Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Thomas Cole's Landscape with Ruined Tower Illustra...":
The Steadfast discussion that just wrapped up was extremely beneficial. The errors of UOJ are endless and it is utterly impossible for the doctrine to remain in harmony with Scripture - primarily because it's source and foundation is not from Scripture. Anyone can read the exchange and see that the tenets of UOJ contradict Scripture.
Even (W)ELS DP Jon Buchholz' 2005 Convention essay promoting the false gospel of UOJ indicted itself:
Jon Buchholz, “In each example, the mark of heresy is to go as far as Scripture goes—and then to go one step further.” Page 7
"God has forgiven the whole world. God has forgiven everyone his sins." This statement is absolutely true! This is the heart of the gospel, and it must be preached and taught as the foundation of our faith. But here’s where the caveat comes in: In Scripture, the word "forgive" is used almost exclusively in a personal, not a universal sense. The Bible doesn’t make the statement, "God has forgiven the world."
"God has forgiven all sins, but the unbeliever rejects God’s forgiveness." Again, this statement is true—and Luther employed similar terminology to press the point of Christ’s completed work of salvation.16 But we must also recognize that Scripture doesn’t speak this way."
"God has declared the entire world righteous." This statement is true, as we understand it to mean that God has rendered a verdict of "not-guilty" toward the entire world. It is also true—and must be taught—that the righteousness of Christ now stands in place of the world’s sin; this is the whole point of what Jesus did for us at Calvary. However, once again we’re wresting a term out of its usual context. In Scripture the term "righteous" usually refers to believers."
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GJ - DP Buchholz has no grasp of the Means of Grace, but that should not shock anyone. If someone begins with human opinion as the standard of truth, then Biblical doctrine must be bent into that shape.
The human opinion is the odious Walther tradition from Halle University - the timid Universalism of the Pietists. Jesus rose from the dead and the entire world became righteous at that moment...or on Good Friday.
If children gave answers like that on confirmation exams they would be sent back for another year of instruction - or at least for another week at Confirmation Camp.
WELS got its Walther from the Wauwatosa braggarts. If we take their words seriously, they were just like a bunch of ELCA Biblical professors: set aside the Confessions and just make stuff up.
Did you know that the tiny Wauwatosa faculty was smarter than the editors of the Book of Concord? Oh yes. They were smart enough to find brand new doctrines, echoes of Halle, and so proud of them. They polished them up with endless cascades of words, and forced them on the innocent. If someone needs a dissertation topic, the connection between Wauwatosa, Northwestern College, and Seminex/ELCA would be fun to write and funner to read.
The essay quoted above is so outrageous that the audience should have shouted Buchholz down with laughter or jeers. That is the price of total conformity in WELS. No one wants to say boo, and no one is allowed to think. That is why there is so little distance between the Buchholz essay and The CORE in Appleton.
