Buying Power versus Saving Wisdom

Power? Yes. Wisdom? No.

Buying Power

The virus scare, now thoroughly debunked, has resulted in a vast exercise of smile filtering. As the hollowed statistics became known, the pressure to wear a face mask increased. They are perfect covers for smiles, and the layers of paper extinguish them even better. They make my glasses fog over and inhibit oxygen use. After some time in the doctor's office, waiting, I said to Mrs. Ichabod, "Take the mask off and breathe a while." We did until the oncology walked in with his mask on.

"Shields up!" I warned and we covered our faces again.

Millions of masks remind me of the futile synod lust to buy power. Those who covet positions outside of parish work play the political game of being everyone's friend. In power, they harness the wealth of the members by selling them irrevocable insurance trusts and the name plate on buildings.

The synodical leaders must be quite valuable, because they get enormous salaries, benefits, tax free housing allowances, deluxe travel and food expenses. They deserve it because they are handling so much money - the theme that has sunk so many businesses with deluxe home office buildings and other delights.

Once in, they buy power through threats. Anyone who even questions the agenda must be punished, as a lesson for all would-be critics. The leaders make their hostility known to friends, associates, and family members of the potential critic. If that person does not like the treatment, the same thugs say, "He is bitter."

This seemed to be working well, since the "conservative" leaders pictured above kept their jobs and enormous, undeserved salaries and perks. However, the virus panic and the house arrest of America made entire segments of earnings disappear. The oil glut emergency was no difference than the collapse of Hula Hoops, but on a larger scale. Once people stopped buying Hula Hoops, they could be bought for a dime each. Displays of hundreds of colored hoops could be seen outside bike shops and retail stores.

Mindless conformity works well in the ELS-WELS-LCMS sects. Each one is a microcosm of Fuller Seminary's liberal Calvinism. The sudden drought in donations will make their fragile systems cave in faster, expose their weaknesses sooner, and forever change the Lutheran landscape.

Saving Wisdom

Matthew 6: 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

I remember with advantages the lavish Schwan indulgence funds wasted on the ELS, WELS, and LCMS. When the unrepentant St. Marvin died suddenly, the money men had a collective heart attack. But they soon they realized they would receive even more loot - for a little while. They should have meditated on "In a little while, you will see Me no more." Mammon should be capitalized, no?

In copying all the public domain hymns into The Bethany Lutheran Hymnal Blog, I realized how overwhelming the treasures are in that book alone. Did I know all the hymns written by Luther, Gerhardt, Melanchthon, Loy, Kingo, and other Lutherans? (No.) How many were rescued from obscurity by translators Winkworth and Neale? (More than I realized) My favorite - how many were written by bishops Heber, Ken, How, and Wordsworth? (Let me check. I never knew Ken, How, and Wordsworth were bishops.)

Can you picture any bishop today writing a hymn? Those men in The Lutheran Hymnal were very active in serving others and took the time to write classic hymns praising God and honoring Christ.

Need I say that Lutheran hymnals continue to get worse and more expensive? WELS is putting 25 Calvinist pop hymns into their latest disaster, enriching a husband and wife who need no funding.

The irony today is that anyone can get the best Lutheran works for free, including

• 11 volumes of Luther's sermons, plus many more books.
• Most of the American Lutheran classics as ebooks - the Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry.
• Many of those books as inexpensive print books on Amazon, edited by The Lutheran Librarian, Alec Satin.