My funniest posts are the serious ones.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "WELS Salvation Army?":
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The Salvation Army is Holiness denomination. It is not merely a charitable organization but a heterodox denomination.
The Arminian theology of Methodism can be seen in the Salvation Army's teaching that election or predestination depends on the foreseen conduct of the individual. Lutherans teach that there was nothing in us to cause God to choose any of us; our election is caused by God's grace and God's grace alone. Lutherans place the primary emphasis in theology on what God has done for us by justifying us, declaring us not guilty for the sake of Jesus who was condemned in our place.
The Salvation Army places its main theological emphasis on sanctification, the holy life that we are to live. Like Methodism and the other Holiness Churches, the Salvation Army teaches perfectionism or entire sanctification. Lutherans teach that the Christian will remain both sinner and saint until he dies. The Christian will struggle against sin until at death he is freed forever from sin and sin's consequences.
Lutherans teach that the Holy Spirit creates and sustains faith only through the means of grace, the gospel in Word and Sacraments. The Salvation Army historically has taught that the Holy Spirit works directly on the human heart apart from the means of grace.
Among Christian denominations the Salvation Army seems to be unique in not practicing either Baptism or the Lord's Supper. Lutherans place a strong emphasis on these two sacraments as means through which the Holy Spirit works to create or strengthen faith and brings us the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
Since the Salvation Army is a heterodox church body, we cannot readily separate their charitable work from their false teachings. For that reason we cannot support such a group (2 John 10-11). Although we might admire the zeal of the Salvation Army to help the downtrodden, we cannot participate in that work with them. We might rather want to support those charities operated by the Wisconsin Synod, ELS, and congregations in our fellowship, or charities that are not connected to any religious organization.
2 comments:
Thankfully, the reference to participating with the Salvation Army is no longer on the web site (unless I'm missing it). Christian admonition does work.
The problem with the Salvation Army goes beyond what is well-noted in this post. In rejecting administration of the sacraments, they are entirely without the Marks of the Church. The Church is not to be found among them, and as a result, we have no basis for expecting to find Christians among them. For them to take on the work of the Church, in the name of Christ, as if they were "Church" is fraudulent. Our participation with them gives credibility to this fraud. We have no business whatsoever assisting them in this work. As reported, the pastor of the WELS church who suggested carrying out joint work with the Salvation Army was principally concerned that people (in their weakness, no-doubt) would be offended. Such pastors ought to be far more diligent in thinking doctrinally.
Is doctrine dead among us? Has it been submersed in a pop-church Evangelical-love that fears the offense of Truth? I am so sick of pastoral effeminacy, of doting, moaning, smiling "love" that overlooks and not only tolerates, but in some cases embraces, false doctrine and practice. I hate it -- and I also hate the lack of doctrinal rigour which goes along with it. We need more polemic, not less. We need more doctrinal rigour, not less. We need more of the spirit of Luther, vivid not only in his own writing, but that which sharply strikes us in the manly and Christian polemic of Walther, Pieper, Schaller, and others. Theirs is the true Lutheran spirit in the face of false teaching, a spirit and erudition in which we are sorely lacking. Shame on us.
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