Past the Tipping Point

August 16, 2014, 2:50 am

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I wonder how often people sing the Huss hymn quoted above. The melody is unusually beautiful. When people sing it, they should think of Huss burned at the stake to preserve the truth in the face of corruption. His own clergy condemned and killed him.

Below is the Huss monument in Prague, which was a symbol of freedom during Communism's reign in Czechoslovakia.

People have contacted me recently. Some have new information. Others wonder what is happening in Lutherdom.

When someone posted one of my graphics on Facebook, the demons from WELS Hell began screaming in pain. One person initially asked what my Bethel Bible style picture meant. That was an opportunity for a new series of personal attacks from WELS. That is how they responded when Corky K. criticized Church Growth, when their former seminary president objected to NWC closing. In other words, they use standard slander campaigns which do not spare their own leaders who depart from the Fuller agenda. The trained seals still bark in unison at any threat, as they were trained to do throughout the schooling system.

I was happy to jump in and answer them. Various WELS people have told me about their eyes being opened by this blog. I could add details, but I will leave it at that. I see many indications that the sect has passed the tipping point and will be taking on a new identity, not unlike ELCA and The Episcopalian denominations, which seemed immune to the abuse until they fell apart.

Here are some of the recent WELS reactions, which tell me how badly the Jeske tribe is hurting. They are just like the bullies who sob and run home to mommy when their victims finally stand up to them. I lost track of the drunken tirades emailed to me or phoned in. "Where do you get all your information?" one screamed. I said, "From your own pastors." He howled in rage and slammed the phone down - back before cell phones.

No one reads Ichabod. Yesterday, there were 4,100 views - a new definition of "no one." Live by metrics, die by metrics, WELS Shrinkers. The total views are well past 3 million. If the blog did not matter, as these apostates pray, then the name Ichabod would never come up.
These are just old articles copied from the Net. The all-time list has a Churchmouse article, the Chesterton donkey poem, and a news story about Catholics. But that is one goal, to make people aware of news and other bloggers. The other seven are mine - so where does this fantasy come from (posted in Polluted, anonymousely, of course)?
I make up everything and list no sources. When I received a spreadsheet from WELS headquarters, I did not name my source or copy and paste the Excel tables. I used the material as background, many years ago. As readers know, I copy and paste what I find from bragging websites and link them. I do both because those pages disappear as soon as I quote them. That is how many things from

• Issues in WELS, 
• Cyberbrethren,
• Rogue Lutheran,
• SpenerQuest,
• Church and Change, 
• The CORE, 
• Facebook discussions,
• St. Peter in Freedom, 
• and other sites 

came to be preserved. My idea is - read the documents for yourselves. Make up your own mind.

The rote recitals of the same talking points tell me that these people are parroting what their handlers tell them to think and say. They have read almost nothing, perhaps just enough to build a head of steam. As the Earl of Oxford wrote, "A little pot is soon hot."

Why does Jeff Schone at Martin Luther College know what is on Ichabod? He reads it to find leakers and anyone daring to post a comment. Why do MLC officials hide the list of speakers for their Evangelism Day (Church and Change promotion)? One of their female ministers got dis-invited when her name came out. Don't worry, she will be preaching from the pulpit soon enough.

Nothing changes. Mark-and-Avoid Jeske mistakenly published his preening, bragging websty early - promoting his latest pan-religious venture, which runs the gamut from A to B: Napoleon Hill and metrics. No reaction? District President Jon Buchholz bailed out of the Jeske Mystical Experience immediately, explaining his sudden change of heart to various people who inquired about his state of mind. Is there any character left in his dry, dusty soul? Someone said Buchholz is so hated in his district that a little push from Schroeder would have given them a new, awful DP - possibly even worse than the last two or three. They have a deep bench out there. I laughed at the thought of wolves becoming disloyal to one another.

You are a fanatic about UOJ. I am sick and tired of both sides. Isn't that amusing. A soi-disant believer is nauseated and disgusted by doctrinal discussion! At least they reveal there are two sides instead of saying there really is agreement, a harmony destroyed by the evil Justification by Faith people. The avoidance of theReal Issue continues to amaze me. They write endlessly about worship trivial without addressing the fact that self-described experts like Jay Webber oppose the Gospel. There is no other way to put it. As long as people continue to avoid Justification by Faith as the Chief Article, I will lay that cross on their trembling, weak, shirking, and lazy shoulders.

Your disciples. Your lapdogs. I welcome the insults aimed at me. They are a litmus paper disclosing the caustic nature of the writers. The pious of WELS deny I am a pastor, a Lutheran, a worthwhile person. They say they will crawl through the mud (or through various pubs) to teach the Gospel, perhaps to collect mud to throw at people who alarm them. But - be warned. You Wormtongues are antagonizing your potential allies by denying them intelligence, spiritual discernment, and the ability to think on their own. That is not very persuasive. These alleged disciples see the wreckage caused by the Jeske-Valleskey faction and find no growth, no fruit, no blessings. They may read even more Luther, Melanchthon, and Chemnitz from this point on.

Here is a Martin Luther College student, consoled by Holy Mother Sect and a nice, new car from mom and pop.

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The Chief Article Remains - In Spite of the Apostate Lutherans

August 16, 2014, 3:53 am

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They do not agree about clergy collars, but all three oppose justification by faith. Carl Braaten of ELCA agrees with them.

I was reading What Luther Says, II, p. 702ff - about justification. I will copy it here.

The article of justification is the master and prince, the lord, the ruler, and the judge over all kinds of doctrines; it preserves and governs all church doctrine and raises up our conscience before God. Without this article the world is utter death and darkness. No error is so mean, so clumsy, and so outworn as not to be supremely pleasing to human reason and to seduce us if we are without the knowledge and the contemplation of this article.
What Luther Says, ed. Plass, 3 vols, II, p. 703. W 39, 1, 205.

The article on which the Church stands or falls:
We don’t have record of Luther using the exact phrase, but very close: quia isto articulo stante stat Ecclesia, ruente ruit Ecclesia—“Because if this article [of justification] stands, the church stands; if this article collapses, the church collapses.” (WA 40/3.352.3) [Source: Alister McGrath] - The Gospel Coalition

Does Luther always mean justification by faith, never without faith?
John teaches mainly the sublime and chief article of our Christian faith: believing in Christ. Because of this article we are called Christians. Besides this, we do not find many sermons on the Ten Commandments in this Gospel. Rather it is his greatest task to establish well the sublime article of the righteousness of faith and to impress it deeply on the people. For there is no danger when this article remains pure and unadulterated and stands firmly. But when it is overthrown, we are lost and are no better than Jews, heathen, Tartars, and Turks, aye, we are as bad as the papists. For this reason, because he so diligently teaches this chief article, the evangelist John deserves to be highly praised.
What Luther Says, ed. Plass, 3 vols, II, p. 702. W 33, 82. E 57, 298. SL 7, 2252.

Lutherans manage to write volumes about worship while ignoring justification by faith. They get fussy about Holy Communion and the sacraments without articulating the purpose - justification by faith. They publish many volumes about preaching but avoid justification by faith.

Polluted WELS began a discussion about justification by faithversus UOJ, but abandoned the thread.

We do not require Luther to see that the purpose of the Bible is to teach justification by faith in Christ. But it is good that we have as our putative teacher one who understood the entire Bible as a whole. If Luther actually taught the Lutherans today, the results would be different. But they have McGavran, Wagner, Driscoll, Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, and the rest as their beloved faculty.

They could rely on the Holy Spirit teaching through the Word, but they have their spreadsheets and metrics. Let them read them.

Why Is Plagiarism Encouraged at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary? Perhaps Because the Faculty Has Slavishly Copied Fuller Seminary

August 16, 2014, 9:59 am

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Football Players at Notre Dame Investigated for Plagiarism

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Four Notre Dame players, including two starters, will not be allowed to participate in football activities as the university continues an internal investigation into academic misconduct, the school announced Friday.

Notre Dame said in a statement that there was "evidence that students had submitted papers and homework that had been written for them by others." That evidence was reported to the athletics compliance office on July 29, and an immediate investigation was launched. The NCAA was notified Friday.

The group of players includes KeiVarae Russell, the team's best cornerback, leading returning receiver DaVaris Daniels, and defensive end Ishaq Williams, expected to be a key contributor on the line.

More at the link above.

End the WELS/ELS Abuse - Share The Shattered Pulpit Blog with Others

August 16, 2014, 9:44 pm

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One of Many Examples of Abuse in WELS

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Lies & Deception

These relationships are often built on secrets, gradually creating a situation where the abuse may become sexual. The woman should not be made to feel that her conversations with the pastor are “just between the two of them” and not for discussion with her spouse, friend, etc. Offending Pastors will use this secrecy as a way to draw you in, to exclude others and to avoid accountability. 

He told me frequently that my husband didn’t care about me the way he did so don’t tell him about the counseling sessions; I should trust him instead because he would never "hurt" me the way my husband did. He wanted to show me how to "feel good" and confided that when he was stressed he used porn to make himself feel better, therefore, he knew it would also help me. He was SO controlled and consumed by his porn addictions, I think he actually believed that to be true. In his mind, he really thought he was helping me feel good. That was very early on and how the pornography initially started.

When he graduated from Seminary, this was probably the furthest thing from his mind. But over the years, he became hooked and porn took on a life of it's own. It wasn't long before it was the driving force in life. Everything centered around pornography. This is why it's important to me to share my story - so people see first-hand how it escalates and what happens if it's ignored.

It was so subtle when it started that it wouldn't even be considered pornographic material. It would be a fully clothed woman in a sexy and a some-what revealing outfit and he would say, "Isn't she pretty" or "I find her attractive". Looking back now, because it was so gradual, I think it dulled my reaction also. If he, or any man, had shown me an x-rated photo out of the blue I would have been shocked and appalled. But this was so gradual, that it must have dulled my senses along the way because by the time the extreme photos came, it wasn't a leap at all...it was just another picture. I didn't even think to report it because I had become so accustomed to them. I guess that makes me equally to blame.

That is how much of this happened. It was so gradual and the steps were so minimal that I didn't even recognize them half the time. Would I have recognized things sooner if I hadn't been in the situation that I was in at home? I have asked myself that a million times. I don't know. His porn addiction was extremely powerful making him relentless in his quest but what if I had been at a stronger point in my life? Even now, I kick myself and second guess myself for not saying "no" more forcefully. I was weak, depressed, exhausted, and a pushover. I wish I had been stronger. Maybe I could have stopped it.

He pressured me to make “excuses” and sneak out late in the evenings. I hated being pressured to lie to my family to go meet him. I tried to make excuses on why I couldn’t, but I couldn’t endure the relentless pressure so I would give in. I was emotionally exhausted from dealing with things at home, that when he pressured me to lie; I didn’t have the strength to keep saying no over and over again trying to resist. I knew he would not give up till I agreed to meet him. 

I remember the very first time I went out to meet him, which also happened to be the first time I knew, without a doubt, things crossed the line. It was about 11:00pm at night and he was still working at his church office alone. He pushed and pushed and pushed for me to come over. It was relentless. I kept making excuses that I wouldn't be able to get away without my family wondering why I was going out so late. But it was so relentless and even though I didn't want to, and felt so guilty doing it, I found myself going because I was drained from the non-stop pressure and just wanted to make it stop. It was late. I was tired. And I drove to his office just to make it stop. BIG mistake. Worst ever. 

I don't know how I could have been so stupid. Why didn't I try and hold out longer saying that I couldn't go. Maybe he would have eventually given up. But he was driven with such force by the  porn that I don't know if he even could have stopped pressuring me. I really don't. It seemed to consume his every waking breath. I firmly believe that he was driven more by pornography than the bible.  

After that, it didn’t take long before everything around us was centered on secrets. We had secret codes on the computer, on text messages, on email, in person. Everything was in code and secret.

My entire life and existence was one giant secret with lie on top of lie to cover up what was happening. And the guilt… the guilt was unbearable along with the tremendous shame I felt. I was a nervous wreck and suicide was even more of a constant thought now because of the unbearable hopelessness. I had nowhere to turn. I didn’t know who I could trust or what would happen if I told someone. Who would they believe...the pastor or me? Not knowing the answer to that question and the ever-present fear was enough to keep me silent. However, the longer I kept silent and kept the secrets the more it escalated until I no longer even felt human. I was an object going through the motions of life.

Posted by Lillian Armstrong at 11:22 PM No comments: 

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Labels: pornography, secrecy

Friday, August 15, 2014

Secrecy and Multiple Women

Eventually, I realized that I was trapped for good unless something drastic happened -  obviously no one was ever going to question why or recognize the red flags. I was too afraid to say anything. And, he kept escalating which killed more of my soul. I was completely alone - thinking I must be the "cause" of this "holy man of God" falling from grace and going against the vows he took with his wife. That feeling of shame topped off with guilt kept me silent, helpless, and extremely suicidal. During the day I lived in shame and at night I dreamed of death - that was my life.

The verbal manipulation was always there for me to keep the secret making me feel even more ashamed. The guilt trip was unbearable. He knew exactly what to say, how to say it, and when to say it to make me do exactly what he wanted. He had me in utter fear of saying anything to anyone. I can't even find the words to express how intense the guilt trip was.

In most cases this secrecy opens the door for multiple relationships with several parishioners at once. It is unlikely that a perpetrator will have just one victim. In Paul Rutter’s book, "Sex in the Forbidden Zone, when Men in Power … Betray Women’s Trust", Dr. Rutter states that conservatively there are at least three victims to one perpetrator; though he infers there are probably more. 

I eventually learned of other women. There was another woman that he was also counseling where physical contact took place. She told a friend of mine, who asked me what to do about it. It was ironic because neither of them knew it was also happening to me (I never told them either). And little did they know that they were asking one of the most depressed messed-up women in the city for advice.  

I knew immediately her story was a 100% true because there were several key phrases that she said he told her that were almost verbatim what he had told me. My heart sunk. Confusion filled me to the breaking point and was more than I could tolerate. He had always told me that I was the only one and it only happened because: "He couldn't help it". "He had needs". "He was addicted to pornography and more". But then how do you explain the second woman and the third? It made no sense to me. My heart filled with the realization that I was just an object to him. I felt non-human. By now though, there was no one I trusted in the church anymore so I had no where to turn and started to self implode while my fear continued to keep me silent.
 I also remember another incident in the church office, when I happened to be there, and he told a very sexually explicit joke in front of a female church employee. I could see her cringe with feeling awkward and not knowing how to respond. He laughed at his own joke and I could see her blushing with embarrassment. I remember the entire incident like it was yesterday because it was one of the most awkward and embarrassing moments that I have ever witnessed. 

As things escalated with me, so did his boldness with other women. He kept wanting more. With each level of escalation, however, it would never stay at that level for long. He would stay at that level for awhile but soon that wasn't enough and he would be wanting more. He started encouraging me to “invite” women he found attractive to join his committees. I hated that and dragged my feet trying to avoid it; but he was always right there with the pressure and the guilt trip and that I needed to help him because he had addictions. He was controlled by his addictions. I was controlled by him. And God was no where to be found.

Posted by Lillian Armstrong at 8:22 PM No comments: 

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Labels: loss of faith, pornography, psychological impact

WELS Blogs and Links List

August 17, 2014, 3:52 am

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Shattered Pulpit - Posts the author's first-hand accounts of being sexually abused by a WELS pastor.

Polluted WELS - Publishes often about the severe problems in WELS.

Intrepid Lutherans - Publishes lengthy and thoughtful posts about the state of the Wisconsin Eveangelical Lutheran Synod.

Ichabod, The Glory Has Departed - Provides occasional typos so the apostates can avoid dealing with justification by faith; clergy plagiarism, rape, molestation, and porn file swapping; false doctrine; synodical theft of property; abuse of pastors, misuse of offering funds; rich and adulterous synod heroes.

WELS Discussions Facebook Page - Features regular discussions about WELS topics, with a wide variety of contributors, from the thoughtful to the robotic.

This is a meme.

Confessional Lutheran Memes Facebook Page - Specializes in memes that provoke discussion about doctrinal topics and worship.

Luther is being re-buried by the "conservative" Lutherans.

Harvested Beans Yesterday

August 17, 2014, 4:52 am

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Our fence garden is now a riot of vines and blooms. I picked a large handful of beans for Mrs. Ichabod. Several things will provide a daily supply. When I harvest them, they tend to bloom and produce again. Secondly, I planted them at three different times. Finally, I keep them watered, since rainstorms are over-promised in Springdale.

Many gourds are forming now. The flowers close up when they begin to produce. The dried flower turns into a tiny gourd, then quickly changes over to a hanging gourd acquiring the colors of a mature gourd.

The roses for today's service are exquisite. Some slow-growing hybrid teas are producing mature blooms, with a wide range of colors. Pruning has made them grow taller, so the big purple rose was reaching five feet tall when I cut the stem for our non-gardening neighbor.

I published a listing of WELS blogs, which prove that the sect is reaping what has been sown for decades. The weed seeds have created a lush, sterile, and dying garden of woes. They need some gardeners and Creationists at their headquarters.

One borage plant has six flowering heads like this.

The Ninth Sunday after Trinity, 2014.Luke 16:1-9

August 17, 2014, 6:56 am

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The Ninth Sunday after Trinity, 2014

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10AM Central Daylight Time

The Hymn # 628            Shepherd of Tender Youth               3:74

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual       

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed             p. 22

The Sermon Hymn #283            God’s Word               3:90

The Correct Use of God's Gifts

The Communion Hymn # 175            When I                        3:93

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 50                    Lord Dismiss Us                3:86

KJV 1 Corinthians 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

KJV Luke 16:1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. 3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. 8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. 9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

Ninth Sunday After Trinity

Lord God, heavenly Father, who hast bountifully given us Thy blessing and our daily bread: We beseech Thee, preserve us from covetousness, and so quicken our hearts that we willingly share Thy blessed gifts with our needy brethren; that we may be found faithful stewards of Thy gifts, and abide in Thy grace when we shall be removed from our stewardship, and shall come before Thy judgment, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The Correct Use of God's Gifts

 KJV Luke 16:1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 

"A certain rich man" - this is a parable

God has given each one of us certain gifts to get us through life, but also as believers to serve Him and His Kingdom. We have a tendency to envy what we do not have, and we are easily made jealous when we see someone who has similar but perhaps greater talents. If they are not greater, they may be praised and recognized when they are ordinary or even inferior, which also bothers us.

God created us and others that way, and we can see the wisdom when groups of people form to get a job done. It is said that 100 people can create a working village, even when picked at random, because the talents will be scattered among them so that they will have everything they need.

This rich man had a large estate therefore a steward or manager. The term steward is used for someone who has the responsibility of the owner but not the ultimate power. The estate does not belong to him, but he should run it as if it is while keeping in mind the will of the owner.

But this steward wasted the goods of the owner in this parable. We can imagine all kinds of things, such as speculation, poor planning, laziness, inattention to detail. The others could tell what needed to be done, but the opposite happened, which was very costly.

For instance, planting spinach in hot weather - as I did - will result in insect-eaten tough plants that do not taste good. The seed is wasted, except spinach makes good green manure when left to rot in the soil, covered up.

2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

There is a certain amount of humor in this, because we can imagine the steward being called into the main office to be questioned and fired. The calling may be a personal messenger sent to him, with this precise communication: 1) Prepare the accounts. 2) You are fired.

As Luther observed, this is the Parable of the Unrighteous Steward. We are not to imitate his unrighteous deeds but emulate his cleverness, employed for the right reasons.

This is clearly aimed at the way believers lead their lives. We are managers of what belongs to God. The Word is His and not ours. He has prospered us so we can live in peace and share with others. If we squander the talents and resources, we are unworthy.

God gives us so many opportunities. Each day is filled with ways in which we can teach or share God's Word in some fashion. Like gardeners, we do a little and see the vast multiplying effects of God's abundance. Kindly gestures lead to more of the same. As Judith Durham sings, "Treat the world kindly and be worthy of grace. Remember one day you'll see God face to face."

Helping someone in the work of the Kingdom is going to be honored by God. "Whoever gives a cup of cold water to one of these will receive his reward." A cup of water is not much, but it feels so good at the time. It is the mark of hospitality among Mexicans, to offer water and to drink it. Yesterday our neighbors offered me something to drink and had a cold root beer. They said, "Free for neighbors" at their yard sale, but I went for my coins in the car, 100 feet away. I said, "Thank you for extending credit to me when I was hot and thirsty from walking with Sassy." The daughters grinned at me.

Publishing projects lead to poorly paid church workers being paid for their help in various parts of producing a book. People do not know where the gifts came from and the donors do not know, but they are appreciated.

I remember one time when Bethany needed $20 for the fuel bill, and a check arrived for that amount. We could have paid for the bill, but the thought meant a lot.

One person said this when others turned away his effort to give, "Don't take away my blessing." As we get older it is more easily felt - It is more blessed to give than to receive.

3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 

This is both funny and unnerving for a parable. He is too weak to dig and too proud to beg, so his answer is to cheat the owner out of his receivables. ?But this illustrates the way of the world. Unbelievers get tossed from their ability to earn money, so they quickly devise another way. Many times they are not honest pursuits, but no one lacks for ingenunity in this regard. Every single person is good at self-preservation.

This plan will allow the unrighteous steward to have employment in the estates of those he favors in his hour of necessity.

5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.

This is what alarms people and preachers, too. Why should we imitate him? He is reducing the bill owed to the owner so these fellow crooks will employ him, due to their savings. This shows that he does something rather than just worrying about his fate. He has confidence, but his confidence is in the wrong things.

 8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. 

This is even harder to understand at first, because the lord of the estate commends his unrighteous steward for being so clever. However, this makes sense if we look at the word "unrighteous". The owner admired the steward for creating a deal, and that is not uncommon in business. If a bill is too large, even if deserved, it is cut back to retain a customer. If the goods were delivered late or in bad condition, the goods may be doubled or deeply discounted. I ended up with a lot of earthworms because the first shipment was delayed. That made me want to order from Uncle Jim again, and I recommended his little laborers to one of our readers, who bought them. The cost of goods is not as high as the loss of good customers who may talk loud and long about a bad deal.

The dishonesty is not commended but the cleverness in this parable. This shows the genius of Jesus' teaching, because this parable is impossible to understand for unbelievers and very difficult for believers. We have to study it anew each year to keep the lessons in mind.

for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light

The unbelievers seem to have all the street sense. They are very good at taking care of their business while the believers are wasting the resources God has given them.

I was thinking of the denominations starting a new mission with $1 million, with a great focus on the right plot of land, debt to the denomination, and all the old methods of starting a mission when it was relatively cheap and easy to do.  The social media age has shown that congregations can be formed on the Net and sustained for very little money. Many businesses and books are started that way - by unbelievers. Some call it crowd-sourcing. But the leaders are stuck in the 1950s.

9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

The conclusion is another head-scratcher, until it is explained. 

Luther wrote:
This is truly a Gospel for priests and monks, and will bring them money, unless we prevent it. Before entering upon the consideration of it, we must accustom ourselves to the language used, especially the word mammon.

The Jews were acquainted with this word from the Hebrew, and it has come down to us, just like other Hebrew words, as Halleluja, Amen, Kyrie eleison. In German mammon means riches, not simply riches, but a superfluity of riches, whatever is beyond our needs. However, that which is called mammon and that which is not called mammon are distinguished in a twofold way. First, if the estimate be according to that of our Lord God and of the truth, there are many who possess mammon. But if the estimate be that of the world and of man’s mind, there are few who possess it. For our leaders in thought have taught in the high schools and even from the pulpit, that everyone should see to his station in life, what he needs, and adjust his possessions accordingly. If he be a man with wife and children, he needs more, for where many persons are there much will be needed.

2. In the second place they have taught that one is not bound to help, except in cases of the greatest need. Such teaching entirely overthrows the Gospel, so that no one has been helpful to another; but they have in the meantime built churches; and yet in doing so they did not even wait for the greatest need, until the arches were rent asunder and churches became roofless, but they gave to great excess, spreading their gold upon the walls.

To sum up the whole matter, mammon properly means, that a man has more than he needs for his support, so that he can help others without injuring himself.

3. Hence the Lord calls it “The mammon of unrighteousness,” because it is daily made use of by the wicked; as it is said: riches develop courage, and the heathen have also called it irritamenta malorum, riches tempt to evil.

Again St. Paul says, 1 Timothy 6:10: “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil,” whence cometh strife, pride, war and bloodshed.

Therefore it is also called here the unrighteous mammon, because it is applied to such evil uses, and is a great cause of evil to men.

20. Now one thought remains: How will they receive us into the eternal tabernacles, as the text here says? Will they lead us in by the hand? No, but when we come before the judgment seat of God, poor persons whom we have assisted here, will stand in heaven and say: he has washed my feet, he gave me drink, food, clothing and the like. He will certainly be my friend and a witness of my faith, whatever words he may use to declare it. Then a beggar will be more useful to me than St. Peter or St. Paul, for there none of these can help. But when a beggar comes and says: My God, this he has done unto me as thy child! that will help me, for God will say: Whatsoever you have done unto these, you have done unto me. Therefore these poor people will not be our helpers but our witnesses so that God shall receive us. By this I would not object to your honoring St. Peter and other saints, for he is a member of Christ and of God. But you do better by giving your neighbor a penny, than by building a church of gold for St. Peter. For to help your neighbor is commanded, but it is not commanded to build a church to St. Peter. Now everything is twisted the wrong way, one goes to a certain passage in St. James, another to Aix-la-Chapelle, another to Rome, to seek help from the departed saints. But the poor people, who are the real sainthood, are left behind lying in the streets.

Making friends means to act kindly toward others so that when we reach eternal life, they will speak up for us and welcome us to heaven. The families of many ministers, missionaries, and teachers will say, "This individual gave us what we needed, just in the nick of time." Or - "This one showed kindness when everyone else was shunning us." Or - "She babysat our child so we could have some rest from her terminal illness. And she said she often wanted just a little rest herself with young children, and no one was there. Instead of getting even for what was not done, she made things better for us."

And these kindnesses multiply in various ways. Because some ministries continue, more hear the Gospel, and the mustard seed becomes a vast tree where many are sheltered.

I just read that Genghis Kahn has about 25 million descendants in Asia, because he had so many concubines. A believer has the same potential, because the Word of God is multiplied among many people who also multiply it, especially today.

Our daily classroom has 4,000 views, doubtless because many people expand the reach through their use of social media. As I told my wife Chris, if 50 people send one post to their 100 best friends, 5,000 people have the chance to read it. There is no way to measure the ultimate reach of the Word.

Luther:
13. The Scriptures in some passages speak of the outward conduct, and in others of the inner. Now if you will apply that which is said of the outward to the heart and confuse matters, you pervert it and do wrong. Hence you must let the distinction remain, and observe it. These expressions: I have been hungry, thirsty, shelterless, naked, sick and in prison, and you have shown me no work of mercy, refer to the external conduct, and signify as much as: you have never exhibited any outward conduct by which you have shown your faith; and to prove this, I appeal to the poor as witnesses.Therefore, faith alone must be present first to make us good, after that good works must follow to prove our piety. This now is one point, namely, concerning works. 

Attendance at Koine Event - The Service of Woofer and Speaker

August 17, 2014, 4:08 pm

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http://www.koinemusic.com/schedule/eventdetail/2615/-/the-400-block

This event:

Friday, August 15, 2014, 06:30pm
The 400 Block
Concert
401 Third Street, Wausau, WI 54403

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Pruning Roses - Divided Joy, Doubled Joy

August 18, 2014, 12:59 am

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Our neighbor's daughter came over with newspapers. We give them the Sunday paper for coupons; they send it back with interest. I said, "Thanks. I will turn these into roses and vegetables. Do you want some roses now?"

No one turns down roses.

Although I cut about 10 roses for the altar, I still had four perfect roses left with long stems. She decided to hold them for the walk across the street.

The Germans have a saying, which is literally "A cut joy is a doubled joy." People translate it as "A shared joy is a doubled joy." The Jackson Literal Translation fits rose gardening the best.

When roses are cut just above a five-leaf cluster, they produce more blooms. That is where I normally prune. Dead wood (brown and dry) is always pruned. Spent flowers are trimmed away and so are thefurtive attempts at going to seed.

Knock-Out roses bloom profusely and open quickly, but I can get those roses to open slowly if I cut them early in the blooming stage. The whites, pinks, and magentas have delicate little buds that are perfectly formed when pruned early.

These sepals need a little more time before cutting the rose for the vase.

The best rose in a vase is not the fully opened bloom, but the bud where the five sepals around it have opened. Then the bud will open completely, slowly. If one of the sepals is still tightly bound to the bud, the cut bud will not open. I wait until the sepals are at the equator (my term) or below it.

Given adequate moisture and nutrition below, heavily pruned roses will bloom profusely. I do not add rose food after a bloom cycle because I have the earthworms and mulch for that. Besides, inorganic fertilizers are like steroids. They can promote immediate change but long-term damage. I water extra because these roses are on a slope and it is difficult to over-water them.

The crepe myrtle bush got a Lyle Lovett haircut.

I wanted to shape the crepe myrtle bush so the horizontal branches were pruned away. The bush was engulfing the mailbox, and neither object could be moved. Although the bush  can take on a graceful umbrella shape, I wanted a tall vase with a narrow base - like my distant neighbor's, which is now 20 feet tall.

When we were done, I thought of Lyle Lovett. All the lower branches are bare and only the top is leafy. All flower heads are trimmed away in hopes of a second bloom this year. As my mother used to say after cutting our hair with her electric trimmers, "It will grow out."

Our timing was good. A storm front moved over the region and dumped rain on all my projects, with more to come. The bush is mulched by cypress and cut up fragments of the pruning. I placed solar faerie lights in the top. I set them to flicker on every so often instead of blinking steadily and making the neighbors go crazy.

Gardeners realize that one effect of pruning is waking up the roots. If the plant is pruned, the roots start growing more - the secret to healthy, robust, drought-resistant plants. Gardeners will spade into the roots of an old bush to cut them, to promote new growth.

I have no qualms about trimming the roots of bare root roses to fit the hole I have dug for them. I know the roses will not accomplish much until the roots grow out and form their extremely delicate root hairs. Until that happens, the rose will be fragile. The rose will wobble in the soil and not take in much moisture or nutrition. The root hairs vastly increase the surface area and the efficiency of the plant.

Digging up a rose bush means damaging the root hairs. That is why transplanting can be difficult and will always result in a delay after replanting.

God created entire plant groups with specific characteristics. If we know how they relate to their surroundings, we can have great results with relatively little labor.

Has anyone improved on Mr. Lincoln? Velvety petals, rich perfume, beautiful foliage.

Leveraging the Rain: Mulch, Earthworms

August 18, 2014, 2:00 am

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This illustration omits the crucial work of earthworms in the nitrogen cycle. They are all muscle, so they contribute nitrogen through their kidneys and when decomposing.

Why am I writing at 3 AM? I fell asleep very early and woke up to a thunderclap right over our house. That reminded me of the open windows of our limo, since I dis-believed for joy the report of rain on the way. By the time I wiped the seats dry and closed the windows, I was wide awake.

The rain is doing my work in creating blooms throughout the gardens. I know the compost pile, where my pet pumpkin plant is trying grow, will benefit from a thorough soaking. New vegetation from my yard (crepe myrtle) and my neighbor's garden is on top and ready to start the decomposition cycle.

By God's design, a tiny bit of work will be leveraged by the rain.

Sandy soil will not support as much life because it is relatively sterile and easily damaged by wind and water erosion.

Clay soil has a lot of potential, but rain can run off a baked surface and not reach the roots as well. Plants are root-bound in a clay pot and likewise hampered in heavy clay soil.

However, adding organic matter and earthworms will benefit both types of soil. Rich loam is ideal, so that is going to do well regardless. Sand and clay need some help.

When the rain falls on a garden area covered with mulch, finished compost, composted manure, grass clippings, or newspapers, the organic matter will hold onto the moisture and promote the growth of bacteria and soil creatures - the denizens of rot and decay.

The earthworm is a custom-designed little cow that grazes on bacteria, which are mostly protein, and the earthworm is mostly protein (all muscle). Unlike the rest of us, earthworms adore yesterdays's newspaper, and grow fat on the lignin they devour. The net result of earthworms and organic matter will be a storage of moisture and growth compounds for all plants.

Sandy soil with more organic matter will stick together better and support more life. Clay soil will be dug by earthworms and soil creatures and release its mineral ions more easily.

Mulch will hold in the moisture and keep the topsoil from blowing away in the wind. My distant neighbor's roses are not pruned and not mulched. The soil around them was dry and white before the rain. This storm will run off some of his top soil. The roses will revive somewhat, but the moisture in the soil will evaporate quickly and the sad state of the roses will continue.

Purple crepe myrtle shows how abundant the blooms can be.

Crepe myrtle will mulch itself with falling leaves and flower petals, and the plant will tolerate long dry spells. However, by mulching the bush with shredded cypress and cut up branches, I increased the plant's ability to pump rain from the soil. In a neighborhood where this plant is abundant, I want the champion plant. Very little work is needed, but some work is required. The bush did not become fully alive until it was initially earthwormed and pruned. Encouraged by the best blooms in the area, I added mulch and pruned heavily.

Our helper is alarmed and anxious about weeds in the sunny garden. He clipped some of the crabgrass away, but ran into some of the good plants, which are well hidden. I was using the braille system yesterday to find tomatoes when I found a pumpkin growing, hidden away. No wonder the vine has started its march across the lawn to gather solar energy for the fruit.

My first effort has been to open up and provide sun for gardening. Before I had a front and backyard shaded by untrimmed trees, covered with grass and a wide variety of weeds.

Beans, borage, and gourds are appearing in abundance. Roses are soaking up the rain and blooming profusely. The more I harvest the fruit and flowers, the more I have.

The tomato flower is the promise of fruit will real flavor, unlike the hothouse tomatoes of the store.

Shattered Pulpit - How a WELS Pastor Destroyed One Woman's Faith

August 18, 2014, 2:13 am

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Sunday, August 17, 2014

Death of a Soul

http://shatteredpulpit.blogspot.com/2014/08/death-of-soul.html

The psychological scars that are left when a pastor sexually exploits his parishioner are deep, life altering, and lasting. Because of his power, he can manipulate the woman not only psychologically but also morally, inducing spiritual confusion and guilt. The crisis then becomes a crisis of faith by exploiting the sacred trust in him in order to gain sexual pleasure. Sexual abuse is inherently shaming. This shaming is accentuated when the user is a spiritual leader. Because the assault is combined with spirituality, it makes it difficult to feel spiritual, theological, or fully human.- Soul Stealing: Power Relations in Pastoral Sexual Abuse

My concept of a "normal response" to a situation was extremely warped, it still is actually. I see people and desperately wish that I could react to situations like they do. The thought process that I used, as a coping mechanism, drastically changed how I thought and acted with everyone, not just him, and "normal" people frequently asked why I responded the way I did...even now.

I was convinced that I had to accept the guilt so as not to hurt my pastor who I was taught to respect and obey. However, by doing that it battered down my self-esteem even lower and further warped my thinking.  He then used his spiritual authority by pleading with me to forgive his “sins” or risk being rejected by God. 

This spiritual blackmail can trap women into silence and suffering for years or decades.Because he has redefined what is right and holy based on his own needs, women are left with a deep mistrust of their ability to distinguish right from wrong. 

I felt obligated that I had to forgive him. I was WELS as a little girl and learned that it was God’s command to “forgive your neighbor”. But I had no one to explain what “forgive your neighbor” all includes because my own pastor was the one doing it. He was the one that I was suppose to be able to go to for spiritual questions. So that left me alone with no one to ask.

I was too afraid to go to another pastor because what if he was the same way? I couldn't handle the pain that one pastor caused me much less two. I didn't trust my own instincts. I was fooled once and was NOT about to let that happen again. I never thought the first one would do that, so how could I trust my judgement again on a second pastor? The chance that all pastors were the same, and it happening again, was too much of a risk for me to even consider that as an option. Fear is a powerful motivator. 

The emotional wounds leave the woman with feelings of anger, betrayal, dismay, desolation, isolation, guilt, and shame. But the spiritual wounds are perhaps the deepest. These impair the woman’s ability to trust—others, as well as God—and to believe that God or others are good and loving. Many women report that not only have they lost their own church, but their trust has been so violated that they cannot go to any church. - Sharon's Rose

I walked away from church for years and never looked back. I hated God. I hated God with a passion. Every day I hated God more for allowing a "Called Pastor of God" to do this to me. I would be driving and literally cry out, "Why God? Why are you letting your pastor do this? Why are you allowing a pastor to kill my soul?" Hell started to appeal to me because it was far from God and pain. 

In my eyes, it was God doing this because a Pastor is a representative of God, so if I didn't want the pain, then I needed to be far from God. I surrounded myself with everything I could find about Satan; slowly my mind started embracing it and I convinced myself that was the only way to escape. It's probably lucky that I didn't succeed with suicide during that time or I would be in hell right now.

Pornography and Satan do have one thing in common - they are both extremelyaddictive. Because just how porn was a controlling addiction to him and escalated over time; that was Satan to me. The more I thought about how to be far from God and the pain, the more comforting those Satan thoughts became. At first it was a few thoughts here and there, but soon those thoughts started filling my mind until I was consumed with the thought that hell was peace and God was pain. But now you had a pastor escalating in porn and a woman escalating in Satan. What a lethal combination that proved to be and the longer it continued the more lethal it became.

Most chilling, she fears his retaliation on the spiritual level. It is difficult for others to comprehend the sheer terror that accompanies this form of abuse. But often because of the image of charismatic spiritual power that these men have asserted and fostered, the women's terror is akin to actually being cursed or damned. Victims fear that their very souls will be stolen.Because of the clergyman’s influence on the woman, trusting God enough to even open the Bible again can be a milestone.- Soul Stealing: Power Relations in Pastoral Sexual Abuse

When I walked away from church and God. I threw all my bibles in the garbage. Everything I could find that represented God I put in the trash. I actually sat by the window and waited for the garbage truck to take it away thinking, "good..I'm finally free from the God who causes so much pain". I felt free and fully embraced a life away from God.

Posted by Lillian Armstrong at 11:46 PM 

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GJ - Does anyone wonder why WELS, the ELS, and the LCMS work so frantically to cover up these scandals?

Sig Becker, when he moved from the LCMS to WELS, told Herman Otten he was shocked at the extent of alcoholism and adultery among the WELS clergy.

One layman, who traveled all over the US, said the WELS clergy are the crudest and most immoral of all the clergy he met - and he met them from all the denominations. Of the three sects of the Synodical Conferance, WELS is the most fanatical about UOJ.

The synodical leaders have a monetary reason to kill the lawsuits and silence the critics. They were eager to preach Marvin Schwan into heaven, even though he left his wife for his manager's wife. Ending two marriages, they briefly legitimized their relationship until he met His maker. "Treat the world kindly and be worthy of grace. Remember one day you will meet God face to face." (Judith Durham, My Father's Last Words)

WELS Pastor's Alcoholism Fueled His Sexual Abuse

August 18, 2014, 10:52 pm

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Monday, August 18, 2014

"Normal" doesn't automatically equal safe

http://shatteredpulpit.blogspot.com/2014/08/normal-doesnt-automatically-equal-safe.html

The “normal” pastor may develop a gradual and "sexually inappropriate" relationship with a vulnerable person during a stressful time in his own life. About half the time these men also abuse alcohol. If the pastor has an alcohol problem, family disruptions, or a parish dynamic of secrecy and closed process, it is important to be alert to the possibility that he could succumb to this temptation. - Soul Stealing: Power Relations in Pastoral Sexual Abuse

All of these were present in my situation: he liked to drink; he had family problems; I was vulnerable because of the situation at home; the church dynamic was engulfed in secrecy; and he struggled with both pornography and sexual addictions. That combination was a disaster...for both of us. It certainly succeeded in killing us both spiritually. 

Porn was more important to him than even his own spiritual welfare. He confided many times to me that he never read his bible anymore or studied God's Word. I always wondered why no one ever picked up on the fact that the pastor always seemed to be in a "depressed state of mind". No one ever questioned why he seemed "sad" all the time. 

When things were at the low point, he would spend 4-5 hours per day looking at porn. Then, add everything that was happening with me on top that. When all was said and done, the bulk of his day, every day, was consumed with sin. Everything else in his life took a back burner to porn...including his work at the church. I was relieved that he never brought out the bible during counseling because I didn't want God anyway so it was a relief that he didn't use scripture to "counsel" me. 

The more he seemed not to care about our spiritual welfare the less I did. I figured if my own pastor doesn't care, then it must be no big deal if I didn't either. He knew I was delving into Satan. I commented on that many times saying... "I guess I will be in hell"...and his response was..."I guess I will be joining you".... completely void and emotionless. 

After pornography, the next key ingredient that played a HUGE role was alcohol. If someone could have taken porn and alcohol out of the equation, I honestly don't think that it would haveever gotten to the point it did. I really don't. They were such huge factors. 

Alcohol played such a critical role, in fact, that I'm going to defer on that altogether for now, because that will take an entire post in itself. 

Once sexual abuse has been identified, expect minimization and denial, expect to be diverted onto issues of alcohol abuse or extreme stress.  

He blamed everything, and everyone, under the sun as the “problem”. He rationalized constantly to me as to why he did it...  He needed a “release” from all the stress in his life. He had conflicts at work and home. He couldn't help himself because he was addicted. He always had an excuse to take the blame off himself. And through it all, he would say that I was the only person he could turn to so if I ever said anything, then he would have no one, and his life would be over. This particular guilt trip was the worst for me because it always made me feel so trapped. I thought if I said anything it would destroy him. Not even realizing that it was destroying me instead.

Even in the situation where a "normal" pastor succumbs to temptation, women must realize that he manipulated her and abused his position of power. He was the person in authority, not the woman.Secondly, women must stop thinking of their abuser as a pastor and a "man of God" but as a sexual predator. When the predator was manipulating and abusing he was not acting like a pastor. Pastors who engage in sexual abuse are really sex offenders. That is hard for many Christians to accept. The level of evil that happens in clergy sexual abuse is just too great for many to comprehend and what it entails—for the perpetrator, the victim, the church leaders, and even the congregation in which it occurs. The sexual relationship is a sexual assault.  - Sharon's Rose

I didn't realize just how incredibly difficult that previous paragraph was for me to accept until I let out a big sigh right now trying to find the words to type. This is where a "normal" person will read what I am about to write and see that I still have a long way to go in my healing process. 

As often as I have read that, and as hard as I try, I just can't accept that paragraph..... even after everything that has happened. I still think of him as a "pastor". I just can not think of him as a sexual predator. I don't know why. I remember all the pain I have suffered but yet my mind still refuses to accept him as a sexual predator. That term does not seem to fit in the same sentence as the word pastor to me. Maybe someday I will understand why I am having such difficulty with that. Maybe it's because I see him needing help as much as I do, if not more. 

Posted by Lillian Armstrong at 11:56 PM 

Intrepid Lutherans - Laity Doing the Work, Instead of Pastors, in Rebuking False Teachers

August 18, 2014, 10:56 pm

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MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 2014

Dr. Martin Luther: Christian Unity needs Harmony among Individuals; however, Ecclesial Unity requires that False Teachers be publicly Admonished and Rebuked by Fellow Pastors
http://www.intrepidlutherans.com/2014/08/dr-martin-luther-christian-unity-needs.html

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In commentary following a recent post by anonymous blogger "Matthias Flach" entitled, A Travesty Examined, Part Nine , it was suggested that "Matthias" contact the President of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), and complain to him about all the problems he sees – the idea being that the Synod President, having enough complainers behind him, would be emboldened to, say, acknowledge these problems publicly, maybe even repudiate them... possibly, like Synod President Matt Harrison of theLutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS), even use the publishing power of his office (the only power the WELS SP really has) to consistently expose the errors of false teachers in the WELS Ministerium who are apparently prized, protected and promoted by the entirety of the WELS Praesidium, warn against them, and rebuke those fellow pastors who embrace these teachings and practices.

Maybe such would happen... Assuming the best of the WELS SP, perhaps it can also be asserted that he needs numbers behind him, not for courage, but for factual corroboration. Quite honestly, however, even having the corroboration, I don’t think that any sort of public acknowledgement or admonishment would be forthcoming. At least nothing with any sort of impact that wouldn’t be immediately overcome by a swift, unanimous and well-coordinated action of the Twelve District Presidents who evidently oppose him. One primary reason, in my opinion, is how very close-knit WELS has become. It has grown unhealthy. For instance, when a person names a given WELS pastor, the instinct (in my personal experience) seems to be toward immediately calculating ones degree of familial relation to the man, and then recalling his direct and indirect experience with him. While this is perfectly natural in small old organizations, there now seems to be an inability to distinguish between individual and Office among them. Any just criticism of a pastor’s doctrine or practice seems to be interpreted as an attack against him personally or against his extended family and classmates, an arrogant elevation of the person issuing the criticism, and a disruption of the harmony necessary for unity to persist among them. The example currently found in the LCMS, of pastors exhibiting the courage to name false doctrines and practices among them, and, increasingly, the pastors who embrace and promote those teachings and practices, seems to be a cultural impossibility in WELS, unless it is already a family squabble of some sort, a matter of personal history or conflict between individual pastors going back, say, to high-school, college or seminary, or an internal political issue within the ministerium where lines have already been drawn.

Martin Luther preached, however, that recognizing a distinction between individual and Office is necessary, that Christian duty to cherish and preserve harmony – to be “compassionate and loving as ‘brethren, tenderhearted, and "friendly" or "humble-minded"’” – extends to the manner in which individuals carry on with one another. It is not, however, necessarily characteristic of the Office, the function of which includes the preachment of the Law in a way that cuts to the bone and exposes sin – which, to the person offended by the Law, does not seem like a very friendly thing to do – and as God’s representative, even extends to the withholding of forgiveness from the unrepentant (Matt. 16:19; John 20:23) – which does not seem to the unforgiven to be a very friendly thing to do, either. He preached further that it is a function of the Office, and thus of the pastor who is responsible to “represent not [his] own but God’s dignity,” to admonish and rebuke false teachers – i.e., fellow Office holders, saying:

But if one dishonors the Baptism, Sacrament, or Ministry committed to me by God, and so opposes not me but God Himself, then it is my duty not to be silent nor merciful and friendly, but to use my God-ordained Office to admonish, threaten and rebuke, with all earnestness, both in season and out of season – as Paul admonishes Timothy – those who err in doctrine or faith or who do not amend their lives; and this regardless of who they are or how it pleases them.

All of this – the duty to cherish harmony among Christians, the duty to rebuke false teachers in the Church (which appears disharmonious but preserves pure doctrine, which is necessary for true harmony), and drawing the distinction between these duties – is found in his Sermon on the Epistle Lesson for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity (1 Pet. 3:8-15), pertinent excerpts from which follow:

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From Dr. Martin Luther’s Sermon on 1 Peter 3:8-15
The Epistle Lesson for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity

On the Duty to Cherish Christian Harmony
No one has a different baptism or sacrament, a different Christ, from mine, or grace and salvation other than I have. And no individual can have another faith than have Christians in general, nor does he hear any other Gospel or receive a different absolution, be he lord or servant, noble or ignoble, poor or rich, young or old, Italian or German. When one imagines himself different from or better than his fellows, desiring to exalt and glorify himself above others, he is truly no longer a Christian; because he is no longer in that unity of mind and faith essential to Christians. Christ with His grace is always the same, and cannot be divided or apportioned within Himself.

Not without reason did the beloved apostles urge this point. They clearly saw how much depends upon it, and what evil and harm result from disregard of the commandment. Where this commandment is dishonored, schisms and factions will necessarily arise to corrupt pure doctrine and faith, and the devil will sow his seed, which afterwards can be eradicated only with difficulty. When once self-conceit rules, and one, pretending more learning, wisdom, goodness and holiness than his fellows, begins to despise others and to draw men to himself, away from the unity of mind which makes us one in Christ, and when he desires the first praise and commendation for his own doctrine and works, his own preaching, then the harm is already done; faith is overthrown and the Church is rent. When unity becomes division, certainly two sects cannot both be the true Church. If one is godly, the other must be the devil’s own. On the other hand, so long as unity of faith and oneness of mind survives, the true Church of God abides, notwithstanding there may be some weakness in other points. Of this fact the devil is well aware; hence his hostility to Christian unity. His chief effort is to destroy harmony. “Having that to contend with,” he tells himself, “my task will be a hard and wearisome one.”

Therefore, Christians should be all the more careful to cherish the virtue of harmony, both in the Church and in secular government. In each instance there is of necessity much inequality. God would have such dissimilarity balanced by love and unity of mind. Let everyone be content, then, with what God has given or ordained for him, and let him take pleasure in another’s gifts, knowing that in eternal blessings he is equally rich, having the same God and Christ, the same grace and salvation; and that although his standing before God may differ from that of his fellows, he is nevertheless in no way inferior to them, nor is anyone for the same reason at all better than or superior to himself.

...

The other virtues enjoined by Peter are easily recognized – compassionate, loving as “brethren, tenderhearted, and ‘friendly’ or ‘humble-minded’.” These particularly teach how Christians should esteem one another. God has subjected them all to love and has united them, with the design that they shall be of one heart and soul, and each care for the other as for himself. Peter’s exhortation was especially called for at that time, when Christians were terribly persecuted. Here a pastor, there a citizen, was thrown into prison, driven from wife, child, house and home, and finally executed. Such things happen even now, and may become yet more frequent considering that unfortunate people are harassed by tyrants, or led away by the Turks [Muhammadans], and Christians are thus dispersed in exile here and there. Wherever by His Word and faith God has gathered a church, and that spiritual unity, the bond of Christianity, exists in any measure, there the devil has no peace. If he cannot effect the destruction of that church by factiousness, he furiously persecutes it. Then it is that body, life and everything we have must be jeopardized – put to the stake – for the sake of the Church.


On the Duty to Admonish and Rebuke False Teachers
The lesson teaches the duty of each individual toward all other individuals, not toward the God-ordained Office. Office and person must be clearly distinguished. The officer or ruler in his official capacity is a different man from what he is as John or Frederick. The apostle or preacher differs from the individual Peter or Paul. The preacher has not his Office by virtue of his own personality; he represents it in God’s stead. Now, if any person be unjustly persecuted, slandered and cursed, I ought to and will say: “Deo gratias;” for in God I am richly rewarded for it. But if one dishonors the Baptism, Sacrament, or Ministry committed to me by God, and so opposes not me but God Himself, then it is my duty not to be silent nor merciful and friendly, but to use my God-ordained Office to admonish, threaten and rebuke, with all earnestness, both in season and out of season – as Paul admonishes Timothy (2 Tim. 4:2) – those who err in doctrine or faith or who do not amend their lives; and this regardless of who they are or how it pleases them.

But the censured may say: “Nevertheless you publicly impugn my honor; you give me a bad reputation.” I answer: Why do you not complain to Him who committed the Office to me? My honor is likewise dear to me, but the honor of my Office must be more sacred still. If I am silent where I ought to rebuke, I sully my own honor, which I should maintain before God in the proper execution of my Office; hence I with you deserve to be hanged in mid-day, to the utter extinguishment of my honor and yours. No, the Gospel does not give you authority to say the preacher shall not, by the Word of God, tell you of your sin and shame. What does God care for the honor you seek from the world when you defy His Word with it? To the world you may seem to defend your honor with God and a good conscience, but in reality you have nothing to boast of before God but your shame. This very fact you must confess if you would retain your honor before Him; you must place His honor above that of all creatures. The highest distinction you can achieve for yourself is that of honoring God’s Word and suffering rebuke.

“Yes, but still you attack the Office to which I am appointed.” No, dear brother, our Office is not assailed when I and you are reminded of our failure to do right, to conduct the Office as we should. But the Word of God rebukes us for dishonoring that divinely ordained appointment and abusing it in violation of His commandment. Therefore you cannot call me to account for reproving you. However, were I not a pastor or preacher, and had I no authority to rebuke you, then it would be my duty and my pleasure to leave your honor and that of every other man unscathed. But if I am to fill a divine Office and to represent not my own but God’s dignity, then for your own sake I must not and will not be silent. If you do wrong, and disgrace and dishonor come upon you, blame yourself: “Thy blood shall be upon thine own head,” says Scripture (1 Kings. 2:37). Certainly when a judge sentences a thief to the gallows, that man’s honor is impugned. Who robs you of your honor but yourself, by your own theft, your contempt of God, disobedience, murder, and so on? God must give you what you deserve. If you consider it a disgrace to be punished, then consider it also no honor to rob, steal, practice usury and do public wrong; you disgrace yourself by dishonoring God’s commandment.

---

Notice that Luther preaches the following:

However, were I not a pastor or preacher, and had I no authority to rebuke you, then it would be my duty and my pleasure to leave your honor and that of every other man unscathed.

This is a note to us laymen. We don’t have the Office of rebuking and correcting. It’s not our job. It is for this reason that I, for one (and I think, perhaps, many laymen along with me), have been very reluctant to name specific situations or pastors, and have preferred to speak in general. IT’S NOT MY JOB! This makes the silence of pastors who see the error and yet remain silent all the more distressing, as it drives the laity, of necessity, to enter in where they would otherwise have no place. And to their shame, they seem content to allow the laity to do it, unaided. IT IS THEIR JOB! But they seem to either be derelict or cowards.

And to those WELS pastors who boldly speak behind the cloak of anonymity – you help no one other than rumour mongers and gossipers. You complain, “What of my family? What of my livelihood! I can’t let anyone know who I am, my adversaries might find out and cause me grief and woe!” But you are more than willing to name them publicly, to cause them grief and woe. Luther preaches above,

“It is my duty NOT to be silent nor merciful and friendly, but to use my God-ordained Office to admonish, threaten and rebuke, with all earnestness, both in season and out of season,”

and in times of persecution,

“body, life and everything we have must be jeopardized – put to the stake – for the sake of the Church.”

Your adversaries have the courage to openly preach and promote falsehood, but you do not have the courage to correct them with the Truth, to act in the interest of preserving their disciples and the Church from the impact of their false doctrine and practice? How strong, then, is your doctrine? Indeed, how eminently valuable is it if you are not willing to sign your name to it? Is it truly Christian Conscience and Confessional Integrity that drives you to “anonymously voice your deep concerns,” or is it sport? Tinged with a touch of schadenfreude?

You saw the hurricane approaching far in the distance, and you’ve waited only till landfall to begin preparing yourselves, your families, and your congregations for the inevitable? You have only yourselves to blame for the disaster you have brought upon them: “Thy blood shall be upon thine own head.” The time to act was in May of 2010, if not before. Where were you? Still deciding to prepare? Where are you now? Just beginning to prepare? Must you “first go bury your father” (Matt. 8:21-22)? I’ve got news for you – it’s way too late now to weather the storm intact. Your Leaders are unanimous: they are busy excommunicating the likes of Rev. Rydecki, while coddling the likes of Rev. Skorzewski and publicly endorsing events like the 2015 Christian Leadership Experience. In my opinion, the only way to survive now with pure teaching and faith intact is to evacuate, to leave everything behind and start anew on higher ground.

POSTED BY MR. DOUGLAS LINDEE AT 10:45 AM 

LABELS: DIVISION, DOCTRINE, ERROR, LAITY, LAW AND GOSPEL, LUTHER, MINISTRY, TRUTH, UNITY, WELS

1 COMMENT:

Anonymous said...

Mr. Lindee,

Thank you for the wonderful post. I think it fully expresses in a very cogent way the frustration so many lay people feel with our Orthodox Pastors. To copy and paste from your post above -

"If I am silent where I ought to rebuke, I sully my own honor, which I should maintain before God in the proper execution of my Office; hence I with you deserve to be hanged in mid-day, to the utter extinguishment of my honor and yours. No, the Gospel does not give you authority to say the preacher shall not, by the Word of God, tell you of your sin and shame. What does God care for the honor you seek from the world when you defy His Word with it? To the world you may seem to defend your honor with God and a good conscience, but in reality you have nothing to boast of before God but your shame."

Something for our Orthodox Shepherds to think about. They do have a duty based upon their Office and if they do not wish to do that duty then why are they in that Office? It seems over the past decades that the Church Growth Movement has marched relentlessly on within WELS, positioning like minded men in positions of influence, protecting their own (see the Rev. Skorzewski scandal and it can be called nothing less and probably a good deal more) starting various committees to peddle their wares to the congregations and all for the remaking of WELS. All this while the Orthodox have done what? Where are our Shepherds? To reference the quote - Is there any shame? Do they have any honor?

As for too late - it is never too late where God is involved. But where is the trust in God's promises? Will He forsake you? Will He leave you? You know the answers and teach them to the youth of your congregations. But if I may be so bold "Do you believe those promises?" I ask only because of what we have seen or shall we say not seen in your actions as I do not presume to know what is truly in your heart.

Luckily we know that all is in our Father's hands and if the WELS should forsake irretrievably it's heritage, He will raise up faithful preachers for His sheep, He will call others to be His shepherds and guide His sheep to them for they will know their Masters voice.

If I am too doom and gloom and speak of things which are not so or have cast too wide a net or painted with too broad a stroke (which is probably true) - then speak and dispel, enlighten me - I am more then willing to have a Damascus moment. I am more then willing and in fact would rejoice to admit that I am wrong, for then perhaps I could believe that the lights of Confessional Lutheran Orthodoxy are not winking out within the WELS one by one. On the other hand, and not to be too smarmy, I am not holding my breath either.

Signed if you cannot guess - Extremely Frustrated.

Or to comply with Intrepid Policy - Lee Liermann 

Back to School - Undergraduates in Required English

August 19, 2014, 4:28 am

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I teach required English composition and world literature for Ecclesia College undergraduates. The first day was really fun with so many former students saying hello and fist-bumping in the hallway. The registrar told me at lunch that they can fill a class just by listing my name. "You're very popular with the students."

One freshman  in world lit was homeschooled and already earned 40 college credits from home. She was the only student who asked for the textbook - weeks before the class started. She tested out of English 1 and 2. Although there are exceptions to this rule, the best students are usually homeschooled.

One of the best students - ever - was a girl who asked her Ed.D. parents to take her out of school. She wrote essays that were easily A papers in graduate school.

Elective courses are the most fun to teach, because they do not bear the horrible description - required. Students never quite realize that electives are also required, since credits have to be earned in certain areas. Please do not let that word out.

Still, I enjoy required classes because all the students flow through them, and motivating them is a challenge. I have them call me "Your Excellency" as one possible address. They find that endlessly amusing. I have sound effects in my pocket, on a $10 device. I no longer fight a battle against texting addiction, because they all know I confiscate digital devices and give them to the academic dean, who approves my policy and asks the quavering student - "If this is yours, why do I have?

The readers are easily distinguished from the non-readers. The readers know grammar, spelling, and writing fairly well. That remains the best way to build language skills - reading extensively. The individual who develops a habit of reading will be much more knowledgeable in any field of study. The soft-spoken and articulate doctor/commentator Ben Carson was forced to read books and write reports each week by his impoverished mother, who cleaned houses.

My mother and my elementary school teachers read stories to us. They opened the door to that magical land of fiction. We listened toLassie being taken away and finding her way home again. Sure, one was on TV and the other in Europe, but everyone loved that dog. We shivered when a man was trying To Build a Fire in minus 60 weather.  The Secret Garden was so spooky: I can remember that story from 60 years ago.

Due to various early trips to schools and meetings, a library often baby-sat me. That led me to read all the classical children's literature books at Garfield Grade School and the rest at Moline Public Library. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe sounded good - and it was. I discovered Freddy the Pig, Heinlein, and many others.

I read stories to our children, and our son reads stories to his.

Some Cutting Remarks about Roses

August 19, 2014, 5:32 am

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The best roses begin with perfect buds. Mr. Lincoln is perfumed, velvety, and spectacular in full bloom.

Our roses are spoken for, long before they bloom. We now have a list of five families that will take all the roses we cut. One bunch will go to Dr. Carol today. Their office kept the last ones for a week. Three neighbors on this cul-de-sac and our helper round out the list.

The disparity between those who love roses and those who grow them is remarkable. Everyone loves them, but few grow them. I go over gardening books, catalogs, and articles on the Net. I see a lot of flowers to consider. Each time I ask the big question - how much is that in rose dollars?

Mr. Lincoln can be found for $8 and will make back its cost on the first bloom. Roses on sale can be bought for a similar price. All these are bare-root, which is the ugliest form but the best way to grow them. Other roses can be purchased for $30 and even $50 for the tree rose. A true rosarian will say "standard rose" but that sounds like "ordinary rose." The long cane is called a standard, so they are officially standard roses: a wild rose root base, a straight cane grafted to the root, and a hybrid tea grafted to the standard. They require more winter protection, but they are the sign of a rose fan.

The floral equivalent to fireworks is a row of standard roses in various colors.

Not a Lot of Work
Roses are not a lot of work, no more than enough to get people outside and in the sunshine. Roses are not riddled with bugs or loaded with weeds, if the right steps are taken early.

They require pruning, which is to say that people who grow them can have fresh roses indoors all summer long, plus roses to share with friends.

The Right Steps

1. Red wigglers are the best earthworms for soil improvement, so that means buying a bag and scattering them around the areas that need the most productive soil.
2. Good soil is being built all the time, so a layer of organic mulch will feed the earthworm population. There will be a little weeding, but not much. Dr. Ben Dover N. Pull recommends this.
3. When first purchased and dug in, whether bare root or in pots, roses need a lot of water at first. I also sprinkle the roses above ground for the first week or so, to keep the plant moist before the roots start doing their job.
4. Garlic chives or garlic will help roses and repel insects. Bugs like sick plants, so one deterrent is a healthy plant grown in a garlic gas cloud. If you doubt the gas cloud, bend over a rose bed seeded with garlic chives on a hot, humid day. It is eye-watering. 
5. Water twice a week when it does not rain, and prune every other day. Prune away dead wood and crossed branches. Cut the best roses and buds for inside the home and for friends.

Double Delight roses have to be ordered early.

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Unrepentant Plagiarist, CPH Book Editor Defines Sound Doctrine. Or - How To Make Sound Doctrine Look Ridickolus

August 19, 2014, 8:23 am

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http://www.alpb.org/forum/index.php?topic=5558.msg342074;topicseen#msg342074

Rev. Paul T. McCain

• ALPB Forum Regular
• Posts: 204
• Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum
• • 
    

Re: No doctrine, no Gospel. Know doctrine, know Gospel.

« Reply #119 on: Today at 11:08:35 AM »

Let us also put this on the table:

Ordaining women and active homosexuals is merely a symptom of the profound theological errors that lead to such practices.

When a tree stops putting out green leaves in my neighborhood, the city comes and cuts it down and is always rotting from the inside out.

***

GJ - McCain only served one parish, for about two years, while he ran Al Berry's presidential campaign via Herman Otten (denying it, of course).

Instead of providing the apology he has demanded from so many of his friends and opponents, McCain closed down and hid his plagiarizing blog.

For this he earns almost $200,000 a year and his boss at CPH gets almost $300,000.

According to the Book of Concord, especially the Augsburg Confession, this is the core of the Gospel, sound doctrine -

Article V: Of the Ministry.

1] That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, 2] the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear 3] the Gospel, to wit, that God, not for our own merits, but for Christ's sake, justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ's sake.

4] They condemn the Anabaptists and others who think that the Holy Ghost comes to men without the external Word, through their own preparations and works. 

McCain does not teach sound doctrine and actively opposes justification by faith. He has not comprehended Robert Preus' last book, Justification and Rome, where McCain's aping of the Romanist Ed Preuss is thoroughly and repeatedly repudiated.

Rik Krahn's Wish Is Not Granted

August 19, 2014, 1:33 pm

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http://www.intrepidlutherans.com/2014/08/dr-martin-luther-christian-unity-needs.html#comment-form

Rik Krahn said...

While I agree with the main thrust of this post, I think there is a dangerous assumption there. The assumption is being made that a couple blogs are the only places where these things are being discussed. That ignores every other avenue and arena for discussion. If someone notices the areas where there is error, or where wisdom is lacking, and says nothing to anyone, anywhere, then this criticism is valid. But what of the man who speaks of these things regularly to the pastors involved, speaks to his circuit pastor, speaks at his circuit meetings and conferences and conventions, communicates with his District President, Synod President, and other Synod officials? Is that man somehow shirking a responsibility because he is reluctant to use his name on blogs? Are these blogs now the only way to address problems within our Synod, so that a person who posts anonymously must be a coward, whose doctrine is to be questioned? Can no one recognize that there might be reasons, other than cowardice or dereliction of duty, for a man to not want his name to appear on some of these blogs?

Rev. Paul A. Rydecki said...

I question the integrity and the conviction of anyone who pretends to teach, correct, rebuke, or condemn others anonymously. If a person doesn't want his name on a blog, then let him leave the posting and the commenting to those who are willing to be known and to bear the consequences of their faith or their opinions.

AUGUST 19, 2014 AT 2:06 PM

Vernon Knepprath said...

Rik,

I don't think anyone is saying that blogs are the only way to solve problems in the WELS, or even the preferred way. For many of us, the blog topics we choose to involve ourselves with are topics we have already discussed, in some cases extensively, with the people you mentioned. And in those cases, where "the man who speaks of these things regularly to the pastors involved, speaks to his circuit pastor, speaks at his circuit meetings and conferences and conventions, communicates with his District President, Synod President, and other Synod officials", the discussions in those cases are not anonymous. I have found in my efforts to discuss topics with synod officials via email, they will seldom respond at all, but when they do, they will ask, yes even demand identification that goes beyond a simple name. Which perhaps explains in part why the anonymous end up at the blogs.

Also, the reasons Mr. Lindee gave for commenters remaining anonymous are the reasons they themselves have given for their anonymity.

Vernon

AUGUST 19, 2014 AT 2:31 PM

***

GJ - Rik Krahn's imaginary discussions with various officials made me stifle some laughter. I tried, but burst out laughing anyway. His dance card has one more event on it - Extending the Left Foot of Fellowship.

For example, Kudu Don Patterson will visit someone if that person never speaks a word. The poor victim can only listen to the tirade lovingly delivered for the good of the dissenter's miserable soul. Ask Joe Krohn.

This individual can ask a question at the voters meeting, but it will not be answered. Any doctrinal question is out of order. Ask Joe Krohn. I heard the recording.

Patterson, elected a DP for these people skills, is good friends with Tim Glende, since both are part of the Mark-and-Avoid Jeske solar system, revolving around Guru Mark in humble adoration.

---

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Naming the Perpetrator

http://shatteredpulpit.blogspot.com/2014/08/naming-perpetrator.html

Several people have asked for specific details regarding who, exactly, the perpetrator is and if he is still being allowed to serve in the church, etc. I would like to comment on that: 

I did find a "safe" pastor now that I have come to trust. I have also come to trust the two district leaders that are involved in my situation. All three know the perpetrator's name, as well as, all of the details and are in full control of the situation. They have assured me repeatedly that they will never allow him to serve as part of the WELS ever again.They acted immediately upon hearing all the details and took swift action to make sure of that. They continue to work with me during the healing process and respect my desire for privacy.Trusting three pastors after my world had collapsed in church was the most terrifying experience I have ever encountered, but they are bending over backyards to make it possible and to alleviate my fears so that I will continue to trust them.

***

GJ again - I can assure the blogger that this is exceptional. In Columbus, DP Robert Mueller and VP Paul Kuske welcomed a known adulterer kicked out of the LCMS and promoted him for a call. The Mission Board had no problem with it. The ELS had no problem with it, either. Jay Webber and Roger Kovaciny were glad to take his money and treat his Masonic congregation (for which Kuske and Schumann endorsed him) as one of their own.

Everyone knew, except they lied to me and to those who asked about the matter. They were eager to cover up for him, even though he never joined WELS and scoffed at WELS. He was treated as one of the circuit pastors and gave a paper at the pastoral conference.

Or look at Joel Hochmuth, a layman previously caught in homeosexual file swapping - child porn of the worst. WELS knew about that and most likely did his previously "counseling." It is all in the arrest document. WELS is not named - except he kept a lot of his child porn in his office at the Love Shack. But WELS said Hochmuth was not using the headquarters computers. And nobody knew nothing nohow. But Hochmuth was publicly forgiven by his boss Mark Schroeder.

Glance at the WELS Top Ten Crimes, which I am still filling out - so much to do there.

The Supposed Chief Article That Dares Not Speak Its Name

August 20, 2014, 5:20 am

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Ten little Stormtroopers jumping on my head, One fell off the wagon, and he's pronounced dead.

UOJ - Justification without Faith - is the Chief Article of the Christian religion. The master and prince..." -
various LCMS-ELS-WELS leaders.

Someone started another anonymous blog - doubtless a "confessional" Lutheran blog. He or she is quoting the Large Catechism - anonymously. The anonymous introduction says very little, perhaps forgetting that the leaders of the Reformation did not hide away or duck issues, working only in the dark. These newly anointed martyrs and confessors claim that hiding away is a virtue, and the right way to do things. As one tried to say maladroitly, "Thank God I am not a blogger, like Ichabod."

When Wittenberg was under siege, Luther risked his life to come back and preach a series of sermons, exposing himself to capture and a long, slow torturous burning at the stake. These foxes and weathervanes will not risk an appointment to the summer camp committee, lest they lose some mileage money or a free lunch at some fancy bistro.

During the great Missouri Croquet Match, when everyone pretended to be Martin Luther yet suffered little more than some discomfort, the leaders used their own names and published. Nothing was really settled, except the biggest liars went off to form the AELC, which became the gay quota template of ELCA. The Seminexers, many from WELS, made sure they were over-represented and sent their faculty to the Lutheran School of Theology to bankrupt it. Good riddance to both. They even donated their own gay seminary professor, Deppe (former LCMS) who moved on to the UCC, leaving his wife and children behind. That should sound familiar to Missouri idolators. And WELS' own Richard Jungkuntz moved on up to the ALC, where the activist for the Lavender Mafia pronounced himself "old school."

Like the UOJ Stormtroopers, slugs are bisexual.

As this current debacle unfolds, UOJ has turned into a slug that no longer inches along to leave  its slime on everything. As gardeners know, a slug responds to touch by pretending to be dead. The little antennae withdraw. The little gastropod feet disappear. The familiar profile transforms itself into a lifeless blob. The only way to bring the slug back to life quickly is to introduce it to some irritant like salt, which will make the true slug appear again as it dies, silently and hideouslessly.

The UOJ slugs have abandoned Romans 4 faster than Nixon abandoned Agnew. Nostalgics remember how UOJists used to write "raised for our justification - Romans 4:25!" as proof for their heinous dogma. . But that was only part of a verse. When Romans 4:24 was added, in the context of Chapte 4 showing Abraham to have been justified by faith, they curled up and played dead.

They used to mention Calov with reverence, which was handy, since Lutherans read Calov even less than Calov. One might as well quote the Constitution to Congress or the Scriptures to a synod president. As the graphic above shows, Calov eviscerated the UOJ slug in one comment.

But - let us return to the Bible. Another symptom of their Tourette's Syndrome is shouting "Behold the Lamb of God, who bears the sin of the world" or simply "John 1:29!" There is no connection between their Halle rationalism and this verse, and even less harmony with Luther's description of the Gospel of John.

John teaches mainly the sublime and chief article of our Christian faith: believing in Christ. Because of this article we are called Christians. Besides this, we do not find many sermons on the Ten Commandments in this Gospel. Rather it is his greatest task to establish well the sublime article of the righteousness of faith and to impress it deeply on the people. For there is no danger when this article remains pure and unadulterated and stands firmly. But when it is overthrown, we are lost and are no better than Jews, heathen, Tartars, and Turks, aye, we are as bad as the papists. For this reason, because he so diligently teaches this chief article, the evangelist John deserves to be highly praised.
What Luther Says, ed. Plass, 3 vols, II, p. 702. W 33, 82. E 57, 298. SL 7, 2252.

The UOJ leaders have this advantage - their clergy read Luther and the Confessions as little as they do. But the laity are another matter. The laity do not have the filter of synodical dogma, which fogs every article of faith.

The more we draw out the UOJ slugs, the more vulnerable they are. They live on moist rot in the darkness. They can travel in the light, but that is where they become obvious, like that ugly gastropod inching across the kitchen floor.

In the future there will no attempts to deal with justification by faith directly. Instead, the synodical talking points will be delivered with great pretensions of piety among themselves and large volumes of verbal abuse for those who appear to be threats.

Where Were the Leaders? Answer - Praying to Marvin Schwan and Thrivent

August 21, 2014, 2:44 am

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Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Where Were the Leaders?

http://shatteredpulpit.blogspot.com/2014/08/where-were-leaders.html

Place eyes everywhere. And lock up rooms that are not in use. Abuse happens when a church is not watchful. An open door to an unoccupied room is an invitation and opportunity for a perpetrator. A church that is diligent in its efforts to prevent abuse will frustrate those with evil intentions. My church assigned deacons to walk the halls, walk the parking lot, and look into the various rooms of the church during our worship services and other activities. We realized that the more eyes we have watching our facilities, the safer our church became. - Making Church a Safe Place, by Charles Burkeen

I wish I could find the perfect words to express how extremely important that paragraph is. If my church had been even half that vigilant, it would have been a thousand times more difficult for this to happen. However, since he was the "popular pastor", everyone seemed oblivious to what was happening under their noses because no one thought it could happen "in their church". 

And I mean... literally under their nose because the longer it went on, the bolder he got and the more risks he took. It was extremely stressful when it happened within close proximity of congregational leaders’… sometimes just a few doors away. I could hear them discussing church business while I was behind a locked door with the Pastor in a dark closet. Yet no one knew because all the red flags were missed. Why would NO one question a pastor coming out of a closet with someone..with anyone? Should that not be the biggest red flag of all?
 
If the church leaders had been observant enough to pick up on the red flags, they would have caught it. I know they would have because it was so obvious. Especially since it wasn't only one or two leaders that had the opportunity but, over the course of time, it was the majority of them - from the Church President on down. Every single one missed every "red flag". Everyone seemed to have the mentality that "it can't happen to us" so no one paid attention. I lost faith in the congregational leaders after that because they were totally oblivious to what was happening around them.

I was crying inside (more like screaming) for someone to recognize it. I was too afraid to say anything because I didn't know who I could trust. My only option was to hope for someone to see a warning sign...but no one did. I know for a "normal" person it will probably be hard to understand why the fear of telling someone was so great, and I don't know how to put that into words. But it was the controlling factor of my life. The thought of telling anyone terrified me more than anything else in the world because I was petrified of what would happen.

It's probably wrong to feel this way, but sometimes I blame the congregational leaders more than the pastor even. He was so controlled by his physical urges that he couldn't stop himself anymore, even if he wanted to. He was that out-of-control by this time. But that wasn't true with the leaders of the congregation. They could have stopped it. Most of them had at least one opportunity to stop it, if not more... because basically every one of them saw at least one "red flag" but failed to recognize it.

The pastor caused me to lose faith in God but the leaders caused me to lose trust in the church. 

I  remember another time when I was upset and crying wanting this to stop and trying to distance myself from him. We had a pretty big disagreement and, again, a congregational leader happened to be walking past while we were disagreeing and said to me afterwards…"that sounded like you two were having a husband and wife fight". I made a flimsy excuse trying to say something without having to actually come right out and say it. But, as was the pattern, he never questioned further. Never asked for more information. Never asked why I was crying over that "fight". He just dropped it. 

Another time the church president, himself, was maybe 5 feet away on the other side of a locked door looking for the pastor because he needed to talk to him about church business. When I opened the door, there he was standing right there. I can still vividly remember the sheer terror and panic I felt when I saw him there. My heart literally stopped beating because I thought.... This is it. This is the end. But no. Nothing. The thought that something was amiss apparently seemed to be the furthest thing from his mind, because he went on like nothing was happening. 

So many people came so close to finding out the truth, but for some reason, everyone always dropped it and never questioned anything. No one ever pushed to see what was actually happening… and it was happening daily under everyone’s nose.

***

GJ - The answer is - everyone knew. Or, perhaps many congregational leaders knew but chose not to do anything about it.

Two members of the Michigan District WELS praesidium, a VP and the secretary (both pastors) were carrying on when I was in Columbus. DP Mueller admitted to all the pastors that he lied to the VP's congregation, wife, and everyone else to cover for his friend. He forgot to mention getting his pal a choice job for a happy landing, running a WELS nursing home. 

I wrote to every pastor in the Michigan District - and they re-elected Mueller and Kuske. One "friend's" remark was that I was politicking, a sin in WELS.

Mueller and Kuske were cheerleaders for various clergy adulterers, but their mercy did not "drop as the gentle rain from heaven" for anyone who challenged their inerrancy. Then it was - Off with their heads while extending the Left Foot of Fellowship. The current DP, John Seifert, knew all about it, but did nothing apart from leveraging the situation to become DP. Mueller "chose not to run" and got a free trip Russia on Schwan money. Mueller was voted out of office. Do something - Pow! Do nothing - become DP.

The pastor who exposed the adultery of Mueller's clergy pal - he felt the wrath of the district leaders.

I knew a member of the district secretary's congregation. She said, "When it was clear he was leaving the ministry, all the divorced and single women began crying their eyes out." 

The short answer is - the "conservative" WELS-ELS-LCMS leaders and clergy are quite tolerant of clergy adultery and child abuse.  They are too busy elbowing each other away from the Schwan-Thrivent-Antioch money troughs.

The current president of the ELS seminary knew all about the Columbus situation at the time. His answer was to say when I was present, "It hurts the face of the church" to address those issues. That is one reason he went from 'umble parish pastor to become seminary president - doing and saying nothing.

Sassy's Communications

August 21, 2014, 3:12 am

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Sassy snagged her ball from the air again yesterday, then headed inside, away from the heat and humidity.

Sassy has the most hilarious ways of signaling what she wants.

When she shares medallions of cinnamon toast with me, the pieces that are off spec (too much crust) are left in the bedding.

I taught her to lick her lips when she wanted a snack. She does more than that - she looks at me, smiles broadly, and licks them. Last night I gave her two pieces and stopped. She repeated her signal and I shook my head no. She gave me an even bigger smile and kept beaming the love at me. I gave in, went to the kitchen, and got her one more.

On our walks - To go in a different direction, she plants her feet and does not follow me across the street. She acts deaf but turns toward her goal and looks at me smiling. "Do you want to go down there?" She says yes by heading that way - and I catch up.

The neighborhood children are intrigued by Sassy stopping to look into my face until I give her permission to cross the street. "Do you want to see your friends?" Her answer is to bolt across the cul-de-sac to greet all the children.

Sassy has a tendency to treat the street as a broader version of the sidewalk. The other day I had to remind her to listen to me. A couple of stern words had her making up to me at once. The drivers are especially careful of her, and it is seldom an issue, but I still do not want her Inner Puppy in charge.

I have to tell Mrs. Ichabod the latest Sassy stories when we come back from the walk. We are now a bunny hunt team. Rabbits have their favorite hang-outs, one every few yards. Some yards have broad expanses of grass and bushes for hiding. If a rabbit is motionless upon hearing our approach, I point and Sassy makes her run. She will never catch a rabbit, but she enjoys the brief chase.

At the garage sale on our block, Sassy checked in several times a day and visited each family member. She has baby Sophia on her radar now and always gives her a kiss. Sassy is family to them.

She is looking at me now, so I need to give her some time and some cinnamon medallions.

Sassy found Ronald McDonald a bit stiff on our trip, so she refused to sit on his lap. Instead, she posed with her staff when a local resident offered to take the photo.