The Syn Conference reminds me of the meltdown of Grant's, once a major retailer. At a meeting of managers, one of them asked a question.
"You're fired. Get out of the room. Next question?"
There were no more questions. They were liquidating, the most successful stores, first.
The Syn Conference is running true to its Pietistic roots, so its Calvinism and unionism have become dominant. Do not ask questions. A few jibes are permitted, as long as everyone says, "We are a confessional synod" with long, solemn faces.
The graduates of the Sausage Factory are famous for not using the library, known for partying their way through school. They laugh about telling people how difficult seminary is when Mequon is really quite easy. They sharpen their deception skills on Zion Hill.
The Doctrinal Pussycats are good examples of the cream of the crop. They welcome all attacks on Lutheran doctrine, but threaten anyone who questions Whorely Mother Synod.
Church workers murdering their wives? That was a long time ago. One denied it (and confessed privately). He was convicted and married his kids' babysitter. One went to his new call without his wife, even though his mistress faced a murder conviction. He escaped man's law. But that was a long time ago, as one WELS pastor said. His wife should forgive and forget, since he is a grieving widower.
As one wit said, "They are more Evangelical than Jesus."
Of course, their forgiveness extends only to their buddies, as the recent excommunications of Krohn and Techlin have shown. Patterson asked Joe Krohn to be an elder, refused to deal with any doctrinal questions, and excommunicated husband and wife after trying to intimidate both of them. Rick Techlin had similar experiences with Tim Glende and Deputy Doug Englebrecht.
One can hardly imagine a more vindictive set of clergy. The Changers are all "passionate about Jesus" blah blah. They do not visit their own members or welcome doctrinal discussions. The passion must extend only to posting those words on the Net.
Writing a letter, which they demand, is the first step in being excommunicated.
The Eighth Commandment cops do not write letters to me. Patterson sent one email in which he called me a fool and a liar.
Glende clogs the Net with his anonymous blogs. Both Changers used to write comments, until I tightened security and identified the Garland, Texas and Appleton comments. Patterson is not a Changer, but he went to their last conference. Just sayin'.
When a Lutheran congregation--of any stripe--has to tell people the parish will have live bunnies at the Easter service, the time for sackcloth and ashes has arrived. Pastorsl posing with Playboy bunnies is no less cool.
When the pastor posts a photo of steering his boat...
When the media pastor spouts New Age paganism and everyone fusses over synod straddling...
When SPindoktor Mark Schroeder and his obedient servant Herman Otten blow smoke about a gay video, still posted on YouTube...
And did I mention? The Syn Conference is too inept to teach justification by faith, as Luther taught, as the Book of Concord confesses. Try to read Romans 10 (the Means of Grace chapter) with UOJ in mind. Or read Isaiah 55 (another Means of Grace chapter) with UOJ in mind.
But they are also too frightened to deal with enormous gaps in their entire scheme of forgiveness without faith. They cannot deal with Gausewitz, Robert Preus, the KJV catechism (LCMS) still in print, their old catechism, or the reality of plagiarism from Knapp's Pietism.
They cannot teach, so they excommunicate, anathematize, and shun.
Apt to teach is a requirement for pastors.