Ex-Members Talking about an Abusive Sect - WELS

I have spoken to two ex-WELS members in the last day. I am not going to add any personal details. But that is the setting for what follows.

People do not realize they are in an abusive cult because they are surrounded by those who constantly tell them that God is honored and pleased to have such a wonderful group of Christians - if only the rest were as good. An abusive cult will love-bomb people into the group but also hate them out. Someone who is ex-WELS is the worst of all reprobates, especially if that individual is onto the abuse and talking about it.

The two main components are the abuse (emotional, physical, sexual) and the foul doctrine. The evil doctrine allows and energizes the abuse. WELS teaches universal absolution without faith, which is handy for murdering one's spouse and using the youth group as sex slaves. But WELS also lays down its own law on everyone, and that law has no mercy, no forgiveness, and no fruits of the Spirit.

WELS has a long list of unrepentant, adulterous clergy and teachers. If they are in with the In Crowd, they are guilt-free. However, if a dissenter exhibits any mortal failing, the In Crowd will bury that person in verbal abuse, shun to a fare-thee-well, and excuse their behavior as discipline.

WELS has taken the verse "All men are liars" to a new level - Exponentially, one might say. Thus, they are pleased to brag about their dozens of rules about fellowship principles but will not admit they violate all of them - and have for decades. One proof of that is the shock in the voice of WELS members who do not realize they have been in bed with ELCA (and its forerunners) for many decades. "I never knew that!"

Support for the United Nations? Sure.

Pose with the head of ELCA at a leadership conference? Lie about it. "We had to take their money or someone else would have spent it."

Study at Fuller Seminary? Lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, lie, brag, deny. By all means, promote the men who studied there and lied about studying at Fuller. Here is a good one: "I am glad I was there so I could witness against their false doctrine."

Have any of the Ten Commandments survived the brutal regime of WELS? No. False doctrine is promoted as "a gray area of Scripture." The Eighth Commandment applies to dissenters who talk about doctrine, murder, adultery, and child abuse.

Murder? - "That was a long time ago." I am quoting a pastor.

But the worst part of this abusive behavior is the members and church workers try to adjust for the false reality imposed on them. Either they go along with all of it, which is extremely dangerous for the soul, or they snap out of it and get expelled.

Missouri does some of this. The Little Sect on the Prairie re-elected Pope John the Malefactor for being abusive. The micro-mini sects specialize in abuse.

My prescription for healing is two-fold.

First, begin reading the Lenker set of Luther's Sermons to hear the true Gospel and the Reformer's brilliant practical applications.

Second, leave the sect behind whenever that is possible. Worship at home is better than going along with an abusive, false-teaching group. Reading a book on abusive churches will help people realize that they come in all flavors, all confessions.

An ex-WELS pastor told me it was all over for the Wisconsin sect when he read in Mark Schroeder's spin-report that WELS does not repent. Once a sect has reached that level of self-absolution and self-absorption, there is no help.

The Word can address all these problems, but not if no one will wield the Sword of the Spirit.

Huebner's Double-Talk Comes Through in His Fuller Energized Article

The Shrinkers consistently promote their own losers to positions of power, so they can leverage the damage.

Daniel Baker has left a new comment on your post "WELS First VP Advises the Confused about His Passi...":

"My Word will not return to me empty" - unless you mortals make it less effective by not employing Enthusiastic 'church growth' ideologies.

"Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word" - but only if your mortals don't hinder it with lackluster methodologies!

The doublespeak employed by saying "we cannot make God's Word more effective" but then demonstrating how we can make it ineffective would be humorous if this weren't a serious article written by such a high-ranking member of the Synod.

*** - GJ

Three-fold Promise Destroys CG and UOJ

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:

1. It shall not return unto me void,
   
2. But it shall accomplish that which I please,
   
3. And it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
   

For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. KJV Isaiah 55:8-11

In Russia, We Do Not Pass Plate, We Drive Tank

"You should see us raise funds for Thoughts of Faith."

WELS First VP Advises the Confused about His Passion for Fuller Tricks

This balderdash was given to participants at the St. Paul, German Village, Church Growth seminar, led by Webber-Kovaciny-Shep pal Floyd Luther Stolzenburg. Number 17 has become the NNIV dragon, but #8 is the funniest of them all. No wonder WELS is not growing - they are copying Groeschel verbatim! Didn't little Timmy Glende read his hand-outs?

Drink in the Fuller Seminary wisdom without the expense of going there. No like? You have another spirit. The Left Foot of Fellowship will soon be extended in Christian love.

When All Else Fails, WELS Advises - Try Methodism: Stolzenburg Seminar in Columbus, Ohio

Gorge yourself on the wisdom of mainline Methodist evangelism tricks.

This was foreplay for the Groeschel ravishment that followed.

Stolzenburg Evangelism Seminar in Columbus, Ohio

Joe Krohn Finds WELS Using the Bait and Switch: Pretending To Be Lutheran, But Not

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Golden Arches

Excommunication, or breaking fellowship if you prefer is carried out by the church on someone who is unrepentant for breaking God's Law; the Ten Commandments.  When we were cut off from all membership privileges (excommunication) by the leadership at Holy Word, it was for 'denying the doctrine of Objective Justification.'  This was erroneous since the discussions were always in the context of how the doctrine was being preached and our objection to the preaching.  Since this doctrine comes from a peculiar interpretation of scripture by men, it is not a part of the Law.  Since excommunication needs a broken law, I feel the Eighth Commandment coming into play here and that would be a travesty; that  fellowship would be broken over a man made doctrine and carried out through one of the Ten Commandments.

I was never in want of leadership at Holy Word as it was suggested, but was merely pointing the way to what a Confessional Lutheran Church practices.  You have to realize that when you say you are a Lutheran Church and swear an oath to uphold the teachings of Scripture as confessed in the Book of Concord, you bear a responsibility to that oath and not just lip service.  If I walk into McDonald's on any given day, I expect to see a Big Mac, McMuffins and Quarterpounders with Cheese on the menu.  When I walk into a Lutheran Church on any given Sunday, I expect to see a solid liturgy with Confession and Absolution, Sacraments, Word taught in truth and purity (just the facts, ma'am); music with strong lyrical content and the emphasis on Christ and what He has done and continues to do in our stead.

Fanatics Destroy Romans 3: The NNIV Replaces the Truth with Falsehood

Daniel Baker has left a new comment on your post "Lito Cruz, PhD, Explains All":

The way that certain fanatics destroy the text of Romans 3 utterly boggles my mind. It is more than clear from an honest, plain reading of the text that St. Paul's point in this passage is to demonstrate that "there is no difference" between Jews and Gentiles, "for all have sinned." Paul's point is that Christ's Word, work, and justification are not only for Jews, but also for Gentiles. This is why Romans 3 ends with the thought that: "Is God . . . not the God of the Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the *CIRCUMCISED BY FAITH AND THE UNCIRCUMCISED THROUGH THAT SAME FAITH*" (emphasis added). This is the context that the Holy Spirit through St. Paul is driving at. He is not creating some pseudo-universalistic justification; rather, he is demonstrating the limitless nature of the Atonement and the ability that ALL men have to receive the benefits of justification through faith.

Historic St. John Lutheran, Milwaukee: Great Organ Recital, Appreciative Audience

The organ recital was well received by the audience. One family drove four hours to hear the concert and see the building.

Two Comments from WELS

From a WELS member:

Several binders were out of reach in our office, mostly about evangelism, training lay minsters, or promoting cell groups.

One was a WELS evangelism training binder from 1989.  It took place in Columbus, and had some familiar names (Zehms, Free, Stolzenburg, Glende) as presenters.  My guess is that you were invited to attend this seminar, since this was during your time in Columbus.

I paged through to get a feel for what was happening when I was a youngster in the WELS.  All the usual suspects are referenced and adored and suggested for further reading: Paul Kelm, James Huebner, Win Arn, C.P. Wagner, Fuller, Bill Hybels, Willow Creek, TELL, relational evangelism, ways to present more effectively the efficacious gospel, Kent Hunter, Jim Aderman, thriving churches, things that greeters and ushers should do to not turn off visitors, copies from Methodist evangelism newsletters, felt needs, they come for sociological reasons and stay for theological reasons, and the list goes on.  I wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry, or vomit.

***

A former WELS pastor phoned today. We had a long, enjoyable discussion. He knew about my warnings going unheeded in the Michigan District, starting around 1988, which is now 23 years ago.

Like the other shape shifters, John Seifert feigned doctrinal concern but only used the turmoil to become a Doctrinal Pussycat, Robert Mueller the Second.

Decades later, Naumann spoke with trembling voice about how fabulous the NNIV Cheerleaders were but maybe, just maybe, that was not the best translation to use. Decades ago I was sitting in his parsonage, telling him what was really happening in Columbus. Seifert, Naumann, and many others were well informed, with documentation, but they spent their time feathering their nests or quaking in their rabbit warren, terrified of the WELS Thought Police.

I did not just write to people, meet with people, and document all these things. I published the proof in about 300 Christian News articles. Jay Webber was always telling me what I should write, which gave him no time to oppose anything in writing. I was a ghost writer for the ELS.

Herman Otten went out of his way to support Valleskey, to sell Valleskey's atrocious Church Growth manual as a "doctrinal book," and to do the bidding of his WELS controllers.

The lazy-bones and cowards--all in office today--have purchased their current situation by undercutting anyone who threatened the WELS Shrinker team. The get-along-go-alongs get to watch the collapse from the top story of Pewaukee Towers or whatever their new office building is called.

Downsize? - not royalty.

Lito Cruz, PhD, Explains All

LPC has left a new comment on your post "Cyrus Scofield, Convicted Felon, And His Reference...":

Marco,

Yes you are right.

In the KJV the ones being justified freely by his grace points back to the "upon all them that believe". This is the context.

Yes indeed, all these who believe have sinned, yet they are the ones who are justified.

Here is where Calvinism and UOJers get things wrong.

When the Bible speaks of ALL human beings, the Calvinist misses this and limits it to believers.

When the Bible speaks of ALL believers, the UOJer misses this and extends this to the whole world.

In other words, UOJers and Calvinists are united in their mistake on how ALL is to be interpreted, just that they are opposites of each other.

The proper way is to interpret ALL as referring to all human beings when the Bible clearly says so. Then also interpret ALL as referring only to believers when the Bible clearly says so. The context clarifies this.

LPC

***

GJ - Concise and correct. Thank you Dr. Cruz.

Cyrus Scofield, Convicted Felon, And His Reference Bible: A Lesson for NNIV Bible Fantasies

Wikipedia:

Nevertheless, that same year Scofield was forced to resign "under a cloud of scandal" because of questionable financial transactions, that may have included accepting bribes from railroads, stealing political contributions intended for Ingalls, and securing bank promissory notes by forging signatures.^[6] Shortly thereafter Scofield may have been jailed on forgery charges.^[7]
Perhaps in part because of his self-confessed heavy drinking,^[8] Scofield abandoned his wife and two daughters during this period.^[9] Leontine Cerrè Scofield divorced him on grounds of desertion in 1883, and the same year Scofield married Hettie Hall von Wartz, with whom he eventually had a son.^[10]

During the early 1890s, Scofield began styling himself Rev. C. I. Scofield, D.D.; but there are no extant records of any academic institution having granted him the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree.^[16]

***

GJ - One Icha-reader wisely commented in an email that the Scofield Bible was the key item in promoting the rapture business. His Bible departed from the norm by publishing his notes within the text of the KJV and cross-referencing his theories.

The Man Behind the Myth.

Scofield was able to lay a filter over the KJV, telling people, "This is what it means." The so-called rapture was new and exciting, especially since it pre-dated air travel.

According to one source, the Plymouth Brethren, a Pietistic sect, promoted the idea, but the Scofield Bible lent gravitas to the hokum. I last saw a beautifully printed Scofield Bible, with a leather cover, in the Shepherd of Peace bookcase, Columbus, Ohio. Darby is the best known member of the PBs, and he promoted Dispensationalism and the Rapture.

WELS and the LCMS were able to make the horrid NIV acceptable to their members by selling it through their charnel houses. Clergy get discounts and the materials come packaged by the synodical press - so it must be good. Born-again NIV critic Paul McCain is still selling NIVs and NIV commentaries at CPH.

I have noticed this among WELS members, even among laity who dare to think for themselves at times - There is now so much UOJ garabage embedded in all their publications that the laity will repeat WELSian "everyone is justified" nonsense. They read UOJ textbooks from UOJ teachers, going to pastors with UOJ training for advice.

The NNIV is taking this one step beyond by inserting UOJ into the text, adding a word that is not there, never implied, never supported by the Biblical witness.

KJV - One All

21But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Classic NIV - One All

21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

NNIV - Two Alls
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Judgment Day Approaches for the LCMS Seminaries

President Harrison's seminary fund will come a day late and a dollar short to save both seminaries. He wants to (someday) give the seminaries $1 million per year from a fund that's just being capitalized, but now the federal government is going to be pulling some of its funds for higher education, so the seminaries are now back to square one IF Harrison can pull is fund off. I think they ought to start talking about closing one seminary:

Harrison's Seminary Fund, 2 July 2011

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2011/07/harrisons-seminary-fund.html

==

Former Martin Luther Prep School at Prairie du Chein:

http://badgerherald.com/news/2010/10/26/guard_accused_of_ass.php

==

Interest will accrue on federal students loans taken out at seminary the moment the loan is taken out, and there will no longer be any six-month deferment (grace period) after seminary where the government picks up the interest:

"Grace period":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stafford_Loan

No payments are expected on the loan while the student is enrolled as a full- or half-time student. This is referred to as in-school deferment. Deferment of repayment continues for six months after the student leaves school either by graduating, dropping below half-time enrollment, or withdrawing. This is referred to as the grace period.

==

http://www.nique.net/uncategorized/2011/08/03/deficit-deal-cuts-stafford-loans-maintains-pell-grants/

Because of the cuts to the Stafford Loan Program, graduate students will no longer be able to receive a loan subsidized by the federal government and will begin to accrue interest from the moment the loan is taken. Previously, interest would not be charged until after the graduate student had graduated.

==

US debt deal means paying for college - especially graduate school - will get tougher

http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2011/08/04/us_debt_deal_means_paying_for_college___especially_graduate_school___will_get_tougher/

Subsidized loans. Starting next July, graduate and professional students will no longer be eligible for subsidized federal loans.

Graduate students can take out up to $107,500 in federal loans, of which $42,500 can be subsidized. They’ll still be able to borrow the same amount, but no subsidized loans will be available. The additional cost could push up total debt at graduation by an average of about 16 percent.

But the debt-ceiling ordeal raised the question of whether the government will keep its 6.8 percent rate.

Meanwhile, the rates on private loans would no doubt rise if the country’s credit rating took a hit.

Tax breaks. They could be scaled back. Nearly 10 million taxpayers deducted student loan interest in 2009, according to H&R Block. Taxpayers can also claim a credit of up to $2,500 through next year. After that, they’ll be able to claim a credit of up to $1,800 for the first two years of college.

--------------

Will the 10-year student loan forgiveness program for ministers and NPO workers

be axed before people cash in on it?:

http://www.mymoneyblog.com/income-based-repayment-of-federal-student-loan-debt-starts-july-1st.html

http://www.moneyhelpforchristians.com/get-student-loan-debt-forgiven-a-guide-for-ministers-pastors-non-profit-workers/

------------

Lutheran Seminary Fraud:

Students Are Bankrupting Themselves To Provide an Easy Living for the Profs."No Call for You" Threat Stifles Dissent

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2011/05/lutheran-seminary-fraud-students-are.html

-------------

Seminaries Ranked by Cost now in Drop Box:

LCMS Seminary Tuition Costs CN 2008 Articlehttp://dl.dropbox.com/u/34974726/seminary_tuition_cn_2008.pdf

All ATS Seminaries Ranked by Cost (PDF):http://dl.dropbox.com/u/34974726/2010_all_ATS_seminaries_cost_rank.pdf

All ATS Seminaries Ranked by Cost (Excel):http://dl.dropbox.com/u/34974726/2010_all_ATS_seminaries_cost_rank.xls

All ATS Seminaries Ranked by Cost (jpeg of chart):http://dl.dropbox.com/u/34974726/2010_cost_rank_all_ats_sems.jpg

All Lutheran Accredited Seminaries Ranked by Cost (jpeg of chart):http://dl.dropbox.com/u/34974726/2010_cost_rank_luth_sems.jpg

All Lutheran Accredited Seminaries Ranked by Cost (PDF):http://dl.dropbox.com/u/34974726/2010_lutheran_seminaries_cost_rank.pdf

All Lutheran Accredited Seminaries Ranked by Cost (Excel):http://dl.dropbox.com/u/34974726/2010_lutheran_seminaries_cost_rank.xls

Martin Chemnitz Press Books Sent to Various People

I had the pleasure of sending books to various people this week. One wanted Luther versus the UOJ Pietists for a pastoral friend, details left vague on purpose. He will get multiple copies.

A Roman Catholic wanted to know more about Bethany and Erin, so she is getting two copies of Angel Joy, for herself and her family.

A Protestant was interested in the upcoming children's book, so I sent copies for her to look over and comment upon.

Someone from another country wrote today: "Some nine years ago you kindly sent me several books which have proved to be most useful; THY STRONG WORD - CATHOLIC, PROTESTANT, LUTHERAN –JESUS PRICELESS TREASURE. Since then I have been a regular follower of your blog."

I had a thought about the children's book or other books. If someone wants to have multiple copies in the future for the lowest cost, I can easily make arrangements. In fact, Lulu has special offers from time to time. The costs drop at various levels, starting at five copies, 10, 20, 50, etc. They also have additional discounts on top of the quantity discount.

So, if someone wanted plenty of one book, which is what we did at Emmaus, a little planning can lower the cost by quite a lot. Another option, I believe, is to have various titles in one order.

---

bruce-church (http://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Martin Chemnitz Press Books Sent to Various People...":

Garrison Keillor talks Lutheran with Concordia students
Submitted by Editor on June 17, 2011

http://concordiatheology.org/2011/06/garrison-keillor-talks-lutheran-with-concordia-students/


---

XAVIER has left a new comment on your post "Martin Chemnitz Press Books Sent to Various People...":

Yes, pastor Jackson, thank you for your books. I keep them at hand and they have helped me to understand the precious doctrine of the efficacy of the WORD.

New All-Time Favorite Posts, Since June of 2010

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All Time Monthly High in Page-Reads: 50% Higher than Last Year

Join the KISS Army, so your Syn Conference baby can be real, relevant, and diabolical.

The page-reads for the last month were above 56,000, 50% higher than one year ago.

Fifty people are followers.

Over 615,000 page-reads are recorded in the last 13 months.

During the WELS convention, page-reads were 2,000 to 3,000 per day.

Around 15,000 comments have been published since this blog began, with almost 7,000 posts published.

Or clean up your act, abide in the Means of Grace, and enjoy the fruits of the Gospel.

Can the Syn Conference Condemn Warren Jeffs?

Marrying multiple child brides is worse than preying upon women, girls, and boys in a "conservative" Lutheran parish?


Where should I start? I recall a Missouri Synod pastor who preyed upon boys. He was moved down to the Carribean, but one of his victims eventually sued the congregation and won the entire church property.

Anyone can find countless examples of horrible crimes, covered up by the synodical leaders. Some people have given me detailed information about William D. Tabor's adultery and the murder of his wife - by his mistress. Tabor spent part of his adulterous career at Holy Scripture in Cape Girardeau. Jay Webber told me all about it. So did Roger Zehms, who was the WELS circuit pastor who oversaw the move of Tabor from LCR (I believe) to WELS. Zehms knew all about Tabor's open adultery.

The entire Synodical Conference got involved with Floyd Luther Stolzenburg. His shenanigans in St. Louis were overlooked by the Missouri Synod leaders until things got too hot. Mrs. Stolzenburg divorced him. Floyd's mistress' husband sued him.

Floyd moved to Columbus, Ohio to become a Church Growth expert for WELS. Roger Zehms was divorced and came from St. Louis to Columbus to share in the spread of false doctrine. Real estate mogul George Skestos, soon to be divorced from his wife, funded the pair of divorced ex-pastors, who would show WELS how to do Church Growth.

After five years of constant trouble from Stolzenburg and Zehms, WELS sent Zehms to Milwaukee to work for WELS Lutherans for Life, a pro-family entity. The leader, Bob Flesichmann, divorced his wife and married his secretary.

What do all these men have in common? They all claimed "Scriptural divorces."

VP Paul Kuske (Shrinker) and Rev. Robert Schumann (born-again atheist) endorsed Floyd for the parish job at Emmanuel in Columbus, a sister church to St. Paul, German Village, where Floyd first scattered the weed seeds of Church Growth. The Glende boys grew up there, nurtured in false doctrine, Masonic lodgery, and Scriptural divorces.

WELS was officially done with Floyd, so the Little Sect on the Prairie found him a delight. Pastor John Shep (ELS, Thoughts of Faith; now ELCA) and ELS Pastor Jay Webber and ELS Pastor Roger Kovaciny were happy to work with Stolzenburg. Kovo spoke at Emmanuel and became that congregation's official missionary, with newsletters printed about his daring deeds in the Ukraine and the many ways Emmanuel did God's work for Him in Rusky-land.

Most would think this was embarrassing for all involved, but they were shameless. Thoughts of Faith and the ELS arranged a matching grant for Floyd, to glorify his name in the Ukraine - Floyd's, not God's.

And on it goes. Murder, adultery, preying upon children. The ugly truth is far worse than anything in this post. Zehms is now a member of Jeske's church, and people think the big problem is Jeske's affiliation with the LCMS!

The NNIV Process

From California:


The tragedy is twofold for not only do the resisters of approving NNIV need to oppose the NNIV, but also to understand and OPPOSE the system with which the synod uses to defeat them by:
1. wearing the NNIV opponents down with never ending facilitated meetings and discussions,
2. Isolating dedicated opposition when it becomes obvious they won't be "brought around"
3. Including softer opposition as a minority position but including it in a final predetermined "consensus" document.

Everyone thinks he has had a "say" in the final consensus, but has had no influence on the final outcome. The process is right out of the plethora of the "how to" manuals for change agents.

So fighting the NNIV with everything they have, will be within the constricts of all of the above. Having gone through the process, and having been either neutralized or isolated, then what? Reluctantly live with the NNIV or leave WELS.

Or going "completely passive" avoiding the dialectical system, and "letting WELS finish its self -destruction", then what? If or when the NNIV is consensually approved WELS has already been self destructing by passively accepting the "old NIV" and using it for more than a quarter of a century with an entire generation knowing nothing else. The tragedy is that the "old NIV" would probably be defended with everything the opponents of NNIV have if the issue were one of NIV or NNIV.

Either way, this controversy could be a godsend to give some courage and spine to reject all of the progeny the revisions and revisions of revisions since the committee commissioned in 1880's to update the English of KJV without replacing any of the manuscript evidence it translated was hijacked by the change agents of the day with different manuscript evidence. EVERY revised and contrived translation since then has used the different family of manuscript evidence to one degree or another since....even NKJV.

The women's shoes on Einstein are like the NIV or the ESV in Lutheran worship.  

---

Part II from Califonia
I can't say that any advice I can contribute is based entirely on "experience with WELS". It also includes many years of researching the subject of the "Process" which I discovered during battles with the government schools systems in late 1960's at the beginning of the planned deliberate dumbing down or "unfreezing of the system" in the secular arena. It was that experience and acquired knowledge of how the process works, which allowed me to recognize it when WELS adopted it (PPBS) at convention of 1967. I could see the process being used to dispatch the KJV to the wastebin of history, resulting in the eventual unofffical-official acceptance of NIV.

The process itself was one of the objections which fell on ears which could not accommodate the idea that men of WELS could possibly be party to such a system as I described. To suggest such a thing was to disrespect the pastors and leaders. The process was but one of several subjects about which I could not go along to get along...which at the time were, The Bible translation issue, the government grants to WELS schools, Humanist methodology being assimilated at MLC, and PPBS (the process of decision making, more than simply a different financial accounting system which is what it how it was described to inquirers).

***

GJ - California has a lot of good advice, based on her experience with WELS. The tradition of double-talk is so embedded in the clergy that I doubt they will escape it. Someone pretends to be a conservative, leads followers along, then pushes them off the cliff. SP Schroeder just did that, as Gurgle did before him.

The truth is, WELS "conservatives" could not lead six drunks to men's restroom at Hooters. They would be too busy worrying about how that might break one of the 10,000 unwritten rules of the sect.

Sig Becker's lie was published, just like Valleskey's claim that his beloved Enthusiasts "downplay the Means of Grace."

Regaining the Momentum in WELS

All Your Base Are Belong To Us

Let the Process, er, ah, um Continue To Process

SP means spin doctor.

One approach is to fight the NNIV, but the Intrepids are more likely to switch than to fight. In fact, the group is already managed by Schroeder, who keeps them on a short leash, unlike the Changers, who have no leash but a direct line to the offering, foundation, and Thrivent money.

Letting the Intrepids fuss among themselves is a pressure-relief valve. The group is salted with minders who derail discussions and keep the spin doctor up to date about potential threats.

District by district, WELS will divide and conquer.

The only realistic alternatives are:

1. Fight the NNIV, face-to-face, every possible moment.
   
2. Go completely passive, avoid all meetings and discussions, and let WELS finish its self-destruction.
   

As a war counselor, I favor the second approach. The Diaprax managers have this thing figured out and they know who their chief opponents are. In contrast, those with some discernment have no idea who is really pulling the strings. For example, Jeske is clearly in charge but never named as their leader. Friendly and concerned allies are often direct lines to the opponents, relishing their jobs and licking their chops at the prospect of a better call, a foreign post that lets them scowl at the sinfulness of Rio, the nudity of the Riviera, the fleshpots of Babylon. Oh, there is so much work to be done and so little time money.

Nepotism Is Toxic in Synods Too

"Dad, we are giving you the Left Foot of Fellowship."
"No son, I am extending the Left Foot of Fellowship to you.
Possibility Thinking."


LA Times:

Currently serving on the board are Schuller; his wife, Arvella; daughter and senior pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman; son-in-law Jim Penner; and five independent members. Schuller Coleman serves as a non-voting member and interim chairwoman.

The new board comes weeks after a controversy erupted when Schuller's son, Robert Anthony Schuller, said his father had been ousted from the board. The deciding votes came from Rick Mysse, a former official with the cathedral's governing body, and Gwyn Myers, the church's former financial consultant.

People Repudiate History When They Forget It

A blacksmith named John Deere, committed to quality, changed my hometown, Moline, by moving there to make his new plow.

We watched a British TV series about the Tower of London today. Mrs. Ichabod is learning about the English side of my family, on my mother's side.

Denominations "forget" their history, but that is really a trick for repudiating it.

The Missouri Synod omits its actual founders, who are Bishop Stephan and Loehe. Walther organized kidnapping, land theft, and a riot by his mob of selected followers, but he did not organize the migration to America. Loehe invited the Missouri people to join his group.

The official histories either omit all the important details or turn everyone except Walther into a demon from Hell. Reason? Everyone was wrong. For more examples of this, check the ELS and WELS hagiographies.

The Blessed Virgin Mother is not the only immaculate saint in denominational history.

When older, wiser pastors and theologians are forgotten, that is just another trick to foist foul doctrine and evil trickery upon the congregations.

Notice how literal has become a cuss-word in WELS, but no one calls the NNIV the Anything Goes paraphrase of the Bible, the gentlest description one can imagine for Murdoch's product. I found a feminist Bible in a Methodist library, dated back to the 1900s. WELS has caught up.

Years ago, The Lutheran Hymnal was a phrase spit out, especially in the context of--make a lip curl--"page 5 and 15". Example - "They are a page 5 and 15 congregation."

Gausewitz? Never heard of him. Repudiated.

Hoenecke? Heard of him, but ignored. Repudiated.

Corky? He was brain-dead. Only a brain-dead person could attack amalgamation and Church Growth in the same paper.

Slick Brenner? Legalist!

Martin Luther? Dust him off once a year, and then put him back in the crypt.

"Isn't that driver Paul Calvin Kelm, the oldest college chaplain in America?"