A Reader Had This Conversation with Me - Slightly Edited. His Comments Are in Blue, Mine in Black and White
I had some free time today...
"Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinner's attitude toward Christ's sacrifice, purely on the basis of God's verdict, every sinner, whether he knows about it or not, whether he believes it or not, has received the status of a saint. What will be his reaction when he is informed about this turn of events? Will he accept, or will he decline?"
lf I didn't know any better.... isn't this UOJ some sort of backdoor to Decision Theology???
There's nothing spoken here of faith or the Holy Spirit at work....just man's decision. And they were worried about personal faith being a work? Seriously?
Welcome to the Southern Baptist Conference.....
---
 |
| Repeating this often enough in WELS will get a guy published, promoted, and protected as he acts out this foul dogma. |
GJ - In fact, Walther's statement is very much the same, but JP "improves" on it. Mission creep, I guess. I added Valleskey's graphic. I will be dealing with him in reviewing Brenner's book Jars of Clay, in the future.
One pastor said that WELS members should join a Southern Baptist church if they move to where there are no WELS churches. (He made a point of attacking me too, although I do not know him.) When I published that, I think only on email, he retracted it right away. Not that I believe his retraction.
Your comments have spurred some additional emails about UOJ.
 |
| Bivens bragged about going to Fuller Seminary, as Valleskey did, but both buddies denied it. They called me a liar, etc, etc. David Koenig was angry that I told the truth about Valleskey's confession. Every UOJ leader is a smirking double-talker, but God will judge. |
---
Exactly. I had Walther's Easter message in mind when was staring at Meyer's quote.
I'm glad people are talking about that last email. For here is where the rubber meets the road -- how UOJ affects doctrine and practice in the parish. Why? Because doctrine and practice has a direct impact on faith of our brothers and sisters in the body. I believe this is vitally important. Bad doctrine (heretical doctrines) can damage faith. I believe Luther understood that, and that was one was, at least one driver behind his catechisms.
Faith...in the end, that's the only way we'll leave this world alive. Buildings fall, churches burn, institutions fail, but if one has faith in God's promises in His word, it will all end well for the individual.
This is why doctrine is so vital -- because doctrine can keep faith healthy or kill it. For this reason, your polemics don't bother me in the least. With your background in the LCA tradition, I wonder how you coudn't be furious at the faithless pastors who led their flocks astray in your lifetime. Indeed, I have contempt for what I have seen as well.
---
 |
| When people discuss Walther's stupidity in teaching against Justification by Faith, the SynCons respond that Schmidt objected "for personal reasons" (Brenner) and "because he did not get the call" (Servant of the Word) that Walther maneuvered for Pieper (as revealed by L. Fuerbringer). How do they explain everyone else who left the rationalistic Halle Pietism of Walther? They do not bother to explain that. |
GJ - Lately I have been getting emails and messages from various laity and a few (very few) pastors. Their plain-spoken messages reach other laity quite well, but the clergy remain hardened and blinded against Justification by Faith.
The issue is not fidelity to Luther as much as it faithfulness to the Scriptures. The Gospel of John reveals that Jesus clearly and constantly taught faith in Him as forgiveness and salvation.
The WELS radicals, led by 20 graduates from St. Louis, guided the movement away from the Scriptures and Confessions. At the same time, they were jealous and envious of the Missouri Synod, so they wanted to be peculiar, different, and elite - at least in their own eyes. G
By killing off any inquiry into this blasphemous dogma, WELS succeeded in aligning itself with ELCA, Fuller Seminary, and the worst of the crackpot mega-pastors. I recall many hilarious examples of LCMS and WELS clergy speaking low to me lest they be heard on the streets of Gath. But no one seems bothered by the "conservative Lutheran" clergy venerating C. Peter Wagner and other prime examples of fraud, exploitation, and peculation. They could build mission churches simply by placing a tax on each Lutheran student of Fuller Seminary, Trinity Divinity, or Willow Creek. Call it a "sin tax."
 |
| Herman Otten thinks every pastor should be like Reuel Schulz, who sang the praises of Wagner and Fuller Seminary...and Otten, of course. Enthusiasm in the doctrinal sense (Luther) is so much the same in every flavor. Remember Fruit Stripe gum? Five colors, one flavor. |
