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| In honor of the Augsburg Confession. Confessio Augustana. |
http://ecclesiaaugustana.blogspot.com/2013/03/public-error-warrants-public-rebuke.html
solafideMarch 5, 2013 at 1:09 AM
I'm with you Mr. Baker. There are the people who deny there is a problem and it is just semantics. They are as bad, if not worse than the actual heretics who proclaim their UOJ rubbish.
How did we get here? Apathy and ignorance. The vast majority of lay Lutherans don't even own a copy of the confessions, worse still, many don't even own their old catechism books anymore. We've also become lazy and have allowed pastors to become the de facto leaders of our congregations with church councils basically rubber stamping whatever idea the pastor and/or synod officials recommend. Placing these pastors on such a high pedestal is dangerous, not only for us, but for them too. I can't tell you how it gets under my skin when someone looks to the pastor to get an answer to a question. Suddenly, instead of being the shepherd of the congregation, pastors are becoming more and more dictator-like. This pattern continues throughout the synods' hierarchies. Long gone are the days of pastors being responsible to members. Now, members are responsible to the pastors. Members who step out of line are silenced, reprimanded, watched, and removed at the timeliest opportunity. Pastors who speak out are quickly removed also, in a fashion similar to Pastor Rydecki -- meaning that the synod pretends to be trying to work with said person, even going so far as to give bold-faced lies to people, but in the shadows is quickly moving to strike.
How did we get here? Apathy and ignorance. The vast majority of lay Lutherans don't even own a copy of the confessions, worse still, many don't even own their old catechism books anymore. We've also become lazy and have allowed pastors to become the de facto leaders of our congregations with church councils basically rubber stamping whatever idea the pastor and/or synod officials recommend. Placing these pastors on such a high pedestal is dangerous, not only for us, but for them too. I can't tell you how it gets under my skin when someone looks to the pastor to get an answer to a question. Suddenly, instead of being the shepherd of the congregation, pastors are becoming more and more dictator-like. This pattern continues throughout the synods' hierarchies. Long gone are the days of pastors being responsible to members. Now, members are responsible to the pastors. Members who step out of line are silenced, reprimanded, watched, and removed at the timeliest opportunity. Pastors who speak out are quickly removed also, in a fashion similar to Pastor Rydecki -- meaning that the synod pretends to be trying to work with said person, even going so far as to give bold-faced lies to people, but in the shadows is quickly moving to strike.
