The video of photos, above, illustrates what happens when worship is turned into a performance, show, or gimmick of some type.
Thousands are clucking their tongues as they read about Jeske's Change or Die! conference, lavishly funded by Thrivent and the Siebert Foundation. Doubtless the speakers get paid to share their massive egos with the audience, but the hapless audience will have to fund their trips to Jeske-land.
But - take a bow, you let this happen. The person who gave me the link to the Jeske conference has not been afraid to oppose these matters. But many of you love to feed me information anonymously and stand back - to make it seem as if I am the only one who objects.
This behavior goes back decades. I can name prominent clergy who sent me things I used but acted dumb and synod-subservient when it mattered. In effect, they published in Christian News through me and let me take the blame. That does me no harm. I will not need synod honors, titles, committee chairmanships, or grants when I reach room temperature. I will not look back at a lifetime of being ashamed of the Gospel, as my peers were.
The Intrepids are measuring Rick Techlin for his martyr's robes. I am glad he finally went openly-public about his charges. I am also pleasantly surprised to see the Intrepids acknowledge this and back him up in public.
However, I also have to ask Rick, in public, "Why are all these developments at St. Peter's Freedom, Wisconsin, a surprise? Your pastor was chairman of Jeske's Church and Change lobby and still is. Parlow and Witte are also Church and Change leaders, from your own circuit? Why did you not resist the beginnings, ten and twenty years ago? When Ski was offered as a head-fake "separate pastor and church," why did you not call them on their deceitfulness? Glende was going multi-site under your noses, with his old football buddy as his finger-puppet. You say the rapid escape of the other pastor was a matter of deceitfulness, yet you have kept that a secret too. Isn't that deceit, to object and not offer the evidence? Ski was listed as a board member of Church and Change, until I pointed it out. Why were you not suspicious that your former pastor's false-doctrine lobby selected a certified leader of the same apostate group?"
I do not mind being blamed on another blog. It is shockingly funny to have someone allude to my blog without naming it or linking it--Touch not the unclean thing!--while laying out rules for ethical behavior. But it is a little too coy to send a 28-page letter to a dozen synod leaders and express outrage that I published something already public.
Synod-supplicants: if you do not like the fact that I do 99.9% of the work for you, including the research, then replace me by doing it yourself. I started this blog for roughly 20 people who might be interested. When there are 2,000 page-reads per day about your synod (not mine), the readers are agreeing that I am doing most of the work.
I have some experience in this field. In a special issue of Christian News, I published my objections to ELCA - alone - before the merger took place. One PhD shook his head and said, "I can't believe what you wrote, except you supported it with quotations and the sources." Twenty-four years later, the bishops I opposed have just formed a new synod, and hundreds of congregations are joining. But it was so comfortable for them in the meantime. The perks! The trips! The benefits!
WELS hated that I published my research about their secret bed-mate, ELCA. Later I wrote up all their joint ministry efforts (LCMS-WELS-ELCA) via LB/AAL, so the insurance companies began hiding the projects.
Summary
- The WELS-ELS-LCMS synod leaders are not doing their jobs.
- The seminary professors are collecting fat salaries for doing nothing.
- The DPs and CPs are enabling apostasy while posing as critics of ELCA.
- The laity are comatose, lazy, ignorant, or indifferent, but still funding this debacle with millions of offering dollars and Thrivent premium payments.
- The strong will defeat the weak.
