The Big Five - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic) - Downsized So They Could Liquidate Your Properties.

This ugly monstrosity was the late Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. They had to sell it to the U. of Chicago and sign up for rental space in a Roman Catholic center for orphaned Catholics and Protestants - schools, groups, whatever.

W. Passavant bought this land on Lake Michigan because he anticipated the need for a seminary and the local pastors would not do it themselves. Later they saw the light and built the first seminary, which later became Wrigley Stadium. The new seminary was in Maywood, and later up to seven Lutheran seminaries merged into the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, which looked like Darth Vader's Command Center.

The entire faculty of LSTC today, including the President.

The big picture is all denominations closing down parishes and schools. Mergers help this process because the title to properties, once owned by people who knew each other, often individually owned. Merging "to save money" really meant - "a cool way to put the money under our control."

Each church merger has proved to be a wonderful experience in getting the apostates in charge of colleges, seminaries, and denominational offices. Never overlook the importance of extra helpers paid juicy wages for overseeing "mission churches" and mortgaged churches, plus special duty pastors paid to promote stewardship and sales of irrevocable charitable trusts (or - there goes Grandma's estate).

LSTC sold their building to the Rockefeller University of Chicago, for $18.5 million. That sounds like a lot, but all those seminary mergers were melted into that one figure. The shrunken size of the faculty is almost down to one (1) faculty member for each degree offered.

The hilarity of bigger being better comes from the fact of future ELCA pastors being able to graduate from almost any seminary in North America, for almost any reason. Yale Divinity has merged with three other seminaries - Episcopal, Andover, and Newton. (Andover-Newton merged earlier for survival.)

Needless to say, these combinations and mergers water down doctrine and allow the radicals to jettison the conservatives. They are just loaded with diversity, equity, and inclusivity, which makes it easier to replace the faithful, the highly trained, and the heterosexual. 

ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton (Harvard MDiv) has completed five of the six months allotted for her leave of absence.

Reformation Seminary - New Testament Greek - Making It Easy. 11 AM Central

 

Zoom link - 

The Gospel of John in Greek, Traditional/Stephanus

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1&version=TR1550

The Gospel of John, KJV

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201&version=KJV

John 1

1 εν αρχη ην ο λογος και ο λογος ην προς τον θεον και θεος ην ο λογος

2 ουτος ην εν αρχη προς τον θεον

3 παντα δι αυτου εγενετο και χωρις αυτου εγενετο ουδε εν ο γεγονεν

4 εν αυτω ζωη ην και η ζωη ην το φως των ανθρωπων

5 και το φως εν τη σκοτια φαινει και η σκοτια αυτο ου κατελαβεν

John 3:16f

3:16 ουτως γαρ ηγαπησεν ο θεος τον κοσμον ωστε τον υιον αυτου τον μονογενη εδωκεν ινα πας ο πιστευων εις αυτον μη αποληται αλλ εχη ζωην αιωνιον

17 ου γαρ απεστειλεν ο θεος τον υιον αυτου εις τον κοσμον ινα κρινη τον κοσμον αλλ ινα σωθη ο κοσμος δι αυτου

18 ο πιστευων εις αυτον ου κρινεται ο δε μη πιστευων ηδη κεκριται οτι μη πεπιστευκεν εις το ονομα του μονογενους υιου του θεου

People Are Tired of Being Swindled by The Big Five - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic)

 

Jordan Belfort posed for this gimmick - he was on his third (out of four) marriages, creating a marvelous movie extolling his virtues as a swindler. 

 Thrivent featured The Wolf of Wall Street - Belfort - at this meeting.

The backlit sign above the mega-screen: the cross plus the dollar sign plus something else. Why would Thrivent feature a known criminal when insurance companies are expected to be very careful about the use of clients' money?

The picture grows clearer by the month. The Episcopalian Presiding Bishop borrowed millions from church funds to kick conservatives out of her denomination. One part of this episode is here. Here is more from Virtue Online:

In a development that few Episcopalians of four or five years ago could have imagined, the Episcopal bishops of the most powerful and financially secure dioceses have begun to turn on their own once-strong but now severely weakened parishes. Having driven out all the dissenters at enormous expense to their coffers, these dioceses are increasingly trying to make up their losses by sacrificing valuable real estate -- even if it means turning out previously loyal congregations from their hard-won property. And -- who could have foreseen it? -- the parishes most harmed by the continuous litigation were precisely those with the most valuable properties.

Jefferts-Schori was the first female Episcopalian bishop. She began the spree of suing conservative parishes to take their church property away.

The United Methodist Church said to its conservative congregations, "We will let you leave Holy Mother Church on our terms, our way, or else." 

ELCA did much of the same after their 2009 vote, raising suspicions that they were delighted to kick the slightly conservative ones out. ELCA got a double-blessing, getting rid of pastors and laity who actually read the Bible - and, added value - setting aside married men as bishops so the radicals could install their favorite women - and men who were undecided. 

Pastor Jeff Johnson was recently elected as an openly gay bishop in Illinois. The current president of United Lutheran Seminary was the first gay male bishop, elected in San Francisco, followed by a transsexual who was kicked out of ELCA for a variety of charges.

Every synod clinging to Thrivent should wonder, "What happens when poor health drains our equity; normal people cannot benefit as much from long-term savings?" I am a Chartered Life Underwriter, so I know about these things.

The denominations have their hands on every congregation. Long ago, people thought of the congregation as theirs, since they paid the mortgage and the bills. But clergy and denominational powers slowly wrapped their arms around the property, the savings, and the future.

First United’s Service of Healing and Reconciliation

 Sharei Green October 15, 2012  1 Comment

On Sunday, October 14 First United Lutheran Church of San Francisco hosted a Service of Healing & Reconciliation to mark their return to the ELCA. After calling openly gay pastor Jeff Johnson, First United was suspended in 1990, then expelled in 1995. Their actions, along with those of St. Francis Lutheran Church began the movement that became Lutheran Lesbian & Gay Ministries, then the Extraordinary Candidacy Project and eventually to the formation of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries.

During the service this weekend Bishop of the Sierra Pacific Synod, the Rev. Mark S. Holmerud, preached and the Reverend Jeff Johnson presided. Rev. Susan Strouse, pastor at First United, blogged about the service and process leading up to reconciliation:

Tomorrow, the congregation I serve will rejoin the denomination which expelled it years ago. To say that the wounds of that expulsion have disappeared or no longer have some spots that are still sore would be wrong. Wounds must be acknowledged and treated with tenderness. But we must also acknowledge and be open to the healing work that is happening within us.

Read Susan’s full blog post here. Susan was on the ELM Roster for a period of time when her call was in jeopardy because she was serving First United. 

Jeff Johnson

WELS Declaration - Thank goodness we are not like ELCA!

🙉🙈🙈

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Easter 3 - "Christ here also addresses, more than others, persons who truly believe and experience that Christ died and afterwards rose again; and it is to them a little while, in a common, small and childish sense, and only a bodily sorrow."

 

Complete Sermon - Third Sermon: Christ’s Death and Resurrection; the Comfort Christ Ministers to his Disciples, and the World’s Joy

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER.

10. Christ here also addresses, more than others, persons who truly believe and experience that Christ died and afterwards rose again; and it is to them a little while, in a common, small and childish sense, and only a bodily sorrow. But the disciples had to keenly feel and experience what it is to lose Christ out of view, not only to have him taken away bodily, but also spiritually, leaving them in a twofold misery and sorrow. For they had had not only the joy of his bodily presence, in that he was so long with them, cared for them, ate and drank with them, and passed through loving, sweet customs and fellowship, but he had associated so affectionately with them and had borne their weaknesses, yea, companioned with them more intimately and lovingly than a father does with his children. He often gave them remarkable liberties and even animated them by innocent trivialities. Therefore, they were pained to lose such a companionable Lord,

11. But the chief cause of their sorrow lay in the fact that they had set their hearts on his becoming a mighty lord and king and founding a government by which he would make them, along with himself, lords. They thought he would never suffer them to die. Such was hitherto their hearts’ joy and confidence in this Savior.

12. Now, however, they lose both utterly and at one time, not only the friendly companionship of the Lord, but also this beautiful, glorious confidence, and they suddenly fall into the abyss of hell and eternal sorrow, Their Lord is most shamefully put to death, and they must now expect every moment, because of him, to be seized in like manner. They must now sing this song of mourning: Alas, how our confidence is now totally lost! We hoped to become great lords through this man and possess every joy we desired. Now he lies in the grave and we are fallen into the hands of Caiaphas and Judas, and there are no more miserable and unhappy people on the earth than we.

13. Notice, this is the true sorrow and heart agony, of which Christ here is really speaking, into which God does not lead everyone, nor anyone so readily; for here he offers comfort against it, as he shows in this Gospel. Other bodily suffering and need may be considered sorrow, as, when one suffers persecution, imprisonment and misery for Christ’s sake, and loses his property, honor and even his life. But the greatest of all sorrows is to lose Christ. Then all comfort is gone and all joy is at an end and neither heaven nor sun and moon, neither angel nor any other creature, can help you; nay not even God himself. For besides this Savior, Christ, there is none in heaven nor on earth. Now, when he has departed, all salvation and comfort are gone, and Satan has gained an opportunity to plague and terrify the troubled soul. This he desires to do in the name and person of God, as he can then play the part of a lord.

14. On the other hand, the highest of all joy is that which the heart has in Christ, our Savior. That is, indeed, also called joy, when one rejoices over the possession of great fortune, money and property, power, honor, etc.; but all this is but the joy of a child or of a maniac. There is also the infamous joy of Satan which even rejoices over the injury and misfortune of others, of which Christ here also says: The world will rejoice, and laugh in its sleeve over your crying and weeping when they put me to death and cause you every misfortune. There are also many like these in worldly affairs, who can never be happy unless they have brought misfortune to their neighbor or have seen him meet it. They are like the poisonous reptile, the Salamander, which (as the fable runs) is so cold that it can live in fire or can exist out of fire. So these people live and grow fat on the misfortunes of other people. The nice, envious person who is sad when another prospers, and would gladly have one eye less if thereby his neighbor had none, is the product of Satan.

15. But all this is still nothing compared with the joy the world, ruled by Satan, has in opposing Christ and his followers. It rejoices the most over the great misfortune of his followers in that Christ is crucified, all the apostles are banished, the church is completely destroyed, God’s Word is silenced and his name totally blotted out. This is spiritual joy just as truly as the severe sorrow is spiritual. However, it is not from the Holy Spirit, but from those who belong, body and soul, to Satan, and still are called the wisest, the most learned and the holiest persons upon the earth. They are like the high priests, Pharisees and scribes, who have no peace and know no joy so long as they hear the name of Christ mentioned and know that his Word is preached, or see one of his disciples still alive. As they say, in the Wisdom of Solomon 2:15: “He is grievous unto us even to hear or to behold,” and while Christ hangs on the cross, they blaspheme and revile in great joy thus: “If thou art the Son of God, and the King of Israel, come down from the cross; he trusteth on God, let him deliver him now,” etc. Matthew 27:40-43. See how their hearts leap with joy, what a paradise and kingdom of heaven they have in seeing the dear Lord reviled on the cross and put to death; and that they themselves did it, is to them nothing but sugar and sweet grapes.