Rev. Mouse Misses the Boat on Jonah

Allegorical Photo of Ichabod Embracing Theology While Mousette Peevishly Looks On

A. Nony Mouse has left a new comment on your post "Brief Autobiography":

I hope your reference to the Mayflower moving van and Jonah is not an attempt to equate your moves to that of Jonah in the great fish. You flatter yourself if you believe that you are on a par with an OT prophet.

***

GJ - How little they learn at the Sausage Factory in Mequon. They do learn that WELS is infallible and that all decisions, no matter how corrupt and apostate, are directly inspired by the Holy Spirit. They must not teach the Book of Jonah, which contradicts Fuller and Leonard Sweet in every verse.

Most people recognize that the Book of Jonah teaches that God's Word is God's will. No one can escape that, even with a DMin from Fuller Seminary and a certificate of perfect attendance at Willow Creek Community Church.

In short, Rev. Mouse, the Book of Jonah is about God, not man.

Lutherans at Yale: Stan Olson, NT Student

Stan Olson, second from left, ELCA Division Executive.
Rebecca Larson, extreme Left, went to Waterloo Lutheran Seminary.

I entered the STM program at Yale Divinity in 1972. Stan Olson (ALC) entered the PhD program in New Testament studies. We were in two classes together. He taught at Luther Seminary and served as a parish pastor in New Ulm, of all places. He served as a bishop and then entered the ELCA hierarchy.

I recall a news report where he participated in or approved of Lutheran-Reformed Holy Communion. The ALC promoted joint communion with the Reformed while the LCA promoted joint worship with the Church of Rome. Merger allowed the ELCA to pursue unionism with anyone and everyone.

Lutherans at Yale: Roland Bainton, Honorary Lutheran

Gettysburg Seminary Voted Bainton An Honorary Lutheran

Roland H. Bainton was retired from Yale when I was there. Nevertheless, he was a popular lecturer in retirement and a familiar figure. If Bainton was speaking, I was there. We have a priceless photo of Bainton holding Little Ichabod in a baby carrier.
During the lecture in the basement of the dorm, Bainton mentioned Luther's son and our son raised his arm with an "Eep!" Everyone laughed.

Everyone longed for a drawing from Bainton. When I sent him the birth announcement for our daughter, Bainton responded with a drawing of Luther holding our first two children. We framed it immediately.

I contacted Bainton when I was working on my dissertation at Notre Dame. A. D. Mattson (my subject) went to Yale, so I wanted some additional information about those years. Bainton wrote about his book, a history of Yale Divinity School. He added, "If you don't have it, I will xerox parts of it and mail the pages to you."

When I returned to Yale for the Holmer lectures, we made an appointment to see Bainton at his Sterling Library office. He was still working, long into retirement.

Mennonites respected his church history efforts as much as Lutherans did. When others followed fads, Bainton learned all the languages he needed for his research and obtained the documents.

Martin Marty:
For a particular project, I am doing a good deal of research, a.k.a. remedial and required reading on Martin Luther in the form of texts by him and texts about him. Most helpful and memorable among the books on Luther, and the most readable since Roland Bainton's classic Here I Stand, is Oberman's Luther: Man Between God and the Devil (Yale University Press, 1989).

Information about Bainton

Lutherans at Yale: Sydney E. Ahlstrom

Ahlstrom's Book Won a National Book Award

Sydney Ahlstrom was known an eccentric member of Bethesda. Later I learned from a discussion with Martin Marty (when he lectured at Notre Dame) that Ahlstrom suffered from a severe neurological disorder. A doctor we knew confirmed the diagnosis.

Ahstrom was yet another Augustana Synod member, but he was a layman, like Paul Holmer.

When Ahlstrom lectured at Notre Dame I left class to hear him and got a chance to talk to him again. I recall my Roman Catholic dissertation advisor (Phil Gleason) dismissing Ahlstrom's famous book because of its lack of interest in the Church of Rome. I thought at the time, "And who has heard of Phil Gleason?"

Gleason had a point. I became very interested in Roman Catholic history in America, extremely important now that so many Lutherans are poping.

Ahlstrom obituary

Lutherans at Yale: George Lindbeck

George Lindbeck

I helped at Bethesda, normally the morning chapel service. One time I asked Pastor Hal Wimmer, "Who is the guy with the beard?" He said, "You don't know George Lindbeck?"

I did not have him for a class and the only photo I saw was of Lindbeck without a beard.

Wimmer, later a bishop, said, "He was the official observer for the Lutheran World Federation at Vatican II."

Lindbeck was raised in the Augustana Synod and (I believe) attended Augustana Seminary. He finished his work at YDS and earned a PhD at Yale, citing Paul Holmer as a major influence.

Information about Lindbeck

Lutherans at Yale: Paul L. Holmer

Paul L. Holmer

I was the vicar at St. Peter's in Kitchener, Ontario when Paul Holmer came to town for the accreditation of my seminary, Waterloo Lutheran. The seminary faculty decided to shun him and my supervisor did not go to visit him. They were on the same board, but this seemed to be a top dog battle.

I was asked by the seminary to greet Holmer, so I did, already knowing something about him from my supervisor. We invited him over to our basement apartment and he gladly accepted. The decor was Early-Marriage-Impoverished-Student. We served him coffee in glasss mugs, and he enjoyed himself all the more.

He learned about my hopes for graduate study and encouraged me to apply to Yale. His last words were, "See you next year." And he did. Later I learned that he routinely helped students in every way possible.

Holmer was one of the conservative Lutheran faculty members at Yale Divinity, causing the dean to vow he would never hire another Lutheran. Holmer opposed the fads of the day - Black theology and feminist theology. He was furious when a statue of the Buddha appeared in the Meditation Room and the dean did not even know about it. Equally provoking was someone bringing a dog into the student lounge, which was richly appointed and elegant.

When the ethics professor (quite famous then and now) was setting a record for promiscuity, Holmer was telling his students that pre-marital sex was wrong.

Like Dahl, Holmer did not look for headlines. Neither did he write to shock or to fill up bookshelves. He was highly regarded as a Kierkegaard scholar and philosopher.

We went back to Yale for Holmer's summer school class, just after the hurricane hit the area. (Pat Robertson had prayed it away from Virginia.) The class was so good that I still remember it.

Once, when driving along I-80, Mrs. Ichabod spotted the Holmer's ahead of us. We kept trying to get their attention and he kept turning away from the madman tryinig to pass and honk his horn. Finally his wife Phyllis recognized us and made him pull over. We met formally at the next rest stop. He said, "This has never happened in all the years we have traveled from Connecticut to Minnesota."

Later we heard a familiar name at the Mayo Clinic. Could it be? I stood up to look around. There were Mr. and Mrs. Holmer, waiting for an appointment in the same reception area. We got to see them one more time at their apartment.

Paul Holmer Obituary

Tribute to Paul Holmer

Lutherans at Yale: Nils A. Dahl

Everyone on the faculty had one doctorate or more. Henri Nouwen had two. So all the professors were addressed as Mr., except the one woman professor.

Mr. Dahl was not a celebrity New Testament scholar. He did not create headlines with radical, apostate books. Instead he emphasized the text. We were supposed to know about the liberal theories. Dahl studied under the European scholars, including Bultmann, but he disagreed with Bultmann. Like Abraham Malherbe (my Thessalonians professor) Dahl wanted each student to spend most of his time on the text.

Mr. and Mrs. Dahl were very kindly. They lost a baby when they were newly married in Europe, something few people knew about. When they learned our daughter Bethany had a terminal disorder, Mrs. Dahl opened up the locket around her neck and showed us the baby they lost. She always wore that locket.

Bethesda Lutheran Church had been Augustana Synod. The Swedes were fairly dense in Connecticut. So Bethesda had a Swedish service every so often. Paul Holmer played the organ and Dahl preached.

Lutherans at Yale: Pelikan

Jaroslav Pelikan died in the Eastern Orthodox Church

Several asked about Lutherans at Yale when I was there. Tuition was $2,000 for the whole year in 1972-73. Now room, board, and tuition is $45,000 and climbing.

Bethesda Lutheran Church was at the bottom of the hill below Yale Divinity School.
The YDS Lutheran professors were members and Jaroslav Pelikan attended there (though officially LCMS at the time). Pelikan eventually became a member of ELCA but joined the Eastern Orthodox Church.

We saw Pelikan every Sunday at Bethesda. He was then known as the editor of Luther's Works. He was working on his series about early church history when we were there.

He told his doctoral students, "All the best students are in math and the hard sciences, chemistry and physics."

Pelikan Obituary

Disintegration Can Be Good

CHARLESTON, SC: New Post-Colonial Anglican Communion is Emerging, says Bishop Duncan

By David W. Virtue in Charleston, SC

www.virtueonline.org

February 1, 2008

Common Cause Partnership, Anglican Communion Moderator and Pittsburgh Bishop Robert Duncan told a gathering of bishops, clergy and laity at the annual Mere Anglican conference that a new post-colonial Anglican Communion is emerging in the Communion even as The Episcopal Church is disintegrating.

"The Church moves from consensus through disintegration to consensus. We are in the period of disintegration. A new Elizabethan Settlement is required, between consensus and the horrendous disintegration we are seeing," he said. "As the book of Hebrews, chapter 11 tells us we have no lasting city, but there is a city which has foundations whose builder and maker is God. We know how the book ends, and we have a lasting city. God wins again."

Drawing on the long history of the Anglican Communion, Duncan said the old Elizabethan Settlement is dead and a new reformation with a new consensus is emerging as Mere Anglicanism, which will have new systems and structures.

Observing developments since the Sept. 30 HOB meeting in New Orleans, Duncan noted that there are implications for Anglicanism. "I am still the bishop (applause and laughter). I am my old uninhibited self. We learn by suffering that is my family motto."

Duncan said that, since the threat of inhibition, each visitation he has made on Sunday has been met with responses that have blown his mind. "I had a Baptist minister in a local congregation come to express his solidarity with me for my stand for God's word. Recently, an Assemblies of God leader came to express to me that her whole congregation was praying for me. There is a Christian convergence going on as we all stand for the faith once for all delivered to the saints."

***

GJ - The Lutheran Church is disintegrating. Oddly, the Episcopalians are leagues ahead of the Lutherans in fixing the problem. Episcopalian bishops have the spine to stand up to the Presiding Bishop, the Lavender Mafia, and the apostate priests. The Lutheran leaders do not. The Episcopalians think the answer is to find their traditions again. The Lutheran dissenters want to bail out to Rome or Constantinople.
The Lutherans do not want to bring back Luther's doctrine: they want to bring back Mary!

Floyd Luther Stolzenburg: Standing Where Luther Stood! WELS and ELS Connection

"Standing Where Luther Stood:"
Self Parody from Floyd's LRP Publication.
LPR Was Started as a Church Growth Agency of WELS

Someone could not grasp the WELS-Stolzenburg connection. The Wisconsin sect can practice maximum deniability. Floyd never joined the Wisconsin Synod and made fun of it, but he was a member of St. Paul's, Columbus (WELS only when convenient). Floyd got George Skestos to start LPR as the "first Church Growth agency of WELS."

The plan was, as Wally Oelhaven said, to get Floyd Luther into the WELS ministerium after five years (when the Sixth Commandment fades away). Floyd Luther applied to be a WELS minister, backed by the Michigan District. He applied once or twice. WELS DPs do not always tell the same lie twice, so the truth is hard to fathom. He was turned down, a tragic loss for the ELS and WELS. So he tried several different denominations (turned down) and found Emmanuel, Columbus, independent after leaving the ALC.

Five years after LRP started (and made a mess of everything in Colubmbus), WELS Michigan District VP Paul Kuske wrote a letter of reference for Floyd when he was trying to get hired at Emmanuel. The WELS pastor (Schuman) at St. Paul's wrote another letter for Floyd. Kovaciny was Floyd's man in the Ukraine, with photos of the Jay Webber Thoughts of Faith seminary appearing regularly on the Emmanuel website.

Floyd Luther Stolzenburg

46 from St. Paul's attended the Win Arn Church Growth seminar, including Floyd Stolzenburg, George Skestos, Vicar Mike Nitz, etc. March and April, 1985.

Lawsuit filed by Alvin E. Wendt, plaintiff, against Reverend Floyd Stolzenburg, 243 S. Stanwood Road, Bexley, Ohio, 43209; Salem Lutheran Church, 5180 Parker Road, Florissant, Missouri, 63033; The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, 1333 S. Kirkwood Road, St. Louis, Misouri, 63122. Floyd Stolzenburg left Salem Dec 15, 1984 "19. Stolzenburg continues to hold an improper influence over Plaintiff's wife through Stolzenburg's affirmative acts of writing letters, sending gifts, and making phone calls to Vicki Wendt."
p. 3 In the Circuit Court of the County of St. Louis, Missouri. November 27, 1985.

Separation agreement, July 24, 1986. Floyd Luther Stolzenburg and Jane Dorothy Stolzenburg. Sole care, custody and control of the minor children given to Jane.

"As you read, pick out the principles of Church Growth in this "FOCUS ON A GREAT CHURCH" (Acts 11:19-30)...11:26 tells us this studies the Word 'in great numbers.' How can we improve our numbers?" Floyd L. Stolzenburg, "Church Growth - the Acts of the Apostles,"
Taught at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ohio January, 1986.

"WELCOME TO CHURCH GROWTH. Our study is designed to help all of us gain a new perspective of what God has always had in mind for His Church. Church Growth is not new."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, "What the Bible Says about CHURCH GROWTH," Taught at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ohio p. 1.

"We have discovered that the Early Church was an institution that unknowingly saw its world through Church Growth eyes. We have some benefits they did not have in that we can look back today and analyze their successes and failures."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, "Church Growth - the Acts of the Apostles," Taught at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ohio.

Skestos

"A federal grand jury investigation involving Homewood Corp Chairman George A. Skestos has delayd since last September the opening of a North Side savings association in which Skestos is the majority stockholder." Tim Wendling, Columbus Dispatch, "Fraud Probe Delays Housing Loans,"

"Others under investigation include George A. Skestos, chairman of the Columbus-based Homewood Corp., which through affiliation with non-profit groups received HUD approval to build five Ohio senior citizens housing projects in 1983. One of those is in Westerville."
R. Chris Burnett, Columbus Dispatch, "HUD Probe Includes Ohioans."

"Homewood Corp. Chairman George A. Skestos, Ohio Liquor Commissioner Donald L. Woodland and at least five other people were subpoenaed to testify today in a federal grand jury investigation of possible fraud in the awarding of low-interest housing loans. The Columbus-based investigation involves millions of dollars in U.S. Department of Houseing and Urban Development 'Section 202' loans made to the Salem Lutheran Foundation, a non-profit church organization formed by Skestos in 1968."
Ted Wendling, Columbus Dispatch, Local, March 14, 1985.

"George A. Skestos, chairman of Homewood, charged that Booker's committee is engaging in election-year politics and is trying to 'smear HUD.'"
Citizen Journal "Panel to Investigate HUD Program Financing," Judy Rakowsky 10-27-84.

"Burton could not be reached Monday for comment. He was prominently mentioned last fall in a U.S. comptroller general's report titled, 'Matters Warranting Furth Investigation.' The report, which spurred a Columbus-based federal grand jury investigation of Skestos' non-profit Salem Lutheran Foundation, says Burton told the non-profit sponsor of a housing project in Circleville, Ohio, that he could guarantee her a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 202 loan if she used Homewood as the contractor and manager."
Tim Wendling, Columbus Dispatch "Probe-figure Burton Resigns."

LPR and Church Growth

"CHURCH GROWTH. This program was basically the beginning of L.P.R. at St. Paul's. Certainly a church growth consciousness exists in all of the congregations which was not there four years ago. It is also evident that most of the congregations are not really willing to make church growth a major priority of their ministry. Some new people who visit our churches are turned off by the comments of church members. It would seem that many members will 'tolerate' growth if it does not upset the church's traditions."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Consultant's Annual Report, 1-12-89 Lutheran Parish Resources.

"In the autumn of 1985 and the winter of 1985-1986, a truly momentous step was taken by the five Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) congregations in the metropolitan area of Columbus, Ohio. The five pastors and lay representatives of those churches organized and incorporated Lutheran Parish Resources, Inc., the first Church Growth institute in the WELS."
David G. Peters, "Lutheran Parish Resources: Pilot Program in Church Growth," Mequon: Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, April 27, 1987 p. 1.

"Lutheran Parish Resources, Inc. (LPR) is dedicated to the concepts of the Church Growth movement only insofar as they agree with the Scriptures and as taught by the WELS--that is, Church Growth with Lutheran theology rather than Evangelical, and without the typical Church Growth emphasis on quantitative measurement of growth. Kent R. Hunter's definition of 'Church Growth' justifies the use of this term in describing LPR: 'Church Growth: That science which investigates the nature, function and health of Christian churches as they relate specifically to the effective implementation of God's commission to make disciples of all peoples (Matt. 28:19). Church Growth is simultaneously a theological conviction and an applied science,....' Foundations for Church Growth, p. 187.
David G. Peters, "Lutheran Parish Resources: Pilot Program in Church Growth," Mequon: Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, April 27, 1987 p. 1.

"He has served as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Charles, Missouri and Senior Pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in Florissant, Missouri...He is trained in the Bethel Bible Series, Church Growth program and Dialogue Evangelism. As a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Columbus, he now seeks a different form of Christian service, outside the pastoral office."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, "The Homewood Church Enrichment Program."

"Most pastors and members do not seem willing to pay the price for growth and new life."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Consultant's Annual Report, 1-12-89 Lutheran Parish Resources.

"The area L.W.M.S. annual retreat has been created and led by L.P.R. General successes in this area have been very positive."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Consultant's Annual Report, 1-12-89 Lutheran Parish Resources.

"L.P.R. is due to play a major role in the West Side Mission." [Pilgrim Community Church]
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Consultant's Annual Report, 1-12-89 Lutheran Parish Resources.

"There is a strong feeling of strength in tradition. Even non-doctrinal issues bring fear to the membership and an unwillingness on the part of staff to 'buck the system.' In a church that opposes other groups who trust in traditions, are we raising 'We've always done it that way' to the level of Scripture? Is it possible for our faith to be exciting and still be traditional?"
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Consultant's Annual Report, 1-12-89 Lutheran Parish Resources.

"In the doctrinal sense, the word 'fellowship' may have hindered some growth by the fear of new techniques and ministries. There seems to be an openness to new programs but also a fear that such new ideas may destroy some facets of the doctrine of church fellowship. Will that inevitably happen?"
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Consultant's Annual Report, 1-12-89 Lutheran Parish Resources.

"Initial services will be less formal than our traditional worship services. LPR Director Roger Zehms has been requested by Beautiful Savior to serve as pastor of the new mission with Floyd Stolzenburg serving as evangelist and music consultant. Please include this new approach project in your prayers."
LPR UPDATE October, 1989.

"The consultants were to be hired, so two men were interviewed. Roger Zehms was engaged first. Since George Skestos admired Floyd's gifts, he chose to provide an additional salary for Floyd as a second consultant...As the consultants serve in the congregations, they served under a 'limited call,' similar to the call of a Sunday School teacher or a church officer."
Paul Kuske, Letter to the Michigan District Mission Board, April 21, 1990 p. 2.

"Mr. Floyd Stolzenburg will serve under Rev Zehms providing such services as are appropriate for a person who is not 'CRM.' As a layperson Mr. Stolzenburg can under appropriate supervision do anything that a layman in your congregation can. -- We also reject any inference that Pastor Zehms will not be able to stand up to pressure from Mr. Stolzenburg, or from the donor who provides the funds for LPR. -- We also question the procedure in which the reason for Mr. Stolzenburg's resignation has been broadcast, even though the issues had been addressed by LPR." [Not true. People were told Floyd had a Scriptural divorce, that the divorce was the fault of his first wife.]
Pastor Paul Kuske Letter to the Ohio Conference Pilgrim Community Church, sponsored from Grove City by Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church Fall Conference, Gibsonia, 1989.

"The administrative committee has applied to Lutheran Parish Resources for the services of Rev Roger Zehms. This application is the equivalent of a (limited) call. The committee has also applied for the services of Mr. Floyd Stolzenburg to act in a supportive role in the mission. Both of these applications have been approved."
Pastor Paul Kuske Letter to the Ohio Conference Pilgrim Community Church, sponsored from Grove City by Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church Fall Conference, Gibsonia, 1989

LCMS and Church Growth

"In late 1976, 80 district mission and evangelism executives and board members attended special Fuller Seminary sessions and by the late 1970s, courses on Church Growth principles were taught at both LCMS seminaries." [Toward a Theological Basis, Understanding and Use of Church Growth Principles in the LCMS. 1991. p. 1]
Rev. Curtis Peterson, former WELS World Mission Board, "A Second and Third Look at Church Growth Principles," Metro South Pastors Conference Mishicot, Wisconsin, February 3, 1993 p. 10.

Kent Hunter: "Correct doctrine is essential. But it is never to be a priority at the expense of the mission. In fact, when the quest for proper doctrine intensifies to the point of neglecting mission and ministry, then it is no longer proper doctrine." [Foundations for Church Growth, New Haven: Leader Publishing, 1983, pp. 152-3]

Rev. Curtis Peterson, former WELS World Mission Board, "A Second and Third Look at Church Growth Principles," Metro South Pastors Conference Mishicot, Wisconsin, February 3, 1993 p. 21.

Stolzenburg and Kovaciny (ELS)

"In the midst of all the positive, exciting things Pastor Kovaciny had to say about the mission work being done in the Ukraine, he constantly mentioned the most pressing problem, a lack of space...As he spoke to us about the many needs, he mentioned the possibility of building a church of the approximate square footage of our sanctuary (though not nearly as elaborate) for $50,000...Pastor Kovaciny, obviously excited about the possibility, has agreed that the new church would be named Emmanuel Lutheran and would have a picture of the 'mother church' prominently displayed in the new building."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, "From the Mission Committee, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Kremnetz, Ukraine, Emmanuel Lutheran Church #899, August, 1999. 1500 South Third Street, Columbus, Ohio 43207-1000.

"About Missions" c. Thoughts of Faith through the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, d. St. Sophia Lutheran Seminary-Ukraine Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Cornerstone Emmanuel Lutheran Church Columbus, Ohio August, 1996 "We supplied funds for our missionaries in the Ukraine, and the Gideons." Sherry Huffman, Sunday School
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Cornerstone Emmanuel Lutheran Church Columbus, Ohio February 1999.

"From the Mission Committee...Good News from the Ukraine Reproduced at the bottom of this page is the masthead from the Ukrainian Lutheran, which has now been published by our mission in Ukraine for two years and grows in circulation with each issue."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Cornerstone Emmanuel Lutheran Church Columbus, Ohio November 1996

"EMMANUEL SAVES BIBLE SCHOOL! A SPECIAL MESSAGE was just received from Pastor Kovaciny to let us know that Emmanuel's Mission offerings have rescued their Bible School this summer!...[Pastor Kovaciny] writes to tell us about it. 'As we looked forward to an even more successful program this coming summer, we were told by our sponsoring organization that our Bible School budget had been but by $8,000. It seems that some people in charge believe that we have been too successful and they need to put their funds toward programs in other areas which are lagging behind.' (Pastor Kovaciny)"
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Cornerstone, Emmanuel Lutheran Church Columbus, Ohio June 1998

"Since the salary of Pastor Kovaciny and their basic expenses are paid through the 'Thoughts of Faith' ministry, we will continue to include the overall work in our regular budget."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Cornerstone, Emmanuel Lutheran Church Columbus, Ohio October, 1994

"Pastor Kovaciny, in an effort to respond to our request, set a copy of the third quarter treasurer's report of the Ukrainian congregation, signed by the treasurer and written in his own hand. We thought you might enjoy seeing it! You should be aware that our budget offering goes to pay for Pastor Kovaciny's salary and expenses through 'Thoughts of Faith,' the radio ministry which has been bringing the Gospel to the Ukraine for many years...."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Cornerstone, Emmanuel Lutheran Church Columbus, Ohio January, 1995.

Roger Kovaciny's letter about seed distribution Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Cornerstone, Emmanuel Lutheran Church Columbus, Ohio October, 1995

"All designated funds for Thoughts of Faith [ELS-WELS] are spent on the program for which they are designated by the donor. Funds not designated by the donor are used to pay for administrative expenses. Thoughts of Faith would like to thank our congregation for our support towards this important work in spreading the gospel throughout the world."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Cornerstone, Emmanuel Lutheran Church Columbus, Ohio November, 1995 Recording secretary, Christine E. Scheiderer; treasurer, Charlotte Proctor.

"...the Ukraine project of Thoughts of Faith (Pastor Kovaciny)" Use of mission funds. Charlotte Proctor, treasurer.
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Cornerstone, Emmanuel Lutheran Church Columbus, Ohio November, 1995

"Pastor Kovaciny, obviously excited about the possibilities, has agreed that the new church would be named Emmanuel Lutheran and would have a picture of the 'mother church' prominently displayed in the new building."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ohio #899 for August, 1999 1500 South Third Street Columbus, Ohio 43207.

Pursuing Emmanuel

"I would also convey to you that I will continue to commune lodge members as long as I feel assured that they know and believe that their salvation is by faith." "Please feel free to contact Pastors Kuske or Schumann or come and hear for yourself."
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg Letter to Emmanuel Lutheran Parish Resources letterhead "Serving the congregations of the Wisconsin Ev. Lutheran Synod"

"Consultant, Lutheran Parish Resources, Inc., Columbus, Ohio, 1985-1991, as a consultant for this program, I worked with the training of pastors and lay people for effective ministry in leadership skills, Sunday School organization and teaching, youth ministry, outreach, stewardship and care ministry. I continue to work with supervision of some of these programs. Senior Pastor, Salem Lutheran Church and School, Florissant, Missouri, 1976-1985. [nothing said about being removed from the ministry of the LCMS] Pastor, Trinity Lutheran Church and School, St. Charles, Missouri, 1968-1976.
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, 2904 Maryland Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43209-1157 614-235-5200.

"People Person: Have been recognized as a counselor and mediator. Brought harmony to what was once described as 'the most troubled Lutheran church in America. Personal: Born, December 6, 1941, Columbus. Married, three children. Spiritual gifts: Exhortation, teaching, administration and evangelism.
Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, 2904 Maryland Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43209-1157 614-235-5200.

Quinquagesima Sermon

Butterflies, by Norma Boeckler
Quinquagesima Sunday

KJV 1 Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

KJV Luke 18:31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken. 35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: 36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. 37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. 38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. 40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, 41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight. 42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. 43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

Collect
Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst manifest Thyself, with the Holy Ghost, in the fullness of grace at the baptism of Thy dear Son, and with Thy voice didst direct us to Him who hath borne our sins, that we might receive grace and the remission of sins: Keep us, we beseech Thee, in the true faith; and inasmuch as we have been baptized in accordance with Thy command, and the example of Thy dear Son, we pray Thee to strengthen our faith by Thy Holy Spirit, and lead us to everlasting life and salvation, through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

TLH Hymns
142 A lamb goes uncomplaining forth
251 We all believe in one true God
268 Zion mourns
523 Why should cross and trial grieve me

The Blind See and the Sighted Are Blind

After Jesus predicted His future suffering and death, His disciples were confused and bewildered about His words.

34 And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

This was often true of the exchanges between Jesus and His disciples. They should have known how He would become the Savior, from knowing Isaiah or the Psalms. However, many had their eyes on a kingly figure, not a teacher. They heard but did not understand until later.

The episode on the road to Emmaus explains this phenomenon.

KJV Luke 24:13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. 17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? 18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? 19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: 20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. 22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; 23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. 24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. 28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. 29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. 30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? 33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,

Luther pointed out a key phrase:

and while he opened to us the scriptures?

Their eyes were open but the Scriptures were closed to them. They did not understand what was clearly there. Jesus rose from the dead and taught His followers the meaning of the Old Testament prophecies. Then they began to understand and believe the complete message.

“In a mirror darkly” comes from the ancient problem of affording a good mirror. Most were not very reflective, so people did not see a very good image of themselves. Nor do we have a perfect grasp of all God wills and does. We are looking at a dark image now but will see the entire image in the future as God reveals it to us in eternal life.

1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Our advantage is knowing what Christ did for us when He died on the cross for the sins of the world, for our sins. Justification by faith means God declares us righteous through faith in the atoning death of Jesus. Some want to make faith and grace opposites, but they are not. God’s grace and man’s faith. God graciously provided a remedy for our sinful nature. His Gospel Promises create and sustain faith through the work of the Holy Spirit. Man does not generate faith. Man does not make a decision. God stirs up trust in Him by having His Promises proclaimed through a learned ministry.

Everyone can teach his neighbor the Gospel. Many do. When my father was very ill, he was encouraged by a Lutheran pastor to share his faith. He did that in the nursing home, using his wheelchair to roll over and talk to other people. Most people would have been surprised by that change. Trust in the Savior overflows in many different ways. Some sects say, “Aha! The laity are better at this and know a lot of people. We really do not need a learned ministry at all.” God does not give the Gospel exclusively to ordained ministers to handle, but neither does He command the laity to evangelize…or else.

The healing message of the Gospel of forgiveness is so powerful that it travels from pulpit to people and multiplies in many different ways. One of the great philosophical theologians of the last century taught at Yale: Paul L. Holmer. He knew philosophy so well that he was honored by his peers in that field. He was greatly respected in theology. When he was asked why he was a Christian, everyone expected a great philosophical proof, an intellectual display of fireworks. Instead he said, “My mother taught me.”

How can anyone doubt the Parable of the Sower and the Seed when considering that isolated circumstance. Who was Holmer’s mother? No one of consequence in the eyes of the world. Yet she taught a little boy to become a teacher of faith to thousands of students in an academic environment where Christian faith was often laughed at. Holmer lost his ability to talk, late in life, due to Parkinson’s. He had to be at a nursing home. He could still play the piano. One day he was playing with great energy but unable to talk or sing. A nurse came over and began singing hymns in Spanish. Everyone was moved by the sight of the wordless professor providing music, the nurse providing the words.

From the Pietisten:

When we visited over the years the talk would turn to classical music which he knew a lot about and deeply loved. Toward the end of his life, Paul Holmer and his remarkable, strong wife Phyllis, lived at an assisted care residence in the Crocus Hill neighborhood near downtown St. Paul. When I stopped to see him there, he would often want to play the piano, either an upright close to his second-floor room, or a small grand down in the main lobby. He could crack out a good hymn with ease. As Parkinson disease began to affect his speech, music, he suggested, was even more significant. In the last months of Paul Holmer's life it was arranged for a music therapist to come to his room and play Bach and some familiar hymns on a classical guitar. This was deeply appreciated and warmly received.

One ordinary Saturday afternoon at this residence, a part time nursing aide, a middle age woman who was wheeling another patient around, came over, stood next to the piano, and in a beautiful, operatically trained voice filled the room with the Spanish words to the hymns she had apparently learned as a child in Mexico, all the while fluently and expertly accompanied by a speechless Dr. Holmer. The large television set in the room fell quiet. (Well, I did have control of the remote.) Tears were in people's eyes; it was a moment of epiphany. This part-time, itinerant aide, probably working at the minimum wage, said she hadn't sung a note since her husband died many years ago.

For many students, Paul Holmer and his fellow professor Nils Dahl (New Testament) were proof that it was normal to believe in the revelation of God’s Word, to trust in Christ, and ignore the scoffers.

Our faith is grounded in the work of Christ and our righteousness comes from Him alone, by God’s grace.

The Blind Man

The details of this miracle are worth noting. A blind man heard the tumult of Jesus passing nearby. He asked who it was. The crowd said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” There is no Messianic title in that response. The blind man must have heard about Jesus, because he had faith in His divine power. Some rabbinic teachers have been known for miraculous healing. The blind man called out to Jesus, not to an ordinary man, not to a rabbi, but to the Jewish Messiah, “Jesus thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”

The crowd rebuked the blind man, giving us a hint of irony. The crowd could see but they were blind to Jesus being the Messiah. The blind man did not have ordinary vision, but he had that sight which only comes through faith.

Jesus commanded the blind man to come over and asked what he wanted. The blind man wanted to see.

Jesus said something the UOJ fanatics would not want to hear:

Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

Faith in Christ means receiving the benefits freely, that is, graciously bestowed on all who trust only in Him. Believers receive the complete forgiveness of their sin, the fruits of the Spirit, and many blessings. The greatest blessing is seeing what God offers in His wisdom.