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| From the movie, starring Gregory Peck, with Orson Welles as the preacher. |
What could be more full of meaning? - for the pulpit is ever this earth’s foremost part; all the rest comes in its rear; the pulpit leads the world. From thence it is the storm of God’s quick wrath is first descried, and the bow must bear the earliest brunt. From thence it is the God of breezes fair or foul is first invoked for favorable winds. Yes, the world’s a ship on its passage out, and not a voyage complete; and the pulpit is its prow.
Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chapter 8
Herman Melville was right in his great novel, Moby Dick - the pulpit leads the world. People are howling about all the new trends forced by various government agencies and other entities. The denominations were there a long time before.
The WELS Tiefel hymnal featured feminist Creeds from one of those ecumenical groups. That was over 30 years ago. "And became man" was deemed a trigger keeping sensitive people from church. WELS accepted and defended "fully human," which is now going to be "truly human."
Once again, dunces were given the power to change long accepted language with the promise that would bring more people in. Marching together - cloven hoof in cloven hoof - down the road to perdition, the Wisconsin sect mocked the KJV for years and switched to the NIV. They expected market-driven forces would make them less antique. Once the NIV was established, they let the hotheads (only one DP) aim their volleys at the New NIV (2011 A.D.) instead of their Fuller trained leaders.
What America is seeing now is the result of all that work from years ago, because the pulpit leads the way.
I went to the Wesleyan university library and found a feminist Bible from the early 1900s. It took a century to take over the denomination.
The quiet revolution in the Missouri Synod and WELS involved adopting liberal Calvinism and excluding Luther's Biblical doctrine. The lupine leaders can catch the scent of Luther from miles away. They believe, but their hides bristle. (James 2:19)
While concealing the truth, the LCMS-WELS adopted Walther's Calvinism. Now they are very much like the United Church of Christ in attitude and attendance.
