospel lesson: Sin is unbelief; righteousness is faith; the judgment is the holy cross. Therefore give heed and learn to consider everything that is without the Spirit as nothing and as condemned, and afterwards be prepared for the holy cross that thou must suffer on account of it.”
Luther’s Sermon on John 16:5-15, Fourth Sunday after Easter

Introduction

This Scripture is the one most ignored in the Synodical Conference, and Luther’s sermon on it is the most ignored of all his sermons.

Lenski has written about this, but he is also ignored.

Lenski:
The thought is not that the world knows nothing about sin. Its daily crime list contradicts that, as well as its moralists with their repressive and reformatory measures. What the world lacks and the Spirit supplies is something that goes far deeper, something that actually convicts in regard to sin. This is not the fact that sin is sin, or that the real essence of sin is unbelief. The Spirit is not to repeat the work of Moses in preaching the law. The conviction in regard to sin lies in one direction: “inasmuch as they do not believe in me.” Yet note that this is the capital sin. For to believe in Jesus is to be saved from sin, to have sin forgiven; and thus not to believe in Jesus is to remain in sin, to perish forever in sin. The Spirit’s work in regard to sin is to confront the world with the terrible fact of its unbelief in Jesus, which means, with the fact that this unbelief leaves it in its damnable sin, doomed and damned forever, in other words, that only he who believes escapes from his sin. This conviction in regard to sin naturally operates in two ways. It will crush some hearts so that they will be frightened at their unbelief and cry out like the 3,000 at Pentecost, “Brethren, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37, and thus be led to repent and to believe. Or it will further harden those who resist this conviction; they will go on, convicted though they are, more obdurate than before, fighting against this conviction until they perish. In this the Spirit will do exactly what Jesus did in 7:33, etc., and again in 8:22–24: “I said, therefore, unto you that ye shall die in your sins; for except ye believe that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”
Some fix their attention on the phrase “concerning sin” and thus fail to see the significance of the word “believe” in the elucidating clause, “inasmuch as they do not believe in me,” with its implication that this unbelief leaves them in their sin, and that faith, and faith alone, relieves them of their sin. Thus we get those interpretations which turn only on the word “sin,” unbelief as the greatest sin, the real nature of sin, and the like. But the Spirit uses “me,” Jesus; believing and not believing in Jesus apply to Jesus, unbelief in him and faith in him to the world’s sin—if possible, to save the world from sin, otherwise to brand the world with the conviction of its damning unbelief.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN : Augsburg Publishing House, 1961, S. 1082.

The Evangelist himself should have some standing in this discussion, but he does not –
KJV John 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. [Following the Doubting Thomas passage]

And in many places in the New Testament – faith is good.

KJV Matthew 8:10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

KJV Matthew 15:28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

KJV Matthew 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

KJV Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

1. “Sin is unbelief.”

This passage goes against many dearly held, but false concepts. The word “sin” conjures up images of fast women, slow horses, the “hellish lure of the card table” (as the Pietistic Augustana Synod once said). Many other layers of sin are added to this definition, including:
1. Telling the truth about false doctrine.
2. Questioning Holy Mother Synod on anything.

As Luther and Lenski both observed, the world has a concept of sin, but their definition is wrong. Anyone can list the many wrongs of society and individual, but the default attitude is to take care of these sins with atoning works, which are sins in themselves. Anything done without faith is a sin, so a good work done without faith does not atone for sin but only makes the sin worse.

The Planned Giving Counselors have honed this error so that no one goes near it for fear of being sliced to death. They sooth the guilty conscience of a greedy, dishonest, and adulterous businessman by selling him an indulgence to calm those nagging doubts about all the evil he has done. Then he can say, “Sure I cheated all those people, but look at all the good it is doing. There are buildings named after me, all over Lutherdom.” And he saw that it was very good – and died. Judgment Day may not sound as appealing as the soft flexing of Gucci loafers worn by an obsequious Planned Giving Counselor.

The entire construct of Purgatory, which is still essential to Roman Catholicism, is based upon one sin (works without faith) atoning for a lifetime of sin. These works are demanded during one’s lifetime, facing death, and forever after. The ideal Roman Catholic attends Mass daily to reduce time in Purgatory, pays for additional ceremonies to reduce time in Purgatory, and endows perpetual Masses to be said during his almost endless time in Purgatory, because nothing was ever enough to pay for his sins. This goldmine of faithless works will never be updated because it has been all too successful.

Jesus says that everything has already been accomplished by Him, that righteousness must come from Him. Unbelief is sin, but faith is justification – God’s declaration that sins are removed, absolved, and forgotten.

Luther:
“As if he wished to say: Had they believed on me, everything would already have been forgiven them, whatever sin they might have committed, for I know that they by nature cannot do otherwise. But because they will not receive me, neither believe that I can help them, this it is that will condemn them. Therefore, God will at the final judgment pass a sentence like this on them: Behold, thou wast in sin and couldst not free thyself from it, still I did not on this account wish to condemn thee, for I sent my only begotten Son to thee and intended to give thee a Saviour, in order that he might take the sin from thee. Him thou didst not receive. Therefore, on this account alone, thou wilt be condemned, because thou hast not Christ.” (Sermon, ibid, found here –
http://www.trinitylutheranms.org/MartinLuther/MLSermons/john16_5_15_1st.html)

The message of the Gospel and faith are the same in this respect. The Gospel teaches us that Christ has accomplished everything for us. He has shown mercy and love to us, before we could even ask about it. Faith means that we trust in His work rather than our own.

The oddest part of this passage is also the most comforting when we understand it.

2. Of righteousness, because I go to my Father

Many passages in the Bible are impossible to understand without additional study. Sometimes we know the words years before we know the meaning behind them. The more we study the Word, the more we see what these passages mean, but we need a sound, clear guide to show us the way.

Jesus rose from the dead and ascended to the Father for our sakes, to build our faith in Him as the crucified Messiah, Savior, and Son of God. He might have done things quite differently, since He often downplayed His power and went away from people. The resurrection took place as a spectacular display of God’s power and His victory over death. The tomb was opened up and He was not there. The disciples visited and saw the empty tomb instead of a corpse. He spent time with His disciples and taught the 500, to give the Church hundreds of witnesses to the resurrection. He ascended to heaven before their eyes and appeared to Paul.

I have often dealt with apostates. In the past I had a project of writing to all the ELCA seminaries and asking if any of their professors believed in the Virgin Birth of Christ or His resurrection. Finally one of them gave me a name, and this professor did say in writing that the resurrection might be a historical fact.

This may seem rather weak—and it is—but the research led me to the literature showing that no one has ever refuted the resurrection of Christ. Many reject anything divine about Him, but no one has made a case for it being fraudulent.
The empty grave is the concrete reminder of Christ victorious over death.

As Luther observed, the resurrection was not for Jesus, but for us. And the Ascension was not for Jesus, but for us. Even today, people feel the great joy of Easter, which remains as free of commercialism as we could hope in these last days of an insane old world.

But the Ascension. Conservative Lutherans mark this day especially because the unbelieving world and apostates would like to keep Easter without the reason-defying picture of Jesus rising from the earth. It is more than Easter, because it marks the first witnesses watching the event as it takes place. Nothing says more about the unimportance of all things worldly when the King of Kings reigns over us.

Luther:
“ Wherever Christ is now preached and acknowledged, there he reigns in us, from the right hand of his Father, and is himself here below in the hearts of men. There he reigns with might, power and dominion over you and all your enemies, and guards you from sin, death, devil and hell. Thus is his resurrection and ascension our comfort, life, blessing, righteousness and everything in one. This is what the Lord means when he speaks of righteousness, that the people thereby should become pious and righteous, that he ascends to heaven to the Father and we see him no more. This the world does not know, therefore the Holy Spirit must come and convict the world of it.” (ibid)

“Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more” means – Faith is righteousness.

Faith in Christ means we spend our time studying the Word, worshiping, receiving grace through the Means of Grace.

Isn’t it strange how people say, as we children do, “Why do we have to go to church? Why does God demand church?” In faith, we know that we receive in church. We do not give to God, who needs nothing.

The childish notion of church is – a demand. Many ministers present it as such, and that works outwardly in creating inward Pharisees who do what they must do, as works of the Law.

The faith notion of church is – God gives righteousness, forgiveness, mercy, and love to troubled souls. When there is a government hand-out program, thousands show up to receive. When Notre Dame says that they may sell some extra tickets, which are paid in advance whether seats are assigned or not – thousands respond.

When God says His grace is freely distributed through the Means of Grace and received in faith, man:
1. Argues against the Means of Grace (Calvinism and Pietism).
2. Ignores the Means of Grace and copies Pietism (Synodical Conference).
3. Fakes the Means of Grace and eviscerates their meaning (Rome).

Ministers were shocked when I reduced pastoral work to the Word, which is the only way God works:
1. Preaching the Gospel.
2. Teaching the Gospel to adults, catechizing the young.
3. Taking the Word to people through visitation.

The truly successful Lutheran pastor today:
A. Plagiarizes a false Gospel – concoction of works and New Age tomfoolery.
B. Has someone else do the teaching, or copies synodical and non-Lutheran materials.
C. Spends all his time planning and going to Schwaermer conferences.

Since the Pharisee plan is being employed, based on works-righteousness rather than the righteousness of faith, the churches are attracting and producing little Pharisees.

Relying on the Word of God, trusting in the Means of Grace can only lead to:

John 16:11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

That can be seen as a victory—and it is. But we also have to wonder, with Luther, what the Prince of this Word thinks about it.

Luther translated the meaning as – Bearing the cross.

The unbelieving world, Satan and his followers, and the apostates will not listen to the Gospel, hate the Gospel, and impede the Gospel whenever they can. Chytraeus wrote that the surest sign of orthodoxy is persecution.
Because we lack faith, the surest sign of God’s blessing (see the Beatitudes) is viewed with alarm – the cross.

That shows a lack of understand and a lack of depth. The cross must happen, and we must wait for God’s blessing to come through that cross. If it were appealing, we would never call it a cross.

The time we spend in agony, awaiting a change, teaches us patience, because we see once again how God works – beyond all hope, without any wisdom or skill on our own.

Friday, September 17, 2010

MLS President Resigned Suddenly - Story Correction








GJ - Please do not try to fool an information maven. The official story is not true. WELS is so used to lying that the officials think they can fool an entire synod. WELS Pastor Aaron Frey was asked in doctrine class at MLS about how far one could go sexually. He said, "As far as your conscience allows." That was several weeks ago. An uproar followed, which climaxed in his resignation.

Since the DP was leading the chapel service when the announcement was made, some might conclude (as I did) that some high-level meeting took place that morning. Mrs. I did not believe the story. I asked various sources about what happened, and their utter silence told me it was something.

WELS leaders have used the burn-out excuse too often to be believed. That is how they finessed the Michigan District VP from a congregation to director of a WELS nursing home, with the previous DP lying to beat the band. When that district VP was exposed as an adulterer, one of his members--a student at MLS--decided not to be a pastor.

LPR in Columbus was a collection of lies and slander.

"For the good of the ministry" means something bad happened, and now we know. Perhaps WELS pastors and leaders should stop deceiving people, for the good of the ministry. Do they expect people to believe them the next time?

excerpt:
Recently, Wisconsin mandated a sex education curriculum that required teachers to teach about condoms and other forms of birth control. Sounds pretty straight-forward, right? It would have been, but last week, a D.A. named Scott Southworth announced that teachers who followed this law, could end up in jail for breaking another: namely, contributing to the delinquency of minors.

The classes also must inform students that teenagers who have sex can wind up on the state's sex offender registry because sex with children 16 or younger is a crime.


***

http://www.mlsem.org/news/president-frey-resigns/


President Frey Resigns


Below is a letter by Vice President William Zeiger regarding this morning's announcement by President Aaron Frey to resign. Please keep Pres. Frey, his family, MLS and our Synod in your prayers.



Dear Friends of Michigan Lutheran Seminary,

Yesterday, Pres. Aaron Frey informed our MLS Governing Board Chairman, Pastor George Ferch, and me that he was resigning his call as president of Michigan Lutheran Seminary for the good of the ministry.

This news was announced to our student body and faculty following our chapel service this morning by Pastor John Seifert, the president of our Michigan District. Pastor Seifert is an advisory member of our governing board.

While this resignation is unexpected, we are already making the necessary adjustments to our school’s program. Pastor Ferch will be calling each of the governing board members today to inform them of the news. The board meets in New Ulm, Minnesota, next week Friday. At that meeting the board will appoint an acting president and begin the calling process to fill the vacancy in the president’s office.

Pres. Frey’s teaching assignment of Doctrine 12 will be taken over by Instructor Andrew Naumann, who taught the course last year following Pres. Prange’s departure. We will have to make some other small adjustments to the academic schedule to accommodate this change, but they will be insignificant.

Vacancies in ministry can be unsettling. At the same time MLS has had experience in its recent history of continuing its important ministry very well in times of vacancy in the administration, faculty, and staff of our school. The Lord has blessed MLS with capable men and women who will pick up the work that needs to be done and to do it well. They have done it in the past, and they will meet this new challenge with the same ability and service now. They will do it as they serve our students, our special ministry at MLS, and their Lord and Savior.

I encourage you to keep the needs of MLS in your prayers, as well as Pastor Frey and his family as they face changes in their life.

In our Savior’s service,
William Zeiger, Ph.D.
Vice President
Last Modified: Friday, September 17th at 10:19a.m.


---

Presidents
  • Reverends Lange, Huber, Hoyer, Linsemann, and Beer 1887–1907
  • Reverend Otto J.R. Hoenecke 1910-1950 (Taught until 1958)
  • Reverend Conrad I. Frey 1950–1966
  • Reverend Martin Toepel 1966–1978
  • Reverend John C. Lawrenz 1978–1994
  • Reverend Paul T. Prange 1994–2009
  • Reverend Aaron Frey 2010–present
***

GJ - I have an official source saying that Aaron Frey could not take the strain of trying to keep the school going during such dire financial straits. I am sorry to hear that. Such stories were common about stress and overwork in the past, and they include F. Pieper and Walther as well. People used to go to Europe to rest and recover. We have different names for it but similar symptoms today. <--Note that the "burn-out" alibi only worked for a few hours.

People should keep Pastor Frey and his family in their prayers. Doubtless he wanted to turn the school around and honor the family name. <--Teaching the fornication philosophy of SIECUS is not God-pleasing, so why pay $8,200 per year to hear to hear it from a Lutheran pastor?

WELS has tried to be a big denomination for too long. A few people have convinced big donors that showcase projects like LPR (Zehms, Stolzenburg) in Columbus or The CORE (Glende, Ski) in Appleton would change everything. They have only proven how soon a fool and his money are parted. The Schwan Foundation has been as effective as the Obama stimulus package, good for a few people, bad for the rest.

Schools devour money. Ask anyone who has one of last remaining church schools. Benefits cost a fortune. Buildings have to be fed and watered like farm animals. "We are going to hold a candy sale to cover the cost of refinishing the gym floor." It never ends.


  • How many schools would like to have the $15 million devoured by Thoughts of Faith?



  • The $500,000 recently devoured by The SORE? (My estimate. They started off spending $250,000, just to get started. Meanwhile, I broadcast all over the world with a $100 camera and a computer I could have found dumpster diving.)



  • The entire sum spend on the latest world mission venture, where a few people are send to a new mission area, using up a lot of money to dabble in mission work there?


  • There is the old story of the monkey and the peas. He wanted to hold onto more and more, so he dropped all of them at once.

    In this day of instant communication, the old system of ecclesiastical lying is falling apart. WELS used to be able to encapsulate a scandal, such as the time a female staffer at MLS was servicing the male students, or when another staffer was robbing them blind and livin' high on the hog.

    When will they learn? Lying encourages the unrepentant, who know the bigger the scandal, the greater the smokescreen. Lying also discourages faithful Christians who think a privately owned, clergy-run school is a safe alternative to the public education system.

    ---

    Glende's Fake-O-Bod defends the lies:

    SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2010

    Dr. Gregory Jackson's Report about MLS Pres. Frey
    Friday it was announced that Pres. Aaron Frey of Michigan Lutheran Seminary, the WELS high school in Saginaw, Michigan, resigned "for the good of the ministry." MLS provided an official letter on its website from Dr. William Zeiger.

    Dr. Jackson couldn't wait to report the news on his gossip blog, Ichabod, the Glory Has Departed. Unfortunately, he had to add his own personal comments based on some secret source of his in Michigan. This is what Dr. Jackson wrote, "I have an official source saying that Aaron Frey could not take the strain of trying to keep the school going during such dire financial straits." Dr. Jackson criticizes others for not quoting their sources, but he does the same thing!

    Today, Saturday, September 18, Greg Jackson wrote on his blog, "Please do not try to fool an information maven. The official story is not true. WELS is so used to lying that the officials think they can fool an entire synod." He then proceeded to report the so-called "real" reason for Pres. Frey's resignation.

    There was no "official" reason publicly given for Pres. Frey's resignation. Jackson simply stated that a source of his reported Frey resigned because of burnout. The next thing Jackson does is accuse the WELS of lying. No official report or news release was made by the WELS, MLS or anyone else. Dr. Jackson, from what we can tell, made up what his original source said, and then he turned around and accused the WELS of lying.

    It should be obvious to anyone with half a brain that the WELS is not the entity that lied here. Dr. Jackson is telling lies, and then he blames someone else for his personal untruthfulness. But that's nothing new for Dr. Jackson, is it?


    ***

    GJ - Ski and Glende are the fruit of MLS, so I knew the Appleton fake blog would jump on this. They are daily readers of Ichabod, when they are not copying Groeschel into their sermon files or blocking Google access to my ruminations about Fox Valley apostasy.

    I should name my sources so a fake, anonymous blog from plagiarists can lead the way in sliming a new set of victims? Church and Money Changers are so transparent.

    Cease and desist, Tim and Ski. The school, faculty, and parents know the truth, if they spend a few seconds asking some questions. This has been brewing for several weeks.

    I am confident in my story, my sources, and the truth - as distinguished from the smokescreen being laid down.

    Ta-ta. I actually write my sermons. Right now I am studying Luther so I have no time for the aging, balding, blubbery juveniles of The SORE.

    ---

    The Official WELS Denial:

    Rev. Aaron Frey announced Sept. 17 that, effective immediately, he is resigning as president of Michigan Lutheran Seminary (MLS) in Saginaw, one of two preparatory high schools operated by the synod.

    In a letter from Frey read to students and faculty by Rev. John Seifert, president of the Michigan District, Frey states: "It is with deep sadness that I must tender to you my resignation as the president of Michigan Lutheran Seminary for the good of the ministry at our beloved synodical preparatory school." Seifert, who counseled with Frey, says, "He has not disqualified himself from serving in the public ministry, and he did not have to resign."

    Frey had been serving as president of MLS since February after serving since July 2006 as pastor at Emanuel in Tawas City, Mich.

    The governing board of MLS meets in New Ulm, Minn., Sept. 24. At that meeting the board will appoint an acting president and begin the calling process to fill the vacancy in the president's office.

    William Zeiger, vice president of MLS, in a separate letter to students and faculty writes: "Vacancies in ministry can be unsettling. At the same time MLS has had experience in its recent history of continuing its important ministry very well in times of vacancy in the administration, faculty, and staff of our school. The Lord has blessed MLS with capable men and women who will pick up the work that needs to be done and to do it well."

    Both Zeiger and Seifert are asking the synod to keep Frey and his family in their prayers.


    Listen Up, Maggots - It's Constitution Day




    September 17th - The US Constitution was signed.

    Do you know what is in this unique document?

    Can you find what is wrong with open borders?

    Why is the current president not legitimately in office?

    ***

    GJ - When I taught in Yuma, many of our students were from the Marine base. That was the only classroom where I could say, "Listen up, maggots!" and get away with it. The civilians were a little shocked until I explained, "The Marines are used to verbal abuse."

    I met a lot of heroes in that classroom and in Phoenix. One was a Navy SEAL, who almost needed waterboarding to reveal his actual role in the military. Real SEALs are modest. Another was the first combat parachutist into enemy territory since WWII.

    One was a tiny guy who directed jets taking off from an aircraft carrier, a job that was life-threatening for the ground crew as well as the air crew. I asked, "How did you like that?" He beamed, "I loved it!"

    Those are just some of the people defending our Constitution. I wish the citizens and politicians did as much for that unique document. If we do not know it, we will lose it.


    More From the Exegetical Chapter - Justification by Faith



    UOJ doctrine is ideal for driving mushy-brained Lutheran seminarians into the Roman Catholic priesthood.



    rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "More From the Exegetical Chapter - Justification b...":


    "The only possible form of evangelism, therefore, is to preach and teach the Word of God in its purity and truth. Foul errors are bound to rush in when these basic truths are scuttled."

    Now wait just a dog-goned minute there Pastor Jackson. At my former WELS congregation, the Evangelism Committee has just come up with two more methods for reaching out to the community. The first is hosting a flu shot clinic and the second is offering a series on Love and Logic in Parenting. Haven't you ever heard of flu shot evangelism? Where have you been? With tongue firmly planted in cheek I ask, how are we ever going to meed the needs of the unchurched in the community?

    ---

    Romans 10 – Pauline Means of Grace

    Romans 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? 17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

    Anyone can rightfully say that UOJ leads to Universalism. At Halle University, the home of Pietism, two justifications were taught by Knapp, a formula which preceded the formation of the Missouri Syond and continued to influence mainline Protestants throughout the 19th century. The next generation at Halle saw Tholuck openly espousing Universalism, which only makes sense if “God has already declared the entire world forgiven of its sins.” Although WELS denies teaching Universalism, a recent evangelism campaign features banners that said – “I am saved just like you.” Using such language as an evangelism appeal is the same as setting aside the Gospel and justification by faith. Needless the say, the entire WELS structure has been devoted to UOJ and the New Age doctrines of the Church Growth Movement from Fuller Seminary.

    This section from Romans is an antidote against Universalism, a by-product of Enthusiasm before it degenerates into atheism. The language of Romans 10 should be familiar to everyone, since they encourage and motivate all Christians while explaining how people become believers, forgiven of their sin, and saved. Paul has reversed the order, so we can start from the beginning, with some elaboration:

    1. God sends preachers to announce the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the message of the Atonement, the reconciliation, Christ crucified for the sins of the world.
    2. Faith comes from hearing the Gospel proclaimed. The Word of God effectively moves people to faith because the Holy Spirit is always at work in the Word. Therefore, this individual faith is a gift from God.
    3. Believing is justification by faith. Because people come to faith through the Gospel, God declares them forgiven of all their sins. Preaching is therefore the primary Means of Grace, conveying the Gospel of Jesus Christ – first in converting them, second in sustaining their faith.
    4. Preaching the Gospel begins with newborns, who are baptized, given a new life, and filled with the Holy Spirit through the Gospel Promises. Their child-like faith is nurtured by their parents and Christian teachers so they continue in the Means of Grace. Holy Communion is their next stage in appreciating and enjoying God’s forgiveness.
    5. Because condemnation to death comes from sin, justification by faith means salvation.
    6. The only possible form of evangelism, therefore, is to preach and teach the Word of God in its purity and truth.
    Foul errors are bound to rush in when these basic truths are scuttled.
    The Lutheran organizations in America have degenerated into tragic caricatures. They retain the name Lutheran—reluctantly—while aping the doctrine and methods of the Enthusiasts. Wherever possible, they jettison the name Lutheran, although they find it useful in raising funds from Lutherans. Their synod executives, professors, missions people, and pastors get ahead in the denomination by being trained at Fuller Seminary (the mother of all Enthusiasm), Willow Creek, Mars Hill, NorthPoint Stealth Baptist, Saddleback Stealth Baptist, and Granger Community Church. Fuller Seminary’s many heresies led to worse blasphemies from the current crop of New Agers, leading up to (or rather down to) Leonard Sweet.
    Repudiating the Means of Grace has led to many outrages among the “conservative” Lutherans. Only a few of them are listed below. They are reliable indicators of where the synods are going and how fast they are degenerating into indifferent Universalist social clubs:
    1. The name Lutheran is removed from as many congregations and entities as possible, because the name hurts business.
    2. The local congregation no longer provides a worship service on Sunday, but replaces it with entertainment designed to recruit new members, almost always from other local congregations.
    3. The minister and congregation come dressed as if prepared for a clean-up day.
    4. A movie theater is considered an ideal place to meet, especially since free popcorn and drinks are provided for the service.
    5. Hymns disappear, replaced by the cacophony of a rock band.
    6. The pipe organ is silenced, precisely because it supports hymn singing.
    7. The sermon is turned into a coaching session.
    8. Holy Communion and Holy Baptism are moved into mid-week services, because they hurt business.
    9. Promotions become increasing degraded, aimed at sensationalism.
    10. Synod executives, district officials, and overlapping false doctrine lobbies work together to make matters worse while announcing – “Be patient. We are working on this.”
    11. The schools teeter toward bankruptcy.
    12. Lawsuits flourish because the cutting edge clergy have as much trouble with their self-control as they do with their egos.

    2 Corinthians 5:17-21

    KJV 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

    The UOJ advocates have a serious problem with their abuse of this word reconciliation, which is so often used to fuel their Enthusiasm. They would make this section of 2 Corinthians dance to their tune, when it does not. The Atonement of Christ is universal. What was charged to man’s account was paid in full on the cross. God’s action through Christ is not justification, but Atonement. The two best synonyms in Greek are redemption (to purchase and to release, see below).
    The Gospel is the message of the Atonement:
    1. God has given His only-begotten Son to us.
    2. Christ willingly laid down His life to pay for all our sins.
    3. All our sins have been purchased on the cross, releasing us from the power of sin, death, and the devil.
    4. Christ and His benefits are conveyed to us solely through the Word, the Holy Spirit giving divine energy to the efficacious Word and to our hearts in receiving this message in faith.
    Because man is trapped in works-righteousness in his natural state, he needs to know that this reconciliation has been accomplished. The Atonement is the antidote to works of the Law.
    UOJ falls into the pit through Calvinistic rationalism. This is how the Enthusiasts turn the Gospel into quasi-Universalism – Since Christ bore our sin on the cross, the entire world became righteous upon His death (or resurrection). Although they are quite firm on Hottentots and Hitler being guilt-free saints, they are not clear about their timing, which is fatal when considering Abraham and all those who believed in Christ before His Incarnation. Abraham was counted righteous because of his faith (Romans 4), so that would be he was declared forgiven before Rome was founded and declared forgiven again when Christ died on the cross or rose from the dead. Such contradictions are the reasons the UOJ Enthusiasts do not like their opinions examined closely. In the name of the Gospel they destroy the Gospel.
    Christian doctrine is one congruent message, with no contradictions. When people new to UOJ are told the strange twists of this opinion, they open their mouths in astonishment. They do not hear the Gospel but a strange twisting of words. Instead, the Scriptures teach clearly:
    A. Jesus Christ gave His innocent blood to pay for our sins, rising from the dead, to be the firstfruits of the resurrection.
    B. God entrusted this Word of reconciliation to His apostles and pastors, to move people to faith and to declare them forgiven of their sins.
    C. This forgiveness or justification is the reason why we inherit eternal life, not because of our merit but because of Christ.
    D. The Gospel is conveyed by the Holy Spirit through: preaching and teaching, absolution, Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, and the mutual consolation of believers.
    E. The Gospel moves us to works of faith, because God has already done everything for us.

    Every example of the reconciliation word group in the New Testament:

    KJV 1 Corinthians 7:11 But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife.

    KJV Romans 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement [reconciliation].

    KJV 2 Corinthians 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

    KJV 2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

    KJV 2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

    1 Timothy 3:16 – Easter Absolution Connection
    KJV 1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:
    a) God was manifest in the flesh,
    b) justified in the Spirit,
    c) seen of angels,
    d) preached unto the Gentiles,
    e) believed on in the world,
    f) received up into glory.

    This concise, beautiful confession of faith, probably an early Christian hymn, may be the basis for Walther’s Easter absolution concept. The rationalistic conclusion would work this way – Jesus was justified when He rose from the dead, so the world was also justified, based on 2 Corinthians 5:21.
    However, this confuses the second clause – “justified in the Spirit.”

    Lenski:
    “When and how was Jesus declared righteous by God? In and by the act of raising him from the dead. Men had nailed him to the cross, condemned him to the cross as one accursed of God, for to be hung on wood meant to be declared accursed of God; him God raised from the dead, him God thereby declared righteous. God’s forensic judgment was analytic: Jesus himself was declared righteous; it was not synthetic: another’s righteousness was not imputed to him. On Christ’s sinlessness note John 8:46; Heb. 10:7, 9; 7:26; 4:15. Why this signal act of declaring Jesus righteous? He is made “unto us righteousness,” 1 Cor. 1:30; “he was raised for our righteousness,” Rom. 4:21; “that we might be made the righteousness of God in him,” 1 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 10:4.
    Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus and to Philemon. Columbus, O. : Lutheran Book Concern, 1937, S. 611.
    What the world saw as sin—an ordinary man dying for crimes—God declared righteous in the resurrection. Seeing the cross as a positive sign has dampened our horror of the cruelest method of execution ever devised. This early Christian hymn of faith turned the ignominy of the cross into the glory of God’s grace.

    One Redemption, Two Verbs
    Redemption is one of the best synonyms for the Atonement in the New Testament, a word so expressive that the Holy Spirit gave us two words in Greek, which we merge into one English term. Redemption as a purchase is used for the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:46) and also to express the Atonement.

    KJV 1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

    KJV 1 Corinthians 7:23 Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men.

    KJV Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

    KJV Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

    KJV 2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

    KJV Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

    Many people also think of redemption as release from slavery:

    Redemption – apolutrosis, apoluo (release, dismiss; used for divorce, release of a prisoner). Christ paid a ransom for the sins of the world. The term is used in Romans 3:24, 8:23; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 1:17, 14, 4:30; Colossians 1:14; Hebrews 9:12, 15. Lutron – ransom, Matthew 20:28 (Mark 10:45). 1 Timothy 2:6.

    KJV Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

    KJV 1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
    Propitiation
    KJV Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation [mercyseat] through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
    KJV Hebrews 9:5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
    Conclusion
    The New Tesatment texts all distinguish the Atonement from justification by faith. As the most ardent UOJ Enthusiasts concede, justification in the Scriptures and Book of Concord can only mean justification by faith.

    ***

    GJ - I am working on the first draft of this chapter for the first version of Luther versus the UOJ Pietists: Justification by Faith. That effort is available as a free dowload from Lulu.com.

    I realized this morning that I need a separate chapter on faith, that Biblical word so eagerly pilloried by the UOJ Stormtroppers.

    The plan, God willing, is to have a fairly complete book ready for Reformation Day, 2010, but to continue work on it afterwards as well.

    Thy Strong Word is being prepared by my gruff but likeable editor. That should be out reasonably soon, as a free PDF and as a printed book. About 10 years have passed since conservative Lutherans everywhere did their best to ignore TSW, which is the highest commendation. It was Pietistic shunning cranked up to the maximum. The laity have maintained a great deal of interest in the manufactured "doctrine" of UOJ. Recently, the most Church-Growthy conference in WELS devoted most of their meeting to defending their precious forgiveness-without-the-Word. That suggests fear bordering on panic.

    Church and Change runs on UOJ. All their leaders (Valleskey, Mueller, Bivens) are UOJ fanatics.


    Seminary Costs Compared - Missouri Leads With Most Expensive






    Charts and research by Bruce Church.



    Comparison:

    I went to Augustana College (now about $45k) for $1,000 initial tuition per year, mostly covered by the Illinois State Scholarship. 1970 graduation. Seminary tuition was $150 per year, payable in two installments, with congregation gifts covering that cost - a small figure even then. 1972 graduation. The STM at Yale (1973 graduation) cost $2k for the year. Waterloo and YDS both had heavily subsidized married students housing, furnished apartments. Notre Dame (1975-1981) charged $3k in tuition, but that was free, plus money was given for a doctoral fellowship.

    Boomers paid very little for higher education but they have let their church bodies charge inordinate amounts for a degree with no practical value. That matters, since the CG bureaucrats work so hard at keeping seminary graduates out of the ministry.

    Thursday, September 16, 2010

    Jeske Buddy--And Sausage Factory Graduate--DP Wille of the LCMS






    Ripped from the Pages of Rogue Lutheran:

    CW-This comment came in today, yes there is life after Missouri and things are looking brighter all the time-- a person just has to move out of the dead cell church zone and into the ‘truth zone”. 

    Thank you Ms Schleuter for dropping by, you made my day.  :) 
      
    1 COMMENT 

    INGRID@VCYAMERICA.ORG
    I certainly did make those phone calls. I am not in the habit of lying to listeners as a believer in Jesus Christ. The phone records from my telephone will bear it out.

    Even after the radio program I have yet to hear from anyone. As a member of the LCMS, I am appalled that we have an apparently papal system so far above laity concerns that they can be utterly ignored. Our family is leaving the LCMS, because we are seeing leadership that is behaving in a manner that is contrary to the Word of God. The Shack promotion at our church was just one example. (13 separate heresies in that novel.)

    Even New Agers have returned my phone calls professionally. I have done programming on these issues for 22 years. Not only is Rev. Wille's policy of ignoring those with concerns unprofessional, it is the behavior of a non-believer to show such a lack of Christian love and concern for the flock. That is why we are out the door.
    Thursday, September 16, 2010 - 02:59 PM

    The Transforming Church Network (TCN or C&C,WELS) is designed to make spiritual paraplegics out of  Lutherans as individuals and as congregations.

    What is not clearly understood in the Lutheran community is that this problem TCN or C&C is not confined to just the Lutheran circles. The recurring pattern is that people of faith and denomination or sect that hold to their doctrinal statements or Sola Scriptura  are uniformly being harassed and molested by the Leadership/Fuller Network and their flunkies.

    The adoption of New Age Emergent doctrine makes a person dumb, helpless and indecisive—the group is valued over God and Scripture designed to take down independent thinkers called “Lone Ranger” Christians (Rick Warren on CD).

    Case study:  Rev. Wille, Emergent Lutheran  DP from the SWD  

    Rev. Wille is a bit player in the transformational church script. 

    Transformational pastors have been going through the same transformation process that they require of members, only they do it off site. They have participated in conferences and associations outside the faith and had their heads re-wired and then brought those defective ideas home with them and evangelized the intentional Lutheran deformation currently underway.

    Most people engaging in the process are honest and decent (best construction and all, emote eyeroll) but they are flunkies for Fuller anyway.  

    PR disaster:  Wille got caught trafficking in apostasy  (Sweet), by an astute Lutheran lady (Ingrid Schleuter) with national influence.  
      
    In the commercial world, when a PR disaster occurs the best companies get a spokesman out front immediately and attempt to diffuse the situation while they work on solving the problem.  It is the right thing to do—extend acknowledgement and courtesy to the customer while you attempt to fix the problem.  Really astute corporations even try to compensate the injured party for his inconvenience.

    In the corporate world a good brand identity is quantifiable and stated as an asset on a financial statement labeled Goodwill. A pastor should not have to know that because morals supersede business ethics, or they should,  which makes ethics a moot point since we are not addressing behavior in a corporate environment that has lower standards. I only bring that up because they must have busted up shoulder blades from patting themselves on the back for all their business acumen. Legends in their own minds.......

      
    DP Wille has a situation on his hands,  he smeared himself and the LCMS; Ingrid Schleuter called him out on it. . 

    Three views on what is happening in the SWD

    1.  Wille’s lack of response makes the situation appear he is so dull as to not even be aware of it. 

    2.  It would also appear Wille knows exactly what the problem is and he got caught doing something dishonest, he’s off script and cannot make a move until he checks with his handlers from the Leadership network.

    3.  DP Wille is so used to interacting with the coterie of transformational types (the real but unofficial accountability group) he doesn’t even relate to his official group, the orthodox body of LCMS.


    DP Wille and others with transformation underpinnings cannot even perform at minimal private sector ethical standards let alone morals. If DP cannot take a phone call over two week period and give a coherent explanation of a decision that he made to invite Dr. Sweet to address a group of educators for an all day seminar,  he is not fulfilling his obligations.

    When you or members of your staff have been accused of lying, an explanation is required.  You do not put a surrogate out front and silence is an admission of guilt. 

    One would expect a Lutheran of executive status could do better than what has occurred.   When failure to comply with even the minimum standards of appropriate conduct outside the faith community manifests itself, how much worse does it look for a DP to function like a child hiding under his desk hoping no one will notice he got caught trafficking in apostasy?  

    DP Wille is a casualty of Emergent Mind Transformation and small group dynamics.  This process  transforms an individual into a spiritual paraplegic and a captive to the other belief system: can’t think, can’t act without a group consensus or the personal coach handler.  I guess he couldn’t get Stetzer on the phone.

    No wonder people are leaving in droves. LCMS Goodwill is depleted. 

    DP Gilbert operates like Wille  only he uses surrogates as a human shield and cannot pick up a phone either-- except when he’s probably ragging on Pastor Rossow, the designated NID whipping boy.

    ***

    GJ - This is what one person is doing on a blog, not to mention her friend on radio. There are many ways to get the word out. I will quote what a veteran Lutheran warrior said - another woman:

    "Amen to Ichabod's lament, "Where were you when Lutherans Suffered from Apostasy?" That question has existed unanswered in the mind of this writer for nearly half a century since voluntarily leaving LCMS in 1964 when it became impossible to invite others for fear of what influence some youth activities they might encounter, inability to explain why a local LCMS pastor remained in good standing even though his name was listed by the California Subversive Activities Committee as supporting the Committee to Insure Justice for Morton Sobel (communist), etc. Then involuntarily leaving WELS in 1977 when calling attention to the obvious that change agents were actively working long before they came out with a name, Church and Change. Some may not have even been born yet, but other laypersons were there. A few privately expressed agreement, but as one said to his writer, "You are right, but I have to have a church". Fast forward, 2010.