 |
| As one NPH book said in the introduction, the Calvinists are no longer crypto (secretive). |
The illiterate hissy fit of Joel Lillo (WELS, Anything Goes District, Elmer Gantry Circuit) reminded me of a basic question:
Since WELS, LCMS, ELS, yea even the CLC (sic) adopted the Church Growth Movement and lost members steadily, why have they not repudiated the Fungus from Fuller (CG) as vigorously as they rejected Luther's doctrine?
Readers will not fight me on Part A of the thesis. The Wisconsin, Missouri, and Norwegians sects have admitted that they adopted a safe version of Church Growth. Valleskey (WELS, Fuller alumnus) urged WELS to "spoil the Egyptians" and gather all they could from Fuller. The Missouri Synod studied Church Growth, long after going ape over it, and said, "Yes, it had its dangers, but it is good for us." The Little Sect on the Prairie wrinkled its Norwegian nose at first, but did their best to copy WELS and Missouri.
Part B is implied by the question -
Why have they not repudiated the Fungus from Fuller (CG) as vigorously as they rejected Luther's doctrine?
The answer is clear, because the data is strewn all over the Internet, beyond debate and equivocation.
Therefore, the answer to Part B is -
Church Growth was adopted to give the apostates an excess of income, power, influence, and control.
The apostasy came first. Lutherans in all synods gradually gave up the bedrock of Biblical doctrine - the efficacy of the Word. See Thy Strong Word and The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine for evidence. WELS - for instance - moved from a brief, Justification by Faith catechism by Gausewitz to a verbose UOJ catechism by David Kuske.
 |
| The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine |
Like "quotas for justice," Church Growth became an easy litmus test for synodical advancement. Smiling at those special albeit ridiculous terms (Church Growth Eyes) and sighing like a schoolgirl about Fuller - those were good signs. The Church Growthers were endorsed and certified by study at Pasadena, Willow Creek, Kent Hunter's Corunna, or Trinity Divinity.
This combination guaranteed that leaders from all Lutheran groups would be united by their greed, false doctrine, dishonesty and love for the Church Growth Movement. Didn't Jesus warn us about wolves in sheep's clothing, figs never growing on thorns?
The UniSynod will not give up on Church Growth - Missional now - because they have what they want:
- Power to make life and death decisions for workers and parishes, divine calls and property.
- Control over Thrivent loot, foundation money, and synod budgets.
- Income for themselves, not in spite of their incompetence, but because of it.
 |
| Hartmann must have meant "faithlessly," because TELL and its bastard child - Leadership - were published exclusively to promote the Fuller Fungus. |
