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.
Former state Sen. Bryan King recently filed a new suit in Washington County to force Ecclesia College to repay almost $700,000 it received in state funds as part of a bribery scheme with former legislators Micah Neal and Jon Woods.
Neal served home detention after pleading guilty. Woods is serving an 18-year sentence for his nonfiction on bribery charges.
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King’s lawsuit is built on facts well known. Neal and Woods schemed to direct surplus money to Ecclesia, nominally for student housing and land for student housing, but at least some of it was spent in kickbacks by the college president, also convicted in the state, to Neal, Woods and Woods’ friend Randell Shelton, also convicted in the case. The money also was spent to buy land that was further used to raise additional money for personal benefits, the lawsuit says.
Where is OJ in the Book of Concord? Where is it carved on a statue of Luther?
To train people in spotting counterfeit money, the supervisors show newcomers all the fine points of current currency manufacture. The newcomers can then observe what is missing on the suspect bills.
That is easy to do with Objective Justification. What is missing in their demonic dogma?
Genesis 15:6 - Abraham believed and he was justified.
Romans 4ff - Starting with Abraham, we are justified by faith.
The efficacy of the Word, which plants Jesus in our hearts.
The repeated phrase - Justified by Faith.
Galatians is devoted to Justification by Faith.
Unbelief is condemned and alien to forgiveness.
Jesus Himself taught Justification by Faith - always.
LCMS die-hards howled that Seminexers stole books from the Concordia Seminary Library to start their own Seminex Library. Walther must have looked up from his eternal habitations and grinned. He founded that library with books stolen from Stephan. When will the Stephan chalice be returned to the family?
I am doing a read-and-edit on The Bible Book, which is a lot of fun. I can see how so many have been swindled. A tiny fraction of all the Biblical scholars look out from the stony prison of their fantasies and mutter obscure phrases and slogans to justify their smokescreen.
As one dissenter put it, which is in The Bible Book, the hack job on the New Testament is based on five or so Greek manuscript sources. The Majority Text of the King James Version is based on 5,000 or more pieces of evidence.
The Majority Text was there in the beginning and preserved by the 1100-year Byzantine Christian Empire. Yet, Byzantine Text or Majority Text is used as a put down. That is an old fashioned logical fallacy, the fallacy of origin. Something or someone is automatically bad if it comes from...
I used that in the Critical Thinking class, time after time. I warned the students I would use logical fallacies to trip them up. Between David Scaer's lectures and WELS triumphalism, I had an endless supply.
One team of students was making a case, so I said, "Where are you from?" They said, "Mesa," one of the towns in the Phoenix metroplex. I said, "That explains everything." They went ballistic, everyone chattering in anger at once. I did not say anything bad (on the surface) but I implied that no one from Mesa could explain things well.
That is what the so-called scholars do. They have panned the Majority Text so frequently that they only need to use the term Byzantine - to make dissenters shrink back or mutter in confusion. No, they say or imply, we cannot expect faithful Christians to copy the Scriptures faithfully. The only ones who can determine the actual text of the New Testament are a tiny knot of specialists who adore their own theories, especially the most absurd ones, and continue an iron grip on Greek New Testament publications.
We can expect that of WELS and the Little Sect on the Prairie. WELS considers a pastor a professor when he completes his coursework for a PhD and quits. They are too proud, too smart, and too pure to sully themselves with writing a dissertation that others see and approve (or not). That has changed a bit because there so few seminary students, they have time to scratch out a dissertation.
The Little Sect on the Prairie, aka ELS, had the audacity to hire a New Testament professor with no college degree! He faced students who were more qualified for his job than he was! But the professor with a real PhD from Notre Dame studied the future of Marvin Schwan School of Theology and "Nobody ELS will be left in a few years."
The LCMS has postured about their great scholarship for decades, and I agree, if a doctorate from St. Louis is considered an accomplishment. That is the institution started by CFW Walther, BA, with little or no Biblical language training. No need to - you smarmy detractors - he had the truth, straight from Bishop Martin Stephan, STD. Walther - like David Valleskey - could conjure up theses that proved the impossible, that Scripture was wrong while he and Stephan were correct, orthodox, confessional, conservative repristinators.
"Every time I read Christian News, I thank God I am not in the Missouri Synod" - WELS seminary student, repeating the myth of the Immaculate Synod, Wisconsin style.
Robert Browning - Dramatis Personae: "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?"
The most fun part of gardening is identifying strange and unusual plants for the casual observer. The garden started modestly, with a group of roses selling for $8 a plant, with free shipping, a QVC special. QVC once in a lifetime clearance sales, and Mrs. Ichabod found that one.
I always build up soil with organic matter, wherever I plant, because that is inexpensive, effective, and lasting. The parallel to the efficacy of the Word should be obvious. All the leaves have now become part of the soil, encouraged by layers of cardboard, newspapers, and wood mulch. Good soil has so many powerful elements that plants - and weeds - take off like nowhere else in the area: water retention, earthworm tunneling and fertilizing, fungus distribution of nutrients and water, birds planting their favorite fruits for future enjoyment (don't make me explain).
Most of the eye-popping, one of a kind, never-to-be-sold-again featured plants are disappointments. My elephant's ear effort was a joke, as it struggled to reach 15 inches instead of the six foot example in print. But - oh did the buckwheat grow all over the garden, reaching undreamed heights and effectively hiding the roses. My neighbor and her son pointed at the jungle from across the street and laughed. It is a good thing I do not know Laotian. But I had the last laugh, because that crop added large amounts of humus to the soil, simply by growing roots that did their part.
Triple Crown - the kudzu vine of berries.
In contrast to elephant's ear, Joe Pye survived mishaps and grew 8 feet tall, with vanilla scented flowers attracting bees, butterflies, and hummingbird - the creatures used to sell "pollinator plants." If the merchants have nothing special in a plant, they say "Loved by hummingbirds" and great for pollinators.
I suggested Little Joe Pye and one reader tried it, loved it, and recommended it. I had an initial start where blackberries were taking over, but now that spot is the featured place for Little Joe Pye.
Alec Satin, the Lutheran Librarian, pointed out that propaganda - aka public relations - is based on fear. If I drive the "wrong car," people will laugh at me. During one Christmas trip to Moline, that is what happened. My older and younger brothers laughed at my Plymouth Fury III, never a glamor car but big and inexpensive for us. During that short stay we bailed out both brothers when their cool cars failed to start in the cold. We laughed.
I planted Triple Crown blackberries (no thorns, no seeds, no fruit for humans) on the sunny, dry side of the house, where weeds were growing joyously. I never realized the blackberries would reach around the corner of the house, which was very much in the shade, and take over the entire sweet corn area. The squirrels ravaged the corn the only time I planted Silver Queen for us, not them. This year I decided to end the Triple Crown monopoly, which only fed the birds and squirrels, but I feared the labor involved.
Triple Crown reminds me of Church Growth - lots of promises, but little more than a greedy weed always looking out for itself, breaking out everywhere - once invited.
Enchanted Peace
My fears evaporated when I found that Triple Crown does effectively arch over gardening space to plant more of the same. The result is a tangled dome of green with very few plants growing underneath the greedy branches. My helper and I cleaned out the Triple Crown in two sessions. The next stage is cardboard and mulch to repurpose the berry market for squirrels and birds.
So I plant roses each year, this time only Enchanted Peace and more Veterans Honor. Each new bloom moves someone to say, "What's the name of that one?"
Sassy is staring me down, knowing I will drink some pour-over coffee before I take her out for a walk. Sometimes the look is triumphant, grinning "I know you will go outside soon." The afternoon look starts at 3 PM, which is prime time for Ranger Bob to be around. Then she lifts her head and lets go with piercing, heart-breaking howls.
"What's wrong with Sassy?" Mrs. Ichabod asks.
"It's Bob time, 3 PM." I answer. The scramble to the front door is inspiring.
Alaska has become a regular. He escapes routinely and often waits at our door for an escort back home. Sassy and Alaska played tag a little at Bob's, and Alaska was glad to go back home, across the street from Bob's. I called through their semi-open front door, "Does anyone want a large, black puppy?"
Some evolutionists should study how dogs of all breeds and various locations play the tag game. It starts with a duck down and then a jump to the left or right. That is repeated for "Let's play tag." Sassy played the more advanced version, the "Kill Game," with her two mates at home. One dog would play victim, the other a killer attacking up and down the victim's body - no harm done. Then they would switch and do the same, making lots of noise and racing in and out the doggie door. In South Bend, far from home, Sassy played the whole game with new dogs. If humans look or pay attention, the game stops.
The Cardinal Is Married!
Squirrels will come up to the kitchen window and wonder - with their sad, orphaned eyes - when the next meal is coming. All the animals can tell if food is on the barrels and window ledges. Recently a female cardinal stopped on one barrel to search in obvious, beseeching ways, for food. She paced around, looking for food that was not there.
That must be the cardinal version for "Get some fresh snacks at the store. I'm hungry." Typical male. So she goes out, looks, and solicits. Bob says, "Indians consider cardinals good luck, so it is special if you always have them in your yard."
To win and keep their approval, I have
Five feeding areas in the backyard
Two baths in the front and two in the backyard
Berry plants, bushes, and Poke weeds
Wild strawberries on the ground
Rough areas where many creatures meet, greet, and procreate.
Sassy set up a defense perimeter when the Moline 66 ladies had lunch and Mrs. Ichabod attended. Sassy celebrates her great moments by barking happily.
GJ - WELS and LCMS considered it their sacred duty to ridicule and remove the King James Version of the Bible, used by up to 60% of Bible readers. NIV (nicknamed the HIV) gets a small percentage, and ESV is even worse.
Anyone who thinks the ESV is better than the NIV should not shop for groceries. "But darling, the oranges were on sale. Rotten means a discount - lots of people are frugal like us."
EHV stands for Extra High Voltage, not even close for the wacky "Brug" version copy and paste.
Norma Boeckler is graciously illustrating The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God.
Janie Sullivan will do the final editing work, but I will send the almost final version around to people. I am working on the text criticism section last.
One volunteer editor (name withheld) pointed out that I consistently misspelled the name of Westcott, so ignore that lapse on the blog.
In other news, the ophthalmologist gave me a new prescription, which includes "computer glasses."
No, this is not our spoiled chipmunk. We have spoiled squirrels. I put treats out on the Scoundrels' Last Resort, a small step-stool. When squirrels are dominating the barrels, the birds drop by the Last Resort. When birds are covering the barrels, the squirrels head for the last resort. Sometimes I go outside and a herd of squirrels heads back to the natural hedge the birds built by perching on logs from a tree cut down.
Formerly, the starlings waited for me to put out the food in the morning. They descended from the branches above where they chatted about their upcoming meal. Sunday I was a bit late, so they all descended and looked around on the barrels, as if they did not know they were still empty. I took the hint and fed them well.
Many times the cardinal couple will feed first. We get doves and finches and rarely - crows.
"I want to eat first." "No, I am hungrier. I want first!"
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 #658Onward Christian Soldiers
Prayers and Announcements
Those being forced to receive the Wuhan vaccine as a requirement for work or travel.
In treatment - Kermit Way, Christina Jackson's brother-in-law (her sister's husband),
Christina Jackson will have a CAT scan this month and see the oncologist at the end of June.
Those continuing in treatment and therapy.
Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris Shrader are fixin' to come here in June. Glen Kotten is visiting and traveling with them.
Pastor Jackson will download previous videos for cloud storage and for editing. That and a new online learning system are the challenges for this coming week.
Norma A. Boeckler is illustrating The Bible Book, which will be full color.
KJV 1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us. 20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
KJV Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
First Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, we beseech Thee so to rule and govern our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not, like the rich man, hear Thy word in vain, and become so devoted to things temporal as to forget things eternal; but that we readily and according to our ability minister to such as are in need, and not defile ourselves with surfeiting and pride; in trial and misfortune keep us from despair, and grant us to put our trust wholly in Thy fatherly help and grace, so that in faith and Christian patience we may overcome all things, through Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Parables are timeless, so they teach today's lessons as well as they did in the time of Jesus. This one begins with a contrast. The rich man has no name, but his habits are familiar. The Roman Empire had many like this rich man, and we do today. We hear about vast sums of money for influence, for friendships, and for making even more money because what they have is not enough. Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress is an extended parable, so we call it an allegory.
Parables teach well because we can visualize them as we hear the details. How is this wealthy man described, to show how self-centered he is. He wears the finest and most expensive robes (purple - for royalty) and linen for his undergarments. Nothing is too good for him. He dines sumptuously every day, but Lazarus ("God a help") is dumped at his gate to beg for food. The only help on earth he receives comes from the scavenger dogs licking his wounds. Just as there is a contrast between two men, so is the contrast between their lives in the future.
KJV Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
The phrases are short, but full of detail. A quiz could ask questions about the two men. Why does one man have no name but the poor beggar has a name? What three descriptions reveal how rich one man was? How poor was Lazarus, and what three descriptions describe his state?
1. We have hitherto heard in our Gospel lessons of various examples of faith and of love; for as they all teach faith and love, I hope you are abundantly and sufficiently informed that no human being can be pleasing to God unless he believes and loves. Now in this Gospel text the Lord presents to us at the same time an example of faith and of unbelief or of the state of the godless, in order that we also may abhor the contrary and the opposite of faith and love, and that we may cleave to faith and love more diligently. For here we see the judgment of God upon the believers and the unbelievers, which is both dreadful and comforting. Dreadful to the faithless and comforting to the faithful. But in order that we may the better grasp the meaning of this text we must picture to ourselves both the rich man and poor Lazarus. In the rich man we see the nature of unbelief and in Lazarus the nature of belief.
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
Verse 21 gives us the stark contrast in only a few words. Lazarus only wanted some leftovers from the rich man's house, but his sole comfort came from the skinny, wandering scavenger dogs, which licked his wounds. The dogs were not the pets cited by the Canaanite woman ("the little dogs eat what falls from the master's table") but the dusty, dirty, smelly, skinny dogs of the street, despised by everyone and kicked aside when they got in the way.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
In this verse we see the stark contrast between the poor beggar carried to Abraham's bosom; the rich man also died. The beggar died and received an escort by God's angels to deliver him to Abraham. The naming of Abraham should wake up a lot of people who imagine they are orthodox, confessional, conservative, hidebound Lutherans. Abraham is the symbol and the reality of Justification by Faith. He is the human example of Justification by Faith throughout the New Testament - not just here and there but many times (listed in The Bible Book).
A conversion story is not needed within the parable. Only those who believe in the Messiah go to heaven.
3. But we must look into his [the rich man's] heart and judge his spirit. For the Gospel has penetrating eyes and sees deep into the secret recesses of the soul; reproves also the works which reason cannot reprove, and looks not at the sheep’s clothing, but at the true fruit of the tree to learn whether it is good or not, as the Lord teaches in Matthew 7:17. Hence if we judge this rich man according to the fruits of faith, we will find a heart and a tree of unbelief. For the Gospel chastises him that he fares sumptuously every day and clothes himself so richly, which reason never considers as especially great sins. Besides, the work-righteous people think it is right, and that they are worthy of it, and have merited it by virtue of their holy lives, and they do not see how they thus sin by their unbelief.
4. For this rich man is not punished because he indulged in sumptuous fare and fine clothes; since many saints, kings and queens in ancient times wore costly apparel, as Solomon, Esther, David, Daniel and others; but because his heart was attached to them, sought them, trusted in and chose them, and because he found in them all his joy, delight and pleasure; and made them in fact his idols. This Christ indicates by the words “every day,” that he lived thus sumptuously daily, continuously. From this is seen that he diligently’ sought and chose such a life, was not forced to it nor was he in it by accident, or because of his office or to serve his neighbor; but he only thereby gratified his own . lust, and lived to himself and served only himself.
5. Here one traces the secret sins of his heart as the evil fruit. For where faith is, there is no anxiety for fine clothing and sumptuous feasting, yea, there is no longing for riches, honor, pleasure, influence and all that is not God himself; but there is a seeking and a striving for and a cleaving to nothing except to God, the highest good alone; it is the same to him whether his food be dainty or plain, whether his clothing be fine or homespun. For although they even do wear costly clothes, possess great influence and honor, yet they esteem none of these things; but are forced to them, or come to them by accident, or they are compelled to use them in the service of others.
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
Many make their confessions today - that they only live for the present and do not take into consideration the wonders of God's Creation and our lives as a blessing from Him.
The rich man finds that the least little gesture from Lazarus would give him comfort, the comfort he never gave the poor beggar. Why is Father Abraham the person addressed? That adds irony to the story. Abraham was a wealthy man too, with vast possessions. He and Sarah grew old thinking a son of theirs was beyond hope. One of my friends from Moline had a son at age 48, not equal to Abraham but a wonderful surprise. I know he went through really tough times from a debilitating illness and loss of his business. But this weekend he emphasized the joy of having a son graduate from college, an unexpected son. He was all grins.
Likewise, God gave Abraham a son through Sarah, his wife. The biological reality was - impossible! But he was promised more than a son, a son who would start the line that led to the Savior, so his family tree (by faith) would be as great as the stars in heaven and the sands on the shores. That is why the faith of Abraham is emphasized throughout the New Testament and especially in Romans 4 - Abraham is not the only example but the prime example for all believers that they might be forgiven through faith in Jesus.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Abraham calls him a child in this address, because the rich man always lived in a dream world and still does, ignoring the needs of his neighbor and now demanding relief from the neighbor he disavowed as someone to comfort. God has the ultimate plan, and that plan is good for us, even when it seems the opposite. As they joke today, "It's all about the rich man," what someone else can do for him.
We often had a certain rich man at the donut shop. That was difficult to miss. Once he parked his Cadillac land yacht at the gas station, across the street, and ordered the owner of the station to shovel a walk through the half-inch snow. The owner said, "Here's a shovel. Do it yourself."
The rich man demanded the impossible but Lazarus had faith in the possible. Many had the perfect reason not to believe and confess their faith. They had the most to lose, like Nicodemus (at Night, John 3), but they risked all.
I wonder about Lutherans who will risk their family name or comfortable position by teaching the truth. As I tell students getting the vapors over grades, "When are you ever going to brag to people that you got an A in this course? 'Governor, I got an A in communication!'" Probably no one will ask or care.
So it is with earth-bound achievements.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
This parable includes one of the most powerful statements about the efficacy and power of God's Word. All the brothers need is Moses and the prophets.
Luke 24: 44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
After the resurrection, Jesus made sure to teach His followers everything in Moses, the Prophets, and the Writings. The Old Testament has plenty of Gospel, and it is the Son of God Savior who reveals that to us, through the Holy Spirit in the Word.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
This is the most powerful ending, the rich man imagining the impossible (for himself and his family). If they can ignore all the groundwork for the Gospel, they will certainly ignore someone coming to them from the dead.
And contrariwise, if we know a fraction of the passages in the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the New Testament, our faith is strengthened by what God can do and has done, beyond all hope.
I pray for many different people, assuming God will perform his miracles in His time. With all threats to our freedom, sanity, and health, we must face them as nothing, nothing in the eyes of God. Therefore, they are nothing in our eyes as well.
