Crucial Differences

Anonymous said...to Tim Glende 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.

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GJ - Glende actually let a comment go through that was not from his UOJ buddies.

Unlike the UOJ fanatics, I quote verbatim the opponents and give historical background for their false doctrine. Thus everyone can see both sides and read the words with their eyes. I do not have to filter the information for them. That is how Bishop James Heiser saw the falsehood of UOJ, by reading their favorite quotations, patiently gathered by the Megatron research team.

We are giving away 50 copies of Luther versus the UOJ Pietists: Justification by Faith, because people are contributing toward the cost of printing. I am happy to give away Lutheran books. We have done that in every place we lived and shipped them various places as well.

The UOJ proponents act as if their peculiar opinions are the pure Gospel, but those are the same "Lutherans" who chase after every denomination and fad for the way to be successful. If they really believed in their precious UOJ, they would not be sitting at the feet of McGavran, C. Peter Wagner, Driscoll, Sweet, Stetzer, Andy Stanley, and a host of others.

Tim Glende is hotter than Georgia asphalt for UOJ, but he had to be trained by Stanley (Stealth Babtist), Driscoll (Emergent), and others while plagiarizing Craig Groeschel's sermons and lying about it. That is one of many contradictions coming from that bunch. The more they follow their abusive sect, the less they want to read Luther, Chemnitz, or Melanchthon. They are the real Lutherans, they claim, but they openly despise the Book of Concord.

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Crucial Differences":

If they really believed in their precious UOJ, they would not be sitting at the feet of McGavran, C. Peter Wagner, Driscoll, Sweet, Stetzer, Andy Stanley, and a host of others.

I think it's because they really do believe in the false gospel of Universal Objective Justification that they have become the lickspittle of the worlds false teachers. UOJ is a new and different way to become righteous before God and thereby reject the Holy Spirit's faith, blaspheming Him when they call His faith and empty and withered beggars hand. Laying their whole trust in righteousness and the forgiveness of sins before and without faith they are simply chaff being sifted by the wind and every change in doctrine.

It would be better if they would go off and devour each other but they slither around trying to devour the worlds men, women and children too. Hochmuthians.

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GJ - I will concede that reading, Brett. UOJ means they do not believe anything, so everything is justified. It is universal justification, after all. But do not question them. They save the wrath of God for that sin.

But they telling people they are the real, spiffy, best, brightest Lutherans. Their act is quite different. What's the word for that? Hypocrisy.

WELS Church and Change - Still Operating

Lutherans pay me to explain this to them,
and they love it.

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "WELS Church and Change Basics. Milwaukee Members A...":

The C and C apostates always push the envelope. Then, when they are called out on the carpet for their misdeeds, they act clueless. They knew what Leonard Sweet stood for, but they invited him anyway. At my former congregation, I plunged a dagger into the heart when I confronted the congregation president about the connection that Jeff Davis has with C and C. This was after I informed him that they had invited Ed Stetzer to speak at a C and C conference.

Jeff Davis, Cornerstone,
Church and Change board.

The president claimed that when he talked to Mr. Davis about it, he was told that Stetzer was "dis-invited" due to the controversy that was created. So, Stetzer was invited to speak. But, the C and C'ers claimed afterward that he never was invited. So, with this level of dishonesty, why would you pay Cornerstone big bucks to show you how to fleece the members of your congregation? The president also defended Stetzer by stating that old Ed had actually written a paper that was critical of the Emergent Church movement. My humble opinion would be that Stetzer more closely resembles a "Crypto Emergent" and the C and C guys use tactics very close to the Crypto Calvinists.

Ed Stetzer, on the right, is a typical, angry, Emergent Church promoter.

WELS - "We love Stetzer. He has a Fuller drive-by degree
and he cannot spell either."

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GJ - I kept the Stetzer invitation in the news. Finally the Conference of Pussycats told Church and Change to withdraw the invitation - something that never happened with Leonard Sweet or Martin Marty. The radicals depend on things blowing over. They hate seeing the story pursued.

The first step was denying that Church and Change invited Stetzer, so I reproduced the link and the wording of Stetzer's Tweet and blog. In both places he bragged about being hired by Church and Change and a Missouri Synod group. Stetzer had both events on his web calendar as well. That invitation happened after Kudu Don Patterson took a group of WELS workers to Exponential in Orlando, Florida. Stetzer was a featured speaker there. I am sure that was a co-inky-dink that the invitation happened AFTER the Exponential Conference.

That is the fun thing about narcissists on the Net - they leave footprints everywhere. Stetzer even made fun of conservative Lutherans while boasting about being hired by them.

After the invitation was withdrawn (which meant paying a kill fee), the Changers said it was a lie that Stetzer was ever invited. I get contacts from WELS pastors who have heard I was lying about something. So I sent him the link to the Twitter and blog.

The ending of WELS Church and Change this time is just as much of a lie as it was under Gurgle, who claimed the same thing. At that time an innocent told me that Gurgle ordered it shut down. I said, "Then why are they registering people for their next C and C conference on the WELS.net website?" Response - "They are?" I provided the link. Like I said, narcissists on the Net leave their footprints everywhere.

Under SP Schroeder, Church and Change says they are shut down, but they leave their website and documents available for those who know. Mark Schroeder promotes and protects the Church and Changers, who have changed the color of their fleece but not their agenda.

KJV Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

WELS Church and Change.
Time of Grace.
Men of His Word.
Grace in Action.
WELS Prayer Network.
Jars of Clay.
Cornerstone.
Youth Conference.
Etc. Etc. Etc.

Aardvark Alley: + Matthias Loy +

Aardvark Alley: + Matthias Loy +:

  + Matthias Loy +

26 January AD 1915; transferred to 28 January*

Matthias Loy (1828-1915) was born on 17 March to Matthias and Christina Loy, a pair of German immigrants. The family lived in near-poverty in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, near Harrisburg. He was the fourth of seven children. Matthias, Senior was a lapsed Catholic who apparently held only nominal religious beliefs for most of his life. Christina came from pietistic Lutheran stock in Württemberg. She did what she could to give the family some semblance of a Christian education and made sure that all but the eldest child were baptized as infants. Even her first-born son eventually was confirmed into the Lutheran Church.

When Matthias was six years old, the family moved to Hogestown, Pennsylvania. He lived with his family until he was fourteen. They then apprenticed him to Baab and Hummel Printers of Harrisburg. During the next six years, he worked for them while attending school. Mr. Hummel brought Matthias to the attention of Harrisburg minister C. W. Schäffer. Pastor Schäffer urged Matthias to consider a pastoral vocation. To this end, he studied studied Greek and Latin under the Harrisburg Academy's principal. This led to enrollment as a full student at the Academy. He hoped to enter the Gettysburg Theological Seminary, perhaps the epicenter of Lutheran liberalism in America.

Illness led Loy's doctor to encourage the young man to move farther west. Matthias found an employment opportunity with the United Brethren Publishing House in Circleville, Ohio. There he would become printer for the Brethren's semimonthly German paper. Loy came to Circleville in 1847 and quickly met the Lutheran pastor. This good soul suggested that Matthias waste no more time getting on with his pastoral education and suggested that he enroll at the Theological Seminary in Columbus. The Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Ohio was much more conservative and confessional than the Lutherans he had left behind in Pennsylvania.

With the promise of financial aid through the Lutheran pastor, Loy sought and received release from his printer's contract and left for Columbus. Of Matthias's time there, C. George Fry writes, "It was at this institution that he received the only two years of formal higher education deemed necessary to be a pastor. In 1849, after a two year 'cram course' that included academy, college, and seminary, Loy was graduated and installed as a minister in Delaware, Ohio."

According to Fry, these two men, along with Charles Porterfield Krauth, "must be seen as a common effort to preserve traditional Lutheran theology from the corrosive effects of 'the acids of modernity' in the last half of the nineteenth century. These three titans — Walther in the West, Krauth in the East, and Loy in the middle — could be compared to three anchors holding fast the ship of Lutheran Confessionalism during the ferocious storms of the Modernist-Fundamentalist Controversy."

In 1860, the Joint Synod of Ohio elected Loy President. Four years later, he was appointed editor of the Lutheran Standard. After sixteen years in the ministry, Capital University, Columbus, Ohio called Loy as professor of theology. He resigned as president of the Ohio Synod in 1878 he resigned as President of the Ohio Synod. Around this time he also returned the call to become English-language professor of theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. Wilhelm Friedrich Lehmann, Loy's successor as synodical president, died in 1880 and Loy returned to that office, succeeding him also as President of Capital University. He started the Columbus Theological Magazine in 1881. Loy retired as professor emeritus in 1902 and died on 26 January 1915.

Loy was finally surrounded by orthodox Lutheran theology and he made the most of his time at the seminary. As a student, he began reading Der Lutheraner, edited by C. F. W. Walther. This led to a long relationship with Dr. Walther, a friendship that grew so great that even their eventual disagreements over predestination and the fracturing of the Synodical Conference couldn't destroy.

Loy was instrumental in the formation of theSynodical Conference. However, at the Ohio Synod meeting at Wheeling in 1881, the synod withdrew from the Conference. This came about over sharp differences in understanding Predestination. Many Ohio Synod pastors taught that God predestined people according to His foreknowledge of whether they would come to faith while the Missouri Synod condemned this as false doctrine.

During his life, Loy wrote several books. Of special note is his seminal work The Augsburg Confession: An Introduction to Its Study and an Exposition of Its Contents.

He also wrote at least twenty hymns, including An Awe-full Mystery Is Here, The Law of God Is Good and Wise, The Gospel Shows the Father's Grace, and Jesus, Thou Art Mine Forever. His hymn translations included All Mankind Fell in Adam's Fall, The Bridegroom Soon Will Call Us, Let Me Be Thine Forever, and Thy Table I Approach.

*Since his death date (26 January) and birth date (17 March) both conflict with long-standing festivals on the sanctorial calendar (Titus and Pádraig respectively) and since 27 January belongs to John Chrysostom, I moved Loy's commemoration the first open date, 28 January.

'via Blog this'

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GJ - The Delaware congregation in Ohio was just north of us in Columbus. I knew the retired minister of that congregation, a fine man, who studied under Lenski.

Regurgitated WELS Church and Change - E12

Rambach was an early proponent of UOJ.

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

In my opinion, E12 is a the (W)ELS COP's gateway drug into full blown New Age Emergent CGM use. It will be immediately addicting as it scratches the "I don't want to be a barrier to the Word" itch. An itch planted by the unfaithful in the Synod.

"The bottom line is if you don’t have worship or outreach leaders, that’s ok. Provide names of potential leaders, and E12 will begin to train them."

Q: Will you be promoting any specific “style” of worship? Traditional? Contemporary? A: There will be many options within the liturgical framework for congregations to choose. For example, congregations may choose to use the version of Psalm 118 found on page 108 in Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal, with organ and brass accompaniment. However, other versions of Psalm 118 will be suggested as well, to be sung to piano, guitar, etc. https://connect.wels.net/AOM/ps/ccc/General%20Documents/E12/e12%20-%20Frequently%20Asked%20Questions.pdf

"Rev. Jonathan Hein, CCC chairman and pastor at Beautiful Savior, Summerville, S.C., says that while the program contains worship and outreach components, other major goals are to provide leadership training as well as to model a planning process that will help congregations conduct future outreach events. “Our goal is not only to give samples of what you can do but then also to help congregations do it again in the future,” he says."

"Programs like E12 fit in well with the CCC’s mission: to provide short-term assessment and advice to congregations seeking to find ways to improve their ministry. “People are going to see a lot of things like E12 from the CCC—real practical, nuts-and-bolts information that will immediately make an impact in your congregation,” says Hein.

Formed in 2010 by the Conference of Presidents, the CCC is one of seven commissions in the Congregation and Ministry Support Group. It currently has no director but is run by a group of six pastors." ELS is participating also. http://www.evangelicallutheransynod.org/synod-office/news/news/jan12

For a list of Who's Who in the (W)ELS Institute for Worship and Outreach: http://worshipandoutreach.org/category/institute-role/member

Note how their About page answers the question, "Is the Divine Service meant to feed Christ's sheep with His Word and Sacraments or is it an Evangelism tool for reaching the lost and gaining new members?"

"The Institute for Worship and Outreach is a group of WELS pastors who have become convinced, on the basis of study and ministry experiences, that worship forms and outreach methods can and must intersect confessionally and evangelically in efforts to proclaim the gospel of Jesus. With this perspective, they have come together to assist and encourage pastors as they strive for excellence in public worship and mission outreach.”

“2.While personal, educational, social, and service-oriented outreach efforts can and do attract people to our churches and its message, it remains a truism that most seekers will measure our churches and receive first contact with our proclamation of the gospel in public worship.”

3.Many people in our neighborhoods and communities are searching for the truth about life with God and are more interested in our message than in the customs that surround it. Many others, however, approach our church looking to fulfill personal needs that the gospel may not address. Every pastor struggles to minister to these people on their terms so that the Spirit may have an opportunity through the means of grace to touch their hearts and lead them to desire more of the message of Jesus.”

4.Since public worship invariably includes music and the arts, pastors without experience or skill in these areas feel the challenges more acutely, and not every pastor is able to rely on skilled church musicians to assist in this ministry. The worship inadequacies he may sense as he serves his own members are exacerbated when worship becomes a critical component in an outreach strategy.

6. The Spirit grows the Church through the means of grace, but every pastor searches for ways and means to invite and attract people to his church so the gospel might be heard and the sacraments administered.

Oversight The Institute is to be considered an arm of the Conference of Presidents and receives funding with the advice and consent of that body. http://worshipandoutreach.org/about

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Regurgitated WELS Church and Change - E12":

W. E. L. S. spells ENTHUSIASM

You can do this!
January 21, 2012
Congregations conduct surveys in preparation for Schools of Worship Enrichment (SoWE). Three items from these surveys regularly receive the lowest scores - no matter the type of congregation, no matter how rich their musical resources.

•My congregation’s singing is strong and enthusiastic.
•We use enough musical variety for the psalms, hymns, and liturgical songs.
•Our congregation seems to carry out its part of the liturgy (order of service) with enthusiasm.
Read the Rest »

Rev. Bryan Gerlach
Bryan Gerlach serves as the Director of the WELS Commission on Worship.

http://worshipandoutreach.org 

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Regurgitated WELS Church and Change - E12":

Missionaries Who Need Music in Minutes
December 20, 2011
A local Atlanta newscast regularly boasts that it will provide “all the headlines and tomorrow’s forecast in the first five minutes.” I don’t know if you need your news freeze-dried and shrink-wrapped like that, but I do still hear that busy missionaries don’t really have the time to spend seven hours or more a week working with sequencers, sound modules and MIDI files in an effort to have some decent music for the weekend worship service.

Read the Rest »

Rev. Michael Schultz
Michael Schultz serves as pastor of Sola Fide Lutheran Church and School in Lawrenceville, GA. In addition to his congregational duties, Schultz has worked for the synod on Christian Worship: Supplement.

http://worshipandoutreach.org

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AC V has left a new comment on your post "Regurgitated WELS Church and Change - E12":

Brett, you make a good point. The WELS Commission on Worship is just like the "contemporary worship" advocates when it emphasizes "excellence" in liturgical worship. By doing so, the CoW gives the impression that how the liturgy is performed is more important than what the liturgy delivers, namely, the forgiveness of sins.

All in all, I guess I'd rather have "excellent" liturgy than "excellent" Praise Band worship, which is questionable as to whether it actually delivers the forgiveness of sins.

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GJ - "Excellence" is a favorite Huebner word, which he applies lovingly to his own work. As a Fuller alumnus he knows how to cast Shrinker-speak into words that appeal to everyone at once. "Error loves amibiguities."

The only appropriate word is "faithful." Pastors are not supposed to be found excited, enthusiastic, entertaining, appealing, or successful. They are to be found "faithful ministers of the mysteries of God."

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Regurgitated WELS Church and Change - E12":

The constant chatter about striving for excellence goes hand in hand with their loss of faith in the efficacy of the Word. A sure sign like a digit turning black in the cold winter. The irony is that they wind up serving putrid garbage instead of the pure Word which is the only excellence given by God through the Means of Grace for life here and Life eternally.

May they choke on the putrid refuse they force upon others.

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GJ - Yes indeed. First VP Huebner mocks the efficacy of the Word and writes about excellence in worship.
He was another advocate for Floyd Luther Stolzenburg in Columbus. Those Huebners have a thing for murder and adultery.

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

Use this area to offer a short teaser of your email's content. Text here will show in the preview area of some email clients. Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. 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.

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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.

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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

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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."

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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. 

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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.

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

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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

CSC: WELS Topical Q&A: The Church and Its Ministry: Music/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. --- 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.

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!

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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.

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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/

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

http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2010/july/127813/Evolution-display-shows-man-pointing-gun-at-another-(i-poll)

http://theredneckhillbillies.com/blog/redneck-evolution/

Scroll down a little:

http://www.religiousintelligence.org/churchnewspaper/eos/the-evolution-sceptics/

***

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!