The Mobbing article by Floyd Luther Stolzenburg's successor at St. Mark, Columbus, continues to incite discussion. The behavior of clergy and laity in denominations and Holy Rome is no different than what can be found in corporations. The one big difference is that corporations necessarily protect people from many forms of abuse because the law says they must.
Religious institutions are not governed by the law in dealing with employees: clergy, teachers, organists, staff. When a married pastor was hitting on a young single teacher, and she sought advice, she was blamed, fired, and removed from the calling list. The pastor was moved, not to repentance, but to another parish. It happened before - he was protected, she was not.
When Stolzenburg was forced to resign his call in St. Louis, he came to Columbus, Ohio. The WELS Michigan District clamored to make him their Church Growth Consultant, even though he was also taken to court by the husband of one of his targets. No problem! The hiring board refused to hire Floyd. No problem! WELS made it happen.
As apostasy spreads through Objective Justification, accelerating apostasy, the evil fruit of non-faith grows in a harvest of shame. I know readers shocked by the facts of the Mobbing article, but they are mild.
I could tell stories of many future pastors who were run down and left for dead by the synodical steamroller - LCMS or WELS - while others did nothing in response. I know unbelieving and adulterous laity can be malicious in serving their Father Below, but they need their synodical bosses to energize, enable, and leverage the damage.
If I told the stories, the men and families involved would be wounded all over again.
The LCMS has an interesting two-faced approach. If someone wants to be Synod President, he better kiss up to Herman Otten. However, anyone dealing openly with Otten will be totally shunned by the mobsters he helped achieve power.
WELS has a similar system. Certain people, like John Brug, keep Herman happy and spin everything for him. They encourage him to spike stories of murder, adultery, alcoholism, and seduction. In turn, Otten treats WELS as doctrinal heaven, a light to lighten the Missourians. But do not identify with Otten as a WELS pastor, or the axe will fall. Everyone knows the rules, but no one can recall who wrote them.
 |
| This is Luther summarizing St. Paul. He did not organize church socials. |
Synods Destroying Themselves
When I first began playing computer chess, I was willing to sacrifice pawns for a seeming advantage. I soon learned how much I needed them in the late game.
The church politicians - all of them - think they can sacrifice people who get in their way, sometimes to make progress, sometimes out of pure spite to make up for their difficulties when being potty trained. They have been sacrificing pastors, teachers, lay leaders, entire congregations - for decades - and now each sect is dead and hollowed out.
One Thing Is Needful
A congregation only needs to teach and preach faith from the Scriptures. I have no less an authority than Jesus on this. The Church is the instrument of the Holy Spirit. Don't we wear red for Pentecost when donning our glad rags for an ordination, installation, or similar event? Yes.
What is the chief office of the Holy Spirit in the Word. Jesus said, "To convict the world of sin..."
"Of sin, because they believe not on Me."
- Every Church Growth or Missional program is another basket of weed seed sown.
- Every step toward women's ordination is another way to identify with the unbelievers of the feminist covens.
- Every political scheme is laying out the battleground in a way ideally suited for Satan and his helpers to win.
 |
| No more programs! |
