The Final Result of Worshiping CFW Walther

Good evening Pastor Jackson,

This excerpt is from the Concordia Theological Quarterly, Volume 77:1-2, January/April 2013.

This essay from Mark Braun is entitled "The Reception of Walther's Theology in the Wisconsin Synod"

[Beginning of Quotation]

" (August) Pieper criticized Walther for an overdependence on “the secondary sources of theology―Luther and lesser fathers,” and for his willingness to take over “dozens of proof passages from Luther and the dogmaticians,” even though they “do not prove what they are supposed to prove.” Pieper considered Walther a “brilliant dogmatician” but “an inferior exegete.” However justified Walther’s method may have been at the beginning of his teaching, it was “in principle and in practice wrong” because “it did not rest directly on Scripture and did not lead one directly into it.” Though his method “did no harm to the correct doctrine of Walther and his students,” it nonetheless “stressed too strongly the importance of Luther and the Lutheran Confessions and the Lutheran fathers in comparison with Scripture.” At its worst, “it even led to this, that later one did not stop with quoting Luther and the old fathers, but now one also quoted Walther” for proof of correct doctrine. Pieper was reported as having remarked, perhaps only partly tongue-in-cheek, “We could not persuade Missourians with the Bible, but when we quoted Walther to them, then they believed us.” Recalling his own student days, Pieper charged that “the average student in Walther’s time made out poorly” in “everything except dogmatics and pastoral theology.” New Testament exegesis “consisted mainly of dictated quotations from the Lutheran exegetes of the 16th and 17th centuries.” In isagogics “the Bible itself was seldom used in class,” and so “students came out of the seminary without having the slightest ability in exegesis” and “had not ever studied a single book of Holy Scripture some
what thoroughly.” 

Pieper did not reject the legitimate role of systematic theology; in a review of Schaller’s Biblical Christology in 1919, Pieper wrote that underestimating the value of doctrinal theology was “one of the gravest mistakes the Church could make.” History and exegesis provide the necessary foundation and “a full knowledge [of the] Gospel,” but “systematic theology must shape its form, and give it the proper finish.” Dogmatics fostered “accuracy of thought and the precision of logical expression peculiar,” making it “an indispensable study and a most potent factor in the training of masterly minds.”  Yet Pieper repeatedly voiced warnings against the dangers inherent in dogmatic theology. “The systemizing tendency of Lutheran dogmatics emphasized” the importance of Scripture “in principle but in the application often failed. And the more they systematized, the greater was the damage. Ever since Calixtus, everything had to fit into the logical straightjacket.” The dogmaticians “learned the disinguendam est [‘a distinction must be made’] to the minutest detail and―without any evil intention―damaged Scripture here and there.” 

While dogmatics is “altogether indispensable” for keeping the gospel pure, it is also “is in constant danger of losing the spirit of the gospel and becoming a dead skeleton as a result of processes that involve the intellect alone.” Dogma becomes “the word crystallized into an inflexible form” that “does not express the full content of Scripture.”  Koehler likewise warned that “dogmatic training” and “the dogmatism it produces will establish an array of doctrinal theses and make an outward rule of them, without probing their deep content and inner connection.” Worse, “it will seek, by means of a supposed logical reasoning, to achieve a connected system of thought, whereby in fact Biblical truth is emptied of it content and the resulting Christian knowledge and life is left superficial. This overemphasis on dogmatic theology and a corresponding neglect of exegetical theology helped to create what many outsiders referred to as                                                          
the “Missouri spirit,” evident “in hundreds of concrete cases, in raising suspicions about doctrine, in dead silence about the boycotting of nonsynodical literature, in competition in the area of foreign mission work, in a smug tone of criticism of non-synodical church institutions and theological accomplishments and in all kinds of scornful talk and remarks.” Most likely referring to his own synod, August Pieper charged that “this attitude is taken not only toward the synods that have remained hostile, but also toward those that in the course of time were recognized as sufficiently Lutheran.” This attitude “confronts even the friends of the Missouri Synod again and again to the present day.” 

[End of Quotation]

I apologize for the length of the quote. I wanted to keep it all within context. Koehler, August Pieper and John Schaller went to the seminary in St. Louis. They all had Walther as an instructor there. I will continue to keep you and Mrs. Jackson in my prayers.

In Christ

 I adjusted the title because Stephan left as a criminal, not because he was searching for religious freedom in America.

LCMS myth-minders are not happy that this book is so frank, yet the real story of Stephan's STD and Walther's cover-up has not been told.

LutherQueasies Falling Over Each Other To Defend Matt Harrison's Objective Justification Drivel, Adding Their Own Drool

 How dare he wield the Sword of the Spirit when we have the complete works of CFW Walther, B.A.!

The Enthusiasm Works, LLC, aka LutherQuacks, seemed incoherent with rage when I pointed out the ridiculousness of Walther's Law and Gospel thesis.

They began by defending Matt Harrison's Objective Justification drivel, then turned against my clarifying, gentle, and diplomatic comments about the kidnapper-pimp, CFW himself.

Their website, powered by recycled Fritos, does not have the horsepower to present graphics or Greek. Their extended rants do not have an appealing look when the site is only good for trivia, biting and devouring.

One MDiv pointed out that Harrison (or his ghost-writer) could not assemble a decent Biblical argument for Justification without Faith. As I tell my graduate students, "At least make a good argument, using logic, plain sentences, and research." Harrison (or McCain) missed on all three.

One Lutheran layman made the same point about Objective Justification in a recent message to me.

The Lutheran synods were healthy when they taught Justification by Faith, but that was a long time ago. Now they emulate ELCA in every possible way.

 The elephant in the LQ room - they lie down with ELCA dawgs and git up with fleas, taking it out on poor little defenseless Ichabod.

The LutherQuackers should defend Matt Harrison and his buddies Schroeder and Pope John for:

1. Working with ELCA and burning up Thrivent dollars for their agenda.
2. Turning their synods into tranny trains where Nadia Bolz-Weber is admired for being so cool.
3. Staying in the same room with female bishops (50% of the ELCA bishops) who espouse abortion on demand, fund abortion through their health plan, and teach Objective Justification.
4. Supporting fake evangelism programs, which are no more than regurgitated Calvinist gimmicks from Fuller, Willow Creek, and other Synagogues of Satan.

I appreciate the publicity from the LutherQuackers and the cub editor Christian News. But why do I upset them so much that they engage in endless, puerile name-calling fits?

A brief summary of my teaching and practice:

• Biblical inerrancy.
• Precise translations and the traditional text. Hence, the KJV in all books and services.
• The Book of Concord - subscriptions are meaningless.
• The Six-Day Creation through the Word of God.
• The efficacy of the Word.
• The Real Presence, weekly Holy Communion.
• Male leadership without excluding women, who are a priceless component of our media ministries.
• World mission in the Philippines.
• Marriage between one man and one woman only.
• Married 50+ years.

Missouri and WELS once taught and practiced this way, but no longer, so the LutherQuackers quake when I post and rage like Donald Duck.

The Italian Connection with Spygate

 Pope Francis, S.J.
Jesuit is virtually a curse-word in the Catholic Church. The Vatican helped spy against Trump? See the tweet. The pope honored an abortion activist, which is just scratching the surface. Nothing surprises me about him.

https://twitter.com/GregRubini/status/1226528021370359809

On Walther and Justification - From One of Many Laity

"Reading Ichabod. Just thinking about faith. I agree if one looks at history. Walther did start the downfall of the Lutheran church in America. His own synod and all the others.

Thanks for all your hard work on Justification by Faith.

There really is no difference between the synods. All practice a smoke screen. They really cannot say they believe the Bible is the Word of God because ALL the modern translations  remove or at the very least cast doubt about the source of the Word of God."

Yes, the LCMS is that bad, because its Objective Justification false doctrine is tied to their dogma of Walther's infallibility. Tis strange how a Pietist-rationalist with a B.A. is the lord over Scripture and the Reformation. 

Septuagesima Sunday, 2020

Septuagesima Sunday, 2020

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

https://video.ibm.com/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 10 AM Central Time 

The Hymn #413        I Walk in Danger                                 

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 #479         Zion Rise                     

Run the Race!

The Hymn # 652          I Lay My Sins on Jesus                              

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 # 199            Jesus Christ Is Risen Today

Prayers and Announcements

• In treatment, Christina Jackson (radiation), Rush Limbaugh, Kermit Way (diagnosis, surgery).
• Glen Kotten is recovering and expects to be home this week.
• Bethany Lutheran Mission in the Philippines has its materials and is building a permanent roof, now that the harvest is finishing. Pastor and Mrs. Palangyos are from that region.
• Pilgrim's Progress, Wednesday 7 PM Central, will begin Part II this week, Christiana's story.

Hans Brorson - "I Walk in Danger." He was a Danish Pietist known for this hymn and often associated with Thomas Kingo and Nicholai Grundtvig. He wrote the ethereal "Behold a Host Arrayed in White" and "Thy Little Ones, Dear Lord, Are We." Over 100 of his hymns are in the Danish hymnal.

1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.  25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.  26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:  27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;  2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;  4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.  5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

KJV Matthew 20:1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. 2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? 7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. 8 So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. 9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, 12 Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. 13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? 16 So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

Septuagesima Sunday

Lord God, heavenly Father, who through Thy holy word hast called us into Thy vineyard: Send, we beseech Thee, Thy Holy Spirit into our hearts, that we may labor faithfully in Thy vineyard, shun sin and all offense, obediently keep Thy word and do Thy will, and put our whole and only trust in Thy grace, which Thou hast bestowed upon us so plenteously through Thy Son Jesus Christ, that we may obtain eternal salvation through Him, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

Background for the Epistle Lesson - 1 Corinthians 9:24 - 10:5

The ancients Greeks were so enamored of athletic contests that they stopped wars in order to have competitions. The same who fought on the battlefield were competitors in the Olympic, Delphic, and other games. Alexander the Great expanded Greek culture, creating the Hellenistic Empire, which brought drama, literature, trade, engineering, the Greek language, and athletics to every corner - three hundred years before Christ. For that reason, Greece was the standard in all human endeavors, and the growing Roman Empire emulated Greece in its expansion. 

The Roman Emperor Nero, about 40 years after Christ, wanted to win every contest and wear the laurel crown. We still use that term - laurels - for honors in athletics and academics. Julius Caesar  (40 years before Christ) obtained permission to wear his laurels all the time, because he was balding, the first celebrity to wear a "rug."

Paul's example of athletic competition used universal images of his time, and they fit ours as well. Not long ago, America stopped to watch athletes compete for the trophy awarded at the Superbowl. Professional and amateur athletes are remembered for the laurels they won in years past.

Run the Race!

1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race [stadium length -  εν σταδιω] run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

Instructing the Christians under his care, the Apostle used an image familiar to all. The important races had one winner, just one who received the prize.

This is a fitting analogy for believers, because we move toward the goal as individuals. We cannot make others believe, though we can teach them. We cannot give them our faith, but we can share the Gospel Word. This is a message for each and every one of us. 

Just as in running a race, the individual has to be disciplined just to compete and maintain that purpose throughout the race. The marathon race is named for the place - Marathon - where a battle was being fought and a runner sent to report the results. 

Whether the race is 100 meters or 26 miles, the training and diet for that contest has to be consistent, self-disciplined, and designed for that effort. Paul says, "Run in order to receive that prize."

Like music, athletics have been used to learn a discipline - practice, being on time, avoiding training pitfalls. One athlete bragged that he could run laps and smoke at the same time, the same with other lapses. Years later he was addicted to those substances that he could overcome with his natural ability.

Those who look at spiritual discipline the same way can easily find that the short-cuts often become second nature and a permanent pattern. Our impulsive culture promotes that as meritorious, so outrageous actions are praised for the moment. 

Spiritual discipline is easily described as remaining on the True Vine, Jesus the Savior, and being fruitful through the cleansing of repentance and forgiveness of sin. 

Athletes study what diets they should maintain before and on the day of the contest. The human body cannot deliver on a diet of fast food, and our souls cannot thrive and endure without soul food - the Word and Sacraments, the Means of Grace. 

25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

Striving is the word we use for agony today, the battle between one force and another. The body of the runner is aching, not just on race day but on every day of training. The athlete's struggle to master the body and emotions is tremendous and often consuming. One man said he could not re-enter his sport because the winning numbers were much higher and he was not geared emotionally to exceed those numbers.

The foot is an engineering marvel, a living cathedral designed for speed, strength and endurance. "The human foot is a strong and complex mechanical structure containing 26 bones, 33 joints (20 of which are actively articulated), and more than a hundred muscles, tendons, and ligaments." A single problem in one foot can be crippling for the runner. Our podiatrist pulled glass out of mine, several times, and that was to remove pain in walking.

Part-time believers are like sporadic athletes. Time off becomes a permanent vacation, and the benefits fail to accrue. That is important because the Christian Faith offers is the One Truth so many have sought over the centuries, the wise men, kings, and priests.

Those with a slight knowledge of Creation will say to me, "How can we leave 20 sacks of leaves on your garden? They will blow all over the block. You will have to rake them back." I tell them, "No, the leaves interlock and quickly become a thick, blanket, softened by rain and frost, slowly absorbed into the soil. That protects plants and provides food for them through the devouring action of slugs, earthworms, springtails, and mites. They become nutrition as they disappear as the former leaf blanket." All things were created by the Son of God, the Logos, and nothing was created apart from Him." John 1:3. Concordia, St. Louis has no clue.

The corruptible crown (στεφανον - crown, Stephan) is that prize of laurel leaves, a symbol of all that work that went before and continued during that race. As great an honor as that is, the more important prize is finishing the race as a believer.

In Understanding Pilgrim's Progress, I keep mentioning that the work emphasizes the endurance and discipline of the Christian's life, the many opportunities to go astray and lose the prize.

Christiana's Story, Part II, Is Found in the Lutheran Librarian's edition of Pilgrim's Progress. Click the link to
spread the Word.

26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:  27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 

As Lenski notes, Paul uses double-negatives (litotes) to say he runs not uncertainly - but with a purpose. And he fights - not shadow boxes - but to win.

The Apostles lived in a pagan era much like ours, and we are just as bad, even in the worst ways possible. Lewd behavior was normal, and religion was often united with fertility rites, as we see being celebrated today in ELCA and almost universally hailed a freedom to be. In the midst of all temptations, Paul said he made his body subordinate to his faith, his body a temple of God, so that he would not fail as an apostle by being associated with pagan extremes.

Where Christianity fails, pagan worship takes over. Paul's inspired advice is laughed at, and the world looks upon buzzed celebrities with awe, respect, and wonder.

Lenski: Corinthians p. 386
"When we read all that Paul says about the body we should not catch the real point of his entire dis cussion if we failed to see just why he so prominently brings in this reference to his body. In many other connections he deals with the body and with its mem bers plus the lusts that use these organs for their pur pose. Thus in 6:12, etc.; Rom. 12:1. Here he refers to his body as an organism that requires food, drink, clothing, lodging, etc., in a word, support in order to live, support from the churches he served. This body of his would like to have abundant and rich support in order to live in a style that is befitting the body of an apostle, to say nothing about the greatest apostle of all. See the grand style in which prominent clerics live to day! Now Paul says: "I knock this out of my body completely; lead my body around as a slave (this is the first meaning of δουλαγωγω) ; I never let it rob me of my glory, that I make the gospel completely without charge' to all those to-whom I preach." Our versions are too refined also when they translate this degrading verb. It means complete slavery and not mere subjection or bondage, which may be much less."

It is tempting to attach profit to media productions, which is why our little group operates non-profit and often giving away books, recordings, and art. If a book can make $1,000 a year in profits for the author in the Lutheran market, why not drop the Sacraments, Luther, the Creeds, and make many times more? Many have forgotten what Luther said about temptation - "We cannot keep birds from flying over our heads, but we can keep them from building nests in our hair."

10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;  2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat;  4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.  5 But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

St. Paul binds the individual's relationship to the larger view of the People of God, using "all" five times. The four verses build up to the presence of Christ in the Exodus. They were separated as the People of God and set free by God, escaping the Egyptians and slavery. The Rock is Christ, but the Greek term is rock-ledge or bedrock, not a rock. δε πετρα ην ο χριστος

At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus said, "You are Rocky πετρος," his nickname for Simon, and upon this Bedrock πετρα  (Jesus Himself) I will build My Church.

Matthew 16:18 - συ ει πετρος και επι ταυτη τη πετρα οικοδομησω μου την εκκλησιαν 

Jesus did not appoint Peter to be the first Pope, and he did not promise to build His Church on Peter's confession. After all, Peter rebuked Jesus a few seconds later. Man's confession is not permanent and stable, but Jesus is the foundation, the bedrock of the Christian Church.

Verse 5 concludes by saying that in spite of all that God did for His people to start and continue the Exodus, many fell away. This is a warning for all believers today.

In the same way, Christ died for the sins of all. However, even though many begin in the faith, through the Gospel Word, including Holy Baptism, many take this gift lightly. Others willfully teach another doctrine. Still others rejoice in their freedom but not in the Gospel itself.

The Greek word used for athletic competition is "struggle," and all of life is a struggle in the same way. Fortunately, we have world-wide team to help, encourage, support, and pray for us. I have as many (or as few) Christian friends in this Bible Belt city here as a member does in New York City. But we have a circle of Christian friends around the world. 

An old gruff member years ago was never appreciated by his church members, even though he supported that congregation far more than those members did. He spoke his mind at all times instead of playing games. He knew and felt this disapproval from the very people who expected him to bear their burdens. He would talk about those painful experiences and conclude, "Well, Jesus loves me."

His family chased him away from Bethany, but he got this congregation going anyway.