Follow Up on Hunnius - The Righteousness of Faith

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Hunnius Has an Excellent Summary of the Pre-Existe...":

I cannot recommend enough the follow-up Hunnius translation to Rydecki's Theses Opposed to Huberianism which is called "A Clear Explanation Of The Controversy Among The Wittenberg Theologians Concerning Regeneration And Election: (subtitled: With a refutation of the arguments that Dr. Samuel Huber has thus far brought into the midst of Dr. Aegidius Hunnius, Polycarp Leyser, Solomon Gesner, etc., in defense of his opinion.)

It utterly destroys the prevalent contention that the false gospel Samuel Huber taught in his rationalist doctrine of UOJ is different than the false gospel of UOJ being taught by Rev. Boisclair and the Seventh Day Adventists, New Age Religion, ELCA, LCMS, WELS and ELS.

The double mindedness which the doctrine of UOJ imposes upon the Triune God is enough to label it a heresy worthy of the final days of a wicked world.

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Christian Schulz has left a new comment on your post "Follow Up on Hunnius":

What I find telling/disturbing is that if anyone has been in a debate with UOJers and you cite numerous passages of Scripture and the Fathers to them about how there is only one justification that happens by the gift of faith, they'll always cite their devilish, philosophical, man-made dichotomy just as Huber did, that, "well, they're only talking about subjective justification." Well, the fact of the matter is that all the Fathers talk about a subjective justification because that's the only justification of the sinner that exists. Here's how Huber did the same thing; and I think we can all honestly agree that he logically pulled the same stuff with his universal justification despite that this quote deals only with his universal election. Surely Hunnius quoted JBFA passages and got the same response, don't you think -- especially for those involved in these debates? Hunnius as follows: "Among his fallacies also this: whenever the saying either of Scripture or the Church oppose him -- when they teach that predestination pertains only to those who persevere and remain believers in the Son toil to the end --, his [Huber's] immediate response is usually that 'those sayings only have to do with individual election and do not, for that reason, overturn the universal election.'"

I mean really, these translations, to a normal person, is evidence mounting higher and higher against the UOJ position. I've still never seen their claim that Huber was [not] a Universalist backed up with evidence other than their own testimonies from thin air. They roar about that all the time in an attempt to separate their teachings, but the only people with evidence on the Huber - Lutheran debate are JBFA people. Their (UOJ adherents) only argument is from majority consensus (majority as far as alive people in charge of the synods go) just as the papists had in the Reformation.

Our congregation just finished a study of Luther's Commentary on Galatians,
and Galatians itself.
Now we are on Romans, using Luther's Romans Commentary.
The UOJ Hive quotes Walther and Becker - it is to laugh.

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GJ - I supplied a missing [not] above.

Pastor Ski and WELS Fox Valley - The CORE Non-Updates

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Baby Blue Eyes wrote to ask:

"Where is Ski? What is happening with The CORE?"

Answer -

A campaign of disinformation has been launched. One version has DP Doug suspending Pastor Ski for six months without telling the congregation why. He has a new form of suspension, where one pastor is given a six-month vacation and brought back, with the same divine call.

DPs lie to congregations all the time. Bob Mueller in Michigan lied about his VP leaving the parish (for adultery, not "depression"). Good ol' Bob lied to the congregation, lied to the man's wife, and lied to the district. That is considered a good month's work in WELS.

The COP is supposedly confused by a non-suspension suspension. They are famous for extending the Left Foot of Fellowship, in public, for great justice. But this is a yo-yo suspension.

The real congregation is St. Peter in Freedom, where Ron Ash was the pastor while chairing Jeske's Church and Change. Ski was on the board of Church and Change, which will meet again in the area in the disguise of Jeske's Men of His Word.

Ski has been on and off the staff list at St. Peter Freedom. Someone saw him on it before, on the St. Peter website. I never did, but I saw him as a staffer in the WELS yearbook listing for St. Peter.

Ski is listed in the yearbook on the WELS.net site. If a pastor is suspended, it should be posted on the WELS call report page. But his name is not there.

The CORE has an Easter service, and people are expected to dress up for once. But who is preaching?

Ski is still on the animation starting The CORE's website, but no news is listed.

The irony is that SP Schroeder and Keith Free lavishly funded The CORE when all this ______ was known for years.

Is anyone minding the store?

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Adolph Hoenecke has left a new comment on your post "Pastor Ski and WELS Fox Valley - The CORE Non-Upda...":

I had a dream/nightmare last night in which Pastor Ski came to my congregation to preach. Unfortunately, the Lord did not grant me a vision concerning the reason for Ski's suspension/non-suspension,life-coaching/paid vacation. I have got to stop eating those (insert favorite forbidden food) before bed!

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GJ -


I dreamed a dream in WELS gone by
When funds were high
And beer worth drinking.
I dreamed that grants would never die
I dreamed UOJ without thinking.
Then I was young and unafraid,
And sermons stole and and used and wasted,
There was no ransom to be paid,
No song unsung, no brew untasted.

But the lawsuits come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your CORE apart
As they turn your dream to shame.

Lunch is served.

Cardinals open papal conclave at Sistine Chapel; no pope selected on first day - The Washington Post

Cardinals open papal conclave at Sistine Chapel; no pope selected on first day - The Washington Post:

"But no single candidate has clearly claimed that title here. Instead, the focus was on a small group of papabili, or possible popes, including Cardinals Angelo Scola of Italy, Odilio Scherer of Brazil and Marc Ouellet of Canada.

Other possibilities are Cardinals Timothy Dolan of New York and Sean O’Malley of Boston, either of whom, if elected, would emerge as the first “superpower” pope. Argentina’s Jose Bergoglio, the Philippines’ Luis Antonio Tagle and Italy’s Angelo Bagnasco are among the cardinals listed as long shots."

'via Blog this'

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bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Cardinals open papal conclave at Sistine Chapel; n...":

Front runner to be the next pope, and confidant of ex-Pope Benedict, Scola of Milan, has plenty of links to the mafia:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/12/cardinals-overcome-divisions-conclave-pope

But even as preparations for the mass were being made, Cardinal Angelo Scola, the archbishop of Milan – and reportedly the hot favourite to be the next pope – suffered a blow.

Anti-mafia detectives swooped on homes, offices, clinics and hospitals in Lombardy, the region around Milan, and elsewhere. A statement said the dawn raids were part of an investigation into "corruption linked to tenders by, and supplies to, hospitals".

Healthcare in Lombardy is the principal responsibility of the regional administration, which for the past 18 years has been run by Roberto Formigoni, a childhood friend of Scola and the leading political representative of the Communion and Liberation fellowship. Until recently, Scola was seen as the conservative group's most distinguished ecclesiastical spokesman.

But Scola's candidacy has been overshadowed by his past links to a movement that has been linked with pervasive sleaze in Lombardy. By the time Formigoni dissolved the regional assembly last year, 13 members of the governing majority were under investigation, suspected of offences ranging from taking bribes to incitement to violence.

Thoughts on the Catholic Church | Churchmouse Campanologist. Worthwhile Reflectins about the Catholic Church and the Pope

The Antichrist and the Archbishop of Canterbury are leaders of apostasy.

Thoughts on the Catholic Church | Churchmouse Campanologist:

This ties in with the ideas behind la nouvelle théologie: dogma changes over time and old tenets of the faith, even scriptural teachings, can be discarded.

Indeed, Benedict XVI helped to develop the changes which emanated from Vatican II:

Ratzinger became a professor at the University of Bonn in 1959; his inaugural lecture was on “The God of Faith and the God of Philosophy”. In 1963, he moved to the University of Münster.

During this period, Ratzinger participated in the Second Vatican Council (1962–65). Ratzinger served as a peritus (theological consultant) to Cardinal Frings of Cologne. He was viewed during the time of the Council as a reformer, cooperating with theologians like Hans Küng and Edward Schillebeeckx. Ratzinger became an admirer of Karl Rahner, a well-known academic theologian of the Nouvelle Théologie and a proponent of church reform.

Read more here.

'via Blog this'

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GJ - This article deserves a careful reading, because it comes from a former Roman Catholic, now a Protestant, who has experienced the changes and studied the background of Pope Benedict.

News from The Associated Press. Celebrity Predator Could Have Been Stopped Early - Just Like WELS Hochmuth and LCMS Schauer

Someone knew about WELS Joel Hochmuth, because he was caught before.
He was even caught when on work release, after being convicted.

Convicted sexual predator? No problem for LCMS.
They made him a lay pastor, then wiped out the discussion of how it happened.
Destroying evidence is LCMS policy.

News from The Associated Press:

LONDON (AP) -- An independent report into how British police handled allegations against disgraced late BBC entertainer Jimmy Savile said Tuesday that police held records that connected him to sexual abuse as early as 1964, but failed to carry out an investigation.

Jimmy Savile, was early on, a friend of the
homosexual priest who became Britain's only cardinal.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, an independent police oversight group, found that police recorded five allegations and two pieces of intelligence against Savile during his lifetime.

Once one of Britain's most popular entertainers, Savile's reputation took a dive after his death in 2011 at age 84, when hundreds of witnesses and victims came forward accusing him of sexual abuse. Police have since described the television and radio presenter as a serial sexual predator who used his fame to target young victims across Britain.

Tuesday's report suggested that Savile could have been stopped decades ago.

'via Blog this'

Paul Scaer, LCMS pastor, died of AIDS.
If a victim tries to sue the LCMS, the machine goes into action.

VirtueOnline - News.WELS Spares the Paddle for Felonies, Alcoholism, and Sexual Harrassment

VirtueOnline - News:

The Episcopal Church's Tyranny and Thought Control over Filed Amicus Briefs

News Analysis

By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org 
March 11, 2013

The Episcopal Church has embraced tyranny and thought control when it charges certain Episcopal bishops with filing amicus briefs supporting former Episcopal bishops who still defend the faith and who refuse to bow to TEC's pansexual agenda.

Recently, following a January conciliation meeting concerning complaints involving the Episcopal Dioceses of Fort Worth and Quincy, nine bishops were held in contempt and threatened according to Canon IV.10. This could have led to their being dismissed from the Episcopal Church.

This past week an Accord was struck wherein the nine bishops, four of whom are sitting bishops (five had resigned), agreed to a sound thrashing from Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori but fell short of being inhibited and deposed for their actions. They were not allowed to express an opinion on the polity of TEC and they were punished for signing a brief she did not like.

The nine are:

The Rt. Rev. John W. Howe (resigned, Diocese of Central Florida) 
The Rt. Rev. Paul E. Lambert (suffragan, Diocese of Dallas) 
The Rt. Rev. William H. Love (diocesan, Diocese of Albany) 
The Rt. Rev. D. Bruce MacPherson (resigned, Diocese of W. Louisiana) 
The Rt. Rev. Daniel H. Martins (diocesan, Diocese of Springfield) 
The Rt. Rev. James M. Stanton (diocesan, Diocese of Dallas) 
The Rt. Rev. Maurice M. Benitez (resigned, Diocese of Texas)
The Rt. Rev. Peter Beckwith (resigned, Diocese of Springfield)
The Rt. Rev. Edward L. Salmon (resigned, Diocese of South Carolina)

The Presiding Bishop demanded and got (through conciliation) terms which "promoted healing, repentance, forgiveness, restitution, justice, amendment of life and reconciliation." 

The nine orthodox bishops committed the ecclesiastical "sin" of filing amicus briefs supporting continuing Episcopal Dioceses in Ft. Worth and Quincy in their struggle over property and funds lawsuits.

The nine bishops agreed to express regret for any harm to the bishops, clergy and laity of the Dioceses of Fort Worth and Quincy resulting from their acts; agreed not to file or endorse any further amicus brief or affidavit in litigation outside of their respective dioceses and against the legal position of The Episcopal Church until the General Convention formally addresses this conduct, either by amendment to the Constitution and/or canons or by formal resolution; and to act in accordance with the action of the General Convention.

They also agreed to acknowledge that the 2009 Bishops' Statement on the Polity of the Episcopal Church is a minority opinion.

VOL was told by one of the nine bishops that while the Accord looks like they caved in to TEC in the face of the "conciliation" process and repented of what they had done, it was done to avoid causing any more harm to the four sitting diocesan bishops who have to go on living with Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori and risk their future and those to whom they must minister. Had all the bishops been out of office, resigned or retired, the outcome might have been different, VOL was told.

The Episcopal Church has a double standard on who is being charged with what and by whom. When Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan was summarily dismissed from the Episcopal Church for his stand against the church's increasing immoral positions, a ruckus was raised that he had been fired without due process of a trial. To maintain the appearance of complying with canon law, Jefferts Schori then held a trial and declared him guilty. It was something right out of Alice in Wonderland; guilty first, then have a trial.

But that is by no means the worst case.

In January of 2002, twenty-six ECUSA bishops filed an Amici Brief supporting then Washington Bishop Jane Dixon in a legal clash with the vestry and rector Fr. Sam Edwards of Christ Church in Accokeek, Md.

It was a line up ECUSA's most liberal and corporatist bishops that included The Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Bishop of the Diocese of Nevada.

It was the beginning of open warfare amongst bishops in The Episcopal Church that continues to this day.

Two orthodox bishops, Jack Iker (Fort Worth) and Robert Duncan (Pittsburgh), signed an amicus brief in support of Fr. Samuel Edwards against Jane Dixon in her ongoing struggle to take back the parish and put one of her own postmodern priests in charge.

The 4th Circuit Court ordered the filing of the amicus brief by Bishops Iker and Duncan despite vigorous opposition by Jane Dixon, Suffragan Bishop of Washington.

The parish vigorously defended its right to call whom they wish, with Dixon vigorously fighting not to let them keep Fr. Edwards because of statements accusing the ECUSA of being the "unchurch" and "hell-bound." (Edwards later joined the Roman Catholic Church through the Ordinariate).

The bishops argued that The District Court determined that the Episcopal Church is a hierarchical polity and ordered that the Court accept and enforce Bishop Dixon's decision not to license Fr. Edwards as rector of St. John's Parish. They further said that the Court should not accept Amici's invitation to review Episcopal Church authorities' interpretation and application of Episcopal Church law. The bishops cited case law, scripture and canons of General Convention.

The 26 liberal bishops submitted their brief in response to arguments presented by the two orthodox bishops because they said their position would "undermine and drastically alter the authority and the role of bishops in the Episcopal Church." The bishops say that Dixon had acted within her authority in refusing to license Edwards as rector of the parish.

An Episcopal Church Review Committee concluded unanimously that Bishop Dixon had acted reasonably and did not commit an offense against the Canon law of the Church.

Bishops Iker and Duncan argued that Bishop Dixon violated the canons of the church, but a disciplinary Review Committee of the Episcopal Church cleared Bishop Dixon of all alleged wrongdoing.

Then Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold stated his support for Bishop Dixon's decision. Griswold publicly accused Edwards of being schismatic but without benefit of due process required by canon.

Bishops Iker and Duncan argued that the District Court erred in not adopting their interpretation of the "thirty day rule" of Canon III.17.2, claiming that the interpretation of Bishop Dixon and other Church authorities is "not rational."

Ironically, neither Iker nor Duncan was brought up on charges for filing an amicus brief in support of Edwards.

By filing charges against and by tightening the screws on the nine orthodox Episcopal bishops this year, the Episcopal Church demonstrated that they hope to cower any future opposition.

A new twist was using a new canon passed at the last General Convention that allows not just bishops but clergy and laity to go after a bishop(s) on any frivolous grounds. In this case, only one bishop, C. Wallis Ohl (rump bishop of Ft. Worth), was a complainant, six were priests and three were laity.

A number of bloggers described the behavior of these people as "totalitarian" and described Jefferts Schori's leadership as a "sociopathic reign of terror." One layman who knew Ohl well when he was the Bishop of Northwest Texas said, "Wallace Ohl has a history of self-service and self-aggrandizement at the expense of others. In his last parish he left the congregation deeply in debt after having propped up the place to make himself look successful so he could become a bishop. He totally betrayed his diocese theologically and was a total ass to people who disagreed with him. He lied to his fellow bishops about standing with them against their apostate leadership, and now he goes after these very bishops with a vengeance because they challenged his betrayal."

It is ironic that the Episcopal Church in June 2012 hammered bishops Bruce MacPherson, Ed Salmon and Peter Beckwith bringing disciplinary proceedings against the three bishops of the Episcopal Church under the provisions of Title IV for filing an affidavit in the Quincy lawsuit, yet the paperwork in the Bishop Charles vonRosenberg federal motion against Bishop Mark Lawrence, reveals that bishops John Buchanan and Dorsey Henderson filed a similar affidavit in support of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina. Will bishops Buchanan and Henderson now be brought to account? Don't count on it.

What we clearly have is two sets of rules running here. If a TEC bishop files in support of a realigned diocese, he gets hammered, but if a TEC bishop files in support of TEC he gets a pass.

The hypocrisy stinks to high heaven. But then many now believe that there is little hope the Episcopal Church can or has any desire to be turned around. One must look to a realigned North American Anglicanism to provide hope for those who wish to be authentically Anglican.

The Anglican Church in North America recently announced that it was well on the way to establishing 1,000 new churches in the US and Canada.

END

'via Blog this'

Hunnius Has an Excellent Summary of the Pre-Existence of UOJ - "Nope!"

"There are a great many sermons on the justification of men before God in our published writings -- in the Augsburg Confession, the Apology, the Smalcald Articles, in both Catechisms of Luther, in the Epitome and the Formula of Concord -- indeed, in the entire controversy with the papists that has gone on now for more than 70 years. But regarding this general justification by which all men were supposedly justified at some time, received into the embrace of divine grace, adopted, with sin having been forgiven to all men equally -- truly, properly and by the deed itself -- of this, I say, in all of these published writings and in all of Holy Scripture, there is nothing but eternal silence." -- Aegidius Hunnius (c. 1594)
Cited by Christian Schulz

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David Boisclair has left a new comment on your post "Hunnius Has an Excellent Summary of the Pre-Existe...":

Hunnius here is not speaking of what we believe, teach, and confess in the Lutheran synods that formerly constituted the Synodical Conference. He is speaking here about Huberianism, which is something totally different. Our doctrine is the same as that of Aegidius Hunnius. Notice that Hunnius is speaking here of the receipt and adoption by divine grace. For lack of a better label this is the heresy of Universal Subjective Justification. 

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David Boisclair has left a new comment on your post "Hunnius Has an Excellent Summary of the Pre-Existe...":

Correction: "Notice that Hunnius is speaking here of the receipt of and adoption by divine grace." Please excuse the omission of the preposition "of" after the posted word "receipt." 

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LPC has left a new comment on your post "Hunnius Has an Excellent Summary of the Pre-Existe...":

Yes and he is speaking also of sin having been forgiven to all men equally.

Like I said Rev. Boisclair, you focus too much on where you think you differ and there you comfort yourself, you should be bothered where your (UOJ) is similar to Huber.

That bit of having all sins forgiven to all men equally is something your UOJ shares with Huber.

LPC 

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GJ - The UOJ Storm-Brownies specialize in distinctions without a difference.

BBC News - 10 things about the conclave.Electioneering Goes On, Just Like WELS, LCMS, and ELS

BBC News - 10 things about the conclave:

10 things about the conclave

Continue reading the main story

In today's Magazine

• Marwa's story: 10 years since the bomb fell
• Canberra: Deathly dull at 100?
• Affection for Britain brews in Germany
• Wolfing down Singapore's wobbliest cake

The cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church are gathering to elect a new pope. At some point, white smoke billowing from the Sistine Chapel will show that a decision has been made. But what goes on behind the closed doors before the smoke appears? Here are 10 lesser-known facts about the conclave.

1. It's a lock-in. Conclave comes from the Latin "cum-clave" meaning literally "with key" - the cardinal-electors will be locked in the Sistine Chapel each day until Benedict XVI's successor is chosen. The tradition dates back to 1268, when after nearly three years of deliberation the cardinals had still not agreed on a new pope, prompting the people of Rome to hurry things up by locking them up and cutting their rations. Duly elected, the new pope, Gregory X, ruled that in future cardinals should be sequestered from the start of the conclave.

2. Spying is tricky. During the conclave they are allowed no contact with the outside the world - no papers, no TV, no phones, no Twitter. And the world is allowed no contact with them. The threat of excommunication hangs over any cardinal who breaks the rules.

Before the conclave starts, the Sistine Chapel is swept for recording equipment and hidden cameras. It is a myth that a fake floor is laid to cater for anti-bugging devices... Anti-bugging devices are used, and the floor is raised, but only to protect the marble mosaic floor.

3. Portable loos play an essential role. Until 2005, the cardinals endured Spartan conditions in makeshift "cells" close to the Sistine Chapel. They slept on hard beds and were issued with chamber pots. Pope John Paul II changed that with the construction of a five-storey 130-room guest house near St Peter's - Domus Sanctae Marthae (St Martha's House). But cardinals still have to rough it while voting. In an interview with the Catholic News Service last week, Antonio Paolucci, the director of the Vatican Museum said: "I believe they may be installing portable chemical toilets inside the chapel."

One of the world's better furnished polling stations

4. An "interregnum" is ending. The pontificate used to be known as a "reign" - hence the period between two popes being called an interregnum ("between reigns"). Many of the regal trappings of the papacy were set aside by Pope Paul VI, who began his pontificate in 1963 with a coronation, but never wore the beehive-shaped papal tiara again.

The last coronation, in 1963 - and the last outing of the crown

5. Counted votes are sewn up. The cardinals hold one vote on day one and then two each morning and afternoon until a candidate wins a two-thirds majority. Each writes his choice on a slip of paper, in disguised handwriting, and folds it in half. Cardinals then process to the altar one by one and place the ballots in an urn. The papers are mixed, counted, opened and scrutinised by three cardinals, the third of whom passes a needle and thread through the counted votes. At the end of each morning and afternoon session the papers are burned.

The Conclave's secrecy means outsiders are left looking for clues in the smoke

6. Chemicals colour the smoke. Those 115 ballot papers produce an unusual amount of smoke... which pours out of a chimney specially installed on the roof of the Sistine Chapel. A chemical is mixed with the paper to produce black smoke when voting is inconclusive, or white smoke when a pope has been elected. But even the white smoke looks dark against a bright sky, so to avoid any possible confusion, white smoke is accompanied by the pealing of bells. In 2005, though, the official responsible for authorising the bells was temporarily occupied with other duties, so there was a period of confusion while white smoke billowed out, and the bells of St Peter's remained silent.

7. Robes are prepared in S, M and L. The Pope has to look the part when he is presented to the faithful from a balcony overlooking St Peter's Square. So papal tailors Gammarelli prepare three sets of vestments - in small, medium and large sizes. These will include a white cassock, a white silk sash, a white zucchetto (skullcap), red leather shoes and a red velvet mozzetta or capelet with ermine trim - a style revived by Benedict XVI. The Pope dresses by himself, donning a gold-corded pectoral cross and a red embroidered stole. (Popes traditionally wore red, but in 1566 St Pius V, a Dominican, decided to continue wearing his white robes. Only the Pope's red mozzetta, capelet and shoes remain from the pre-1566 days.)

8. Huge bets are laid. Experts suggest more than £10m ($15m) will be wagered as people guess which cardinal will get the nod - making this the world's most bet-upon non-sporting event. It's not a new phenomenon. In 1503 betting on the pope was already referred to as "an old practice". Pope Gregory XIV was so cheesed off that in 1591 he threatened punters with excommunication, but the gambling continues unabated. Prominent Italian and Latin American names currently lead the field.

9. No-one ever refuses. Catholics believe the Holy Spirit is at work during the conclave, so the cardinals' choice is ultimately the choice of God. And it's not really done to turn down God. That said, few relish the prospect of leading the world's largest Church, beset as it is at the moment with falling congregation numbers, sex abuse scandals and internal wrangling. So many new popes are overcome with emotion after their election that the first room they enter, to dress for the balcony scene, is commonly known as the Room of Tears.

10. There is no gender test. Chairs with a large hole cut in the seat are sometimes thought to have been used to check the sex of a new Pope. The story goes that the aim of the checks was to prevent a repeat of the scandal of "Pope Joan", a legendary female cardinal supposedly elected pope in the 14th Century. Most historians agree that the Joan story is nonsense.

Reporting by Michael Hirst.

'via Blog this'

Is Ski Involved in the Latest Fad: Life-Coaching?Church and Changers Promote and Sell It as the Latest Thang

Will life-coaching spoil Pastor Ski?
Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "Is Ski Involved in the Latest Fad: Life-Coaching?C...": Ichabod -
From the looks of your posting, me thinks that WELS may be promoting Ski as the synod's "everyman." How blest is he to be their poster boy! What a cultural idol to behold!

Nathan M. Bickel
www.thechristianmessage.org
www.moralmatters.org 

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Life-Coaches Coaching Wannabee Life-Coaches, Becau...":

I ask these questions rhetorically. Are all adults really this clueless? What rational being would shell out $1300 for this? What is the hidden agenda here?

Ten years from now, only a few of us will ever remember that this scam even existed. By then, the sucker churches will have moved on to the next has been fad. I would rather eat broken glass than to be put through this rigmarole.

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GJ - Yes, many are that clueless.

Spot the grammatical mistakes in the Christian life-coaching promotion.

More on Christian life-coaching can be found here.

One rumor is that Ski's six-month paid vacation will feature life-coaching, a fad I heard about in the late 1980s, so it is time for it to nestle into WELS and the Little Sect on the Prairie.

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2009/08/life-coach-meter-is-running-pay-up.html

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Classic Ichabod - 2009 -

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2009/09/elswels-life-coaches.html

Here is the link.

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Kenneth J. Schmidt has left a new comment on your post "ELS/WELS Life Coaches":

So-Called "Life Coaching" apart from being the fad of the week in American Evangelical circles, shares a common pedigree with the Church Growth Movement. Both are outgrowths of management consulting. Life Coaching grew out of Executive Coaching which grew out of management consulting which has its origins in turn in Peter Drucker and similar management gurus. I am good at spotting these connections only because I studied Criminal Justice under Dr. Bohdan Yaworsky, the eminent Criminal Justice Management expert at New Jersey City University back in the 90's.

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GJ - When Mischke pal Jeb Schaeffer wrote about the CG conference attended by WELS leaders at Snowbird, he listed one of them as "a Church Growth icon," while LB listed another as president of the Peter Drucker Fan Club Foundation. Mr. Schmidt is right. Listen to Joel Osteen and his bodacious wife co-pastor - both gush life-coachery. Church and Chicanery teaches, promotes, sells life-coaching; so does St. Mark Depere. St. Mark got a grant for life-coaching - $50,000 - as I recall. Why are all these people ashamed of the Gospel.

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Philosoraptor is a popular theme for Internet comments.

AC V has left a new comment on your post "Youth Groups Want To Know":

About Christy Geiger of Synergy Strategies:

Christy Geiger is a business coach and trainer based out of Shakopee MN. After getting her BA in Psychology, masters in Marriage Family Child counseling and working in corporate America in HR, Christy became certified in life coaching and started her own coaching company, Synergy Strategies, in 2002. In training Christy focuses on life balance and design, time management, goal setting and strategic thinking. In all things, Christy seeks to take the best from the “personal growth and development” field, and through collaboration with her husband, Mike (pastor at WELS church, Good Shepherd Lutheran in Burnsville, MN) take the relevant skills, process and principles and apply them in a way that God-pleasing, consistent with Christian principles and biblical teaching. As a ministry, Christy hopes to share these relevant life principles to support pastors, church leaders and Christians to have more effective and contagious faith lives. Christy enjoys time with her family: Mike and their two daughters (Mikylie, age 5 and Mikenna, age 2) and doing activities like scrapbooking, gardening, volleyball, and coffee with friends. Christy will present a workshop focusing on how the Treasure supports us in our daily lives.

Info obtained from the "Got Peace" Women's Retreat 2010 Loves Park, IL. Her husband, Mike, is on the WELS Institute for Worship & Outreach.

http://www.peaceevangelical.org/site/cpage.asp?cpage_id=180021884&sec_id=180003491

http://worshipandoutreach.org/person/rev-michael-geiger

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More Classic Ichabod:

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2012/02/leverage-your-income-by-joining-don.html

From the latest Martin Luther College (WELS) Day of Enthusiasm:

Pastor Mike Geiger currently serves as the pastor of Outreach, Adult Discipleship and Worship at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Burnsville, MN.  Prior to coming to Minnesota, he had the opportunity to begin a congregation in Cary, North Carolina.  Moving a group through the startup and development stages allowed for many leadership challenges and opportunities.  Outreach and leadership has always been at the center of his ministry both locally and synodically.  He served for 10 years as the North Atlantic District Coordinator for Church Growth and currently is a member of the WELS Commission on Evangelism.  With a love for leadership and helping others grow in this area, he has been certified with the world-renowned leadership personality, John Maxwell, as a speaker, trainer and coach.  His dedicated wife Christy is not only active in various ministries, but owns her own business coaching company, Synergy Strategies.  Together with their two girls, Mikylie and Mikenna, they love being part of growing God’s people and God’s kingdom.

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Mike has left a new comment on your post "Waves of Nausea Swept Over Me - Church and Change":

I debated whether this blog was worthy of a response, but for one who speaks so freely and with seeming "authority", you seem free to sin against those of whom you write by publishing comments that are neither accurate or (sic) substantiated. I can only speak for myself, but what happened to Matthew 18 and approaching the person before making an issue public? Before you post my pictures and assumptions about me, my vicar year, and my wife that are inaccurate at best, I would have appreciated you calling me. I invite you to do so and ask that you do the same for all the people you mention in your blog. For one who seemingly wants to promote the truth of the Word, this practice is anything but godly.(919) 465-4400 - if you wish. Mike Geiger.

Let's open another can of Eighth Commandment on him.

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GJ - Typical WELS Church Growth - a string of vague and unsubstantiated accusations plus a command to phone. But did Mike Geiger phone me? 

At this point it is fair to assume that any speaker for Church and Chicanery is firmly in their doctrinal grip.

Mike, you should read your Book of Concord. As Luther explained in the Large Catechism, public error does not require private admonition. Church and Change has been promoting its doctrinal errors in public for some time now.

Anyone in Lutherdom is free to criticize the substance of Ichabod. I noticed that the Church and Chance list-serve was quite verbose about me when Joe Krohn asked, "Are we really inviting a Baptist, Ed Stetzer, to speak at our next conference?" Apparently Krohn did not believe Stetzer's twitter, Stetzer's blog, or Stetzer's published schedule. So Church and Change answered Joe by attacking me, not addressing a pertinent question from one of their most devoted disciples. A few more exchanges like that and Joe may drop his bass guitar in favor of a Triglotta. Think of the loss, Mike! [January, 2009 - and it came true]

I think the odious Don Patterson Network has decided to fight back.

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2012 Update. 

What Have We Learned Today? 

Don Patterson, at Holy Word (WELS) in Austin, Texas, gets free vicars every year, although the parish can also afford to send him to Africa to hunt the dreaded kudu deer. That is why his email name is kududon! How about lionking? or lyin_king? Geiger is one of those free vicars. All them end up Church and Change, perhaps because they started Church and Change.

Don loves, loves, loves Time of Grace, which LCMS pastors call Time of Wrath.

Don is not a Church and Change leader, according to Don, but the same names linked to him (including his own) keep popping up. Geiger went to the "last" Church and Change confab, although that was another smokescreen.

Every year, Martin Luther College's Evangelism Day has been a Church and Change convention. The only differences in 2012 were: 1) They hid the agenda, though not carefully enough. 2) Paul Calvin Kelm was not the keynote speaker.

Church and Change started in Appleton, which is Thrivent-City. The insurance business is dedicated to sales, not Lutheran doctrine. Some of the founders of Church and Change are:
1. John Parlow.
2. Jeff Johnson.
3. Steve Witte.


Note that Parlow got the Thrivent grant, so he hired Jeff Johnson (from his own parish) and Mike Geiger, Inc to use up more Thrivent grant money. Witte is busy running the Asian porta-seminary.

Mark Freier, covered in the post below, was one of the Shrinkers promoted by WELS, turning a supposed Lutheran mission (CrossRoads, S. Lyons) into a Evangelical Covenant congregation. The non-Lutheran pastor of the non-Lutheran congregation used to thank three (3) WELS pastors for the gift, but that thank-you was erased from their history.

In keeping with all lying Shrinkers, CrossRoads claims to be non-denominational but identifies with the Evangelical Covenant Church on its own page. The only non-denominational claims I believe are from WELS and LCMS Shrinker locations. They truly have no confession of faith, no affiliation except to Mammon.

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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Leverage Your Income By Joining the Don PattersonC...":

When I hear the title coach, I think of a sports team. Perhaps this concept is easy for some to identify with as so many in this country are rabid about spectator sports. I am curious. What professional organization certifies life coaches? I understand that in some professions, certification is a feather in the hat as there can be a lack of consistency between degreed programs. But, one does not get a BA in Life Coaching. It seems like this whole coaching nonsense started in the corporate world and has crept into the trendy churches.

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GJ - Note my latest post, showing that people still refuse to believe how bad things are in WELS and Missouri, even though they can find out for themselves in five minutes of Google searching. I even did that for them on Facebook, and no one responded.

The life-coaches make people spend a lot of money to be certified as life-coaches under them. TV did an expose of them, so naturally the Church and Change guys adopted the scam. Kudu Don Patterson is a life coach. Kudu Don's African safari buddy is behind Grace in Action, too.

For only $1300, Don will coach you for a year.

One of the Moldstads is behind "Grace in Action," and it seems to have plenty of support from the Minnesota WELS. The usual Church and Change nogoodniks are at Grace in Action: Time of Grace, Jeff Gunn, CrossWalk, Elton Stroh.

Mike Geiger and his wife, veterans of Kudu Don Patterson's church, are life coaches selling their services, via Thrivent, to Parlow's Church Growth hive in Fox Valley.

PS
Good news - fans of the English language. I looked up the list of leaders of WELS, and they are no longer "nenbers" as they were for many months.

Someone is reading Ichabod and saying, "Fix those bloopers."

ELCA still has one of their fired executives being raised on an Iowa diary farm, and he has been gone from the Chicago executive job for months.

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Joel has left a new comment on your post "Is Ski Involved in the Latest Fad: Life-Coaching?C...":

Speaking of grammatical errors:

Night of to (SIC) many stars.


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GJ - Poor Joel - the error was in the original graphic.

Since you are a daily reader - give us a disposition on Ski. Why are the Fox Valley WELS congregations concealing the truth?

Papabile in the WELS and ELS

The ELS made John the Unready their pope by 

deposing the VP and replacing him with John.

Kincaid Smith bragged about it to someone I know.

raklatt (http://raklatt.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Cardinals pray before conclave to choose new pope ...":

Next on the DP list of things to do:

Amend the synodical constitutions so that the Councils of Pesidents get to appoint the next Synod Pope.

It would save a lot of time and all that work to get conventions to vote the way they are supposed to.

Life-Coaches Coaching Wannabee Life-Coaches, Because the Only Requirement for the Job Is To Claim the Title

Elton Stroh did his coaching or mentoring at Martin Luther College.
Note that the online student listening via the computer near the window.
Stroh coached the Latte Couch Church into oblivion;
and senior pasture Randy Hunter was invited for Evangelism Day at the school.

Elton Stroh advertises on the Jeske conference website:

Special services

• Annual Ministry Planning Event/Retreat
• Developing multi-site ministries
• Coaching and/or mentoring
• Organizing staff for maximum effectiveness
• Leadership development
• Team building
• Organizational alignment
• Assisting with conflict management

This seems to overlap with Grace in Action, Cross-Train Ministries

CrossTrain Ministries

Overview

CrossTrain Ministries provides coaching services to identified Christian leaders with the stated goal of improving spiritual leadership skills amongst lay leaders, ministry professionals, and general volunteers. In conjunction with this spiritual coaching, CrossTrain also provides topical seminars with the goal of improving the quality of ministry leadership, both professional and volunteer, and ultimately providing the skills which will promote leadership of a higher capacity and excellence to involve all in ministry.

Services Provided

1. Coaching networks for professional and volunteer church leaders.

These networks include and utilize the following:

a) A well developed, professional, and applicable curricula

b) Skilled trainers as coaches

c) Printed, audio, and video training resources

d) A website including resources, recommended books, postings of Q/A's about various ministry related programs, personal physical and mental health information, and more always being added and developed

e) Meeting schedule for site-based, webinar-based, and individual coaching opportunities

2. A minimum of two site-based conferences to train and equip ministry leaders, both professional and volunteer per year. These conferences include

a) A four-day public seminar event. Topics include leadership, spiritual resiliency, management, communication, conflict resolution and other topics related to leadership in the ministry. Each participant leaves the conference with a personal action plan and a ministry action plan that has a time line and accountability. Each participant is assigned not only a coach but a peer coach from the group also.

b) Printed materials for the participants

c) Recorded seminars and supporting materials for distribution via the internet. This includes materials on topics such as leadership, spiritual resiliency, communication, conflict resolution, strategic planning, relational evangelism, time management, financial peace, pastoral counseling, anxiety, depression, family dynamics, healthy marriage, parenting, chemical dependencies, sexual addictions, spiritual abuse, dealing with chronic illness such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, etc., dealing with chronic pain and other typical needs-based topics encountered in today's culture and society.

3. Development of small groups' leader training, including:

a) Pilot groups for the purpose of modeling group leadership techniques and group dynamics, with an emphasis on the development of spiritual resiliency support groups.

b) Personal one-on-one coaching in small groups' management by invitation to witness the pilot groups and be trained on the management of such groups.

Summary

CrossTrain Ministries provides a Biblically based leadership foundation from which everyone can begin to fulfill and prepare people to fulfill the "Great Commission" (Matthew 28:18-20). CrossTrain exists to embody the servant leadership model of Jesus Christ. The harvest is great and leaders are needed.

This Is How You Get Coached To Become a Coach

Let the hilarity begin as we contemplate the scam of life-coaching.

Who are these life-coaches, you wonder?

Rick Loewen. 

Rick is currently called by Crosswalk Lutheran Church. At Crosswalk, he serves for a subsidiary ministry called CrossTrain Ministries. CrossTrain Ministries is a self-supporting ministry in partnership with Grace in Action Ministries.

Jeff Gunn!

The means of grace are the key to people growing in their faith. One way to deliver the means of grace to the people of our congregation is via a groups system. [GJ - Note the greasy bait and switch. Pietistic cell groups are the means of grace for Jeff, whose son is an atheist. Start at home, Jeff. Crosswalk is embraced by DP Jon-Boy Buchholz, who pretended to be against Crosswalk and tried to de-fund the parish.]

Kudu Don, on the right, is still listed as a VP.
His drunken "spiritual retreats" are legendary.

He currently serves as the first vice president of the South Central District of the WELS. His passion is mission work and church leadership. His hobbies are exercise and anything that happens outdoors, like killing dangerous African deer.

Grace Milwaukee barista!
From the coffee counter to coaching in one  easy lesson.
Order your new business cards upon enrollment.

Daron’sown (sic) development has included being coached by Rick Loewen, then advancing to a life coaching certificate and coaching other pastors. He currently serves as mission pastor at Holy Word Lutheran Church in Pflugerville, TX, which is nextdoor to another WELS mission.

Your Costs?

• Commitment to receive 12 months of services - including a monthly webinar and personal time with your coach
• 3 days of your life for personal and professional training at a conference center*
• Personal time for completing homework including self-assessments, personal inventories, specialized readings, and much more
•  Willingness to exchange ministry strategies, Bible studies, and sermons
• Willing to coach fellow participants
• $1300.00 for the twelve months of services

*Services and costs for the 3 day conference subject to vary

Get yourself a  barista with a real bar,
thanks to lavish funding from SP Schroeder and Keith Free.