Pastor Nathan Bickel - On the NNIV

Pastor Nathan Bickel, WELS

Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "The Original NIV Mistake in WELS Has Paved the Way...":

[His blog is now listed in the left column -  http://www.thechristianmessage.org/ ]

Some weeks ago I posted the following on the WELS Facebook Page - the part relegated to "recommendations." Here, following, was my comment:

That WELS include, an addendum to the latest synodical 4 lesson Bible study on Bible translations. Specifically, that:

1) Our sister Evangelical Lutheran Synod' Translation Committee gave thumbs down to the new NIV 11
2) Two WELS Districts have basically rejected the WELS Translation Evaluation Committee's recommendation for the new NIV 11 3) The Southern Baptist Convention has turned thumbs down on the new NIV 11
4) The Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood has turned thumbs down to the new NIV 11
5) What other Lutheran leaders / pastors have said about the new gender neutral NIV 11

I believe that the aforementioned information with some details would augment the present study and make it more objective and forthright. Our congregation, (of which my wife and I are members) is presently going through the 4 lesson study. I was dismayed and frustrated what I read in the 4th lesson. It had to do with the Translation Evaluation Committee's stated "Principles" (criteria) that guided them in the evaluation process. Here is that last principle of criteria, of which I thought, was not only flawed and presumptive, but also, assuming:

"We expect that the primary way in which most WELS people experience most of the Bible most of the time is by hearing it read--in the context of the public worship service. Consideration must therefore be given to a translation's suitability for being read aloud. Where do most of our members come into contact with God's Word? For better or for worse, isn't it in the worship serve or catechism class? Isn't it where Scripture is being read aloud? For this reason we felt it was important that the translation is easy to understand when being read........."

Finally, returning to my comment about being "dismayed and frustrated:" I can only conclude that the WELS Translation Evaluation process is flawed. It has assumed some things, without illustrating evidence to, what appears to be a foregone conclusion.

Secondly, it is lumping the total membership with this (apparent) preconceived criterion.

And, thirdly, it illustrates (and I sadly, say so) that the Translation process criteria goals were to recommend a translation that is "dumbed down," because our WELS membership [supposedly] cannot handle a translation that doesn't "sound" as well as another translation. It seems to me that this is [was] a similar flawed, presumptive, and assuming criterion of those [others] who desire to promote and sell the new NIV 11.

Finally, it seems to me, that something is not "right" with this whole process and the way it is now being presented to the WELS membership. I believe that we deserve, better.

http://www.facebook.com/welslutherans

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Sceptical baby is sceptical.
He does not like my do due pun.

GJ - The Wisconsin Sect is a participatory monarchy, with Mark Jeske as the king, Mark Schroeder as his loyal subject.

Everyone is invited to participate, to give the illusion that opinons matter. Of course opinions matter very much if they are in agreement with the apostate leaders.

The agenda has been shaped, just like a cattle pen, to move the bovine herd into the right position to remove horns and other sensitive parts before they stampede in favor of the NNIV.

Those who object will be picked off one by one. This is the last chance for members and pastors to make a difference. By defying the process they can throw the Jeske zombies off, as they did at the WELS convention.

Paul O. Wendland's face was lined with thinly disguised disgust that anyone questioned his Biblical pornography, aka, the New NIV from R. Murdoch. DP Glaeske objected in a speech that was rare for one of the steers on the COP.

Did you wonder why conventions are run by steering committees. Steer is a middle verb in this case, "to make oneself into a steer for the sake of career advancement."

I am not allowed to associate the crook Murdoch with the pretzeling of the Scriptures. Germans like pretzels, so WELS will love the NNIV, Ja?

Bury this piece of work in rage and WELS will be a better sect. After all, Jeske's deputy, Mark Schroeder said that discussion was good for everyone.

Discuss - why are we letting The Sausage Factory push this garbage onto us?

Secondly - why is Mark Schroeder caving in again?

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "The Original NIV Mistake in WELS Has Paved the Way...":

Conservative Lutheran Christian denominational church body would ever entertain adopting a gender neutral translation

First, there are no Conservative Lutheran denominations in existance.

(W)ELS excommunicated Joe and Lisa Krohn from Holy Word, Austin Texas because they confessed Justification by Faith Alone and rejected the false gospel of sins forgiven by God before and without the Means of Grace working Godly contrition over sin and faith alone in Christ. Every (W)ELS member took part in that excommunication and persecution of Christ's Church.

Second, the (W)ELS didn't only entertain adopting the blasphamy called the NNIV - their Seminary recommended the Convention adopt the NNIV as the official translation of the Synod. Those charged with training future pastors swooned with glee over Dr. Moo's false doctrine and abhorent deletions and additions to God's Word and are currently teaching (W)ELS future pastors to do the same.

The clear message from Lutheran Leadership, SP, DP, etc is:

WELS - Change or Die
ELS - Change or Die
LCMS - Change or Die
ELCA - Change or Die
CLC - Change or Die

That's what synod straddler Mark Jeske declares!

The Original NIV Mistake in WELS Has Paved the Way for the NNIV

Mark and Avoid Jeske's father  promoted the NIV.
Mark's brother Tom smirked his way through the NNIV presentation at the convention.
Mark sat with his buddies and watched.

Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "Darwin Schauer Is Only a Hint of the Lawsuits To C...":

The longer I live, the more I am becoming convinced that Christian denominations [sadly and pathetically] possess spiritual inbreeding. After reading this posting about some early LCMS history, I am now becoming convinced that physical inbreeding may be a major forerunner to denominational spiritual inbreeding.

It greatly distresses me that WELS would even consider the NIV11 as an option for official WELS publications, as it looks to a different Bible translation to replace the 1984 NIV.

I keep reading that WELS and our local congregation are committed to Christian belief and practice, based upon the inerrant Word of God. However, the very consideration of the gender neutral NIV11 renders that professed, resolve, inconsistent.

Warning: this post is offensive to Larry Olson's  women ministers.

Adopting a gender neutral Bible is tantamount to messing with God's Word. I prefer to liken it to "molestation" of God's written revelation. Adopting gender neutrality in Scripture is humanly micro managing and tweaking Scripture to suit one's own (carnal political correctness, Bible study slothfulness, or, whatever) desires and / or, ends. There is no Scriptural or rational excuse to intentionally remove and / or alter Scripture's patriarchal language. Doing so would be akin to literary revisionism, - as altering other literary works of antiquity, such as Homer's Iliad, Caesar's Gallic Wars, Josephus’ writings, etc. Even in the secular world, I’m convinced that many would consider this type of editing alteration, unconscionable.

Scripture, itself makes it clear that "every word of God is pure." Scripture, (itself) also states that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God" [God-breathed - the very words] - [Proverbs 30:5-6 ; 2 Timothy 3:14-17]

If WELS leadership and congregational pastors would be (Biblically) wise, they would drop the NIV11 consideration from the mix of options. Presently, I'm reminded of the Scriptural reality: ".....Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you....." [2 Corinthians 6:14-18 - in context]

Finally, I never thought I'd witness the day that a Conservative Lutheran Christian denominational church body would ever entertain adopting a gender neutral translation, which, essentially, departs from the Reformation sola scriptura principle. I can't believe that our Triune God ever intended that His Word (and very words) be conveyed in any other way than what His Holy Spirit breathed to His inspired authors.

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Various comments from Lutheran laity:

Thanks for posting the Luther sermon re the closed doors.  I first read this a few years back and it was nice to be able to go over it again.  It certainly helps to explain a lot of things about what the Holy Ministry is all about.  There is a lot noise which interferes with a true understanding of what Lutheran theology is all about.

I noticed in my weekly troll through the Lutheran comic section, [Luther Quest] some interesting things.  Every one, it seems, wants to enforce the rules of what everyone else should think.

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Another:

How can Fox Valley and the Intrepid Lutherans be in the same synod?

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Yet Another:

I'm going to have to judge a church on an individual basis. The WELS I had been attending here in this district definitely towed the party line, but when I visited my relative in WI and attended another WELS church, the difference was day and night. Traditional liturgy and a great Gospel sermon, so it really depends on the church.

***

Not a Photoshop.

GJ - The dissolution of the Lutheran synods has begun. 

ELCA proved it could happen - even with iron-fisted lady bishops, so WELS can do it with their suffragettes, trimmers, and snake-handlers.

Not a Photoshop.

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WELS church lady has left a new comment on your post "Darwin Schauer Is Only a Hint of the Lawsuits To C...":

Thankyou Pastor Bickel. Might you be considered as a guest speaker for the many district conventions that will take place this June?

In Christ,
Rebecca 

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Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "Darwin Schauer Is Only a Hint of the Lawsuits To C...":

Rebecca - Re: Your April 16, 2012 2:23 PM comment reply:

Thank you for the very kind thought. But, I rather doubt that I would be invited by the district leaderships and / or their perspective convention committees. My wife and I are recent "additions" to our local WELS parish. It may take another 30 years to be totally accepted there. So, then how, in the world, would I be even considered to speak on a district level?

My thinking is such: If the various many WELS tightly bound group of leaderships (in the first place), can't seriously comprehend what they are doing by placing the [new] NIV 11 in the synodical consideration mix, then nothing what I or anyone else would, or could say, opposing it, - [and, questioning their judgment], would make a difference. It seems as though a large percentage of them have allowed themselves to be led around by the Translation Evaluation Committee. Else why would the (biased bent) translation committee's 4 part synodical Bible study be even allowed, featuring the new NIV 11 gender neutral translation, as a show prep?

I was born into a Lutheran family, baptized as an infant; became an LCMS parish pastor in my early forties. Presently, my wife and I are WELS members. It will be a sad story to witness when fellow Lutherans feel that they must (in good conscience) eschew other Lutherans over the gender neutral NIV 11 on the basis of the Scriptural principle of Romans 16:17-20. That Scripture has been utilized for years by Lutherans to separate them from opposing denominational Christian communions who practice false doctrine, not in accordance with the whole of Scripture. Now, I see the day fast approaching when that (same Romans) Scripture can and will be utilized as a viable (and conscienable) rationale to separate from other Lutherans.

Again, Rebecca, thank you for the thought of being invited as a guest speaker. But, "as" Father Abraham responded to the Rich Man in Christ's parable, they [WELS leaderships] have (available) "Moses and the prophets" [Luke 16:19-31] 

VirtueOnline - News - Exclusives - Soper Trust Lawsuit Intensifies: Legal Hearing Speculates if TEC Will Survive. Doomed Dinosaur Denominations Sue for Money

DC Bishop Budde is doing a Walther on a huge endowment,
to make up for loss of funds and members.

VirtueOnline - News - Exclusives - Soper Trust Lawsuit Intensifies: Legal Hearing Speculates if TEC Will Survive:


The Diocese of Washington's aggressive action against PNC bank continued in a hearing on January 23, 2012. The full transcripts of this hearing recently became publicly available in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland in the Greenbelt, Maryland court file. In this lawsuit, the Diocese of Washington seeks to terminate the trust left by a generous contributor to the Episcopal Church, Mrs. Ruth Gregory Soper, and place this considerable wealth under its own control. The Soper Trust began with $7 million and now has over $25 million. Originally Riggs National Bank managed the trust and after its collapse, PNC bank took over this managing function. (for more about this see other Virtueonline articles, including 10-10-11 www.virtueonline.org)

The original intent of the Soper Trust was to fund ministries but with the Diocese of Washington's steadily declining revenues, it now fills the gap in its annual budget by providing one/third of the operating expenses.

Some vocal members of the Diocese have expressed concern and anger about this use of the Soper Trust in a series of regional meetings. The Canon to the Ordinary, Paul Cooney, has given public talks about this lawsuit in an attempt to gain support for this legal action against PNC bank. Cooney says that the diocese initiated this lawsuit in order to avoid the PNC management fees of about one hundred thousand annually. Cooney hopes that they will avoid this fee if the trust is terminated and managed by him along with a diocesan committee of investors. Cooney filed an affidavit about this on January 20, 2011.

Yet this lawsuit invokes much larger issues than details about trusts. The leadership of the Episcopal Church has abandoned the central beliefs about the redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection. Now as Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori plans to transform Christian parishes into interfaith centers, the Episcopal Church faces precipitous declines and many wonder if it will survive. Indeed, the January 23, 2012 transcripts reveal that Judge Peter J. Messitte also expressed a question about the continuation of the Episcopal Church, while in previous court actions, he had disregarded this possibility.

In this hearing the lawyer for the Diocese of Washington, Daniel Shea, dialogued with Judge Messitte about the continued survival of the Episcopal Church. The judge is called The Court in the following transcripts. These transcripts are presented in this article exactly as they read in the court file.

"MR. SHEA: Well, the next issue, Your Honor, is Your Honor went to great lengths to explain in response to PNC's last argument that, gee, maybe there'll be some other entity that will come along that has a right or title in interest to this, and you went to great lengths to explain how the Anglican church has been around since before the American Revolution when the Episcopal Church was created in the United Sates. And I'll take it a step further. The Anglican Church has been around since, I think, the Reformation, Your Honor. So the suggestion that the Episcopal Church and the Anglican church, its parent, are somehow going to go somewhere anytime soon, pales in comparison."

THE COURT: I thought some of them were going to the Catholic Church, Mr. Shea, that's what I read.

MR. SHEA: Well, I hear you. That has happened, Your Honor, where one diocese here in this - one church in this Diocese has been permitted by, I guess Rome, to join the Roman Catholic, it's very interesting, Your Honor, in terms of ecclesiastical law how all that happened. I don't profess to have any greater knowledge than what I read in the paper about that, though."

Following this exchange, the judge and Shea dropped the issue of whether the Episcopal Church will survive. In his presentation Shea explained that the Diocese of Washington's interest is to control fully the remaining Soper money. He stated that in "Mr. Cooney's declaration" the Soper Trust provides "a third of the operating budget of the Diocese." Shea mentioned Paul Cooney's testimony about the Soper Trust about ten times in the hearing. The Diocese had previously stated that they want the highest possible income stream from this trust, but this argument has now been dropped after PNC pointed out previously that Mrs. Soper did not express this in her will.

Shea stated that Mrs. Soper was not keeping the Diocese away from managing her trust, even if her 1973 will stated that the trust should continue "in perpetuity." At one point Judge Messitte requested a copy of Mrs. Soper's will but in response Shea states, "I'm sorry, Your Honor, I didn't bring the will, I apologize."

Shea expressed several times that the Diocese of Washington wants control of the money only to avoid the management fees charged by PNC bank. The judge finally expressed impatience with this argument and suggested that if the diocese gained control of the money, it would also pay management fees. The dialogue reads below.

"THE COURT: Counsel, be fair. Are you saying that you would, if the Diocese got the corpus, you would not be investing with professional investment houses [?]"

Murphy responded that the Diocese would indeed pay fees to an investment house but he thought that the fees would be less expensive.

In his attempts to get the judge to rule for the termination of the Soper Trust, Shea took great care to define Cooney and other diocesan money managers by the term "sophisticated." In the following exchange, Shea said that because of diocesan sophistication, PNC management should be dismissed.

"MR. SHEA: The Diocese is a sophisticated diocese, Your Honor, with a sophisticated investment committee with sophisticated members on the committee, Your Honor, . . . So we're dealing with a sophisticated, not a non-sophisticated beneficiary . . .Clearly there's a need to have some sophisticated management over assets."

PNC lawyer Sean Murphy addressed Mr. Shea's argument rooted in the term "sophisticated" by offering this fact showing PNC's vast experience handling money as compared to the limited expertise of the diocese.

"MR. MURPHY: [PNC] manages nearly 40 billion in assets under management as opposed to the 16 million of the Diocese."

Murphy stated that under Washington DC law UPMIFA there would be no restrictions on the Soper body of money if the diocese gained control of it. He stated, "Under UPMIFA in Washington D.C., if you're going to use these funds for your own use, then there are no restrictions on what you can do with it. In other words, you can dip into the fund and use it for income. . . .They can take our corpus, if they want under UPMIFA as enacted in D.C. And that's - that's our point. . . It exposes the corpus to the claims of creditors, the right to spend the money as they deem fit jeopardizes what she wanted, [which] was the fund to exist in perpetuity."

In conclusion, Judge Messitte denied both the Diocese of Washington and PNC bank's motion for summary judgment and said that this issue should proceed to a trial with a public record. The lawyers for the diocese expressed distress about this ruling and in particular asked for a limited amount of discovery for this upcoming trial. Another attorney for the Diocese, Albert Brault said, "I don't want to get into this discovery route with, you know, boxes of records . . . In talking about discovery, we are in the unenviable position of that its trust funds that are undoubtedly paying the expenses. And so we would be very concerned with the expense factor and hoping we could hold it down." PNC lawyer Murphy agreed that in principle they could try to hold the discovery down.

The point here though is that PNC does not have to look far for an example to prove that the Diocese of Washington if left to its own devices will use the Soper Trust for its personal piggybank without concern for Mrs. Soper's wish for the trust to continue in perpetuity. Funding this lawsuit over the Soper Trust was not in the 2012 budget that the Diocese of Washington convention approved by a vote, though perhaps this expense was slipped into a general category without making the convention aware of it. If the Diocese of Washington gets control of the Soper Trust, the long-term survival of this trust seems questionable.

A crucial point in this hearing was that Mrs. Soper made no direct gifts to the Diocese of Washington but left money to it only under a separate management from the diocese. The judge seemed to seek a legal interpretation of her action and whether it is was meant to keep her financial assets away from the management of the Diocese of Washington.

That argument that Mrs. Soper held concerns about the Diocese of Washington can be made from her choice of church membership. In her will, Mrs. Soper gave an outright gift of 25,000 to her parish. Ruth Gregory Soper's church, All Saints, Chevy Chase, Maryland, now holds a distant relationship with the Episcopal Church. In the early 2000s, this church requested alternative oversight so it would not have to receive the bishop of the Diocese of Washington. The Rt. Rev. Edward L. Salmon, Jr., the former Bishop of South Carolina provided Episcopal support to this congregation so it would not be under the authority of the former Washington D.C. Bishop John Bryson Chane. This prominent parish's criticism of the leadership of the Episcopal Church is well known and from this it can logically be speculated that Mrs. Soper (as a long-term member) also had reservations about the direction of the Diocese of Washington. The court wanted to know if someone could testify that knew Mrs. Soper and her thinking about the Episcopal Church. No name was mentioned in the transcripts.

On March 26, 2012 both counsel produced the subsequent schedule. Legal discovery will continue until October 30, 2012 and the trial should happen in November or December 2012.

Even a limited discovery process should reveal the debts and financial decline that the Diocese of Washington now experiences. Its situation is dire and getting worse.Already the sophisticated Diocese of Washington pays for lawsuits out of a trust, dismisses concern of whether its actions will drive the Episcopal Church out of existence, and plans a hearing about Mrs. Soper's trust without a written copy of the will. In a parallel way, the current sophisticated leadership of the Episcopal Church conducts dozens of lawsuits, while watching its money disappear. The Episcopal Church as a whole watches parishes and dioceses flee to Rome or faithful Anglican groups, and yet it still continues to reject the scriptures with their written record of the holy actions of Christ. For those watching the Episcopal Church's follies and heresies, this hearing seems somehow indicative of the Church as a whole.


'via Blog this'

Bobby Petrino: Jessica Dorrell Incident Will Ensure Petrino Never Coaches Again | Bleacher Report. Are You Reading This, LCMS, WELS, ELS?

Clergy adultery earns promotions in WELS,
a quick firing at a football program.
Helpless SPs in WELS and Missouri manage to impose Stalinist censorship.

Bobby Petrino: Jessica Dorrell Incident Will Ensure Petrino Never Coaches Again | Bleacher Report:

When will the "conservative" Lutherans ever be as decisive as the Arkansas football program?

May God have mercy on anyone who points this out to Missouri, WELS, and the ELS, because the Synod Popes have no mercy for their victims plenty of cheap grace for the predators. Holy Mother Synod must remain immaculate in the public media.

'via Blog this'

Darwin Schauer Is Only a Hint of the Lawsuits To Come

KJV Joel 2:17 Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let 
them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule 
over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?


SP Harrison and SP Schroeder have dropped the Cone of Silence on their synods, because they do not want people think they can discuss felonies out in the open, where future litigants can record the facts. That is why all victims and their families should get a specialist attorney and contact SNAP, not the synod, when abuse is uncovered.

WELS deception is habitual, and the Missouri Synod began with a pack of lies. Let me explain.

The man who founded the Missouri Synod was Bishop Martin Stephan, STD, not C. F. W. Walther. Stephan established a fanatical cult in Dresden, helped by inheriting his group from a radical Pietist who got his charges (like the Walther brothers) used to total domination. The first boss emphasized mortification of the flesh, the second one - Halle Justification - the whole world has already been declared forgiven.

This Pietistic circle's standing--despised renegades in a rationalistic state church--unified them. The first Pietistic bishop died one year after he finally received a call and moved away. One of the disciples inherited the dead man's fiance and married her. Likewise in America, Ottomar Fuerbringer married the widow (Buenger) of O. H. Walther. CFW inherited his brother's call, marrying another Buenger.

Walther derived power from Stephan, who insisted on being a tyrant from the beginning. Walther was his enforcer and made sure an exiled parson remained exiled. All this is in Zion on the Mississippi, in the beginning chapters. Just like the Synodical Conference (tm) today, there were only two acceptable attitudes toward Great Leader - agreement or apology. Remember that when visiting a DP or SP.

Bishop Stephan had his female groupies in Dresden, and everyone knew it. Lenski has this interesting note about the silly women who hang around false teachers, 2 Timothy 3:

Lenski: 
We quote Jerome: “Simon Magus founded his heresy aided by the help of the strumpet Helena; Nicolaus Antiochenus, founder of all impurities, led a feminine bevy; Marcion also sent a woman ahead for greater excess; Apelles had Philomone as a companion; Montanus corrupted Prisca and Maximilla at first with gold, then polluted them with heresy; Arius, when he deceived the world, first deceived the sister of the ruler; Donatus was aided by the resources of Lucilla; blind Agape led blind Elpidius; Priscillianus was joined by Galla.” 


We are unable to say how much dependence can be placed on this rather startling list. It can be put into the shade by modern instances. R., W. P., points to only two: the notorious Schweinfurth of some forty years ago with his “heavenly harem” in Illinois and the “House of David” exposed in the courts of Michigan.


He might have added Brigham Young with his Mormon polygamy. These are, however, the extreme cases. Much more to the point are the “religious cults” that purvey East Indian and other mysterious mysteries of the mystic order that are so attractive to wealthy ladies who lionize their leaders, and the proselyting heretical sects who make a specialty of creeping especially into Christian houses to make converts chiefly among religiously inclined women and actually winning so many.


Kretzmann pictures them as smooth, slick-talking religious agents with ingratiating, clinging methods, insidiously introducing themselves, often as fatherly confessor brothers with a high-grade spirituality and great sanctity, actually taking such women captive body and soul. Women are their special prey. Paul certainly prophesied truly. Such periods have come only too often. 
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus and to Philemon. Columbus, O. : Lutheran Book Concern, 1937, S. 825.

Lenski would have added the Church Growth leaders of today, who embrace married women and young girls as easily as they embrace false doctrine.

Stephan had total control of his fanatical cult. Everyone had to agree with him - no one taught the Word of God in Europe. That is why they had to leave. His disciples encouraged people to break up their families and divorce those who resisted the great Saxon migration. CFW and his brother kidnapped Walther's niece and nephew, taking some other minor children (without parents) along as well. They were Antinomians one and all, knowing they were following a blatant adulterer but counting him repentant or forgiven.

Attorney Vehse:
LCMS Loyalists say his first-hand account is unreliable,
so do not read it.
Read their hagiographies instead.

The recent Stephan book did not need to reveal all this, because Zion on the Mississippi published the facts rather dispassionately, often in painstaking detail, 65 years ago. The clergy around Stephan were the sub-leaders and the two lawyers, Marbach and Vehse, knew about the court dealings with Stephan's women and money issues.

Bishop Stephan left his ailing wife (syphilis, from him) and his disabled children (secondary syphilis) in Dresden while he sailed to America with his groupies, including the main mistress, Louis Guenther. He continued his scandalous behavior on the ship and in St. Louis, insisting on spending the cult's money on buying up land far away from the immoral heathen of St. Louis.

In America, money trouble and an outbreak of syphilis among the young women gave Walther the chance to take over Bishop Stephan's role by suddenly discovering the leader's adultery, thanks to the connivance of Walther's long-term friend. Zion admits the "confession" was a lie because everyone knew about the groupies...and Louise Guenther. She gave testimony about his adultery in Dresden, and so did Mrs. Stephan and other women. His lawyers in these trials were Marbach, Vehse, and another attorney.

If the spirochete doth fit, you cannot acquit. Stephan was treated for syphilis in Dresden, going to spas with Louise G. and talking long walks with various young women because he could not sleep (from his syphilitic rashes).

This is where the Stephan situation fits the Synodical Conference crisis today. The synodical leaders are still following the Walther template - lie, cover-up, and confuse everyone with sanctimony.

Meditate on the Eighth Commandment a minute, and what it really means. Fine.

This is how Walther explained Stephan's marital troubles - " somewhat confidentially." I imagine it is no longer in confidence, because CPH published it for the world to see. Notice how obedient Walther was to the Eighth Commandment.

August R. Suelflow:
Somewhat confidentially, Walther mentions that the Stephans had marital difficulties in Dresden, but that those loyal to Stephan in the immigration put most of the blame on Mrs. Stephan. Walther also relates that Stephan's doctrine [GJ - which Walther subscribed to] was not totally Lutheran, but had a strong element of Pietism. 
[GJ - Imagine that! Walther participated in the cell groups or conventicles, in a congregation founded by Pietists for Pietists, known for its cell group ministry led by Stephan. Walther's previous association was in a cell group managed by another Pietist and a Bible study group led by a Pietist from Halle, as Stephan was.]
Servant of the Word: The Life and Ministry of C. F. W. Walther, CPH, 2001, p. 54.

There are many outright deceptions in Suelflow, hiding known facts and spinning each anecdote to show how the Great Walther was destined to be God's Man of the Hour.

In Europe, Walther escaped arrest by the police for kidnapping his own niece and nephew. But Suelflow wrote that when this kidnapper arrived in New Orleans:

God had great things in store for C. F. W. Walther in St. Louis. (Servant of the Word, p. 37)

Synodical Conference Today
Walther had no qualms about defrauding Stephan of his land, organizing a mob, stealing all of Stephan's gold and goods, and using Stephan's own chalice as CFW's prize in communion services at Trinity in St. Louis. How Walther must have gloated! Thieves love to treasure their trophies. He grabbed 40 acres of land from Stephan's son, too, and made life miserable for the young Stephan, who loyally served the LCMS.

But Missouri must be ashamed that they forced Stephan across the Mississippi at gunpoint and abandoned him with almost nothing to feed or clothe him - a rotten cabin, a few coins, and a couple of implements. Missouri never tells the truth about the big mob scene, the multiple felonies committed by the pious Pietists.

Tragically, Missouri will not repent of those crimes, return the stolen goods, make the Stephan family whole (as required by law), and change their Satanic tactics.

UOJ Antinomianism still rules.

Memo - Fox Valley Plagiarist

O'er the Gloomy Hills of Darkness, The Lutheran Hymnal #505

"O'er the Gloomy Hills of Darkness"

by William Williams, 1717-1791

1. O'er the gloomy hills of darkness,

Cheered by no celestial ray,

Sun of Righteousness, arising,

Bring the bright, the glorious day.

Let the morning

Of Thy blessed Gospel dawn.

2. Kingdoms wide that sit in darkness,

Grant them, Lord, the glorious light;

And from eastern coast to western

May the morning chase the night

And redemption,

Freely purchased, win the day!

3. Fly abroad, eternal Gospel;

Win and conquer, never cease.

May Thy lasting, wide dominions

Multiply and still increase!

May Thy scepter

Sway th'enlightened world around!

Hymn #505 

The Lutheran Hymnal

Text: Revelation 14:6

Author: William Williams, 1772, cento, alt.

Composer: George W. Warren, 1884

Tune: "Guide Me"

Here is the tune, Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah, sung by the Welsh, not the WELS, so Wisconsin Synod members may not hum along.

Doctrinal and Hymn Graphics Scattered Abroad on Facebook

Today's version, 640 pixels wide.

This is one of my first doctrinal graphics.
I learned this was not a good way to make a graphic.
Now I take a landscape (wide) shape and put the quotation below.
Tall  (portrait) graphics are often on the left, text on the right.
For hymns, I try to include all the verses.

I was surprised this morning to find that a Facebook group I joined was using my Luther graphic. I was also pleased. The idea was to produce graphics that could be shared all over the Net, without needing permission or credit.

When Norma Boeckler has drawn the art, I credit her. She has generously donated her time for this art, which her favorite area of work.

I let a few doctrinal page groups know about the graphics, and they were copying them right away. Therefore, I added most of them to my own Facebook photo albums. Friends can tag their favorites to themselves and have use of them. I am more inclined to right click and save to the hard drive, which is why I have to search for my own graphics...often.

They have shown that the right-brain (artistic) and left-brain (logical) are not really hemispheres in the brain, but the concept is good. I can find my own favorite quotes better because I associate them with pictures.

Various people have expressed their appreciation for the hymn graphics, too, which became a sideline when I started on Hebrews 11.

Once I thought, "That would be great to create stained glass windows, pictures with a Biblical message." Now I can do that without getting my fingers sliced on glass.

Do you remember the only Luther-Melanchthon student who
translated the Bible?
A graphic makes it easier.

Luther - On Faith and Holy Communion

Luther - Easter Monday:

2. Beloved, you have heard that we preached who are worthy to receive the Lord’s Supper, namely, those who by the Word of God are moved in their hearts to believe, and that those who are not thus prepared ought to refrain from it. And it is right to deter everyone from rushing to it or going in one’s own preparation, as was formerly common. That is the right way to preach, and I would to God that many might be thus terrified. But again I notice in many, and in myself also, that the devil spirit presses the other side also too much, so as to cause hearts to be weary and backward in partaking of the communion, so that they never approach it unless they feel for a certainty that they are fervid in faith. This is also dangerous, since thereby we would do away with the preparation which was formerly customary, but would establish a new preparation that would also not be right.

3. We have rejected those who prepare to receive the sacrament by their own works, a thing that God abhors.

But by so doing we may easily cause people to become slow, so as always to wait until God comes and gives us perfect faith, so that they may go.

Hence we can never preach enough about faith, even if we preach long and earnestly about it, for our reason can never understand it. Hence, to meet this evil, we will treat it more at length and must divide it into two parts, or rather, into the two classes of persons who prepare to go to the Lord’s Supper.

4. In the first place we have taught that it did not profit any one to prepare for the sacrament by his own strength, as those did who endeavored by their confession and other works to make themselves worthy to receive it.

This is a terrible error and abuse, and the only true advice we can give those who undertake such things is to refrain from them and to keep far from the sacrament.

5. The other preparation, that is made in faith, and of which we have said enough before, is right, as it comes and proceeds from God. It is not done in such a way that one always feels confident he is worthy. Where would faith be if that were the case? But it takes place thus: Without any of my preparing and doing, God’s Word comes to me. I may indeed go and hear it, or read and preach it, so that it thus enters my heart. And that is the right preparation, which is not made by the power and cunning of man, but by the strength of God. Hence there is no better preparation for all the sacraments than to permit and suffer God to prepare us. This is a brief talk about the preparation. And now we will consider the communicants.

Luther's Works - Linked

The website is way out and the format is terrible, but you will find more of Luther's works together here than anywhere else. I linked it in the left column, near the top. You can find Calvin, the Church Fathers, and many other theologians on the main page here.

God Rules has posted all of the Baker Luther sermons (8 volumes). I am interested in re-publishing them in calm, attractive format. They are public domain.

Another place to find Luther's sermons is this Lutheran congregation's website.

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Luther's Works - Linked":

Luther always wrote eloquently about the faith of the Holy Spirit, the righteousness of Christ.

Today's UOJists attack the Holy Spirit's faith, attributing faith to men as their work in believing - UOJ's faith is an "empty beggars hand". This is one point on which I find agreement with the UOJ promoters. Their faith is such a withered and empty beggars hand which recieves the fruit of their false gospel. UOJ's faith, an act of man, can only be created by something that is already a reality - by their own teaching - their faith can only be created by the forgiveness of sins already declared. The putrid irony is that by their teaching, and there are many versions of their central doctrine (each contradicting the other), is that faith clings to the forgiveness of sins declared by God to be theirs before they believed so that their sins may be forgiven after they believe that they've already been forgiven. And in the antiglorious fashion of the Devil himself the contradictions of UOJ are touted as proof that the doctrine is from God since His ways are not our ways and therefore men should see God's hand in the contradictions.

On the other hand (no pun intended) the Holy Spirit's faith is that which God graciously creates through the Means Of Grace, working Godly contrition over sin and faith in Christ alone. By this faith in Chirst a man dies to sin, having been alive to the Law, is raised again to live under God's grace, is adopted as a child of the Triune God, is renewed in Spirit, Christ dwells in him and he in Christ, receives Christ's righteousness for the forgiveness of sins, justification and eternal life - instantaneously and not as a contradiction laden process that UOJ promotes.

***

GJ - The UOJ Enthusiasts play top dog 24/7. The result is a constant effort to be more UOJ-than-thou. But, it is also the natural consequence of omitting the foundational concepts of the efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace.

Brett is coming at the issue from the perspective of the Holy Spirit at work, which is just as valid. His emphasis shows God the Holy Spirit at work. The UOJ objections to justification by faith are absurd, but they run to that term, justification by faith, to fool their audience.

The one consistent dogma of OJ or UOJ is justification of the entire world, declaring every single polytheist and atheist forgiven and saved, without faith - without the Word, without the Means of Grace.

Luther on the Faith of St. Stephen

True faith is a strong, active and efficacious principle. Nothing is impossible to it. It rests not nor hesitates. Stephen, because of the superior activity of his faith, performed not merely ordinary works, but wrought wonders and signs publicly — great wonders and signs, as Luke says. This is written for a sign that the inactive individual lacks in faith, and has no right to boast of having it. Not undesignedly is the word “faith” placed before the word “power.” The intention was to show that works are evidence of faith, and that without faith nothing good can be accomplished.

Faith must be primary in every act. To this end may God assist us. Amen.

Conclusion - Luther's Sermon on St. Stephen's Day, Epistle Lesson.

KJV Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. 9
Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians,
and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to
resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. 11 Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard
him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. 12 And they stirred up the people, and the
elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, 13 And set up
false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place,
and the law: 14 For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall
change the customs which Moses delivered us.

KJV Acts 7:54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with
their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of
God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the
Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their
ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses
laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen, calling
upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice,
Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Ignore the scandals, smut and financial ineptitude of your church leadership. “Don’t Sweat the Weeds”.....famous last words

McCain's expert in theology, Kilcrease, teaches at a Roman college.
Father Jack inspired the Icha-verb "to kilcrease" by erasing his own comments.

Ignore the scandals, smut and financial ineptitude of your church leadership. “Don’t Sweat the Weeds”.....famous last words:

BJS did damage control for Holy Mother Synod last night about 9 p.m. after PT McCain made a botched attempt at information misdirection on behalf of LCMS upper management.

The blowback off the Schauer Affair is a revelation of ecclesiastical decadence and moral schizophenia by Missouri’s Leadership. This is an ongoing problem. 

This is also part of the Information Reformation. The dull old fashioned information outlets cannot cover up and do damage control to the extent that they have in the past.

It’s not so much that this case is rare or exceptional---- it’s because it is endemic. This isn’t about a few bad apples, but rather, a bad barrel.

The point of reference,  Updated Predator Thread and the previous post disclosing same was deleted, here’s the explanation.

See: Time to Cease, a word from BJS editors. 

“ 

Same old playbook---the lame excuse to appeal to higher moral authority, applied selectively-- 8th commandment, again.

The real reason to delete two posts was that McCain made a really stupid mistake. He tried to pull a fast one and got caught by Pr. Don Kirchner who corrected him on facts and sources.

  

To the best of my recollection the blog thread near the end went like this.......  McCain wrote in the comment section that he had personal knowledge from an unnamed but authoritative source that makes the supposition that Darwin Schauer (alleged predator) was not a predator as originally stated back in 1983, that the complainant (stepdaughter) recanted, and the record of same was expunged.

Pastor Kirschner refuted that fallacious statement and then wrote back to McCain the source of his own erroneous remark and why the source was unreliable. So, McCain got caught attempting to spin a fictitious scenario of events.

Rev. Wurst wrote that McCain was spreading gossip.

The ad hominems in the discussion came from McCain. 

Wurst called McCain to repent. 

Too bad the thread was wiped out.  It was illustrative of how incompetent and short sighted the decision skills of two Minnesota DP’s, two dead pastors, a circuit counselor, and one executive VP Synod  (Diekelmann) really are! 

You could review the decision tree for yourself had the posts not been deleted. The posts were illuminating to the character and conduct of CPH’s walking book of knowledge, McCain.

It is ironic that the LCMS leaders – who carefully make sure everything is legal schmeegal – then go on to presume to lecture the rest of us on ethics.

Bad leaders put the well being of  Synod multi-national corporations and nations ahead of common morality.  Lord Acton’s dictum is backward.  Power doesn’t corrupt people, the corrupt seek power. 1

BJS began to drift when they became Harrison’s political action committee. After ten years of Kieschnick, it’s easy to see why they’re psychologically attached to Harrison. 

The problem with leadership is that there is always somebody higher up in the food chain that you have to please. To get ahead or get along you have to make compromises. Compromises have consequences and people get hurt.

It’s better to follow good ideas from Scripture and doctrine, rather than to follow men or their infallible consensus.

BJS failed Pastor Kirchner because they sought the approval of men ahead of letting the facts speak for themselves or doing the right thing.  

The synod is a corporation, not flesh and blood;  therefore, the artificial personage cannot repent. But BJS could restore the thread and let the folks decide for themselves.  

..  

Also, you may be interested to know that at the recent BJS conference we reformulated our Board of Directors and are working on a new version of BJS that will have less reporting of and commentary on church political news and more articles encouraging confessional understanding and edification in good piety and spiritual exercise.

Rev. Dr. Tim Rossow, Editor

Rev. Joshua Scheer, Associate Editor”

What a load.

BJS, ya blew it.

It’s understandable though-- it is one of those unwritten rules:  it is a career wrecker to go against the infallible and omnicompetant consensus of the magisteria.

We’ll be seeing more posts about BJS re-education experience in cell groups Doxology training and Koinonia. Cell groups and relationship maintenance programs can really screw with your head. After a while the group consensus becomes your god.

BJS will have to write a lot of cell group Doxology puff pieces to redeem themselves with TPTB in St. Louis and the COP.

What’s that cheesy and forgettable sloganeering campaign again?  Oh yeah, Koinonia.  

The Blogosphere is never going to run out of material pointing out the inconsistencies and the moral schizophenia of LCMS leadership. Carry on, Koinonia.

'via Blog this'

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GJ - Readers, bloggers, minders - that is why I copy the verbiage and link it as well. Many pages have disappeared as soon as I mentioned them here. The loss to Lutheran doctrine and practice would be incalculable if they were not preserved verbatim here.

Some people use wayback and google archiving to find old pages. I enjoy the amusement of someone wanting to say something in public and then erasing it.

McCain's UOJ expert,
Jack Kilcrease, ELCA alumnus times two.

Jack Kilcrease also teaches in an unaccredited M.Th. program, which is ELCA-centric, perhaps because he went to an ELCA college and seminary (although his father was WELS). The program is very expensive, $8500 and up, but the degree is worth nothing.

I thought I saw women professors on the list before, but I do not see them now. I saw a Fuller alumnus - heavy!

The pub and Playboy subset of readers will ask, "How is this different from Notre Dame or Yale?"

This program looks like a glorified seminary program, but it carries no value, except bragging rights among the uninformed. "I have a master's degree from Wittenberg!" Parishioner: "Oooooh."

Academic programs are not denominational. They simply judge scholarship, something lacking in almost all seminaries. Unlike faux-Wittenberg, Yale and ND degrees are worth something because the programs are extremely choosey and difficult to complete.

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LPC has left a new comment on your post "Ignore the scandals, smut and financial ineptitude...":

Explains once more why Neuhaus became Roman. All the synods he had been acted like mini-Vaticans and so , why not go for the Real McCoy whose pedigree has some history of so called apostolic authenticity.

Synods do not deal with the politics of the country, they already have their own politics to preoccupy themselves. It is just a matter of working the machine.

LPC

***

GJ - You are right, Lito. I just got done discussing (via email) another major cover-up in the LCMS, the situation in Nicollet (where Darwin Schauer was convicted of sex with his 13 year-old stepdaughter), the Hochmuth scandal, and Marvin Schwan.

WELS sold Schwan indulgences for his many sins. Missouri and WELS have their church workers who play priest to the altar boys. The ELS told their seminarians that they would cover up the first act of adultery but can the pastor on the second one. That meant the congregation calling the adulterer (first offense) would be deceived about his past so he could start again.

There is a famous case in the Church of Rome where a bishop was praised for protecting a predator, because the bishop was treating the felon as a "son of the Church." The conservative Lutherans and ELCA do the same thing.

QED - why not join the real thing, as many Lutheran pastors are doing?

No Cause To Look Down on the Honest Apostates of ELCA

Narrow-minded Lutheran has left a new comment on your post "The Surrendering Lutherans Need To Study the Large...":

It is quite unfortunate that the only way to get through to the SynCon is via the pocketbook. To them, the fact that victims' lives have been ruined is puny compared to the financial punishment. When a coin in the Missouri plate rings, the legal defense team springs.

Keep looking down on ELCA, folks. Like I've said before, the only difference between ELCA and LCMS/WELS is Democrat vs. Republican. Although apostate, ELCA is more honest in their apostasy than LCMS/WELS.

I have to admit, though, that I chuckled regarding the shutting down of the discussion on Steadfast Universalists. Believe me, I'm not laughing at the victims; I'm laughing at the politics. It's funny how the 8/18 crowd forgets about that "speck vs. log" thing, also addressed by Jesus. How many times has McCain been given "time-outs" from blogs after his hissy fits?

Matthew 18 Is Always Handy

bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "The Surrendering Lutherans Need To Study the Large...":

The 8 and 18 Switch is used both ways. The Steadfast Lutherans bloggers use it as an excuse to save face as they capitulate to synodical officials.

What's really going on is they believe that God has already forgiven all the parties involved with Schauer, and has forgiven Schauer himself, so there really is never an appropriate occasion to post anything about the shortcomings of the synod or its workers without seeming way more vindictive than the God they paint for themselves. The news for these UOJ antinomians is that God doesn't ooze grace as indiscriminately as they think, and He'd never sweep such sins under the rug as quickly as the synod hierarchy does, especially not before the courts have finished dealing with it.

The synod leadership knows that the status quo never changes in the LCMS without the laity being informed about problems, so they are determined to protect the status quo by keeping the laity largely uninformed about problems. It's like the exorbitant cost of seminary tuition. They even said it themselves--no seminary will close without the synod coming to a consensus about it, so they purposely shut down discussion of the topic so the synod could never come to any consensus about it.

I just hope they don't complain to God about their shrinking synod when they spend all their money hiring and small army of antinomian professors. The synod that grows is the one which doesn't make a mockery of the BoC by tacking on false doctrine like UOJ or theistic evolution, and the one that makes the best use of its resources.

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LPC has left a new comment on your post "Matthew 18 Is Always Handy":

Very insightful critique Bruce.

Thanks for this analysis.

LPC

2nd Annual Gethsemane Lutheran – Meet Us Meet Your Neighbor Block Party – Saturday, May 12th,2012 from 11am-3pm - Gethsemane Lutheran ChurchGethsemane Lutheran Church

Join us for a FREE block party on Saturday, May 12th, 2012 from 11am-3pm

Highlights for this year’s event include:

· Live music provided by the same great mariachi band from last years Block Party:

http://www.facebook.com/MariachiAC

http://www.myspace.com/altacalifornia

· Same incredibly talented face painter as last years Block Party:http://paintonyourface.com/

· We will be raffling off the latest generation of iPad (and there will be additional raffle items… more info coming soon!)

· Gourmet Food Truck: http://komodofood.com/

· Bounce House: http://www.magicjumprentals.com/rentals/35_bounce-houses/166_castle-10×10

http://www.magicjumprentals.com/rentals/40_obstacle-courses/214_40-obstacle-course

Check out the video recap from last year’s Block Party event!

2nd Annual Gethsemane Lutheran – Meet Us Meet Your Neighbor Block Party – Saturday, May 12th,2012 from 11am-3pm - Gethsemane Lutheran ChurchGethsemane Lutheran Church:

Following the Assemblies of God model.

'via Blog this'

Joel Lillo has left a new comment on your post "2nd Annual Gethsemane Lutheran – Meet Us Meet Your...":

Wow! How wicked! They ought to be ashamed!