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| Graphic by Norma Boeckler |
The Harvey Weinstein Synods of Lutherdom seem determined to embarrasa themselves as often as possible.
Which is worse? -
- Concordia Publishing House selling Reformation bar equipment and doggie t-shirts, or
- Matt the Fatt having the convention vote to kick out anyone who publishes about doctrine without having an official title?
I suppose "Pastor" is not an official role. That is simply too cute a way to celebrate Martin Luther speaking out for the entire Christian Church, sparking the Protestant Revolt - as the Romanists fashion it. LCMS pastors leave the Vatican on the Mississippi for the real Vatican on the Tiber.
In the Wisconsin Synod corner, a sect known for despising the Book of Concord and Lenski, they publish their drivel about the Reformation by apologizing for Luther - at least "he pointed to Christ." Yet they point away from Christ, publishing JW Montgomery, another UOJ fanatic - who teaches forgiveness without faith and all that rubbish.
The Little Sect on the Prairie, a wholly owned subsidiary of WELS, plays a neat game called "We thank God we are better than Wisconsin." Meanwhile, they ape Wisconsin dogma in every way, but speak out against tuxedos. To be polite, they will not identify the WELS pastor by name who wore a tux for a service, but that pretty much clinches who it is. So delicate is their sense of ethical probity.
The so-called Church of the Lutheran Confession lives off its anger about WELS/ELS - and is dying from it at the same time. Nevertheless, they also swoon about Forgiveness without Faith and the Church Growth Movement, as if arsenic is not toxic enough - they also need to add lead to their diet.
This entire class of clowns and criminals will not allow a discussion about Justification by Faith in public, whether on Facebook or at a Free Conference. As most know, a Free Conference means anyone can express a position. Although the Emmaus meetings are clearly designed to serve as dating before the marriage, the LCMS-WELS-ELS pretends they are informal and non-binding. Spoiler alert - all three sects have already declared in public that they rejoice in their common teaching of Objective Justification - Forgiveness without Faith, Grace without the Means of Grace, Universal Salvation.
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| St. Paul summed up the synodical problem in two verses. Graphic by Norma Boeckler |
A Modest Proposal
Various elections, conferences, blogs, and secret groups have failed to move beyond trivia for the last 50 years. Shallow, double-dealing politicians have not accomplished anything, so attempting to get someone elected is a total waste of time. Given the attention the leaders pay to the Scriptures - beyond pious slogans and mandatory tithing - electing anyone is counter-productive.
This program can be carried out stealthily, which is ideal for the clergy of today, who do not want to make waves or take a public position about anything beyond the level of adiaphora. Examples from the above sects - the Christian flag? - burn them all. Individual communion cups - anathema sit! Women teaching men? - that is a gre-e-e-e-ey area of Scripture.
Historical background. As the lost Pieper - Egbert - wrote, CFW Walther was not a Scriptural teacher. He used dogmatic theses. He was very weak in the Biblical languages, so he postured about teaching doctrine in Latin and became the first Pope on the Mississippi. The solution is not a new pope, but a vast cloud of Biblical expositors.
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| Graphic by Norma Boeckler |
The Secret Plan
Every pastor has a unique opportunity to teach the truth once a week - or more - where everyone listens for 20 minutes plus, without interruption. Babies may squall and some people may become restless, but that remains a protected, special opportunity for the efficacious Word of God.
Here is the sermon -
The pastor will deal with the Gospel or Epistle text each week, verse by verse, explaining that lesson. The historic pericopes are best and Luther has great guides for this - the Lenker edition of his sermons. But other Biblical series are good too. One should avoid the anti-Scriptural paraphrases like the NIV and ESV in favor of the KJV, KJV21, and Third Millennium Bible.
Lenski has great insights too, but the sermon should be based on the pastor's own study and reflection during the week.
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| Gardeners and farmers get this parable - synod leaders and seminary professors do not. Graphic by Norma Boeckler |
The Reformation did not happen because Luther taught Luther, nor did it erupt and take over Europe because he taught the organization (as the sects do today). He firmly believed that Romans 10 was correct - forgiveness and salvation come from faith, and faith from the preached Word of God.
The Gospel of John is the capstone of the Four Gospels, clearly emphasizing the teaching of Christ as the righteousness of faith, which is reflected in all the works of the Lutheran Reformation.
Teaching through various books of the Bible, phrase by phrase, is another aspect of this proposal. Various cheerleaders have begged for the right election results, as if that will yield some result other than another politician elected as Synod President of District President.
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| Graphic by Norma Boeckler |
Instead, pastors should teach faithfully the Word of God and accept the results - both good and bad - the Gospel fruits and the cross. Where that leads is God's business, not ours.
Isaiah 55 teaches with absolute clarity that God's will is accomplished only through God's Word. That Word always returns to Him with great effect.
- The Word is never void. This double-negative should be considered gravely, at all times. The phrase condemns virtually everything being done in Lutherdom today.
- The Word always accomplishes His purpose. The results, which man may consider good or bad, are divinely blessed.
- The Word prospers His will, so the effect is so great that no one can deny its origin in the Triune God.
This Biblical doctrine also means that gimmicks, plans, and programs have no effect apart from the Word. When that pudding-head Kent Hunter bound graph-paper into his Church Growth book, it seemed laughable. Now the three sects spend enormous time and energy graphing their horrible numbers and studying them, as if they were the entrails of goats from the rites of ancient, pagan Greeks.
That is all we need in Lutherdom - to devote the sermon time to real Scriptural sermons. Here are the sermon notes - the verses themselves. They are his outline. If the pastor cannot give a sermon prompted by each verse, he should study more.
What people get today is rambling about current events, personal opinions, synodical baloney, and other filler. Those are the "good" sermons. The rest of them are copied and pasted from the Net or from the group's secret server farm. Yes - WELS does that. They have one guy write the sermon, the rest of them deliver it.
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| The Gadarene Swine of Lutherdom are trained at Fuller, Willow Creek, and Trinity Divinity. They have made a big splash. |
Enhancements
Written Out -
The written sermon should appear each week, to help those who want to know it in depth and to reach others who may only read it, for various reasons. One layman printed my sermons every week for his uncle, who was glad to read them. If that only happens with one person in a congregation, that is good and God-pleasing.
Broadcast
Any congregation can broadcast the service for very little, using live streaming. We use Ustream for $100 a month. One ELDONA pastor was worried that would cost real money and necessitate better equipment! But actually, the service can reach the world and people support it gladly. We really needed a better desktop and that was donated, ending our glitches from a slower CPU and relatively low RAM.
The Parable of the Sower and the Seed should influence congregations to spend some money on modern broadcasting. Sowing was the original broadcasting. At least, think of the shut-ins. Our next-door neighbor could barely walk. She became a Lutheran by watching our services on her computer.
Blogging and the Word
Blogs are a free and easy way to publish the Word of God. They have an astonishing reach around the world. We get 1500 views or more about goofs like Ricky Johnson, but 107,000 views - reading a single quotation from Luther.
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| The miraculous catch of fish was a visual representation of what the disciples would do in the future, trusting in the Word of God. Graphic by Norma Boeckler |
Social Media and the Word
Combinations of social media leverage the reach of any given effort. A lawyer suggested that I teach Greek, and I use Ustream for that, plus posting on Facebook and this blog. We get hundreds of views for the Greek text of John.
By using a combination of social media, the results on searches are better and more people are reached.
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| Duerer's depiction of the Holy Trinity |
