Febreze has left a new comment on your post "Kilcreased Blogs":
Joel, this blog has woken up many faithful Lutheran pastors and laymen. I hope that this blog wouldn't ever go down. It's the lighthouse during a storm. Enjoy your Pietism and universalism, while we'll enjoy the BoC and actually uphold it instead of being a hypocrite.
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GJ - One dead certain give-away of a flimsy argument is the personal element. Sometimes it is expressed as "My pastor does not agree with you."
Even weaker is this gambit - "You are a bad person. You belonged to various synods. You did not go to our schools. You make people angry. Therefore, you are wrong."
My argumentation and my resume are irrelevant. There is no end to the chaos if people must stake their claims on either one. In fact, that is why so many shallow arguments start with Holy Mother Synod and continue with the Immaculate Conception of someone like CFW Walther. Since few MDivs do any serious study beyond seminary, most cling to the adolescent certainty that their professors must have been right about everything.
Mequon students bind their yellowed dogmatics notes. Their papers are supposed to regurgitate the regurgitations of seminary class. Anything else is dangerous.
Given this cob-webbed scenario, a doctrinal version of Miss Havisham's dreary home, no one should be shocked that pastors defend error by saying, "We actually agree," or "They are just talking past each other."
Ever since the Great Kidnapper landed in New Orleans and signed his oath of obedience to Bishop Stephan, the SynConference has waged war against justification by faith. That is the only justification taught by the Scriptures, the Confessions, and the post-Concord Lutheran Orthodox fathers.
With Wayne Mueller having disposed of the Book of Concord altogether, the Wisconsin Sect now aims to impose universal absolution on God by adopting Murdoch's NNIV, a fictional work so bad that Southern Babtists asked their book stores to avoid stocking the travesty. But WELS wants to make it their main Bible, with nihil obstat on the inside cover, signed by Pope Schroeder.
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| UOJ just drips from this article of the Augsburg Confession! The UOJ arguments prove how dull, blinded, and hardened the SynConference leaders are. |
Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "Message to Joel Lillo: A Faithful Remnant Will Tea...":
Ichabod -
Thank you that you have shown, demonstrated and illustrated with your website some stark differences.
I've always thought that synodical (denominational) affiliation; coupled with (their) perspective church pension systems, pathetically end up being the worldly blood that is thicker than the Gospel water. [1 Peter 5:2-4 ; Titus 1:11 ; Matthew 23:14 ; Isaiah 56:10-11 ; John 15:1-3]
We are told by Scripture that Disciples of Christ are besieged by and affected by the spiritual battle which is waged in "high places." [Ephesians 6:10-18] Hence, it is of paramount importance, to be highly aware of one's spiritual enemies.
Who are a Christian's enemies? Obviously, many unbelievers, as that is expected, as they are outside the pale of Christianity [the church]. But, those within the church are very deadly because they foment and promulgate doctrines of devils, thereby leading souls, astray. [1 Timothy 4:1-2 ; 2 Timothy 3:1-5]
Nathan M. Bickel
http://www.thechristianmessage.org/
http://moralmatters.org/
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GJ - When people run from their own confession of faith, they are either playing a game of deception or one of concealment.
The UOJ fanatics always cloak themselves with justification by faith, but they mean "faith in world absolution without faith." That has never been justification by faith.
There are many who believe in the Biblical doctrine of justification by faith, but they will not stand up for it, so they really do not believe it at all. If they did, they would confess the truth in the open. But some will object, "I would, but the synod would punish me." How can they believe in the power of the Gospel to erase their sins, the most powerful weapon of all, and yet fear the synod officials and their toadies? That means they really do not believe in the efficacy of the Word, the mercy of God, or His goodness.
God must be terribly weak or blind, to be weaker than the cowardly bullies of synod headquarters, to never see the needs of the faithful. I am going to erase Psalm 37:25 from my Bible, since it no longer applies.
KJV Psalm 37:25 I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous [justified by faith in Christ] forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
