bruce-church (http://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "This Is Your Hero - Mark Jeske - WELS and LCMS":
If you look at the history of the Synodical Conference, one can discern that the Pietist-Calvinist doctrinal overlay of the BoC that Walther pushed was not what most Lutherans in America believed, much less in Germany where no one believes in UOJ anymore. Walther's view on slavery was Calvinist, too, since one ought not mess with the status quo since that would contradict God's will concerning what station people hold in this life and the next.
Since UOJ was an overlay against the will of the people, Waltherian logic and the authority of the pastor had to push aside the beliefs of the unlearned masses, who were immigrants to American and thus vulnerable to this type of manipulation. Hence, to this day no one is allowed to criticize the pastor except in very limited contexts. The rule book on this came out of Alice and Wonderland.
If the pastor were really one with the people in doctrine, this all wouldn't be necessary. Of course, pastors will say that people swore they believed what the WELS taught, but here this is another manipulation since no one went over with them the pros and cons of what Walther taught, or even said it was controversial. It's similar to how evolution is taught in public school as fact without letting on that real scientists doubt it or disbelieve it. But no matter. I'm sure that eventually, with the help of the internet, the Calvinists will be exposed and tossed out on their cans.
3 comments:
Bruce.
the Calvinists will be exposed and tossed out on their cans
The only thing though is that those who criticize Calvinists in Lutheranism do not know what Calvinism is. I listen to Issues Etc you know. Because if they did, they would have seen it in themselves.
However, I take comfort in one quip that says -- the truth catches up with us, eventually. It just takes time
LPC
LPC, Yes, it will take time, but probably not as long as you think. Some critical* scholarship must be done first, and then result will come quickly. When God's Word is untangled from the mess they made of it, it will work even more wonders than it already has.
*By critical, I mean crucial or necessary, not the historical critical method.
The synods won't reform themselves, or accept a true repristination of Lutheran theology, since too many are at heart Calvinists. Harrison's "fathers" were Calvinists, for example. Therefore, I can only foresee a schism occurring. If a liberal synod like the ELCA could experience schism, why not the Midwest synods? And why not in 5 years rather than 2 or 3 decades as in the ELCA?
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