Hello Fuller, my old friend,
I've come to criticize again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left its Dreck while they were sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in their brain
Still won't drain
Within the grasp of Fuller.
In restless dreams I write alone
Pastors pick up cobblestone,
'Neath the halo of a street lamp,
My clergy collar was so cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of the Means of Grace
That's no disgrace
It squelched the sound of Fuller.
Apologies to Paul Simon, who married Princes Leia.
The Sound of Silence
I was discussing Church Shrinkage with a Lutheran. I mentioned the hundreds of anti-CG articles I published in Christian News. There was also the chapter in Liberalism that drove Wally Oelhafen and Fred Adrian crazy. Thy Strong Word was even more popular. No one would publish a serious review, although Otten was quick to publish the ramblings of an Air Force sergeant and the ravings of the CLC (sic). The 650 pages of TSW are filled with 1000 quotations (I recall) for and against CG and its doctrinal foundation, Universal Objective Justification.
No one would know I wrote against CG--almost alone--from reading the new crop of anti-CG articles and essays among Lutherans. The last time I was mentioned was 1991, a flattering reference from Valleskey in print while he was calling me a legalist behind my back. Matthew 18 does not apply to Shrinkers unless their sensitive toes have been crushed by sound doctrine or a repudiation of their false doctrine.
I am not complaining about the silence. I am happy about it - for the following reasons.
There are three possible reactions to an idea:
1. Total agreement suggests there is no reason to publish if everyone agrees, but a universal positive response is satisfying for needy and insecure wolves.
2. Anger signifies something worthwhile, but WELSian essayists always aim for recycling old dogmatics notes and genuflecting to Holy Mother WELS (a sure winner).
3. Silence signals the highest possible praise from false teachers. That proves the idea is so dangerous to them that they cannot begin to refute it. They pretend to take the high road, but they are really activating the stealth button. Their spineless enablers help by activating the slander machine, so that anyone who approaches the idea will be covered with manure, not excluding anyone in their family or circle of friends.
