Pastor Paul Rydecki, Who Escaped WELS, On Objective Justification vs. the Gospel

Passed Some Mandatory Tests - Required by Law

 Buchholz promised to continue discussing Justification by Faith at the next pastors' gathering, but he did the opposite and  instead bragged about foreclosing on the mortgage at the next gathering.

Someone offered a response to the letter Buchholz wrote to Rydecki, extending the Left Foot of Fellowship. Buchie made the point that his VPs agreed with him.

I mentioned in my note to this person that I took tests on material that included sex abuse and child abuse. Public institutions make it very clear that they enforce mandatory reporting, which WELS and Missouri consider entirely optional. The lying goes all the way to the top, and WELS leaders retaliate against anyone who tells the truth.

Looking at Rydecki's letter and his original dismissal letter from Jon-Boy today, it was interesting to note that Buchie said that both VP's had concurred his course of action,,,  As if the VP's had the option to overrule the DP.  Just like the thug Steinbrenner using the bear-killer CP to bring you to tears and short out your cell phone (joke).
Yes, when the Love Letter pastor offends again (or should i say "gets caught") the WELS will have no excuse as you have well documented WELS' legal violations and the leaders will not be able to claim they knew nothing about it. 

One becomes DP by playing dumb or by going along with the DP. Zank as VP facilitated Ski's escape to Don Patterson's lair, then became DP for violating district rules concerning Ski. Like all legalistic institutions, WELS excuses itself from even the most basic principles.

 "Who told you?" is not exactly evidence of innocence!

The Bear Killer CP phoned me about the Love Letter Pastor and told me "nothing happened." When I pinned him down on the facts, he claimed to be calling me about his concern for me. So I said, "Tears are rolling down my cheeks and shorting out my cell phone."

The DP flew from his parish to Alaska to get a fired pastor back into the pulpit, but "it never happened." He bullied people into a retreat and had the parish constitution changed immediately. The CP, who was not there, asked who told me (typical WELS) and claimed "nothing happened."

Natalie Pratt met with SP Mark Schroeder. Soon she had her own Luther Days expo, funded with lavish WELS donations. The "Largest Distinctly Lutheran Reformation Event" ended with few in attendance and the money gone, bills unpaid.

But, even though Schroeder promoted it on the WEL$.net page, "Nothing happened."

 "Even bigger and better." Yuk, yuk, yuk.

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I found out the last ELDONUT conference had a theme - "How Much Do We Hate Ichabod - Let Us Count the Ways."

Dealing with Lutherans is always an experience in irony. In this case, it is dramatic irony, in which the characters do not get it, but the audience does. The characters betray the truth by their words and actions - unknowingly.

In this case, the ELDONUTS Rydecki and Heiser shared a Facebook post about presidential candidates, in which I had a few gentle words posted about the voters making the difference in the long run. Heiser solemnly declared, "It doesn't take long for the crazy to come out." Strange they had so much time to discuss someone who was not there. Soon after Rydecki whined that I unfriended him on Facebook. I asked him directly via IM about the conference and he claimed falsely that nothing happened. He was part of it, perhaps not throwing stones, but happy to hold the cloaks.

The most ironic claim was this one - "Jackson does not work with others."

Sixteen years ago I was publishing Thy Strong Word, which Heiser chose to sell from his website.

I spoke at his church, and Hudson and Ahonen were there. Heiser and his church were LCMS. During this period of time Heiser and I spent many hours on the phone, mostly with him calling. We often discussed publishing, which printing company to use, prices, Paul McCain, and so forth. We also discussed the process of leaving a synod, since I was independent for some years already.

No ELDONA existed, except in the mind of Heiser. I found his nascent website during my Internet searching. So he formed his little group and named himself bishop in 2006.

Somehow ELDONA existed without Justification by Faith for many years, although Heiser saw the flaws in Objective Justification in 2000.

Spencer, below, and Rydecki, above, were both circuit pastors at the
first and last Intrepids Conference.
WELS broke up the group that Schroeder wanted to organize.
Spencer was the first Intrepid to bail out - another irony.

Meanwhile in WELS

WELS Pastor Steve Spencer asked me about how to form a group to support Synod President Mark Schroeder. They are classmates, hence blood-brothers. Schroeder claimed "the others" were out-organizing him, and way ahead. Those were the Church and Changers, whom Schroeder has backed 100%.

My idea, not to back Schroeder, but to air out the musty halls of WELS, was to have a group blog. We did that in the graduate classes I taught in education. An exchange of ideas would be good. Spencer asked me to nominate people who would be good to participate, so I named quite a few people who wrote intelligent comments on Ichabod.

In 2010, Spencer had corporate papers and set up what he called The Intrepid Lutherans - another irony in my narrative. Among the most prominent participants were Vernon Knepprath, Paul Rydecki, and Doug Lindee. Doug wrote often on Ichabod and recently had a new post on the Intrepids blogs.

Brett Meyer - our Bethany member, lived near the Emmaus Conference and attended one where we had lots of publications to give away. Brett spoke with Vernon, as I recall, and sat with Rydecki. Everyone got a few copy of my latest book on Justification by Faith. Jay Webber hid behind a pillar to motion Rydecki to speak with him or go to lunch with him. More irony.

Rydecki first disagree with me about Justification by Faith - in the Intrepids blog. In fact, Spencer used Rydecki's position to argue against me. That was a false use of appealing to authority; there is only one authority - the Word.

But the free exchanges on the group blog led to airing out the issues about Justification by Faith, the horrid NIV, and other issues. Rydecki began arguing against Objective Justification.

Note - I was asked a few opinions at the beginning, and I made it clear I would not be part of their leadership in any way. Once they asked my position on Justification and I posted that. But I always promoted their posts and gave them a lot of visibility.

I spent many hours back and forth with Rydecki, discussing the doctrinal issues and also the topic of leaving WELS. When he joined ELDONA, I thought that would be interesting, given all the UOJ ballast in the group:

• Stefanski, who signed one of his famous UOJ tirades "an unbeliever."
• The Rolf Synod, almost as fanatical as Stefanski.

But it seems Justification by Faith entered ELDONA through Vernon Knepprath and Paul Rydecki. The Rolf Synod abandoned its fellowship with ELDONA with great bitterness and threw themselves on the mercy of the ELS, begging that the terms of reconciliation might be merciful. Jay Webber helped, of course. 

So articles on Justification by Faith were posted by ELDONA in 2014 and they argued against the Objective Justification of the Rolf Synod. So Heiser and his ELDONUTS  were content with Objective Justification for at least 14 years, in spite of Heiser's obvious alarm about what it really meant. Not Objective Justification as the Atonement - no, that was wrong by definition. The entire world was already forgiven and saved in the reckless language of UOJ.

Through our little church - and the blog no one reads - these ELDONA members were influenced by the Word of God to agree with St. Paul, Luther, Melanchthon, Chemnitz, and Gerhard about Justification by Faith:

1. Bishop Heiser Hisself.
2. Pastor Paul Rydecki.
3. Layman Doug Lindee.
4. Layman Vernon Knepprath.

 When we were in Washington State for the wedding, Brett's wife told me how she worked with Vernon on the study of WELS worship practices.

So I really think the ELDONUTS should stop muttering against those who have been very friendly with them, happy to broadcast their message. They would have more friends if they treated them better.

Bishop James Milhouse Heiser, STM