I am looking at the Wauwatosa revolution as one reason for UOJ taking over WELS many decades later. The initial claims about Wauwatosa, relayed in a positive way, suggest an anti-confessional Pietism that hid behind an alleged interest in Scripture alone. Some of the statements reveal an arrogance that is often found in mainline apostate theologians (like Braaten) who create their own individual ecumenical theologies. They even say "my theology," as if they own their product and want people to admire it.
The Wauwatosa men came from the Walther-Pieper-Stoeckhardt boot camp at St. Louis. Strange dogma has a pedigree, so it is necessary to look at its paternity.
The core of Wauwatosa is its claim to be Scripture alone, at war with doctrinal formulations and confessions. The language cited below is a give-away: the spirit of ecumenical Pietism.
---
Catechesis has left a new comment on your post "Missouri Is Still Selling Their Old Catechism - No...":
WELS readers, learn what this means (from your own Wauwatosa Theologian):
"Surprisingly, in view the importance of doctrinal agreement was in the founding and maintenance of the Synodical Conference, Koehler recognized not only that 'there is not a single truly united external religious communion' in any congregation or synod,” but even that 'there has never really been an external unity of the church.' Yet for
all true believers— regardless of denominational label— 'the inner unity of the spirit in faith
continues.'” Mark Braun, in "The Wauwatosa Gospel" (2002), p 10, quoting Koehler from, “Gesetzlch Wesen unter uns,” 238; emphases in the original.
---
Catechesis has left a new comment on your post "Wauwatosa Damage":
Here are choice quotes from Mark Braun's "The Wauwatosa Gospel" re Pieper. First, p. 5:
"...his observations exhibit two well-attested personality traits attributed to him by friend
and foe alike: a flair for the dramatic and an inclination to exaggeration." This quote has a footnote:
"Pieper was purported to have told his seminary classes: 'Don’t think I became a pastor out of piety. I wanted to go to Hollywood.'"
Once a Prussian always a Prussian.
---
Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Wauwatosa Damage":
August Pieper, "Dogmatic training perhaps makes one orthodox, but it also easily makes one orthodoxist, intolerant, quarrelsome, hateful, and easily causes division in the church."
Just how tolerant should a Christian be of false doctrines?
To raise the love of men to be equal to or greater than Christ and His Word is wrong. The result: the glory of the (W)ELS will be it's toleration of false doctrine, false practice and the false teachers who promote it.
Granted I've talked to some in the (W)ELS and LCMS who are not intentionally teaching false doctrines, such as UOJ, but when the false doctrine is shown to them by Scripture and the Confessions they defend the false teachings and listen to and promote the human reason of their theologians at the expense of Christ's Word. The Lutheran Synods have made idols out of their clergy, theologians, Synod and synod administrators.
August Pieper as quoted by the (W)ELS in defense of UOJ:
(In) the third volume of the Quartalschrift his unforgettable article. The conclusion reads:
One cannot oppose any doctrine of God’s Word with impunity; this increases sin and guilt, damages consciences and blinds the heart. One error begets another, as in the election controversy the insistence on intuitu fidei soon brought with itself the synergistic doctrine of conversion. But whoever molests the doctrine of justification stabs the gospel in the heart and is on the way of losing entirely Christian doctrine and personal faith and of falling into the arms of heathenism, even if he ever so much emphasizes justification by faith.
---
Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Wauwatosa Whoa's - Rosetta Stone for UOJ?":
The Universalism of the Lutheran Synods:
A Final Word
Franz Pieper, along with Georg Stöckhardt, Herman A. Preus, Jacob Aall Ottesen, U.V. Koren, Adolph Hoenecke and others, recognized the greatness of the doctrine as taught by C.F.W. Walther. And it started with the Lutheran doctrine of Justification- Objective and Universal!
"That’s nice" says the world, "but of course you must believe first before you can be justified. You must remember the great Lutheran tenet, ‘justification by faith.’"
No, I believe what Dr. Pieper taught- there is a justification that exists before faith, before believing it, for all. That is called the universal/objective justification.
"Well, surely you would not discount faith in the order of salvation, would you?" says the world.
I would eliminate faith as a requirement that makes justification true. That would be making faith a work of mine. The Bible teaches that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law. Thereby is the teaching of faith upheld for it teaches the object of saving faith, the vicarious satisfaction worked by Christ.
The picture of the Missouri Synod since the death of Franz Pieper leaves a true Lutheran weeping. For when one considers the glorious beauty of the Gospel as it truly is, as it was proclaimed by the fathers of the Missouri Synod (and the Synodical Conference members), it brings a petition to the lips of all who covet their soul’s salvation that the Lord would again grant teachers who would proclaim it as they did.
What remains to be said in this essay is what would be most important to Dr. Pieper. You, dear reader, must know also that though all men have deserved only eternal punishment and damnation as the result of sin, nevertheless, God has accepted the payment made by His own dear Son, Jesus Christ, in his perfect life, suffering and death. And the Father receipted the payment for all the world to know, for on Easter morning He raised His Son from the dead, declaring the whole world to be righteous in Christ. Now the entire world stands pardoned, acquitted of all guilt. This is the Gospel that was commanded to be preached. Now there is nothing we can do, only believe this, that you are already saved. C.F.W. Walther wrote in 1868: "…you often hear pastors preach, 'You are saved if you believe.' What they should be saying is, 'You are saved so that you might believe."
http://www.franzpieper.com/
