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| Cain and Abel - sepia by Norma Boeckler. |
But the issue is bigger than UOJ and Lutherans. In this Age of Apostasy, which will continue until Judgement Day, most denominational leaders are unbelieving apostates. The characteristics are obvious.
During the Reformation, the Church of Rome clearly represented unbelief. Anything that worked to scare the laity into giving money and working harder was embraced. Purgatory began to grow in lenth until it was assumed to last--for the most pious Carmelite nun--until Judgement Day.
WELS, Missouri, and the Little Sect on the Prairie are run by apostates, because they work with ELCA while pretending to be holier than those blokes. In addition, they have sold their souls to Thrivent and blessed that among their congregations, so the pittance given to a parish is hailed as manna from heaven.
Anyone in those four Lutheran sects is free to mock the Word of God and carry on as a wolf. In fact, the apostate lupine leaders love their apostate wolf-pastors. Engelbrecht and Buchholz are not the only ones. Seifert organizes Death Squads for anyone in the Intrepid Lutheran blogging group, but somehow missed all the predations of Church and Change for decades.
This explains why political tactics are wrong and useless. Many call themselves conservatives, but rely on maneuvers--doing things right--to get something done. The apostate leaders are happy to guide the gullible on timing and limits, as long as the proper response is enthusiastic agreement or profound contrition.
The dividing line is justification by faith, the Chief Article of Christianity, the Master and Prince of all the other articles. This distinction is not simply within Lutherdom but applies throughout Christendom as well.
We hear about the loud, noisy, obnoxious Babtist leaders like Ed (Two Masters and Two Doctorates) Stetzer. Or stealth Babtists who are gay activists like Andy Stanley. Watch that category grow in number. Or the generic leaders like Craig Groeschel, who could be anything.
Many Evangelicals are horrified by the money-grubbing tactics of their alleged superstars. I have tried UOJ out on some of them. They could not comprehend anyone falling for an obvious example of Universalism - their name.
I asked some to look over the NNIV, Romans 3. I said, "The NNIV teaches UOJ." The brightest one said, in one verse, yes, but it still teaches justification by faith. That revealed an interesting litmus test. The Sausage Factory reads Romans 3 and finds UOJ, and they will tear up trees by their roots to get their apostate paraphrase. A believer looks at the same chapter and says - justification by faith is still there, even with the extra "all." (all are justified)
Naturally, Murdoch's media umbrella wants to sell to both sides of the issue, just like Herman Otten.
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| Saved by grace through faith - by Norma Boeckler. |
As long as Lutherans sob for the approval of their apostate leaders, they will be driven down the same road to perdition.
A case in point - St. John Lutheran in Milwaukee is not the only property stolen by a denomination. The Episcopalians have made a hobby out of using national funds--and a mortgage on their headquarters--to take away the property of large, conservative congregations.
ELCA has a process (diaprax) for a congregation to take two votes and leave the denomination with their property. This describes how Grace ELCA in Eau Claire has lost $30 million in property and cash to the 10% of its members who wanted to stay ELCA.
Could greed have motivated ELCA to step in and play rough?
St. John in Milwaukee is a valuable property with cash and an endowment fund. A law firm worked with two men and WELS advice to grab the property and money, changing the locks to get rid of the legitimate members and the pastor.
A Time of Grace (WELS/LCMS/ELCA) staffer is involved - the pastor's vicarage supervisor. Whoda guessed that? WELS, greedy for money? That seems to be their theme, decade after decade.
Case in point - St. Peter (WELS) in Freedom, Wi. They have WELS grant money, Thrivent money, offering money, and still sell candy bars, pizza, SCRIP, and old newsprint for extra money. They are like the old Jewish woman who said, "If I were Rockefeller, I would be richer than Rockefeller."
Her friend said, "How could you be richer than Rockefeller if you were Rockefeller?"
"I would do a little sewing on the side." (Leo Rosten, The Joys of Yiddish)
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| The Spirit is truth - by Norma Boeckler |
The UOJ Shrinkers used to cry that I was doing everything wrong. They cited the Four Noble Truths of WELS. But every time I copy their own materials, with the links, the materials disappear. "The guilty run when no one pursues."
Where are the current materials from St. Peter Freedom? Erased and de-linked.
The Lutheran wolves remind me of the pit bull that jumped its fence and ran straight across the street for our dog Sassy Sue. The pit bull attacked Sassy without breaking its stride. I planted my foot in the dog's ribcage, toe first, and the dog ran back faster than a DP from the Northern District. Sassy was unhurt, but very scared by the unwarranted attack.
Animal Control, from the police department, took the dog away about 15 minutes later. I painted a picture of the same dog jumping the fence to attack a child, because the owner defended his dog as "being territorial, like a cat. Cats are territorial too."
The shepherds of Lutherdom are feeding the wolves instead of using their shepherd's crook to poke them in the ribs and drive them away.
