Thrivent Will Finance the Faux-Celebration of the Reformation in WELS. Is That Like Tim Glende and Paul McCain Sponsoring Ichabod? What a Disgrace!

WELS is one with ELCA and The Episcopal Church, Unitarians, and other scoundrels,
thanks to its velcro attachment to Thrivent and Mark Jeske's toxic leadership.

Delegates heard today from the Reformation 500 Committee, which was appointed by WELS President Mark Schroeder to plan a celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation started by Martin Luther on Oct. 31, 1517. The anniversary will be celebrated in 2017.

Rev. John Braun, chairman of the Reformation 500 Committee, says the goals for the committee in its planning are to educate WELS and others on the important truths of the Reformation as well as to help congregations reach out in their communities by providing resources for them to point to Christ using the emphasis of Luther and the Reformation.

The committee has partnered with Northwestern Publishing House to prepare new books and materials in time for the celebration. These include a commemorative book of essays on the value of the Reformation today; a Lenten kit with sermons based on a Reformation theme; a Christmas kit; bulletin inserts; a new Reformation history; an interactive, digital presentation for school classrooms called Luther Then—Lutherans Now; and a new version of the exposition to Martin Luther’s Catechism.

Boettcher+Trinklein Television, Inc., the producers of Come Follow Me and Road to Emmaus, also are producing a two-hour documentary on Martin Luther and the impact of the Reformation on modern-day America, which will broadcast nationally on PBS in October 2017. Additional resources related to the film will be available.

Several events are being planned throughout the districts, including a gathering for all WELS pastors, teachers, and laypeople in Milwaukee on Oct. 31, 2017.

The original Wolf of Wall Street, a drug addict, promiscuous fraudster,
cheat, and liar - the inspiration for a trashy film -
Featured Speaker for Thrivent!

Grants from Thrivent Financial are helping make many of these Reformation projects possible.

Tongues hanging out, Thrivent officials featured The Wolf of Wall Street.
Note the cross plus the dollar sign in the upper right.

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/03/28/thrivent-financial-longer-lutherans/

Thrivent Financial is no longer for Lutherans only

DEARBORN, Mich. (RNS) For the first time in its long history, Thrivent Financial is not just for Lutherans. The 111-year-old financial services firm began taking applications this month from all Christians.

“We feel like we’re being called to serve more people,” said Dick Moeller, chairman of the board.

The change from “Thrivent Financial for Lutherans” to just “Thrivent Financial” was not a simple response to declining membership in the Lutheran church, Moeller said, although that factor was discussed during the lengthy transition talks.

It’s more about having a long-term strategy to share the company’s Christian business principles with more people, he said.

“It will open many, many new doors for us in terms of our ability to expand and help our members and communities,” he said.

The latest belch from WELS is Jay Webber displaying
how little he knows about Luther's doctrine,
Emmaus 2015. Buchholz said, "Amen!"

Joel Lillo Provided This Story - Which Explains Why Martin Luther College Pretends Not To Know about Their Own Students. But Why the Cross-Dressing, the Dean in a Skirt, and Gay Videos?

Eight Minnesota colleges discriminate against LGBT students, staff, and faculty

by Andy Birkey July 15, 2015 4 comments

Sam Birner graduated from Martin Luther College and came out shortly after.

Zak Stowe graduated from Martin Luther College and came out a few minutes later.

One MLC student decided to play for the other team, at an ELCA college.

Eight Minnesota colleges and universities took in more than $15 million in federal taxpayer money in 2014 while barring openly LGBT students from attending, and prohibiting LGBT people in employment — and it’s perfectly legal.

Last summer, the presidents of North Central University, Crown College, and Bethel University, along with dozens of other Christian organizations, petitioned President Obama to provide exemptions in his executive order barring federal contractors from discriminating based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The schools wanted to be able to take federal money and still be able to discriminate.

“As leaders and supporters of faith-based service organizations, we ask that you include explicit religious freedom protections in any executive order providing nondiscrimination guarantees for LGBT employees of federal contractors,” the letter stated. “We have a variety of views on the merits of such an executive order. However, we are united in asking that any such executive order be written in a way that protects the religious freedom of faith-based service providers. Any executive order that does not fully protect religious freedom will face widespread opposition and will further fragment our nation.”

As schools that accept federal student aid, those three schools were concerned they might be affected. In fact, all eight schools that bar LGBT people in employment as well as enrollment accept federal student aid. Fortunately for them, the Obama administration has maintained a Bush era policy that allows them to receive federal money and discriminate.

Those three schools are among the eight Minnesota schools explicitly discriminate against LGBT students, faculty and staff: The University of Northwestern in St. Paul, Bethel University in Arden Hills, Crown College in St. Bonafacius, North Central University in Minneapolis, Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Oak Hills Christian College just south of Bemidji, Martin Luther College in New Ulm, and Crossroads College in Rochester.

In addition to seeking exemptions from Obama’s nondiscrimination order, Christian schools are also beginning to petition the federal government for exemption from Title IX which Obama administration officials have ruled (as have some courts) covers transgender students. Thus far, three Christian college nationwide have been granted an exemption to Title IX. None of those are in Minnesota.

Unfortunately for taxpayers, the eight Minnesota schools that discriminate against LGBT students, faculty, and staff took in a combined $15,400,000 in federal student aid, grants, and loans in 2014. Stories from LGBT students who came out during their career at these schools are common, and the practice of discriminating remains legal despite these institutions taking federal money.

Martin Luther College men in their parochial school girls' uniforms.

---

Inherit the stupid II: when a Martin Luther College homecoming video infected WELS with the gay

The reporting and reaction continue to Josh Moniz's story in the New Ulm Journal about the cancellation of a production of "Inherit the Wind." Dan Linehan supplies more details in Saturday's Mankato Free Press article, New Ulm theater cancels play after controversy, while free-thinking Christophobe and science professor P.Z. Myers takes it up in Martin Luther College looks like a total waste of time and money.

Not surprisingly, this isn't the first time that Martin Luther College  (MLC) students' self-expression ran into disapproval by the WELS faithful.

Party in the MLC

Rummaging through MLC closets, Bluestem has stumbled over an old social media tale that involves student self-censorship after a popular dorm homecoming video hit YouTube.  The September 18, 2009 MLC Update High School edition reported in Dorm Videos:

For Homecoming festivities, the four dorms put together a video to entertain the student body. (Well, not Augustana— they must have forgotten.) Concord, the frosh and sophomore men, starred NateWordell(West) in a series of misadventures to arrive at chapel on time. Centennial, the frosh and sophomore women, featured Claire Czaplewski (KML) and a team of students on a missionto conquer the Swine Flu Sprite. By far the crowd favorite was the Summit men’s video rendition(pictured)  of “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus.

That sounds innocent enough in the pre-twerking days of 2009.

Here's the video preserved on the Facebook page Bring back the MLC version of party in the USA!!!!!! :

Why did the video--which received over 80,000 hits before its makers pulled it--need to come back?

The Martin Luther College  (MLC) parody of a Fire Island Pines (FIP) parody

The "Party in the MLC video was based on the Fire Island Pines (FIP) parody tribune video of the Miley Cyrus music video for "Party in the USA."   Fire Island Pines:

. . .has been a jewel in the gay community for over 60 years, and continues to be the premier vacation destination for residents and vacationers. Located just 50 miles east of New York City, The Pines is home to the most expensive real estate in Fire Island.

Here's the FIP version:

While both videos are silly rather than sexy, the fact that the MLC version was based on a gay-friendly video didn't escape notice long from either the LGBT community online nor from the WELS faithful.

Queerty posted about the video in WATCH: What Miley Cyrus Hath Wrought: Party In the … MLC?

To what cultural aspersions do we owe the phenomenon of remaking the remakes of music videos? The Fire Island Pines boys, who created the Miley Cyrus send-up “Party In The F.I.P,” receive their own homage with “Party In The MLC” from a bunch of dormmates at a “homecoming summit.” At, uh, Midland Lutheran College [sic]?

Keep watching, ’cause there’s a blooper reel.

Those commenting are divided about whether the video is homage to the FIP video, insulting to gay men because of the fem stereotypes that the schoolboys prance around, or totally inappropriate because the young Lutherans just aren't cute enough to be in front of a video camera.

A rather oddball Lutheran blogger posted about the video a few days later in October 2009  in Mary Lou College's Own Flock of Seagulls--or-- Girls Gone Wild:

A WELS member sent me the link to this video, which makes the previous one (the statue fight) look positively confessional in comparison.

Familiar names like Huebner and Krause star in this travesty, which includes prissy lip-synching and crotch grabbing. I thought Michael Jackson was sick when he felt compelled to do the same, but this is worse and comes from the WELS "College of Ministry."

Read the comments on the video and notice the great impression made on the audience.

The sound and the fury signifying whatever

Oh the outrage! The attention from both communities lead to the creators of the video to remove it, the blogger notes in a mid-November post, Wisconsin Lutheran College Paper Defends "Party in the MLC" Video On Its Front Page! As Wise As Doves, As Innocent As Serpents:

The Wisconsin Lutheran College (WELS when raising funds) student newspaper, "The Sword," ran a Front Page! editorial / story on the MLC video, quoted in part (blue type in original):

But once the video left the context of the MLC campus, it came under unforeseen criticism from some who failed to see the humor in the video.

The most pronounced critic of the video was independent Lutheran pastor and blogger Gregory Jackson. Posts from Jackson, as well as comments left by the blog's readers, labeled the actions of the MLC students featured in the video unbecoming to future WELS pastors and teachers.

These claims were based on the video from which the creators of "Party in the MLC" took their inspiration--a previous YouTube video known as "Party in the FIP." Set to the tune of "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus, "Party in the FIP" shows a group of men performing choreographed routines on a beach while lip-synching the lyrics of the song."

"Party in the MLC" is a parody of the video, using the same soundtrack and many of the same routines.

The controversy over MLC students parodying "Party in the FIP" is derived from the lifestyle associated with "the FIP."

But makers of the "Party in the MLC" agree with other viewers that none of the actions in the "Party in the FIP" video would be considered blatant homosexuality. They also admit no previous knowledge of the reputation of Fire Island Pines. Ben Reichel, MLC student and video contributor, revealed, "We didn't find out until two or three days after we posted it that that's what it stood for. After we learned that we were kind of taken aback."

After learning of the offense caused by the video, the students decided to remove the video "out of Christian love" for those who found the video inappropriate. The decision to remove the video was a personal decision made by the creators of the video.

Reichel stated, "We all got together as a group --the guys who were in the video--and we realized that this caused way too much commotion and way too much negativity, and we all decided together that we were going to take it down."

After meeting amongst (sic) themselves, the students sought the advice of college administration. Reichel continued, "We went and talked to the administration here at MLC--the president and vice-president--and we got their thoughts on it too. But we knew before we even talked to them that we were going to take it down."

Matt Rothe, classmate of Reichel and video contributor, along with the rest of the students involved with the video, are ready to put "Party in the MLC" and the attention it has received in the past; "The group of guys who made this video only wished for good to come out of this video, and I must express firmly we wish for no more negative attention from it."

GJ - The WLC student newspaper has a lot of facts wrong. They did not make any effort to seek clarification. They are now drawing even more attention to the video and revealing that the students were not at all repentant, just resentful they got caught.

First of all, a WELS layman was furious over the video, which was posted on You Tube for all the world to see. Many people provide information to this blog so the rest of Lutherdom can see it. This layman was unable to watch more than a minute of it. I posted the video so people could see for themselves, as he wished.

The MLC students jumped in to defend the video right away, and now WLC has joined them. Their defense is to attack me, but the video stands on its own as a dubious production, whether I like it or not.

The defense of the video was so ridiculous that I did a little more research and found the original, "Party in the FIP." They knew what they were copying, and they acknowledged it rather quietly in the notes. Apparently the original went viral right away, thanks to various homosexual websites.

College students know how to use Google. Where else would they copy their homework from? Kelm, Parlow, and Limmer have shown that slavish copying is a good career move in WELS. To plead ignorance about Fire Island Pines is a bit absurd. All of the sudden these guys just fell off the haywagon when they landed in Metropolitan New Ulm.

And they thought the FIP video was straight? They should be on SNL, in a skit about their lack of gaydar. . . .

Bluestem is left to ponder what it means that "Party in the MLC" was the overwhelming favorite of Homecoming Dorm Videos at Martin Luther College.  We couldn't possibly comment on that.

Screenshot: The article in the September 18, 2009 MLC Update High School edition.

Martin Luther College has learned that role playing is an
important step in molding young minds.

Happy Birthday, Erin Joy Jackson

Erin loved her swing.
Having disabled children opens up a whole world
that many people ignore.

Today is Erin Joy's birthday. She would have been 35 today. Some people are allergic to the issue of grief. I find that odd when my friends and I are at the age where we have lost parents, spouse, relatives, best friends, or even children.

Expressing grief is therapeutic. Suppressing grief is not. America has this attitude of "three days and back to normal." My experience is that one year is the bare minimum for the loss of someone close.

Anniversaries and birthdays are very important. The sense of loss never goes away but the Christian Faith transforms the pain slowly into pleasant memories. My wife was throwing sheets into the closet, having them fall down, and yelling. We laughed because Erin Joy loved to have things fall, splatter, and make people mad. Once a large jug of yogurt fell to the floor and splashed up all over the nurse. Erin laughed at the nurse covered with yogurt. The nurses all laughed with Erin and the nurse. And they told us and we laughed all over again.

We have a cluster of three birthdays,
Chris, Erin Joy, and Bethany,
July 20 to August 2.

To get Erin to post with the teddy, we had to say,
"Don't you dare hug that teddy bear!'
She grinned and held on - she loved that game.
That works on little children, "Don't smile."
One pouting boy grinned and said, "I smile."

Thrivent Empowers the Monsters at Planned Parenthood - The Lutheran Synod Presidents Do Not Care

Your pro-abortion, Thrivent suck-ups.
They love Universal Objective Justification - and insurance loot.
Missouri gets $50-60 million a year from Thrivent.

Most have seen the disgusting, horrifying, frightening videos of Planned Parenthood doctors bartering for unborn baby body parts, including one slurping her wine and gulping down cheese.

Link for the videos and story about Planned Parenthood.

Story on Thrivent funding Planned Parenthood.

Belly-aching about losing Thrivent loot - Lutherans for Life. Would you take money from ISIS for programs about marriage and family, you greedy, stupid, frauds?

Thrivent Insurance posts on Ichabod. Brett Meyer posted about the Thrivent funding of Planned Parenthood about six years ago. All the leaders ignored the facts, hoping the story would go away. Funny how WELS knows who has posted anonymously on Ichabod, and stops it. But no such righteous anger erupted over these blood-thirsty barbarians at Thrivent.

Mark Jeske makes $140,000 a year for 10 hours a week
on the Thrivent board, funding ELCA and Planned Parenthood.
He is the fruit of UOJ.

WELS Election Ballot Guide Revealed

Who leaked this to Ichabod? We shut down the Internet to prevent this!

This election guide for WELS elections was kept simple because everyone is not only elected by the delegates but appointed by the Holy Spirit and thereby infallible, as Holy Mother Rome also teaches.

WELS Election Guide - Do Not Release to Outside Media or a Certain Blog

Is the candidate related to a District President or Sausage Factory professor? Vote yes. Check the WELS family tree link disclosed in a separate, secure email.

Has the candidate worked for Mark Jeske or kissed up to him? Vote yes.

Has the candidate participated in Church and Change and its affiliates? Vote yes.

Was the candidate ever on the board of Church and Change, whether overtly or covertly? Vote YES!

Has the candidate ever agreed with a post on the Intrepid Lutherans, Ichabod, Shattered Pulpit, Bailing Water, Ecclesia Augustana, Issues in WELS, WELS Documented, WELS in Crisis, and similar banished, banned, and erased blogs? Vote no! and underline it in red. Ask our KGB division for help - they know. Rage at the elections committee for letting the nomination through.

Have certain words leaked into the candidate's conversation, words like:

• Means of Grace
• The Righteousness of Faith
• Apostasy
• Justification by faith?

Vote no! and report this matter to our KGB division.

Thank you for your help in keeping WELS as it is and always has been, indefectible, pure and spotless.

No Internet Access When the WELS Convention Is in General Session.

This is sillier than when they banned all commentary
to outside sources - meaning Christian News.

"INTERNET ACCESS: Laptop computers and devices will be able to access the Internet via WiFi in campus buildings. Log-in instructions will be provided. WiFi access will only be available on the convention floor when the convention is not in general session."

Comment from a member - "We don't want people leaking things or looking up facts to refute our lies."

WELS Doctrinal Discipline on Display

Pat the Bunny -  Easter rabbit evangelist -
got a call to the Asian mini-seminary,
plus a drive-by DMin degree.
Ski occupied the vacancy 10 seconds later.

WELS relatives love a Synod President
who protects their foolish kin.

In one graphic - Mrs Adam Mueller, the cross-dresser,
Lawrence Otto Olson, DMin, Fuller Seminary,
and Jeff Gunn, the pastor Jon Buchholz was going to oust
after studying the matter for several years more.

This Fuller Seminary Alumnus Gave the WELS Convention Essay -

"We can't do a thing to make his Word more effective. But surely we can detract from its effectiveness by careless errors and poor judgment. It just makes good sense to utilize all of our God-given talents, to scour the field for appropriate ideas, concepts, and material (sic), to implement programs, methods, and techniques so that we do not detract from the effectiveness of the gospel we proclaim. Church growth articles, books, seminars, and conferences can offer such ideas and programs."
Pastor James Huebner, Spiritual Renewal Consultant, Notebook, School of Outreach IV, Seventeen Ways to Keep Your Church from Growing, p. 178.

Oh teach us about all the deep insights you cloned
from Fuller Seminary.
Do you agree with Fuller Seminary
or with Pastor Carl Gausewitz?
Remember him?

WELS Shocker - Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant Sold at Convention

Cover and inside art by Norma Boeckler.

Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant has sold all over the world, and I publish the free PDF for everyone to use.

Warning - teaches justification by faith.

I hope to finish a third edition of CLP for Amazon, but after the justification and Creation gardening books.

Over 8,000 Views in Two Days - Thanks, WELS Conventioneers

Pageviews today

3,763

Pageviews yesterday

4,468

Pageviews last month

69,796

Pageviews all time history

3,962,825

Don't track your own pageviews

Born Forgiven - Another Messed Up Pastor Tries To Correct Justification by Faith

This discussion relates to a pastor who was offended by another minister speaking about justification by faith. The specific details are not needed. Here is the argument, which is straight out of the Universal Objective Justification playbook.

The text -

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

The UOJ pastor began - not with the Means of Grace - but with praying for forgiveness. As most know, the non-Lutherans make prayer the means of grace and are offended by the Word and Sacraments as the Biblical Means of Grace.

I am offering not a criticism of prayer or praying for forgiveness, but this assertion is certainly a generic Protestant way of thinking about forgiveness, such as praying for "Jesus to come into my heart." 

Prayer is the result of grace, not the cause of grace. But this is a common problem with Pietism in general, mixing the Christian life (sanctification) with forgiveness (justification) and making sanctification the cause of justification.

Taking a cue from Edward Preuss, the pastor stated (without Biblical citations) that we inherit forgiveness the moment we are born.

"If all our sins were forgiven at the time of Christ's death..."

That statement in red is the foundational error of this admonition. There is no forgiveness without faith, so this claim is erroneous and confused. Like the notorious justification theses from Missouri, the statements seem to merge to camps in an act of magic, instead of rightly dividing the Word.

Missouri, WELS, the Little Sect, and the CLC (sic) have their own little canonical statements that exist entirely apart from the Scriptures. They begin with the assertions and end with some Biblical references. They cannot pull order out of chaos, because their canonical statements are contradictory, foolish, and anti-Christian.

Note the decision theology in this explanation -
he accepts this universal absolution.

Walther and JP Meyer also have people accepting the
algemeine absolution - every single one forgiven, German -
in this statement adored by WELS, ELS, and LCMS.

The Correct Teaching of Justification by Faith

Abraham is the primary example of justification by faith in the Scriptures, Genesis 15. He believed God's Promises and this faith was counted as righteousness. God moved Abraham to faith, which is not a decision to be made and not a merit or quality of man.

Paul used Abraham as an example in Romans 4, climaxing in Romans 5:1-2. The rest of Romans 5 is an explanation of God's grace in justification - certainly not a UOJ statement.

Given the clear example and statements within this passage, we would have to believe that Paul completely contradicts himself, led by the Spirit, in teaching UOJ in the other passages kidnapped by the Stormtroopers. That includes plucking UOJ out of Romans 4 and Romans 5.

Romans 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Missouri cites Romans 4:25 to echo the Easter Absolution dogma of Halle University, Bishop Mart Stephan STD, and CFW Walther, BA. Walther is more educated than the Pietist who taught him this abomination, because Stephan never graduated from any school, Walther from just one.

The Reformation would not have let Stephan be a bishop, and would have forbidden Walther his role as pope, since they were unsuited and uneducated for their presumptions of power and assertions of orthodoxy.

5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

The central message of Romans is justification by faith, but the apostates want to enforce justification without faith. For this they have to invent non-Scriptural analogies which are no better after thousands of repetitions. They have to contradict themselves and the Word itself.

Simply put - the Gospel produces and nurtures faith in us. This efficacious Gospel comes to us in the visible Word of the Sacraments and the invisible Word of teaching and preaching. Every part of Biblical worship is justification by faith - the confession of sin, the hymns, the Creed, the sermon, the baptism of infants and adults, the Holy Communion distribution.