How Did the Baby Boomers Ruin Their Own Denominations in One Generation?

Various stories and personalities come up in my conversations and email exchanges. I often say, "Yes, I met him, talked to him a bit." One person usually responds, "You know everyone!" Sometimes I was just in the audience, but I figured it was always worthwhile to be there and meet that person if I could, because the chance would not likely come again.

I am an unrepentant Baby Boomer, born soon after WWII was over, so I figure we are now seeing the last of the Boomers retire from wrecking their own denominations.

The Boomers' work was truly monumental in scope, because they

1. repudiated the stance of their own groups,
2. boosted seminary costs to Yale Divinity levels,
3. scraped the church budgets into their own bottomless pockets,  
4. rewarded one another with praise, honorary degrees, fat pensions, and
5. wrecked the big, old congregations that supported them.

More concisely, Boomers stood for nothing, accepted apostasy with open, scrofulous arms, and looked down on anyone who shuddered about the future. They knew get-along-go-along tactics: they polished them to a fine glow.

One of our members was shocked to find Concordia Publishing House printing more Luther books, the latest on Exodus - $64! The actual cost is about $5 per volume (if that) after the start-up figures are paid by initial, often automatic, purchases. Those standard issue books go out to a large audience and harvest lots of money. Watch a Missouri pastor on video and see the collection of 300 unread theology books looming over his empty head. He will say with unfazed modesty, "No, I have not read ALL of them."

 Required reading for brain-dead WELS

 No, never went to Fuller, no never, well, hardly ever!

 Luther is just not their bag, as my hippy friend used to say.

Weeds are productive in their own way, but sterile. All the large ones indicate fertile soil, but they are programmed by the Creating Word for other tasks, such as feeding birds, holding soil in place, and taking over after a large fire or flood. The Boomers, praising themselves, have said:

1. "We have spoiled the Egyptians and robbed Fuller Seminary of their Church Growth treasures."
2. "We have built new additions to the old congregations to renew them - a parish hall for every church still in the black. And we helped them finance it, too!"
3. "We have laid the foundations for Woke! America and provided places for the previously ignored to take over - as clergy, magazine editors, professors, bishops, and more. Look at the history of the big old churches still operating - they have a rich supply of Megan Rohrers to keep up appearances."
   

 Episcopal Bishop Robinson divorced his wife and later his husband.

 He has been a professor, a pastor, a bishop, and now runs the ironically named United Lutheran Seminary. AND - he is an Osage Indian.

 Is anyone else asking about diversity, inclusion, and equity in this pose?

 The smaller the jurisdiction, the grander the robes, hats, and sticks. Ask ELDONA.

2009 is when the storm tore the cross off of the ELCA church used for that convention.

The 2009 meeting gave them what they demanded, plus a sign from heaven.