bruce-church (http://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Hypocrisy and Deceit Reveal Their Lack of Faith":
I forgot to mention that with any letter a critic might write, those persons put in a bad light might dispute points of fact, especially if the facts are not known to too many, or they are known only to people loyal to that person, or people who are shy or easily intimidated into silence. Remember, nepotism runs strong in the WELS, and the interrelated families all stick together against critics.
Of course, they'll accuse the letter writer of slander or libel, charges that too easily slips from their tongues and pens. They just consider that a good defense, not thinking that they themselves are actually slandering or libeling the letter writer, as Dr. Jackson has pointed out.
Now if you are connected to one of those extended families in the WELS, ELS or even LCMS, and you wonder how all your family members could stay employed as pastors and teachers despite the fact that your family smokes and drinks to excess often, has been caught by the police smoking pot or drink driving, is more secular than religious but puts on a good show when it counts, and would at times make sailors blush with other behavior, you can rest assured it comes by their denying charges that are true, minimizing other things, and slandering and driving churchly people off into other churches, synods, or denominations, if not apostasy, and driving other people out of the preaching and teaching ministries. Not only will they lose a call, but they won't ever receive one, or they'll receive a call to a buzz saw assignment, or one way out in the boondocks, or a temporary call for one year, just to get them out of the area. On the off chance that they do receive a decent call, those families will work to end it as soon as possible by word of mouth and well-placed phone calls.
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GJ - Marcus Nitz, when he was DP, told me and Mrs. I that he personally blocked Paul Kuske from getting a position. As I recall, Kuske was up for the "Spiritual Renewal" call. Nitz said he picked up the phone and ended that. Kuske was his usual obnoxious self with Mark Nitz, son of the DP, when Mark was at St. Paul in German Village with Bob Schumann, soon to be an atheist.
One tactic is to say, "Do you have proof?" and then change the subject as soon as the proof is listed, mentioned, cited, or offered.
Like all cowards, they like to undermine legitimate calls secretly, underhandedly. The results are in. Evil fruit comes from a corrupt tree.
PS - Drink-driving is a proper term.
