Beautiful, Beautiful Zion...

Anonymous said...
Let me give you one little example that teaches UOJ- Romans 3:23,24, that PCK quoted earlier. You probably don't want to discuss Greek grammar because they probably didn't teach that to you at that wonderful Roman Catholic institution, Notre Dame.

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GJ - Notre Dame was not very Roman Catholic when I was there. My doctoral advisor was John Howard Yoder, a Mennonite. Another reader on my dissertation was Stan Hauerwas, Methodist, considered one of the best theologians in America. The head of the graduate program in theology was Robert Wilken, LCMS, who studied at Concordia Seminary with Herman Otten. My program advisor was T. Hommes, Dutch Reformed. My professor in Talmudic Judaism was Jewish. One professor left the convent to marry her Jesuit priest beau. Another professor left the convent to marry her book seller beau. One professor was a Biblical feminist (Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza). She is married to a liberation theologian, Frank. Both were kicked out and upstairs to endowed professorships at Harvard.

I was known for defending traditional Lutheranism in class and for making fun of liberals like Paul Tillich. One doctoral student said goodbye to me after I disagreed with Elisabeth Schussler-Fiorenza in class. He assumed I would be kicked out of the program. She told me soon after that she liked having students in class who had actually been out of school, who were able to form their own opinions.

What most MDivs from unaccredited seminaries miss is this simple fact - universities do not try to impose the robotic obedience expected at the liberal seminaries of WELS, ELS, LCMS, and ELCA today. The free exchange of ideas (at the Sausage Factory? - never!) is a normal experience at a good school. People from all traditions have a chance to question and to debate.

The Romans Catholics gave an LCA pastor a free ride for a PhD and tossed in some extra pocket money to write a dissertation on - buckle your seatbelts - a Lutheran seminary professor. Get over it, Rev. Mouse. After all, it's not the ecumenical study that's a crime. It's the cover up. Bivens, Valleskey, and Werning have all denied their study at Fuller. Olson's buddy blew smoke in the faces of CN readers, claiming that Olson went to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl Parade. Ahem.

If Fuller is so wonderful, why do these syncretists deny studying there? If Fuller is so bad that they lie about it, why did they go there in the first place? I am looking forward to a sensible, sober answer to that question.

UOJ in Romans 3?
Someone, probably Mouse, posted a comment proving Romans 3:22ff was UOJ. I took the Romans class with Panzer (nickname for Panning). I think Panning was pretty good. He did not push UOJ, which is why it took me time to absorb the truth about the Synodical Conference's UOJ error.

KJV Romans 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

UOJ is an excellent example of propositional theology. First a well-intentioned dolt declares a proposition, then ignores Scripture while proving his case. All his followers march in step. They think they are marching to Zion even when they smell brimstone.

This passage clearly states that the righteousness of God comes by faith to all believers. Yes, all have sinned. NT Greek has no punctuation. We have to supply it. The logical antecedent (that which goes before) for being justified (v. 24) is all that believe.

The labored rationalism of PCK (aka Mouse) would have God's grace come to every single person on earth, without faith, without the Word, without the Means of Grace. That is the doltish opinion of J. P. Meyer in Ministers of Christ, NPH. That is what WELS promotes and Pope John the Malefactor endorses. His Beatitude, Rolf Preus, endorses UOJ some days, justification by faith alternately.

Professor Lenski is the only Lutheran to publish an extensive commentary on the entire New Testament. Here is what he said about the passage in Romans:

"The fact that this declaration of righteousness is only for believers, is pronounced only upon them, has already been stated in v. 22 in the plainest language and need not be repeated; the fact that unbelievers exclude themselves has thus also been clearly implied." (p. 250)

The Sausage Factory at Mequon teaches its bovine and ovine students to reject Lenski, so the typical Wisconsin product will automatically denounce Lenski.

The aptly named pastor, Papenfuss (Pope's Foot), admitted to the Kokomites he excommunicated that he knew nothing of UOJ until he went to seminary.

One reader said UOJ was ideal for Lutherans who want to pope. I thought about it and had to agree. UOJ is another name for Universalism. Pope JP II (or Deuce, as he was known around the Vatican) promoted a kind of Universalism. The bottom line for those poping is - believe whatever you want, disbelieve anything, but join the biggest and the best: Rome.