WELS Hates and Scorns the Book of Concord

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Augsburg Confession, Article XV: Of Ecclesiastical Usages.

1] Of Usages in the Church they teach that those ought to be observed which may be observed without sin, and which are profitable unto tranquility and good order in the Church, as particular holy days, festivals, and the like.

2] Nevertheless, concerning such things men are admonished that consciences are not to be burdened, as though such observance was necessary to salvation.

3] They are admonished also that human traditions instituted to propitiate God, to merit grace, and to make satisfaction for sins, are opposed to the Gospel and the doctrine of faith. Wherefore vows and traditions concerning meats and 4] days, etc., instituted to merit grace and to make satisfaction for sins, are useless and contrary to the Gospel.

I don't believe Article XV implies that adiaphora gives license to discard the Liturgy and have the church service resemble an AC/DC concert.

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GJ - Likewise, the Formula of Concord is even clearer on the subject, since so many conflicts arose after the actual signing of the Augsburg Confession. They even gave away Augsburg Confessions at the WELS convention!

The Formula of Concord proves to everyone that WELS scorns the Lutheran Confessions, because Wisconsin turns the article upside-down. We must hold fast to the matters of indifference when there is a confessional crisis. Can anyone deny that today, when Lutherans copy their sermons from Groeschel, Stanley, Driscoll, and Sweet - anyone but Luther?

The big movie screen and praise band of Pentecostalism are now required equipment for SynCon chancels - or rather - stages.

The Means of Grace are hidden away, and the pulpit is a lectern or Notebook holder for the next, exciting coaching talk.

Book of Concord, Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, Adiaphora, Article X.

10] We believe, teach, and confess also that at the time of confession [when a confession of the heavenly truth is required], when the enemies of God's Word desire to suppress the pure doctrine of the holy Gospel, the entire congregation of God, yea, every Christian, but especially the ministers of the Word, as the leaders of the congregation of God [as those whom God has appointed to rule His Church], are bound by God's Word to confess freely and openly the [godly] doctrine, and what belongs to the whole of [pure] religion, not only in words, but also in works and with deeds; and that then, in this case, even in such [things truly and of themselves] adiaphora, they must not yield to the adversaries, or permit these [adiaphora] to be forced upon them by their enemies, whether by violence or cunning, to the detriment of the true worship of God and the introduction and sanction of idolatry.

11] For it is written, Gal. 5:1: Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not again entangled in the yoke of bondage. Also Gal. 2:4f : And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage; to whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour, that the truth of the Gospel might continue with you.

12] [Now it is manifest that in that place Paul speaks concerning circumcision, which at that time had become an adiaphoron (1 Cor. 7:18f.), and which at other occasions was observed by Paul (however, with Christian and spiritual freedom, Acts 16:3). But when the false apostles urged circumcision for establishing their false doctrine, (that the works of the Law were necessary for righteousness and salvation,) and misused it for confirming their error in the minds of men, Paul says that he would not yield even for an hour, in order that the truth of the Gospel might continue unimpaired.]

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "WELS Hates and Scorns the Book of Concord":

Sounded like someone just asked for a (W)ELS funded and approved sermon series about Sex - Satan's Sex Ed.

http://www.fvlhs.org/media/82684/fvl%20sex%20ed%20handout.pdf 

Tomb of the Unknown Reformer at Martin Luther College, WELS

How ironic - WELS excommunicates people for rejecting UOJ,
but hides its foul dogma in shame at the convention.

• Esperanza Angelica, Deanna Hardt, Gary Newberry and 6 others like this.
• 

  Joel Gaertner Please stop slandering the WELS - thanks

  8 hours ago via mobile · Like · 1
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  Gregory L. Jackson Please start teaching justification by faith, rejecting UOJ. Thanks.

  8 hours ago · Like · 1
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  Justin Hieb Yeah, it's getting a little old.

  8 hours ago via mobile · Like
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  Bryan Lidtke Believe it or not, I have seen Luther at WLA. In the library. Could be in some other offices, but I'm not sure.

  7 hours ago · Like
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  Christian Schulz How is Huber's doctrine on justification not the WELS/LCMS/ELS doctrine on justification as it's expounded by each synod's writings? I've debated UOJ for a little while now (definitely not as long as most) and I haven't heard one decent rebuttal against the Huber-Hunnius/Lutheran Church point. We can do brand new exegesis and debate about how we interpret certain parts in the Book of Concord, but once we bring in history -- that this is an already settled issue -- it gets kind of ridiculous that this is still even an issue. Huber taught universal justification. He was condemned by the Lutheran, Catholic Church in the late fifteen hundreds as a false teacher. Pr. Rydecki has, and is, translating key, historic Church writings which show this. It's time we start reading them. At about 8 dollars a pop it's not hard.
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Theses-Opposed-Huberianism-Lutheran-Justification/dp/1475186541/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375338580&sr=8-1&keywords=theses+opposed+to+huberianism
  
  http://www.amazon.com/Clear-Explanation-Controversy-Wittenberg-Theologians/dp/1891469525/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1375338609&sr=8-2&keywords=a+clear+explanation

Canadian Episcocats Told - Change Or Die! - They Sound So Much Like a Mark Jeske Conference

US Presiding Bishop Schori wore her Hindu-embracing garment
for one appearance. Very mod, but pagan.

WARNINGS: HUGE DECLINES

Recent statistics reveal the Anglican Church of Canada is in huge decline. New independent surveys show the ACoC has experienced a huge decline over the past 40 years.

Over the period of 1961 to 2001 the ACoC has lost 53% of its members, with numbers declining from 1.36 million to just 642,000. Furthermore the survey suggested that the decline is accelerating. A retired marketing expert, Keith McKerracher carried out the report and said the ACoC was declining much faster than any other church. "We're losing 12,836 Anglicans a year. That's 2 percent a year. If you draw a line on the graph, there'll only be one person left in the Canadian Anglican church by 2061."

The decline has coincided with the liberalization of the Church views over the past four decades; something that has also been witnessed in the Episcopal Church USA. Ted Byfield, a long-time observer of Canadian culture, who has published a weekly news magazine in Canada for 30 years and now serves as general editor of The Christians, a 12-volume history of Christianity, has suggested that this liberalization of the Church is the core reason for the decline.

McKerracher also said that he did not believe that the Anglican leaders in Canada would respond in any significant way to the findings. "The church is in real crisis. They can't carry on like it is business as usual. They talk things to death. And my impression is that the bishops are not going to go around telling priests to shape up."

Evangelical Anglicans in Canada have been warning church leaders for years that the ACoC was in deep spiritual trouble with no proclamation of the gospel except for a list of social justice objectives.

More recently, Anglicans were warned that they must "change or die". A trio of bombshells dumped on their doorsteps came with the explosive message: become more like evangelical churches in style in order to survive.

Critics on one side are resisting change entirely; on the other, they suggest something must also be done about theological content. The Rev. Dr. Gary Nicolosi cogently asked, "Can We Handle the Truth?" and "Why the Church Must Change or Die."

A number of prominent Anglican leaders have left the ACoC, including the Rev. Dr. Marney Patterson President of Invitation to Live Ministries. 

Patterson, an evangelist with the Anglican Church in his book Suicide: the Decline and Fall of the Anglican Church of Canada? , says denominational statistics show that Canada's second-largest Protestant church has lost 267,000 members over the past 30 years, and shut down 523 parishes between 1995 and 1997.

"I don't believe we have more than two or three years to make changes; otherwise the ball game is over. The church has 20 years at the outside. By that time we will be a chapel rather than a church, and it will last only until the old faithful die off," he said. The Anglican Church of Canada has only a short time to save itself from oblivion, said Patterson. "Personally, I feel there is little chance it can be saved."

The formation of the Anglican Network in Canada (ANiC) was a body blow to the Anglican status quo. A number of evangelical Anglicans risked parish and pension to leave the ACoC foremost among them was St. John's Shaughnessy the single largest parish in Canada. They left with more than 2,000 parishioners, income the Diocese of New Westminster can never recover from. Others have launched out on their own in church plants to once again proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost denomination and country steeped in social issues but who have lost sight of Jesus as Savior and Lord.

In a touch of irony, when the ACoC met recently at a Joint Assembly of Anglicans and Lutherans, they offered up as their inspirational theme, "Together for the Love of the World."

Bishop Mark Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, challenged the members of Joint Assembly with some tough questions. "The question before us these days is, 'what shall be the face of Christianity in North America in the next 10 years? Shall it be an increasingly vanishing face? Or shall it be the face of a cairn?'" he asked, describing the importance of stone cairns for travelers needing directions. "A cairn is a gathering of stones scattered but then piled up, and a cairn can have two functions. It can be a monument, a memorial to the past or it can be a pointing of the way."

The deeper truth is that these liberal bodies seem both unable and unwilling to change their ways and they continue to ignore the call of the Great Commission. As a result, they will continue to whither and die. The pile of rocks (cairns) left, along with the churches they have sold to evangelical churches, social service agencies, start-up storefront businesses, saloons and more WILL be their future.

No new parishioners, closing churches, dying dioceses and less income means less for those now retiring. While the church wants to love and save the world, it apparently can't muster enough dollars to save its own people and itself.

Mark Schroeder and Praise Band Hootenannies.ALPB Online Forum

http://www.alpb.org/forum/index.php?topic=4982.0

David Garner

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Re: All Eyes On WELS 2013 Convention

« Reply #4 on: July 10, 2013, 06:58:58 AM »

I like President Schroeder.  I got to meet him when he visited our parish a few years back (shortly after his election).  Having said that, I disagree that he has "set the WELS counterculture agenda for Lutheranism."  WELS has some very serious issues in precisely the area Pastor Cascione references -- the whole "praise-band hootenanny" thing.  And President Schroeder, while I think a lot of him, has not really done anything to stem that tide at all.  WELS doesn't have the issues the LCMS has in that regard, that is true.  But they are not immune to it, either -- it's there.  

Open Forums Are Sham Democracy

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "The Clown Prince of Mequon Unleashed His Wrath Upo...":

Open forums are a form of sham democracy. I have seen this at the congregational level. I am guessing that leaders do not like the alleged gossiping. Write a letter or come to the open forum. We want your input, wink....wink. The committee will then take your ideas back to yet another meeting and evaluate them. The decisions have already been made at the top. The leaders' view is that the crying babies (laity) need to be pacified.

The Clown Prince of Mequon Unleashed His Wrath Upon the Convention

Paul Wendland loves UOJ and the NNIV

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Open forums are designed to dissipate heat rather than clarify issues. Everyone is allowed to stand at the mike and give a short or long speech. Rambling is encouraged by the format. In the LCA, open forums preceded votes on hot issues. Everyone who wanted to yell did so, and no one had any energy or patience when the vote came. Motion, second. All in favor. Pass.

Thus it was with the translation forum. One WELS member (on FB) had the absurd notion that they should vote down the NNIV, then consider other options. The point of three options was to muddy the issue and drive everyone to the NNIV.

WELS clergy do not have the English skills to produce another Bible, let alone the language skills. I have to agree with the windy Cherney that it would be an enormous waste of time. (Delete that option.) There would be so many mistakes that the nickname would be The Sic Translation. TST.

We love, love, love the NNIV.

The Holman - who has ever heard of that? Delete.

Oh, the NNIV is the last one standing. Of course, there is that idea of letting the Church and Change WELS leaders choose from an eclectic group of translations. They would always choose the best because they are the best - and infallible to boot. More NNIV.

Wendland was the only speaker with spirit. He looked around, his nostrils flaring in wrath, observing that some WELS members are "afraid of the Bible."

People in the audience stirred, as if thinking, "Who let the crazy uncle speak at the mike."

Wendland professed his support of all the options, which we know is not true. He was deeply offended earlier that people spoke against the Bible choice of Leftist mainline groups, the NNIV. The Mequon professors are too lazy to work on a translation - if they could.

Choosing or defaulting to the NNIV will mean being locked into the dictates of Rupert Murdoch, old Lizard Hands, for years to come. When they make the NNIV2014 gay-friendly, WELS will be stuck. Given their taste in college videos and PR directors, that may be the plan.

Unholy hands on the Bible - Rupert Murdoch.
I am not allowed to mention that his company owns the NNIV.

President Schroeder Remarks about Missouri Synod.Enjoy the Fantasy Being Woven Here by Schroeder and Emmaus

President Schroeder Remarks about Missouri Synod:

"WELS President Mark Schroeder delivers his president’s report to the synod convention in New Ulm, Minnesota. In this report, President Schroeder offered comment about the Missouri Synod."

This convention may want to consider a resolution encouraging the continuation of these contacts. (President Schroeder noted that the LCMS passed such a resolution seeking for conversations with WELS and ELS.)

'via Blog this'

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The Emmaus Conference, May 1-2, 2014

What a gift Emmaus has become to the Holy Christian Church. [God must be truly thankful for us.]

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GJ - I could not let this pack of lies slip by without comment. The myth now being  peddled is that WELS and Missouri have been alienated ever since 1961. But - thanks to scripted, annual get-togethers at the Emmaus Conference, they are brudders again. Sniffle.

In fact, WELS and Missouri have been working together with ELCA for decades. I had Christian News publish a photo of the three synod presidents working together at a national conference in 1991. Here is the caption from ELCA's The Lutheran magazine.

"CHIEFS CONFER:  Waiting their turn to speak at a recent Lutheran leadership consultation are Dr. Carl Mischke, president of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Church...Bohlmann...and ELCA Bishop Herbert W. Chilstrom. At the July 18-20 event in Snowbird, Utah, in the Wasatch Mountains, 130 Lutheran leaders gathered to articulate a 'vision of leadership' for their

respective church bodies."

The Lutheran, (ELCA) September 4, 199, p. 33.

The story was told more fully by Lutheran Brotherhood, who paid for the extravaganza of love.

Pictured together:  Rev. Carl Mischke, Rev. Ralph Bohlmann, and Bishop

Herbert Chilstrom (ELCA).

Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond,

"Preparing the Church for the Next Century,"

Fall, 1991, p. 12.

Besides this, the four-letter synods also participated in a highly organized Church Growth experiment in 1993, called the Church [Growth] Membership Initiative.

"To the reader:  This binder contains a summary of activities and findings of the Church Membership Initiative funded by AAL.  A meeting in February, 1993 at Orlando involving congregational participants and church executives was phase three.  This summary focuses on the findings of phases one and two.  As is the nature of such studies, emphasis is on research and statistical analysis.  Such studies do provide helpful indicators.  Such an approach, however, cannot directly reflect spiritual reality, which must remain with the judgment of those dispensing the means of grace. Phase four--utilization of information coming out of the first three phases--is open ended for whatever church body [ELCA, WELS, LCMS] will determine such use

to be."

Rev. Wayne Borgwardt,

Church Membership Initiative, Narrative Summary of Findings, 1993,

Aid Association for Lutherans, 4321 N Ballard Road,

Appleton, WI, 54919-0001,

June 30, 1993.

Five copies at Martin Luther College (WELS).

BV 4523 .C48  1993  c.5

"In 1970 there were 500,000 more baptized members of Lutheran congregations than was the case in 1990.  The Church Membership Initiative project was undertaken to understand and address this decline...

Contact:  Rev. Mary Ann Moller-Gunderson, Executive Director, Division for Congregational Ministries, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 8765 W Higgins Road, Chicago, IL, 60631, 312-380-2570; 

Rev. Lyle Muller, Executive Director, Board for Evangelism Services, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, 1333 S Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, MO, 63122-7295, 314-965-9000; 

Rev. Wayne Borgwardt, Administrator for Worker Training, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran

Synod, 2929 N Mayfair Road, Milwaukee, WI, 53222, 414-256-3236; Mr. Douglas

Olson, Aid Association for Lutherans, 4321 N Ballard Road, Appleton, WI, 54919,

414-734-5721."

Church Membership Initiative, Narrative Summary of Findings, 1993,

Aid Association for Lutherans, 4321 N Ballard Road,

Appleton, WI, 54919-0001, June 30, 1993.

"Four people from each of 61 growing congregations gathered to share their congregational development experience, to react to the utility of toolbox items uncovered in Sections 2B and 2C above, and to exchange views with church body officials.  Approximately 125 church body officials [ELCA, WELS, LCMS] and other guests observed these congregations and participated in the discussions."

Church Membership Initiative, Narrative Summary of Findings, 1993,

Aid Association for Lutherans, 4321 N Ballard Road,

Appleton, WI, 54919-0001,

June 30, 1993. p. 20.

"The IMAGINE 2000+ A.D. symposium involved the gathering of 61 growing congregations to describe their ministry.  The congregations were grouped with other congregations of similar size and ministry setting."

Church Membership Initiative, Narrative Summary of Findings, 1993,

Aid Association for Lutherans, 4321 N Ballard Road,

Appleton, WI, 54919-0001,

June 30, 1993. p. 12.

ELCA-WELS-LCMS Worship: Joy Radio Show

"A new sacred classical music radio program soon will be available to radio stations across the country.  The hour-long, weekly program, called "Joy," is an inter-Lutheran project of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. "Joy" will be produced by KFUO-FM in St. Louis and will be funded by Aid Association for Lutherans, a fraternal benefit society.  'I'm excited about being involved in this project which is the first joint venture into ministry that has ever been done by these three Lutheran churches,' said the Rev. Richard Jensen, a member of ELCA communications staff and the Joy Advisory Committee.'Joy is a program of sacred music.  The focus is on the classics of sacred Christian music..."

ELCA Newsbriefs, Christian News, 12-9-91, p. 2.

"The article in Christian News to which you refer escaped my attention until one of our other pastors called it to my attention soon after it appeared. Initially I even had difficulty relating to it.  After thinking about it for a time I remembered that I was asked about a year ago whether the WELS would endorse or be in sponsor of such a program.  My answer then was 'No" and still

is.  I have consistently taken the position with the fraternal benefits societies that 'pan-Lutheran' projects almost inevitably exclude us from participation because of our fellowship principles.  The leadership of the fraternals has respected our position.  So the statement by a member of the ELCA

communications staff that this is the 'first joint venture into ministry' ever done by these three Lutheran churches is simply not factual.  It has been called to the attention of those who made this statement."

President Carl H. Mischke (WELS Synodical President),

Letter to Pastor xxxx, 1-3-92.

"Your September 21 article in Christian News perpetuates a lie, slanders leaders of your church and risks spiritual offense to weak brothers and sisters. You describe a conference on leadership in which fellowship lines were clearly drawn and at which testimony to the truths which separate Lutherans was publicly given as 'a joint ministry conference with a liberal agenda.' Then you add,

'Months later, the three groups [ELCA, LCMS, WELS] joyfully announced a joint religious radio show, Joy, also funded by Lutheran insurance money. WELS participated in 'Joy' from the beginning and continues to be a part of the project.'"

Pastor Paul Kelm (WELS),

Letter to Gregory L. Jackson,

9-23-92.

WELS was lying 22 years ago and Mark Schroeder continues the deception. In his opening PR statement he affected a tone of righteous indignation when talking about ELCA, but these projects continue in stealth mode now. ELCA was astounded that WELS was denying the Joy Radio partnership. The secretary to the ELCA leader said, "John Barber is at all our meetings." I phoned Richard Jensen, who said, "You believe me, don't you?" He was staggered that Carl Mischke called the news release false.

The theology of Kent Hunter
is WELS practice.

Paul Prange's Hour Plus Children's Sermon

Paul Prange, WELS Essayist

Paul Prange gave an hour plus children's sermon, oddly illustrated with Greek and Hebrew. None of the lay delegates and few of the clergy could follow the pointless Greek and Hebrew graphics. WELS likes to brag about their deep knowledge of the Biblical languages, but the requirements have been softened. Even in the good old days, future parsons got by through cheating.

The whole point of the Greek and Hebrew was to emphasize the perfection of WELS, which Mark Schroeder droned on about in his PR speech earlier. WELS is complete orthodox, pure, Biblical, Confessional, and flawless.

A number of people were discussing the essay as it was given, since we can IM each other on FB or through other technologies. When Prange touched upon justification he made every effort to make it seem to be justification by faith. He said those words more than once. But he slipped when he talked about various  meanings of faith. One wrong interpretation is "faith in faith," he said. He seemed alarmed for a second, realizing he had repeated a bromide of UOJ, one loved by Rolf Preus and David Scaer, "Your faith is not in Christ. Your faith is in faith."

We discussed how he seemed to teach justification by faith, but I pointed out how he failed to reject UOJ, so the discussion of justification by faith was simply a smokescreen to hide what they really teach. "Error loves ambiguities." Prange gave a good example of trying to please two sides at once, hiding the claws and fangs under several layers of fleece.

LCMS President Matt Harrison's campaign booklet
was terribly dishonest, so I fixed it up.
Mark Schroeder grooves on Harrison,
and both groove on Thrivent/Schwan.

Dancing Roman Catholic Bishops - Can WELS Be Far Behind with Dancing DPs?

http://gottesdienstonline.blogspot.com/2013/07/dignity-matters.html

Jim Huebner, Who Buried Gausewitz on His Church Websty, Re-Elected to an Undeserved Position of Authority

James Huebner, like Paul Kelm and Larry Olson,
studied at Fuller Seminary to be a WELS Church Growth consultant.
So much for Lutheran orthodoxy, the Confessions, and honesty

Rev. James Huebner was reelected for his second term as first vice president of WELS. The position is a four-year term during which Huebner will serve part time as first vice president and continue to also serve as pastor of Grace, Milwaukee, Wis.

During Tuesday’s morning session, convention delegates were invited to nominate parish pastors for this position. The top five nominees were placed on the ballot. In addition to Huebner, those nominees included Rev. Joel Jenswold, Rev. Jonathan Schroeder, Rev. Jonathan Stern, and Rev. Joel Voss.

Huebner addressed the delegates after the results of the election were announced. After sharing with delegates that he’d served as a convention page 44 years ago, Huebner noted, “In gratefulness to our Lord and in humble gratitude, I accept your nomination as first vice president of WELS.”

As first vice president, Huebner assists President Mark Schroeder and carries out assignments given to him by Schroeder. Huebner currently serves as the chairman of the Congregational Assessment and Planning Committee and Continuing Education for Called Workers Committee as well as an advisory member to the Commission on Congregational Counseling and the Commission on Inter-Church Relations. He also serves on the Conference of Presidents and as an ex-officio member of the Synodical Council. In case of a vacancy in the presidency, Huebner would serve as president until the next synod convention.

Jim as a page.

For discussion and discernment tonight - who is worse as First VP - Wayne Mueller or James Huebner?

Both of them are devoted to Church Growth and mocking the Confessions.

I call it a toss-up.