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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.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Strange, High Numbers on the Blog Today
Look at How ELCA Treats HerChurch, Which Is in FollowerHerShip
With WELS and LCMS.
Parallels with Ski and Glende? You Bet. From 2010
Making Idols of Canaanite goddess, Is that Still Okay, ELCA Leadership?
by Exposing the ELCA on Thursday, November 4, 2010 at 10:28pm
Now we have an actual statement from ELCA leadership about the teachings of this San Francisco Lutheran Church. Bishop Michael Burk of ELCA Southeastern Iowa Synod spoke with Ebenezer Lutheran Church’s Bishop from the Sierra Pacific Synod (in August 2010). Bishop Burk had questions about reports he had heard of non-orthodox practices happening at the church. Here is his account of that conversation,
“After visiting with the bishop and with another synod staff member who knows the congregation and the pastor well, there is an acknowledgement that this congregation ‘pushes around the edges’ on matters that make some of us uncomfortable. Things like what they refer to this ‘rosary’ are seen by many to be outside the bounds, but don't rise to level of anything in the disciplinary arena. Speaking explicitly about the pastor and regular worship experience there, when folks have ‘dropped in unannounced’ they have experienced preaching that is decidedly within Lutheran orthodoxy and worship that is familiar and done with integrity. It was said that this small congregation is serving the local community very well, especially when it comes to reaching out to the local community.” (read here, go to comment 6)
We have now learned that Ebenezer Lutheran Church is offering women an interesting “spiritual retreat.” The church website says,
“Celebrate ‘She Who Is’
Encounter the Divine Feminine
with body, mind and spirit”
At this spiritual retreat you will experience -
“Sacred Re-imaging, rituals and work(play)shops, sacred sounds, altar building, meditation with the Cosmic Mother, Christian Feminist stories, beach walks, free time and relaxing with beauty that is around, among and within!”
The experience will include presentations on -
“God/dess Around Us
Language of the Goddess – Pr. Boorn (ELCA pastor)
God/dess Within Us
Connecting with God/dess – J. Dancer
God/dess Beyond Us
Spirit Shrines – Linda Roberts”
The Retreat gets even more interesting unfortunately. Ebenezer Lutheran Church’s website tells an attendee’s retreat experience where we read,
“Pastor Stacy reminded us of some of the discounted feminine images of God in the Old Testament—probably none of which were the products of female imaginations—and invited us to form our own images in clay of Asherah, the mother goddess of the Canaanites familiar to early Jewish inhabitants of Canaan. I am no artist. Warming and working the clay with my hands, I wondered whether my goddess would look anything like the photograph of an Asherah figure Stacy provided as a possible starting point . . .”
“The next project, led by Kathryn Wagner, was to make a mandala, a circular, meditative image of the self . . .”
“On the shore of Monterey Bay, on Saturday night and Sunday morning, all ten of us prayed the Goddess rosary [some beaded their own Goddess Rosary that afternoon] beside a cross erected of driftwood and draped with seaweed. Stacy called us to remember the sea as the primal water from which life emerged, to think of it as the amniotic fluid of our mother's wombs . . .” (Read here) http://www.herchurch.org/id10.html
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| "It's not coming your way, Brett. It arrived years ago. Ask my buddies in the LCMS and WELS." |
One could write five articles on the non-orthodox, troubling, and heretical statements written about this "spiritual retreat." But we will just focus on "Asherah."
The image of Asherah, that ELCA pastor Stacy Boorn had the women on the retreat make, is a false god. As was mentioned above, Asherah is "the mother goddess of the Canaanites" that God continually told the Israelites to stay away from. Scripture speaks of Asherah and Asherah poles extensively and none of it is positive. Here is one verse (see more verses at end of this article) -
Deuteronomy 12:3 - Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places.
I would be interested in hearing from ELCA headquarters and the synod bishops as to whether this new documented information of "herchurch" making idols of a false god (one the Bible specifically mentions and which is forbidden in scripture) is still considered acceptable practices for ELCA members. As you can read in the Bible verses below, it is not acceptable to God.
If making idols and the worship of false gods does not warrant expulsion, I don’t know what does. ELCA inaction here = acceptance/approval.
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More of what God’s Word says about Asherah/Asherah poles -
Judges 3:7 - The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.
1 Kings 14:15 - And the LORD will strike Israel, so that it will be like a reed swaying in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that he gave to their ancestors and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they aroused the LORD’s anger by making Asherah poles.
1 Kings 16:33 - Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him.
2 Kings 17:16 - They forsook all the commands of the LORD their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves, and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts, and they worshiped Baal.
Deuteronomy 7:5 - This is what you are to do to them: Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones, cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols in the fire.
***
GJ - Notice that DP Doug Englebrecht sent the District VP to investigate The CORE and found exactly the same Lutheran orthodoxy! Twas practically Adolph Hoenecke come to life again.
Readers - HerChurch is a picture of WELS in the future.
No one thought HerChurch could happen when I published about this topic in 1987. Now the same people who ignored the warnings are shocked that it did happen - with their synod's blessing. My classmate from Yale, with a PhD in NT studies, blessed it as well. Now he is an ELCA seminary president.
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| The new president of the seminary started by Loehe in Iowa has no distinctive qualifications for her job, whether academic or professional. She looks less than thrilled with the potential for closing the school. Note the Mark Jeske ambiguous, lop-sided smile. |
The problem is with corrupt officials who seem to be spineless shiver-sisters, until someone dares to question the conduct of their office. Then, as Luther wrote, they are ready to tear up trees with their bare hands.
Or as Proverbs says, it is easier to rob a she-bear of her cubs than to encounter a fool in his folly. Prov. 17:12.
2016 Update
HerChurch is the WELS and LCMS of the present - not of the future.
Mirthless Mark Schroeder and Matt the Fat Harrison are helpless when asked about the aberrations of their sects. However, they are meaner than outhouse rats when someone points out the obvious - they are eagerly and forcefully advancing apostasy.
Today's Rose Delivery - For the Future Bride and Groom
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| Falling in Love is bi-colorand fragrant. |
First I photographed two Falling in Love roses for a couple at the Evangelical college nearby. They were both in my classes.
I thought that was rather cold to send photos of roses, so I decided to deliver them to the future bride, who was away on choir tour. It's a good thing I checked or withering roses might have greeted her.
I looked over Falling in Love, a row of roses in our main rose garden. Several were looking good for a Monday bloom, but I boosted the chances with buckets of stored rainwater plus a general watering. I have learned that a direct water for each rose is very important.
Today two Falling in Love roses were perfect for the vase, and a rare Bride's Dream was exceptional. Bride's Dream ended up in the circle around the maple tree, so it gets more shade and competes for water. Still, the rose has great blooms every so often.
Falling in Love is pink with a white back, while Bride's Dream is the same pink all over.
California Dreamin' is like Double Delight in coloring, with pink and yellow coloring.
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| Bride's Dream |
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| California Dreamin' |
The Starlings Are Back
The weather seemed to be turning wintry some time ago, so I put six pounds of suet in two baskets, for the birds that thrive on bugs - especially the Starlings. Chickadees and the Woodpecker family also like suet. The suet remains.
Yesterday I heard and saw a flock of Starlings high in the trees during the morning walk with Sassy. I have not seen them in the yard. They were making the rounds, since they took off as a group. Today I will put fresh water in all the birdbaths, because the dry weather has to make them relatively short of bathing and drinking water. Starlings really make a fuss in the water, which attracts more creatures to the scene.
People hate Starlings for what the Creator designed them to be - smart, social, and voracious eaters. But we discount whatever is plentiful, until we notice a shortage of what we once took for granted. Starlings arrive in flocks and seem to dominate, but I wonder about the claim that they "drive out native species." That is like saying, "The squirrels eat all the bird-food." On a given day, many bird species eat, and the squirrels take their turn. A squirrel will bat the birds away, just as we swat at flies, but the birds wait in the trees and bushes for their turn.
The Starlings decide to eat from someone's lawn, and they gather in the normal pattern. One scout bird lands. Next a few more join the scout. Soon the entire flock is on the ground, engaged in eating. But if the scout bird rises to the air in alarm, the entire flock takes off.
Starlings never seem to stop foraging. When I first discovered mulch, I noticed how they marched through the garden, flipping grass-leaf mulch over to expose the bugs enjoying the shade or feeding from decomposition.
Their larger cousins, the Grackles, are often around Starlings. The Grackles are even better at spearing the ground for grubs.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
The Festival of the Reformation, 2016.
The Festival of the Reformation, 2016
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
Rebellion Against the Gospel
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 261 Lord Keep Us Steadfast
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 261 Lord Keep Us Steadfast
KJV Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
KJV Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. 15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Collect
O almighty, eternal God: We confess that we are poor sinners and cannot answer one of a thousand, when Thou contendest with us; but with all our hearts we thank Thee, that Thou hast taken all our guilt from us and laid it upon Thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and made Him to atone for it: We pray Thee graciously to sustain us in faith, and so to govern us by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may live according to Thy will, in neighborly love, service, and helpfulness, and not give way to wrath or revenge, that we may not incur Thy wrath, but always find in Thee a gracious Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
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| Martin Luther - sepia tone by Norma Boeckler. |
KJV Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. 15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Lenski:
In substance it is quite the same whether we say, the kingdom itself “comes forward powerfully” or “is brought forward powerfully” by John and by Jesus. This statement obviously characterizes the years “from the days of John the Baptist until now,” from the day when John began to baptize until now when Jesus was in the full swing of his work. Of course, “until now” does not imply that this urging of the kingdom on men ceases at this moment; the matter goes on. We have no reason to make the enemies of the kingdom the agents of βιάζεται biazetai (when it is regarded as a passive) and to refer the verb to their violence against it, letting the second clause express the same thought. The trend of the entire discourse deals, not with violence against the kingdom, but with the indifference and the dissatisfaction that hinder men from entering it with zest.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel. Minneapolis, MN. : Augsburg Publishing House, 1961, S. 437.
Rebellion Against the Gospel
The traditional readings for Reformation Sunday trouble people for several reasons. One Lutheran pastor said Luther himself would object to being the angel from Revelation holding the Gospel.
Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
Walther wanted to dictate how history treated him, especially by censoring the early history of the Stephanites, where he played a leading part in organizing the mob that threatened, robbed, and kidnapped Bishop Stephan.
But we do not get to write our own histories. Those who have the power are vulnerable to those who think for themselves. In Luther's case, what historical figure in 20 centuries fit this passage more than Luther?
Luther only did one thing - he taught the Word of God exactly as it is written, taking into account a vast knowledge of the early church fathers and history. Everything that happened in the Reformation was a result of that teaching, although they are presented as separate accomplishments - the hymns written, the liturgy revised, education for clergy changed, and entire countries following Luther's teaching instead of Rome's. America was created because of this Protestant-Rome conflict, because the only way for the Puritans to escape persecution was to head for America and create a government where the ruler did not dictate the denomination.
Don't the words of the angel in Revelation sound exactly like a summary of Luther's teaching? Most people are kept away from Luther, but this little blog posts the Lenker Luther sermons as a group - and weekly a different sermon, plus quotations from his works and sermons, mostly his sermons.
Those who know Luther well can easily say, "Yes, the angel sounds exactly like Luther, down to giving God the glory - and the emphasis on worship."
A giant volume from the History of the World, by Will Durant and his wife Ariel, is called Renaissance and Reformation. And Reformation means Luther. No one can deal with the Reformation apart from the German Reformer. All Reformation history is subordinated to that one figure. That is not Lutheran rah-rah, but a simple fact.
The Gospel lesson is a little more difficult, but I believe the solution is also historical and impossible to deny.
There are two Gospels - a true Gospel and a false gospel. Everyone has a philosophy of life and a perspective of the afterlife. Unless the Word of God is taught with diligence and heard with sincerity, people drift off into their own opinions, thoughts, and dreams. Yes, they find truth in their dreams, like my dream of buying a car for 99 cents (last night). I know of many Roman Catholic books of dreams and visions that add considerable (false) information to the Bible and actually supersede it.
God revealed the absolute truth to Israel and promised them the Gospel. He established their worship to foreshadow the meaning of the Atoning sacrifice of the Son. And yet they found solace in all the pagan revelries around them and abandoned the Word of God many times over.
Once people have settled into the false Gospel, which is always law-based, they violently oppose the truth Gospel. The Old Testament prophets were killed, and so were most of the Apostles. Rome and the Jewish leaders responded to Jesus by killing him as well.
The Gospel is not violent but generates violence by the demonic opposition to God's grace. People instinctively react to this threat of violence. When they are told to stop disturbing others, they are inclined to be quiet. That is our first impulse, self-preservation. And we want to please others rather than make them angry. This is a slow process but eventually a nation is lulled into the false Gospel and hates the true Gospel. We can see that in shutting down any reference to the Christian faith in our schools today, but Eastern religions and Islam are taught as if they are beneficial. That sounds strange to me - I saw Christmas carols led by our public school teachers at our public elementary school. The Ten Commandments were on the wall of the 4th grade classroom and nobody objected.
Chemnitz has a great insight in his Justification book, which Lutheran leaders have ignored in favor of C. Peter Wagner and Robert Schuller. As Chemnitz observed, when society becomes far enough removed from the truth, the truth is so appealing that people seize that, teach it, and will listen to nothing else.
Medieval Europe scared people into obedience by showing how they would suffer in Hell. They would suffer in Purgatory took, but various measures would lessen the time spent for each offering or good work done. Thus the entire idea of masses said all week long came from offering a mass for those suffering in Purgatory. The services known as the Suffrages are named for that practice (a name we use while dropping the practice, obviously).
Purgatory was the great motivator for works and offerings. They were compared by the Book of Concord to mines of gold, silver, and precious jewels, so the priests could dig the treasures of the earth from people to reduce (but not eliminate) their time in Purgatory.
When any conflict comes up, as layman 29A says from his workplace, "It's all about the benjamins." His co-workers realize that the journalists present noble ideas, but it is all about the money. As Luther described it, the world is based on deceit and greed. Greed is the main motivator, but deceit is used to mask it. "Would you like to relieve your loved one's suffering in Purgatory? It would be a blessing for him and your family. A mass is a blessing to the priest, the soul in Purgatory, and the person who gave money for it."
But that is the working of paganism, to give to God, to appease God's wrath, to do good works, which are never enough. No one is going to give this concept easily without great violence.
We tend to forget that many were burned at the stake and slaughtered for the Truth .Of course, that only fueled the Reformation and led to the famous Book of the Martyrs (witnesses to the Gospel).
Likewise, later the Lutherans fell into error and persecuted their own because of their blindness, greed for power, and love of falsehood.
Nothing So Dangerous as an Idea
The Gospel taught by Jesus and Paul is either completely true or utterly false. For those wo cling to their own false gospel, the true Gospel is a terrible danger that must be silenced at all costs.
I have watched many leaders in big gatherings. They act like they are the wrath of God. Some make a point of glowering and hugging the mike to make sure nothing impure desecrates Holy Mother Synod. There is no Gospel, no patience, no love of the brothers.Instead, a few gather to play Top Dog and have their underlings growl and snap their jaws at others.
The Gospel concept is quite simple but always being scattered and driven away, where it takes root in new places, new hearts.
The Scriptures are revealed to us to create faith in our hearts. This faith grasps the truth of God's Son dying for our sins, but also the subordinate truths of Creation, natural law, the history and future of God's people. Along the way we learn about the miraculous power of the Word, in conveying Jesus to us in the Word, in faithful sermons, in hymns, liturgies, and creeds.
The Spirit teaches us directly and alters our false and timid thoughts so we trust in God's mercy, wisdom, and kindness. That begins with complete and free forgiveness of all our sins. This is not a minor item but central to the entire book we call the Holy Scriptures.
Unlike any other religion, Christianity does not teach what God takes but what God gives. Those who side-step into a law religion change that, but they are presenting the false gospel, like Cho's where he teaches that God only gives when people demand exactly what they need. Of course, it is all materialistic and really quite demonic, so Cho (admired by Church Growthers and other criminals) continues to inspire in the worst way.
The true Gospel is not fragile but we are, so we drift away without the constant wisdom and motivation of the Spirit through the Word. That way, the Gospel shapes our thoughts, our words, and our deeds.
Our daughter-in-law told her son before the hayride. "Be good or Grampy will yell at you and make you behave." I said, "No, as a grandfather I will pay him money to be good." She laughed. Every day we think of our grandchildren as blessings to be enjoyed.
When people know and enjoy Justification by Faith, apart from the works of the Law, they realize the true meaning of God's grace. That influences us to be more thankful for God's blessings, more willing to share the Word in various ways. I think I shocked our friends at our son's congregation with how many listen to our service online and how many have viewed the files. They cannot imagine such numbers now, but just by putting the service online and linked at their website, they will broadcast their service over the world.
Being thankful for the Gospel Word fills us with awe about God's power. When one fragile thought is wobbly in our minds, the Word says, "But you know and believe this to be true. Can you hear the Feeding of the 5,000 and deny the Lord's Supper given to millions, a ye of little faith? Can you say the universe was created by the Word while doubting the absolution by the Word?"
Annual Reformation Picnic at Good Shepherd in Rogers - Team Jackson Grills Wieners Like the FBI
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| The new, old title will be on Amazon and Kindle soon. |
Every year, when possible, we attend the annual Reformation picnic at Good Shepherd, in Rogers, where Little Ichabod's family attends. The members helped us move in when we arrived in Bella Vista. Like all Walmart people, they got into the truck and emptied it in short order, placing everything in order inside - in record time.
Norma Boeckler went to one of the picnics, the firs tone when we were there, I think. The weather is usually good for the wiener roast. One time we saw the old, great Martin Luther movie and heard the new pipe organ that a Missouri church discarded. Good Shepherd sold their old pipe organ to another church for the same price as the powerful, custom built Missouri one, so they upgraded for free.
We have continuing stories with the members, since we attend their services when possible, which means not very often. Confirmations - yes. Reformation Saturdays - yes. They were recording their services and uploading them. They have moved to live Ustream and uploading them to YouTube. I mentioned with some satisfaction that the geezer led the way in live worship broadcasts - thanks to Brett Meyer.
Years ago we watched and listened to our granddaughters enjoying the family hayride. Now they are grown and working hard at Sonic. Grandson Alex took their place at the back of the wagon with us, and had fun with his friends as we toured the back streets and new housing developments. The boys decided to howl and bark for the neighborhood dogs, so we all joined them for a minute.
As I wrote before, the best part of life is comprised of moments like that. The images come back through the video feedback in our memories and fill us with happiness. Peevish and small-minded people only see problems; they seem to live in a nightmare world where the anything good becomes evil in their eyes. And yet they dare to call themselves orthodox.
Saturday, October 29, 2016
Martin Franzmann, WELS, LCMS - UOJ.
From 2012
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| Martin Franzmann, 1907-1976, taught for WELS and then for Missouri. He is most famous for his hymns. |
Although I sent off four boxes of Lutheran books, I also ordered a few items from Amazon and Alibris. If I can get a well known volume for for a few dollars, I order it.
I had a scan of Franzmann's commentary on Romans, but I saw the book on Alibris and bought it. The book is not a commentary at all and is certainly not scholarly. There are no references and no index. There is a list of some books on Romans with a brief description. I would call it a homiletical book.
One sentence gives away the theme of the SynConference:
In raising him from the dead, God was "justifying the ungodly" for whom He died; God was saying to a doomed mankind, "You are righteous, you shall live." There is in our faith, therefore, the same realistic recognition of the death of man that was in Abraham's faith, and the same expectation of the creative miracle of God's grace which raises the dead and calls into being righteous men.
Martin H. Franzmann, Romans, A Commentary, CPH, 1968, p. 86.
That was his statement about the ending of Romans 4. Franzmann's obscure words are the opposite of what Paul wrote.
KJV Romans 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
God was telling all of mankind "You are righteous"? Of course, Franzmann is not that explicit. The UOJ writers are seldom that clear. But the thoroughly brained-washed know that is what those words mean. They agree with the Pietist Rambach, who argued that the resurrection of Christ absolved all of mankind - especially the unbelievers. Jay Webber and Jon Buchholz support the Halle Pietism version of universal forgiveness and salvation. You just have to believe their dogma is true: justification by faith in UOJ.
Franzmann was a leader of the conservatives, and he was just as UOJ as Richard Jungkuntz, the leader of the Seminex coalition.
The UOJ position is not in harmony with the efficacy of the Word and certainly opposes the Means of Grace. Can the blue text be brought into agreement with Romans 10? Isaiah 55? Not at all.
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| Richard Jungkuntz also started out WELS, also at Watertown, and also joined the Board of Doctrine, LCMS, after teaching at Concordia, Springfield, Illinois. As chairman of the Seminex board, he headed the first gay Lutheran seminary, by partnering with the Metropolitan Community Church. Deppe was the Seminex professor who went with the faculty to teach at LSTC, ELCA, and later joined the MCC, where he belonged. |
Lies Can Be Sustained for a Limited Amount of Time
Duper's Delight is a nickname for the smile that precedes a deliberate lie. I have seen it many times dealing with Lutheran leaders. Obama smiled for a moment when he told of learning about the private email server at the same time the public did - through the news media. However, we have copies of his emails, using the code name "bobama," that were on the private server.
I made some predictions about the Love Letter pastor in Alaska. I said it was a long-term habit - and his classmate wrote to me that it was. I assumed that a big stressor brought out the aberrant behavior, and that was exactly what happened. He had just been confronted about his ministry. Knowing WELS, I figured someone in his family was influential, so he was being protected by the District President and Circuit Pastor. Right again. More details could be added. An abusive sect behaves in predictable ways.
One former Lutheran was very upset about the Evangelical church he joined. I began telling him how people were behaving. He was quite startled and said, "How do you know?" I told him about my experiences and the common themes that reveal themselves when people are dishonest and covet power.
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| If a dentist lived here, would his business decay? The Lutheran leaders remind me of this house. |
One irony is that people rush ahead with their claims even though technology has changed everything. Boomers are just about hopeless with computers, but the younger generations are almost as bad. I do not mean everyone should know the rules of subnet masking or recite the OSI model. Every so often I say to a techie, "It's always the physical layer, isn't it?" One Hispanic installer said, "Jes" with a sigh. Perpetual storage of data is the biggest threat to deceit.
The big change is this - everything is saved on hard drives, flash drives, servers, and The Cloud, usually multiple times. If someone wants to brag on the Net, the boasting is saved on the Net. The tiniest details can be put in a little pile to put together a profile. When I worked on an earlier class reunion, I paid for Spokeo ($30) to find classmates. I could start with a name and a state, find a home, discover the age of the owner, and learn about that person's job and the value of the home. I had two people named Charles R in my hometown. One was Junior. I found his address and his father's on Spokeo, by looking at their ages. There are always missing classmates, often in the school's hometown.
Someone googled a pastor's name and found a long post on Ichabod about that individual. But the pastor erased that call from his resume. Deception? Let's look at the website where the Invisible Pastor worked. No record of his time there remained. Often all the pastors are listed, but not always. Jim Huebner is the one and only pastor to serve Grace, Milwaukee. Huebner's blowhard bio sounds like he wrote it himself.
The funny part about erasing that information is that the individual draws attention to it by making it seem to go away. Church and Change had their own websty, photos and bios of the board members (half from Mark Jeske's congregation). As soon as I published that information, photos and bios disappeared faster than a bottle at an underage drinking party. Eventually Church and Change disappeared - or rather, went into hiding. The hellish members denied they were working together and hated me for publishing their gushing posts on their rather public discussion site.
When a WELS pastor threatened to gang rape a young woman, his name was erased from the congregation's website - or so they thought. I knew WELS had a policy of deleting information, so they could deny the obvious. I began opening documents and there it was, still on the congregation's website, but not on the staff page. Of course, he did not use his Christian name in making the threat. He used another name, like Carlos Danger (Huma's hubby) and the Net found him out.
The big lie among Lutherans is that they are Lutheran. This weekend the same old trite phrases will be cited repeatedly. Like love, love, love - which is now love, love, love, love, love - grace will be multiplied many times over to make up for their lack of preparation. They will invoke grace countless times, as the sectarians always do, but they will be unable to articulate the efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace. If that did, as Professor Surburg wrote in Christian News, they would have to admit that their UOJ dogma and apostate agendas have nothing to do with the Christian Faith.
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| Luther - "The world runs on greed and deception." Or, as 29A says, "It's all about the benjamins." |
Friday, October 28, 2016
Someone Forwarded This New Evangelism Program from WELS.
Sic Added
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| WELS has an oversupply, and their rich supply can be your school carnivals and talent shows. |
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