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I have been approached to join the Jaycee's. I would like to know if the Church has looked into this organization. Is this an organization that is much like the Mason's, whom I would never espouse?
The Junior Chamber of Commerce, or Jaycees, is a secular organization related to the business world and has no religious components. They explain themselves as follows:"The Jaycees provides young people between the ages of 21 and 39 the tools they need to build the bridges of success for themselves in the areas of business development, management skills, individual training, community service, and international connections.
Established in 1920 to provide opportunities for young men to develop personal and leadership skills through service to others, the Jaycees later expanded to include women, reflecting the growing influence and leadership of women in America."
More information can be found at their Web site, from which the definition above was taken.
Tell me what they can about The American Center for Law and Justice and whether I should be giving money to an organization that would use it to do things that a member of the WELS should not support.
"The American Center for Law and Justice is a not-for-profit public interest law firm and educational organization dedicated to the promotion of pro-liberty, pro-life and pro-family causes. The ACLJ engages in litigation, provides legal services, renders advice and counsels clients, and supports attorneys who are involved in defending the religious and civil liberties of Americans."
The quote is taken from the Mission Statement of the ACLJ displayed on their web site at http://www.aclj.org/. On that site are detailed descriptions of the cases the ACLJ is involved in. A Christian will want to look carefully at the work of the ACLJ and decide if he or she wishes to support it financially.
What do you know of the Calvary Chapel Movement begun in California in the 1960s by Chuck Smith? We have gone to a couple of their services and really enjoy the bible study aspect of their service. We have recently moved to California and are not near a WELS church and do not wish to join the local ELCA church.
The Calvary Chapel Movement is conservative, American Evangelical association of churches. They believe in biblical inerrancy and salvation through faith in Jesus who is the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world.
Calvary Chapel, however, teaches decision theology, the belief that human beings must consciously decide for or against Christ. They believe that an unconverted human being has the ability to decide for Christ or to invite Jesus into his heart or life. The Bible, however, teaches that human beings by nature are spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1, 5) and are incapable of doing anything that is pleasing to God (Romans 8:6-8). Dead people have no power or ability to decide for Christ.
Calvary Chapel teaches premillennialism. They believe that Jesus will return to earth with his saints to establish a political kingdom here on earth. The Bible, however, teaches that Jesus will return again, not to set up a political kingdom, but to raise the dead, judge the world, and bring believers to paradise and send unbelievers to everlasting torment (John 6:54, John 18:36, Matthew 25:31-46).
As with most of American Evangelicalism Calvary Chapel has little or nothing to say about the sacraments. Most Evangelicals they deny that Baptism and the Lord's Supper are means of grace through which the Holy Spirit works to create or sustain faith.
I suggest that you contact the WELS Board for Home Missions to ask how our synod might be able to serve you in your area.
Can you tell me about the American Center for Law and Justice and whether I would be giving money to an organization that would use it do do things that a member of the WELS should not support.
The ACLJ is a Christian legal action group founded by Pat Robertson. Its purpose is to "defend the legal rights of believers." It initiates legal action on behalf of Christians whose rights have been infringed upon because of their beliefs, for example, a high school science teacher who was not allowed to teach biology because his personal beliefs against evolution were known to his department. Many of the suits defend the right of Christians to express their faith freely in public forums. It also carries on legal campaign against such evils as abortion and pornography.
Its web site http://www.aclj.org lists many of its current and past cases. Many of these cases are causes which we could support, but some of them promote types of school prayer and public prayer which we would not participate in. We would also have some disagreement with the group's viewpoint on proper relations of church and state. Though it does many good things, I would be uncomfortable supporting the group for these reasons. If, however, it maintains its status as a legal action group, rather than the arm of any church, one could support it on the same basis as one supports other political organizations. One does not necessarily agree with every position of a political organization to which one belongs.
Why does WELS continue in the "Christian Psychology" movement, instead of getting back to the Word of God as their only foundation in counseling? Christian Psychology is a rather newly formed movement originally meant as an alternative to secular counseling. Formed with no-doubt good intentions, its basis is not Biblical. Psychology was invented by Freud and furthered by avowed atheists in order to escape the Church and it's moral teachings. It basically treats man as good inside, with his "mental" problems being a result of something done wrong to him by either his environment or some other person. We are however, evil inside as a result of sin-only with a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus can anything we do be considered "good" and that knowledge itself is a gift of God.
The counseling centers WELS is associated with integrate secular counseling with the counsel from the Bible. They take secular counseling with the secular degrees they have received as their foundation and then hack away on that which they're standing, bringing in quotes from the Bible to repair the cracks they've created! Further, psychology is not a science, but merely subjective thought; it's always changing and the diagnosis and remedy for any problem can be as different as the different names each Christian counselor has.
If it were truly Christian, it should be truly Biblical. That means no outside center, but members who had the talent of counseling would work from within their local church. That means no insurance, but counselors would be paid a salary by the local church- not based on how many counsels or how long they keep their clientele. That means no secular training or degrees, but anyone who has a saving faith (one which also must be constantly growing and that's only possible by daily reading and study of the Word of God) is fit to counsel another brother.
Any pastor should be able to counsel even the most serious of so called mental problems. One does not need a "professional" with a secular degree to help him in his mental thought, he needs the Lord Jesus Christ! Granted, first such a person should seek a complete physical because there are diseases and injuries that can impair the normal brain functions and therefore thought, but beyond any confirmed medical brain problems, the reason we think or act inappropriately is a result of our sin! If the pastor is too busy to personally counsel each member himself, he should take inventory of his congregation and appoint those members so blessed with the gift of advising to be the local in-church counselors.
I've been to many a Sunday service where the WELS pastor would give a strong Biblical message many times using quotes from the Bible such as "...there's a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 14:12, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16, or "A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep." 1 Corinthians 11:28-30, but then in the bulletin I would find an add for the local counseling center. How sad! We don't believe what we preach!
The "Christian Psychology" movement is a great deception by the evil one in these last days. It has infiltrated every denomination I know. Let's get back to the Bible and return to the Word for our answers. Nobody can add to the only Truth and we don't need any human crutches when we have the only secure Foundation. If we believe Jesus can raise us from the dead to everlasting Glory, why do we believe He can't help us in all our earthly problems? The Bible is sufficient!Thank you for your concern about the WELS and Christian Counseling. I also share your concern. But my earthly attempt at "keeping the evil away" is different from yours. I have served in the parish ministry for 22 years. During that time I did much counseling. In connection with my preparation for teaching at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary I studied for and obtained a Master of Social Work degree. I know first hand the dangers of Freud and Jung and their theories and the theories of others like them in the secular psychology world.
I do not know which counseling agency you are speaking about that is advertised in your church bulletin. I would expect or guess that it is Wisconsin Lutheran Christian Counseling. During the past 12 months another pastor who has a degree in psychology and I have provided extensive training to almost all of the counselors of this agency so that we might rightly call the counseling that they do, Bible-based counseling, rather than the type of Christian Counseling you describe which pastes a band aide of Scripture on a problem rather than dealing with the problem from a scriptural point of view.
Our instruction of these counselors included extensive instruction and practice in how to use Scripture in counseling sessions with various types of mental health problems. Different sections provided extensive study in the Old Testament Scriptures, the Psalms, The New Testament Scriptures, and the doctrines of justification and sanctification and Law and Gospel and church and ministry. Other sections of the course compared various secular theories of counseling to the Scriptures. Practical application exercises accompanied each of these sections. The practical application exercises always forced the students to use Scripture in ways that made it the basis of counseling rather than a secular method or theory. We are confident that learning took place. We cannot guarantee that it is always used. Each new employee of WLCC will be trained in this course of study.
This course is available to all mental health professionals in fellowship with the Wisconsin Ev. Lutheran Synod. About seven are currently enrolled in the course.
You mention original sin and the need to address sin when counseling. A foundational part of each practice section and a large part of each of the lessons in this course forced the students to wrestle with how to use Scripture to bring people to repentance. Again and again in the course we deal with the issue of human sinfulness and Christ as the only solution. He is the forgiveness of our sins. He is the salvation of our souls.
I hope from what I have written that you can see how careful this agency which is made up of your fellow-WELS members has been to train its counselors in the use of God's Word to bring about repentance and to encourage spiritual healing.
We have tried to discourage integrating secular counseling with the counsel from the Bible. Integration puts secular counseling on a par with Bible-based counseling. We have emphasized the need to do Bible-based counseling rather than the integrationist approach that you describe. God's Word must remain the authority for what we preach and teach and counsel.
The other major point that you make is that "any pastor should be able to counsel even the most serious of so called mental problems." I would agree with you to a point. You acknowledge the need to get a physical medical opinion from a medical doctor. But you seem to disavow the existence of mental or emotional illness. You don't talk like a Christian Scientist until you get to mental or emotional illnesses. Then you do. A Christian Science Practitioner, of course, disavows the use of a medical doctor.
They call it the "practice" of medicine because some good scientists that are called "M.Ds." are practicing medicine on their patients. Theories of treatment and methods of diagnosis are constantly changing. They don't have it perfect. They aren't God. They don't use God's Word. (Or few of them do in their practices.) Nothing is much different in the field of mental health professionals. It is a science. Things are constantly changing as they are in any human scientific area. They don't have it perfect. They are not God. Few use God's Word.
Think of mental illness affecting three areas of our lives -- or three areas of our lives affecting our mental state.
Spiritual -- Here the pastor or the concerned church member must always be involved. Sometimes the pastor will refer the troubled member to members who have the talent to counsel. I submit that this happens when WELS pastors refer to WELS counseling agencies so that their people are counseled by their fellow WELS members.
Physical -- Here, as you admit, the scientist who is entitled, "medical doctor," can best handle the situation. The member will still need spiritual counseling.
Mental and Emotional -- Here I would hope to persuade you that some of the methods and ways that the scientists who are called "mental health professionals," have proven to be effective in helping people think more clearly and organize their thought patterns more clearly. Spiritual counseling is certainly necessary here because of sin and guilt and the need for repentance and absolution.
As you see the need to refer to science for help in physical areas, I hope that you would be willing to see the need to refer to science for help in the area of mental and emotional health. As I provide pastoral counseling to the member who has breast cancer, so will I give pastoral counseling to the member who is agoraphobic or obsessive compulsive.
To give our pastors the training that you suggest with your statement that any pastor should be able to counsel even the most serious of so called mental problems would mean adding two years of schooling to their 12 years of preparation for the ministry. One of those years would be a year of further classroom work. Another would be a year spent in getting experience in counseling as our seminary students now get experience in teaching and preaching during their vicar year. We do not have the resources, nor do we have enough candidates for the ministry to add two more years to their training.
I would hope that you would view the counselors at the WELS affiliated counseling agencies as your fellow WELS members. That is what they are. I am sure that they would all tell you that they want to work with your pastor to provide the best mental health help to our WELS members. I don't appreciate fees and insurance companies either. But the worker is worthy of receiving reimbursement for the work provided.
I do like your idea of training in-church mental health spiritual counselors.
I do not agree with you that "the reason we think or act inappropriately is a result of our sin." It is a result of this being a sinful and imperfect world. It may not be the result of a particular sin that I have committed, however. My relative with breast cancer has the disease because this is a sinful and imperfect world, not because she committed any particular sin for which God is now punishing her. My relative with depression has the mental illness because this is a sinful and imperfect world, not because she committed any particular sin. She needs spiritual counseling with the Word of God. She ought to receive this from her pastor or fellow Christian to whom he might refer her. She needs medicine to help her from her medical doctor. She may need "talk therapy" to help her begin to pattern her thinking in more productive ways. A good Bible-based counselor would be the one to help her here.
God's blessings as you wrestle with this difficult issue.
For years I attended a LCMS church in my area, and only recently noticed that much of the material (the bulletin, programs, etc) are published by (and, I presume) distributed by the National Council of Churches. Aside from the objections of a non-denominational entity distributing material for use by a Lutheran church, I object in principle to the NCC, an un-Christian and un-American organization if ever there was one. This relationship (whatever it may be) between my LCMS church and the NCC disturbs me. Which brings up two questions!
1. What exactly is the role the NCC plays, specifically in terms of influencing doctrine. I guess I would breathe a little easier if all they do is distribute pretty pictures, but I suspect that is not the case.
2. Does the WELS have any association, official or otherwise, with the NCC?
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC or National Council of Churches) describes itself as "one of the nation's leading organizations in the movement for Christian unity." Its 35 Protestant and Orthodox member communions (denominations) include more than 50 million members in approximately 140,000 congregations. Each brings distinctive faith traditions to the NCC's common table. The NCC believes that genuine unity demands inclusively and a respect for diversity, and strives to embody this belief in its programs, decision-making and staffing.Working together in the Council, member churches carry out a wide range of ministries, including "working for peace and justice in the United States, addressing issues ranging from poverty and racism, to the environment, family ministries, and much more." It serves churches through a wide variety of educational ministries. Working from a policy base developed by the churches over many decades, the NCC makes the views of the ecumenical community known to government and keeps its constituents informed of legislative and other developments of interest to the churches.
The NCC's leadership helps to link religious groups throughout the country and worldwide. In addition to working closely with its member churches, the NCC maintains working relationships with the Roman Catholic Church, Evangelical and Pentecostal communities and other Christian bodies. The NCC also networks the nation's many ecumenical and interfaith organizations established at the local, state and regional level. And it promotes harmonious relations among Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, practitioners of traditional Native American religion and many other faith groups in a society that is increasingly multi-religious.
It is clear that the NCC has goals and programs that are incompatible with confessional Lutheranism. Buying bulletin covers from the NCC that simply had nature scenes or Bible passages would not necessarily be endorsing their aims and views, but it would seem to be poor judgment since it could give visibility and credibility to this organization.
WELS has no association with the NCC.
What is the "Conservative Lutheran Association" ( http://www.tlcanaheim.com/cla/)? How does it differ from WELS?
The Conservative Lutheran Association (CLA) began as a protest group against the liberalism of the ALC. It now also serves as a loose association of congregations (not a synod). It seeks to be a place of refuge for congregations seeking to escape the liberalism of the ELCA. It has had very limited success in gaining such congregations. Its home page lists 6 member congregations and 20 member pastors.The CLA was formed in 1980 by Lutherans Alert National (LAN), an organization founded in 1965 by a group of pastors and lay people who were concerned about trends in the American Lutheran Church and other synods which were contrary to the historical beliefs and confessions of Lutheranism. Their purpose was to affirm the inerrancy of Holy Scripture and to warn the Church-at-large of deviations within the various Lutheran bodies. A seminary was founded in 1969, known as Faith Evangelical Lutheran Seminary, Tacoma, Washington. The seminary represents the standard of doctrine that the CLA upholds. Many of the pastors of the CLA attended and received their theological training at Faith Seminary.
The establishment of the CLA church membership was the result of numerous requests from pastors who needed assistance and identification for their struggling congregations. They did not want to join a synod but desired to have Christian fellowship with like-minded people. The CLA is not a synod having hierarchical authority, but an association of churches holding to a common statement of faith and acceptance of the confessions of the Lutheran Church. The CLA provides participating congregations with resources, expertise, leadership, fellowship and other assistance to advance the ministry of the congregation and to collectively accomplish certain ministries not possible by a single congregation.
The doctrinal statement of the CLA confesses loyalty to the fundamental doctrines of the Lutheran Church but leaves many other areas unaddressed. We believe that it would differ from WELS in such areas as fellowship (it supports military chaplains for example) and other areas, but there have not been formal contacts between WELS and the CLA that would clarify what differences exist.
Please explain pietism by giving specific examples and relating how it is practiced, doctrinally, today and by whom. Also, I would appreciate some historical background regarding this doctrinal practice.
Pietism is a movement that developed among German Lutherans in the late 17th century as a reaction to a perceived spiritual deadness in the state church. Pietism is difficult to define because it involves a spirit that is often expressed in an overemphasis or a misemphasis or a false emphasis of various truths. Pietism involves a shift away from justification to a greater emphasis on sanctification. It tends to shift the main emphasis in Christianity from what God has done for us to what we are to do for God. It involves a shift from what we are to believe to what we are to do. Pietism tends to shift the emphasis in Christianity from the objective truths of God's Word to subjective, human, religious experience.There are several denominations that have come out of a background of Lutheran or Reformed Pietism or that have been influenced to a greater or lesser extent by the movement. A list of such denominations or religious groups would include the Moravians, the Methodists, the various Holiness and Pentecostal churches, American Evangelicals, and the ELCA.
For more information on Pietism see the following:
Dale Brown, Understanding Pietism. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1978.
E. H. Wendland, "Present Day Pietism," in Our Great Heritage. ed. by Lyle Lange. Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1991, vol. III, p. 168-183.
I' m looking at the organization "The Eagles". They have approached the local fire department to recruite members. I personally do not want to join, but the organization wants to pay membership for the whole department to become members so they have better access to there donations, mainly money from gambling. To avoid this, is it best to resign from the department, or just ignore what is going on and accept the free membership. The volunteer fire department is not a lodge organization but the Eagles is.
The following article appeared in the Northwestern Lutheran on May 15, 1989 (p 192). It explains the Eagles organization:The Eagles have a long history of civic, humanitarian and social service. For that they may be appreciated.
However, the Eagles also have religious elements that are inherent in, not incidental to, the organization. The initiation ceremony asserts that the teachings of the order, to which the candidate pledges himself before an altar, "will in no way conflict with any civic or religious duty." Yet the prescribed rituals and prayers present precisely such a conflict.
Belief in a supreme being is a requirement for membership; but that deity is not (at least not necessarily) the Triune God. Eagles' ceremony holds the Bible in high regard, but without regard to the Savior who is the focus of that Bible.
The Eagles have chaplains who offer prayers, but not in the name of Jesus. The content of those prayers suggests universalism (that all Eagles apart from Christ will enjoy eternal bliss) and work righteousness (that our moral and civic efforts earn God's favor).
The prayer for the opening ceremony of a lodge meeting includes these words: "If we believe all men equal in Thy eyes, we shall be the more worthy of Thy loving care."
The initiation ceremony concludes with the assurance of enjoying "eternal rest" at the conclusion of life's struggle. The memorial service conducted at the request of a lodge member's family includes the words: "He believed in the existence of a Supreme Being, the Father of us all, and in this belief he died in the hope of a blessed immortality beyond the grave." The prayer from that service says: "We shall meet again in the Grand Aerie beyond, where the faults and frailties of this earthly life are forgotten, and all become perfect in the love of an infinite God." A mandatory, annual memorial service for members who died during the year includes this same teaching of life eternal in the "Grand Aerie of Heaven," apart from faith in Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6 addressed a similar question regarding a Christian's participation in "lodge" ceremonies associated with pagan deities. He writes: "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers ... What fellowship can light have with darkness? . . . 'Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord.' "
A spokesperson at the F.O.E.'s national headquarters indicated that some chapters may allow social participation, but that membership requires subscription to the order's tenets and ritual which remain unchanged. An officer of one local chapter was willing to accept non participation in the prayers of ritual (members normally add their "Amen"). However, membership itself and the initiatory pledge are an inherent contradiction of our Christian confession.
A friend of mine has asked me to bowl with him on an Elks league. He is not a member of the Elks and obviously, neither am I. Would I be violating any of our beliefs if I choose to bowl him?
There is not necessarily any fellowship involved in being in a sports league. Many of our schools are in leagues with schools of other denominations and congregations may be in church leagues with churches from outside our synod. If this is an open league in which any one can participate without any affiliation with the Elks, there is not a problem unless participation in the league would be misunderstood or create offense among members of your church or community. You should inquire to see if there are any strings attached to participation or if participation could be confusing to people.
Habitat for Humanity undoubtedly does an admirable service to the needy in any community by building houses at low cost. However, since it seems that Habitat for Humanity solicits the funding and staffing (workers) of local Christian churches, is there any concern that we as members of a WELS congregation should be aware of as it pertains to any religious fellowship that commonly takes place among Churches and Christians cooperating in the mission of Habitat for Humanity. Should WELS churches and/or members feel free to participate in Habitat for Humanity without violating biblical fellowship principles?
Habitat for Humanity's web page (www.habitat.org) clearly indicates that it is a Christian ecumenical organization that ignores the scriptural principle that doctrinal unity is the basis for fellowship. The following quotations illustrate its religious philosophy.Habitat for Humanity unashamedly declares itself "a Christian organization," although its volunteers or homeowner clients can be of any denomination. Habitat for Humanity International demonstrates Christ's love by building simple, decent, affordable houses. Founded on the "theology of the hammer," Habitat brings people from all beliefs and backgrounds together to build in partnership with God's people in need.
What is the "theology of the hammer"?
Every Habitat house is a concrete manifestation of God's love. Several major Christian denominations have enacted formal partnership agreements with HFHI. The growing participation of Jewish, Islamic and other faith bodies also reflects those groups' commitment to acting out their faith by helping people in need.
The work of Habitat is a partnership founded on common ground that bridges theological differences -- everyone can use the hammer as an instrument to manifest God's love. Habitat Founder and President Millard Fuller calls this concept "the theology of the hammer," explaining, "we may disagree on all sorts of other things... but we can agree on the idea of building homes with God's people in need, and in doing so using biblical economics: no profit and no interest."
Habitat for Humanity welcomes all to build with us in partnership, without discrimination on the basis of race, religion or ethnic group. "The Bible teaches that God is the God of the whole crowd," explains Fuller. "God's love leaves nobody out, and my love should not either. This understanding drives 'the theology of the hammer' around the world, steadily building more and more houses in more and more countries."
Habitat stresses that people of many different beliefs can demonstrate their faith by working together to build houses with those in need. This desire to pick up a hammer and serve others as an expression of God's love is referred to as the "theology of the hammer."
Members of many Jewish congregations, Islamic groups and other faith bodies have joined Habitat's work, sharing the call to help our neighbors in need. Such participation is a testament to the theology of the hammer.
Habitat for Humanity sponsors ecumenical prayer even with non-Christians.
The International Day of Prayer and Action for Human Habitat, observed during the third weekend in September, is a time when the entire Habitat for Humanity community is urged to come together in prayer for those in need of shelter.
Through prayer, Habitat for Humanity continues to make a dramatic difference in the lives of persons around the world. Many volunteers are drawn to this ministry after hearing God's call and seeking God's guidance through prayer. Other prayers are answered when families and communities grow in the shelter of God's grace. The hurdles of funding and building homes are overcome through the miracles of prayer.
Believing in the power of prayer, Habitat supporters simultaneously gather in churches and synagogues around the world to pray for men, women and children who need a decent place in which to live.
The Day of Prayer was begun in 1983 to make housing a matter of conscience in the faith community. The intent was to place on the hearts, minds and souls of persons that poverty housing is unacceptable. In seeking God's help, we also offer ourselves as instruments of service.
Habitat clearly has an ecumenical agenda of blurring the importance of doctrinal differences. We should not participate in the work of such an organization.
WELS members who want to volunteer for building projects which support the preaching of the gospel should see the Builders for Christ sub-section of the WELS Kingdom Workers section of this web site or call 1-800-466-9357 for information.
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Bravo! Bravo!