I have noticed two trends lately.
One is an upsurge in responses--often private--from pastors, teachers, and laity. They come from all over, all ages, men and women, all synods.
Another trend is an exponential increase in pure nastiness from the UOJ clan and the Shrinker fans, not that they are separate groups. Many UOJ advocates claim to oppose Fuller's Enthusiasm, but they have muzzled themselves well for the last 20-30 years.
The UOJ-Shrinkers are scared. A lower level recession, really a Great Depression, is drying up even more funds. Shrinkers always relied on big spending to hide their incompetence. Many of them are quite Biblical - "I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed." Luke 16:3. Some of them have been on the Church Girth diet, gaining 150 pounds.
They would do well if they could cover their critics with garbage, as they have in the past, while hiding the criminal records of their pals, which they also did without fear or reprisal. But alas, the times are past when people read the synod PR vehicles with baby blue eyes. They are more likely to do their own research and to stay in contact with one another.
For instance, the ELCA bishop over Moline, Illinois, my home town, was unable to bully Faith in Moline into staying in his lavender synod. He even earned himself a Photoshop, which was sent to his office. The officials were filled with wrath over a Photoshop but not over anything significant, such as overturning the Nine Commandments. (The bishop was fond of the Eighth, like all his tribe.)
I had already posted the secret Mark and Avoid Jeske petition in WELS when a contact wrote, "Do you know about Jeske petition?" I responded, "It's already posted." He said, "But it was a secret." I said, "The blog knows all." (That is definitely not true, but it's fun to claim.)
The idea was to gather all these signatures from the usual suspects and present it at the WELS convention, forcing a vote. I was told, "Mr. Ichabod. Tear down that post." Somehow, merely copying their petition would ruin its chance, due to my reputation for telling the truth.
That has worked so well for them in the last 30+ years: cower in the rabbit warren, trembling lest some Shrinker say "Boo!", and hint about how something might be wrong, adding "But I am probably mistaken."
SP Schroeder can get Herman Otten to print lies on the front page of Christian News, but he cannot Photoshop the truth. Like many amateur Photoshops, the lies only make the flaws show up in greater contrast.
