ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
Pastor Paul Rydecki is standing above Pastor Steve Spencer. Both were WELS at the Intrepids' first and last conference. Rydecki's congregation is now in ELDONA; Spencer's DP is still promoting UOJ and endorsing such apostastes as Rick Johnson and Jeff Gunn.
Based on the many documented cases you chronicled in this post, it would certainly seem that this type of thinking and these practices are not merely the "future" of the WELS, they are the PRESENT! And as this thinking is coming from many who are touted by some of our synod and district leaders as the experts in "growing" congregations, this kind of thing has the potential to spread very widely very quickly.
It brings the question: How long before confessional Lutherans will no longer find any WELS church in which to worship according to their consciences? It is so sad. And it is all so needless and useless. This stuff has not kept the synod from shrinking since the late 80s, and will not keep it from disappearing altogether by the end of the next decade or two. These things are all mere "proposals" of man, while the Lord of the Church will dispose matters as He sees fit, according to His honor and glory. There are so many churches who already do all this junk so much better than we could ever do; for what does God need another one? But how many have the true, historic, orthodox, and truly evangelical, confessional and Lutheran theology AND practices? It would seem to me that WELS would have a better chance at God keeping us around if we were actually DIFFERENT from the rest of the world, instead of trying to be exactly like it. Just sayin'!
Anonymous: Being in the military meant constantly moving around and when settled temporarily, look for a church and service that we as a family could worship and praise our Lord in a respectful way. Most times we would settle for the military's "generic" protestant service on the installation because the offered "Lutheran" services were not conducted as we were raised. And that is the main point of this comment. The Word of God in Ephesians instructs fathers to raise their children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." It seems not many churches are assisting parents in this task. Bible study and instruction should be taught not interpreted into "contemporary" styles so that they are entertained. The Christian Church should stand strong against becoming more worldly in their services just to have people in the pews.
We are finally getting some bad weather, the kind that keeps Creation gardeners inside, examining the pile of seed catalogs that follow the Christmas season.
Beneath the warm blanket of Jackson Mulch, the soil creatures are still at work, if slowed down by the cold.
The secret to Jackson Mulch is the double layer. If someone puts plain wood mulch on grass, the grass will be suppressed for a time, with crab grass or the lawn bursting through later. Too much solar energy reaches the surface with mulch alone, and the shredded wood mulch turns from absorbing nutrition to letting it go in a most encouraging way - for weeds and grass.
Newspapers block the sunlight and absorb more nutrition at first, besides holding water above the soil and letting air through. When the newspapers overlap and are thick enough, the weeds are held down all summer and the microscopic life becomes abundant.
Two factors contribution to decomposition, feeding plants plants at the roots. One factor is constant moisture. Jackson Mulch is designed to be a giant sponge holding water without harming the plants. The second is warmth, and Jackson Mulch accomplishes that by insulating the soil, keeping the temperatures relatively warm in the winter and never baked dry in the summer.
Mulch is a cafeteria for soil life and therefore a banquet hall for birds. Just now I found cardinals, doves, and a blue jay feasting on the cracked corn on the bare newspapers where the leaves blew off in the wind. I have found bare newspapers to be a good place to put bird food, because the newsprint wicks away the moisture from the drizzle we have been enjoying.
Like all matters of Creation, one improvement improves another. In this case, some warmth is good for the soil. Mulch is an insulating blanket that feed soil creatures, who contribute their own warmth to the mix.
For example, the best way to protect roses in a Minnesota winter is to surround the garden with chicken wire and fill the wire with autumn leaves. This increases the insulation and feeds the roses all winter and in the early spring.
Protecting the plants will protect the birds, and improving the life of birds will improve the life of plants. That is why I enjoy a long drizzly day, sipping fresh coffee and thinking about the work done by God's creatures.
There are three parts to easy, successful gardening:
Read a lot, but with scepticism.
Test the claims in the garden.
Assume the Creator had a plan, one far more complicated that we can comprehend.
Look at the presenters. Jay Webber has no academic qualifications, except being enrolled part-time in the Pan-Lutheran Institute of Lutheran Theology - ELCA, Roman Catholic, etc.
Jay's UOJ catechumen, Jon Buchholz is likewise unqualified by character and academic preparation, too lazy to read anything except WELS position papers.
Examine the fly-by-night Institute of Lutheran Theology, which appears to be a garage sale for any Lutheran to take any course from any instructor of any confession of faith. That is Jay's part-time STM program. Ludwig Fuerbringer used to avoid giving essays so he could stay home and study Luther and the Scriptures. Those days are over in the Synodical Conference.
Consider the title of Jay's"essay." The agenda is already given away - everyone is already righteous, forgiven, and saved. They just have to believe UOJ dogma - pure Pietistic rationalism from Bishop Stephan STD and CFW Walther, his enabler.
Like all UOJ Stormtroopers, Jon Buchholz is a notorious liar. He told Brett Meyer that I agreed with his (Jon-Boy's) UOJ and disagreed with Brett, shortly after Jon and I had lunch together - at Jon's request. Jon had a copy of Thy Strong Word but never opened it.
Another lie from Buchholz - he would continue to discuss justification with Pastor Paul Rydecki's congregation.
Jay and Jon had no trouble scarfing up money from the Schwan Foundation. Surely they know St. Marvin was a notorious adulterer whose wife killed herself after being divorced by Marvin. Good old St. Marvin married the wife of his supervisor, thus ending two marriages. But WELS and LCMS and the Little Sect on the Prairie could not praise Marvin enough. He was a Tabor and a Just, but with money - and they exploited that guilt and absolved him for cash.
The Emmaus Conference is a smokescreen for their full-throated union with ELCA through Thrivent.
They have never told the truth - The Chief Article of the Christian Religion is justification by faith. Justification by faith is the master and prince, the judge of all other Christian articles. To listen to their buffoonery with patience is another way to undermine the Gospel.
They are all Thrivent salesmen, selling Irrevocable Charitable Annuities for a commission, pretending they are offering educational seminars about wills and trusts.
First watch the video, which is meant to be a parody on contemporary worship, then read the actual statements below that made by WELS pastors, teachers, churches & conferences and compare.
Is this video a parody of contemporary worship or is this the future of our WELS worship services?
When Dale Witte [WELS Composer, Choir Director, Christian Educator and Musician] first watched this video when it came out in 2010. He had to this to say about it:
Everytime you hear the phrase "contemporary worship," ask yourself the question, like a good Lutheran, "What does this mean?", because it means something different to everyone who says it depending on their background.
This video is an extreme, albeit humorous example. Unfortunately, this is what I think a lot of people think contemporary worship is, or should become.I hope not.There is a lot to be said for doing Lutheran liturgical worship well:
the musicians and pastors planning each service so well that the the same message is preached from the balcony by the choirs, instrumentalists, and organist as the pastor preaches from the pulpit and lectern,
that message is evident to all worshippers as they are worshiping, and
it is memorable enough that they can tell someone else who was not there what worship was about that week.
There also is a lot to be said for remaining true to the heritage of the Lutheran Church, reclaiming who we are, boldly proclaiming what it means to be Lutheran,and not experimenting with whom we are not.
Is the video still an "extreme" parody or in the four years since he wrote that has it become reality for worship services in WELS?
This is what we found throughout the WELS when we looked at what congregations were doing:
Relevant- We will seek to preach and teach timeless truths in timely ways. Our various ministries are also designed for the age in which we live not for the 1500s, 1900s, or 1960s. As Luther took the German Bible and made the prophets speak German - our goal is to take the Bible and use the language and technology of today in order to speak to the heart of people, and not over the head of people. One of their listed values on the church website Amazing Love Church Frankfort, IL
The CORE exists to transform lives for Christ through faith that is Real, Relevant, and Relational. We deal with life's issues through the lens of God's Word. We come face to face with sin and the havoc it creates in our lives. From The Core Website The Core Church Appleton, WI
Join us on Sunday mornings for an uplifting and relevant message focused on what God's Word means in your life. St Paul's Church Website St Paul's Lutheran Church Menomonie, WI
Casual Atmosphere – Reclining movie theater seats with cup holders. Need we say more? Modern Worship – Relevant messages, musical variety, helpful videos. Victory of the Lamb Website Victory of the Lamb Church Franklin, WI We strive to make every message and every service relevant and applicable to real life, as well as excellent in quality. At the same time, you can come to church in your jeans, or your shorts (or even in your jean shorts) and feel perfectly comfortable in one of our services. Grab a cup of coffee and a bagel on your way in and settle in for a high-octane hour of power-learning about God. From the Crosswalk Website Crosswalk Church Phoenix, AZ
St. Matthew is a friendly, focused, family church, striving to be relevant and responsive to your needs. RELEVANT - The message of Jesus really does provide answers and hope for our generation. From the St Matthew Website ST Matthew Church Port Washington, WI We’re relevant! Our messages are meant to apply to your everyday life. They’re practical and filled with comfort. We believe that everyone needs to know what God expects of us, and what God offers us in His love. If you come to CTR, you’ll hear just what God has to say about this – straight from His Word, the Bible! With our upbeat music and our fun and creative worship, you’ll go home encouraged and equipped each week! From the Christ the Rock Website Christ the Rock Church Round Rock, TX Watch Easter Worship Music Video Clip Watch Christmas Video Clip
May I suggest that the kind of preaching needed for the nineties and beyond is somewhat different: personal, intense, eye-to-eye, well-researched and yet down-to-earth, poured out from the heart, with the smell of spontaneity, clearly outlined, simple, logical, with real applications to real life, talking and thinking out loud with your friends rather than orating at an audience, using all the storyteller’s arts, even humor, radiating the joy of being a member of the royal family of Jesus Christ. Worship in the WELS: Changing Practices Presented to the Southeastern Wisconsin District Convention, at WLHS on June 12, 1990by Mark Jeske
One of the noteworthy WELS examples nationally is St. Mark Lutheran Church in De Pere. About80% of the music that its praise band plays comes from top-selling contemporary Christian music. The church has a $150,000 audio-visual system with two big video screens. Old time rock 'n' roll Traditional hymns get fresh beat as interest grows in contemporary church services By Tom Heinen of the Journal Sentinel Dec. 25, 2006
There is a celebration going on. We feel Sunday morning is the highlight of our week. We celebrate that God loved us so much he give his life for us. We use music that helps us celebrate whether it be a Chris Tomlin (http://www.christomlin.com/home) song you hear on Christian radio or great hymns like, "How Great Thou Art." From the Amazing Love Website Amazing Love Church Frankfort, IL
I told one blogger that the work is "like filling Grand Canyon, one pebble at a time. But it is worth it, because the Word of God is effective."
Aristotle said, "Patience and courage are so closely related that one is either the daughter or the mother of the other." Most are not patient enough to blog year after year. That is where the effect builds up.
When I get up in the morning, I think, "There is no use writing any more posts." Then I have some fresh coffee (Vanilla spice today - Christmas present) and read some news. The positive responses encourage me, and the negative ones even more so.
The numbers are good, averaging 3,000 views per day. I began by writing for 20 people, deciding not to beat around the bush, as so many do in blogging. No one wanted to touch the big issues. They wanted to have their friends congratulate them on a brave post about the color of Advent candles or some other trivia.
Blog Graveyard
The most amusing blogger is now on the wagon, metaphorically speaking. Paul McCain never earned a graduate degree, but he portrayed himself as an expert in theology. He only served one parish, for about two years, as Al Barry's stealth campaign manager and leaker to Herman Otten. Although he liked to brag about his high-paying job at Concordia Publishing House, he was clearly plagiarizing the Catholic Encyclopedia and his Lutheran friends' blogs - even thanking people who liked his stolen material.
When I proved his plagiarism, his blog rolled up with a snap, like a window shade - but without a confession of sin or apology. Exposing his fraud was simply a side venture, eliminating some toxins from the Internet.
Research
One benefit of serious blogging is the constant research required. Claims of the blog have to be supported with the facts, and the facts are illuminating. Most blogs are simply shared opinions, unwarranted assumptions, with friends chiming in.
The apostates leave themselves in a bind. They love to brag about themselves, but their boasting is evidence, easily copied and cited on a blog. They can erase the evidence on their own websites, but not on mine.
If the research is provided, the readers can reach their own conclusions. That is why so many have hysterical reactions from the basic facts being copied and cited. The PR mirage manufactured by the synods is easily dispersed like the morning fog.
But it is a good way to get a call in the WELS.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Google's Blogger is especially good at sending content into the Google search engine. The idea is to keep the topic and its source at the top of the search results, the way Wikipedia is often at the top. Here are some tips for SEO:
Long titles summarize the post and become part of the search.
Graphics are essential, but they are especially good when captioned and linked to other stories.
Links within the story are important for keeping readers on the blog and finding out more.
Labels also boost SEO, so the liberal use of labels is good stewardship.
Look at the statistics and repost popular articles from the past.
Promote on the margin, a method my friends call "sticky posts." I use a picture which links to an article or even a group of posts.
Content for its own sake is always good. A blog should be a treasure chest of useful material, such as the thousands of quotations I have copied over the years. The verbatim quotations and their citations are useful for anyone doing research.
Link to good and bad stuff. Nothing makes me laugh quicker than those who want to condemn my little effort without naming the site or the reasons for disagreement. They fail to see they are the ultimate Pietists, shunning those who ruffle their starchy feathers. Generous linking leads to owning the topic and its associated graphics. I have heard that complaint from many sources.
Most bloggers are afraid of opposition.
Faithfulness to the Word of God
Apostasy dominates today. As Martin Chemnitz wrote, "These are the last days of an insane, old world."
We can listen to the flattery or threats of apostasy, or pay attention to the Word. One brings temporary peace and eternal destruction. The other brings temporary grief and eternal peace.
