ELDoNA?

[Mike Bennett]

Stefanski is his real name.

Not even The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, for all the accusations about how we are triumphalistic, has ever claimed to name itself, oh, something like: THE evangelical Lutheran church in America. That's a grandiose and arrogant claim. Oh, whoops. There is actually a Lutheran church that calls itself that. Never mind.

If you look anywhere with the name of the denomination to which you refer, you will find that its name is

not THE Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

not The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Amerca

but rather Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

I hope that enables you to withdraw your silly statement, "That's a grandiose and arrogant claim."  Now that you know it's based on falsehood, repeating it would rise above "silly" and would become "false."

Mike Bennett

[ptmccain]

I withdraw the ... THE.

The name still strikes me as grandiose and arrogant in light of the fact that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is not, in fact, the only evangelical Lutheran church in America.

[Mike Bennett]

I withdraw the ... THE.

Thanks.  I only noticed its absence myself when I went to the ELCA web site this morning to look something up for somebody. 

The name still strikes me as grandiose and arrogant in light of the fact that the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is not, in fact, the only evangelical Lutheran church in America.

We've had a lot of Lutheran bodies on this continent, and excepting the ones with a geographic reference in their name any one of them could have sounded like THE ONE AND ONLY Lutheran Church or Synod on the continent.  The same could be said of other denominations' names I think.  But thinking of the bodies with geographic reference in their names, consider the offense to non-LCMS Lutherans in the state of Missouri, or non-WELS Lutherans in the state of Wisconsin!

Seriously, I think we've got a lot of significant Lutheran issues in the U.S. and in the world - in fact a lot of Christian issues.  Grandiosity and arrogance in naming would be 'way down low on my own list.

Mike Bennett

[scott3]

My favorite name was always "The Church of Christ".

Did I ever mentions my ancestral church body?  I.e., the "American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church (of the Eastern Rite)".

[Gladfelteri]

Not even The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, for all the accusations about how we are triumphalistic, has ever claimed to name itself, oh, something like: THE evangelical Lutheran church in America. That's a grandiose and arrogant claim. Oh, whoops. There is actually a Lutheran church that calls itself that. Never mind.

But calling yourself, "The Evangelical Lutheran Diocese in North America" strikes my ears in the same way.

If the ELDoNA's founders had  substituted "Church" for "Diocese," that could strike at least some as grandiose (as might the names of most if not all the microsynods.)  But "Diocese?"  No way is that grandiose.  They are only claliming to be a Diocese of a Church - not the Church, itself.
 
In any case, it will be interesting to see how the ELDoNA develops over time.  What a new Church is at the time it is founded is not necessarily what it will be 10 or 20 years or more down the road. 

[Mike Bennett]

My favorite name was always "The Church of Christ".

"Disciples of Christ" is like unto it.

Did I ever mentions my ancestral church body?  I.e., the "American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church (of the Eastern Rite)".

My little brother was charismated in your ancestral church body about 10 years ago.  I think they've shortened up the name a bit now. 

Mike Bennett

[Grabauski]

In case you haven't seen this:

In  coordination with the Burleson Conference of the Augustana Ministerium, the ELDoNA's Theological Colloquium will  take place at Salem Lutheran Church (Malone, TX) on August 29th, the day before the meeting of the Augustana Ministerium.

The Colloquium is conducted on the model of the "Free Conference," and both clergy and laity are invited and encouraged to attend.

Salem Lutheran Church (Malone, TX) is located approximately one hour from Burleson (for those who are flying to Texas for the Ministerium meeting, DFW and Love Field-Dallas are the  'fly-to' points for both conferences).

This year's presenters include:
Deacon Jeffrey Ahonen, "The Lutheran Rite in 16th Century Sweden"
Pastor Kent Heimbigner, Ph.D., "The Reliability of Sacramental Acts by Schismatics"
Bishop James Heiser, "The Decree of Upsala (1593) and the Confessional Lutheran Church in Sweden"
Pastor Michael Henson, "A Report on the 2007 Convention of the LC—MS"
Pastor John Rutowicz, "Lutheran Episcopacy and the ELDoNA"
Pastor Michael Totten, Ph.D., "Non Sequitur: The Proper Distinction between Walther and Pieper"

The cost for attendance at the Colloquium is $15. (Attendance is free for members of the ELDoNA.)

<http://web.mac.com/hunnius/iWeb/ELDoNA/2007%20Colloquium.html>

Directions to Salem, and suggestions regarding accommodations, are included in the PDF which can be downloaded from the ELDoNA site.
If you have other questions regarding the ELDoNA or this year's Colloquium, please feel free to contact us via the phone numbers, etc. below.

Rt. Rev. James Heiser
Superintendent/Bishop
The Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America
c/o Salem Lutheran Church
718 HCR 3424 E
Malone, TX  76660
(254) 533-2330
hunnius@mac.com
eldona.org

If you had seen it previously, you may have noticed that I was listed as a presenter. Unfortunately, my wife, who normally has the full use of only one arm, fell and broke that arm on Sunday, so I have withdrawn to stay home and take care of her. The remaining speakers are all excellent, though, so the rest you could have had while walking around in the hallway during my presentation will have to be compensated for in some other way. Especially to be heard, in my opinion, is another non-ELDoNA guy, Dr. Kent Heimbigner, who will, it seems, be completing a thought from his previous presentation to the Colloquium.

I think it's time for Pr. Speckhard to return to Texas!

EJG

[peter_speckhard]

I don't know. So far since May I've had extended conferences of one kind or another in Memphis, Quebec, Houston, and Orlando and had extended work-related stays in Michigan and our district camp in North Wisconsin, as well as family vacation time up north, all with confirmation camp with 43 junior high kids who desperately need my guidance (would that they knew it) still coming up. Then LWML (I'm district junior counselor), district pastor's conference, and so forth. I think if I went to the conference in Texas my congregation might have objections. Unless it were guaranteed to be the greatest conference ever, in which case I would go anyway.

But just in case I can't make it, I invite you to post papers presented, or at least synopses, on this site, especially Michael Henson's report on the 2007 LCMS Convention.