Baby Turtles Hang On While Mama Shifts into Second Gear

"Turtle Wax is on sale at Lowe's!"

A reader sent in this graphic reminder of the Intrepid Lutherans having their brakes slammed. Hit squads followed Father Steve Spencer jumping ship.

 WELS cannot figure out where all that Church Growth came from, because Wayne Mueller said in print that there were no CG programs in WELS. Maybe one Pasadena river turtle was going too fast and landed on this fence-post.

Now Tony Morgan can get your church unstuck from that turtle, because he heads the Unstuck Group and actually wrote The Unstuck Church.

The Intrepid Lutherans Blog - Hated by the WELS COP - Conference of Presidents - 2012 Post, Kelmed from Intrepid Lutherans (sic)

"Follow the money, boys."

Intrepid Lutherans:

We can only say, Church and Continuity was an enormous success, especially given that it was our first Conference – and we simply could not have pulled it off without the generous support of our donors, to whom we offer special thanks. As a result of this success, a second Conference is certainly in the works, which our readers can expect to hear about shortly after the turn of the New Year.

Of course, it will be asked, What has attracted our readership? What had attracted interest in attending our Conference in 2012? The answer: our content – substantive and compelling, and sometimes controversial. Over the past thirty months the following twenty posts have been the most popular:

	Page Title	Page Views	Date	Author	Comments	Observations
1.	Dear Pastors Jeske and Ski: You are clearly in the wrong	4830	02/15/11	Intrepid Lutherans	13	Juicy controversy – everybody was interested, relatively few had the courage to comment.
2.	Fraternal Dialogue on the Topic of "Objective Justification"	3681	09/26/11	Mr. Douglas Lindee	54	Rev. Webber (ELS) recommended “Fraternal Dialogue” on the topic, so we opened it with a position and a series of questions to debate, and attempted to keep the ensuing “dialogue” civil and centered on Scripture and the Confessions.
3.	The NNIV, the WELS Translation Evaluation Committee, and the Perspicuity of the Scriptures	3549	07/28/11	Mr. Douglas Lindee	71	The catch-phrase, “There is no perfect translation,” ultimately devolves into a denial of Scripture's clarity and an affirmation of the Roman position that the literate Christian still needs a “Priest” to explain it to him. The sufficiency and authority of Scripture being one of the planks of the Protestant Reformation, this will never happen among Protestant Christians. Not directly. Translators now take on this role in the Protestant world, under the translation ideology of Dynamic Equivalency.
4.	Change or Die – Update	3194	02/24/11	Intrepid Lutherans	13	The “juicy controversy” continues, as does both interest in the controversy and reluctance to become involved.
5.	Why I No Longer Attend My [WELS] Church	3148	02/06/11	Intrepid Lutherans	26	Cross-post from Mr. Ric Techlin's blog, Light from Light, publicly revealing difficulties he was having in his congregation, namely, the refusal of his congregation to address his concerns regarding error in doctrine and practice that was being promoted in his congregation. A handful of local pastors volunteered to work with Mr. Techlin, his congregation and district to resolve these difficulties...
6.	The WEB: A viable English Bible translation?	2746	09/19/11	Rev. Paul Rydecki	94	Discussion over an unsuitable version of the Bible degenerates into a melee over Universalism, and this version's mistranslation of certain sections which support it.
7.	Emmaus Conference – Recap	2607	05/10/11	Rev. Paul Rydecki	17	Were some people excitedly thinking that perhaps this event represented the reunion of Missouri and Wisconsin?
8.	Suspended from the WELS – Why?	2527	10/09/12	Rev. Paul Rydecki	0	More “juicy controversy...”
9.	The whole flock won't survive 'jumping the shark'	2448	02/02/12	Mr. Brian Heyer	42	Thoughtless and ridiculous last-ditch efforts to “save the congregation” by abusing the term evangelism are transparently pathetic acts of desperation, make the congregation a laughing stock in the community and bring shame upon the name of Christ. The methods of the Church Growth Movement are not methods, they are antics, and kill the church by trivializing Scriptures' teachings. Shame on Lutheran congregations who do such things!
10.	NNIV – the new standard for WELS?	2325	07/15/11	Mr. Douglas Lindee	62	Yup, it sure looks that way...
11.	Thoughts on Gender-Neutral Language in the NIV 2011	2310	09/15/11	Intrepid Lutherans	9	Intrepid Lutherans aren't the only ones in WELS concerned that whitewashing gender differences in the Bible, by way of imposing a feminist ideology of translation over the entire text, will lead not only to doctrinal error, but to a culture of thought among supposedly “conservative” Christians that is at war against the Nature of God itself and incompatible with His message to Man.
12.	The Silence Is Broken: An Appleton Update	2269	05/08/11	Rev. Paul Lidtke	17	An update on Mr. Techlin's difficulties, from one of the pastors personally involved in his defense. After formally objecting to what he was concerned were unscriptural practices and teachings in his congregation – and asking to be corrected where he might be in error– Mr. Techlin was simply removed from fellowship: no discussion with him over the issues he raised was entertained, no brotherly attempt was made to work with him through these issues, no example of Christian humility was displayed by his “brothers” which might have suggested they were themselves open to correction. Instead, without Mr. Techlin's or his family's knowledge, the congregation scheduled a meeting, and without even offering him the opportunity to defend himself, voted to remove him and members of his family from fellowship. To his surprise, he received a “Certified Letter” in the mail informing him of the congregation's action against him. Not so much as a phone call from a “concerned brother” or even from his pastor. Just certified mail. Furthermore, this letter made no mention of any doctrinal error to which he obstinately clung, regarding which the congregation collectively determined “further admonition would be of no avail.” To this day, Mr. Techlin has no idea what his error may have been, as no admonition has ever been attempted, certainly none by a “genuine brother” who was himself open to correction. Moreover, this congregation's action was openly defended by their Bishop, and formally approved by a committee he personally appointed to review Mr. Techlin's appeal, which found that “[his] congregation had Scriptural reasons for removing [him] from membership and, in doing so, acted in the spirit of Christian love.” Mr. Techlin's is not the only recent example of similar processes used to remove “undesirables” from WELS, but his is very well-documented and betrays what seems to not only be acceptable practice but one which Christian congregations are apparently not above employing.
13.	"Walking Together Sunday" - The Sermon	2255	09/25/10	Rev. Paul Rydecki	58	Walking together under Law, cooperating in evangelistic efforts because we are commanded to do so. From a commenter on this post: “The unfortunate thing about the 'Walking Together Sunday' sermon, and the entire event, is that Evangelism is the only emphasis. Yet, our 'walking together' is predicated on our standing together. Despite this, there was no emphasis given to our full agreement in all matters of doctrine and practice, nor any mention of our Confessions or Confessional Unity. No explanation or celebration of our 'togetherness' as fundamental to our walking in this togetherness. The clear and sole emphasis was the command of Evangelism followed by an appeal for money. This is entirely the wrong emphasis, in my opinion, leading to the wrong notion that our working rather than our confessing is the essence of our togetherness.”
14.	Issues with the NIV 2011: "The saints" are no more	2197	08/15/11	Rev. Paul Rydecki	12	Another example of Biblical and Ecclesiastical language being stripped from the Christian lexicon by liberal feminist and sectarian translators...
15.	What Part of the Word "Wrong" Don't We All Seem to Understand These Days?!	2180	12/10/10	Rev. Steven Spencer	47	Is someone who, or something which, is wrong, merely suffering from a misunderstanding? A fantastic series of thoughtful comments follows from this post.
16.	Ambivalent	2176	06/27/12	Rev. Steven Spencer	47	Does no one care about the threat of doctrinal error and sectarian practice? One might pardon the laity for not being informed, but what do we make of the silence and inaction of Lutheran clergy?
17.	Law and Gospel: What do they teach? – Part 1	2164	10/26/10	Mr. Douglas Lindee	79	The message of Law and Gospel teaches the saving message of Justification, a message which is central to all of Lutheran doctrine and practice, “affirming that, through faith, men obtain remission of sins, and through faith in Christ are justified (AC:IV:1-3).” Thus, Christ is the object of faith: “In order for Justification to be taught correctly, in order for man to make Christ the sole object of his faith... the Law must be stripped from [the Gospel] entirely. That isn’t to say that the Law is not to be taught. On the contrary, in order to understand Justification properly, it is necessary that the message of the Law precede it. In other words, Justification cannot be preached properly unless Law is distinguished and kept separate from the Gospel, and the Gospel has no application unless it follows the message of the Law.”
18.	Differences between Reformed and Lutheran Doctrines	2142	04/13/11	Mr. Douglas Lindee	4	The majority of hits on this post are from Reformed and Evangelical sources, as it has been passed around and discussed in a number of different forums.
19.	The NIV 2011 and the Importance of Translation Ideology	2049	08/02/11	Mr. Douglas Lindee	25	Functional Arminianism is at the root of observing “The Great Commission” so slavishly as to labour under it as “The Great Law.” As a result, the adoption of translation ideologies like Dynamic Equivalency, which are derived directly from dangerously anti-Truth and thus also anti-Christian post-Modern philosophies, are observed as equally imperative.
20.	C.F.W. Walther: Filching from sectarian worship resources equals "soul murder"	2017	03/23/11	Mr. Douglas Lindee	26	Practice and doctrine are not independent of one another. This post saw wide circulation and commentary on the internet, and opened the eyes of many people to the connection doctrine has with practice. They are not independent. They impact each other.

'via Blog this'

***

GJ - "Intrepid" is a fine example of hyperbole. They were silent when their own member was excommunicated by Ski, Glende, and DP Deputy Doug.

They were silent when Rydecki was kicked out of WELS. The WELS COP wants to shut them down NOW!

I expect they will silence themselves for good and blame me. I was never any part of Intrepid Lutherans. I suggested, when asked, a blog for discussion.

Mystery Solved - How ELDONA Magically Moved from Universal Objective Justification to Justification by Faith

ELDONA will change doctrine for the right price,
and they reject the satis est while claiming to be
Book of Concord certified.
Heiser enforces his own weird ideas and legalistic decrees,
and the supine priests go along with it.
Wives work for their husbands but cannot attend the clergy party,
not even the wife of the husband honored.

Some have wondered how ELDONA changed from treating the Universal Objective Justification of Halle, ELCA, and the Unitarians as an adiaphoron, a matter of indifference.

I was a witness to the events, one way or another, and the answer occurred to me late one night. I became independent with Bethany Lutheran Church in 1997.

Rydecki (above) and Spencer (below)
hosted the first and last Intrepid Lutherans conference.
Spencer bailed out and apologized several times
for hurting others in WELS!

I had some contact with Jim Heiser when he was running Repristination Press under the banner of the Lutheran Confessional Synod (1994), endorsed by Jay Webber and Kincaid Smith. And no one had more to confess than Randy DeJaynes, the bishop-for-life who was later imprisoned.

Later, Heiser emerged again as the pastor of Salem in Malone, Texas, and still running Repristination Press. He began using the Yankee Stadium pan-religious worship service (9-11 memorial) as a reason to leave the LCMS. Benke was suspended in 2002.

However, Heiser was all hat and no cattle when it came to leaving the LCMS. He had every reason in the world to delay - and also wanted to the LCMS pension plan vested. Missouri was not so bad that he wanted to be without the benefits.

Heiser had his name picked out and a website domain (eldona.org) when I asked him if anything was going on. He said, "No." I almost believed him. Funny how telling a websearch can be. "Heiser Lutheran" brought up the website and a new name - but nothing was going on. Here is a convenient summary of various groups.

ELDONA discloses less than the NSA about its operations, but it finally started in 2006. I met some of them because I was invited to speak in Malone, and Heiser was selling Thy Strong Word - and promoting it.

Heiser clearly found the real meaning of Objective Justification to be disgusting, after reading Thy Strong Word. Imagine my shock when he gloated about partnering with the Rolf Preus Synod, admitting that Rolf was a UOJ fanatic. Rolf came up often, such as when Heiser and others were going to pounce on him about UOJ at a conference. Rolf found out and gave a supposed Justification by Faith paper, but brother Dan gushed UOJ in his paper. I asked why no one said anything to Dan on the same topic. Heiser's excuse was - "Dan is going to be a leader" or some such nonsense. Yes, Dan is Fifth Vice President of Missouri, quite an honor for a false teacher.

As Luther says, one does not stay in the same stall
with false teachers. Heiser and the Rolf Preus Synod are
proud of their opportunism and indifference.

Note the Ft. Wayne connections - Bob Preus, Rolf Preus (his son), Jim Heiser, Jay Webber, Kincaid Smith, Paul McCain, and even I - who took summer classes there. Most of ELDONA is Ft. Wayne, which is designed for men with weak Biblical language skills (like Walther). Repristination Press was a good title for these UOJists.

Intrepid Lutherans
I suggested the now-comatose group blog idea to WELS Pastor Steve Spencer. He resisted but agreed it was good to air issues in WELS - haha - a previous blog killed off by WELS. But Spencer was a friend and classmate (Mordor) of SP Mark Schroeder.  Nothing could possibly go wrong. They started in 2010 and stopped by 2014.

The links are a symphony of hypocrisy. They did not like WELS, but promote Northwestern Publish House, home of a hive of NIV promotions, Church Growth fanaticism, and a horrid hymnal - CW.

The Time Out link will take the reader to an Asian erotic site.

They link bad synodical publishers but not Martin Chemnitz Press. Although I had some contact with them, they suffered badly from Icha-phobia, an intense and fatal fear of being accused of knowing me. So they wanted to know how to track down what was going on in WELS, but did not want that to come from the blog. I gave them some hints and excused myself from any planning or organization.

Some early participants were Pastor Paul Rydecki, laymen Doug Lindee and Vernon Knepprath. Rydecki supported Objective Justification at first, and Spencer used that to prove OJ had to be grrrrrreat.

Lindee finally admitted that I was correct about the Halle origins of Objective Justification.

Rydecki came around at some point. Both Rydecki and Knepprath were at the Emmaus Conference attended by our member Brett Meyer and UOJ Stormtrooper/LCS sponsor Jay Webber. We were giving away Justification by Faith books and materials at this "free"conference, really a pre-merger conference. Bret Meyer laughed at Jay Webber hiding behind a pillar and motioning Rydecki to come to lunch with him.

I was often in contact with Rydecki, who eventually had a book to publish. That was another interesting connection. Someone found these Latin sources, Hunnius, dealing with justification. I passed them onto Rydecki, and another friend donated money for him to buy a new version of MS Office.

When Rydecki wanted to publish, we talked over how to get that done. I said I could help but he would be shunned if it was a Martin Chemnitz Press book. Completely alone - that is also a problem. He brought up the fact that he had been orbiting ELDONA for some time.

I ignored ELDONA after Heiser's pursuit of the Rolf Preus Synod and Jim's indifference about UOJ, so I pointed out those problems, plus Heiser's devious ways. Rydecki's mind was made up. Unlike Ft. Wayne graduates, I do not try to order people around.

I did what I could to promote their sudden devotion to Justification by Faith and their rejection of UOJ. The remnants of the Rolf Synod (minus Rolf) rejected them, coached by...Jay Webber.

Did Knepprath's foundation change Heiser's public position?
Does Heiser have any convictions at all?

The crucial factor was Knepprath's foundation. He had a core of WELS members leaving their congregation (NIV and UOJ) but without the pastor going along.

Heiser perhaps saw a BOGO offer too tempting to resist. He could have a large property, pastor, and congregation in New Mexico, plus another group of laity on the Left Coast - and a foundation to support them.

All of ELDONA's property has been taken from other synods. No one has built a church building from scratch. Bethany did but that is the hard way. Heiser likes the easy way.

ELDONA also believes in wives supporting their husbands by working. ELDONA does not like the NIV, but uses the Babtist New KJV and the Calvinist ESV.

The last ELDONA conference had the gang complaining about me all the time, sounding like pre-schoolers who needed a nap, a snack, or both. One interesting whine was this, "Rydecki works with people. Jackson does not." That is pretty hilarious, given the help and support our congregation gave Rydecki when Jon-Boy Buchholz was excommunicating him and foreclosing the congregation's mortgage. I wonder, "Did Rydecki tell the brethren about

1. The free books I sent him?
2. The original link to Hunnius?
3. The gift of MS Office?
4. The promotion of translations and the ELDONA theses?"

Our congregation does not try to snag or keep people. We encourage others to speak out for sound doctrine.

The Post Referenced Directly Below - Posted for Your Convenience Here

From: Brett Meyer <pygmypoacher@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Nov 30, 2012 at 6:19 PM
Subject: Re: [Intrepid Lutherans] New comment on Christian Charity and Provisions for Amiable Separ....
To: Intrepid Lutherans <intrepidlutherans@gmail.com>

Thank you for your response and explanation Mr. Lindee.  It is difficult to be objective about the situation when you don't know what I wrote.  In fact it was simply the Scriptural extrapolation of what Daniel Baker stated in the second most recent post - to the effect that Universal Justification is a heresy.  Does IL disagree that teaching a heretical gospel removes the individual from Christ, the forgiveness of sins and salvation?  General Justification does exactly that as DP Buchholz clearly showed - those who teach Justification solely By Faith Alone are heretics and anathema in the (W)ELS.  Am I really breaking new ground by stating that as a fact?

Five years ago I began discussing the doctrine of Justification with Lutheran laity and clergy online and in my personal life and the most common thread of thought was that the differences between JBFA and UOJ were insignificant, despite my contention to the contrary.  A few weeks ago my contention was proven correct in a most vile and violent way in an open and public attack on Christ and His Church from within the (W)ELS.  Since the doctrine of General Justification has no Scriptural or Confessional support can it not be said that those who truly believe and confess it, to the point of excommunicating those who reject it, are not of Christ and therefore are not forgiven of their sin or eternally saved?  Is the preaching of God's Law restricted to the clergy as in the RCC or was it given to the priesthood of all believers?

You state, "I'm not convinced that any of these men, having an honest disagreement with you over the central message of Scripture, are offended to the point of literally hating you for any of these reasons."

Since we're talking about complete disagreement concerning the central doctrine of Scripture: Justification I disagree with your statement and refer to John 7:7, "The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil."  Your statement implies that someone can teach a false gospel and not be affected to the point of hating by teaching contrary to the Triune God.  I am directly stating that I am correct in my confession of the doctrine of Justification and in the identification of those teachings that depart from it.  I have defended it from Scripture and the Confessions and have shown where the contrary teachings have contradicted both. 

I must disagree with your contention that I've condemned specific individuals to Hell.  That accusation is unfounded.  My public and private statements have always tied a specific confession to its Scriptural conclusion and not an individual as though I've decreed who is damned and who is saved.  There is a significant portion of the Lutheran Synod's slide into apostasy which is averse to absolutes.  I can no longer count the number of Lutheran's who disagree that those individuals in the Catholic church who truly confess and believe exactly what the RCC officially teaches stand condemned and under the wrath of God.  This is the same knee-jerk reaction that spawns the claim that I am condemning individuals to Hell.  You should ask them to prove it by providing my quotes. That being said,  I certainly hope that you are not saying that we cannot condemn confessions of belief that oppose the central doctrine of Scripture.

You state, "To be engaged in honestly, both parties need to display a willingness to be corrected."  I don't think I've ever engaged in a doctrinal discussion where the opposing view was not allowed to establish their contentions.  But if a Christian is defending verbatim quotations of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions how could there be a show of correctability?  In a discussion of subjective opinions, then yes, I agree completely.  But in regard to Scripture and the Confessions I disagree.  It is also typical of those who are teaching from authority that is not of Scripture to cry foul and claim their opponent is not willing to be corrected.  Was this same tactic not used against Pastor Rydecki?  You simply need to read the Bailing Water, LutherQuest and Extra Nos discussions concerning UOJ to see that I have been uterly patient and consistent in my defense of Scriptural and Confessional Justification while suffering the ad hominem and personal attacks so prevalent with UOJists.

I do appreciate the time you gave me in writing such a thorough response I find most of it to be driven by the opinions of third parities of which you received only their side of the story.  And considering the fact that most if not all of them have a long history of teaching and defending the false gospel of Universal Justification is it any wonder that they would "hate" me for publicly opposing their central doctrine?  Pr. Rydecki was just excommunicated by those men and women.  There are only a handful of men in the world (LITERALLY) who are publicly opposing the faith destroying false gospel of UOJ and IL chooses to reprimand me for being contentious to the point of people hating me.  Can there be enough opposition to that doctrine when your own IL founder has been excommunicated for opposing it?  And again, I have consistently condemned the doctrine and not the individuals. 

The problem Pastor Spencer has with me has been clearly taken to the point of utter childishness.  To remove one of my comments for the sole reason it was written by me, without regard to its veracity and faithfulness to Scripture is a practice that should be relegated to school yards and not theological blogs.  I'm offended that you recommend I apologize to Rev. Spencer when you don't even know what I'm being asked to apologize for.   That he would justify his deletions of my comments with the reason that I've offended him without explaining to the rest of the IL management what that justification entails is absurd.   I publicly contended against his public promotion of UOJ on the IL blog by posting a public statement against such promotion on Ichabod.  He complained to Pastor Jackson to which I replied and we exchanged two brief emails.  Neither of which contained any false accusations or false teachings and to which I cannot apologize.  (attached email files). 

You state, "Second, referring to those with whom you find yourself in disagreement as hell-bound reprobates, proclaiming them to be under Satan's dominion, declaring them the Gospel's enemy, or condemning them to an eternity of suffering in the torments of hell, simply will not be tolerated by us -- we can't tolerate such comments from anyone. And frankly, I'd suggest that you cease commenting on the internet like this in general."  I find this statement to completely disregard the specific doctrine at issue (Justification) which if one confesses faithfully to Scripture he is a Christian, receives the adoption of Sons, forgiven of all sin and saved eternally and which if one confesses contrary to Scripture he is not a Christian and remains under God's wrath and condemnation.  You may wish to boil the issue down to "those with whom you find yourself in disagreement" but it is wholly unfair, a false statement and slanderous.

In Christ,

Brett Meyer

***

GJ - I recall, since I got emails from Brett and Steve Spencer, that the issue was this - Brett saying UOJ was a minor or superficial matter was worse than Hochmuth's crime against children.

Spencer was extremely upset about that, even though that is precisely Luther's point about sins against the First Table. As Luther wrote, carnal sins harm the sinner (Hochmuth) but false doctrine murders souls. 

To cap the discussion, Spencer solemnly declared--about UOJ versus justification by faith--"a pox on both your houses."

In Shakespeare, a pox is syphilis. Spencer's prayer means - I hope you get syphilis. That may be Shakespearean, even Waltherian (given the STD of Bishop Stephan). 

I was extremely disappointed about this attitude of the Circuit Pastor and titular head of the Intrepid Lutherans. Indifference about the Chief Article of the Christian Faith makes me wonder, "Why be a pastor? To defend Holy Mother WELS? To get a classmate into the synod presidency?"

---

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Brett Meyer to the Intrepid Lutherans":

My exact statement to Pastor Spencer was, "If you won’t take a public stand against UOJ in the (W)ELS as your call requires of you then you’re no better than Hochmuth in the ongoing spiritual abuse of the laity you are responsible for."

The comparison is between WELS Communication's director Hochmuth sitting in Synod Headquarters watching young boys being homosexually raped and molested (specific charges by the United States FBI) and Lutheran clergy who have taken an oath before God to purely teach and defend Scripture and in accordance with the faithful Christian Book of Concord but instead sit silently by and refuse to publicly condemn the false gospel of Universal Objective Justification (UOJ) as their call requires. UOJ being a new and different gospel and way to righteousness before God which when truly confessed separates men, women and children from Christ, the forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation - Galatians 1. Those who knowingly sit by and watch silently as the sheep are slaughtered are called hirelings in the Bible. That was true in the Apostle John's day as it is in ours - John 10:12-13.

As to Doug Lindee's contention, "Doctrinal discussion/debate between parties with opposing views amounts to mutual admonition and correction. To be engaged in honestly, both parties need to display a willingness to be corrected,..." - I quote Martin Luther:

"Therefore, do not speak to me of love or friendship when anything is to be detracted from the Word or the faith; for we are told that not love but the Word brings eternal life, God's grace, and all heavenly treasures." 19 " In matters concerning faith we must be invincible, unbending, and very stubborn; indeed, if possible, harder than adamant. But in matters concerning love we should be softer and more pliant than any reed and leaf and should gladly accommodate ourselves to everything." 20 "Doctrine is our only light. It alone enlightens and directs us and shows us the way to heaven. If it is shaken in one quarter (in una parte), it will necessarily be shaken in its entirety (in totum). Where that happens, love cannot help us at all." 21 " But this tender mercy is to be exercised only toward Christians and among Christians, for toward those who reject and persecute the Gospel we must act differently; here I am not permitted to let my love be merciful so as to tolerate and endure false doctrine. When faith and doctrine are concerned and endangered, neither love nor patience are in order. Then it is my duty to contend in earnest and not to yield a hairbreadth." What Luther Says, II, 637f.

"However, if anything is undertaken against the Word, faith, and the honor of God, we are in no wise to preserve silence, are to bear it far less patiently. Then we should offer stubborn resistance."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1308. Sermon, 1523.

Paul McCain's Advice to the Intrepid Lutherans in 2013 - An Ever-Flowing Stygian Stream of Sophism. Banned from His Third Blog

Paul McCain said...

Just one more suggestion, if I may.

I'd suggest doing all you can possibly do to put as much distance between yourself and that wacko Greg Jackson as humanly possible. [GJ - Editor McCain repeats himself.]

I urged Pastor Rydecki to do so, but he remained very silent, which I found more than a bit disturbing. [GJ - Very silent? Is that more silent than silent?]

It's one thing to stand up for what you think is truth, but quite another sort of total foolishness to allow your church body to be trashed in such reckless, and frankly, psychotic fashion, by Jackson, a man who is championing "your cause" as he sees it.  [GJ - Whose mental health was challenged by a moderate, irenic discussion blog? McCain's.]

FWIW.

---

JANUARY 17, 2013 AT 3:03 PM

Intrepid Lutherans said...

Dear Rev. McCain,

Your ad hominem attack and personal insult against Greg Jackson is irrelevant, unchristian and out of place, especially here where we have made it clear that such personal attacks are unwelcome.

You may consider yourself banned from making further comments on Intrepid Lutherans.

JANUARY 17, 2013 AT 3:59 PM

***

GJ - From a man who said he did not "have a spoon in that soup," McCain seems to be double-dipping. Shocking too is his obvious devotion to my blog. I admit that I only read Cyberplagiarist when I need something to remind me how bad things really are.

He must read Ichabod a lot, but he is not clear about what bothers him.

Paul McCain has been banned from LutherQuest, ALPB's Online Forum, and now the Intrepid Lutherans.

The strangest part of this is my obvious distance from the Intrepid Lutherans. I have no role in its management, no suggestions for anything they cover. I do not link them on my blog.

Meanwhile, McCain pops up on various forums and tells people they cannot link Ichabod, etc. I heard that happened at least once on Steadfast (sic) Lutherans (sic). I only read those if someone gives me a link to a post differing from the predictable instant mashed potatoes rah rah for Holy Mother Synod and its infallible ruler.

I would define a psychotic as someone who puts "The Word of God Remains Forever" on his pistolero collection and teaches against the Scriptures, full-time.

I teach at three institutions of higher learning, including graduate school. They frown on employing psychotics.

Sadly, McCain cannot teach at a college or university. He is not qualified. His writing and editing skills are on display every time he posts something original, such as the incoherent rant above.

---

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Paul McCain Banned from Another Website - Three So...":

Some folks feel the need to be the resident smart aleck. They always have to get the last word in and enjoy lording themselves over others. It reminds me of the phrase "seagull manager". It refers to one who swoops in, makes a lot of noise and leaves behind a big mess for others to clean up. 

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Adolph Hoenecke has left a new comment on your post "Paul McCain Banned from Another Website - Three So...":

Does anyone know the record for number of blogs from which one individual has been banned? 

***

GJ - Doubtless being banned from four (4) is an enviable record - if someone wants to envy No Call Paul.

---

On Extra Nos - Dr. Lito Cruz' Blog

http://extranos.blogspot.com/2010/07/needing-philanthropic-help.html

Paul McCain said...

Mr. Jackson is a sad and pathetic character. I believe he suffers from some serious emotional conditions about which we can only but feel a lot of pity.


I've learned over the years that personalities like Mr. Jackson thrive on attention, and so desperate and hungry for it that they will do anything they possibly can to be noticed, recognized and given the kind of respect they think they deserve.


Mr. Jackson has moved from Lutheran church to Lutheran church, bouncing from one to another and another and then yet another.


He is now reduced to a fake house/bedroom church and feels a need to lash out and any all real/imagined errors.


His anger and bittnerness oozes out of his every post.




The only thing to do with people like Mr. Jackson is forgive them, and commend them to God's grace and then simply ignore them.


By the way, at its latest convention The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod specifically named and commended "Concordia :The Lutheran Confessions" and recommended it be the edition of the Lutheran Confessions read and studied by the congregations and members of the Synod.

Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 2:26:00 AM GMT+10


Brett Meyer said...

Rev. McCain, you recommend ignoring people like Pastor Jackson as you characterize him but yet you don't do it yourself.

I take issue with your false claim that Bethany Lutheran is not a church, that those who have called Pastor Jackson to be their Public Minister of the Word are not able to have done so and neither was it effective.

Also, what is the error in lashing out, exposing, real errors? To condemn such appropriate actions to the benefit of anyone who will listen and apply the Word and Confessions is to expose yourself. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 3:27:00 AM GMT+10

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I found out the last ELDONUT conference had a theme - "How Much Do We Hate Ichabod - Let Us Count the Ways."

Dealing with Lutherans is always an experience in irony. In this case, it is dramatic irony, in which the characters do not get it, but the audience does. The characters betray the truth by their words and actions - unknowingly.

In this case, the ELDONUTS Rydecki and Heiser shared a Facebook post about presidential candidates, in which I had a few gentle words posted about the voters making the difference in the long run. Heiser solemnly declared, "It doesn't take long for the crazy to come out." Strange they had so much time to discuss someone who was not there. Soon after Rydecki whined that I unfriended him on Facebook. I asked him directly via IM about the conference and he claimed falsely that nothing happened. He was part of it, perhaps not throwing stones, but happy to hold the cloaks.

The most ironic claim was this one - "Jackson does not work with others."

Sixteen years ago I was publishing Thy Strong Word, which Heiser chose to sell from his website.

I spoke at his church, and Hudson and Ahonen were there. Heiser and his church were LCMS. During this period of time Heiser and I spent many hours on the phone, mostly with him calling. We often discussed publishing, which printing company to use, prices, Paul McCain, and so forth. We also discussed the process of leaving a synod, since I was independent for some years already.

No ELDONA existed, except in the mind of Heiser. I found his nascent website during my Internet searching. So he formed his little group and named himself bishop in 2006.

Somehow ELDONA existed without Justification by Faith for many years, although Heiser saw the flaws in Objective Justification in 2000.

Spencer, below, and Rydecki, above, were both circuit pastors at the
first and last Intrepids Conference.
WELS broke up the group that Schroeder wanted to organize.
Spencer was the first Intrepid to bail out - another irony.

Meanwhile in WELS

WELS Pastor Steve Spencer asked me about how to form a group to support Synod President Mark Schroeder. They are classmates, hence blood-brothers. Schroeder claimed "the others" were out-organizing him, and way ahead. Those were the Church and Changers, whom Schroeder has backed 100%.

My idea, not to back Schroeder, but to air out the musty halls of WELS, was to have a group blog. We did that in the graduate classes I taught in education. An exchange of ideas would be good. Spencer asked me to nominate people who would be good to participate, so I named quite a few people who wrote intelligent comments on Ichabod.

In 2010, Spencer had corporate papers and set up what he called The Intrepid Lutherans - another irony in my narrative. Among the most prominent participants were Vernon Knepprath, Paul Rydecki, and Doug Lindee. Doug wrote often on Ichabod and recently had a new post on the Intrepids blogs.

Brett Meyer - our Bethany member, lived near the Emmaus Conference and attended one where we had lots of publications to give away. Brett spoke with Vernon, as I recall, and sat with Rydecki. Everyone got a few copy of my latest book on Justification by Faith. Jay Webber hid behind a pillar to motion Rydecki to speak with him or go to lunch with him. More irony.

Rydecki first disagree with me about Justification by Faith - in the Intrepids blog. In fact, Spencer used Rydecki's position to argue against me. That was a false use of appealing to authority; there is only one authority - the Word.

But the free exchanges on the group blog led to airing out the issues about Justification by Faith, the horrid NIV, and other issues. Rydecki began arguing against Objective Justification.

Note - I was asked a few opinions at the beginning, and I made it clear I would not be part of their leadership in any way. Once they asked my position on Justification and I posted that. But I always promoted their posts and gave them a lot of visibility.

I spent many hours back and forth with Rydecki, discussing the doctrinal issues and also the topic of leaving WELS. When he joined ELDONA, I thought that would be interesting, given all the UOJ ballast in the group:

• Stefanski, who signed one of his famous UOJ tirades "an unbeliever."
• The Rolf Synod, almost as fanatical as Stefanski.

But it seems Justification by Faith entered ELDONA through Vernon Knepprath and Paul Rydecki. The Rolf Synod abandoned its fellowship with ELDONA with great bitterness and threw themselves on the mercy of the ELS, begging that the terms of reconciliation might be merciful. Jay Webber helped, of course. 

So articles on Justification by Faith were posted by ELDONA in 2014 and they argued against the Objective Justification of the Rolf Synod. So Heiser and his ELDONUTS  were content with Objective Justification for at least 14 years, in spite of Heiser's obvious alarm about what it really meant. Not Objective Justification as the Atonement - no, that was wrong by definition. The entire world was already forgiven and saved in the reckless language of UOJ.

Through our little church - and the blog no one reads - these ELDONA members were influenced by the Word of God to agree with St. Paul, Luther, Melanchthon, Chemnitz, and Gerhard about Justification by Faith:

1. Bishop Heiser Hisself.
2. Pastor Paul Rydecki.
3. Layman Doug Lindee.
4. Layman Vernon Knepprath.

 When we were in Washington State for the wedding, Brett's wife told me how she worked with Vernon on the study of WELS worship practices.

So I really think the ELDONUTS should stop muttering against those who have been very friendly with them, happy to broadcast their message. They would have more friends if they treated them better.

Bishop James Milhouse Heiser, STM