The war to replace the Chief Article - Justification by Faith - began in America with Bishop Martin Stephan's cult. He learned the Easter absolution of the world at Halle University. Stephan attended two universities but never graduated.
CFW Walther associated with Pietists before he met Stephan and participated in a Spener-inspired cell group with his friends. When their abusive Pietist-guru moved away and died, they latched onto Stephan, another abusive Pietist. Stephan specialized in young women, one serving as his favorite, though he was married. He took her along on their voyage to America, with his healthy oldest child. He left his ailing wife and children (dying from his syphilis) behind.
Zion on the Mississippi and other sources make it clear that everyone in the Stephanite leadership knew about the bishop's STD (not a degree, mind you) and flagrant adultery. After all, he stayed with his mistress at one spa and told his wife, who came to plead with him, to go home. Stephan was under house arrest when he told his cult to go to America with him. They left so he could abandon most of his family and take along his mistresses. Their syphilis outbreak provided Walther with an excuse to organize a riot to rob, threaten, kidnap, and depose the bishop, whose lifetime office he signed onto - when they landed in the Big Easy (New Orleans).
Walther claimed - without dispute - that Stephan taught him the Easter absolution of the world, false doctrine that CFW never abandoned. Pietists, with a nod toward Halle, have kept the pollution alive. ELCA is based upon Pietism, like WELS, the ELS, and Missouri. Adoration of Spener Pietism, its ecumenical taint, and cell groups have combined to make Universalism the common thread of all mainline groups.
Face it - WELS cult prisoners and Missouri loyalists - all your leaders want to be loved and accepted by the ELCA radicals. ELCA leaders are highly educated and much smoother in their deceptive ways. ELCA is still double the size of the LCMS and they get gifts of $30 million at a time.
The brazen attitude of the OJists is magical, a marvel, the Seventh Blunder of the Modern World. They only mean the universal absolution of the world - without faith - when they use the term Justification. If they happen to talk about Justification or even Subjective Justification, they slink into OJ immediately.
They let people imagine that SJ is Justification by Faith. They let people think that OJ is the Atonement. But - take away the fleece for a moment - and the claws and fangs appear. They cannot abide Justification by Faith, or Luther (except when misquoting him), and stick together like army ants.
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| The ELS leader, Pope John the Malefactor, was called to be the New Testament professor without having earned a college degree. That should remind Bethany Seminary supporters of Bishop Stephan, his limited education, and his Objective Justification. |
The Little Sect on the Prairie
When the ELS pastors get disturbed by the truth, they run to one of their own and ask, "What is he saying? Tell us, Ginger Guru."
The last time there was a real confrontation about UOJ, it came from two farming families in Kokomo, Indiana. WELS is still lying about that, because the statements the farmers objected to came from WELS ignoramus JP Meyer and an old OJ dispute. Since 1983 or so, no one has brought this up for any length of time.
The forces of their Father Below have expanded the reach of their demonic dogma. Rewards and great peace are granted them for their energetic apostasy - but in this world only. "Let not many be teachers, for they will get the greater condemnation." (James 3:1, Jackson Surfer Dude Paraphrase)
My actuaries say I have 20 more years to blog - at the most - and perhaps far less. People will have to do their own research and fighting for the Chief Article. Follow the example of the Qanons and do your own digging.
