Ichabod, The Glory Has Departed: 05/02/12

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Luther's Hymn - We Now Implore the Holy Ghost.
The Lutheran Hymnal, #231

"We Now Implore God the Holy Ghost"
by Martin Luther, 1483-1546

1. We now implore the Holy Ghost
For the true faith, which we need the most,
That in our last moments He may befriend us
And, as homeward we journey, attend us.
Lord, have mercy.

2. Shine in our hearts, O most precious Light,
That we Jesus Christ may know aright,
Clinging to our Savior, whose blood hath bought us.
Who again to our homeland hath brought us.
Lord, have mercy.

3. Thou sacred Love, grace on us bestow,
Set our hearts with heavenly fire aglow
That with hearts united we love each other,
Of one mind, in peace with every brother.
Lord, have mercy!

4. Thou highest Comfort in every need,
Grant that neither shame nor death we heed,
That e'en then our courage may never fail us
When the Foe shall accuse and assail us.
Lord, have mercy!

Hymn 231
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: John 16: 13
Author: unknown, stanza 1
Author: Martin Luther, stanzas 2-4, 1524
Translated by: composite
Titled: "Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist"
Tune: "Nun bitten wir" Sacred melody, c. 1100

U.S. believers aren’t joining congregations - ZIONICA.com

The Lutheran sects are crashing.
Wait until the sex abuse lawsuits start coming to fruition.
WELS may have to sell both synod office buildings.
The LCMS cross may turn to a blushing red.

U.S. believers aren’t joining congregations - ZIONICA.com:

U.S. believers aren’t joining congregations

The vast majority of Americans may be Christians, but fewer than half join a congregation — and that trend, warns a religion researcher, should concern church leaders.

“In some ways, our chickens have come home to roost,” said Dale Jones, a research director with the Church of the Nazarene who worked on the newly released U.S. Religion Census. “Churches have talked about needing to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ — what you hear is, ‘I need a relationship, I need to be born again,’ but not, ‘I need to be involved in a congregation.’ Guess what? That’s where we are.”

The once-a-decade census, unveiled Tuesday, found that while upward of 80 percent of Americans claim to be Christians, only about 49 percent are affiliated with a congregation.

While other studies examine total membership, beliefs or worship attendance, this one counts the actual number of people who are affiliated with U.S. congregations — or, as Jones put it, the people who are “involved enough to the point where they know to count you.”

And the latest numbers show that mainline Protestants and Catholics, who dominated the 20th century, are losing ground — literally — to the rapid rise of Mormons and Muslims.

'via Blog this'

Synodical Conference (tm) Theme Song.
"Conservative Lutheran" Leaders Oppose Luther's Doctrine

"O Lord, Look Down from Heaven, Behold"
by Martin Luther, 1483-1546

1. O Lord, look down from heaven, behold
And let Thy pity waken:
How few are we within Thy Fold,
Thy saints by men forsaken!
True faith seems quenched on every hand,
Men suffer not Thy Word to stand;
Dark times have us o'ertaken.

2. With fraud which they themselves invent
Thy truth they have confounded;
Their hearts are not with one consent
On Thy pure doctrine grounded.
While they parade with outward show,
They lead the people to and fro,
In error's maze astounded.

3. May God root out all heresy
And of false teachers rid us
Who proudly say: "Now, where is he
That shall our speech forbid us?
By right or might we shall prevail;
What we determine cannot fail;
We own no lord and master."

4. Therefore saith God, "I must arise,
The poor My help are needing;
To Me ascend My people's cries,
And I have heard their pleading.
For them My saving Word shall fight
And fearlessly and sharply smite,
The poor with might defending."

5. As silver tried by fire is pure
From all adulteration,
So through God's Word shall men endure
Each trial and temptation.
Its light beams brighter through the cross,
And, purified from human dross,
It shines through every nation.

6. Thy truth defend, O God, and stay
This evil generation;
And from the error of their way
Keep Thine own congregation.
The wicked everywhere abound
And would Thy little flock confound;
But Thou art our Salvation.

Hymn 260
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Ps. 12
Author: Martin Luther, 1523
Translated by: composite
Titled: "Ach Gott vom Himmel, sieh darein"
Tune: "Ach Gott vom Himmel"
1st Published in: Enchiridion
Town: Erfurt, 1524

Homework for This Coming Sunday -
Essential for All Lutherans

I have been discussing UOJ on a Facebook page, which reminded me to assign homework early for all the readers.

Homework - two sermons by Luther. I have them on reserve on this blog. All you need to do is click the links. I suggest reading them slowly. You may want to print them out and underline or take notes.

If you do not understand this passage in John's Gospel, you do not understand the Gospel. I am sorry to say that unbelievers have taken over the leadership of the Lutheran synods, so the Synodical Conference (tm) apostates sound just like ELCA.

For pastors - this will change your sermons. Some think preaching against sin is preaching against gambling, alcoholism, and immorality - not to mention the sin of disagreeing with Holy Mother Synod. These sermons show that the foundational sin is unbelief, as the quote above shows.

Here are the two sermons.

First Sermon. John 16:5-15. Cantate.

Second sermon. John 16:5-15. Cantate.

BBC News - Cardinal Brady will not resign over 'abuse failure'.
Are "Conservative Lutherans" Better?
No. Ask Ft. Wayne.

Ireland Cardinal Sean Brady.
Compare - LCMS destruction of evidence
and Concordia, Ft. Wayne scandal.
Different? No - except Lutheran clergy marry.

BBC News - Cardinal Brady will not resign over 'abuse failure':

The Catholic primate of all-Ireland has said that he will not resign as Church leader despite revelations in the BBC's This World programme.

It found Cardinal Sean Brady had names and addresses of those being abused by paedophile priest Brendan Smyth.

However, he did not pass on those details to police or parents.

Cardinal Brady said he accepted he was part of "an unhelpful culture of deference and silence in society, and the Church".

"With others, I feel betrayed that those who had the authority in the Church to stop Brendan Smyth failed to act on the evidence I gave them," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

"However, I also accept that I was part of an unhelpful culture of deference and silence in society, and the Church, which thankfully is now a thing of the past."

The cardinal said he was "shocked, appalled and outraged" by Smyth and said he had trusted that those with the authority to act in relation to Smyth would treat the evidence seriously and respond appropriately.

He accused the BBC of exaggerating his authority in the programme.

Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote

If Cardinal Brady came out and espoused the view that women should be ordained, he'd be gone within hours”

Marie Collins
Abuse victims' campaigner
"The commentary in the programme and much of the coverage of my role in this inquiry gives the impression that I was the only person who knew of the allegations against Brendan Smyth at that time and that because of the office I hold in the Church today I somehow had the power to stop Brendan Smyth in 1975.

"I had absolutely no authority over Brendan Smyth. Even my Bishop had limited authority over him. The only people who had authority within the Church to stop Brendan Smyth from having contact with children were his Abbot in the Monastery in Kilnacrott and his Religious Superiors in the Norbertine Order."

He added that he had worked with others in the Church to put these new procedures in place and looked forward to continuing that vital work in the years ahead.

Senior Vatican Prosecutor Monsignor Charles Scicluna has defended Cardinal Brady.

"My first point is that Fr Brady was a note taker in 1975, he did what he should have done. He forwarded all the information to the people that had the power to act," he said.

"My second point is that in the interest of the Church in Ireland, they need to have Cardinal Brady as the archbishop of Armagh because he has shown determination in promoting child protection policies. You need to have leaders who have learned the hard way and are determined to protect children."

The BBC investigation centres on a secret church inquiry in 1975 when a 14-year-old boy was questioned about abuse.

Smyth abused him and others in guesthouses on trips across Ireland.

The investigation centres on a secret church inquiry in 1975 when a 14-year-old boy was questioned about abuse, as Mark Simpson reports.
In 1975, Cardinal Brady was a priest and teacher in County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland, when he was sent by his bishop to investigate a claim of child sexual abuse by a fellow priest.

That priest was later exposed as Ireland's most prolific paedophile, Father Brendan Smyth, who died in prison in 1997, one month into a 12 year prison sentence.

The first child to tell his parents about the abuse was 14-year-old Brendan Boland.

The man tasked with the secret church investigation that followed would later become the most senior priest in Ireland.

Sean Brady's role in the affair became clear in 2010, when it became known that he had been present when the abused boy was questioned.

He claimed, however, that the boy's father had accompanied him, and described his own role as that of a note-taker.

However, the BBC This World investigation has uncovered the notes Cardinal Brady took while the boy was questioned.

The child's father was not allowed in the room, and the child was immediately sworn to secrecy.

What Cardinal Brady failed to tell anyone in 2010 was that Brendan Boland had also given him and his colleagues the precise details of a group of children, some of whom, were being abused by Smyth.

Continue reading the main story
BBC Ireland correspondent Mark Simpson

The Catholic Church has been knocked off its pedestal in Ireland, and its leader is battling to hold onto his own position.

Cardinal Sean Brady has been under pressure for some time. But he has always made it clear he will not resign, unless there is specific proof that his failure to act allowed clerical child abuse to take place.

Clearly, he does not believe the evidence in the BBC documentary meets that criterion.

However, with the media spotlight on his past, the Catholic primate is struggling to shift the focus to the present and the future.

That is a very uncomfortable position, for any church leader.

Cardinal Brady did interview one of them and swore him to secrecy.

This World spoke to all of the children who Brendan Boland had identified; they all told the programme that to the best of their knowledge none of their parents or families were warned in any way about the paedophile Brendan Smyth.

Four of them had been abused by Smyth. Two of them continued to be abused after the 1975 inquiry.

One of them - originally from Belfast - told the programme that Smyth continued to abuse him for another year.

He also said Smyth abused his sister for a further seven years and then in turn, his four younger cousins, up to 1988.

Cardinal Brady did consider his position as Primate of all-Ireland when his role in the secret inquiry was first exposed.

The Catholic Church has said that "the sole purpose of the oath" signed by Brendan Boland in Cardinal Brady's presence was "to give greater force and integrity to the evidence given by Mr Boland against any counter claim by Fr Brendan Smyth".

The church also points out that in 1975, "no state or church guidelines for responding to allegations of child abuse existed in Ireland".

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny said it was a matter for Cardinal Brady to reflect on his decision following the BBC documentary.

Irish Justice Minister Alan Shatter said the programme's revelations were "tragic and disturbing".

Abuse victims' campaigner Marie Collins, who was raped at the age of 13 by a hospital chaplain in Dublin, said Cardinal Brady should resign.

"I'm amazed no bishops have come out and said he should go," she said.

"We have priests and theologians being silenced by the Vatican - they can act against people whose views they feel are liberal, but they will not act against someone who not only endangered children but let them be abused.

"If Cardinal Brady came out and espoused the view that women should be ordained, he'd be gone within hours."

Gary O'Sullivan, editor of the Irish Catholic newspaper, said Cardinal Brady had questions to answer.

Abuse victim Brendan Boland's disturbing story
"If a child can see the need to save other children, how come priests, ministers of Christianity, cannot have the same awareness?" he said.

"If he wants to stay in this leadership position, he should show leadership and come out and answer these questions because this culture of silence failed children."

This World: The Shame of the Catholic Church was first broadcast on BBC One Northern Ireland on Tuesday. The programme is being shown on BBC Two at 21:00 BST on Wednesday.

More on This Story

Cardinal Brady's statement in full 02 MAY 2012, NORTHERN IRELAND
Cardinal Brady revelations: reaction 02 MAY 2012, NORTHERN IRELAND
Timeline: Clerical sex abuse in Ireland 02 MAY 2012, NORTHERN IRELAND
Irish abuse victim's disturbing story 02 MAY 2012, NORTHERN IRELAND
Cavan priest who became primate 01 MAY 2012, NORTHERN IRELAND
Cardinal will continue to lead 25 MARCH 2012, NORTHERN IRELAND
Cardinal resists calls to resign 15 MARCH 2010, NORTHERN IRELAND
Cardinal says abusers cannot hide 04 APRIL 2010, NORTHERN IRELAND
Profile of Father Brendan Smyth 15 MARCH 2010, NORTHERN IRELAND

'via Blog this'

Pope Paul, the Unlearned Plagiarist, Tackles Justification by Faith

Paul McCain on Cyberbrethren, Quoting F. Pieper

Not even in this respect, namely, in so far as it is a gift of the Holy Ghost, does faith justify, but simply inasmuch as it stands in relation to Christ (quatenus habet se correlative ad Christum). Here the principal question is not whence, or what sort of work, faith is or in what respect it surpasses other works, since faith does not justify per se (on its own account) or by any intrinsic value (virtute aliqua intrinseca).” (Erl. 58, p. 353.)

Francis Pieper, vol. 2, Christian Dogmatics, electronic ed., 440 (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999).

Note: This is an important concept that we lose when we begin to regard “Faith” to be that one good work we do in order to be saved. Even Faith is a pure gift from God, a gracious gift, a loving, merciful gift from a loving, merciful God who eagerly desires our salvation. Dead men do not raise themselves. Dead men can not “believe” their way into God’s grace. Even faith is pure gift, from God!

***

GJ - Pope Paul, the Unlearned Plagiarist, can turn justification by faith into a farrago of contradictions. What exactly is his opinion on the Hunnius theses just published?

Agree or disagree? He has to make a decision, to quote the UOJ stylists.

Put another nickel in,
In the papal copy bin.
All he wants is bended knees,
And Luth'run genuflection.
Paul wants everything from you,
Anything he can get through,
He just earns $one-eighty-two,
From blogging, blogging, blogging.

Febreze on WELS versus Hunnius

Febreze has left a new comment on your post Preview Theses Opposed to Huberianism

In the following please excuse stupid typos because I literally had to type out every single one of these, including the WELS quotes. There was no C&P. Also, the asterix is to represent the italics used in the original version written by Hunnius himself. I don't know how to make it bold like AC V does.

Hunnius, back from the grave, seems to be writing to the WELS UOJers when he says:

"Thesis 3

This universal justification of the *entire human race* he considers (even without respect to faith in Christ) to be *fully completed*, sins having been remitted on account of the satisfaction made by the Son of God and swallowed up in His own blood and wounds. These things he says concerning his justification."

- WELS: "The Bible and Lutherans teach that God judged all sinners righteous in his sight when Jesus Christ died on the cross for us. God declared everyone free from the guilt and punishment owed for our sins." (http://www.wels.net/what-we-believe/statements-beliefs/what-lutherans-teach)

- WELS: "Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinner's attittude toward Christ's sacrifice, purely on the basis of God's verdict, every sinner, whether he knows about it or not, whether he believe it or not, has received the status of a saint. What will be his reaction when he is informed about this turn of events? Will he accept, or will he decline?"

J.P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 107. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

He goes on:

"Thesis 8

Therefore it is certain that no one receives remission of sins for the sake of Christ except the one who believes in Him (Acts 10). Nor is anyone justified from his sins except the one who believes in Christ (Acts 13)."

-WELS: "'4. At the time of the resurrection of Christ God looked down in hell and declared Judas, the people destroyed in the flood, and all the ungodly, innocent, not guilty, and forgiven of all sin and gave unto them the status of saints'"

The fourth statement of the "Kokomo Statements". August 30, 1979.

- WELS: "The resurrection of Christ is, as Holy Writ teaches, the actual absolution of the whole world of sinners. Romans 4:25: 'Who was raised again for our justification.' At that time we were objectively declared free from sin."

Francis Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, 3 vols, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1951, II, P.P 348. Rom. 5:10; 2 Corinthians 5:19

[I love this one]

Thesis 9

But let Huber explain this mystery of this universal justification of his, and let him set forth in detail when these unbelievers, who have never believed and are not going to believe in the Son of God, ever received the remission of sins and were justified before God?"

- WELS: "The Resurrection is God's public absolution of the entire world: 'Your sins are forgiven, all sins of all human beings; and there is no exception.' This is the meaning of the technical term 'objective justification.' The objective justification is central to the doctrine of salvation and derives logically from the facts that God's reconciliation, forgiveness, and declaration of 'not guilty' in no wise depend on the attitude or behaviour of human beings."

Theodore Mueller, Concordia Theological Quarterly, January 1982, p. 29. Cited by Pastor Vernon Harley, "Synergism -- Its Logical Association with General Justification," 511 Tilden, Fairmont, MN 56031, August, 1984, p. 3.

"Thesis 16

But let Huber also cut this knot: do the unbelieving Jews, Turks, etc., after they were thus justified at one time without faith, still retain this justification, or do they perhaps lose it again?

Thesis 17

If they retain it, will they then be saved with all Christians and the faithful? If, however, they lose it, then let Huber answer, how and through what do they lose it? This justification could not be erased for them through unbelief, because they are supposed to be justified without any regard to faith (which is also what makes them unbelievers)."

- WELS: "Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinner's attittude toward Christ's sacrifice, purely on the basis of God's verdict, every sinner, whether he knows about it or not, whether he believes it or not, has received the status of a saint. What will be his reaction when he is informed about this turn of events? Will he accept, or will he decline?"

J.P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 107. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

"Thesis 18

Again, since at one time the Gentiles, and today the Turks and reprobate Jews were never not unbelievers, certainly if that general justification is said to be erased for them through unbelief, then it must have always been erased for them, because they have always been unbelievers. And consequently, they were never justified, not even with a universal justification, if indeed this cannot coexist with unbelief, but is erased through the same. If this Huberian justification cannot splendidly coexist with unbelief in its very beginning, then neither can it coexist with it going forward."

- WELS: "Scripture teaches that God has already declared the whole world to be righteous in Christ, Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21; Romans 4:25; that therefore not for the sake of their good works, but without the works of the Law, by grace, for Christ's sake, he justifies, that is, acounts as righteous, all those who believe in Christ, this is, believe, accept, and rely on, the fact that for Christ's sake their sins are [already] forgiven."

Brief Statement of the Doctrinal Position of the Missouri Synod, 1932, "Of Justification." Missouri Synod CTCR

Thesis 19

In addition, if we were all justified at the same time with a general justification and restored to the bosom of divine grace with sins having been forgiven solely by the merit of Christ without faith, then does not the justification by faith so accurately passed on by St. Paul lie in ruins, since it is clearly not a necessity for us?

- WELS: "And yet many Lutherans still labor under the delusion that God does not forgive us unless we believe...They believe that Christ has indeed provided forgiveness for all men, that God is willing to forgive, but before He really forgives He first of all demands that we should be sorry for our sins and that we should have faith. Just have faith, they say, and then God will forgive you."

Dr. Becker in his paper entitled "Universal Justification". You can find it on WELS' essay files. This paper is still listed in Professor Schone's syllabus at MLC. I had him for class. We didn't discuss the paper like we were supposed to but it was still listed on the syllabus as required reading.

[I love this one too]

"Thesis 20

Huber will *never* be able to explain his way out of this nonsense of insoluble contradictions and most prodigious absurdities. Therefore let him enjoy his justification, and let him bless his *elect and sanctified people* with it -- Turks, Jews, and all unbelievers. We, in the meantime, shall restrict justification to believers only, as prescribed by all prophetic and apostolic Scriptures."

***

GJ - I haven't received my copy of the book yet, but Hunnius looks good - right in line with Luther and the Book of Concord.

McCain Gets $181,000 a Year for Copying the Roman Catholics?

His "complete article on Athanasius."
APA citation. Clifford, C. (1907). St. Athanasius. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved May 2, 2012 from New Advent: Retrieved May 2, 2009 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02035a.htm

---

I need a Thrivent grant to do more research, but this McCain post looks 99% from the Catholic Encyclopedia, another display of laziness and dishonesty. The citation is at the end of the post, the initial paragraphs giving no clue about its true origin. Plagiarism is considered the worst academic sin, a firing offense when caught.

The Ft. Wayne crowd complains about Lutherans not knowing enough about the early church fathers (the first four centuries or so). That is a fair complaint. The solution is not to copy and paste propaganda from a Roman Catholic site, one that is sure to draw the computer savvy into more reading from the same infernal source.

Aardvark Alley also posted about Athanasius. I do not see him plagiarizing.

The Lutheran Sects Have Been Shrinking Ever Since Discovering the Joys of Fuller Seminary

Steve Ames, posting on ALPB:

Pastor Kimball, Some stats from http://www.thearda.com/denoms/families/F_90.asp -- number of congregations and members:
American Lutheran Church
1960 -- 4,625-- 2,242,259:
1986 -- 4,959 -- 2,319,443

Lutheran Church in America
1962 -- 5,834 -- 3,080,272
1986 -- 5,832 -- 2,896,138

Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches
1977 -- 210 -- 95,186
1986 -- 250 -- 103,263

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
1987 -- 11,133 -- 5,288,230
2008 -- 10,396 -- 4,633,887

Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
1960 -- 5,215 -- 2,391,195
1987 -- 5,912 -- 2,614,375
2008 -- 6,123 -- 2,337,349

***

GJ - I do not believe any denominational statistics. They are far lower in reality. The best way to judge the issue is "How many are in church per Sunday?" Baptized members are really those still listed on the rolls the last time someone turned in a report.

Indulgences Return, and Heaven Moves a Step Closer for Catholics - NYTimes.com

Indulgences Return, and Heaven Moves a Step Closer for Catholics - NYTimes.com:

By PAUL VITELLO
Published: February 9, 2009
The announcement in church bulletins and on Web sites has been greeted with enthusiasm by some and wariness by others. But mainly, it has gone over the heads of a vast generation of Roman Catholics who have no idea what it means: “Bishop Announces Plenary Indulgences.”

The fact that many Catholics under 50 have never sought one, and never heard of indulgences except in high school European history (Martin Luther denounced the selling of them in 1517 while igniting the Protestant Reformation), simply makes their reintroduction more urgent among church leaders bent on restoring fading traditions of penance in what they see as a self-satisfied world.
“Why are we bringing it back?” asked Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio of Brooklyn, who has embraced the move. “Because there is sin in the world.”

Like the Latin Mass and meatless Fridays, the indulgence was one of the traditions decoupled from mainstream Catholic practice in the 1960s by the Second Vatican Council, the gathering of bishops that set a new tone of simplicity and informality for the church. Its revival has been viewed as part of a conservative resurgence that has brought some quiet changes and some highly controversial ones, like Pope Benedict XVI’s recent decision to lift the excommunications of four schismatic bishops who reject the council’s reforms.

The indulgence is among the less noticed and less disputed traditions to be restored. But with a thousand-year history and volumes of church law devoted to its intricacies, it is one of the most complicated to explain.

According to church teaching, even after sinners are absolved in the confessional and say their Our Fathers or Hail Marys as penance, they still face punishment after death, in Purgatory, before they can enter heaven. In exchange for certain prayers, devotions or pilgrimages in special years, a Catholic can receive an indulgence, which reduces or erases that punishment instantly, with no formal ceremony or sacrament.

There are partial indulgences, which reduce purgatorial time by a certain number of days or years, and plenary indulgences, which eliminate all of it, until another sin is committed. You can get one for yourself, or for someone who is dead. You cannot buy one — the church outlawed the sale of indulgences in 1567 — but charitable contributions, combined with other acts, can help you earn one. There is a limit of one plenary indulgence per sinner per day.

It has no currency in the bad place.

“It’s what?” asked Marta de Alvarado, 34, when told that indulgences were available this year at several churches in New York City. “I just don’t know anything about it,” she said, leaving St. Patrick’s Cathedral at lunchtime. “I’m going to look into it, though.”

'via Blog this'

Sig Becker's UOJ.
Does It Harmonize with Hunnius, the Bible,
The Book of Concord?

"But if forgiveness comes first, if it is always there, if it is true whether I believe it or not, I do not need to know whether I have faith or not before I can cling to God's promise. I know that my sins are forgiven whether I feel forgiven or unforgiven. I know that my iniquity is pardoned whether I believe it or not. And when I know that, then I know also that I am a believer."