Saturday, February 14, 2009

Transfiguration



The word for Transfiguration in Greek is metamorphosis, the word we use to describe how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. Art by Norma Boeckler.


[We are not following the Church of Rome lectionary used by all the Lutheran synods, and we are a bit off on the traditional one. Call this the Gregorian. Back to the gesima Sundays next week.]

The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 8 AM Phoenix Time

The Hymn #8 Fred til Bod
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 2 Peter 1:16-21
The Gospel Matthew 17:1-9
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #135 Potsdam

Metamorphosis - Transfiguration

The Hymn #307 Old 124th
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 #283 Reuter


KJV 2 Peter 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

KJV Matthew 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. 4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. 5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. 7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. 9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

Sixth Sunday After Epiphany
O merciful and everlasting God, heavenly Father: We thank Thee that Thou hast revealed unto us the glory of Thy Son, and let the light of Thy gospel shine upon us: We pray Thee, guide us by this light that we may walk diligently as Christians in all good works, ever be strengthened by Thy grace, and conduct our lives in all godliness; through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Metamorphosis – Transfiguration


The Epiphany readings remind us of the divine nature of Christ and how it was shown to the Jewish leaders (in the Temple), the ordinary people (Wedding at Cana), and the disciples (stilling of the storm, Transfiguration).

Today I was reading material about the Seminex days, which I remember quite well. The people in the LCA cheered those seminarians and professors who left Concordia St. Louis (but came back the same day for meals and lodging). A public relations storm, manipulated by John Tietjen, made out the conservatives as despicable villains, the apostates as noble heroes worthy of emulation.

I got to know Robert Preus fairly well and I met his brother Jack, who signed my copy of Chemnitz Two Natures of Christ, which he translated. (Can you imagine Jerry Kieschnick translating a doctrinal book from Latin?). The Preus brothers brought to the forefront the world of Lutheran doctrine. They showed people that PhDs could be believers and defend those beliefs.

There are only two ways to look at this Gospel lesson. Either this happened, revealing the divine Sonship of Christ, or it was a myth. Until the Preus brothers disputed the leadership of the LCMS, the vast majority of Lutherans were being led into the mythological view of this Gospel text. The mythological view held that the story was invented but told an important truth anyway. The truth was whatever the reader saw in it.

Some people may think that the Wisconsin Synod did not fall for this, but Richard Jungkuntz and his sidekick Gerke were both teaching this at Northwestern College for years. They were finally smoked out and departed for the Missouri Synod, where heretics with PhDs were welcome. Then they were revealed again, and Jungkuntz finished his days in the ALC as provost of a small synodical college. (Jungkuntz was promoted every time he was exposed as an apostate, so he was not exactly a martyr. Besides, he is probably the only NWC professor ever quoted in the New York Times.)

The Emerging Church, which is the latest fad in WELS and the ELS, is a return to the mythological view of the Bible. Some may shriek that this is no so, but it bears some thought.

The Emergent Church is aimed at non-believers (in a rather petulant, angry way – as Stetzer and others have shown). The Emergent Church is full of movie screens, enormous sounds systems, and gimmicks to appeal to urban snobs – couches and expensive coffee machines. The Emergent Church is non-confessional and non-liturgical, because non-believers do not like such things. Don’t look for a cross, either. The Emergent Church only tries to appeal to the felt needs (very important term: felt needs) of unbelievers. Demographic studies show they worry about relationships, time management, and spirituality in a vague way. Everything is aimed at that slice of the market, at the ego of those people.
What this Gospel lesson teaches is not material for an Emergent Church service. The Emergent Church does not follow a liturgical calendar anyway. If this lesson is mentioned, it is to start a monologue about the speaker, where he pretends to bare his soul about his insecurities (much audience laughter) and his vanity (solemn nods). He may talk about himself for 40 minutes, as I witnessed at Xenos (a model Emergent Church, loved by Doebler’s Rock and Roll Church), before he even mentions God.

Is this not the mythological approach? The content of God’s revelation is only a springboard for a mildly amusing or stupendously annoying comedy routine. And Missouri contended against it for a period of time and seemed to win. The Wisconsin Synod and ELS felt kinship as they saw their old warnings finally proven to be true. After all, the Preus brothers started the break in fellowship as ELS leaders just before they joined the LCMS, which they had denounced as apostate. Nevertheless, God works with the Word even among clever church politicians. Both men accomplished a lot and showed more leadership skills than anyone who followed. Now we are back in swamp again. Church Growth is supposedly dead, but only because a worse version is taking over – the Emergent Church.

An eyewitness wrote this, inspired by the Holy Spirit:

2 Peter 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables [myths], when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. 19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The power of the apostles’ preaching came from their status as eyewitnesses of the Resurrection. Of all the miracles of Christ, the Resurrection was the greatest and most impressive. The apostolic witness was unanimous—and included Paul, who saw the risen Christ. The risen Christ appeared to Paul and made him an apostle.

Only those who saw the risen Christ could be apostles. That is why we only have one generation of Apostles. Often when there is a new religious fad, the leaders of that fad call themselves apostles. One writer said that charismatics were not ordinary Christians – they were apostles, much higher than ordinary pastors. Anyone can imagine how much they looked down on ordinary pastors. Harumpf.

The original Apostles traveled, preached, and trained local pastors. We can see Paul’s efforts in his letters to two pastors - Timothy and Titus.

Peter wrote, as John did in 1 John, that they were witnesses of the divine power of Christ. They were with Him on the Mountain of Transfiguration and they heard the heavenly voice saying, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him.” There were two spoken affirmations of Christ. One was at His Baptism, when God the Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The second affirmation said – “Listen to Him,” or in other words – Listen to what He says about His death and resurrection.

“We have a more sure word of prophecy.” The Apostles had the Old Testament to preach from and circulated apostolic letters at first. The Gospels were the spoken stories of the Apostles. People saw the men who were on the boat with Jesus during the storm. The fishermen could identify with that. They saw the men who witnessed the water turned into the finest wine. That probably caused a stir which was remembered in Cana, Galilee. The greatest commotions were caused first by Lazarus rising from the dead then Christ rising from the dead.

For all these things to happen and to have the Scriptures fulfilled – that was the message of salvation from the Apostles. The foundation of the Christian Church was the work of Christ, the witness of the Apostles, and knots of believers created during the preaching ministry of Christ. The Word of God transforms people.

KJV 2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Christianity is historical, not mythological. The Gospel teaches us to have a different view of life because of God’s revelation. The Gospel is not a rabbit’s foot to be used for luck and prosperity when times are tough – or not luxurious enough. The Gospel transcends all material needs first, by feeding the soul, preparing us for eternal life, while reminding us that God also provides for our material needs before we even ask.

One member said she learned a lot about birds from an earlier sermon. Birds can be seen from an evolutionary perspective, as they were by Darwin, born 200 years ago. Or they can be appreciated from the perspective of Creation. Darwin saw various kinds of finches on an island decided they evolved into those different species.

http://people.rit.edu/rhrsbi/GalapagosPages/DarwinFinch.html

Everything living is food for another living thing. Believers look at the astounding variety of ways in which birds take care of God’s Creation. I still puzzle over how one animal or plant becomes something else over time! We have many examples of human settlements falling apart because of poor planning, lack of food, lack of water, violent warfare, and sterility (ancient Rome and their lead problem). Birds do not reason yet they manage very well, as if designed and programmed by the ultimate Manager. They thrive where the food is plentiful and fly off to where the new supplies are. They seldom strip a tree bare of fruit. Instead, they eat some and move on. They live in all kinds of habitat, from the ground to the highest perches. They court in the strangest ways, all different from each other, and they raise their young differently.
When people look at God’s Creation and eliminate His divine power from it, they are creating a mythological view. For example, they cannot explain the evolution of a bird feather, which is enormously complicated (there are four types, but that is another story). Instead, they say – the bird feather “is a miracle.”

Or sharks. I heard one TV program say, “Suddenly in evolution there appeared a perfectly designed killing machine – the shark.” That sounds like Creation but it was fashioned to conform to the mythology of evolution. The facts do not matter. Only the impression matters – the impression that there is no divine power, no divine justice, no heaven and hell.

The demagogues of this world want us to rest upon our feelings, to make our judgments based on our emotions, which are fragile and transitory.

In contrast, the Word of God says we should use our minds:

KJV Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Faith is not contrary to the use of our intellect. The Word of God converts us and sustains us, so our minds are constantly renewed by learning about God’s world through God’s eyes.

whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

There is only one truth and it is revealed by God in the canonical books of the Bible. It does not matter what people think it means. It only matters what God clearly states. When Mormons argue against the Bible, they say, “There are 100 different ways to interpret each verse of the Bible.” I agree with them, to a point. I always say, “Yes, 99 wrong ways and 1 right way.” And I sometimes add, “Are you telling me God’s Son was born of the Virgin Mary, performed great miracles, died on the cross for the sins of the world, and rose from the dead, but God entrusted this message to a bunch of idiots who could not write clearly?” Their reaction is amusing.

Arguments against the clarity of the Bible are attacks against God’s Word. If someone says, “Those are grey areas of Scripture,” he is saying, “God speaks in such a confused and disorderly way that we can take those passages any way we wish.” That what the warning against “private interpretation” means. Of course, the charming heretics always have their own interpretation and promote it without ceasing. But the Word simply hardens their hardened hearts until they retreat into atheism, Hinduism, or both. They prefer to have the highest positions in the church, where they can promote their mythological me-centered views in comfort and style.

Similarly, if someone says he is incapable of interviewing a known heretic and exposing the man’s false doctrine—because the wolf is so clever—then he is confessing he is “not apt to teach” and disqualified from being a pastor.

KJV 2 Timothy 4:1 I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

“Rebuke” means to condemn, to damn false doctrine, as Paul did – If anyone teaches another doctrine, even an angel, then anathema – damn him to Hell. Now the leaders say – “but we have to be careful and cautious and worry about all the souls.” They do not trust God’s Word to do God’s work.

Peter and Paul wrote about great sorrow and trials in the midst of preaching the Gospel, but that is the cross, which cannot be separated from the Gospel. The light shines in the darkness, and appears even more brilliant because of the darkness. The darkness may seem overwhelming, but light overcomes it.

KJV John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Forgiveness in the Book of Concord



Grape Vine by Norma Boeckler


Forgiveness in the Book of Concord
Megatron Database


"But Christ was given for this purpose, namely, that for His sake there might be bestowed on us the remission of sins, and the Holy Ghost to bring forth in us new and eternal life, and eternal righteousness [to manifest Christ in our hearts, as it is written John 16:15: He shall take of the things of Mine, and show them unto you. Likewise, He works also other gifts, love, thanksgiving, charity, patience, etc.]. Wherefore the Law cannot be truly kept unless the Holy Ghost is received through faith...Then we learn to know how flesh, in security and indifference, does not fear God, and is not fully certain that we are regarded by God, but imagines that men are born and die by chance. Then we experience that we do not believe that God forgives and hears us. But when, on hearing the Gospel and the remission of sins, we are consoled by faith, we receive the Holy Ghost, so that now we are able to think aright."
Apology Augsburg Confession, III. #11. Love Fulfilling of Law. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 159. Tappert, p. 125. Heiser, p. 42.



"If we call Sacraments rites which have the command of God, and to which the promise of grace has been added, it is easy to decide what are properly Sacraments...Therefore Baptism, the Lord's Supper, and Absolution, which is the Sacrament of Repentance, are truly Sacraments. For these rites have God's command and the promise of grace, which is peculiar to the New Testament. For when we are baptized, when we eat the Lord's body, when we are absolved, our hearts must be firmly assured that God truly forgives us for Christ's sake. And God, at the same time, by the Word and by the rite, moves hearts to believe and conceive faith, just as Paul says, Romans 10:17: 'Faith cometh by hearing.' But just as the Word enters the ear in order to strike our heart, so the rite itself strikes the eye, in order to move the heart. The effect of the Word and of the rite is the same..." [Luther, Bab Captivity, 3 sacraments]
Apology Augsburg Confession, XIII,#3. Number/Use Sacraments. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 309. Tappert, p. 211. Heiser, p. 94.



"Also they teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ's sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ's sake, who, by His death, has made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness is His sight. Romans 3 and 4."
Augsburg Confession, IV. Justification. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 45. Tappert, p. 30. Heiser, p. 12f. Romans 3; Romans 4



"Of Repentance they teach that for those who have fallen after Baptism there is remission of sins whenever they are converted; and that the Church ought to impart absolution to those thus returning to repentance. Now, repentance consists properly of these two parts: One is contrition, that is, terrors smiting the conscience through the knowledge of sin; the other is faith, which is born of the Gospel, or of absolution, and believes that, for Christ's sake, sins are forgiven, comforts the conscience, and delivers it from terrors. Then good works are bound to follow, which are the fruits of repentance."
Augsburg Confession, Article XII. Repentance. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 49. Tappert, p. 34f. Heiser, p. 13.



"But outside of this Christian Church, where the Gospel is not, there is no forgiveness, as also there can be no holiness [sanctification]. Therefore all who seek and wish to merit holiness [sanctification], not through the Gospel and forgiveness of sin, but by their works, have expelled and severed themselves [from this Church]."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III, #56, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 693. Tappert, p. 418. Heiser, p. 195.



"We further believe that in this Christian Church we have forgiveness of sin, which is wrought through the holy Sacraments and Absolution, moreover, through all manner of consolatory promises of the entire Gospel. Therefore, whatever is to be preached, concerning the Sacraments belongs here, and in short, the whole Gospel and all the offices of Christianity, which also must be preached and taught without ceasing. For although the grace of God is secured through Christ, and sanctification is wrought by the Holy Ghost through the Word of God in the unity of the Christian Church, yet on account of our flesh which we bear about with us we are never without sin."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III. #54. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 693. Tappert, p. 417. Heiser, p. 195.



"Everything, therefore, in the Christian Church is offered to the end that we shall daily obtain there nothing but the forgiveness of sin through the Word and signs, to comfort and encourage our consciences as long as we live here. Thus, although we have sins, the [grace of the] Holy Ghost does not allow them to injure us, because we are in the Christian Church, where there is nothing but [continuous, uninterrupted] forgiveness of sin, both in that God forgives us, and in that we forgive, bear with, and help each other."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III. #55. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 693. Tappert, p. 418. Heiser, p. 195.



"For now we are only half pure and holy, so that the Holy Ghost has ever [some reason why] to continue His work in us through the Word, and daily to dispense forgiveness, until we attain to that life where there will be no more forgiveness, but only perfectly pure and holy people, full of godliness and righteousness, removed and free from sin, death, and all evil, in a new, immortal, and glorified body."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III. #58. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 693. Tappert, p. 418. Heiser, p. 196.



"Behold, all this is to be the office and work of the Holy Ghost, that He begin and daily increase holiness upon earth by means of these two things, the Christian Church and the forgiveness of sin. But in our dissolution He will accomplish it altogether in an instant, and will forever preserve us therein by the last two parts."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III. #59. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 693f. Tappert, p. 418. Heiser, p. 196.



"Therefore we believe in Him who through the Word daily brings us into the fellowship of this Christian Church, and through the same Word and the forgiveness of sins bestows, increases, and strengthens faith, in order that when He has accomplished it all, and we abide therein, and die to the world and to all evil, He may finally make us perfectly and forever holy; which now we expect in faith through the Word."
The Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III. #62. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 695. Tappert, p. 419. Heiser, p. 196.



"Therefore there is here again great need to call upon God and pray: Dear Father, forgive us our trespasses. Not as though He did not forgive sin without and even before our prayer (for He has given us the Gospel, in which is pure forgiveness before we prayed or ever thought about it). But this is to the intent that we may recognize and accept such forgiveness."
The Large Catechism, The Lord's Prayer, Fifth Petition, #88, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 723. Tappert, p. 432. Heiser, p. 202f. Matthew 6:12



"For this reason let every one esteem his Baptism as a daily dress in which he is to walk constantly, that he may ever be found in the faith and its fruits, that he suppress the old man and grow up in the new. For if we would be Christians, we must practise the work whereby we are Christians. But if any one fall away from it, let him again come into it. For just as Christ, the Mercy-seat, does not recede from us or forbid us to come to Him again, even though we sin, so all His treasure and gifts also remain. If, therefore, we have once in Baptism obtained forgiveness of sin, it will remain every day, as long as we live, that is, as long as we carry the old man about our neck."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #84-86. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 753. Tappert, p. 446. Heiser, p. 209f.



"Therefore also it is vain talk when they say that the body and blood of Christ are not given and shed for us in the Lord's Supper, hence we could not have forgiveness of sins in the Sacrament. For although the work is accomplished and the forgiveness of sins acquired on the cross, yet it cannot come to us in any other way than through the Word. For what would we otherwise know about it, that such a thing was accomplished or was to be given us if it were not presented by preaching or the oral Word? Whence do they know of it, or how can they apprehend and appropriate to themselves the forgiveness, except they lay hold of and believe the Scriptures and the Gospel? But now the entire Gospel and the article of the Creed: I believe a holy Christian Church, the forgiveness of sin, etc., are by the Word embodied in this Sacrament and presented to us."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #31-32. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 759. Tappert, p. 450. Heiser, p. 211.



"For here in the Sacrament you are to receive from the lips of Christ forgiveness of sin, which contains and brings with it the grace of God and the Spirit with all His gifts, protection, shelter, and power against death and the devil and all misfortune."
The Large Catechism, Sacrament of the Altar. #70. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 769. Tappert, p. 454. Heiser, p. 214.



"...it has been unanimously taught by the other teachers of the Augsburg Confession that Christ is our righteousness not according to His divine nature alone, nor according to His human nature alone, but according to both natures; for He has redeemed, justified, and saved us from our sins as God and man, through His complete obedience; that therefore the righteousness of faith is the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and our adoption as God's children only on account of the obedience of Christ, which through faith alone, out of pure grace, is imputed for righteousness to all true believers, and on account of it they are absolved from all their unrighteousness."
Formula of Concord, SD, III. #4. Righteousness of Faith. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 917. Tappert, p. 539f. Heiser, p. 250.



"These treasures are offered us by the Holy Ghost in the promise of the holy Gospel; and faith alone is the only means by which we lay hold upon, accept, and apply, and appropriate them to ourselves. This faith is a gift of God, by which we truly learn to know Christ, our Redeemer, in the Word of the Gospel, and trust in Him, that for the sake of His obedience alone we have the forgiveness of sins by grace, are regarded as godly and righteous by God the Father, and are eternally saved."
Formula of Concord, SD, III 10, Righteous of Faith before God, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 919. Tappert, p. 541. Heiser, p. 250.



"This righteousness is offered us by the Holy Ghost through the Gospel and in the Sacraments, and is applied, appropriated, and received through faith, whence believers have reconciliation with God, forgiveness of sins, the grace of God, sonship, and heirship of eternal life."
Formula of Concord, SD III. #16. Righteousness of Faith. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 921. Tappert, p. 541. Heiser, p. 251.



"Moreover, neither contrition nor love or any other virtue, but faith alone is the sole means and instrument by which and through which we can receive and accept the grace of God, the merit of Christ, and the forgiveness of sins, which are offered us in the promise of the Gospel."
Formula of Concord, SD, III 31, Righteous of Faith before God, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 925. Tappert, p. 544. Heiser, p. 252.



"The other eating of the body of Christ is oral or sacramental, when the true, essential body and blood of Christ are also orally received and partaken of in the Holy Supper, by all who eat and drink the consecrated bread and wine in the Supper--by the believing as a certain pledge and assurance that their sins are surely forgiven them, and Christ dwells and is efficacious in them, but by the unbelieving for the judgment and condemnation, as the words of the institution by Christ expressly declare...."
Formula of Concord, SD, VII. #63. Holy Supper. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House 1921, p. 995. Tappert, p. 581. Heiser, p. 270.

Apostate Attitudes - Seminex People Stole Right and Left from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis



Stacy, from Her Church, graduated from Seminex.


Sunday March 8, 10:30 AM

“Dedicating the church PURPLE”

Worship includes

the Sacred Dance

Chants with Katie Ketchum

wear all things purple


From Her Church:
Our Mother who is within us
we celebrate your many names.
Your wisdom come.
Your will be done,
unfolding from the depths within us.
Each day you give us all that we need.
You remind us of our limits
and we let go.
You support us in our power
and we act with courage.
For you are the dwelling place within us
the empowerment around us
and the celebration among us
now and for ever. Amen


Text by Miriam Therese Winter
Medical Mission Sister, Professor
of Liturgy, Worship and Spirituality.
Author of WomanWord and other
books and resources for Ritual.


From LutherQuest (sic) - rare moments of clarity:

In this case it could be that Concordia sold it and Harvard acquired it. HOWEVER, you will find LOTS of books from the Concordia library at St. Louis University (where Seminex first landed) and at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (where they eventually ended up) as well as some other schools -- and Harvard Divinity School could well be one of them. Seminex took books by the truckload after the walkout, along with mountains of other furnishings, equipment, etc. A friend works at the Concordia library and he tells me that occasionally naive, puzzled librarians from other schools will contact them with the same question: We found this (sometimes rare and extremely valuable) book in our collection bearing your library's stamp (sometimes still the pocket, etc.) and don't know how it got here.

Ralph

-----------------------------------

Pr Rolf David Preus (Rolf)
Senior Member
Username: Rolf

Post Number: 3135
Registered: 5-2001
Posted on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 - 10:17 am:



The Seminexers sincerely believed that it was their seminary. It had been taken over by hostile forces, but it belonged to the faculty majority and their student followers who walked out in protest at Tietjen's suspension. When they stole things belonging to Concordia Seminary they didn't regard it as stealing. After all, they were Concordia Seminary.

Even after their "Operation Outreach" bombed and the Synod at large did not come to their aid (as they thought would happen) they persisted in their claim that they were the real Concordia Seminary. The name "Seminex" (I think that means "half dead" ) was chosen because they wanted to claim that they were indeed Concordia Seminary ("Sem") but in exile ("inex").

During Operation Outreach (when the students went all over the LCMS to “inform” people of what was “really” going on at the seminary) a second year seminarian happened to be sitting next to my father on a plane. Dad struck up a conversation with him (as was his wont) and the student proceeded to tell Dad all about the terrible things that had been done to Tietjen and the faculty majority. Naturally, he told Dad all about the evil perpetrated by Dad’s brother, Jack (who was LCMS president at the time). Finally, the student got around to asking Dad who he was. Dad told him. The student was embarrassed, to say the least. When Dad tried to give him another perspective on what had happened he refused to believe a word Dad said.

My father had always been a popular professor. During the last years before the walkout, however, new students were steered away from taking his classes. Amazing that a second year student didn’t even know that he was sitting next to a professor at the seminary he attended.

During Operation Outreach, I was a student at Concordia College in St. Paul. A group of us students went to a meeting at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church in Minneapolis (a congregation in support of the liberal faculty majority at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis) at which three sem students were speaking to inform the congregation on what was going on.

After they spoke, there was a period of questions and answers. I asked the students if any of them had ever taken a class from any of the following professors: Martin Scharlemann, Richard Klann, Robert Preus, Lorenz Wunderlich, or Ralph Bohlmann. (These were the five minority members of the faculty that did not support the faculty strike.) They consulted among themselves and one of them replied saying, “My roommate took a class from Martin Scharlemann.” The crowd burst into laughter.

Ah, those were the days! The students were overwhelmingly idealistic, passionate, and profoundly ignorant.

While I’m reminiscing, let me share with you all one more little episode. After it became clear that Seminex would not be able to place its graduates into LCMS congregations, some of the students who walked out reconsidered their actions and decided to join the LCMS. They were permitted to do so, but they had to submit to a colloquy before being admitted and, if necessary, take some classes. My father was interviewing a Seminex graduate and he asked the question: “What does dikaiow mean?” The student said he did not know. He was a little rusty with his Greek. So Dad asked, “What does the verb “to justify” mean?” He didn’t know. Dad tried to give him some hints. The young man just didn’t know. He could not say what the central teaching of the Christian faith was and he had just graduated from Seminex, led by the greatest scholars in the Missouri Synod.

Yes, they stole books. They stole a lot more.

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Rev. Joel R. Baseley (Joel)
Member
Username: Joel

Post Number: 153
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 - 10:56 am:



I was a student at Concordia Teachers' College, River Forest during the walkout. The OT profs I had there openly taught historical criticism and I used to have a Bible that one of them had us mark up with different colors for the supposed J,E,D and P editors of the OT.

We had a two day moritorium on classes when the Seminary Students came to our campus. I was glad for the moratorium because I could play basketball all day instead of going to classes. The night before the moratorium it was my turn to have devos on my dorm floor. One of the sem students was there too, and he was visibly upset when under my text I told my dorm I thought that some bad politics were happening and that we should listen, but reserve judgement until we understood all sides.

In aftermath, most of the Pre-Sem guys I knew at RF (I was not; I wanted to teach high school but never got there) ended up in ELCA. It was personality they were following more than anything else. Our theology profs were truly nice guys, good guys, smart guys, but they were heretics. And so it is, the devil always shows up as a nice guy and then stabs you in the back when its too late. The Holy Spirit confronts harshly (law) and ends sweet (Gospel).

I also remember ex-President Preus speaking to our Lutheran History class, taught by John Wohlraabe, at the St. Louis sem. He was asked, what would you folks have done if they had repented and returned to the seminary, to which Pres. Jack responded, "that was our biggest fear." Reflecting his assessment of their honestly more than his theological evaluation of repentance.

JRBaseley
Dearborn, MI

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Pr Rolf David Preus (Rolf)
Senior Member
Username: Rolf

Post Number: 3137
Registered: 5-2001
Posted on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 - 1:26 pm:



It was the clearest display of collective hubris I have ever witnessed. But, as Jesus said, "Whoever exalts himself shall be abased."

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Helen E. Jensen (Helen)
Senior Member
Username: Helen

Post Number: 4621
Registered: 7-2004
Posted on Tuesday, February 10, 2009 - 3:32 pm:

The Episcopal Seminary in Austin,TX, has at least one book with Concordia labels. (It was loaned to me through Interlibrary Loan.) I was told they had a few Seminex students; I don't know how long that went on.

I wonder if the "hubris" hasn't exalted itself again
and whether it will take all lcms down when it falls.