Dapper Don Pieper Responds With the Unloving Card

Don has left a new comment on your post "Try To Make Sense of This WELS Sermon:Dis-Graceful...":

Yes, it is disgraceful if that is what Pastor Schewe or Voss preached in Trinity Lutheran, Des Moines this Sunday.

It is always dangerous to hear ony (sic) bits and snippets of a sermon.

The preacher also said earlier of Jesus, "He revealed himself as the Servant and Savior sent from the Father, and promised forgiveness and salvation to those who confess their sins and put their faith in him." This is not universalism.

He also mentioned the desertion of many of Jesus' followers, a desertion that caused the Savior great pain (why, if they were all saved?). This is not universalism.

A cursory glance may accuse the preacher of making a questionable statement, "God the Father reveals here that all people are saved on equal status before him through the Savior." But this follows the presentation that the Jews have no "first dibs" (my wording) on God any more.

And the final statement of the sermon brings in the role of faith, "May our minds be blown away that God has loved us so much. And may our faith in him be strengthened as we see what he has planned for us!" God's love calls forth and creates faith in us.

Jesus said he who is forgiven little, loves little. And the Apostle said, "love covers a multitude of sins."

Perhaps Mr. Meyer loves so little he covers up material in this sermon which would give your readers a balanced perspective.

Don Pieper--and please, use my name.

***

GJ - First of all, linking the sermon is not covering up. All my sources link material because people need to read everything in context and judge for themselves. That approach is much better than vague accusations about "a certain blog" that remains nameless and unlinked, with nothing specific to answer.

Don, you would be shocked at the number and variety of sources from WELS. I remember someone having a meltdown on the phone because I said, "All of it comes from WELS pastors and members." I would have to add now - "former members and pastors, too" - because so many have given up on the sect. Mostly, they have been driven out.

From the sermon itself, verbatim:
As we sit as a fly on the wall, we see that God the Father will have the last word, as he brings about the salvation of all people and exalts his Son to his rightful place as King!

The salvation of all people is Universalism.

I have studied this for over 10 years now and read countless books related to the subject, so I am not spitting out talking points from one mentor or another. The Syn Conference fragments try to rescue themselves from the charge of Universalism by adding a little about faith. That gets forgotten soon enough, so some of your best and brightest (according to WELS PR) have become atheists or Pentecostals.

Look at your hero Jungkuntz. He advocated UOJ, misled people about his Biblical beliefs, and worked his way down to ELCA. He finally became the ELCA parson he always was, to paraphrase Father Neuhaus.

The foundational pratfall in UOJ is merging the Atonement with justification, and that is quasi-Calvinism.

DP Jon Buchholz denied, in a conversation with me, that anyone teaches Universalism in WELS. I reminded him of the recent WELS evangelism campaign, featuring banners with this message for the whole community, "I am saved, just like you."

The sermon quoted is from Buchie's previous congregation. So there are two examples of Universalism.

WELS is so deep into UOJ now that pastors cannot even think in terms of Lutheran doctrine. I know this is currently being taught at The Sausage Factory (Mequon) and Mary Lou College in New Ulm - "Hitler is a guilt-free saint."

I think Universalists would be deeply offended by Hitler's sainthood. The assertion by WELS is an example of getting deeper into hyperbole with each generation.

WELS pastors are disgusted with UOJ, but they remain in the silent minority, as far as I can tell. Perhaps many of them simply think of UOJ as a synonym for the Atonement. Pastor James Heiser, ELDONA, thought so. I did as well, until WELS laity pointed out what the documents really say.

Unlike the knee-biters in WELS, I have provided as many quotations from both sides of the debate as I could muster, in Thy Strong Word, which is available free from Lulu.com. In fact, one person trying to provide UOJ for his doctorate is using Thy Strong Word, because of its extensive documentation.

To spell it out again - UOJ is from Halle University, not from the Bible or the Book of Concord. Double-justification is found verbatim in English in Knapp's theology book in 1831, but he was lecturing on it long before that, and his book remained a major tome for the entire 19th century. Knapp is still in print today.

UOJ is Calvinism via the Pietism of Halle University.

Justification by faith (absent UOJ) was taught in the Gausewitz catechism of WELS and the old Missouri catechism in German.

UOJ was not taught among Lutherans before the era of Pietism.

I can tell Dapper Don has a poor argument, delivered off the cuff, when he ends with a typical WELS eye-poker like this:

Perhaps Mr. Meyer loves so little he covers up material in this sermon which would give your readers a balanced perspective.

---

Don has left a new comment on your post "Dapper Don Pieper Responds With the Unloving Card":

Judge from the sermon, and not from your extensive experience. Find another dog to flog.
Don Pieper

Try To Make Sense of This WELS Sermon:Dis-Graceful

"And your problem with this is?"


Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Predigtamt Brings Up Outmoded Book of Concord":

The Universalism of Objective Justification rules the day in the (W)ELS.

Faith is but another aspect of the Law when it's required of those God has already declared justified, forgiven of all sin and righteous by the body and blood of Christ.

As we sit as a fly on the wall, we see that God the Father will have the last word, as he brings about the salvation of all people and exalts his Son to his rightful place as King!

As we come to the end of this remarkable conversation, our minds might be spinning. After all, that happens when God gives you a glimpse of what he’s thinking. What can we take away from this conversation we have heard? There are great mysteries here in these words from Isaiah, but what is the biggest mystery of all? The biggest mystery is that God has done all this for you. 

Why would he do that? Why would he show grace to you? As a wayward child, why would he do it? As one who needs to be cut down by the sword of the Spirit for your sin, why would he do it? God has shown remarkable love and grace in his plan to save you. Why?

We don’t have the answer to that question in this conversation we have listened in on. As a fly on the wall, we don’t hear that answer.

http://www.htlc-wa.org/home/140004986/140004986/140047070/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20022011%20Sermon.pdf

(W)ELS laity are left to spin in the wind, the rope chaffing their necks and ears tickled by the siren song of their New Age Emergent leaders.

***

GJ - I wondered if this was a sermon from Buchholz, but this is a January, 2011 sermon, as you can see from the entire document.

I recall DP Buchholz denying Universalism in WELS. The salvation of all people, highlighted in red, is Universalism. More on that in a minute.

Who else taught the same thing? Karl Barth - who offered pastoral counseling to the lovely Charlotte Kirschbaum while she wrote the Dogmatics for him. They shared a cabin alone every summer, but I am sure nothing untoward happened. But look up her photos. He was an old fuddy-duddy Commie. She was HAWT!

Charlotte was so needy that Karl moved her right into his family home, with his wife Nellie and his growing sons. Iver Johnson and WELS/ELS would have been proud. They share the same concept of Universalism.

Universalism in the Syn Conference comes from Universal Objective Justification, because they start with everyone being forgiven (justified) before birth. They try to rescue UOJ from Universalism by saying people have to decide to believe in this universal absolution. However, as Schleiermacher and Tholuck have shown, when one starts with universal absolution, the "believe it" part drops away.

UOJ simply eliminates every article of faith, every aspect of worship. Sin more that grace may abound! As the Shrinker adulterers have demonstrated in abundance, universal absolution defaults to Antinomianism. There is no Law of God.

UOJ is ELCA's doctrine too.

Predigtamt Brings Up Outmoded Book of Concord

Melanchthon is obviously from another era, so his Augsburg Confession is considered obsolete and irrelevant, especially by the Schwaermer who publish FICL - Lutheran on the outside, Babtist on the inside.


Predigtamt has left a new comment on your post "Canon Law in WELS - Pretend Not To Be Naming Names...":

Teaser for the March 2011 issue of Forward in Christ:

"Biblical word pictures - Four words help us understand our Christian faith more clearly" by Mark Lenz

Except for the subtitle, there is no mention of faith, even and especially under the word "Justification." - Nothin'. Nada. Zilch.

Compare the FIC article to the official "Lutheran Voice" of Lutheranism, the Augsburg Confession:

"Also they teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ's sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ's sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in His sight. Rom. 3 and 4." - Article IV

Pastor's reality food show pitch: Christians and Jews bonding over hotdogs – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs

Pastor's reality food show pitch: Christians and Jews bonding over hotdogs – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs

February 23rd, 2011

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Pastor's reality food show pitch: Christians and Jews bonding over hotdogs

By Gabe LaMonica, CNN

It was the hot dogs that broke down religious barriers.

Megachurch pastor Phil Hotsenpiller and his wife, Tammy, invited their Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist neighbors over to their Southern California home for an interfaith, multicultural meal.

Rebuking False Teachers By Name

The policy in ELCA, WELS, Missouri, the ELS, and the micro-minis sects is to defend and promote false teachers.
The results speak for themselves.


rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Canon Law in WELS - Pretend Not To Be Naming Names...":

Dropping the names of teachers of false doctrine is proper because the Office of the Holy Ministry is a public office.

Intrepid Thoughts

First Lutheran Church, Moline, Illinois, was across from Melo-Cream Donut Shop.
Swedes lived in Moline and had their college a mile away, Augustana, in Rock Island.
WELS has imitated the decline of the old Augustana Synod.


Rev. Paul A. Rydecki said...

Daniel, Just to add a bit to Douglas' and Adam's excellent comments... You wrote, "Their contention is that a Law/Gopsel message on a mailing is not effective, because it isn't read. Someone sees a postcard with a religious message in their mailbox and it goes straight into the wastebasket."

If the postcard isn't read, how does anyone receive the postcard and know that there's an Easter service with a yummy breakfast before or after? If they mean that a long, wordy treatise on doctrine isn't read, then they may well be right. But a short invitation itself does not have to be devoid of truth and honesty. The question is, to what are we inviting people? To an event that will cater to the old man or to a proclamation of God's truth? Granted, an unbeliever only has an old man, but that does not mean that the old man must be coaxed into falling into this "trap" where we actually mean to kill him (if only he knew...).

I've heard it said, "No unbeliever goes to church for the right reasons." I used to believe that. Now I see the error in it. True, no unbeliever goes to church out of love for Christ. But some go because their conscience convicts them and tells them there is a God and they've offended him, and they'd better find out who he is before it's too late. Is that a "wrong reason" for going to church? Absolutely not. In fact, those are precisely the unbelievers whom the Lord has prepared to hear his Law and Gospel.

Now what? Shall we, instead of honestly portraying what the Church has to offer, persuade them to come in for other, non-spiritual reasons? Then we are promoting ourselves, not Christ. This idea that we should somehow "trick" people into exposing themselves to the Means of Grace (Ha! They fell for it! They came for breakfast and exciting, upbeat music, but mixed in with all that we're going to give them Jesus! Surprise!) is really deceptive and dishonest.

The idea that we shouldn't "pepper" our mailings with religious messages (i.e., the Word of God and the proclamation of Christ) because the world will perceive it as "cultish" is really scary. I don't know where that comes from. Should we be content to let the cults promote their doctrine freely while we shrink back from presenting doctrine for fear of appearing "cultish," relying instead on what a friendly bunch of people we have in our congregation? May this never be.

***

GJ - The conversation reminds me of many tea and crumpets discussions in WELS. Someone quoted Jester as saying "So much for pre-evangelism," as if a quip from John Jeske threw the Shrinkers back, like the soldiers when Jesus said, "I AM."

In fact, J. P. Meyer has an excellent passage about this "baiting the hook" concept. He rebuked it quite sternly as adulterating the Word of God. WELS pays attention to Meyer only where he is wrong. There is no discernment.

The Word of God must be used for rebuking, but the pastors refuse to rebuke. If they start to rebuke, they pull back because of the Satanic blowback from the Shrinkers.

One Intrepid told me he was booted in the backside for days, because of one mild Intrepid post. After that, Rydecki reversed himself on UOJ and Lindee laid down a bank of fog, aided and abetted by Thoughts of No-Faith Webber.

The comments are rigorously policed and edited. Notice how they appear, disappear, and stop.

So far I am reminded of the statement about the Italians in war. "They are worth two divisions on our side if they go with our opponents. They are like four divisions against us if they are our allies."

First Congregational Church in Moline is now United Church of Christ, thanks to various mergers.
The UCC is the model for mainline churches going Unitarian -
without really admitting it.
The Unitarians lead the way in radicalism,
closely followed by the UCC, with the mainlines
(ELCA, WELS, LCMS, ELS, CLCs) close behind.

--

LPC has left a new comment on your post "Intrepid Thoughts":

The problem with some so called "Intrepid Lutherans" or so called "Steadfast Lutherans" is that they rebuke false doctrines but promote one of their own, like UOJ.

LPC

Canon Law in WELS - Pretend Not To Be Naming Names.The Truth? WELS Is Nasty, Nasty, Nasty

"But WELS is perfect. Or it was, until YOU showed up."

The Intrepids are listing wacky worship bulletins and practices in WELS and ELCA - just about the same:

1. Entertainment services.
   
2. Women pastors.
   
3. Drink coffee during the service.
   

They do not name the congregations or pastors, because that would be "naming names" and impolite, according to WELS Canon Law, Volume CCLXVII, Part II, Page 5834, subsection 14. Be sure to read footnote #43, which excuses all the DPs and Church and Changers from this law.

As the Lund family pointed out, verbatim quotations are easily matched with the congregation and pastor. Previously, when the Intrepids mentioned a certain pastor who copied and pasted from Swindoll and called it his own work, they did not name the pastor and parish in Appleton (of all places!). I named the plagiarist, so the Intrepids mentioned that a certain blog (no name) gave away the identity. The final result was the pastor apologized and the offensive material was removed. Google is ultra-fast, so anyone can search for this material and find it. Notice where super-politeness has gotten the victims of all this false doctrine - nowhere.

I came from a town where I could walk from one end to another, go uptown and downtown, knowing all kinds of pleasant people who knew my family from teaching and business. People in Moline belonged to many different denominations and several major ethnic groups: Swedes, Belgians, Germans. They were uniformly polite. Unfortunately, the Wisconsin sect enjoys a well-earned reputation for bullying, sadism, nastiness, and routine eye-poking for the fun of it. Their so-called outreach reflects this self-centeredness.

Location - create a fancy-schmancy parish near other WELS parishes to pull members away. That is being done at The CORE, Latte Lutheran, the Indianapolis spikey hair place, Love's Park, and other places.

Content - fashion a Groeschel outlet, where every Schwaermer fad is copied and promoted as something new.

The Wisconsin sect is self-destructing because the new plan, started by Norm Berg, will turn whatever remains into a bad copy of the Evangelical Covenant sect. This approach was already used in South Lyons, Michigan, in the stealth mission started with the blessings of DP Robert Mueller and VP Paul Kuske. Some of the WELS pastors involved were: Rick Miller, Mark Freier, Kelly Voigt. WELS gushed over them until they left the ministry. The non-Lutheran minister at Crossroads (cute name? - another Schwaermer fad) made a point of thanking them.

Crossroads started out, saying, "Bored with worship?" Etc. etc.

No one ever denounced the chuckleheads who got that going. When Kuske and Mueller did the same thing, the same way, with Pilgrim Community Church and two Shrinker divorcees, the plan flopped again. Nobody said nothing.

Here is how it works. Lying plagiarists are constantly promoted and praised, and the DPs cover for them in every way possible. For example, I told DP Buchholz how all the Shrinkers were being brought into the WELS preps and colleges, to be lionized and offered up as good examples. He blanched and denied it. A WELS college student again confirmed for me that the visiting heroes were the ones identified as certified Shrinkers from Church and Change.

Meanwhile, anyone with any brains and a sense of Lutheran doctrine is treated as something stuck to the bottom of their jackboots, after a long walk through a busy pasture.

If a parish is bankrupted and eviscerated by a Shrinker, nothing is said, even in the face of obvious evidence. As Tabor proved, a pastor could father a bastard in his own parish and get another call in WELS. That kind of synod leadership led to the murder of Tabor's long-suffering wife and a felonious coverup.

However, a healthy parish with sound doctrine is invisible, unless gratuitous remarks need to be said. I learned in WELS that "Page 5 and 15 parish!" is the worst kind of insult, the ultimate put-down, because that meant the congregation used the liturgy instead of making up new stuff (copied from Schwaermer) each week.

WELS, like Missouri and the Little Sect, is training its members to be E. Covenant or E. Free in the next generation, unless they see the implications of justification without faith. If they really study the topic and convince themselves that UOJ is ancient, revealed wisdom, they will become ELCA members or Unitarians, depending on whether they are high church or low church.

The synods are spending millions of offering dollars to do this. Gospel outreach is Schwaermer plagiarism.

If this bothers you, write a letter. But do not name names.

If you are thinking about a specific example, it is a violation of WELS Canon Law to mention this if you have not gone to the parson first.

And if you do go to the false teacher, it is a violation of the Eighth Commandment to identify false doctrine and compare it to sound doctrine.

And if you survive having your brains bashed in by the pastor, the circuit pastor, and the Doctrinal Pussycat, complaining about your treatment will only prove you do not belong in the sect. You should leave if you do not like it.

Do not publicize this, because everything is a top secret, unless the officials have something to say about how you followed the wrong procedure, how you are just loaded with personal defects.

Most Lutherans Are Closer to Rome than They Realize.Another Layman, 29A, Predicts Lutherans Will Apologize, Ask Forgiveness in 2017

The Holy Spirit does not allow him to err. At least, that is what he claims infallibly.
WELS is also infallible.
Question Pope John the Malefactor - whoosh. Gone.


Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Fellowship with Everyone:Let's Not Forget Thrivent...":

LWF, LCMS Directors Affirm Shared Lutheran Identity, Urge Further Mutual Dialogue
Emphasis on Joint Intervention in Overcoming Church Tensions

GENEVA, Switzerland, 24 January 2008 (LWI) - Representatives of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) meeting at the LWF secretariat in Geneva, 21-24 January have affirmed the need to establish direct communication between both organizations in order to mutually benefit from their common heritage in the Reformation.
http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/LWI/EN/2163.EN.html

On the occasion of the first “World Interfaith Harmony Week” (1-7 February 2011) designated by the United Nations General Assembly last October, Rev. Elizabeth McHan spoke with ELCJHL Bishop Dr Munib Younan, also president of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) about the significance of this week for the Holy Land faith communities and for the global Lutheran communion.
...
To the global human community this week?
My appeal is this: that religion be the source of harmony, justice, and reconciliation in this world. Find from the holy writings that which builds this world in the love of God and love of neighbor, not what divides it. Find from the holy writings the common values of our shared humanity. Thus, we will live in harmony.


http://www.lutheranworld.org/lwf/index.php/president-younan-urges-diligence-in-promoting-religious-co-existence.html

VATICAN City, Vatican/GENEVA, 16 December 2010 (LWI) – The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) President Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan has invited Pope Benedict XVI to work together with the Lutheran communion in realizing an ecumenically accountable commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

“For us there is joy in the liberating power of the gospel proclaimed afresh by the reformers, and we will celebrate that,” said Younan in a message today, when he led a seven-member delegation in a private audience with the Pope. He underlined the need to recognize both the damaging aspects of the Reformation and ecumenical progress.
“But we cannot achieve this ecumenical accountability on our own, without your help. Thus we invite you to work together with us in preparing this anniversary, so that in 2017 we are closer to sharing in the Bread of Life than we are today.”
...
Younan presented to the Pope a gift from Bethlehem, a carving depicting the Last Supper. Referring to this image, he said, “Each of us can bear witness to the importance of this sacramental meal in nurturing our own Christian lives. Each of us also knows the yearning for the time when we will be able to celebrate this feast together,” said the LWF president.

http://www.lutheranworld.org/lwf/index.php/younan-pope-500th-anniversary.html

Fellowship with Everyone:Let's Not Forget Thrivent

Narrow-minded Lutheran has left a new comment on your post "ELCA Provides Input for Federation Regional Commit...":

At last count, the LCMS is in fellowship with either nine or ten bodies who are LWF members. Naturally, the answer we trouble-makers receive is that "membership" doesn't equal "fellowship." LWF apparently doesn't agree with the LCMS, since they plainly state that membership in their organization declares altar and pulpit fellowship.

---

Narrow-minded Lutheran has left a new comment on your post "Fellowship with Everyone:Let's Not Forget Thrivent...":

http://www.lutheranworld.org/lwf/index.php/who-we-are

Grey Goose Makes More Sense Waiting for the Dishwasher Than the Assembled Wisdom of the Seminary Faculties.Change and DIE!

Dude, lose the robes. You need wrinkled, faded jeans.
Pull your old shirt out over the jeans.
Look earnest.

There are, I think, a couple of reasons for the migration to Rome or EO.  One is stability.  The organization will place the incoming where there is an income, probably priest or not.  Leaving one set of political problems for another is not much of a deal.  The high church types, as Fenton was, go because of the ceremony, of which they are most fond.  In all the cases, there is apparently little interest in what their new home is teaching.  "Few are chosen" needs to be believed and understood. 

If good hymns are important, and decent liturgy is important, then The Lutheran Hymnal is the only available book.  Its spoken Propers all use the good old terms, titles and lessons.  They might be called adiaphora but if one is long in those things, they are what one wants.  How many times have I both heard and said, "I have not left the church.  The church has left me."  Since LBW, many have expressed that sentiment.  If the synod leadership -- SP, DP, CP or Pastor -- has not heard the conviction of some of the membership, then some will look for the old and familiar.  As those folks age, they want to remain with the familiar.  Changeless, unchanging. 

I haven't heard any sermons during my lifetime that were given in King James English.  That does not mean the KJV should go away.  It only means it should be well taught and explained.  There is the KJ21 version that could work.  Its format is bookish and its highlighting can be difficult to get used to, but it is still the King James.  Look what has happened when misguided men offer 'modern' translations.  There is no Word left in sermons.  Many are not even given in Good American English.  As far as I am concerned, all that new stuff is the true adiaphora.  I think Luther said if someone calls the good old stuff adiaphora he should have a fight on his hands. 

Excuse my prattling on while waiting to empty the dishwasher.  This old guy prefers a certain stability.  The "Change or Die" conference should be titled "Change and Die".

This is liturgical attire for the What's Happening Now Entertainment Center.
Don't dream it, be it.

CNS STORY: Defend doctrine, but don't attack others, pope says at audience

CNS STORY: Defend doctrine, but don't attack others, pope says at audience

POPE-AUDIENCE Feb-9-2011 (460 words) With photos. xxxi

Defend doctrine, but don't attack others, pope says at audience

Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges pilgrims during his general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Feb. 9. (CNS/Paul Haring)

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Even in the midst of the upheaval of the Protestant Reformation in Germany, St. Peter Canisius knew how to defend Catholic doctrine without launching personal attacks on those who disagreed, Pope Benedict XVI said.

St. Peter, a 15th-century Jesuit sent on mission to Germany, knew how to "harmoniously combine fidelity to dogmatic principles with the respect due to each person," the pope said Feb. 9 at his weekly general audience.

The pope was beginning a series of audience talks about "doctors of the church," who are theologians and saints who made important contributions to Catholic understanding of theology.

In St. Peter Canisius' own time, more than 200 editions of his catechisms were published, the pope said, and they were so popular in Germany for so long that up until "my father's generation people called a catechism simply a 'Canisius.'"


More from the Antichrist at this link.

***

GJ - Catechisms matter. I use plain old Luther's Small Catechism. The old WELS Gausewitz catechism did NOT have UOJ in it, but taught justification by faith. The Kuske Catechism and the Conference of Pussycats This We Believe made UOJ canonical.

The old German LCMS catechism did NOT have UOJ in it. Knapp's double justification scheme was taught by Walther, but it did not find official documentation until the Brief Statement of 1932 (F. Pieper, Walther's chosen disciple).

The Muhlenberg tradition (ULCA, LCA, roughly half of ELCA) taught justification by faith and the efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace, until the unionistic modernists took control of the seminaries.

The Preaching Office (Predigamt) Has a Comment

Predigtamt has left a new comment on your post "Icha-Air-Rescue":

Thesis: Teaching the WELS doctrine of Universal Objective Justification (WELS UOJ) leads to a decrease in church attendance. Teaching the Augsburg Confession doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone (AC) leads to an increase in church attendance. A Question and Answer might go like this:

Q (WELS UOJ parishioner): Why should I go to my WELS church to worship if I was already forgiven when Christ died on the cross? Isn’t it enough for me to think about Jesus at home? Aren’t sermons and the sacraments only to assure me that my sins were already forgiven? Since I don’t feel the need for forgiveness, why should I go to church?

A (Augsburg Confession Lutheran pastor): Scripture teaches that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). And: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12)! The forgiveness Christ won on the cross is not yours unless and until hearing the gospel the Holy Spirit creates and strengthens faith in your heart to believe it. Paul is crystal clear on this: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). It is not enough to only think about Jesus, the cross, and forgiveness. You need to hear the preached gospel and receive the visible gospel in the sacraments. It is not just the assurance of forgiveness, but it is also and especially the actual forgiveness of your sin that you receive through the audible and visible Word of God preached in the sermon and received in the sacraments.

Here is something Luther said that might help you:

“We treat of the forgiveness of sins in two ways. First, how it is achieved and won. Second, how it is distributed and given to us. Christ has achieved it on the cross, it is true. But he has not distributed or given it on the cross. He has not won it in the supper or sacrament. There he has distributed and given it through the Word, as also in the gospel, where it is preached. He has won it once for all on the cross. But the distribution takes place continuously, before and after, from the beginning to the end of the world. …. [So] if now I seek the forgiveness of sins, I do not run to the cross, for I will not find it given there. Nor must I hold to the suffering of Christ,…in knowledge or remembrance, for I will not find it there either. But I will find in the sacrament or gospel the word which distributes, presents, offers, and gives to me that forgiveness which was won on the cross.” (Against the Heavenly Prophets - 1525)

See you Sunday!

Missouri's SMPs and WELS Staph Ministry

This link describes the unbearable lightness of the LCMS SMP program. One would never know that Missouri took farm boys and turned them into pastors who read Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

I saw the books left to the Mequon library by pastors who died. They left such works as Hoenecke in German, Schmid's Doctrinal Theology (condemned by Tim Glende), and many other scholarly classics of Lutheran orthodoxy. Many of the books were in German, so the class of 1987 did not want them. One senior translated Eins ist Not as "One is nothing." Great try - "One Thing Is Needful." I laughed out loud. Many of them said, "You read German?" I asked, "You don't?"

Larry Olson, DMin (Fuller), heads the staph infection program for WELS, at Mary Lou College. His degree consisted of four courses at Fuller, some transferred credits, and a paper. Nevertheless, he tells his Church and Change disciples and the gullible WELS members that he is a "doctor." All the Changer leaders have DMins from Schwaermer schools, and they all call themselves DR:
Dr. Rich Krause (union seminary program, Ohio, Larry Olson, supervisor).
Dr. Paul Calvin Kelm (Our Lady of Sorrows, St. Louis.)
Dr. Steve Witte (Gordon Conwell).
Dr. John Parlow (Denver), who was listed in three different denominations at one time - Denver graduates, the Willow Creek Association, and WELS.

The point of these programs and other alternative programs is - turn the synod into a clone of Fuller Seminary. The people who head them and manage them hate Lutheran doctrine, but the synod membership pays for it.

Source for Lutheran Hymn Writer Biographies and Pictures

Lutheran mom reacts to church promoting their Money Business.

I decided to feature this blog for a time, because the author (a member of the ever-growing Preus clan) has so much information about Lutheran hymn-writers. Look at the right column of that blog and read how many are featured.

Hymns are often confessions of faith written during a time of crisis. For that reason, the most significant verses are often butchered or omitted. "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" was changed by liberal editors so that people no long sang "offspring of the Virgin's womb." The new words, still found in many print editions, became "offspring of the chosen one." Methodists did that to their own founder's hymn.

Lutherans would never omit or change hymns by Lutherans, would they? WELS did that in spades, especially with doctrinal verses. Compare the great old hymns with the Christian Worship version. I guess CW was DUI - Designed Under the Influence.

The notorious Iver Johnson was another big asset on the CW team, in case they needed special hymns for The Counseling Shepherd, like "Embracable Ewe."

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Narrow-minded Lutheran has left a new comment on your post "Source for Lutheran Hymn Writer Biographies and Pi...":

"Now Praise We Christ the Holy One" (TLH #104)is missing from the LSB. Too bad, because it's a beautiful hymn. We wouldn't want too many hymns by Luther in a Lutheran hymnal.

Narrow-minded Lutheran has left a new comment on your post "Source for Lutheran Hymn Writer Biographies and Pi...":

I have to issue a semi-correction. TLH #104 didn't make the cut for the intermediate LW either.


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Daniel Baker has left a new comment on your post "Source for Lutheran Hymn Writer Biographies and Pi...":

The one that upsets me the most in CW is "What is the World to Me?" They took out the best verses of the hymn.

"Jerusalem the Golden" is also missing about 80 verses, but that started in TLH, so you can't really blame CW as much.

About Sound Doctrine

Sound Doctrine

"Since now, in the sight of God and of all Christendom [the entire Church of Christ], we wish to testify to those now living and those who shall come after us that this declaration herewith presented concerning all the controverted articles aforementioned and explained, and no other, is our faith, doctrine, and confession, in which we are also willing, by God's grace, to appear with intrepid hearts before the judgment-seat of Jesus Christ, and give an account of it; and that we will neither privately nor publicly speak or write anything contrary to it, but, by the help of God's grace, intend to abide thereby: therefore, after mature deliberation, we have, in God's fear and with the invocation of His name, attached our signatures with our own hands."

            Thorough Declaration, Of Other Factions and Sects, Formula of Concord, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1103.

"'If there ever was a strictly conservative body, it surely is the Missouri Synod. Nevertheless, this growth!...It is a mark of the pastors and leaders of the Missouri Synod that they never, aye, never, tire of discussing doctrine on the basis of Scripture and the Confessions. That is one trait that may be called the spirit of Missouri. People who thus cling to doctrine and contend for its purity are of an entirely different nature from the superficial unionists who in the critical moment will declare five to be an even number. God will bless all who value His Word so highly.'"

            (Dr. Lenski, Kirchenzeitung, May 20, 1922)

            cited in W. A. Baepler, "Doctrine, True and False," The Abiding Word, ed., Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 515f.

"We should not consider the slightest error against the Word of God unimportant."

            What Luther Says , An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 637.

"Error and heresy must come into the world so that the elect may become approved and manifest. Their coming is in the best interests of Christians if they take the proper attitude toward it. St. Augustine, who certainly was sufficiently annoyed by wretched sectaries, says that when heresy and offense come, they produce much benefit in Christendom; for they cause Christians industriously to read Holy Scriptures and with diligence to pursue it and persevere in its study. Otherwise they might let it lie on the shelf, become very secure, and say: Why, God's Word and the text of Scripture are current and in our midst; it is not necessary for us to read Holy Scripture."

            What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 639.

“You cannot of a truth be for true doctrine without being unalterably opposed to false doctrine. There can be no 'positive theology' where the God-given negatives have been eliminated from the Decalog."

            Norman A. Madson, Preaching to Preachers, Mankato: Lutheran Synod Book Company, 1952. Preface.

Kelming Jacobs Is Good for the Soul

Here's a quote from H.E. Jacobs, A Summary of the Christian Faith.

Chapter XXXI, The Church's Confessions.   Question 14 (pp.454-455)  Are not the controversies settled in our Confessions merely such as belonged to the Church in Germany over three hundred years, and, therefore, of no very great importance to us in America?  The errors controverted reappear wherever the Gospel is preached. The questions of the XVI Century are just as living and important today, as they were then. A Church which assumes to be independent of the labors and testimony of its fathers, in so far as they are true, will ultimately be called upon to pass through the same experience, and to return to their testimony which it had deemed unnecessary.

Rich People Do Not Like Babies

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Herescope: The Great Heretical Idea:":

LifeNews.com reveals that the recent "Billionaires Club" meeting ended in population control which means for them abortion.

"Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Some of the richest people in the world met secretly in New York recently and talked about their favorite causes. The group, which includes some of the most well-known business people in the world, adopted population control, which would undoubtedly include abortion, as their main cause.

http://www.valuesvoternews.com/2009/05/oprah-winfrey-warren-buffet-bill-gates.html  

ELCA Provides Input for Federation Regional Committee Work, Coordination - News Releases - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

ELCA Provides Input for Federation Regional Committee Work, Coordination - News Releases - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

"Leave your friends with the recording equipment behind, Brett.
And then maybe we will not prosecute you this time."

ELCA NEWS SERVICE
February 21, 2011

ELCA Provides Input for Federation Regional Committee Work, Coordination
11-020-JB

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)  joined other regional Lutheran World Federation church leaders here Feb. 11-12 to develop proposals for how they will work together to fulfill the Federation's mission in North America. The church leaders shared updates on their respective church bodies and provided input into the Federation's strategic planning process.
     Committee members expressed "strong affirmation" to strengthen the Lutheran communion, said the Rev. Donald J. McCoid, assistant to the ELCA presiding bishop for ecumenical and inter-religious affairs.
     The Lutheran World Federation, based in Geneva, is 145 member churches in 79 countries throughout the world. Together these churches represent more than 70 million Christians.
     Meeting participants were representatives of member churches of the Lutheran World Federation North America Regional Committee: the ELCA; the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC), Winnipeg; and the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad, Toronto.
     Joining McCoid from the ELCA were Christina Jackson-Skelton, ELCA treasurer, who also serves as the Lutheran World Federation treasurer and vice president of the North America region, and two members of the Federation Council, Mikka McCracken, ELCA Global Mission; and the Rev. Dr. Robin J. Steinke, dean, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (Pa.). The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, is also a council member but was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict. The Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global Mission, attended as a member of the regional committee.
     The Federation's North America region no longer has a designated staff person working in the region. In response, members of the North America Regional Committee agreed to present the proposals for shared work together to the governing bodies of regional Federation member churches.
     Committee members agreed that their purpose is to "strengthen the Lutheran Communion by bearing witness to the fullness of Christ’s body for and with the world as a global community exercising visible solidarity among member churches. This solidarity is expressed in altar and pulpit fellowship among all member churches."
     Members agreed that they will propose:
+ to coordinate decisions and actions of the Lutheran World Federation to entities within each North America region church body and monitor reception of those actions.
+ to creatively imagine ongoing ways for regional work in conversations and connections to unfold.
+ to commit to ongoing conversations to recognize "our mutual giftedness and mutual poverty, so that we receive the witness, gifts, prayers, and expertise from the (Lutheran) Communion."
+ to commit to revitalize and strengthen connectivity in the region to participate more fully in the life of the Communion.
+ to further the region's identity as Federation member churches and share this information at all levels (congregations, synods and national church bodies).
     Members of the North America Regional Committee agreed they will include representatives from the member church bodies and Federation Council members from each church body in the region. North America Regional Committee members also asked the Federation to designate a representative to the regional committee.

Updates from North America region church bodies presented
     Church leaders in the North America region reported changes in staffing and funding at the national level, along with work to improve and build relationships. 
     ELCA: The churchwide organization recently announced a significant reorganization of its structure and staff. Jackson-Skelton said the organization has taken a "longer view" of its work. McCoid said the 2011 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, to be held in August in Orlando, Fla., will consider recommendations from an ELCA task force that has studied possibilities for the ELCA's future. Malpica Padilla said ELCA leaders have remained in conversation with a few global companion churches regarding the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly actions on human sexuality. Those contacts have helped improve some relationships, he said.
     Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada: The Rev. Susan C. Johnson, national bishop and Federation Council member, reported that the church is undergoing a reorganization process at the national level, and it will likely be a topic of discussion at its national convention in July in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. A task force is preparing a draft of a social statement on human sexuality for presentation to the Church Council and the national convention, she said.
     Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad: The Rev. Hannes Aasa, Consistory representative and Canadian dean, reported that the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Abroad and the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church agreed to establish closer ties, including one archbishop instead of two. Aasa said the Estonian Church Abroad prefers to keep its LWF membership as does the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church.
      North America Regional Committee members offered input into the Federation's strategic planning process. The Federation Council is expected to act on a proposed strategy in June, to be implemented in 2012 for six years.
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     Information about the North America Regional Committee of the LWF is athttp://www.ELCA.org/lwf on the ELCA website.

"Don't I look studly in this black outfit?"

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GJ - Of course, Missouri and WELS have nothing to do with the Lutheran World Federation. Wink. Wink.

The denominations all have overlapping jurisdictions, which are handy for money-laundering. WELS does the same thing. So does Missouri. The ELS uses cookie jars, for transparency.

One group can give another group money, which is then distributed to another agency or multiple entities. Money moves outside the denomination that way.

I learned about this while studying annual reports and asking for information. The LCA wanted me to raise money but where it went was a big secret. Everything is missions, reaching out with love for the Gospel. When the money fails, dozens of staffers get fired. That is what they mean about love and outreach.

Synods are 99% salary-based. If you want to find the apostates, look at the money trail. The ecclesiastical Left is poor at giving but aggressive in finding and spending the loot.

The Hunger Walks, once popular in many communities, were ways to raise money for the gay-Marxist National Council of Churches, whose work dovetails with the World Council of Church, the Lutheran World Federation, and the World Reformed entity - all the world agencies based in Geneva, Switzerland. The world groups overlap with each other too. The Mafia should study how this works.

Eventually people connected the Hunger Walks with the NCC, and I understand the NCC had to separate from its social do-gooder agency (legally at least). Once that happened, the NCC was really on a starvation diet - no loot for their staff. They were charging a fee to the do-gooders, which used up a lot of the Hunger Walk money before the do-gooders got their hands on it.

A Leftist pastor phoned me to participate with my church in a Hunger Walk. When I identified it with the NCC, he went ballistic denying it. I said, "Even if my congregation approved, and they never will, I would not participate in any form or give to the NCC."

Are the Intrepids Catching On or Catching Up?Dealing with the Nasty Changers

There is a God has left a new comment on your post "Worship at The SORE: Multi-Sites Are Parasites":

Glad to see Intrepid Lutherans picked up the idea:

http://www.intrepidlutherans.com/2011/02/come-to-our-church-where.html

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GJ - The Intrepids are far too deferential. They are obeying the rules laid down by Church and Change but always ignored by Church and Change.

Why not question their motives after decades of false doctrine? The title of the scrofulous money-making group gives it all away - Church and Change. They want to change the doctrine, and they have.

If the Intrepids want to play Elmer Fudd, they will get the same results they always have - none.

"P-p-pardon me. I am just a b-b-bum. And I know n-n-nothing. May I b-b-bother you to ask a single, solitary, unworthy q-q-question?"

The Church and Changers have Deputy Doug backing them up. What's to fear?

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revfrsds has left a new comment on your post "Are the Intrepids Catching On or Catching Up?Deali...":

Hey! I resemble that remark!

"Shhhhh!" Be warry warry qwiet. I'm hunting heretics!"

Heretic season. Doug season. Heretic season. Doug season. Heretic season. Doug season. FIRE!

Spence

Your Christian Apostasy Calendar - Learn It. Remember it!

The Great Physician, by Norma Boeckler

I have read extensively about intellectual history, especially as it relates to Christian theology. The following is a summary of major trends, showing how we got to this miserable situation, where "conservative" Lutheran leaders promote New Age happy-clappy entertainment services, man-centered for the Me Generation. The links provide general information for the typical reader. Google the topic for millions of websites on these topics.

1. Reformation. The Socinians were the Unitarians of the 16th century, but not very significant at that time.
   
2. Sixteenth Century, Swiss Reformation. Rationalism spread from two sources. One was the Swiss Reformation, because Zwingli and Calvin had rationalistic tendencies that grew in Calvinism. 
3. Seventeenth Century. The second source for Lutherans was Pietism, which blended Calvinism and Lutheran doctrine, supplanting orthodoxy with "love," cell groups, and ecumenical missions.
   
4. Eighteenth Century. In the European universities, like Halle (citadel of Pietism), the professors taught the Bible as a book written by and selected by man, subject to rationalistic analysis. Nothing miraculous in the Bible could be true, and Jesus was just a good man who died. Reimarus was the first of these professors. Schleiermacher (Halle student and professor) was the most significant theologian, because he bridged the gap between the old Pietism and the new Rationalism (19th century until now).
   
5. Nineteenth Century. Wescott and Hort, plus Tischendorf - these men undermined trust in the traditional text of the New Testament (see the ending of Mark). By discovering sources without a real history (Tischendorf) and inventing rules for validity (Wescott and Hort), they made the New Testament text a fun puzzle anyone could put together or take apart. Read the Wescott and Hort link if you want to find out how heretics completely undermined the KJV.
   
6. Nineteenth Century. Various Evangelicals accepted Darwin's evolution, forging a compromise doctrine that allowed for God working through evolution. This amalgamation sabotaged the doctrine of Creation, the efficacy of the Word, but it was consistent with the rationalism of Calvinism, making the faith reasonable and attractive.
   
7. Early Twentieth Century. The Lodge Movement reached its peak in America, promoting New Agism and prosperity religion via the Masonic Lodge and various other lodges (Modern Woodmen, Odd Fellows), plus the copy-cat lodges - the KKK and the Mormon sect.
   
8. Twentieth Century. The adulterous theologians Karl Barth and Paul Tillich wowed the academics and journalists. Like Karl Rahner (Roman Catholic), they used theological terms to deny the articles of faith.
   
9. Late Twentieth Century. The Barthians took over Fuller Seminary's faculty and kicked inerrancy out altogether. Robert Schuller's New Agism (via Norman Vincent Peale, who plagiarized his best-seller from an obscure New Ager) and McGavran's sociology statistics completely replaced Christian doctrine with CG principles.
   
10. The "conservative" Lutherans, profoundly influenced by liberal academics in their midst, kicked the KJV out of the publishing house and pews. They slowly abandoned the historic liturgy in favor of entertainment seeker services.
    
11. Twenty-first Century. Except for a few, no one really fought Church Growth. Now the coast is clear for New Agism to dominate, in the name of Emergent Church, Becoming Missional, "transforming lives," and so forth. This is a blend of motivational business-speak and Asian paganism. The powers of the universe (spunky little obedient spirits) will give you everything you demand, if you demand it in great detail. Like the Masonic Lodge, every Christian term used has pagan content behind it. The Christian terms used are camouflage for New Agism.
    

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LutherRocks has left a new comment on your post "Your Christian Apostasy Calendar - Learn It. Remem...":

Matthew 24:24 (King James Version)


24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

Herescope: The Great Heretical Idea:

Herescope: The Great Heretical Idea:

The Great Heretical Idea:

Oprah and Eckhart Do the New Age Shift

Part 1

By Warren Smith

“Get ready to be awakened.”[1]

– Oprah

“The twenty-first century will be the time of awakening, of meeting The Creator Within. Many beings will experience Oneness with God and with all of life. This will be the beginning of the golden age of the New Human, of which it has been written; the time of the universal human, which has been eloquently described by those with deep insight among you.

“There are many such people in the world now – teachers and messengers, Masters and visionaries – who are placing this vision before humankind and offering tools with which to create it. These messengers and visionaries are the heralds of a New Age.”[2] [bold added]

– “God”
Neale Donald Walsch
Friendship With God

“…[T]his book itself is a transformational device that has come out of the arising new consciousness. The ideas and concepts presented here may be important, but they are secondary. They are no more than signposts pointing toward awakening. As you read, a shift takes place within you.”

“This book’s main purpose is not to add new information or beliefs to your mind or to try to convince you of anything, but to bring about ashift in consciousness, that is to say, to awaken…. It will change your state of consciousness or it will be meaningless. It can onlyawaken those who are ready. Not everyone is ready yet, but many are, and with each person who awakens, the momentum in the collective consciousness grows, and it becomes easier for others.”[3] [bold added]

– Eckhart Tolle
A New Earth

“Don’t get attached to any one word. You can substitute ‘Christ’ for presence, if that is more meaningful to you. Christ is your God-essence or the Self, as it is sometimes called in the East. The only difference between Christ and presence is that Christ refers to your indwelling divinity regardless of whether you are conscious of it or not, whereas presence means your awakened divinity or God-essence.”[4] [bold added]

– Eckhart Tolle
The Power of Now

I stared at the huge stack of books in the Barnes & Noble bookstore. The title of the book was A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life Purpose. The title sounded like a new book by Purpose-Driven pastorRick Warren, but it was actually the latest selection in Oprah’s Book Club. A colorful orange and blue paper band around the book invited the reader to “Join Oprah and Eckhart for a worldwide web event… Every Monday night beginning March 3, 2008 for 10 weeks… Register at Oprah.com/anewearth.” A personal message from Oprah stated: “Get ready to be awakened.”

It was clear to me that Oprah was no longer content to just popularize New Age beliefs, she would now teach them. This was a bold move by a woman who was obviously willing to do everything in her power – which is considerable – to convert the world to her New Age worldview.

The Shift

With friend and New Age author Marianne Williamson simultaneouslyteaching A Course in Miracles daily on Oprah & Friends XM Satellite Radio, Oprah now offers two very public New Age classes. Theseclasses are teaching millions of people that the way to save themselves and the planet is not by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, but rather by accepting “the Christ within.” For someone who probably has an aversion to traditional proselytizing, Oprah is giving new meaning to the word “proselytize” as she continues to push her New Age beliefs upon the world. But, in defense of her role as a New Age proselytizer, Oprah would probably be the first to tell you – it’s all for the good of the world. She would also probably argue that what she is teaching is not New Age, but a “New Spirituality.” Curiously, that just happens to be the same term that some emerging church leaders like Brian McLaren are using as they introduce New Age ideas and language into the church.[5]

More can be found at the link.

Readers, if you learn the language of the New Agers, you will recognize the clever words in the false teaching of Mark and Avoid Jeske. The gutless leaders of Missouri, WELS, and the Little Sect will not do anything.