ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Lutheran News Aggregator Link
"This user has elected to delete their account and the content is no longer available."
I found the story the software tried to link.
Suspicions confirmed.
Poof.
Can't Be Blamed
Miley Cyrus has a new video, where she crawls out of a Christmas wreath, spreads 500 pound wings, and warbles, "Can't Be Tamed."
MLC students will pounce on this and copy it right away. That is a strength of the WELS education system - illegal copying.
Bonus - MLC can test their new gaydar installation, which should sound the alarm when the homely teen kisses a girl. That could be a photo-op for Ski in the future, to add to his collection, next to Katy Perry's photo with him.
Imagine how proud the future Betty Ford Clinic patients will feel when they consider how many celebrities Ski and Glende have posed with. "And to think, we knew them, before they joined Thrivent."
Sasse and Mary
What Sasse Said - Note the URL - http://sassedotalist.blogspot.com
High Churchism, Mary and the Gospel
A devotion written by Professor A.C. Piepkorn of St Louis* is an especially disturbing indicator of the dangers of the 'High Church' tendency. It is entitled 'Blessed Art Thou Among Women'**, and is an attempt to set forth the true Lutheran position on Mary in opposition to the extremes of Roman Catholic veneration of Mary on the one hand and modern Protestantism's 'excessive downgrading of the Mother of God' (Piepkorn's words) on the other. This is indeed a worthy task, and the three Marian festivals set down in the old Lutheran church calendar, which are simultaneously Christological celebrations, provide ample opportunity to do this. But in light of these celebrations we must note that the position taken on Mary will always be a reliable indicator of the presence of a true or false understanding of the Gospel. In modern Protestantism the Nestorian denial of the doctrine of the Theotokos reveals that this position, even if it bears the name 'Lutheran', no longer understands the doctrine of the person of the God-man. On the other hand, the confession that Mary is indeed the Theotokos isn't yet solid evidence of a true understanding of Christ - for it can be combined with the veneration of Mary, which is always a sin against the 1st Commandment and a challenge to the unique mediatorship of Christ. The cult of Mary (which also took root and grew among the Nestorians), along with the Marian doctrines which have grown from it, is most definitely to be rejected as being in contradiction to the Gospel***.
From Liturgy and Confession, A Brotherly Warning Against the 'High Church' Danger, first published in Lutherische Blaetter (Christmas 1959). [trans. mine]
* Arthur Carl Piepkorn (1907-1973), a scholar and theologian of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, sometime professor of historical theology at the Concordia, St Louis seminary, translator of some of the Lutheran confessional documents for the Tappert English edition of the Book of Concord, and an official participant in the early rounds of the Lutheran-Roman Catholic dialogue in the US. Piepkorn was a man of prodigious learning who served as a mentor to a number of LC-MS pastors who later styled themselves 'Evangelical Catholics', some of whom would convert to Roman Catholicism, notably Richard John Neuhaus.
***
GJ - I highly recommend the Sasse blog, and Sasse's writings. The ALC published Sasse until merger, and Sasse wrote the best book about the Real Presence - This Is My Body. David Preus led The ALC and consequently the ELCA into communion with the Reformed. Augsburg-Fortress got rid of Sasse and Lenski books and began selling books by female rabbis.
Mary-obsession is one of the first signs of a Lutheran pastor leaving for the Church of Rome. In the blogosphere, Weedon gushes about Mary and the pope, while McCain gushes about Weedon. McCain's last gusher was Fenton, who left the LCMS for Eastern Orthodoxy and denounced justification by faith in the process. McCain, who loves UOJ, is a man of many Enthusiasms. He dresses as a pastor for formal portraits even though he is a book blogger for CPH - (Mark Jeske's publisher).
More Hilarity from Beast Vollerslime
and now wants Faith Lutheran Church in Moline to give up its name.
Most people think ELCA should drop Lutheran in its name.
May 4, 2010
The Reverend Mark Gehrke &
Church Council
Faith Lutheran Church
1611 41st St.
Moline, IL 61265-3499
Dear Reverend Gehrke and leaders of Faith Lutheran Church,
Grace to you and peace in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who is and who was and who is to come. Amen.
The Northern Illinois Synod Council, having noted that the congregation at Faith has elected to withdraw from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, kindly requests your consideration of a change in the name of your congregation. Our request is based on the following rationale:
Ø Faith Lutheran Church has been associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America for more than two decades. A change in the congregation’s name may assist you in developing your new identity as a congregation affiliated with another body of Lutherans.
Ø A congregational name change may assist the people of Moline and the surrounding communities in coming to know the difference between the Faith Lutheran Church congregation and Saving Faith, the Synodically Authorized Worshiping Community.
Ø Finally, a change in your congregation’s name will be of mutual assistance to you and to the Northern Illinois Synod in marking an end to our long-standing partnership.
The Northern Illinois Synod Council understands that it has no authority over the name by which your congregation is known. By this letter the Council simply and respectfully requests your consideration of this topic.
In Christ,
The Reverend Gary Erickson, Secretary
Hard Copy to Follow
Cc: Bishop Wollersheim
Mr. Bill Bartlett, Vice President
Posted by oneno at 7:13 PM
1 comments:
Anonymous said...
When the synod says changing the name would assist the people of Moline and surrounding communities in coming to know the difference between Faith Lutheran Church and the group known as Saving Faith are they saying this Saving Faith group is going to continue on?? This request is ludicrous, Faith Lutheran Church preceded the ELCA and it should continue as such long after.
***
GJ - I walked, biked, and drove by Faith in Moline 45+ years ago, on my way to Coolidge and MHS. I imagine they will change their domain name:
http://www.faithelca.org/pwsite/
Having ELCA in the domain name is not a good evangelism today today, unless the parish needs more people in the altar guild.
The LCMC formed out of The ALC churches that left ELCA immediately upon merger in 1987. The ELCA drones probably chuckled and said, "We only lost a few." But those few became a core of leadership for today. The LCMC is already bigger than the Little Sect on the Prairie (nee ELS).
The Core (not to be confused with The CORE) is forming another Lutheran group, and several others are also collecting entire congregations and groups of people who will never enter an ELCA church again.
Lutheran Allergies - Luther, Chemnitz, Lenski,
Read about him and his daughter Lois here.
I became a Lutheran at the age of 16, when there was great excitement about the publishing of Luther's work. In my seventh grade class at John Deere Junior High, Moline, the teacher mentioned Luther and half the class erupted in cheers.
The typical Syn Conference pastor does not read Luther or grasp his basic teachings. The professors are even worse, passing along their ignorance and veiled animosity.
The Hyper-Europeans of the LCMS seem to read every theologian except Luther.
Chemnitz is ignored. Chytraeus is unknown.
WELS makes a point of putting down Lenski, a man of remarkable achievement. He was a parish pastor, a district president, a seminary professor and dean, and the author of many books beside his famous New Testament commentary.
The authors mentioned above would be the best antidotes to the neo-Pietism buzz of today. No one who read Examination of the Council of Trent would think of joining Rome.
A study of Luther's basic writing would destroy UOJ forever.
The best one-volume companion to Lutheran theology is the Book of Concord, which contains the writings of Luther, Melanchthon, Chemnitz, and Chytraeus.
My favorite Book of Concord symbol is the Large Catechism of Luther, which was edited from his sermons.
A close second is the Formula of Concord, because all the topics of today are addressed in eloquent, clear language. You will never hear the UOJ fanatics quote from "The Righteousness of Faith" or even ponder the meaning of that sub-section. They have far greater authorities to quote, like J. P. Meyer from Cocoa, MO.
The Schwaermer are allergic to these authors because they detect the aroma of pesticide: they are the pests.
---
Shelby County History
In 1899, the Lenski family took up residence in the Anna parsonage as Pastor Lenski began his duties. In 1907, he saw the dedication of St. Jacob Evangelical Lutheran Church which he helped design and oversee in construction. Today this 92 year old edifice still stands as a testimony to his vision and foresight to build a magnificent house of worship.
In 1930, my father, Rev. F.J. Mittermaier, became the pastor of St. Jacob Church. He had been instructed at the seminary by Dr. Lenski. My father devoted all his energy to the work of the Lord. He loved to read scripture in the original Greek and would often have to be told to "put down his book and eat his oatmeal before it got cold." Receiving an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree as the most outstanding rural pastor in Ohio, he preferred not to be known by any title but that of pastor. Throughout the 33 years of his ministry in Anna, he maintained the deepest regard for his mentor, Dr. Lenski. For him it was a special blessing to be pastor of the Anna church. Often he loved to go to the church, sit in the pew, and watch the rays of the setting sun as it shone brilliantly on the head of Christ window above the altar.
In 1932, the congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary. Dr. Lenski returned to preach. As a small child, I clearly recall seeing this man who had olive skin, a heavy mustache, and intense blue eyes. Dressed in a white linen suit and Panama straw hat, he was a striking figure as he smoked a large cigar. After asking permission of my mother, he took my hand and off we went to the local ice cream parlor.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Bourman - Sloppy Paper, Sloppy Theology
The belly done lap over the belt.
Here is the link.
Do not waste your time raging at me because I correct WELS materials in public. Be glad I do it for free. Normally I get paid and thanked.
My work benefits WELS. Look at the failed ex-SP, Gurgle. His first email about Patterson's New Age Church scheme had four (4) obvious errors in it. His second email had no obvious errors, except for being pure Schwaermer Dreck, if you catch my German.
Lazy thinking and writing will produce the kind of paper Bourman produced for the amusement of his fellow pastors. A trusting WELS member has suggested that the delay in linking and the gaps point toward late editing, after delivery.
Someone might like to list the obvious problems in a comment. Schmid in the text becomes Schmidt in the footnote. The footnote numbers seem to be picked out of a hat, making no sense at all. Buchholz is Buccholz in the footnote, reminding me of Shepherd of Peace becoming Shepherd of Peach in various mailings, once the first error was made.
The paper did not even make sense. Some inductive reasoning is needed. Terms--like Objective Justification, Subjective Justification, and Universal Objective Justification--are used today which are never found in the Confessions and the Scriptures. These terms did appear in a best-selling, influential book of doctrine written by a Halle Pietist, published in English in the 1830s and used throughout the century by all Protestant denominations. The book was also in print in German, and we know the Syn Conference Germans used their mother tongue, even in America.
Someone who ignores that history, available to anyone with a computer and the Net, is not honest about the facts.
Trivializing Faith Comes from the Anti-Confessionals
Guess. No guess again. Another guess.
OK, look up the URL. Surprise!
That group has a quia subscription to the Book of Concord?
L P has left a new comment on your post "Bourman's Justification without Faith Essay":
For Luther (so says Althaus), justification is received with faith, that is in the form of faith. Faith is the work and gift of God. God justifies a man by giving him faith. Christ is the righteousness of men and to this extent this righteousness is outside of us. But Christ is my righteousness only if I appropriate him and make him my own. Faith is the only way in which Christ can give himself to me.
----P.Althaus. The Theology of Martin Luther, p.231.
(emphasis, his).
UOJ trivializes faith in the Gospel. It makes one indifferent to it. Since faith is something trivial, what is left then but wondering off somewhere like Church Growth, Church fads etc and what have you?
LPC
---
wildcard (http://wildcard.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Trivializing Faith Comes from the Anti-Confessiona...":
Stop attending church, now. There is no need to attend. Keep your offerings and use them to satisfy yourself. UOJ has taken care of everything with respect to your salvation. You do not even need to know that you are saved. It eliminates the need for any kind of organized religion. In fact it is useless to bother with churches.
UOJ Secrets
bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Bourman's Justification without Faith Essay":
As far as Chemnitz goes, I'm sure Bourman understands Chemnitz to say "atonement" when he says "reconciliation" and "justification," but Scripture says no man is reconciled to God, or justified, without faith.
Here's a question for the UOJers. Why can't you find one explicit UOJ reference where reconciliation and justification are equated with the atonement, and said to happen on Good Friday or Easter? Why do all the orthodox Lutheran authors only write in code? Were they trying to keep their UOJ doctrine a secret?
Bourman's Justification without Faith Essay
The Central South District of WELS, known for its Church Growth and Emerging Church programs, sponsored a meeting where Universal Objective Justification was promoted once again, dishonestly.
The Nate Bourman paper can be found here. The WELS tradition of giving papers could be a good idea, but they endlessly recycle their dog notes (dogma class) and file the essays away as the ruling norm for doctrine and practice. An ardent atheistic, kicked out of the ministry for reasons other than unfaith, has four essays treasured in the Sausage Factory essay file.
This one deserves to be cherished too, for it is a steaming pile of manure, served on a silver plate, to quote Martin Luther.
I have converted it, without MS Word, into a document, so anyone who wants it can email me.
The title is misleading: The Doctrine of Justification since the Reformation
The use and emergence of the terms “objective” and “subjective” in relation to justification.
The opening is equally misleading (note the versification of this sacred text - in the original):
"2 The doctrine of justification has filled our hearts and minds throughout this conference. Indeed, it always 3 consumes our hearts and minds whenever we gather, for it is upon this solid rock that our faith is built. It is this 4 solid rock that fills our preaching. It is, as has been said before, the doctrine upon which the church stands or falls."
The doctrine of justification by faith is the article on which the church stands or falls. The omission of two words is a good indication of where the duplicitous author is heading.
Walter is quoted next, and the citation is vague in meaning:
5 That this is true can be found in numerous quotations from the forefathers of our faith. C.F.W. Walther for 6 instance warns: “Woe to him who injects poison into the doctrine of justification! He poisons the well which God 7 has dug for man’s salvation. Whoever takes this doctrine away from man robs him of everything; for he takes the 8 very heart out of Christianity, which ceases to pulsate after this attack.”1
Next is Chemnitz, who never taught UOJ:
9 Likewise, Chemnitz is right to remind us that we have this treasure only because of the grace of God and 10 consequently urges us to hold it dearly and defend it tenaciously: “We must devote far more effort to retaining the 11 genuine meaning and apostolic purity of the doctrine of justification, to handing it on to our posterity, and to 12 preventing its being torn away from us or being adulterated by sophistic trickery or fraud. With the aid of God we 13 can prevail more easily because we “have inherited the labors of others,” John 4:38.”2
Nate is deeply involved in sophistic trickery and fraud - already! Chemnitz, trained by Luther and Melanchthon, always taught justification by faith. UOJ did not emerge until the era of Pietism, so the declared purpose of the paper has already been abandoned. This is a magic act, misdirection of the eyes, by a maladroit artist so clumsy he seems to be wearing welder's gloves for his acts of prestidigitation.
"24 So, in order to approach this in an orderly way and on the basis of their own words this essayist will show the 25 following: Objective and subjective justification has always been purely taught, whether they used the terms 26 or not, by those who clearly and carefully distinguish Law and Gospel, as well as those who give God all the 27 credit in our salvation by maintaining justification by grace alone (objective justification), justification by 28 faith alone (subjective justification), and justification through Scripture alone (the Means of Grace).6"
Nate has found UOJ in Genesis. He taps his tophat with his magic wand, and there it is, declared as true and yet never explained:
"29 Objective justification is a forensic declaration of God by grace alone. 30 Since the beginning of time the justification of poor sinners before the most righteous and holy God through faith 31 alone has been a matter that has been hotly contested and persecuted. It led to the murder of Abel. It led to the 32 persecution of the prophets. It led to the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus, this for our salvation. 33 In fact, it was for the sake of our sins he was delivered over to death and for the sake of our justification that he was 34 raised to life.7 It shouldn’t be surprising then that it is a matter that has been hotly contested since the time of the 35 Reformation."
UOJ is the concept that God declared the entire world free of sins, without the Word, without the Means of Grace, without faith. In the past, UOJ Stormtroopers have fixed the Moment of Absolution as taking place at the death of Christ or at His resurrection. They are not sure when it happened, but they are certain of this unrecorded declaration. Now Nate has found UOJ in Genesis, a few years before it was previously discovered. And everyone hated UOJ, right from the beginning. Why? The world before the Flood would have loved it, evil in all its ways and yet given the status of guilt-free saints.
Nate, in presenting his muddled Calvinist essay, is worried about Calvinism. Unfortunately, most graduates of the seminaries of the Midwest know nothing about Calvinism. They have never studied Calvin's life or doctrine. They only know "Limited Atonement" and use that against justification by faith. The key to Calvin is his separation of the Holy Spirit from the Word. As I have shown many times before, Calvin thought the Word and Sacraments effective only when the Holy Spirit decided to drop by. That is precisely why a Calvinist calls God "Sovereign" and invokes the "Sovereign God" in his prayers. Faithfulness to the Scriptures is not adequate - the Holy Spirit wanders away from the invisible and visible Word all the time.
Thus Calvinism starts with salvation. "You have been predestined. Believe you are already saved." Calvinism is UOJ, with the Atonement limited to the elect. That is why the UOJ Shrinkers at Mequon love the Arminians so much - not the ethnic group (Armenians) but the Remonstrants who rejected the Limited Atonement. Pure Calvinism is just about dead, but from it came Decision Theology. Christ did this for you, now you need to make a decision for Christ to complete the transaction. Repeat the Sinner's Prayer and invite Jesus into your heart.
Why did Missouri, WELS, and the mini-sects go ga-ga over Babtist and Pentecostal authors? - Because the Enthusiasts repeated the Reformed doctrine of Enthusiasm beloved in the Syn Conference. Investigate for yourselves all the Church Growth advocates like Valleskey, Kelm, Olson, Bivens, and you will find them in awe of non-Lutheran authors. The saliva drips from their fangs as they speak about their favorite theologians - McGavran, Werning, Wagner, and others far worse.
Nate, a self-loathing Arminian, has this to say:
"58 And let us not forget the predecessors of those who surround us and our people on a daily basis, the Arminians. 59 Like the papists the Arminians wanted to assign to us some of the work in our salvation. Both unabashedly declare 60 (and thus creating great confusion), “Christ has done it all!” but, then quickly say, “Now, this much is up to you.” 61 The Arminian error in this doctrine is to make conversion our work, and thus make faith a CAUSE of salvation. 62 Against these our fathers emphatically declared: By grace alone without the works of the law, TOTALLY APART 63 FROM YOU!"
Confidential to Nate - the Arminians do not surround you. The South Central District has surrounded ITSELF with Arminians. Your VP Patterson gathered a bunch of WELS workers to attend the anti-Lutheran Exponential Conference, where his Church and Change group contracted with Babtist Stetzer to speak to WELS. Your district is famous for copying verbatim the sermons of various Enthusiasts, with the blessing of VP Patterson and DP Glaeske. Doebler copies the sermons and graphics of various false teachers, just like your heroes in Fox Valley - Ski and Glende.
Thus far, poor Nate has taught nothing about the origin of the terms OJ and SJ. Let us proceed with caution through this mire of confusion and delusion.
"71 Lehre von der Rechtfertigung13 made a false distinction between reconciliation and justification. He wrote that the 72 whole world, with the exception of no one, has been reconciled with God in Christ. Forgiveness of sins is bought for 73 all men. However, only when the sinner has experienced the wrath of God and in faith takes hold of Christ, only 74 then does God look on him in Christ. In regard to justification he uses phrases like “now and not before” in regard 75 to the act of justification.14"
The tripwire is found in the Gospel according to Nate 1:71. According to Nate and all UOJ salesmen, the Atonement of Christ is exactly the same as justification. Naturally, I am a little mixed up about how the Old Testament figures were justified, especially since Genesis and Paul both reveal Abraham was justified by faith.
Schmid is a bad guy for Nate. Note -
"76 Likewise, Heinrich Schmid in The Doctrinal Theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church makes justification 'the 77 effect of faith.'"
Schmid is used for Straw Man arguments by the UOJ Enthusiasts. At this point in the essay I am completely bewildered. Nothing has been said about the origin of those exotic terms "Objective Justification" and "Subjective Justification."
Sadly for Nate, the origin of these terms has already been revealed in this blog - and hinted at in Thy Strong Word. The double-justification scheme by Halle's Knapp was discovered by another person, whose research is ongoing. The Hoenecke citation about General Justification is also from Pietism and noted in TSW.
Another lapse in Nate's scholarship, honed in Sausage Factory, should be noted. He cited Robert Preus' older work, but neglected to cite the theologians final work, where UOJ is repudiated. Robert Preus, who earlier embraced and taught UOJ, clearly distinguished between the Atonement and justification, citing authors like Calov.
To confuse us further, Nate has cited perfectly good quotations from Schmid as if that writer was the font of all evil. It is rather difficult to get around the meaning of forensic justification, when the term was always used to describe justification by faith. The subtle UOJ fans have turned forensic justification (by faith) into universal absolution without faith.
"81 The other error, already introduce (sic) above, was a false distinction between the terms justification and reconciliation. 82 Fritschel argues that these two doctrines are separate.16" [GJ - The subsequent verses are garbled, so I have not quoted them, to spare my sic macro.]
Nate cites the Fathers, but the Fathers are Walther and his diciples (to use the Stetzer spelling).
"At all 92 times the truths of the Scriptures have been expressed by the fathers. They have clearly and without ambiguity 93 declared that justification is universal and it is objective. Walther proclaims: “God does nothing by halves. In 94 Christ he loves all sinners without exception. The sins of every sinner are canceled. Every debt has been liquidated."
The Fathers are the Patristic Fathers, not your uncle Fritz, may his name be blessed.
Has anyone noticed another lapse? There is no treatment of the history of doctrine, in spite of the claims in the title. Luther is absent. The Concordists are absent, except for a deceptive use of Chemnitz. Pietism never happened. Who would guess that Missouri, WELS, and the Little Sect were born in the era of Pietism?
I cannot make out the footnotes in the original essay, as currently posted. Perhaps some major stuff was done to it after delivering this mass of confusion. The footnotes do not follow in any particular order in the PDF. Check it out for yourselves.
There is a long Luther quote - finally. These poor fellows cannot grasp justification by faith because they have no concept of the efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace, the work of the Holy Spirit in the Word. So they jump on every Atonement quotation by Luther and make it UOJ. See verse 116:
"116 Numerous other quotations might be added. But let these suffice to show that our fathers taught and held to 117 universal, objective justification."
Verses 132ff - There is a Chemnitz citation, where Nate claims to merge justification and the Atonement. However, there is no reference list and I do not have vol. II of the Loci, which is apparently where he got it. Most people cite the volume number and list references, but most people do not consider the WELS essay file the Holy of Holies.
Is Nate claiming the Book of Concord and the Formula of Concord merge justification and the Atonement? No one subscribes to everything every Lutheran author has written.
Since UOJ, OJ, and SJ are as old as Genesis, I would like to see:
1. The declaration of universal absolution, without faith, somewhere in the Bible.
2. The Book of Concord's anachronistic endorsement of this Pietistic concept.
Verses 162ff - Parallel to Chemnitz is Deutschlander! I like Deutschlander's Theology of the Cross, but this is a rather hasty jump. It seems that he was also encouraged to defend UOJ after Kokomo detonated, just as Sig Becker was.
177 As we begin to approach subjective justification it necessary for us never to leave behind objective justification. 178 These two belong together. It is only when these are taught side by side that we have the true doctrine of 179 justification. Deutschlander reminds us that the fathers had no trouble considering these two topics side by side 180 nor distinguishing between them. And indeed, there was no reason to make the distinction until the understanding 181 of the nature of faith was confounded.36
182 If we are to understand why, since Christ died for the sins of the whole world, all are not saved, then we must 183 understand how his work is applied to those who are.37 It is necessary to understand how the universal, objective 184 justification of God becomes my own and what is this faith that receives it. “Ph. D. Burk [GJ - Pietist, cited by Hoenecke, a Halle graduate] correctly says: ‘The 185 relationship of objective justification to the other so‐called justification can be expressed
in this way, that in the 186 latter the appropriation of the former occurs.’”38
The Pietists, who invented double-justification, are finally mentioned in Verses 226ff:
226 It is the bane of Pietism that it centers its attention so much on the feelings and the spiritual 227 condition of man’s heart that it forgets or pays but slight attention to the great objective facts of 228 God’s love for men and the all‐sufficient atonement of the Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. It 229 bids men look within for assurance that they have truly repented and believed instead of telling 230 them to fix their eyes on Christ and His word and to rest in His promises, regardless of the sins and 231 little faith that they too often find in their own hearts. This deep‐rooted difference between 232 orthodoxy and pietism explains why a controversy arose regarding such fundamental questions as 233 that of Absolution and the related doctrines of the Gospel and Justification, and that, almost from 234 the beginning of Norwegian Lutheran history in America.44
Yes, the Pietists were slackers about the Means of Grace. They were also unionists. The WELS of today is the re-birth of Pietism. UOJ came from Pietism and paved the way for the rebirth via Fuller, Willow Creek, and other hellholes of doctrinal error.
The past president of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, Valleskey, and his buddy, Bivens, both studied at Fuller Seminary as a prelude to promoting the Church Growth Movement--and UOJ!--for their entire careers. And yet WELS members are supposed to sleep at night without heavy medication, knowing such people are guarding the Gospel?
Look at this howler from DP Buchholz, whose name Nate cannot spell correctly in the footnotes. Maybe ex-SP Gurgle helped him proof the final copy.
256 The terms objective justification and subjective justification came out of this [Election] controversy, 257 as the theologians of the Missouri and Wisconsin Synods grappled with how best to express the 258 justification won at the cross as a completed reality, while maintaining the necessity of faith as the 259 receiving organ that grasps the imputed righteousness of Christ offered in the gospel.46
I have already shown, repeatedly, that the terms came from 1833, before there was a Missouri Synod or an Election controversy.
I realize that Buchholz did not have this piece of evidence when he wrote his confused paper, but Nate did. After all, Nate refers to "our opponents" and universalism. He is not going to admit that he has ever read this blog, but he still has an obligation to tell the truth. The documentary evidence, available to anyone with Google, is there today. How long will you continue to try our patience, O Nate?
Buchholz did have Thy Strong Word, the book version given by Brett Meyer, and 24/7 access to the entire work on the Net, long before he gave his paper. Ditto John Brenner, who recently chanted the same old slogans.
Back to Nate, Verse 291. Sausage Factory grads are supposed to know the Scriptures. Nate does not:
"291 Faith, then, is not an emotion or feeling.50 It is not a choice. It is not an opinion. Faith is based in sure and certain 292 facts. Faith is all about its object."
If faith were based upon facts, then everyone would be a believer in Creation, because the data surrounds us.
Faith is best described as trust. The Holy Spirit creates and sustains this trust through the Means of Grace.
The mysteries of the faith are revealed by the Holy Spirit. These mysteries are not facts but mysteries. Gold has a certain atomic weight. That is a fact. Christ is present in both natures in Holy Communion, the elements consecrated by the efficacious Word. That is a mystery.
Nate's unfortunate essay continues along the same zig-zaggy lines. Most alarming is the suspicion that he had help, that earlier versions were far worse and even less compelling.
He did not:
1. Deal with the history of doctrine.
2. Address any contrary evidence.
3. Grasp the Scriptural message.
4. Touch upon the efficacy of the Word.
5. Acknowledge the double-justification formula of Halle's Knapp, 1833.
6. Admit the Pietism of Burk.
---
Chemnitz on Justification - Loci Communes
"But when we are speaking of the subject itself, it is certain that the doctrine of gracious reconciliation, of the remission of sins, of righteousness, salvation, and eternal life through faith for the sake of the Mediator is one and the same in the Old and in the New Testament. This is a useful rule which we must retain at all costs: The doctrine, wherever we read it, in either the Old or New Testament, which deals with the gracious reconciliation and the remission of sins through faith for the sake of God's mercy in Christ, is the Gospel." Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. 459.
"Therefore God, 'who is rich in mercy' [Ephesians 2:4], has had mercy upon us and has set forth a propitiation through faith in the blood of Christ, and those who flee as suppliants to this throne of grace He absolves from the comprehensive sentence of condemnation, and by the imputation of the righteousness of His Son, which they grasp in faith, He pronounces them righteous, receives them into grace, and adjudges them to be heirs of eternal life. This is certainly the judicial meaning of the word 'justification,' in almost the same way that a guilty man who has been sentenced before the bar of justice is acquitted." Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. 482. Ephesians 2:4
"Yet these exercises of faith always presuppose, as their foundation, that God is reconciled by faith, and to this they are always led back, so that faith may be certain and the promise sure in regard to these other objects. This explanation is confirmed by the brilliant statement of Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:20: 'All the promises of God in Christ are yea and amen, to the glory of God through us,' that is, the promises concerning other objects of faith have only then been ratified for us when by faith in Christ we are reconciled with God. The promises have been made valid on the condition that they must give glory to God through us." Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. 495. 2 Corinthians 1:20
"Therefore this apprehension or acceptance or application of the promise of grace is the formal cause or principle of justifying faith, according to the language of Scripture." Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. 502.
"We must note the foundations. For we are justified by faith, not because it is so firm, robust, and perfect a virtue, but because of the object on which it lays hold, namely Christ, who is the Mediator in the promise of grace. Therefore when faith does not err in its object, but lays hold on that true object, although with a weak faith, or at least tries and wants to lay hold on Christ, then there is true faith, and it justifies. The reason for this is demonstrated in those lovely statements in Philippians 3:12: 'I apprehend, or rather I am apprehended by Christ' and Galatians 4:9: 'You have known God, or rather have been known by God.' Scripture shows a beautiful example of this in Mark 9:24: 'I believe; help my unbelief.'" Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. 503. Philippians 3:12; Galatians 4:9; Mark 9:24.
"For we are not justified because of our faith (propter fidem), in the sense of faith being a virtue or good work on our part. Thuse we pray, as did the man in Mark 9:24: 'I believe, Lord; help my unbelief'; and with the apostles: 'Lord, increase our faith,' Luke 17:5." Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. 506 Mark 9:24; Luke 17:5.
"But because not doubt but faith justifies, and not he who doubts but he who believes has eternal life, therefore faith teaches the free promise, which relies on the mercy of God for the sake of the sacrifice of the Son, the Mediator, and not on our works, as Paul says in Romans 4:16: 'Therefore it is of faith, that the promise might be sure according to grace.'" Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. 507. Romans 4:16
"Thus when we say that we are justified by faith, we are saying nothing else than that for the sake of the Son of God we receive remission of sins and are accounted as righteous. And because it is necessary that this benefit be taken hold of, this is said to be done 'by faith,' that is, by trust in the mercy promised us for the sake of Christ. Thus we must also understand the correlative expression, 'We are righteous by faith,' that is, through the mercy of God for the sake of His Son we are righteous or accepted." Melanchthon, Loci Communes, “The Word Faith.” Cited in Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. p. 489.
Another Irrelevant Author, Like Luther - Schmauk
"The modern radical spirit which would sweep away the Formula of Concord as a Confession of the Church, will not, in the end, be curbed, until it has swept away the Augsburg Confession, and the ancient Confessions of the Church--yea, not until it has crossed the borders of Scripture itself, and swept out of the Word whatsoever is not in accord with its own critical mode of thinking. The far-sighted rationalist theologian and Dresden court preacher, Ammon, grasped the logic of a mere spirit of progress, when he said: 'Experience teaches us that those who reject a Creed, will speedily reject the Scriptures themselves.'" Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: General Council Publication Board, 1911, p. 685.
"Shall we permit this to be done! in the name of Christian unity! and by a latitudinarianism that is our own heritage, which rises ever anew from the embers of the past to find such veiled support and strength in the citadel of Zion that Confessionalism is told to whisper low in Jerusalem lest she be heard on the streets of Gath." Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: 1911, p. 941.
"Is the Lord's Supper the place to display my toleration, my Christian sympathy, or my fellowship with another Christian, when that is the very point in which most of all we differ; and in which the difference means for me everything--means for me, the reception of the Savior's atonement? Is this the point to be selected for the display of Christian union, when in fact it is the very point in which Christian union does not exist?" Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: 1911, p. 905f.
"The real question is not what do you subscribe, but what do you believe and publicly teach, and what are you transmitting to those who come after? If it is the complete Lutheran faith and practice, the name and number of the standards is less important. If it is not, the burden of proof rests upon you to show that your more incomplete standard does not indicate an incomplete Lutheran faith." Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: 1911, p. 890.
[Selnecker, who wrote "Ach bleib bei uns" (TLH #292) was bitterly attacked and severely persecuted by the Reformed, deposed when Augustus died, reduced to poverty, and not allowed to remain in Leipzig as a private citizen. That was the spirit of WELS during Mischke and Gurgle.] Theodore E. Schmauk and C. Theodore Benze, The Confessional Principle and the Confessions, as Embodying the Evangelical Confession of the Christian Church, Philadelphia: General Council Publication Board, 1911, p. 310ff.
ELCA Illustrates What Happens to Anti-Confessionalism
Lutherans divided over gay ministers, but denomination is leading the debate
Close vote results in some churches breaking away
 Pastor Bill Knott, right, and partner Ted Carter practice with the church band before services at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Fort Lauderdale. (April 24, 2010) |
"I'm delighted, of course," the Fort Lauderdale pastor says. "But it won't change the ministry life of the congregation."
But much has changed in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, with 4.7 million members nationwide. And other mainstream denominations are watching this version of the conflict between liberals and conservatives.
Last summer, delegates to the denomination's biennial assembly voted by a slim margin to allow churches to hire noncelibate gay ministers. That enabled Florida's bishop, Edward R. Benoway, to lift the sanction he had imposed in 2002 when Abiding Savior hired Knott as pastor despite denomination rules.
Most congregations are deeply divided over gay-related issues, Benoway says from Tampa, where he shepherds about 75,000 people in 204 congregations. "But most feel we can do what the Lord calls us to do, and not let this issue dominate."
Perhaps. But in the wake of the national vote, about 200 of the 10,000-plus congregations are considering leaving the denomination.
The Rev. Jeff Linman is dean of the 17 ELCA churches in Central Florida. But even at his own church, a straw poll showed divisions as sharp as those at the national votes."I personally accepted the [national] decision, but I would have said it wasn't time yet," says Linman, pastor of Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church in Orlando. "It's a no-win situation. We've just replaced one group's pain with another's. And every one of them is part of my flock. And it's a tricky dance."
The issues echo far beyond Lutheran circles. Because of its moderate image and Midwestern home turf, many see ELCA as a bellwether of American Protestantism.
"It's a painful issue, and a lot of denominations are watching to see how we do this," Linman says. "I hope they see we've tried to wrestle with it respectfully."
Abiding Savior is among more than 6,000 "gay-friendly" religious groups nationwide, including 181 in Florida, according to the gaychurch.org website. Besides Lutheran, they include Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Congregational, Quaker, even Catholic parishes.
Because of the sharp disagreement, the ELCA has moved slowly and cautiously. For one, the national vote last year didn't require all congregations to accept gay leaders. The delegates also resolved to respect one another's consciences. One of the issues is, well, agreeing on the issue. For conservatives, it's the status of the Bible, which they say flatly forbids homosexual acts. For liberals, it's social justice and human rights.
"Homosexuality is the lightning-rod issue, but the basic issue is the authority of the Word of God," says the Rev. Rebecca Heber, a national steering committee member for Lutheran CORE, who spoke at a Hispanic Lutheran meeting last month in Miami. "Lutherans interpret scripture by scripture, not by the current cultural milieu."
Across the aisle is Ross Murray, interim executive director of Lutherans Concerned/North America, which has lobbied for gay rights since 1974.
"The LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] community has been beaten up by churches for quite a while," Murray says. "Now, a lot of people are deciding if church is a safe place for them to go. … The national policy changes were good."
Knott and other liberal pastors also note most Christians today don't follow other biblical bans, such as eating shellfish. "Some things were reflections of their time and place, and not God's word for all time. Yes, homosexuality was a sin in that day and age. But it wasn't the same as a loving, caring relationship."
For many Lutherans, gospel and ministry do seem more important than gay ordination.
"We want to welcome all people," says the Rev. Richard Barbour, of Advent Lutheran Church in Boca Raton. "This is an issue over which faithful Christians disagree."
Linman, the Orlando pastor, compares the situation to a couple who disagree on an issue, yet sleep in the same bed because of their commitment to the marriage.
"The gospel that unites us is greater than what divides us," Linman says. "A generation down the road, this won't be the divisive issue it is now."
Monday, May 3, 2010
Universal Forgiveness Is the Theme of Karl Barth and ELCA: Lavender Mafia Approves It Too
He was a Marxist and an open adulterer.
The Lutheran Confessions - No Middle Ground
but Lutherans hardly read his works today.
Start with the Large Catechism.
"We have no intention of yielding aught of the eternal, immutable truth of God for the sake of temporal peace, tranquility, and unity (which, moreover, is not in our power to do). Nor would such peace and unity, since it is devised against the truth and for its suppression, have any permanency. Still less are we inclined to adorn and conceal a corruption of the pure doctrine and manifest, condemned errors. But we entertain heartfelt pleasure and love for, and are on our part sincerely inclined and anxious to advance, that unity according to our utmost power, by which His glory remains to God uninjured, nothing of the divine truth of the Holy Gospel is surrendered, no room is given to the least error, poor sinners are brought to true, genuine repentance, raised up by faith, confirmed in new obedience, and thus justified and eternally saved alone through the sole merit of Christ." (Closing of Formula of Concord, Triglotta. p. 1095) Francis Pieper, The Difference Between Orthodox And Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 65. Tappert, p. 632. Heiser, p. 294. FC SD #94-96.XI,
Missouri, WELS, the Little Sect on the Prairie, and the mini-micro-sects all claim to have a quia subscription to the Book of Concord. The Lutheran Church is the only denomination with a common, world-wide, culture-transcending confession of faith. The Book of Concord is also the best Biblical commentary in one volume. The Triglotta provided an excellent history as well.
There is no middle ground for the Lutheran Confessions. They are either the ruled norm for all doctrine and practice or they are not. Many pastors and leaders pay lip service to the Confessions, but they are hardened in their hearts against this great treasure of spiritual wisdom.
All the DPs and CPs need to be examined for their position on the Book of Concord, not so they can merely repeat the time-worn words, the repeat-after-me phrases that got them through seminary.
The leaders of WELS, Missouri, ELS, and the CLC (sic) have gone over to generic Christianity. These apostates imagine that their indifference is the best approach, but a non-confessional Lutheran is really an Anti-confessional unLutheran.
What have the Anti-confessional leaders of WELS accomplished? I can list them easily in WELS, and the parallels in the other groups are similar:
1. They hide or eliminate the Sacraments.
2. They are ashamed of the name Lutheran and avoid it at all costs. They even avoid church.
3. They despise the historic, Biblical liturgy, and substitute entertainment for the Means of Grace.
4. They rely on Pietistic lay-led cell groups because they do not trust the Means of Grace.
5. They study and worship with unconfessional groups who openly mock the Lutheran Church, the Confessions, the liturgy, and the sermon.
6. They copy the sermons, graphics, and even the promotional notes of Groeschel and other non-Lutherans.
7. They work actively to punish and get rid of faithful Lutherans, laity and pastors alike.
8. They rely on their grapevine of slander, but they howl "Slander! Eighth Commandment! Matthew 18!" whenever someone identifies their false doctrine.
ELCA got to its current stage of degenerate apostasy by becoming Anti-confessional. Those changes also began with little steps, each one barely opposed.
Mark Jeske, Fifth Generation WELS, Is Now Missouri, More or Less
Mark Jeske is featured in a brochure about a Missouri Synod retreat, which I converted to a PNG above. If you left-click on it, you can read the type better. You can also enlarge the image from that point with the control mouse-wheel command.
In the brochure Jeske has no synod except the LCMS. Time of Grace is a Missouri Synod Real Sexy Organization. In order to get Real Sexy Organization status in the LCMS, certain rules have to be followed. The RSO status allows the group to solicit LCMS congregations and entities for funds. RSO is St. Louis for kosher.
The biggest laugh is his People's Commentary volume, from Concordia Publishing House. Gentle readers, as Shakespeare (Oxford) used to say, the actual publisher is always named. As far as I know, CPH is merely selling it. The sales organization is not the publisher, just the vendor. For further details, check with Paul McCain, who blogs for CPH from a spare bedroomin his house. If the brochure had said Northwestern Publishing House, people might have suspected Jeske was WELS.
Fuller begat Charis at Wisconsin Lutheran College, and Charis began Church and Change. Jeske, as a leading Changer, begat The CORE to get Ski and Katie out of Milwaukee. The CORE begat doctrinal confusion and division as Ski and Glende plagiarized Groeschel for all their sermons.
Jeske is coming out with a Time of Grace book. This, from CPH:
Pastor Mark Jeske brings the Word of God to viewers through his outreach media ministry Time of Grace. The Time of Grace weekly 30-minute program is broadcast on six continents to 660 million households. Pastor Jeske calls the little daily devotions in this book "Bible studies for busy people" in the hope that these short meditations will soothe the soul and give encouragement and hope for tomorrow.
The dominate theme of each devotion is grace - the amazing promise of Scripture that God chooses to love unlovely people. Note lines are provided for the reader to write thoughts and reflect on what was read.
Pastor Mark Jeske is an author, former missionary, accomplished instrumentalist, amateur historian, and senior pastor at St. Marcus Lutheran Church.
WELS members - make your check out to the LCMS South Wisconsin District! The DP is John Wille, a Mequon, NWC, and NW Prep graduate, just like Jeske.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
UOJ Posted with Gaps Filled In
by the failed SP Gurgle and his Church and Change Cohort Patterson.
UOJ and Emerging Church go together, hoof and claw.
bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Bruce Church - The Nate Bourman UOJ Paper":
The complete Bourman paper is now up. It includes the previously missing page 6 with lines 91-122 of text:
http://scdwels.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/justification-paper.pdf
---
Leonard and Marion Newman, Part II, Midland Daily News
Midland Remembers: Part II of the Newman family story
NATHAN MORGAN
Posted: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 12:00 am
(Marion Cox lost her mother when she was 7 and spent the next two years living with her grandmother, Marie Thiede. Marie left a lasting impression on her little granddaughter. Attending Lutheran Day School and Lutheran High School in Milwaukee, Wis., Marion was only 17 when she enrolled in the Lutheran Teachers College in New Ulm, Minnesota. At the age of 18 she was given a call to teach school in Benton Harbor at St. Matthew's where she met her future husband, Leonard Newman. Her story continues.)
Taking classes for five years and doing two summer vicarages, Leonard Newman graduated and accepted his first call to Kenton, Ohio. Marion, Len and their two small children lived there for the next two years. Their daughter Christine was born in Kenton but when she was only two weeks old the family moved to Tawas City in the middle of winter.
The Newmans stayed in Tawas City for the next eight years. Although Len's salary was small, at last they had a steady income. The twins Elizabeth and Ruth were born in Tawas City and two years later, Kathleen. "I came with three and left with six. I couldn't afford to stay there any longer," Marion said.
In 1962 Len accepted a call to serve at Iva (today, part of Hemlock). It was here that Len's reputation of as a peacemaker in congregations that were having trouble became noticeable.
In 1966 he accepted a call to serve the congregation of St. Paul's in Sanford. Still serving the church at Iva, Len drove to Sanford on Sunday evenings to conduct worship services and one night he asked Marion to go with him. He said to Marionthat "it's so beautiful over there."
"I just went along to see how pretty Sanford was," she said. She was sold on the little town and the Newman family shortly moved to Sanford.
With their six children in school all day, Marion's teaching career received a jump start when she was asked to substitute teach at St. John's in Midland for two weeks because one of the teachers was ill. This turned into 17 years. In the meantime the congregation at St. Paul's in Sanford grew by leaps and bounds and something called the 400 Sunday became an annual affair. Each elder was given 10 members to call on and Pastor Newman personally contacted 100 members in one week.
Once asked about the zeal he displayed in contacting members and non-members alike to come to church he replied, "There won't be anybody in heaven that doesn't want to be there."
In 1961 Len and Marion decided to travel to Europe for a vacation. "People thought we were joking. People as poor as we were didn't go to Europe for a vacation," Marion said. The children were divided up among the relatives while Len and Marion toured Europe.
Then in 1965 they decided they really wanted to visit Russia. Aware of the history of the Volga Deutsche as the Germans were called who had settled in Russia by the Volga River, Len wanted to see the country first-hand where his ancestors had once lived. These were the years of the Cold War and Len and Marion were warned that they probably couldn't get a Visa. Having a passport wasn't sufficient for Russia. They had to have a visa approved by the Soviets.
They applied for a visa in the winter of 1964 — it was approved in July of 1965. "They dragged their feet," Marion said.
On their way to a month's stay in Russia they had to stop in Detroit to pick up their visas. Even there they ran into bureaucracy and forms had to be filled out. When Len handed the form in, it was refused. What was wrong with the form that had been filled out? The date had been left off.
Len and Marion finally left for Russia with their passports and visas firmly in hand. Rationing was still in effect behind the Iron Curtain. Prepaid ration books were needed for gas, oil, food and their hotel. If one didn't use their coupons up each day there was no refund.
The coffee was undrinkable. Marion asked for lemon with her tea and she was informed there were no lemons in the city of Moscow. Surrendering to the bureaucracy, Len and Marion used up their food ration stamps by buying a bottle of Russian champagne and then inviting others to share it with them during the evening hours.
They rented a small Russian car but getting gas was often a problem. A town of 40,000 people would have a total of two gas stations. For every 200 people there was one automobile. When Len and Marion asked where the next gas station was, they would be pointed in a direction, "But we never knew how far the gas station was from where we were at the time," Marion said.
Hitchhikers were a common sight along the Russian roads. "You would see a Russian mama carrying a baby standing by the side of the road with her thumb held out for a ride. We'd stop and then papa and two more children would come out from behind the trees to ride, too," Marion.
Travel continued to be a part of the couple's life. They went to Russia again in 1969 and added Poland, Romania, Czechoslovakia and Hungary to their itinerary. In 1972 they traveled to Israel and Egypt, In 1981 they traveled to Africa where her brother Raymond was a missionary. In 1983, they took trip back to Israel and in 1986, South America.
In 1986 Len decided to build a home on the 240 acres of property they had owned since 1969. Using a chain saw, he began cutting down trees on their property and the log home went up little by little. Everything in the home was made from the trees on their property. Only the plumbing and electricity were put in by contractors.
Len retired from the public ministry in 1989 and passed away in 2003. Today Marion continues living in the home that Len built for them 20 years ago. She remains active in the Right To Life organization and People to People, even going to the extent of hosting some of the young foreign students. She remains close to her five daughters; her son Billy died in 2005. Her six grandchildren range in age from 14 to 38. The Newman family can be summed up in the words of Sir John Bowing: "A happy family is but an earlier heaven."
***
GJ - Thank you, Leonard and Marion Newman - great friends and faithful Lutherans.
Here is Part I.
And I'll Raise You a Thousand More
You who have dreams
If you act, they'll come true.
To turn your dreams to a fact
It's up to you.
If you have the soul and the spirit
Never fear it, you'll see it through.
Hearts can inspire
Other hearts with their fire,
For the strong obey
When a strong man shows them the way.
Give me some men who are stout-hearted men
Who will fight for the right they adore.
Start me with ten who are stout-hearted men
And I'll soon give you ten thousand more-ore.
Shoulder to shoulder, and bolder and bolder
They grow as they go to the fore.
Then there's nothing in the world
Can halt or mar a plan
When stout-hearted men
Can stick together - man - to man...
Oh...
Give me some men who are stout-hearted men
Who will fight for the right they adore.
Start me with ten who are stout-hearted men
And I'll soon give you ten thousand more-ore.
Shoulder to shoulder, and bolder and bolder
They grow as they go to the fore.
Then there's nothing in the world
Can halt or mar a plan.
When stout-hearted men
Can stick together - man - to man...
(Give me some men who are stout-hearted men) [fade]
Cantate, The Fourth Sunday after Easter
Cantate, The Fourth Sunday after Easter
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship
Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time
The Hymn # 199 Jesus Christ is Risen Today 1:83
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
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 262 A Mighty Fortress 1:86
Three-fold Work of the Word and Holy Spirit
The Communion Hymn #308 Invited Lord 1:63
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 #187 Christ Is Arisen 1:45
Fourth Sunday After Easter
Lord God, heavenly Father, who didst through Thy Son promise us Thy Holy Spirit, that He should convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment: We beseech Thee, enlighten our hearts, that we may confess our sins, through faith in Christ obtain everlasting righteousness, and in all our trials and temptations retain this consolation, that Christ is Lord over the devil and death, and all things, and that He will graciously deliver us out of all our afflictions, and make us forever partakers of eternal salvation, through the same, Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
KJV James 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. 19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
KJV John 16:5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? 6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
Three-fold Work of the Word and Holy Spirit
In this parting sermon, Jesus promises once again to bind the Holy Spirit to His Means of Grace.
Naturally, the Bible is God’s revealed Word, so it is not a doctrinal textbook. That is why we do not have an orderly, library-like catalogue, but a unified revelation of truth, each part reflecting upon another part.
If we look at this part alone, we find all we need to know about the error of Enthusiasm, which separates the Holy Spirit from the Word.
Jesus sends the Holy Spirit.
First, we find Jesus saying that He will send the Holy Spirit.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
This can only mean one thing – By the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.
The Word of God refers both to the Scriptures and to faithful teaching and preaching. Besides this, God uses the liturgy, Creeds, and hymns to teach His Word.
God has made sure that there will be faithful pastors to study His Word, preach and teach it. The condition of a call is that the minister do this. All Lutheran pastors (in the past, at least) were read the appropriate passages from the epistles about the work of a called shepherd. So, even if a denomination is on the far edge of apostasy, the minister is obliged to be faithful to God’s Word and not the denomination’s embrace of a recent fad, whether it is social activism, socialism, or homosexual ordination and marriages.
A Lutheran minister may not teach Reformed doctrine, even if it is all the rage. He may not teach Pentecostalism or Roman Catholicism in any form, overt, covert or demi-semi-covert. He is not allowed, according to his promises, to teach what is popular at the moment instead of the content of the Word and the Confessions. That also means he must be studious with the Word and sound doctrine, and eager to apply this faithfully, such as calling on the sick and shut-in, visiting mission prospects, and carrying out a regular visitation of members.
The cross is always found with the Word, so a pastor is also obliged to bear the cross and teach it as well. In Europe, they used to tell the laity – no cross, no crown.
Not trusting the Holy Spirit in the Word, but trusting man’s word instead – that is clearly blasphemy. That is saying to God, “Thank you for the church and the office of the ministry, but I have to follow what the marketing people say. Thou art good up to a point, but Thou goest too far.”
And yet that sentiment, so often expressed, is exactly the opposite of the Epistle for today –
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
The Three-fold Work of the Holy Spirit Through the Word
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
I have to confess – I look this text up in Lenski every year, because the formulation is different and I want to give it justice. That is the point of repeating the lessons, so the minister and members have a deeper knowledge of the same texts.
Some people are converted from reading the Scriptures, but the Church is mainly a mouth-church, as Luther said. People become believers chiefly through preaching and teaching. Babies also become believers through the spoken Word – at their baptisms.
9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;
All world religions and all false doctrine have this in common – they oppose sin with virtue. They identify sin with the law and think they can defeat sin with the law. The Emerging Churches also fall into that error, as if an x-ray that reveals a broken bone can also be used to heal that broken bone.
Jesus says sin is not having faith in Him. Most people have a concept of sin, but they do not know how to defeat temptation and sin until they hear the Gospel. The Gospel is forgiveness, and faith is justification.
Faith is not virtue but trust in God’s mercy, which is conveyed through the Gospel Promises. From faith and the Means of Grace will come the fruits of the Spirit. Another way to say this is – If you are diligent in hearing the Gospel and participating in Holy Communion, the Gospel will bear fruit in your life through the work of the Holy Spirit.
As one ancient writer said, “If the hem of the garment of Jesus can heal a woman, how much more will His body and blood heal us?”
The unforgiven person runs from God, but the person justified by faith loves God’s forgiveness in Christ. Although the Law has value apart from the Gospel (in guiding the nations of the world and showing us our sin) the Law cannot make us serve God willingly. That would be the equivalent of someone ordering everyone to be friendly. I sometimes see the photos of a little girl who has grown up now. She was the oldest of five children. When she went into the house and we were first-time visitors, she yelled at her brothers, “TRY to act normal.” That still makes us laugh, because the first-born sister’s attitude was, “You are not normal, but pretend for our guests.” That is how the law works on us.
However, the Gospel moves us to love God’s teaching and to obey God out of love rather than fear or compulsion. If the terrors of the Law kept people from sinning, then all the 12 step programs would work, and they do not.
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
How would this convict people of righteousness – Jesus going to the Father?
This is a summation of Jesus’ work. When He ascended as the risen Messiah, His public ministry was completed, so He sent the Holy Spirit on Pentecost to rule and guide the Church.
The Holy Spirit teaches us through the Word –
1. Jesus is the Son of God
2. This innocent Lamb of God suffered and died for the sins of the world.
3. His righteousness is ours through faith.
4. His Ascension is another sign of His divinity, majesty, and Sonship.
Victory over death is victory over sin. How can we not see this when Jesus is triumphant over sin, death, and Satan. His victory is ours.
The preaching of the true Gospel is a proclamation of the alien righteousness of Jesus. Lutherans use that term “alien” to show that it is outside of us (Extra Nose – just like the blog), and not from our own strength, merit, or virtue.
Those who come from non-Lutheran or Pietistic backgrounds know that there is always an implied Law command within their distorted Gospel. You are justified by faith alone, but you must also do this or refrain from doing that. Forgiveness is made conditional and that defeats the Gospel, turning Jesus into Moses and Moses into the Savior. Some outcomes are:
1. You must witness or else.
2. You must be friendly.
3. You must redeem society.
Soon the “must” part of the mixed message becomes the only message.
And yet, this does not obliterate the Law. Only a believer can say, “God commands what is good for us.” Once we see Torah as teaching (the real meaning of Torah), the Old Testament is full of Gospel and Gospel preparation – even in those odd requirements of kosher and temple worship. Everything in the OT points toward the Lamb of God and His blood sacrifice for our sins.
Notice that even in this one verse (8), Jesus teaches Law (not believing in Him), Gospel (righteousness coming from Him), and assurance (Satan has lost his power, because of the Gospel). Each explanatory verse teaches us what those phrases mean, but they are a puzzle to unbelievers.
Unbelievers will say, “This is not something I can process with my logic.” That is the idea. The Gospel is a mystery revealed by the Holy Spirit.
11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
This verse gives us assurance that Satan’s reign is over. “One little Word (of God) will fell him.
One of the fables of this world is that Satan has won or is winning, so why not join him, enjoy his extraordinary pay, and quit worrying.
In Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian is confronted by Satan. “Come back to me and work for me.”
Christian says, “I worked for you before. I do not like your wages.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. KJV Romans 6:23.
Satan’s temptation is to make us think he is winning when in fact he is losing. The closer we come to the end of history, the more he will rage and capture as many as he can. Already we see a vast harvest through gambling, porn, drugs, and infidelity.
Satan’s greatest weapon is our emotions. As Luther said, Satan does not want a drop of our blood. He wants us to suffer emotionally, to be depressed, to want to give up, to fall into despair and say, “What is the use any more?” We are weakest in our emotions, which are so volatile. A lack of sleep, bad nutrition, physical pain, and financial reverses can make us tumble like a house of cards, doubting the goodness of God. Overwork is such a problem that it goes back to the Exodus, when Moses was warned against trying to do too much on his own.
Here we can see how the pure grace of the Gospel defeats the old evil foe. Christ has already won the victory and condemned Satan. Easter is that year-around celebration of His conquest of sin, temptation, despair, and death.
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Remember in your prayers - Norma Boeckler will have cataract surgery this week.
Gary Meyer will soon have double-knee replacement.
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