Jeske's Endorsement of Missouri Synod Publishing Business

Ben Wink has left a new comment on your post "The Wizard of Ooze Conference - Joint Work of ELCA...":

I went on the link to the Time of Grace website just to mosey on through and noticed another interesting point. Under the "About Us" tab there's a dropdown that's called "Strategic Alliances". I clicked on it and noticed this:

"Concordia Publishing House

Concordia Publishing House (CPH) is a leading Christian publisher with an emphasis on quality, service, and excellence. As a testament to CPH's careful work and customer service, the company received the 2009 Missouri Quality Award and was named Best Christian Workplace in 2009 and 2010."
And then there's a link to CPH's website.

Now as a former MLC student, I know that CPH does have rather good Lutheran books tucked away in the back of their publishing library. However as a supposed WELS-based ministry, there's no mention of Northwestern Publishing House, the publishing arm of WELS.

I'm sure this has been noted before by someone, but the LCMS publisher is endorsed wholeheartedly on that website but not the WELS publisher. Interesting.

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GJ - This is my opinion, based on experience and intuition. No one is talking to me about this...

Jeske is just hanging around WELS long enough to be pushed out. WELS is too small for his ego and his budget, but he needed official approval to get into mining the gold of the Missouri Synod. As one person in business in St. Louis said, "Missouri is very stand-offish. But once you are accepted, they really back you."

Jeske's graphic made the home page of the LCMS website, under Kieschnick. Jeske has spoken at their district events and also came to their national convention (but not the ELS one). He has preached at a Missouri Synod service - with impunity. He has conducted an evangelism workshop for a Missouri Synod congregation.

The WELS leaders are scared to death of Jeske, because he has the Daddy Warbucks following him. One of them can give $500,000 at a time (to Willowcreek's Liberal College). By the time WELS leaders make up their minds that enough is enough, Jeske will not need WELS or its congregational support. But he will probably hold onto the congregations' funding anyway. Missouri is about 8 times bigger than WELS, depending on which set of statistical lies are believed.

Look for Jeske to tire of being "persecuted" and become independent or LCMS. Either one will work for him and Missouri, because the LCMS can tolerate an independent under their big tent. They are getting a media guy and his Daddy Warbucks for free. The new SP, Harrison, will not mind.

Harrison loves Bonhoeffer so much that he quotes the quasi-Unitarian Nazi on his website. Bonhoeffer was not against the Nazis, just against Hitler. If you can choke down enough strong, black coffee to stay awake, try reading the profound thoughts of Bonhoeffer. That is all you need to know about the doctrinal discernment of the new LCMS president.

From 1942 - Jungkuntz Left an Indellible Bad Impression on WELS and the LCMS, Then Became a Future ELCA Leader

Publish Post

norcal763 has left a new comment on your post "Take a Bow - You Let This Happen.Learn from Jeske ...":

After reading this all I could do was go sit on the couch with my racing thoughts.

"Cuz the Apostates Are Killing Your Church" was personally life changing.

You think you know it all, or you think you're doing what you can do, and then somebody says something and your purpose becomes clear to you. You think you've learned it all from the mainstream talk shows, then you hear Michael Savage for the first time. Or you think you've got morality down, and then a Dr. Laura comes along and you know you've only scratched the surface.

As a layman I have learned ten times more from this blog about what being a confessional Lutheran means than in the 20 years I've been hanging with pastors.

But today you could get a sense that a line's been drawn in the sand, (the heat's been turned up, things are going to the next level-whatever). The edification received from this blog is indeed uplifting and supportive. It's therapy. But it's not going to change anything by itself, and the high-fives will be heard by us alone. Whether you mark and avoid, as I did, or stay and kick ***, Dr. Jackson more than ever today laid out who the players will be, and it's not "somebody else."

It's not the bureaucrats in Milwaukee and St. Louis. God doesn't knock people off horses anymore to make them see the light, and our "leaders" are walking right by the burning bushes.

About 18 months ago a guy from my former congregation and I went to Michelle Bachmann's "Kill the (Obamacare) Bill" Rally on the steps of the US Capitol. (I don't know about you, but I think there are some huge parallels between the way our founding Lutheran documents are being ignored and the Federal government turning its back on the Constitution). To paraphrase, Bachmann (a WELS Lutheran, for what it's worth) told the crowd that we are here because every generation did what it had to do to to make certain that the republic survived. No generation has completely failed in that mission. Now it's our turn; not by choice but by fate. We are the only ones here in this time and this place. Not because we are qualified but because we are here. There's no "somebody else." They've either already done the job in THEIR time, and they're gone, or they haven't been born yet.This is OUR time.

Likewise in the Lutheran church. The early fathers are long gone, as are those who imperfectly but stubbornly fought for the faith in America. And I can only feel sorry for the ones on the way. They won't be taught anything but hype and heresy, so they won't even know what to pass on. I feel like an environmentalist protecting an endangered species here.

Look, I'm a kid from the sixties. I've been in the streets with my fist in the air and I'll do it again for a far better cause. This is OUR time. PUSH BACK; WALK OUT; CUT THE CASH OFF; picket Synod headquarters, talk to the press and write letters-not to Forward in Crisis but to your local paper.
Exposure, integrity, honesty and accountability. Get it or demand it. We PAY these people. They work for us.

In my own case, I have been talking to like-minded Lutherans in my very Lutheran midwest town and have generated some interest in meeting, studying the Catechism and the Confessions, and worshiping with Pastor Jackson via the Bethany stream. Right before I left my WELS church the pastor was giving away all the old hymnals in the basement. I snatched up six. Now, with those hymnals, a lot of Scotch tape, and my wife's bookbinding skills, we're good to go.

I pray we will all find our place in "this."

In the words of the mediocre halftime entertainment at this year's Superbowl,

"LET'S GET IT STARTED!"

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LPC has left a new comment on your post "Take a Bow - You Let This Happen.Learn from Jeske ...":

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

Absolutely, shame on them. They should come out and be counted, instead of working clandestine. What do they think? It is going to get better if they conceal their identity?

False teachers love to label those who oppose them as divisive and heretics. That is a school boy's bullying tactic. It won't work for those who have discernment.

Old folks who have seen much can not stuff around anymore. They have too little time left. That is my philosophy anyway.

LPC

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From the ALPB Online Forum

Just got back from our monthly gathering in Columbia SC. Again, roughly 25 people were there representing 6 LCMC churches and several others. We were pleased to have LCMC Director of Operations Sharon MacFadyen here to speak to us. Sharon is most often the first point of contact that people and congregations considering LCMC talk to.

An interesting stat she mentioned was that at this time she is aware of over 1000 churches that are in the discernment process ... this doesn't mean they are leaving, or even that they will take a vote ... but that many still at this time are seriously looking at what their options are.

Jeske Does Evangelism for LCMS

Pastor Mark Jeske 
Rev Jeske led an evangelism program at Good Shepherd on Saturday, January 29th. You may be interested in watching him in person on TV.  Pastor Mark Jeske:  Time of Grace, Sundays at 6:30 am on KDNL

Good Shepherd, Collinsville, Illinois 

A layman asks: WHY is a WELS pastor leading an evangelism program at a LCMS congregation?

Take a Bow - You Let This Happen.Learn from Jeske - Change or Die! Cuz the Apostates Are Killing Your Church

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

1. The WELS-ELS-LCMS synod leaders are not doing their jobs.
   
2. The seminary professors are collecting fat salaries for doing nothing.
   
3. The DPs and CPs are enabling apostasy while posing as critics of ELCA.
   
4. The laity are comatose, lazy, ignorant, or indifferent, but still funding this debacle with millions of offering dollars and Thrivent premium payments.
   
5. The strong will defeat the weak.

The Death or Glory Toads - From The Wind in the Willows

They all look and sound the same.

Those who covet fellowship with ELCA really belong there, as the Seminex leaders proved many times over.

Mark and Avoid Jeske, son of The Jester, keeps revealing what he treasures most.

The Wizard of Ooze Conference - Joint Work of ELCA-LCMS-WELSChange or Die, You Legalists!

"Why, anybody can have a brain. That's a very mediocre commodity. Every pusillanimous creature that crawls on the Earth or slinks through slimy seas has a brain. Back where I come from, we have universities, seats of great learning, where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts and with no more brains than you have. But they have one thing you haven't got: a diploma from an accredited school, not at all like The Sausage Factory."

Change or Die! Conference Leaders

Pastor Ken Smith – ELCA - http://www.stjohnsmadison.org/Smith.htm

Pastor Kenneth Wheeler – ELCA - http://www.crosslutheranmilwaukee.org/pastorkenwheeler.html

Kole Knueppel – WLC - http://www.wlc.edu/academics/edu/index.aspx?id=8408

Mark Jeske – LCMS and WELS - http://www.timeofgrace.org/about.php

Brad Hewitt – Thrivent boss -  https://www.thrivent.com/aboutus/whoweare/executivemgmt/hewittbio.html

Hewitt used to be on the board at Lutheran World Relief and this was his church home in 2010  http://www.atpeace.org/index.htm.  From 1998 - 2003 he was the chief administrative officer for LC-MS. http://www.lcms.org/pages/rpage.asp?NavID=16495    His wife Susan is Executive Director of LINC - Twin Cities - a Lutheran church-planting group. http://www.linctwincities.org/index.php

Pastor Jeff Dorth - LCMS - http://www.stjohnswestbend.org/about-us/pastors
Their belief statement is just like CrossWalk and the other emerging churches, which are apparently derived from Rick Warren’s creed. No one can tell who is copying whom among the emergents.

Pastor Jeffrey Meyer – LCMS - http://www.livelifetogether.com/v_about_us.php


Rev. James “Ski” Skorezewski,The SORE, Appleton, WI – WELS – http://www.gotocore.com

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "The Wizard of Ooze Conference - Joint Work of ELCA...": [GJ - Known Church and Changers in red]

Siebert Pastoral Advisory Panel
Rev. Charles Brummond – 262-895-2281
Rev. Gary L. Erickson – 414-774-0441
Rev. Larry D. Harpster – 262-658-2433
Rev. William Knapp, Jr. – 414-352-8990
Rev. James A. Mattek – 414-353-5005
Rev. John M. Parlow – 920-336-2485
Rev. Mark A. Schudde – 262-679-1441
Rev. James R. Skorzewski – 414-562-3369
Rev. Thomas H. Trapp – 608-257-1969
Rev. Mark D. Thompson – 414-445-7447

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
2. Any Lutheran congregation is eligible to apply for a clergy advanced development grant for any of its ordained pastors.
3. A pastor from an applying congregation must be a member in good standing of his or her denomination, and the pastor must have received a master of divinity degree from a theological school accredited by the Association of Theological Schools

http://www.siebertfoundation.org/pastoraldevelopment.htm

Success Stories
(LCMS)
(ELCA)
(WELS)
http://www.siebertfoundation.org/success.htm

Success Story: P.A.V.E. $100K
Partner Schools
- St. Marcus Lutheran
- Messmer Catholic Schools
http://milwaukeepave.org/PartnerSchools.aspx

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bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Change to Enthusian or Die! Brochure - Final Editi...":

I thought at first the "Change or Die" heading was Icha-hyperbole, but that's what the brochure says. It's another instance of where Icha-blog has to reproduce the evidence or else it's just too hard to believe. Fortunately, there's no shortage of electrons like this is for trees.

Change to Enthusiasm or Die! Brochure - Final Edition

http://www.siebertfoundation.org/pdfs/Change%20or%20Die%20Brochure%202011%20-%20FINAL%20EDITION.pdf

They know everyone will fuss about this for a day or two and forget. So far they have snookered three synods this way.

HerChurch Video - This Congregation Was Once the Mother Church for All Augustana Missions in the West

The (Swedish)Augustana Synod was named for the Augsburg Confession (Confessio Augustana) because the founders realized the error of the 19th century Church Growth Movement.

Revivalism and so-called American Lutheranism meant rejecting the liturgy, having a Mourner's Bench near the altar for grand shows of repentance, and abandoning the efficacy of the Word and Sacraments. The 19th century Church Growth Movement was also unionistic to a fault.

The Muhlenberg tradition discovered the Book of Concord again and moved away from the apostasy of revivalism. The Augustana Synod eventually merged with them to form the LCA of 1962.

However, remnants of Pietism, which were already surging in the 1930s, took over and made ELCA what it is today - bankrupt in every possible way.

Lutheran CORE - News and Discussion: NALC receives $1 million gift for missions, theological education

"That's my last bishop (Sauer) painted on the wall,
I scraped but cannot get him off at all."
(Apologies to Browning and Armour)


Lutheran CORE - News and Discussion: NALC receives $1 million gift for missions, theological education

NALC receives $1 million gift for missions, theological education

The North American Lutheran Church (NALC) has received a $1 million gift that will expand the new church body’s work in carrying out its mission and in training and educating its pastors, the NALC announced Thursday, Feb. 10.

The NALC will use the gift to launch two designated funds that will be significant for the church body’s future. One fund will support theological education — the training and continuing education of NALC pastors. The other fund will be used to provide “Great Commission Grants” to fund special mission projects, including new congregation starts, missionaries, and other initiatives to spread the Gospel and make disciples for Christ.

The $1 million gift was given by Tom and Saundra Smith of Elderton, Pa. The Smiths are members of Mount Union Lutheran Church of Elderton. The Smiths were reluctant to be recognized for their gift, but they agreed to the public announcement because it could inspire others to support these special projects in the NALC.

Fox Valley Pastor Has Knickers in a Knot

Joel has left a new comment on your post "Blizzard Sign - DQ Blizzards Are Much Better":

Brett,

I think I would need to see a doctor's report to believe that you have a heart.

Icha-Air-Rescue

Luther on the Early Deaths of Babies

There is a God has left a new comment on your post "Blizzard Sign - DQ Blizzards Are Much Better":

Luther (COMFORT FOR WOMEN
WHO HAVE HAD A MISCARRIAGE, 1542)

"...because the mother is a believing Christian it is to be hoped that her heartfelt cry
and deep longing to bring her child to be baptized will be accepted by God as an effective prayer."

"Who can doubt that those Israelite children who died before they could be circumcised on
the eighth day were yet saved by the prayers of their parents in view of the promise that God
willed to be their God. God (they say) has not limited his power to the sacraments, but has made
a covenant with us through his word."

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There is a God has left a new comment on your post "Luther on the Early Deaths of Babies":

Footnote:

“So I consider and hope that the good and merciful God is well-intentioned toward these infants who do not receive baptism through no fault of their own or in disregard of his manifest command of baptism.

“Yet [I consider] that he does not and did not wish this to be publicly preached or believed because of the iniquity of the world, so that what he had ordained and commanded would not be despised. For we see that he has commanded much because of the iniquity of the world, but does not constrain the godly in the same way.

“In summary, the Spirit turns everything for those who fear him to the best, but to the obstinate he is obstinate” [Ps. 18:27].


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LPC has left a new comment on your post "Blizzard Sign - DQ Blizzards Are Much Better":

Pr. Joel.

We have lost twice on a miscarriage.

Prior to writing my piece, I thought about the question of the fate of people who have never heard.

You said...
I'm sorry, that child you loved so much is now suffering in hell for all eternity?"

This is of course a strawman with an emotional appeal.

However, it is equally wrong to state unequivocally too that they are in heaven, for if that is the case, why would you comfort the parents who have lost their child? Their sadness has no merit, in fact they should rejoice that they had a miscarriage, for after all who would not want their child to be not in heaven? IF it is true that babies who died are all in heaven, their parents' sadness is grounded in false feelings. They should be rallied to rejoice and wipe off tears from their eyes, the death of their babies are trivial, is it not? Is it not the case that they are feeling sad for something that in reality they should feel good about?

LPC

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GJ - One consideration is the false absolution of America--and the world--that massive abortions do not matter because all babies go to heaven. Babies are not born perfect and without sin. The Old Adam is more developed in adults but still there in newborns.

Another consideration is the fear and anxiety of Christian parents who lose a baby after the child is baptized. A Lutheran who knows the Word and the Confessions can comfort the parents with the truth, that justification by faith happens through the Word used with water. The faith of an infant is the purest of all, as Chytraeus wrote. More on that in another post.

I baptized our two daughters, but that does not mean I never grieve for them. We lost both of them in February, and we miss them now more than ever before. But God heals grief through the Gospel, blunting the pain and transforming it to joy. We laugh about one or the other daughter almost every day. I am quite sure that no one who has lost a child--whether by miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, disease, or accident--can deny the pain. Our society is evil for pretending that a child can be killed to solve embarrassment or to save money, that it will not leave behind a wake of emotional and spiritual pain.

I feel sorry for the WELS thugs who prate about the Gospel but use the death of two baptized, disabled Lutheran girls to attack orthodox Lutheran doctrine. Such is the desperate state of WELS pastoral work that a Groeschel plagiarist like Tim Glende can do that with impunity from the snake-pit of an anonymous blog. I wonder if he tells people he visited Erin Joy in the hospital. Such are the fruits of UOJ, Church and Change, and graduation from The Sausage Factory.

The Luther quotations say everything better than I can. We trust in the mercy of God, as Christian believers. The Gospel does not mean offering a false Gospel to the unbelieving world, to say that Judas Iscariot, Stalin, Mao, and Hitler are all guilt-free saints. UOJ is the repudiation of the Gospel, juggling the Word.

The blessing of Christian parenthood is enjoyed by the children, the fruit of that love. This is where the Roman Catholic Church gets into casuistry about the "baptism of intent" with its Baltimore Catechism nonsense. They say, "You intended to baptize the baby, so that counts as the baptism of intent."

Instead we trust in the love and mercy of God, because the Word teaches us about His nature and Christ exemplifies it throughout the Scriptures.

The Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin because they do not utterly trust in Me. John 16.

Lack of faith in Christ is the foundational sin from which all other sins arise. The corrupt, greedy, double-dealing Lutheran corporations do not have the Gospel and cannot teach this. They love their UOJ because no one can comprehend it. Now that people are reading the priceless gems of UOJ, the high-priests of malarkey are anxious and frightened.

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Daniel Baker has left a new comment on your post "Blizzard Sign - DQ Blizzards Are Much Better":

If pro-life activists unequivocally believe that aborted infants get a free ticket to heaven, they are the cruelest people I can possibly imagine. Why fight to bring a soul into this life of sin and evil when they could spend an eternity in heavenly bliss?

If aborted babies go to heaven, we need to press immediately for wide-spread abortion, especially in third world countries where the Word is not readily spread!

Of course, I am being sarcastic. On the other side of the coin, however, I do not wish to pontificate on the idea that unborn infants spend eternity in hell. That concept is truly base, to the extent that I really don't even want to think about it. Moreover, it would certainly be heartless and cruel to bring up such things in the presence of one who has recently lost an unborn child.

Having said all of that, if one cannot see the danger in this line of thinking, they are an ignoramus. I side with Dr. Luther in this matter, and quote his words from the document There is a God cited:

"Enough has been said about this. Therefore one must leave such situations to God and take comfort in the thought that he surely has heard our unspoken yearning and done all things better than we could have asked."

Sex, Koine, and Friendship Weekend! | Eastside Evangelical Lutheran Church and School

Need a couple of props, EastSide?



Sex, Koine, and Friendship Weekend! | Eastside Evangelical Lutheran Church and School

Sex, Koine, and Friendship Weekend!

 Eastside invites you to join us for worship on February 6th and 7th for three important events:

1.  We're kicking off our new sermon series called "Sanctified Sex".  It's an honest look at the current situation in our culture when it comes to sex and marriage as well as an in-depth study of the Song of Songs, one of the least studied books in the Bible.

2.  Koine, the church band from MIlwaukee, will lead our worship services that entire weekend.  Learn more about their music and their ministry at www.koinemusic.com.

3.  2/6-7 is also our first Friendship Weekend of the year.  It's the perfect time to check out Eastside if you've never been here before or if you've been away from church for a while.

See you this weekend!

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Sermons

 Subscribe to our sermon podcast! 

God Likes Good Sex	February 6, 2011	Pastor Mike	Song of Songs 1:1-4

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Staff

Abortion and UOJ.Brett Meyer and LP Cruz, PhD

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Fix the FoundationsInstead of Painting Over the Cr...":

I read an article today by Pastor John Drickamer on whether aborted babies go to heaven or hell. He rightly stated that without the Means of Grace, the Word working through Baptism, the children remained dead in original sin, separated from God and condemned.

It struck me how this relates to the Lutheran Synod's promotion of the false gospel of Universal Objective Justification. I've been at a loss to explain why the Lutheran laity and clergy do not violently revolt against their money financing abortions through Thrivent. They seem to get more upset if congregation members don't show up to a church cleaning party or bake sale.

Most Lutheran laity and clergy believe and teach that unborn babies who are either murdered through abortion or die of unavoidable causes go to heaven. There is no Scriptural or Confessional basis for this teaching and it goes against original sin and the Means of Grace.

In steps UOJ. Now that they believe and teach that everyone following Christ's atonement are already forgiven, justified, guiltless and fully reconciled to God, what's to fear from not being baptized into Christ? UOJ teaches the babies were forgiven and saved even if they don't cognitively believe it. UOJ teaches only the unpaid sin of unbelief damns and since they don't believe babies are capable of unbelief - they're all saved.

So an appeal to stop financing abortions through Thrivent will fall on deaf ears - those murdered babies are already saved.

http://www.exposingtheelca.com/uploads/2/4/2/8/2428588/the_elca_abortion_policy1.pdf

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LPC has left a new comment on your post "Fix the FoundationsInstead of Painting Over the Cr...":

B.M.

UOJ has horrible consequences to ethics as well. Since babies are already forgiven even before the means of grace, then the UOJer has no compelling reason to oppose the abortion of babies with disabilities - by doing so, one sends the baby straight to heaven and then skip the difficulty of living with disabilities.

It is horrible, it promotes antinomianism and all sorts of immoral/wicked philosophies.

LPC

***

GJ - Brett and Lito are both right, and there is a Pentecostal-Babtist connection, too. I was at a CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) performance, brought there by a future WELS missionary. The non-Lutheran leader did some of that Pat Robertson "someone is going to be healed" business. He also said, "We know heaven is filled with all those aborted babies." The crowd cheered and clapped.

His claim was based on the anti-Sacramental, anti-infant baptism posture of Babtists and Pentecostals. Babies are born innocent, so if they are executed, they go to heaven, they imagine.

That strikes me as a very cheap way to become indifferent to the abortion massacre sponsored by American society since Roe vs. Wade.

UOJ provides the same kind of excuse, by claiming that babies are born justified (Eduard Preuss, quoted with approval by Robert Preus in his UOJ days). What astonished me about that particular assertion was Jack Cascione reprinting the essay as if that could be a good, Confessional piece to lock down the orthodoxy of UOJ.

Robert Preus:

"All this is put beautifully by an old Lutheran theologian of our church,

"We are redeemed from the guilt of sin; the wrath of God is appeased; all creation is again under the bright rays of mercy, as in the beginning; yea, in Christ we were justified before we were even born. For do not the Scriptures say: ‘God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them?'’ This is not the justification which we receive by faith...That is the great absolution which took place in the resurrection of Christ. It was the Father, for our sake, who condemned His dear Son as the greatest of all sinners causing Him to suffer the greatest punishment of the transgressors, even so did He publicly absolve Him from the sins of the world when He raised Him up from the dead. "(Edward [sic] Preuss, The Justification of a Sinner Before God, pp. 14-15)

LCMS Seminary President Robert Preus, 1981.

Did anyone on the Concordia Seminary (Ft. Wayne) faculty see the insanity of that quotation? No wonder Eduard poped after seeing a brilliant red sunset. He was Eduard, not Edward, and Preuss with two s's, a distant relative of Robert.

Let me set the scene. I am baptizing a baby, by water and the Word, and he is already justified at birth? Why bother? Do I bend down and say, "You have to believe that you were already forgiven or it does not count. Could I see a hand up? Isn't that precious!"

My admonition to the congregation would be: "Little Damien was already justified, even before he was born. But he has made a decision today, so that he is not only forgiven, but also forgiven-forgiven."

The UOJ Stormtroopers would like everyone to think they are so much more doctrinal than ELCA, but they express the same Universalism in different terms. When a WELS pastor talks about the Gospel, he means UOJ or "pre-forgiveness" as Jeske recently claimed. When a pastor is abusing women and children in his flock, as one District President did, he is forgiven. But when a lowly miserable member or pastor calls him on it, that person is condemned to the uncharted depths of Hell.

The same Universalism which justifies the ELCA gay fest can be used to excuse the MLC gay video.

Pietism really caused the America to trust in abortions. It was better to end the life of an innocent baby than to face the sourpuss stares of the Pietists. When someone has said to me, "They had to get married," I always say, "Good, they gave life and a home to their baby, more chance than most get today."

Pietism is hot to condemn the wrong things. First of all, Pietism opposes doctrinal orthodoxy. That is like a physician opposing good medicine. It is not without cause that "sound doctrine" in the New Testament means "healthy doctrine" and false doctrine is "a cancer."

Pietism also has a constantly changing code of laws, where one action is the worst sin in the entire world, then modified in a few years, then dropped completely. Theatrical performances could be bad, so all theater was evil and a terrible sin to watch. Next, by reference, all movies were bad. Then some movies were bad. When a Methodist Pietistic minister was accused of going to a movie, he said, "I have to see what the devil is up to."

I grew up in an area where the future promoters of Church Growth (E. Free and E. Covenant, both based on Swedish Pietism) were deeply concerned about all dancing. A dance studio had its windows soaped over so no would would fall into Satan's snares while watching people learn the foxtrot. My teacher got in trouble for finding a open spot and--gasp!--looking into the dance studio. He caught it when he got home.

The Holiness Code (which never stayed the same, varying in denominations and eras) obscured the relationship between Law and Gospel. The Law condemned people for drunkenness, so the solution was more law - signing a pledge each year in church, "I will not touch a drop of alcohol." That made drinking alcohol a special temptation and the best way to drive parents nuts. The parents worried, "What will our friends and church members think if Buzz staggers home one night!"

The children or grandchildren learn the hypocrisy of Pietism and reject all of Christianity and any sense of morality. America moved from legalistic Pietism and the Holiness Code (no liquor sales on Sunday) to the feckless, Unitarian hedonism of today, where being stoned on meth is a basic human right.

If Pietism is a dirty word in the Lutheran Church, then UOJ should be too. UOJ, like Pietism, came direct from Halle University, the citadel of Pietism.

Blizzard Sign - DQ Blizzards Are Much Better

Fix the FoundationsInstead of Painting Over the Cracks and Dry Rot

What is more hypocritical? WELS working with ELCA? Or WELS working with the Salvation Army
and giving them funds?

Thrivent, Salvation Army, WELS

"Conservative" Lutherans have neglected the foundational elements of the Christian faith while aping the Arminians, Pentecostals, and New Agers.

The Reformation leaders were anxious to avoid the term "doctrines" because there is only one, unified truth called Christian doctrine. The Christian faith is not modular, like a Leggo construction kit, where certain articles can be ignored or removed altogether.

The following items have been neglected or ignored:

1. The Syn Conference churches have by-passed the best translation, the KJV, in favor of a disgraceful translation, the NIV, soon to be the ESV, another mistake. They could use the KJV 21, which is modernized but faithful to the sacramental passages.
   
2. The Syn Conference churches have also neglected Luther and the Book of Concord. The Ft. Wayne Hyper-Europeans seem to skip over the main men and writings of the Reformation in favor of the more obscure. Why are they afraid of Luther and Chemnitz? Why do Missouri, WELS, and the Little Sect pretend to be Confessional when their pastors loathe or do not read the Confessions?
   
3. The lazy slug pastors must start studying the Bible, writing their own Biblical, Lutheran sermons, and visiting people. "A house-going pastor makes a church-going congregation." People come to church for the healing of the Gospel, not to attend another recruitment rally where they are blamed for the parish not growing.
   
4. If Lutherans cannot teach the efficacy of the Word alone, the Means of Grace, and justification by faith, they are utterly apostate and worse than the Babtists they criticize and emulate.
   
5. If WELS, Missouri, and the Little Sect really believed what they say about ELCA, they would stop working with ELCA through Thrivent. Their testimony at this time proves they support the homosexual and abortion agenda of ELCA.
   
6. Naturally, if the three synods really believed their doctrine, they would have closed communion only and not close communion, semi-close communion, and demi-semi close communion.
   
7. They would also promote the Lutheran classics rather than their horrid, warmed-over Cal-Arminian monstrosities.
   
   

Fox Valley Debacle Proves WELS Does Have Doctrinal Discipline:They Punish Lutherans and Reward Apostate Bullies

Celebrity felon endorsements are always welcome.

I keep hearing from people who realize how corrupt the Wisconsin sect is. One layman identified Martin Spriggs copying Hybels' sermons verbatim, even down to the way they were expressed on the tapes. WELS responded by driving out this man's family and eventually making Spriggs the head of technology at The Guilt Factory.

As I proved on this blog, Limmer and Parlow also plagiarized Hybels. Yet Limmer is extolled by WELS, and Parlow is left alone. Parlow has copied the sermons of false teachers. He claims on the Changer listserve that God's Word works, so when will he try it?

Various eye-witnesses have shown that Glende and Ski have consistently plagiarized Groeschel, even using his graphics and outlines. I deal with plagiarism all the time. Is it deliberate? When people hide the evidence, it is a clear indication that they know they are cheating. I used to go to Glende's website for research. He hid the evidence. I saw some glimmerings in the bulletins posted, but I heard more was kept off the Net.

Plagiarism is deliberately using the original words of another person without attribution. The normal rule is five words in a row - that they should be in quotation marks and cited. Some also claim that key terms should be identified as belonging to another writer.

The excuse that a sermon was not 100% plagiarized is dishonest, devious, and worthy of rebuke. Nevertheless, the minions on the church council endorsed the concept. Deputy Doug Englebrecht excused plagiarism of sermons because "a lot of WELS pastors do the same thing." True, a lot of them are plagiarists (especially in Doug's benighted realm)--the Anything Goes District.

But the everyone does it fallacy is not valid. There are many deliberate murders each year. Does that make them defensible? St. Paul asked, "Should we sin more, that grace may abound? God forbid!" Englebrecht, Glende, and Ski are Antinomians. The Law is obsolete because everyone is justified before birth.

The UOJists should be oozing with grace, since they claim everyone is forgiven, but they are thuggish legalists instead. How can that be? There is a proper relationship between Law and Gospel, but they have no discernment about Biblical doctrine. They use certain words, always twisting them to make everything come out their way.

The evidence is abundant. For example, Glende has been publishing anonymous blogs for some time. He used to send comments as "Anonymouse," but I smoked him out, with some help from Lillo and others. Glende still has one of his blogs up.

I suggest that the Intrepids and their lawyer study that blog for signs of Glende's doctrine and integrity. Glende's blog shows:
1. He is a copycat. He has to use my blog name and pretend he is "the real Ichabod."
2. He has no Gospel content at all. Where are his sermons if he knows doctrine so well? Why does he condemn Yale when Uncle John Brug went there?
3. Why is he so angry and bitter? Having his buddy as his assistant and being able to fire the circuit pastor should make him happy. In a rather short time, Glende and Ski have gotten rid of:
a. Bishop Katie.
b. The assistant or associate pastor.
c. The circuit pastor.
4. Who appointed Tim Glende the judge of blogs? He decided he could edit Techlin's blog, too, and ordered him to change what was posted there.
5. Glende's record at NWC was that of a bully. When a sect glorifies their college football players, some of them get a big head.
6. Someone should tell Glende that the vicarage year is not equal to a year of higher education. A program the seminary students laugh at should not be held over the heads of the laity. Hardly anyone flunks seminary, especially at The Sausage Factory.
7. Shepherds do not beat the sheep, and yet Glende is afraid his congregation is dying. I wonder why.

Englebrecht does the quivering bowl of Jello routine quite well. I have seen the same performance in other Doctrinal Pussycats. He reserves his wrath for truthful blogging and faithful Lutherans.

Englebrecht has created a rotten district, and the entire Church and Change operation supports it. At the synod level, how long has any Changer been unemployed - five minutes? ten? What does FICL promote? Changer propaganda. The members are paying for a slick magazine that few read, so Changers can make money selling Fuller/Willow Creek doctrine to the innocent.

Gurgle said he had already dissolved Church and Change. And now he is working with Kudu Don Patterson, a Changer leader.

Continuous Snow and Bird-Feeding: Ten Inches of Snow Shutting Down Bella Vista. Snow Plows Called Back

Inside Looking Out, by Norma Boeckler

Yesterday we knew a storm was coming to our area, so we went to the Walmart in Jane, Missouri, across the line, for supplies. We bought another 25 pounds of black oil sunflower seeds and three more suet cakes, plus two bags of salt. We heard the main store in town, across from WM headquarters, was sold out of salt.

Sassy Sue and I filled the main bird feeder and refilled two suet feeders. A 92 cent suet cake lasts a month or so. The $13 bag of sunflower seed lasted several months.

We also filled the squirrel feeder and spread seed around the area near the front door. The deep chill was descending, and almost no birds stopped at the feeder the rest of the day.

We awoke to at least five inches of snow on the ground, and snowfall so dense we could not see past the yard. The birds were lined up like Packer fans who just heard season tickets were on sale. We never had so many feeding at once: about four male cardinals, three females, house finches, chickadees, sparrows, and woodpeckers. The woodpeckers always favor the suet, while chickadees will eat both foods. The bushes and sills were loaded with birds eating or waiting for some food.

A squirrel finished the corn immediately.

Suddenly all the birds flew away, not from anything I did. A blue jay sounded in the distance. I have heard of them scattering the birds from a feeder. I did not see him appear, but they have nested in that spot. The jays may have landed on the ground after they cleared the area. I have seen them picking up corn from the ground and eating it in the safety of the tree branches.

I looked at the area in front of the garage where I normally scatter some sunflower seeds. Bird tracks told me that my dependents were there, wondering about my generosity. I left a large amount before the snowfall yesterday. I thought, "If they don't come into the garage to remind me, they leave a message in the snow." So I cleared an area and gave them more.

The area around the front door was also alive with birds and a squirrel. They all feed together well. Fresh suet attracted a woodpecker there, too.

When people express astonishment at bird-feeding and watering, I share my surprise that they do not enjoy this inexpensive and edifying hobby. I spend about $2 a month on food by sticking to sunflower seeds and suet. Corn is extravagant but our grandson wanted it on the feeder again, so I was happy to indulge the tree rats. About $14 covers the winter corn supplies; after that, they are on their own. No more bail-outs.

Sassy enjoys bird feeding because it gives her a chance to charge the bushes and flush out some game. Snow has become boring to her. She wants to return to the dog park. Today even the snow plows were recalled from Little Switzerland - too dangerous for them to operate.

Bird-feeding in winter makes a difference, because they need more calories to stay warm and their normal food supplies are harder to reach. I read that our feeding is only 15% of their diet, so they depend on the Creator rather than us.

One reader buys grain and uses that. Any seed-bearing plant is also going to be enjoyed by most birds. They like bushes and the stalks of dead plants for perching while they look for food. My mother once asked, looking at the winter garden, with sunflower stalks still standing above the snow, "Why did you leave those up?" I said, "Two reasons. One is the birds love to perch there for preening and searching for food. Secondly, the plants rot into the soil and feed the worms all winter." She loved feeding the birds and photographing them, so that made sense.

We fed so many birds in Arizona that we scared a number of workmen. When they went outside, the white-winged dove population took off at once. They have a way of cheeping and noisily beating their wings. More than one man jumped back in shock at the commotion, especially when rounding the corner of the yard. The visual shock of 50 birds launching, combined with drumming wings and alarmed cheeping, did them in.

One reward was seeing them stacked up together, after a very cold night, like little toys, along the bay window. Rows and rows of them were tucked into the window ledges, several deep until the sun warmed them.

Hell, Michigan

GA Strikes Again

"I am really a Pietist dog playing an aggressive attack dog,
part of our secret GA initiation rites in WELS."

old-curmudgeon (http://old-curmudgeon.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Getting Rid of the Last Lutheran Member, St. Pete...":

This is a masterpiece of word games and mind games.

***

GJ - I don't think the WELS clergy realize how much they continue to play the GA games they learn the first week of seminary, role playing, role reversal, lying, threatening.

WELS is a bullying sect, as people can see from the letters published so far.

Tim Glende was known as a bully among bullies at Northwestern College. Maybe someone should sit down, hold his hand, and tell him faults, so he knows he is already forgiven, that he was born justified, and is always forgiven (if he is Church and Change) no matter what. Un-brainwashed Lutherans can see how UOJ plays into this Antinomian attitude, which is not only evident in Glende and Ski, but also in the District Praesidium and the Synod President.

Many years later - "Be patient. We are working on it."

Declare yourselves in statu embarrassmentionis: "We are embarrassed to be in a sect where the leaders are embarrassed to be Lutherans and do everything possible to destroy Lutheran doctrine and individual souls."

False Support of UOJ Exposed by Layman

"Are they misquoting me again?"

Pr. Greg,

I missed this one "Are they misquoting me again?"

..and I started laughing out loud - I cannot wipe off the grin in my face even as I type.

This is humor is enough to carry me through the day.

LPC

---
That excerpt from Humann (40:366) is the third or fourth time I have seen that particular portion of Luther's commentary pulled from its theme and used badly in support of UOJ.

It is from Luther's writing: The Keys.

The whole section is proving that binding and loosing is binding and loosing. If that is not believed, action of the keys is still true. Here is the section from which that small portion is pulled and misused. The boldface is mine.

On page 366 there is more from Luther:

Rely on the words of Christ and be assured that God has no other way to forgive sins than through the spoken Word, as he has commanded us. If you do not look for forgiveness through the Word, you will gape toward heaven in vain for grace, or (as they say), for a sense of inner forgiveness.

But if you speak as the factious spirits and sophists do: “After all, many hear of the binding and loosing of the keys, yet it makes no impression on them and they remain unbound and without being loosed. Hence, there must exist something else beside the Word and the keys. It is the spirit, the spirit, yes, the spirit that does it!” Do you believe he is not bound who does not believe in the key which binds? Indeed, he shall learn, in due time, that his unbelief did not make the binding vain, nor did it fail in its purpose. Even he who does not believe that he is free and his sins forgiven shall also learn, in due time, how assuredly his sins were forgiven, even though he did not believe it. St. Paul says in Rom. 3[:3]: “Their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God.” We are not talking here either about people’s belief or disbelief regarding the efficacy of the keys. We realize that few believe. We are speaking of what the keys accomplish and give. He who does not accept what the keys give receives, of course, nothing. But this is not the key’s fault.

Luther, M. (1999, c1958). Vol. 40: Luther's works, vol. 40 : Church and Ministry II (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (40:366). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

Of course, this has nothing to do with the Atonement, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, but describes a special application of the Word. The misquoters ignore the sentence just preceeding the boldface portion, misunderstand 'binding' and Luther's pointed underscoring, and skip the reference to faithlessness in the Romans 3:3 excerpt that follows.

Far be it from me to get into an argument with Mr. Humann. You, Brett, LPC, and now Rick, are well more able than I at that. It is clear that Humann is misusing Luther's words just as the UOJ Enthusiasts misuse quotations from Scripture, which he also did.

The quotation I sent is the two sentences immediately before the above section. Thank you for thinking my effort worthy of emphasis.

What great lengths those folks go to as they try to bolster their erroneous teachings.

GreyGoose

---

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "False Support of UOJ Exposed by Layman":

Grey Goose, here are additional quotes from the Confessions which clearly show that the Office of the Keys to remit sins applies only to those who have faith in Christ alone. Also, Luther confirms that changing anything that God instituted, as he instituted it, including the keys, removes God from it and makes it invalid.

Book of Concord
6] Let any one of the adversaries come forth and tell us when remission of sins takes place. O good God, what darkness there is! They doubt whether it is in attrition or in contrition that remission of sins occurs. And if it occurs on account of contrition, what need is there of absolution, what does the power of the keys effect, if sins have been already remitted? Here, indeed, they also labor much more, and wickedly detract from the power of the keys.
http://www.bookofconcord.org/defense_10_repentance.php

From the Private Mass and the Consecration of Priests, “For we must believe and be sure of this, that baptism does not belong to us but to Christ, that the gospel does not belong to us but to Christ, that the office of preaching does not belong to us but to Christ, that the sacrament (of the Lord’s Supper) does not belong to us but to Christ, that the keys, or forgiveness and retention of sins, do not belong to us but to Christ. In summary, the offices and sacraments do not belong to us but to Christ, for he has ordained all this and left it behind as a legacy in the church to be exercised and used to the end of the world; and he does not lie or deceive us. Therefore, we cannot make anything else out of it but must act according to his command and hold to it. However, if we alter it or improve on it, then it is invalid and Christ is no longer present, nor is his ordinance.”

---

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "False Support of UOJ Exposed by Layman":

Grey Goose is correct - the Lutheran Confession's teaching concerning the Office of the Keys has been perverted by those wanting to establish the false gospel of UOJ as the central article of Christian faith. Here are a few.

Pastor Steven P. Dorn, WELS
Exegesis of Objective Justification Passages
2010 Spring Pastoral Study Conference, April 2010
"Reconciliation; that is, God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself; meaning, he no longer counts against the people of the world, their "trespasses."
In his discourse on the Ministry of the Keys, Luther explains the objective nature of God's verdict of forgiveness apart from faith. …
Page 8
http://scdwels.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/dorn-exegesis-paper.pdf

Pastor Schleicher quoting Siegbert W. Becker
Is Objective Justification Universalism
And the Lord Jesus also promises to stand behind the word of those who speak for him. “Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them.” “They are remitted” is a perfect tense, and we can really say ‘”They have been forgiven long ago,” or as Luther says, “before we prayed or before we ever thought of it.”
Page 11
http://scdwels.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/schleicher-paper.pdf

Siegbert W. Becker
Justification
Page 2
http://www.wlsessays.net/files/BeckerJustification.PDF

Pastor Kurt Marquart
JUSTIFICATION-0BJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE: A Translation of the Doctrinal Essay Read at the First Convention of the Synodical Conference in 1872
So then the Absolution is an object for our faith and not a mere pointer to faith . The promise must always stand before our eyes, and in it all terrified souls are to seek consolation and forgiveness and be lifted up by it. On the other hand, if faith must be there first , then faith is made into something quite different from what it really is; it is then no longer a grasping and accepting of the existing benefits. [GJ - This is the Eduard Preuss argument, which is never associated with his switch to being a Roman Catholic theologian.]
Page 35
http://www.angelfire.com/ny4/djw/lutherantheology.marquartjustification.html

(W)ELS CA/AZ DP Pastor Jon Buchholz
Justification, given at the 2005 WELS Convention
“God has forgiven the whole world. God has forgiven everyone his sins.” This statement is absolutely true! This is the heart of the gospel, and it must be preached and taught as the foundation of our faith.
Page 7

“God has forgiven all sins, but the unbeliever rejects God’s forgiveness.” Again, this statement is true—and Luther employed similar terminology to press the point of Christ’s completed work of salvation.16 But we must also recognize that Scripture doesn’t speak this way.
Page 8
http://www.wlsessays.net/files/BuchholzJustification.pdf

---

LPC has left a new comment on your post "False Support of UOJ Exposed by Layman":

GreyGoose,

Thanks for the full quote. Your observation is correct, it is the habit of UOJers to pull quotes out of context.

As usual, a text without a context is pretext for promoting false notions and teachings.

Now these people are no ordinary non-seminary trained pastors. No, they are very trained and seminary graduates and yet, and yet, and yet... their arguments and methods are so high-schoolish that a layman applying a bit of discernment will notice how their method is so faulty and scholarship so unreliable.

We would be fools to hand over the health of our souls for their care.

There is such as thing as quack doctors;by analogy, these people are quack pastors.


LPC

LP Cruz Discovers a New (Old) WELS Doctrine

L. P. Cruz is the Extra Nos blogger.


LPC has left a new comment on your post "Intrepid Comments on the Techlin Case at St. Peter...":

This is the first time I have heard of a pastor who declares his doctrine to be confidential.

I don't think such a minister is even thinking....

LPC

***

GJ - I think I can explain. No one is allowed to question any WELS leader about doctrine. The primary counter-arguments of these leaders are:

1. You must tell me privately.
2. Any questioning is slander, even in private.
3. If you do not like it, you should leave.

Therefore, a violation of Rule #1 is just catastrophic. These same pastors use personal attacks all the time, but they know their doctrine is false. A common ad hominem is "legalist" if someone has objected to Fuller doctrine.

Questioning is slander by definition, because the WELS leaders are infallible.

They drive people away and subsequently accuse those people of "breaking fellowship."

WELS Church Lady - Gerrymandering

WELS church lady has left a new comment on your post "Intrepid Comments on the Techlin Case at St. Peter...":

Gerrymander! This is not ACCEPTABLE behavior or policy. Tim Glende is an over-grown child. Neither Glende nor Ski are in a divine call. These cats were chosen by their senior Church And Change leaders(sic) to promote false teaching to unsuspecting sheep. Mark Jeske and cronies want to get rid of our doctrines and move to the One World Religion. Titles, such as 'Lutheran' are too divisive. "No room for titles in a One World Religion!" Rick can transfer to my church.(too bad Texas is far away)

In Christ,
from WELS church lady

Narrow-Minded Says - Hurt Them in the Wallet

Wile E. Coyote never seems to figure it out.
Neither do the Syn Conference Lutherans.


Narrow-minded Lutheran has left a new comment on your post "But WELS Will Not Quote THAT Luther":

This reminds me of a Beth Moore sermon/pep-talk/talk-about-me-fest (?) I recently heard on the web, where she used Heb. 10:35 to tell us that we should have confidence in ourselves. Anyone who reads Heb. 10 knows in whom our confidence should be. Is this exegesis lazy, done to promote pietism, or just a ploy to sell books? You make the call. Same deal with the "Lutheran" leaders of today that base their entire theology on a couple select passages from Scripture, BOC, or Luther's Works.

I have listened to and read Beth Moore to refute her theology to a family member who thinks she's the greatest thing since pockets on a shirt. Next thing I hear, "Lutheran" churches are using her material. Now, the WELS papists are promoting the same type of theology and punish those who disagree with it. How ironic that the Universalists who think everyone was justified at the Cross teach a Theology of Glory as opposed to the Theology of the Cross.

Since it is apparent that the synods won't deal with a theological argument, there is only one thing to do: Hurt their wallets. I don't know about WELS, but a Missouri parish can enter a "state of confession." Of course, no one has the courage. Will any clergy have the courage to give up their cushy Concordia Plans (or the WELS equivalent)? Will the laity have the courage to throw a fit the next time they hear, "We're going to take this [fill in the blank] material and put a Lutheran twist on it?" Will the parishes have the courage to stop sending money to the synods? Or do we all just wait around and see what happens at the next synodical convention (if I had a nickel for every time I've heard this one)?

Sorry to rant, but this is disgusting and fires me up.

***

GJ - There has been a slow boycott of members and money, because the membership keeps dropping and the income in real dollars is lower all the time.

The answer is to press them on two fronts while holding back all money and all signs of approval (such as participating in various events):
First Front - Constantly press the leaders to deal with the actual doctrinal issues.
Second Front - Demand a line by line audit of the synod books, by an outside and independent auditor - not someone from the good ol' boy network.

Intrepid Comments on the Techlin Case at St. Peter, Freedom

Doubtless more comments will be posted here soon.

Rev. Paul A. Rydecki said...

This is a well-written, well-documented example of a WELS layman who has painstakingly followed all the proper channels (and then some) to address errors he has seen firsthand in his congregation and district. As of this time, we are told that a meeting has finally been approved and scheduled that includes all the parties involved. We will provide updates as we are able.

We urge our readers to pray for Mr. Techlin, his congregation and its leaders, and the Northern Wisconsin District and its leaders, so that error might be addressed and rooted out in a God-pleasing manner. We fully support Mr. Techlin in his resolve to restore confessional Lutheran doctrine and practice in his congregation, and we hope that all WELS pastors and laymen in that district will recognize the need to stand behind Mr. Techlin for the preservation of the Gospel.

FEBRUARY 6, 2011 2:13 PM

Anonymous said...

What can WELS laypeople do about disgusting situations like this? If the people of the Northern Wisconsin District keep electing leaders who refuse to stand for Confessional Lutheranism, and, in fact, seem to protect false teachers, what can people who live in other districts do? If the leaders of a District repeatedly refuse to do their duty, doesn't there come a time when President Schroeder must step in and remove those leaders? Doesn't there come a time when a repeated "Yes, we're aware of it and we're dealing with it" isn't sufficient anymore?

It's a very frustrating situation, all the more so because it doesn't seem like there's anything that the average WELS layperson (or pastor) can do about it.

Mr. Adam Peeler

FEBRUARY 6, 2011 6:57 PM

Intrepid Lutherans said...

Mr. Peeler,

Yes, there is something laypeople can do. They can call, write, email, their own Pastors, CPs, DPs, and the synod President, and express their frustration with leaders like the NWD DP, and support for men like Mr. Techlin, and the Intrepid Lutherans. And they can do so over and over and over and over again. And they can encourage others to do the same. What we need are thousands of calls, letters, and emails, all saying the same thing; demanding that the false teachers be dealt with - NOW! Believe me, that will make a difference, one way or another. Do it today - and pass the word! Don't hesitate. Don't wait. Don't bide your time. NOW is the time to act. Do not let this opportunity pass. Strike! Defend confessional Lutheranism! Attack the sectarian forces that are threatening to destroy the WELS as an orthodox Lutheran church body! You can do it!

Pastor Spencer

FEBRUARY 6, 2011 9:14 PM

Daniel Baker said...

Mr. Techlin is certainly in my prayers, as is his congregation and the entire Appleton area. On the one hand, all of this is extremely disparaging. On the other, it is encouraging to see the realization of God's preservation of the Elect.

FEBRUARY 7, 2011 12:26 AM

Intrepid Lutherans said...

Mr. Peeler,

As one of the five pastors who've engaged the Northern Wisconsin District Presidium in discussions concerning the doctrine and practice of St. Peter, Freedom and the CORE, Appleton, I can say that your frustration is shared by us and the two laymen who join us. (One of those laymen is Rick Techlin, the author of the two letters.)

WELS President Schroeder is aware of our concerns. He has recently met with President Engelbrecht of the Northern Wisconsin District. Finally, after months of asking that President Engelbrecht set up a meeting between our group and the pastors of St. Peter and the CORE, it looks as though a meeting might finally happen in the next week.

During the past year we have had a couple of face-to-face meetings with the NW District Presidium, and shared thesis papers on the areas of doctrine that concern us. In early December they did agree in principle with each of those areas of doctrine. However, they were not going to request a meeting with the pastors of St. Peter and the CORE. Now we'd like to see them take the next step, insisting that continued practice that is opposed to Scriptural doctrine be halted.

Please understand that it is not up to the WELS President to unilaterally remove leaders from their positions of leadership. The WELS Constitution (section 8.20) says, "The two district vice presidents with the concurrence of the district circuit pastors may suspend the district president from his office. The president shall have 60 days thereafter to appeal this suspension. If there is no appeal within 60 days, the action shall be final and the officer is removed from office. If he appeals, the appeal will be heard by the District Board of Appeals."

Furthermore, "In the case of district vice presidents and secretary, the president with the concurrence of the circuit pastors may suspend another officer. The district officer shall have 60 days thereafter to appeal this suspension. If there is no appeal within 60 days, the action shall be final and the officer if removed from office. If he appeals, the appeal will be heard by the District Board of Appeals."

Also, "The conduct of review shall rest with the District Board of Appeals. The board shall have the right and power to examine all documentary evidence and correspondence and to require such testimony
that in its judgment is relevant. The decision of the District Board of Appeals may be appealed to
the Synod Board of Appeals. Upon the appeal, the Synod Board of Appeals may review the action
of the District Board of Appeals."

I'm normally not one who quotes the synod Constitution. Yet, it is how we've agreed to do things in a proper and fitting way.

Continued ...

FEBRUARY 7, 2011 10:32 AM

Intrepid Lutherans said...

Continued ...

Pastor Spencer is correct. Pastors, teachers, laypeople must make it clear to their leaders that they cannot condone the doctrine and practice that is taking place at St. Peter, Freedom or the CORE. The more we do so, the more our leaders will know that Confessional Lutheranism is something we do want to defend.

Though I'd love to say that you're wrong, I can't disagree with your assessment that "the people of the Northern Wisconsin District keep electing leaders who refuse to stand for Confessional Lutheranism, and, in fact, seem to protect false teachers."

Elections in the NW District are never discussed publicly. We simply race through the election process, usually with the same results. At one of the face-to-face meetings with the NW District Presidium, our small group of pastors was asked, "What would you do if you were us?" There is little disagreement that we would stand for being intentionally Lutheran--confessionally Lutheran. I'm not sure why our leaders are timid in doing so, except that those who aren't intentionally Lutheran will declare them to be legalistic.

To end on a positive note, I am very encouraged when I see laypeople like Rick Techlin stand for the truth of Scripture. Rick is not grandstanding. He is a very humble, thoughtful person who refuses to allow God's Word to be compromised in any way. For the NW District Presidium to ignore him in the way they are, is hard to accept.

Thanks, Mr. Peeler, for your continued concern for this situation and your continued contributions to Intrepid Lutherans.

Pastor Paul Lidtke

FEBRUARY 7, 2011 10:32 AM

Daniel Baker said...

I am encouraged to hear that the Intrepid Lutherans are taking up the case, as it were. The charges that this group is "doing nothing" can surely be put to rest now. I pray for fruitful results from your anticipated meeting with Pastors Glende and Skorzewski.

FEBRUARY 7, 2011 11:26 AM

Anonymous said...

Pastor Lidtke,
Please keep us informed as to the outcome of these meetings. Please resist all efforts to keep this public doctrinal matters "confidential". As you well know, the WELS likes to "sweep it under the carpet". God bless Rick Techlin, may we be blessed with more wonderful laymen like him!
Scott E. Jungen

FEBRUARY 7, 2011 11:47 AM

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the information Pastor Lidtke. Thank you especially for having the courage to take a stand against false doctrine and practice--we need more pastors like you.

Thanks also for the quotes from the WELS Constitution. It seems to me that that particular section of the Constitution is ill-conceived. It's reasonable to expect that if a majority of voters elect a district president who is minded to tolerate false doctrine, they will also elect vice-presidents who share the same mindset, making the removal of the president virtually impossible. It would be like making the vice-president of our country the one with sole authority to impeach the president--"not gonna happen". There needs to be a separate, separately-elected authority in charge of such issues, whether it's the synod praesidium or the other district presidents or something.

I suppose the age-old question applies: "Who watches the watchmen?" The answer, in this case, seems to be "no one".

If the WELS continues to demonstrate that it is willing to tolerate false doctrine and practice, and that it is willing to tolerate leaders who tolerate false doctrine and practice, and there is no recourse for discipline and correction, at what point must Confessional Lutherans leave the WELS?

Mr. Adam Peeler

FEBRUARY 7, 2011 11:50 AM

Daniel Gorman said...

In his 1/20/11 letter, Mr. Techlin writes,
"In May 2010, District President Engelbrecht sent out an undated letter responding to my
November 1, 2009 letter and the March 5, 2010 meeting with me and the five concerned area
pastors. On every page of his letter, District President Engelbrecht stamped in large red letters:
"CONFIDENTIAL." I will let most of this letter remain confidential, but not the aspects that
touch doctrine. This is because the doctrine of a district president is not confidential. A district
president's doctrine is not confidential when he communicates it to others. A district president's
doctrine is not confidential when he doctrinally instructs laymen and other pastors. A district
president's doctrine is especially not confidential when his defense of false doctrine is used as
justification for other pastors to continue shaping a public ministry around that false doctrine."

In his letter, Mr. Techlin gives many scripture references to justify disclosing portions of a confidential letter. However, none of his citations permit the secret sins of a DP (false doctrine) to be made public before the due process of Matt. 18.

FEBRUARY 7, 2011 12:45 PM

Anonymous said...

Mr. Gorman,

I disagree with you.

As Mr. Techlin rightly points out, the doctrinal teaching of a pastor (and district president) is a public matter. Christ himself made the point that he taught openly and publicly, he didn't hide any of his teachings. Pastors should not be writing or teaching things privately that they aren't willing to teach or write publicly. In other words, pastors can't teach false doctrine, stamp "confidential" on it, and then rest secure because that false doctrine will never be exposed.

Now, if, for example, a pastor privately loses his temper and calls someone a dirty name, that would be a private sin which should remain private. But the teaching of doctrine does not fit into that category.

Furthermore, you cite "due process", but one of the most disturbing facets of this situation is that there seems to be no due process available to Mr. Techlin. How can you "tell it to the church" when the church refuses to listen to you?

Mr. Adam Peeler

FEBRUARY 7, 2011 1:58 PM

David Jay Webber said...

If the WELS continues to demonstrate that it is willing to tolerate false doctrine and practice, and that it is willing to tolerate leaders who tolerate false doctrine and practice, and there is no recourse for discipline and correction, at what point must Confessional Lutherans leave the WELS?

Please note that the comments I offer below are not just pertaining to WELS, or to any other specific church body, but address general principles of admotion, church fellowship, and related matters, which can and should be applied whenever and wherever the situation may call for it.

I would say that when all procedural avenues for correction of error in a church body have been exhausted, and those who are erring still do not receive the correction, the next step would not necessarily be to leave the church body in question, but to enter into a public state of confession. This would be a declaration that an impasse has been reached, and that altar and pulpit fellowship will now not be practiced with the offending parties or with those who support them, but will continue to be practiced with those who join in the state of confession against the error. A public declaration of this nature would serve as a rallying point, requiring everyone else in the church body then to decide which side in the dispute they are going to take. At the end of that process, if repentance on the part of the false teachers is still not forthcoming, this "division of the house" would likely then result in a split - either through the expulsion of the false teachers, which would keep the church body orthodox; or through the expulsion of the confessors, which would mark the church body as recalcitrant in its heterodoxy.

But of course, such a step should not be taken until there is no other God-pleasing recourse left, and only when the confessors are indeed ready to be expelled, if that is what it comes to.

FEBRUARY 7, 2011 6:51 PM

AP said...

Mr. Peeler makes a good point about the voters electing like-minded officers in that district. The voters of that convention are culpable in what is happening there. They need to hold their leaders accountable, and at the very least ask questions.

Moreover, the problems in that district are not limited to St. Peter or the Core. There are several other congregations in the Green Bay and Appleton areas that have gone down the same path (though perhaps not as blatantly) as St. Peter.

I'm just left amazed by reading Mr. Techlin's account. Honestly, how bad do things have to get before someone with power in this synod publicly says enough is enough?

Dr. Aaron Palmer

FEBRUARY 7, 2011 9:14 PM

Daniel Gorman said...

Mr. Adam Peeler: "As Mr. Techlin rightly points out, the doctrinal teaching of a pastor (and district president) is a public matter. Christ himself made the point that he taught openly and publicly, he didn't hide any of his teachings. Pastors should not be writing or teaching things privately that they aren't willing to teach or write publicly. In other words, pastors can't teach false doctrine, stamp "confidential" on it, and then rest secure because that false doctrine will never be exposed."

If pastors do not repent, their "confidential" false teaching will be exposed under Matt. 18.

Mr. Adam Peeler: "Now, if, for example, a pastor privately loses his temper and calls someone a dirty name, that would be a private sin which should remain private. But the teaching of doctrine does not fit into that category."

The 8th Commandment recognizes only two categories of sin: private sin and public sin. If a pastor has only taught his false doctrine privately, he must be given an opportunity to privately recant before his false teaching is publicly exposed via Matt. 18.

Mr. Adam Peeler: "Furthermore, you cite "due process", but one of the most disturbing facets of this situation is that there seems to be no due process available to Mr. Techlin. How can you "tell it to the church" when the church refuses to listen to you?"

Yes, that is a problem. Bureaucratic obstructions and a veil of secrecy imposed by the DP have made it virtually impossible for Mr. Techlin to obtain due process.

The DP should never have stamped his teaching of public doctrine "confidential" (John 18:20). But two wrongs do not make a right. The 8th commandment makes no exception for privately taught false doctrine. Instead of improperly disclosing a confidential letter, Mr. Techlin should have rejected the letter and insisted that all discussions of public doctrine be made a matter of public record.

FEBRUARY 8, 2011 5:52 AM

Anonymous said...

Mr. Gorman said: "If pastors do not repent, their 'confidential' false teaching will be exposed under Matt. 18."

Isn't that exactly what's going on here though? Mr. Techlin has made every effort to follow the steps of Matthew 18, going through the proper channels, with the result that he was ignored and dismissed. As I asked before, how can you tell it to the church when the church won't listen?

Mr. Techlin is simply using the last recourse available to him by publishing these matters and making them available to the church at large. In my opinion, by refusing to meet with Mr. Techlin and to hear his admonition, President Englebrecht has abdicated his right to keep this matter private. It is now a public matter to be heard and judged by the church at large.

In any case, questionable interpretations of Matthew 18 have been used far too often to silence dissenters in the WELS, almost like lawyers who try to get a valid case thrown out of court on a technicality. I don't want our side discussion on the interpretation of Matthew 18, Mr. Gorman, to distract the discussion of this very serious issue. If you want to argue that Mr. Techlin didn't follow the letter of the law, fine (though I'm convinced he did). He certainly followed the spirit of the law and certainly has been wronged and betrayed by his pastors and his church leaders. That's the real issue here.

Mr. Adam Peeler

FEBRUARY 8, 2011 7:05 AM

Daniel Baker said...

Completely agreed, Mr. Peeler.

The assertion that Mr. Techlin failed to follow Matthew 18 is absurd. His private meetings with his pastor, church leaders, circuit pastor, and district president were all steps along the Matthew 18 lines. He followed all of their prescribed measures, including his restriction from secret "pastor only" meetings and forced attendance at interrogation sessions - he even endured the censoring of his blog!

The letter he initially sent abided by this narrow view of Matthew 18. That was more than a year ago. How long should Mr. Techlin endure the perpetual false doctrine of his so-called shepherds until he makes the matter public?

FEBRUARY 8, 2011 9:24 AM

Pastor Boehringer said...

All too often the trump card of adiaphora and Christian freedom is used to defend all manner of sectarian doctrine and practice. Thank you, Rick, for daring to ask, "Why are we doing this?" and "Is this wise?"

God bless you, Rick!
Pastor Luke Boehringer

FEBRUARY 8, 2011 7:28 PM

Anonymous said...

I've spent the past day reading Mr. Techlin's incredible account of what has transpired at his church over the past year or more. I applaud his efforts and thank him so much for pursuing this matter thru the proper channels. Alot of people would have already quit in frustration over the perceived arrogance of his pastor and district president as they continue to thumb their noses at Mr. Techlin's very real concerns that God's Word is not being taught in its truth and purity. I, too, am waiting for President Schroeder's involvement in this. It may never have been Mr. Techlin's intention to broadcast this matter publicly. However, now that it's out there and people are becoming aware of this situation, please keep us informed and updated as the saga unfolds. I am praying for Mr. Techlin and want him to know he has the support of many. In the same vein as Martin Luther's 95 theses started a reformation back in his day, may this be the spark that fires up the confessional Lutheran church in our own time.

Rhonda Martinez

FEBRUARY 9, 2011 4:40 AM

Lund Family said...

I agree with my neighbor Luke Boehringer. When our own pastors and Synod officials no longer allow for questioning of practices and doctrine, than Christian freedom and adiaphora is being abused.

Perry Lund
Grace Evangelical Lutheran
Oskaloosa, Iowa

FEBRUARY 9, 2011 7:18 AM

AP said...

The failure of leadership in this district reminds me of a poem Churchill once quoted in pondering other failures of leadership: Who is in charge of the clattering train? The axles creak and the couplings strain, And the pace is hot, and the points are near, And Sleep has deadened the driver’s ear; And the signals flash through the night in vain, For Death is in charge of the clattering train.

***

GJ - Notice that a Doctrinal Pussycat is surrounded by plenty of protection for his job and title. But he can violate the Scriptures, run people into the ground, gerrymander a district, advocate false doctrine, and remove a pastor at will.

WELS is vulnerable to the charge that they do not have one pope but many infallible popes.