Friday, January 27, 2012

Under the Radar a Bit, But Not Completely Stealth.
WELS Program

E12 is another gimmick, not exactly secret.



Get this!  A friend of mine was put on this email list by pure chance.  He belongs to a conservative WELS church which is fighting against the systemic rot within the WELS.  Notice that the WELS only sends some information to some people.  (I highlighted the text to which I'm referring.)  Am I too cynical to suggest that whoever sends these emails is selectively sending the more Enthusiastic transmissions to the more Enthusiastic churches???  NO! I am being realistic.  The WELS continues to play Stalin-type games with their information--a key reason why the overwhelmingly conservative-leaning laity are continually losing ground in the fight against pentacostal-baptistalicious-happy-clappy-hipster-dufus-good-times-rock 'n roll Theology.

But do not worry.  The power of the Spirit in the Word is greater than the machinations of the WELsian idiots who are Enthusiastic.  The Truth will continue on.  The real challenge for the Orthodox WELS congregations lies in the necessity to leave the WELS should it become too goofy.  It is rapidly becoming too goofy.

(Don't transmit my name or moniker in any way:  My employer prohibits me from participating in WEB 2.0.  My job has nothing to do with theology but regardless they don't want me posting anywhere...)

----- Forwarded Message -----

Sent:
Thursday, January 26, 2012 10:38 PM
Subject: Fw: E12 Program-- For Ichabod- note how not everyone gets everything they are sending- I told them I would be the graphics guy- ha!


----- Original Message -----

Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 4:58 PM
Subject: E12 Program




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Commission for Congregational Counseling
Welcome to E12

Grace and peace to you, my Christian friends.

If you are receiving this, then you have been registered to participate in E12, a worship-outreach-leadership program that focuses on Easter Sunday 2012.
E12 is offered by the WELS Commission for Congregational Counseling (CCC).  The stated purpose of the CCC is “to assist WELS congregations to assess and evaluate ministry, review biblical teachings and principles that impact ministry, develop plans to adjust and expand ministry in appropriate ways, and carry out their plans over a period of time.”   The E12 program is designed to do just that.  


  • assist WELS congregations to assess and evaluate ministry…– E12 will help congregations look at the way they are approaching two key areas of ministry: worship and outreach.  These two important tasks are different, yet are united in that both proclaim the promise of God’s grace in Christ Jesus.   
  • review biblical teachings and principles that impact ministry...  – The E12 program will include articles and studies drawn from both God’s Word and the Lutheran Confessions for both personal and group study.
  • develop plans to adjust and expand ministry in appropriate ways… – E12 will provide a variety of resources and ideas which can be used to enhance your worship and outreach efforts.  E12 will also provide leadership training in these areas in order to better equip the saints for Kingdom work.  
  • carry out their plans over a period of time… - E12 will run for four months providing ongoing encouragement and resources, with the focal point being Easter Sunday 2012.   It will also provide modules to help churches to plan and duplicate their E12 efforts on their own in future years.    
At the time of this writing, there are individuals from close to 500 congregations receiving E12 materials.  There are over 2600 registered e-mail recipients: pastors, teachers, lay-leaders, etc.   If you know of an individual or congregation that would like to register for E12, they may still do so by sending an e-mail to welseaster12@gmail.comor by going to www.easter12.com.  

Please note, in the coming weeks, not everyone will receive every e-mailing.   So do not be alarmed if someone says they received something, but you did not.  Materials for worship planners will go only to them, outreach materials to outreach personnel, etc.  Pastors and church presidents will be copied on everything.  Thus, E12 is meant to illustrate how various areas of ministry can cooperate and coordinate with each other, all in service of the Gospel.   People with varied gifts and different responsibilities will be working toward one common goal – to proclaim the risen Lord boldly.    Every member of the congregation will have something to do (at the very least, pray) in these efforts.  We make these efforts, not because Christ needs them.  We make them, because Christ privileges and empowers us to do so.  It is an honor to be fellow workers with Christ and with one another in this great mission.

It is also an honor to serve you, Christian friends.   We on the CCC pray that through this program, Christ would bless you in all your Easter efforts.    

Copyright © 2012 Commission for Congregational Counseling, All rights reserved.
Thank you for registering to participate in the E12 program
Our mailing address is:
Commission for Congregational Counseling
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
2929 N Mayfair Road
Milwaukee, WI, WI 53222

Add us to your address book

---



AC V has left a new comment on your post "Under the Radar a Bit, But Not Completely Stealth....":


WAY too formulaic and Church Growth Method speak, i.e. "Do this = get that." If "Do this = get that" does not work for you, YOU are the problem. 

Tim Glende Has Run Out of Material

Ski and Glende fed their muzzles at the Mark Driscoll worship conference.
They also studied under Babtist Andy Stanley and the yahoos at
Granger Community Church, where they ran into a former member of Jeske's congregation.


Glende's bi-monthly copycat blog:
Groveling for Money
How do you spell hypocrisy? We spell it G-r-e-g J-a-c-k-s-o-n. Dr. Gregory L. Jackson on his blog Ichabod the Glory Has Departed now has a PayPal contribution button. This is from the man who criticizes incessantly the requests for funds from legitimate ministries. For someone who attacks others for asking for funds, it's laughable, if not absurd, for this fake pastor and his fake church to be asking for handouts via the web.

***

GJ - Glende's style is remarkably like Paul McCain's, but all the UOJ fanatics write the same way, blundering from one self-inflicted wound to another.

Lito Cruz, PhD, asked me to set up PayPal because it is difficult, slow, and expensive to send money from one country to another. Sometimes people send me money to buy a group of books. With PayPal, the sending is easy and fast. Mail is already much slower under Obama, and it will surely get even slower in the future.

We are very tiny and inconsequential. "No one reads Ichabod," but the phoney blogger takes note of many different posts. The rotten apples of Appleton are constantly  reading this blog. Note the Fox Valley light glowing on the map and the real-time counts on Feedjit.

WELS Director of Communications, Joel Hochmuth - instantly forgiven by WELS.


Glende defended SP Schroeder's snow-job on the Joel Hochmuth arrest, but deception is the basic Church and Change modus operandi. WELS finally made the national news - for having its Director of Communications arrested and charged with the distribution of man-boy rape photos and videos. WELS assured the admitted felon that he was forgiven, and Hochmuth pleaded not-guilty (UOJ plea).

Glende and Ski have quite the scheme going in Fox Valley. They are spending enormous sums of money to have an evening Emergent Church service in the same building as another Emergent Church service. Their only purpose is to skim members from local WELS congregations and to plagiarize Craig Groeschel's clownish sermons. They are "passionate about sharing Jesus" so they excommunicate anyone who questions their lies and plagiarism.

How much money have they spent? Do they report the source for all that loot and a line item budget for how it is spent?

Soon they will need a bail bondsman rather than a PayPal.


Ichabod readers and Jeske fans alike need to see the hate-filled venom from the Church and Changers, the UOJ "everyone-is-forgiven" tribe.

---

LPC has left a new comment on your post "Tim Glende Has Run Out of Material":

There is a universe of difference for the minister asking for money and scaring people that if they do not give, God's work will go under and that God will take them, ala Oral Roberts.

In Dr. Greg's case, it is the people who like to give without him soliciting.

The warped logic of UOJers leaves me most times speechless.

LPC

---

Febreeze has left a new comment on your post "Tim Glende Has Run Out of Material":

I posted this on their website and I'm posting it here because I'm not sure if it will be published:

"The WELS wouldn't dare give me free books (shipping included) and be readily available to discuss Justification with me from an honest view of the Scriptures and Confessions.

I've tried to discuss UOJ with WELS pastors before. In one case he never responded to my email (what great pastoral care for an honestly concerned layman). In other cases they just used out of context Scripture passages and S. Becker quotes.

Trust me, I've had to do the research on my own to see who was right. From one side all I heard is that Greg Jackson is a heretic who is the Devil himself and on the other I hear that the entire world has been justified when Christ died and/or rose from the dead (which is a teaching that is contrary to what I've been taught Rom. 16:17).

I've come to the conclusion that UOJ is a false teaching."

---

Tim Glende grew up in this Masonic congregation.

Synodical Conference Road Signs

This may look like satire,
but it is a true picture of the Synodical Conference today.

WELS Church and Change Basics.
Milwaukee Members Are Waking Up to Reality

District VP Don Patterson denied he was Church and Change,
but he went to this conference and gave a presentation at another.
When Changer John Lawrenz wrote on the C and C list-serve,
Patterson cooed, "Pure gold."
Here is the PDF for the 2009 conference. Don't worry. If they remove it, I saved it and can reproduce it as a Word document, PNGs, or both. It is safe to say that most of the speakers are Church and Change Fellow Travelers. A few may be useful idiots. You will hear people deny their connections. If so, why have they worked so hard with these heretics?

Notice the URL for the brochure -

http://www.churchandchange.org/home/2384/2384/file/C&C%20program_color.pdf

As of today, the website is still active and working, but the links are hidden from view. But WELS innocents have been told there is no Church and Change. The appearance is - everything is gone. The reality is just the opposite.

Lookee here - the 2007 Church and Change conference is also preserved. Here is the URL:

http://www.churchandchange.org/home/2384/2384/files/CanCprogram.Web.pdf

I saved that one too.

Ski and Glende excommunicated a member for asking questions about all this. Here he is again.

Leonard Sweet is a New Age Methodist,
but WELS and Missouri devour his Dreck.

Oh! Oh! Here is a question about Leonard Sweet speaking in 2005. I have copied this far down on the page, because someone may de-rez this on the Net.




WELS Church and Change, Purpose

Church and Change is a growing group of WELS Christians who desire to think and work like the Apostle Paul who said, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some."  The Church and Change group is interested in practicing and promoting innovation in ministry methods throughout the WELS especially at the "grass roots" level.

Some in WELS live and breathe music.  Some history.  Some church libraries, or mission festivals, or prison ministry, or limiting abortion.  Good! God uses all effort by his people to his glory.  Church and Change is group of committed WELS Christians who live and breathe innovation in ministry across all spectrums.  Church and Change folk are committed to Lutheran Theology as explained in the Lutheran Confessions.  However, they are thinking about, working with, and pioneering different ways to reach more people, more often, with the gospel so the Holy Spirit can do His thing.  [GJ - Just one question. What moron wrote this paragraph?]

Innovation in methodology is yesterday's news in the WELS.  Pastors, teachers, synod administrators, worker training leaders, home and world missionaries, worship leaders, computer buffs, and countless local laymen and laywomen, have been tweaking (and/or radically changing) ministry methods for years.  In every WELS generation God has raised up men and women, for reasons known only to Him, who are interested in pushing the envelope of "gospel delivery systems."  And this, long before concepts like "English" or "radio ministry" or "Parish Assistance," or "paradigm" or "long distance learning" entered WELS thinking or culture.

The goal of Church and Change is to provide a gathering point, a "home room" for WELS innovators.  Perhaps this is the same need felt by the WELS Church Librarians which led them to gather for support, encouragement, and well -- good old fashioned fellowship - one of the greatest assets in the WELS.  Do WELS administrators and WELS laypeople know about each other's efforts at innovation? The purpose of Church and Change includes inviting WELS innovators to communicate with one another, and work together where possible to avoid duplication of effort which wastes God's resources.

The world is changing rapidly.  Who are the innovators of today who will help us "make the leap from German to English" in this generation?  Hopefully, Church and Change can encourage the process of helping WELS ministries keep pace with our rapidly changing culture in America, and around the shrinking globe.

If you are currently serving as an innovator in your WELS ministry, please join us.  Encourage us.  Pray for us.  Let us know what you are learning these days.  We will happily do the same for you.



The Secret History of Church and Change: No Names Given


In 1995, a group of about 10-12 men [GJ - who?] gathered at Wisconsin Lutheran College to discuss current methods of sharing Jesus which were commonly being used in the WELS at that time.  Many at the first meeting felt that those methods of sharing Jesus were not “keeping up with” the rate of change in society.  The message of the Bible was not, therefore, penetrating society very well. [GJ - Cuz the Word cannot do it without Schwaermer help.]

John Parlow, Willow Creek Ministerium member,
attended Drive 08's Babtist Worship conference,
with Ski, Glende, Jim Buske - 8 WELS workers in all.
"Dr?" Steve Witte - Gordon Conwell quickie degree, so
he could be president of the Asian porta-seminary.

 
In 1998 two men [GJ - who?] who had attended the first meeting planned a Church and Change conference in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  The next year there was a second conference in Green Bay.  About 20 people attended each year. [GJ - Witte and Parlow, doubtless, the rotten apples in Appleton]



In May 2001, WELS Parish Services applied for and received a Forward in Christ grant to conduct a three-year pilot program to address the issues surfaced by the previous two Church and Change conferences.  The three-year pilot program was designed to be a grassroots gathering of individuals who were pioneering new innovative methods of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with a changing culture. [GJ - You suckers paid to get Church and Change going, so they could network for synod, Thrivent, and foundation grants.]

Three annual conferences were planned and held beginning in 2001.  At the first conference, approximately 50 WELS members attended.  The attendance grew to 150 in the second year and 180 in the third year.  By the third year, the attendees included more than just individuals who were actively pioneering new and innovative methods for sharing Jesus.  Many in attendance wanted to learn about how to better share the gospel with the changing culture in which they served.  In addition to the three annual conferences a variety of other workshops and gatherings were held dealing with specific ministry issues such as leadership, worship, and women’s ministry.

At the final conference of the three-year pilot, held in November 2003, the conference participants enthusiastically encouraged the organizers to continue Church and Change.  A steering committee was subsequently formed from among the participants to address the future direction of Church and Change.

From November 2003 until the present the steering committee has met and drafted a proposal that addresses the future of Church and Change. 


---
Ron Ash, Katy Perry, and Tim Glende
are transforming the world with their new methods.

Church and Change Board of Directors - Ski bailed out officially, but was on the board earlier. Bruce Becker was on the board but left officially when this blog uncovered his dual role as head of WELS Parish Services/Church and Change board member. Chairman Ron Ash just happened to be followed at St. Peter's Freedom by Changers Glende and Ski.

Pastor Ron Ash Chairman
Jeff Davis Vice Chairman
Barry Spencer Treasurer
Sarah Owens Secretary
Pastor John Huebner
Brian Arthur Lampe
 
Jeff Davis will help talk your congregation into a ruinous building program,
which he will help fund with law-motivated guilt giving.
Asking about his huge fees will getcha excommunicated at Holy Word, Austin Texas.


GJ - Note how Jeske-centric this board is, with three staff members from St. Marcus - 1. Ski (formerly, taking Bishop Katie, also at St. Marcus, up to Appleton with him), 2. Barry Spencer, and 3. Brian Arthur Lampe, who is a self-appointed pastor with his own ministry business.

The board is also Appleton-based, with Ron Ash (formerly at St. Peter, Freedom) as chairman, Witte and Parlow as founders.

Tracing members and moolah is a good way to see where the power and influence are. At Willowcreek's Liberal College, three members of the board are from a non-WELS congregation - CrossWalk, Luveen, Arizona (Jeff Gunn, Church and Changer). When I published that fact, WLC changed it list of board members to hide parish affiliation. I never heard of a college having three members from the same church running the place.

DP Buchholz will someday discipline Jeff Gunn and kick CrossWalk out of WELS before it actually joins WELS. It part of a 30-year plan. Right now they are on double secret probation.

---



Bailing Water has plenty of information about what has been going on.

---

Paul Calvin Kelm refused to answer his own fellow clergy
when they objected to the Leonard Sweet conference.
Likewise, Ski and Glende block email from anyone who fails to genuflect to them.
"Write a letter," SP Schroeder says.


WELS Q and A

CSCWELS Topical Q&AThe Church and Its MinistryMusic/Worship: Church and Change conference
Most Recently Posted Ask a Question
Q:I recently was sent this copy and I am wondering if this is a WELS sponsered event. I found it a little strange to say the least, especially in some of the noted items such as "Insightful interviews with former WELS members" and the keynote speaker being Leonard Sweet. I know I received a brochure for the WELS Worhip Conference in MN this summer, so I'm wondering what this is, and what is the "Church and Change Steering Committee?" Is there a link on the synod website for the listserv this brochure speaks of?Here is the copy:
2005 Church and Change Conference
November 9-11
Madison, Wisconsin
The 2005 Church and Change Conference will challenge, inspire, and encourage
you as a Christian and as a leader of Christians. But then, when several
hundred creative WELS pacesetters gather around God's Word and share their
ideas, that's what we expect would happen.
We are excited to announce that world-class Christian researcher and
communicator Dr. Leonard Sweet will be the keynote speaker for this year's
conference. He will address the general session all day on Thursday,
November 10. More information about Dr. Sweet can be found at
http://www.leonardsweet.com/biocv.html

In addition to Dr. Sweet, we are putting together 15-18 workshops that will
cover subjects such as:
* New approaches to children's and youth ministry.
* Starting a contemporary worship service.
* New and effective approaches to apologetics (defending what we believe).
* Insightful interviews with former WELS members.
* Women's ministries.
* Small groups.
* Preaching in today's world.
* And much more...
The conference steering committee is interested in hearing about workshop
topics you feel are beneficial for this year's conference. Please share
your suggestions with Barry Spencer at spebar@tds.net.
New to this year's conference will be a Church and Change Exhibit Hall.
This room will feature the latest in ministry resources!
This conference is for innovative Christian leaders like yourself. Please
keep it in your prayers! Mark your calendar now! Invite your friends. And
stay tuned to our Church and Change listserv for information updates in the
coming weeks and months.

A:The Church and Change conference is put on by leaders of a number of WELS congregations, but it is not sponsored by WELS. Church and Change people have, however, reported to our Conference of Presidents in regard to their activities and WELS does send one of its administrators to attend the conference. The Conference of Presidents has in the past urged discretion on the part of all WELS affiliated organizations who use speakers from outside our doctrinal fellowship. We do not have a web link to connect you to information on the speaker.

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Bailing Water discussion on Church and Change, plagiarism.

Waves of Nausea

Fiftieth Anniversary


Why Are Lutherans Pounding the Law?



The Martin Luther College "sermon" brought a flurry of responses, but I also saw a Facebook notice about a church sign. "Do all you can and leave the rest to God." That was LCMS, St. Peter in St. Louis.

The quick answer is, "Flogging people with the Law is the easiest approach. It requires little thought."

Those who know neither Luther nor the Concordists are ignorant of the Gospel. They are like the legendary blind men who encountered an elephant and perceived a wall, a rope, a snake, and a tree trunk - based on feeling it. Naturally, they argued fiercely about their findings.

I noticed from an official write-up that Ft. Wayne had more discoveries about justification by faith. By all means, introduce new variants to add confusion to the poorly educated. Debate. Write papers. Stand up and say, "I found your presentation helpful."

Here is a simple solution.
  1. Use the Men in Black light and erase all memory of seminary notes and lectures, current books, and patriarchs of the ancient sect (which may reach back 170 years).
  2. Yea, even Lenski, for a time. One thing leads to another. Next you will want other crutches.
  3. Work through the early parts of the Augsburg Confession.
  4. Read all of the Large Catechism, which is not that long.
  5. Study the Formula of Concord, one little part at a time.
  6. Read out loud one Luther sermon per week.
  7. Avoid all meetings, especially synodical hot air contests.
  8. Visit members and prospects each day.
  9. Take one day off per week with no parish work, just to be with the family.

That should break the endless loop of grabbing for fads, motivational talks, gimmicks, and other time-wasters.

I have come to the conclusion that the Olde Synodical seminaries should be closed or turned into combined five-year angel factories. Face the demographics. Many schools are going to close in the near future and student debt is already a catastrophe. Boomers wrecked what benefited them, so they should admit their self-centeredness and fix the problem.

One Lutheran told me today they pay $18,000 a year for medical insurance, more for disability and pension, plus a salary, plus a car allowance. That is in a church with 60 attending, one pastor. Does anyone think that budget can be maintained? Add school loans, false teaching leaders, and it is an expensive disaster.

ELCA has been working with the Olde Synodical Conference using fads and business models. They deserve the fate that awaits those with no faith. However, with the Gospel, with faith, they would receive the benefits promised - and the cross.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Pope Paul the Unlearned Edited and Promoted Evolution Books for Concordia Publishing House



Rev. Paul McCain and CPH have been publishing blatantly evolutionist books--for children no less--at least since 2007. Dr. Rev. Paul L. Maier had a children's bible story trilogy published by CPH, and two of those books at least teach theistic evolution. Maier's creation and flood books  agree with the idea that all the fossil layers were laid down before creation, and so the only proof of the flood, which came later, is the rainbow--not all the sedimentary layers. Maier also says that the Bible teaches the Big Bang. The epilogues to Maier's two books in question are typed below. Ken Ham has blogged about Maier's Flood book, but he doesn't know yet about the evolutionism in Maier's creation book (he will shortly, though):

Beware of What Is Not Said, Jan 16, 2012, by Ken Ham:
http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2012/01/16/beware-of-what-is-not-said/ 

Church Mouse also blogged on how Paul McCain was asked in 2009 whether one can believe in evolution and be a LCMS member or not, and McCain referred the questioner to his local LCMS pastor. The implication is that if you pastor-shop enough, like some people doctor-shop, you can believe in evolution and be a member of the LCMS, and in good standing, too:

Can a belief in evolution exclude you from church? by Church Mouse, September 21, 2009
http://churchmousec.wordpress.com/2009/09/21/can-a-belief-in-evolution-can-exclude-you-from-church/ 

Snippet: I hope that I have not offended any members of the LCMS, Pastor McCain in particular, with this post. That was not the intention. I simply wonder if an LCMS member has the option to believe in evolution.

The Real Story of the Creation (CPH, 2007)
http://www.amazon.com/Real-Story-Creation-Paul-Maier/dp/0758612656

E P I L O G U E

Science often tells the story of our beginnings a bit differently. In its "Big Bang" theory, a tiny cosmic egg the size of a marble exploded into the universe in one trillionth of a second. That's harder to believe than the Bible, yet it amounts to the same thing: God's instant creation. Science tells us that matter and energy are the two great building blocks of nature. So does the Bible. Science requires light before vegetation. So does the Bible. The various stages of a developing nature involving creatures in the sea and sky before mammals on land runs parallel in both the Bible and science.

In fact, science gives us even more amazing detail about the immensity of the universe and our planet Earth, which can suport life only because of a bewildering number of factors that had to be just right or life could never have happened--showing a divine design and intelligence behind it all. [GJ - The Bible needs science to prop it up and fill in the blanks.]

This, then, in the magnificent story of how we all came to be. None of it was accidental. All of it is the Creator's great plan. Only God could have accomplished all this!

------------------

The Real Story of the Flood (CPH, 2008)
http://www.amazon.com/Real-Story-Flood-Paul-Maier/dp/0758612672/

E P I L O G U E

“Wait a minute,” you might be thinking. “This is certainly an interesting story, but is it history? Did it really happen? Did all of those animals really crowd onto one ship? Wouldn’t dinosaurs crush Noah’s ark if they tried to board it?”

The answer to these questions is… Yes. But Mr. and Mrs. Tyrannosaurus Rex missed the boat. They were not around at the time. Nor were their brontosaurus, triceratops, or stegosaurus relatives. All the gigantic citizens of Jurassic Park lived and died long before the flood. Indeed, they roamed the earth during that early era described in the first half of Genesis, chapter one.

It is history. In fact, many ancient civilizations have flood epics that parallel the biblical version. Among the Babylonians, the flood story was called the Gilgamesh Epic. In ancient Egypt, the annual flooding of the Nile River reminded people of a much greater deluge. In ancient Greece, it was not an ark but Mount Parnassus that enabled a couple at its summit to survive the Greek version of the flood. And in the Americas, the Mayans told their children of a great flood.

Will anyone ever find ruins of the ark? That remains to be seen, but whether the ark is ever found, you can be sure that the flood did happen! You have proof of it every time you see a rainbow.

------------------

Book Review: The Real Story of the Exodus by Paul L. Maier
http://biblegeekgonewild.com/2010/08/10/book-review-the-real-story-of-the-exodus-by-paul-l-maier/

------------------



Rev. Paul T. McCain Publisher & Executive Director of Editorial, CPH
http://www.cph.org/t-about-contact.aspx


Scroll down a little:


***

Pope Paul the Unlearned favors rationalism over the Word of God,
Knapp/Walther rather than Luther.


GJ - The neos in Missouri, who want to call themselves "Confessional," are really compromisers. If they did a little studying they would find that the same fad took over the Evangelicals in the 19th century. Fearing they would be seen as backwards, the Evangelicals created an amalgamation of Creation and Evolution, a little of each. Evolution always won in time. Rationalism is ashamed of  the divine efficacy of the Word.

My favorite example is the LCA pastor who decided to join the conservatives, but he had trouble with the Word creating in six 24-hour days. I asked him, "You believe in the Incarnation but have trouble with that?" Later he got in touch with his inner rationalist and became a United Church of Christ pastor.

The Big Bang theory, the fad of this era, has serious problems, as non-believers acknowledge. But that is not my point. As soon as one tries to merge Creation with that theory, the Word takes second place and becomes displaced.

I heard it growing up. "The days of Creation are billions of years."

"What about fossils?" Answer - "God put them there to test our faith."

McCain is especially obnoxious when defending the Pietist UOJ theory, which also depends on the non-efficacy of the Word, the non-operation of the Holy Spirit (exclusively) through the Means of Grace. His dithering with Creation is consistent with his denial of justification by faith.


KJV 2 Peter 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.

Denial of the Creation and the Flood is a rejection of the efficacy of the Word. No wonder the rationalistic Pietists cannot grasp how the efficacious Word of the Gospel declares us righteous, which is received in faith.

We had Creation speakers at Shepherd of Peace in Columbus, inviting high school students from all over the area to hear them. Many "proofs" of evolution are evidence of Creation and the Flood. One is the example of the fossils. When a pet dies and is buried in the yard, it does not become a fossil. It is completely recycled by God's natural recyclers (as detailed in The Wormhaven Gardening Book). The fossil record shows that vast numbers of plants and animals were pressed together and changed through vast changes, enormous pressure, volcanic action, and other cataclysmic factors. See Rehwinkel's The Flood.

The Word of God teaches me about Creation and the Flood, so the evidence does not come as a surprise. It is a mistake to say, "Aha, this finding proves the Bible really is true." We know that already. All the learning in the world is not as powerful as the Word of God. The Scriptures judge all books. No book judges Holy Writ. Luther said that and it remains true.

Luther saw the beauty of the little pink hands of the mouse.

Luther had a statement in his Genesis Commentary that I liked. He speculated about mice coming from the rotting process in ships, as some thought at the time. But he added, "But it does not matter." He added that they were really cute, delicate creatures, with tiny their pink hands. Luther was not stuck with the science of his day. He said that, nevertheless, God created them.

I have always been a student of science and technology, although my chemistry and physics teachers thought their fields would make far more progress if I abandoned the physical sciences. Real science is in perfect harmony with the Bible, but an alien philosophy can easily distort the data. Evolution is really a philosophy, a complete and self-proving way of organizing all the data, giving it meaning for unbelievers. Therefore, an amalgamation can never work, except to make Evolution acceptable to gullible, half-educated bloggers.

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bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Pope Paul the Unlearned Edited and Promoted Evolut...":

ChurchMouse comments on this McCain-Maier-evolution post:

http://churchmousec.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/early-pietism-count-von-zinzendorf-and-the-spread-of-moravian-teachings/#comments

2 commentsComments feed for this article
January 27, 2012 at 6:58 am
Bruce Church

Church Mouse blog entry mentioned in this post:

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2012/01/pope-paul-unlearned-edited-and-promoted.html

Reply
January 27, 2012 at 7:29 am
churchmouse

Thanks for this, Bruce — much appreciated!

Search Engine Optimization -
Mrs. Ichabod Would Like the Benefits



Mrs. Ichabod has started a blog for her jewelry classes and retail business:

Creations by Chris Jackson.

It is also linked in the left column. The more people click on the link, the higher it will be in Google searches. Doing this is called Search Engine Optimization.

Chris also has a Facebook page, called Creations by Chris Jackson. If you use Facebook, "liking" it will help promote the page, which will post all the blog links.

Facebook Page - Creations by Chris Jackson.

The Bella Vista Antiques Mall and Flea Market is where she displays her jewelry. We stopped there with Norma Boeckler to fix up the chapel for Bethany Lutheran Church.

I am the backroom techie helping out with this.

Now for the news.

Chris got a class going at Northwest Arkansas Community College. The quota for starting the class was four students. She lined up nine students for the first offering, including one woman who stopped by to look and stayed.

She had the ladies making earrings on their own in two hours. They loved it.

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I just saw the Creations by Chris Jackson link on Ichabod.  That’s going to be a lot of fun.  How often are you hosting classes at the college?  My grandfather on my Mom’s side of the family was Spanish and I remember as a little boy that he always wore lots of silver and turquoise jewelry.  It was a nice memory.  The jewelry was always warn smooth where his skin would rub against it.  I hope you enjoy the classes.

In Christ,

Brett

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churchmousec (http://churchmousec.wordpress.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Churchmouse Campanologist":

Many thanks, Dr Jackson!

Part two on Count von Zinzendorf follows shortly -- later this evening. More to follow on pietism in other Christian denominations next week, God willing.

Admittedly, there is much more to cover in the Thirty Years' War, but my posts were intended just to give a brief view of pietism.

I shall bookmark Mrs Jackson's blog and feature it on my blogroll. It is well-timed in our age of austerity. Please pass on my very best wishes and I pray for all God's blessings towards her success in helping others.

Churchmouse




Churchmouse Campanologist



Churchmouse Campanologist:


However, to understand where Jan (‘John’) Hus and the Moravians derived their influence, it helps to find out more about the history of Moravia and its influences from geography as well as kingdoms and other strands of Christianity. As most Protestants know, Hus was part of the run-up to Luther’s Reformation.

Background

Moravia comprises more or less the eastern part of today’s Czech Republic. It derives its name from the Morava River, the principal waterway of the region.  One of the Morava’s lowland regions is known as the Marchland, march meaning ‘border’ in German and not ‘marsh’, as we might think. Wikipedia explains a fact pertinent to parts of this post (highlights mine):


'via Blog this'

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GJ - This post is especially worth reading because of the connection with Lutherans. Bishop Martin Stephan was loyal to Bohemian Pietism, which is what the Saxon Migration brought to Perry County and St. Louis, Missouri - not Lutheran orthodoxy, but cell group Pietism.

Martin Luther College Evangelism Day "Sermon" 2011

"That's a sermon?"


This transcript was delivered stealthily by Witness:

"I've just discovered this lovely transcript. It's the sermon that accompanied KOINE's Evangelism Day 2011 evening rock concert in the Chapel of the Golden Calf. It's a word-for-word transcript -- fragments and all -- with a few explanatory notes I put *inside asterisks*".

This is the worst sermon I have ever weathered. This Blödsinn does not belong near Lutherans.

*The devotion begins with a short and amusing bluefish.tv video. In summary: A trail hiker is trapped and needs help desperately. A passing fellow hiker manufactures lame excuses concerning why he will not help.*

Brothers and Sisters, I hate to put you in a really difficult spot right now, but is that you and I? Is that us, when we make an excuse like that sometimes? And maybe not as dramatic as that was. And that's a hard accusation for me to make. Especially here in this chapel. At this college where you're being trained as pastors, teachers, and staff ministers. And yet, do you realize that the devil is working double-time on this place? He's everywhere, but he's working harder on you. Because the last thing he wants is you to be out there, sharing Jesus.

Evangelism day. You know, what an amazing day we had today. You had the opportunity to come in here, listen to presenters talk about missions in far-away countries, hear about mission opportunities right here at home. Maybe it was little kids. Maybe it was inner-city. Maybe it was people with special needs. Maybe you're thinking about a job, found a job opportunity for the summer, or mission trip.

And yet, despite all the good things we had today, I know that some of you were encouraged and looked forward to this, but I also know that some of you maybe didn't take it that seriously last night. Maybe you thought, “it's a good day to get out of class,” and you stayed up later, didn't think you had to pay much attention today. Wherever you were at this morning, wherever you were at in your life, you had an opportunity to be encouraged today and to learn about new opportunities. And yet the devil was working harder in you today than ever. It's very easy for us to imagine that situation that we're in and have confidence and say, “I would never do something like that guy, I'd have the answers.” And when it happens, we panic. We panic, and we come up with excuses.

We come up with all the things that we can do, and many of them...  are just plain sin.

*A whiteboard on a tripod stands in the chancel. He begins illustrating the yellow highlighted words on the whiteboard*

You know, what else gets in the way of us sharing Jesus? I'm going to wait to share Jesus, because I need to study more first. I'm going to study more first, and then I'm going to share Jesus, because then I'll know more.

I'll wait. I'll wait until my vicar year. Then I'll go out and share Jesus. I'll wait until I actually have my call.

Maybe it's not the right place? You have an opportunity to share Jesus and it just doesn't look like the right place to do it.

How about courage? Maybe you haven't been in the word lately and now you're lacking courage?

I think one that we all like to do sometimes is say “someone else will do it. That's not my job. I'll let somebody else do that. They'll have plenty of time to hear it.”

And maybe, I don't have to tell them, because they already know? I'll just assume they know who Jesus is. We make that judgment by looking at them.

Sometimes, our excuse is that they probably wouldn't understand. It'd take to long, and they probably wouldn't understand.

How about bothering? I might be bothering them. A few weeks ago, in a grocery store with my two daughters, one's four and one's two years old, in the grocery cart and they're singing at the top of their lungs “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know.” And shame on me, the first thing I thought was, “how can I get them to be quiet? Somebody might be offended in the grocery store.” And what I should have been thinking was, “who cares? What an awesome faith!” What an awesome, childlike faith! And an opportunity to witness and share Jesus.

We have a lot of bad things up here that get in our way, and where do we go? Our reading tonight from Isaiah, written so long ago, and yet applies so well for you right now.

And now the LORD says ---
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD
and my God has been my strength ---
he says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”
                        (Isaiah 49:5-6)

Friends, this is where it's at. We have a God that is standing next to us and tells us that he's giving us strength, and he's giving us that opportunity and that command. To be that light to all people. And we don't have to do it ourself. And all these things that are in our way...

*Shatters the whiteboard using a cane, revealing a vibrant illustration of a cross*

They're gone. They're gone because of what happened right there (pointing to cross). Evangelism day might be over, but this is your time. Today is your day to share Jesus' love. Right now, not when you feel you're ready. Not when you have someone backing you up. Your time is right now.

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Martin Luther College Evangelism Day "Sermon" 2011...":

I highly recommend going to your local (W)ELS church website and read through the posted sermons. The Law driven sermon above is actually quite common.

"The gifts we give are seldom as well thought-out as these gifts were. The gifts we give are seldom as precious or treasured as much as these gifts were. We can’t help but imagine the wise men bow down in this little house in Bethlehem, a chair and a bench scrape on the floor as the family makes room for the wise men crowding in the little kitchen—Mary and the baby probably by a little hearth, the firelight glinting on the latches of the treasures as they open them up to show Joseph and Mary what they want the baby to have—and what is it we bow down before the Lord with? Do we hesitantly open a wallet? Do we scramble on Sunday morning to find the envelopes for church? Do we grudgingly look at our calendars before we offer our time? Do we hesitate before we commit to or even consider a task for the church? Or do we sometimes hold back our service because we think, “Someone else has more time,” or “I’m not going to waste my time doing that because no one else will come.”
"But what the Lord asks of us is that we serve, and that we give—"

"(F) To the Magi and even through the Magi, Jesus was revealed as the Savior of the World. He came as a gift to us; the wise men brought their gifts to him, and how can we do less than offer up our whole lives as gifts to him, who came into the world to take away our sins? He gave us the peace of God…"


http://splnewulm.org/weeklysermons/?p=801

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Martin Luther College Evangelism Day "Sermon" 2011...":

"After recognizing that, what other “missions” do you now have that God has placed before you? You have probably not been called to mentor kings, but God has a purpose and mission for your personal life.
What is it?
• To be a godly mother?
• To work hard as a productive employee in the company?
• To be a teacher?
• To be a student?
• To be a father, the spiritual leader in your home?
• To be a counselor for a troubled friend?
• To be a leader in your church, by specific office or as a supportive member?
• To plan to witness to that person that you know will probably not be hearing about Christ from others around them?
• Or, for some of you young people here today, could God be calling you to consider serving him as a pastor or teacher with your life?

As you think about all that, what is your attitude toward your mission?
• Are you tired of your station in life?
• Are you unhappy with it?
• Do you feel like complaining about it?
• Do you neglect the duties before you that God has placed there?
• Are you stubborn?
• Or young people who might be able to consider whether God could use you publicly for his kingdom, would you say “No” for no good reason?
Is there a temptation for us to say to God, “Listen, Lord, for your servant is speaking”?

If so, it is a day to repent of selfish thoughts and marvel that in Christ our Savior we have forgiveness. It is a day to recommit ourselves to whatever mission God personally has put before us in our lives and strive to fulfill it with the strength that he provides in an attitude that is humble, trusting, and ready. It is a day to say along with Samuel, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Speaking is a miracle, isn’t it? And the fact that God would speak to us is a greater miracle, isn’t it? Yet today we close with a prayer that God would work a miracle in us to… Listen. God is still calling today. He is calling:
1. By a miracle
2. For a mission
May he move us to hear and heed his call. And believing in his forgiveness and grace, may we be led to say, “Here I am, Lord.” Amen.”


http://www.htlc-wa.org/home/140004986/140004986/140047070/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20011512%20Sermon.pdf 

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Gorath has left a new comment on your post "Martin Luther College Evangelism Day "Sermon" 2011...":

Not an ounce of gospel in that sermon, is there? There's no mention of savior, salvation (not in his interpretation of Isaiah 49), mercy, grace, peace, forgiveness, atonement, or sacrifice.

This guy demands sharing Jesus' love, while he has not shared it anywhere in his own sermon! Classic pietist "you're not good enough" rubbish.

***

GJ - If they do not believe that the Gospel comes to us solely through the Means of Grace, they are going to pound us with the Law. As the allegory Pilgrim's Progress states, "I am the Law. I have no mercy."

It is worth noting that the author of Pilgrim's Progress, Bunyan, read Luther's Galatians Commentary more than any other book except the Bible.

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AC V has left a new comment on your post "Martin Luther College Evangelism Day "Sermon" 2011...":

And this from yesterday's Meditations (1.19.12). Text: 2 Thess. 2:16,17; Theme: "We are encouraged"; Author: Andreas Karlstadt?

When hardships and heartaches put you back on your heels and cause you to wonder if God really loves you because you can't feel it at the time, God points to the cross so you see the full extent of his love....

When a guilty conscience nags at you and tells you that you aren't good enough to get into heaven, God points to the cross so you see the completed payment for all your sins. Your sins are forgiven. Your guilt is gone. Heaven is waiting....

When your life seems to be on a treadmill and you don't seem to be making any progress or making any difference in the world, God reminds you that your life still has meaning and purpose and that your labor in the Lord is not in vain...


And on it goes. Not a word about the means of grace, just talk about "God reminds you." "Karlstadt" keeps pointing back to the cross for forgiveness and encouragement.

Here's what Luther said, "If I now seek the forgiveness of sins, I do not run to the cross, for I will not find it given there. Nor must I hold to the suffering of Christ as Dr. Karlstadt trifles, in knowledge or remembrance, for I will not find it there either. But I will find in the sacrament or the gospel the word which distributes, presents, offers, and gives to me that forgiveness which was won on the cross" ("Against the Heavenly Prophets" AE 40:214). 

The Underground Railroad: LCMS Student Loan
Debt Slaves Escape to Canada




Follow The Drinking Gourd
When the sun comes back,
and the first Quail calls,
Follow the drinking gourd,
For the old man is waiting
for to carry you to freedom
If you follow the drinking gourd.

Chorus:
Follow the drinking gourd,
Follow the drinking gourd,
For the old man is waiting
for to carry you to freedom
If you follow the drinking gourd.

The riverbank will make a very good road,
The dead trees show you the way.
Left foot, peg foot traveling on,
Following the drinking gourd.

Lyrics www.allthelyrics.com/lyrics/unknown/
The river ends between two hills,
Follow the drinking gourd,
There's another river on the other side,
Follow the drinking gourd.

When the great big river meets the little river,
Follow the drinking gourd.
For the old man is waiting
for to carry you to freedom
If you follow the drinking gourd.

http://www.followthedrinkinggourd.org/What_The_Lyrics_Mean.htm

Gurgle's Call Being Over December 11th -
Explained Here for the First Time



LutherRocks has left a new comment on your post "Church projects more challenging after the boom ti...":

Gurgel was done at HW effective December 11, 2011. They called a Valleskey, who has returned the call, and now have extended a new call.

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LutherRocks has left a new comment on your post "Gurgle's Call Being Over December 11th - Explained...":

It's 'Holy Word Christian Academy' now...LOL.

Attendance was up around 90 again last week (22nd) at north while south is down. There must be some arm twisting going on. I also see by their website that they are looking at a $425,000 piece of property for north's permanent location. Seven digit debt is just around the corner. Cornerstone offered to come back and do another drive in a couple years...how does that go...fool me once?

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Steadfast Lutherans » SMP Program is “Mega-Death” for Lutheran Congregations

Sweet was the featured speaker at Concordia, St. Louis,
and he bedazzles the leaders of WELS with his spacey Zen statements.


Steadfast Lutherans » SMP Program is “Mega-Death” for Lutheran Congregations:


SMP Program is “Mega-Death” for Lutheran Congregations

January 25th, 2012Post by 
Because of comments and additional information received by email, the post has been completely revised.   I did the best research I could on the basis of published sources, but it looks like the published sources are not what is actually happening. 


'via Blog this'

***

GJ - C. F. W. Walther's training consisted of a four-year degree at Leipzig (rationalistic). Yet he is the greatest theologian who ever lived, with all his opinions trumping Luther and the Book of Concord.

The answer seems to be a much shorter and more focused training period, perhaps a five-year degree, plus the elimination of the costly vicarage year, which was invented and imposed on students.

Another odd, modern concept is the wife financing her husband's schooling when the LCMS has abandoned its own seminaries. Mission funds are for the pay and perks of the synod staff, who live and work like princes.

Coming soon is a collapse of the traditional seminary system in the synods. ELCA's beehives are obviously in crisis: Berkeley, Chicago, Southern, Wartburg (the obvious ones). The two LCMS seminaries are bloated brick-piles serving the interests of the faculties.

Here is the cussing minister, Driscoll,
with the senior editor of the ESV, J. I. Packer, a Calvinist.
But Issues, Etc chuckles that "justification by faith" is Calvinist.