Maybe SP Schroeder Was Not So Excited about Church and Change...And Not Endorsing the Apostate Lobby
"What a scandal...
I see you saw my post on President Schroeder being excited - so did many others. Word made it to the top and now that link is gone.
What a riot..."
WELS Source
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Previous breaking story on Church and Change.
GJ - False teachers lie about everything. All people have to do is report the lie and insist on the deception being repudiated. This needs to happen daily, not once every 20 years.
Adam Mueller, the son of President-in-Waiting Wayne Mueller, is an important part of Church and Change. Maximum deniability is a little tough when Junior is there.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Church and Change Deception Removed from Their Web...":
SLICK SOMEONE AT WELS. While the link is gone, reference in Q and A remains in sanitized version.
GJ - So where is this Q and A page? A URL would help.
ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Church and Change Deception Removed from Their Website
My Suggested Readings for Lutherans
Luther said that Christians are drawn away from the faith by curiosity (Eastern Orthodoxy and Romanism today) and satiety (an abundance of orthodox Lutheran congregations). When we had large conservative Lutheran congregation rising out of the farm communities of Middle America, we grew bored and tired of conservative Lutheran doctrine. Our itching ears wanted to hear about all the fads rolling through our culture. Now we even have a culture watchdog, who is the essence of faddism: Leonard Sweet.
Here is my list of the best things to read, then to read over and over. My library is small but choice.
Luther's Sermons, the Lenker set in 8 or 4 volumes.
Concordia Triglotta or the Tappert edition.
Chemnitz' Two Natures of Christ.
Chemnitz' Examination of the Council of Trent.
I would add these hymns:
1. Any hymn by Luther, Gerhardt, or Martin Franzman.
Many of Luther's hymns are neglected. Pastors do not select the lesser-known ones. Then people do not learn them and they remain lesser-known hymns. "Flung to the heedless winds" is a great hymn with a beautiful melody. Luther wrote that hymn, his first, after two young men were burned at the stake in 1523 for their Lutheran faith.
There are many other great Lutheran hymns. I wish Lutheran pastors and their choirs would emphasize the greatness (pure doctrine) of Lutheran hymns rather than the temporary popularity of spiritual ditties.
Weird Blog
I ran into Lutheran Enignma because I was searching a source for Berg's infant communion material. Gary Gehlbach is the author of this blog:
Theosis: Achieving Your Potential in Christ (1)
In preparation for my presentation (directed discussion) for The Augustana Ministerium's Theological Conference (30-31 August 2007) in Burleson, Texas, one of the readings which I suggested was Achieving Your Potential in Christ: Theosis by Anthony M. Coniaris. Selected portions of his book can be found on the internet.
As John Fenton points out on his blog, "Orthodoxy has no central body of "confessional documents" because it does not have a central hierarchical authority." Thus I cannot attribute to Coniaris's book any authoritative status on the subject of theosis. However, numerous Orthodox parishes refer to his book as an excellent resource for those interested in discovering more about theosis. Coniaris may not necessarily be the final authority but his presentation is highly regarded among the Eastern Orthodox.
Coniaris's book is in its 2nd edition from Light and Life Publishing Company. Its slightly over 100 pages (1st edition) are in large type font. His presentation is not a theological treatise, but a treatise for Eastern Orthodox laity.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Theosis: Achieving Your Potential in Christ (2)
Over a decade ago, a friend introduced me to the term 'Theosis.' Being thoroughly rooted in Missouri Synod Lutheranism, I had no idea what 'theosis' was. It sounded like a disease. But I was informed that this was a very old term and had great importance to the Eastern Orthodox Church's view of salvation. Now, after reading a few works on 'theosis,' I'm beginning to wonder if my first impression was not so far off the mark.
It is possible that some readers are now thoroughly offended by that previous comment. I will be simply dismissed as an unenlightened protestant heretic. (Yes, some EO writers clearly lump all protestants together as heretics and I am not in the least bothered by that judgment because they are wrong.) What I have discovered is that the word and concept of theosis carries with it all the baggage of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Some Lutherans (particularly the Finnish Lutherans) have tried to resurrect the word 'theosis' into the vocabulary of the modern Lutheran Church. They rationalize their position by stating that 'theosis' simply means 'deification.' And because Luther himself uses the term 'deification,' it is appropriate for Lutherans to use the word 'theosis.' Some might consider this an over-simplification of their argument, but it basic point which I gathered from some Finnish Lutheran presentations.
The concept of theosis in Anthony Coniaris's book Achieving Your Potential in Christ: Theosis is the fruit of all Eastern Orthodox doctrine. All EO doctrine serves and enlightens its understanding of theosis. What this means is that the errors of EO on original sin, justfication, work of the Spirit (eg, Pelagianism) corrupt any positive usage of the term 'theosis.'
It is possible that 'theosis' is a very good term, but its current usage among the EO make it very inappropriate for usage by Evangelical Lutherans.
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GJ - With a little research, certain threads come together: Fenton (who left Missouri for Eastern Orthodoxy), Berg's connections with Eastern Orthodoxy fans (probably Ft. Wayne graduates), and His Grace, the Right Rev. James Heiser, Archbishop of ELDONA. The theosis Eastern Orthodoxy paper will be or was given at the so-called Augustana Ministerium meeting. Augustana was organized to be a half-way house for LCMS pastors aching to join ELDONA but not ready yet.
My only conclusion at this point is that a lot of LCMS men are walking the tightrope between Lutheran doctrine and Eastern Orthodoxy, with far too much interest in EO, as the writer above likes to call it. (I consider that an ominous sign, like my classmate who referred to his parole officer as his PO. My crime-laden classmate seemed all too familiar with the criminal justice system.)
Since Lutheran clergy are so ignorant of Luther's doctrine and the writings of Chemnitz, wouldn't it be better to concentrate on their confessional writings rather than the dubious and amorphous body of Eastern Orthodox literature? As I recall, Kurt Marquart was quite wary of the EO trend, but he is gone. So is Robert Preus. It is not unusual to have the suppressed get even after the guard-dogs are gone.
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A comment posted on Lutheran Enigma:
Fr John W Fenton said...
A few comments, if I may:
* I understand your argument that theosis does not measure up to a Lutheran standard. Unless I missed it (which is entirely possible), I don't see the points listed for how or why it doesn't measure up.
* When Coniaris suggests that theosis is "the fruit of all Eastern Orthodox doctrine," he is suggesting that, for the Orthodox, theosis is not a doctrine (e.g., justification or sanctification). I would suggest that it is the practical (and practiceable) application of baptism--which, per se, is not a doctrine. (It took me a while to learn this point about theosis.)
* If I'm going to study what Lutherans teach about justification or any other doctrine, reading Scaer or Marquart would not be as profitable as reading the Book of Concord or the application of the doctrine in the liturgy. I suggest the same is true of Orthodox theology (or any theology, for that matter). Coniaris is good, but his context is the liturgy and the church fathers (e.g., St Athanasius, St Maximos the Confessor, etc). Orthodox priests are not "bound" to Coniaris, but they are to the fathers and liturgy (although not in the same way that Lutherans are "bound" to the Book of Concord).
Roll, Tide, Roll
Going East
One of the ELDONA priests, Rev. Rutowicz, complained bitterly that I pegged him as crypto-Eastern Orthodox after looking over his website. He allowed that perhaps his page on "Confessional Lutheran Links" was mislabeled. I imagined that he changed it, so I went back. Here is the list of links, in order:
Confessional Lutheran Links
- Issues, Etc. ~ The Radio Voice of the Lutheran
Faith for the 21st Century
- Project Canterbury
The Survival of the Historic Vestments in the Lutheran Church after 1555
by Arthur Carl Piepkorn - Project Canterbury
The Proper Communion Vestments
by P. Severinsen - Vestments and Liturgies
A plea for a more general use of the historic Vestments
and Liturgies of our Church
By J. A. O. STUB, D. D.
- Salem Lutheran Church in Malone, Texas
- Saint Augustine's House
Lutheran Monastery & Retreat House,
Oxford, Michigan
Some history of St. Augustine's House, from their website:
On May 27, 1956, this former businessman in his fifties was ordained a priest in the cathedral of St. Lawrence in Lund, Sweden. The ordaining bishops were the famous theologian-bishops Anders Nygren and Gustaf Aulen. Rather than being assigned to a specific parish or other church post, he was commissioned "for ecumenical work in the United States among Lutherans."
A Quonset hut erected in 1958 has served as a chapel ever since. It is named for the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as part of a wish to restore Mary to the piety of reformation churches and appropriate to a place of worship with many visitors. It is a humble building with a small pipe organ and simple appointments. After all these years of service it is constantly in need of repair. The highest priority for the community and its friends right now is its replacement by a more adequate and dignified structure.
GJ - The Reformation changed Protestantism from being Mary-centered to Christ-centered. This was a remarkable development since all the Reformers were raised in a Marian piety with a thousand-year tradition. The Assumption and Immaculate Conception of Mary were accepted as truth before the Reformation.
One of the first signs of poping or semi-poping is a longing for Marian piety. I thought of using advertizing on this blog, but I found another one with "Lutheran Rosary" as an ad provided from Google.
Readers are invited to check the links and see for themselves.
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The Motley Magpie is being praised on LutherQuest (sic). MM criticized Church and Change, leading to a bitter editorial.
Someone on LQ thought the latest MM was cool, so I decided to read it: I Believe in the Communion of All the Saints, by Peter Berg, Chicago. The article was written in 2004, but finally revealed for free. Urbe et orbe.
The article uses a few dubious references to prove the Lutheran Reformation--and Luther--approved of infant communion.
If you Google the names from this Berg passage - "I must confess that I have not dealt with primary documents. I am relying on the translating work and research of others and to them I am indebted. To mention a few by name, I’m particularly indebted to Fr. Duane Osterloth, Fr. Gifford Grobien, and Fr. Gary Gehlbach." - you will find a curious group of Ft. Wayne graduates, characterized by a fascination with liturgy and Eastern Orthodoxy. There is also a connection with ELDONA through the so-called Augustana Ministerium.
I first heard a Lutheran, Eugene Brandt, one of the chief editors of the Lutheran Book of Worship (LCA/ALC/LCMS), embrace infant communion when he gave a Notre Dame lecture. His entire justification was, "We baptize babies. Why not commune them? Why deny them God's grace?" His lecture was a trial run for a position he did not get. One of America's most famous theologians asked a drunken question afterwards. Cold sober, I asked the lecturer how he justified infant communoin. He said, "Read my articles." I was tempted to say, "I will read yours if you read mine." That was about 30 years ago.
Notre Dame is the center for liturgical studies in America. Notre Dame is to liturgy what SIECUS is to sex education. All roads lead to Rome in this case.
Berg writes decisively about infant communion, a practice limited to Eastern Orthodoxy. His so-called research is based on the work of others, the Ft. Wayne gang, one with a PhD in liturgy from Notre Dame.
There are many Luther scholars out there who have made a name for themselves by inventing things about the Reformer. One problem is the vast amount of material available and the ability or willingness of the scholar to discern the valid from the bogus. Roland Bainton wrote an excellent critique of Young Man Luther where these points were made. I have found a number of Lutheran pastors who talk about Luther but clearly do not know their subject matter.
About infant communion - I went through Chemnitz' Examination yesterday to find a trace of commentary on the practice. None. I have never read about infant communion even being a topic of discussion during the Reformation. Perhaps I missed something, but I have read many books about the Reformation and more Luther than most Lutherans.
A Missouri pastor has written to me that there are many Missouri discussion groups centered on Eastern or Roman worship. They are the Oxford Movement of the Lutheran Church. Some will pope and join Rome. Some will semi-pope and join Eastern Orthodoxy (Fenton). Some will stay and agitate for the Eastern/Roman causes they hold dear.
Many of these stories and people overlap. His Grace, the Right Reverend James Heiser, ELDONA, was once part of the Lutheran Confessional Synod. The leader was Bishop DeJaynes, who organization fell apart when a new recruit apparently advocated infant communion. When Bishop DeJaynes was on vacation, his wife preached for him. The Little Sect on the Prairie was in fellowship with the LCS for a time.
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GJ - According to Briag Westgate, the quonset hut is gone. Did Marian piety flee with it? I doubt it. I have addressed Berg's infant communion gambit publicly because he made it public. The new motto is, "Go East, young man."
Arguments from silence are not very powerful, Brian. In fact, they are logical fallacies. I have a new post which illuminates the LCMS problem a little more. Perhaps it is more of a Ft. Wayne problem.
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Brian W. went on to say: Then there are those who are like Fenton. Fr. Berg is not going East, and I think you know that.
GJ - I do not know what anyone is going to do. Actuaries would say that if 1000 clergy are treating EO material like the Holy Grail, a certain percentage of them will join in time. A number have already and they are recruiting Lutherans. The Lutheran clergy are weak because they have been force-fed Reformed doctrine, do not know Luther's doctrine, and get all pumped up about how educated they are.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Trinity 20 Sermon
Trinity 20
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
KJV Ephesians 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
KJV Matthew 22:1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, 2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests. 11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
TLH Hymns
370 My hope is built
264 Preserve Thy Word
259 Flung to the heedless winds (Luther’s first hymn, after two Protestants were burned to death)
258 Lord of our Life
Franzman hymns: O Kingly Love, Thy Strong Word
The Wedding Feast of the Beloved Son
“For many are called, but few are chosen.”
The Parable of the Wedding Feast illustrates how Jesus used these short stories for believers. Without faith, this parable is a puzzle. Sometimes the religious opponents were furious about Jesus’ teaching, because they knew it was against them. Liberals today would call it Pharisee-bashing. After this parable in Matthew, the leaders decided to entangle Jesus with one of their questions.
In this parable the King is obviously God. The wedding feast is the Kingdom of God, salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. Being invited to the feast uses the same terminology as the calling of the disciples, the calling of everyone to faith in Christ.
When we say, “Jesus called the disciples,” the wording sounds formal and rigid, especially since The Call is a term we use for inviting a pastor come to a church. I preferred to have the term translated as “phone” to keep the terminology more colloquial. This would create a Cingular translation if applied consistently in the Gospels.
Still, the concept in our minds should be one of invitation. What is an invitation? We always look upon an invitation as an honor. When people are not invited to a great celebration, they are offended or hurt. They covet invitations to the White House, even more to a royal wedding. Many people will give luxurious gifts to royals in order to be invited to the wedding of a prince.
A state wedding is always accompanied by great celebration, special food, overall happiness. We can see from the context of this parable that refusing such an invitation would be a great insult against the King. This is exactly what happened. Worse, some people abused and killed the representatives of the King. This parallels what happened when the prophets of God invited the people of Israel to repent of their sins and believe in salvation through the promised Messiah. The self-righteous murdered those who proclaimed the righteousness of God through faith.
KJV Matthew 23:29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.
Apostates always fuss about God scourging those who reject His invitation. They want God to graciously forgive them for rejecting His Word. If God had been as foolish as the apostates want Him to be, the earth would have been de-populated from the increase in evil and violence. History and modern experiments have shown how tyrannical and brutal man can be in the right circumstances. God’s wrath has prevented the growth of evil societies, although He uses them to chastise nations.
People would tremble if they knew more world history. Time after time, the greatest powers have been overthrown in a few months or even in a moment, often at the peak of their power. The biggest threat to Christian power, Bayezid (Muslim conqueror) suddenly did everything wrong and found himself in an iron cage, where he died in misery and humiliation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayezid_I
The first part of the parable describes how Israel suffered God’s wrath after defying His Word. This is a warning to Christians, who can hardly miss the lesson of Old Testament history.
"It is a glory which every preacher may claim, to be able to say with full confidence of heart: 'This trust have I toward God in Christ, that what I teach and preach is truly the Word of God.' Likewise, when he performs other official duties in the Church--baptizes a child, absolves and comforts a sinner--it must be done in the same firm conviction that such is the command of Christ. He who would teach and exercise authority in the Church without this glory, 'it is profitable for him,' as Christ says, (Matthew 18:6), 'that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.' For the devil's lies he preaches, and death is what he effects."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicolas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 227. Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:4-11; Matthew 18:6.
The second part of the parable concerns the Kingdom of God growing through the rejects, after the wise and mighty turned down their invitations. The new invitations went to the highways and invited people, the good and the bad. The explosive growth of the Christian Church in the Roman Empire came from preaching the Word and the scattering effect of persecution. The highways were the rapid transit systems of the world, taking people from Rome (where the Church was strong) to all parts of the Empire. The road system was built to weld the conquered countries together and facilitate commerce. The same road system helped conquer Rome with the Gospel. The Romans saw their slaves and the lowest of society (prostitutes, homosexuals, criminals) converted to the faith. They hated and feared the new religion, which reminded them so much of the troublesome Jews. They saw it as a sect of Judaism. In the same way the British Anglicans loathed the first Methodists, who were successful among the poor and outcast.
The final part of the parable tells us that the banquet hall was filled, but someone was found without a proper garment.
12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
This seems to be a savage ending until we realize that the proper wedding garment means being clothed in the righteousness of Christ rather than in our own righteousness. There are only two possibilities. One is that we based salvation on our works or righteousness. The other is that we base our salvation on the righteousness of Christ.
I was speaking to a scientist who grew up in a conservative Lutheran congregation. He said, “I can’t believe that Einstein was not saved. He was such a remarkable man.” That is the essence of so many funerals and eulogies today. Someone was good or remarkable or kind to children and small animals. Therefore, he must be in heaven.
That is why Christ reserved such strong language for this error, which finds itself embedded in all pagan religions and encroaches on Christianity. Luther summed up the situation in one sentence: “There is no work so evil that it damns a person, and no work so good that it saves him.” That is the Law and Gospel (in reverse order) in one sentence. The message of the atoning death of Christ is that He died for all the sins of the world. That remains the objective truth of the Christian faith, even if no one believed it. However, simply stating that objective truth is not enough. Luther also stated, “We must say – He died for my sins, for me.”
People have labored about the sin against the Holy Spirit, which alone damns people. People with a basic understanding of Luther’s doctrine realize what this means – Rejecting Christ at the point of death. Someone can be the worst sinner in the world and die in faith, like the thief on the cross, and be with Christ in paradise. Another person can be a great and wise Christian church leader and die without faith, damning himself for rejecting the treasure brought to us by the Holy Spirit working in the Word.
The Word constantly conveys Christ and all His benefits to us. God’s Word is so powerful that it needs no help from man. The power of the Word comes only from its purity. When man waters down the Word of God, the Word does not lose power itself, but the message is diluted and adulterated by man-made wisdom.
People have illustrated this in the most basic way through cooperative church programs. They think it is nice to group a few denominations together for Vacation Bible School. Besides, they would rather concentrate children together to make the numbers more impressive. The result of this cooperation is that no one wants to talk about his own confession of faith, for fear of offending others. And what happens with the child with no church affiliation? In one church he might be visited. Among a group, no one feels the responsibility.
Yet this is minor compared to efforts to gather Christian theologians together, apparently to emphasize what they do not believe together. Recently I listened to Concordia Seminary St. Louis (LCMS) president Dale Meyer interview Leonard Sweet, a liberal Methodist. Meyer almost knelt at Sweet’s feet in reverence. Sweet even made a veiled obscene remark, but they proudly posted the video anyway. Sweet talked about his favorite subject, himself, without pause or shame. He is the guru of culture, which should strike fear into everyone’s heart. Sweet is lionized in WELS, the LCMS, and the ELCA. Ultimately the apostates all want to talk about how good, noble, and wise they are. They heap scorn on believers, who need to be enlightened by them.
The Christian faith always degenerates into works-righteousness. Salvation by works is essential to Roman Catholic doctrine. Their teaching of faith plus works (fides formata) is tied to Purgatory, because the works and sacrifices are never enough. When a Roman Catholic layman asked me about joining the Church of Rome, I said, “I cannot.” He asked why. I said, “If works are required, then what Christ accomplished on the cross was not enough. That is an attack against Christ, to say I must add to what He already did.” The layman said, “I never thought of that.”
Recently an atheist in my class wrote that she was comforted by Mother Theresa’s confessed lack of comfort in religion. Thus one woman’s false religion confirmed another woman’s lack of faith in any god. If Mother Theresa had known the true Gospel, she would have known that the Promises of God remain faithful, no matter how we feel. Our emotions are too fragile and volatile to base the Christian faith upon them. Instead, we rely on the objective truth of the Word.
Paul knew the Holy Spirit worked through the Word, a Biblical doctrine found throughout the Old Testament.
KJV 1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
John Calvin doubted the work of the Holy Spirit through the Word. He thought a sermon could be given, the Lord’s Supper distributed, a baby baptized, and the Holy Spirit still be missing. No wonder that Lutherans trained at Fuller and Willow Creek have the same doubts. Calvinists were the first to declare that they needed to make the Word of God reasonable, relevant, and attractive to people. Thus Lutherans leaders of all synods follow Calvin, and Calvinism leads to Unitarianism – always.
When people claim they can enhance the Word with their efforts, they are denying the divinity of the Word. They are really saying they are more powerful that the weak and faltering Holy Spirit.
Those who want to be close to Christ know that God’s grace in Christ is always and unfailingly brought to us through the Word. That Word is often spoken, as when a mother teaches her children “Jesus loves you.” Satan rages that a weak and frail human being can be more powerful than he is because of the Word. Anyone who has tried to be faithful to the Word in the midst of opposition can attest to the demonic hatred of those who cling to error.
This parable is now being illustrated all over again. People might think this was Jesus’ prophecy against the Jewish people. They rejected the invitation and suffered ever since. But is it not even truer of the Christian nations of today? The invitation has been rejected in America and Europe in the last few decades. The servants have gone to Africa, where Christianity is thriving, and to Red China, where an underground movement is growing steadily. The African bishops (Catholic and Episcopal) are appalled at what American Christian leaders teach. America and Europe are suffering for our loss. And we are flailed by the law-mongers more each day. The more lawless we are in the Biblical sense, the more the nannies want to condemn our every move, from the light bulbs we use to the discipline of our children.
Martin Franzman wrote a hymn about this parable:
O kingly love that faithfully didst keep Thine ancient promises
Didst bid the bidden come to Thee,
The people Thou didst choose to bless,
This day we raise our song to Thee adoring Thee,
That in the days when alien sound had all but drowned
Thine ancient true and constant melody,
Thy mighty hand did make a trumpet none could silence or mistake;
Thy living breath did blow for all the world to hear,
Living and clear.
The feast is ready; come to the feast! The good and the bad.
Come and be glad! Greatest and least, come to the feast.
Franzman wrote many new Lutheran hymns, often emphasizing the efficacy of the Word. This is one quite famous and the title of a book I wrote:
"Thy Strong Word"1. Thy strong word did cleave the darkness; At thy speaking it was done.For created light we thank thee, While thine ordered seasons run.Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to thee who light dost send!Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end!2. Lo, on those who dwelt in darkness, Dark as night and deep as death,Broke the light of thy salvation, Breathed thine own life-giving breath.Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to thee who light dost send!Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end!3. Thy strong Word bespeaks us righteous, Bright with thine own holiness,Glorious now, we press toward glory, And our lives our hopes confess.Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to thee who light dost send!Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end!4. From the cross thy wisdom shining Breaketh forth in conqu’ring might;From the cross forever beameth All thy bright redeeming light.Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to thee who light dost send!Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end!5. Give us lips to sing thy glory, Tongues thy mercy to proclaim,Throats that shout the hope that fills us, Mouths to speak thy holy name.Alleluia, alleluia! Praise to thee who light dost send!Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia without end!
Franzman’s son, Peter, was my client in St. Louis. I did not realize he was the famous hymn-writer’s son until he said his father taught at Northwestern College.
One co-worker said, “Peter is the nicest person in his field.” The Gospel bears fruit.
Quotations on the Work of the Holy Spirit
"Emphatically does Scripture state that the action of the Spirit covers the whole life from first to the last. He is the Spirit of Life for regeneration (John 3:5, 8): the Spirit of Sonship for adoption (Romans 8:15): the Spirit of holiness for sanctification (Romans 8:5): the Spirit of Glory for transfiguration (2 Corinthians 3:18); the Spirit of Promise for the resurrection (Ephesians 1:13). Only through the Holy Spirit are men drawn to the Author and Finisher of their salvation."
Arthur H. Drevlow, "God the Holy Spirit Acts to Build the Church," God The Holy Spirit Acts, ed., Eugene P. Kaulfield, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1972, p. 15. John 3: 5,8; Romans 8:5; Romans 8:15; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 1:13
"Now, Paul's thought here is that nothing should be taught and practiced in the Church but what is unquestionably God's Word. It will not do to introduce or perform anything whatever upon the strength of man's judgment. Man's achievements, man's reasoning and power, are of no avail save in so far as they come from God."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicolas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 229 Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:4-11;
"Note further, that it is his ministry to which Paul ascribes the preparation of their heart thereon and the inscription which constitutes them 'living epistles of Christ.' He contrasts this ministry with the blind fancies of those fanatics who seek to receive, and dream of having, the Holy Spirit without the oral word; who, perchance, creep into a corner and grasp the Spirit through dreams, directing the people away from the preached Word and visible ministry. But Paul says that the Spirit, through his preaching, has wrought in the hearts of his Corinthians, to the end that Christ lives and is mighty in them."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicolas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. p. 226. Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:4-11; Deuteronomy 6:6-9, 11, 18
"The Spirit is the ink or the inscription, yes, even the writer himself; but the pencil or pen and the hand of the writer is the ministry of Paul. This figure of a written epistle is, however, in accord with Scripture usage. Moses commands (Deuteronomy 6:6-9, 11, 18) that the Israelites write the Ten Commandments in all places where they walked or stood--upon the posts of their houses, and upon their gates, and ever have them before their eyes and in their hearts."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicolas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 225. Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:4-11; Deuteronomy 6:6-9, 11, 18
"This epistle sounds altogether strange and wonderful to individuals unaccustomed to Scripture language, particularly to that of Paul. To the inexperienced ear and heart it is not intelligible."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicolas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 223. Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:4-11
"It is a glory which every preacher may claim, to be able to say with full confidence of heart: 'This trust have I toward God in Christ, that what I teach and preach is truly the Word of God.' Likewise, when he performs other officials duties in the Church--baptizes a child, absolves and comforts a sinner--it must be done in the same firm conviction that such is the command of Christ. He who would teach and exercise authority in the Church without this glory, 'it is profitable for him,' as Christ says, (Matthew 18:6), 'that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.' For the devil's lies he preaches, and death is what he effects."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicolas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 227. Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:4-11; Matthew 18:6
"The Law of God, which is also contained in Scripture, must be excluded from the concept 'means of grace,' because the Law does not assure those who have transgressed it—and all men have transgressed it—of the remission of their sins, or God's grace, but on the contrary proclaims God's wrath and condemnation. For this reason the Law is expressly called...'the ministry of condemnation,' whereas the Gospel is...'the ministry of righteousness' (2 Corinthians 3:9)."
Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols., trans., Walter W. F. Albrecht, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1953, III, p. 105. 2 Corinthians 3:9.
"And this call of God, which is made through the preaching of the Word, we should not regard as jugglery, but know that thereby God reveals His will, that in those whom He thus calls He will work through the Word, that they may be enlightened, converted, and saved. For the Word, whereby we are called, is a ministration of the Spirit, that gives the Spirit, or whereby the Spirit is given, 2 Corinthians 3:8, and a power of God unto salvation, Romans 1:16. And since the Holy Ghost wishes to be efficacious through the Word, and to strengthen and give power and ability, it is God's will that we should receive the Word, believe and obey it."
Formula of Concord, SD XI. #29. Election. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 1073. Tappert, p. 621. Heiser, p. 289. 2 Corinthians 3:8; Romans 1:16.
SP Schroeder Endorses Church and Change, According to Church and Change
From Bailing Water:
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Church and Change claims Synodical approval
WELS President Schroeder Excited for Church and Change. (look under the headlines portion of their grandiose web page) The Church and Change group is claiming the conference was a huge success. I wonder how they are measuring their success?----------------------
update --
After doing a bit of research on this issue here is how I see what has happened:
Shortly after the convention, President Schroeder quoted a convention resolution in his letter to pastors and teachers. The convention resolution quoted in the letter called for expanded efforts in world and home missions using both traditional and innovative means. The convention resolution was referring to recent new programs such as daughter missions and out reach programs to ethnic minorities. This resolution was not a blanket endorsement of all “innovative” approaches. The Church and Change leadership must have reached the conclusion that because of the letter to all called workers President Schroeder is “excited” about the Church and Change efforts. I believe that this fraudulent statement on the Church and Change site must be and will be removed.
No Excuse for False Teachers
"Now, Paul's thought here is that nothing should be taught and practiced in the Church but what is unquestionably God's Word. It will not do to introduce or perform anything whatever upon the strength of man's judgment. Man's achievements, man's reasoning and power, are of no avail save in so far as they come from God."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicolas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 229 Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:4-11.
"It is a glory which every preacher may claim, to be able to say with full confidence of heart: 'This trust have I toward God in Christ, that what I teach and preach is truly the Word of God.' Likewise, when he performs other official duties in the Church--baptizes a child, absolves and comforts a sinner--it must be done in the same firm conviction that such is the command of Christ. He who would teach and exercise authority in the Church without this glory, 'it is profitable for him,' as Christ says, (Matthew 18:6), 'that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.' For the devil's lies he preaches, and death is what he effects."
Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicolas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 227. Twelfth Sunday after Trinity 2 Corinthians 3:4-11; Matthew 18:6.
Paul Kelm's Topics and Readings at WLC
GJ - Below is a complete, verbatim copy of Paul Kelm's syllabus when he was teaching a course required for graduation at WLC. Are the Reformed and Pentecostals at Fuller Seminary reciprocating? Having Luther, Chemnitz, Walther on their required reading lists? Are Fuller D.Min. topics something like this? -
- Luther Was Right, Get Over It
- Pentecostalism Is Swallowing the Holy Ghost, Feathers and All
- God Works Only through His Word and Sacraments
- We Admire Everything about the Reformed, Except Their Doctrine
- Worship God in the Beauty of His Holiness
- What Can We Learn from the Means of Grace?
- Useful Ideas from the Book of Concord
GJ note: The school had a hissy-fit when one student asked to avoid the assault of false doctrine. My name was never mentioned by the student, but the school brought up my name in a weird, paranoid way. No, this student skipped Kelm on his own and then sent me the material.
WISCONSIN LUTHERAN COLLEGE
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
THE 211: The Christian Faith and Life (3 credits)
Pastor Paul Kelm, Home Phone 784-0492 (Consultation by appointment)
I. COURSE DESCRIPTION
A biblical study of the Christian’s relationship with God~ self and others, with a particular focus on the ministry and fellowship of Christians gathered to be Christ’s church.
II. COURSE OBJECTIVES
A. That students develop a more personal relationship with their God through Bible
study, reflection and discussion.
B. That students develop a clearer understanding of themselves and their gifts, as well as Christian skills for coping with life and using their gifts.
C. That students become familiar with the nature and mission of Christ’s Church,
together with the challenges and opportunities confronting contemporary churches.
D. That students evaluate several significant issues and functions of confessional Lutheran churches.
III. COURSE METHODOLOGY AND MATERIALS
A. Three distinct areas outline the content of the course: Skills of Christian Living, Is sues of Personal Christianity and Principles of Church Leadership. Sometimes students will be asked to prepare for class discussion, especially by thoughtful study of a chapter of the Bible during the “issues of personal Christianity” subjects. Most classes will be guided by a handout prepared by the instructor. Lecture, question and answer, focused discussion and small-group interaction will be the methodology employed. Students are invited to raise related issues for discussion.
B. Each student will develop a Bible study, based on a specific chapter of the Bible and for a specific audience. Chapter and audience options are listed later in this syllabus. Bible studies will be graded according to the following criteria: 1) How well did this study bring out the main truths of the chapter in a detailed outline or narrative that both explained and illustrated these truths? 2) Is this study relevant to the audience selected? 3) Does this study involve the audience in the study through effective questions, discussion starters, action involvement, etc.? 4) How clear and practical are the applications of the chapter’s truths to life? 5) Does this study clearly relate Jesus Christ to the chapter and to the Christian’s life? 6) How creative and engaging is this study? Bible studies are to be turned in no later than September 23.
C. Each student will deliver an oral book review of six minutes in class. Book choices are listed later in this syllabus. The book review should include: the title of the book and a brief introduction of the author; a clear statement of the major premise/point/purpose of the book; at least four significant secondary or supporting arguments the author raises: an explanation of what value the book has to a Christian life and/or a church leader: a theological evaluation of the book (Is it biblically accurate and doctrinally correct?). Finally, the book review must convince the instructor that you actually read the book. The book review is due on or before Wednesday, October 21.
D. Students will complete an interview, analysis and summary project in teams of two. Options are listed later in this syllabus. Students must register their choice of project with the instructor by Wednesday, September 30, and must submit the written summary - no less than four typed, double-spaced pages with interview sheets attached - by Wednesday, November 18.
E. A research paper on one issue or aspect of congregational life and ministry is due on or before Wednesday, December 9. This paper must be not less than five typed, double-spaced pages of original composition. Two copies must be submitted, one of which will be returned. The paper should combine research, evaluation and the clear presentation of a thesis or strategy. Research should include interviews, essays, articles and books. At least five different sources must be cited in the bibliography. A list of suggested subjects is included in this syllabus. However, students may choose their own subject, with the approval of the instructor. The subject matter of each student’s research paper must be established with the instructor by Wednesday, November 4.
F. There will be no exams.
G. Texts for this course are available in the bookstore and include:
THE HOLY BIBLE
IV. EVALUATION AND GRADE
Completion of all course requirements assures a C. Grading above a C will be based on the level of thoroughness, thought and clarity in each area of course requirement. The grade will be compiled with approximately 20% weight attributed to each of five areas: the Bible study, the book review, the team interview project, the research paper, and class contribution. Failure to complete all of the course requirements will result in an F. Late submission of any required assignment will lower the final grade by as much as one-half of a grade point (A to AB, AR to B, etc.) for each week or portion thereof overdue.
Because class preparation and discussion rather than examinations are an essential means of evaluation as well as education, each unacceptable absence from class will lower the final grade by as much as one-half of a grade point.
Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty will mean failure of this class, and may result in expulsion from the college. Academic integrity means that you will not attempt to use one paper for two classes without prior agreement with both professors.
V. ATTENDANCE POLICY
Attendance at each class period is expected.
Absence from class must be excused with the instructor, in person. prior to the class to be missed where anticipated or in the following class when unanticipated.
Illness, family crisis and participation on in college-sponsored extra-curricular events are acceptable excuses. Issues of personal discipline and responsibilities to other educators or employers are not in themselves acceptable excuses for absence.
Habitual absence or dishonesty in reporting absence can result in a failing grade. Repeated late arrival is a disruption of the class and an expression of poor sell-discipline. Without prior explanation, repeated late arrival will be treated as an absence.
VI. COURSE OUTLINE
Week One:
Week Two:
Week Three:
Week Four:
Week Five:
A. Instruction and overview
B. SKILLS: Personal Bible Study
B. SKILLS: Christian Prayer Life
A. SKILLS: Christian Encouragement B. SKILLS: Christian Conflict Resolution
A. SKILLS: Christian Values Choices
B. SKILLS: Christian Witness
A. SKILLS: Apologetics
B. SKILLS: Christian Decision Making
Week Six:
A. ISSUES: Repentance. Psalm 51
B. ISSUES: Sell-Image. Psalm 139
Week Seven:
Week Eight:
ISSUES:Sanctification. Romans 6-7
B. ISSUES: Character Formation. H Peter 1
A. ISSUES: Christian Hope. Romans 8
B. ISSUES: Christian Sexuality. I Corinthians 6:9 - 7:18
Week Nine: A. ISSUES: Christian Giving II Corinthians 8 and 9
(B. ISSUES: Being Sure John 3)
Week Ten:
A. Book Reviews B. Book Reviews
Week Eleven: A. LEADERSHIP: What’s A Leader?
B. LEADERSHIP: Understanding Ministry
Week Twelve: A. LEADERSHIP: Mission and Vision
B. LEADERSHIP: Analyzing a Church
Week Thirteen: A. LEADERSHIP: Philosophy of Ministry
B. LEADERSHIP: Organizing Ministry
Week Fourteen: A. Interview and Summary Sharing
B. LEADERSHIP: Involving Members in Ministry
Week Fifteen: A. LEADERSHIP: Small Group Ministry
B. LEADERSHIP: Leading Change
VII. OPTIONS FOR THE BIBLE STUDY ASSIGNMENT:
Audience Options:
high school-aged youth; college students: young adult singles; married couples; families with children aged 4-10; and adult Bible class at your church; young mothers; business men and women; a men’s Bible class; a women’s Bible class; seniors.
Assume that the class for which you are preparing your study consists of ten people, is lay-led, and runs for 45 minutes.
Bible Chapter Options:
Genesis 3: Genesis 15; Exodus 3; Numbers 14: Deuteronomy 6; Joshua 24;
II Samuel 7; Nehemiah 9; Psalm 40; Ecclesiastes 9; Isaiah 40; ‘Jeremiah. 31;
Ezekiel 3; Hosea 11; Matthew 13; Luke 10; John 6; Galatians 3;
Ephesians 2; Philippians 3; Colossians 3; 1 Thessalonians 4: I
Timothy 6; Hebrews 12: James 1; I Peter 4; I John 4; Revelation 22.
Viii. BOCK REVIEW OPTIONS
Generating Hope by Jimmy Long (InterVarsity Press)
The Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren (Zondervan)
The Contemporary Christian by John Stott (InterVarsity Press)
Renewal for The 21st Century Church by Waldo Werning (Concordia)
The Body by Charles Colson
A Church For The 21st Century by Leith Anderson (Bethany House)
Inside Out by Larry Crabb (NavPress)
Entertainment Evangelism by Walt Kallestad (Abingdon)
Effective Church Leadership by Kennon Callahan (Harper and Row)
Church Without Walls by Jim Petersen (NavPress)
Getting Together by Em Griffin (InterVarsity Press)
Christ Esteem by Don Matzat (Harvest House)
Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald (Olive Nelson)
Fit Bodies Fat Minds by Os Guinness (Baker).
The Once and Future Church by Loren Mead (The Alban Institute)
Why Nobody Learns Much. of Anvtbinng At Church and How To Fix jt
by Thomas Schultz (Group)
Three Generations by Gary Mcintosh (Fleming Revell)
Effective Church Leadership: A Practical Sou,rce Book by Lee Harris
It’s A Different World by Lyle Schaller (Abingdon)
Reflections ot a Contrarion by Lyle Schaller (Abingdon)
Strategies For Change by Lyle Schalller (Abingdon)
A Primer on Postmodernism by Stanley Grenz (Eerdmans)
Gentle Persuasion by Joseph Aldrich
User Friendly Churches by George Barna (Regal Books)
Darwin On Trial by Philip Johnson
Connecting by Paul Stanley and J. Robert Clinton (NavPress)
XI. OPTIONS FOR INTERVIEW AND ANALYSTS
1. Interview 15 or more students at an urban university to determine religious attitudes and beliefs, with a view toward analyzing how to do evangelism with young adults. Teams will develop a questionnaire, interview students face-to-face, summarize conclusions and suggest implications for evangelism.
2. Interview 12 or more high school juniors or seniors who no longer attend church, though they were confirmed, to determine why they dropped out and how the church might better serve them. Teams will get names from churches or pastors, develop a questionnaire (for personal or phone interview), conduct interviews, and draw conclusions re why dropout occurs and how the church can better prevent it.
3. Attend a voters meeting in 3 different churches, then interview the pastor and two
key lay leaders from each church to determine what is effective and what is ineffective in the decision-making process of churches. The written summary will be based on the interviews and personal observation.
4. Conduct a door-to-door canvass until 12 or more unchurched people have been located for interviews to determine what about the church turns unchurched people off. Teams will develop an interview or questionnaire format (while open-ended questioning should be included; multiple choice questions will assure some meaningful response), conduct the canvass and interviews, summarize and prioritize reasons why the unchurched remain so, and draw conclusions for the church’s mission today.
5. Interview 12 or more elderly church members, 4 in nursing homes, 4 in senior
apartments and 4 in their own homes, to determine what are their spiritual
perspectives and personal needs and how the church can better serve its elderly.
Teams will develop a basic interview format (personal or phone), gather the names of elderly members from one or more pastors, conduct interviews, compare responses and summarize.
6. Interview 12 or more new members (joined within the last year) from at least 3 churches. 4 transfers from sister churches, 4 who had been members of a different Christian church and 4 who were new to Christianity, to determine how well they have been assimilated into their churches and what facilitates assimilation of new members. Teams will, gather names and addresses and phone numbers from three or more pastors, develop an interview format, conduct interviews, compare responses from the three groups, summarize conclusions and draft suggestions for churches,
7. Interview 12 or more young, single members of at least 3 churches, with a balance of male and female as well as those who are members of the congregation in which they grew up and those who’ve recently joined a different church, to determine the level of involvement of young singles and what they believe would make the church more effective at involving young singles. Teams will gather names and addresses or phone numbers from three or more pastors, develop an interview format, conduct interviews, summarize and compare responses, and develop suggestions for the church.
8. Interview 10 or more Christian business leaders or professionals to determine what are the challenges facing Christian leaders in the business world, what are the ways in which they witness their faith, how can they best serve their churches, and how they balance the responsibilities to family, work; church and community. Teams will gather the names and addresses or phone numbers of business leaders - both male and female, draw up an interview format, conduct the interviews, compare and summarize responses, and draw conclusions for future Christian business leaders and for the church.
9. Interview 10 or more Christian public school teachers to determine what are the challenges to Christianity they’ve encountered, the ways in which they witness their faith, and what they believe the church can do to reach the non-Christian children they teach. Teams will gather the names and addresses or phone numbers of teachers, draw up an interview format, conduct the interviews, and summarize findings.
10. Interview 10 or more home missionaries to determine the challenges in church planting, the strategies that have been successful, and the kind of support or assistance that the church can best provide. Teams will gather the names and phone numbers of missionaries, develop an interview format, compile and compare responses, and draft conclusions for the church.
11. Interview 8 or more Christian psychologists or social workers to determine their assessment of the most significant problems facing families, children and adults, as well as what they believe the church could do to more effectively prepare people for these problems. Teams will gather the names and addresses or phone numbers of Christian psychologists or social workers, develop the interview format, conduct the interviews, and summarize findings.
12. Students may propose additional interview, analysis and summary projects, but must have instructor approval before proceeding.
NOTE: WLC students are NOT to be included in the people you interview.
X. SUGGESTED SUBJECTS FOR RESEARCH PAPER
1. "Staff Ministry” what’s the future?
2. The Parish Nurse: real holistic health.
3. The Lutheran Deaconess - past and future.
4. Why do para-church agencies develop and are they a good idea?
5 Family Ministry: who’s doing what, how?
6. The annual stewardship program - what it is and if it works.
7. Programmatic approaches to evangelism - pros and cons.
8. Keys to cross~cu1tural ministry.
9. Ministry among the urban poor - how are we doing?
10. Peer counseling programs in the church - possibilities and pitfalls.
11.Prison Ministry: Describe several working models.
12. The “Mega-Church’ is bigger better?
13 Lutheran confirmation should it be changed?
14. Campus ministry: can a regular congregation do it?
15. Church-planting strategies: what’s new and what works?
16. Special ministries for the handicapped - what and how.
17. 12-Step programs in the church - pros and cons.
18. Deferred giving: is this the answer to the church s financial crunch?
19. Why the Sunday school is in decline and what should be done about it.
20. Tuition in the Lutheran Elementary School - trends and implications.
21. “Seeker Service” - definition and evaluation.
22. Assimilation and retention - principles and methods.
23. The Church Growth Movement: can we lean anything from it?
24. Does the church have a place in cyber- space?
25. Religious publishing: Should the market drive decisions?
26. Religious broadcasting - issues and trends that affect the future.
27. Christian day care - issues and questions confronting congregations who are
considering it
28. Legal issues and concerns confronting churches in a litigious and secular society.
29. Conflict in the church: avoiding it and resolving it.
30. YOUR IDEA. with instructor’s approval
Old Man, New Man Quotations
Old Man, New Man
"Half the sins which the world has learned of its lord and master, the devil, consist in lying and deceiving, and that in the name and appearance of truth. The other half, which is easier to recognize, consists in wrath and its fruits. And this class is usually the result of the other. The world, for its own advantage, lies and deceives; and when it sees mankind acting in opposition to its wishes, or beholds its lies exposed and its schemes thwarted, it begins to rage in wrath against God, endeavoring to avenge itself and inflict harm, but fraudulently disguising its wicked motive under the plea of having good and abundant reasons for its action."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 312. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28 John 16:20 –
"Such people, however, do not understand divine things, they think they will suddenly enter death with Christ, whom they have never learned to know except in words. Thus was Peter also disposed, but he stood before Christ like a rabbit before one beating a drum. Notice, how the old Adam lacks courage when under the cross! The new man, however, can indeed persevere through grace."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, III, p. 85. Third Sunday after Easter John 16:16-23.
"Observe, God and men proceed in contrary ways. Men set on first that which is best, afterward that which is worse. God first gives the cross and affliction, then honor and blessedness. This is because men seek to preserve the old man; on which account they instruct us to keep the Law by works, and offer promises great and sweet...But God first of all terrifies the conscience, sets on miserable wine, in fact nothing but water; then, however, He consoles us with the promises of the Gospel which endure forever."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholaus Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, II, p. 69. Second Sunday after Epiphany, John 2:1-11.
"In contrast thereto you can recognize the new man. He speaks the truth and hates lies, not only those momentous lies against the first table of the Ten Commandments, but also those against the second table; for he deals faithfully and in a brotherly way with others, doing as he would be done by himself. Thus should Christians live with each other, as members of one body, according to the apostle, and as having in Christ all things common and alike."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 311. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28.
"Now, when a man does not deal fairly with his neighbor, but practices dishonesty and deceit, be it in matters spiritual or temporal (and the world is ever deceitful in all transactions), then certainly the old man holds sway and not righteousness nor holiness, however much the man may effect a good appearance and evade the courts. For such conduct does not reflect God's image, but the devil's. For the heart does not rely on God and His truth, otherwise it would war with fraud and deception; but its object is to clothe itself with a misleading garb, even assuming the name of God, and thus to deceive, belie, betray and forsake its neighbor at the bidding of every fiendish whim, and all for the satisfaction of its avarice, selfishness and pride."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 311. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28.
"Now, the apostle has two things to say of the old man: that he corrupts himself in error as to the soul and in lusts as to the body. Paul portrays the old man--meaning every man without true faith though he bear the name of a Christian--as in the first place given to error: coming short of the truth, knowing naught of the true knowledge of Christ and faith in Him, indifferent alike to God's wrath and God's grace, deceiving himself with his own conceit that darkness is light."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 307. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28
"What he calls 'the old man' is well known to us; namely, the whole nature of man as descended from Adam after his fall in paradise, being blinded by the devil, depraved in soul, not keeping God before his eyes nor trusting him, yes, utterly regardless of God and the judgment day. Though with his mouth he may honor God's Word and the Gospel, yet in reality he is unchanged; if he does have a little addtional knowledge, he has just as little fear, love and trust in God as heretofore."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 306. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28.
"Nor have we as yet arrived at the point where our flesh and blood will joyfully and gladly abound in good works and obedience to God as the spirit is inclined and faith directs. Even with the utmost efforts the Spirit scarce can compel our old man."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 306. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28.
"Therefore, the Gospel ministry is necessary in the Church, not only for instruction of the ignorant--such as the simple, unlettered people and the children--but also for the purpose of awakening those who know very well what they are to believe and how they are to live, and admonishing them to be on their guard daily and not to become indolent, disheartened or tired in the war they must wage on this earth with the devil, with their own flesh and with all manner of evil."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 305. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28.
"Here again is an admonition for Christians to follow up their faith by good works and a new life, for though they have forgiveness of sins through baptism, the old Adam still adheres to their flesh and makes himself felt in tendencies and desires to vices physical and mental. The result is that unless Christians offer resistance, they will lose their faith and the remission of sins and will in the end be worse than they were at first; for they will begin to despise and persecute the Word of God when corrected by it. Yea, even those who gladly hear the Word of God, who highly prize it and aim to follow it, have daily need of admonition and encouragement, so strong and tough is that old hide of sinful flesh."
Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed., John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, VIII, p. 305. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 4:22-28.
"For this reason let every one esteem his Baptism as a daily dress in which he is to walk constantly, that he may ever be found in the faith and its fruits, that he suppress the old man and grow up in the new. For if we would be Christians, we must practise the work whereby we are Christians. But if any one fall away from it, let him again come into it. For just as Christ, the Mercy-seat, does not recede from us or forbid us to come to Him again, even though we sin, so all His treasure and gifts also remain. If, therefore, we have once in Baptism obtained forgiveness of sin, it will remain every day, as long as we live, that is, as long as we carry the old man about our neck."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #84-86. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 753. Tappert, p. 446. Heiser, p. 209f.
"Therefore it {communion}is given for a daily pasture and sustenance, that faith may refresh and strengthen itself so as not to fall back in such a battle, but become ever stronger and stronger. For the new life must be so regulated that it continually increase and progress; but it must suffer much opposition. For the devil is such a furious enemy that when he sees that we oppose him and attack the old man, and that he cannot topple us over by force, he prowls and moves about on all sides, tries all devices, and does not desist, until he finally wearies us, so that we either renounce our faith or yield hands and feet and become listless or impatient. Now to this end the consolation is here given when the heart feels that the burden is becoming too heavy, that it may here obtain new power and refreshment."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #24-27. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 759. Tappert, p. 449. Heiser, p. 211.
But what is the old man? It is that which is born in us from Adam, angry, hateful, envious, unchaste, stingy, lazy, haughty, yes, unbelieving, infected with all vices, and having by nature nothing good in it. Now, when we are come into the kingdom of Christ, these things must daily decrease, that the longer we live we become more gentle, more patient, more meek, and ever withdraw more and more from unbelief, avarice, hatred, envy, haughtiness."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #66-67. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 749. Tappert, p. 445. Heiser, p. 209.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Church and Change
Filled with Joy
Filled with Joy
The Frog in the Kettle
The Vote Is In
"What an awesome experience. I won't miss another one of these conferences again!"
"I loved all the sharing that was going on. I came to hear ideas for my church youth outreach program and was overloaded by the end of the second day."
"It was awesome to hear our WELS hymns played Koine, Michael Schroeder and all the other bands in a contemporary style and performed not only well but, done in a way that the message and worship factor wasn't lost."
-----Thank You-----
The 2007 conference was a huge success!
We talked about it. You liked it. We're making the Conference Follow-up page and it will be on a plate and ready to serve you soon!
Visit the 2007 Conference Webpage for more information
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Thank You To Thrivent
Who (sic) is a significant sponsor for the church and change convention
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The Church and Change group is interested in practicing and promoting innovation in ministry methods throughout the WELS especially at the "grass roots" level. There are a number of resources from which to choose. Sort through our Idea Exchange for the approaches to ministry that are at work in congregations. Select Articles that will stimulate your thinking about ministry. Click through our Link and Learn resource for websites that may offer your church some benefits.
The resources we offer here are intended to stimulate thinking about serving the Savior and His kingdom. Since these resources are not necessarily written from a conservative Lutheran perspective, sanctified discretion is required when evaluating these materials.
Thank you for visiting our site and we look forward to hearing from you.
Board of Apostate Directors:
Pastor Ron Ash Chairman
Jeff Davis Vice Chairman
Sarah Owens Secretary
Barry Spencer
Caleb Cordes
Pastor Bruce Becker
Pastor John Huebner
James Skorzewski
This is new Conference Follow-up page. Right now we are working on getting the conference speakers and their topics added soon will be the vendors and then the concepts everyone submitted at the conference. New ideas and contacts are being add every day.
Find the idea you want and email the contact for more information!
Keynote Speaker 2007
Breakout 101.... Extreme Makeover: Church Edition
Breakout 102.... WHEN OPRAH CAME TO CLASS (Making Creative and Visual Bible Studies)
Breakout 103.... Growing Your Congregation’s Staff from Within
Breakout 104.... Priming Passion and Performance
Breakout 105.... Grant Writing 101
Breakout 106.... Meeting the Needs of Today’s Families (Creative Ideas Any Church Can Do)
Breakout 107.... Creating a Culture of Generosity in Your Church
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2007 Conference Keynote Speaker: Breakthrough Thinking in WELS Ministry
John Di Frances jdf@difrances.com www.difrances.com
From John’s experience, the Evangelicals are great at connecting with people, but are often lacking in the depth and solid foundation of biblical truth. John joined a WELS congregation because he is convinced that WELS teaches the truth of God’s Word. But he has also observed that WELS isn’t necessarily very good at connecting with and engaging people or being seen as relevant to life today by non-Christians. John is personally convinced that WELS can impact our world in ways that surpass the impact of the Evangelical movement. But to do so will require some break-through thinking.
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Breakout 101.... Extreme Makeover: Church Edition
Pastor Adam Mueller pastormueller@yahoo.com
Is your congregation stuck in the mud? Has attendance plateaued? Are offerings stagnant? Maybe your congregation needs an extreme makeover.
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Breakout 102.... WHEN OPRAH CAME TO CLASS (Making Creative and Visual Bible Studies)
Pastor Tadd Fellers pastor@grace-charlotte.org
Tap into your creativity in developing and promoting your classes with PowerPoint and other media. Spice up your Bible studies. Capture interest. See ways you can create multisensory lessons without being gimmicky. Discover how to relate current events and timely topics to the Bible’s timeless truths.
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Breakout 103.... Growing Your Congregation’s Staff from Within
Dr. Lawrence Olson OlsonLO@mlc-wels.edu
The WELS Congregational Assistant Program (CAP) encourages and equips members, men and women alike, for a broader ministry within a congregation.
WELS Pastoral Studies Institute (PSI), which guides and assists men from a broad cultural spectrum through their pre-seminary and seminary training.
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Breakout 104.... Priming Passion and Performance
Pastor Jeff Gunn jeff@crosswalkinlaveen.org
Ministry is a stewardship—a management task. We all go through times when we feel we’re drowning in a sea of detail and drained from trying to do too much. We’re constantly looking for ways to more faithfully manage the ministry God has given us. Engage in dialogue on the issue of how we as pastors, teachers and volunteers can keep learning and growing so that, with the help of God, we remain passionate and ready for whatever he throws us.
Charis/Church and Change
This announcement is on the CHARIS web page.
At a special meeting on August 29, 2007, the Board of Directors of the Center for the Humanities, Arts, and Religion in Society (CHARIS) voted unanimously to continue the suspension of CHARIS' operations. This decision was made because the members of the Board were unable to agree upon CHARIS'' activities during the next year.
Dr. Mark Braun
Chairman, CHARIS Board of Directors
"However, Church & Change is alive and well. The rumors of its demise have been highly exaggerated, sadly."
From Rob on Point:
Charis found that schools stunted congregation growth
Before WELS' COP emasculated WLC's Charis, a Charis research study announced the discovery of a few large, growing WELS congregations. The study did not name those congregations publicly. Perhaps anonymity was supposed to preserve their virgin condition. Charis hoped for follow-on study of the pastors involved. The new, reconstituted Charis may loath opening old wounds, so we may never know their names or stories.
The problem with the old Charis was they used WELS' Statistical Reports to arrive at unpopular conclusions. When Charis analyzed all 1000+ WELS congregations and concluded that LES and ECE programs stunted congregation growth, Charis had to go.
Synods are job programs, and the mission of the COP is to make sure that every MLC grad who wants to work has employment for life. WELS rationalizes overspending on schools (schools are jobs) by insisting that schools are outreach. Charis challenged that pillar of faith.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Charis/Church and Change":
I believe the people who justify schools on the basis of "outreach" are much less numerous than those who still hold that Lutheran education on the elementary level is worth any cost. In fact, the "schools as outreach" notion is generally vigorously opposed by the same kinds of people who oppose all the CG, C&C junk that's floating around.
So, CharÃs is unpopular not because their findings go against "outreach" or "jobs," but because a large number of Wisconsin Synod Lutherans feel that Lutheran education is worth the money. Furthermore, CharÃs is unpopular because they take something like schools (a noble undertaking) and turn it into just another factor in the ever-growing algorithm of Church Growth.
ELCA BMs Share Doctrinal Unity with WELS/LCMS
frequent WELS speaker
Let the River Flow is a "connecting event" event for pastors, staff, and other leaders of large ELCA congregations and "anyone who feels they can benefit from this opportunity".
June 18-21 at Prince of Peace Lutheran in Burnsville, Minnesota.
Featured speakers are:
- Martin E. Marty, was a featured speaker at Wisconsin Lutheran College (WELS),
- Barbara Rossing, ELCA seminary professor,
- Reggie McNeal, Becoming Missional, Fuller Seminary Professor, 2005 C & C speaker,
- Wyvetta Bullock, ELCA pastor, worked with WELS on AAL Membership Initiative,
- Leonard Sweet, liberal Methodist, helped cause C & C cancelation, 2005,
- Ken Medema, musician,
- Peter Eide, musician and kid's speaker.
Four out of seven ELCA speakers have worked with WELS or were booked for the Church and Change Schwaermer-fest in 2005. Martin Marty has worked with WELS several times. He spoke at WLC, but he also spoke for the ELCA-LCMS-WELS evangelism conference in Florida.
Wyvetta Bullock was a division head of ELCA when she helped coordinate the Membership Initiative lavishly funded by AAL (now Thrivent). The Membership Initiative, another embarrassing flop, united ELCA, WELS, and Missouri in evangelism training and study. Evangelism is "outside the framework of fellowship" in WELS, so quite growling.
Reggie McNeal and Leonard Sweet were booked for the 2005 Church and Change event, causing such turmoil among the normally comatose WELS clergy that C & C was shut down. Finished. Dissolved. "Game over, man! Game over!" Truthfully, for we know that Holy Mother WELS always lies, C & C was booted upstairs to The Love Shack. The most recent apostasy conference was registered through the official website, not WLC's Charis. For outsiders, Charis is the official journal of WLC apostates.
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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "ELCA BMs Share Doctrinal Unity with WELS/LCMS":
Proof Positive: Religion is the Devil's playground!
Episcopalian Apostasy
From Virtue Online:
Episcopal Church Fights Declining Ordinations, Clergy Loss, Dwindling Membership
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org
9/29/2007
The Episcopal Church faces a triumvirate of problems that is seeing the denomination decimated of people. TEC is facing serious clergy loss, declining ordinations and millions of dollars spent on litigation to keep and maintain parishes that are, in many cases, no longer viable.
The church claims 2.4 million members. In reality, less than 800,000 attend weekly services. Even that figure is seriously being compromised as more than 700 orthodox Episcopalians leave weekly because of the church's rejection of the authority of Scripture and its sub-biblical positions on human sexuality, specifically the blessing of same-sex unions and the consecration of a non-celibate homosexual to the episcopacy. Following the Sept. 30 deadline the Episcopal Church has been given by the Primates of the Anglican Communion to repent and become Windsor-compliant, that figure is expected to escalate.
Average Sunday attendance is considerably lower than membership figures. They are more reflective of what is happening at the parish level every week.
Here are the following estimates in summary. From 2005 to 2006 the Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) declined by 11,000 members, based on 2005 domestic ASA to 787,000. That's down 1.4% for the year. In 2002 domestic ASA was 847,000, 8% less attendance since the Robinson consecration, or 71,000 fewer people attending the Episcopal Church every week, and the decline is continuing. Most dioceses are still in absolute decline with only 2 or 3 growing. The ones that are growing are experiencing only very modest growth. The 2006 ASA graphs are now online and can be viewed here:
Episcopal Church, 2006 graphs.
Small-membership in The Episcopal Church is defined as having a Sunday attendance of 70 people or less. Nearly half of all congregations in the Episcopal Church fall into this category.
Small membership churches are located in a variety of different settings. In the Episcopal Church 30% are in rural and open country (In the Episcopal Church, the Diocese of Virginia has the greatest number of congregations that fall into this category.), larger town or small cities (50%), downtown (5%), older residential (7%), older suburb (6%) and newer suburbs (2%).
Their membership indicates that 26.5% are growing, 26.7% are stable with 46.8% declining.
A Clergy Age profile and Ordination trends in the Episcopal Church report, delivered at the recent HOB in New Orleans and obtained by VirtueOnline, reveals a catastrophic future for the church with over half of the Episcopal clergy - 52.7 percent - being within ten years of the normal retirement age (65) or older.
The Episcopal Church could potentially lose half of its current active clergy within the next 10 years, in contrast to the profession's possible attribution rate of 22.5%.
The number of those coming into the priesthood between the ages of 18 and 34 is less than five percent. Those aged 35 to 44 is 12.5% with those aged 45 to 54, a whopping 30%. Those aged 65 or older was 9.1%.
From an educational perspective in 2006, only 20% of professional clergy held a Master's Degree. Among those 35 - 44, 29% had a Master's degree; 29% of those aged 45 to 54 had a Master's degree; and only 18% of those aged 55 to 64 held a Master's degree.
Ordination trends look even more discouraging, according to the Church Pension Fund.
The overall evidence is that there is an increasing number of older ordinands coming into the ministry.
While 71% of ordinands in the 1960s were under 35, only 24% will be in the same age group in the 2000s. A predicted 53% of ordinands during this decade will be age 45 or older.
While the absolute numeric clergy shortage has been reversed, the trend toward an older average age at ordination continues.
Despite the increasing number of ordinations since 2000, over half of recent ordinands will retire in the next 25 years.
"We predict that Generation X will not sustain this high rate of midlife ordinations, and when large numbers of Baby Boomers begin to retire, the rate of ordination of people under 45 will not be enough to replace the retirees."
The one bright note the report concluded was that a smaller denomination calls for fewer clergy. Like other Mainline Protestant denominations which have been declining over the last 30 years, the Episcopal Church has decreased from over 3 million members in the mid-sixties to less than 2.5 million.
In 2006 the Gallup organization interviewed 11,000 adult Americans between 2002 and 2005. They found that 44 percent of Americans attend church weekly or almost weekly. The poll also revealed that Episcopalians are not only far below the national average in church attendance, they are far below the average for mainline Protestant denominations.
According to Thomas C. Reeves, author of "The Empty Church: The Suicide of Liberal Christianity," nearly half of children who grow up in the Episcopal Church leave the church when they reach an age of decision. The average Episcopalian is much older than the average American, or the average churchgoer.
A Gallup poll, seventeen years ago, showed that only 9 percent of Episcopalians considered their church "excellent," compared to 27 percent of Protestants, in general.
Dr. Kirk Hadaway, director of research for the Episcopal Church Center, offers his analysis of the decline. According to the Blue Book, "In addressing the reasons for the loss of members since the 2003 General Convention", Dr. Hadaway said the explanation is complex and that the decline mirrors declines in all mainline churches over the last two years. At most, he said, "a third could be attributed to the actions of General Convention. Perhaps of greater consequence is the fact that The Episcopal Church has the lowest birth rate and highest mean age of any mainline denomination, meaning that church growth must come through evangelism to the unchurched. Cultural trends (athletic and entertainment schedules, etc.) also have their effect on the size and vitality of local congregations."
In other words, the Episcopal Church is the most aging, stagnant denomination in American Protestantism today.
As one of America's leading sociologists, author of 20 books and an Anglican Dr. Os Guinness observed, "When the leaders of a faith deny the heart of the faith and advocate positions long considered antithetical to its views, and still remain its leaders, what does it say of the fidelity of the leaders and the integrity and authority of the faith? Some of the greatest writers of the nineteenth century, from across the Western world, were among the voices warning of the church's stupidity in trying to improve on God's ways, or of the insanity of trendy clerics fatuously sawing off the branch of faith on which they were sitting."