Research is the first requirement in Lutheran rhetoric. The laity are far beyond most clergy because they read the Scriptures without the brainwashing of seminaries. Each seminary teaches its students that they belong to the best synod, really the only synod, in the world. As Thundershorts said to one student at Northwestern College, "Now that you have experienced the Wisconsin Synod, how can you return to the slime-pits of Missouri?"
The advantage a layman has is a lack of filters. The Holy Spirit speaks directly through the Word. Both the reading and the believing are instruments of the Spirit.
Christian doctrine is not subject to human logic, but the Faith is completely consistent in all parts. A layman asks, "If I am justified by faith, how can I be justified without faith?"
The brainwashed MDiv says, "According to our experts..." No one has heard of these great experts and precious few own their books. The really good ones can be misquoted and used as fake witnesses. No layman has Calov and Quenstedt at home. He may have Gerhard now, thanks to Repristination Press. Gerhard worked with Chemnitz, so he is right just fine with me. But I like Chemnitz better.
Here is another advantage for the laity. Clergy like to have large libraries which they seldom use. The laity are more likely to have a few good books. Luther's sermons and the Book of Concord are enough volumes to supplement a Bible in the Luther-KJV tradition.
Research means reading and remembering. I use a database to help me remember and cite. Chemnitz took notes by hand, like the legendary founder of the Oxford English Dictionary. Both would have loved my system. I entered quotations with all the citation material, including Biblical citations in a separate field. I can search on words, topics, authors, and Biblical passages.
Modern tools are not primary in research. They make the labor a little easier. The real issue is living in the sources, asking what that author is saying, not what another person claims that writer is communicating.
A true study of the Bible will reveal that most of the theories, advanced by favorite writers and professors, are bogus. They are not useful anyway. Mark or John may have been written down first or last. Careful study will reduce the importance of theory and increase the value of the content, which belongs to God alone.
Knowing the Word is essential in evaluating authors. The ones who communicate the Word best are: Augustine, Luther, Melanchthon, Chemnitz, Chytraeus, and Gerhard.
My secondary list includes Krauth, Jacobs, Hoenecke, Schmauk, and Lenski.
Comparing this to ice cream - Luther is vanilla, and should be read more than all the others combined. Melanchthon and Chemnitz are chocolate, to be read more than the rest of the rainbow flavors. When was the last time you ordered peppermint almond fudge ribbon ice cream? That was probably the same day you finished a volume of Krauth.
Opposition research is also necessary, but completely lacking in the blogs. I am still looking for someone who says, "I reject justification by faith because..." while giving cogent reasons and actual research.
I quoted and cited every UOJ passage I could find, although they crop up all over, like black mold in a damp unventilated house.
I showed both sides of the issue with WELSian doctrine, years ago. I quoted confessional authors on various topics and compared that to WELS quotations (chapter and verse). When I gave that paper at a conference, VP Kuske was outraged.
Special Pleading
Special pleading is is a logical fallacy known to all parents. Children give all the reasons why they need their faces pierced or their torsos tattooed. All opposing reasons are rejected as utterly invalid.
The UOJ Stormtroopers claim that anyone who disagrees with them "rejects the Gospel." No reasons are given for this outrageous statement because the writer or speaker has already determined there is only one answer.
Begging the Question, Circular Reasoning
Most people know this as circular reasoning, since the reasons and the conclusion are the same. A good fallacy is subtle, such as the question, "How long will we continue the quagmire in Iraq?" That was asked just before Petraeus mopped up in short order.
UOJ Enthusiasts claim that God must have justified all people because Jesus became sin. If sin and righteousness are exchanged, then every single person on earth has been justified, they imagine.
The Enthusiasts offer their great argument, "If you deny UOJ," assuming it is Christian doctrine, "then you are a Calvinist."
Pleading Authority
Pleading authority can be a fallacy, depending on the relevance of the argument. All celebrities are authorities on all matters, as we can see on TV - clearly a fallacy.
Jack Cascione likes to use Robert Preus as an authority, although he is not honest about it. He quotes an old essay - fair enough - but does not deal with Preus' final book.
Paul McCain, MDiv, uses Jack Kilcrease as his authority. Jack grew up in a WELS parsonage, but attended an ELCA seminary (Luther, where Jack and Robert Preus were students). Kilcrease teaches at a Roman Catholic college and is now a Missouri layman. Scaer (UOJ certified) also goes for Kilcrease.
McCain cannot use Luther, Melanchthon, or Chemnitz as his authorities for UOJ, so Kilcrease will have to do.
