As many readers know, Pope Paul the Unlearned wrote one of his rare, original posts to denounce me again.
It has come to my attention that there are some laypeople who read my blog, and follow my Facebook page, who have had the unfortunate experience of stumbling across very negative and harmful discussions on the Internet of what is called the doctrine of “objective justification.” There is a former Lutheran pastor who has made it his life’s mission to attack this comforting doctrine. + Paul the Unlearned
That should help push my August comps to 25% (meaning the August page-reads for 2012 will be 25% higher than August, 2011). In spite of distractions, like hurricanes and conventions, the page-reads have been very high every single day. Doubtless another contribution was the double barrel attack against justification by faith on Steadfast Kilcreasers.
People who oppose the Word of God are deeply disturbed by it. As James wrote, "The demons believe, but their hides bristle." (New Jackson Version) They whine that I publish on one (1) blog, which I leverage with Facebook. The non-Lutheran Protestants love my doctrinal and hymn graphics. They do not banish me, as the SynConference Pietists do.
The Wisconsin Sect has never identified a single false doctrine it has promoted, whether it is Church Growth or unionism, women's ordination or the New Agism of Sweet and Jeske. But they come down on justification by faith like a wolf on the fold. They loathe the word faith. They engage in verbal contortions and mental gymnastics to avoid the obvious - they are anti-Biblical and un-Lutheran. The Word of God hardens their hearts and infuriates them. Their answer is to silence the Biblical doctrine of justification by faith, that is, they have to silence any source teaching the Chief Article.
McCain uses a familiar tactic, one forged in cowardice and hate - diminishing the person who teaches the Christian faith. Wearing his Roman collar to blog, he calls me a "former pastor." But I am not teaching myself, so an attack against me is meaningless. Every day I provide citations from Luther, the Book of Concord, Chemnitz, and the Scriptures.
Since Pope Paul is such an expert on everything, with his MDiv from Ft. Wayne, he should refute Luther and the Book of Concord rather than wasting his blanks on me. Every time he launches a new tirade I feel as if I am being stoned to death by popcorn.
I had a revelation from reading some portions of the Stanley Hauerwas memoir again. I was curious about his various denominational passions. He was raised a Texas Methodist, which is the same as Southern Baptist, as Stan admitted. Later he became quite smitten with the Anabaptist thought of John Howard Yoder, my dissertation advisor. In the meantime he was often a daily communicant at Notre Dame masses. My priestly friends said, "Hauerwas is sacrament-starved."
What was missing from this ecumenical brew? Hauerwas has nothing edifying to say about Luther's doctrine. In fact, he has these little academic put-downs in his book. In his lectures he would look at me and say, "Lutherans are weak on sanctification." I waited for the next recital of that line, adding, - "and sanctimony." He quickly agreed, a bit off-balance. I was supposed to grin sheepishly and agree.
Hauerwas was an excellent lecturer and more importantly, a considerate faculty member. I am sure he did some things to make life easier for my family, although he never mentioned it or took credit for anything.
But this is what united his interests and explains his allergy to Luther's doctrine, his attraction to Anabaptism and Roman Catholicism. It parallels the so-called Lutherans today.
Non-Lutheran Protestants and Roman Catholics are united in their Enthusiasm. They separate the Holy Spirit from the Word. Therefore, it is only natural for a sacrament-starved Protestant to switch to Roman Catholicism. Most "Lutherans" today are also sacrament-starved, so they also switch to Rome, sometimes to Eastern Orthodoxy.
UOJ is neither Protestantism in the broad sense, nor Roman Catholicism. UOJ lacks the courage to admit that it is a flavor of Universalism - universal forgiveness, universal salvation. But they are too timid, lacking faith, to admit it.
The common formula is "believe, teach, and confess." I see a lot of posturing about the Confessions, but almost no teaching, believing, or confessing.
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| Stanley Hauerwas |
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Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "What Terrifies the UOJ Hive?":
Dr. Jackson -
It is refreshing for me that you don't allow the CPH pope's stoning popcorn to disturb your peace in the Lord and your resolve to continue teaching and proclaiming the Word.
Furthermore, clergy with connections, high salaries and future retirement benefits, apparently don't need the Holy Spirit's faith to motivate or move them. No - instead they are lulled into the entrapment of Universalism. That, is their daily [false] washing that they think makes them clean. [After all, {for them} there is then no need for the continued cleaning that Christ talked about in the Gospel of John, chapter 15] Is it a wonder why they slight the Holy Spirit?
Finally, I will say it again: Those who reject your specialized calling and ministry are the same who only view the Romans 12 gift of exhortation in a limited and myopic manner. They can't see (for dust) the exhortation aspect which includes, also, rebuke. Hence, when they shut the Word out; that action [also] blinds them to the messengers sent to them.
Nathan M. Bickel
www.thechristianmessage.org
www.moralmatters.org
