One Arkansan was describing her fall allergies yesterday. She said, "I want to take my eyes out and itch them with steel wool." Allergic reactions can be quite powerful. The spring blooming season this year had everyone scratching, crying, sneezing, and reaching for their medications. Apparently allergies are a hyper-reaction to the proteins of pollen.
Unbelievers react to the Biblical concept of faith the same way. The rationalists who teach world religion and theology classes are always engaged in mocking faith. Supposedly, the SynConference conservatives kicked rationalism out the door, so they can look down on ELCA rationalists, who place human reason above the Word of God.
But UOJ Enthusiasts have the same allergic symptoms as ELCA, because faith gives them systemic reactions. Our allergist kept a hospital bed and supplies in his office, in case a patient had a systemic reaction with life-threatening symptoms.
The UOJ Stormtroopers react switftly against faith, going into a hyperbolic frenzy, lest anyone pursue that line of thinking. I recall a frequent Stormtrooper warning: "You cannot quote Luther's Romans Commentary, because that was an early work." So were the 95 Theses, and I would rather read the early Luther than the latest Buchholz or Wendland. Both of them have divorced themselves from Lutheran doctrine - inept teachers, blind guides, enemies of the Faith.
There are only two justifications - not the ones named by the UOJ Hive. The two justifications are:
- Justification by the law.
- Justification by faith.
This is clearly taught by the Holy Spirit in Galatians and Romans, but the Hive--with a great show of their own sanctity--turns that into:
- Forgiveness, absolution, and salvation of all unbelievers (Hitler and Mao, but not UOJ critics)
- Forgiveness again - which really counts only if one makes a decision for #1.
KJV Galatians 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith?
KJV Romans 10:16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our
report?
Note that "hearing" and "report" are the same Greek word, uniting the concepts of preaching-hearing-believing. The Holy Spirit is active in all three, which we separate for discussion, although God unites them in action. There is no Holy Spirit at work without the Word, no Word at work without the Spirit, no preaching or believing without the Word and Spirit.
The UOJ Pixelators find an atonement passage and exclaim, "Aha! Every single pagan, head-hunter, and polytheist is in Christ, justified without faith, forgiven, and saved."
If someone mentions faith, these Pixelators are filled with wrath. When Tim Glende was running his little blog for his little friends, he raved against intuitu fidei - or Inuit Fidei, as he spelled it. At the same time he was giving Methodist sermons, in concert with Ski, copied from Groeschel, an Arminian works-salesman.
Deputy Doug approved, because "everyone plagiarizes" in his Anything Goes District.
Pope Paul the Plagiarist chimed in to join the chorus of boos (or is that booze in Appleton?), because he hates Luther's doctrine even more than the Fox Valley wolves.
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