The Feast of the Holy Trinity

By Norma Boeckler

The Feast of the Holy Trinity

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The Hymn #246 - Nicea
The Invocation p. 15
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual Romans 11:33-36
The Gospel John 3:1-15
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Athanasian Creed p. 53
The Sermon Hymn #251 by Luther - Wir glauben all’
The Sermon

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

The Hymn #250 Grosser Gott
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #464 - Boyston

Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Romans 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

One of the familiar claims of liberal theology books is this – The Trinity did not exist until around 500 AD, when the term first began to be used, after the Council of Chalcedon, in 451 AD.

As I said before, the term Trinity is rather late, because the word itself was invented to serve as shorthand for all the discussions, a way of saying Three-in-One, the Three-ness of the One God, the Unity of the Three Persons. Trinity is a concise way of saying – Tri-unity.

In this brief lesson from Romans, there are three different indications of the Trinity. The one is hidden by the translation. It is more like this – O the depth of the:
1. Riches
2. Wisdom
3. Knowledge
Of God.

This is followed by three questions:
1. For who hath known the mind of the Lord?
2. or who hath been his counselor?
3. Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?

And then we have another series of three:
1. For of him,
2. and through him,
3. and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Throughout the Bible, God’s attributes are described in groups of three. But the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are specifically named together in many places – long before Chalcedon. (There are many Trinitarian passages in the Old Testament, but I will get to those in another sermon.)

One illustration of the Holy Trinity is well known to everyone. When Jesus was baptized, the voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Paul’s letters are full of Trinitarian references.

Titus 3:4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

The lessons from John about the coming of the Holy Spirit are explicit teachings about the Trinity:

John 14:16 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever --
17 "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

Matthew shows Jesus addressing the Trinity.

Matthew 22:43 He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying: 44 'The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool" '? 45 "If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his Son?"

Matthew closes with the Great Commission, where the Holy Trinity is named. Jesus’ Gospel command is to teach all nations (not to manufacture disciples) and to baptize in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Cults Hate the Trinity
The cults, including the cult of apostate liberal theology, all hate the Holy Trinity. They do not want to name the Name of God. They fight against it. Jehovah’s Witnesses will come to the door just to teach against the Trinity. (JWs use liberal scholarship to prove the Trinity is wrong. There is something amusing and deadly about JWs and liberal scholars in agreement.) Mormons use the word Trinity but teach polytheism when they do.

Feminists do not want to baptize in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So they use Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier (three terms also used for the Hindu group of three main gods). Agreement with Hinduism is not good, since they accept around 300 million gods.

The Holy Trinity Named and Defined
There can only be one true God. He has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Teaching against this is a grave sin because there are many false claims about the godhead.

Avoiding the Trinity means a denial of God Himself. The liberal apostates have chosen to pick and choose what aspects they approve, but that is not possible.


Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counselor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

The epistle expresses the nature of God, as far beyond anything we can imagine. The general trend in the last 100 years has been to move from seeing everything from the perspective of Creation to seeing everything from the perspective of man. If man approves and understands, then it is accepted.

We can see this in the area of evangelism, ethics, and ministry. Something is true because a group did a study about the issue. It is true because it is superficially successful. It is true because it is popular at the moment.

Born From Above

Maxfield Parrish - New Moon
John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.



NICK AT NIGHT



Luther said that the Bible is a book for heretics, and John's Gospel has been especially favored in promoting false teaching. Nevertheless, the Fourth Gospel clearly teaches Christian doctrine in the simplest language. People have misused the Gospel from the beginning because its clear message.



The Gospel of John has the clearest apostolic authority, assuming the use and knowledge of the first three gospels. The other gospels have more narrative, while John's gospel has more of Jesus' teaching.



Knowledge of the original text of the Gospel can defeat many false views, but a proper understanding of the English will also defeat the wolves. English alone is enough, but when Greek is used to advance a phony argument, Greek is needed to defeat it. For instance, Lutheran feminists would have us believe that the Greek word anthropos (the root for anthropology and misanthrope) can only refer to humankind in general and never to a man. For that reason, they cannot confess that the Son of God "became man," only that he became "fully human." But let's read the first phrase of this lesson again, ” There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus…"



The word for "man" in this phrase is anthropos! It is impossible to translate the word in any feminist form and make it sound like English. Examples:

1. There was a fully human from the Pharisees named Nicodemus.

2. There was a human being from the Pharisees named Nicodemus.

3. There was a person from the Pharisees named Nicodemus.

4. There was an individual from the Pharisees named Nicodemus. (We use "individual" when we want to hide the gender and ordination status of someone. Confessions are not meant to hide information.)



I recall someone who wondered a bit about having a woman preacher at his Pentecostal church. I said, "The Bible clearly precludes women preaching to men and teaching men. And how can she be "the husband of one wife" when she is the wife of one husband? The man answered, "She says the passage doesn't mean that."



We would have funny looking homes if every builder and contractor had a different concept of one inch. The canon of Scripture means "measuring rod." The standard is unchanging. Otherwise we must argue that God's Word is infinitely flexible and constantly changing.



The use of John's Gospel by heretics can be clearly seen in this lesson. As we know from this familiar passage, Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, probably because of his fears, since he was a religious leader of the Jews. Jesus converted Nicodemus to faith in Him by teaching him the Word, as we see from the Gospel.



He spoke up for Jesus when the leaders wanted to kill the Son of God:

John 7:50 Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them…



He was rebuked for his attempts.



Later, he helped in the burial rites.



John 19:39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.



In the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, the Savior said, "You must be born from above." This is a pun, because the same word can be used for again, and Nicodemus in his confusion asked how a full-grown man could be born all over again.



We might ask, "Why didn't Jesus speak more clearly?" But whenever Jesus spoke of spiritual matters, people misunderstood Him. This happened with the woman at the well and when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. It reminds us that when God speaks to us about matters of eternal salvation, we worry about the daily concerns of this earthly life.



When parents take children on a long car trip, they will ask, "When are we going to eat?" The father or mother is tempted to say, "Do you think we are going to let you starve to death? Don't be so anxious."



In the discussion with Nicodemus, Jesus defined what He meant by "You must be born from above." The decision theology people say that He meant we must make a decision for Christ, defining that moment when we decided to accept Jesus, an act of the will. This is so important that some denominations have made that a requirement, giving the date in which the person made a decision.



Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.



Here we must mention Greek again, because the original text is our standard. "Born of water and of the Spirit" is often mumbled by Baptists. Once a radio sermon by a Baptist, passed over this phrase very quickly. The actual phrase completely destroys their anti-Sacrament argument. Non-Lutheran Protestants deny that baptism grants forgiveness of sin, planting faith in the heart of the baptized person. Some of them baptize infants; some refuse to, although they dedicate them with the Word. But they agree together that baptism is not God acting upon us.



By taking this away, these same people have paved the way for Pentecostals, who separate water baptism and Spirit baptism, by saying, "I was a baptized Christian for many years, but I was not a real Christian until I was baptized by the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues." False teaching about baptism leads to confusion, two or more baptisms. Many are baptized again and again. Many tongue-speakers look for ever increasing signs of God's blessing upon them.



Jesus does not separate water and Spirit baptism. Neither should we. The phrase " Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit" lacks any articles. The Greek New Testament is very generous with its use of the word "the." Therefore, when "the" is lacking, the words can be seen as hyphenated. Except a man be water/Spirit born. This is the real meaning of the phrase. Water baptism is Spirit baptism because the Gospel promises are linked to the earthly form of water.



Luther's opponents wanted to make fun of water accomplishing anything, but they ignored the role of the Word of God connected with baptismal water. A dog or a cat would look into a baptismal font and see only something to quench their thirst. We are not to listen to God's Word and hear no more than an animal would.



Being water/Spirit born teaches us that God is indeed involved in each and every true baptism. Birth itself suggests an image of a new person. The apostle Paul also wrote of washing and rebirth. Washing is the clearest possible image of sins being forgiven. Rebirth means a new life has started.



Jesus distinguished between the carnal and the spiritual. The apostle wrote: 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.



The "natural man" is used by the Greeks to describe the noblest aspect of man. Whoever is considered a great hero for all his virtues - he cannot receive Spiritual things. They are comical to him. He sees no more than a cow or a horse. Many wise men of the ages have said that the Bible is nothing but foolishness to them.



No one can believe unless the Holy Spirit has planted faith in that person's heart through the Word. Adults are converted and receive baptism as God's sacrament of forgiveness. Children hear the promises of God through baptism and are converted to faith. Their parents, then, must nurture this faith. One does not plant a seed and then let it dry up and wither away. People spend more time nurturing their gardens than nurturing their children's faith.



The comfort of baptism cannot be overstated. No baptized person need doubt his standing with God. All despair can be answered by this, "God has baptized you into His kingdom. He has done this because of His gracious, kindly and forgiving nature." If someone has fallen into deep and terrible sins, he can nevertheless rest forgiveness upon his baptism. Through faith we receive the Gospel message of Jesus redeeming us from sin, death, and the devil.



Parents also have the comfort and blessing of baptism in their children. They have no reason to question whether their baptized children are in fact in the Kingdom of God. It is a sad day when we have to plead for the innocence of children when their lives are cut short by accident or diseases. The most helpless child can be proud, obstinate, jealous, and even vindictive. The Old Adam does not wait to arrive until a convenient time. We inherit this sinful nature. But when we lose a child, we can say, "God made him a member of His kingdom through baptism."



The blessings of baptism are infinite. Children grow up with faith and hear the Word of God with great love and confidence. They have their little distractions but they do not have the skills of adults in rejecting what they hear in the Word. They are dry sponges, absorbing what they hear. One girl cried and begged her family to take her to Sunday School, when they wanted to sleep in all weekend. This does not come from the flesh, because kids like to goof around too. It comes from the Holy Spirit.

A child who grows up in the Christian faith will be blessed in many ways and be a blessing to everyone as well. His impact will be impossible to determine, but God knows.

As adults and as children, we are united by what God has done for us, so that we are water/Spirit born.

Famous Lutherans

Steve Jobs, Apple Computer, was confirmed in the LCMS.
He died October 5, 2011.
Famous Lutherans List

Famous Living Lutherans
Here is a list of “Famous Living Lutherans” compiled from various sources. Those listed are ELCA members, unless noted otherwise. This list is accurate to the best of our knowledge. Please send your additions and/or corrections to michelle.daniels@elca.org Updated March 2008.

Politics
U.S. Representatives: Michele Bachmann (WELS), Lois Capps, John R. Carter, Norman Dicks, Stephanie Herseth, Darlene Hooley, Ron Kind (WELS), Tom Latham, Zoe Lofgren, Collin Peterson, Thomas Petri, Dave Reichert (LCMS), John Shimkus (LCMS), Bill Shuster, Tim Walz.
U.S. Senators:
Sherrod Brown, Byron Dorgan, Ernest F. "Fritz" Hollings, Tim Johnson and Nikki G. Setzler
Nane Annan, wife of former UN Secretary General Koffe Annan
Douglas K. Bereuter – former US House, now head of the Asia Foundation
Bob Bergland, former US Secretary of Agriculture
John Bolton, US Ambassador to the United Nations
William Dannemeyer, former US House of Representatives (LCMS)
Tim Goeglein, special assistant to President Bush and Deputy Director of
Public Liaison (LCMS)
Steve Gunderson, former US House of Representatives, now known as an author
Gaylord T. Gunhus. former chief of chaplains for the U.S. Army
John Hamre, former deputy director, US Department of Defense
Donald Hodel, former US Secretary of Energy and Interior
John E. Jones III, judge, US District Court, Pennsylvania (ELCA)
Judge Dan Joy, New York State
Thomas S. Kleppe, former US Interior Secretary
Conrad Lautenbacher, Jr., Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere
Cynthia Lummis, Treasurer, Wyoming (LCMS)
John Marty, Minnesota State Senator
Ed Meese, former US Attorney General
Mark Neumann, former US House of Representative (WELS)
Tim Penny, former US House of Representatives
Dale Sandstrom, Justice, North Dakota Supreme Court

Sports
Shane Battier, Memphis Grizzlies NBA
Kim Bauer, Womens PGA Golfer (WELS)
Tom Brady, New England Patriots quarterback
Matt Bullard, Houston Rockets
Karyn Bye, US Women’s Hockey Olympic Team
Dan Califf, San Jose Earthquakes (soccer)
Dom Capers, Houston Texans coach
Bill Cartwright, former Chicago Bulls coach
Chris DeMarco, PGA golfer
Morgan Ensberg, Houston Astros baseball (LCMS)
Darin Erstad, Los Angeles Angels
Phil Hansen, former Buffalo Bills defensive end
Elrod Hendricks, former Baltimore Orioles catcher
Tony Kubek, former NY Yankee (WELS)
Michael Jackson, former Seattle Seahawks & Washington Huskies football
Dale Jarrett, NASCAR driver
Ned Jarrett, NASCAR commentator & retired NASCAR driver
Calle Johansson, Washington Capitals (hockey)
Janet Lynn, Olympic skater
Madeline Manning Mims, former Olympic athlete, current Olympic chaplain
Scott Madson, Soloflex ads (LCMS)
Carmelo Martinez, professional baseball player
Luis Matos, Baltimore Orioles baseball player
Paul Molitor, Baseball Hall of Fame
Andy North, PGA Golfer, former US Open champion (LCMS)
Gregg Olson, retired professional baseball player
Lute Olson, University of Arizona basketball coach
Hank Peters, former general manager of the Orioles and Indians (LCMS)
Brian Propp, NHL (ELCIC)
Paul Reuschel, former Chicago Cub
Rick Reuschel, former Chicago Cub
John Scheirholz, general manager, Atlanta Braves
Jerry Seeman, head NFL referee
Richard Steele, referee
Terry Steinbach, Minnesota Twins baseball (WELS)
Gary Suter, NHL
John Vambiesbrouck, Philadelphia Flyers goalie, NHL (LCMS)
Duffy Waldorf, professional golfer
Bruce Weber, coach, University of Illinois basketball
Jim Wilson, former Chicago White Sox
Mark Wilson, PGA Tour player (ELCA)
Dave Winfield, Baseball Hall of Fame
John Zimmerman, professional skater

Television News and Sports
Troy Aikman, FOX Sports, former NFL player
Emily Akin, NBC news, Houston
John Bachman, WHO TV, Des Moines, Iowa
Dick Bremer (LCMS), Minnesota Twins TV announcer
Jack Cafferty, CNN anchor
Gretchen Carlson, FOX news (former Miss America)
Mary Hart, "Entertainment Tonight" host
Jim Henderson, radio announcer
Joel Hochmuth (WELS), former CNN reporter
Donna Kelley, CNN anchor
Verne Lundquist, CBS sports
Ann Martin, KABC-TV (L.A.), news anchor
Lisa Malosky, NBC Sports
Cliff Michaelson, WCSH TV, Portland, Maine
Mike Miller, Milwaukee TV news
Pat O’Brien, former "Access Hollywood" host, now “ The Insider” host
Dane Placko, FOX news, Chicago
Dick Reeves, CBS radio news anchor, retired
Jane Robelot, CBS news
Christine Romans, CNN anchor
Orion Samuelson, WGN TV and radio
Flip Saunders, NBA head coach, Detroit Pistons.
John Scott, NBC news (LCMS)
Susan Spencer, CBS news
Ron Steele, KWWL-TV, Waterloo, Iowa
Michelle TaFoya, CBS sports
Bill Whitney, CBS radio news
Paul Yeager, KWQC-TV news, Quad Cities

Actors/Entertainers/Musicians/Film Industry Folks
Erika Alezander, actor ("Bill Cosby Show")
Loni Anderson, actor
Brice Beckham, actor, Wooley Owens on “Mr. Belvedere”
Beverly Benda, soprano
Beau & Jeff Bridges, actors (entire Bridges family are active Lutherans)
Dana Carvey, comedian and actor
Gary Cole, actor, “Brady Bunch” films
Brandy Dejongh, actor (LCMS)
Justino Diaz, opera singer
Fred Durst, singer and actor
Kirsten Dunst, actor
Rusty Edwards, composer
Kurt Elling, jazz musician
Paul "Ace" Frehley, rock musician "KISS" (LCMS)
Janie Fricke, country music star
Michael Gesme, Conductor of Bend Oregon Symphony Orchestra
Annabeth Gish, actor, "The X Files"
Jerry Hadley, opera tenor
Don Hahn, Disney film producer
Hilary Hahn, young violinist
Patti Hansen, actor and model
David Hasselhoff, actor/producer, "Baywatch"
Marty Haugen, composer
Adolph Herseth, retired Chicago Symphony lead trumpeter
Felicity Huffman, actor “Desperate Housewives”
William Hurt, actor
Marta Casals Istomin, cellist
Craig Hella Johnson, singer, music director
Kris Kristofferson, singer/actor
Gary Lewis, musician "Gary Lewis and the Playboys"
Lyle Lovett, singer (LCMS)
William H. Macy, actor
Paul Manz, organist
Kurt Masur, former conductor, New York Philharmonic
Ron Maxwell, film producer ("Gettysburg")
Peter & Jim Mayer, Jimmy Buffet band
John Mellencamp, musician and singer (LCMS?)
Kirsten Nelson, actor, “The West Wing” & “Pysch”
Thomas Ian Nicholas, actor
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen (attended a Lutheran day school)
Ann-Margaret (Olson), actor (LCMS)
Christopher Orr, actor, "The Mighty Ducks" movies (WELS)
Ivaan David Ortiz, film director
Ivan Gonzalo Ortiz, film producer
Michael Peterson, country music star
Frances Williams Preston, president and CEO of Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI)
James Rebhorn, actor ("The Game," "Fatal Attraction," "Seinfeld")
Andy Richter, former "Late Night with Conan O’Brien" co-host
David Rupprecht, actor, game show host (WELS)
Paul Schrader, film director and screenwriter
Elke Sommer, actor
Kevin Sorbo, actor, "Hercules" and Andromeda
David Soul, actor, "Starsky & Hutch"
Rick Steves, PBS travel host, travel author
Sally Struthers, actor - “All in the Family” and “Gillmore Girls”
Liv Ullman, actor
Stephen Werner, rock drummer
Roger Williams, pianist
Bruce Willis, actor
John Woo, film director ("Windtalkers" among many others)
John Ylvisaker, singer and composer ("Borning Cry")
Steve Zahn, actor "Sahara" and “Out of Sight” (LCMS)

Authors, Artists and Scholars
Gerald Barney, Millennium Institute, Washington, D.C.
Paul Bouman, composer
Warrin Bennis, author on leadership
Peter Berger, sociologist
Robert Bly, poet and author “Iron John”
Sandra Bowden, artist (LCMS)
Herbert Brokering, author
Rita Mae Brown, author "Bingo" and "Rubyfruit Jungle"
Jill Alexander Essbaum, poet
Jean Garton (LCMS), author of "Who Broke the Baby?"
Richard Hillert, composer
Bill Holm, poet
Edna Hong, author
Howard Hong, author
Ichabod, independent blogger
Marta Istomin, director, Pablo Casals Foundation
Cecile Johnson, watercolorist
Betina Krahn, author
Gary Larsen, cartoonist "The Far Side"
Jean LemMon, former editor, "Better Homes & Gardens"
George Lindbeck, scholar/author
Betty Mahmoody (WELS), author of "Not Without My Daughter"
Paul Maier, author (LCMS)
Janet Letnes Martin, author
Martin Marty, church historian
Cindy McTee, composer
Francisco Molina, poet
Alexandra Nechita, artist
Larry Rasmussen, Union Seminary, New York, ethicist
Jose David Rodriguez, author
Carl Schalk, composer
Peter Schieckele, composer, musician
David E. Schrader, Executive Director, American Philosophical Association, Newark, Delaware
Bob Sylwester, author, pioneer in brain-based learning (LCMS)
Walter Wangerin Jr., author/speaker
James Wind, Alban Institute
Karl A. Ylvisaker, artist (WELS)
Harriett Ziegenhais, composer

Science, Military, Business, Beauty, etc.
Linda Ahlers, Dayton Hudson, President, department store division
Bradbury Anderson, CEO, Best Buy
Gerald Barney, the Millenium Institute
Linda Bartlett, president "Lutherans for Life" (LCMS)
David Beckmann, President, Bread for the World
Mary Beth Blegen, 1996 Teacher of the Year
Norman E. Borlaug, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal for his work in agricultural science.
Don Branderstein, astronaut
Tom Buis, President, National Farmers Union
Robert Cade, inventor of Gatorade (LMCS)
Doris Christopher, CEO, the Pampered Chef
Lt.General Roger DeKok, Air Force Space Command
William Foege, former executive director, Center for Disease Control, Atlanta
Ron Gangelhoff, Chicago Cutlery Company founder
Bryan Holderby, US Navy Chief of Chaplains (1996 – 2000)
Steve Jobs, Apple Computer co-founder (LCMS)
Michael Johns, health care executive
Rebecca O. Kendall (Gass), retired Eli Lily VP & general counsel
James M. Kilts, CEO, Gillette
Grant Krafft, scientist (Alzheimer’s research)
Ed Kruse, CEO, Blue Bell Creameries, Inc.
Victor Langford, US Army General & chaplain
Judith Larson, scientist
Mark Lee, former astronaut
John Moellering, US Army General, former West Point commandant (LCMS)
Don Muchow (LCMS), former Navy chief of chaplains (1992 – 1996)
George "Pinky" Nelson, former astronaut
Marilyn Carlson Nelson, CEO, Carlson Companies
Paul Olson, President, National Farmers Organization
Ardath Rodale, CEO Rodale Press
Carolyn Sapp, former Miss America
Alfred Schwan, CEO, Schwan Foods (WELS)
Norman Schwarzkopf, US Army General
Bob Stallman, President, American Farm Bureau Federation
Diane (Baum) Thormodsgard, President of Corporate Trust Div. at U.S. Bank
Ross Trower, former Navy chaplain chief
General John Vessey, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (LCMS)
Jeff Williams, astronaut

***

Joe Abrahamson has left a new comment on your post "Famous Lutherans":

Greg,
Too funny if the reference
"Ichabod, independent blogger"
means you!!! And without the parenthetical qualification of membership, the ELCA is claiming you as their own!!

Of all the stupid ironies.

I guess that shows us how reliable the rest of the list probably is.

My name isn't on the list. So, I know two things. 1) I'm not a famous Lutheran, and 2) The ELCA doesn't consider me a member. Well, yet, I suppose. I'll try to avoid both.

Wishing you the best,
Joe A.

***

GJ - Joe, I have to admit scratching my name in the wet cement. I could not resist. I wondered if anyone would notice. Diablo saw it right away. So did Kovaciny-Mouse, squeaking away as expected.

Formula of Concord - Bethany Lutheran Worship

How the Formula Of Concord Was Forged


Luther's Death

When Luther died, Lutheranism collapsed. Military defeat of the Lutherans worsened the weaknesses of the Wittenberg faculty. This era is painful to read about and seldom studied, but it is important for two reasons. First: God used the compounded tragedy to bring about the Formula of Concord and the Book of Concord. Second: our era is very close to that following Luther's death -- orthodox doctrine almost completely forgotten, conservative Lutheran seminary faculty members
promoting Calvinism, conflict and confusion abounding.

Luther died on February 18, 1546. On the fourth of July, the Pope issued a bull: "From the beginning of our Papacy it has always been our concern how to root out the weeds of godless doctrines which the heretics have sowed throughout Germany. . . Now it has come to pass that, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, our dearest son in Christ, Charles, the Roman Emperor, has decided to employ the sword against those enemies of God."

Charles V, the Roman Catholic emperor who heard the Augsburg Confession read in 1530, attacked the German Lutheran forces and quickly defeated them. His victory was facilitated by the neutrality of some Lutheran princes and the secret treachery of Maurice of Saxony, who was given John Frederick's position. The Elector of Saxony, John Frederick, was taken captive.

Charles V entered Wittenberg on May 23, 1547 and stood at Luther's grave. He was urged to have Luther's body dug up and burned at the stake for heresy. He responded by saying he was warring with the living, not the dead. His forces controlled most of Germany, and he used his military might to force the Lutherans back into submission to the papacy.

Luther feared the loss of sound doctrine. Stephanus Tucher reported Luther saying, "After my death not one of these (Wittenberg) theologians will remain steadfast." Luther not only saw the inconstancy of Melanchthon, Bugenhagen, Cruciger, Eber, and Major, but also their indifference to false doctrine, especially about the Lord's Supper.

Luther's blast against George Major is a perfect antidote to the current attitude of "spoiling the Egyptians," promoting and defending the false doctrine of non-Lutherans:

It is by your silence and cloaking that you cast suspicion upon yourself. If you believe as you declare in my presence, then speak so also in the church, in public lectures, in sermons, and in private conversations, and strengthen your brethren, and lead the erring back to the right path, and contradict the contumacious spirits; otherwise your confession is sham pure and simple, and worth nothing. Whoever really regards his doctrine, faith, and confession as true, right, and certain cannot remain in the same stall with such as teach, or adhere to, false doctrine; nor can he keep on giving friendly words to Satan and his minions. A teacher who remains silent when errors are taught, and nevertheless pretends to be a true teacher, is worse than an open fanatic and by his hypocrisy does greater damage than a heretic. Nor can he be trusted. He is a wolf and a fox, a hireling and a servant of his belly, and ready to despise and to sacrifice doctrine, Word, faith, Sacrament, churches, and schools. He is either a secret bedfellow of the enemies, or a skeptic and a weathervane, waiting to see whether Christ or the devil will prove victorious; or he has no convictions on his own whatever, and is not worthy to be called a pupil, let alone a teacher; nor does he want to offend anybody, or say a word in favor of Christ, or hurt the devil and the world.

After Luther's death, Major taught that good works were necessary for salvation, a false doctrine refuted by the Formula of Concord.

The Wittenberg faculty abandoned Luther's theology to such an extent that by 1566 the scriptural truths of the Reformation were taught publicly in only a few places.