Commit Whatever Grieves Thee

Here is one link to the tune:
http://www.lutheran-hymnal.com/online/tlh-520.mid


Here is a great site for all hymns:
http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/c/o/m/commitwg.htm

Many sing this hymn to "O Sacred Head Now Wounded," but there is another tune used.
The Germans use this one, embedded above:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVW-Te3wRRU

"Commit Whatever Grieves Thee" by Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676

1. Commit whatever grieves thee
Into the gracious hands
Of Him who never leaves thee,
Who heaven and earth commands.
Who points the clouds their courses,
Whom winds and waves obey,
He will direct thy footsteps
And find for thee a way.

2. On Him place thy reliance
If thou wouldst be secure;
His work thou must consider
If thine is to endure.
By anxious sighs and grieving
And self-tormenting care
God is not moved to giving;
All must be gained by prayer.

3. Thy truth and grace, O Father,
Most surely see and know
Both what is good and evil
For mortal man below.
According to Thy counsel
Thou wilt Thy work pursue;
And what Thy wisdom chooseth
Thy might will always do.

4. Thy hand is never shortened,
All things must serve Thy might;
Thine every act is blessing,
Thy path is purest light.
Thy work no man can hinder,
Thy purpose none can stay,
Since Thou to bless Thy children
Wilt always find a way.

5. Though all the powers of evil
The will of God oppose,
His purpose will not falter,
His pleasure onward goes.
Whate'er God's will resolveth,
Whatever He intends.
Will always be accomplished
True to His aims and ends.

6. Then hope, my feeble spirit,
And be thou undismayed;
God helps in every trial
And makes thee unafraid.
Await His time with patience,
Then shall thine eyes behold
The sun of joy and gladness
His brightest beams unfold.

7. Arise, my soul, and banish
Thy anguish and thy care.
Away with thoughts that sadden
And heart and mind ensnare!
Thou art not lord and master
Of thine own destiny;
Enthroned in highest heaven,
God rules in equity.

8. Leave all to His direction;
In wisdom He doth reign,
And in a way most wondrous
His course He will maintain.
Soon He, His promise keeping,
With wonder-working skill,
Shall put away the sorrows
That now thy spirit fill.

9. A while His consolation
He may to thee deny,
And seem as though in trial
He far from thee would fly;
A while distress and anguish
May compass thee around,
Nor to thy supplication
An answering voice be found.

10. But if thou perseverest,
Thou shalt deliverance find.
Behold, all unexpected
He will thy soul unbind
And from the heavy burden
Thy heart will soon set free;
And thou wilt see the blessing
He had in mind for thee.

11. O faithful child of heaven,
How blessed shalt thou be!
With songs of glad thanksgiving
A crown awaiteth thee.
Into thy hand thy Maker
Will give the victor's palm.
And thou to thy Deliverer
Shalt sing a joyous psalm.

12. Give, Lord, this consummation
To all our heart's distress;
Our hands, our feet, e'er strengthen,
In death our spirits bless.
Thy truth and Thy protection
Grant evermore, we pray,
And in celestial glory
Shall end our destined way.

Hymn #520
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Ps. 37: 5
Author: Paul Gerhardt, 1656
Translated by: composite
Titled: Befiehl du deine Wege
Composer: Hans L. Hassler, 1601
Tune: Herzlich tut mich

Interview with Helen Thomas Makes People Forget MariQueen Pose

Holding the Line Means a Slow Retreat For the Olde Syn Conference

Thrivent supported the pan-religious stained glass window.


Pastor Sharp has left a new comment on your post "Prove Your Accusations!You Are a Bad Person, So I ...":

My personal beef with Thrivent has to do with their willingness to support Lutherans Concerned (used to be Lutherans Concerned for Gay People), but not Lutherans for Life, because that is an organization with a "political agenda," at least I have been told.

I really do want rock-solid documentation about this, because I would be glad to lead the charge against an organization that a) isn't really that good at what they do and b) doesn't really jive with LCMS values.

Everything we do with the ELCA ends up getting taken over by the ELCA. I know that. A lot of us do. The best you can do is hold the line. I don't think that puts us in fellowship with them and I think that kind of hyperbolic accusation isn't helpful.

---

bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Prove Your Accusations!You Are a Bad Person, So I ...":

While the link is broken for this page mentioned in the Icha-post:

http://www.cogforlife.org/ppsupporters.htm

The Way Back Machine kept snapshots from 2007 and later. The page in question is a cut and paste of a Planned Parenthood page that lists companies, including Lutheran Brotherhood and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, that matched employee contributions to Planned Parenthood:

http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20070622165912/http://www.cogforlife.org/ppsupporters.htm

***

GJ - Timid Lutherans think I am wrong for employing polemics. They are quick to find fault with me, but what have their compromises yielded?

The ironic thing is that Hans Fiene and James Sharp jumped on me right away, and Hans un-friended me very quickly. Why not apply the same intolerance to abortion and the Lavender Mafia?

The "conservative" Lutherans are no longer horrified over abortion, but they are terrified about losing a few Thrivent bucks.

Bruce Church likes the details I add to graphics, like Thrivent Chaplain Mark Jeske grinning in the background,
the Jimmy Carter insert,and SUCKERS printed on the check.
Subtlety - I have it.

---

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Holding the Line Means a Slow Retreat For the Olde...":

YAWN!

http://www.catholic-forum.com/forums/showthread.php?2058-Businesses-that-support-abortion&s=4a7262c630a26330e9d81c83be57dc79&p=19728#post19728

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

WordAlone - Sexuality task force member reflects on being a cwa member

WordAlone - Sexuality task force member reflects on being a cwa member

As a local bishop, Mark Hanson made sure Anita Hill was ordained.
This action was the beginning of his rise to ELCA bishop and everything that followed.
David Preus and James Crumley now regret the merger, but they enabled the activists.

Sexuality task force member...

...reflects on being a CWA member

Bishop Martin Wells asked those who attended the 2003 Churchwide Assembly in Milwaukee, Wis., to summarize our experiences at churchwide for the benefit of our folks here in the Eastern Washington - Idaho Synod. Here is what I sent to him.– Lou Hesse, Moses Lake, Wash. [A layman serving on the Sexuality Task Force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)]

September 12, 2003

First of all, I would like to thank the voting members of the Eastern Washington - Idaho synod for electing me to go as a voting member to the 2003 Churchwide Assembly (CWA) in Milwaukee, Wis. It was an interesting experience and gave me several new insights that should prove helpful on my work for the church on the Sexuality Task Force.

A highlight of the assembly for me was developing closer relationships with other folk. I personally had a number of conversations with people from all over the country about the sexuality issues and other matters of churchwide significance. It was also wonderful to get to know the other members of our "delegation" (although we are not delegates, but voting members, we were always reminded).

Ultimately I think that our personal relationships with our Lord and our neighbors are more meaningful to our faith, and are really what our lives in Christ are all about.

There were many spirits at work in Milwaukee. I arrived late at the assembly due to prior commitments and ended up missing opening worship, but arriving early for lunch. Some of us ended up at a table with an Hispanic fellow who got to telling us about the difficulty of getting a pastor to serve their community. The gist of the conversation was that because of issues of power, wealth, etc., his folks had only had communion eight times in 15 years, because they couldn't get a pastor to preside. Some of us were appalled to the point of telling him to gather the community and have the community choose one of their own to preside at the table. This was probably the most Spirit-filled moment for me at Churchwide, and though it was consistent with our synodical position and Luther's writings on lay presidency, what we told him to do was a clear violation of ELCA policy. The Hispanic fellow thanked us and said the Spirit had guided us to his table.

As to assembly action itself, I think a different spirit prevailed. On questions involving the decentralization of power and authority, I consistently voted for empowering the congregational or synodical expressions of the church. This Churchwide Assembly, however, chose not to share power with anyone.

The ELCA leadership seems to have a different perspective on leadership and power than I do. Power is to be tightly held by "leaders" because, as was stated in the debate several times, congregations or synods "would not vote the same" on these issues. I was surprised by the open, prideful, arrogance at Churchwide, where the opinion that the spirit works most significantly through them is dominant. This kind of thinking I would expect from the Papacy, but I was shocked at finding it so prevalent at Churchwide. In my view, when power is more important than servanthood, we are dealing with the spirit of anti-Christ.

A vote was taken on whether or not to delay the 2005 recommendations from the Sexuality Task Force regarding homosexual practice until after the 2007 vote on a social statement on sexuality in general. While this has much to commend it from the idea of establishing general principles before moving to specific questions, I voted against changing the timeline.

During the presentation on the ELCA budget, a pair of graphs was displayed which showed trends in national membership and benevolence.

Though unstated, it was clear that every time the church has not given a firm "no" to matters concerning homosexual practice, we suffer an increasing rate of membership and benevolence loss. Likewise, when we reaffirmed a more traditional stance regarding homosexual practice in 1994, membership loss slowed and benevolence actually increased. The longer this question is left unresolved, the more damage is done to the church.

As Bishop Hanson pointed out in his final address, the next two years may be the most difficult years the ELCA will experience since its formation. If the issues under consideration mean anything to you, please make your voice heard as clearly as possible at all levels and expressions of the church.

On a number of other issues, the Churchwide Assembly continued to behave as one voting member from Pennsylvania put it, "as the left wing of the Democratic Party gathered in prayer." Implicit in the positions taken in the area of government policy advocacy is the idea that no true Christian could possibly be a political conservative. For all of the talk of "inclusion," the ELCA has a lot of exclusionary policy.

As an example, our new social statement on Health Care calls for all of us to advocate for universal health care.

I'm not a fan of top-down management programs, whether they be Soviet five-year plans for agriculture, the new ELCA evangelism strategy, or strategic plan. I opposed these types of measures that mandate certain policies and actions from local congregations without significant input or empowering of the local expressions. Local decision-makers are nearly always better versed in local options to deal with issues than some far-away person in Chicago or Washington, D.C., might be.

There was a lot of talk of "community," "unity," "inclusion," "advocacy," but I didn't hear much about repentance, one's personal relationship with Jesus Christ, or a need to proclaim the Good News of the death and resurrection of our Lord for the forgiveness of our sins.

Indeed, it was only by a late amendment that "Bible study" was included as an element of the Churchwide Evangelism Strategy. There was plenty of choreographed pomp and pageantry, and people seemed sincerely pious, but ultimately I was disappointed and disturbed by my first time experience at a Churchwide Assembly.

They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out, in order that you may seek them. Gal 4:17

They eagerly seek you, not commendably, but they wish to shut you out, in order that you may seek them. Gal 4:17

Prove Your Accusations!You Are a Bad Person, So I Will Not Respond to the Evidence

More satire! The animation guy un-friended me for showing how Missouri is in fellowship with ELCA and helping to advocate abortion.

I am having an experience which repeats many others. On Facebook a Missouri Synod pastor posted some satire about the difference between Missouri and ELCA. I was working on that with Patsy Leppien when he was still on a trike.

I said it was funny but why stay in fellowship with ELCA? That set off some initial denials from the animation pastor and another Missouri pastor, plus some mocking and accusing statements. I pointed out what Missouri supported by virtue of working with Thrivent, ELCA, and LWR.

Next came the accusations. I was not allowed to say that about abortion and working with ELCA unless I could prove what they should have known as pastors.

Readers know about WELS and Missouri working with ELCA from many different previous posts. I am going to copy and paste so all the content is here for people to read.

WELS Lutherans for Life and Dating Service offered this:

Lutheran Brotherhood Drops Contest That Awarded Pro-Abortion Letter

[Source: LifeNews.com, June 20, 2001]

[Pro-Life Infonet Note: In the April 23, 2001 edition of the Pro-Life Infonet (#2411 ), we reported on an essay contest sponsored by the Lutheran Brotherhood. One of the winners of this contest was a Washington state teen who authored a letter to pro-abortion U.S. Rep. Jennifer Dunn. In his letter, the boy lobbied Dunn to permanently legalize abortion so that parents would have the right to abort unborn children that, through genetic screening, are found to have severe illnesses or disabilities. Hundreds of Pro-Life Infonet readers flooded the Lutheran Brotherhood with calls and emails to express their outrage.

We're pleased to include the following letter from Brad Mattes to the Pro-Life Infonet after tremendous follow-up with Lutheran Brotherhood on his part. Mr. Mattes reports that the Lutheran Brotherhood will no longer participate in the contest in which this student won. Please contact the Lutheran Brotherhood and thank them for taking this action: Lutheran Brotherhood, 625 Fourth Ave. South, Minneapolis, MN 55415, 1-800-990-6290, or email www.cic@luthbro.com or see their web site at http://www.luthbro.com.]

From Brad Mattes:

Sometimes justice and good win out. That has been the case with Lutheran Brotherhood. Perhaps you remember that LB awarded a student a statewide honor for his essay promoting abortion for handicapped babies. The student and his mother were flown to Washington, DC to learn how to lobby on behalf of his pro-abortion political agenda.

Public outcry was substantial and swift, especially on the part of fellow Lutherans. LB was inundated with calls and e-mails condemning this action. As a long-time client of LB, I spent the next several weeks in phone conversations with David Rustad, Manager of Public Relations for LB During those conversations we discussed how their motto, "Linking Faith Values and Money", was not compatible with their latest action. I explained that there would be an aggressive boycott of LB because thousands of us felt betrayed, and, more importantly, their action was contrary to God's will. Several corporations have made the grave mistake of underestimating their customers' dedication to the plight of unborn babies.

I am very happy to report that LB has terminated the controversial program, RespecTeen, as of June 15. LB's reaction was exactly what was asked of them by their pro-life customers. David's letter [to me] reflected a proper attitude on behalf of the company - repentance for their sin. We can, in good conscience, do business with LB, knowing that they now understand the importance of the issue of abortion, as well as other potential controversial issues.

Thanks to all of you who contacted LB. There is no doubt in my mind, after talking with LB representatives, that this truly made the difference! THANK YOU!

Please share this e-mail with those who are aware of LB's mistake, letting them know that LB has made good.

Sincerely for innocent life,
Bradley Mattes, Executive Director
Life Issues Institute

[LifeNews.com— June 21, 2001]

Reprinted with permission by LifeNews.com.

Michele Malkin, a dependable conservative, wrote this:

President Bush posed for pictures this week with a group of politically active teenagers. They were winners of a nationwide letter-writing contest called "RespecTeen Speak for Yourself." The youths received free trips to Washington, D.C., and a chance to meet with members of Congress to push their pet causes. If President Bush had actually read some of the letters from the teen lobbyists-in-training, he would not have had much reason to smile. The award-winning essays supported gun control, opposed educational vouchers for poor children and decried drilling in the Arctic refuge. One of the most disturbing letters came from an eighth-grader in Washington state who pleaded with his congresswoman to make abortion "a guaranteed right." Fourteen-year-old James Humphrey's letter to Rep. Jennifer Dunn, R-WA, was chosen for its "quality and clarity of thought, argument, supporting data, expression, sincerity and originality." He may have been sincere, but his arguments are far from original. I requested a copy of Humphrey's letter from Lutheran Brotherhood, the contest's sponsor. Here's what he wrote: "Abortion needs to be a guaranteed right. New research being conducted in the field of genetics will soon make it possible for a parent to know whether their (sic) child will be born with a serious disease or disability. In the past, this was possible for only a few diseases, but groundbreaking discoveries in the last six months are opening doorways for 'early warning' for devastating diseases." Humphrey goes on to describe the plight of a friend whose young sister died of Rhett's Syndrome. "She couldn't walk, or talk. She had constant seizures, frequent pneumonia, and hardly slept at night ... Her family loved her, but life was exhausting and heartbreaking." Humphrey's friend, he says, "should have the right to decide whether she wants to give birth to a daughter with the disease. I also expect to have the right to make this choice with my future wife. I have an autistic brother ... No one should tell me I have to have a child with this disorder." The letter concludes: "I call for action on your part to help permanently legalize abortion so tragedies like these can be averted and more people do not need to live like this." The pro-abortion movement and the self-centered language of "choice" have so dominated the public conscience that it seems mean-spirited to question the boy's dangerously misguided compassion. We have become obsessed with quality of life at the expense of the sanctity of life. But championing abortion as a government-sponsored method to "avert tragedies" -- that is, to kill undesirable babies -- is not the sign of a merciful society. It is the sign of a cruelly utilitarian one that views "less-than-perfect" human beings as burdensome and disposable.

***

GJ - The responses, within a short period of time, have been, "Life insurance fellowship. Oh noes." And there is the familiar - that was a long time ago, and it was LB, not Thrivent.

Amnesia is a great argument. On TV, they are investigating unsolved murders from 20 to 40 years ago, as cold cases. In the "conservative" Lutheran synods, a church worker murdering his wife is "old news."

LB merged into Thrivent years ago, so that does not count. The boy got his award years ago, so that is irrelevant.

What matters is maintaining a superior attitude toward ELCA while partnering with ELCA in every possible way, staying silent because they are very touchy about criticism.

When Patsy Leppien's book, What's Going On Among Lutherans?, came out, a local Christian book store featured it.

The ELCA pastors saw that and said to the store owner, "If you handle that book, we will stop buying here." The store owner bowed to the boycott.

The "conservative" Lutherans would never do that, because they prefer sanctimony to sanctification.

Churchmouse Campanologist turns 2 today, thanks to you! « Churchmouse Campanologist

Churchmouse Campanologist turns 2 today, thanks to you! « Churchmouse Campanologist

Today, March 17, 2011, Churchmouse Campanologistcelebrated its second anniversary.

May I take this opportunity to thank my loyal readers, subscribers, those who have kindly referenced my posts on their own sites and others who have generously included me on their blogrolls!  I very much appreciate your interest and support!  Also notable were the 34 views from the Holy See (the Vatican) during the past year (check my ClustrMap on the home page before May 2011, at which time I get a new one).

Outside of the Home and About page views, here is a Top 10 listing of posts you have read during the past year, starting from the most popular: Read more at the link.

*** GJ -

Happy Birthday, Church Mouse! No other blog on my list is more productive than CM.

I wrote to CM to note that his Mother Theresa post is consistently listed as one of the top posts on Ichabod, beating out ones from many months before.

His posts are worth reading.

New Bible draws critics of gender-neutral language - Yahoo! News

New Bible draws critics of gender-neutral language - Yahoo! News


AP – Copies of the New International Version Bible is displayed in a book store on Thursday, March 17, 2011, …
– Thu Mar 17, 11:20 pm ET
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In the old translation of the world's most popular Bible, John the Evangelist declares: "If anyone says, 'I love God,' yet hates his brother, he is a liar." Make that "brother or sister" in a new translation that includes more gender-neutral language and is drawing criticism from some conservatives who argue the changes can alter the theological message.

The 2011 translation of the New International Version Bible, or NIV, does not change pronouns referring to God, who remains "He" and "the Father." But it does aim to avoid using "he" or "him" as the default reference to an unspecified person.

The NIV Bible is used by many of the largest Protestant faiths. The translation comes from an independent group of biblical scholars that has been meeting yearly since 1965 to discuss advances in biblical scholarship and changes in English usage.

Before the new translation even hit stores, it drew opposition from the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, an organization that believes women should submit to their husbands in the home and only men can hold some leadership roles in the church.

***

GJ - The current FICL, I am told, says WELS is going for the new NIV.

WELS has been hag-ridden ever since they lost Dorothy Sonntag, Richard Stadler, and Iver Johnson.

To make up for this incalculable loss, they created a feminist hymnal with feminist Creeds, plus various lobbying groups to make WELS safe for women's ordination. The Brug monstrosity has once again verified that women's ordination is A-OK. He already published that many years ago, but it is direct from God when such opinions appear in a hard-bound book from NPH.

Schmauk Has the Best Observation about the Anti-Confessional Attitude Prevailing Today

Schmauk: The modern radical spirit which would sweep away the Formula of Concord as a Confession of the Church, will not, in the end, be curbed, until it has swept away the Augsburg Confession, and the ancient Confessions of the Church--yea, not until it has crossed the borders of Scripture itself, and swept out of the Word whatsoever is not in accord with its own critical mode of thinking. The far-sighted rationalist theologian and Dresden court preacher, Ammon, grasped the logic of a mere spirit of progress, when he said: "Experience teaches us that those who reject a Creed, will speedily reject the Scriptures themselves."
Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: General Council Publication Board, 1911, p. 685.


Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Very Important - Matters of Indifference - Adiapho...":

so-called matters of indifference may NOT be used during a doctrinal crisis

No Confessional doctrine, no crisis. Know Confessional doctrine, know the crisis.

After many years in the (W)ELS my in-laws now tell me that the Lutheran Confessions were written by sinful men who could have easily made mistakes in the Book of Concord. My reference then to the BOC is questionable at best. They say, look at these pastors who you disagree with, they have over 8 years of college and seminary training, who are you to question or disagree with them. There are twelve different opinions of what the Bible says, how can you say you know and confess the right one?

According to the current (W)ELS belief system God is no longer the authority, the BOC is just another book, Scripture is muddy and gray, the clergy are the authority and their judgment is what sets the norm for doctrine and practice.

It's a pathetic and painful sight.

The Lord's will be done.

***

GJ - If the pastors who went through seven years of training (plus a vicarage year) are so highly educated, then what does that say about someone who has studied that much and more, earning three additional academic degrees? The Olde Syn Conference discounts such an argument because my education is not repeat-after-me training. Worse - I never attended Fuller Seminary, although I visited a CG seminar and went observed Willow Creek and Saddleback, on purpose. I have identified their Lutheran leaders' statements, which are in complete harmony with the Enthusiasts.

The most pernicious argument is this one:

There are twelve different opinions of what the Bible says, how can you say you know and confess the right one?

Mormons use that logic, and so do the Roman Catholics. Both claim that there must be a defining authority. Mormons pretend it is the Book of Mormon, but it is really their weird priesthood (very WELS-like). The Roman Catholic Church finds clarity in the pope's infallible pronouncements (not unlike the ELS).

The bolded statement in red is contrary to the Word of God itself. The Scriptures are the Book of the Holy Spirit, the only revealed will of God. Does God speak with such confusion and lack of clarity that no one can determine what He is saying in His Word? The WELS low-archy would like people to think so. Jay Webber has said as much, claiming that UOJ has to be carefully presented so that the unwashed can grasp it. This repeat-after-me training, which works so well with seals, will always lead people astray.

The Word of God is so clear that anyone can understand and believe in the Christian faith from studying the Scriptures in translation, although bad ones like the NIV, ESV, and RSV distort the clear doctrines on purpose (just as the original RSV from the National Council of Churches changed the Virgin Birth of Isaiah 7:14).

To claim that the barely educated WELS clergy know doctrine better than the laity is a slander against all laity. The laity are not blinded by years of hazing, but want to study and learn for themselves why apostasy is on the throne, truth on the scaffold. The clergy worry about future calls and being undermined in their current ones.

The statement merely shows that the Syn Conference clergy have trained conforming members to be opposed to the Lutheran Confessions. Pietism hates the Book of Concord but loves Fuller, NorthPoint, and Willow Creek.

---

"Shall we permit this to be done! in the name of Christian unity! and by a latitudinarianism that is our own heritage, which rises ever anew from the embers of the past to find such veiled support and strength in the citadel of Zion that Confessionalism is told to whisper low in Jerusalem lest she be heard on the streets of Gath."
Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: 1911, p. 941.

"Is the Lord's Supper the place to display my toleration, my Christian sympathy, or my fellowship with another Christian, when that is the very point in which most of all we differ; and in which the difference means for me everything--means for me, the reception of the Savior's atonement? Is this the point to be selected for the display of Christian union, when in fact it is the very point in which Christian union does not exist?"
Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: 1911, p. 905f.

"The modern radical spirit which would sweep away the Formula of Concord as a Confession of the Church, will not, in the end, be curbed, until it has swept away the Augsburg Confession, and the ancient Confessions of the Church--yea, not until it has crossed the borders of Scripture itself, and swept out of the Word whatsoever is not in accord with its own critical mode of thinking. The far-sighted rationalist theologian and Dresden court preacher, Ammon, grasped the logic of a mere spirit of progress, when he said: 'Experience teaches us that those who reject a Creed, will speedily reject the Scriptures themselves.'"
Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: General Council Publication Board, 1911, p. 685. Trinity

"The real question is not what do you subscribe, but what do you believe and publicly teach, and what are you transmitting to those who come after? If it is the complete Lutheran faith and practice, the name and number of the standards is less important. If it is not, the burden of proof rests upon you to show that your more incomplete standard does not indicate an incomplete Lutheran faith."
Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: 1911, p. 890.

[Selnecker, who wrote "Ach bleib bei uns" (TLH #292) was bitterly attacked and severely persecuted by the Reformed, deposed when Augustus died, reduced to poverty, and not allowed to remain in Leipzig as a private citizen.]
Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: General Council Publication Board, 1911, p. 310ff.

Very Important - Matters of Indifference - Adiaphora

I wonder how many WELS pastors could talk five minutes about Melanchthon.

The Intrepids are showing some leadership by bringing up adiaphora.

More basic to getting justification right is returning to the Lutheran Confessions. I am not sure justification by faith can be discussed intelligently - as long as conference papers by nitwits and faculty books by politicians are the norma normans (ruling norm) of doctrine. Missouri has the same problem, of course. So does the Little Sect. Missouri decided that 1932 was the high point in Lutheran theology and made that particular Brief Statement (among others) their ultimate statement. For some reason, the ELS also agrees with that peculiar and anti-Confessional attitude.

WELS continues to use the adiaphora term to excuse doing whatever they wanted, especially when it came to imitating the worship of Enthusiasts. The Doctrinal Pussycats are quick to latch onto this, showing how unqualified they are to lead.

For example, DP Buchholz continues to "work on" the Church and Change parish, CrossWalk, after three years of muttering threats. The only result has been Gunn and two members elevated to the board of Willowcreek's Liberal College in Milwaukee. And CrossWalk is not even a WELS congregation (unless they slipped it in, without emailing me first).

Buchholz claims there is no Universalism in WELS, but he gave convention paper where he taught Universalism. And that was supposed to be a critique of Kokomo Universalism.

Therefore, the qualifications for a WELS DP not only include "knowing not" but also "knowing not that he knows not." The phrasing is kelmed from Plato, who foresaw people looking at shadows of figures inside the cave as reality and resisting looking outside into the sun. The cave analogy should be called the WELS analogy.

The Key Point of Adiaphora
Those who use adiaphora to justify their spikey hair, jeans, and bad pop music are only proving they have never read the Confessions with discernment.

Since this adiaphora evasion was used during the Interim period, when the Romanists were dominant, the Formula of Concord clearly shows that these so-called matters of indifference may NOT be used during a doctrinal crisis when those rituals are associated with false teachers.

When Olde Syn Conference pastors imitate Willow Creek, Mars Hill, Granger, and NorthPoint, they are violating the Formula of Concord. They clearly identify with those Enthusiasts in worship style and in doctrine. To prove my point, Glende and Ski and Parlow and many others have given the sermons of the Enthusiasts, often verbatim. Doctrinal retreaters like Englebrecht support it.

This one passage shows that the Olde Syn Conference leaders have been and remain in violation of the Formula of Concord, no matter what they claim about their quia subscription to the Book of Concord.

Article X, Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration

10] We believe, teach, and confess also that at the time of confession [when a confession of the heavenly truth is required], when the enemies of God's Word desire to suppress the pure doctrine of the holy Gospel, the entire congregation of God, yea, every Christian, but especially the ministers of the Word, as the leaders of the congregation of God [as those whom God has appointed to rule His Church], are bound by God's Word to confess freely and openly the [godly] doctrine, and what belongs to the whole of [pure] religion, not only in words, but also in works and with deeds; and that then, in this case, even in such [things truly and of themselves] adiaphora, they must not yield to the adversaries, or permit these [adiaphora] to be forced upon them by their enemies, whether by violence or cunning, to the detriment of the true worship of God and the introduction and sanction of idolatry. 11] For it is written, Gal. 5:1: Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not again entangled in the yoke of bondage. Also Gal. 2:4f : And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage; to whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour, that the truth of the Gospel might continue with you.