Luther - On Afflictions

"He allows the affliction to remain and to oppress; yet He employs different tactics to bestow peace; He changes the heart, removing it from the affliction, not the affliction from the heart. This is the way it is done: When you are sunk in affliction He so turns your mind from it and gives you such consolation that you imagine you are dwelling in a garden of roses."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 285. Pentecost Sunday, John 14:23-31.

A Study of the Lutheran Denominations

Delicious!


An ALC congregation produced this study in light of leaving the ELCA.

Analysis of Lutheran Church Bodies in the United States: Information to Support an Affiliation Recommendation

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GJ - Seeing what ELCA was going to be, I left the LCA before the merger and published my research in Christian News. That was in 1987. The people who supported the merger and promoted it became the detractors and critics after the ELCA Church Wide Assembly 2009 vote, a bit tardy.

My first bishop, Ken Sauer, became one of the founders of the NALC, for the very reasons I left the LCA.

I know about half of the people who signed this 2009 letter of protest, although they had nothing to say except "Halleluia!" in 1987. One of the signers was LI's godmother. She earned a PhD at Yale and helps with the Lutheran Forum.

Quasi-Unitarian Carl Braaten joined the 2009 protest, although he laid the foundation for everything in his academic career. Compared to a hair-on-fire radical, an ordinary apostate like Braaten is a confessional Lutheran. But only in comparison!

Who Is Leaving ELCA?Note the Regional Differences

The Goodsoil lobbying group in ELCA has generated two new church bodies (at least) - the NALC and the LCMC.
There are other lobbying groups as well, such as Lutherans Concerned.


George Erdner, ALPB

As of 1:00 PM, these are the losses of congregations, by synod. For purposes of this analysis, congregations that have left or that are in the process of leaving are counted as "lost". Remember, this is a one-time current snapshot of an ever changing situation. They are ranked by percentage lost, with ties having the same rank.

4E Southwestern Texas Synod Started with 170 Congs, lost (or losing) 28 or 16.5% Rank = 1
9B North Carolina Synod Started with 236 Congs, lost (or losing) 35 or 14.8% Rank = 2
1F Montana Synod Started with 146 Congs, lost (or losing) 19 or 13.0% Rank = 3
5E Western Iowa Synod Started with 165 Congs, lost (or losing) 21 or 12.7% Rank = 4
5F Northeastern Iowa Synod Started with 181 Congs, lost (or losing) 21 or 11.6% Rank = 5
5I East-Central Synod of Wisconsin Started with 141 Congs, lost (or losing) 15 or 10.6% Rank = 6
3C South Dakota Synod Started with 254 Congs, lost (or losing) 26 or 10.2% Rank = 7
2C Pacifica Synod Started with 128 Congs, lost (or losing) 13 or 10.2% Rank = 8
3D Northwestern Minnesota Synod Started with 268 Congs, lost (or losing) 26 or 9.7% Rank = 9
5G Northern Great Lakes Synod Started with 94 Congs, lost (or losing) 9 or 9.6% Rank = 10
2D Grand Canyon Synod Started with 105 Congs, lost (or losing) 10 or 9.5% Rank = 11
5C Central/Southern Illinois Synod Started with 153 Congs, lost (or losing) 13 or 8.5% Rank = 12
5B Northern Illinois Synod Started with 161 Congs, lost (or losing) 13 or 8.1% Rank = 13
1D Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod Started with 106 Congs, lost (or losing) 8 or 7.5% Rank = 14
4B Central States Synod Started with 203 Congs, lost (or losing) 14 or 6.9% Rank = 15
2A Sierra Pacific Synod Started with 204 Congs, lost (or losing) 14 or 6.9% Rank = 16
3G Minneapolis Area Synod Started with 162 Congs, lost (or losing) 11 or 6.8% Rank = 17
6E Northeastern Ohio Synod Started with 203 Congs, lost (or losing) 13 or 6.4% Rank = 18
1C Southwestern Washington Synod Started with 94 Congs, lost (or losing) 6 or 6.4% Rank = 18
9E Florida-Bahamas Synod Started with 204 Congs, lost (or losing) 13 or 6.4% Rank = 18
6C Indiana-Kentucky Synod Started with 220 Congs, lost (or losing) 14 or 6.4% Rank = 18
6F Southern Ohio Synod  Started with 225 Congs, lost (or losing) 14 or 6.2% Rank = 19
5L La Crosse Area Synod Started with 81 Congs, lost (or losing) 5 or 6.2% Rank = 19
4D Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod Started with 118 Congs, lost (or losing) 7 or 5.9% Rank = 20
2B Southwest California Synod Started with 138 Congs, lost (or losing) 8 or 5.8% Rank = 21
8B Southwestern Pennsylvania Synod Started with 201 Congs, lost (or losing) 11 or 5.5% Rank = 22
6D Northwestern Ohio Synod Started with 185 Congs, lost (or losing) 10 or 5.4% Rank = 23
9D Southeastern Synod Started with 167 Congs, lost (or losing) 9 or 5.4% Rank = 23
4F Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod Started with 125 Congs, lost (or losing) 6 or 4.8% Rank = 24
4A Nebraska Synod Started with 258 Congs, lost (or losing) 12 or 4.7% Rank = 25
6B North/West Lower Michigan Synod Started with 129 Congs, lost (or losing) 6 or 4.7% Rank = 25
2E Rocky Mountain Synod Started with 173 Congs, lost (or losing) 8 or 4.6% Rank = 26
1B Northwest Washington Synod Started with 112 Congs, lost (or losing) 5 or 4.5% Rank = 27
8D Lower Susquehanna Synod Started with 259 Congs, lost (or losing) 11 or 4.2% Rank = 28
3F Southwestern Minnesota Synod Started with 267 Congs, lost (or losing) 11 or 4.1% Rank = 29
3E Northeastern Minnesota Synod Started with 149 Congs, lost (or losing) 6 or 4.0% Rank = 30
5D Southeastern Iowa Synod Started with 149 Congs, lost (or losing) 6 or 4.0% Rank = 30
3I Southeastern Minnesota Synod Started with 184 Congs, lost (or losing) 7 or 3.8% Rank = 31
5H Northwest Synod of Wisconsin Started with 211 Congs, lost (or losing) 8 or 3.8% Rank = 31
9C South Carolina Synod Started with 164 Congs, lost (or losing) 6 or 3.7% Rank = 32
1E Oregon Synod Started with 121 Congs, lost (or losing) 4 or 3.3% Rank = 33
1A Alaska Synod Started with 31 Congs, lost (or losing) 1 or 3.2% Rank = 34
7D Upstate New York Synod Started with 190 Congs, lost (or losing) 6 or 3.2% Rank = 35
8H West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod Started with 65 Congs, lost (or losing) 2 or 3.1% Rank = 36
9A Virginia Synod Started with 163 Congs, lost (or losing) 5 or 3.1% Rank = 36
3B Eastern North Dakota Synod Started with 231 Congs, lost (or losing) 7 or 3.0% Rank = 37
8F Delaware-Maryland Synod Started with 182 Congs, lost (or losing) 5 or 2.7% Rank = 38
3H Saint Paul Area Synod Started with 116 Congs, lost (or losing) 3 or 2.6% Rank = 39
7C Metropolitan New York Synod Started with 212 Congs, lost (or losing) 5 or 2.4% Rank = 40
6A Southeast Michigan Synod Started with 130 Congs, lost (or losing) 3 or 2.3% Rank = 41
8E Upper Susquehanna Synod Started with 137 Congs, lost (or losing) 3 or 2.2% Rank = 42
5K South-Central Synod of Wisconsin Started with 150 Congs, lost (or losing) 3 or 2.0% Rank = 43
4C Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod Started with 58 Congs, lost (or losing) 1 or 1.7% Rank = 44
8C Allegheny Synod Started with 127 Congs, lost (or losing) 2 or 1.6% Rank = 45
5J Greater Milwaukee Synod Started with 137 Congs, lost (or losing) 2 or 1.5% Rank = 46
7F Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod Started with 166 Congs, lost (or losing) 2 or 1.2% Rank = 47
8A Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod Started with 89 Congs, lost (or losing) 1 or 1.1% Rank = 48
3A Western North Dakota Synod Started with 191 Congs, lost (or losing) 2 or 1.0% Rank = 49
5A Metropolitan Chicago Synod Started with 205 Congs, lost (or losing) 2 or 1.0% Rank = 49
7E Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod Started with 290 Congs, lost (or losing) 1 or 0.3% Rank = 50
7A New Jersey Synod Started with 186 Congs, lost (or losing) 0 or 0.0% Rank = 51
7B New England Synod Started with 186 Congs, lost (or losing) 0 or 0.0% Rank = 51
7G Slovak Zion Synod Started with 26 Congs, lost (or losing) 0 or 0.0% Rank = 51
8G Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod Started with 80 Congs, lost (or losing) 0 or 0.0% Rank = 51
9F Caribbean Synod Started with 34 Congs, lost (or losing) 0 or 0.0% Rank = 51
Grand Total Started with 10396 Congs, lost (or losing) 558 or 5.4%

« Last Edit: April 21, 2011, 03:44:44 PM by George Erdner »

Another Congregation Leaves ELCA Paradise

Stan Olson got riffed at ELCA headquarters, so he is the new president of the faltering Dubuque seminary - Wartburg. His wife (YDS grad) mentioned in the last alumni report that their younger daughter has a female partner.


ALPB

From Pastor Barnhart's blog.

ST. LUKE LUTHERAN CHURCH, MONROE, NC passed second attempt at second vote today, 51-9. They then voted to join LCMC. NC Synod representatives at the meeting told the congregation, their vote was not in order and probably would not be recongized by the Synod or the ELCA. The congregation told them the could do whatever they felt necessary but it would not change things for St. Luke's.

The ELCA is claiming that if a second vote fails, then the congregation has to go back to square one and have a new first vote and a new second vote. The official rules and bylaws don't say that, but then they don't address the issue at all.

As I've asked many, many times before, what can the ELCA do if the congregation simply ignores the ELCA and functions as a congregation of the LCMC? Can the ELCA forcibly take over the congregation? Send one of their pastors next Sunday morning to wrestle with the current pastor over who gets to lead the service?

I wonder if the fact that the congregation has Church real estate worth $1,011,250, Endowment & memorial funds worth $977,351, Cash, savings, bonds worth $30,186, and $0 indebtedness will influence the ELCA's actions. Clearly, if they cared about the people of the church, they would allow them to go in peace.

All numbers from here.

Honoring Requests

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "How To Use the Doctrinal Graphics":

I for one, miss the cats. Funny how easily the cats got under the apostates skins.

Can we agree on at least one cat a week?

Lenski on Hucksters Adulterating the Word of God

"It is the same thought as that expressed in 2:17. Some preachers, like hucksters, are ready to dicker about the Word of God as though they can discount something to make a sale, as though the deal is between them and men alone. This is what Paul also means by adulterating the Word of God, mixing in unrealities to make the Word acceptable to men." R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul's First and Second Letter to the Corinthians, Columbus: Wartburg Press, 1957, p. 957. 2 Corinthians 4:2. 2 Corinthians 2:17.

Engelder Against Lenski on Justification by Faith

"As to the doctrine in general, Lenski repudiates and ridicules the teaching that on Easter morning God forgave, really forgave, all the world all its sins, really and truly justified the world. He protests against making objective reconciliation, general justification, mean that God on Easter morning did actually pronounce the world, all individuals making up the world, really innocent of all sin and guilt." Theodore Engelder, Objective Justification, Concordia Theological Monthly, 1933, Ft. Wayne: Concordia Seminary Press, n.d. p. 508. 2 Corinthians 5:18-20.