Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Just Like Bishop Stephan, STD - The Founder of the Missiouri Synod - And His Mistress

Traveling together without benefit of marriage?
What do you think you are - Missouri Synod?


http://www.biblebelievers.com/SDA/SDA4.html


AN ACTUAL WITNESS
Mrs. Lucinda Bodge Burdick published the following in an 1874 issue of The World's CrisisMrs. Burdick had become well acquainted with Ellen Harmon and James White when the three of them stayed together several times in 1845 at the home of Josiah Little (Burdick's uncle) in South Windham, Maine:
"At the time of my first acquaintance with them (James White and Ellen Harmon) in early 1845 they were in a wild fanaticism, - used to sit on the floor instead of chairs, and creep around the floor like little children. They were NOT MARRIED BUT TRAVELING TOGETHER. Considerable scandal was created by the intimacy of this man and woman, but the "talk" gradually subsided after their marriage in 1846."

Stephan left his wife in Europe, but traveled and lived with his mistress
on that holy mission to bring his message to America.



Another Clue about WELS Dogma - Wauwatosa.
In Essence, Rejecting the Creeds and Luther - In Favor of Their Own Authority

August Pieper, Wauwatosan, UOJist,
split WELS and called the victims divisive.
That sounds familiar.


http://essentiallylutheran.blogspot.com/2007/01/wauwatosa-theology.html

With Forde as my main course and Capon for desert (sic), I like the writings of the Wauwatosa Theologians as vegetable side dishes. Not necessarily tasty or easy to chew, but highly nutritious.

They taught in the fledgling Wisconsin Synod seminary in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin in the early part of the 20th century (roughly 1900 - 1930). Their names were J.P. Koehler (pictured), August Pieper and John Schaller. Highly gifted, and perhaps a bit outspoken (Koehler was kicked out in 1929), their spirit and devotion to Scripture is now looked on as representing the golden age of the WELS.

What made them unique within conservative Lutheranism was their antipathy toward blind dogmatism based on the work of prior theologians (repristinating), openness to being taught by Scriptural authority and renewed emphasis on Biblical exegesis. In the words of Pieper:

 … we submit to no man, be his name Luther or Walther, Chemnitz or Hoenecke, Gerhard or Stoeckhardt, so long as we have clear Scripture on our side. . . . We esteem the fathers highly, far higher than ourselves as far more learned and more devout than we are. Therefore, we want to use them, particularly Luther, as guides to Scripture, and to test their doctrines a hundred times before we reject them. But authorities equal to Scripture or opposed to Scripture they may never become for us, or we shall be practicing idolatry. . "

They saw that the conservative synods of the Lutheran church were falling victim to the same error that Luther denounced - putting the authority of the church fathers above that of Scripture. Pieper called this authority-theology.

"We renounce this authority-theology anew. It causes so much damage to the church. It is unfaithfulness to the Lord; slavery to men; it brings errors with it. But it also makes the mind narrow and the heart small. . . . Dogmatic training perhaps makes one orthodox, but it also easily makes one orthodoxist, intolerant, quarrelsome, hateful, and easily causes division in the church.
. .
Scripture is at once narrow and broad. The study of it makes the heart narrow to actual false doctrine and heresies, but broad toward various human expressions and presentations. It does not accuse of false doctrine unnecessarily; it teaches us to bear and suffer in love the mistakes of the weak. It keeps the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Therefore we want to entirely do away with this dogmatic authority-theology, and to sink ourselves ever deeper into Scripture and to promote it above all else. We know that in doing so we will best serve the church.”

- August Pieper (1913), Quoted by Mark Braun in The Wauwatosa Gospel (2002). p 25.

The Wauwatosa theologians proved that it is possible to keep dogmatics in its proper place without sacrificing it to skepticism or liberalism. In so doing, they brought fresh clarity to the Gospel which, to ears dulled by dry dogma, sounds somewhat radical.

Seventh Day Adventist History - Parallels with WELS - Including UOJ

William Miller predicted the end of the world, twice,
so his group was called the Millerites, then the Seventh Day Adventists.


The Adventists gave Kellogg the Left Foot of Fellowship.
His sanitarium was in Battle Creek, which became the cereal capital of America.



Ellen White is known as a crackpot, liar, and serial plagiarist.
She would do well in LCMS publishing today.

This is a fun book to read through. One of my Facebook friends suggested it. He was an Adventist and is now a Lutheran. One part of my family started out as Adventists. Two were bishops in the Battle Creek area, according to family stories. Aunt Lilly wrote that they moved to Iowa and became Evangelicals because they could not be hog farmers and Adventists.

Those who deny the Means of Grace--all the UOJ fanatics--should read what happens when people disregard this Biblical teaching. As Luther promised, all kinds of foul errors rush in to fill the void.

Sound familiar? -


It is this view of justification and sanctification that is to a large degree responsible for robbing God’s people of the assurance of salvation and driving them out of the church. Tell me, who wants to remain in a church that offers no real peace with God and is constantly putting you on a guilt trip?
This confused idea of salvation is what led E. G. White to correct the pastors at Battle Creek in 1890. I quoted her statement to them when we studied the Objective and Subjective salvation. Here is the essence of what she said:

“The danger has been presented to me again and again of entertaining, as a people, false ideas of justification by faith. I have been shown for years that Satan would work in a special manner to confuse the mind on this point.... I have been shown that many have been kept from the faith because of the mixed, confused ideas of salvation, because the ministers have worked in a wrong manner to reach hearts. The point that has been urged upon my mind for years is the imputed righteousness of Christ.” (FW, 18).

And this, from Brett Meyer's research -

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2010/11/seventh-day-adventists-agree-with.html

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Of Justification | The Lutheran Church - Missouri ...": 

Not only do all Lutheran Synods confess the same false gospel of Universal Objective Justification but they are not alone. 


The Seventh-Day Adventists also confess this same Universal Objective Justification
http://www.adventistbiblicalresearch.org/documents/Universal%20Justification.htm

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Analysis of the Doctrine of
Universal "Legal" Justification


Larry J. Kane
Introduction

According to the 1888 Message Study Committee ("1888 MSC"), the 1888 message reveals many "fresh, beautiful truths . . . that are not usually understood today."[1] One such "truth" is the concept that Christ's death at the cross accomplished a legal or objective justification which is universally and unconditionally applied to all men.[2] This doctrine is said to derive from the observations that Christ has borne the sins of "all men" and has died the second death for "every man." It is viewed as the basis for the present life enjoyed by all men. This legal justification, also referred to as a corporate justification, is distinguished by its proponents from justification by faith, or "experiential" justification, and should not be taken to imply universal salvation wherein all men would be saved, some even against their will. The especial merit of such universal legal justification, as seen by the spokesmen for the 1888 MSC, is that it provides foundational proof and an earnest of the loving initiative taken by God to bring about man's salvation. When the full import of God's initiative on man's behalf is recognized, it is believed to be pivotal in galvanizing the sinner's complete devotion to, and saving faith in, Christ.

I. Examination of Key Scriptural Texts

A number of scriptural passages are cited as authority for the doctrine of universal or corporate legal justification.[3] This essay first summarizes an analysis of the pivotal scriptures and whether they support this tenet of the 1888 MSC. Later sections explore ancillary issues implicated by a universal or corporate legal justification, including the dimensions of justification by faith and the extent of God's initiative for the salvation of men.

Romans 3:23, 24
One of the cardinal rules of hermeneutics is that a scripture must be understood within the overall context in which it is found if the writer's intent is to be accurately discerned. The necessity of this principle lies in the fact that it is not usually possible to include all essential components of a proposition within one or two sentences. Often, several sentences or more are necessary to fully express the concept at issue. Moreover, more complex scriptural themes usually have many facets, not all of which are addressed within the immediate context of a statement on the matter. Thus, the more reliable approach for reaching a complete understanding of a particular proposition is to review all relevant statements from scripture which bear upon the issue.

These interpretative principles must be violated if Romans 3:23-24 is to be read as supportive or a universal justification, albeit only a "legal" justification. If one were to isolate these two verses from their surroundings, one might think the two could be linked directly so as to construe them to say that "since all have sinned, all are justified freely." This is apparently the view of the 1888 MSC.[4]

However, the immediate context of verses 23 and 24 is a passage extending from Romans 3:20-31 expounding upon the theme of righteousness by faith. The broader milieu spans back to the beginning of chapter 2 wherein Paul, in comparing Jews and Gentiles in relation to God and His judgment, concludes that both are in the same predicament. God, being "no respecter of persons,"[5] judges both by the same standard: by whether their deeds are righteous or unrighteous. Such being the case, the problem is succinctly stated in verses 10 and 23: "There is none righteous, no, not one." "For all have sinned."[6] Thus, Paul rightly observes in Romans 3:20 that no person (no "flesh") shall be justified before God by the deeds of the law. All have sinned and, consequently, are already condemned under the law.

It is at this point, beginning with verse 22, that Paul introduces his insightful summary of the plan of salvation: There is a righteousness of God arising from a source other than the keeping of the law, "even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe." This "righteousness by faith" is the direct, logical antecedent of the phrase "being justified freely by his grace" of verse 24. This justification, freely available through faith in Christ, stands in bold contrast to the unavailability of justification through observance of the law.

The mechanism by which the justification of verse 24 is freely provided is explained in the latter part of that verse and the following verse. It is the operation of grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, which is achieved by the sacrifice of His life as a propitiation. Significantly, this propitiation is stated to be effective for the sinner only through faith in His blood (vs. 25). It is the sacrificial death of the sinless Christ, as guilty man's substitute, which fully satisfies the penalty of the law and thus demonstrates God's righteousness and justice in remitting the sins of the believer and justifying him (vss. 25, 26).

From this we see that verses 23 and 24 of Romans 3 are not closely linked in parallelism such that the justification of verse 24 would be freely given, implied, to the "all" who have been found to be sinful in verse 23, as is advocated by the 1888 MSC. Instead, verse 23 is obviously a continuation of the last phrase of verse 22 and the combined passage is seen to be a parenthetical statement to emphasize that the "all" of verse 22 to whom righteousness is made available through their belief in Christ encompasses both Jew and Gentile, "for there is no difference, for all"-both Jew and Gentile-"have sinned."

This parenthetical remark harkens back to Romans 3:9-18 wherein Paul emphatically states that the Jews possess no moral superiority over the Gentiles for they all are under sin, none are righteous. Because all men, of all races and creeds, have sinned under God's law, there is no one who can be justified by the deeds of the law (vs. 20).

Consequently, Paul wishes to leave no doubt that "the righteousness of God without the law . . . which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all . . . them that believe" is equally relevant and essential to all men of all persuasions, Jew and Greek, free and bond, man and woman. Thus, the parenthetical sentence is added to accentuate the universal need. Verse 24 returns to the theme of verses 21 and 22: the righteousness (or justification) of God which is made available by faith in and through Christ.[7]

Dr. E. J. Waggoner, one of the principal articulators of the original 1888 message, is quite lucid on the interrelationship between verse 24 and verses 21-22. He comments extensively on Romans 3 in his seminal work, Christ and His Righteousness.<[8] On page 61 of this work, Waggoner declares: "The scripture that we have just been considering (Rom. 3:24-26) is but another statement of verses 21, 22. . . ."[9]

Since Romans 3:21-22 unmistakably describe righteousness (justification) by faith, we have Waggoner's unequivocal conclusion that one is "justified freely" (vs. 24) by faith alone. Nowhere in his discussion does Waggoner propose that the justification of verse 24 is different from the justification elsewhere described in verses 22-26. In fact, as mentioned below, his conclusion is quite the opposite: There is only one justification, that of faith (and, we must say, that which embraces both objective and subjective aspects).

Throughout the entire passage in Romans 3:21-31, Paul repeatedly identifies the key qualification to justification: that it is "by faith" in the redeeming Christ. (See verse 22, "which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all . . . them that believe"; verse 25, "propitiation through faith in his [Christ's] blood"; verse 26, "that he [God] might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus"; verse 28, "we conclude that a man is justified by faith"; verse 30, "one God, . . . shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.") Clearly, in the face of this consistent theme, there are no grounds on which to contend that the justification of verse 24 has a basis other than faith.

Any assertion that the justification described in Romans 3:24 is a universal "legal" justification, imputed without condition of faith, is manifestly at odds with Dr. Waggoner's understanding. As described above, Waggoner observes that Romans 3:24-26 is "but another statement of verses 21, 22." Thus, the justification freely provided by God's grace is the "righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe." Commenting elsewhere on Romans 3, Waggoner further emphasizes this point in his declaration that the justification of verse 24 means "to be clothed within and without with the righteousness of God," that is, to encompass both the imputed and imparted righteousness of God, to include both objective and subjective justification.[10] Moreover, the verses cited by Waggoner to explain how justification is given "freely" unquestionably convey the conditionality of that provision. The gift, free through it may wonderfully be, still must be accepted by the recipient. He must respond to Christ's invitation of Revelation 22:17, "'Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.' That is, let him take it as a gift."

Romans 5:12-18
It is this passage, and specifically verse 18, that is relied upon most heavily by the 1888 MSC in support of the doctrine of a universal "legal" justification. Here again, the interpretation advocated by the 1888 MSC is not consistent with application of sound hermeneutic principles, including the understanding of a verse within its larger context.

Verse 18 reads as follows:

Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 

This verse is construed by the 1888 MSC as teaching a universal legal justification on two grounds. For one, the structure of the verse is viewed as a perfect parallel: The judgment which came upon all men by Adam's sin is matched by the free gift which came upon all men unto justification of life through Christ's righteousness. As there is no exception with the former, so there can be no exception with the latter.[11] Second, that the gift unto justification is free is viewed by Waggoner as "evidence that there is no exception to its application.[12]
In beginning an analysis of Romans 5, one first must recognize that it is a continuation of the theme introduced in the third chapter, that is, righteousness by faith. As discussed above concerning Romans 3:23-24, the only justification presented in the third chapter is that which is accessed by faith in Christ and His sacrificial death. So begins the fifth chapter: "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." 





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GJ - The Adventist parallel with UOJ comes from the excessive plagiarism of Ellen White, their main theologian and prophetess. Her visions borrowed constantly from books previous published by Evangelicals and other authors. She was a mosaic plagiarist, like the author of the Manchurian Candidate. Instead of simply borrowing whole hog from one author, she put together her dogma from a whole collection of books, including Milton's Paradise Lost.

The archives of the Ellen White estate have tried to keep the truth from coming out. Does that sound like the Concordia Hysterical Institute? Anyone who questions the sanctity of CFW Walther is met with hysterical name-calling. The last thing Missouri wants is the factual history coming out.


WELS Shedding Teachers - Watch the Lists



The following is from one report:


------------------------------  R E S I G N E D  -----------------------------
    Volkmann, Mrs Stephanie M  St Paul Little Learner - Slinger WI  06/01/2012
    Grebe, Mr Karl E           King of Kings - Garden Grove CA      06/17/2012
    Grebe, Mrs Sarah J         King of Kings - Garden Grove CA      06/17/2012
    Buske, Mrs Hannah L        St Mark - Green Bay WI               06/30/2012
    Fricke, Mr Lucas           Mexico Kingdom Workers               06/30/2012
    Gnewuch, Mrs Faith E       St Matthew's - Oconomowoc WI         06/30/2012
    Hein, Mrs Julie B          Rocky Mountain LHS - Northglenn CO   06/30/2012
    Hennig, Mrs Karen M        St Croix LHS - West Saint Paul MN    06/30/2012
    Hering, Mr Joel            Mexico Kingdom Workers               06/30/2012
    Hoffman, Miss Sara         Christ the Lord - Clearwater FL      06/30/2012
    Kamps, Mrs Rachael L       Christ-St Peter - Milwaukee WI       06/30/2012
    Nettesheim, Miss Katherin  St John - Mukwonago WI               06/30/2012
    O'Connell, Mrs Samantha I  St John - Lannon WI                  06/30/2012
    Pelzl, Rev Eric A          WLC - Milwaukee WI                   06/30/2012
    Petrie, Miss Khrista J     Gloria Dei - Belmont CA              06/30/2012
    Sigler, Mrs Jennifer M     Green Valley - Henderson NV          06/30/2012
    Trapp, Mr Peter C          Atonement - Milwaukee WI             06/30/2012
    Vertz, Mrs Beth E          St John - Baraboo WI                 06/30/2012
    Wege, Mrs Kay M            Winnebago L.A. - Fond du Lac WI      06/30/2012
    Wendland, Mr David T       Minnesota Valley LHS - New Ulm MN    06/30/2012
    Hoffman, Mrs Erica E       Christ the King - Bremerton WA       07/01/2012

----------------------  L E A V E   O F   A B S E N C E  ---------------------
    Wittmershaus, Mr Kurt A    MLC - New Ulm MN

-----------------  C A L L E D  T O  E T E R N A L  G L O R Y  ---------------
    Mueller, Mr Raymond R                                           06/06/2012
    Kalfahs, Mr Gus K                                               06/11/2012
    Roth, Mrs Arlene M                                              06/13/2012

----------------------------- R E T I R E M E N T ----------------------------
    Buege, Mr Joel A           Illinois LHS - Crete IL              06/30/2012
    Buege, Mr Joel A           Illinois Luth Jr High - Crete IL     06/30/2012
    Gurgel, Mrs Judith L       St Lucas - Milwaukee WI              06/30/2012
    Jenkins, Mrs Ruth A        Trinity - Waukesha WI                06/30/2012

-----------  L I M I T E D   L E N G T H   C A L L   E X P I R E D  ----------
    Boushek, Mrs Ashley R      St Marcus - Milwaukee WI             06/30/2012
    Dais, Mr Andrew M          St John - Jefferson WI               06/30/2012
    Haag, Mr Andrew M          Faith - Fond du Lac WI               06/30/2012
    Maurer, Mrs Kathryn A      Shepherd of the Va - Westminster CO  06/30/2012
    Moldenhauer, Mrs Stephani  Christ-St Peter - Milwaukee WI       06/30/2012
    Shoop, Mr Andrew D         St Croix LHS - West Saint Paul MN    06/30/2012
    Sulzle, Mrs Heather L      Riverview - Appleton WI              06/30/2012
    Watson, Mrs Kristin K      Emanuel - New London WI              06/30/2012
    Zacharyasz, Mrs Emily D    St Peter - Appleton WI               06/30/2012
    Zastrow, Mr Nathan G       California LHS - Wildomar CA         06/30/2012

-------------------  P O S I T I O N   E L I M I N A T E D -------------------
    Erlenbusch, Mrs Suzanne M  Good Shepherd - Sioux Falls SD       06/30/2012

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Effective July 1, the HOPE Schools [Mark and Avoid Jeske, Inc] will become 
independent Christian schools.
The following HOPE teachers will no longer be serving in WELS called positions:

    Arndt-Eggers, Mrs Ashley   Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    Berger, Mr Paul M          Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    Clasen, Mrs Kristin R      Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    Freudenwald, Miss Kathryn  Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    Gerke, Miss Lindsey A      Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    Greenman, Mrs Anna J       Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    Hagedorn, Ms Erin E        Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    Harvey, Mr Adam A          Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    Heinen, Mrs Megan          Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    Hochtritt, Ms Elizabeth C  Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    Hoogervorst, Ms Laura      HOPE Christian High - Milwaukee WI   06/30/2012
    Luehring, Mr Jamie C       Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    McNair, Ms Ashley          Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    Otto, Mr Mark K            HOPE Christian High - Milwaukee WI   06/30/2012
    Perkins, Mrs Jessica L     Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    Robinson, Mr Steven J      Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    Seeger, Mr Jeremy          Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    Stratton, Mrs Kimberly M   Hope Christian Schoo - Milwaukee WI  06/30/2012
    Tess, Mrs Jessica D        HOPE Christian High - Milwaukee WI   06/30/2012


SP Schroeder was an early contributor to TELL, the WELS Church Growth  periodical.
He copped a plea about TELL, but who is rewarded, protected, and promoted today?
Huebner, Olson, Witte, Kelm, Jeske, Glende, Ski, Parlow, etc. etc.



***

GJ - The fact is, WELS is reducing or dropping schools right and left. One observer said the Milwaukee pastors got their congregations into debt over school buildings and then dropped the schools.

The magic of Church and Change continues. The leaders (Roth, Jeske, Valleskey, Bivens, Wendland, Olson, Kelm, Huebner) have made their careers from xeroxing the insights of Fuller Seminary.


Their big move was dropping the name Lutheran after getting rid of Lutheran doctrine and worship. That is why "Christian Academies" have sprouted all over WELSdom, so no one notices the academies are just day-care businesses subsidized by the congregation.

News Story about HOPE Schools

Notice that when there is a challenge about false doctrine in WELS, people respond with "We will always be loyal to WELS, no matter what." When it is convenient for business purposes, the leaders will drop the name Lutheran to appeal to more people at once. Confessional Lutherans are told to speak the name softly in Jerusalem (Milwaukee), lest it be heard on the streets of Gath.


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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "WELS Shedding Teachers - Watch the Lists":

There is a strange irony about the departure of the HOPE Schools from the WELS. I am sure that there are many versions floating around about what happened. The official story is probably something about violation of fellowship principles. Yet, the HOPE model is exactly what the WELS leadership wants in their schools. As mentioned, the Lutheran name is dropped in favor of a generic title. The acceptance of government grants is the latest fad employed to disguise the real cost of operating a school. Free market economists would call this a pricing distortion. Also, making religious instruction optional allows the school to get these grants. The excuse for opening the school up to the community is that it becomes a mission arm of the church. How can this be if the religious instruction is not a mandatory part of the curriculum. This idea of accepting grants has now trickled down to the congregational LES level.

***

GJ - This will open up the 501c3 for more Thrivent grants, more government aid of all type.

http://hopeschools.org/about-hope.php

I cannot find out who is on the board. HOPE is awfully secretive for such a public charity.

Pastor Kevin Hastings says that, long ago, Historic St. John Lutheran operated a school for the children in the neighborhood, with no outside help. Pastor Brenner contributed from his own salary to help pay the teachers. Brenner did not even accept aid to buy milk for the school.

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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "WELS Shedding Teachers - Watch the Lists":

After the concert at St. John's, Pastor Hastings gave some insight into the history of St.John's. He mentioned the fact that St. John's never took any subsidy whatsoever. He also touched on Pastor Brenner's generosity when it came to the teachers. In contrast to this, Pastor Hastings made reference to some neighboring WELS congregations who appear to be doing well by living from grants. Several years back, a synod minder justified the grants by pointing out how well an inner city congregation does when they accept them. Americans love their material wealth and success. So-called conservative Christians really squawk about government subsidies for abortion, but turn a blind eye when that dough comes in their direction to their parochial schools.

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California writes:

rlschultz's comment that "the acceptance of government grants is the latest fad employed to disguise the real cost of operating a school" lacks historical perspective and documented history.   It is neither a fad nor recent.   The fruits of the more than  four decades of  PPBS (Planned, Programmed,
Budgeted System) to create a changed WELS, including her schools,  is finally coming to full fruition (ruination?). It  is becoming impossible to dismiss it this point in history. Her schools have been  "sacrificed on the altar of the almighty government dollar" over time, and now it is impossible to miss it.

The travesty could have been avoided in the late 1960's when a loophole was created, and it could have been stopped in the 1970's when the beginnings of acceptance of government grants in WELS schools was defended, but it wasn't.  Resisters were silenced.  There is no joy now for any of those resisters who are still alive who can say "we told you so".   Sigh!

***

GJ - California wrote earlier about the Milwaukee Nine who were kicked out of WELS for stating what WELS had previously taught, until WELS got greedy for government dollars.

Now it will be a matter of "live by taxes, die by taxes." When the revenue spigot is tightened up, the only solution is more tax money.

Does that mean Mark Jeske will start paying real estate taxes on his deluxe home in the burbs?


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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "WELS Shedding Teachers - Watch the Lists":

California,
Thank you for the correction and clarification. Was it Lenski who wrote. "resist the beginnings"? 

***

GJ - Yes, Lenski is the one. California knows the history and documents it. She has proven to me how early WELS started to go radical. 

I suggested reading the Seventh Day Adventist history, to be posted above, which has many parallels to WELS, including kicking Kellogg out (the cereal killer) in typical WELS style.