Someone was being rather free with criticism about this harmless little blog. Of course, I never heard from the original speaker, since Matthew 18 does not apply to WELS. So I heard it from someone else. That is the way it happens. People feed their criticism to someone in contact with me. How daring. How brave. My email address is posted, and I check that account regularly.
That has happened more than once lately, so I have a response to the critics:
"You should not be reaching Ichabod in the first place."
In the SynConference, reading this blog is a cardinal sin. The transgression is so great that entire classes at Martin Luther (sic) College have been told not to read it.
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Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "An Answer to the Critics":
Ichabod -
Those who are quick to criticize this blog and its author, don't have the courage to submit their comments. I believe that their excuse is: "Why should we dare comment on it and give it any credibility?" Such, is a smug and holier-than-thou attitude. But, be that as it may behind the scenes, they tremble, knowing that they aren't as holy as they would like to make themselves be.
But, be that as it may - why would a Lutheran church body who has a synodical Bible study on the Romans 12 gifts; and in that study restricts one of those gifts to be only "encouragement;" why would they not desire to interpret it more carefully? It's because they don't want to recognize the gift of "exhortation," which also can be interpreted as "rebuke," such as Paul stood face to face with Peter.
So, then, the Lutheran synod practice is to insulate the synod from any type of viable criticism. Go about one's business and continue as holier-than-thou.
Nathan M. Bickel
www.thechristianmessage.org
www.moralmatters.org
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GJ - WELS specializes in rebuking everyone for what it does. See the Hochmuth/Schroeder letter against ELCA about homosexuality.
Then look above. WELS denounces everyone and the ELS for unionism, but the only qualification for Larry Olson teaching is a drive-by DMin from Fuller Seminary. In fact, that is what MLC and WELS consider the prime qualification - a bended knee before Church Growth, a bent back bowing to Donald McGavran.
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Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "An Answer to the Critics":
Dr. Jackson -
You say in your response comment:
".....Then look above. WELS denounces everyone and the ELS for unionism,......."
Then, I ask: How come WELS does not practice what it preaches and denounce the WELS head cheese pastor who is on the Thrivent board and who has the Internet program where he weekly conveys his "fireside chat" (type), devotion? If my memory recall serves me correctly, the one message I commented on had the Rev. Mark Jeske comitting unionism, by praying with the mixed cyberspace [online] audience.
http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2012/07/promoting-mark-jeske.html
Nathan M. Bickel
www.thechristianmessage.org
www.moralmatters.org
