Bi-Lingual Bad Spelling - WELS Education

Polluted WELS Blog Comments

 Joel Lillo said...

Please note that the only reason that I have a deleted post between these two posts is that I accidently posted the same thing twice and deleted the identical post.

Das tuit (sic) mir leid!

July 16, 2014 at 11:39 AM

 Jeffery Clark said...

I'm not sure I would say this blog is "bashing" the WELS.

I recently defined "bashing" on a Facebook group I am an admin of as:

Bashing is a harsh, gratuitous, prejudicial statement with no intent to constructively contribute to a discussion on the merits and faults of something or someone in an intelligible (or articulate) way.

If your statement is not meant to constructively contribute to the discussion, it probably is bashing. For sarcasm and other kinds of remarks, the test has to be "would a common person, with no knowledge of the situation, come to the conclusion that it is sarcasm?"

July 16, 2014 at 12:12 PM

 Gregory Jackson said...

Joel Lillo, you can't even spell in German.

July 16, 2014 at 12:16 PM

 

 Joel Lillo said...

Das tut mir leid, Greggy boy!

July 16, 2014 at 12:28 PM

 Joel Lillo said...

Here's one for you, Greggy Jackson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc

July 16, 2014 at 12:30 PM

 Randall Schultz said...

Joel,
Since you asked, I will do my best to respond in a civil manner. Those of us who are not ashamed of being Confessional Lutherans usually have a dog in this fight. I do not believe that disputing us will accomplish much. At the risk of beating a dead horse, CoWo is lame at best and usually destructive at worst. This why so many of us oppose it.

There is a reason why Confessional Lutherans will appear here and other places where their voice will be heard. I was informed by Greg Jackson that Ichabod is getting 3000 page views per day. In spite of synod leaders efforts, we will not go away.

Being a life long WELS member, I can remember when there was a time that there was a whole lot more accountability in the leadership. In 1961, our pastor was caught committing adultery with one of the members. He was permanently out of the public ministry. He was well liked by his members, but there was a lot at stake there.
Demographics aside, there are several reasons why WELS membership has declined from a peak of about 420,000 members. The problem here is that the leadership simply will not fess up to it. To do so would mean that they have been wrong about pushing CGM so much.

The real casualty manifests itself in the manner in which dissenters are often treated. Just look at what happened to Pastor Paul Rydecki or Pastor Kevin Hastings of old historic St. John's, to name a few. I have witnessed elders getting brow beat over nothing at meetings. While it is true that this is not happening everywhere, the selective nature of it is truly frightening. Some members will figure this out. If you have the right name or are in the proper circle, you can be given a free pass. Others are not so fortunate.

Then there is the "8 and 18 switch". One member once told me "Matthew Chapter 18 is the most popular part of the Bible in the WELS". Likewise, speaking the truth in love is often met with a law whacking from the 8th commandment. It reminds me of that line from Luther, "false teachers flay their disciples to the bone".
So this is a small sample of why I said that you could give up on us. I have managed to avoid a personal attack and I am really not interested in flaming on a blog. My comment about being outed has to do with your posts that sort of stick out like a sore thumb from the rest of them.

Also, this is my real name and I will use it. I am employed in a secular environment, so I am not concerned about loss of income. Others may post anonymously because they they fear the type of backlash that I have mentioned in this post. I respect their choice. 

Finally, I will not write letters to the DP, synod HQ, the members of my congregation, my pastor, the circuit pastor, etc. Most of them know of the shenanigans with the exception of the laity who are out of the loop. That is not their fault if they have not been informed. I will not pursue the "proper channels" because I have neither the time or the patience to be jacked around or ignored.
In Christ,
Randall Schultz

July 16, 2014 at 5:48 PM

 Anonymous said...

A somewhat similar situation occurred in a metropolitan area (no, not in the state of Wisconsin) in which there were 4 area WELS congregations. One of the pastors who led a small, somewhat struggling congregation was an old college/seminary friend with a pastor in one of the other 4 congregations in the area (which was the large, growing "star" congregation of the area). Although no one in the small congregation wanted it,
both pastors become strong proponents of merging the 2 churches into one, with 2 pastors (yep, the two old college buddies) serving the newly merged congregation. The argument was "why are 4 WELS churches needed, when one could serve the area?". So not only was there a strong attempt to close the smaller church, but conceivably an attempt to close the other 2 congregations in the area also.

Although there was no support in the smaller church (and debatable support in the larger), this topic monopolized the smaller church for years as an attempt was made to close it and merge with the larger church. Twice, the smaller church voted by a super majority not to merge. The smaller congregation, what was left of it, was in a traumatized state.

Ironically, both pastors no longer serve in the WELS ministry (or any other ministry). It was actually somewhat of a sad ending on so many levels. I had heard of such political dealings in WELS before, but had never experienced such events first hand.

July 16, 2014 at 7:08 PM

Roses for an Anniversary - "Here Are Some of the Newspapers I Borrowed."

Our rose garden began with 8 hybrid teas that we bought from TV for $70, shipping included. They were from a good nursery and 1/3 the normal price for bare root roses.

Since we were digging into the front lawn, we needed to mulch the grass into compost, on the spot. My gardening neighbor gave me stacks of newspapers, which we covered with black dyed wood mulch.

Our neighbor's wife loves the rose garden, so I cut all the yellow roses and put them in a vase for her. They were mildly aromatic, too.

They said, "It's our 53rd wedding anniversary. Thank you!"

I said, "I wanted to return some of the newspapers you gave me." I did not know about the anniversary.

No exaggeration about the newspapers. Earthworms love newsprint, turning it into useful soil - earthworm casts. We would have been in bad shape without the stacks of newspapers under the mulch.

I borrow my rose photos from the Net,
because the camera fund went into gardening.

Natural versus Inorganic - Suggests Something about the Christian Faith

J. I. Rodale looked like the brooding prophet of organic gardening.

In my previous gardening post, I called inorganic fertilizers the high fructose corn syrup of growth.

When I began studying gardening at the Midland Library, I had the opportunity to read all the best books, a combination of traditional gardening books and a large share of the Rodale organic gardening publications. J. I. Rodale made himself famous through his never-broadcast interview on the Dick Cavett show. He declared he would live to be 100 and died while another guest was being interviewed.

The Rodale material fascinated me because the books advocated using what was already in the yard or near it, from leafy food scraps to leaves and grass.

At the same time, the traditional books scoffed at manure and compost for having low NPK values (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium). Modern agriculture practiced using inorganic salts for getting better crops.

The difference? - organic methods build up the soil at the foundational level, but fertilizers boost the growth of plants while eventually harming the soil. Fresh fertilizer has organic salts in it (boo - buy the boxed stuff instead). But commercial fertilizers are inorganic salts.

Doubtless my chemistry is too weak to make a case among scientists, but carefully mixed organic substances will compost themselves by God's own design, through His well organized creatures. But - an overdose of fertilizer will burn your precious roses to death. The salts reverse the osmosis and pull moisture out of the plant until it shrivels up.

An overworked and overdosed farm field--with too many helpings of fertilizers and pesticides and herbicides--will die and blow away.

Means of Grace Comparison
Likewise, all the denominations and generic churches are in a panic to speed-grow their enterprises with the latest thientific methods. As one WELS leader said, "We cannot give up the data from all the Fuller Seminary research. We need their studies."

God has designated the invisible Word of teaching and preaching, the visible Word of the Sacraments, to be the instruments of His grace. That truth is clearly established in the Scriptures and clearly taught in the early centuries of the Church. When rationalists began their inroads during the Reformation, the Sacraments were tossed out, or faintly praised as ordinances.

Today we have everyone talking about God's grace without knowing how to obtain this grace. Untalented howlers of narcissistic songs claim they will bring the youth back to church, but the youth largely scoff at the pretentious mockery. And the songsters charge $3,000 just to show up. Means without grace.

Offering treats and yummies on the about page of a church will certainly bring people in, and the congregation will see remarkable results in a short time, visible results, measurable results.

SP Schroeder Endorsed what DPs Engelbrecht and Patterson Did - So Your Whole Synod Stinks from the Top Down

WELS Sexpert Ski has had four calls in four districts,
so that shows overall WELS approval,
whether he is in court in Milwaukee
or suing his secretary's husband in Appleton's court.

Polluted WELS Blog Comments
1 – 2 of 2

 Anonymous said...

I am a WELS member. I've heard about the things that have been going on in the Northern Wisconsin district, and I know things are pretty bad up there. But I just don't like how people use the examples from that district to talk about the WELS as a whole. None of the WELS churches that I've attended had anything like that going on there. Maybe I'm being oversensitive about all these things, but I just don't like all the WELS bashing that happens on blogs like this. I'm all for a discussion about what can be done to help things along, but I don't like when people come on blogs like this just to sling mud. I bet I'm probably going to get chewed out for this comment, but I don't care. And I know this comment will probably show up on Greg Jackson's blog, and I don't care about that either.

July 15, 2014 at 9:42 PM

 Matthias Flach said...

But Anonymous, what happens in one district affects the entire synod. If we are part of the synod, then we are in fellowship with those who are doing these things. If we give money to the synod, then we are funding these things.

My intent is not to bash the WELS, but to bash those who dare to pollute the WELS, and, by extension, to pollute us.

July 16, 2014 at 8:06 AM

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The Gardening Industry Does Not Care for Manure. They Like Inorganic Salts, the High Fructose Corn Syrup of Growth

A common theme from the gardening experts is a warning about plain old manure. More than once I heard or read, "There is too much salt, so it is not good for the soil."

I used it in abundance in Phoenix, thanks to some generous goats - raw. Whew. I used it around the citrus and also in a place where I grew some cactus. "You should not use it around citrus, because of the salt."

On the Net - "Using mushroom compost directly is not good because of the salt."

But on a rose forum, "My roses are not doing well. My neighbor, who uses only organic materials, has great roses. Maybe I should switch from the NPK fertilizer I am using."

The gardening industry likes dry fertilizer, because it is portable and sells for a lot of cash per ounce. The results can be instant, from fast growth to total fertilizer burn. My uncle destroyed his wife's roses by doubling the amount of powdered rose fertilizer. She was only too happy to tell everyone about it.

All those cans and bags are easily manufactured - for pennies - and sold for dollars.

Let us return to the noble earthworm, the hardest working gardener of all. He is described by one expert as a "cow grazing on bacteria." He does not like the fresh, hot stuff, a sauna for him, where he would melt. But that is the motherlode of bacteria, so he sanitizes it while growing fat and begetting thousands of descendants to carry on his work in case he is airlifted to a robin's nest for... I can't say it.

Mushroom compost is a nice, clean name for used manure and bedding scraps. The bags are cheap and easily transported. We used a bag of it to fill two holes that might have tripped up someone walking in the backyard. Digging and moving shovels of dirt would have been rather slow in dry weather. This was fast and will leave behind two areas of better soil.

I read on the Net- "Do not plant on mushroom compost - it is too salty." I did, because it was the quick solution to two grassy rows I did not want to dig up. A few bags filled in the area between the rows of mulch and newspaper.

I noticed that some plants are coming up already.

Today I will cut some hybrid tea roses and give them to our gardening neighbor's wife. She loves roses and covets our rose garden. Her husband says roses are too much trouble. They gave me the stash of newspapers to start the rose garden.

I dug holes in the lawn and planted the roses. Next I covered the area with newspapers, putting mulch on top to keep them down and to highlight the roses.

So I will give Mrs. NextDoor a bunch of roses and say, "Here are your newspapers back."

And it is true. The earthworms multiplied under the newspapers, dug and manured the soil, tunneling to help rain and tapwater down to the roots. The roses turns sunlight, water, and soil nutrition into beautiful blooms.

Without the newspaper hoard I would have had grass growing like bamboo up through the mulch and far less production from the roses.

WELS Needs More Dough for Stealing Sheep from Its Established Congregations

SP Mark Schroeder - More CMO Owed for Sheep Stealing Missions

The Ministry Financial Plan (budget) adopted by the 2013 synod convention called for a four percent increase in Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO). The plan not only maintained current levels of our synod’s mission and ministry, but it also provided for careful expansion of several keys areas of our work.  Plans were to open 8-10 new home missions in each year of the biennium (compared to two to three in previous years), to expand efforts in Multi-Language Publications (to meet growing opportunities in our world mission fields), and to stabilize the financial health of our ministerial education schools.

CMO commitments were received from congregations in January, but instead of the planned four percent increase there was actually a slight decrease from the previous year. This resulted in a projected $1.2 million gap between what was planned and the available funding. In response, the Synodical Council began to identify reductions to mission and ministry support that would balance the plan. These reductions were shared with the synod’s congregations last spring.

Rather than simply making ministry and service reductions, the Conference of Presidents decided to place this issue before all of our congregations and ask if they would reconsider their CMO commitments for 2014 and adjust them upward. Information was shared with the district conventions, and circuit pastors were asked to visit personally each congregation and ask them to “revisit” their 2014 CMO subscription amounts.

While not all congregations have had a chance to address this issue (many will have voters’ meetings in July), we are happy to report that 831 congregations have responded. The total increase in CMO reported thus far is $430, 608.  Instead of changing their CMO commitment, a number of congregations held special offerings totaling more than $20,000. We thank God for this generous response from God’s people, and we thank all (district presidents, circuit pastors, pastors, and congregations) who worked to bring about this response.

At the end of July, the Synodical Council will take steps to make any necessary adjustments to the synod’s ministry plan. Thankfully, those adjustments will be much less extensive due to the response of our congregations and members.

Looking ahead to next year, this entire process has been a good reminder of how CMO continues to be the primary way in which we join together to support our common mission of proclaiming the gospel. We pray that as congregations begin to consider their CMO for next year they strive to do all they can to reflect their commitment to our work as a synod with continued joyful and generous offerings.

Serving in Christ, Donating Bars to Hard-Drinking Pastors

President Mark Schroeder

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Two-tenths of a mile

http://pollutedwels.blogspot.com/2014/07/two-tenths-of-mile.html

In the previous post, I pointed out how the WELS is using your mission offerings to steal sheep from sister congregations. One of the most egregious examples exists in downtown Appleton.

St. Paul in downtown Appleton is a beautiful, historic, faithful, Confessional WELS congregation. And yet, your mission dollars were spent to buy a stinky bar for the CORE, a sheep-stealing, church growth, contemporary worship "ministry", formerly led by an alcoholic pastor who sexually harassed his secretary.

By the way, this stinky bar is two-tenths of a mile away from St. Paul. Yeah, 0.2 miles away! Click here for the map.

Of course, walking takes longer that 1 minute,
and St. Paul does not have a beer and wine license.
The CORE is pure mission, folks!

As Innocent as Serpents, As Wise as Doves - WELS

Polluted WELS Comments

Joel Lillo said...

Matthew 10:16: [Jesus said to his disciples when sending them out to minister to the world,] “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."

[GJ - Not finding "as innocent as doves" in the Fox Valley Circuit or the Anything Goes District, Joel.]

Polluted WELS Shows How the Sect Wastes "Mission" Dollars

Professional Sheep Stealers

http://pollutedwels.blogspot.com/2014/07/professional-sheep-stealers.html

Here's part of a longer comment we received:

So what happened at our church was this. The ones who wanted contemporary worship went off and formed their own church along with members from other local churches. Other congregations in the area were upset that this new church got synod funding and that it was taking some of their members away.

The WELS Board for Home Missions is a huge supporter of church growth (CG) methodology and contemporary worship (CW). They have several full-time "mission counselors" whose only job is to travel from mission to mission pressuring pastors to produce numbers and insisting that contemporary worship is the only way to reach the lost. 

But here's the thing. In many cases, home missions aren't designed to reach the lost, they're designed to steal sheep from other congregations that won't submit to CG and CW. That's why we have "missions" in places like Appleton, WI and Franklin, WI.

So, if you're an established congregation, you sometimes have only two choices. Capitulate to the vocal minority in your congregation who are clamoring for CW, or allow the WELS to plant a "mission" a few blocks away to steal your members.

You should also be aware that this is being funded primarily by congregational mission offerings (CMO). Part of every dollar that you give to the synod is being used to steal sheep.

Der Schwarz Schaf said...

I'm sure the "experts" on the synod's and district's Mission Boards don't see it that way at all. I've heard them say quite often over the past 40 years that the church body must have congregations that contribute to the funding of the synod and its programs. If churches don't "cut it" in this regard, they will be "cut," i.e. replaced. (The same is true of Pastors.) It's just a matter of economics, and, they would say, "good stewardship." Can't be "wasting" those CMOs, after all, that would be bad. And they will very smugly quote chapter and verse from the Bible to back them up. So, if you argue with them, you're arguing with God! Actually, this is nothing less than the spirit of antichrist.

July 15, 2014 at 12:48 PM

Vernon Knepprath said...

This will take a little effort, but there is a video at the Franklin, WI link that you may wish to watch if you need any further convincing of how much the concept of worship has changed in some WELS congregations. To view the video at the Franklin, WI link, select "About" on the home page of the website, then view the video located below the header "What should you expect when coming to Worship at Victory of the Lamb?" Everything about the video, and the comments directly above the video proclaim "Worship IS Entertainment".

One WELS leader describes this type of "practice" as being shrewd: " ... he’s being shrewd in dealing with his community’s unbelievers so he can gather an audience. In time he will unleash the power of the gospel for the salvation of everyone who believes ...".

A definition for "shrewd" is "Disposed to artful and cunning practices; tricky."

And so I think of Ephesians 4.

Ephesians 4:14-15 (NKJV)
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

If one is going to treat worship as outreach, then does the Holy Spirit need the "help" that comes from "entertainment worship"? Of course not. God only asks that we preach the Gospel. The Holy Spirit takes care of the rest.

Here is one of the statements "about worship" found on that same page of the website:

"Casual Atmosphere – Reclining movie theater seats with cup holders. Need we say more?"

Sure. I recommend John 3:16. Sad to say, there wasn't a Bible verse to be found on this "about" web page, nor on the home page of the website.

July 15, 2014 at 1:54 PM

Joel Lillo said...

Matthew 10:16: [Jesus said to his disciples when sending them out to minister to the world,] “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."

[GJ - Not finding "as innocent as doves" in the Fox Valley Circuit or the Anything Goes District, Joel.]

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WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT WHEN COMING TO WORSHIP AT VICTORY OF THE LAMB?

• Enjoy Hospitality – Goodies, coffee and all kinds of yummy stuff. All completely free… just like grace!
• Dress Comfortably – Wear clothes. Whether they’re in style… that’s up to you!
• Casual Atmosphere – Reclining movie theater seats with cup holders. Need we say more?
• Serious Faith – We take God very seriously, but try not to take ourselves too seriously.
• Modern Worship – Relevant messages, musical variety, helpful videos.
• Ancient Roots – Sacraments, Scripture, Jesus at the center… always.
• Brings the Kids – Bible Quest is a safe, fun kids’ ministry for all kids ages 18 months – 5^th grade. Otherwise feel free to bring them into church. We’ll have a live service feed in the lobby in case you feel they’re getting too rowdy.
• Relax – There are other people like you. We’re all just getting guidance for our lives and learning about how much God loves us.
• Truth – You want a doctor who’s going to be honest enough to help you, right? Don’t you want a church that will do the same?

WELS Abusive Initiation and GA - Now There Are Four Sources. WELS Rewarded the Gay Video Stars - All Received Jobs - One as the District President's Lackey

The linked article  on WELS abusive hazing and GA was copied with added commentary on Intrepid Lutherans.

Polluted WELS found the original link, which I forgot was still posted.

He linked it.

I copied the original post on WELS hazing, while adding graphics and commentary.

So the facts can be found and supported on:
Means of Grace Blog
Polluted WELS Blog
Ichabod the Glory Has Departed
Intrepid Lutherans Blog.

Harmony of Creation - Harmony of the Bible

The first chapter of John's Gospel explains what Genesis 1 implies: Jesus is the Word of God, the Creating Word. All things were created by Him, the Logos (Word).

Every part of the universe - rocks, minerals, stars, comets, animals, and humans - was Created by Christ the Savior. The Scriptures speak often of the Father-Son relationship, witnessed and taught by the Holy Spirit.

Many theories of Creation exist, from the bizarre and obscene to the strangely robotic, with chaos reacting against chaos to produce order. That is like teaching that four little children in the home will eventually clean and paint the interior, simply by playing, fighting, and wetting themselves.

Genesis teaches that God created by the Word, in six 24-hour days. This account is terribly embarrassing to modernist theologians who want to compromise with science, but many of the great scientists of the past believed in Creation. And even if they did not, Creation is revealed to believers through God's Word.

One great miracle is revealed in the Scriptures - God became man, born of a Virgin. No one can explain this with human reason. No one expected it, in spite of centuries of prophecy. The modernists avoid this topic with determination and energy. The whole point of rationalistic theology is to use the words without their meaning.

God created this order (kosmos in Greek, like cosmetics) and man generates disorder by his foolishness and sin. Since man inherited his sinful nature from Adam, God designated His Only-Begotten Son to be the Savior, to restore order by dying for the sins of the world.

God determined that His Word would convey Christ to people, plant faith in their hearts, and sustain their faith. Only God can turn disorder into order, and this is done by faith receiving the righteousness of Christ.

Harmony in the Garden
When beginning gardeners ask me questions about their gardening problems, their pain usually comes from ignoring the basics of the created world. One woman was married to an engineer, but she could not understand why her roses, planted on an incline she built up, were not doing well.

I said, "Gravity.  You put the roses in the driest part, because water moves downhill. You will have to water extra to make up for the elevation."

Timid rose gardeners want the flowers but ignore the rules. "You have very large bushes that will not bloom, because you have let them fill up with dead wood. The roses want to be pruned, but you are preserving them like the bones of saints." My solution was to prune away more than 1/3 of the bushes, with no supervision allowed. Two weeks later, the bushes were packed with blooms, as I predicted. Tears of sorrow flowed after the pruning and tears of joy flowed after the blooming. As Luther observed, women are more easily moved to sorrow or joy than men.

My neighbor has shaped his crepe myrtle into a vase, 20 feet tall, full of blooms.
This one should have been pruned the previous year.
One resident turned his into a few strands of branches with blooms - weird.

My crepe myrtle bush was rather shapeless and ugly in the front yard. Our helper pruned it, and he shaped it very well. Crepe myrtle thrives in heat, and this one gets the run-off from watering the rose garden. Besides that, I placed red wigglers at the base and added organic matter, like clumps of grass scraped off the mower. Those clumps disappeared, as if devoured by grateful earthworms.

The crepe myrtle has been a mass of blooms for weeks now. The bushes can grow to 20 feet, so it will be shaped again this fall to stop crowding the mailbox and bloom with abandon next year.

Moonlit vinca minor blooms well int the shade and holds down soil
with steely roots.

When I was starting Wormhaven I, our garden in Midland, Michigan, I was pretty ignorant about what to plant where. A landscaper suggested vinca minor (periwinkle) for an area always in deep shade. The strands looked thin at first but they rooted and spread like strawberries over time. They bloomed in the shade, like stars in early evening hours.

I just bought this vinca for the area under the maple tree. Pruning has given the area more sunlight, but maple roots are difficult work around, so I will let periwinkle be the ground cover. Vinca major can be invasive, but vinca minor stays in place.

Greetings to Aachen, blooms in the shade,
blooms even better in sunlight.

The perimeter, where I can stack some good soil, will be the place for Gruss an Aachen, a rose which tolerates shade but loves the sun. When I am done sawing away at old branches, the front yard will have even more sun. We are fortunate in having sunlight fall on the entire yard at various times, which gives me a lot of flexibility in planting.

The apostasy of this age, as predicted the pastoral epistles, assumes that we can change everything to suit ourselves if we reverse the rules, natural law. Luther said, "God commands what is good for us."