Ichabod, The Glory Has Departed: 2017-12-31

Saturday, January 6, 2018

Cathedral event Jan. 21 marks close of local Reformation commemoration - TheCatholicSpirit.com : TheCatholicSpirit.com

An outside organization runs ELCA now, just the way
Church and Change runs WELS.

Criticism of the synod works, as long as the critics win,
as they have in ELCA, WELS, LCMS, and the Little Sect on the Prairie. Here are the 65 synods of ELCA.

Bishop Lull looks like PB Liz Eaton. See below.

Presiding Bishop Liz Eaton, ELCA, mourned the 2016 election.

Cathedral event Jan. 21 marks close of local Reformation commemoration - TheCatholicSpirit.com : TheCatholicSpirit.com:

"Cathedral event Jan. 21 marks close of local Reformation commemoration
Maria Wiering | January 4, 2018 |

On Jan. 21, Archbishop Bernard Hebda will join with two local Lutheran bishops to mark the close of an ecumenical year of prayer marking the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, which began with the publication of Martin Luther’s “95 Theses” in 1517. Ahead of the event, The Catholic Spirit asked Father Erich Rutten, pastor of St. Peter Claver in St. Paul and chairman of the Archdiocesan Commission for Ecumenism and Interreligious Affairs, about what the commemoration has meant for the relationship between the Catholic and Lutheran churches.

Q. What do you think has come from the joint Catholic and Lutheran commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, both internationally and locally?

A. Both Catholics and Lutherans have intentionally used the word “commemoration” for this event. It has been an opportunity for what Pope John Paul II called a “healing of memories.” In other words, both sides have tried to look more objectively at what happened during the Reformation, acknowledge faults on both sides, ask forgiveness, and look for ways to move forward in greater unity. Locally, this has offered opportunities for our communities to come together in each others’ home churches. Archbishop Hebda preached at Central Lutheran and ELCA Bishop Patricia Lull will preach at our Cathedral. These things would have been unimaginable 50 years ago. This anniversary year has been an opportunity to get to know each other better and begin to call each other friends."

PB Mark Hanson hatched the egg in 2009,
and Liz Eaton took over his job.
This is Central Lutheran, where the tornado struck
just after the vote.

'via Blog this'

Life Reminiscences of an Old Lutheran Minister by John Gottlieb Morris (1803-1895) - Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry

Life Reminiscences of an Old Lutheran Minister by John Gottlieb Morris (1803-1895) - Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry:

"On election
Some contemporaries of mine at Princeton became distinguished men, and some who were modest, pious and exemplary young men did not keep the faith when they entered upon public life. When I came to Baltimore I found one who had been one of the “Religiosi,” as they were called at college, practicing at the bar, besides holding a high position in the court, but he had abandoned his religious profession, as well as his moral life. I could say the same of others, but it gives me more pleasure to say that most of that class of men maintained their integrity to the end, as far as my observation extended. One of these young lawyers at the Baltimore bar, who had graduated with high honors at Princeton before I went there, was a student distinguished for his piety and Christian earnestness. He became skeptical, it was said, from reading philosophical writings, and lapsed into infidelity. He may have been a student of theology, but of this I am not certain. It is said Dr. [Archibald] Alexander [founder of Princeton, 1812] would never give him up, but believing him an elect child of God he would be brought back by divine grace; in other words, he could not finally fall away because he was predestinated to eternal life! He did not return, whence it follows either that he was not predestinated, or if he was, that the elect may “fall from grace.” – From Chapter 2"

'via Blog this'

Friday, January 5, 2018

Using Blog This! for News Items

My favorite way to provide news items and to feature other blogs is to use Blog This! from Blogger. They make it easy to copy part of an article and save it as a new blog post. There are several advantages:

I can immediately save it as a draft so it is available on Ichabod later.
The citation is provided twice, in the headline and in the text.
The original text is separated with quotation marks.
I can add videos, graphics, and my own commentary.
The link at the top of the article makes it easy for readers to look at the entire article without too much copying.

If you wonder why only one paragraph is posted from various news or blog sources, that comes from a common rule in the social media. Unless permission is given, an entire article should not be copied, even with proper citations and quotation marks.

I had a funny experience when I found an interesting story about my hometown, Moline. I began reading and thought, "This person had similar Moline experiences." Then I said, "These ARE my Moline experiences from my Moline Memories blog. No author was cited. No source was cited." I thought it was strange and humorous.

The Sermons of Martin Luther - Volume V - Are Now Ready for Printing.
This Volume Is Dedicated to WWII Hero Norman Woehrle and His Wife Jean

Norman and Jean Woehrle have distinguished themselves in
service to our country and the Lutheran Church.

Norman Woehrle served as a Marine in the Pacific theatre, World War II. As many people know, the Marines made countless landings in hostile islands occupied by Japanese troops. Our forces used LSTs - Land Ship Tanks. Norman's job was to be the first off the ramp, holding a smudge pot blowing smoke to obscure his fellow soldiers from enemy fire. Another Marine shared the honors.

I asked Norman about the medals he earned. He laughed and said, "Oh, the usual bunch." He later worked for AT&T, and Jean worked as a nurse. They have always stood up for the truth, whether dealing with issues for patriotic Americans or problems in the Lutheran Church. When the pro-life counseling center needed help, Jean was always will to help.

They are members of Shepherd of Peace, WELS, in Columbus, Ohio.

The Gems volume - IX - will include the selected gems
from all eight volumes.

Volume V Completes the Gospel Sermons
The first five volumes include all the Gospel sermons in the Lenker series.

We are now working on the last three volumes, the Epistle sermons.

Little Ichabod called this "publishing at a blistering pace." That would not be possible without the help and encouragement of:

Norma Boeckler, our artist-in-residence.
Virginia Roberts, our remarkable editor.
Janie Sullivan, our editor for the print and Kindle e-books.
Terry and Lori Howell, members who worked on one volume.
An LCMS pastor who edited a volume or two.
My wife, who has always enjoyed helping in all publishing work.
Bethany Lutheran Church members and friends.

Muslim College Takes Over Campus of Lutheran Seminary in Berkeley | Faith.
ELCA's Pacific Seminary Glad To Hand Their Carbon Footprint to a Muslim College

Moses statue - will it remain at Pacific Seminary - now Zaytuna College?

Muslim College Takes Over Campus of Lutheran Seminary in Berkeley | Faith:

"Mimicking the slide into irrelevance that plagues all of progressive "Christianity," the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary has dwindled to a handful of students. The declining admissions precipitated PLTS's move to an office building in downtown Berkeley, paving the way for the sale of the ten-acre campus to Zaytuna.

The irony is that Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary is also a founding member of the Graduate Theological Union. "The GTU is a union of schools and programs that, together, represent the world’s major religions in collaboration," according to their website. As stated above, Zaytuna College will now use its other three buildings near the Graduate Theological Union to open a Muslim graduate seminary. Considering Zaytuna's stated mission to be grounded in the teachings of the Qur'an, their forthcoming seminary is most likely going to be at odds with both Reconciling in Christ and the Graduate Theological Union.

As progressive Christian denominations continue their stubborn march to self-inflicted oblivion, it's sadly humorous to watch them embrace faith groups that are clearly at odds with their progressive agenda. If Zaytuna College continues to grow and expand, Antifa is really going to have something to protest in Berkeley."

'via Blog this'

***

GJ - Pacific Lutheran Seminary supported their move down the hill to a leased building by saying, "Another school will have to deal with our carbon footprint on the hilltop." (I am paraphrasing.) Of course, this carbon footprint is a bunch of nonsense, but leave it to the Left to pass their guilt to another religion.

They sold 10 acres of prime property for $10 million, to reduce their cost per student and hand over their carbon footprint. Before, the students had to look out at God's Creation. Now they will be able to look down on riots at Berkeley's City Hall. Oh joy!

Universal Objective Justification Replaces the Atonement While Pretending To Be All Grace, All Forgiving

The key distinguishing argument of Universal Objective Justification is their claim that "UOJ is not the Atonement." Robert Preus stated that clearly when he was promoting the UOJ of Bishop Stephan and CFW Walther.

No less a genius than Frosty Bivens - plagiarizing Mark Zarling (both of WELS) - announced that UOJ is the Chief Article of the Christian religion, the master and prince, the judge of all other doctrines. And UOJ is all that - for ignorant bullies who find the dogma a convenient axe, a trusty stealth weapon, a deadly instrument.

Robert and Jack Preus used UOJ to keep W. Maier II from becoming president of Concordia Seminary in Ft. Wayne.

UOJ is a clever ploy to take people away from the Gospel itself. The Bible clearly uses the Atonement, Christ's death on the cross for the sins of the world, as another word for the Gospel.

The Gospel chapter of the Old Testament is Isaiah 53, which is devoted to the suffering of Christ to pay for the sins of the world.

Teaching the Gospel means teaching the Atonement, which is universally true - Christ died for all people, paid for all sins. Preaching the Gospel plants faith in the hearts of those who have never heard this before. The baby being baptized hears the Gospel and believes, because the Spirit works through the Word.

The lapsed adult hears the Gospel and it rekindles his faith, because the indwelling Spirit gladly hears the message of grace and hungers for more.

UOJ Stormtroopers live on the dark side of the moon.

The Universal Nature of the Atonement Means All These Things
The universal nature of the Atonement is kidnapped by the UOJists and left for dead after they have received their ransom money - all the foundation and Thrivent money, plus synod funds, thank you. They do not teach the Atonement - a moment of clarity and honesty before the rationalistic fog of Pietism rolls in.

But this is what the universal nature of the Atonement means:

No sin is too great for this forgiveness, but it is only received in faith. Thus the sin against the Holy Spirit is unfaith. John 16:8ff. UOJists teach blasphemy against God - which is why they become so arrogant, cruel, hardened, and blind.
Nothing makes us qualified for this forgiveness. We do not have to repent enough, cleanse ourselves enough, suffer enough, pay enough. Believers are freely and fully forgiven, and this constant state of grace heals and motivates us for fruits of the Spirit.
Not even the smallest sin can be paid for by man, and to think that way is a potentially fatal error that leads to even more mistakes.
Christ did not only die for minor and easy to conquer sins, which we never do conquer, but also for great and terrible sins. There is nothing more astounding on this earth than to see the transformation of someone who seemed so lost and hopeless before, enjoying this great forgiveness and knowing the power of Gospel Word accomplished what man's wisdom and aids could not.
We are forever wanting to pay for our sins with tears, sorrow, money, and good works. When we checked out of a motel with our family, I tried to pay the bill. "There is no bill for your room." I argued otherwise and wanted to pay. "I know I did not pay for this room." The clerk said, "The amount has been removed. Let me see. Oh - someone paid for you...Gladys." I turned around and my mother was smiling. That is a little example of the grace of God through Christ, which energizes good works. When someone wants to atone for their sins, the Word says, "No, that was already paid by the Lamb of God."

Why are so many WELS leaders alcoholics?

Lead the UOJ Stormtroopers into the Lord's Prayer Attack, Where They Impale Themselves on the Small Catechism and the Means of Grace

Luther - Large Catechism - Lord's Prayer - Book of Concord

88] Therefore there is here again great need to call upon God and to pray: Dear Father, forgive us our trespasses. Not as though He did not forgive sin without and even before our prayer (for He has given us the Gospel, in which is pure forgiveness before we prayed or ever thought about it). But this is to the intent that we may recognize and accept such forgiveness.

***

GJ - Whenever the UOJ Stormtroopers start beating their gums about everyone forgiven without faith, they cite the Lord's Prayer in he Large Catechism as Luther's teaching of Universal Objective Justification or Objective Justification. They prance, preen, and pound the table, but their argument is impaled by the Small Catechism.

What is the Lord's Prayer? - we should ask first. The disciples, believers, said, "Lord, teach us to pray." The Lord's Prayer is a model for Christian believers, The Perfect Prayer, as one classic book titled it.

What does the Small Catechism teach about forgiveness?

The Small Catechism, Book of Concord

The Third Article.

Of Sanctification.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; one holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

What does this mean?--Answer.

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life. This is most certainly true.

The UOJ Pallbearers, so eager to bury the Christian Church with their philosophy, use the fallacy of accent or emphasis here. They emphasize one matter to distort Christian doctrine. Yes, believers are daily forgiven all their sins, so we are forgiven without and before our prayer. But we are not forgiven without and before our faith, a claim which is the foundation, in fact, the only content of UOJ/OJ.

UOJ teaches two things which are really only one:

God has declared the entire world forgiven, regardless of faith.
Each person must decide this universal absolution is true to be forgiven.

Number 2 is simply a restatement of 1. Number 2 is not faith and has nothing to do with the efficacious Gospel. It is a decision, an act of the mind and will, contrary to the teaching of the Scriptures, just as Number 1 is against the Word of God.

So I have to agree with the late Carl Mischke and the Seer of Emmaus, Jay Webber - they are two sides of the same coin, but the coin is a wooden nickel. The error of Number 1 does not make Number 2 authentic or true. The statements are two expressions of Enthusiasm, grace without the Means of Grace, mans's word without and apart from the work of the Holy Spirit.

Ever since Zwingli and Calvin, the Protestants have waged war against Justification by Faith. Many times they use long-established terms, but only to smuggle their own philosophies, which they find so appealing compared to the "fisherman's voice of the Holy Spirit."

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Lutheran Theological Seminary installs first Anglican president – Anglican Journal

Lutheran Theological Seminary installs first Anglican president – Anglican Journal:

"Saskatoon-based Lutheran Theological Seminary (LTS) has appointed the Rev. William Harrison as president. Harrison, who is the first Anglican to be president of LTS, says he wants to be “something of a bridge” between the Anglican and Lutheran churches."

'via Blog this'

Waterloo Lutheran Seminary - Remodeling - Most of the Students Are Not Aiming at Pastoral Work

WATERLOO — The century-old institution that founded Wilfrid Laurier University is changing its name.

Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, which is in the middle of a $9-million renovation of its 54-year-old building at Albert Street and Bricker Avenue on the Laurier campus, will soon become Martin Luther University College.

The name change, confirmed by the seminary's principal dean Mark Harris, is intended to reflect the reality of the school's educational evolution beyond its original mission of training Lutheran pastors.

"We're more than just a seminary," Harris said on Friday.

"We have a small-but-growing undergraduate program. And high school students don't look to seminaries for their (bachelor of arts) degrees."

Last year, the seminary had 178 full- and part-time students. About 250 Laurier students took classes at the seminary as well. This year, the seminary expects about 160 students, with classes taking place on the nearby Laurier campus during seminary reconstruction.

Waterloo Lutheran Seminary is federated with Laurier and its students earn Laurier degrees.

A new logo for the renamed seminary is being designed to go along with the new name.

"The name Waterloo Lutheran Seminary — which once accurately described who we were when we were primarily a denominational school — no longer reflects who we have become," Harris said.

"We continue to have a (Master of Divinity) program training Lutheran clergy and clergy from a number of other Christian denominations as well. But, in fact, the M-Div is now the smallest program in the school. Our largest program, the one we feel very strongly about, is the Masters in Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy."

Delton Glebe directed the seminary toward all counseling courses, revising various classes to fit his main interest.

Did Latte Lutheran (WELS) sell their cushions and couches to Waterloo Lutheran Seminary's chapel?

The Bishop of ELCiC graduated from Waterloo.

Seminary status check - Living Lutheran. The High Cost of ELCA Seminaries.

Seminary status check - Living Lutheran:

"At Lutheran Southern Seminary, leaders are developing more programs of interest beyond Lutheranism to attract more students.

The high cost of postgraduate education is also a major concern for the seminaries and their students, and there are significant plans to make it possible for people to get through seminary without incurring tens of thousands of dollars of debt. The seminaries, too, often operate on a deficit budget, draining reserve funds or incurring the heavy costs of debt.

In an effort directed both at reducing student debt and developing a new form of seminary education, Trinity is changing its master of divinity program into a “2+2” package. A student spends two years in seminary and then two years on an internship during which time they also take online classes.

When he was a parish pastor, Barger said he had 15 interns and eight of those were in the congregation for two years. “The difference that the two years made was astonishing; it was a much better formation of a new pastor,” he said.

Distance learning technology makes that kind of education possible, said Johnson from Wartburg. Her school was working with students in North Dakota who would be serving in congregations while taking online courses. “Our distance learning programs use video so the faces of the online students are seen in the classroom by the other students,” she said."

'via Blog this'

The Real Story about Karl Barth and His Unpaid Mistress - His Wholesale Plagiarism and Marxism

Charlotte Kirschbaum worked for Barth for almost nothing,
agreed with his Marxism, and wrote the bulk of his Dogmatics.

The Evangelical world is still rocking from the decades-old story that Karl Barth moved his mistress into his home with his wife Nellie and his children. Although some made a point of not drawing the obvious conclusions, the facts were already known in the 1970s.

Moreover, my classmate at Yale, George Hunsinger, was and is a Barth scholar who published about the avid Marxism of Barth and his lovely mistress/assistant Charlotte Kirschbaum. Precious few realize how important Marxism was to this couple, but that can be studied in Hunsinger's book, Karl Barth and Radical Politics.

Perhaps Charlotte was assigned by the Party to control Barth and keep him on the straight and narrow path to world conquest. No one will touch that for now.

The real scandal is Barth's wholesale plagiarism of Kirschbaum's work. He was only a parish pastor who became an overnight sensation from his Romans commentary. Suddenly he was teaching at a university and expected to lecture on a variety of subjects. He was not prepared and could not keep up.

Kirschbaum came along at just the right time and began helping him. Everyone agrees that his most productive work began with her help and ended when she was too sick to help anymore. Frank Fiorenza, former president of the Barth Society, taught us in class that his fellow Barthians concluded this - Kirschaum wrote the fine print in the Dogmatics and Barth wrote the large print outline.

Most people think the fine print is the better part of the Dogmatics.

We know Barth was a shameless plagiarist from other sources. If an academic was was asked to write material related to Barth's current effort, Barth simply included those notes in his book, pages of it, without giving any credit. The theologian was flattered by being included, because Barth was the Elvis Presley of theology at that time.

The earlier Dogmatics effort was a failure. But when Charlotte helped out, one volume after another kept appearing over the years, until she became sick. He did not dedicate a volume to his wife Nelly until the end, but he dedicated one of the first volumes to Charlotte. I went to the library when I heard that in class and checked it out.

Karl Barth and his mistress assistant in their later years.

The dedications tell me more about Kirschbaum's work than her ambiguous life with Barth. He had to have felt a great sense of dependence upon her for elevating him to international star. After all, many other theologians were known at the time but are largely forgotten because they did not leave behind a massive set of books.

Paul Tillich was another apostate who combined adultery and plagiarism. He slept with the wives of his graduate students and stole the academic work of those students. His star was dimmed greatly by his widow's frank autobiography and his obtuse theological nonsense.

But Barth remains the backbone of modern Protestant theology, to the shame of all. He is THE theologian of Fuller Seminary, a favorite among the academics, the CFW Walther Great Prophet on all topics. Have an issue? - cite Barth/Kirschbaum. Whoever quotes the most wins.

Where do we find the same kind of dialectic mumbo-jumbo?
Ja - in Marxist philosophy.

Thus Protestant theology - and Catholicism - owe their weakness to the bog of Barth's thinly disguised political rhetoric. He did not spell it out, but the radicals realize this truth - Barth/Kirschbaum is quite convenient for those who want to double-talk their way into political radicalism. Theologians of the Left can always duck back into the Yes and the No of every phony tidbit offered in the Dogmatics.

But believe me, no one dares claim that the emperor of theology has no clothes on - and is hiding behind his mistress. I said far less than that to a conservative Evangelical professor and he jumped on me like a hobo on a hotdog.