Holy Communion Sermon - July 29, 2007

Eighth Sunday after Trinity
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

KJV Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

KJV Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

TLH Hymns

246 – Holy, Holy, Holy
304 – An Awful Mystery Is Here
314 – Lord, Jesus Christ
52 – Almighty Father, Bless the Word

The epistle reminds us that the Lord’s Prayer comes to us uniquely through Jesus. The reason why we can call God “Father” is the adoption we receive through His Son. Prayer is the an action of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, motivated by the Gospel promises.

The liberals who control the mainline denominations declare that the Trinity was invented about five centuries after Christ, but this passage names Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in one brief passage, teaching the doctrine of the Holy Trinity without using that name, since the shorthand term itself was used later. Similarly, such terms as
1. The Means of Grace
2. Sacraments, and
3. The inerrancy of the Word
are by-products of discussions and debates from centuries ago or the last century. The doctrine of the Bible has not changed, but language changes through usage.

Holy Communion was the central act of worship in the Christian Church until the 16th century Swiss Reformation, when Zwingli and Calvin both turned the people against the Real Presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper.

Not surprisingly, Holy Communion has been a central issue in many church discussions through the ages.

Roman Catholics teach that the bread and wine permanently become the Body and Blood of Christ, not in appearance (accidence) but in substance. Most importantly, the purpose of the Mass is to reduce time in Purgatory for the priest, the recipients, and the donors for the Mass. The Mass does not grant what the Word promises, complete and free forgiveness of sins, but incomplete—and often—rented forgiveness. The power of the Mass is not in the Word being efficacious but in the ordination of the priest, who was given permanent powers and a higher righteousness when he was ordained by Rome.

A number of Lutheran pastors have poped, becoming Roman Catholic priests, or semi-poped, becoming Eastern Orthodox priests. Some of these Lutheran pastors walk the tightrope for years, balancing between Rome and Wittenberg, but obviously favoring Rome. Father Richard Neuhaus did this for years. When he spoke to the “confessional Lutheran” audience at Concordia Seminary, LCMS, Ft. Wayne, about half of them nodded in agreement. The invitation alone speaks volumes about the contempt the faculty has for Lutheran orthodoxy. The results (heads nodding in agreement) show why it happened.

One can only guess how many laity have joined Rome and Eastern Orthodoxy.

If this were not bad enough, the more alarming situation is the sell-out of the Lutheran Church to Zwingli and Calvin. Both men ridiculed the Real Presence in their writings. Their followers simply gave up the efficacy of the Word, the Means of Grace, and the simple, plain meaning of the Scriptures.

Jesus said, “This is My blood. This is My body.” Our human reason cannot comprehend this mystery, but that does not mean we should reject it. Every possible weapon has been aimed at the Lord’s Supper, but the Word remains forever clear in its meaning.

1. Rome believes that two elements (bread and wine) become two different things (Body and Blood) forever. That is why they worship the Host in a special altar, and have Corpus Christi processions. They may reserve the Host for a layman to take to a shut-in, denigrating the power of the Word and promoting the power of the priest.
2. Non-Lutheran Protestants teach that the two (bread and wine) remain the same, since they are only symbolic. For them, the Lord’s Supper is a memorial meal alone, a witness of faith, an ordinance to be obeyed, not a sacrament (God’s action) conferring forgiveness. They are correct about the remembrance, but forget “given for you for the forgiveness of sin.”
3. The Scriptures teach that the two (bread and wine) are also Body and Blood in the Sacrament of the Altar. With the bread and wine we receive the Body and Blood of Christ, as promised in the Word. The Words of Institution, directly from the Scriptures, consecrate the elements, the Holy Spirit working through the Word. There is no doubt about Christ being present in both natures in those elements, if one understands the efficacy of the Word.

The Synodical Conference erred in two areas. Gradually they adopted Universal Objective Justification, forgiveness without faith. They also taught Receptionism, the odd opinion that the elements are not the Body and Blood of Christ until they are received by the believer. UOJ and Receptionism are both errors showing a poor understanding of the efficacy of the Word. This foundational error (of ignoring the efficacy of the Word) made the ELS, LCMS, and WELS suckers for the Church Growth Movement, which is a mixture of Pentecostalism, rationalism, and marketing gimmicks.

The name Lutheran may have to go away, since the term means so little today. The Scriptural promises are not Lutherans as such, but Christian. Luther and the Lutheran reformers represent the purest state of teaching the Word in harmony with the Bible and also in harmony with the church fathers of the past. Luther and the Lutheran reformers did not waste their time and energy defending the previous generation of teachers or their particular organization. Their only concern was to preserve God’s truth, which belongs to God alone. Man attack that truth, but God’s Word remains forever.

Two aspects of Holy Communion are most important for us to consider with each service. One is the individual reception of the Body and Blood of Christ. The other is the divine meeting provided in the sacrament.

Our biggest problem is lack of attention, lack of focus. Adult education experts have recognized that people learn more when they have to present something to a group. The reason is simple. When we listen, our brains operate about five times faster than our ears. It takes no time at all to start thinking of something while we are listening, then finally to hear words without listening. There are many funny stories to illustrate how this happens in daily life.

The anti-Lutherans pour scorn on the many ways provided by God to give us His grace, His forgiveness. Why so many? Why not just rely on the Word? But we do rely on the Word, in many forms. Holy Communion is the visible Word, one of my favorite terms. Another staple of adult education is the use of physical objects to teach a lesson. (I suspect God knows these theories reasonably well.) For instance, when I talk about the added income earned from getting a college degree, I get a million dollar bill out of my wallet. One young woman asked, “Is that real?” I said, “If that were real, would I be teaching?” They remember a million dollar bill better than talking about an extra million earned during their lifetimes.

So Holy Communion is both individual and tangible. We can listen to a sermon and have many of the words pass right over us. A pastor can start thinking of other things and say words that are not in the liturgy, even though he is supposedly looking at those words. Concentration is easily lost.

As Luther noted, we cannot ignore the fact of the Body and Blood of Christ when we receive the sacrament. We see them, taste the elements, smell the aroma of the wine. We participate in remembrance of the sacrifice of Christ. The elements are symbolic. But Holy Communion is not limited to remembering nor to symbolism. Christ is present in both natures, human and divine, giving us what the Gospel promises, complete and free forgiveness of our sins. Someone who is weak in believing in this forgiveness receives the greater assurance of the Promises through individual reception. There are many services of the Word, but Holy Communion is more rare and therefore more special.

A second aspect of Holy Communion is the individual coming before Christ. We tend to think of Christ coming to us in the sacrament, but we also come before Him through the Means of Grace. Therefore, the influence must be two-fold. Christ fills us with His Gospel promises and this produces the fruit described in John 15:1ff. Those who remain on the True Vine bear fruit in abundance. At the same time, as Luther noted, we become before the Risen Lord as His subjects. Can He view us, listen to our prayers, give us forgiveness without being affected in any way? There is an old tradition that a leader is compelled to give what a petitioner asks. People used to greet the Roman Emperor on his travels with requests, ending “Lord, have mercy.” So it is that Jesus sees us, as we come before Him, and understands us all the more because of this sacrament, which He instituted for us.

The more we realize how much is given in Holy Communion, the more we value those faithful to the promises of the Scriptures. There is so much yammering about “declaring fellowship” in various synods. Their actions speak volumes about where their fellowship lies. If Lutherans promote clergy for studying at Fuller Seminary or Willow Creek, their fellowship is with Zwingli and Calvin, not with Luther. If they think it is cool to have a Roman Catholic (pederast) archbishop speak at their college (WELS), or a former bishop march in procession with their seminary faculty (ELS), or a priest seduce their graduates with smooth words about Catholicism (LCMS), then their fellowship is with Rome. No wonder that those synods bowing to Fuller and Rome also loathe Luther with all their might. That is why the term Lutheran may have to be retired. Just like the term “infallible Scriptures” it may have to be retired because of being robbed of its meaning.

Holy Communion should be so important to believers that they long to participate and give the service their complete devotion. There are many useful kinds of preparation for the Lord’s Supper, but the only requirement is a believing heart.

Holy Communion
Compiled by Pastor Gregory L. Jackson, PhD


"'In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody manner.' [Council of Trent, 1562: DS 1743; cf Heb. 9:14, 27."
Liberia Editrice Vaticana, Catechism of the Catholic Church, St. Paul Books and Media, 1994, p. 344. Hebrews 9:14, 27.

"The Eucharistic sacrifice is also offered for the faithful departed who have died in Christ but are not yet wholly purified., so that may be able to enter into the light and peace of Christ..." [Council of Trent, 1562: DS 1743] (#1371)
Liberia Editrice Vaticana, Catechism of the Catholic Church, St. Paul Books and Media, 1994, p. 345.


Chrysostom: "If those who touched the hem of His garment were properly healed, how much more shall we be strengthened if we have Him in us whole? He will quiet in us the savage law of our members, He will quench the perturbations of the mind, drive out all sicknesses, raise us up from every fall, and, when the power of the enemy has been overcome, He will incite us to true piety and indeed will transform us into His own image."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II, p. 234.

"The body of Christ is to the sick a medicine, to pilgrims a way; it strengthens the weak, delights the strong, heals weariness, preserves health. Through it man becomes more gentle under reproof, more patient under labor, more ardent for love, wiser for caution, more ready to obey, more devoted to giving of thanks."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II, p. 234.

[Ignatius calls the Eucharist] "a medicine of immortality, an antidote, that we may not die but live in God through Jesus Christ, a cleansing remedy through warding off and driving out evils."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II, p. 234.

"Let a prince give a person a castle or several thousand dollars, what a jumping and rejoicing it creates! On the other hand, let a person be baptized or receive the communion which is a heavenly, eternal treasure, there is not one-tenth as much rejoicing. Thus we are by nature; there is none who so heartily rejoices over God's gifts and grace as over money and earthly possessions; what does that mean but that we do not love God as we ought?"
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 190 Matthew 22:34-46

"However, you will be sure as to whether the sacrament is efficacious in your heart, if you watch your conduct toward your neighbor. If you discover that the words and he symbol soften and move you to be friendly to your enemy, to take an interest in your neighbor's welfare, and to help him bear his suffering and affliction, then all is well. On the other hand, if you do not find it so, you continue uncertain even if you were to commune a hundred times a day with devotions so great as to move you to tears for very joy; for wonderful devotions like this, very sweet to experience, yet as dangerous as sweet, amount to nothing before God. Therefore we must above all be certain for ourselves, as Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:10: 'Give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure.'"
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983 II, p. 211. 2 Peter 1:10.

"She desired nothing besides this Word, nor did she ask for more than merely to touch His garment, which she used as an external means and sign to gain the desired help. Likewise, we need nothing more in our lives and in the kingdom of faith than the external Word and Sacraments, in which He permits Himself to be touched and seized as if by His garment."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 350. Matthew 9:18-26. Chapter Four.

"A Christian should know that nothing on earth is more sacred than God's Word; for even the Sacrament itself is made, blessed, and sanctified by God's Word, and all of us, too, are thereby spiritually born and consecrated Christians."
Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1469. Chapter Four.

"No, no, say they, it cannot be His body and His blood; it is only a symbol of His body and blood, for Christ is sitting on the right hand of God. In this way they want to judge the Word according to their reason. But shame on you! It is teaching chickens to lay eggs and cows to calve if you want to teach our Lord God how to preach."
Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed. Ewald M. Plass St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, III, p. 1472. Luke 5:4

"The Reformed, and all Reformed sects, deny the Real Presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Lord's Supper. Through this they detract from God's honor."
Francis Pieper, The Difference between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 36.

"Furthermore, consider this: All doctrines of the Bible are connected with one another; they form a unit. One error draws others in after it. Zwingli's first error was the denial of the presence of Christ's body and blood in the Lord's Supper. In order to support this error, he had to invent a false doctrine of Christ's Person, of heaven, of the right hand of God, etc."
Francis Pieper, The Difference between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 41.

“The fact was clearly established that these Philippists had been systematically plotting to Calvinize Saxony. The very arguments with which Luther's doctrine of the Lord's Supper and the Person of Christ might best be refuted were enumerated in these letters. However, when asked by the Elector whether they were Calvinists, these self-convicted deceivers are said to have answered that 'they would not see the face of God in eternity if in any point they were addicted to the doctrines of the Sacramentarians or deviated in the least from Dr. Luther's teaching.' (Walther, 56.)"
F. Bente, Concordia Triglotta, Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, 057 p. 190.

"Calvin and his adherents boldly rejected the universality of God's grace, of Christ's redemption, and of the Spirit's efficacious operation through the means of grace, and taught that, in the last analysis, also the eternal doom of the damned was solely due to an absolute decree of divine reprobation (in their estimation the logical complement of election), and this at the very time when they pretended adherence to the Augsburg Confession and were making heavy inroads into Lutheran territory with their doctrine concerning the Lord's Supper and the person of Christ,--which in itself was sufficient reason for a public discussion and determined resentment of their absolute predestinarianism."
F. Bente, Concordia Triglotta, Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, 061 p. 195f.


"It was, above all, the spirit of indifferentism toward false doctrine, particularly concerning the Lord's Supper, which Luther observed and deplored in his Wittenberg colleagues: Melanchthon, Bugenhagen, Cruciger, Eber, and Major."
F. Bente, Concordia Triglotta, Historical Introductions to the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, 005 p. 94.

"For Scripture never calls either Baptism or the Lord's Supper mysteries or sacraments. Therefore this is an unwritten (agraphos) appellation."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II, p. 29.

"In addition there is this perversion, that whereas Christ instituted the use of His Supper for all who receive it, who take, eat, and drink, the papalist Mass transfers the use and benefit of the celebration of the Lord's Supper in our time to the onlookers, who do not communicate, yes, to those who are absent, and even to the dead."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II, p. 498.

"For a sacrifice, according to Augustine, Contra adversarium legis et prophetarum, Bk. 1, and De civitate Dei, Bk. 10, is a work which we offer, render, and dedicate to God in order that we may dwell in Him in holy fellowship. A sacrament, however, is a holy sign through which God freely offers, conveys, applies, and seals His gratuitous benefits to us. It is therefore an extraordinary perversion of the Lord's Supper to make a sacrifice out of a sacrament, in the way the papalists speak of the sacrifice of their Mass, namely, that the representatory action of the priest procures for us the application of the benefits of Christ and that anyone who causes a Mass to be celebrated in his behalf by this work procures grace and whatever other things are ascribed to the Mass."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II, p. 498.

"Naturally, Universalists deny that the Sacraments are Means of Grace. Some Universalists observe three sacraments--consecration, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. The act of consecration of children consists in the parents' pledging themselves to rear their children in the admonition of the Lord." The. Engelder, W. Arndt, Th. Graebner, F. E. Mayer, Popular Symbolics, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 409f.

"As distinguished from the Gospel, Sacraments are acts, we apply water in Baptism, and we eat and drink in the Lord's Supper. They are sacred acts, and must, as such, be distinguished from ordinary washing, eating and drinking...A Sacrament which offers God's blessings cannot be instituted by man or the Church, but by God alone."
Edward W. A. Koehler, A Short Explanation of Dr. Martin Luther's Small Catechism, Fort Wayne: Concordia Theological Seminary Press, 1946, p. 254.

"The same is true of other factions--the Anabaptists and similar sects. What else do they but slander baptism and the Lord's Supper when they pretend that the external [spoken] Word and outward sacraments do not benefit the soul, that the Spirit alone can do that?" Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicolas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 208. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11;

"For in Confession as in the Lord's Supper you have the additional advantage, that the Word is applied to your person alone. For in preaching it flies out into the whole congregation, and although it strikes you also, yet you are not so sure of it; but here it does not apply to anyone except you. Ought it not to fill your heart with joy to know a place where God is ready to speak to you personally? Yea, if we had a chance to hear an angel speak we would surely run to the ends of the earth."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983 II, p. 199.

"The devil does not rest yet, and hence he stirs up so many sects and factions. How many sects have we not already had? One has taken up the sword, another has attacked the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, others that of baptism."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 266. John 4:46-54; 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:12

"For we can definitely assert that where the Lord's Supper, Baptism, and the Word are found, Christ, the remission of sins, and life eternal are found. On the other hand, where these signs of grace are not found, or where they are despised by men, not only grace is lacking but also foul errors will follow. Then men will set up other forms of worship and other signs for themselves."
Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 914. Genesis 4:3.

"Both Baptism and the Lord's Supper qualify as Means of Grace because of the simple fact that they are visible forms of the essential Gospel message announcing the forgiveness of sins." Martin W. Lutz, "God the HS Acts Through the Lord's Supper," God The Holy Spirit Acts, ed., Eugene P. Kaulfield, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1972, p. 117.

"Since God has connected His most gracious promise of forgiveness with Baptism and the Lord's Supper, these also are true and efficacious means of grace, namely, by virtue of the divine promises that are attached to them."
John Theodore Mueller, Christian Dogmatics, A Handbook of Doctrinal Theology, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1934, p. 444.

"In reconciling the world unto Himself by Christ's substitutionary satisfaction, God asked no one's advice concerning His singular method of reconciliation. In like manner, without asking any man's advice, He ordained the means by which He gives men the infallible assurance of His gracious will toward them; in other words, He both confers on men the remission of sins merited by Christ and works faith in the proffered remission or, where faith already exists, strengthens it. The Church has appropriately called these divine ordinances the means of grace, media gratiae, instrumenta gratiae; Formula of Concord: 'Instrumenta sive media Spiritus Sancti' (Triglotta, p. 903, Solid Declaration, II, 58). They are the Word of the Gospel, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, as will be shown more fully on the following pages."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 103.

"We saw before that Scripture ascribes the forgiveness of sins without reservation to the Word of the Gospel, to Baptism, and to the Lord's Supper. Therefore all means of grace have the vis effectiva, the power to work and to strengthen faith." [Note: Augsburg Confession, V, XIII]
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 108f.

"In fact, there is no basis for a real disagreement between Zwingli and Calvin. The situation here is analogous to the one that obtains in the doctrine of Christ's Person and Word and the doctrine of the Lord's Supper. In these doctrines Zwingli and Calvin and all Reformed will agree as long as they all teach that Christ's body can possess only a local and visible mode of subsistence or presence. Similarly, Zwingli and Calvin cannot differ materially in their teaching on the means of grace because they agree, first, that Christ's merit and saving grace do not apply to all who use the means of grace; secondly, that saving grace is not bound to the means of grace."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1950, III, p. 163.

"The Reformed, and all Reformed sects, deny the Real Presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Lord's Supper. Through this they detract from God's honor." Francis Pieper, The Difference between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 36. "Whoever denies the Real Presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Lord's Supper must pervert the words of Institution where Christ the Lord, speaking of that which He gives His Christians to eat, says: 'This is My body,' and, speaking of that which He gives them to drink, says: 'This is My blood.' [Also 1 Corinthians 10:16]
Francis Pieper, The Difference between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 40. 1 Corinthians 10:16.

"Furthermore, consider this: All doctrines of the Bible are connected with one another; they form a unit. One error draws others in after it. Zwingli's first error was the denial of the presence of Christ's body and blood in the Lord's Supper. In order to support this error, he had to invent a false doctrine of Christ's Person, of heaven, of the right hand of God, etc."
Francis Pieper, The Difference between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 41.

"It is, for example, very terrible that the Lutheran Church, because it has the true doctrine of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, is decried as 'Catholic.' This attack against the true Church is no small matter."
Francis Pieper, The Difference between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 44.

"Is the Lord's Supper the place to display my toleration, my Christian sympathy, or my fellowship with another Christian, when that is the very point in which most of all we differ; and in which the difference means for me everything--means for me, the reception of the Savior's atonement? Is this the point to be selected for the display of Christian union, when in fact it is the very point in which Christian union does not exist?"
Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: 1911, p. 905f.

"As to your observation that this kind of open communion is common practice in the WELS, you may be correct. It is an aberration that has caught on, especially in the mission fields like California. It's a kind of 'Don't ask, don't tell' for the Lord's Supper!" WELS Pastor, Letter to Gregory L. Jackson, 3-15-95.

"If we call Sacraments rites which have the command of God, and to which the promise of grace has been added, it is easy to decide what are properly Sacraments...Therefore Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and Absolution, which is the Sacrament of Repentance, are truly Sacraments. For these rites have God's command and the promise of grace, which is peculiar to the New Testament. For when we are baptized, when we eat the Lord's body, when we are absolved, our hearts must be firmly assured that God truly forgives us for Christ's sake. And God, at the same time, by the Word and by the rite, moves hearts to believe and conceive faith, just as Paul says, Romans 10:17: 'Faith cometh by hearing.' But just as the Word enters the ear in order to strike our heart, so the rite itself strikes the eye, in order to move the heart. The effect of the Word and of the rite is the same..." [Luther, Bab Captivity, 3 sacraments]
Article XIII, Number/Use Sacraments, Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 309.

"Our adversaries have no testimonies and no command from Scripture for defending the application of the ceremony for liberating the souls of the dead, although from this they derive infinite revenue. Nor, indeed, is it a light sin to establish such services in the Church without the command of God and without the example of Scripture, and to apply to the dead the Lord's Supper, which was instituted for commemoration and preaching among the living [for the purpose of strengthening the faith of those who use the ceremony]. This is to violate the Second Commandment, by abusing God's name."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XXIV, The Mass, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 414f.

"In what vulgar terms does Zwingli here speak of these sacred matters! When the Holy Spirit wants to approach man, He does not need the Word of God, the Gospel, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, for a conveyance; He can come without them! It must be a queer Bible which Zwingli read."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 156.

"They separate grace from Baptism and leave us a mere external sign, in which there is not a grain of mercy; all grace has been cut away. Now, if the grace of Christ has been removed from Baptism, there remains nothing but a mere work. Likewise, in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper the fanatics remove the promise offered us in this Sacrament; they tell us that what we eat and drink is nothing but bread and wine. Here, too, the proffered grace is cut away and renounced. For they teach us that the only good work that we do by communing is professing Christ; as to the rest, we merely eat and drink bread and wine in the Supper, and there is no grace in it for us. That is the result of falling away from the First Commandment: a person promptly sets up an idol in the form of some meritorious work, in which he trusts." (Luther, on Deuteronomy 4:28; St. L. III, 1691 ff.)
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 160. Deuteronomy 4:28.

"Calvin was dissatisfied with Zwingli's interpretation of the Lord's Supper, but his own interpretation was also wrong. He said that a person desiring to receive the body and blood of Christ could not get it under the bread and wine, but must by his faith mount up to heaven, where the Holy Spirit would negotiate a way for feeding him with the body and blood of Christ. These are mere vagaries, which originated in Calvin's fancy. But an incident like this shows that men will not believe that God bears us poor sinners such great love that He is willing to come to us."
C. F. W. Walther, The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, trans., W. H. T. Dau, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1928, p. 185.

Holy Communion

"And just as the Word has been given in order to excite this faith, so the Sacrament has been instituted in order that the outward appearance meeting the eyes might move the heart to believe [and strengthen faith]. For through these, namely, through Word and Sacrament, the Holy Ghost works."
Apology Augsburg Confession, XXIV (XII), #70. The Mass. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 409. Tappert, p. 262. Heiser, p. 123.

"Our adversaries have no testimonies and no command from Scripture for defending the application of the ceremony for liberating the souls of the dead, although from this they derive infinite revenue. Nor, indeed, is it a light sin to establish such services in the Church without the command of God and without the example of Scripture, and to apply to the dead the Lord's Supper, which was instituted for commemoration and preaching among the living [for the purpose of strengthening the faith of those who use the ceremony]. This is to violate the Second Commandment, by abusing God's name."
Apology Augsburg Confession, XXIV. #89. The Mass. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 413f. Tappert, p. 265f. Heiser, p. 124.

"Whoever denies the Real Presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Lord's Supper must pervert the words of Institution where Christ the Lord, speaking of that which He gives His Christians to eat, says: 'This is My body,' and, speaking of that which He gives them to drink, says: 'This is My blood.' [Also 1 Corinthians 10:16]
Francis Pieper, The Difference between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 40. 1 Corinthians 10:16.

"If Reformed theology wishes to free itself from the confusion of self-contradiction and its other Christological errors, it must by all means eliminate its rationalistic principle that the finite is not capable of the infinite."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1951, II, p. p. 275.

"And all these are established by the words by which Christ has instituted it, and which every one who desires to be a Christian and go to the Sacrament should know. For it is not our intention to admit to it and to administer it to those who know not what they seek, or why they come."
Large Catechism, The Sacrament of the Altar. #2. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 753. Tappert, p. 447. Heiser, p. 210.

"For it is not founded upon the holiness of men, but upon the Word of God. And as no saint upon earth, yea, no angel in heaven, can make bread and wine to be the body and blood of Christ, so also can no one change or alter it, even though it be misused. For the Word by which it became a Sacrament and was instituted does not become false because of the person or his unbelief. For He does not say: If you believe or are worthy you receive My body and blood, but: Take, eat and drink; this is My body and blood."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #16-17. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 757. Tappert, p. 448. Heiser, p. 211.

"On this account it is indeed called a food of souls, which nourishes and strengthens the new man. For by Baptism we are first born anew; but (as we said before) there still remains, besides, the old vicious nature of flesh and blood in man, and there are so many hindrances and temptations of the devil and of the world that we often become weary and faint, and sometimes also stumble."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #23. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 757. Tappert, p. 449. Heiser, p. 211f.

"Therefore it {communion}is given for a daily pasture and sustenance, that faith may refresh and strengthen itself so as not to fall back in such a battle, but become every stronger and stronger. For the new life must be so regulated that it continually increase and progress; but it must suffer much opposition. For the devil is such a furious enemy that when he sees that we oppose him and attack the old man, and that he cannot topple us over by force, he prowls and moves about on all sides, tries all devices, and does not desist, until he finally wearies us, so that we either renounce our faith or yield hands and feet and become listless or impatient. Now to this end the consolation is here given when the heart feels that the burden is becoming too heavy, that it may here obtain new power and refreshment."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #24-27. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 759. Tappert, p. 449. Heiser, p. 211.

"For here in the Sacrament you are to receive from the lips of Christ forgiveness of sin, which contains and brings with it the grace of God and the Spirit with all His gifts, protection, shelter, and power against death and the devil and all misfortune."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #70. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 769. Tappert, p. 454. Heiser, p. 214.

"Therefore, if you cannot feel it {the works of the flesh, Galatians 5:199ff. above}, at least believe the Scriptures; they will not lie to you, and they know your flesh better than you yourself...Yet, as we have said, if you are quite dead to all sensibility, still believe the Scriptures, which pronounce sentence upon you. And, in short, the less you feel your sins and infirmities, the more reason have you to go to the Sacrament to seek help and a remedy."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #76-78. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 771. Tappert, p. 455. Heiser, p. 214.

"For in Confession as in the Lord's Supper you have the additional advantage, that the Word is applied to your person alone. For in preaching it flies out into the whole congregation, and although it strikes you also, yet you are not so sure of it; but here it does not apply to anyone except you. Ought it not to fill your heart with joy to know a place where God is ready to speak to you personally? Yea, if we had a chance to hear an angel speak we would surely run to the ends of the earth."
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983 II, p. 199.

"In addition there is this perversion, that whereas Christ instituted the use of His Supper for all who receive it, who take, eat, and drink, the papalist Mass transfers the use and benefit of the celebration of the Lord's Supper in our time to the onlookers, who do not communicate, yes, to those who are absent, and even to the dead."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, II, p. 498.

"However, you will be sure as to whether the sacrament is efficacious in your heart, if you watch your conduct toward your neighbor. If you discover that the words and he symbol soften and move you to be friendly to your enemy, to take an interest in your neighbor's welfare, and to help him bear his suffering and affliction, then all is well. On the other hand, if you do not find it so, you continue uncertain even if you were to commune a hundred times a day with devotions so great as to move you to tears for very joy; for wonderful devotions like this, very sweet to experience, yet as dangerous as sweet, amount to nothing before God. Therefore we must above all be certain for ourselves, as Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:10: 'Give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure.'"
Martin Luther, Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983 II, p. 211. 2 Peter 1:10.

"Hence it is manifest how unjustly and maliciously the Sacramentarian fanatics (Theodore Beza) deride the Lord Christ, St. Paul, and the entire Church in calling this oral partaking, and that of the unworthy, duos pilos caudae equinae et commentum, cuius vel ipsum Satanam pudeat, as also the doctrine concerning the majesty of Christ, excrementum Satanae, quo diabolus sibi ipsi et hominibus illudat, that is, they speak so horribly of it that a godly Christian man should be ashamed to translate it. [two hairs of a horse's tail and an invention of which even Satan himself would be ashamed; Satan's excrement, by which the devil amuses himself and deceives men].
Formula of Concord, Epitome, Article VII, Lord's Supper, 67, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 997. Tappert, p. 581f. Heiser, p. 270.

"Dr. Luther, who, above others, certainly understood the true and proper meaning of the Augsburg Confession, and who constantly remained steadfast thereto till his end, and defended it, shortly before his death repeated his faith concerning this article with great zeal in his last Confession, where he writes thus: 'I rate as one concoction, namely, as Sacramentarians and fanatics, which they also are, all who will not believe that the Lord's bread in the Supper is His true natural body, which the godless or Judas received with the mouth, as well as did St. Peter and all [other] saints; he who will not believe this (I say) should let me alone, and hope for no fellowship with me; this is not going to be altered [thus my opinion stands, which I am not going to change]."
Formula of Concord, Epitome, Article VII, Lord's Supper, 33, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 983. Tappert, p. 575. Heiser, p. 267.

"Besides this, you will also have the devil about you, whom you will not entirely tread under foot, because our Lord Christ Himself could not entirely avoid him. Now, what is the devil? Nothing else than what the Scriptures call him, a liar and murderer. A liar, to lead the heart astray from the Word of God, and blind it, that you cannot feel your distress or come to Christ. A murderer, who cannot bear to see you live one single hour. If you could see how many knives, darts, and arrows are every moment aimed at you, you would be glad to come to the Sacrament as often as possible."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #80-82. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 771f. Tappert, p. 456. Heiser, p. 214.

Unionism Quotations

"Dr. Mann remarked, 'he doubted not that there was much good in the constitution of the Melanchthon Synod; but he would not eat poisoned bread, though there was much good flour in it.'"
F. Bente, American Lutheranism, 2 vols., The United Lutheran Church, Gen Synod, Gen Council, Un Syn in the South, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1919, II, p. 121.

Harkey: "We want love as much as orthodoxy, yes, a thousand times more than what some men call orthodoxy."
F. Bente, American Lutheranism, 2 vols., The United Lutheran Church, Gen Synod, Gen Council, Un Syn in the South, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1919, II, p. 121.

"In the Lutheran Observer, January 2, 1863, H. Harkey wrote: 'Some say that unity must precede union. But the Bible demands that we unite. Hence those who magnify these differences [among Lutherans] are the greatest sinners in the Church.' This has always been the view of the General Synod: union, irrespective of doctrinal differences...all endeavors at union which disregard the divine norm of Christian fellowship are anti-Scriptural."
F. Bente, American Lutheranism, 2 vols., The United Lutheran Church, Gen Synod, Gen Council, Un Syn in the South, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1919, II, p. 19.

"Unionism and indifferentism mark the character of the General Synod from its very beginning. And how could this have been otherwise? The un-Lutheran spirit of the General Synod was not so much acquired as inherited. The Pennsylvania Synod, while promoting the Pan-Lutheran union, was at the same time planning a union with the Reformed! In 1819 and 1822 resolutions were passed to this effect."
F. Bente, American Lutheranism, 2 vols., The United Lutheran Church, Gen Synod, Gen Council, Un Syn in the South, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1919, II, p. 20.

"The unionism which prevailed in all Lutheran synods since the days of Muhlenberg was freely indulged in also by the General Synod during the whole course of her history, in various ways, especially in the exchange of fraternal delegates and the fellowship of pulpit and altar." F. Bente, American Lutheranism, 2 vols., The United Lutheran Church, Gen Synod, Gen Council, Un Syn in the South, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1919, II, p. 48. At Hagerstown, 1837, a Presbyterian, an Episcopalian, a Reformedist, and a Methodist were received as advisory members. Two Lutheran ministers preached in the Reformed church, two others in the Methodist church, and Dr. Patton, of the American Education Society, in the Lutheran church."
F. Bente, American Lutheranism, 2 vols., The United Lutheran Church, Gen Synod, Gen Council, Un Syn in the South, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1919, II, p. 50.

"Wherever Lutherans unite with the Reformed, the former gradually sink to the level of the latter. Already by declaring the differences between the two Churches irrelevant, the Lutheran truths are actually sacrificed and denied. Unionism always breaks the backbone, and outrages the conscience, of true Lutheranism. And naturally enough, the refusal to confess the Lutheran truth is but too frequently followed by eager endorsement and fanatical defense of the opposite errors."
F. Bente, American Lutheranism, 2 vols., The United Lutheran Church, Gen Synod, Gen Council, Un Syn in the South, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1919, II, p. 68.

"Dr. Luther, who, above others, certainly understood the true and proper meaning of the Augsburg Confession, and who constantly remained steadfast thereto till his end, and defended it, shortly before his death repeated his faith concerning this article with great zeal in his last Confession, where he writes thus: 'I rate as one concoction, namely, as Sacramentarians and fanatics, which they also are, all who will not believe that the Lord's bread in the Supper is His true natural body, which the godless or Judas received with the mouth, as well as did St. Peter and all [other] saints; he who will not believe this (I say) should let me alone, and hope for no fellowship with me; this is not going to be altered [thus my opinion stands, which I am not going to change]."
Formula of Concord, Epitome, Article VII, Lord's Supper, 33, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 983. Tappert, p. 575.

"And all these are established by the words by which Christ has instituted it, and which every one who desires to be a Christian and go to the Sacrament should know. For it is not our intention to admit to it and to administer it to those who know not what they seek, or why they come."
Fifth Part, Of The Sacrament of the Altar, #2, Large Catechism, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 753. Tappert, p. 447.

"And Paul commands that godless teachers should be avoided and execrated as cursed. Galatians 1:8; Titus 3:10. And 2 Corinthians 6:14 he says: 'Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers; for what communion hath light with darkness?'"
Marks of Antichrist, 41, Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 517. Tappert, p. 328. Galatians 1:8; Titus 3:10; 2 Corinthians 6:14.

"A new sacred classical music radio program soon will be available to radio stations across the country. The hour-long, weekly program, called "Joy," is an inter-Lutheran project of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. "Joy" will be produced by KFUO-FM in St. Louis and will be funded by Aid Association for Lutherans, a fraternal benefit society. 'I'm excited about being involved in this project which is the first joint venture into ministry that has ever been done by these three Lutheran churches,' said the Rev. Richard Jensen, a member of ELCA communications staff and the Joy Advisory Committee. 'Joy is a program of sacred music. The focus is on the classics of sacred Christian music..."
ELCA Newsbriefs Christian News, 12-9-91, p. 2.

"There is a 'method in our madness' in securing such a high profile speaker. Regardless of the value of the message such speakers always bring in the numbers. Generally speaking, they seem to double the attendance of a convention." [Having Charlton Heston speak at the WELS Lutherans for Life convention]
Rev. Robert Fleischmann, Commentary, National Director, WELS Lutherans for Life, 2949 N Mayfair Rd, Milwaukee, WI 53222 n.d.

"Dedication: to a holy ministry, orthodox as Chemnitz, Calovius, Gerhard, and Krauth; spiritual and consecrated as Arndt, Spener, and Zinzendorf; active in the Master's service as Francke, Muhlenberg, Orberlin, and Passavant, this book is hopefully dedicated."
G. H. Gerberding, The Lutheran Pastor, Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1902, p. 2. [Spener! Zinzendorf! Oberlin! Franke! – a mixed bag - Our Staff Infection would be proud]

"Truthful separation is far better than dishonest union, and two churches are happier, and more kindly in their mutual relations, when their differences are frankly confessed, than when they are clouding with ambiguities and double meanings the real divergences."
Charles P. Krauth, The Conservative Reformation and Its Theology, Philadelphia: The United Lutheran Publication House, 1913 (first edition, 1871), p. 326.

"If one associates much with heretics, one finally also makes oneself partaker of their false doctrine, their lies, and their errors; for he who touches pitch soils his hands with it."
Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 646.

Pictured together: Rev. Carl Mischke (WELS), Rev. Ralph Bohlmann (LCMS), and Bishop Herbert Chilstrom (ELCA).
Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond, "Preparing the Church for the Next Century," Fall, 1991 68, p. 12.

"Four speakers prominent in the field of leadership research shared their perspectives. Frances Hesselbein of New York City, president and chief executive officer of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management, spoke on 'The Challenge of Leadership.' She noted, 'The church shares the same bottom line with all voluntary and human service organizations: changed lives.'" [Note: CG enthusiasts love Drucker management books. The four leaders of the conference were: a woman, a CG icon (in the words of Rev. James Schaefer, NWL), an ultra-liberal Reformed theologian, and a historical-critical expert from an ELCA seminary which once boasted of Lenski and Leupold as professors.]
Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond, "Preparing the Church for the Next Century," Fall, 1991 68, p. 12.

"William McKinney, dean and professor of religion and society at Hartford (Connecticut) Seminary, disagreed with the popular view that conventional Protestant churches have moved from mainline to sideline." [Hartford is very Reformed and very liberal.]
Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond, "Preparing the Church for the Next Century," Fall, 1991 68, p. 12.

"George Barna of Glendale, Calif., president of the Barna Research Group, a marketing firm specializing in research for Christian churches and parachurch organizations, laid out 'The Context for Leadership' with rather challenging facts about the society the church faces today."
Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond, "Preparing the Church for the Next Century," Fall, 1991 68, p. 12.

"The Lutheran Leadership Consultation, facilitated by Lutheran Brotherhood in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Lutheran-Church Missouri Synod (LC-MS) and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), was the first meeting of this type that included the three major Lutheran Churches as planners and participants."
Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond, "Preparing the Church for the Next Century," Fall, 1991 68, p. 12.

"Throughout the Consultation, Walter F. Taylor, Jr., Professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, explored principles and examples of leadership in the Pauline epistles." [Trinity is an ELCA seminary which sponsored an insurance funded gay seminar.] Lutheran Brotherhood, Bond, "Preparing the Church for the Next Century," Fall, 1991 68, p. 13.

"Take the Church Membership Initiative, lavishly funded by the Aid Association for Lutherans. The 'Narrative Summary of Findings' and the 'Research Summary of Findings' (1993) reveal an approach both shallow and complacent. There is no interest at all in underlying theological maladies." Professor Kurt Marquart, "Church Growth" As Mission Paradigm, A Lutheran Assessment, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Houston: Luther Academy Monograph, 1994, p. 141f. "Its 'overall objective' is: 'To set in motion forces that will result in annual increases in the number of members of Lutheran congregations.' Why would any confessional Lutheran wish to 'set in motion forces' for 'annual increases in ELCA membership? The introductory page already alerts one to the hollowness of the talk about 'faithfulness to the substance of Lutheranism' (p. 3), by listing an ELCA official, a pastoress, as one of the sources of further information. 'Unchurched people feel good about their faith,' we are told, and the implication is that we should too."
Professor Kurt Marquart, "Church Growth" As Mission Paradigm, A Lutheran Assessment, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Houston: Luther Academy Monograph, 1994, p. 142.

"The article in Christian News to which you refer escaped my attention until one of our other pastors called it to my attention soon after it appeared. Initially I even had difficulty relating to it. After thinking about it for a time I remembered that I was asked about a year ago whether the WELS would endorse or be in sponsor of such a program. My answer then was 'No" and still is. I have consistently taken the position with the fraternal benefits societies that 'pan-Lutheran' projects almost inevitably exclude us from participation because of our fellowship principles. The leadership of the fraternals has respected our position. So the statement by a member of the ELCA communications staff that this is the 'first joint venture into ministry' ever done by these three Lutheran churches is simply not factual. It has been called to the attention of those who made this statement."
President Carl H. Mischke (WELS Synodical President), Letter to Pastor James Sherod, 1-3-92. [WELS was in fact part of the pan-Lutheran Joy radio show.]

"In such churches the occasional intrusion of authentically Lutheran doctrine, liturgy, and hymnody takes on the appearance of being a grudging gesture to a no longer useable past. The preaching of God's law and gospel gives way to the preaching of any truth that is true if it's true for you."
Rev. Richard Neuhaus, (ELCA at the time), Forum Letter, 338 E 19th Street New York, NY 10003 November 26, 1989 p. 2. [Neuhaus is now a Catholic priest.]

"Then there is the church growth movement, which has made more devastating headway in LCMS than in ELCA (although it is evident enough in the latter). Today, it is said, Missouri has three seminaries-- St. Louis, Ft Wayne, and Fuller Seminary in California, the hothouse of church growth enthusiasms. The synodical and district mission offices are frequently controlled by church growth technocrats...But the idea that Word and Sacrament ministry is somehow validated by calculable results is utterly alien to the Lutheran Reformation...The triumph of style over substance, however, is all too evident in LCMS congregations that look like Baptists with vestments. As we have noted before, second-rate Lutherans make fourth-rate Baptists."
Rev. Richard Neuhaus, (ELCA at the time), Forum Letter, 338 E 19th Street New York, NY 10003 November 26, 1989 p. 2.

"Pastors become disciples so they can make disciples. As a proud Pentecostal I thought I had everything because I belonged to a Full Gospel church. Little did I know how much I had to learn until I came together with other pastors--Baptists, Presbyterians, Plymouth Brethren, and Catholics. As a proud Pentecostal I had to become a humble elder of the church."
Juan Carlos Ortiz, Call to Discipleship, Plainfield: Logos International, 1975, p. 100. Joel Gerlach really dug this disciple business. Gerlach studied at Fuller and taught at Mequon!

"The orthodox character of a church is established not by its mere name nor by its outward acceptance of, and subscription to, an orthodox creed, but by the doctrine which is actually taught in its pulpits, in its theological seminaries, and in its publications. On the other hand, a church does not forfeit its orthodox character through the casual intrusion of errors, provided these are combated and eventually removed by means of doctrinal discipline."
(A Brief Statement of the Missouri Synod's Doctrinal Position, 1932) Francis Pieper, The Difference Between Orthodox And Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 2.

"Unionism is characterized by these marks: It fails to confess the whole truth of the divine Word; it fails to reject and denounce every opposing error; it assigns error equal right with truth and creates the impression of church fellowship and of unity of faith where they do not exist."
(Wisconsin Synod, Prayer Fellowship, Tract No. 10, 1954) Francis Pieper, The Difference Between Orthodox And Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 64.

"We have no intention of yielding aught of the eternal, immutable truth of God for the sake of temporal peace, tranquility, and unity (which, moreover, is not in our power to do). Nor would such peace and unity, since it is devised against the truth and for its suppression, have any permanency. Still less are we inclined to adorn and conceal a corruption of the pure doctrine and manifest, condemned errors. But we entertain heartfelt pleasure and love for, and are on our part sincerely inclined and anxious to advance, that unity according to our utmost power, by which His glory remains to God uninjured, nothing of the divine truth of the Holy Gospel is surrendered, no room is given to the least error, poor sinners are brought to true, genuine repentance, raised up by faith, confirmed in new obedience, and thus justified and eternally saved alone through the sole merit of Christ." (Closing of Formula of Concord, Trigl. p. 1095)
Francis Pieper, The Difference Between Orthodox And Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 65.

"The third mark of unionism, therefore, is this: A formula of unification is found which each of two hitherto separate churches may accept but which each of them interprets differently. An external bond is found for internally divided groups." (About Melanchthon using 1 Cor. 10:16 as the basis for uniting the Reformed and Lutherans, Luther's favorite text against the Reformed.)
M. Reu, In the Interest of Lutheran Unity, Columbus: The Lutheran Book Concern, 1940, p. 19. 1 Corinthians 10:16.

"The second mark of unionism, therefore, is this: Differences in doctrine are made to lose their divisive significance with a view to uniting hitherto separate churches." (about unification of all Protestant forces)
M. Reu, In the Interest of Lutheran Unity, Columbus: The Lutheran Book Concern, 1940, p. 19.

"Here we discover the first mark of unionism: A difference in doctrine which hitherto has been regarded as divisive, is suddenly made to lose its divisive significance." (About the Augsburg Confession, Variata, Real Presence) M. Reu, In the Interest of Lutheran Unity, Columbus: The Lutheran Book Concern, 1940, p. 19.

"Doctrinal indifference is at once the root of unionism and its fruit. Whoever accepts, in theory as well as in practice, the absolute authority of the Scriptures and their unambiguousness with reference to all fundamental doctrines, must be opposed to every form of unionism."
M. Reu, In the Interest of Lutheran Unity, Columbus: The Lutheran Book Concern, 1940, p. 20.

"We find this attitude of tolerance quite frequently among unionists. It is often used to assuage a troubled conscience, one's own as well as that of others; for the unionist declares that every one may continue to hold his own private convictions and merely needs to respect and tolerate those of another. This attitude is totally wrong, for it disregards two important factors: (a) in tolerating divergent doctrines one either denies the perspicuity and clarity of the Scriptures, or one grants to error the right to exist alongside of truth, or one evidences indifference over against Biblical truth by surrendering its absolute validity; and (b) in allowing two opposite views concerning one doctrine to exist side by side, one has entered upon an inclined plane which of necess- ity leads ever further into complete doctrinal indifference, as may plainly be seen from the most calamitous case on record, viz., the Prussian Union."
M. Reu, In the Interest of Lutheran Unity, Columbus: The Lutheran Book Concern, 1940, p. 20.

[Selnecker, who wrote "Ach bleib bei uns" (TLH #292) was bitterly attacked and severely persecuted by the Reformed, deposed when Augustus died, reduced to poverty, and not allowed to remain in Leipzig as a private citizen.]
Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: General Council Publication Board, 1911, p. 310ff.

"The modern radical spirit which would sweep away the Formula of Concord as a Confession of the Church, will not, in the end, be curbed, until it has swept away the Augsburg Confession, and the ancient Confessions of the Church--yea, not until it has crossed the borders of Scripture itself, and swept out of the Word whatsoever is not in accord with its own critical mode of thinking. The far-sighted rationalist theologian and Dresden court preacher, Ammon, grasped the logic of a mere spirit of progress, when he said: 'Experience teaches us that those who reject a Creed, will speedily reject the Scriptures themselves.'"
Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: General Council Publication Board, 1911, p. 685.

"The real question is not what do you subscribe, but what do you believe and publicly teach, and what are you transmitting to those who come after? If it is the complete Lutheran faith and practice, the name and number of the standards is less important. If it is not, the burden of proof rests upon you to show that your more incomplete standard does not indicate an incomplete Lutheran faith."
Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: 1911, p. 890.

"The greatest single weakness, it seems to this reviewer, in Dr. Lindsell's battle line is in the area of fellowship. The soft spot is his failure to advise a fellowship practice that accords fully with Scripture, a failure that has ever been a weakness among the 'evangelicals.' Review of The Battle for the Bible, by Harold Lindsell, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976.
Armin W. Schuetze, Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly, October, 1976 73, p. 326.

"CHIEFS CONFER: Waiting their turn to speak at a recent Lutheran leadership consultation are Dr. Carl Mischke, president of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Church...Bohlmann...and ELCA Bishop Herbert W. Chilstrom. At the July 18-20 event in Snowbird, Utah, in the Wasatch Mountains, 130 Lutheran leaders gathered to articulate a 'vision of leadership' for their respective church bodies." The Lutheran, (ELCA) September 4, 1991 p. 33.

"Before God every activity of our faith is at the same time fellowship activity in the Communion of Saints."
Doctrinal Statements of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, Authorized by the Commission on Doctrinal Matters. p. 27. So what was Mischke doing conferring with ELCA? Hmm?

"In selecting specific individuals or groups for a joint expression of faith we can do this only on the basis of their confession."
Doctrinal Statements of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, Authorized by the Commission on Doctrinal Matters. p. 29.

"Dr. Martin Marty is pastor of the Missouri Synod Church of the Holy Ghost, Elk Grove, Illinois. At the same time he is associate editor of The Christian Century, a religious journal which denies the teachings of Scripture on Jesus Christ, the inspiration of the Bible, the atonement, the virgin birth, and other cardinal doctrines...Whether or not Dr. Marty as associate editor is directly responsible for the shaping of editorial policy, the fact remains that he has lent his name and sanction as a Lutheran to the blasphemies the unchristian Century prints. Again the question: How many may have had a stumbling block put in the way of their faith by this gross offense? And what will the MIssouri Synod answer for lending its membership and prestige to that kind of gross offender? Luke 17:1, 2."
E. Arnold Sitz, Entrenched Unionistic Practices, A Record of Unionistic Practice in the LCMS Authorized by the Commission on Doctrinal Matters, Wisconsin Ev. Lutheran Synod. p. 21. Isn't Marty the same dude invited by Wisconsin Lutheran College (WELS) to be an honored speaker? Hmmm?

"In an essay on Unionism, Dr. F. Pieper, a former president of the Missouri Synod and successor of Dr. Walther as president of Concordia Theological Seminary, St. Louis, in 1924 said to the Oregon and Washington District: 'The Holy Scriptures very emphatically and in manifold ways teach that all fellowship with false doctrine is forbidden by God and is harmful to the Church.' On II John 10, 11, he said: 'God here forbids Unionism, religious fellowship with those who are known to be false teachers.'"
Carl Lawrenz, Chairman, Commission on Doctrinal Matters, Fellowship Then and Now, Concerning the Impasse in the Intersynodical Discussions on Church Fellowship, p. 20. 2 John 10, 11

"Rev. Brenner tells us how unionists in the General Council chloroformed the conscience of the body. When they entered into working arrangements (in the distinctly religious sphere) with the Reformed churches, they glazed the matter over by reporting that 'the object of these conferences is purely that of counsel concering the problems of foreign mission-work.' Only counsel; no fellowship; just consulting with one another. Thus does the camel push its nose into the tent. Let us keep our eyes open" (p. 98ff.)
Carl Lawrenz, Chairman, Commission on Doctrinal Matters, Fellowship Then and Now, Concerning the Impasse in the Intersynodical Discussions on Church Fellowship, p. 23.

"Only recently Dr. Martin Marty, a pastor of the Missouri Synod and an associate editor of the Christian Century, outlined with considerable frankness the program and methods whereby changes may be effected within church bodies that still are antiecumenical (to him this means, church bodies who decline to engage in joint worship and church work unless first confessional unity has been established). Writing in the Christian Century, he advocates a program whereby the ecumenically minded remain within their church bodies, but 'work for constructive subversion, encirclement, and infiltration, until antiecumenical forces bow to the evangelical weight of reunion.' Although they remain within their denominations, with whose principles they do not agree, they will 'somehow telegraph to the world who it is they serve and where their loyalties already lie' (Jan. 11, 1961, p. 45). These are the methods Dr. Marty openly proposes."
Carl Lawrenz, Chairman, Commission on Doctrinal Matters, Fellowship Then and Now, Concerning the Impasse in the Intersynodical Discussions on Church Fellowship, p. 27. Isn't this the same dude?... I already asked that above. Marty was LCMS then, but he was ELCA for the WLC lecture. That makes it OK.

"Those who defend a false union assert that while practicing unionistic fellowship one can still cling firmly to the true confession, that unionism is not then synonymous with indifferentism. This is an illusion, even as experience has sufficiently shown that a false union opens the doors wide to indifferentism. And how could it be otherwise?"
Adolf Hoenecke, Dogmatik III, p. 441f. Carl Lawrenz, Chairman, Commission on Doctrinal Matters, Fellowship Then and Now, Concerning the Impasse in the Intersynodical Discussions on Church Fellowship, p. 31.

"$60,000 General world relief (through C.A.R.E. and Lutheran World Relief) Rev. Kennth Strack, chairman WELS Reports and Memorials for the Fifty-fourth Biennial Convention, Milwaukee: WELS, 1997. p. 165.

"False ecumenism wants organizational unity instead of Scriptural unity." Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 101.

"Unscriptural fellowship means acceptance of differences in doctrine, which are ignored by conducting joint religious acts and worship."
Waldo J. Werning, The Radical Nature of Christianity, Church Growth Eyes Look at the Supernatural Mission of the Christian and the Church, South Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1975, p. 102f. [Who’s Who in Church Growth, Fuller student]


Matthew 7:15-23

"Just as true doctrine is the greatest gift we can enjoy, so false doctrine is the most baneful evil that can beset us. False doctrine is sin, it is the invention of Satan, and it imperils and destroys salvation. False doctrine is every teaching contrary to the Word of God. Scripture enjoins upon us to proclaim only the truth."
W. A. Baepler, "Doctrine, True and False," The Abiding Word, ed., Theodore Laetsch, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1946, II, p. 501.

"No false dogma has ever been spread in the church which was not put forth with some plausible show, for sheep's clothing is the show of false religion (says Chrysostom). Indeed, the weaker and more ruinous the cause is, the more arguments it needs, sought everywhere and in every way possible, as though to cover it over with paint or to swathe it with medicine. For Pindar [famous Greek lyric poet, 518-438 B.C.] says, 'For a just cause three words are sufficient.' Therefore the papalists have gathered very many and varied arguments in order to establish purgatory."
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986, III, p. 325.

"Paul calls all false spirits bold and proud. Yes, in their filth with their protectors they are proud and impudent, otherwise they are the most cowardly villains that can be found. When they are to appear and answer for their conduct, they produce a single answer. Among themselves they are bold, and venture to catch God in His own Word; but when it comes to the test, they simply despair."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 1983, V, p. 204.

"For every sect has always had one or more particular hobbies and articles which are manifestly wrong and can easily be discerned to be of the devil, who publicly teach, urge and defend them as right certain and necessary to believe or to keep For the spirit of lies cannot so conceal himself, but that he must at last put forth his claws, by which you can discern and observe the ravenous wolf."
Sermons of Martin Luther, IV, p. 282f.

"For this reason one should not be too credulous when a preacher comes softly like an angel of God, recommends himself very highly, and swears that his sole aim is to save souls, and says: 'Pax vobis!' For those are the very fellows the devil employs to honey people's mouths. Through them he gains an entrance to preach and to teach, in order that he may afterward inflict his injuries, and that though he accomplish nothing more for the present, he may, at least, confound the people's consciences and finally lead them into misery and despair."
Sermons of Martin Luther, II, p. 322.

"It is not enough that we preach correctly, which the hireling can also do; but we must watch over the sheep, that the wolves, false teachers, may not break in, and we must contend for the sheep against the wolves, with the Word of God, even to the sacrifice of our lives. Such are good shepherds, of whom few are found."
Sermons of Martin Luther, III, p. 34.

"There are other wolves, however, who come to us in sheep's clothing. They are the false prophets, who under the form of pious and religious instruction feed pure poison to the sheep of Christ. Against these Christ warns us, that we may be constantly on our guard, lest with sugar-coated words and flattering religious expressions they mislead us, deceive us, by their cunning, and draw us to themselves, as He says in Matthew 7:15: 'Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves.'"
Sermons of Martin Luther, III, p. 35.

"The world desires such wolf preaching, and is not worthy of anything better since it will not hear nor respect Christ. Hence it is that there are so few true Christians and faithful preachers, always outnumbered by the members of the false church."
Sermons of Martin Luther, III, p. 385.

"For nothing can feed or give life to the soul, which is not the doctrine of Christ. Although the hireling does not himself slay and destroy he does not restrain the wolf. Therefore, because you neither point out nor teach this shepherd, you shall not and ought not to be heard, but you shall be shunned as a wolf."
Sermons of Martin Luther, III, p. 58f.

"Thus too, if our confidence is to begin, and we become strengthened and comforted, we must well learn the voice of our Shepherd, and let all other voices go, who only lead us astray, and chase and drive us hither and thither. We must hear and grasp only that article which presents Christ to us in the most friendly and comforting manner possible. So that we can say with all confidence: My Lord Jesus Christ is truly the only Shepherd, and I, alas, the lost sheep, which has strayed into the wilderness, and I am anxious and fearful, and would gladly be good, and have a gracious God and peace of conscience, but here I am told that He is as anxious for me as I am for Him."
Sermons of Martin Luther, IV, p. 86.

"No work is so evil that it can damn a man, and no work is so good that it can save a man; but faith alone saves us, and unbelief damns us. The fact that someone falls into adultery does not damn him. Rather the adultery indicates that he has fallen from faith. This damns him; otherwise adultery would be impossible for him. So, then, nothing makes a good tree except faith."
What Luther Says, An Anthology, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, I, p. 475. Matthew 7:15-23.

"They [the false teachers] fared like a man who looks through a colored glass. Put before such a man whatever color you please, he sees no other color than that of the glass. The fault is not that the right color is not put before him but that his glass is colored differently, as the word of Is. 6:9 puts it: You will see, he says, and yet you will not see it."
Martin Luther, What Luther Says, 1959, II, p. 644.

"You cannot of a truth be for true doctrine without being unalterably opposed to false doctrine. There can be no 'positive theology' where the God-given negatives have been eliminated from the Decalog."
Norman A. Madson, Preaching to Preachers, Mankato: Lutheran Synod Book Company, 1952 Preface.

"Every departure from God's Word, every error, is dangerous to the soul. There is a fearful, diabolical power in error; for every error is the devil's work, and through fellowship with error a person puts himself under the influence of the devil. Here human reason is helpless."
Francis Pieper, The Difference between Orthodox and Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 42.

"Even the history of the world shows how great is the power of the devil's kingdom. The world is full of blasphemies against God and of wicked opinions, and the devil keeps entangled in these bands those who are wise and righteous [many hypocrites who appear holy] in the sight of the world. In other persons grosser vices manifest themselves. But since Christ was given to us to remove both these sins and these punishments, and to destroy the kingdom of the devil, sin and death,it will not be possible to recognize the benefits of Christ unless we understand our evils. For this reason our preachers have diligently taught concerning these subjects, and have delivered nothing that is new, but have set forth Holy Scriptures and the judgments of the holy Fathers."
Apology Augsburg Confession, Article II: Of Original Sin, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 119. Tappert, p.

Now the SilenceWELS Convention Starting Monday

The WELS convention will start on Monday with nominations to replace Synod President Gurgel, who cannot deny he has the spiritual gift of leadership. That would be "false modesty," in his words. No one ever accused a WELS leader of false modesty.

On my own I will predict President-in-Waiting Wayne Mueller and seminary professor John Brenner leading the nominations.

I trawled as many websites as I could. The new material stopped with the Brug analysis. WELS AnswerMan stopped poking Michigan in the eye. The silent period happens when the parties are most active and unwilling to broadcast their plans.

Anti-Lutheran, Church Growth apostates want to close the schools. Unfortunately for MLS, their advocate is Paul Kuske, who bulldozed for Church Growth during his glory years in Columbus, Ohio. He also had one of the poorest giving records (per communicant) to the synod. Kuske was voted out of office. Unlike Wayne Mueller, Kuske was not voted back in.

Also, the leadership against the schools is fairly united and in charge of the synodical machinery. Dissent in WELS means various people ducking behind each other, afraid to take a position in the open, but lionousy brave during the coffee breaks at conferences.

The MLS faculty could lead the charge against closing the school, as Northwestern College failed to do. Why so reticent? Defeatism puts everyone in a defensive mode. Fear makes each one think, "They probably will close the school, so what will I do? Holy Mother WELS covers my medical, my paltry pension, my salary. If I stay quiet, Holy Mother WELS will find me a new job. I know how they get even with those who annoy their plans."

ELCA Not Taking the Straight Path; Gay Schmeling Gets Widespread Support

Memorials from ELCA:

"Blessing of same-sex relationships: Three synods adopted similar memorials discouraging blessing of same-sex relationships, pending decisions to be made at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly. The ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod asked for liturgies for the blessing of "same-gender unions." The Memorials Committee recommended referring these memorials and a record of the Churchwide Assembly's discussion to the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality, and urged that "it
consider this information in its ongoing discernment and deliberation."

+ Standards for professional leaders: There were 23 memorials in this category. The ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod asked the Churchwide Assembly to remove language from church policy that precludes people who are gay or lesbian and in a homosexual relationship from serving in an official leadership role in the church. The ELCA Northeastern Iowa synod asked the assembly not to change its policy documents for ordained ministers.

Twenty-one synods adopted nearly identical memorials concerning a response to a discipline hearing committee that was formed to consider charges filed by the Rev. Ronald B. Warren, bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Synod, Atlanta, against a former
ELCA pastor, Bradley E. Schmeling, Atlanta.

The hearing committee agreed with Warren and said Schmeling should be removed from the clergy roster on Aug. 15, 2007. It also criticized church policy regarding sexual conduct for ordained ministers, and suggested that synods call on the church-wide organization to change those policies. Recently, the ELCA Committee on Appeals upheld the original decision but reversed the date Schmeling was to be removed from the roster, making it effective July 2. It also said the discipline hearing committee exceeded the authority granted to it by the ELCA constitution when it suggested there be changes in ELCA clergy policies.

In general these 21 synod memorials would direct specific churchwide units to develop amendments to ELCA clergy standards, permitting people who are gay or lesbian and in committed homosexual relationships to serve as ordained and professional lay leaders in the church. The memorials also ask for reinstatement of people -- without the current requirement of a five-year waiting period -- who were removed or resigned from the official leadership rosters of the church. The Memorials Committee recommended the Churchwide Assembly refer all of these memorials and the verbatim record of the assembly's discussion about them to the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality, urging that the task force consider this information in its ongoing discernment and deliberation.

+ Referrals to the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality: Four synods adopted similar memorials asking the Churchwide Assembly to refer all memorials and resolutions regarding blessings of same-sex unions and ordination of people who are gay or lesbian and in committed relationships to the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality. Four synods called for the church to wait until the 2009 Churchwide Assembly to re-open the ordination question; three other synods asked that the Churchwide Assembly not consider any policy changes, or asked that proposals for policy change be forwarded to the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality as it prepares to present a social statement on human sexuality for consideration at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly.

The Memorials Committee recommended that all of these memorials and the verbatim record of the Churchwide Assembly's discussion be forwarded to the Task Force for ELCA Studies on Sexuality and urged that the task force consider this information in its ongoing discernment and deliberation."

GJ - Count on WELS and Missouri to continue following ELCA down this path, always a few years behind. Continued joint-ministry efforts among the three will guarantee this result.

Application - Efficacy of the Word

Pietists grieve that I emphasize the efficacy of the Word alone. They glory in their own works, so they compare their glittering vices (as Augustine said) to my happiness in promoting Luther's doctrine.

The Pietists are easy to spot. Their authority lies in their imaginary and imagined accomplishments. They mention their parentage (my father was only a baker). They were born in a given synod (something beyond my control). They have titles, offices, and various awards given out among the many self-promoting Lutheran lobbying groups. The best unintentional parody is the Sword of Boldness award.

All I do is broadcast the Word with abandon (Mark 4, Isaiah 55, Romans 10). Once I thought of foreign missions, but now I am content to deal with pagans called Lutheran who despise Luther's doctrine while worshiping a wooden, carved idol called Holy Mother (fill in the blank) Synod.

So I publish around 50 sermons a year, offer Holy Communion 24 times a year, and publish books, content to let God manage what I cannot. I find it disturbing that a WELS pastor could call himself a failure after giving good sermons, baptizing plenty of children, and offering the sacrament of the altar throughout his life. The synods have failed in undermining and despising the Means of Grace. Ordinary pastors have not failed if they remain faithful.

When I read about conventions, I see how little they concern facing doctrinal matters, how much they are consumed with politics.

Wolves in Sheep's Clothing - Trinity 8

Trinity 8 – Beware of False Prophets

KJV Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

KJV Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

TLH Hymns
387 - Dear Christians One and All
260 – O Lord, Look Down
259 – Flung to the heedless winds
264 – Preserve thy Word

This passage from the Sermon on the Mount only makes sense if people believe in the efficacy of God’s Word. If they do not think God’s Word alone is effective, then this passage is just a place-holder in the Scriptures.

God’s Word belongs to Him and to Him alone. There is no franchise that allows people to change and water down what He has always taught. Therefore, the fruit of His Word belongs only to God. Only God can be glorified for what He has done through the Word. Any variation or departure from this is blasphemy against God, no matter how it might be expressed.

I heard some Lutherans discuss a new mission for the LCMS. They were in Southern Baptist territory, and I mean Baptist with a b – Babtist. One person expressed certainty in the failure of this mission. I decided to remain silent for once, but I thought:
1. The Sower and the Seed parable?
2. Luther’s admonition to go where there is opposition?
3. The implanted Word in James?
4. Isaiah 55?

Most people would not think of Blacks being Lutheran, but the old Missouri Synod did not know better. They had an extensive Black mission. The leaders were so foolish then that they thought the congregations should use the traditional liturgy, learn traditional Lutheran doctrine, and so forth. The end result was that Missouri had a powerful witness to Blacks long before the liberals thought of doing the same. I even found a booklet on the Black mission, printed in German, published by the old LCMS. How times have changed. Now these people have no trust in the Word and no results, except for shameful ones.

The work is not God-pleasing unless it is persecuted, according to Luther. Proof of that comes from the “conservative Lutherans” who hate, despise, and persecute Luther’s doctrine today while glorifying marketing methods, even while they fail.

The first effort in defending false teachers has always been, in my experience, “But he is a nice guy.” That is consistent with Matthew 7 and Romans 16. False teachers always wear several layers of fleece to hide the claws and slavering fangs. No matter how thick the woolies, the claws and fangs come out sooner or later. The nice guys are only nice on the surface. No one is more vicious behind the scenes, more deceptive, more manipulative. The fruits come from the tree. Someone who is not rooted in Christ through the Word is going to use the methods of his Father Below. The methods are deception and murder, constant lying and killing of souls. I often wonder how many atheists these clever men have created while glorifying themselves. One boy did not go to seminary after finding out that his pastor was an adulterer. His district president also covered up for the adulterous pastor, who was his friend.

Before we ask how God could allow those wolves to thrive, we have to ask why man has fed these wolves so dutifully while starving the faithful pastors. (No, I am not starving or in need of help.) The wolves are God’s judgment against man for allowing false doctrine to grow and prevail.

Missouri, WELS, and the ELS are parrots of ELCA now, eagerly working with ELCA because the giant, dying church body is so rich and powerful in comparison. ELCA requires an Episcopalian bishop be present to make an ordination valid. That alone is crazy enough, but even crazier is the lust for Missouri and WELS (and the Little Sect on the Prairie) to go along by cooperating in religious activities – now carefully hidden from view. Once they were exposed by Team Jackson (my wife and I working through the LB/AAL archives) the publications went silent on joint religious work.

God is saying – and I paraphrase Luther – you would not listen to Christ, so now you will listen to Satan. You would not give Jesus a penny, so now you will give Satan 10 dollars. You hated the “burden” of the Gospel, so now Satan’s disciples will flail you to the bone. And these false teachers are really obnoxious, self-centered peacocks, bright and showy, covering up their feet of clay with their fine feathers.

My friends and I sometimes discuss how seldom the “conservatives” will deal with doctrinal issues. The “conservatives” want to have political campaigns and fight over schools and budgets. That is because they know doctrinal agreement is lacking. The easy route is working to elect a “savior” - like Gurgel was when he was elected to be synodical president, WELS. This approach also shows a lack of trust in God’s Word. Besides, there is fear of the Satanic hatred unleashed when God’s Word is applied.

Although this fierce anger is intimidating at first, Satanic methods cannot work against God’s Word. Great blessings follow the application of the Word to problems. This effect is well known in Lutheran history, but forgotten today.

The right tree (sound doctrine) will bear fruit, and the wrong tree (false doctrine) will overproduce but with nothing of value.

One person asked why I was against the church growing. Apparently he thinks Church Growth theories increase the size of the invisible church. Their own Church Growth statistics prove otherwise. Statistics do not matter, but since the Church Growth Enthusiasts trust in them, they are condemned by their own measuring standards.

I am in favor of God’s Word bearing fruit according to His will, not mine. If we thought God wanted the visible church to be constantly growing, we would have to ignore church history and the plain witness of the Scriptures.

The Pietists/Church Growth salesmen claim that disciples make the church grow. Therefore, the falsely claim, Jesus commanded us to “make disciples.” In fact, He said “Disciple all nations” or “Teach all nations.”

If disciples are the answer and Jesus knew something about disciples, then He did something wrong in teaching the Word. According to John, Jesus taught some hard sayings, and disciples left Him for good.

KJV John 6:58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. 59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. 60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? 61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? 62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. 64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. 65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. 66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

The issue here is whether they believed or not. Those who no longer believed went back and no longer followed Jesus.

I wish I could show all the star-struck naïve people the temples built in honor of man but in the name of God. Time after time great monuments to ego have been piled up. A few decades later they are not even religious on the surface. They began as glamorous Christian buildings and ended up as secular mausoleums with Unitarian ministers. The sowing of weed seed will bring results, but the results will not be God-pleasing. Eventually the sterility of the weeds will become most evident.

Someone may say “Lord, Lord” but Jesus will likely say, “Depart from me, workers of iniquity.”

No matter what the apparent results may be, God will accomplish His will through His Word. The false teachers will be used by God to cull out the false followers and to punish them. But the Holy Spirit is so powerful that He can accomplish good from evil. In the Apostolic Era, the persecution of the Gospel led to the spreading of the Christian faith. The murder of Christians in the arena helped Christianize (to some extent) the Roman Empire. The roads helped the persecuted escape across the known world and populate new missions (without a mission board and an annul once-in-a-lifetime-giving-opportunity).

When we get smacked around for doing the right thing, we join with the Apostles and Jesus in bearing the cross.

Aardvark Listed

Aardvark has listed Ichabod among the Lutheran blogs. Here is a list of over 200 Lutheran blogs:

Lutheran Blogs

Now Ecclesiastes would say "There is no end to writing blogs."

FIC Errs, Publishes Worthwhile Article

It must have been a Monday morning decision. WELS' magazine, which used to have Lutheran in its title, published a good article by Paul Prange, President of MLS.

Converted by the Word

I can imagine Gurgel's reaction:

"What do you mean, publishing something worthwhile? We never do that. Our Church Growth people will be converted back to Luther's doctrine if you keep this up. We may lose Paul Kelm and Floyd Stolzenburg!"

"I am sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

Secretary: "President Gurgel. Lawrence Otto Olson, D. Min., Fuller Seminary, is on the phone. And is he mad!"

Gurgel: "See what you've done."

WELS AnswerMan Leaves Them Laughing Again

Q: Having been in fellowship with LCMS for decades prior to splitting in early 1960, does WELS accept the 3 volume book of Francis Pieper "Christian Dogmatics" along with the Book of Concord as being consistent with their confessional teachings?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A: No dogmatics texts including our own are placed on the level of the confessions. Neither are the writings of Luther. The confessions are the collective statements of the church. Pieper's dogmatics set is his private writing. The LCMS has never adopted it, as they did the Brief Statement.

We use Pieper's dogmatics and it is doctrinally sound, but there are some very poorly-worded statements in the section on church and ministry which are very difficult to understand in an acceptable sense. Pieper himself contradicts these statements in other writings of his.

End of AnswerMan Quotation

Sigh. Whenever I need something good to write about, WELS AnswerMan delivers a soft pitch across the plate.

The Wisconsin Synod is very much like the Latter-day Saints. People think the Mormon Bible is the Book of Mormon, but Mormons ignore that for Doctrine and Covenants and other strange writings.

A Wisconsin Synod pastor will claim they have a quia subscription to the Book of Concord, but that is another deception. Their own publications set the standards for many different Wisconsin Synod declarations, all in error. There is an essay claiming WELS is not bound by the Book of Concord, either in Our Great Heritage or the Wauwatosa set. Note that both sets are pure self-glorification. They cannot get Hoenecke published slow enough, but they have six thick volumes of their worst effluent bound and sold as confessional treasures. I owned both sets earlier, but I used them for kindling. They were so dry.

Their real position is that WELS alone determines the meaning of Scripture, apart from any other authority, statement, or book. Their fanaticism for the NIV, UOJ, the Church Growth Movement, and marketing the Gospel reveals their devotion to Lutheran orthodoxy.

No, Pieper's Dogmatics is not the last word in Lutheran orthodoxy. (Could AnswerMan observe the rules of journalism, capitalize the book title and use italics?) I would not call the set an official document of Missouri, unlike OGH and Wauwatosa for WELS, but it is hardly "private." CPH published Pieper, translated it, and still makes money from it. I had a German set that was built to last for centuries, like the Walther sermon books in German.

Pieper is way cool for Bronze Age Missourians and some ELS people today. I fear WELS has not forgiven Francis for leaving the synod and joining Missouri. His brother August stayed in the sect and apparently disagreed with Francis on church and ministry issues. I find these repristination people mega-boring, so I am not about to unravel the history of all this.

I do not mean to pick on these sincere men. I do find it disgusting that so many leaders today are willing to trace their doctrine all the way back - one generation earlier and stop there, ignoring Luther, Chemnitz, and the giants of the Lutheran Reformation. That is precisely why the so-called conservative Lutheran bodies are following ELCA around with their tongues hanging out.

Missouri, the ELS, WELS, and the mini-micros have their machine gunners ready for anyone who questions forgiveness without faith (Universal Objective Justification). They cannot defend their false doctrine. They are like Keystone Kops running around whenever they try. But they are still ready at the trigger, to fire away and make people fear their wrath. That is an tragic inheritance from Walther/Pieper worship.

Brug Action Confirms Ichabod Predictions

Seminary professor John Brug's material, posted at the Michigan Lutheran Seminary website, confirms an earlier Ichabodian prediction.

The traditionalists are lining up against the proposal to close Sem. The odd name (Sem, or Michigan Lutheran Seminary) reflects its origin as the pastoral training school for the Michigan Synod that eventually joined the Joint Synod of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and Other States (Nebraska).

There has been talk about the Michigan District, WELS, taking over MLS and funding the school. That was supposed to be an action blessed by The Love Shack, 2929 N. Mayfield Road. MLS recognizes that this action would be doomed to failure. Far fewer people would support an aging campus during a time when the auto industry in Michigan is in worse shape than WELS.

Millions have been spent on three campuses (MLS, Luther Prep, MLC) and all are destined to close, due to the leadership genius of President-in-Waiting Wayne Mueller. The answer so far has been - Have Another Fund-Raising Campaign!

It would have been better to take all the Schwan money and name the school system after his business, with various buildings having his name or his relatives' names on them. A marketing theme could have tied the frozen food business with the Wisconsin Synod:
The Marvin Schwan Frozen Food Schools. Many are cold, but few are frozen.

Means of Grace, Si! Church Growth Movement, No!

Ichabod will become bi-lingual, to comply with the rules of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Someone asked why I was against the church growing? I have to commend the late, liberal Donald McGavran. He was able to change church language so that people could make his pompous declarations beyond criticism.

McGavran solemnly declared, "God wants His church to grow."

This particular sentiment is nowhere in the Scriptures, but the slogan has much in common with Pentecostal language. For instance, the Holy Spirit had a conversation with John Lawrenz, published on the Internet. John recited it for an interview. John wanted to stay in the Ukraine, but the Holy Spirit told him, "John, I want you in Asia." They went back and forth a little, as good friends should and do, but the Holy Spirit won. After all, how can anyone argue with God?

Pentecostals have that advantage. They walk up to someone and say, "The Holy Spirit told me you should leave the ministry." More likely, they tell everyone but the victim. Doubtless, the Holy Spirit told him to be discreet.

McGavran got everyone to think that anyone against his thriving business was against God. He and his apostle C. Peter Wagner (a Pentecostal) recruited all the world mission executives first, then the American mission executives, so all the denomination bosses went to Fuller Seminary. That is why the Mission/Vision statements of LCMS, WELS, and the Assemblies of God all sounded exactly alike. The statements came from the same source, Fuller Seminary.

I have a high regard for the Holy Spirit, but I am not God's counselor (Romans 8). According to the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit works only through the Word and never apart from the Word. That Word is found in two basic forms: the invisible Word of teaching and preaching; the visible Word of Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, and Absolution. We also list ordination as a sacrament in the Book of Concord. Chemnitz has a fine discussion about sacraments in his Examination.

If people want to be Spirit-filled, they should remain close to the Means of Grace (John 15). Then they will see the fruits of the Gospel. They will never receive or experience forgiveness apart from God's appointed Means of Grace. Despising the Means of Grace, a convenient term for the Gospel in its various forms, is opposition to God's Word.

God's will is accomplished only through His Word. People should let go of their slogans and marketing theories (all of which have failed) and listen to the Word, then apply it.

 Pete Wagner, mentor to Otten's favorite WELS pastor,
anticipated the dawn of the expert who is wrong about everything
and remains in a highly paid business, like
Karl Rove, Paul McCain, and Larry Olson.

Gay Schmeling? Luther Would Have Approved!

No, that is not my opinion.

A professor of women's studies has solemnly declared that Luther would have approved of gay Schmeling, the ELCA pastor disciplined for having a male partner.

An article about this can be found at

The American Spectator

Could this be another reason why LCMS and WELS members, peeking in the window at various pan-Lutheran conferences, no longer want to fund the ELCA disciples? Sure, gay Schmeling is being mildly disciplined, but various overlapping networks will protect and defend him. Nothing has really happened.

WELS Votes via the Offering Plate

Today, the WELS News bulletin insert gave the bar charts through June.

Michigan District: $890,289 down $99,681 from 2006 which is a $20,601 greater deficit from May ($79,080). So Michigan continues to fade.

Synod: $8,880,447 down $175,660 from 2006 but which is $121,920 more positive than the May deficit ($297,580). The synod appeal seems to be working a little bit in somewhere.

Only January and April (Easter) were on a par with 2006 with April somewhat greater (not in Michigan) for the synod totals...

Come on, Wayne, poke Michigan in the eye again. That really motivates giving.

Martin Luther Nursing Home and Live Bait Shop

Someone is sure that Martin Luther College (WELS) will continue forever, even without the preps feeding students into the school.

With both preps still in operation, MLC is already in desperate shape. The school has dropped below survival levels in its student population. Tuition = income = salaries. The synod has deliberately cut the subsidy, has no real endowment for the school, and is eliminating the feeder system for the school. Long ago, Fuller alumnus Norm Berg cut out the need for MLC by eliminating the parochial school from mission church budgets.

MLC is two colleges in one, pastoral and teacher training, but the enrollment is dropping from news of its future demise.

MLC may have trouble making it as a nursing home, so I propose selling live bait as well. Southern Minnesota is great for hunting and fishing. The lawns are a natural habitat for night-crawlers.

MLC might have survived by joining the online college revolution. My old community college asked me about my expertise in online teaching and web design. They already have large online classes, modeled after the University of Phoenix, somewhat larger with 300,000 students. UOP had enough cash to buy naming rights for the new stadium in Glendale, $7 million a year for 20 years, a small part of their budget. UOP began in 1976. MLC is older than dirt.

Couldn't the Church Growth Principles of Dr. Lawrence Otto Olson be applied to MLC? He wrote a dissertation on the topic. Sure, his own congregation never grew, but that is no problem for Church Growth fanatics.

Download Google Earth and put in the coordinates for MLC, Bethany Lutheran College, and Wisconsin Lutheran College. All three are close together. Two of them are lavishly funded by Schwan money. MLC is the exception. The college may hobble along from another fund drive and wait for a new synodical president to be their Dr. Kevorkian.

The Betrayers Betrayed - MLS

Closing the schools in WELS is clearly a Church Growth program. Not that the Church Growth leaders cause any real growth in the Kingdom. They just yak about it all the time. Church Growth is an ideology, a set of shallow doctrines, and an agenda.

President-in-waiting Wayne Mueller has always been a Church Growth advocate, even while denying it. How delicious it must be to deny Church Growth in The Northwestern Lutheran while promoting Church Growth in the synod.

I remember John Brug covering for David Valleskey on the subject of Church Growth. Now he wants the preps to stay open.

Paul Kuske started a Church Growth operation in Columbus, Ohio, in his capacity as VP of the district. To run this destructive cause he had Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, recently forced to resign from the LCMS ministerium (and never a member of WELS, by the way).

Now Brug and Kuske want to snatch MLS from the jaws of the Church Growth gurus!

WELS is a genius at management, I must say. They have been Management-By-Objective-zombies for at least 20 years, but Drucker wanted to encourage leadership wisdom, not synodical stupidity. The Brug report listed the large sums of money recently borrowed for MLS and Luther Prep. Wayne Mueller would close both schools, making them worthless, while still owing for such things as new boilers, science rooms, and dorms. The college would close, too, so that would make all the money spent on Martin Luther College another rat-hole. They recently reworked the heating system, perhaps in conjunction with New Ulm's steam tunnel project.

Now everyone is tongue-clucking. WELS wanted to move from small potatoes to the Big Time with Church Growth. All those who studied at Fuller, who bowed their heads at Willow Creek, who agreed by being silent, who shunned pastors that knew better - all those betrayers of the Gospel are being betrayed now. WELS will not be small potatoes. WELS will be tater tots.

The Catholic Momentum

I enjoy the encouraging messages sent. I mean the positive messages from normal people, but also the insanely angry messages sent under various false names. The second group motivates me the most, because, as my Grandpappy used to say, "When the arrow hits the mark, feathers will fly."

Various people pretend to be offended that I had a Catholic education, just like Martin Luther and the faculty of Concordia Seminary, Ft. Wayne. Look at the faculty list at Ft. Wayne. They live close to Notre Dame so they finished their Ph.D. work there. John Johnson, once the buddy of Herman Otten while serving as president of Concordia, St. Louis, had a doctorate from the Jesuits at St. Louis University. What the complainers miss is my lack of obedience to His Holiness, the Antichrist.

Faithful Lutheran pastors owe it to their congregations to be well read in heterodoxy without falling prey to it. That requires constant study while ignoring Holy Mother Synod most of the time.

The marginally literate have trouble distinguishing between hearing someone and following someone. Thus it is easy to find out who has studied at Fuller Seminary and Willow Creek because they blab about the same things with the same vocabulary. Waldo Werning had "Church Growth Eyes" in the subtitle of one of his moronic books. Did he study at Fuller? Yes, he admitted it and also denied it. Those who defend Fuller doctrine are predictably alumni (Frosty Bivens, David Valleskey, Lawrence Otto Olson, Wally Oelhaven, Fred Adrian, Kent Hunter). Those who follow have previously heard that new gospel, preached by angels of marketing (Galatians 1:8).

How Roman Catholic are the synods today? The best measure is to look at what they are doing. ELCA and the old Synodical Conference synods (WELS-ELS-LCMS) have:
1. Adopted the three-year lectionary from Rome.
2. Killed the traditional names of Sundays wherever possible.
3. Changed the liturgical colors to be more gay-friendly.
4. Competed to see which Roman Catholic customs they can incorporate.
5. Obsessed over the title bishop and Rome's claim to apostolic succession.
6. Longed for acceptance by Rome, even while called defective and wounded.

Many pastors have followed these trends because their peers were running off the cliff ahead of them. The Gadarene swine episode was not meant to be prescriptive, I might add. One pastor asked me to make my sermons fit the Roman cycle. I said, "Why not switch back to the historic pericopes?" The publishing houses make it easy to follow the worn path.

Lutheran worship can be solemn and liturgical without genuflecting toward Rome.

WELS Seminary Professor John Brug Supports MLS

WELS Seminary Professor John Brug, who grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, has published a report in favor of Michigan Lutheran Seminary.

The PDF file can be found here:

Michigan Lutheran Seminary
along with additional material on the topic.

So far the synod's (Wayne Mueller's) answer has been that there is only one solution for the incompentence shown at the leadership levels - close the preps.

Everyone else seems to think otherwise. The district presidents and various assemblies oppose the closing of the preps, which will also close the college.

The booby-hatch pronouncements of the synod leaders have gutted the system, forcing tuition up by 30%, thus reducing the students and the tuition income. Now the whole system is tottering toward collapse while the booby-hatch leaders tell them - Have another Junk for Jesus Rummage Sale. Flogging will continue until morale improves.

ELCA Membership Tanking

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

July 19, 2007

ELCA Membership Drops 1.6 Percent to 4.8 Million in 2006 07-130-FI/LA*

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) had 4,774,203 baptized members in 10,470 congregations at the end of 2006, according to the Rev. Lowell G. Almen, ELCA secretary. Those figures represent decreases of 76,573 baptized members and 79 congregations since 2005.

The secretary's comparison of congregational statistics for 2005 and 2006 noted that confirmed membership in the ELCA declined in 2006 by 56,546 to 3,580,402.

In the past 16 years the ELCA lost approximately 466,000 baptized members from the 5,240,739 members reported in 1990, Almen said. More than two-thirds of the decline occurred between 2002 and 2006, with a combined decrease of 325,674 baptized
members, according to annual reports from congregations compiled by the ELCA Office of the Secretary.

Parochial reports showed the loss was because of a decrease in the number of new members, the disbanding of 40 congregations, and "roll cleaning" in many remaining congregations, Almen said. Roll cleaning resulted in a loss of 202,246 members in 2006 and a loss of 208,436 members in 2005. Those reductions occur when
long-inactive members, who indicate no interest in continued participation, are removed from the rolls of congregations, he explained.

Nineteen congregations with a combined baptized membership of 7,196 withdrew from the ELCA in 2006. One congregation with membership of 104 was removed.

The average number of people in worship on Sundays decreased slightly in 2006. A total 1,408,682 or 29.50 percent of all baptized ELCA members participated in worship each week. That percentage fluctuated in the ELCA between 30 and 31 percent in recent years.

The last time a gain of ELCA membership occurred was in 1991, with a net gain of 4,438 baptized members that year, Almen reported.

Baptisms, affirmations of faith and transfers from other Lutheran congregations accounted for fewer new members in 2006 than they did in 2005. There were 66,166 baptisms of children in 2006 -- down 1,486 from 67,652 in 2005. There were 52,357
affirmations of faith in 2006, compared to 53,961 in 2005. There were 71,110 transfers from Lutheran congregations in 2006 -- down 5,408 from 76,518 in 2005.

Adult baptisms decreased by 359 -- from 6,764 in 2005 to 6,405 in 2006. accessions from non-Lutheran congregations declined 1,003 -- from 17,794 in 2005 to 16,791 in 2006.

There were 1,513 fewer deaths of ELCA members -- 47,210 in 2005 to 45,697 in 2006. There were 3,176 fewer transfers to other Lutheran congregations -- from 53,429 in 2005 to 50,253 in 2006.

The average number of baptized members per congregation decreased in 2006 by four people to 459, and the average confirmed membership decreased by three people to 345.

For 2006, 3.15 percent of ELCA baptized members were identified as persons of color or persons whose primary language is not English, essentially unchanged from 2005, according to Almen.

-- -- --
A table summarizing annual statistics compiled by the ELCA Office of the Secretary is at http://www.ELCA.org/news/table.html on the Web.

* The Rev. Lowell G. Almen is secretary of the ELCA.

Synod Minders

Every event has synod minders. They are the loyalists who show up uninvited to snoop around whenever Lutherans might think on their own.

I attended a conservative Lutheran meeting with Al Barry shortly after he was elected. He made it sound as if it was a hardship to address the people who worked so hard to get him elected. In the back row were about 10 minders. Synod minders pounce on people for getting to close to the real issues. They report who is at the meeting.

The late Jack Preus said WELS had a regular KGB operation. Missouri was and is no different. The same is true of the smaller sects. Family ties make it easy to meddle with other congregations. The temptation is seldom resisted now.

There are many "secret" email lists. I explored one ELS pastor's website and got into the main directory, with a page not linked on the website. The page gave directions for getting the key to encrypted emails at the next ELS gathering.

If an email list is large enough, synod minders populate it. They pretend to be friendly to the cause so they can forward mail to the bosses at the Love Shack (WELS), the Little Sect on the Prairie (ELS), or Almost-ELCA (Missouri Synod).

Sometimes people cannot figure out whether a minder is deliberately gumming up everything or just felony stupid. Either way, the minder is helping out the synod. He may have to unbutton the last few buttons of his shirt to let his gut precede him into the room, but he is close with the bosses. Abused and neglected children, when they grow up, need that kind of attention.

Why Are Lutherans Poping, Semi-Poping, and Demi-Semi-Poping?

One reader wonders why Catholicism is so attractive to Lutheran pastors?

1. Poping means joining Rome, even becoming a priest, as Richard Neuhaus did.
2. Semi-poping means joining Eastern Orthodoxy: tastes great, less fulfilling.
3. Demi-semi-poping is my term for walking the tightrope between the Lutheran Church and popery.

The cause is three-fold.
A. Lutherans have lost their nerve. The leaders no longer believe in Luther's doctrine and the Book of Concord, the efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace. Many leaders bow to Fuller Seminary and Willow Creek, leaving others to think the answer is becoming a lapdog for the Antichrist.
B. Seminary faculty members delight in promoting their cause among their students, watching with pride when their students make the switch they are afraid to make.
C. Rome never stops its massive propaganda efforts.

Worship training centers at Notre Dame, so the football school has influenced as many denominations to obey Rome as Fuller has in the opposite direction. This is a real life example of Wayne Mueller's quotation from Luther (which he distorted and abused for his nefarious purpose). The crypto-papists stab their church in the back to save it from the Fuller monster. In fact, Fuller and Rome are two versions of the same false doctrine.

The new fever about Apostolic Succession is a good example of the Roman yeast at work. The crypto-papists can talk about Apostolic Succession and publish their papers without being too obvious about their longing to return to Holy Mother Rome. Some of the other discussions, such as the term bishop, are excellent ways to promote the agenda. They can point members toward Rome without naming the Holy Father, their leader. If everyone can keep yakking about non-essentials, the lack of doctrinal education can do its damage in time.

Peeking Through the Window - Lutheran Animal Farm

Orwell's Animal Farm is an allegorical satire of Stalinism, and the book describes other totalitarian regimes as well - the ELS, WELS, ELCA, and the micro-mini sects.

Readers may remember the climax of the book, where a farm animal peeks through the window and cannot distinguish the farm animals from the people who have been declared the enemy.

I call one Lutheran pastor Snowball because he was driven away by the WELS Stalinists and pilloried for leaving WELS.

Back to the main point - the various Lutheran sects run each other down while working with one another. ELCA represents the evil human population in the book. Sermons and resolutions address ELCA's apostasy. The typical WELS members and pastors think ELCA is profoundly inferior to WELS. They would be shocked at how much WELS works with ELCA on religious projects and then lies about it.

The apostate leaders in each synod look out for one another, defend one another, and promote one another into positions of influence. They necessarily look up to ELCA as the ideal in apostasy. That is how ELCA pulls Missouri, WELS, and the rest down along its trajectory.

What do the Big Four have in common?
1. They attend Fuller Seminary together.
2. They promote Church Growth together.
3. They favor women's ordination, with varying degrees of advocacy.
4. They want Roman Catholic leaders to teach them.
5. They work on religious projects together.

Incest Meant Nothing To These Pastors

I know a number of pastors who managed to overlook a case of incest. A prominent layman got his own daughter pregnant. She was committed to a series of facilities. Like Chinatown, the father/grandfather took over the care of his daughter/granddaughter.

The facts enrage the pastors who cover up these crimes. They are so blinded by guilt disguised as rage that they will say anything.

Before we throw stones at the conduct of the Church of Rome, we need to backwash our own Lutheran sewers.

Watch for continued coverage in the Lutheran press about the Los Angeles settlement, continued silence about Lutheran crimes.

Discussion about Roman Catholic doctrine? That would impede their cooperative efforts with the Antichrist, the Chief Apostate.

Typical Good, Faithful Pastors

I am not talking about the pastors who spend all their time and energy in politics, playing the game of their Father Below.

There are many faithful Lutheran pastors, trying to teach God's Word and shepherd their flocks in the midst of apostasy around them. There is no good solution since other groups are similar or worse. ELCA, of course, is beyond the beyond, as the Irish-American author Frank McCourt says.

These pastors are not well paid. They may be appreciated in their congregations. Probably everyone hears the prosperity gospel of this age, so the congregation feels God has abandoned them. Their synods take them for granted until another once-in-a-lifetime-giving-opportunity comes along.

Many labor in those areas where Lutherans are not as dense as at headquarters. Perhaps most of the population is indifferent, Roman Catholic, Jewish, or Baptist. In the South, a Lutheran is just another Roman Catholic, a wine-bibber or worse. The politician-pastors grab for the easy calls, the prestige positions.

I met one of these truly humble pastors the other day. I just want to salute him and all those like him. God knows who they are. Walther said something like this - They were scorned in their lifetime, but now they shine like the sun.

Bad Boy, Bad Boy Trouble in Paradise

My favorite ELS Blog went silent since May and now is gone. Only the URL remains:

Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come for You?

I was tempted to write another parody, but the original lyrics by The Inner Circle are beyond parody:

Why did you have to act so mean?
Don't you know you're a human being,
Born of a mother with the love of a father,
Reflections come and reflections go
I know sometimes - you want to let go, hey, hey, hey
I know sometimes - you want to let go, wohh!

Bad boys bad boys
Watcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
when they come for you
Bad boys, bad boys
Watcha gonna do, watcha gonna do
when they come for you.

I am not sure who ELS Bad Boy is. I have no contact with the blogger and he has no contact with me. My guess is: The new group is forming so they want something less fun and more serious.

Meanwhile, the LCMS has declared fellowship with the AALC. Ergo, the AALC is now in fellowship with WELS, ELCA, and the ELS. Oh yes, they all work together on becoming more apostate according to the example set by Archbishop Hanson of the ELCA. The other Lutheran groups will follow his cloven hoof-prints anywhere.

Sounds Familiar to Me

The big news today is the Los Angeles clergy abuse case. The current sum to be awarded to victims of homosexual priests will be about $660 million. Mrs. Ichabod suggested that $666 million would be more appropriate. Most of these cases are not pedophile or heterosexual crimes. The vast majority involve teen-aged boys, the gay ideal since classical Greek times.

Here is a snippet from one news story:

Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating in 2003 resigned from the US Catholic Bishops' National Review Board after describing Mahony and other bishops as behaving like a "criminal enterprise" following a "code of silence."

"To resist grand jury subpoenas, to suppress the names of offending clerics, to deny, to obfuscate, to explain away; that is the model of a criminal organization, not my church," Keating stated in his resignation letter to Bishop Wilton Gregory, the head of the US bishops' conference.

Sound familiar? The Code of Silence goes far beyond the Catholic Church and the Mafia. Ask a WELS district pope about the murder in Milwaukee or Phoenix, the abusive vicar in Grand Rapids, the known criminal courted by WELS. Ask the DP about WELS denying any knowledge of these matters when asked in court. The denial was perjury, a felony. Wait until he denounces the Catholic Church as a criminal enterprise and he thanks God (once again) for keeping WELS so pure, so orthodox, and so honest. Ask about the WELS cover-ups. He will say: "Where did you get this from?" or "I don't know anything about what you are saying."

Did you read about the WELS vicar and the DP in state prison in your favorite tabloid? No? Perhaps the synodical officials lean on the editor to suppress bad news in their own backyard. Watch for the LA story to appear while nothing is said about the fetid swamp called "conservative Lutheranism."

If you dare to move from asking about these criminal cover-ups to demanding action, you will be well and thoroughly beaten up. While the rapists and murderers are defended by official silence, you will be slandered from pillar to post - by the same officials. Consider it a compliment.

Ditto: all the synods, big and small.

ELCA does expose heterosexual offenders and even wrote about their massive $40 million case of homosexual clergy abuse (one man). The same cover-up process is at work. When one LCA pastor told me about the previous minister being found in the parsonage with another woman (in flagrante delicto, if you went to a prep), I told him, "In the future, they will celebrate if it was a woman." He roared with laughter. Now it's true.

One WELS pastor walked out on his wife and five children, Sunday morning, to leave with his mistress. Later he was welcomed back into fellowship and a call. (It's not like he criticized the synod, which is really serious.) When a neighboring pastor asked how this could happen, he was told sharply, "It's none of your business." The Ten Commandments are the Nine Suggestions. The glory has departed.

By the Time I Get to Phoenix - Composed During LCMS Vote

We were flying back from North Carolina to Phoenix, during the LCMS vote for synodical president. I composed this parody during the flight, with apologies to Glenn Campbell.

By the Time I Get to Phoenix

By the time I get to Phoenix they’ll be voting
They’ll start the vote Kieschnick winning on the floor
He laughed when he read the news
which had him losing
Cause he’s fixed so many votes like this before. (voice cracking)

By the time I make Albuquerque he’ll be winking
He’ll prob’ly stop for prayer and give God a call
But He'll just hear that prayer keep on nagging
Jesus is not First in Jerry's call.

By the time I make Oklahoma they’ll be drinking
They’ll lift their beer and curse CN out loud
And they’ll cry just to think God’d really leave them
Tho’ time and time He tried to tell them so.
Mo. just didn’t know God would really go.

Gay Schmeling Needs To Go Straight - ELCA

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

July 5, 2007

ELCA Committee on Appeals Rules in Atlanta Discipline Case
07-123-JB

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Committee on Appeals of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) ruled July 2 in favor of an appeal by the Rev. Ronald B. Warren, bishop of the ELCA Southeastern Synod, Atlanta, who sought removal of Bradley
E. Schmeling, Atlanta, from the official clergy roster of the ELCA. The appeals committee ruled that Schmeling was to be removed immediately from the roster, upholding the determination by a disciplinary hearing committee that Schmeling was in
violation of the ELCA policy regarding the sexual conduct of its pastors.

Decisions of the Committee on Appeals are not made public by the ELCA churchwide organization. According to the ELCA Constitution, Bylaws and Continuing Resolutions, summaries of decisions are to be reported to the next ELCA Churchwide
Assembly, the church's highest legislative authority, which will be here at Navy Pier Aug. 6-11. In this case, the decision of the Committee on Appeals was released July 5 by Warren and posted on the synod's Web site, and it was released at a July 5 news conference at St. John Lutheran Church, Atlanta, the congregation Schmeling has served since 2000.

In the ELCA policy document "Vision and Expectations: Ordained Ministers in the ELCA," it states: "Single ordained ministers are expected to live a chaste life. Married ordained ministers are expected to live in fidelity to their spouses,
giving expression to sexual intimacy within a marriage relationship that is mutual, chaste, and faithful. Ordained ministers who are homosexual in their self-understanding are expected to abstain from homosexual sexual relationships."

Warren filed formal charges in 2006 against Schmeling after Schmeling reported to Warren that he was in a committed relationship with another man, a violation of the ELCA's clergy standards. Seven members of the 12-member discipline hearing
committee, which met Jan. 18-24 in Atlanta, voted to remove Schmeling from the ELCA clergy roster and stayed the effective date of his removal until Aug. 15. That committee issued its opinion Feb. 7.

In separate filings in March, Warren and Schmeling both appealed the decision of the discipline hearing committee.

The 12-member Committee on Appeals met here June 9-10 to consider the appeals. That committee voted 10-1, with one abstention, to remove Schmeling from the clergy roster. It voted 10-2 to reverse the discipline hearing committee's decision to
stay the effective date of Schmeling's removal from the roster until Aug. 15, and it voted 10-2 to remove Schmeling from the clergy roster on July 2.

The Committee on Appeals noted that the ELCA Constitution states that "the decision of the discipline hearing committee shall be final on the day it is issued by the committee," and that "nowhere in ELCA Constitution, Bylaws and Continuing
Resolutions is a discipline hearing committee authorized to stay its own decision."

"In this regard, the Committee on Appeals determines that the effective date of Pastor Schmeling's removal from the clergy roster of the ELCA ... should have been Feb. 7, 2007," the Committee on Appeals said.

The discipline hearing committee's written opinion said most of its members were concerned about certain language in ELCA clergy policy documents, and it made some specific suggestions for change. That opinion suggested synod assemblies ask the ELCA Churchwide Assembly to consider proposals for change.

The Committee on Appeals said its role, as well as that of a discipline hearing committee, is to serve as a judicial body, and that legislative authority to change policies is the responsibility of the ELCA Churchwide Assembly and the ELCA Church Council, which serves as the church's board of directors.

"Nothing in the ELCA Constitution, Bylaws and Continuing Resolutions allows a discipline hearing committee to make any particular recommendations to the egislative bodies of this church, urging them to take a specific policy action. By doing so in this case, the discipline hearing committee exceeded the authority granted to it by the ELCA Constitution," the Committee on Appeals said.

Responses to the Appeals Committee decision
In response to the decision, Warren posted a pastoral letter July 5 on the ELCA Southeastern Synod Web site. "My decision to seek Pastor Schmeling's removal from te ministry of this church was difficult because of my deep respect for the pastor and the congregation at St. John's, but the policy of this church is clear," he wote. "It was my responsibility as bishop of this synod to enforce the established standards of this church, particularly after the 2005 Churchwide Assembly decided that the church would not create a process for possible exceptions to existing behavior expectations for pastors. As this church continues prayerfully to consider the issue of clergy who are gay or lesbian and in committed relationships, both the synod and I will continue to work on finding ways to live together faithfully in the midst of our disagreements."

Schmeling and the St. John Lutheran Church congregation shared the news of the Committee on Appeals on July 3, Warren wrote. Warren said he and Schmeling talked by phone July 5. They agreed that Warren and synod staff will meet with the congregation council's executive committee and the St. John congregation in the coming weeks.

"Please remember all of us who are involved in this difficult and challenging process in your intercessory prayers," Warren's statement concluded.

"I'm deeply disappointed by the decision, although I'm not surprised," Shmeling said in a July 5 news release in response to the appeals committee ecision. "Change has always proven difficult for the church. I continue to hope that the church will be centered in God's message of love, compassion, and justice, rather than in the enforcement of discriminatory policies. The church can only resist the Holy Spirit for so long. In the meantime, I plan to continue to follow my call in ministry at St. John's and to pray for the day when all God's children are equally welcomed into the Lutheran church," he said.

John Ballew, president of St. John Lutheran Church, said in the congregation's news release: "We are going to go to (the) Churchwide Assembly in August, to witness to our ELCA the costs of this decision, based on an absurd policy. This is not just
about us and our wonderful pastor; this is about all those called to minister to God's people, who lead exemplary lives, who provide a model for faithful, loving companionship with each other and with Christ."
---
The written decision of the ELCA Committee on Appeals is available from the ELCA Southeastern Synod at http://www.ELCA-ses.org/Hearing.htm on the Web.

Be sure to view this site:
Extraordinary Candidacy Project

Is Everything Church Growth?

An anonymous person has asked if everything is Church Growth. The same person seems to favor CCM, sometimes called Charismatic Church Music.

Two trends are happening at the same time. ELCA has led the way in working with Roman Catholics. My favorite ELCA photo is one with a Roman Catholic priest who was sharing a building with a very attractive ELCA female pastor. He was beaming at the prospects of the working relationship. The LCA, then ELCA pursued the Church of Rome, only to be declared defective by the Antichrist.

The ELS had its Lutheran/Roman Catholic religious service at Bethany, Mankato. WELS had its lectureship by priests and Archbishop Weakland at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Weakland, in deep trouble for pursuing a young man, was quoted as saying children initiated sex with adults. Rome could not wait to dump him, but WELS said, "Now there is the keynote speaker we need!" Damage Central later claimed that he only spoke at a private luncheon at WLC. Ha. The college heavily promoted this as a community-wide event. I had the brochure at one time. Several priests were also on the schedule.

In the next 20 years a surprising number of Lutheran-trained pastors will either be Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox. One mini-micro bishop is already calling himself The Right Reverend So-and-So.

WELS is the most heavily invested in Church Growth. They are so besotted with Fuller doctrine that no clergy can escape being injected with all the marketing hooplah of the Devil's Playground. Some of this has slopped over into the ELS.

Missouri and ELCA have their Church Growth factions and those who resist Fuller Seminary.

Lutherans ought to learn their own confessional hymns before they start aping the Evangelical/Pentecostal wing of Christianity. Mequon and Bethany both celebrated Paul Gerhardt recently, but both seminaries spit on his memory with their adoration of unionistic doctrine, compromise with the Reformed. Gerhardt paid a heavy price for refusal to go along with any form of union.

Starbuck's - Facing the Awful Truth

From time to time I order a mocha at Starbuck's (Barnes and Noble) while checking on some new book titles. They used to ask, "Do you want whipped cream?" Several times I have answered with a smile, "That is not whipped cream. That is white stuff." They had to agree each time. Now they do not ask me.

Today I was drinking a mocha straight up when I heard the manager ask a customer, "Do you want whipped topping?" I thought, "Finally, truth in packaging."

This morning I learned that Reddi-Whip was originally owned by the Capone gang. It was the first aerosol food product. I have similar feelings about Reddi-Whip, coffee creamers that make my stomach flip, and margarine slopped on the table as "butter." More than once I have said, "I ordered real butter." More than one young waitress has has shot back, "That is butter." Butter glistens with little specks of water, but margarine has the complexion of Glidden paint: plastic, solid, deadly. Someday people will realize that the factory oil industry (shortening, margarine, etc.) was a massive and dangerous fraud.

All this is directly related to the fake Lutheran doctrine that has been marketed for the last three decades or so. Every step has taken various Lutheran bodies farther away from their confessional roots. Now they are so lost that the apostate leaders act with impugnity while insulting the intelligence and faith of their members.

I wonder how proud the founders of the ELS would be to realize that the entire Bethany Lutheran Seminary faculty marched in a religious procession with a Roman Catholic ex-bishop. Apparently Erling Teigen arranged this disgusting display. The local newspaper bragged about the ex-bishop's creditentials but the Bethany yearbook hid them. At the time, Rolf Preus (briefly in the ELS) announced, "Erling doesn't have an ecumenical bone in his body, and Greg Jackson knows it."

I always wonder how these ELS pastors mind-read from a distance. This must be a power given to them when they enter the sacred precincts of Rivendell. Rolf was able to discern my brain-waves from a distance and report them infallibly on SpenerQuest. Did Erling defend Rolf so publicly? I must have missed that pronouncement.

The brave ELS leaders went into damage-control mode, a skill they have improved through practice. The ex-bishop was married, as if that made him a Lutheran. He was no longer a bishop. Was he no longer a Roman Catholic? As any student of Roman doctrine knows, the bishop could repent, dump his wife, and become an active priest again. The priesthood is an indelible character - a priest forever.

I had a reliable witness at that tragic service at Bethany. The seminary faculty marched in with the ex-bishop. The service was religious, dedicating the Ylvisaker building. (Wouldn't he be honored! He was just about the only theologian in the ELS and they associate his name with a Roman Catholic speaker.) Oh yes, the Roman Catholic was the featured speaker that day. Damange Control Central said that the religious service stopped being religious when he spoke. Perhaps an altar boy rang the mass bells, creating a miraculous transubstantiation. The appearance of a unionistic religious service remained, but the substance (ding-a-ling) was changed into a secular gathering.

Thus we have the Lutheran Church today. They call it Lutheran orthodoxy but it is really whipped topping - full of air and heaven knows what ingredients.

Teigen Fizzles at Historical Wit

Norm Teigen's Ad Hominem Argumentation

Norm Teigen, ELS, has decided to leave no thought unpublished. I really thought the ELS confined itself to whispering campaigns, but no, Teigen commits the typical ELS line to the blogosphere. Here it is verbatim:

Other bloggers
While my blog was not up, I spent time reading other blogs. There is a Lutheran Blog Directory that consists of many interesting sites. Give it a try.

There is another blog that I read, although I will probably give it up rather soon. The writer spends much time in condemning Lutheran groups of which he is not a member. He portrays himself as an informed insider about matters within the Wisconsin Synod.

Earlier this week the blogger, whom I call 'The Bloviator', said that he would not join the Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

He persists in demeaning the leaders of both the Wisconsin Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod.

I think that this man has probably been in and out of a number of synods and is an angry person.

I was recently reading about John Winthrop, the leader of the Massachusetts Colony. Winthrop was a fair and honest man. Two of his problems were Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams. We know these two persons from studying freedom of religion in history.

Williams was a pain for Winthrop. He was constantly making trouble. Finally Williams moved out of Massachusetts into Rhode Island. Williams was so worried about associating with sinful people that he finally concluded that the only person with whom he could commune was his own wife.

The Bloviator reminds me of Williams. He has found so much evil in the various Lutheran synods that he finds himself alone. Alone and on the internet.

It's lonely to be in the right and all alone.

Now we know what ELS members do instead of dealing with doctrine. One time, ELS Pastor Kincaid Smith phoned, with ELS Pastor Paul Schneider on the line. Kincaid led the charge sneering that he agreed with a pastor (at some meeting), to wit, "Greg Jackson has no credibility anymore." I asked, "If I have no credibility, why are two ELS pastors phoning me long distance? If I had no credibility, you wouldn't care what I published." That silenced Kincaid for a moment. He also sneered, "You don't have a friend in the world." I wondered how Kincaid could determine the number of my friends from a distance of 1500 miles and no contact. Perhaps the Holy Spirit told him. I find that many former charismatics never lose their complex about being in the direct line of the Apostles.

When I happened on Teigen's blog today, I immediately thought, "He sounds just like Kincaid." The ELS is so tiny that everything bounces around, like sounds in a tiled bathroom. Every tenor thinks he is Caruso. Thus the ELS and its non-theologians. If a man is tossed from his LCMS seminary after a bad vicarage, he can strut around the ELS.

I have had a number of anonymous comments posted on Ichabod. Comments are moderated, so I can reject them. One individual has become more and more outraged that I did not publish his unsigned comments. My policy has been to publish intelligent, thoughtful comments, whether they agree with me or not, signed or not. Hysterical name-calling (much worse than the example above) is rejected.

I have had many intersting experiences with writing. Kincaid Smith, who often published in Christian News, phoned me to tell me to stop publishing in CN. WELS made constant efforts to keep me from quoting them verbatim.

To meet Teigen's high standards of publishing:
1. I should have stayed in a synod that no longer exists, cheering on their pro-abortion, Leftist, anti-Trinitarian doctrine.
2. I should never question the false doctrine of church leaders, even though that is the substance of the Book of Concord, affirming the positive and rejecting distortions of the Gospel.
3. I should be silent about felons in the ministry, church workers who murder their spouses, married vicars who have affairs with minor girls, and those who cover up for them.
4. I should make as many ad hominem remarks as I wish, hinting at but never naming my target, to avoid violating the Eighth Commandment.

My only defense against Norm's tirade is to quote my favorite author:

"Let him therefore who is concerned about his life not be taken in by the friendliness of heretics to agree with their doctrine. Neither let him be offended at my faults, who am a teacher, but let him consider the doctrine itself."
[Origen, Homily 7, on Ezekiel]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 154.

If someone says something unpleasant in the Lutheran Church, whatever sect, the point is refuted by a personal attack against the speaker or writer. If that is not ruthless enough, they attack the individual's family members as well. Is it not true that Rolf Preus' son could not finish at Bethany Lutheran Seminary, a school endowed by his grandfather with a priceless selection of rare Lutheran orthodox books? Robert and Jack Preus made Bethany Seminary famous. It took the pharoah much longer to know not Joseph (Exodus 1:8)

If someone is a blatant false teacher, his apostate buddies jump in and say,
"No, he is a nice guy."
"I graduated with him."
"I drank a lot of beer with him."

All three refutations are non sequiturs. They have nothing to do with the issue.

ELS pastors would have everyone think they have arrived in Rivendell. As tiny as the group is, the ELS still has sects and divisions. One is called "The Teigenites."