Another Reader Writes about UOJ versus Justification by Faith.

 Jay Webber says JonBoy Buchholz give JP Meyer a bruising - or was it a big hickey?

From a Reader

Hello Pastor Jackson:

Thank you for your work to uphold the doctrine of Justification by Faith at this time when some Lutheran theologians teach universal justification.

I read your posts about the debate on Facebook between Lutheran laymen and UOJ theologians.

I'm surprised that such a debate took place because I've found that theologians who believe UOJ are careful to keep it sotto voce when interacting with laity because UOJ contradicts what laity know to be fundamental Lutheran doctrine.

To illustrate UOJ teachings, you've published the following quotes from J.P. Meyer:

I. "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?"240

J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 103f. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.

II. "Before Christ's intervention took place God regarded him as a guilt-laden, condemned culprit. After Christ's intervention and through Christ's intervention He regards him as a guilt-free saint."

J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 107. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.

III. "This applies to the whole world, to every individual sinner, whether he was living in the days of Christ, or had died centuries before His coming, or had not yet been born, perhaps has not been born to this day. It applies to the world as such, regardless of whether a particular sinner ever comes to faith or not."

J. P. Meyer, Ministers of Christ, A Commentary on the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, Milwaukee: Northwestern Publishing House, 1963, p. 109. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.

 Every Lutheran layman learns the Small Catechism in his confirmation classes. In the Small Catechism in the explanation of the third article of the Apostle's Creed, Martin Luther explained how a person is justified:

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.

On the Last Day he will raise up me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers.

 Nowhere does Luther say that one needs to do something or make a decision to be saved, rather he says that one's actions play no role in salvation. Salvation is entirely the work of God.

Nowhere does Luther say that everyone is saved, rather he says that only believers (that is, those with faith) are saved.

I recall my confirmation training, with my 1943 CPH edition of Luther's Small Catechism and my King James Bible, in which the pastor taught the doctrine of justification:

Pastor: “How are we justified before God?" 
Class: By faith
Pastor: “Whose faith, our faith?”
Class: No, the faith of Jesus. Galatians 2:16, KJV
Pastor: “After God justifies us by imputing the righteousness of Jesus, how is his action evident in our lives?”
Class: The Holy Ghost works faith in our hearts so that we believe God and lead God-fearing lives. 

 Could you imagine the reaction in a congregation if a pastor were to include UOJ in his Easter sermon? For example:

“The thief on the cross who confessed Jesus was saved. But you know what? The thief who mocked Jesus was saved too. And so were the Roman soldiers who beat Jesus, the crowd who told Pilate to crucify Jesus, and Judas Iscariot. In fact, everyone who ever lived is a guilt-free child of God and an heir of Heaven, regardless of whether he ever comes to faith or not. That's right, the whole world is saved whether they know it or not.”

On another subject, you recently published a post that included a photo of you standing underneath a statue of C.F.W. Walther. In light of the things you've written about Walther over the years, don't you think you were tempting fate by standing underneath the statue?

Thanks

Sleepless in Sedona

Various People Are Happy with the Facebook UOJ Debate Being Preserved on Ichabod

People wrote to say they enjoyed the Facebook debate about UOJ, especially since the Stormtroopers sounded so addled, repetitive, and confused.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/252399584853848/

Jay Webber and Rolf the Rationalist Preus are like the tape machines in federal museums. Press the button and the message repeats itself. They have been doing this, without any improvement, for decades.

There is a chance to hear the same people enthuse on LutherQuest (sic).

One student of the Bible observed that the UOJ team never worked from Scripture and never showed any Biblical knowledge. The UOJists repeated their Walther-style thetical statements, which were supposed to leave everyone in awe, standing on their own authority. You know - like the Pope's.

In contrast, the Justification by Faith writers leveled short, significant volleys at the Stormtroopers, whose only message is "God declared everyone in the world forgiven."

Why are they called Stormtroopers on Ichabod?
The UOJ Stormtroopers are always firing at targets and missing.

As someone observed, the entire UOJ fantasy was hidden from most people by cleverly hiding the real message of Universalism. The UOJ Stormtroopers are not real Universalists - they are too cowardly for that. They are Universalistic parasites burrowing into the body and drawing warmth and Benjies from the faithful, who would respond as follows if they knew the truth about them. The laity would:

1. Deprive them of food.
2. Drive them from town.
3. Bait them with dogs.
4. Pelt them with manure. Luther, Large Catechism, Introduction.

 And yet, Buchholz said to me that WELS does not teach that everyone is already saved. He must have forgotten his paper, which Jay Webber considers a work of great genius.

I heard a rumor that he was UOJ, but I no longer hear that.
To find UOJ in the past, start with the heretic Huber or the
rationalistic Halle Pietists.

Earthworms are more important than pandas (if you want to save the planet)

Earthworms are more important than pandas (if you want to save the planet):

"It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organised creatures.

– Charles Darwin, The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms (1881)

Not all wildlife is created equal in our eyes. Take the earthworm, which doesn’t have the widespread appeal of larger, more charismatic animals such as gorillas, tigers or pandas. Worms are never going to get a strong “cute response”, and they won’t ever be the face of a conservation campaign.

But what Darwin rightly recognised is that – panda fans avert your eyes – worm conservation is much more important once we factor in their provision of what we now call “ecosystem services”, which are crucial to human survival. Darwin spent 39 years studying these animals for a good reason. In fact, earthworms have even been ranked the number one most influential species in the history of the planet – above dinosaurs and humans."

'via Blog this'

Krauth on Doctrine - So Why Are the UOJists Indifferent, Gladly Working with and Worshiping with Any Creed but Luther's?

From Chap 13 of the Krauth biography by Spaeth. Emphasis added

Do you believe the fundamental doctrines of God’s Word to be taught in a manner substantially correct in the doctrinal articles of the Augsburg Confession? Do you believe that the Augsburg Confession and the Catechisms of Luther are a summary and just exhibition of the fundamental principles of God’s Word? This is as mild a test as could well be presented of a man’s Lutheranism. Will yours bear it? Do you believe that the fundamental doctrines of God’s Word are taught in the Confessions, or have you doctrines which you are disposed to make fundamental, about which they are silent? If you have, you are not a Lutheran on our General Synod’s definition. Do you believe that those fundamental doctrines are taught in a manner substantially correct, or do you think the manner is incorrect, even in substantial, poor, confused, capable of twenty different meanings, each one of which has as good a claim as any other to recognition, and that there are arts and mysteries of interpretation by which our Confessions are Romish and Protestant. Orthodox and Socinian, Pauline and Pelagian, Zwinglian and Lutheran? If the latter is your view, you are not a Lutheran as our General Synod defines the term. When it makes our Confessions a test of doctrine, it implies that their meaning is ascertainable, and that they have but one meaning. Are you hugging yourself in the delusion that you are a Lutheran, because you can receive, on what you acknowledge to be fundamental, the words of the Confessions in some sense, though it is demonstrable, and you know it, that this sense is not theirs, but yours?

Hugh Jackman Came to the Walmart Saturday Morning Meeting for Little Ichabod's Birthday

David Hobson - one of the singers, above.
4 years ago (edited)
I lead a blessed life, and part of that blessedness is being afforded the opportunity to sing with the most talented people on earth. This Christmas special was an example of this "sharing of voices" to proclaim the birth of Jesus Christ, Hugh Jackman's personal Lord and Savior. I was thrilled to exchange stories with Hugh between costume changes concerning the Holy Scriptures and our mutual faith, and, of course, our mutual love for shark hunting. As you know Hugh has a ravenous appetite for shark (or "sharkies" as they are called down under) and loves to hunt them on his own terms, by hand. When the Christmas special was over everyone picked up their wraps and coats, walked outside in the cold air, departed in carriages, or some in their cars, and vanished into a black night, thinking of something we knew long ago.

We were very impressed with Hugh Jackman at the Christmas Walmart meeting, a year or so ago. He accepted a card from a little girl, during his talk, and came out into the audience after the meeting - unheard of! - to meet the little girl and say hello to her mother. Jackman then stayed around to shake hands, and Team Jackson headed over to him to say hello.

No other celebrity has stayed around to sign more than an autograph or two. Usually they are spirited out, like Paul being let down in a basket at night (Acts 9:25).

This time a little boy dressed as P. T. Barnum, so the CEO and Hugh waved the boy down for photos. More kids arrived for photos. Jackman posed with all of them.

When Jackman was at the Christmas meeting, he sang full-force from Le Miz and belted out the Christmas hymns with the WM choir.

At a junior talent show in Australia,
Hugh Jackman played the role of Wolverine. A prodigy!

 Formal Greek lessons started later, after Marty translated all of John's Gospel from Latin. Later, we did the same in Greek.

Targeted Reviews of Books on Amazon - Sell Books, Score Points

Not Jar-Jar,
Jars of Clay.

Customer Review

5.0 out of 5 starsHagiography, PR, and Valuable Insights - But Nothing about Church Growth and GA Hazing Abuse.

ByGregory Jacksonon February 18, 2018

Verified Purchase

This is a valuable book, even though it is mostly hagiography and PR for WELS. Treating the history of the school via its presidents is handy, and there are many worthwhile details about who married whom - to help outsiders figure out some of the bloodlines of WELS. I also like the revealing of false doctrine in WELS, such as "the precious doctrine of objective justification." One might hope that the author, who calls himself Lutheran, might be able to say the words "Justification by Faith" during his career. Did WELS adopt Church Growth by sending so many through Fuller Seminary? That should be a theme of an honest history of WELS, but that seems to be hidden away in the secrets closet. Another significant theme would be the abusive GA/HB hazing ritual inflicted on new students. Dean Brenner said, "The good outweighs the bad." I would love to see that stated under oath in court some day. Judgment Day for WELS is coming, as Brenner's father used to say.

From Alec Satin - Comfort for Christians: Gerhardt Is a Faithful Lutheran - And the Most Comforting Writer

Permalink

More hymns here.Permalink

Lyrics - “A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth” by Paul GerhardtPermalink

1. A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth,

The guilt of all men bearing;

And laden with the sins of earth,

None else the burden sharing!

Goes patient on, grow weak and faint,

To slaughter led without complaint,

That spotless life to offer;

Bears shame and stripes, and wounds and death,

Anguish and mockery, and saith,

“Willing all this I suffer.”

2. This Lamb is Christ, the soul’s great Friend,

The Lamb of God, our Savior;

Him God the Father chose to send

To gain for us His favor.

“Go forth, My Son,” the Father saith,

“And free men from the fear of death,

From guilt and condemnation.

The wrath and stripes are hard to bear,

But by Thy Passion men shall share

The fruit of Thy salvation.”

3. “Yea, Father, yea, most willingly

I’ll bear what Thou commandest;

My will conforms to Thy decree,

I do what Thou demandest.”

O wondrous Love, what hast Thou done!

The Father offers up His Son!

The Son, content, descendeth!

O Love, how strong Thou art to save!

Thou beddest Him within the grave

Whose word the mountains rendeth.

4. From morn till eve my theme shall be

Thy mercy’s wondrous measure;

To sacrifice myself for Thee

Shall be my aim and pleasure.

My stream of life shall ever be

A current flowing ceaselessly,

Thy constant praise outpouring.

I’ll treasure in my memory,

O Lord, all Thou hast done for me,

Thy gracious love adoring.

5. Of death I am no more afraid,

New life from Thee is flowing;

Thy cross affords me cooling shade

When noonday’s sun is glowing.

When by my grief I am opprest,

On Thee my weary soul shall rest

Serenely as on pillows.

Thou art my Anchor when by woe

My bark is driven to and fro

On trouble’s surging billows.

6. And when Thy glory I shall see

And taste Thy kingdom’s pleasure,

Thy blood my royal robe shall be,

My joy beyond all measure.

When I appear before Thy throne,

Thy righteousness shall be my crown,-

With these I need not hide me.

And there, in garments richly wrought

As Thine own bride, I shall be brought

To stand in joy beside Thee.

The Lutheran Hymnal

Hymn #142

Text: Is. 53: 7

Author: Paul Gerhardt, 1648, cento

Translated by: composite

Titled: Ein Laemmlein geht

Tune: An Wasserfluessen Babylon

1st Published in: “Deutsch Kirchenamt”

Town: Strassburg, 1525

More about the Author, Paul Gerhardt Permalink

Paul Gerhardt’s faith and character can be seen in an excerpt from the “testament” he prepared for his son:

“Now that I have reached the 70th year of my life and also have the joyful hope that my dear, holy God will soon rescue me out of this world and lead me into a better life than I have had until now on earth, I thank Him especially for all His kindness and faithfulness which, from my mother’s womb until the present hour, He has shown me in body and soul and in all that He has given me. Besides this, I ask Him from the bottom of my heart that when my hour comes He would grant me a happy departure, take my soul into His fatherly hands, and give my body a peaceful rest in the ground until the dear Last Day, when I, with all of my [family] who have been before me and also may remain after me, will reawake and behold my dear Lord Jesus Christ face to face, in whom I have believed but have not yet seen. To my only son whom I am leaving behind I leave few earthly goods, but with them I leave him an honorable name of which he will not have to be ashamed. read the rest…

1. Wolfmueller. Retrieved 2018-02-18 from www.hope-aurora.org/hymns/ALambGoesUncomplainingIandII.pdf ↩︎

Invocavit: The First Sunday in Lent, 2018

Invocavit Sunday, The First Sunday in Lent, 2018

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time

The Hymn #148           Lord Jesus Christ                

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual       

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #146      Lamb of God                         

The Human Nature of Christ - And Faith

The Hymn #153             Stricken Smitten                   

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #154 Alas and Did My Savior              

KJV 2 Corinthians 6:1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: 4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; 6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, 7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; 9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; 10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

KJV Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

First Sunday In Lent

Lord God, heavenly Father, inasmuch as the adversary doth continually afflict us, and as a roaring lion doth walk about, seeking to devour us: We beseech Thee for the sake of the suffering and death of Thy Son, Jesus Christ, to help us by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and to strengthen our hearts by Thy word, that our enemy may not prevail over us, but that we may evermore abide in Thy grace, and be preserved unto everlasting life; through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The Human Nature of Christ - And Faith

KJV Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 

Lent begins with the temptation of Christ, which by itself should remind us of the human nature of Jesus. The Incarnation is the greatest miracle of all, and one which I think surpasses the Creation of the universe in six 24-hour days. The reason? Mankind has imagined all kinds of Creations, many of them absurd - like the ultra-slow evolution kind. But no one could possibly conjure up anything as wonderful as God becoming man, born of the Virgin, growing up and taking on a public ministry.

Every action and Word of Jesus is God speaking through the Son. As Luther wrote, we should always thank God the Father for showing us His graciousness in His Son. That itself shows the gracious, loving, forgiving nature of God the Father. Besides, it reminds us of the unified voice of the Father and Son, witnessed by the Holy Spirit.

Luther described two kinds of temptations. One is when we test ourselves to subject ourselves to God's Word.  the other is that which God allows to fall upon us, testing our faith. 

The first is often mocked because people turn self-denial into a good work to please God and to impress others. That is addressed in the text for Ash Wednesday. My earliest memory of Lent is hearing people say, "I am giving up desserts for Lent." And others would chime in with the mini-trials of the same type. 

Parents subordinate themselves to their children when they lovingly take care of a sick or weak child, or when they show great patience in the trials of youth, which are many and varied. 

God places trials, afflictions, and temptations in our way to test our faith. This faith in Christ is something which God creates through the Gospel, so we are new creations (creatures) in Him. That which He fashions he also makes stronger.

An athlete will go to the gym to see if a new exercise makes a set of muscles ache with pain the next few days. Why do that? Athletes know that the exercise tears down muscle fiber which is that much stronger afterwards.

People take that for granted when they see someone struggling with weights, hanging from pull-up bars, or stretching. If we understand that so well, then the same experience from God should help us see how we are strengthened. 

In this sermon Luther calls us larvae and mummers. Larva become what they must, completely transformed by what is placed there in that tiny egg. Mummers are costumed players on a stage. Whatever they do is written in the script. 

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

When we are surrounded by plenty, it does not demand that we exercise this faith God has given us. The danger is always that we take God's bounty for granted. But when we are surrounded by desert stones instead of prosperity, then faith is definitely put on trial.

Jesus did not say, "I will prove a point and go into the desert." Instead the Spirit led Him there. It was God's will that He live there and be tempted by Satan with all that was lacking. So Jesus is both Teacher and Example.

How it is that the Savior understands our experiences of being abandoned, hated, ignored, shunned? He faced them too, though He did nothing deserving such treatment. 

Greed is the enemy of faith. Thankfulness can be overflowing for ordinary blessings, but greed is never satisfied. Greed only fuels the need for more money, more power, more honors. 

That does not mean that people experiencing want are greedy. That is a test of faith, to say, "I trust God will provide." And the experience of want make us more thankful.

Phoenix had so little rain that the annual rainfall was only 1/2 inch one year. Five inches was the average and we hardly ever saw that. Now the rainfall is especially welcome, although I do say at times, "What am I going to do with this?"

I can tick off a lot of boxes of what looked good to me in the past. That is where the mummers comment makes sense. All of them would have made my present activities impossible. Imagine trying to teach NT Greek for free at a seminary where they charge $3,000 cash in advance to take the course, which is required! "May I teach this free on the Net?" No! I said to a college, I could show them how to learn Greek fast. "No!" I don't think I finished the sentence because the professor already had that job. "I could teach on..." No! I have about 20 other examples. 

4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Faith means the very nature of the privation is understood as God's will and will bring a blessing in time. Two actions help. One is to find answers in the Scriptures. The other is to pray for help in time of need and trust in the answer. "Cast your cares upon Him for He cares for you."

Long-term experience shows that peace and happiness do not come from material blessings and the honors bestowed by man, but from believing and thankful hearts. 

Luther:

8. Secondly, the tempter came forward and attacked Christ with these very same cares of food for the body and with the unbelief in the goodness of God, and said: “If thou art the Son of God, command that these stones become bread,” as if he should say: Yes, trust thou in God and bake and cook nothing; only wait patiently until a roasted fowl flies into your mouth; do you now say that you have a God who cares for you; where is now your heavenly Father, who has charge of you? Yea, it seems to me he lets you in a fine condition; eat now and drink from your faith, let us see how you will satisfy your hunger; yea, when you have stones for bread. What a fine Son of God you are! How fatherly he is disposed toward you in that he fails to send you a slice of bread and permits you to be so poor and needy; do you now continue to believe that you are his son and he is your father? With like thoughts he truly attacks all the children of God. And Christ surely felt this temptation, for he was no stock nor stone; although he was and remained pure and without sin, as we cannot do.

We are fed primarily by the Word of God, because everything we have and enjoy, even those things we may despise (moles) or ignore (beneficial insects) are part of God's care for us.

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

This is the most common temptation expressed today. And many do not fall into it - they jump into it. They demand that God prove who He is by giving them exactly what they demand. In fact, as Cho wrote (and people gushed over it) - God cannot give until He knows exactly what we need.

So we hear, "I prayed for my disability to go away, but it did not. So where is God?" Paul addressed this, and Jesus experienced it.

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

God does not worry about losing a believer because He is God. But this gets transformed into congregational and pastoral action, where certain people cannot be offended. A council president told me that I should not have preached about infant faith when Babtists were visiting. He really scolded me about that. So he missed his opportunity to tell the complainers about the Word of God. "You must believe as children." and "Let the children come to Me. Do not forbid them." And instead scolded me and increasingly hardened his own heart and blinded himself spiritually. 

This "musn't lose someone" mentality means that those preaching and teaching the Word become pleasant Methodists, who blend in with every opinion, every doctrine. People communicated with me, "I have people being told that Methodists believe in the Real Presence. Help me out." So I looked up the official position, which stated they believed in the spiritual presence of Christ. That reminded me of future ELCA leaders mocking the Real Presence and actively pursuing Holy Communion with the Calvinist faculty at a nearby seminary (Wartburg and another seminary). 

So one moves from indifference and blending into outright hostility toward the clear teaching of the Word.

How is this a temptation? There are no fast women and horses involved. The temptation is to please everyone by blunting the Word and making sure no one even knows about the painful nature of bearing the cross, suffering because of the Word. 

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

All  spiritual falsehood comes from Satan, in fact all lies - and murder as well. The process in manufacturing or following falsehood is simple - separate the Spirit from the Word.

"I feel this is true."

"God told me in a dream last night..."

"The pope has declared this from the throne of his heart."

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

There is big money in denying the Word of God. Probably 99.9% of all the clergy and church teachers will never get the publicity and pleasant treatment of Rob Bell, who went to Fuller Seminary, became a Fulleroid, and started a congregation with thousands of members - as an Evangelical pastor. Later he denied all the doctrines of Christianity and now warns people against them. 

Rob teaches what his Father Below feeds him.

Rob Bell is one of the most influential thinkers in America, Time magazine tells us. It must be true.

 Here is a DMin from Fuller Seminary who has plagued his sect for years, enjoying a cushy job and wearing unearned doctoral stripes, which are probably on his pajamas and yoga pants as well.

One is sorely tempted to say, "If someone teaches the Words of Christ, everyone will be grateful and multitudes will sign up." That temptation has ruined what was left of Protestantism in America. 

Multitudes followed Jesus while everything looked good. Multitudes deserted Him during the Passion. Jesus said, "Serve only God," not "God wants His Church to grow." There is a vast void between Jesus and McGavran, but people are content to zing others with the crafts and assaults of McGavran.