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.
