Thursday, August 31, 2017

Cascione Writes Off Fellow UOJist Scaer as a False Teacher.
But Cascione Gets History and Doctrine Wrong

Born forgiven? Cascione adores UOJ dogma,
the wackier, the better.


Doctor David Scaer writes a sympathetic review of “Martin Stephan: The Other Side of the Story or At Least Part of It” in the October 2008 issue of The Concordia Theological Quarterly. <I embedded the actual link to the Scaer article.

 Scaer may be even more full of himself and his dogmas
than Cascione. We will let God sort that out.


Stephan was the leader of approximately 700 Lutheran colonists who migrated from Dresden, Germany in 1839 to flee religious persecution and founded what would eventually become the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

GJ - False. Stephan was not being persecuted. He was under house arrest and had no career left after his adulteries and financial misdeeds became known to the court system.

Their leader, the orthodox Stephan, fell victim to the demonic teaching that pastors rule the congregation by divine right. He taught that his decisions were God’s decisions. He used the colonists’ and their assets for his own lavish life style. When it was discovered that eight unmarried women had slept with Stephan, they threw him out of the colony.

 Quenstedt seems to be arguing against Rambach the Pietist.
He is certainly refuting UOJ.

 Jay Webber, a Ft. Wayne graduate,
favors Rambach over Martin Chemnitz.


GJ - False. Stephan was a Pietist of the worst sort - dictatorial, abusive, in constant pursuit of young women. Everyone knew it, but Walther still served as his enforcer and sycophant. Stephan taught Walther UOJ, which makes the bishop "orthodox" in the scale-covered eyes of Cascione.

Scaer wants us to look at Stephan as more of a victim than a villain. This approach necessarily paints C. F. W. Walther, the founder of the LCMS, as the villain. Scaer has never agreed with Walther’s “Church and Ministry” the consequent result of Stephan’s removal from the colony. From Scaer’s perspective, all LCMS pastors are victims of Walther’s “voters’ assemblies” who practice voter’ supremacy, the only official polity of the LCMS.

GJ - Jacky One-Note's Chief Doctrine - the Voters' Assembly is the Master, the Prince, the judge of all articles of the Christian faith - or unfaith in his and Scaer's twisted opinion.

Scaer writes: “A certain bias can be expected in a book written by a descendant of its subject, but in this case it is a useful antidote in coming to terms with a man who, in spite of his infraction tilled the ground from which the LCMS sprang.”

Rather than say that Stephan was wrong but that Lutheran theology is correct, Scaer tries to defend Stephan while criticizing the very foundation of the LCMS.



GJ - The infallibility of Walther is hard to defend, especially since he wanted the early LCMS history hidden away and forgotten. Today's LCMS misleaders do not seem to have read the Stephan book or Zion on the Mississippi or Servant of the Word. The Fuerbringer books? Nope. And worst of all, they have never comprehended Luther, Paul, or the work of the Holy Spirit.

Scaer writes: “When Pastor Georg Loeber shared Louise Guenther’s confession with Pastors Keyl, Buerger, and C. F. W. Walther, they were embarrassed by their published defense of their bishop (May 4, 1839), which they retracted on May 27.” “Louise Guenther was unaware that her private confession had become the reason for deposing Stephan as Bishop.”

GJ - Zion on the Mississippi records the obvious - the confession story was a lie. The Walther gang admitted the lie, and anyone can guess that much about the bishop's promiscuity. Stephan left Germany with his mistress in a cabin close by, but his wife and children - dying of syphilis - were left behind. Stephan and Louise sail away, sail away, sail away, enjoying an ocean voyage to the Promised Land, and there is something left to confess? Hahahahahahaha.

What Scaer doesn’t point out is that Stephan was also the victim of his own Sacerdotalism. He claimed he was the “Chief mediator of the Means of Grace.” He made everyone in the colony including all of the clergy, swear an oath of allegiance to him.

It is almost humorous to read Scaer’s observation that Stephan didn’t receive justice, when it was Stephan who claimed that he was the judge of everything and everyone in the colony including their assets, by the divine right of ordination. The misguided clergy only practiced the justice that Stephan taught them. Scaer writes, “These pastors served as his accusers and judges in requiring him to leave the community.” Well, first, they were not pastors; they were assistants to Stephan. Stephan had so much control over them their sacraments were not valid without Stephan’s permission. After Stephan was deposed, they realized that none of them had valid calls. They debated whether they should go back to Germany or invite Swedish Bishops to ordain them.

GJ - Walther organized the mob that threatened Stephan's life, kicked him outside his cabin, stripped him of his clothing, robbed him of his gold and land, and then took all his books and personal possessions. Except in the LCMS, that is not the way pastors deal with adultery. No, this was the convenient discovery - Stephan gave his syphilis to the young girls of the colony. He told them he controlled their spiritual lives and their bodies. Everyone went along with until the horrible disease became obvious. That is also why Stephan's behavior was increasingly more bizarre and illogical.

Scaer’s sympathetic view of Stephan ignores the fact that as many as 25% of the colony died from bad administration, disease, and exposure while Stephan insisted that his house be completed and including a wine cellar.

GJ - The real crime was teaching them the rationalistic Pietism of UOJ - universal forgiveness without that - that makes adultery so easy to ignore. Stephan killed more souls than people, and Walther carried out this demonic task of teaching against Luther in the name of Luther.

Scaer states that four ships arrived but he doesn’t mention that five had set sail for America. They also booked a cheap ship, the Amelia, to save money and 125 of the colonists drowned on the way to America. One of those terrible attorneys Scaer refers to as Stephan’s accuser, lost five children to disease, following Stephan into the wilderness.

GJ - The attorneys defended Stephan in court in Germany, but no one seems to remember that fact. They all knew what Louise and the other girls were to Stephan. 

Scaer writes: “At first Stephan refused what he considered an illegally constituted tribunal, but in seeing a mob armed with whips outside his cabin, he acquiesced and was deprived of his possessions.” Scaer ignores the fact that if these colonists had not been Christians they most certainly would have lynched Stephan, and we doubt that St. Louis authorities would have done anything about it.

GJ - There he goes again. Walther's merciful hand kept the murderous mob from mauling the bishop he helped install upon landing in America. But who organized the mob and left the pro-bishop people behind in St. Louis? Walther did. Hmm.

Scaer laments that the private confession of Louise Guenther should have been privileged information and facts of Stephan’s fornication should have been kept secret. Of course all of these young girls were convinced that they were honored by God to have sex with, their Bishop/cult leader.

GJ - Fake news from the 19th century. The private confession was invented to excuse the mob. Walther wanted the bishop's job, the bishop's land, and the bishop's gold, and the bishop's chalice. 

Scaer writes: “First, a confession made privately to a pastor is privileged information.” In most cases I would agree, but not when it places the lives of the members and the existence of the congregation in jeopardy. Scaer uses false ethics to protect the clergy at peril of the church.

GJ - I long to study ethics under these two gasbags.

Scaer writes: “Though current LCMS guidelines disallow making confessions public, the deposal of Stephan might be a warning for some to withhold potentially disastrous sins from their pastor. What was then considered a sacrament is looked on with suspicions now.” Just think of all the honorable people who kept quiet about Jim Jones.

Let the layman beware. Even if the life and safety of members and/or the congregation are at risk, the LCMS believes clergy indiscretions about fornication, adultery, and misappropriation of funds should be kept confidential because that’s the way God wants it.

Fortunately, this was not practiced by Walther and the people who deposed Stephan or else there wouldn’t be an LCMS. When people can’t trust their pastors the church and Synod must die.



GJ - The dictatorial Cascione appeals to the laity, one of the ironies of this age of posing, primping, and pimping. What rescued the LCMS was a strong Luther element that evidenced itself in the outstanding German Luther edition - a work of art in printing. German Lutherans could and did read the original documents. Now the LCMS is devoted to Fuller, Willow Creek, and Kent Hunter clones of the same.

Scaer’s defense of successive generations of the Stephan family is completely justified. We don’t practice visiting the sins of the fathers on the children.

Scaer calls the Lutheran colony an experiment in communal living and compares it to Quakers in New Harmony, Indiana, and Mormons in Nauvoo, Illinois. What about correct doctrine? Doesn’t that count for anything?

GJ - Since you asked, Jack. How is Stephan's dogma different from Walther's, his disciple who covered for him until the time to replace Stephan came along?

I’ve been to New Harmony. They practiced celibacy as they waited for the end of the world. Their false doctrine actually led to the end of them, not the end of the world. What about Joseph Smith who was shot and hung as a horse thief in Illinois. He wasn’t as fortunate as Martin Stephan. Of course, Smith practiced open polygamy while Stephan kept things quiet.

Now we get to the quote that led Herman Otten to ask me to take a look at Scaer’s article. Scaer writes: “This is the dilemma of any church which sees itself as the true, visible church on earth.”

GJ - The real issue is - when will the LCMS give back the chalice that Walther stole from Stephan and used in his church in St. Louis? The Stephan family would like it back, since it was a personal gift.

No, Scaer’s hatred of congregational polity and affection for Sacerdotalism, along with the majority of the Fort Wayne Faculty, is the death knell of the LCMS.

GJ - Jack and Otten and Scaer did their best to kill the LCMS with UOJ and Church Growth. But the Gospel will survive the fools that attack Justification by Faith.

How much of a contributing factor is a lack of trust in the LCMS clergy to a consistent loss of 25,000 to 35,000 baptized members a year?

GJ - It is not a loss to get away from abusive tyrants who teach against the Chief Article and call themselves "orthodox."




The LCMS forefathers would have had no trouble sending Scaer, his cronies, and the COP across the river with Stephan for presenting the warm and fuzzy side of Martin Stephan. Just think how talented and misunderstood Pope Leo X, Benedict Arnold, Napoleon, and Mussolini really were.

GJ - Whoa, Jack. Go easy on the airplane glue. Open a window for a while and rethink this tirade. Walther and his mob made Stephan get even sicker, sleeping outside for the night, then forced him at gunpoint across the river (probably on a steamer). They gave him almost nothing and refused to help him at all afterwards. But they gleefully accused him of keeping a gold coin or two from what they stole. Even Servant of the Word, which promoted Walther for sainthood, had to admit the "stolen coins" story was another fib.


 Walther's mob reaped great rewards when they
kidnapped Stephan and robbed him.
But as, Cascione reminds us, it could have been worse.
They could have given CFW a life-time subscription to Reclaim News.

About Us - Trinity Lutheran Church.
Bishop Martin Stephan



About Us - Trinity Lutheran Church:



"Historic Trinity Lutheran Church was organized in 1842 by German immigrants who settled in the Horse Prairie community of Southern Illinois. They built the first church in 1844. The present facility was dedicated in 1868.

Among the pastors who have faithfully served this congregation is Pastor Martin Stephan. Stephan, born August 13, 1777 in Stramberg, Moravia, is considered to be the "first Lutheran bishop in North America." Serving as a Lutheran pastor in Dresden, Germany, Stephan became the leader of the Saxon Immigration to Perry County, Missouri in 1839. He was called to Trinity in the Fall of 1845 and served as the first resident pastor, living in the church. He served this congregation until his death February 26, 1846. He was among the first to be laid to rest in Trinity's cemetery. The present marker was erected in 1988."

Stephan's main mistress joined him in Red Bud,
after the Walther mob threatened him, robbed him of
his gold, land, books, and personal possessions.
The stolen books, land, and gold made the
future LCMS solvent, Walther a hero.
Stephan left his wife in Germany.


'via Blog this'

Greek Lesson - John 15 - The Basics of Growing Grapes - and Roses.
The Word - Means of Grace



Parser Link


ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ 151550 Stephanus New Testament (TR1550)

15 εγω ειμι η αμπελος η αληθινη και ο πατηρ μου ο γεωργος εστιν
Ge-org: land worker, farmer.
παν κλημα εν εμοι μη φερον καρπον αιρει αυτο και παν το καρπον φερον καθαιρει αυτο ινα πλειονα καρπον φερη
Katharine, Polycarp
ηδη υμεις καθαροι εστε δια τον λογον ον λελαληκα υμιν
μεινατε εν εμοι καγω εν υμιν; καθως το κλημα ου δυναται καρπον φερειν αφ εαυτου εαν μη μεινη εν τη αμπελω, ουτως ουδε υμεις εαν μη εν εμοι μεινητε
importance of remaining or continuing or dwelling in John
εγω ειμι η αμπελος υμεις τα κληματα; ο μενων εν εμοι καγω εν αυτω ουτος φερει καρπον πολυν, οτι χωρις εμου ου δυνασθε ποιειν ουδεν
εαν μη τις μεινη εν εμοι εβληθη εξω ως το κλημα, και εξηρανθη και συναγουσιν αυτα και εις πυρ βαλλουσιν και καιεται
Xerox, xeriscaping (desert)
εαν μεινητε εν εμοι και τα ρηματα μου εν υμιν μεινη ο εαν θελητε αιτησεσθε και γενησεται υμιν
εν τουτω εδοξασθη ο πατηρ μου ινα καρπον πολυν φερητε και γενησεσθε εμοι μαθηται
καθως ηγαπησεν με ο πατηρ καγω ηγαπησα υμας μεινατε εν τη αγαπη τη εμη
10 εαν τας εντολας μου τηρησητε μενειτε εν τη αγαπη μου καθως εγω τας εντολας του πατρος μου τετηρηκα και μενω αυτου εν τη αγαπη
11 ταυτα λελαληκα υμιν ινα η χαρα η εμη εν υμιν μεινη και η χαρα υμων πληρωθη
12 αυτη εστιν η εντολη η εμη ινα αγαπατε αλληλους καθως ηγαπησα υμας
13 μειζονα ταυτης αγαπην ουδεις εχει ινα τις την ψυχην αυτου θη υπερ των φιλων αυτου
14 υμεις φιλοι μου εστε εαν ποιητε οσα εγω εντελλομαι υμιν
15 ουκετι υμας λεγω δουλους, οτι ο δουλος ουκ οιδεν τι ποιει αυτου ο κυριοςk υμας δε ειρηκα φιλους οτι παντα α ηκουσα παρα του πατρος μου εγνωρισα υμιν
16 ουχ υμεις με εξελεξασθε αλλ εγω εξελεξαμην υμας και εθηκα υμας ινα υμεις υπαγητε και καρπον φερητε, και ο καρπος υμων μενη ινα ο τι αν αιτησητε τον πατερα εν τω ονοματι μου δω υμιν
17 ταυτα εντελλομαι υμιν ινα αγαπατε αλληλους
18 ει ο κοσμος υμας μισει γινωσκετε οτι εμε πρωτον υμων μεμισηκεν
19 ει εκ του κοσμου ητε ο κοσμος αν το ιδιον εφιλει, οτι δε εκ του κοσμου ουκ εστε αλλ εγω εξελεξαμην υμας εκ του κοσμου δια τουτο μισει υμας ο κοσμος
20 μνημονευετε του λογου ου εγω ειπον υμιν - ουκ εστιν δουλος μειζων του κυριου αυτου; ει εμε εδιωξαν και υμας διωξουσιν; ει τον λογον μου ετηρησαν και τον υμετερον τηρησουσιν
21 αλλα ταυτα παντα ποιησουσιν υμιν δια το ονομα μου οτι ουκ οιδασιν τον πεμψαντα με
22 ει μη ηλθον και ελαλησα αυτοις, αμαρτιαν ουκ ειχον; νυν δε προφασιν ουκ εχουσιν περι της αμαρτιας αυτων
cloak, pretense
23 ο εμε μισων και τον πατερα μου μισει
24 ει τα εργα μη εποιησα εν αυτοις , α ουδεις αλλος πεποιηκεν, αμαρτιαν ουκ ειχον; νυν δε και εωρακασιν και μεμισηκασιν και εμε και τον πατερα μου
25 αλλ ινα πληρωθη ο λογος ο γεγραμμενος εν τω νομω αυτων οτι εμισησαν με δωρεαν
26 οταν δε ελθη ο παρακλητος ον εγω πεμψω υμιν παρα του πατρος το πνευμα της αληθειας ο παρα του πατρος εκπορευεται εκεινος μαρτυρησει περι εμου
27 και υμεις δε μαρτυρειτε οτι απ αρχης μετ εμου εστε

The Power of Creation: Hurricane Harvey and Nine Trillion Gallons Plus -
Lake Michigan Falling on Houston


Journalists, when reaching for a comparison, talk about floods of "Biblical proportion." So - they think the Genesis Flood really happened?

The newscasts said that 9 trillion gallons of water had fallen on Houston before the rain was over. That was equal to Lake Michigan falling on the area in a few days. Some suggested that was only half of the rain, since the tropical storm was continuing.

Houston has not done much to lessen the impacts of storms and hurricanes, but even a city like Phoenix - with mandated flood control - cannot contain a flood when a desert hurricane arrives. I drove out of that one and also came home from Tucson the night of 10,000 lightning strikes - which flooded the Interstates.

God creates rain - man creates floods to a large extent -

  • building levees,
  • covering low-lying land with houses and parking lots, 
  • draining fields with pipe rather than infiltrating the soil with deep-rooted crops.


We take the orderly progression of Creation for granted until one important event shows us what a disruption can cause. Creation awareness is almost zero. That might be one of the last dirty words in our vocabulary.  When I wanted to name a Facebook page "Creation Gardening"  - no problem - the name was not taken.

I use the term a lot. A pest control salesman came by, and I said, "Toxins in our yard? No thanks - this is a Creation Garden. You know the toxins do not work anyway. I like bugs, spiders, hornets. They work for free, feed the birds, and reproduce. You know well that your mosquito sprays do not work at all. Mosquitoes come in from other yards." He to agree, but added - "Some people are afraid of..."

We should be in awe of Creation, which rights itself when things go out of balance - and not by accident. If God did not hold back chaos, we would all be shivering in our darkened households, hoping for relief.




My favorite moment in gardening is sitting on the soil and planting something new. Underneath, billions of creatures work to make soil a living entity:

  1. Earthworms and slugs to shred plant material.
  2. Fungi to work on woody material.
  3. Bacteria to reduce soft tissue and serve as food.
  4. Moles to stir the soil, eat slugs and larvae.

All summer long, the soil has felt more like a waterbed than a parking lot. The living soil has digested many bags of wood mulch, autumn leaves, and the normal organic offerings of the living populations.



Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Wisconsin Lutheran College Name Change?



Dr. Jackson

A little bird told me that WLC is considering changing it's name from Wisconsin Lutheran College to Wisconsin Christian University.  According to my source (a employee of WLC) this proposal is being considered because the Admin claims that WLC is difficult to find when one searches "Christian Colleges in Wisconsin" in Google. Now, I tried that Google search, and that claim proved patently false.  Big surprise.   My source also states that this proposal is causing furor among the small contingent of remaining faculty that actually care about Lutheranism.  (I won't comment on the theological fortitude of those who would remain at WLC, but I suppose it is possible that there are a few Lutherans remaining...)  This small contingent of professors are, apparently, the same who've been unsuccessfully trying to keep WLC a liberal arts college.  Obviously, these are the profs with zero political clout, and my source is certain that the name-change will go through.

Now, I happen to know that WLC has yearly shortfalls of tens of millions of dollars.  Consider this along with the looming bursting of the Student-debt bubble and we can discern the thinking behind the name change.   "Let's give up any pretense of Lutheranism and we'll attract more people.  Survive at any cost."

Oh wait.  This has been the MO of the entire WELS for 20 years.  Ok.   Nothing to see here...  Same ol', same ol'...



...Yawn....

 Call in the Jelly-Tele-Tubbie Team.
They will fix things:
Parlow, Jeske, Kelm, and Patterson.


***

GJ - Small private colleges are on the brink, with so many charging too much money for degrees that do not earn enough to pay down the student debt. That is why all the seminaries are becoming empty, and yet the fixed costs are almost the same without the students to fill them.

All the schools thought that they students could borrow forever to pay the fantastic salaries of lazy, do-nothing professors. Bernie Sanders' wife bankrupted her little college by borrowing money to expand when the gifts were not coming in to service the loan. Even socialists have to face the music.


Rick Strickert on LutherQuest (sic)

Cascione quoted the little essay to prove Preus was UOJ all the way, but he never quoted Justification and Rome, did he?
No, Jack did not quote the last book.

 Walther learned this from his syphilitic bishop,
whom he helped install, even though he knew Martin Stephan was a promiscuous adulterer.

Rick Strickert (Carlvehse)
Senior Member
Username: Carlvehse

Post Number: 7501
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Friday, August 25, 2017 - 4:06 pm:   Edit Post Delete PostPrint Post

The Purple Palace seems to be demonstrating that opposition to both abortion and to homosexual marriage is the "satis est" for selective fellowship between members of church bodies and the LCMS. 


Did I mention that Carl Vehse (the original one) knew all about the crimes of Stephan?

Rick Strickert is always fun to read on LQ (sic). He brought up an interesting topic - satis est.



Augsburg Confession. Article VII: Of the Church.

1] Also they teach that one holy Church is to continue forever. The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered.

2] And to the true unity of the Church it is enough (satis est) to agree concerning the doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments. Nor is it necessary that human traditions, that is, rites or ceremonies, instituted by men, should be everywhere alike.  As Paul says: One faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, etc. Eph. 4:5-6. 

But opponents, adversaries, and false friends - I have pointed out repeatedly that ELCA, LCMS, NALC, LCMS, WELS, ELS, CLC (sic), and ELDONA.1 agree the satis est is - Universal Forgiveness without Faith - Objective Justification.

Since they agree on UOJ/OJ - with the LCMS-ELS-WELS publishing this fact this joyfully and shamelessly - there is no shame in ignoring the trivia:

  1. The efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace
  2. The Holy Spirit and the Word always at work together
  3. Justification by Faith
  4. Women's Ordination
  5. Subordinating the synod to the Thrivent business interests.

 UOJ - satis est - ELDONA.1 and the late, great Rolf Preus Synod working and worshiping together.
So many errorists come from Concordia Ft Wayne -
Scaer, Rolf Preus, McCain, Cascione, Heiser, and most of the
ELDONA priesthood.




Forgiveness without Faith - The Root of All Error in Modern Theology
And the Lutheran Sects

How did this get into print without the clergy laughing out loud? According to Luther, Scaer should be deprived of food, driven out of town, baited by dogs, and pelted with manure.
If you do not know that, you should study
The Large Catechism.


I remember Frank Fiorenza pouncing on someone in his seminar on ecclesiology at Notre Dame. The doctoral students, MA students, and seminarians were in the same class. We met at the seminary across the lake from the main campus.

Frank is now at Harvard, holding an endowed professorship, and anyone can discern why. Frank asked about the sources for the student's paper on Luther. "So, what is wrong with quoting from What Luther Says?" - Fiorenza asked rhetorically. I was not the target, and I did not know where this was going. Frank answered his own question. "This is a Missouri Synod book, and it is conservative."

That little polemic from Frank left me wondering, "Why is it so bad to quote actual sources in a graduate seminar?" Later I got the full treatment when my paper got the third degree on every possible detail. One of the priests said to me, "Greg, he really grilled you."

I learned from Frank and his professor wife Elizabeth - (Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza - Krister Stendahl Professor of Divinity) also at Harvard - that conservative was a label that meant "not to be trusted under any circumstances and tainted with faith." When I exposed Paul Tillich during a presentation on the great phony, Frank said, "Lutherans don't understand Tillich." All I did was quote from a biography of Tillich, written by a fellow professor at Union, NYC, not exactly a conservative source.

Schleiermacher went to Halle and taught at Halle -
he midwifed the age of modern theology,
Protestant and Catholic.

Halle University - The Watershed, the Font of All Apostasy
If possible, I will write a long essay on Calvin ruining Protestantism, but Calvin is not an attractive figure for most theologians. The most obvious turning point, built on Calvin's foundation of rationalism, is Halle University, established to promote a Biblical piety.

Halle is the most influential birthplace of modern theology for several reasons. One is its role as the main center - not the only one - of Pietism. This noble experiment, like the Volstead Act, had the opposite effect from what was intended. Just as the Volstead Act began an era of lawlessness and booze (not just in WELS), Halle began an era of Biblical and doctrinal apostasy.

Secondly, Pietism had the advantage of not being a single denomination or having a single organization's figure. For example, the ELCA today traces back to Muhlenberg, from Halle. The Wisconsin Synod's most famous theologian is Adolph Hoenecke, who graduated from Halle University. The first bishop of the LCMS (Martin Stephan, STD) taught Justification without Faith to the first pope of the sect (CFW Walther, BA). The Scandinavians were also Pietists.

 Woods, a Calvinist quoted above, explained Knapp's theology as Objective Justification and Subjective Justification.

The beauty of Schleiermacher's work is obvious to the discerning. He taught faith without belief, using the words of Christianity while denying their meaning. When one of my friends on Facebook writes a book on Justification, he means universal absolution without faith, just as Karl Barth did. Some dabblers in theology believe Barth's criticism of Schleiermacher, but Barth saw the genius in using the words to destroy the religion from the inside. Barth and his mistress, Charlotte Kirschbaum, were Communists, and their epic work became the heart and soul of Fuller Seminary's apostasy from the Evangelical position.


An evangelical graduated from Moline High and became a religion professor. He was outraged that I considered Barth an apostate. Evangelicals love Barth. So does the far Left of modern theology. Who was president of the Karl Barth Society? Yes, Frank Fiorenza. He offered no apologies for describing the theologian's mistress as the main author of Barth's Church Dogmatics.



The blokes of the 19th century laid out the markers for modern theology:

  1. Heavily invest in debates about every thinker along the way, to start squabbles about trivia. 
  2. Define grace as having no contingencies - not "if you believe, because that destroys the concept of grace."
  3. Be as ecumenical as the audience will allow, because that broadens the list of names dropped - to prove the excellence of the writer or speaker. "As Quistorp observed..." No one wants to ask who Quistorp is.
  4. Build up a list of inconsequential experts and make their work canonical. "Are you questioning the great F. Pieper?" 
  5. Scowl and look around in anger in case anyone wants to question the great professor, who cannot be confronted with his errors.
  6. Move useful idiots into key positions, knowing their insecurities will make them goosestep together with the gang.

 Jon-Boy denied that WELS taught this, when I quoted a banner for the public, "I am saved, just like you."
You had already published this baloney.
Naturally he showed up at Emmaus to support OJ.
You owe Jay.


Tuesday, August 29, 2017

More Luther Quotations for Icha-peakers -
Those Who Look for One More Post Before Bed.
Volume IV, The Sermons of Martin Luther


As the Word Is, So Is the Heart
For as the Word is, so will the heart be, which believes and cleaves firmly to it. The Word is a living, righteous, truthful, pure and good Word, so also the heart which cleaves to it, must be living, just, truthful, pure and good.
#6. Ninth Sunday after Trinity, Second Sermon


Listen to the Precious Word or the Devil’s Cry of Murder?
32. If we will not wish to enjoy this happy day which he gives us unto grace and our salvation, he can also instead permit us to see and experience nothing but the dark and terrible night of all affliction and misfortune. And since we will not hear this precious Word and the proclamation of peace, we will be forced to hear the devil’s cry of murder ring in our ears from every direction. Now is the time for us to know the day, and well employ the rich and golden year, while the annual fair is before our very doors, and acknowledge that he has severely punished us. If we neglect it and allow it to pass, we can never hope for a better day or expect any peace; for the Lord, who is the Lord of peace, will be with us no longer.
33. But if Christ be no longer with us, our hope will vanish; and wherever this beloved guest is rejected, and his Christians no longer tolerated, government, peace and everything shall perish, for he too desires to eat with us, to rule and to provide bountifully.
Tenth Sunday after Trinity


Justification by Faith Does Not Mean Hedonism
45. Again, you must be like the publican in this, that you henceforth forsake sin, for it is not said of him that he continued as he was before, but went forth and applied grace to his own heart, so that God declared him righteous, as the text says: “This man went down to his house justified.” These words do not conclude that he remained in his sin, as he did not go into the temple and pray for that; for whoever desires to continue in sin cannot pray for grace and forgiveness, but he who prays thus thinks, wishes and desires to be just and entirely free from sin. This you must know so that you do not deceive yourself. For there are many who only consider that the publican as a sinner receives grace and forgiveness, and do not think that God requires that they should forsake sin, and let the grace received be henceforth powerful in their lives. But some want to understand it as though God saves sinners in a way that they may still remain in sin and unrighteousness.
Eleventh Sunday after Sunday, Second Sermon




Yet Another Clear Statement against Objective Justification
8. Therefore let everybody mark well, that he can never be saved through another person’s faith. But it of course may happen, that by the faith of other persons you may be brought to a faith of your own. Likewise the good works of other persons may be of service to me to obtain works of my own. Therefore those lie, who declare that we may be saved through the works or faith of other persons, whether we ourselves believe or not. No, this is not so! Unless you yourself draw out from God’s kindness and mercy a faith of your own, you will not be saved. Thus it must be; otherwise no other person’s faith or works avail, not even Christ, though he is the Savior of all the world; his kindness, his help will do you no good whatever, unless you believe in it, and are enlightened by it.
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity




Praying for a Personal Faith
13. Therefore say: I must neither rely upon your works nor you upon mine; but I will, by my own faith, pray God to give you a faith of your own. This is what is said, that we all are priests and kings, that we, like Christ himself, may intercede for one another before God, praying for personal faith. Thus, if I happen to notice that you have no faith of your own, or a weak faith, I go and ask God to help, you to obtain faith, not by giving you my faith and my works, but your own faith and your own works; so that Christ may give him all his works and salvation through faith, as he hath given them to us by faith.
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity

Ears and Tongues
14. In like manner the ears of both differ. A Christian’s ears have the same Word which the tongue preaches, and the heart believes; but the world prefers to hear one speak of her wisdom, understanding, honor and glory. The ears and tongues of Christians are thus different from the ears and tongues of the world, or of unbelievers, caring naught for silver or gold, but only for that which is said of Christ, and how to speak and preach Christ.
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Second Sermon

15. This now is one of the afflictions which caused Christ to sigh; as though he would say: Be watchful! Beware of deceitful tongues which meddle with the Scriptures, more than of those which hold forth in the wine-house or in the grocery store; though the latter are not harmless, yet when those tongues begin to speak which I have made loose so that they can boast of Christ, beware of them, etc. And in very deed, it is worthwhile to deplore the fact that those who have the Word and can talk much about it, should nevertheless persecute the Word with tongue and fist. The Turk also is a menace to Christendom, but his harm is inflicted only by the sword, and is in no way equal to the harm done by sectarians. There is need even now that one should sigh because such tongues which mislead so many people and still claim to be Christians, and to have improved the Christian Church. This is the first point, namely, that the devil, after the tongue is loosed and people know what Christ is, still inflicts injury by subverting the doctrine.
Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Second Sermon

Christ Cares for Us
20. We should learn now from these ceremonies and demonstrative actions, which Christ uses here, how earnestly Christ our Lord cares for us; we should diligently be on our guard to keep our ears and tongues in the condition in which he gave them to us, and fortify ourselves against the devil and against men, lest they change our ears and tongues to the contrary. Secondly, we should also, everyone in his calling, show our gratitude toward his Word for this blessing in such a manner that a ruler in his country, a preacher in the pulpit, father and mother in the home, rightly fulfill the duties of their calling, while the others should hear it, keeping open their ears as Christ has opened them, and diligently see to it, as Christ acted in the case of this man, that they may also be as serious, and thank God for it.

21. Among us, God be praised, the tongue has been so developed that we speak purely, and that the ears gladly hear it; for there still are many pious people everywhere who take delight in hearing God’s Word. But side by side with this there is great ingratitude also among us, and frightful contempt for the Word of God, perhaps, indeed, a secret persecution and suffering. Other princes persecute it openly; but we here sit under shelter, as in a garden of roses, and yet secretly there are so many, citizens and peasants, and the noblemen with their golden chains, who would gladly hound all pastors and preachers out of the country, if only they could do it. This shows that they despise the Word and hate it secretly; as we see it is the case that, where the Word is persecuted openly, there only it would live, and where it is unhindered and public, there they do not want it.

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Second Sermon

In WELS, unread since 1850.

Kathleen Styx | Obituaries | qconline.com

Kathy Pobanz Styx was my Moline neighbor,
a short walk down the alley.



 Kathy was in the Garfield Brownies Troop.


Kathleen Styx | Obituaries | qconline.com: "Kathleen Styx
19 hrs ago
Kathleen D. "Kathy" Styx, 69, of Rock Island, passed away Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, at her home.

Funeral services will be 6 p.m. Thursday at Rafferty Funeral Home, 2111 1st St. A, Moline, with visitation one hour prior to services. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the family. Kathleen proudly donated her body to the University of Iowa for further research and studies. That meant so much to her.

Kathleen was born May 27, 1948, in Moline, the daughter of Merlon and Ruth Almblade Pobanz. She married Rory DeBacker on Aug. 30, 1967, in Moline, and later married Jeff Styx in Moline.

Kathleen worked for Kmart and Walgreens, Moline.

Kathleen enjoyed vacationing in Minnesota with family, watching Nascar races and spending precious time with her grandchildren.

Survivors include her children, Kim (Mike) Resler, Rock Island, Keith DeBacker, Bettendorf, and Kara (Thomas) Hall, Hot Springs, Ark.; grandchildren, Aaron, Hailey and Trevor Cook, Janie Rae and Jacob DeBacker and Ayden and Addyson Hall; sister, Cherie (Ernie) Duffee, Moline; and brother, Randy (Kassie) Pobanz, Davenport.

The family would like to thank the Fort Armstrong nurses and staff who took such good care of mom and the Hospice Compassus for their care.

Condolences may be left at RaffertyFunerals.com."



'via Blog this'

Garden Victories This Summer

 Joe Pye Weed was first grown as an herbal medicine.
Butterflies love it and the plant grows easily.

I did not have our regular helper to keep down the weeds this summer, so we went from potential jungle to reality when heavy rains were followed by melt-down combinations of heat and humidity. Now the front and back are cleaned up, thanks to some reliable and hard-working helpers.


 Early this summer, the mother of all Crepe Myrtles bloomed and went to seed instantly, so I pruned off all the blooms and seeds, mulched the plant with the trimmings.
Now all the other CMs are quickly going to seed
while ours is in full bloom.


  1. We have a wide variety of butterflies in the garden, thanks to planting many different kinds of bushes and flowers to keep them happy, fed, and nurtured in the caterpillar stages. 
  2. Birds entertain us daily. Nestlings stay on the ledge to eat. Young squirrels eat at Jacksons when weaned.
  3. More members of the carrot family grew this year. The rabbits ate the parsley but the dill grew to seed, which is promising. Caraway was neglected and grew too. 
  4. Shasta Daisies - who knew? They keep flowering and beneficial insects love them.
  5. Elderberries - now I know. They are impressive when flowering and fruiting - and the 12 foot tall plants screen well too. 
  6. Sunflowers grow best when I plant no seeds. Birds do it for me. I finally had some sunflowers this year and watched Goldfinches eat the seeds from a few feet away (indoors).
  7. Hostas flower and hummingbirds come to them. We are going to have more of both in the future. And they are like roses and humans - loving sun in the morning, shade in the afternoon. 
  8. Crepe Myrtles are a great choice in this area, and we will add some later in the right places.
  9. Joe Pye Weed  is an attractive tall bush that butterflies love.
  10. Mountain Mint - very tall and total chaos in pollinators enjoying the three bushes. One little plant was buried under mulch and newspaper but it burst through anyway.
 Mountain Mint is famous for attracting a buzz
of pollinators, plus bees and butterflies.

The tiny insects are often the most beneficial.