ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
In partnership with Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton's Leadership Initiative, the seven seminaries of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will launch a combined effort to encourage new candidates for ministry in the ELCA.
The program, "Do you want to change the world?," is being promoted through a series of videos, the first of which will be released Feb. 22. The video addresses the current leadership shortage of the ELCA and the effort to seek more candidates for ministry.
Decreased seminary enrollment combined with a record number of ELCA rostered ministers who are retiring, has resulted in not enough ministers to fill the open calls or to provide creative leadership in this time of rapid change in our church and in the world. The ELCA seminaries have addressed this need by working independently and in collaboration to increase the number of candidates. According to the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Strandjord, director of ELCA seminaries, this has resulted in a modest increase in fall starts for Master of Divinity candidates in 2017.
Building on these efforts to invite and encourage future leaders, this program will help seminaries identify new candidates and provide resources that promote the vocation of public ministry, while providing marketing pieces for the good of the whole church.
The program is made possible by a grant from the Richard Hay Barkalow Charitable Seminary Fund of the inFaith Community Foundation."
“Satan in his malice hates the Saviour, as he hates the salvation of man, whose ruin he has compassed; and man in his pride despises the gracious plan which divine wisdom has formed for his deliverance, because that plan gives no credit to his genius for devising nor to his power for executing it. Human reason and human inclination are therefore always, in their natural state, averse to the doctrine of Justification by faith. Hence it is no wonder that earth and hell combine in persistent efforts to banish it from the Church and from the world.
Contents (152 pages)
If the Apostle Paul is rejected, Faith Cannot Exist
Peace is not proof of Justification
About the Author – Matthias Loy
Download the E-book
Contents (152 pages)
About the Author – Matthias Loy
Copyright Information
Preface To The First Edition
Preface To The Second Edition
Introduction
Chapter 1. The Nature Of Justification
I. Justification Not A Declaration Defining The Sinner’s Moral Condition.
II. Justification Not A Divine Act Making The Sinner Just.
III. Justification A Divine Declaration Changing The Sinner’s Relation To God.
Chapter 2. The Ground Of Justification
I. The Ground Of Justification Not Man’s Natural Worthiness.
II. The Ground Of Justification Not Any Human Acquirement
III. The Ground Of Justification Is The Grace Of God And The Merits Of Christ.
Chapter 3. The Means Of Its Bestowal
I. Justification Requires Means To Bestow It
II. The Word Of God
III. The Holy Sacraments
IV. The Divine Bestowal Not The Human Possession
Chapter 4. The Means Of Its Reception
I. No Means Of Reception Besides Faith
II. Faith The Designated Means Of Reception
III. No Condition To Be Fulfilled Before Faith Avails
IV. The Nature Of Justifying Faith
V. How Faith Justifies
VI. Degrees In Faith, But Not In Justification
Chapter 5. Its Effects
I. It Gives The Conscience Peace
II. It Secures Sanctification.
III. It Renders Glory To God.
IV. Conclusion
If the Apostle Paul is rejected, Faith Cannot Exist"
John H. Harms graduated from Newberry College in 1893 and from the Gettysburg Lutheran Theological Seminary in 1897.
His brother, John Edward also graduated from the Gettysburg Seminary and was a Lutheran preacher.
His first call was to Trinity Lutheran Church in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, serving there until 1900.
On April 20, 1898, he married Miss Sarah Wheeler of Newberry, South Carolina. They were married in Luther Chapel, Newberry, South Carolina. The ceremony was officiated by Rev. J. B. Fox and assisted by Rev. W. K. Sligh, her brother-in-law, both Lutheran ministers.
Following the wedding, a reception was given at the home of Sarah's parents. Later that evening they began their trip home to Chambersburg on the Columbia, Newberry and Laurens Railroad.
Their children were Kathryn Wheeler. (b. 10/8/1899) who married Walter C. Beasley of Lynchburg, Virginia and Elizabeth Wheeler (b. 4/28/1906) who married John E. Slaughter in Philadelphia.
In 1900 he accepted a call from the Newport (Perry County, Pennsylvania) Lutheran Charge. He was installed 12/2/1900 by Rev. W. M. B. Glanding at St. Paul's, Newport. After a short stay of eighteen months, he was called to Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Harrisburg.
In 1902, he was awarded an A. M. by Newberry College.
In the summer of 1908, he was notified by telegram of his election to the presidency of Newberry College. He accepted the call and served until 1918. During this period, in 1912, he received his D. D. from Erskine College, Due West, South Carolina.
In 1918, he began his work at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion in Philadelphia. He was to continue in this call for 27 years, resigning in 1945.
During this pastorate he also served as the president of the Board of Publications of the United Lutheran Church. And, in 1945, received a Litt. D. from Newberry College.
He was the author of at least two books: The Victory of Faith: Devotions for the Lenten Season" and "From Day to Day: Book of Daily Devotions.
Rev. Harms passed away at his home in Philadelphia after a long illness.
"A short devotion for the day: God Knows!
22 Feb 2018 in Devotions on John-henry-harms-1876-1946, Devotion, Hebrews, Lent
God knows! We have an understanding God, who is tender toward our weakness, and able to save us to the uttermost.
Read: Hebrews 4:9-16
Hebrews 4:15 “For we have not an high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities.”
God knows!
We say it about many things which puzzle us. That is all we have to say about a lot of life’s perplexities. God knows!
And what a comfort it ought to be to us that He does! He knows everything, knows some things about us which we do not know ourselves. He knows the future, the beginning and the end.
Think of all the pain and trouble which God went to, to know and understand us. He became incarnate. He took upon Him our human flesh. He got acquainted with all our human frailty and infirmity. That is the best account that anyone can give of Jesus, there on the Gospel pages: Jesus was God, learning what it means to be a mortal, letting Himself be touched with the feeling of man’s infirmity, tempted as men are, yet never sinning.
God knows! We have an understanding God, who is tender toward our weakness, and able to save us to the uttermost. And although God is busy with His wholesale transactions, managing a universe. He is also ready to do a retail business with every trusting soul. And therefore we can say. Just as I am, I come.
O Heavenly Father, so rule our minds and hearts that we may not do anything to add to the sorrow of this world but rather with faith and patience to brighten the places where we live and toil; in Christ’s Holy Name. Amen.
More than one minister confessed to me that he wanted to preach with a big open Bible, but each one was afraid he would drop it.
Someone asked me about Billy Graham and Universalism. The issue reminded me of C. S. Lewis and some other figures. In the Evangelical realm, celebrities become untouchable and beyond all criticism - like CFW Walther. Not as bad as Walther worship, but close.
The academic dean at Ecclesia College pushed back any criticism of Andy Stanley, the sad-faced son of Charles Stanley, the heresiarch of the South - a Napoleon Hill and David (nee Paul) Y. Cho disciple. Stanley - celebrity - untouchable.
I am not sure of Graham's doctrine. With an organization that big, the message tends to be watered down to please as many as possible. One LCMS pastor said Graham ruined his synod; I offered my Walther graphic as an alternative cause. Another UOJ pastor publicly praised Graham. Confusion reigns there.
One reader wanted me to know that Hearst's order to "puff Graham" (a newspaper term for all-out promotion) made the man famous. That is no secret, because I heard Graham say it himself, and it was mentioned from time to time by the organization.
The Washington Post just published a hate piece on Graham, to mark his death. I read through it, because I know the story fairly well. It read like a new journalism graduate discovered "Graham. Was. Human. Oh no!"
When I read National Review, long ago, I was at first irritated then impressed by William F. Buckley's memorial notices. (Don't start on WFB - I agree.) Those who were sworn enemies of conservatism were given proper respect for the positive aspects of their lives. I was so impressed by them that I read every one, often because I did not know the good or bad person, and I enjoyed the information and style of the post-mortem. Some of them were collected in a book, and I was tempted to buy it. They were that good.
When someone has just died, it is important to recognize his impact rather than pick at his faults. Did Graham transition America to TV evangelists who were complete frauds? I do not blame him. The ancients among us may remember the time when the mainline denominations owned the public media - getting free or cheap time to broadcast whatever they wished. I looked forward to The Lutheran Hour. Roman Catholics remember Bishop Fulton Sheen - someone who is still remarkable in his own way - on YouTube tapes of his performances. He was quite the performer. When asked to comment on Easter, he gave an oration. He finished saying, "You just heard my Easter sermon." A voice in the back said, "They just heard mine too." Gales of laughter followed.
The mainline denominations abandoned TV and radio, cursing those who filled in afterwards. I was in the LCA when most pastoral meetings covered how evil D. James Kennedy and others were - ministers whose annual parish income equaled the LCA's, $30 million or more. How dare they fill the void left by the mainlines!
I recall the LCA's Word and Witness tape where the speaker's voice trembled with rage, because the "Evangelicals did not have a spark of grace in them." He meant - "They do not teach Universal Objective Justification."
When I was at Mequon, I recall several students of Valleskey piping up about D. James Kennedy - verbatim. "He is an Arminian, so he does not teach a limited Atonement." Much later I realized they were appropriating him, as part of the cloud of witnesses to claim everyone was already forgiven and saved.
Fingerprint evidence proves they were all at Fuller - and loving it.
Post-Fuller America
The nostalgic among us remember a pre-Fuller America where the basic confessions were easily observed:
Traditional Lutherans - The Lutheran Hour
Traditional Catholics - Bishop Sheen
Traditional Baptists - Billy Graham.
In Phoenix, ELCA had a Community of Joy congregation dedicated to entertainment. They left ELCA and dissolved when the Fuller-trained pastor finally got tired of running a religious Ed Sullivan show. The Assemblies of God took over everything.
Now everyone goes to Fuller, and all the denominations are failing. It is like going to a fake doctor's office to get a deadly disease, and getting charged a pretty penny for it too. And yet the Gadarene stampede continues.
Why Fuller? Everyone goes to Fuller for a promotion!
The "conservative" Lutheran leaders cannot even teach the Gospel of Paul, and they rejoice in their agreement with the dogma of ELCA. Kenda would say, "Why are the conservative seminaries emptying out with the same haste as ELCA's? Do they have something in common with ELCA?"
