The Die Is Cast: WELS Will Adopt and Promote the NNIV

WELS had an ashram at Mequon, inviting various people to discuss how soon they would adopt the NNIV. I was not invited, so I do not know any details.

Wendland and the other synod-minds want their feminist-Universalist Bible, and the NNIV delivers. More importantly, the NNIV jettisons the concept of translating God's Word. From now on the Murdoch Bible will be an exercise in creative writing and free association.

This development is not all bad. The betrayals began in earnest during the 1960s and 1970s. They were well established with Valleskey as the seminary president. The NNIV allows people to look at Wisconsin Sect for what it is.

I can predict this, because it has been already happened with ELCA. The speed of the decline will leave people gasping. The enablers of today will be very sorry to see the radicals take it farther and faster. They will say like the ELCA founders do now, "I never would have voted for this if I had known."

Intrepid Lutherans: NIV Translation Posts Compiled

Feminist Bible paraphrase laced with Universalism?
WELS loves it.
Welcome to mainline heaven, where everyone is forgiven...
except the dissenters.

Intrepid Lutherans: NIV Translation Posts Compiled:

Thanks to one of our friends who has compiled all of our IL posts on Bible translation issues into a single Word document. It's split up below into one file that contains the comments under each post, and another file without the comments. Click on the links below to download.

NNIV Thoughts with Comments

NNIV Thoughts

Another of our friends presented this interesting observation:

I frequently hear advocates of the 2011 NIV use the following argument to give merit to the translation:
95% is the same as the 1984 version 3.5% is better
What then goes without saying is that 1.5% is worse, and that number sounds very small. There are ~775,000 words in the Bible. I’m sure it varies a few hundred from translation to translation. 1.5% is ~12000 words. 12000 words is 15-20 pages, depending on font type and size. So, if one wants to rationalize with numbers, a small number like 1.5% becomes a very big number in terms of words and pages. And I am again reminded of Luther's words regarding purity of doctrine.

GJ - Read all the material and the comments.

'via Blog this'

Lay Blogger Paul McCain Brandishes His Light Pistol

Paul McCain has left a new comment on your post "Breaking News Is Always Here":

We all know how proud Mr. Jackson is about his "page views" but would somebody please let the poor fellow know that "page views" mean, well, basically squat, and if he had actually bothered to read Pastor McCain's blog post carefully he would have discovered there is a big difference between page views and daily unique visitors.

Ichabod is a little tiny fish in a big old pond and Jackson is but a tiny little frog who keeps chirping, "Pay attention to me! Pay attention to me!"

The old bedroom preacher at it again.

Oh - How Pukey Cute - MURRIETA: Pastor loses football bet | Breaking News | PE.com - Press-Enterprise

MURRIETA: Pastor loses football bet | Breaking News | PE.com - Press-Enterprise:


A pastor presided over services Sunday in a San Diego Chargers jersey and a skirt.
It was the result of a bad bet.

Pastor Chris Deknatel, of Promise Lutheran Church in Murrieta, is a diehard fan of the Baltimore Ravens. In the week before his team took on the Chargers on Dec. 18, he was confident in a Baltimore win, church member Chris Groll said in an email.

So Groll made a bet with his pastor.

If the Ravens won, Groll would wear a skirt and Ravens jersey to church on New Year’s Day.
If the Chargers, won the pastor would wear a skirt and a Chargers jersey during his sermon.
The Chargers won their third straight game that night, beating the Ravens 34-14.

Deknatel paid off the bet Sunday and preached a sermon on humility. He donned the dark-colored skirt and a blue Drew Brees No. 9 jersey and posed for photos afterward with church members wearing San Diego Chargers garb.

“Promise Lutheran Church has the best pastor around,” Groll said.


'via Blog this'

---

El Cid has left a new comment on your post "Oh - How Pukey Cute - MURRIETA: Pastor loses footb...":

Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

I am a long-time reader of this blog, confessional Lutheran, and vice chairman of Promise Lutheran Church.

A commenter in the local paper noted: "This short piece does not show the impact that this simple bet had on this pastors congregation. Was it in fun? Yes. Life should not be all serious, as we live in God's Grace and Mercy, not under the law. But what was even better was the lesson on humility that came along with it. We all have fallen short, and should not condemn ourselves nor others, as God does not condemn us, but sent his Son to save US! Where is the problem in taking a simple day-to-day occurrence and teaching many others about His Saving Grace, instead of condemnation? For no one person is above any other, so should they not put themselves, nor allow others to put them above anyone."

Regarding our altar/chapel and your readers' criticism: We are in a California county ravaged by double-digit unemployment and an historic real estate collapse. Our altar and furnishings were made out of love by our members and staff. And our meeting area is the common space of our preschool.

I assure you that our doctrine is sound and consistent with the Bible and the Book of Concord. Our assembly is one dedicated to the love of God, one another, and the building-up of the Lord's Church. Our Pastor teaches the Word correctly and administers the Sacraments rightly.

The Good News of Christ is proclaimed at Promise Lutheran Church.

I can be reached at montemail89@gmail.com.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Anthony Monteforte

***

GJ - Cute gimmicks are the notae of Arminians. Lose the praise band and the cross-dressing, and we can talk.

VirtueOnline - News - Exclusives - 2011 - THE YEAR IN REVIEW

VirtueOnline - News - Exclusives - 2011 - THE YEAR IN REVIEW:

2011 - THE YEAR IN REVIEW

By David W. Virtue 
www.virtueonline.org 
January 4, 2012

It was a year that most Episcopalians and Anglicans were glad to see the back of.

LITIGATION

Litigation remained the hallmark issue in 2011 for the Episcopal Church. Four dioceses found themselves in a continuing broad battle for parishes and properties in the dioceses of Pittsburgh, San Joaquin, Ft. Worth and Quincy. Individual property battles continued to rage from Southern California to Connecticut. Seven Virginia churches valued at nearly $40 million, returned to the Fairfax County Circuit Court in 2011 after being remanded by the Virginia Supreme Court. The battle brought by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia against CANA, the US branch of the Anglican Province of Nigeria, will go well into the New Year.

The Eighth Judicial Circuit Court in Adams County, Illinois, denied motions for summary judgment brought by TEC and the rump diocese of Quincy, which had intervened to join in the Episcopal Church's counterclaim against clergy and laity who held property and funds in trust for the missionary Diocese of Quincy in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA).

This is the first summary judgment motion lost by TEC in their attempts to seize the property of the four dioceses - San Joaquin, Ft. Worth, Pittsburgh and Quincy - which have realigned with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone and with the Anglican Church in North America.


In Pittsburgh, eight years of property litigation involving the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh ended, but most parishes that broke from the Episcopal Church still face negotiations over their buildings.

PITTSBURGH

The Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, which had argued that it owned the property, decided it would not appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Anglican Archbishop Robert Duncan turned over $20 million in centrally held assets, but individual parish properties remain the main object of dispute under terms of a 2005 legal agreement that required negotiations for it. The Episcopal diocese has about 9,000 members in 29 parishes. The Anglicans have about 20,000 members in 74 congregations.

Bishop Kenneth L. Price showed little interest in settling any property action that did not resolve his two issues - how much money he could squeeze from each parish and his disallowance by any parish leaving to align themselves with another Anglican jurisdiction. For orthodox Anglican parishes these have been bitter pills to swallow. If settlement agreements fail, they will walk and he will be left with lots of empty, unsalable properties. The issue will be whether greed and cupidity triumphs over common sense. He's already lost over two thirds of all the diocese's parishioners.

Just as the year ended a sneak attack took place by Episcopal leaders of Trinity Cathedral, Pittsburgh. They declared themselves to be the sole owners of the church. Up to this point, the Cathedral had been in a shared governance arrangement between the Anglican Diocese under Archbishop Robert Duncan and the Episcopal diocese, a symbol of civility amidst the property battles going on around the country.

Then it all suddenly changed. In an 11-7 decision, taken with the three Anglican members of the cathedral chapter absent, the Episcopalians made a stealth grab for the property. The provost of the downtown cathedral, the Rev. Catherine Brall, who first proposed the shared arrangement, said it was a great idea but, unfortunately, humans being what they are, it was difficult to put into practice. "We gave it three years to work, and it just wasn't working."

Not surprisingly, no one on the Anglican side was informed in advance that the vote would take place. "I don't think anyone on our side was surprised that it happened, but we were surprised at when it happened, that it was right before Christmas," said David Trautman, spokesman for the Anglican diocese. So much for the vaunted doctrine of Episcopal inclusion and diversity.

FT. WORTH & SAN JOAQUIN

Litigation in Ft. Worth and San Joaquin dioceses continued apace and promises to be a long drawn out battle that will go well into 2012. Millions of dollars worth of property are at stake. In 2011 The Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin elected a new bishop, Eric Menees, who will continue the property battles fought for many years by now retired Bishop John-David Schofield.

Total legal fees for both sides, already well over $20 million, are expected to double or more before the dust settles.

Both sides in the fight for properties have taken four positions. The first is that the parish simply ups and leaves without a legal battle handing the check book and keys over to the bishop who then must figure out what he will do with the near empty parish property. More often than not, the parish is demoted to a mission status and held together by a retired priest. A second pathway is an amicable arrangement between the parish and the bishop such as we saw in the Diocese of New Jersey where Bishop George Edward Councell settled with the CANA parish in Helmetta allowing them to purchase the property at fair market value. All parties parted amicably. A third pathway is to fight to the death. We are seeing this in the Bishop Seabury parish in Groton, CT, with the feisty Fr. Ron Gauss and parish who are prepared to go all the way to the US Supreme Court if necessary to keep the property they paid for. A fourth option is to fight in the lower courts, lose to the Dennis Canon, end the battle and the congregation and priest walk solemnly away. This happened most recently at Christ Church, Savannah, with the lawyers being the only winners.

For a more comprehensive picture and highlight in Church Legal News for 2011 click here:http://accurmudgeon.blogspot.com/2011/12/2011-highlights-in-church-legal-news.html

SOUTH CAROLINA

It was a year when the Diocese of South Carolina Bishop Mark Lawrence came under close scrutiny from his fellow Province IV bishops who invited him to attend a meeting in Charleston, South Carolina to discuss the recent issuing of quitclaim deeds by the bishop and the Standing Committee to parishes of the diocese. 

Gracious hospitality and collegiality characterized the gathering along with what was described as open, honest, and forthright conversation. The bishops did not agree on all matters discussed and the future was a matter of prayer and ongoing engagement, they said. Translation. Gracious hospitality will not last long. Lawrence will not be allowed to get away with this. This is just the beginning of opening skirmishes between Lawrence and his fellow bishops with the ecclesiastical eye of Katharine Jefferts Schori and her legal beagle David Booth Beer never far from the fray.

WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL & BISHOP BUDDE

An earthquake briefly shook the East Coast with the Washington National Cathedral taking the brunt of the moving tectonic plates. As no other building came in for such a hammering, was God trying to get through to the new Episcopal owner? No other church suffered as much damage as did this symbol of Episcopal inclusion. In the midst of the chaos, the Diocese of Washington's spiritual tectonic plates moved even further to the left when the diocese consecrated a woman priest, Mariann Budde, who made enough crazy statements to make one wonder if she was ever a Christian let alone a bishop. Perhaps she will start a new TV sitcom "Angry Bishops" starring Bishop Dixon, Bishop Harris, Bishop Glasspool and PB Jefferts Schori.

She began one service with "In the name of God..." but conveniently forgot the other two members of the Trinity, which left bewildered listeners wondering if she might have had another god in mind.

She quoted her New Age master, David Whyte. In one sentence, Budde talked of "Jesus and all of the great spiritual masters before and after him." Jesus Christ becomes one of many spiritual masters and, for Budde, one not to the level of her chosen master. She used Whyte's words throughout the sermon. To show how deeply Budde is engaged with New Age spiritual practices, she revealed her own use of autosuggestion, a mental technique discovered in the late 19th century. Outgoing Bishop John Chane got his nose out of joint when he learned that she would take over his interim responsibilities at the cathedral following the resignation of Dean Samuel Lloyd who departed washed up and burned out.

ANGLICAN COVENANT

The Anglican Covenant continued coursing its way through the Anglican Communion like floundering wildebeest crossing a crocodile-infested African river.

Mrs. Jefferts Schori said in her book The Heartbeat of God that the Covenant is past its shelf life, which pretty well guarantees that it is dead on arrival at GC2012 where it will be hotly debated with much faux outrage at a disciplinary section and then soundly rejected. Some six provinces have "approved" or "accepted" the Anglican Covenant. The Province of South East Asia has "acceded" to it, The Church of Ireland "subscribed" to it. Six provinces are in various stages of debate and ratification or rejection.

At its recent November meeting in Asunción, Paraguay, the Executive Committee of the Province of the Southern Cone of America voted to approve the Anglican Covenant. The Province views the covenant as a way forward given the difficult circumstance of watching certain Provinces of the Anglican Communion propose novel ways of Christian living in rejection of Biblical norms. That's putting it nicely.

"In response to these novel practices the Southern Cone had held churches in North America under its wing for some time while the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) was formed. However, the Province has not maintained jurisdiction over any local churches there for over a year. As a result, all so called 'border crossings' by any provincial members ceased (as of October, 2010) even though the Southern Cone still remains in impaired communion with US and Canadian Provinces. It is hoped that the Covenant can now provide Communion stability," said a press release.

According to the website maintained by "No Anglican Covenant: Anglicans for Comprehensive Unity", all thirty-eight provinces (national and regional churches) of the Anglican Communion have been asked to adopt an agreement, the Anglican Covenant (or Anglican Communion Covenant), which sets out a process for dispute resolution among Communion churches. A Disciplinary Section IV has had liberal provinces kicking and screaming about orthodox provinces lack of inclusion of pansexuality, which is pretty well the death knell on the Covenant, though a number of orthodox and liberal theologians painfully hang on to the delusion that it will be the tie that binds.

The "Comprehensive Unity" group concluded with this sentiment, "Rather than bringing peace to the Communion, we predict that the covenant text itself could become the cause of future bickering and that its centralized dispute-resolution mechanisms could beget interminable quarrels and resentments." 

The approval process could still take years as it winds its way through the provinces long after Williams has gone. The Episcopal Church's Executive Council will offer a resolution at General Convention rejecting the Covenant.

JEFFERTS SCHORI & BEDE PARRY

Mrs. Jefferts Schori came under intense scrutiny in 2011. The Case of Bede Parry, a former Roman Catholic monk who was received into TEC by her when she was Bishop of Nevada, rocked the blogosphere when he admitted sexually abusing a minor and would be a repeat offender if the right situation offered itself. "I made the decision to receive him," Jefferts Schori said in a statement, "believing that he demonstrated repentance and amendment of life and that his current state did not represent a bar to his reception."

Parry was forced to resign from All Saints' Episcopal Church in Las Vegas where he was an organist when a civil lawsuit was filed alleging that he abused a minor in 1987. Parry was a monk and choir director at Conception Abbey in Conception, MO. Current Nevada Bishop Dan Edwards spun his boss's failings saying Parry has not been accused of wrongdoing since his Episcopal ordination. 

A psychiatrist's report said Barry would abuse again. Based on that knowledge, she should not have even considered him. She apparently gave no thought to the abused kids only to the pederast Parry. The House of Bishops considered no reprimand or investigation of her behavior.

VOL writer and correspondent Sarah Frances Ives dove into Jefferts Schori's faith (what she really believes), the role of TEC and the Anglican Communion. Some of the choice comments found in her book The Heartbeat of Godinclude calling Jesus both a Hell's Angel gang leader (115) as well as a "party animal" (4). She also believes that Jesus is one of the prophets who pointed out a few things and is not the only begotten Son. (And you wonder why four bishops fled to Rome and others to form AMIA, CANA and ACNA).

GENE ROBINSON

V. Gene Robison, the homogenital Bishop of New Hampshire who discovered a higher power after admitting he was an alcoholic, announced he would retire in 2013. Apparently, he can make more money on the lecture circuit than in dealing with pesky going-out-of-business parishes in his declining diocese.

Since 2003, his consecration has continued to pour salt on open wounds in The Anglican Communion, barely avoiding outright schism. Recently, the Province of the Sudan's Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul excoriated TEC over its failure to discipline Robinson and its continued acquiescence to pansexuality in the consecration of lesbian bishop Mary Glasspool. The outcome of his theological rage resulted in the orthodox archbishop publicly disinviting Jefferts Schori to his country. He blasted her saying "it remains difficult for us to invite you when elements of your church continue to flagrantly disregard biblical teaching on human sexuality". Preach it, bishop.

If and when the Church of England embraces women bishops (which now seems very likely) and fails to offer any safe harbor for evangelical and Anglo-Catholic priests, (who reject such an innovation), another rending tear will be visible in the fabric of the communion.

TWS & OWS

Trinity Wall Street (TWS) and Occupy Wall Street (OWS) met in a "money changers in the Temple" moment. The richest church in the world encountered the 99% in what started out as a mutual admiration society and then broke down after the occupiers were evicted from Zuccotti Park. OWS tried to get TWS to allow them to use a vacant lot owned by the church known as Duarte Park. The church declined, calling the proposed encampment "wrong, unsafe, unhealthy and potentially injurious." TWS apparently was not prepared to spring for porta potties.

Among those arrested for civil disobedience were retired Bishop Suffragan of the Armed Forces, Bishop George Packard and several others, including two Episcopal priests for trespassing as he and they climbed a ladder and scaled the fence that surrounded Duarte Park. Packard wrote on his blog, "I am still baffled that the Episcopal Church of which I have been a member all my life could not--through Trinity--find some way to embrace these thousands of young people in our very diminishing ranks. Every year for the last five years we have lost 14,000 members, he moaned. How hard would it have been for Trinity to convene legal counsel and say, "Give us some options so that a charter could be granted over the winter months?"

"We need more; you have more," one protester, Amin Husain, 36, told a Trinity official. "We are coming to you for sanctuary." Ah, yes–you have money, and we want some. This is the essence to which leftism can always be reduced. The church's status is as a real estate titan. TWS discovered to its horror that it had nurtured a viper (OWS) in its bosom.

Both New York Episcopal Bishop Mark Sisk and Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori wrote public letters in support of the church's action. Archbishop Desmond Tutu even weighed in on the side of the church. This all happened as the Christmas season was in full swing. The irony should not be missed. 

In London, the Dean and Canon of St. Paul's Cathedral resigned over the decision by the Cathedral to deny access of the London Stock Exchange occupiers to the Cathedral, which brought a strong response from London Bishop Richard Chartres who decried it. The Archbishop of Canterbury gave an incomprehensible response to the whole fiasco that no one understood.

ROWAN WILLIAMS

On the international front, Dr. Williams got publicly humiliated a second time (the first was at the Lambeth Conference 2008) when a third of his primates failed to show. It happened again in Dublin, Ireland where the mostly same group of primates, who represent more than 75% of the Anglican Communion, were a no show. Those that came lit candles and put them on the chairs of those who did not. Little or nothing of consequence was achieved in Dublin. In short it bombed. Dr. Williams was forced to blow out the candles.

When looters and arsonists broke out in England's cities, Williams responded by saying that they were the socially excluded victims of society's rage. We must make them feel "safe and loved". We must give the poor, sad, underprivileged and misunderstood "youngsters", who were left with no alternative but to burn the shops, as many "role models" as they want. Not that they seemed to be asking for role models, by the way, being content enough to avail themselves of basketsful of iPods, mobile phones and designer shirts and trainers. We must compel them to have role models. Williams made no suggestion that the churches might be to blame for not preaching the 10 Commandments, adhering to law and civil behavior with his clergy ardently preaching the gospel for the looters' salvation.

No other archbishop in recorded history has been so publicly ridiculed and mocked for his positions. Whole blogs are devoted to satirical essays on his various positions. Can one imagine such ridicule aimed at archbishops like Cranmer, Coggan or Ramsey?

One wag ran a headline in his blog: RESOLVED: ROWAN WILLIAMS SHOULD NO LONGER BE ALLOWED TO PUBLICLY SAY ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING AT ALL.

He concluded with these lines: "I don't know why Dr. Williams keeps on doing it. I don't know why he keeps on trotting out the same old tired bromides about this or that social problem. Because he's an academician and clichés are all he knows? Could be. But it could also be that Rowan Williams really isn't as intelligent as people seem to think he is?"

Then the Telegraph newspaper broke the story that Williams was thinking of resigning. Lambeth Palace neither confirmed nor denied the story, but Williams did send a representative to Quito, Ecuador where the TEC HOB was meeting to inform them that the press leak had no substance. 

TEC, SAULS & MONEY

TEC found itself running short of money owing to the tens of thousands of departures and the deaths of aging WASPS with money. Smaller double-digit congregations are finding it difficult to keep the doors open and the heat on.

As a result, at the September meeting of the House of Bishops, Stacy Sauls, former bishop of Lexington and now the new COO of The Episcopal Church, gave a power point presentation, which said, in essence, that TEC must stop its profligate ways, tighten its belt and prepare for leaner days.

After a lengthy slide presentation outlining the various Episcopal Church Center departments and offices (all of which have multiple reporting structures), he noted that, as it stands in the current budget process, governance is funded first. He then asked, "What would happen if we reversed that priority, starting with mission?" Based on that, what if, in creating a hypothetical annual budget of $27 million, $19 million of that budget went toward mission and the remaining $8 million toward overhead? (The current budget is closer to $35 million, he noted.)

Is anybody listening? The trouble is that TEC, being a highly democratic institution, except when it comes to endorsing the faith, met Saul's angst with resistance from the President of the House of Deputies, Bonnie Anderson.

Others noted that Sauls' proposal was made without any consultation with any of those 75 commissions, committees and boards or 46 Episcopal Church Center's departments and offices. Sauls offered the bishops a "model" resolution for each diocese to submit to the 77th General Convention in 2012 for consideration. The model resolution would call for a special commission to be charged with "presenting a plan to the church for reforming its structures, governance, administration, and staff to facilitate this church's faithful engagement in Christ's mission."

One wonders if, in the light of this, the big news at GC2012 will be the budget with rites for same sex blessings running a distant second.

STANDING COMMISSION ON LITURGY & MUSIC: SAME-SEX UNIONS

On that score, the Episcopal Church Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) released educational materials and other information surrounding its plan to ask General Convention to authorize a three-year trial use of proposed rites for blessing same-sex unions.

During that same time period, the church also would reflect on its understanding of marriage in light of changes in both societal norms and civil law if convention agrees to a related resolution the commission will propose, according to the Rev. Ruth Meyers, SCLM chair.

According to Meyers, the 18-month process included "a wide consultative process" with "input from a number of people" before being ready to present the final draft to the church of a three-year trial use of proposed rite of blessings and more conversation about the civil and spiritual nature of marriage and blessings.

TRANSLATION: The Episcopal Church will propose and pass resolutions on same-sex marriage and redefine 6,000 years of biblical history, teaching, theology, reason and revelation on marriage just to satisfy the sexual tastes of a handful of Episcopal pansexualists who insist they have it right when the vast bulk of Christendom disagrees with them.

CONTINUING CHURCHES

The Continuing Church movement, which has its origins in the 1977 St. Louis Convention, met twice in 2011, first in Victoria, BC and again in Massachusetts demonstrating real signs that the major players like the ACCC, ACA, ACC and APCK, (with several coming under the TAC umbrella) want to heal the breach of nearly 35 years of Anglo-Catholic fragmentation. It was a bold move led, largely but not exclusively, by Brian Marsh, Presiding Bishop of the Diocese of the Northeast, Anglican Church in America. He represents a new generation of Continuing Anglican leaders more committed to unity than territorial fights and splits.

Archbishop Mark Haverland of the Anglican Catholic Church (ACC) noted that Women's Ordination still remained the dividing issue between Continuers and the ACNA and was a stumbling block to full Anglican unity. He said the Pope's Ordinariate offer served as an unintentional instrument of unity among Anglo-Catholics.

The head of the Continuing (TAC) Anglican Church in Southern Africa, Michael Gill told listeners at Massachusetts world conference of Anglican Continuers that unless they made evangelism their top priority, they would go out of business even as they uphold the traditional faith of the church. 

TRADITIONAL ANGLICAN COMMUNION

The Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) came unraveled when its leader, John Hepworth, was asked to step down as archbishop and Primate after he learned that the vast majority of his people around the world had no intention of going to Rome and had lost faith in his leadership. A vote in the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) College of Bishops called for his immediate removal from office. There were no votes in support of his staying as Primate. Hepworth, in turn, accused three Roman Catholic priests of sexually abusing him years earlier. When the dust finally settled, he was gone and Rome was not interested in him except as a layman.

AMIA SPLITS

A truly sad note this past year was the split in the Anglican Mission in the Americas. As of the time of this writing, things are still somewhat up in the air. The central issue is the formation of a Missionary Society, long in the works, advocated by Bishop Chuck Murphy. A change in leadership in Rwanda from Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini to Archbishop Onesphore Rwaje, plus allegations of money misuse, caused an implosion in the (AMIA) missionary movement that split from The Episcopal Church more than a decade ago. Nine AMIA bishops quit the African Anglican province and the Anglican Communion with two remaining under the Archbishop of Rwanda. The likely winner in all this is the ACNA. Archbishop Robert Duncan issued a pastoral letter stating that reconciliation between the breakaway bishops and Rwanda was a condition for further talks that would allow the breakaway bishops to find a new provincial home.

We will know more when the AMIA meets next week in Houston at their Winter Conference. VOL will be present for this conference. 

The bishops of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America affirmed their missionary status under the Anglican Province of Nigeria. CANA (birthed in 2005) will retain 'dual citizenship' in the Anglican Church in North America. The bishops rejoiced in the recent creation of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic where many clergy and congregations continue in their relationship with CANA. Bishop Martyn Minns reaffirmed that CANA is a missionary jurisdiction and that CANA's core ministry is to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Spirit transforming lives and communities across North America. 

The bishops discussed a recent decision of the General Synod of the Church of Nigeria, making provision for the creation of CANA missionary dioceses in North America. CANA's Chancellor, Scott Ward, Esq., briefed the bishops on progress towards the formal inauguration of the Missionary Diocese of the Trinity which is to be led by Bishop Amos Fagbamiye.

ACNA itself ended the year with some 100,000 Anglicans in nearly 1,000 congregations across the United States and Canada. 

ORDINARIATE ESTABLISHED

An Ordinariate was established in the US on Jan 1. 2012. (One had already been established in the UK in January of 2011). VOL broke the news of the Ordinariate in December 2011. This was the last event of 2011 while the event itself took place in 2012. The establishment of a personal Ordinariate by the Pope for disaffected Episcopalians was years in the making. Heading this equivalent of a nationwide diocese in the United States is former Episcopal bishop Jeffrey Steenson. Those joining the Ordinariate will be full-fledged Catholics and expected to show allegiance to the Pope, but will be allowed to retain liturgical practices from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Episcopal priests who are married will be exempted from the Catholic requirement of celibacy, though they may not become bishops.

Of this past year, one can only say that, for the most part, it was truly disastrous; 2012 promises not to be a whole lot better. GC2012 will bless same-sex unions with Rites. The only issue will be its forced implementation in dioceses, much like women's ordination. The ACNA will continue to grow, slowly but surely over time displacing TEC as the authentic voice of Anglicanism in North America.

The Episcopal Church will ratify the full range of sexualities - LGBTQI - thus putting it totally outside mainstream Anglicanism alienating itself still further from the Global South whose leaders publicly attacked TEC for its alien sexual abominations. The Church of England Synod will consider both the appointment of women to the episcopacy and the acceptance of The Anglican Covenant. New voices are being raised in CofE circles about the growing need for evangelism in England as its church numbers decline.

Those remaining orthodox dioceses in the Episcopal Church will be forced to make uncomfortable decisions if TEC ratifies and then demands that dioceses perform same sex marriages. The consciences of bishops like Bill Love (Albany), Mark Lawrence (South Carolina) and Gregory Brewer (Central Florida) - to name but a few - will be tested to the hilt.

2012 will be a nail biting year and a very rough ride for bishops, priests and laity with consciences who still wish to be faithful to Scripture and the gospel above all else.

'via Blog this'

Breaking News Is Always Here

UOJ has its own Bible paraphrase -
the New NIV.

Paul McCain reports averaging 1500 page-reads a day. I consider that a slow day. My best ever was 20,000. Recently I had many 4,000 page-read days. December averaged more than 2,000 page-reads per day, for a total of 67,000. If that level holds up, Ichabod would be drawing 50% more business than Cyberbullets.

Based on my infrequent blogs, I am guessing the fake one - Timabob - has about 10 page-reads a day. When someone posts every two months, there is no reason to return. When it is the same neurotic rant each time, there is even less reason to return.

McCain finally noticed, days after the fact, that Holy Father Antichrist erected an ordinariate in America. Ichabod reported that before it happened and named the man in charge - correctly. That is one of the major stories for the new year, but perhaps not as important as a blogger's weapons obsessions.

Herman Otten posted information about the Schwan Foundation's ultra-deluxe salaries and benefits. Supposedly Herman got the figures from Jack Cascione, but he really got the facts from me. I have been reporting on that for years. Herman recently asked about it again, and I gave him the link to Guidestar.org again.

The funniest game in town is pretending not to read Ichabod.

As many people know, the most interesting items are not reported but used as background. Many know that because they are reporting to me. One reader calls me Secret Agent Man.

I will have more done about Walther tomorrow - I mean today.

One friendly reader said, "I don't stay up until 2 am and wake up at 5 am to read and post some more."

But I do, so that is why people wake up and read Ichabod, stay up for Icha-peaks at midnight, and try to console their Icha-widows.

Once Again, With Feeling

UOJ is anti-confessional, so it leads its victims into Eastern Orthodoxy:
clouds of incense and cloudy doctrine.

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Luther Drafted Again To Endorse UOJ":

Because, as ELS Pastor David Jay Webber falsely taught, God sees all people (believers and unbelievers) as unrighteous, outside of Christ, and all people (believers and unbelievers) as righteous, in Christ. SIMULTANEOUSLY!

This is where the false gospel of UOJ has taken the Lutheran Synods - to the point of teaching that God is double minded and being declared by God's divine verdict to be righteous by Christ's atonement doesn't save eternally.

Pastor David Jay Webber (W)ELS

"In Christ, as God looks at the world through Christ, all are under divine mercy and are forgiven, and are therefore invited to believe and be saved. But outside of Christ, as God looks at the world apart from Christ, all are under divine wrath and judgment, and are condemned. The same people - namely all people - are under consideration in each case." http://extranos.blogspot.com/2010/03/grinding-my-ax.html

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John has left a new comment on your post "Luther versus the UOJ Pietists":

I have been a member of both LCMS and ELS congregations and have NEVER been taught that I am saved without faith.

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GJ - The Olde Synodical Conference is not as consistent with UOJ as they like to pretend. The Pless (Concordia, Ft. Wayne) essay recently linked is not UOJ. One Missouri pastor said, "About 500 LCMS pastors write as if they reject UOJ."

UOJ is a convenient hatchet for WELS and the ELS, a tool for the lazy who do not want their seminary notes rewritten. That is the obnoxious stamp of Walther, who had to be top dog and appoint a new generation of top dogs.

How Luther's doctrine has survived the Lutherans is a puzzle to me.

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AC V has left a new comment on your post "Once Again, With Feeling":

"How Luther's doctrine has survived the Lutherans is a puzzle to me."

By God's grace...by God's grace! Or, to put it according to AC V (the Augsburg Confession, Article Five, not the stealth Ichabod poster): "...the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel,..."

"Where and when it pleases God" profoundly humbles me and makes me want to sing a Te Deum for his grace to me.

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AC V has left a new comment on your post "Once Again, With Feeling":

"The Pless (Concordia, Ft. Wayne) essay recently linked is not UOJ."

I believe you are referring to John T. Pless' "Delivering Forgiveness of Sins" presented at the South Dakota District Lay/Clergy Conferences Rapid City, SD May 6, l995 Sioux Falls, SD May 7, l995. University Lutheran Chapel, Minneapolis, MN:

http://www.confessionalsbytes.com/2010/02/john-pless-delivering-forgiveness-of.html

In the WELS the best argument you will get in favor of using the Liturgy is that it best proclaims Christ. On the surface, that sounds like a valid argument. But there is a difference between saying "Use the Liturgy because it best proclaims Christ" and "Use the Liturgy because it delivers the forgiveness of sins." The former leaves the door open to emphasize UOJ. The latter does not. If you don't believe me. Read Prof. Forrest Bivens' essay prepared for the first WELS National Conference on Worship, Music and the Arts at Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin, July 23, 1996, entitled "The Primary Doctrine in Its Primary Setting: Objective Justification in Lutheran Worship":

http://www.wlsessays.net/files/BivensPrimary.pdf

Here are some choice quotes (Part 1 in this post).

Right out of the gate, he says: "To phrase it somewhat differently, God has justified acquitted or declared righteous the whole world of sinners. He has forgiven them. They have been reconciled to God; their status in his eyes has been changed from that of sinner to forgiven sinner for the sake of Jesus Christ. Since all this applies to all people, the term universal or general justification is used. In our circles an alternate term, objective justification, is also used. If justification is universal, it must also be objective - sinners are forgiven whether they believe it or not. This is precisely what Scripture teaches in Romans 3:23-24, when it says, 'There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.' All have sinned and all are justified freely by God’s grace. Romans 4:5 also teaches the grand truth that our God is the 'God who justifies the wicked,' all of them. 'God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them' (2 Co 5:19). Literally, God was not counting 'their' sins against them,and the only antecedent of 'their' in the sentence is 'the world,' which includes all people."

Bivens then goes on to conclude: "Among the fruits of justification is worship." There is no mention of the sacraments in the entire essay, let alone how they convey the forgiveness of sins. Bivens quotes Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Dean of the Chapel James Tiefel to make his point: "Worship is simply the best opportunity to encourage each other with the Word."

Rather than forgiveness delivered through the means of grace, the emphasis is on clear communication in order to get people to understand UOJ. Bivens: "Our gracious God has justified every individual person. God’s will and our desire is that each person be brought to understand and embrace this truth. So the primary doctrine does point us to care for and strive to deal with people individually. On this point at least, the Christian church and the modern American see an agreement of sorts."

To conclude his essay, Bivens talks about music style: "A final 'worship problem' mentioned here is that of agreeing on what music is most appropriate and most to be appreciated in worship." The key, according to Bivens, is UOJ: "Justification leads to inner renewal and a reordering of values and priorities, likes and dislikes in Christian thinking and living. Our new status in Christ issues into a new likeness to Christ. What pleases him pleases us, more and more. Still, since even
the most ancient and approved components in our historical liturgy cannot be equated with heaven’s songs or established as divinely mandated songs for us on earth, their use or nonuse remain a matter of choice. And choices, even among saints, differ widely."

So, there you go. Not a word about about how preaching and the sacraments deliver the forgiveness of sins won by Christ on the cross. Rather, "We've got to be effective communicators of UOJ. Gosh, I suppose liturgical worship does that OK, but don't insist on it because someone might legitimately disagree with you because after all it's all adiaphora."

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AC V has left a new comment on your post "Once Again, With Feeling":

When's the last time you heard something like this from a WELS pastor? Probably not in a long, long time. Today, in fact, it might just get you disciplined, not only for using the word "Mass" but for also suggesting an every Sunday service offering of the Sacrament:

If we get the forgiveness of sins right, we will get the liturgy right. Luther writes in the Large Catechism, "We believe that in this Christian church we have the forgiveness of sins, which is granted through the holy sacraments and, in short, the entire Gospel and all the duties of Christianity....Therefore everything in the Christian church is so ordered that we may daily obtain full forgiveness of sins through the Word and through signs appointed to comfort and revive our consciences as long as we live" (LC II:55). For Luther and the Confessions, the church is constituted in the liturgy, that is, she receives her life from Christ in His words and gifts which deliver the forgiveness of sins. No wonder, then, that our Confessions place sermon and sacrament at the center, insisting that our churches have not abolished the Mass but celebrate it every Sunday and on other festivals (Ap XXIV).

John Pless: "Delivering Forgiveness of Sins"

http://www.confessionalsbytes.com/2010/02/john-pless-delivering-forgiveness-of.html  

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AC V has left a new comment on your post "Once Again, With Feeling":

It's been brought to my attention that those in the LC-MS (who are watching) are seeing more gown-less, pulpit-less pastors in the WELS. A trend in keeping with UOJ principles as summarized by WELS pastor Kevin Schultz who was recently interviewed by the San Diego Reader?:

SDR: What is your main concern as a member of the clergy?

PS: The most important concern I have is getting people interested in God's Word....

(http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2011/feb/23/sheep-reformation-lutheran-church; reprinted in the September 2011 Forward in Christ).

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GJ - Decades ago, Robert Preus sent Herman Otten a promotional piece on Church Growth. He wrote on it, "WELS is deeper into this than Missouri." Likewise, WELS has made UOJ its only doctrine while Missouri has been publishing justification by faith materials (like its KJV catechism) along with the nutty UOJ stuff.

However, the existence of UOJ in any synod shows a complete breakdown in Lutheran doctrine, especially since no Lutheran leader will address the problem and correct it. Hopeless, Helpless, and Hapless (Moldstad, Schroeder, Harrison) are alike in that regard.

Luther Drafted Again To Endorse UOJ

Unknown has left a new comment on your post "Luther versus the UOJ Pietists":

I am reading through Luther on the basis of the schedule George Kraus provides in his booklet: "A Guide to a Year's Readings in Luther." (This is an excellent schedule for those who can find it and also have the American edition of Luther's Works.)

In my reading, I came across two sections where Luther clearly states that all people are forgiven "before" repentance. Here are the two quotes:

The first one from his comments on Hebrews 1:4 found in Volume 29, page 112-113:

‎When He made purification for sins, [He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high].

‎"With this brief word he makes useless absolutely all the righteousnesses and deeds of penitence of men. But he praises the exceedingly great mercy of God, namely, that “He made purification for sins,” not through us but through Himself, not for the sins of others but for our sins. Therefore we should despair of our penitence, of our purification from sins; for before we repent, our sins have already been forgiven. Indeed, first His very purification, on the contrary, also produces penitence in us, just as His righteousness produces our righteousness. This is what Is. 53:6 says: “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

The second is from his comments on Genesis 3:15 found in volume 1 on page 190:

‎Adam and Eve not only do not hear themselves cursed like the serpent; but they even hear themselves drawn up, as it were, in battle line against their condemned enemy, and this with the hope of help from the Son of God, the Seed of the woman. Forgiveness of sins and full reception into grace are here pointed out to Adam and Eve. Their guilt has been forgiven; they have been won back from death and have already been set free from hell and from those fears by which they were all but slain when God appeared.

I understand Luther meaning that, in Christ, all people are forgiven, saved and righteous, but that this forgiveness, salvation and righteousness is only apprehended through faith.

Am I misunderstanding Luther? And if not, how does this differ from General justification?

Michael

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GJ - Michael, when you use the term General Justification, you are translating words from German that mean - literally - every single person in the world has been declared forgiven. I am sure you can find quotations that seem to fit what you have been taught, but that can be credited to those UOJ implants installed in your Church Growth eyes.

There is always an issue of the original German or Latin text being translated precisely, more importantly - the context. I have read thousands of pages of Luther. Throughout his works individual forgiveness comes through faith in that forgiveness. There are many ways to express the Atonement. Read your passages over again and substitute "Christ has already atoned for their sins, paid the entire price for them." That still makes sense.

Next try this. "Adam and Eve and the serpent were forgiven, without faith."

Or, "before we repent, Christ has already paid for our sins."

Compare that to - "We are forgiven all our sins, even if we do not repent and have no faith."

You sound like a seminary student. Please read the Large Catechism straight through. Luther wrote it. He wrote the sermons and the sermons became the Catechism. Read about the efficacy of the Word and the Means of Grace. Look up the passages in the Book of Concord about Enthusiasm.

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AC V has left a new comment on your post "Luther versus the UOJ Pietists":

Michael, what Luther describes in your quotes is the atonement. Justification is that special New Testament word that is always used in the context of "by faith." The Lutheran Confessions affirm this. Justification is the divine declaration of "not guilty" only of the believer, which declaration means that the believer is now righteous and having the status of saint.

Forgiveness of sin is part of what it means to be righteous, but it is not the only or essential thing because the "saint" is still a "sinner" and therefore in daily need of forgiveness. As Luther coined the phrase: simul iustus et peccator "at the same time saint and sinner." The means of grace, Word and Sacraments, are the instruments that convey the forgiveness of sin won on the cross to the sinner in need of forgiveness.

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Luther Drafted Again To Endorse UOJ":

In the false gospel of General Justification the whole unbelieving world has been forgiven of all sin, declared righteous in Christ, guiltless before God and saved (this is includes all Antichrists).

Michael states it this way, "I understand Luther meaning that, in Christ, all people are forgiven, saved and righteous,..."

This is pure Universalism. To defend against this appropriate charge the UOJists will confess that not everyone is "heaven" saved. That Unbelief is the unforgivable sin which men go to Hell for eternity.

Yet, God declared the whole unbelieving world righteous and guiltless while they were living in the unforgivable sin of unbelief. What?! Then when they die in unbelief they are condemned to Hell. Except we were all born guilty of the sin of unbelief - no one was conceived a believer in Christ. Therefore, according to the false doctrine of General Justification (UOJ) no one will ever be saved and everyone is going to Hell - guilty of their unforgivable sin of unbelief.

Some will continue to defend UOJ by declaring that men only receive the benefit (salvation) of God's declaration of their forgiveness, righteousness and guiltless condition through faith. YET - they also teach that faith doesn't do anything, falsely teaching that if man is only forgiven by faith then it makes faith a work of man and such synergism is condemned by God. So by their teaching all men, including the Antichrist is truly forgiven, righteous and guiltless all before faith in Christ, all while guilty of the damning unforgivable sin of unbelief.

They love to claim how they are all saved by confessing they were justified, forgiven and righteous in Christ before they believed yet they were all born guilty of the sin of the unforgivable sin of unbelief. They are all damned to Hell by their own false doctrine regardless of what they now believe.

UOJists declare God a liar by their false gospel. For when God states in John 8:24, "I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." they teach that all sins were already forgiven the whole unbelieving world.

UOJ is the pinnacle of blasphemy as all manner of loathsome and putrid contradictions and lies flow forth from it.