More Glimpses from the Past - The Sparky Brenner Hagiography - Jars of Clay

Roland Bainton, Yale University,
author of Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther

My approach to reading history is to look for the telling detail. However an author might organize his material, certain things give away the agenda.

I have three heroes in the field of history:

1. Thucydides -  History of the Peloponnesian War remains the greatest analytical history ever. Written 2400 years ago.
2. Gibbon - The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. This is the greatest history written in the English language. The volumes came out as America was gaining independence, so it profoundly affected the American leaders who were trained in the classics. Imagine that today - political leaders fluent in Latin.
3. Roland Bainton - Many call him an anecdotal historian. He collected vast amounts of material first, using stories to capture key points he wanted to teach about a given era. Fortunately, I was able to meet him and hear him lecture several times. He helped me when I was writing my dissertation and offered to do some xeroxing for me. Imagine the pampered peacocks of higher education doing that today. Bainton knew 20+ languages, so I borrowed his method for teaching Latin, Greek, German, any language.

I appreciate John Sparky Brenner's work because any scribe, rummaging through the closets, will throw out precious bits of data, which are valuable - even when left on the floor.

I am enjoying the narratives about various WELS leaders of the past. Hoenecke is one of my favorites. He was not translated into English until nobody was left who cared about doctrine. Brenner told about Hoenecke defending the "correct" position on Election. Missouri loved that.

"Now. I. Am. Interested."

Yes, I am a Kenda fan. So I pick up the cigar butt left on the floor and wonder - "Why is it on the floor and not thrown away? Was it deliberate? Accidental? DNA? Brand? Smoking habits?" A cigar butt can be a file cabinet full of information to investigate.

The cigar butt in this instance in "the correct position on Election," which is dropped and left alone. The main point was that our WELS guy became an instant hero to Missouri. That is often stated, so this is more of a point in a seminary class.

The "correct position" is Walther's divisive obsession about Election without Faith - to provide some foundation for the quicksand of his Justification without Faith/UOJ/OJ/General Justification.  

For people in WELS and for the desperately seeking UOJ in Missouri, Hoenecke is magical. He is little known and seldom quoted because WELS did not want to translate his Dogmatics into English, then took 10 years to complete the project. But he is one more expert to add to the Synodical Conference UOJ roster.

Hoenecke's environment was mostly rationalistic, and he graduated from Halle University when rationalism was dominant. His mentor Tholuck was a Universalist. I see Hoenecke as a man who came a long long from his educational background and was far better in his work than F. Pieper.

I do not think we have anyone left who really knows the German and Latin sources, as Lenski and Hoenecke did. They are both invaluable for their use of sources.

Jarring Admission

Brenner does not like Schleiermacher being quoted so much by Hoenecke, but Schleiermacher was the man who made OJ/SJ come of age, theologically speaking, by dropping the SJ. Barth and all the modern theologians followed. Everyone is forgiven and saved - there is nothing else to say.

I would not put Hoenecke in the same camp as the foaming-at-the-mouth UOJ Enthusiasts. I found his section lukewarm on the subject, but he added a horrible notion to the dogma - OJ "protects the Gospel." Nothing "protects" the Word of God, which is always effective in carrying out and prospering His will. If a claim goes against the clear teaching of the Bible, it cannot be maintained as Christian.

For Justification by Faith we have the entire New Testament, the Augsburg Confession, the Apology, the Formula of Concord, and that special book commended by the Formula - Luther's Galatians Lectures. Chemnitz, Gerhard, and Calov are also clear and compelling, but the Synodical Conference was a muddle and now is united with ELCA in teaching Universalism.

Why Read Sparky's Jars of Clay

Those who want to make sense of WELS-ELS-LCMS claims should study the details of the past. It is easy for some to cite a self-serving story to prove their case, knowing that most are supposed to be in worshipful awe about well known figures, even if they are mostly forgotten. 

Remember that every WELS anecdote about the LCMS has the Missouri Synod in awe of the Wisconsin sect's superiority. However, I never saw a hint of that in the Missouri Synod. Listening to WELS story-telling will reveal that self-serving habit, learned in seminary, polished to a fine sheen from never being rebutted.

 You question the superiority of WELS?

If you question the myths, you are no longer in fellowship and deserving of the stink-eye, the shun button, or the Left Foot of Fellowship.