Norm Teigen's Ad Hominem Argumentation
Norm Teigen, ELS, has decided to leave no thought unpublished. I really thought the ELS confined itself to whispering campaigns, but no, Teigen commits the typical ELS line to the blogosphere. Here it is verbatim:
Other bloggers
While my blog was not up, I spent time reading other blogs. There is a Lutheran Blog Directory that consists of many interesting sites. Give it a try.
There is another blog that I read, although I will probably give it up rather soon. The writer spends much time in condemning Lutheran groups of which he is not a member. He portrays himself as an informed insider about matters within the Wisconsin Synod.
Earlier this week the blogger, whom I call 'The Bloviator', said that he would not join the Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
He persists in demeaning the leaders of both the Wisconsin Synod and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod.
I think that this man has probably been in and out of a number of synods and is an angry person.
I was recently reading about John Winthrop, the leader of the Massachusetts Colony. Winthrop was a fair and honest man. Two of his problems were Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams. We know these two persons from studying freedom of religion in history.
Williams was a pain for Winthrop. He was constantly making trouble. Finally Williams moved out of Massachusetts into Rhode Island. Williams was so worried about associating with sinful people that he finally concluded that the only person with whom he could commune was his own wife.
The Bloviator reminds me of Williams. He has found so much evil in the various Lutheran synods that he finds himself alone. Alone and on the internet.
It's lonely to be in the right and all alone.
Now we know what ELS members do instead of dealing with doctrine. One time, ELS Pastor Kincaid Smith phoned, with ELS Pastor Paul Schneider on the line. Kincaid led the charge sneering that he agreed with a pastor (at some meeting), to wit, "Greg Jackson has no credibility anymore." I asked, "If I have no credibility, why are two ELS pastors phoning me long distance? If I had no credibility, you wouldn't care what I published." That silenced Kincaid for a moment. He also sneered, "You don't have a friend in the world." I wondered how Kincaid could determine the number of my friends from a distance of 1500 miles and no contact. Perhaps the Holy Spirit told him. I find that many former charismatics never lose their complex about being in the direct line of the Apostles.
When I happened on Teigen's blog today, I immediately thought, "He sounds just like Kincaid." The ELS is so tiny that everything bounces around, like sounds in a tiled bathroom. Every tenor thinks he is Caruso. Thus the ELS and its non-theologians. If a man is tossed from his LCMS seminary after a bad vicarage, he can strut around the ELS.
I have had a number of anonymous comments posted on Ichabod. Comments are moderated, so I can reject them. One individual has become more and more outraged that I did not publish his unsigned comments. My policy has been to publish intelligent, thoughtful comments, whether they agree with me or not, signed or not. Hysterical name-calling (much worse than the example above) is rejected.
I have had many intersting experiences with writing. Kincaid Smith, who often published in Christian News, phoned me to tell me to stop publishing in CN. WELS made constant efforts to keep me from quoting them verbatim.
To meet Teigen's high standards of publishing:
1. I should have stayed in a synod that no longer exists, cheering on their pro-abortion, Leftist, anti-Trinitarian doctrine.
2. I should never question the false doctrine of church leaders, even though that is the substance of the Book of Concord, affirming the positive and rejecting distortions of the Gospel.
3. I should be silent about felons in the ministry, church workers who murder their spouses, married vicars who have affairs with minor girls, and those who cover up for them.
4. I should make as many ad hominem remarks as I wish, hinting at but never naming my target, to avoid violating the Eighth Commandment.
My only defense against Norm's tirade is to quote my favorite author:
"Let him therefore who is concerned about his life not be taken in by the friendliness of heretics to agree with their doctrine. Neither let him be offended at my faults, who am a teacher, but let him consider the doctrine itself."
[Origen, Homily 7, on Ezekiel]
Martin Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent, trans., Fred Kramer, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971, I, p. 154.
If someone says something unpleasant in the Lutheran Church, whatever sect, the point is refuted by a personal attack against the speaker or writer. If that is not ruthless enough, they attack the individual's family members as well. Is it not true that Rolf Preus' son could not finish at Bethany Lutheran Seminary, a school endowed by his grandfather with a priceless selection of rare Lutheran orthodox books? Robert and Jack Preus made Bethany Seminary famous. It took the pharoah much longer to know not Joseph (Exodus 1:8)
If someone is a blatant false teacher, his apostate buddies jump in and say,
"No, he is a nice guy."
"I graduated with him."
"I drank a lot of beer with him."
All three refutations are non sequiturs. They have nothing to do with the issue.
ELS pastors would have everyone think they have arrived in Rivendell. As tiny as the group is, the ELS still has sects and divisions. One is called "The Teigenites."
