The Nihil Rule

  Christian Worship: Hymnal page 697 | Hymnary.org Our Synod President translated Nicolaus Selnecker's baptismal hymn for CW:21. ("Baptismal Life" is a Getty-free zone 😉 )

  Return to Wittenberg  is "an organization sponsored by pastors and laymen affiliated with congregations of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS). Our mission is to promote, develop, and strengthen a Biblical understanding of the Evangelical-Lutheran faith." More from their about page: We use “Return to Wittenberg” not to describe a literal return to 16th Century Germany, of course, nor to represent the repristination of the same in the modern context, but rather to represent a periodic journey to review and be refreshed in the Scriptural teachings contained in the Lutheran Confessions—especially the Small Catechism. Return to Wittenberg presentations draw strength from a broad network of individuals from multiple Lutheran synods. Our cooperation across synodical fellowships does not imply a spirit of compromise or indifference, but rather a conviction that uncompromising voices will be heard more loudly and more clearly if we c...

  If you missed it, Gen. Mike Flynn on behalf of DOGE posted a list of Lutheran organizations  who had received grant money from the Department of Health and Human Services, most of it going to Lutheran Immigration and Social Services (LIRS). However, at the very end of the list we find our own Wisconsin Lutheran Child & Family Services, one of the few organizations on the list to get less than a million in grant money. We can find the award information  online and read the abstract: "Christian Family Solutions (CFS) is proposing a project that will serve youth ages 4 to 10 living in and around the Milwaukee area with a network of mental health care services. Through this program, we will provide day treatment services, train mental health providers and school staff, provide peer mentoring/support to families, provide consultation to professionals who work with these children, and advocate for the need for better care and early intervention services. The children we w...

  Rev. Andrew Mueller prepared a 28 page document entitled " Fissures of Men: An Evaluation of Critical Theory in the Light of Scripture " for the AZ/CA District Conference in October 2024.  The paper is fantastic, starting with an introduction heavily grounded in the Scriptures and proceeding to identify challenges posed by our society. After defining critical theory, Pastor Mueller proceeds for the bulk of the paper to identify the lineage of Critical Theory in four parts, pausing at moments to make touchpoints in the WELS. The paper finishes with a worldview comparison between Biblical Christianity and Cultural Marxism and the "Critical Dilemma" where Critical Theory views God-given constructs as oppressive and objectionable.  This is the kind of document the CoP should have generated. Definitely worth your time to read in full. "The purpose of critical theory is to divide and conquer. It dares contend with Christ, which is a fool’s errand we know. Yet it f...