Monday, October 31, 2011

Holy Word (WELS) in Austin:
Building a Mission Next Door to Another WELS Mission



The founding pastor of Holy Word was Radloff, a notorious Church and Changer, a classmate of David Valleskey.

The Gurgel family supports Church and Change. That is the ex-Synod President on the right.

Don Patterson is not a leader of Church and Change. He just supports everything they do, attends their conventions, and takes staff to Exponential. As Nixon used to say, "Watch what we do, not what we say."


Holy Word Staff Minister Chad White, Exponential alumnus,
posed with his wife Ivy - Halloween?

Luther - The Preaching of This Message


Christian church teams up with high priestess of Isis.
Was the Mother Church of the Augustana Synod, in the West

Christian church teams up with high priestess of Isis:



High priestess Loreon Vigne of Isis Oasis

A Protestant church in California is coming under fire from some Christians over its upcoming conference featuring "guided meditations" by a high priestess of thepagan fertility goddess Isis.
The fifth annual"Faith and Feminism Conference"taking place Nov. 11–13 is being hosted by theEbenezer Lutheran Churchin San Francisco, which bills itself as "herchurch."
Among the scheduled participants is Loreon Vigne, high priestess ofIsis Oasis– a temple, retreat and animal sanctuary Vigne founded in 1978 in Geyserville, Calif.
"I personally see Isis as Mother Nature," Vigne told WND, "and that she encompasses everything with her wings. She's a winged goddess. She encompasses any other goddess from any culture."
Vigne, who plans to bring several other priestesses to the conference, will conduct prayers, songs and meditation.
"Guidedmeditationis where the audience closes their eyes and you take them on a little journey," she explained. "I've taken people to their past lives in Egypt, as [that culture] had all the secrets. They're the ones that knew. Their main concept is to know thyself, know thy heart, know thy soul and know thy purpose."

A depiction of the Egyptian goddess Isis and her son Horus

She says the belief system is based on the ancient Egyptian concept of balance, with 42 laws that are actually 42 ideals.
"It's kind of like aTen Commandments, but all done in a positive concept," she said. "'I shalt not kill,' [is rendered as] 'I honor all lives as sacred.'"
Besides honoring the goddess, the staff of Isis Oasis also provides massage therapy along with tarot andastrologyreadings,according to its website.
But the San Francisco event blending non-existent, heathen deities with the Christian faith is leaving some outraged.
"You can't make this stuff up!" exclaimedDan Skogen of Marion, Iowa, who describes himself as a Lutheran fed up with the "constant mockery of God's word" by theEvangelical Lutheran Church in America, or ELCA, which boasts some 4.2 million members in 10,000 congregations.
"God tells us inExodus 20:3'You shall have no other gods before me.' Yet this ELCA church brings followers of other gods in to speak and teach at their conference!"
Skogen said the ELCA leadership "accepts and promotes the thought that salvation is secured even for people who do not have faith in Christ."
"So bringing worshippers of Isis to this conference to teach is acceptable to them," said. "Of course, this is a distinct departure from the orthodox teaching of the Christian church."


Read more:Christian church teams up with high priestess of Isishttp://www.wnd.com/?pageId=360365#ixzz1cNR1YbUo


'via Blog this'

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GJ - The ELCA bishop (DP) sent representatives, who found no problems at HerChurch.

That may sound exactly like The CORE with Deputy Doug Engelbrecht or Rock N Roll and the entire Conference of Pussycats.

Cutting edge congregations always end up the same. Do not blame the fuzzy-brained pioneers, but their spineless enablers.

SP Harrison Explains How To Handle
LCMS Student Loan Debt.
Paul McCain a High Caliber Assistant










C. F. W. Walther Mausoleum and Concordia Cemetery, by Paul T. McCain: http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2011/10/paul-mccain-visits-shrine-of-c-f-w.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Vz4nfDG75-w

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C. F. W. Walther - Statue Duplicates http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmXffnvVXaU

Mausoleum gallery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7805038@N03/page3/

Seminary Tuition Scandal: http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2011/09/lcms-seminary-cost-scandal-fabulous.html

Lutheran Seminary Tuition Fraud http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2011/05/lutheran-seminary-fraud-students-are.html

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http://www.staffordloan.com/stafford-loan-info/interest-rates.php Graduate Stafford Loans (both subsidized and unsubsidized) have a fixed interest rate of 6.8% through 2013.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Biblical Outlines - Christian Doctrine





Stewards of the Mysteries of God:
Biblical Foundations for Christian Doctrine
Gregory L. Jackson


These are just outlines at this point, used in the Sunday Bible study class.


The Trinity

I.                    Genesis 1
A.    Creation by the Father, through the Word (John 1:1) with the Holy Spirit hovering over Creation.
B.     KJV Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
C.    Triadic formula - KJV John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
D.    Specific about the Son and Creation - KJV John 1:3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.
II.                 The Aaronic blessing – triadic formula
KJV Numbers 6
6:24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
III.               KJV Isaiah 6:3 – triadic formula
A.    And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
IV.              Throughout the Old Testament, God the Father, the Promised Son (Messiah), and the Holy Spirit.

V.                 The Great Commission - KJV Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

VI.              KJV Matthew 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

VII.              Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

VIII.            KJV 2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

IX.               KJV Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen. (three triads, in bold)

X.                 Attributes of God are given in threes, such as the nine-fold fruits of the Spirit; faith, hope, and love as the theological virtues, etc.

The Two Natures of Christ
To be completed


The Efficacy of the Word
I.                    Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1
II.                  Isaiah 55:8ff.
III.                KJV Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 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 shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
IV.               KJV 1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
V.                 KJV 2 Thessalonians 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
VI.               KJV 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,
KJV Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. 14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.








Peter Pan and WELS $tewardship
Have a Law Message for Members

WELS stewardship repudiates the Means of Grace,
because they imagine worship is giving to God,
not receiving from Him.


"Because nothing else mattered except the cross of Christ, Luther risked everything on earth. Because he did, you and I now understand the cross. Is that also true of you, as an heir of the Reformation? Are you ready to risk your financial future as Luther did? Are you willing to risk your good name, your family, even your life?" WELS Church and Changer Peter Panitzke, nicknamed Peter Pan, Forward in Christ, nicknamed FICKLE.


rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Reformation Sunday, 2011":

"The Medieval religious leaders discovered, like today’s leaders, that there is a lot more money in pounding people with the law than there is with teaching the Gospel."
"The result of this law religion was corruption."
We are admonished to contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints.
False doctrine, unchecked, ultimately leads to unbelief. The scandals of the TV preachers are evidence of the corruption brought on by law religion. The law pounding often wears a velvet glove in an effort to soften the blow. An example would be the following guilt inducing questions used as part of the WELS Stewardship theme:

Consider the following:
1) If God's people aren't regularly using their talents at worship, should it really be called worship?
2) If we don't invest our talents in raising our children and serving our neighbor, what will soon happen with our society?
3) If we aren't interested in using our talents to promote the preaching and teaching of Christ in our midst--and around the world--what will soon happen to mission work?

The point? God has blessed each member of his body, the church, with certain talents. When each member uses those talents to serve God and each other, the body thrives. If members leave their talents untapped, the body suffers."
(end of quote)

We used to be told the following truism. "The Law says DO, but the Gospel says DONE".

Well, I guess that it is time to jump on the treadmill and work up a sweat using your time and talents. After all, don't we want to make every effort possible for the benefit of the Body of Christ? Isn't one soul worth a multi-million dollar expansion? Don't we need listen to the community to best determine how we can serve them with OUR ministry? Isn't the neglect of a spouse and children by members worth getting new members?

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AC V has left a new comment on your post "Peter Pan and WELS $tewardship Have a Law Message...":

When I read Panitzke's article I thought that Luther might just disagree, just a little:

“We treat of the forgiveness of sins in two ways. First, how it is achieved and won. Second, how it is distributed and given to us. Christ has achieved it on the cross, it is true. But he has not distributed or given it on the cross. He has not won it in the supper or sacrament. There he has distributed and given it through the Word, as also in the gospel, where it is preached. He has won it once for all on the cross. But the distribution takes place continuously, before and after, from the beginning to the end of the world. If now I seek the forgiveness of sins, I do not run to the cross, for I will not find it given there. Nor must I hold to the suffering of Christ - as Peter Panitzke trifles (yeah, I know, Luther said Karlstadt, but they're the same) - in knowledge or remembrance, for I will not find it there either. But I will find in the sacrament or gospel the word which distributes, presents, offers, and gives to me that forgiveness which was won on the cross.”

WELS is really off the beam.

***

GJ - Peter Pan has proven, once again, what I have claimed about the UOJ message. Their world absolution is not the Gospel, so they have no Gospel message, only a distortion of the Gospel  to disguise their man-made law obsession.

PS - Acey, always give a citation so people can verify the quotation.

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AC V has left a new comment on your post "Peter Pan and WELS $tewardship Have a Law Message...":

Interesting commentary on Luther's "Against the Heavenly Prophets":

Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt had been dismissed from his post at Wittenberg, but continued to get into trouble everywhere. He attacked images in the churches, spiritualized the presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper, and disparaged the entire system of education as the pretentious adversary of a simple trust in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This ('Against the Heavenly Prophets') is a long and vigorous polemic against Karlstadt. Karlstadt and his companions are the 'heavenly prophets.' Even Melanchthon complained about the violence of Luther's style. When Karlstadt was fleeing from the Peasant's War a few months later, he knocked at the door on Luther's wedding night and Luther gave him shelter. (Obviously Luther had not yet fully developed the "Unit Concept" of fellowship.)

http://collections.lstc.edu/gruber/luthers_works/1525.php  

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GJ - The Olde Synodical Conference is in fellowship with every cult and sect, but excommunicates Book of Concord Lutherans.

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grumpy has left a new comment on your post "Peter Pan and WELS $tewardship Have a Law Message...":

Ever notice how it is always the laity that is not giving enough?

My experience with a former pastor is that there is sometiems almost a hypersenitivity about their financial packages.

He would hold forth about the 10 percent rule, and that it should be based on GROSS (pre-tax), not NET. He would brag about how he had given 10+ percent...of course, that did not include the substantial part of his package which included the tax-free use of an extremely nice church owned parsonage, absolutely no utility bills, and so forth.

He would say "You can only give what you are given"...but when someone would note that the taxes paid, by many, do NOT come back as year-end refunds, it was not an acceptable argument.

However, when those non-taxable items were included in his total income, his giving was in line with everyone elses.

And heaven forbid that someone would mention the issue of a pastor canvassing a neighborhood for potential members, or even holding office hours at the church office. That was simply old fashioned, and did NOT need to be done.

I suppose it is petty to argue these points...everyone should give as they would freely do to show their gratitude. There are certainly enough who could give plenty more....maybe that includes myself.

But EVERYONE should examine their use of treasure and talents, not just one group of people.

Grumps

***

GJ - Grumpy is right. Pension payments are on the short side in some groups, not ELCA or Missouri. Medical and dental packages are very pricey - no independent businessman can get the same deals.  A parsonage plus utilities is even better than a housing allowance, because equity in a home makes it hard to move. The tax free benefits are worth a small fortune. The synods use church property and clergy benefits as ways to keep laity and ministers enslaved to a decaying system.

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Narrow-minded Lutheran has left a new comment on your post "Peter Pan and WELS $tewardship Have a Law Message...":

Since we are all Law, this needs to be carried out to its conclusion. Ask, "Are you willing to risk being burned at the stake, like Luther, for Jesus?" Actually, we should be, with God's help, since we pledge this at Confirmation; but I don't recall pledging to tithe.

Propose to take away or reduce the benefits packages of these clergy and pencil-pushers to support more missions. We would have to build an ark due to the tears.

Since the Synodical Conference loves to follow business models, perhaps they should follow suit by outsourcing administrative bloat instead of shaming parishioners. "Press 'one' for English."

***

GJ - Don't get me started on the salaries and benefits of synodical drones.

Reformation - Not Looking Good on the Big Four Websties.
ELCA, LCMS, WELS, ELS

The ELS websty home page says nothing about the Reformation,
but changes the Great Commission's Means of Grace message
into a law command - manufacture disciples (via Fuller).


ELCA - the big buddy of the Olde Synodical Conference - has nothing about the Reformation on its main page.

The LCMS has a story about Walther's descendants gathering to gloat on his 200th birthday.

The Wisconsin Synod features a Reformation post by Peter Panitzke (Peter Pan) - notorious Church and Changer - promoting UOJ, instead of  teaching justification by faith and the Means of Grace.

The ELS homepage is silent about the Reformation but has the distorted Great Commission featured, as pictured above.

Summary - the grand total at this point is:
  • One link to CFW Walther, who is far more important than the Reformation and justification by faith. How many people did Luther kidnap? None - so he is not so important.
  • One Reformation children's sermon - from WELS Church Shrinker Peter Pan - repudiating justification by faith. ELCA could have composed the same post, except for the difficulty of wedging a gay parable into the 1517 event.
  • One sign to remind everyone how the LIttle Sect on the Prairie apes big brother WELS.
  • Dead silence from ELCA.
  • The papacy and the Roman Catholic doctrine? - not even a topic on any of the websties.


The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - Walther's congregation marks his bicentennial



The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - Walther's congregation marks his bicentennial: "Walther's congregation marks his bicentennial

ST. LOUIS -- Some half-dozen direct descendants of the Rev. Dr. C.F.W. Walther -- including a great-granddaughter -- joined 160 others Oct. 23 for a special worship service at Historic Trinity Lutheran Church here to mark the bicentennial of his birth.  He was born on Oct. 25,1811, in Langenchursdorf, Saxony, Germany.

Walther was pastor of Trinity for 46 years, when he also served as the first president of what is now The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod (LCMS) and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis."

'via Blog this'

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GJ - The congregation should give back the chalice stolen from Bishop Stephan by Walther's mob. They robbed the bishop of 4000 gold coins, 1500 books, all his personal effects, and two valuable chalices. Walther's congregation used the stolen chalice for their Holy Communion services. No wonder Walther taught them that they were all absolved on that first Easter.

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - Walther's congregation marks his bicentennial

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod - Walther's congregation marks his bicentennial: "Walther's congregation marks his bicentennial
ST. LOUIS -- Some half-dozen direct descendants of the Rev. Dr. C.F.W. Walther -- including a great-granddaughter -- joined 160 others Oct. 23 for a special worship service at Historic Trinity Lutheran Church here to mark the bicentennial of his birth.  He was born on Oct. 25,1811, in Langenchursdorf, Saxony, Germany. 
 
Walther was pastor of Trinity for 46 years, when he also served as the first president of what is now The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod (LCMS) and Concordia Seminary, St. Louis."

'via Blog this'

Reformation Sunday, 2011



The Festival of the Reformation, 2011


Pastor Gregory L. Jackson




The Hymn #260   O Lord Look Down                1.4
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual       
The Gospel              
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed             p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 262 A Mighty Fortress            1:86

The Righteousness of Faith

The Communion Hymn #259                Flung to the Heedless Winds 1.64
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 # 261     Lord Keep Us Steadfast            1.93

KJV Revelation 14:6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

KJV Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. 15 He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Collect
O almighty, eternal God: We confess that we are poor sinners and cannot answer one of a thousand, when Thou contendest with us; but with all our hearts we thank Thee, that Thou hast taken all our guilt from us and laid it upon Thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and made Him to atone for it: We pray Thee graciously to sustain us in faith, and so to govern us by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may live according to Thy will, in neighborly love, service, and helpfulness, and not give way to wrath or revenge, that we may not incur Thy wrath, but always find in Thee a gracious Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The Righteousness of Faith

The Formula of Concord, The Righteousness of Faith, Solid Declaration:
8] Therefore, in order to explain this controversy in a Christian way by means of God's Word, and, by His grace, to settle it, our doctrine, faith, and confession are as follows:

9] Concerning the righteousness of faith before God we believe, teach, and confess unanimously, in accordance with the comprehensive summary of our faith and confession presented above, that poor sinful man is justified before God, that is, absolved and declared free and exempt from all his sins, and from the sentence of well-deserved condemnation, and adopted into sonship and heirship of eternal life, without any merit or worth of our own, also without any preceding, present, or any subsequent works, out of pure grace, because of the sole merit, complete obedience, bitter suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Christ alone, whose obedience is reckoned to us for righteousness.

10] These treasures are offered us by the Holy Ghost in the promise of the holy Gospel; and faith alone is the only means by which we lay hold upon, accept, and apply, and appropriate them to ourselves.


KJV Romans 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Lenski:
“The angel has  “the everlasting gospel to preach” the noun and the infinitive repeat and thus emphasize the gospel and the idea of good news. We need not ask what this gospel is, for its content is stated in v. 7. The older Protestants regarded this first angel flying in midheaven as a prophecy of Luther and his gospel, and to this day Rev. 14:6, 7 is the regular pericope for Reformation Day. Sometimes it was thought that Luther was prefigured by the third angel. The other two were thought to be Wycliff and Huss. When commentators reject this interpretation they do so without sufficient reason. The text for Reformation Day is well chosen, for the fathers of Reformation days selected it not because they identified the first angel wholly with Luther. The Reformer, too, preached only the old apostolic gospel. The angel with the eternal gospel is the messenger from heaven for the whole New Testament Era and thus most certainly includes a man like Luther who once more made the eternal gospel ring out in all its saving power and purity in the whole wide world despite all the devil’s effort to hush his voice. Use the text as the fathers intended it to be used, and all is well. If any made the angel apply only to the Reformer, their only fault lay in the narrowness of their interpretation.” Lenski, R. C. H.: The Interpretation of St. John's Revelation. Columbus, O. : Lutheran Book Concern, 1935, S. 428.

This quotation, which I used last year, is an important one to consider, because Lenski recognized the importance of recognizing all apostolic preaching as angelic, not limiting the symbolism to Luther alone.

Many key figures contributed to Luther’s understanding of the Gospel and to his ministry of teaching and preaching. However, the celebration of Reformation should not be about people but about the Gospel itself, its meaning and comfort.

I spent several hours going through the history of doctrine to clarify some details about justification by faith. Many authors are simply rationalists who like to banter about details from history, using extensive footnotes to show how well read they are, how brilliant they are. The pages are dry and sterile, although they do give up some interesting facts.

According to the Folio Book Club, the Medieval era is quite popular with its readers. The period includes roughly ten centuries between the Fall of Rome (the Western Roman Empire) and the Fall of Constantinople (the Eastern Roman Empire).

During that time, in Western Europe especially, the Gospel of Christ was replaced gradually with a religion of Mary. He became the angry law-giver and judge, while she became the divine person who brings comfort and forgiveness, especially to those suffering in Purgatory.

The Medieval religious leaders discovered, like today’s leaders, that there is a lot more money in pounding people with the law than there is with teaching the Gospel. Medieval dramas were designed to scare people to death. Their only comfort was to reach Purgatory, where they would suffer for their sins. The hope of Purgatory, still being taught today, is that prayers and donations and good works among the living would reduce the time of those already dead. Upon death, the best hope for that individual would be an endowment of masses to be said to reduce the time of suffering. Also, wearing a device, such as a scapular, would reduce time.

The result of this law religion was corruption. Many people focus on the way things looked at that time, but they overlook the cause. The Scriptures were given to us to convey Jesus the Savior to us, to give us the Gospel of God’s grace. When the Word of God is used to abuse and exploit people through the Law, those who mishandle the Word are blinded and hardened. They turn everything inside out, hating good and loving evil.

KJV 2 Thessalonians 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

This shows the efficacy of false doctrine, since the Word of God becomes a Word of condemnation for those who abuse it. The Medieval papacy confirmed the truth of this passage and remains true today. In the last few years an effort has been made to appear more Biblical and Jesus-centered, but that only emphasizes the gulf between the Gospel and the religion of the law. Putting a veneer of the Gospel on the law is simply more deception and leads to more corruption.



The response of the Vatican to the Reformation was murder. Those who wanted to teach the Gospel were hunted down and burned at the stake or put into prison. As Chemnitz observed in An Examination of the Council of Trent, the Church of Rome tried to argue using the Scriptures at first. They were clobbered in the early debates, so they began to turn against the Scriptures as “unclear, insufficient, and incomplete.” Where have those words been used against the Bible lately? Yes, among the “conservative” Lutherans who say, “That is a gre-e-e-e-ey area of Scripture.” (God speaks unclearly!) And they add, “The synod is doing a study on that.” (The Scriptures need a human source because the Scriptures are insufficient.) Naturally, we need demographic studies from non-Christians to explain ministry strategies to us, to complete the incomplete picture revealed in the Bible. In other words, God needs man.

KJV Romans 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Whatever the perfect law of God says, it says to those who are under the law. Therefore, there is no possible way for people to claim salvation by works or salvation under the law, whether this is according to the Jewish law, civic righteousness, or ecclesiastical customs. For instance, there is an unwritten law that the sons of famous clergy are automatically excused from the 10 Commandments and necessarily deserve an exalted place in the church structure. This has led many denominations to reverse their doctrinal stance in only one generation because the favored sons turn against the traditions and gladly overthrow their mother church from the inside. That happened at Fuller Seminary, too, where the son of the founder went off the school and came back an apostate. The school that daddy Fuller founded to protect everyone against liberal doctrine became a source of liberal doctrine as all the old fuddy-duddies were given their walking papers and encouraged to go.

In the LCMS, Fibby became the Concordia St. Louis seminary president because his father, Louis Fuerbringer, was a faithful and humble teacher. Fibby hired a team of apostate professors over the years and resigned early so he could be replaced by Tietjen before a conservative, (more or less) Jack Preus, became Synod President. Other human forces were at work, but the unwritten law was primary – the son of a respected leader already had the office for his asking.

No matter how much man loves the law for his justification, no one is justified by the law. Having a huge congregation  is not justification for unfaithfulness in teaching. Drawing in large donations will not absolve one of sins. Nor should giving millions be interpreted as Lutheran indulgence, to let a centi-millionaire indulge himself. (How well has that worked? The corrupt wealthy are absolved with the right gifts and the Gospel is corrupted even more, with disastrous results, except for some pretty buildings.)

If someone wants to bring up the law, the very act of using law excuses will accentuate sinfulness. “The law always condemns.” Or, two images come from Pilgrim’s Progess. One is sweeping the room vigorously. The more the law sweeps the dirt, the cloudier the air becomes. The second image is the man who runs full speed and knocks Christian down, repeatedly. Christian cries out, “Show me some mercy.” The man responds, “I am the law. I have no mercy.”

21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

These two verses are brilliant and memorable, because the law is named to show that the only righteousness can be without the law. This is a play on words, since the Law has two possible meanings. The Greek word for law means “law,” but Hebrew word Torah can be used for the Five Books of Moses, for all teaching from God, and for the Law (commanding and condemning).

The Law and the Prophets are the Five Books of Moses and all the prophetic books (major and minor prophets). The Writings are the Psalms, Proverbs, etc.

The Law and Prophets reveal the Gospel to us, and the Gospel is faith in Jesus Christ. The only righteousness possible is faith in Christ. These two terms are welded together, faith and righteousness.

Only those who pixelate the Bible--by focusing on a phrase from one verse, out of context, against the meaning of the passage--can separate righteousness from faith. That is why one entire section of the Formula of Concord is called  The Righteousness of Faith.

The implication from this verse alone is clear. No one is justified, forgiven, apart from faith. That also means that believing in Christ is forgiveness of sin.

This is the first step in realizing what a comfort the Gospel is. The wise guys who populate the church bodies have all kinds of warnings, which diminish and twist the meaning of the Gospel.

I recall one that was in many of the dogmatics books from mainline theologians, famous men (who had to be correct). They were always saying, “But no one should make forgiveness or salvation contingent upon faith.” The mainline theologians, supposedly loathed by the “conservative” Lutherans, teach the same thing – that God has absolved the entire human race, every single person, apart from faith. And – ah – that is the grace of God – the Gospel.

Notice the weasel words here in the LCMS missional website –


A good statement would be impossible to interpret two ways, but this is ambiguous. A UOJ advocate would say, “Yes, the center of faith is the Gospel of Jesus Christ – that the entire world was pronounced forgiven the moment Christ died, or the moment He rose from the dead. It was one of those moments, anyway.”

But someone who only knew justification by faith alone would overlook the camouflage words and think, “They really mean it.”

The effect is to take away the power and comfort of the Gospel. How do I know that I am forgiven of all my sins? The Gospel is clear – If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and confess Him as risen from the dead, your sins are forgiven. Believing in Him is forgiveness of sin – no strings or conditions attached.

The law-oriented sects always say – “But you must do this or give up that…” The Catholic Church says, “Works must be added to faith, and no one is ever sure of how many works are needed.”

The Bible is full of affirming passages, to show how complete this forgiveness is:

KJV Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. 13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. 14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. 16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. 17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; 18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Here we see how powerful the spirit of Enthusiasm is in the Lutheran Church today. This passage is twisted to say “all have sinned” and “all are justified.” In fact, the NNIV that the WELS leaders love so much has incorporated this error, adding a word not even found (the second all) in their earlier, odious NIV of 1984.

Romans 3:23-24
New International Version (NNIV)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all (sic) are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Romans 3:23-24
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Justification can only happen through the Gospel Word, whether in teaching and preaching (the invisible Word) or in the Sacraments of absolution, Holy Communion, and Holy Baptism – the visible Word.



The New Testament term “justification” always means God’s declaration through the Gospel Word.

Enthusiasts blaspheme against the Holy Spirit by separating the Spirit from the Word. God’s abundant grace simply flows to all people, but that creates a fur-ball of contradictions. If everyone is forgiven, why must they believe to be really forgiven? Why are those who question this Universalism excommunicated, since they were born forgiven and remain forgiven, even without faith? The Hottentots are forgiven (Ed Preuss) but the justification by faith believers are kicked out. My only advice is this – “Do not think about it too much.”

Getting back to the actual meaning of the passage –

for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

This is a beautiful passage of comfort, because it means that I have forgiveness in spite of all my sins, weaknesses, and shortcomings. Human society says, “You are a bad person because you upset people.” God says, “You are a bad person, no matter what anyone thinks, if you lack faith in My Son Jesus Christ. You have no forgiveness, even if everyone admires your business, your donations, and your smooth manners.”

God says in this passage, “All are sinners and every single person is lacking My glory, but I declare believers forgiven freely through the release from slavery won by Christ.” (Jackson Living Bible)

Here is a case where two different words are used for one word, redemption, in English. In some places redemption is the price paid by Christ. In this case it means being set free.
Sin makes us slaves, but the Gospel Word of Christ sets us free because of His work for us.

through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

The propitiation is the Mercy Seat from Exodus 25:17-22. This solid gold slab on the Ark of the Covenant was sprinkled with blood.

As we often see in the Scriptures, many statements of the Gospel are grouped together, so we can see this more clearly. For a Jewish believer, this symbolism is especially powerful, for faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ means we are declared righteous and forgiven – through the forbearance of God. In other words, not because we deserve this, but because of His love and mercy.

Because Christ was publicly crucified, everyone can see that God’s righteousness comes to us through this atoning blood sacrifice, which fulfilled all the sacrifices made up to this point in the Temple. He is the spotless Passover Lamb, who takes away the sin of the world.

through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

The apostates (mainline theologians) do not like to have Christ as a Substitute, atoning for our sins. They rail against that, but Paul reveals that this shows God’s justice, in providing for the redemption (payment, release) of our sins.

UOJ is once again destroyed in a few words – God is the justifier of that person who believes in Christ. Not by works, but by faith, the law of faith. “Therefore, we declare that a man is declared, by the Gospel, forgiven of his sin through faith – without any works of the law.

Faith in Christ is forgiveness. Not believing is a rejection of Christ and God’s mercy shown forth in His Son.



Saturday, October 29, 2011

Mankato Free Press : Former Gibbon LCMS pastor found guilty of sexual misconduct.
UOJ bears fruit.

Mankato Free Press : Former Gibbon pastor found guilty of sexual misconduct:

GIBBON, Minn. (TEE) – When the pastor of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Moltke Township, rural Gibbon, was approached by a Wisconsin church in late April and asked to transfer there and be their pastor, the St. Peter’s congregation was at a loss of words. 


A former Gibbon pastor has been found guilty of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl.



A Sibley County District Court jury Friday found David Radtke, 52, guilty of two counts of third-degree and two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.



According to court documents, Radtke engaged in sexual activity on multiple occasions with the girl, a Spanish exchange student who lived with the Radtke family.



The girl told authorities Radtke gave her back rubs and groped her sexually, on one occasion awakening to find Radtke’s hand inside her underwear.



The girl, who testified at the trial, said similar encounters followed, with Radtke initially denying wrongdoing to family members but later admitting to his acts when questioned by investigators.



Radtke testified during the trial that he gave the girl late-night back massages and accidentally touched her inappropriately and briefly upon awakening after he fell asleep with her laying across his lap.



He said he apologized and asked for forgiveness, which she refused.



Radtke was arrested May 23.



He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 20.



He was the pastor of a rural Gibbon Lutheran church.




'via Blog this'




The Free Press



GIBBON — New charges have been filed against a Lutheran pastor from Gibbon accused of sexually abusing a 16-year-old girl.



David Radtke, 52, has been charged with stalking and intercepting electronics communications.



Last month he was charged in Sibley County District Court with third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving the girl, a foreign exchange student who had been living with the Radtke family since last summer.

The latest charges allege the girl’s cellphone was to be turned over to investigators but ended up at the Radtke residence instead.



Emails forwarded from the phone to the Radtkes’ personal emails indicated the girl’s emails were being monitored, allegedly to hunt for information to discredit her accounts of the assaults.



According to the criminal complaint, Radtke’s wife told investigators the Radtkes were paying the bill on the girl’s phone and therefore believed they had a right to monitor her emails.



Under the original charges, Radtke stands accused of engaging in sexual activity on multiple occasions with the girl.



The girl told investigators on one occasion she awakened to find Radtke groping her.



The girl said similar encounters followed with Radtke initially denying any wrongdoing to family members but later admitting to his acts when questioned by investigators.



Radtke was arrested May 23.
http://m.mankatofreepress.com/MFP/db_268556/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=oBIzwEwE


Even more details are here.

This LCMS DP was trained in Church Growth at The Sausage Factory, Mequon, and could have been his new boss, if he had not been arrested. See the call report.

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The defense:


Diane Radtke told the jury that she asked the female if she felt safe and that told the vistim that she would not allow David to be alone in the house with her any longer. Both David and Diane stated that they felt the touch was inappropriate but "certainly not a crime". 


The defense asked many questions about the female victim to establish that she had lied about smoking to the family and maybe could not be believed. 


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GJ - WELS and Missouri follow the same strategy - attack the victim of the crime.

WELS Reformation Summary - From AC V

Calvinist Leonard Woods Jr. created the language of Objective Justification and
Subjective Justification in his famous 1831 translation of the Georg Christian Knapp dogmatics
textbook from Halle University, still in print today.
CFW Walther endorsed the double-justification OJ/SJ language decades later.


AC V has left a new comment on your post "What Huber and Knapp Have Accomplished In the Olde...":

Your Reformation celebration “WELS Connection” for today: “The history of UOJ in WELS”

We begin with Leonard Woods (1807-1878), born in West Newbury, Mass., graduated at Union College in 1827 and at Andover Theological Seminary in 1830. His translation of Georg Christian Knapp's Christian Theology (1831-1833) was long used as a text-book in American theological seminaries. http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Leonard_Woods

Woods and Andover Seminary were Calvinist.

This is the footnote Leonard Woods (Remember he was a Calvinist) put in his translation of Knapp’s Christian Theology under the article “The Scripture doctrine of pardon or justification through Christ as an UNIVERSAL and UNMERITED favor of God”:

"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."



Knapp was educated at Halle University, the center of Pietism,
and closely associated with August Hermann Franke.

Who was Georg Knapp whose Christian Theology textbook was so acceptable to Calvinists that is was “long used as a text-book in American theological seminaries”? Knapp was a theologian at Halle University in Germany in the late 1700s. Halle was a “Lutheran” University and a hotbed of Pietism and Rationalism.

Tholuck, a rationalist and Universalist, was Hoenecke's mentor
at Halle University.

The year after Knapp died in 1825 Friedrich Tholuck succeeded Knapp’s theology chair at Halle. Tholuck made it his aim to combine Rationalism with Pietism and, in spite of the opposition of the theological faculty of the university, he succeeded in changing the character of its theology. This he achieved partly by his lectures, but above all by his personal influence on the students. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Tholuck.

Here’s the “WELS connection”:



Tholuck mentored Adolf Hoenecke who attended Halle as a student. Hoenecke often credited Tholuck for bringing him to faith http://www.studiumexcitare.com/content/66). Adolf Hoenecke was the first WELS Seminary professor beginning in 1866 when the Seminary was in Watertown, then in 1878 when it was in Wauwatosa, WI. His dogmatics notes, modified by Prof. John Schaller and later Prof. John Meyer and recently by the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary staff, remain the basis for dogmatics studies at the Seminary.

http://www.studiumexcitare.com/content/66

To sum it up:

Halle University (Pietism/Rationalism) + Knapp (theology acceptable to Calvinists) + Tholuck (Influencial Rationalist/Pietist) + Hoenecke (UOJ in 2 Cor. 5:19) + Schaller (“Wauwatosa Gospel”) + Meyer (unbelievers are saints) + Kuske (“God declared all people righteous” Catechism Question #253) + Bivens ("all are sinners and all are justified," FiCl Oct. 2011) = UOJ today in WELS.

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GJ - That is an excellent summary of the history of the Objective Justification and Subjective Justification terms, along with their association with Halle University. Halle, as the center of Pietism, was associated with Biblical studies, Christian faith, and missions. Orthodox Lutherans opposed Pietism, but the later years changed the adversaries. Halle became the center of rationalism in Biblical studies (Semler), and believers were considered Pietistics and mystics in an overwhelmingly rationalistic 19th century, when Stephan and Walther came over.

The ethnic Lutherans coming to America were allied with Pietism and unionism because the alternative was the rationalistic state church opposing them. The Augustana Synod Swedes and the Norwegians had that in common with Saxon Immigration Society in Perry County and St. Louis. The Buffalo Synod was another Pietistic exodus.


Pietist Johann Jakob Rambach was educated at Halle University.

Jay Webber quoated Rambach, the Halle Pietist, against Chemnitz, the senior editor of the Book of Concord::

I can understand why Chemnitz would read 1 Timothy 3:16 in this way. But his reading does not rule out what I would consider to be a necessary corrolary to such a "personal" justification of Jesus. The 18th-century Lutheran theologian Johann Jacob Rambach makes the following observation in his Ausfuehrliche Erklaerung der Epistel an die Roemer (p. 322), regarding the Lord's payment and satisfaction of sinful humanity's "debt" to God:

"Christ was in his resurrection first of all justified for his own person, Is. 50:5, 1 Tim. 3:16, since the righteousness of God declared that it had been paid and satisfied in full by this our Substitute, and issued him as it were a receipt thereof; and that happened in his resurrection, when he was released from his debtor's prison and set free. But since the Substitute was now justified, then in him also all debtors were co-justified."

Later in that commentary Rambach also writes (in a way that shows that he has 1 Tim. 3:16 in mind):

"The justification of the human race indeed also ocurred, in respect of the acquisition, in one moment, in the moment in which Christ rose and was thus declared righteous; but in respect of the appropriation it still continues till the last day."

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GJ - The origins of UOJ are a combination of Calvinism and its midwife, Pietism. Samuel Huber was the first Lutheran to claim that the entire human race was absolved in the resurrection of Christ. He was a "former" Calvinist who was repudiated by Polycarp Leyser, an assistant editor of the Book of Concord. Why do Olde Synodical Conference Lutherans teach Huberism, which was utterly rejected by the Concordists still alive when he failed at teaching universal absolution?

Pietism lacks the foundation of the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace, because all Pietists believe the real church is the cell group, which gives energy and power to the congregation,  which is  nothing more than a convenient place to organize the cell groups. That is why the Sacraments and the sermon mean so little to the Lutheran CGM and Emergent Church efforts. The outward appearance of the congregation is necessary for foot traffic, but the real church is the cell group (small group, Bible study group, share group, care group, koinonia group, prayer group). 

Calvin taught that the Holy Spirit works separately from the Word and Sacraments. In fact, the Word and Sacraments are useless unless the Holy Spirit happens to drop by and do his work, according to the Swiss Reformer's published works.

The Olde Synodical Conference represents the triumph of Pietism, rationalism, and Calvinism.


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LutherRocks has left a new comment on your post "WELS Reformation Summary - From AC V":

Outstanding work. Thanks for posting.

I remember hearing on more than one occasion when I was into CGM...people these days vote with their feet. How upside down is that? We cater to their feet? Or this one...the unchurched come to church for the wrong reasons and end up staying for the right reasons...huh? And the 'poor miserable sinner' is left unattended to...

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GJ - And where are the "orthodox Lutheran leaders" opposing this Dreck, Joe? They are scheming to start more businesses under the cover of the synod - like coaching, estate planning (their own), etc.