Sound Familiar? - Your Synod Is Full of Zwinglism

Admit it, synodical slaves, Zwingli is your leader.

"They [the Zwinglians] divorced the Word and the Spirit, separated the person who preaches and teaches the Word from God, who works through the Word, and separated the servant who baptizes from God, who has commanded the Sacrament. They fancied that the Holy Spirit is given and works without the Word, that the Word merely gives assent to the Spirit, whom it already finds in the heart. If, then, this Word does not find the Spirit but a godless person, then it is not the Word of God. In this way they falsely judge and define the Word, not according to God, who speaks it, but according to the man who receives it. They want only that to be the Word of God which is fruitful and brings peace and life..."

---

[1] Martin Luther, What Luther Says, An Anthology, 3 vols., ed., Ewald Plass, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, II, p. 664f. 

The Age of Pietism Gave Us UOJ

The Age of Pietism Gave Us UOJ

Important Dates

Martin Luther lived 1483-1546. Melanchthon lived 1497-1560.

The 95 Theses were written in 1517.

The Augsburg Confession in 1530, the Book of Concord compiled in 1580.

Zwingli died on the battlefield in 1529.

Calvin published his Institutes in 1536 and lived until 1564.

Spener published his Pious Wishes in 1675.

Halle University was established in 1694, under Spener’s direction.

Muhlenberg came to America, a graduate of Halle, in 1742.

Knapp lectured at Halle University, where he had been a student, and became a full professor in 1782.

Woods translated Knapp’s theology lectures into English in 1831.[1]

Walther landed in New Orleans with the Stephan group in 1839.

Hoenecke graduated from Halle in 1859.    

Reformation

            All false doctrine begins with Enthusiasm, the separation of the Holy Spirit from the Word. Zwingli and Calvin were Swiss pioneers of this error in Protestantism, as shown in the Biblical section. Zwingli said arrogantly, that the Holy Spirit does not need a vehicle, like an ox cart. Calvin said as much, though more elegantly. Zwingli died early, on the battlefield and published relatively little. Calvin’s ministry was much longer and he published extensively, including a complete set of Biblical commentaries still used today. The two leaders established a break with the Lutheran Reformation, in spite of many conferences and discussions. This essential difference, Enthusiasm, remains the divide between Biblical Lutheran doctrine, the historic Christian faith, and all false religion.

Spener

The second source of Enthusiasm came from Philipp Jakob Spener, who modeled his cell group method after Labadie’s, a Calvinist and former Roman Catholic. Intense Roman Catholic piety is encouraged in small groups, perhaps because the large scale Mass is so impersonal and mechanical. The falsehoods of Roman Catholicism are also due to Enthusiasm. The Holy Spirit works primarily through the Pope, who is considered and proclaimed the conduit of God’s grace, the ultimate keeper of the keys. Roman Catholics are encouraged to participate in lengthy, intense, and emotional prayer meetings, with rosaries and objects of devotion, such as the relics of saints. Every single Roman Catholic parish has a relic from a saint, certified by the Vatican, built into the altar. Many have noticed the parallel between Roman Catholic sanctification, with its emphasis upon receiving grace from prayer, and the Reformed sects, which also emphasize grace coming from prayer.

Spener started Pietism with his Pia Desideria (Pious Wishes) in 1675. He wrote a long essay as an introduction to a popular orthodox book of sermons by Johann Arndt, so Arndt's book served inadvertently as a launching pad for Pietism.

Hallmarks of Pietism are:

1. A heart religion instead of a head religion, they claim. Pietists often mention that false distinction.
2. Lay-led conventicles or cell groups, to develop piety through prayer and Bible study. Spener began cell groups in 1699.
3. Unionism - cooperation between Lutherans and the Reformed. Spener was the first union theologian (Heick, II, p. 23).
4. An emphasis on good works and foreign missions. "Deeds, not creeds" is a popular motto.
5. Denial of the Real Presence and baptismal regeneration, consequences of working with the Reformed. (Heick, II, p. 24)
6. A better, higher, or deeper form of Christianity rather than the Sunday worshiping church. This often made the cell group the real church, the gathered church, superior to those who merely worship and participate in the Means of Grace.

            The issue for justification is the source of God’s grace in forgiveness. The Scriptures, the Book of Concord, Luther, Chemnitz, Gerhard, and all the orthodox Lutherans teach that grace comes only from the Means of Grace. The non-Lutheran Protestants deny this. Roman Catholics use the term Means of Grace, but they apply a different meaning, because they have seven sacraments that fail to deliver complete and free forgiveness of sin. Purgatory is that place where forgiveness is earned through countless years of torture. Pietism is the Protestant version of that style of sanctification.

            Spener influenced the ruler to found Halle University in 1694, to teach actual Biblical studies, which had been neglected in favor of ferocious dogmatic struggles between the Lutherans and Calvinists. Halle and the charitable foundations around it became so imbued with sacred awe that no one could question the school, Spener, or its influence.

            Few appreciate the substance, scope, and continuing influence of Pietism among the Lutherans in America. Spener had such a reputation among Lutherans that very few criticized him. Walther, who blasted many religious figures in his journalistic fervor, never dealt with Spener in his famous Law and Gospel lectures. Walther experienced an awakening through the Pietists and worked in Pietistic circles, before he came to America under Bishop Stephan, a Pietist.

            Walther was no different from other American Lutheran pioneers:

1. Muhlenberg came over from Halle University, the center of European Pietism, a school created to promote Pietism. Thus the LCA’s Muhlenberg tradition was an extension of Halle’s Pietism.
2. The Norwegians, Swedes, and Danes were Pietists, with certain exceptions - the Happy Danes.
3. The Wisconsin Synod’s most famous theologian, Adolph Hoenecke, was trained at Halle University under Tholuck, the last of the true Pietists, although he admitted being a Universalist.

In short, this means that almost all Lutheran church bodies in America, from the colonial Muhlenberg tradition (the Lutheran Church in America) to the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (1917) were Pietistic in origin.

            Pietism was unionistic from the beginning, and Spener is considered the first union theologian. His compromise over doctrine, making love more important, enabled Lutherans and other Protestants to work together without doctrinal agreement, a situation that led to a complete lack of doctrinal discernment and ultimately Unitarianism. His emphasis upon lay leadership and cell groups also moved people into an experiential form of worship, where feelings mattered far more than fidelity to the Word of God. The Confessions became insignificant because they were considered divisive.

            Given the sacrosanct status of Pietism among American Lutherans, the copying of the double- justification scheme from Halle professor George Christian Knapp was only natural. He was highly respected as the last old-fashioned Pietist at Halle. Significantly, Halle was honored as the center of all that American Lutherans admired and emulated. Probably few then realized how far Halle had fallen in basic doctrine, just as few realize today how bad their “conservative” seminaries are – in the lap of Fuller, Willow Creek, and New Agers like Leonard Sweet.

Untouchables – Franke, Zinzendorf, Bengel, Burk

            Francke met with Spener, adopted his program, and got into a world of trouble over Pietism. Spener had Francke appointed to the newly established Halle University. Francke remained there as a professor and pastor of a congregation for the next 36 years. His energy spread the influence of Pietism, both in his charity work (Halle Orphanage) and his Biblical teaching.

Count Zinzendorf (1700-1760) had a profound effect on the spread of Pietism, not only through his contact and friendship with Wesley, but also by being the father of world missions. Methodism is another form of Pietism. The English Methodist George Scott influenced Carl Olaf Rosenius, who founded Swedish Pietism.[2] Zinzendorf is also known for his "Come Lord Jesus" prayer and his hymns.

Pietistic hymns emphasize the blood of Jesus because of the influence of Johann Albrecht Bengel, famous for his Gnomon. (Heick, II, p. 25) Bengel's son-in-law, Burk, may be the inventor of Objective Justification. Burk e is credited by Hoenecke for this statement:

Hoenecke: “And Ph. D. Burk (Rechtfertigung und Versicherung, p. 41) rightly said:

‘The difference between general justification and the more common usage of the term justification can be expressed as follows. The latter takes place precisely upon the appropriation of the former.’

An emphasis upon general justification is necessary in order to safeguard the material content of the Gospel.

We need furnish no extraordinary proof in regard to the justification of the individual sinner; let us suffice with the story of the publican. Justification takes place in the one who appeals to the grace of God, but it does not take place in the Pharisee. And the entirety of Scripture demonstrates that he who believes is always justified; this applies to every individual, the moment that faith is kindled in him.” (Hoenecke, III,  p. 354)

Stepping Stones to Modernism – Tholuck, Schleiermacher, Barth

            Tholuck is considered the last of the Pietists who taught at Halle. The rest were rationalists. Although Tholuck is largely forgotten, he is important for two reasons. One is his role as mentor of Adolph Hoenecke, the dogmatician who helped the Pietistic and unionistic Wisconsin Synod become Lutheran. Another is his reputation for being a bridge between the old Pietists who had faith and the new theologians who were rationalists. Tholuck was a blend, who took the Objective Justification of old Knapp and turned it into Universalism. Tholuck was a confessed Univesalist who simply declared that all men are saved.  That does not make Hoenecke a Universalist, but the historical facts help the student of theology see the UOJ connections to Pietism.

            Friederich Schleiermacher, 1768-1834, was a Halle student and faculty member. He is the most important modern Halle professor, a pioneer of faith without belief, essential for such later theologians as Karl Barth and Paul Tillich. The modern theologians, with few exceptions, write about the articles of faith but make it clear that they reject the topics they consider with their enormous volumes.

            Karl Barth dominated the 20^th century, thanks to long life and his joint-publication of the Dogmatics, which was largely written by his live-in mistress Charlotte Kirschbaum. Although known as a critic of Schleiermacher and a classical theologian (!), Barth extended the influence of faith without belief. He was—and probably still is—the central theologian for Fuller Seminary. He turned several Fuller leaders against inerrancy, who re-fashioned the school into a large-scale factory for liberal Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Missouri and WELS pastors.

Victory of Pietism

The current state of the Lutheran Church in North America constitutes proof that the visible expressions of the church have done more than lose their doctrinal heritage – they have consciously and persistently rejected it in favor of Enthusiasm, the source of all false doctrine.

This rejection has been the work of Lutheran Pietism, a curious amalgamation of Calvinistic doctrine and Lutheran identity, with Lutheran doctrine on the scaffold and Calvinism on the throne – and in the hangman’s role.

Some visible proofs of the victory of Pietism over Lutheran doctrine are:

• Hatred of the Confessions.
• Repudiation of Luther’s work.
• Rejection of the historic liturgy and the Creeds.
• Sermons replaced by coaching talks.
• Cell groups.
• Predominance of the Law, but chiefly man-made law, such as “You must be growing.”
• Antinomianism, as if God’s Law is obsolete.
• Silence about the efficacy of the Word.
• Avoidance of the Means of Grace, or weak-kneed lip-service to this Biblical concept.
• Receptionism in Holy Communion.
• Tawdry gimmicks used in place of evangelism through the Word.
• Obvious persecution of faithful pastors and shunning of faithful laity.
• Promoting, defending, and rewarding false teachers.
• Seminaries and colleges providing a tawdry Calvinistic education, with no one objecting.
• District and synod officials in cahoots with the false teachers.
• Feminist dogma leading to de facto women’s ordination.
• Unionism with every possible sect.
• Division, tension, hostility, polarization.
• The silence of the shepherds and the slaughter of the lambs.

---

[1] “His translation of Georg Christian Knapp's Christian Theology (1831-1833) established his reputation, which was enhanced by his leadership in religious education. Strangely, his disastrous double-justification formula is remembered, but his name is unknown among Lutherans.

[2] Rosenius and Scott are identified with the Swedish Pietism of the Augustana Synod, whose college and seminary were established in Rock Island, Illinois. Augustana came under the influence of orthodoxy through Eric Norelius being trained at Capital Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. The more Pietistic side of this Swedish immigration to America formed the Mission Covenant and Evangelical Free denominations, both known today for their Church Growthism.

---

Narrow-minded Lutheran has left a new comment on your post "The Age of Pietism Gave Us UOJ":

Thanks for this post. One has to wonder why the Lutherans left the Prussian Union, toiled to get here, toiled to get established here, then immediately returned to the same old heresies.

What is equally ironic is that the Reformed guys, in an attempt to disassociate themselves with anything appearing remotely Roman, have created their own papacies, as you well-noted above.

Perhaps we could someday do a study of Grabau and the Buffalo Synod, as I can't find much material on the subject. Since everyone in today's Lutherdom seems to put down Grabau and the Buffalo Synod, they may have been doing something right. After all, if you're not a Walther idolater, you could be labeled a "hyper-Euro."

Thanks again for this post.

***

GJ - WELS, Missouri, and the ELS are so far away from Luther's doctrine that I am amazed they claim the name. No wait, they are jettisoning that now too. Good for them. I list myself as Church of the Augsburg Confession on Facebook. Lutheran means nothing when Ye Olde Synodical Conference runs down ELCA while working with ELCA on ELCA's terms.

WELS has topped that by denouncing the gaity of ELCA while publishing its own homosexual video on YouTube and Facebook, featuring its college students, one of them doing a Michael Jackson move, something too perverse for the Fire Island boys.

The current posts on justification are all from the book. Hoenecke did fascicle publishing of the Dogmatics. I am doing the same with a blog - cheaper and faster, and bound to please the tree-huggers.

Church and Change Merrily Ruling the Roost

To: Gregory L. Jackson
Sent: Fri, December 17, 2010 6:47:31 PM
Subject: Growing the church

A couple of interesting items from the recent WELS South Central Pastor Teacher Conference: - led by Glaeske - Patterson - Gurgle

******************************************************************************************************

President Glaeske's report:              http://scdwels.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/2010-10-dp-report.pdf 
 

"Vicar in Mission setting programs have been underwritten by Board for Home Missions. Holy Word's vicar has always been funded this way." (even though Holy Word's congregation has been around for over 30 years).

Conference Theological presentation:              http://scdwels.wordpress.com/essays-papers-presentations/

"Pastor Ken Fisher talked abour (sic) approaches and ways to fund minsteries (sic)":  http://scdwels.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/2010-10-minutes.pdf

http://scdwels.wordpress.com/essays-papers-presentations/

The Heart of the Harvester The Eye of the Harvester The Responsibility of the Harvester The Resources of the Harvester Priorities of the Harvester [Powerpoint] Priorities Handout Priorities Leader’s Guide

***
GJ - Schuppe, Hunter, Richard Gurgle - all Changers, plus many more for the insiders to wink at.

As I wrote before, FIC-L (Lutheran on the outside, Church and Change on the inside) does not get many subscriptions and is very expensive. "Get out there and sell subscriptions."

Hint - dead tree publishing is over. Send the staff to a resume writing seminar.

Women's ministries is not new. It is as old as the church, according to the Doctrinal Pussycat. Rome says that about the Assumption of Mary too. The fact is, WELS already has women pastors. The synod is just waiting to formalize the obvious. Note Randy Hunter in a leadership position.

If you don't like anything in these links, write SP Schroeder a letter. He may even send a secret email that he is working on it, but it will take a few decades.

Tell Me What You Think about This Statement

Brought to you by the copy and paste babies.


Lutherans will find the following to be a familiar definition of justification:

This is very conveniently expressed by the terms objective and subjective justification. Objective justification is the act of God, by which he proffers pardon to all through Christ; subjective, is the act of man, by which he accepts the pardon freely offered in the Gospel. The former is universal, the latter not.

***

GJ - I would like you to respond to the quotation, in blue, above. Do you find it:

1. Correct according to the Book of Concord and the Scriptures.
2. In error for one or more reasons?
3. Ambiguous?

I am very interested in your opinion and the reasons for it.

Church and Change Discussions, December, 2010

----- Forwarded Message ----g

Helping Andy with Sisera counseling
From: John Hoh
To: church_and_change@yahoogroups.com
Cc: James Sonnemann
Sent: Sun, December 26, 2010 3:40:42 PM
Subject: Re: [church_and_change] Why Men Hate Going To Church


"When I was on the board of elders at my church, loosing (sic) folks was a grave topic of concern, one which no one seemed to have a clue what to do about except keep track of numbers and write strongly worded letters before eventually purging these lost souls from our membership roster. It wasn't a very satisfying or productive job."


I guess if all we do is keep track of numbers, write strongly worded letters, and eventually purge, we will keep doing the same things but wonder why we don't get different results.

This is not to judge what anyone is doing. There likely isn't a lot of training in reclaiming lost/slipping souls.

The numbers tracking-letter writing-list purging on the surface seems like a lack of a relationship building. What, precisely, is the problem in these peoples' lives? I'm sure there are multitudes of answers, and in essence the same answer. When I vicared a number of people said they didn't come because a pastor didn't visit a mom in the hospital or something similar. Probing further, I discovered the offending pastor wasn't the *current* pastor, nor even always the pastor before him; several claimed the offense was committed two or three pastors ago! OK, reality check. This congregation has had a different pastor--give him a chance!

Jim Sonnemann at Salem decided to turn this conundrum on its head. Instead of clubbing delinquents with the Law ("You oughtta be in church!"), he used a Gospel approach. He brought the Word and Sacrament to them, In essence this stated, "We hold these means of grace to be important and vital and will bring it to you if need be." Funny, people started coming to church after that.

When I vicared (1988-89) there was a determnination (sic), from my bishop anyway, that Sunday should be the day for worship and "mid-week" services. Well, if you do a survey and a host of people cite job obligations as a reason for not attending more, shouldn't we as a church find ways to accomodate (sic) those people? Is there a Law in Scripture that dictates which day we *must* worship? (Don't say "Third Commandment"--read it closely and the command speaks of rest for our bodies, NOT worship.) Sometimes people have jobs that prevent Sunday attendance. Think of nurses.

Again, tracking numbers, writing letters, purging lists are not wrong in and of themselves. They are tools. But maybe we need to think outside the box on this one.

John




JOHN L. HOH, JR. Free-Lance Writer (1-414-231-9920) 4859 N. 78th. St., Milwaukee, WI 53218 H2O Scrolls & Codices (HoneyMilk Publications, CheddarBrau Publications, and Vine & Sheaf Publications). See my website ( iProclaim Bookstore ) or check out Kindle format titles on Amazon for details!


--- On Sat, 12/25/10, syncroinc@aol.com wrote:


From: syncroinc@aol.com
Subject: Re: [church_and_change] Why Men Hate Going To Church
To: church_and_change@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, December 25, 2010, 10:16 AM



Awesome- thanks!

Dave Long
St Pauls Franklin
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

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

From: Mark Salzwedel
Sender: church_and_change@yahoogroups.com
Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2010 08:11:40 -0800 (PST)
To:
ReplyTo: church_and_change@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [church_and_change] Why Men Hate Going To Church


Dave,

I'm not familiar with the book you are referring to, but here's a Lutheran discussion of the topic I can recommend that might offer some further food for thought.

http://issuesetc.org/podcast/Show18072308H1%201.mp3

- Mark






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "syncroinc@aol.com"
To: church_and_change@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sat, December 25, 2010 9:45:50 AM
Subject: [church_and_change] Why Men Hate Going To Church [2 Attachments]


Merry Christmas and God's grace be with you gents.

It's me again, the guy with the men's retreat looking for 20 WELS men ready to experience a true man's adventure and establish a core WELS team to get something going in our synod. I'd like to thank the man on this list who suggested the book "Why Men Hate Going To Church" by David Murrow. I got it as a gift last night and I'm halfway through it already. It's a great read and a wake-up call to action, it's the reason I'm doing what I'm doing and not going away.

The books states that 35% of men go to church weekly, in Europe more like 5%. Any WELS Pastor knows that we loose (sic) men ages 18-35 at an unacceptable rate, some right after confirmation, and most never come back. When I was on the board of elders at my church, loosing folks was a grave topic of concern, one which no one seemed to have a clue what to do about except keep track of numbers and write strongly worded letters before eventually purging these lost souls from our membership roster. It wasn't a very satisfying or productive job.

So this glorious morning as we celebrate our Savior's birth I am taking a moment to write to you again, re-energized and enthusiastic after reading this book about a project that I have been working on for most of my life. I want to invite you to join me to renew and supercharge men and bring them back to church and in service of the Word where they belong. I invite each of you again to think about joining me in a hands on discovery, one that has the potential to reinvigorate our drifting men folk, give them an opportunity to examine their faith and a chance to rejoin the church once again reclaiming their God-pleasing places as powerful leaders and joyful witnesses.

Questions and concerns can be sent to me off line. Logistically there's not a lot to do- register by sending in the form, then show up on Friday with a sleeping bag at 5:30 PM and leave Sunday at 3. We'll take care of the rest. I've attached the forms and some links for more data. If money is an issue please let me know and I'll take care of it.

Sincerely

Dave Long
St. Pauls Franklin WI

PS Thank you to the men who contacted me off line and shed some light on Andy and his rant from a few weeks ago. I have a better understanding of who he might be, especially the fact that he was NOT a pastor. I would love for us to find a way to help Andy sort things out and bring him some peace.




Past Participants Talk About "One Year To Live"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbKfEa3JF3c&feature=related


Wives of Participants Speak about "One Year To Live"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnNuRRmv3Xo

Lutheran Men in Mission including "One Year To Live"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCJzH5RbvJU

Chetek, Wisconsin
Luther Park Bible Camp
January 14-16, 2011
(near Eau Claire)

Revision of Justification by Faith Started

By Norma Boeckler. Jesus taught us to have a child-like faith,
not to goose-step behind someone whose authority rests on being a mediocre Greek student.

From the current draft:



Luther versus the UOJ Pietists:
Justification by Faith Alone



Gregory L. Jackson, PhD










Epiphany, 2011 Revision
Martin Chemnitz Press
Art, Copyright, Norma Boeckler, 2010
Text, Copyright, Gregory L. Jackson, 2010
ISBN #978-0-557-66008-7

Acknowledgements
Lutheran laity began this project by asking me to look into justification by faith and the UOJ controversy at a WELS congregation in Kokomo, Indiana. That research became an important part of Thy Strong Word, which is also available in print and as a free PDF download from Lulu.com. The need for additional study has been motivated by the spread of false doctrine among Lutherans, the abandonment of the Confessions and liturgical worship, and the hatred expressed toward justification by faith.
Many Lutheran pastors think they are conservatives because they convertly express their mild criticism of Church Growth, Emergent Church, and the New Age fantasies of Leonard Sweet. Nevertheless, they goose-step, with glazed eyes, to the beat of forgiveness without faith, universal absolution, justification without faith.

Introduction

Lutherans will find the following to be a familiar, erroneous definition of justification:
This is very conveniently expressed by the terms objective and subjective justification. Objective justification is the act of God, by which he proffers pardon to all through Christ; subjective, is the act of man, by which he accepts the pardon freely offered in the Gospel. The former is universal, the latter not.

This is not a quotation from Walther in 1847 or Pieper’s Christian Dogmatics in English in 1950. Nor is it from any work prior to the Age of Pietism. Instead, it is the translator’s note from a book of lectures published by a Halle University Pietist, Georg Christian Knapp. The date of the first English edition is 1831, eight years before Walther landed in America with the Stephanite migration. The translator, Leonard Woods, Junior, was the brilliant, young superstar of the mainline Protestants. His translation of Knapp was used throughout the 19th century, so the book influenced the conservative German Lutherans who read the original and the mainline Protestants who used the English translation in their schools.

The original German book began as lectures at Halle in the late 1700s, which were published in 1817. Halle University was established in 1691 to teach Pietism, a peculiar blend of Lutheran and Calvinistic doctrine. The Knapp book is still in print today, an indication of its formidable influence in German and English in the 19th century in America. That influence continues today, because universal absolution became the hallmark of mainline Protestantism, notably in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Universal absolution is also the essence of Universal Objective Justification (UOJ), the only important doctrine for the old Synodical Conference – the Wisconsin Synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. UOJ is the reason why the WELS, the ELS, and the LCMS work together with ELCA – they share the same doctrine.

The Biblical doctrine of justification by faith has become toxic to the old Synodical Conference. The development of this turning away from sound doctrine can be documented in two ways. First of all, the historical context needs to be considered, because most people do not know what Pietism is, how American Lutheran church bodies began in Pietism rather than Lutheran orthodoxy. Secondly, the favorite passages of the UOJ advocates need careful examination, because their perversion of the truth requires twisting God’s Word.

Additional materials include the favorite quotations of UOJ advocates and why these sentiments are wrong. Justification by faith is naturally taught clearly before the Age of Pietism, so those quotations are also listed.

Research is being completed about the injection of Pietism into the nascent Synodical Conference. That work, by another author, will eventually be included in future editions of this volume. Additional essays are also going to be added, with permission from the author’s family.

St Stephen, the first martyr « Churchmouse Campanologist

St Stephen, the first martyr « Churchmouse Campanologist

Stephen means "crown" in Greek, so the New Testament references to a "crown of life" may be a way of honoring the first martyr.

Hef Seeking Suitable Venue To Marry His Child Bride

Trophy wife weddings are a specialty in WELS. The couple will be expected to fund a wide variety of projects, all doomed to failure, but handy for employing the flotsam and jetsam of the clergy.

If Hef has enough money left from previous marriage disasters, he can share the bounty with Missouri and the Little Sect on the Prairie. All three sects have shared "whales," the really big fish they have harpooned with absolution activated by highly visible giving.

UOJ is not good for planned giving. The whales need to feel the guilt first before they can enjoy the comfort of the post-teen bride.

Caution - the bride may return to Buddhism or Goth when Hef expires from an overdose of his medicine. Seriously, it has happened before.

The Sunday after Christmas

By Norma Boeckler

The Sunday after Christmas

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time


The Hymn # 85:1-8 From Heaven Above 4.55
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 #85:9-15 From Heaven Above 4.55

Redemption, Atonement, Forgiveness

The Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior 4.24
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 #83 Hark! What Mean Those Holy Voices 4:40

KJV Galatians 4:1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

KJV Luke 2:33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him. 34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; 35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. 36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; 37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem. 39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth. 40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

Sunday After Christmas
O almighty and everlasting God, mercifully direct our ways, that we may walk in Thy law, and be made to abound in good works: through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Redemption, Atonement, Forgiveness

Lenski:

All we are able to say is that God knew when the proper time had arrived. Judaism was bankrupt, and paganism had always been so. We can enumerate some of the providences which helped to open the way for the gospel such as the vast extent of the Roman Empire, the spread of the Greek language, the facility of travel throughout the empire, the extensive diaspora of the Jews, its many proselytes from Gentilism, etc. All of these aided the spread of the gospel. What God saw and regarded as the fulness of the time in the spiritual condition of men, barbarian as well as Greek, is too difficult for us to predicate because his thoughts and judgments are too unsearchable for us. Paul, too, refrains from stating details.
Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistles to the Galatians, to the Ephesians and to the Philippians. Columbus, O. : Lutheran Book Concern, 1937, S. 197.


We have discussed in the Formula of Concord class the proper distinction between the Law and the Gospel. There are many ways to consider this issue, which is the only way to understand the Scriptures. If someone is blind to the difference between Law and Gospel, he will read the Bible and not understand it. He may know a wealth of facts about the Bible, but he will not have any spiritual wisdom.

Spiritual wisdom does not come from academic degrees. Many who have been trained as clergy have no knowledge of this at all. Some laity attend church all their lives, serve on committees, and still cannot get up to the first principle of this matter.

The way we learn about this is: first) from studying the Word of God, the Confessions, and reliable books. And secondly) from experience in applying what the Holy Spirit teaches us in the Word.

St. Paul’s illustration in this lesson is very good and easy to learn. We know there is a world of difference between being an heir and a servant on an estate. We had the good fortune to live on the estate of a wealthy young couple in Milwaukee. We lived there and enjoyed many benefits of the estate, but we never imagined that anything was ours, in the present or in the future. On the other hand, the children were heirs. They had to listen to us at first, but they would grow up in time and inherit what was around them in abundance. We were their tutors, but we had no authority on our own.

The Law confuses people, because people become too familiar with being servants under the Law and unwilling to be free with the Gospel. The Law is a tutor, leading us to Christ. This tutor teaches us individually that we have certain duties and responsibilities, that the Creator has given us a world in which certain laws must be obeyed at all times, not just when the mood strikes us.

The Law is good and useful, but limited. If we live under the Law alone, we are still servants. When family members take turns accusing each other, they are using the Law alone. We cannot help feeling like children when we only hear the Law and no Gospel, no forgiveness.

On this first Sunday after Christmas, it is important to remember that God sent His Son to be completely obedient to the Law. Jesus, true man, was born under the Law, circumcised as a Jew, raised as all children were at that time. He obeyed the 10 Commandments and taught them with the power and authority of the true Son of God. In other words, many people would like to say that they have not broken this or that commandment, but Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount that even mental sins are the same as actual sins.

We cannot escape from the verdict of the Law. Many of our conflicts come from our ability to see the nature of sin in other people without seeing the sinfulness in our own behavior. All this was foreseen by God the Father, who sent His Son “in the fulness of time,” at the right time, born of a woman, to redeem us from the Law.

Jesus had to accept the verdict of the Law in order to save us from the ultimate penalty of the Law, which we all deserve, eternal death and punishment.

Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem [purchase] them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

This is another clear reference, like Romans 1:1ff to the Two Natures of Christ. The divine nature is described as “God sent forth His Son” and the human nature “made of a woman, made under the law.”

The phrase is very important – to redeem them that were under the law – because it says literally that Jesus paid the price for those under the law. A house has a price. A car has a price. Our sins have a price. The wages of sin is death.

Jesus paid that price, so we might receive adoption as sons. Some our latter day feminists are always discovering gender distinctions in the Bible, even when they don’t exist. Or they cover them up. (One notorious case is the feminist creed in the WELS hymnal. The phrase “and was made man” was perverted to read “fully human,” with the claim that the verb and root cannot mean man. However, in John 3:1 and many other cases, the root, anthrwpos, is used for man. W is used for the long o in Greek, the omega. There was an anthrwpos from the Phraisees by the name of Nicodemus. If that means “fully human,” then we should read, “There was a fully human from the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night.)

In this case we have a specific word with a precise meaning. The word is “son” and not “child.” There is quite a difference. Child is not a bad word, but “son” is special. A son inherits. In this case, if the Holy Spirit had been more sensitive to current trends, He would have had St. Paul say “adoption as children.” But he does not. We know there is a difference.

A son inherits the estate and there is a special relationship between a father and son. Abraham was promised a son and commanded to sacrifice his only son. Explain that to your only son. The binding of Isaac is intended to teach all believers from a personal standpoint what it would mean in the future and what it did mean in the past for the Father to give His only-begotten Son.

The Father/Son relationship is especially emphasized in the Gospel of John, but also in the three passages where Abba is used of the Father. We are supposed to realize and to be thankful that we have received the same relationship with God that is enjoyed by the Son, so that we can call upon our heavenly Father and ask Him just as we ask our earthly fathers.

First we have the example of Jesus in His agony of prayer, when He called His Father, Abba. His greatest request, of all His prayers, was begun with this term, Abba.

Mark 14:36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

The term Abba is familiar and not formal. Very few of us, except a few Episcopalians, would call our earthly fathers “father.” Instead we would use a familiar term. I heard on ethics professor from Texas consistently refer to his father as “mah daddy.” I have heard others say “dad” or “papa” or “pops” or “pa.” Familiar terms are loving terms, so Abba means we are given the same loving relationship to God as Jesus has.

That relationship is not based upon the Law but the Gospel. We are not redeemed by the Law but by the Gospel. Jesus did not die because we were worthy. He died on the cross to make us worthy. We receive His righteousness through faith. Gospel promises create and sustain faith. Trusting, believing hearts receive the promises of God: forgiveness, peace, love, and eternal life.

Paul also used the term Abba too in order to contrast it with the spirit of bondage, fear, and the Law.

Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.



In this passage from Romans, the language is all Gospel. While we as Lutherans do at times emphasize how sinful we are, and that is true, we also should grasp these comforting promises as well. The Gospel is freedom. We are adopted as sons and heirs. God Himself helps us in our prayers, because we are His children and heirs. We are joint-heirs with Christ, a supreme honor, and we have a promise to share in His suffering and His glory.

It is fun to watch parents with children. I remember one little girl working on her father for a certain request. Then she said, “But daddy, you always call me your princess.” He was tongue-tied.

One girl simply asked the same thing over and over, with a big smile on her face. Finally her father gave in. I praised his discipline. He laughed. The children were being so charming that he could not say no. He said no but it did not last.

Parents know that they often give in to requests because they love their children and not because the children have fulfilled their promises. In the same way, we should always think about God’s loving response to our requests. He has answered our prayers repeatedly, often before we can even ask. He has given us what we ask and far beyond that, not because we are perfect in the eyes of the Law, but because He loves us.

Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Isaiah 65:21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. 24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

These are not minor promises, because God Himself is speaking them. When people are troubled about what is happening around them, I remind them to dwell on the promises of God. It is true that the sins we can list are many. But a list will not comfort or heal. It will not bring forth the fruits of the Spirit. Only the Gospel can do that.

Quotations from the Apology (Defense) – Augsburg Confession





When people despair, they should think about a passage in Pilgrim’s Progress. Christian has been captured and is in the Castle of Despair. He is locked in a dungeon where he can hear the giant discuss how he will be tortured and killed. Eventually he realizes that he can escape the dungeon. The keys were in his pocket all along. They are the promises of God.



If you are worried to death, anxious about fears for the future, or riddle with pain over bad things that have happened, your mind can torment you just the way Christian was tormented in the Castle of Despair. Locked up and hearing the taunting words. But the promises of God will set you free, give you comfort, quiet your fears, and provide far more blessings than you can imagine.


Quotations from the Apology (Defense) of the Augsburg Confession

"In reference to original sin we therefore hold nothing differing either from Scripture or from the Church catholic, but cleanse from corruptions and re- store to light most important declarations of Scripture and of the Fathers, that had been covered over by the sophistical controversies of modern theologians."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article II, Original Sin, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 113.



"All Scripture ought to be distributed into these two principal topics, the Law and the promises."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IV, Justification, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 121.



"Their feigning a distinction between meritum congrui and meritum condigni [due merit and true, complete merit] is only an articifice in order not to appear to Pelagianize. For, if God necessarily gives grace for the meritum congrui [due merit], it is no longer meritum congrui, but meritum condigni [a true duty and complete merit]. But they do not know what they are saying. After this habit of love [is there], they imagine that man can acquire merit de condigno. And yet they bid us doubt whether there be a habit present. How therefore, do they know whether they acquire merit de congruo or de condigno [in full or in half]?"

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IV, Justification, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 125.



"Now, that faith signifies, not only a knowledge of the history, but such faith as assents to the promise, Paul plainly testifies when says, Romans 4:16: 'Therefore it is of faith, to the end the promise might be sure.' For he judges that the promise cannot be received unless by faith. Wherefore he puts them together as things that belong to one another, and connects promise and faith."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IV, Justification, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 135. Romans 4:16.

"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 given."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IV, Justification, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 159. Romans 3:31; John 16:15.

"James, therefore, did not believe that by good works we merit the remission of sins and grace. For he speaks of the works of those who have been justified, who have already been reconciled and accepted, and have obtained remission of sins. Wherefore the adversaries err when they infer that James teaches that we merit remission of sins and grace by good works, and that by our works we have access to God, without Christ as Propitiator."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IV, Justification, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 189. James 2:24.

"And since the Gospel is taught among us purely and diligently, by God's favor we receive also from it this fruit, that in our Churches no Anabaptists have arisen [have not gained ground in our Churches], because the people have been fortified by God's Word against the wicked and seditious faction of these robbers. And as we condemn quite a number of other errors of the Anabaptists, we condemn this also, that they dispute that the baptism of little children is unprofitable."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IX, Baptism, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 245. Matthew 28:19.

"But as the Confutation condemns us for having assigned these two parts to repentance, we must show that [not we, but] Scripture expresses these as the chief parts in repentance and conversion. For Christ says, Matthew 11:28: Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Here there are two members. The labor and the burden signify the contrition, anxiety, and terrors of sin and of death. To come to Christ is to believe that sins are remitted for Christ's sake; when we believe, our hearts are quickened by the Holy Ghost through the Word of Christ. Here, therefore, there are these two chief parts, contrition and faith."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XII (V), #44, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 263. Matthew 11:28.

"But if ordination be understood as applying to the ministry of the Word, we are not unwilling to call ordination a sacrament. For the ministry of the Word has God's command and glorious promises. Romans 1:16 The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. Likewise, Isaiah 55:11: So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth; it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please...And it is of advantage, so far as can be done, to adorn the ministry of the Word with every kind of praise against fanatical men, who dream that the Holy Ghost is given not through the Word, but because of certain preparations of their own...."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XIII (VII), #11, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 311. Romans 1:16; Isaiah 55:11.

"Our adversaries have no testimonies and no command from Scripture for defending the application of the ceremony for liberating the souls of the dead, although from this they derive infinite revenue. Nor, indeed, is it a light sin to establish such services in the Church without the command of God and without the example of Scripture, and to apply to the dead the Lord's Supper, which was instituted for commemoration and preaching among the living [for the purpose of strengthening the faith of those who use the ceremony]. This is to violate the Second Commandment, by abusing God's name."
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XXIV, The Mass, Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 414f.

Meet the Real Confessionals - Church and Change, (Je)UsFirst, Etc.

The "conservative" Lutherans hear about Stetzer, Sweet, Driscoll, Stanley, and Groeschel all the time. They even listen to their sermons, indirectly. The "conservative" Lutherans do not know H. E. Jacobs.

The apostates are the real confessionals in Missouri, WELS, and the Little Sect on the Prairie.

They believe in their cause and never give up. They support one another and undermine the feeble opposition at every turn.

They clamor for grants and get them, because they make sure their own people are in the influential positions, on committees and commissions and boards and staffs.

They raise a terrible cry if their position is threatened in any way.

They shun anyone who even threatens to disagree with them, and they gut those who actually do.

They also have a group of leaders who frown at them to placate the base but give them whatever they want.

Remember The Day - George Washington Won Our Independence, Though Years of Fighting Remained

British Battles

The Battle of Trenton Battle: Trenton War: American Revolution Date: 25th December 1776 Place: Trenton, New Jersey on the Delaware River Combatants: Americans against Hessians and British troops Generals: General George Washington against Colonel Rahl. General George Washington crossing the Delaware at the Battle of Trenton on Christmas night 1776 by Emmanuel Leutze Click here or on image to buy a print  Size of the armies: 2,400 American troops with 18 guns. 1,400 Hessians with 6 light guns. Uniforms, arms and equipment: The British 16th Ligh Dragoons wore red coats and leather crested helmets. The German infantry wore blue coats and retained the Prussian style grenadier mitre with brass front plate. The Americans dressed as best they could. Increasingly as the war progressed regular infantry regiments of the Continental Army wore blue uniform coats but the militia continued in rough clothing. Both sides were armed with muskets and guns. The Pennsylvania regiments carried long, small calibre, rifled weapons. The US 8th Continental Regiment - fought in the siege of Boston, Lake Champlain, Trenton, Princeton, Saratoga, Monmouth  and Yorktown Buy the Uniforms of the Revolution CD

Uniforms of the American Revolution - CD buy on-line

Winner: The battle was a resounding physical and moral victory for Washington and his American troops.

British Regiments:
Only a troop of 16th Light Dragoons who left the town at the onset of the fighting.

Account:
After being driven out of New York by the British and forced to retreat to the West bank of the Delaware during the late summer of 1776, the American cause was at a low ebb. In the harsh winter Washington was faced with the annual crisis of the expiry of the Continental Army’s period of enlistment. He resolved to attack the Hessian position at Trenton on the extreme southern end of the over extended British line along the Delaware, before his army dispersed.

Washington’s plan was to cross the Delaware at three points with a force commanded by Lt Col Cadwallader with a Rhode Island regiment, some Pennsylvanians, Delaware militia and two guns, a second force under Brigadier Ewing of militia and the third commanded by himself which would cross the river above Trenton and attack the Hessian garrison in the town. Washington had as his subordinates, Major Generals Nathaniel Greene and John Sullivan.
Washington had some 2,400 men from Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York.

The force paraded in the afternoon and set off for the Delaware where they embarked in a flotilla of the characteristic Delaware river boats.

It was a cold dark night and the river was running with flowing ice. At about 11pm a heavy snow and sleet storm broke. Washington’s force did not reach the east bank until around 3am. His soldiers were badly clothed and many did not have shoes.

Washington’s men then marched to Trenton, some of the men leaving traces of blood on the snow.The German garrison comprised the regiments of Rahl, Knyphausen and Lossberg, with Hessian jagers and a troop of the British 16th Light Dragoons.

The Hessian commander Colonel Rahl had been ordered to construct defence works around the town but had not troubled to do so. On the night before the attack Rahl was at dinner when he was brought information that the Americans were approaching. He ignored the message which was found in his pocket after his death.

Battle of Trenton

The main American force under Washington entered Trenton from the North-West. Sullivan marched around the town and attacked from the South. The remainder took a position to the North East cutting off the Hessians’ retreat.

The surrender to General George Washington of the dying Hessian commander, Colonel Rahl, at the Battle of Trenton

One of the American artillery sections was commanded by Captain Alexander Hamilton. Captain William Washington and Lieutenant James Monroe were wounded in the battle, the only American officer casualties.

Battle in the Streets of Trenton

The Hessians attempted to form in the town but were under artillery fire and attack from front and rear. The Americans occupied the houses and shot down the German gunners and foot soldiers during which Colonel Rahl was fatally wounded. Rahl’s troops retreated to an orchard in the South East of the town where they surrendered.

Ewing and Cadwallader failed to make the river crossing and took no part in the attack.
Casualties: The Americans suffered 4 wounded casualties. It is said that in addition two American soldiers froze to death. The Hessians suffered 20 killed and around 100 wounded. 1,000 were captured.

General Washington leading the attack at the Battle of Trenton

Follow-up:
The effect of the battle of Trenton was out of all proportion to the numbers involved and the casualties. The American effort across the colonies was galvanized and the psychological dominance achieved by the British in the preceding year overturned. Howe was stunned that a strong German contingent could be surprised in such a manner and put up so little resistance. Washington’s constant problem was to maintain the enthusiasm of his army for the war, particularly with the system of one year recruitment and Trenton proved a much needed encouragement.
Tradition:
• Washington’s army crossing the Delaware in the freezing conditions has become an important national image for the United States as can be seen in Emmanuel Leutze’s picture.
• Present at the battle were: two other future presidents James Madison and James Monroe, the future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, John Marshall, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton.

General Washington accepts the surrender of Colonel Rahl's Hessian troops.

References:
• History of the British Army by Sir John Fortescue
• The War of the Revolution by Christopher Ward

WELS And Other Lutherans

Book List for Students of the World

Paul T. McCain, Do You Know Who I Used To Be?

Peter Drucker, Management By Objective

Donald McGavran, Understanding Church Growth

E. Preuss, Justification Without Faith

Northwestern Publishing House, WELS, The Salvation Army, and Other Lutherans

Another Way To View the Resume

And now he is heading up a bankrupt seminary in a failing denomination that he helped destroy - as pastor, seminary professor, bishop, and home office bureaucrat. Your benevolence dollars at work, ELCA.

Stanley N. Olson has been elected president of Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, according to a Nov. 4 press release from the seminary. [GJ - Wartburg has had an interim president because it became insolvent and had throw several professors under the bus.]


Since 2005, Olson has served as executive director of the Vocation and Education unit of the churchwide office, which was disbanded in the churchwide office's October reorganization. Olson will begin his new job Jan. 1, succeeding Interim President David Tiede. [GJ - Olson's job was eliminated.]

In his Vocation and Education role, and as executive director of the ELCA’s Division for Ministry from 2002 to 2005, Olson led the church’s partnerships with its seminaries, colleges and universities, lifelong learning programs, outdoor ministries and campus ministries, as well as supporting young adult and youth ministries and guiding the ELCA candidacy program. [GJ - Olson's major hocho job was eliminated. Previously, ELCA had four divisions, so he was one of the top four.]

The ELCA Lutheran

Warming Up for the Justification Book

Gregory L. Jackson has left a new comment on your post "Book List for Students of the Word":

Narrow-minded, UOJ unites everyone because it eviscerates all creeds. That may be why the creedless ELCA pastors join the Roman priesthood, simply to have some standard of truth.

Since UOJ is the only real doctrine of WELS, the only one they teach with vigor and brain-dead obstinacy, all other points are adiaphora.

UOJ is the license that allows WELS and Missouri to work hand-in-glove, or claw-and-hoof, with ELCA. UOJ gives the ELS permission to go along with Enthusiasm while carrying the Book of Concord around like the True Cross of Jerusalem.

UOJ is mainline denominational doctrine, the NCC and WCC in a nutshell.

Cross Banned in Jerusalem

Jesus Who? Christian Cross Banned from Bethlehem Souvenir Shops

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/jesus-who-christian-cross-banned-from-bethlehem-souvenir-shops/

Two-thousand years after Jesus Christ was born in the town of Bethlehem, the Christian cross has reportedly been banned from souvenir shops as tourists and pilgrims pour into the Holy Land for the Christmas season.
According to AsiaNews, textile shops in Jerusalem and Hebron have begun to print and sell tee-shirts “depicting the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem without the cross.”  The cross has also been removed from tee-shirts of local football teams “because of the growth of Islamic fundamentalism in the Palestinian territories.”

Interviewed by AsiaNews, Samir Qumsieh, journalist and director of the Catholic television station Al-Mahed Nativity TV in Bethlehem, said: “I want to launch a campaign to urge people not to buy these products – he says – because the removal of the cross is an intimidation against Christians, it is like saying that Jesus was never crucified. “

Like every year, thousands including authorities, faithful and tourists from all over the world crowd, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem for midnight mass on the night of 24 December. It will be celebrated by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and will be attended by the highest offices of the Palestinian Authority.

Qumsieh says that the population is living these days with joy, but the situation for Christians is still dramatic. According to the journalist, the dialogue of recent years between Muslims, Christians and Jews has not changed the situation.

“In the Holy Land – said Qumsieh – the emigration of Christians is growing, even if the authorities refuse to give precise numbers. Every day there are people who flee to other countries. As Christians, we live in a constant feeling of fear and uncertainty, and if you live in constant tension and pessimism you can not plan anything.

Al Gore Pronounces Anti-Global Warming Measures a Success As Blizzard Rocks NYC

Oh the weather outside is frightful,
But Al Gore was so insightful,
Since Global Warming is a big 0
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

It doesn't show signs of warming,
So thanks for all the warnings,
The lights are turned way down low,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

When we finally go John Galt,
How I'll hate giving up all my cards!
But if the Left says “It’s really our fault!”
All the way home I'll be warm.

The nation’s slowly dying,
Hope and change have turned to crying
But as long as you love Gore so,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Christmas Is for the Birds

The main bird feeder, from Duncraft, is only a few feet from my desk - outside the window. The squirrel is already enjoying his corn feeder, nearby on the sill. I added another suet basket, hanging from the first one. My plan is to have a comfortable view of various creatures feeding at once. The multiple feeding arrangement generates noise, and more birds will come because of the noise.

The squirrel does not even try the Duncraft feeder, because his weight on the bar shuts off the supply of seed, which is now pure black oil sunflower.

For your amusement and edification, I compared the price of seed at a store. Blended seed (cardinal on the front) was $2 a pound, while sunflower seed was around 50 cents. Thistle (for finches) and safflower (hated by squirrels) were both higher priced than sunflower. As Bruce Church said, all the blended seed sacks featured various song birds. Sunflower seed is loved by 42 species of birds and costs less than all the other seeds.

The backyard corn feeder attracted a pair of blue jays, the most majestic of all the colorful birds. The jays rested above the feeder, looked around, and landed on the ground to pick up corn. They pecked away at it in the security of the branches above. I noticed them harvesting corn from the ground last year, too.

We probably have many jays living behind our house. We are surrounded by oaks, a favorite habitat for jays. A pair nested in the bush near the Duncraft feeder, so I wonder if they will nest there in the spring and notice the equivalent of a McDonald's outside their door.

"Jay, the nestlings need more food, dear."

"I'll just hop over to the feeder."

"So convenient, Jay. I hope we always nest here at the Jackson's. Grab a few seeds for me, too."

We now have one main feeding station (sunflowers, suet, corn and water). I can be inches away from a chickadee enjoying his suet - a foot away from cardinals, finches, titmice, and chickadees eating sunflower seeds. The squirrel is closest of all, because tree-rats are shameless food hustlers. They cannot be frightened through glass.

Three other places provide seed, corn, and suet. Now I will look for extra nuts for the jays and squirrels.

Some people think it is strange to feed the creatures, but the Lord of Creation shared His nursery with them.

Book List for Students of the Word

"The child is the father of the man." What we read and give to our children has a lasting effect. This newspaper article from 58 years ago reminds us how swiftly time passes.

I have divided this book list by priorities:

I. Essential
A. The King James Version of the Bible, or - at least one of the KJV updates at the very least. The rest of the translations are Dreck.
B. The Book of Concord. The Triglotta is the best edition. Tappert is a good portable edition. The Book of Concord is the best one-volume Biblical commentary available.
C. Luther's Sermons. It is better to have a small usable set than to leave all of Luther unread, unless you want to be a Lutheran leader. The synod leaders and professors are ignorant of Luther - that is a definite career path today. Here are some of them on the Net. This inexpensive set contains the Lenker series and Klug set, all for the cost of dinner out.

II. Wish List
A. Lenski's commentaries are the best single source for doctrinal issues, grammar, and translation problems. His introductory material alone makes the set worthwhile. He does not teach forgiveness without faith (UOJ).
B. Any book by Chemnitz. Once again, reading is better than just owning. Depending on your doctrinal interest, buy one volume and read it carefully.
C. Krauth, H. E. Jacobs, and Schmauk - all three fought the Confessional battle in the Muhlenberg tradition. The anti-Confessionals ultimately won, leading to the ELCA of today. Could these men get a job in ELCA today? No. Do you think your synod is not sliding downhill fast? These books often appear in used book offerings and library sales.
D. Robert Preus, Justification and Rome. The UOJ Stormtroopers will not admit that he repudiated their precious doctrine. ELCA loves UOJ, so the obvious apostates were happy to compromise with Rome about justification.

Christmas Eve - 5 PM Central

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


Christmas Readings and Hymns
Bethany Lutheran Church
Bella Vista, Arkansas
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

Hymn 77:1-6 All My Heart This Night Rejoices 2.25

The First Gospel
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

KJV Isaiah 40:1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins. 3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. 6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: 7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. 8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. 9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

The Place of Jesus’ Birth
KJV Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

#102 O Come All Ye Faithful 1:7

KJV Isaiah 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

Virgin Birth
KJV Isaiah 7:10 Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11 Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. 13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 16 For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

Incarnation
KJV Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

#109 While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks 1:35

KJV Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.


Sermon – The Virgin Birth of Christ

The Virgin Birth of Christ is the dividing line between believers and pretenders. There are many within the visible church who do not believe in the Virgin Birth, because they were carefully trained to reject the miraculous while staying around to collect a comfortable living.

But people think too easily, “That is the problem with those liberals.” We should look at the fundamental rejection and see how that affects everything in the Christian faith.

The more significant divide is between those who believe in the divine power of God’s Word and those who do not. That involves the Virgin Birth, Creation, justification, and how we look at all of life.

Today I was editing the 2005 edition of Jesus, Lord of Creation. There is no difference between doubting the Creation, doubting the Virgin Birth, and doubting justification by faith. All aspects of God’s work involve the direct use of His Word. If God cannot accomplish a unique birth, then He cannot create by His Word, heal the sick, turn water into wine, and raise the dead.

Those who like the parts of the Bible they like and reject the rest are those who eventually reject everything in the Bible. They may go through life imagining they are believers. They may even retain that same selective spirit, without giving up everything. But they pass on a legacy of picking and choosing, and that ends up with leaving everything behind.

Thus we have a situation today where the Bible provides a base for motivational speeches designed to whip people into doing more works. I just saw a list of them, from a “conservative” Lutheran. Each one was along the lines of “God works so you can do more for Him.” At the very best, the titles suggested that God does His part so man can do his part, a divine transaction called synergism.

But God gives so that we can receive – monergism. The best comfort in this message throughout the Bible is this – we know where to receive the power and benefits of the Gospel, because God has bound Himself to the Word.

God gave us His Son in this unique way so we always think of God performing the miraculous through His Word. This birth is a miracle far beyond the promise made to Abraham.
How many impossibilities are tied up in this one event? Mary hardly knew what to think, but it was announced to her that it would happen. Joseph was tempted to divorce Mary, but he did not. They had to travel a long distance under difficult circumstances, definitely a trial by itself. They thought they might stay with relatives or at the inn, but even that was too much. So we are inspired by the fact of the Virgin Birth and also by the way God did everything His way instead of our way. Luther confessed that he would have managed things quite differently. For example, he would have had the Savior born in a palace, in the splendor He deserved.

Whatever might be a stumbling stone (literally a fatal trigger in a trap) is something to consider as part of God’s lesson in His Word. Everything has happened for a reason and for our benefit.

God shows us how He works in this Christmas story, and that is a clear reflection of “My thoughts are not your thoughts, and My ways are not your ways.” Isaiah 55.

Our interpretation should be this – that all the peculiar turns in life, the difficulties, crosses to bear, are part of God’s plan to bless us in some way and to be a blessing to others.

Mary and Joseph accepted their unique roles, but their lives were not ones of saintly bliss because of it. We can see a glimmer with Jesus in the Temple, when He let them search for Him sorrowing – for days. They took on a great burden but they also provided a great blessing for the whole, and were blessed because of it.

Faith means not seeing the outcome but trusting in God’s good and gracious will.

That trust, created by the Gospel, receives God’s complete and free forgiveness. Christ did not condemn the world but to give life, hope, and forgiveness to all those who believe in Him.




Luke’s Account
KJV Luke 2:1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) 5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

#646 Silent Night 4:38

Heavenly Host
Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

The Prayers and Benediction


#87 Joy to the World 1:20