Pay No Attention to the Apology (Defense) of the Augsburg Confession!
The Gutenberg Audio posts of the Apology have some terrifying sub-titles, so alarming that no one (except me) ever quotes them. Once more, with feeling -
- What is Justifying Faith?
- Faith in Christ Justifies
- We Obtain the Forgiveness of Sins Only by Faith in Christ
The confused Amen Corner of Concordia Seminary - Ft. Wayne says Melanchthon was an Arminian. No, not directly. They are too wily for that. But they do claim Justification by Faith is Arminian and by that they mean "Decision Theology." Therefore, their much-quoted quia subscription to the Book of Concord is agreement with Decision Theology.
Only an aging denizen of journals and dusty library aisles could straighten this out for everyone.
The Objective Justificationists really hate Philip Melanchthon, because they have been trained to loathe him and Justification by Faith. The doctrinal attack-Yorkies snarl and yip when Philip's name or his teaching come up in conversation. Sassy and I met the real thing on one walk, where I used an elm walking stick to ward off nasty dogs. The two little sock-puppets came out of their yard today, yipping and menacing us. I held my stick high above my head and said in my Gandalf voice, "Go back to Mordor where you belong!" They retreated, snarling, but came back for more. I raised my arms again and said, even louder, and gesturing, "Go back! Go back!" They cowered and ran back.
Melanchthon's work is an exposition of the Scriptures, as clear and plain as it can be. The Walther-Pieper faction of Missouri snuffed out interest in Melanchthon with the Bente Historical Introductions to the Book of Concord, but the Introductions still have a lot of good information about our current crop of crypto-Calvinists in the LCMS-ELS-WELS-ELCA. (You can order the Introductions from the Lutheran Librarian.)
