Pastor emeritus Nathan Bickel has left a new comment on your post "WELS District Presidents Should Be Individually In...":
Ichabod -
I think it significant the the pronouncement by the DP against Pastor Rydecki, illustrated that the WELS leadership see themselves as defenders of false doctrine. Why didn't the DP say: ".....you have made it clear that you are not in agreement with the Scriptures?" No! Instead Buchholz stated that he was more concerned with violations of the WELS doctrinal teaching. And, this is what he said:
"......you have made it clear that you are not in agreement with the doctrine of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS)."
Isn't this what Christ talked about?
Matthew 15:9 - "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
Nathan M. Bickel
www.thechristianmessage.org
www.moralmatters.org
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GJ - You have hit the nail right on the thumb, Pastor Bickel. This condemnation from Jon-Boy is the same issued from Mathey, against the Intrepids - "I am shocked that you have departed from the clear teaching of our synod."
Everything is set aside (Confessions, Scriptures, orthodox Lutheran writings) and replaced by recent synodical pronouncements, even letters written by staffers like Bruce Becker.
Moreover, the past is mocked. "I worship Jesus, not Luther." Or - "The Book of Concord is boring and irrelevant." Perhaps worse, but in the same category - the past is twisted into a malicious lie - "Luther, Gerhard, Chemnitz, Calov, and Paul all taught UOJ."
Walther did teach the Easter absolution of the world, after meeting up with Martin Stephan, the Pietist trained in Pietism at Halle University. Walther did teach UOJ all his life, and roundly condemned anyone who departed from his dogma. That does not make Walther the ultimate authority on anything. The Word of God is.
