Watching the LCMS Go Roman Catholic, More Popish than the Pope

Paul McCain posted the Miraculous Lactation of the Virgin Mary into the Mouth of St. Bernard.
A reader added the UOJ gargoyle in the background.

Readers are getting a blitz promotion of the Apocrypha, the books of the Old Testament rejected from the canon. Concordia Publishing House, with too much money and time on their hands, is producing this epic fail. Judging by the frantic tone of the ads, this volume is destined to be pulped faster than McCain's edition of the Book of Concord.

McCain's Book of Concord had more recall notices than the Ford Pinto.

On LaughQuest, one of the LCMS Romanizers was pumping for the Apocrypha. Required reading!

The SynConference has failed to comprehend Paul's Epistle to the Galatians. Why should they study the works used to support Purgatory and other abominations? I know the arguments for the Apocrypha having some value, but the Gospels and Epistles have supreme value. If the MDivs cannot master the basic building blocks of Christian doctrine, why should they turn to ornamentation?

If they can make a best-seller out of the Apocrypha, the price of the book is 99% profit. Large printings pay for themselves, so the overhead is little more than the price of paper. However, that works best if the work sells. I doubt whether anyone really wants to read the Apocrypha. A few will put it on their shelves because the cover is pretty. Try opening or closing a sermon with "As II Maccabees says..."

ELCA bishop Mark Hanson met with John Paul II, D.D. Notre Dame.

More important is the constant promotion of Romanism among the Lutherans. ELCA started it, especially during the waning days of James Crumbly, LCA president (upgraded to bishop). Mark Hanson has followed  that example. Both Concordia seminaries promote Romanism and Eastern Orthodoxy, proving that  ecumenists love every confession of faith except their own.

There are open--and likely secret--groups to promote a return to Holy Mother Rome. One faction uses STS after their names. Some will say, like Weedon, "I will never join Rome." Some never will. But the crafts and assaults used to promote the Vatican view are many. Like slot machines, they do not tempt everyone, but they entice enough to make a real profit.

Paul McCain, faux-pastor and faux-blogger, uses his sinecure at CPH to promote the Roman Catholic recruitment site called New Advent. That is a pleasant name, a welcoming name - New Advent. New Advent posts the entire, gassy Catholic Encyclopedia on its website. They give away DVDs packed with more material, so poor little Protestants can see The Real Church.

McCain uses the Catholic Encyclopedia articles verbatim to make his posts look long and scholarly. The content of his meager efforts consist of: gun posts and videos, copied material (without clear attribution or any at all), and CPH ads. What a yawner.

Missouri, WELS, and ELCA follow the Vatican lectionary series and the gay-friendly liturgical colors. They even use the same names--or drop the same names--for the church year. When Rome talks, everyone listens and obeys. Who decided this? Who voted to spend millions to make sure the Lutherans followed the example of Rome in worship?

WELS bows toward the Vatican and Fuller Seminary.
Dr. Moo will lead them to the green pastures of the New NIV.

---

Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "Watching the LCMS Go Roman Catholic, More Popish t...":

Ichabod -

Perhaps, the reason that CPH is printing this non Scriptural Roman Catholic favorite, is because they received some grant from the Vatican? Who knows? And, who knows if CPH'S McCain gets a small stipend percentage cut of it so that he can buy and stock up on all his Mother Mary lactation milk?

***

Archbishop Weakland: blackmail funds embezzled to pay off his boyfriend -
just the guy to speak at Wisconsin Lutheran College.

GJ - A Thrivent grant would fulfill their outreach to all religions, all wallets. Notice the pan-Lutheran reconciliation with Rome:

• ELCA began decades ago with James Crumley.
• Missouri trains men who become Roman Catholic priests, including Paul McCain's late go-to guy, Father Richard John Neuhaus.
• WELS invited Archbishop R. Weakland and his Sodomite priests to give a series of public lectures at Wisconsin Lutheran College.
• The Evangelical Lutheran Synod invited a former Roman Catholic bishop to march in a religious procession with the Bethany faculty and to speak at the religious dedication of a new Schwan building.
• The Church of the Lutheran Confession (sic) promoted Roman Catholic materials from David Koenig and Paul Tiefel.

Justification by Faith Is the Chief Article of Christianity

Andromeda was called a nebula until larger telescopes resolved the stars.
One galaxy, the white glow on the lower right, is captured by Andromeda's gravity.
Genesis 15:5-6 is the argument behind Romans 4 - not exactly a UOJ text!

Bankers teach tellers to identify counterfeit currency by showing them the attributes of genuine currency.

UOJ has plenty of bad attributes - Antinomianism and Enthusiasm, to start the list. UOJ is a counterfeit gospel for a counterfeit faith.

But I told one person that I would continue my series on genuine Christian doctrine, featuring the justification by faith quotations from Luther's Galatians Commentary, the Kregel edition, which is easy to obtain and inexpensive.

Paul McCain and his ELCA-Jesuit advisor are complaining, so I must be doing something right. They never thank me for featuring Luther's doctrine. I wonder why.

I have 45 graphics done from the Kregel edition, and I am on chapter 3 of Galatians.


KJV Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

That quotation is certainly up to date for all Lutheran synods today. Turning away from the Gospel, the preaching of faith in Christ, they have been teaching the works of the law for many decades. Most of them were fairly close in doctrine, since all of them were spawned in the era of Pietism. But now they are far apart, driven by extremes of Pentecostalism, Romanism, and Groeschel-Methodism.

Their only area of agreement is a common hatred of Luther's doctrine.

Whoever then believeth the Word of God as Abraham did, is righteous before God, because he hath faith, which giveth glory unto God

Whoever then believeth the Word of God as Abraham did, is righteous before God, because he hath faith, which giveth glory unto God: that is, he giveth to God that which is due Him. For faith saith thus, I believe Thee, O God, when Thou speakest. And what saith God? Impossible things, foolish, weak, absurd, heretical things, if ye believe reason. For what to reason is more absurd, foolish, improbable, yea impossible, than when God said unto Abraham, that he should have a son of the barren and dead body of his wife Sarah?

Martin Luther, Kregel, Galatians 3:6, p. 126.

Paul by these words, “Abraham believed,” maketh of faith in God the chiefest worship, the chiefest duty, the chiefest obedience, the chiefest sacrifice.

Paul by these words, “Abraham believed,” maketh of faith in God the chiefest worship, the chiefest duty, the chiefest obedience, the chiefest sacrifice. Let him that is a rhetorician amplify this place, and he shall see that faith is an almighty thing, and that the power thereof is infinite and inestimable; for it giveth glory unto God, which is the highest service that can be given unto Him. Now, to give glory to God, is to believe in Him, to count Him true, wise, righteous, merciful, almighty, briefly to be the Author and Giver of all goodness. This cometh not of reason, but of faith.

This is it which maketh us divine people, and (as a man would say) it is the creator of a certain divinity, not in the substance of God, but in us. For without faith God loseth in us His glory, wisdom, righeousness, truth, and mercy. To conclude, no majesty or divinity remaineth unto God, where faith is not.

Martin Luther, Kregel, Galatians 3:6, p. 125.

As though a single life, or not to have a wife, were a spiritual life, if a man not content with one paramour, have many.

Whatsoever therefore is most excellent in man, the same Paul calleth here flesh. And this place must be well considered because of the slanderous papists, who wrest the same against us, saying, that we in popery began in the spirit, but now, having married wives, we end in the flesh. As though a single life, or not to have a wife, were a spiritual life, if a man not content with one paramour, have many. They are mad men, not understanding what the spirit is, or what the flesh is. The spirit is whatsoever is done in us according to the spirit: the flesh is whatsoever is done in us according to the flesh, without the spirit. Wherefore all the duties of a Christian man, as to love his wife, to bring up his children, to govern his family, and such like (which unto them are worldly and carnal) are the fruits of the spirit. These blind guides cannot discern things wich are the good creatures of God from vices.

Martin Luther, Kregel, Galatians 3:3, p. 120.

Amputee makes Ark. cheer squad

Amputee makes Ark. cheer squad:

Freshman Patience Beard had her left leg amputated when she was nine months old—the result of Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency (PFFD), a disease that affects bone growth. But that hasn’t stopped her from cheering on the Hogs and performing the same difficult maneuvers her teammates do.

'via Blog this'

Our adversaries think that faith, whereby we receive the Holy Ghost, is but a light matter

Our adversaries think that faith, whereby we receive the Holy Ghost, is but a light matter; but how high and hard a matter it is, I myself do find by experience, and so do all they which with me do embrace the same. It is soon said, that by the hearing of faith the Holy Ghost is received, but not so easily laid hold of, believed and retained. Wherefore, if thou hear of me that Christ is that Lamb of God sacrificed for thy sins, see also that thou hear it effectually.

Paul, very aptly, call it “the hearing of faith,” and not the Word of faith (although there be but small difference), that is, such a Word, as thou hearing does believe, so that the Word be not only my voice, but may be heard of thee: then it is truly and indeed the hearing of faith, through the which thou receivest the Holy Ghost: which, after thou hast once received thou shalt also mortify the flesh.

Martin Luther, Kregel, Galatians 3:2, p. 119.

Faith therefore embraceth and wrappeth in itself Christ Jesus the Son of God, delivered to death for us, Who being apprehended thus by faith, giveth unto us righteousness and life.

This He did  of inestimable love; for Paul saith, “which loved me.”

He that can utter this word “me,” and apply it to himself with a true faith, as Paul did, shall be a good disputer with Paul against the law.

Faith therefore embraceth and wrappeth in itself Christ Jesus the Son of God, delivered to death for us, Who being apprehended thus by faith, giveth unto us righteousness and life. And here he setteth out most lively the priesthood and offices of Christ; which are to pacity God, to make intercession for sinners, to offer up Himself a sacrifice for their sins, to redeem, to instruct, and to comfort them. Let us therefore define Him as Paul doth here: namely, that He is the Son of God, Who not for our deserts, or any righteousness of ours, but of His own free mercy offered Himself a sacrifice for us sinners, that He might sanctify us forever.

Martin Luther, Kregel, Galatians 2:20, p. 96.

Dunning–Kruger effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Did Walther Suffer from the Dunning-Kruger Effect? It Must Be Contagious - Look at the DPs!

Dunning–Kruger effect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: [Concordia Publishing House alert - this is how to mark copied material, to avoid charges of plagiarism and academic dishonesty.]

Dunning–Kruger effect

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which unskilled individuals suffer fromillusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than average. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their mistakes.^[1]

Actual competence may weaken self-confidence, as competent individuals may falsely assume that others have an equivalent understanding. As Kruger and Dunning conclude, "the miscalibration of the incompetent stems from an error about the self, whereas the miscalibration of the highly competent stems from an error about others" (p. 1127).^[2]

Contents   [hide]  1 Historical references 2 Hypothesis 3 Supporting studies 4 Awards 5 See also 6 References

[edit]Historical references

Although the Dunning–Kruger effect was put forward in 1999, David Dunning and Justin Kruger have quoted Charles Darwin ("Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge")^[3] and Bertrand Russell ("One of the painful things about our time is that those who feel certainty are stupid, and those with any imagination and understanding are filled with doubt and indecision.")^[4] as authors who have recognised the phenomenon.

[edit]Hypothesis

The hypothesized phenomenon was tested in a series of experiments performed by Justin Kruger and David Dunning, both then ofCornell University.^[2][5] Kruger and Dunning noted earlier studies suggesting that ignorance of standards of performance is behind a great deal of incompetence. This pattern was seen in studies of skills as diverse as reading comprehension, operating a motor vehicle, and playing chess or tennis.

Kruger and Dunning proposed that, for a given skill, incompetent people will:

1. tend to overestimate their own level of skill;
2. fail to recognize genuine skill in others;
3. fail to recognize the extremity of their inadequacy;
4. recognize and acknowledge their own previous lack of skill, if they are exposed to training for that skill

Dunning has since drawn an analogy ("the anosognosia of everyday life")^[1][6] to a condition in which a person who suffers a physical disability because of brain injury seems unaware of or denies the existence of the disability, even for dramatic impairments such as blindness or paralysis.

[edit]Supporting studies

Kruger and Dunning set out to test these hypotheses on Cornell undergraduates in various psychology courses. In a series of studies, they examined the subjects' self-assessment of logical reasoning skills, grammatical skills, and humor. After being shown their test scores, the subjects were again asked to estimate their own rank, whereupon the competent group accurately estimated their rank, while the incompetent group still overestimated their own rank. As Dunning and Kruger noted,

Across four studies, the authors found that participants scoring in the bottom quartile on tests of humor, grammar, and logic grossly overestimated their test performance and ability. Although test scores put them in the 12th percentile, they estimated themselves to be in the 62nd.

Meanwhile, people with true ability tended to underestimate their relative competence. Roughly, participants who found tasks to be relatively easy erroneously assumed, to some extent, that the tasks must also be easy for others.

A follow-up study, reported in the same paper, suggests that grossly incompetent students improved their ability to estimate their rank after minimal tutoring in the skills they had previously lacked—regardless of the negligible improvement in actual skills.

In 2003 Dunning and Joyce Ehrlinger, also of Cornell University, published a study that detailed a shift in people's views of themselves when influenced by external cues. Participants in the study (Cornell University undergraduates) were given tests of their knowledge of geography, some intended to positively affect their self-views, some intended to affect them negatively. They were then asked to rate their performance, and those given the positive tests reported significantly better performance than those given the negative.^[7]

Daniel Ames and Lara Kammrath extended this work to sensitivity to others, and the subjects' perception of how sensitive they were.^[8]Other research has suggested that the effect is not so obvious and may be due to noise and bias levels^[vague].^[9]

Dunning, Kruger, and coauthors' 2008 paper on this subject comes to qualitatively similar conclusions to their original work, after making some attempt to test alternative explanations. They conclude that the root cause is that, in contrast to high performers, "poor performers do not learn from feedback suggesting a need to improve."^[4]

Studies on the Dunning–Kruger effect tend to focus on American test subjects. A study on some East Asian subjects suggested that something like the opposite of the Dunning–Kruger effect may operate on self-assessment and motivation to improve.^[10]

[edit]Awards

Dunning and Kruger were awarded the 2000 Ig Nobel Prize in Psychology for their report, "Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments".^[11]

'via Blog this' [Cyberbrethren alert - By bracketing the entire article with clear indications of copying, I make sure that no reader imagines I wrote all this. Those interested can easily look up the footnotes, which are embedded or linked to sources.]

The veneration of Mary does not compare to the veneration of CFW Walther,
Bachelor of Arts.

Seminex started by stealing books from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, which was founded with the
1500 stolen books from Stephan's library.

This scholarly book spelled out the origins of the Missouri Synod,
which was a cult serving in utter obedience to a monster, Martin Stephan, STD.

Walther the Pietistic Pentecostal

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2012/09/bullies-make-sure-there-is-only-one.html

LPC has left a new comment on your post "Bullies Make Sure There Is Only One Side of the Ar...":

Walther was a true Pentecostal minister. Pentecostal ministers never like to be questioned and they have no tolerance for dissent. Anyone who opposes them is considered a heretic, a well known bullying tactic.

May be back then these LC-MS Lutherans were really Pentecostals who love to quote, "touch not the Lord's anointed".

These so called "orthodox Lutheran" luminaries question everything; for example they question some parts of their denomination, an example of this is the so called "Steadfast Lutheran (sic)" group who does this often. Yet, they never question the source nor the origin of their denomination nor examine their history.

BTW, just observe, the number of historical scholars they have, they out number the exegetical and systematic scholars.

Ironic, no?

We call this ineptitude - the incapability of self-reflection.

LPC

***

Three statues of Walther in Missouri?
Perryville, Purple Palace, and this creepy shrine.

GJ - Walther never received a solid Lutheran education. He had a four-year degree in rationalism plus his experiences with various domineering cell groups. Later he confessed the Stephan was a bit of a Pietist! So funny. If Walther was in a Halle-led Bible study cell group, a Pietistic cell until their leader moved and died, and Stephan's cell group ministry - Ferdy was a Pietist himself.

Walther served under two oppressive, demanding, take-no-prisoners Pietistic gurus. It was only natural that he was formed by that abuse and became another abuser.

He did not want the early history of the Missouri Synod written down, because he was so much involved in it.

But he did glory in the honors, in the big parade for him. The LCMS is the only Lutheran sect that venerates a criminal as a saint, ignoring the real founder Stephan in favor of his enforcer.

----

bruce-church (http://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Walther the Pietistic Pentecostal":

With Walther being such a criminal held in high regard in the Missouri Synod, it's good that Walther & Co. were not the Twelve Disciples. Otherwise, the Christian Church would be venerating the two thieves on the cross instead of Jesus.

---

Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "Walther the Pietistic Pentecostal":

Icahabod -

I'm still waiting for the LCMS to rid itself of these C. F. Walther graven images. Even the secular school of Penn State musters more worldly sense than any spiritual sense that Missouri has proffered; - at least to this point.

Those 10 incriminating actions of Walther are very telling and convincing. And Dr. Cruz makes an excellent point about Missouri's lack of self-reflection.

My question is: "Why won't Missouri harness all their doctrine into some practical theology and tear down these vain, shameful and embarrassing images?

Nathan M. Bickel

www.thechristianmessage.org
www.moralmatters.org

***

Stephan was investigated by the courts for his immorality before he left.
Walther kidnapped his niece and nephew and escaped arrest warrants issued by the police.

GJ - The 200th anniversary of Walther is revealing. The mythologists are still telling the same lies. Pastor Otten admitted that they lie about the armed kidnapping of Stephan at the cult center in Perryville.

The new Stephan book was attacked by the rabid dogs of Missouridom, even though 90% of the facts were already published in Zion on the Mississippi.

The problem with the Stephan book is that last 10%, which explains so much. Without spelling out the details, In Search of Religious Freedom (hardee-har-har title) shows that Stephan had a long-standing case of syphilis. His horrible rashes were syphilis, so he went to spas for treatment. His later children were born with syphilis, and the wife and children died young. Do we assume that Walther looked at those pitiable children and knew nothing of syphilis? that he saw young women around Stephan and suspected nothing until years later? that Stephan sailed for the Promised Land with his mistress and not his wife, but no one suspected anything?

Stephan had permission to hold cell group meetings at his Pietistic church,
but he often took young women along on his walks late at night,
for additional conventicle meetings.

ELCA Pastor Says the Bible “Doesn’t Tell Me What To Do” - Exposing the ELCA

Feel free to agree with us,
or we'll sue your pants off.

http://youtu.be/CmOrWG2FTbg



ELCA Pastor Says the Bible “Doesn’t Tell Me What To Do” - Exposing the ELCA:

The news article about Rev. Larzelere goes on to tell us, “He sees the Bible not as the literal word of God but as ‘a collection of stories, history and poems. It is not a talking book. It doesn’t tell me what to do.’”

'via Blog this'

Bullies Make Sure There Is Only One Side of the Argument

Everyone in favor, say Aye!
Anyone else? Go away.

I met a retired colonel in the local post office. We talked a few minutes and he invited me to the next school board meeting. Later I learned from Google that he was a Green Beret in Viet Nam, a football star, a college professor, and college board member.

All we wanted to do at the board meeting was introduce an idea for Bella Vista to have its own schools.

This is an unusual town, set up to be an active retirement village for geezers like me - only I do not boat, fish, golf, hunt, or play cards. In time, many younger families moved into BV, but their children had to be bussed to Bentonville or Gravette. At this point BV has 3,000 children in school and no schools. The bus-rides are rather long in rush hour traffic, so LTC. Jim Parsons and I spoke about a future district for this town.

Reaction varied at two district board meetings. Some were quite attentive and receptive. Others were combative and loud. The local papers published editorials against the idea, before and after the meeting in Bentonville, where most of the school tax money goes. Jim and I laughed about the free publicity. "Now they will discuss it around town."

Parsons gave me his book to read - Hillary and Other Bullies. He dealt with the Clintons when they were limiting their damage to Arkansas, and he fought to take down signs honoring the disgraced president. Parsons has argued for spending tax money wisely and being fair to the teachers who do their jobs.

We had several conversations about bullies we have known.

The SynConference has a well deserved reputation for bullying, which began with its founder, Bishop Martin Stephan, STD. He made sure that all the pastors obeyed him without question. They simply overlooked his flagrant adultery with young women, including his stay at the spa (in one room) with his main mistress, while he was being treated for syphilis. Walther "suddenly" discovered that Stephan was an adulterer, but he did not treat the leader with anything resembling Biblical principles.


KJV Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Instead, Walther stole the bishop's land in two different maneuvers, organized a mob, threatened the man's life, stole a small fortune, robbed the bishop of his extensive library and personal effects, and kidnapped him at gunpoint, forcing him across the river to Illinois. Walther stole the bishop's own chalice, given to him as a personal gift, and used it for Holy Communion at Trinity Lutheran Church. Thieves love to glory in their stolen goods, so they can gloat over their ill-gotten gains. The LCMS has never given the stolen chalice back to the Stephan family. They keep it locked up now. Ironic?

Walther got rid of a bishop so he could make himself the Missouri pope, an infallible ruler. Walther would not let the districts appoint his successor (which was the custom then, according to Fuerbringer).

Congregational polity is one of the ongoing myths of the Missouri Synod. The theft and sale of the campus ministry property in Minnesota is one more example of synodical tyranny. Silencing discussion about their latest child rapist (Darwin Schauer) is another example. Missouri and WELS have done just as much lying about abusive pastors and teachers as the Roman Catholic Church has.

Bullies come in many styles and positions. District Presidents and bishops are usually bullies. I have heard of good Missouri DPs and non-bullying ELCA bishops. But they are exceptions.

What does the bully DP look for in a congregation? He searches out a like-minded bully or two. He wants to work with dysfunctional members who hate God's Word and take that out on the pastor.

Synodical bullies have no respect for the call, but they are filled with their own self-importance.

Handling Bullies
In swimming class one bully liked to jump me and hold me down underwater. That was not wise on his part. On his third try, I took a deep breath and went under with him, held on, and waited until I could no longer stand it. Then I waited a few seconds more. He accused me of almost drowning him, even though he drove me down with his body-weight. He never dunked me again.

Church bullies cannot stand honesty and order, so they should be faced with both. If a  District President or Circuit Pastor wants to pull a stunt, the congregation has to say, "This is not correct procedure. We are shocked and disgusted that you would try a sneak attack on the pastor."

Congregations and districts have constitutions. More importantly, they have the Word of God to guide them. When someone swaggers in, full of wrath, ready to bounce a pastor, or slithers in like his fore-father, Satan, working with guile and deception, the action has to be stopped at once. Faith Lutheran in Moline told their bullying bishop that he and his minions would be arrested by the Moline police if they ever appeared on their church property.

Defying the Word Hardens and Blinds
Believe it or not, congregations get their jollies from undermining pastors. They do not realize that the defenestration of a pastor is the beginning of the end for their own parish. As Lyle Schaller observed, the dirty tricks used once often become the glue that holds the congregation together. Hateful actions pile up. People sense the reprobate nature of the congregation and stay away.

If there are grounds for removing a pastor, the steps taken should be considered carefully and done with great concern for his own spiritual health and future.
The only legitimate reasons for removing a pastor are:
1. Immorality.
2. Failure to do the work of a pastor.
3. Persistent false doctrine.

One wizened WELS pastor said that the first two issues alone would remove half the ministers from of the parish. One DP told me that hardly any pastor visits anymore. Great training! Great supervision! Maybe the leaders need to do their jobs once in a while.

In the third case an examination of the issues should be done with great care. The issue is not What Does Holy Mother Synod Teach? but What Does the Word of God Teach in Harmony with the Confessions?

A careful study of doctrinal issues is always worthwhile.

Walther set a bad example with being so keen to accuse all rival groups of false doctrine. He had to have his way within his own sect too. Walther was a bully. He considered himself God's Counselor and demanded the same obedience toward him that he once offered his adulterous bishop.

The bullies do not like my exploration of the true character of their sects. They want the arrests and prison terms kept a secret. They want to move against anyone with impunity, under the cloak of confidentiality. But that time has passed. I am more than ready to take another dunking, hold my breath, and then some, and see who comes up sputtering and begging for mercy.

Where are the Hounds of the Lord - Dominicans -
ready to burn all heretics at the stake?
They are busy kneeling before
Sweet, Stanley, Groeschel, Stetzer, Driscoll, Hybels, and Kelm.

Expulsion from the Garden of Eden by Thomas Cole, 1828

http://www.explorethomascole.org/gallery/items/39

Crystal Bridges just finished an exhibition of the Hudson River Valley School of Artists. The name was once used to mock the landscapes. Now they are valued, printed, sent out for special viewing. The five giant paintings called The Course of Empire just went back to the NY Historical Society.

Today, the scandal of Cole is his choice of Biblical themes. He painted St. John preaching in the wilderness and his last painting at age 47, The Good Shepherd. The sheep in the foreground has a cross on his fleece, being guided by the Shepherd to the distant flock in Paradise. Cole died soon after the painting was completed.

The Biblical themes are not incidental to Cole's work but foundational.

Detail, The Good Shepherd

Thomas Cole, The Good Shepherd, 1848

Later I will put two favorite Cole series on two separate posts. One is The Course of Empire. The other is The Stages of Life.

I put the Eden painting on Facebook's timeline, and one Lutheran immediately responded to it.

The 19th century was a time in America when the secular was beginning to win the war against the Christian Faith. We are in the last stages of that battle.

An interesting factoid has regular church-goers in America favoring Romney by over 20 points. Those who never go to church favor Obama by over 20 points. Occasional visitors to church are split.

Married women favor the GOP. Single women favor the Democrats.

At Yale Divinity School in the 1970s, married couples without children were called "singles." That was so common that we adopted the same terminology without thinking about it anymore. "Do they have children? No they are single." The reason for the word-play is that marriage and children turn the self-indulgence of youth into mature love for another person and especially for the children. A young couple without children will plan dates, but a married couple with babies will plan for the children's future.

We live in a culture of fake eternal youth, so decisions are astonishingly self-indulgent. Not everyone can have a passel of children, but now people avoid children as being financial burdens and potential headaches. One of my students said, "I don't want children because they will cost me money and take away from my time."

Older people like me become more serious about doctrine because there is not much left to accomplish and eternal life looms ahead. I see younger classmates struggling to stay alive, and that makes me more grateful to God for the energy I have left.

The secular rationalists have won  in Lutherdom. The choices in 1960s Moline were:
1. Liturgical services, with Biblical sermons.

That was taken for granted. With a bit of travel, one could find a congregation from the LCMS:
1. Liturgical service, traditional hymns, Biblical sermon.

At some point WELS built a chapel in a cornfield, on the way to Augustana College. It was a:
1. Liturgical service, with the LCMS-WELS hymnal, and had Biblical sermons.

The choices were so limited in the Quad-Cities that no one thought, "Let's have a pit band, clowns, and a minister dressed like he is going to mow the hay in the back 40." Lutherans were liturgical. Pentecostals were enter-turgical, with predictable beehives for the women and keyboards and ignorant preachers in pompadours.

The secular rationalists see everything in the church as a business. Few people realize that all the Roman Catholic religious orders are manages as self-supporting businesses. They look with gimlet eye at every chance to make money and loathe any obstacle to profits. Mother Theresa was a magnet for gathering money for the poor for the Church of Rome.

The four-letter Lutheran synods (ELCA, WELS, LCMS) are money-making rackets in cahoots with the Thrivent anti-Lutheran insurance business. In each synod a tiny minority rakes off the biggest share of money for themselves. Like Roman bishops, they live like princes and rule like the despots they are.

Just watch one of these synodical wolves meddling with congregations, undermining pastors, enabling dysfunctional members, and then saying "I am helpless to deal with notorious adulterers, flagrant false teachers, and mincing minsters with an eye for the altar boys."

I liked the old system of slavery better. The slave-masters did not charge huge fees to pay for their luxuries, calling them missions, while motivating everyone with a whip.

Here is the biggest laugh of all. The Church Growth Movement came down from the ELCA-WELS-LCMS-ELS leaders. The Church Growth fad was imposed, sold, and funded with offering money, the biggest skimming operation since Congress took office under Obama.

Now that the Church Growth Movement is a colossal and expensive failure, the synods blame the members and pastors for failing to make them look good.

And even funnier - or more tragic - they are now training the dumbest pastors and stupidest members to become generic Groeschel Methodists as the Final Solution for changing demographics. Using Groeschel, they are training people to hate Biblical doctrine and accelerate apostasy. Hate the Confessions. Dump the liturgy. Sing the kiddie songs. Pay the talentless rock group. Copy the sermonette. Steal the graphics.

Trinity design by Norma Boeckler

Lutherans Experiencing a Change in Lutherdom

Various Lutherans have mentioned to me that they notice a change in Lutherdom. The over-paid officials are not any wiser. The seminary professors still choose between Fuller Seminary and the Pope. Money is tight, and the doctrine is still loose and watery.

The change is coming from the Internet.

The Net has made plagiarism faster and easier. People used to manually copy the work they were stealing, but tracking it down was just as laborious. Now readers can do a Google search on Cyberbrethren and detect Paul McCain's plagiarism in a few seconds.

The Net is the new printing press, a major innovation in communication - more significant than radio, television, or the infomercial. Therefore, the Net has spawned many tools to making this communication even more efficient. Many of us own a large collection of digital books on our hard drives, made possible by PDFs from Adobe and other digital formats.

Now information and opinions can be shared world-wide for free, instantaneously. I met a Lutheran missionary from Brazil. I know he was keeping up by reading Ichabod. I smile when I see the red light glowing on the Feedjit map - bottom, left column. Israel has been lit up.

Blogs cross-pollinate. I often think to myself, "What would ChurchMouse say about this? If I say Calvinists contradict one another, what would he say about Lutherans?"

I am guessing that the opinion forums have opened up the musty basement storage closet of Lutherdom. Steadfast Lutherans is somewhat managed by SP Matt Harrison; Intrepid Lutherans is shadowed by SP Mark Schroeder. Ichabod is also an opinion forum, where many participate anonymously and others use their names.

At least three Martin Luther College students have heard faculty discussing how to keep their work off the Ichabod radar screen. That was confirmed by the faculty's immediate, forceful denials. The faculty have their names listed in Google Alerts, in case they come up on this blog. They promote this blog by telling entire classrooms not to read Ichabod.

The fact remains, any corrupt official or apostate professor is going to think twice today about the being featured on one or more blogs. The officials can censor the news, as Matt Harrison did with the Darwin Schauer child molestation scandal, but the word is out and the WayBack Machine works. (WayBack picks up old posts, even the erased ones.) I still feature Schauer and Hochmuth, plus anyone else who gets arrested doing the Lord's work.

There are secret blogs and email lists. I find those terribly sad and cowardly. The apostates and the faithful should duke it out in public. Anaerobic infections are the worst kind. The carbuncle of Lutherdom needs to be lanced, not Photoshopped.

Many contributed to my Church Growth collection of quotations. This has not kept the worst false teachers from being promoted and protected in WELS. At least the follies are known today.

WELS Exegesis Overlooks Anything Contrary to Their Dogma

A. Berean has left a new comment on your post "UOJ Debate and Information on Extra Nos":

Don't forget that Scripture does say that we believe in Christ IN ORDER to be forgiven (or in this following passage justified). Galatians 2:16: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." The greek word ινα is used which means "that; in order that" and it is used with the subjunctive (hence the "might"). So we really do believe in Christ IN ORDER to be justified. Remember too according to Romans 4, the righteousness of Christ by which we are accounted righteous is imputed to faith (vs. 5, 11, 13, 22, 24).

VirtueOnline - News

PB Schori and another dude.

VirtueOnline - News:

"My job is too big for one man, said the Archbishop of Canterbury as he was packing his bags ready to leave Lambeth Palace. Earlier he told The Telegraph that he had "failed to crack it."

The outgoing leader of the world's 77 million Anglicans suggested a form of job sharing after admitting that he had failed to do enough to prevent a split over homosexuality.

Dr. Williams said a new role should be created to oversee the day to day running of the global Anglican Communion, leaving future Archbishops of Canterbury free to focus on spiritual leadership and leading the Church of England.

In his last major interview before stepping down later his year, he acknowledged that he had struggled to balance the growing demands of the job at home and abroad. He also admitted he had "disappointed" both liberals and conservatives.

VOL: Job sharing. Lord Carey never said it was needed when he was ABC and neither has any archbishop in history suggested it was needed. Does Dr. Williams really think that this would resolve the problems of the office of ABC when most of the Global South, who make up the vast majority of the Anglican Communion, said the real problem was HIM."

'via Blog this'

---

Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "VirtueOnline - News":

Ichabod -

I didn't know that these Episcopalians were into Halloween. Such bright and colorful costumes!

However, I hope they don't wear that garb Halloween night in the streets and scare all those children. Maybe they can have their private party, as I think from the pic, they are quite capable of doing.........

***

GJ - Check out Bad Vestments for the very worst in clerical garb.

Frank Lee Garish

The Christian Message: Part 1: The false teaching which molests the faith of Christians

The Christian Message: Part 1: The false teaching which molests the faith of Christians:

Part 1: The false teaching which molests the faith of Christians

What is the false teaching which molests the faith of Christians?

"Universal objective justification" is that false teaching which makes Christ's Atonement [Cross sacrifice] and subsequent Resurrection, a “be all” and “end all.” The false teaching essentially says that because of Christ’s all-encompassing sacrifice for human sin; that (by that action) God wiped the “world’s slate” free from sin and its eternal consequences.

Therefore, God no longer holds against the individual sinner, his sins. And, since, by Calvary’s supreme sacrifice, Christ made full satisfaction [atonement] for all human sin; past, present and future; therefore the individual sinner is acquitted of God's eternal judgment on account of his sins against God, his fellowman and all of God’s commandments.

This teaching comprises a forensic and judicial aspect. It is philosophical in nature and not practical. It’s a simplistic tool (devoid of faith) of explaining certain Scriptures which don’t jive with other Scriptures. But, that does not matter to these Universalism enthusiasts; because the Scriptures which deal with faith, belief and the Holy Spirit, are only sub level Scriptures subservient to this almighty pedestal universal [objective] justification teaching of God’s acquittal of the sinner by Christ’s sacrifice.

How is this this false Universalism teaching disseminated?

First of all, it is disseminated from youth up. Christian elementary (parochial) schools seed this teaching from pre-school on. Children are continually reminded that Jesus loves them no matter what they do; no matter how bad they've been. Coupled with this [eternal security type of "sovereign immunity" environment] there is little if no teaching about sorrow over personal sin; repentance over it or faith and belief. The central teaching always returns to the forgiveness aspect; without any personal responsibility taught and laid upon the child. If faith is even mentioned, it is pushed into the background as it isn't something of necessity or something to be cherished. This web author and emeritus pastor has documented such at his [own] grandson's school. This parochial school is a fine Christian school and much better alternative than a public school; but, the central teaching of the Christian Faith is diminished as Luther modeled it be taught, - grace through faith; and that we are justified (before God) by faith alone:

"Pastor Nathan Bickel on UOJ in WELS......."

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2012/07/pastor-nathan-bickel-on-uoj-in-wels.html

Secondly, this Universal justification teaching is subtly and weekly reenacted in umpteen Christian church services. Sung (“liturgy”) portions have the congregation singing: "Oh Lamb of God; you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us....." [Note: Mind you - "take away" – is not the best translation from the New Testament Greek; rather - "take up; bare"] This part of the liturgy (singing worship service), in some churches, follows the congregational assembly, confessing their sins in the corporate confessional prayer; followed by the pastor's announcement of forgiveness to them, - i.e., “in the stead and by the command of the Lord; ‘I forgive you all your sins.’”

Next, the attending church members hear the "universal objective justification" enthusiast, pastor's sermon; laced with an average sermon’s usual illustrations; sometimes one, in particular (right at the beginning) which is carried throughout the sermon as a non Scriptural theme, from the beginning, to the bitter end of the homily.

During the sermon the pastor expresses the “UOJ” (universal objective justification) "forgiveness" part. This aspect is especially appealing to the church member who puts on his Sunday best foot forward after neglecting God all week in his work, home environment and entertainment play. This grabs his particular attention as he then can forget about buying all those winless lottery tickets which weekly frustrates him as he covets his neighbors' and others' financial successes.

As the sermon winds down and the church member looks at his cell phone digital time; he readies himself to rise from his pew seat. This is about the point where the pastor ends the sermon appealing to the church member to do something. After spending most of the sermon time preaching cheap Universalism grace to the audience; the pastor quickly finishes off his sermon by exhorting his church members to proclaim "the universal forgiveness message" to (their) neighbors that God has forgiven them their sins. This is how church members are to be Christian witnesses in their local sphere of influence; at work and in the marketplace; – especially their next-door neighbors.

Can you imagine telling some of your troubled, agitating and harassing neighbors that God has already forgiven them of all their sins? I know one thing. If I would do that with certain of my neighbors; - that (simplistic) message would only reinforce their recalcitrant untoward (sinful) behaviors! In short, Christian witness to the Universalist, is reduced to a formula driven pronouncement - not a Holy Spirit / Scriptural led and driven type of witness.

Following the sermon, congregational members receive the Lord's Supper (Communion). Translation: (with the aforementioned context) - i.e, they are good to go for the rest of the week; or, until they repeat the same, two week's later, suited up in their Sunday best.

The Universalism (objective justification) teaching doesn’t mesh with Christ’s encounter with the Jewish religious leaders of His day

John 8:1f – Jesus to the religious Jews

Jesus speaks very plainly with these unbelieving Jews. [John 8:1f] He tells them point blank that they will not be going where He will be going. He ends up telling that that they will be damned in their sins if they do not believe that He is the promised Messiah.

Acts 2:1f – Peter’s Sermon

Fast forward now, to Peter speaking, after the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost. [Acts 2:1f] I think that it can be assumed that in this crowd were some of the same unbelieving Jews whom Jesus had encountered. Peter directs his sermon to this (non-born from above) unbelieving crowd.

What did the Holy Spirit blessed, Apostle Peter, say to these unbelieving Jews?

37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. [Acts 2:37-41]

Keep in mind what Jesus had said to these same Jews or similar unbelieving Jews:

"Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." - John 8:23-24

Now, please tell me - you who advocate and promulgate universal objective justification; how could these Jews ever "die in their sins" if they were [had been] forgiven and acquitted of the eternal judgment of those sins by Christ's Atonement and subsequent [certifying] Resurrection? Please don’t tell me that Christ had not been sacrificed as yet; and, had not risen from the dead yet - because the Apostle Peter encountered some of these same Jews, and / or similar unbelieving Jews, following Christ's (sacrifice) death and resurrection.

Furthermore, why would these [supposed] “universally justified” [acquitted of their sins] Jews, need to be preached to by the Apostle Peter? [Acts 2:1f] Why would they need to "repent?" Why would they need to be baptized to wash away sins of which they had been supposedly "acquitted?" [Been, absolved of; forgiven] Why would the Apostle Peter earnestly urge them to "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins," if they had [already] possessed God's (previous) acquittal?

Jesus encounter with Nicodemus

Look now at John 3: 1-21 – a chapter with which universal objective justification adherents have a difficult time. In fact, I haven’t witnessed them touching this string of passages [verses] in context. They won’t; else they would have to acknowledge personal belief [faith] and the Holy Spirit’s paramount role and activity creating that faith:

John 3:3 – “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Note: “Born again” is not the best translation for "again." Better yet, is “born from above.” Or, "born, anew"]

"....Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit....." - John 3:5-8 - [KJV]

Now, we have the “transitional verse:”

"Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?" - John 3:9

It is here where Jesus ends up telling Nicodemus “how” all this takes place:

".....And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. - John 3:14-15

The “individuals” who, looked up at that brazen serpent, did not die from their poison snake bites, because they heeded the instruction of Moses [Numbers 21:8-9]. And, in like manner, those, who, in faith, believe in Christ, [looking to him] will not spiritually die; but have eternal life! How does this take place? Back up to the previous verses and the whole account of Jesus and Nicodemus.

See also: Acts 8:37 – what Philip tells the Ethiopian eunuch about believing. Also: Acts 16:30-31 ; Hebrews 10:39 ; 1 John 5:1 ; 1 John 5:11-13

The falsehood promulgated by Universalism Justification Disciples is compounded because they do not understand the Holy Spirit’s work in the sinner and His “time-line.” They, rather, make up their own, when explaining how a human soul is justified [made right / forgiven / acquitted by God]

I like what the post Martin Luther protestant reformer, stated:

“Although Christ has acquired for us the remission of sins, justification and sonship, God just the same does not justify us prior to our faith. Nor do we become God's children in Christ in such a way that justification in the mind of God takes place before we believe.”

[Abraham Calov - as he is quoted in: Apodixis Articulorum Fedei, Lueneburg, 1684

Amen.

Note: Part 2 is to follow the above topical message:

Part 2 - How does the false teaching of universal objective justification molest Christians’ faith?

Above Message and Related Scriptures [below] -- Intended to be utilized in a simpleworship format:

Also: For a couple of other (more formal) worship formats:
The Order of Morning Service
The Order of Matins

Related Scriptures

Repentance - Luke 15:11-32 ; Luke 19:1-10 ; Luke 23:39--43

Salvation - John 1:12-13 ; James 1:18 ; Matthew 16:17 ; Ephesians 2:4-5 ; Ephesians 2:8-10 ; 1 Peter 1:3 ; 1 Peter 1:23 ; Colossians 1:20-21 ; John 3:5-8 ; John 6:65 ; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 ;Romans 8:29-31 ; Romans 9:15-18 ; Titus 3:3-7 ; Philippians 2:13 ;1 John 5:4 ; 1 Peter 1:5 ; Hebrews 2:3

See also: John 3:1-21 ; Titus 3:5 ; Ephesians 2:8-10 ; John 1:12;13; 1Corinthians 2:12 ; 1 Corinthians 6:11 ; 1 John 5:1

Please note the above Scriptures - The saving of one's soul, is entirely, the work of the gracious Good Lord.

_____________________________________

Of Whom Does the Prophet Speak" -- by Victor Buksbazen -- an in-depth view of Isaiah 53:1-12 and the prophecy of Christ, hundred of years before his birth. Isaiah 53:1-12 underscores the truthfulness of Divine Revelation as exemplified in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures.

The Christian Faith: Parts 1-3

1 -- What is meant by “Believing” and / or, being, “Saved?” 
2 -- How the saving (believing) process of the Christian Faith takes place 
3 -- What are the tell-tale signs that a person has been “Saved” [is a Christian believer]?

Please Note: Topical Christian Messages, by subject

Pastor (Emeritus) Nathan Bickel

Please also note:

The "Words in Season" topical messages and related worship formatare not intended to discourage or replace the Christian worship and assembly of Christians at their particular places of church worship. As this website's author, it is my prayer and hope, that many souls will find the topical messages and related worship format and other material, a useful and valuable Christian resource.

'via Blog this'