An Almost Forgotten Pratfall from the Little Sect on the Prairie

 

I was looking over my library when I found The Lord's Supper in the Theology of Martin Chemnitz, by B.W. Teigen.

That reminded me of an old LCMS-ELS-WELS obsession about Holy Communion. One person explained it to me this way, "The bread is not the bread until it is placed in the mouth. That is what I was taught."

It made perfect sense, coming from the Pietistic Enthusiasm established by Bishop Martin Stephan, STD, and CFW Walther, BA.

The missing element was - and still is - for that dim group of sects - the efficacy of the Word.

I sometimes get into discussions where the key error is the fallacy of emphasis (an informal fallacy). One can fashion anything from stressing one thing to disguise and remove the main point.

"That is what I was taught" is not a clear statement about Holy Communion, where Jesus' words are "This is My body" and "This is My blood."

The title of Teigen's book includes the almost forgotten Martin Chemnitz. I noticed that the Bob Preus Cult considered the Second Luther their personal property - the copyright held by the private publishing of the Preus family (I am not kidding - they really have that).

The Little Sect on the Prairie treated Teigen like dirt, so it is normal for them to honor the name they despised while he was alive and being pushed out. The book is a reminder of the vacuum in the LCMS, ELS, WELS, and CLC (sic). Therefore, one can easily discern the massive problems - rejecting

1. The Efficacy of the Word
2. Justification by Faith
3. The King James Version.

Instead they grovel for

• Thrivent money and Irrevocable Annuities
• Cuddling Up with ELCA, Its Crafts and Assaults
• The Latest Fads, Like Unstuck

 

WELS-ELS Pounded B. Teigen - ELS - for This Excellent Book on Chemnitz and the Lord's Supper. Free PDF Download

The Lord's Supper in the Theology of Martin Chemnitz - FREE!

Simply put, the book teaches the efficacy of the Word as revealed in the Scriptures, which the Synodical Conference opposed with their ridiculous and faithless Receptionism.

According to the genius class in the LCMS-ELS-WELS, the elements are not the Body and Blood of Christ until they are received. At that point they "become" the Body and Blood.

The level of stupidity and Biblical ignorance behind that Synodical Conference dogma is difficult to fathom. Yet WELS/ELS treated Teigen like dirt for publishing the truth.

Does anyone see a connection with Synodical Conference UOJ/Calvinism, Pentecostalism, and Church Growthism?

ELS Unveils New Practical Publication Funded by Thrivent

Norman Teigen Is Back

This is not Norman Teigen, but if it were, he would be saying, "My blog is back."

Polemics versus Pietism

Spener taught Lutherans to be angry with polemical writings,
but Pietism is the ultimate polemic against sound doctrine.

I enjoy reading the hissy-fits aimed at me, but one thing really makes me sad. Many well-intentioned people have been trained to bristle when reading polemical works.

Another name for polemical works would be - Confessional. Yes, all the Lutheran pastors want to call themselves Confessional. They are anything but. The Book of Concord, following a long history of credal writings, is full of negative statements, explicitly condemning false doctrine. Do pastors know the Book of Concord? No, but they study the books of Fuller with glee.

Spener is the ultimate polemicist, because he taught Lutherans to oppose doctrinal debates. Granted, the death throes of Lutheran orthodoxy were noted for their opaque philosophical distinctions and their lack of Biblical exegesis, but that could have been solved without Spener's influence.

Notice the Pietistic influence today: love versus sound doctrine. Those who argue for sound doctrine are unloving and unbrotherly, just the opposite of what Luther and the Concordists taught.

Another aspect of the Pietistic influence is borrowing from other denominations, because the others are inherently superior. Spener got his cell groups from Labadie, who borrowed them from the Roman Catholics.

The rot happening in the LCMS, WELS, and the Little Sect can be traced to Pietism, which is another name for unionism and anti-Confessionalism. Where do these leaders meet and train? - Fuller, Willow Creek, Trinity in Deerfield. Their unity comes from a common loathing of sound doctrine. Even the moribund CLC (sic) has its unionistic faction, which will bite and tear at anyone in the name of love. The CLC (sic) adores Valleskey's Pietism.

One example of Pietism's assault is B. Teigen's scholarly analysis of false doctrine in the Synodical Conference. He showed correctly that the ELS, WELS, and Missouri adopted a false position on Consecration, a denial of the efficacy of the Word.

Was the ELS grateful for his work? No, Teigen rocked the boat. They treated their only scholar as if he were a bum. But they sang Amen! to Valleskey's Spoiling the Egyptians. WELS worked that issue hard, heaping contempt on Teigen and hauling out their all-purpose Pietist (Sig Becker) to cloud the issue.

Sig Becker endorsed the Pietistic Kokomo Statements, too, which were copied (three out of four) from J. P. Meyers' Ministers of Christ.

Pietism will not be defeated until it is identified and repudiated. Does anyone see that happening in WELS, the ELS, the LCMS? I do not. I see people content to have another Methodist leader like Al Barry. Remember good ol' Al? He was considered a conservative but he never stood up against the apostates, never got anyone upset. He and McCain paved the way for the Kieschnick Terror.

Here is a short history of what Pietism does. Anyone can trace this in Methodism or ELCA:

Stage One - There are all kinds of rules about what cannot be done, such as card playing, drinking, dancing, going to the theater. Deeds not creeds - remember that.

Stage Two - The rules are loosened up and the strict observers leave in a huff, the liberals happily waving goodbye.

Stage Three - Political activism and cross-denominational cooperation are called Gospel Outreach. Apostates are protected as valuable assets for the denomination.

Stage Four - The leaders are all Unitarians, gay activists, and ecumaniacs. These leaders are far more censorious than their own Pietistic founders. They savage anyone who questions their love, silence all dissent, and drive out anyone who dares question them. They make every Leftist fad an absolute requirement. The ELS, WELS, and Missouri are already participating in this stage.

Norman Teigen on the LCMS-ELS

Martin Chemnitz agreed with B. Teigen, but Jack Preus was the biographer of the Second Martin.


Norman Teigen has left a new comment on your post "Preus-Otten-McCain-Barry":


Thank you for re-distributing this link. I think that the report is probably pretty accurate.

I was glad to see that the Preus-ELS connection was mentioned. There is no doubt that the ELS suspension of fellowship with Missouri in 1955 was engineered by the Preus brothers. The Preus brothers were brighter than any of the others in the ELS.

It was painful to my father and my uncle that the Preus brothers did what they did and then went to Missouri. It was opportunism at every turn.

The Jim Adams account of Preus and the ELS should be considered as completely reliable.

Of course, my father and my uncle were supportive of Jack Preus and his internal Missouri battles.

My uncle passed away in 1970. My father and Robert were reasonably close to the end.

Jack rejected my Dad's analysis of Chemnitz. Jack torpedoed the idea that CPH would publish his book. I think that it might be fairly safely put forth that Jack was in the tradition of Missouri receptionism when he passed away.

CPH in recent years would have published my Dad's book (I think that this is true) but we survivors decided to make the book freely available through LOGIA.

Robert Preus, the record will show, was responsive to my father's work on the Chemnitz question. Robert got beyond receptionism.

Robert was described by Bohlmann as a church politician. Who wasn't? I have always felt that the treatment of Robert Preus by the Missouri Synod was one of the saddest things to have occurred in that era.

Now, the Preus family continues to be prolific. Some might suggest that the Preus family gene pool has gone into decline. Old Governor Jake and then Jack and Robert were pretty strong guys.

I don't know the family but some think that the family isn't as bright as it had been in earlier times. These assessments are based on 'Luther Quest' posts.

Thanks again, for this post. I hope that the discussion of who owns the history of the church continues.

Norman Teigen
ELS layman

***

GJ - Receptionism is derived from Enthusiasm. To say, "We do not know when it is the Body and Blood of Christ" is an admission of Biblical apostasy and studied ignorance.

'Tis funny that the UOJ Enthusiasts know exactly when the entire unbelieving world was forgiven, at the death of Christ, or at His resurrection. Come to think of it, they have not figured that out. Continuing my thought, they think they know the Moment of Absolution, but they do not know the Word consecrates.

No wonder Lutherdom has fallen into such disarray.

People howl about how unfair it is that I discuss doctrinal issues out in the open, as if that is harmful. But they have no trouble ruining the careers of people through their covert actions, their shameful behavior, and their words hidden away.

I tried to explain to another high school alumnus that WELS pushed me out of the ministry for telling the truth while the same officials supported an abusive ex-pastor getting back into the ministry. WELS and the ELS worked together on that. But according to Gaylin Schmeling,* it "hurts the face of the church" to keep abusive clergy out of the ministry by addressing the Biblical issues.

That is why no one will hear WELS or the ELS admit that Holy Mother Synod has ever made a mistake, published false doctrine, moved around adulterous pastors, or promoted false teachers to positions of greater authority.

*Sem prez, The Little Schoolhouse on the Prairie, richly endowed by Marvin Schwan, who left his wife and married the wife of one of his subordinates, ending two marriages. There is no absolution more certain than one paved with gold, eh?

Norman Teigen Likes the Intrepid Lutherans Blog

Norman Teigen loves cats, but this is not one of them.


Norman Teigen has left a new comment on your post "Intrepid Lutherans Blog":

Well, it's always good to see a new blog. I have already put it into my 'Favorites' file.

I will read what these Wisconsin people have to say. I wish them well. The question seems to be: is the WELS an open enough place to allow an open discussion of issues which are of concern to the membership?

There is no such openness within the ELS.

The ELS is in fellowship with the WELS. I am not, necessarily, in such fellowship as I never go to a WELS church and never read any of their publications.

The only things I know about the WELS are filtered through the ELS publicity bureau and your blog, Ichabod.

This blog should be a good read.


Norman Teigen, ELS layman and, by special appointment, official spokesman for the ELS

Second Teigen Blog

Irrelevant, but funny photo -
Redneck houseboat.

Norman Teigen has a new blog. I am spelling it out and linking it, because there are a lot of Shrinkers reading this blog.

http://lutherancolportage.blogspot.com/

I have listed it on the left. Google updates with thumbnails, a nifty feature available only with blogs, not with websites.

I am listing my Moline blog a little longer. I will keep it going but take it off the list. So far I seem to be the only person blogging about that city, where I was born. I am happy to say that this area, Northwest Arkansas, is very much like the Moline I remember.

Recently a neighbor yelled her head off at me because Sassy barked at her dog, coming right up to the door and carrying on a canine debate about who was a true loser. The lady screamed out the door, "Get your dog outta my yard, and get her on a leash." Today, she was out in her front yard. She made a point of smiling at me, at Sassy, and at me again. People are very polite and gentle here.

How the Little Sect on the Prairie Contributes To Apostasy

Norman Teigen (left) and Rolf Preus. Norman's father exposed the Synodical Conference error about the efficacy of the Word in the Lord's Supper. The ELS ministers chickened out on the topic,

just as they did with Pope John the Malefactor's destruction of the divine call.

LutherQuest(sic)



Rolf Preus: "When the synod is a church and a synod president with no altar or pulpit is nevertheless a pastor of the church then divine gospel authority is replaced by carnal legal authority not just potentially but necessarily.

The reason men cannot understand this is because they think they can understand the ministry of the Word apart from the actual divine justification of the sinner through faith. It cannot be done."


GJ - This comment is from a pastor I know:

Doesn't this sentence contradict UOJ? Rolf Preus arguing about the nature of the office of pastor!

---

Another person wrote:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Kurtzahn, The Pancake Pope of the CLC (sic), Unloa...":

Rolf cannot comprehend the contents of the book he "edited", with his brother, maybe because they so mucked up the text and references of their late father's book; JUSTIFICATION AND ROME by Robert Preus.

They gave the book a very poor layout. But more importantly, it is obviously tampered with in the actual text proper, as well as in the reference sections, in not a few, but many places.

Many quotes from the BoC that their father would, I believe, have intended being in the text proper (to give greater clarity to non-Lutherans reading it), appear to have been dropped by his boys, probably because too detrimental to the UOJ barrow the Preus boys so vehemently continue to push.

The true Apostolic/Lutheran Justification by Faith Alone teaching; nevertheless shines clearly through, on the whole,in spite of the afore-mentioned impoverishments.

***

GJ -  Some synodical trivia: I noticed that Rolf took on David Buegler here. Buegler was Jack Cascione's candidate for DP in Ohio. Cascione was delighted that his guy won - then his guy turned ecumenical overnight. What a shock! Rolf is Cascione's chapel dean at LutherQuest (sic). Rolf once went to the Ukraine to spend some Schwan or Stolzenburg money, thanks to Jay Webber. Birds of a feather do flock together - do not stand under their roosting places too long.

Rolf's position on the ministry, quoted above, contradicts UOJ. I hope he donates the manuscript of Justification and Rome to a library, so scholars can see what his father actually wrote. Having Rolf and Daniel edit it was a stroke of genius - like having two house painters touch up a Rembrandt.

The Little Sect on the Prairie had a chance to deal with doctrine when B. Teigen wrote his famous book on the Lord's Supper. Instead, they accepted synodical orders to silence themselves about Receptionism - the Synodical Conference error that the elements become the Body and Blood of Christ when received by the individual. The political reason behind the silencing was clear enough - no one could admit that Holy Mother Synod was ever wrong about anything. The doctrinal error behind Receptionism is Enthusiasm, thoroughly denounced by the Book of Concord - separating the Holy Spirit from the Word.

In muting themselves about Enthusiasm in the Lord's Supper, the ELS clergy and laity also silenced themselves about Enthusiasm in the Church Growth Movement. Orvick welcomed an essay endorsing Valleskey's Figs from Thistles essay (WLQ) and this endorsement was duly published in the ELS knock-off journal. CG is not just good - using it is analogous to plundering gold, silver, and jewels. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. Amen. Here endeth the lesson.

Ditto the Mueller/Gurgle theses on the ministry. Once again the ELS clergy and laity rolled over and played dead. Are they the same group that stood up to the LMCS long ago? Obviously not. Emboldened, Pope John the Malefactor extended the Left Foot of Fellowship to anyone who dared to question Him (the divine pronoun used on purpose). I do not agree with Rolf's curious doctrine, but what Pope John did to Rolf's congregation was despicable: fire the pastor or get kicked out of the Little Sect.  Moldstad, who was voted into the VP slot by the WELSian faction, has no aptitude for theology. As John Shep predicted long before it happened, Moldstad's attitude was and is - "Walk the plank."

Enthusiasm and compromise have contributed to the the neutering of the ELS. Perhaps the clergy have taken this verse to heart - and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. (Matthew 19:12)

I am pessimistic that Rolf Preus, Jay Webber, and others can ever admit to the error of UOJ, even as they contradict themselves in public and in private. If the Word does consecrate and Church Growth is evil, as Jay Webber seems to say, then UOJ is simply a third cancerous growth of Enthusiasm.

If one cannot divorce the ministry of the Word from the office, as Rolf did say on LQ (sic), quoted above, then UOJ is impossible.

One layman was struck by Kurtzahn and Preus looking down their noses at Lenski. This layman wrote:
"Just reading posts on the big I. I wonder what these guys do not like about Lenski`s comments about justification. What good does all Christ did for us without faith? Seems these guys do not want anything to do with faith and keep going on about the predestination controversy of the 1880`s. Also seems these are the same guys that promote the church growth stuff. I guess these guys make disciples."

In the past, the WELS pastors from the Bethany program seemed to have a much better grasp of Lutheran doctrine than did the pure-bred Wisconsin parochial school to NW prep to NWC to GA to Mequon students. Bethany program vet Dom Perignon Patterson is an exception, but I am told he started out well.

The only solution I can see for the ELS/WELS is having a multi-year, in-depth study of the Book of Concord. The Confessions are best studied in small sections, so they do not overwhelm people. I would start with the Formula of Concord (1580), since it constantly appeals to and uses the Augsburg Confession (1530) as its authority. I also like the Formula because of the issues addressed. Augsburg was more concerned with Rome. Fifty years later, Reformed influence also emerged as significant. Reformed doctrine is the biggest problem in the ELS and WELS today, especially since the leaders, past and present, are so smitten by it.

The major weakness of the Formula is quoting Luther. The conservative synods do not like Luther being quoted. That may kill any project involving the Formula of Concord.

From Norm Teigen

Robert Fleischmann


Grant that the healing medicine of the Gospel and the Sacraments. . ."


Fraud: 1. a) deceit, trickery; cheating b)Law intentional deception to cause a person to give up property or some lawful right. 2. something said or done to deceive; trick; artifice 3. a person who deceives or is not what he pretends to be; imposter; cheat. [Webster's New World Dictionary, c. 1982]


In this essay I am asking President John Moldstad to carefully review an item on the ELS website under the heading 'Exiting Links.' My request is that President Moldstad will then ask the webmaster to remove 'Christian Life Resources' (CLR. I contend that CLR is not what it appears to be, or what it claims to be, but is a social and political organization that exists to perpetuate itself.

The ELS maintains a website for the purpose of disseminating information to the members of the synod. As a religious organization one would expect that the items presented are consistent with the policies and principles of the members who are voluntarily a part of that organization. Lutheran principles recognize that individual Christians belong to two worlds, the world of the spirit and the world of the secular.


The ELS website provides information to its readers about things pertinent to the general interest of its members. The reasonable assumption is that the items so selected pertain to the work of the church as a whole and not to the proclamation of ideas and issues that are political or social in nature.


The website includes a section labeled 'Exiting Links' with the implied suggestion that the websites listed are worthy of reading and support. One such site is the CLR.


The 'Exiting Links" listed in the ELS website site may be the individual choice of the individual (the webmaster) who has created and maintains the site. I would think that the ELS website would fall, organizationally speaking, as the responsibility of the ELS Board for Publications. That this inclusion of CLR has occurred would be the result of the ELS, to be new at internet stuff and, as such, dependent upon people who know and understand computers. These webmasters conveniently, would be able to inject an item or two from their own individual set of values and beliefs into the common area of view.


The CLR, and those who support it, would assert that since it deals with 'life' its purposes, programs, and actions are beyond reproach. The actuality of the CLR, I assert, is to foster its own designs and purposes of gathering money from well-meaning Christians and of fostering its agenda through newsletters, programs, a store, and an annual convention.


A CLR fundraiser was held in my church several years back. To promote sympathy for the CLR and to raise funds, plastic baby bottles were distributed to the membership of the congregation. The appeal was to collect loose change and to place this money in the plastic baby bottle. The injunction was to return the change-filled bottle on the Sunday designated to be 'Life Sunday.' This fund raising tactic was, I believe, right out of Chaucer's 'Pardoner's Tale' and an example of religious fraud.


The social and political values of CLR are not universally shared by all of the members of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Although it may be reasonably assumed that the political and social values of CLR are supported by many in the synod, it is not appropriate for the synod to publicly endorse CLR.


There are, I think, several historical examples from ELS history which would offer some guidance. I deliberately pass over the larger question from classical Lutheran theology of the doctrine of the two kingdoms as this concept is almost too well known to bear repetition.


I submit two examples from our synod's history to support my contentions. My first example is of recent vintage. About two years ago, some well-meaning members of the ELS expressed fear that the church was under attack by the world-at-large. As an attempt to educate the members of the ELS to this danger, these proponents petitioned the synod to make their political and social insights known under the guidon of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod.


Review by committees appointed by yourself, President Moldstad, resulted in this resolution not being adopted. I believe that these committees ruled wisely.


The second example from ELS church history comes from the Old Norwegian Synod. [My source for information here is the book 'A Century of Urban Life The Norwegians in Chicago before 1930' by Professor Odd Lovoll [Norwegian-American Historical Association, 1988)] Chicago was one of many places in the 19th century where the temperance movement found support. The Norwegian clergy, with good reason, I believe, went after the saloons 'with a vengeance.' The effects of alcohol abuse upon the society of the day were damaging and wide-spread.


There was good reason for Norwegian-Lutherans to support the temperance movement but there were other reasons for the Norwegians not to participate. President H.A. Preus ruled, wisely, I think, that the temperance society 'undermined congregational unity and ministerial authority.' One of the main objections to [an individual congregation being a part of the temperance movement] was that "its existence was its independent status outside the congregation's control."


I think that the lesson from these two historical examples is as follows. What a group of individual Christians think is important in the secular arena is their own opinion. The social and political opinions of certain interest groups within the synod are not properly expressed as being representative of the entire Evangelical Lutheran Synod . Secondly, if the church doesn't control an organization, then it can potentially undermine the unity and ministerial authority of the church.


As a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod by virtue of my membership at King of Grace Lutheran Church, I must tell you that I do not need any (well-meaning, to be sure) individual or group of individuals to tell me what I should think or not think about items in the public square. As a member of the ELS I do not want my church body to represent itself as a supporter of a non-church controlled secular organization (i.e. CLR) that wishes to disseminate its information to an unsuspecting public.


I am asking you to remove CLR from the ELS website.


It is not enough, President Moldstad, for CLR to be publicly endorsed and supported for its stance on 'life' issues. The synod need not be a conduit for the political and social views of those who think that a certain civil issue is worthy of church endorsement. The solution proposed by these proponents ignores the purpose of the church's very existence.


I offer, in conclusion, the words from today's prayer from the Treasury of Daily Prayer: "Almighty God, our Father, Your blessed Son called Luke the physician to be an evangelist and physician of the soul. Grant that the healing medicine of the Gospel and the Sacraments may put to flight the diseases of our souls that will willing hearts we may ever love and serve You; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever."


Norman Teigen
October 18, 2009
normanteigen@gmail.com

***

GJ - CLR (nee WELS Lutherans For Life) started because they could not be in fellowship with the LCMS Lutherans For Life. Now CLR is both secular and generic Protestant.

One Biblical issue would be "husband of one wife," if one claims to be on the ministerial roll.

Here is an interesting story about a Planned Parenthood director who is now a pro-life activist.

Parachurch organizations are obviously out of control in ELS/WELS - just look at all the offshoots of Church and Change, which claim to be ELS/WELS yet operate on their own.

Someone Who Earned a Nobel Prize

Such irony today - Norman Teigen just wrote about Norman Borlaug on his blog, a man who earned the Nobel Prize. Teigen has a number of posts on the topic. I suggest looking up Borlaug's information and what he did to fight world hunger.

PS - Someone did not get the humor in my PhotoShop above. Norman identifies himself as someone with many hobbies, something easily discerned from his blog. "I am a retired Viet-Nam veteran. I am involved in about 12 volunteer projects." It helps to read before commenting - but that never stops a Shrinker.

Tragically, I have had to block a lot of comments from Shrinkers, due to the obscene language of the Chicaneries. On the plus side, I know I am hitting the target when the chicken feathers fly.

New Ad Campaign Features Norman Teigen

Teigen Claims Teigen As His Only Source, Proving Teigen Correct

Norman Teigen has left a new comment on your post "Outside the Framework of WELS Fellowship":

I think that you have consistently misrepresented the ELS in the Weakland matter. Your reporter (your son) is misinformed. My reporter (my cousin) is my source.

Norman Teigen
ELS layman
[Disclaimer: i am not an official spokesman for the ELS.]

***

GJ - I was not writing about Archbishop Weakland at Bethany, but Dr. James Shannon. Erling Teigen arranged for Shannon, an ex-bishop of the Church of Rome, to march with the faculty and speak at the dedication service of the Ylvisaker Center.

Rolf Preus' response some time ago was to say, "Erling Teigen does not have an ecumenical bone in his body, and Greg Jackson knows it." So Rolf is not only a mind-reader, but a long-distance one at that.

My first source is the Mankato Free Press, where Bethany proudly announced this ecumenical event. I also had this in my file for some time, because a CLC pastor spoke to Erling about this, after seeing the clear intent in the newspaper article. Erling's response was, "I thought we were friends." So Matthew 18 is a hostile act when talking to an ecumenist.

My second source is the Bethany annual, which was deceptively silent about Shannon's religious affiliation and other pertinent details. The college yearbook for 1994-5 showed "Dr. James Shannon speaking with student body representatives."

My third source is my son, who witnessed the religious procession, with Roman Catholic Shannon marching with the Bethany faculty and speaking at the service.

Erling or others would have us believe that a married ex-bishop is no longer a Roman Catholic, likewise that an obviously religious service became a secular meeting when the ex-bishop rose to speak.

Erling is not a reliable source for anything where he is involved. He published a letter in Christian News calling me a liar because I accurately reported the Little Sect parting with WELS about their joint hymnal project. It never happened, according to Erling! A Bethany Seminary student (not my cousin or son) contacted me to laugh about the denial. It was widely known that the ELS quit the project when WELS would only let them have two (2) hymns in the new feminist hymnal. CW still carries the information about the Joint Hymnal Project. Joint as in...ELS and WELS, of course.

I am not surprised that the ELS still denies the obvious. They like to pose as the confessional side of the WELS-ELS duet, but they do the same things. They have also had women leading worship at their chapel. They have their own Church and Change congregation. The Little Sect has their own doctrinal board so they can worry about the doctrinal errors in WELS. As Bugs Bunny says, "It is to laugh."

My Proof-reader Speakz

ELZ news from the Prez - February 2009

Congratulations
Vicar Kyle Madson and his wife Alicia were blessed with a baby girl, Adela Claire, on January 19.

Prayer Requests
We ask that you would please keep Rev. David Meyer and family in your prayers. David had successful vascular surgery in order to bypass an aneurism in his upper chest on January 16. We pray that the Lord enables him to have a full recovery.

We pray also for Pastor John Vogt, his wife Sandy and family. Both John’s father and mother were called home to heaven in the month of January; his father on January 13 and his mother on January 23.

Continue to ask the Lord’s blessing and healing upon Pastor Harvey Abrahamson’s wife, Ruth. Ruth now has returned home from Rochester, MN, following a surgery for removal of cancer.

We have learned recently that Pastor Dan Sabrowsky died during the month of January. Please keep his family in your prayers. During retirement, Pastor Sabrowsky had been living in Washington state.

March Colloquy
Rev. Joseph Burkhardt, who serves at Ascension Lutheran in St. Helens, Oregon, is requesting colloquy for reinstatement as a clergyman of the synod. Ascension Lutheran is requesting membership in the ELS. Tentatively a date of March 24, 2009, has been set aside for the colloquy. Any information concerning the colloquy should be sent to the Office of the President.

(The first part of this message was taken directly from the President's Newsletter. The following comments are made by Norman Teigen, the owner of this blog.) The Prez also includes a statement in his February Newsletter from WELS President Schroeder. The WELZ Prez announced the WELZ Conference of Presidents (how many Presidents are there in the WELZ?) is convening an ad hoc committee to address the issue of the "synod's faithfulness to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions" and some "new and different approaches and methods" of doing church work.

The story behind this is that there is a movement within the WELZ called 'Church and Change' which wants to take a new look at how church matters are handled. This has caused a stir within the WELZ and is so pervasive (apparently) that it has made the officialdom sit up and take notice. The movement must have something to it, otherwise the officialdom could and would ignore it.

The church has always struggled between orthodoxy and meeting the world. There is nothing new in any of this.

Norm Teigen Speaks

They even parade for Norm in Minnesota.

Norman Teigen has left a new comment on your post "Snarling at the Wrong Thing":

My radar goes off when you mention the ELS. I question the believability of at least part of your post because there is no ELS congregation in Cottage Grove MN. I don't know who was on the ELS Doctrinal Committee in the past and had never heard of the Fuller connection. Who might that have been who was a raving Fuller graduate?

Norman Teigen
ELS layman
(I am not an official spokesperson for the ELS but I did today receive an official 'King of Grace' golf shirt for my service at the school. I presume that the gift of this golf shirt certifies my membership in the previously mentioned Evangelical Lutheran Synod. The golf shirt does not imply certification as a spokesman for the ELS, however.}

***

GJ - OK, I had the wrong state, but the right city. I am sure everyone in the Little Sect on the Prairie knows about Nathan Krause, Church and Chicanery, and Cottage Grove. The ELS Bad Boy posted blog material about the parish website some time ago.

The person on the doctrinal board? I recall he was in Naples, Florida. I think he joined ELCA next. The letter came from an ELS source. I lost track of the letter and asked for another copy. My source (not Webber - he's too coy) refused. Jay gave me the newspaper article about Dan Kelm and his Willow Creek services. Mrs. Ichabod got a clean copy and I sent it to Christian News. That was and still remains typical ELS behavior - circulate a newspaper article, cluck tongues loudly (when the pope is not in the vicinity), and do nothing.

No one wants the Left Foot of Fellowship.

The ELS pastors always brag about how confessional they are, but really, they could not together knock the skin off a pudding, let alone fight false doctrine. Getting upset about doctrine makes one late for dinner.

Norm Teigen Takes a Vacation While Global Financial Crisis Continues

Norman Teigen has shown surprising detachment from the blogosphere, leaving for vacation in the midst of a global financial crisis.

Teigen volunteers for so many activities that he is one of the few retirees who has to take a vacation from retirement.

Look for the Union Label

Norm Teigen

"The gathering was at the the Swedish church. It was very well received by all who were in attendance. The presiding minister was Jerry Lanes, the pastor of Scandian Grove.

I wish that I had been able to attend. I am happy to report that the Norselanders, both Swedish and Norwegian, both ELCA and ELS, joined together in singing praises to God on the occasion of their anniversary."

***

GJ - I could never sing with an ELCA congregation. When I was at a Concordia, Ft. Wayne worship service, George Orvick and W. Peterson were singing with the Missouri Synod. They said to me afterwards, "Don't tell. We couldn't help singing."

The Wisconsin Synod works with ELCA and Missouri on a wide variety of religious projects, including joint worship and evangelism efforts. Clucketh not thy tongue at the Little Sect on the Prairie.

The conservative Episcopalians are doing the opposite, showing their disgust toward their leadership, which happens to work hoof-and-claw with ELCA.

Review - The Lord's Supper in the Theology of Martin Chemnitz

Martin Chemnitz, 1522-1586,
is the second most neglected theologian in the Lutheran Church.
The most neglected is Luther.

Logia has made the Teigne book available for free. The sainted Bjarne Wollan Teigen is the father of Norm Teigen. Here is a look at the extended family. Teigen wrote extensively on the Book of Concord. Google his name for a list of titles. I would buy his books before most of the others. I like the Bente Introductions to the Book of Concord, too.

The Lutheran Church has imploded because its leaders have deliberately quashed all attempts to be faithful to the Book of Concord and the Scriptures. As one ex-Lutheran told me, "Yes, they look carefully at the Scriptures, so they can do the opposite."

One example of this behavior is the reception of Teigen's book in the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, more commonly known as The Little Sect on the Prairie. The Little Sect has only two congregations of any size. ELSizens wonder if the sect will be around in 20 years.

The ELS once worked with the LCMS and stood up to the doctrinal errors of Missouri in an official pamphlet, long before Jack and Robert Preus began the move to split the old Synodical Conference. The Wisconsin sect, always pilloried by Missouri, finally had their chance to bully another group when WELS and the ELS broke with the LCMS. Wisconsin is tiny compared to Missouri. The ELS is roughly 10% the size of WELS, depending on whose statistics are disbelieved the most.

The ELS has been mistakenly viewed as a safe place for Missourians to land. In fact, Paul McCain, MDiv, said he saw the ELS that way when he was campaigning for Barry's election. McCain figured Bohlmann would have forced both of them out of the LCMS if Barry had lost the first contest.

Thanks to the WELS-ELS partnership, the Little Sect has become the finger-puppet of the Wisconsin faux-Lutherans. The ELS is run by three larger families who have worked out a way to stay in power without being doctrinally faithful or even apt to teach.

Bjarne's Book
The Chemnitz book is scholarly and very detailed. Each paragraph is filled with clear analysis about the history of every detail connected with the controversy. Teigen mastered all the historical data. This alone is a valuable contribution to Lutheran studies. Few have the time, ability, and resources to repeat his effort.

The Doctrinal Issue
Many in the old Synodical Conference (LCMS, WELS, ELS) taught that the elements of Holy Communion were not the Body and Blood of Christ until they were received by the communicant. This debate was raging in the ELS especially and discussed in Christian News in the late 1980's, when our family joined the Wisconsin sect.

Becker or Bjarne
The Teigen book made Wisconsin choose Sig Becker over Bjarne Teigen when the issue should have been, "What does God's Word say?" Becker was the WELS hero because he had a real doctorate and left Missouri, making them look good. Unfortunately, Becker was hopeless on two different issues - justification and the Lord's Supper. Both are connected and relate to the decline of the Lutheran Church in general, the ELS-WELS in particular.

Efficacy of the Word
The foundational issue in the Synodical Conference is its neglect and abandonment of the efficacy of the Word. In the Old Testament there is no difference between God's will and and God's Word. Isaiah 55:8-10 expresses this with great clarity. The efficacy of the Word is central to both Testaments. The Holy Spirit never works apart from the Word, the Word never apart from the Spirit. "That is sound doctrine," as Hoenecke wrote.

The ELS and WELS tried to end the debate about consecration by saying, "We are not sure when the elements are the Body and Blood of Christ." That is why so many articles were about the Moment of Consecration, an awkward term.

After the Consecration, are the elements on the altar the Body and Blood of Christ? The Teigen book's answer is clearly, "Yes, according to Chemnitz and the Book of Concord." The Wisconsin sect said, "We are not sure. Becker is the ruling norm on this issue."

Teigen, as a faithful theologian and good scholar, showed that the old, weird Synodical Conference position was wrong. The Wisconsin sect could not abide this, so they had Orvick and the ELS act as if they smelled a skunk. Their behavior toward Teigen and his family was disgraceful.

One of the clever techniques used by errorists was to howl about this conflict tearing up the church. Herman Otten, who published many articles on the topic, joined in the cries of pain. But doctrinal conflict is good, separating bad doctrine from sound doctrine.

But no, the era of compromise was established by Orvick. He was good at throwing a bone to one side and then to the other side. Pope John the Malefactor has carried on the tradition of obfuscating issues rather than addressing them. Thus the decline continues. Now that the efficacy of the Word has been permanently detached from all Lutheran doctrinal discussions, the Means of Grace are empty words and any foul error can rush in to dominate the next decade.

One Lutheran pastor asked me in Ft. Wayne about the issue, to see what I believed. I said, standing near copies of Thy Strong Word, "The efficacy of the Word means there is no issue. The Word consecrates the elements. They are the Body and Blood of Christ through the power of the Word."

Some Lessons To Be Learned
The Synodical Conference has been and continues to be damaged by hero-worship of the worst sort. So many human idols have been set up that no one can discuss a doctrinal issue without stepping on the toes of these plaster saints. Walther was weak on the efficacy of the Word, his Pietism leading him completely astray on justification. Walther's minion, Pieper, established UOJ with many bizarre statements that would have gotten a seminarian burned at the stake in better days. Sig Becker piled on the errors.

UOJ, consecration, and Church Growth have revealed the weakness of the Synodical Conference on the Biblical doctrine of the Word. Now the idolators make sure that no one can maneuver through the forest of plaster saints guarding their favorite false doctrine. The heresiarch Leonard Sweet spoke at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and the school's president listened in holy awe. Thus we have a video of the man who helped train bigot and race-baiter Jeremiah Wright sitting with the descendant of a Missouri leader and theologian.

The favorite hobby of the mini, micro, and nano sects is to deplore the doctrinal aberrations in the more established synods. Those errors are visiting and have already visited the tiniest and most works-righteous groups as well. The ELS would like everyone to believe they are the Synod of the Book of Concord. And yet, when one of their own professors wrote brilliantly about the Book of Concord, they put him into intellectual exile while falling at the feet of David Valleskey, whose only merit was his ability to deny or brag about his study at Fuller Seminary.

Voting Has Not Helped
Perhaps some feminists in the ELS are working for the right to vote. I would look around at what the men have voted into office, what the men have approved as doctrinal statements. I would not want to share in the blame.

A better way to select the ELS pope would be to toss a dart at a bedsheet covered with the names of qualified clergy (no felony arrests or DUIs). The ELS president-elect would not think of the office as his right but as a stroke of fortune. Other elections and appointments could be handled the same way, breaking the lock of a few families on the decisions of the synod, ending the tyranny of WELS.

The telescopic orthodoxy of WELS, seeing error at long distance but never at home, would have to end.

More Warnings To Come

Sign at a Twin-Cities Church

Some guessed that I found a church sign generator, especially since the link is in the photo. Websites like that one combine a choice of several different photos with a script that inserts the chosen words into the sign.

I was tempted by Norm's volunteer efforts at many different non-profits, not to mention the Coleman campaign.

My first target was the WELS' Church and Change apostasy agency. More will follow. I sent a preview of the set to a few readers. Someone laughed so hard, he cried. Actually, I did that.

By Norm Teigen

Studying to be a Synod Pope and/or Hatchet Man

Getting 'with the program'

There was a very interesting piece in MinnPost today about former Attorney General Mike Hatch and his successor Lori Swanson. The fine details of the story would be interesting only to Minnesota people, I think, but there is another issue that might be of interest to readers of Norman's Demesne.

The idea is that within the AG's office, Mike Hatch had a 'program', his own program, his own career. If you are one of Mike's people you got advances and promotions. If you were an ordinary attorney who was interested in doing the business of the State of Minnesota you wouldn't get far because you didn't 'get with the program.' Those who weren't with Mike Hatch's program were pushed off the boat.

I've recently been reading the two volume set of Ian Kershaw's biography of Adolf Hitler. In the early days of his political career Hitler's program was to promote rugged Aryanism and anti-Semitism. Advancement within the movement was directly related to how fiercely one was getting along 'with the program.' The program was Hitlerism, Naziism.

In recent ELS church history, [and this is quite a jump], a pastor or professor had to 'get with the program.' This meant that one had to follow the leader no matter what. The leader determined what was good for the Synod because of his own experience. His followers associated the good of the Synod with the good of the program. Patronage was denied to those who were not with 'the program' and a number of good men were forced out of the ELS.

My late father, B.W. Teigen, wrote a book which the synodical leadership felt was not 'with the program' and some persons who read his book were branded as 'Teigen-ites'. One didn't have to be a member of the family to become a Teigenite. Some persons were thrown overboard and some of these arbitrary decisions were justified by presidential investigating committees.

The anti-Teigenites in the ELS are slowly slipping away and their influence is waning. One restored Teigen-ite, a relative, is actually going to be giving the main address at the upcoming ELS Synod Convention.

There is a 'get with the program' situation in the Missouri Synod, too, according to many sources. The 'program' is the brain-child of the incumbent President who has fired a number of qualified people. These people were qualified to serve the church but were not with the President's program and had to go. They were, to use another common expression, 'thrown under the bus.'

What can be done about this? Misuse of power can happen in churches, too, and it is up to the laypeople to stay on top of things.