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| In contrast, at McDonalds, even the managers snarl at the customers! They forgot Sassy's cone at their drive-through, so the manager said, "Here's your cone - GRATIS!" Only... I ordered it and paid for it. |
Mrs. Ichabod began craving macaroni and cheese at Chik Fil A the moment the delicacy appeared on TV. We were most of the way there for an appointment, so we went to the location in Fayetteville.
The parking lot was jammed and the line for drive-through was blocking the few remaining places. I wedged the Voyager so close to a parked truck that I had to exit from the passenger side.
We walked toward the front door and saw an employee taking orders from cars lined up for the drive-through. She was smiling and putting the orders in, facing away from us. She turned 180 degrees to greet us and smile.
The inside was so jammed with people waiting to order that I called for a surrender and retreat. "We have it at home in the freezer." Mrs. Ichabod negotiated a compromise. "Greek grilled salmon?" I voted for the new plan and we went there.
During lunch I thought about the Chik Fil A difference. Most fast food places - and almost all stores - feature sullen, detached employees trying to hide their pain. Chik Fil A is shockingly warm and friendly, with helpful employees who ask about the order to make sure the customer gets the right items.
I have been through employee training where all kinds of lessons were presented about greeting people, smiling, and being relational. I enjoyed that. I even told people, "My job is to help you find items. Loading shelves is just a hobby when I am free." One elderly lady wished for a personal shopper, and I said, "I am it." We went all over the store looking for her items. As a cashier, I bantered with each customer, told jokes, and only got one sour-puss who was in a hurry. However, very few people took this training seriously, and the manager was the worst of all.
Corrupt Fruit from the Tree of Unbelief
WELS-ELS-LCMS honchos brag about one thing. They all agree that the entire world was pronounced righteous (Objective Justification) - though they remain vague about when this happened and where it was revealed - only to them - in the Bible.
Matthew 7: 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Why do people get frostbite visiting WELS-ELS-LCMS congregations? Why are people leaving these quasi-Lutheran sects in droves?
The reason is not - "They need Chik Fil A training," but they do need the Gospel and a foundational emphasis on faith in the Savior. The LCMS-WELS turned away from their original Justification by Faith training and began adhering to ELCA's dogma. They even repeat it in the LCMS Dogmatanic - "Grace is not grace if faith is required." (See if Romans 4 contradicts this ecumenical slogan - by faith Romans 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace...)
What is the result of this ELCA all-inclusive, all-denominations, all-religions, all-37-genders religion? I know the answer from Google alerts, which gives me news releases from various ELCA seminaries. Every student and every pastor must be a Social Justice Warrior, regardless of where this agenda leads. As they used to say in show business, this has led to an eight-door exit from ELCA and its baby sisters in Universalism. No Gospel - all Law, and human law at that - mostly borrowed from the pagans and the occult.
Martin Luther College, The WELS School of Ministry
