Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Truth and Love in WELS":
Mike, in all honesty Pastor Jackson is not being loveless. He is in fact doing what all of Christ's Shepherds are required to do. Not only does he communicate the truth of Scripture but he also protects the sheep by educating them to the dangers in the false doctrines that are being taught in our churches today. In 2005 I contended with Pastor Buchholz over his preaching of UOJ to my church. The discussion lasted many weeks and in the end he agreed that the WELS needed to teach Biblical Justification in the words of Scripture. Two months later he gave his presentation on Justification to the 2005 WELS Convention where he declared the whole world forgiven and justified the moment Christ paid the all sins. Is that an act of love when he taught false doctrines to the Pastor's and laity of the WELS? Is it love for anyone in the audience who by the grace of God was able to discern the error but did not love their fellow man enough to risk being shunned in order to stand up for Christ's true doctrine?
In 2006 I contended with Pastor Schewe when he shared the reading of the liturgy with the women of the church. We contended for many months. Was it love when he declared God's Word concerning women in the church as being a grey area? Was it love when Pastor Buchholz called my wife and told her that I was being legalistic and as the Pharisees were condemned for it I too would be condemned to hell if I continued. That she would be under the same condemnation if she obeyed my judgement in this regard? Is that love? Did any WELS pastor who was brought into the discussion contend with me for Christ's command, no they didn't. For the sake of unity and man made peace they didn't contend with me but stood with those who see God's Word as indefinite, unclear and open to their interpretation in their era of Christian Freedom.
Where are the thousands of faithful lay people supposed to turn when the pastors of the ELS, WELS and LCMS reject God's efficacious Word for the worm ridden doctrines of men? Where are we supposed to turn when the pastorate ridicule the Lutheran Confessions which were built on the one true Rock and Foundation of the Christian Church? Where do we turn when the pastorate turn God's church from a place where God's feeds us with His Word and Sacraments to a place where we learn to live a Godlier life and live it to it's fullest? Well we turn to Scripture, the Lutheran Confessions and our Orthodox Lutheran Fathers. And in doing so we migrate also to those few in the pastorate who, out of love for Christ and their fellow men, contend daily against the false doctrines of the world and seek to feed Christ's sheep His true Word. For I tell you that Christ's sheep hear his voice in the true unpolluted doctrines and follow Him and those who are in Him. Those who continue to lean on man's wisdom and the wisdom channeled from Satan into the doctrines of the church growth guru's will suffer God's wrath for their rejection of His Word. Is it love if Pastor Jackson remains silent when he sees these things happening? No, and neither is it love if you remain silent. Are we not to use God's Word to instruct and reprove false doctrine so that the individual can in Godly contrition be brought back into the fold?
Pastor Jackson exposes the publicly professed false doctrines that are being taught so that all who care to listen can learn to discern the truth. To try and cover up or protect those who are leading Christ's sheep away is hatred for Christ and those who He has called according to His grace. Public proclamation of false doctrine is the crime, not exposing it and teaching the laity about it is the crime, exposing it is true love and concern in Christ and does not break the 8th Commandment.
By the grace of God, in Christ,
Brett Meyer
