In Luther - The Sermon Is Everything

Luther is paraphrasing Paul in this quotation.

Those who read Luther's sermons and the Book of Concord will soon recognize that there is scant difference between Luther as a writer of confessions and Luther as a preacher. Of course, the Large Catechism is edited from his sermons, but how many Lutheran pastors today could have their sermons edited into any kind of confession of faith?

The same can be said for Luther's Bible commentaries and confessions of faith. Luther's exceptionally good Galatians Commentary, commended by the Book of Concord, is both a Biblical study and a sermon.

But Luther's primary agenda is not a doctrinal statement or a Biblical commentary. Luther practiced what the Apostolic Age exemplified - trusting in the preaching of the Gospel to accomplish everything.

No matter what various lay leaders will say, the real need of the congregation is to hear the Gospel itself. If the minister has been trained away from Lutheran doctrine, as most of them are today, then the pastor will struggle to do what is right, even with the best of motives.

The mission committees are packed with Church Growth advocates trained at Fuller, Willow Creek, or some other sewer of sectarianism. The DPs remain obedient to Holy Mother Synod, and Holy Mother communes at Fuller, Willow Creek, Trinity Divinity, and other sectarian sewers. ELCA does not scandalize them, and why should it? They all study together, work together, and beg for Thrivent money together.

• Sound doctrine scandalizes them all.
• Biblical studies offend them.
• Their worthwhile pioneers give them collective amnesia, whether Lenski, Hoenecke, Jacobs, Krauth, or Schmauk.

Because the Word of God is always effective, the minister owes it to himself and everyone else to rely on the sermon, spend a lot of time on the sermon, and preach the sermon without notes, almost always from the text, verse by verse.

Sometimes a theme sermon is a good idea, but the normal sermon ought to  be expository and come from the man himself. The sermon should not come from a server that a group shares to "save them time," because "why re-invent the wheel?" - which is the bizarre justification for plagiarism and laziness in WELS.

Such sermons will cause turmoil and comfort, division and unity. Let God decide what will happen, because ultimately He does, whether we acknowledge that or not. Those who try to finesse everything and manipulate others will side-step away from the Word and fall into apostasy while accepting the honors of the sect and the plaudits of the local Kiwani's Club.

Watching the Continued Decline - From 2014

"Lie down with dawgs - git up with fleas."
No, I think their boss Liz is quite pretty and feminine.
Thrivent is a dawg - and they all have Planned Parenthood fleas.

http://www.alpb.org/forum/index.php?topic=5347.0

In the January 2014 Forum Letter, Pastor Richard Johnson has an article about theological education.
It raises some questions that perhaps a wider audience could answer or even Editor Johnson.

Two of the ELCA Seminaries have merged with church related-universities: Southern with Lenoir-
Rhyne and Pacific with California Lutheran University.

Two of the ELCA Seminaries are on the ATS Financial
Watch List (Association of Theological Schools):

Philadelphia and Chicago

This leaves us with the remaining four:

• Luther Seminary at St. Paul, MN
• Trinity Seminary at Columbus, Ohio
• Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg, PA
• Wartburg Seminary at Dubuque, Iowa

Evidently, Luther Seminary resolved a recent financial crisis. Who makes the decisions on
the vitality of these seminaries based on enrollment, finances, etc.?

Robin Steinke is the new president of Luther Seminary.

Robin, Louise, and the two women leading ELCA colleges
suggest that ELCA Bishop Liz Eaton is empowering...women.
The female seminary presidents have no spouse of either sex listed,
so far.

Does the ELCA as a church body have a  master plan for these seminaries to survive?

Are any of these seminaries too small to last another ten years?

***

GJ - Luther Seminary resolved a crisis by firing their president. Wartburg (started by Loehe) went insolvent, fired some professors, and hired gay activist Stan Olson as their new president. Stan's wife, also a pastor, bragged in the Yale Divinity magazine that their daughter is partnered with another woman - like LCMS exSP Ralph Bohlmann's daughter.

Update: the new president of Wartburg Seminary seems remarkably
unqualified for the job. Maybe she is the designated closer.

I would not put Wartburg on the financially robust list, but it will last long enough to pad Olson's retirement with a big salary and benefits. He has served Babylon loyally for decades - why not?

Philly and Gettysburg were supposed to merge about 50 years ago. It was planned and funded, with a swath of land at the U. of Pennsylvania. One of them left the other at the altar, proving that shotgun marriages are chancy affairs. The two loathe each other so much that it is a mistake to ask a Philly grad if he went to Gettysburg and vice-versa.

I cannot imagine them merging with each other - too galling. Update - they are merging into one school, multi-campus. It only took 55 years after the LCA merger. Conrad Bergendoff wanted the Pennsylvania seminaries to merge. He was ahead of his time.

Trinity in Columbus is little more than Cap Seminary serving Ohio. That does not look promising. Other ventures tend to bleed off students. Tuition = salaries. Depending on where one starts, ELCA has lost 40% of their members

Likewise, Missouri does not need two seminaries. Nor does WELS/ELS.

If we bring the numbers up through 2012 based on the same spreadsheet:

              ELCA           LCMS
2012     3,964,474     2,196,788 

          -30.4%           -21.2%   from 1969 numbers

ELCA, LCMS, WELS, and the Little Sect have been content to alienate the large congregations that once gave them the most support. The old rule was the biggest parishes were best represented in synodical leadership. The carefully trained LCMS-WELS-ELS bureaucrats make sure only those who agree with them (the dumbest, worst false teachers) have a say, so many simply sit on their hands when the special requests come along.

Large ELCA congregations simply picked up and left. Others divided and the divorce was painfully expensive. 

WELS, Missouri, and ELS alienation is quieter, more passive - but pervasive.

The Olde Synodical Conference cannot stand up for Luther's doctrine, unborn babies, or heterosexual marriages. Instead, the love ELCA while pretending to be snotty about the sect they covet.

When Patterson and Kelm give papers on how to improve the seminary,
head for the hills!
Pray it not be in winter.

Praying Mantids and Roses. Dinner Is Served

"Roses? My favorite china pattern!
Better than Royal Albert.
Aphids are delicious."

Our granddaughters got some praying mantid egg-cases from me during the last Team Jackson grill event. They bought a terrarium and had them hatching right away. The egg cases must have a thermostatic lever, because the critters emerge only when it is warm enough for bugs to feed them.

Mine were on a cooler window sill, so they hatched later - last night. I put the first set on the bushes in the front, next to the house. Mantids like the shelter and need to grow up a bit as they launch their careers. It will be fun to see if they are prominent on the roses, which are just below the evergreen bushes.

In the backyard I will put the last two egg cases in the wild garden, in the hopes they get established among the asparagus plants. The last time I did this, about 30 years ago, the mantids stopped the asparagus beetles from stripping the plants.

That Terrible Secret about Beneficial Insects
Mantids hatch and build their strengthen devouring their siblings as they come out of the egg case. The female will also make a meal of the male after mating.

Beneficial insects eat have various habits in getting rid of pests. They may attack them directly or lay eggs on or in that pest. They also attack their own kind.

Parisitoid Creatures
This habit shocked and saddened Charles Darwin, laying eggs on another creature and having the babies hatch onto their living food supply. Thus the beneficial hatchlings would end the pest's life life on the run, so to speak.

Darwin could not see a compassionate God doing this, so this egg-laying device of beneficials helped turn him from Creation to evolution.

Now that we know so much more about soil microbes, we realize the extent of predators become prey, moving the soil chemicals around and keeping them in the top foot of soil, where almost all feeding roots do their work.

A believer is simply more impressed than ever about the engineering and managerial genius of the Creator. Luther pointed that out in one of my favorite quotations, above.

Time for the Roses, Old and New
Our KnockOut roses are budding already, and some new ones are on the way. I am not sure how much difference the mantids will make in the garden, but I know the first aphid invasion will serve as food for a new generation of beneficial insects to patrol the rose garden.

I just let God's Creation take over all aspects of the roses, except extra watering and pruning. Why would I use insecticides that would kill the mantids, spiders, flower flies, ichneumon wasps, and ladybugs. The ladybugs are famous for doing God's work as babies and as adults, but they are just one tribe among the players that battle disease and defeat pests.

Veteran's Honor glows in a garden of roses,
as if lit by an inner light.

(PPAF, Var: JACopper) When it comes to red roses, this one is a 'must-have' for any rosarian. From plump, pointed buds emerge high-centered, bright red, perfectly formed blooms that win trophies in many rose shows. These long stemmed beauties last for up to two weeks in a vase. Delectable raspberry fragrance is an added bonus. A portion of the sales of this rose benefits veterans' healthcare. Flower size: 5-6". Fragrance: Light raspberry. Hybridizer: Zary, 2000.

The epitome of the ultimate red Hybrid Tea, Veterans’ Honor is a fitting tribute to the men and women who’ve served our country over the years. Big shapely buds unfurl perfectly into huge blossoms of impeccable form and stunning red color. All this beauty comes atop extra long cutting stems, perfect for picking up a few blue ribbons or making a grand bouquet just for you.

From 2014 - This Behavior Is Much More Than an "Undercurrent" in WELS

Martin Luther College students loved, loved, loved this video,
and Wisconsin Lutheran College students defended it.
Nothing to see here, move on.

Arrested and convicted, then convicted again.
But he was caught before - but still hired by WELS.
Nothing to see here, move on.

The Undercurrent of Homosexuality

http://pollutedwels.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-undercurrent-of-homosexuality.html

One anonymous brother recounts his experience with initiation at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary:

During our senior year of MLC, we (the seniors in pastor track) visited the seminary. Getting of the bus we were greeted by "our brothers" as we passed through the arch of seminary students we were all groped. Literally someone had grabbed my goods and at the end of that was a fat man in a speedo who bear hugged us. I complained in a letter. Never heard back. 

I had the same experience, except it was in the parking lot behind the dorm, not under the arch.

At MLC, there was a "tradition" in the mens' dorms that if it was your birthday, a group of about 15 or 20 guys would dog-pile on top of you, all of them completely naked. There were also naked, drunken parades through the dorm hallways, accompanied by guitars and drums.

The Seminary Chorus had a custom of guys surreptitiously groping each other during performances and concerts. Professor Tiefel once commended one of the members of the choir for his wide smile during a performance. After being told that the smile was a result of being groped throughout the concert, Tiefel just laughed. I quit the choir not long afterwards.

It always seemed to me that the worst offenders in this regard were guys who had been sent away to prep school at the age of fourteen. A psychologist could probably pinpoint the reasons why, but the experience seems to warp many of them in disgusting ways. In any case, just beneath the surface of these traditions and initiation rites in the WELS system is a strong and sinister undercurrent of homosexuality. 

I'm not saying that a large number of WELS pastors are homosexual, but I'm sure there are some who have been led into temptation by these activities. And even for those who haven't, it isn't a healthy thing to make light of sin.

---

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm a student at MLC and I've never experienced any of these naked dog piles or anything of that sort. How long ago did these things happen?

July 17, 2014 at 3:59 PM

Matthias Flach said...

I'm glad to hear that, Anonymous. Maybe some of the Northwestern influence is finally wearing off.

July 17, 2014 at 4:29 PM

Joel Lillo said...

Yeah, I attended four years of prep, four years of NWC, and three years of Seminary and NEVER experienced anything remotely like that. Either you're relating lies or you just had an out of the ordinary experience at our schools. If you did experience, a sincere apology on behalf of those who acted that way.

July 17, 2014 at 4:29 PM

Der Schwarz Schaf said...

Oh dear MLC student! I feel very sorry for you. There is only one thing worse in the WELS than being abused at Prep and/or College and/or Sem, and that is NOT being abused. That means you are not worth the effort. You have the wrong blood lines, or are of the wrong ethnic stock, or from Bethany, or one of the Concordias, or came from somewhere outside the WELS strain. Or maybe you're just considered such a dunce, lightweight, nobody, nothing, that the leading students don't even realize you exist. Such happens all the time. If none of these gross and disgusting things happen to you, you will never go anywhere in the synod. If you're a Pastor, you'll be able to count the number of Calls you get in your entire ministry on half of one hand - if that! Indeed, you'll probably be given a dead church impossible to turn around, and you'll end up working for Thrivent or Schwans the rest of your days. So, if I were you, on your birthday, I'd stick my head out of my dorm room and yell, "Dog pile on ________ !" Then strip and await your fate. If no one shows up, you'd better head for St. Louis or Ft. Wayne.

Rüsten sie sich als Männer!

July 17, 2014 at 4:33 PM

Anonymous said...

Der Schwarz Schaf,

You are one sick puppy. I feel sorry for you.

July 17, 2014 at 4:41 PM

Matthias Flach said...

Joel, on a previous post, a third person testified to the same groping ceremony at the Seminary. That's three independent accounts verifying it. I am absolutely not relating lies.

Anonymous 4:41, Der Schwarz Schaf isn't the sick puppy, it's the guys in the system who are doing this stuff. Everything Der Schaf said is true--pecking order among pastors is determined by your involvement in these abuses. Do you know how many GA popes are now DPs and professors?

July 17, 2014 at 4:46 PM

Anonymous said...

This is really starting to sound like a gripefest for people "burned by the system."
I'm beginning to get the sneaking suspicion that Matthias is actually Greg Jackson. He's covering the same material (except UOJ) and has all the same hang-ups.
Why he would start a whole new blog is puzzling, though.

July 17, 2014 at 4:52 PM

[GJ - Blame the people assaulted by perverts in your beloved schools of illiteracy, then blame me because someone is telling the truth. And do this anonymousely, the way weak little cowards do. 

I sign my posts. I never post anonymously.]

OCP said...

I'm with Joel on this one. I also went to 4 years of Prep, 4 years of NWC and 3 years at Sem and never had anything like this either. I've heard enough sources that I don't think people are making it up, but I hope it was a few isolated incidents, or classes. From my experience, this type of thing is not normal - and it is shameful. And while I don't have a big Synod name, I'm not exactly an outcast either - not a dunce, not a lightweight, received calls every 4-7 years through my whole ministry, never been at a "dead church impossible to turn around," so I don't buy Der Schwartz Schaf's explanation either.

One class, or one era of classes, who thought this was funny. It's not, and shouldn't happen. If a current MLC student says it hasn't, hopefully that's a good sign.

OCP

 Matthias Flach said...

Anonymous 5:52, I haven't been burned by the system, but I have been groped by the system. Is that better or worse?

By the way, I'm not Greg Jackson. I don't know how to prove it to you, but I'm not. Did it ever occur to you that we bring up some of the same problems because they actually are real problems?

Or are you under the impression that the WELS doesn't have any real problems?

"By their fruits ye shall know them."

 Jeffery Clark said...

To Anonymous July 17, 2014 at 3:59 PM:

I have to concur with what Der Schwarz Schaf said. When I was at MLC, these things happened, but only if you were considered worthwhile.

People outside of the mainstream were ignored and never targeted, mostly because these men know what they are doing is wrong. Older and second career students are generally left alone since they have been "outside" of the WELS system at some point simply by taking a job, even if they are unmarried and forced to live in the dorms, as I was - because, as Der Schwarz Schaf said, they will go nowhere in the synod. If, by some chance you start to gain influence on campus and start to make some ripples in the water, they might start paying attention to you, but it is only to get dirt on you, since you've probably already been targeted for removal by the Profs who approve of these things and love to "cull the herd" of those deemed to be "not WELS enough."

What is sad is that they think that they are doing these things in secret, but it was painfully obvious to anyone who had their eyes open and thought for themselves.

 Anonymous said...

This video at 45:50 shows who fits in. Brother called to same congregation. Rev father seems overly impressed, why the whole clan is. How about, 59:09 same location as brother in GJ blogs favorite picture. To hear the audience response is disturbing. And Schroeder's comment.

http://www.mlc-wels.edu/today/features/current/commencement-recap

July 17, 2014 at 9:10 PM

 Matthias Flach said...

This comment was left by Ben Wink on Conformity over Confession, but it fits this thread too:

There was a form of hazing at MLC back when I was there. Of course it was called "freshmen welcoming" or some such nonsense if memory serves. The sophomores were called the Lords and the Ladies, the freshmen were assigned to one of them. The female students would be doused in random condiments at the crack of dawn, covered in flour, and other bits of nonsense. The men would be forced up early and would scream down the hallways "We won't shut up, til you get up!" The same condiment nonsense also happened, some were told to perform disgusting fake sexual acts on the sprinter statue, or were told to have pretend sexual intercourse with trees and benches. And you had to obey these morons in order to get through. Some lords made their "subjects" dress in women's clothing. A friend of mine was told to hit on a pretty girl by a "lord". He did so and this girl's insecure boyfriend knocked my friend down and proceeded to kick him really hard in the ribs several times over. The kicking boyfriend is in one of our WELS congregations right now. Late at night we were told to go to the woods as they were going to burn a large letter M for MLC I guess. All of these students of German descent, in the woods, wearing the school colors of red, black, and white, having some bizarre burning ritual? You don't have to see Triumph of the Will in order to get weirded out from that experience. I understand when you join a fraternity there is some stupid hoops to jump through. But this is a school of ministry and my faith and my student loan more than covered my entrance duties for New Ulm. I shouldn't have to perform fake fellatio on inanimate objects because some putz who is now in a pulpit somewhere ordered me to do so in order to "welcome" me.

July 18, 2014 at 5:40 AM

 Anonymous said...

Yep, Ben Wink....Back in grade school in the late 80's we had a recent DMLC grad as our teacher. She told us how the freshmen would have to lay down in a circle and pretend they were a pancake and the upperclassmen would pour flour & syrup and other things all over them. I'm sure she wouldn't have told us 10 year olds about the "other" things that went on.

 Anonymous said...

I wanted to serve, hence why I continued on. However, I did not make it through. Apparently bishops can ask vicars to do illegal things and when this vicar reported it. He was asked to resign and then not allowed back. [from another thread]+

 Der Schwarz Schaf said...

Ein kranker welpe here!

Since we're playing "True Confessions," why not also talk of the "grassers" at [D]MLC in the state part nearby. I saw fairly open copious coupling, and not fake coitus either. Many a young Christian woman and probably a few men have left that school in great and real fear of losing their virginity. "Buffalo Girls" do like to "come out" at night! And, to be fair, this is NOT about the fact that these same things happen abundantly at nearly all colleges. The point is that they should not be condoned, covered-up, and yes, coveted, by generations of students, parents, and profs. Perhaps Herr Jackson is on to something with his concerns over the WELS version of Justification. Maybe this is done BECAUSE everything is already forgiven, so that these demented dimwits can go along their merry way without any concern for souls - theirs or anyone else's.

Wie schade!

 Anonymous said...

A few musings on this post (related anyway).

a) Whenever I hear someone is thinking of sending their troubled/trouble making teenager to prep (MLS or MLPS). It is NOT a reformatory. If you have a 2 parent household with 3 kids, that is a 2 to 3 ratio. If they are a dorm student, it is more like a 3 (maybe) tutors to 100+ teenagers. Think about that. Where will they get more supervision?

b) I have heard that hazing is now gone, and the ZEX year no longer exists. Good for that if true. Why would you put 13/14 year olds, away from home for the first time in their lives, through a hazing ritual when they are supposed to be encouraged to want to enter the public ministry?
With today's helicopter parents, email, texting, video, etc, I can see where old time hazing would be a law suit waiting to happen.

c) Why are pastor/teacher kids usually the worst? Are they trying to prove something, or is it because the hammer will not come down as hard on them if they are caught. Not all PKs/TKs are bad...some were fine people, but the grand majority of the trouble came from that group.

d) Is it latent sadomasochistic homosexuality that causes some to want to always grope same gender genital areas? Ironically those participating in often through out taunts of "gay" if they are told it is not cool. Hmmm...methinks they protest too much.

It's good that some traditions die out.

July 18, 2014 at 7:16 PM

 Anonymous said...

To borrow a quote from Star Wars... Only the Sith speak in absolutes. Please note Lillo's comments. Congrats to Lillo if he didn't attend a grasser or COS meeting partaking in the Boot. Here's to sister Joel he's with us tonight... He eats it, he beats he even mistreats... Here's to sister Joel he's with us tonight. Sound familiar?

The stories on GA sound about right too.

Boorish behavior isn't it?

July 20, 2014 at 1:27 PM

 Anonymous said...

How about Alec Guinness' quote from the original Star Wars, "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious." Seems fitting for a GJ photoshop.

Preview - Christian News - April 11, 2016 Issue. Let Us Knew Before the Calvinists and Babtists. Amen.

Pastor Herman Otten received a free review copy of
Making Disciples: The Error of Modern Pietism,
but he would rather feature Calvinists, Roman Catholics, and Babtists

I used to meet with the LCMS guys in Midland, laity, one in the Missouri Synod lay training program. All he ever talked about was R. C. Sproul.

Pastor Otten's friend, the late Pastor William Bischoff was another Missourian who always cited the Calvinists. One would think the Calvinists rescued the Bible from the liberals, when the opposite was true. The rationalistic spirit of Calvinism is the death of Christian Faith. "Young Calvinist, Old Unitarian" is a motto familiar to anyone who knows church history.

The featured front-page book in this issue is - The Inerrant Word – Biblical, Historical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspectives. Edited by John MacArthur. Foreword by R. C. Sproul. Published by Crossway, 1300 Crescent Street, Wheaton, Illinois 60187. $25.90 at amazon.com. Calvinist, Calvinist, Calvinist, ad inf.

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, is the greatest seminary in America, according to Christian News.

A fairly recent graduate Concordia, St. Louis wrote me:

Luther's sermons should be required reading for all "Lutheran" clergy. I have often said that ever since I graduated seminary I've spend my time unlearning that teaching and learning how to be Lutheran instead. The fact that Luther's sermons are not required reading, or even suggested, shows a lot about how far Lutheranism in America has come. So thanks for pointing me to Luther's sermons.

PS - You can even mention that the anonymous comment came from a Concordia Seminary - St. Louis grad, whose first reading assignment in seminary was Rick Warren's "Purpose-Driven Life." (which is 100% true).

Christian News is proof that Universal Objective Justification is the radical wedge that separates nominal Lutherans from Luther's doctrine.

Calvinism Exposed in a Few Sentences
John Calvin, a more erudite disciple of Zwingli, taught the separation the Holy Spirit from the Word. Calvin was an Enthusiast, and Enthusiasm is the foundation for all false doctrine.

Calvin mocked the Sacraments and taught his weird dogma that the Word was only effective (sermons, teaching, etc) when the Holy Spirit decided to drop by and make it effective. He denied the Real Presence and made fun of it, as his followers did.

The Book of Concord condemns Enthusiasm. The Concord and post-Concord theologians like Chemnitz and Gerhard argued against Calvism. But Christian News promotes and supports Calvinism.

How odd that Christian News, the solution for all problems in Lutherdom, would lead with a Calvinist compendium of boring inerrancy essays, each one breathlessly announcing that the loss of inerrancy brought doom upon everyone.

Inerrancy is a given in all traditional denominations, even among Roman Catholics. But  this latest wonder-book is doubtless just as silent about the efficacy of the Word as John Brug's epic dud The Ministry of the Word.

Efficacy of the Word is the litmus test - 

• What the Bible teaches throughout.
• What Luther taught from the beginning.
• What the Book of Concord teaches at all times.
• What Chemnitz, Gerhard, and the orthodox emphasized.

The efficacy of the Bible (efficacy - an actual New Testament word, not an invented term) connects the Spirit to the Word - The Word never without the Spirit, the Spirit never without the Word. That is sound doctrine. (Hoenecke)

Otten's radical spirit, derived from CFW Walther's and Martin Stephan' UOJ, is the dynamite blowing the LCMS apart. Wise leaders and smart pastors know UOJ is a pile of dung. But even though the UOJists hate each other, they are bound together by a common hatred of Luther's doctrine. That is all it takes:

1. Patronizing Luther now and then, with a brief nod, a little joke, and a cutting remark.
2. Ignoring Luther's sermons, his doctrine, and his Book of Concord contributions.
3. Substituting UOJ works while warning students against justification by faith books, essays, quotations.
4. Extolling the genius of Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and Fuller Clownism.

Pastor Otten does that through Christian News and howls about the results of his 50 years of tabloid journalism.

Are Babtists quoted with approval in this CN issue? Of course, they buy the one-size fits all UOJ of New Haven, Missouri, headquarters of the Preus Family Franchise. Various Preus pastors have their own little club within the LCMS, never realizing that their UOJ is the cause, not the cure for all their woes.

From this issue:

by Don Jasmin Fundamentalist Digest PO Box 689 West Branch, MI 48665 April-May 2016 

As all our F.D. readers know, this writer is an avid independent Baptist preacher. He is not, never has been, and never will be a Lutheran. However, there have been and still are ardent Lutheran adherents, who despite their errant beliefs concerning baptism, unquestioningly accept the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. 

The original Lutherans who came to America in the l 9th century were ALL firm believers in the inspired Scriptures. When he was a young lad and a teen-ager, this preacher used to listen every Sunday in the early 1950’ s to the “Lutheran Hour,” where Walter Maier, the Lutheran Fundamentalist, faithfully exposited the Word of God. 

This writer is not understating the fact when he declares that Maier was a great Gospel preacher. This evangelist had a close “Baptist Bride” friend who readily confessed that Maier was one of his favorite radio Bible expositors in that 1940’s-1950’s eras. Despite their errant beliefs concerning baptism, these early American Lutherans established numerous colleges and universities to propagate their

Who is the problem in the LCMS-WELS-ELS?

• Martin Stephan, STD
• CFW Walther, BA
• Francis Pieper and his devoted followers 
• Richard Jungkuntz, PhD, WELS, Seminex, ALC
• Herman Otten, MDiv
• Paul McCain and Matt Harrison 
• JP Meyer
• David Scaer
• David Valleskey
• Forrest Bivens
• John Moldstad
• Mark Jeske and the Church and Changers
• The not-so Steadfast Lutherans, Matt Harrison sycophants
• And - all the seminaries of the LCMS, WELS, ELS. Not one teaches Luther's doctrine, but they will rake in yuuuuge offerings for Luther's 500th. 

A Pastor Writes about Luther's Sermons, After Requesting the Garden of Roses Graphic. You Won't Believe What He Said at the End. Bonus Graphics Added

Lutheran Pastor:
I want to tell you that you were the one who turned me on to the Lenker 8 volume set of Luther's Sermons. I ordered them used on Amazon years ago after reading Ichabod for some time. I try to read a Luther sermon for my own sermon preparation each week. I never finish any of his sermons though because they are so good that I find myself drifting into all sorts of thoughts, repentance for my own sins, and most of all, renewed confidence in God's mercy in Christ.

Luther's sermons should be required reading for all "Lutheran" clergy. I have often said that ever since I graduated seminary I've spend my time unlearning that teaching and learning how to be Lutheran instead. The fact that Luther's sermons are not required reading, or even suggested, shows a lot about how far Lutheranism in America has come. So thanks for pointing me to Luther's sermons.

PS - You can even mention that the anonymous comment came from a Concordia Seminary - St. Louis grad, whose first reading assignment in seminary was Rick Warren's "Purpose-Driven Life." (which is 100% true).

As I recall, I used the Luther statue from St. Louis.

WELS Tradition of Nastiness - From 2015. SP Schroeder Covers Up the Scandals and Silences Anyone Blogging. Jeske Disciple DP Patterson Pitches In To Help Silence People

I deepened the background on the whiteboard to show Elton Stroh teaching
at Martin Luther College, WELS:
"Some of our traditional programs have become dated and uninviting."

I was thinking about the breezy denials about WELS being nasty and vindictive when anyone speaks up about an issue. These claims are found in comments on the WELS Documented Blog.

"Tut, tut. Not so, not so."

I can think of five pastors that I knew in the Michigan District WELS, with no scandal and no false teaching - all driven out by DP Seifert, who also did his best to get rid of the Intrepid Lutherans listing their names on that virtually suspended blog.

There are many more cases across WELS. Missouri has done the same thing, undercutting and hating pastors out of the ministry. Pope John the Malefactor, ELS, is the WD-40 of the Little Sect's slide into oblivion.

I changed the title to express the real reason for the syphilitic bishop's
fast exit from Dresden, taking his groupies, leaving most of his family behind.

Martin Stephan is their idol and example, because he demanded obedience and apologies - getting his disciples to enforce absolute submission, CFW Walther became the new pope by organizing a riot to rob and kidnap Bishop Stephan, the same man he made bishop in writing a few months before.

Every time a Jon Buchholz, John Seifert, Don Patterson, or Mark Jeske gets his way, another extended family is alienated from the Lutheran Church. The family members may exchange arsenic (WELS) for botulism (LCMS) or salmonella (ELS). They may become atheists or ELCA members. No one can erase the legacy, even if they deny it.

Becoming a WELS pastor means being subjected to group homosexual acts, as reported in various places and also relayed to me. One future LCMS pastor put a Michigan Lutheran Seminary student in the hospital for attacking him "that way." If someone takes all the data and puts it together, the various reports indicate a solid base of sodomy in the WELS clergy, no different from ELCA. The leaders and clergy know it. They talk about it among themselves. They know about the man/boy girlfriends moved around on the pastoral call list to supply the needs.

They know about the Mattress Room at Mequon and who was caught - both men being ordained anyway. And married. LBGTQ - alive and well in WELS.

And the pastors denying all this? They also say GA is "no more, closed down" - but now it is called HB. And so was Church and Change, "shut down, destroyed, tossed to the winds by Gurgle" - while Mark Jeske's C and C meeting was registering pastors for the next conference on the WELS websty!


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Job security - plagiarize a gay video at Martin Luther College
and post it to YouTube, claiming,
"We had no idea we were copying a gay video from Fire Island."
All received calls.

The Undercurrent of Homosexuality

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2014/07/not-exactly-undercurrent-of-wels.html

http://pollutedwels.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-undercurrent-of-homosexuality.html

One anonymous brother recounts his experience with initiation at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary:

During our senior year of MLC, we (the seniors in pastor track) visited the seminary. Getting of the bus we were greeted by "our brothers" as we passed through the arch of seminary students we were all groped. Literally someone had grabbed my goods and at the end of that was a fat man in a speedo who bear hugged us. I complained in a letter. Never heard back. 

I had the same experience, except it was in the parking lot behind the dorm, not under the arch.

At MLC, there was a "tradition" in the mens' (sic) dorms that if it was your birthday, a group of about 15 or 20 guys would dog-pile on top of you, all of them completely naked. There were also naked, drunken parades through the dorm hallways, accompanied by guitars and drums.

The Seminary Chorus had a custom of guys surreptitiously groping each other during performances and concerts. Professor Tiefel once commended one of the members of the choir for his wide smile during a performance. After being told that the smile was a result of being groped throughout the concert, Tiefel just laughed. I quit the choir not long afterwards.

It always seemed to me that the worst offenders in this regard were guys who had been sent away to prep school at the age of fourteen. A psychologist could probably pinpoint the reasons why, but the experience seems to warp many of them in disgusting ways. In any case, just beneath the surface of these traditions and initiation rites in the WELS system is a strong and sinister undercurrent of homosexuality. 

I'm not saying that a large number of WELS pastors are homosexual, but I'm sure there are some who have been led into temptation by these activities. And even for those who haven't, it isn't a healthy thing to make light of sin.

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Shattered Pulpit Blog

AnonymousSeptember 26, 2014 at 11:08 PM

I was abused for many years by my father, a WELS pastor. I was too young at the time to do anything, but be the "good girl" and do whatever was asked of me. Many years later when I did tell my"secrets", the DP, along with others, turned it all around and made it become my wrongdoing. Please do NOT give into them. You are the victim and the WELS is doing everything it can to turn it around and placing the blame on you. I pray that you talk to those who believe you and your safe pastor and reconsider your plan to stop writing your blog! You have opened the eyes of many people: people who DO believe you. The hierarchy of the WELS is trying to cover up anything which reflects negatively on them. You have many people praying for you. God is on your side and He will continue to be there for you. I will continue to keep you in my prayers. May God be with you and give you strength to accept His help!

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Note how the pastors retaliated against the victim, with the help of the DP.

Jane's Story: WELS Sexual Harassment

Written by "Jane"

When I accepted the Executive Assistant position at a contemporary WELS church, there were many things I expected, but sexual harassment was not one of them. In addition to the harassment, I witnessed my supervisor and "spiritual leader" demean other women (including members of the church), drink on the job, plagiarize sermons and act in the very manner you would not expect from a "called servant of The Lord".

I almost immediately observed the pastor's casualness, lack of boundaries, and what I perceived as downright laziness at times. His standards and expectations for my position as the assistant seemed to exceed his own standards as the pastor. 

Shortly after starting my position, I received a text message sometime after midnight from my supervisor telling me I should have sex with my husband. We never requested counseling or advice in this realm so his inappropriateness was rather strange at best to us. We strived to take words and actions in the best possible way. I was subjected to many routine "lapses in judgement" by my spiritual leader. Including an incident of him showing me a video that depicted nude male genitals while alone in his office.Is there ever a correct context for a supervisor to show anything like this to his married employee? (I will discuss this more at another time).

As he pushed the boundaries and inappropriateness, my conscience began to nag at me. Through even the darkest days, I allowed myself to believe that these behaviors were normal. Yet I began to feel torn between my loyalty to the church and the moral issues at hand.

I spent many nights awake and hovered over my bible in tears. There was something very wrong about what was going on at that church. I've seen it all first hand and, yet, felt obligated to keep it all a secret. It was the kind of secret that absolutely tormented me, but I thought I was doing the right thing at the time (just another lie we are led to believe as victims).

After months of utter frustration the hostile work environment began to take a toll on me and my husband. I prayerfully considered if perhaps this was an unhealthy situation for me to be in. So I gave my notice and was told to tell members of the congregation that I "wasn't a good fit" when I left my position. It was unbearable to work with a man that continued to ignore, scream, belittle, degrade and humiliate me. I left this job feeling worthless and far less confident than when I started (which was previously at a Fortune 100 company).

I suffered in silence while working at that church. I fell into a deep darkness from all that I experienced and witnessed there and its leadership. Shortly after I left the position my depression began to spiral. We maintained membership at this "relevant" church because of the relationships that we had formed with other Christians and did not want to neglect our spiritual life. The final straw was when an assault rifle was used as a sermon prop.

We decided it was best to seek the counsel of a trusted pastor since the leadership at this church either outright condoned or failed to supervise its employees and their behavior. We were convicted to resolve all this in a Christ centered way. Our hope was to see positive changes and healing for all. 

How many times does a synod president attend a
congregational meeting to cut a deal with the district president?
Mark Schroeder did, and Ski got another call.

My husband and I have continued to fight an endless battle for justice in the synod and to see that this doesn't happen to someone else. We've patiently been in contact with top synod leaders. We've encountered roadblocks, never ending circles and have witnessed inconsistencies throughout the disciplinary processes within the synod. By the Grace of God, we've encountered wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ to share in our burden. Unfortunately, we've also encountered timid leaders and those hesitant to publicly speak for the truth. People seem to selectively choose which commandments and passages to throw at you while ignoring others.

The journey has been incredibly lonely and frustrating since we were asked to remain silent and be patient. We are exhausted and completely astonished that after everything was brought into the light this man continues to be a pastor and counsel members. We will continue to persevere with others until positive changes are made in this synod so that all victims of abuse are protected rather than the perpetrators.

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, (‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬ ESV)

Jeff Schone went from being an awful pastor
to being an awful administrative bully at Martin Luther College:
zero tolerance for confessional students, who are driven out.

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WELS Teacher Arrested - Why Not Issue a Call to Don Patterson's District?

Traeder, Taylor D Schofield, WI St Matthew Lutheran School Grades 6-8, Athletic Director,
Principal Apprentice