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.
💡We need your support.As big tech continues its crackdown on conservative blogs, our days on these platforms are numbered.Go Ad-Free plus get Exclusive Member-Only content bysubscribing to us on Substack!
Andy Stanley’s disdain for the Holy Scriptures is a well-established fact, and it is nothing new that he has been vocal in his condemnation of the inerrancy and authority of the Word of God.
Andy Stanley says “theological diversity” is his church’s strength because it models what the Kingdom of God looks like—because nothing says “unity in Christ” like a theological free-for-all where everyone gets to pick their own contradictory “truth,” right?
Apparently, the Kingdom of Andy Stanley’s god is a place where doctrines and biblical teaching is just a buffet line, and you can skip the parts you don’t like, all in the name of diversity. Who cares if you believe in the Trinity? Who cares if Jesus is divine or not? Who cares about any of that stuff?
Who knew that centuries of church fathers, martyrs, and councils were just wasting their time trying to nail down what Scripture actually teaches? According to Stanley, the real path to spiritual maturity is to embrace every contradictory idea under the sun and call it unity.
Maybe next he’ll tell us that confusion is the new clarity and chaos is the new order—because, why not?
The graphic does not fit into the masthead for the first link, but works well on the top of sticky post columns.
Once I got started in making the YouTube video links good to find, I found it easy to make the linked graphic serve to draw attention to them.
The same link locates the videos list, starting with the latest one,
The graphic is an easy identifier at the top of the column, either on the left side or the right side. Click on the graphic. When I change it, that graphic will be the same in all of them.
Yes, I sat on my expensive glasses. Then I tried WM glasses which were not worse, but uncomfortable. I began going without any glasses because I am 20/20 without spectacles, only needing reading glasses for small print medicine bottles and food labels.
I have been thinking of ways to make the latest video easy to click. Long ago readers urged me to use sticky notes on the margin to emphasize important posts that tend to embed themselves in the software.
Jesus in the Temple - the current link to the YouTube videos.
So the top link in the left column will always be a graphic that links to the YouTube videos, the latest being the first in line, etc.
I repeat the entire sermon page on the Bethany Lutheran Worship blog, so I will add the complete video link there, if the background allows it.
Charlie even got special artistic modeling from Norma A. Boeckler.
I knew life would be different when the vet's office did not know what a Patterdale Terrier was. They had to look it up on the Net. She is part chihuahua, so that may balance the cute with the terror.
Charlie has two natures. Outside she wants to dig for food, manage three groups of dogs, and practice Patterdale kung fu on me. She flies by hoping to chew on my forearms in flight. That creates some scratches and little bite marks. Later on, inside, she checks out my wounds and plays the nurse. If I remind her to be gentle she gently licks the latest wound and looks quite contrite.
Inside, Charlie is a cuddler. She enjoys the end of the day streaming videos - currently a history of food in America and great country houses in England. We work on ancient history, engineering marvels and disasters. She rests her chin on my shoulder and goes to sleep over time. Charlie likes to rest her head in my hand and slowly relax. It makes me think she did that in her first home.
"Why do I need to bark so much? I'm cute!"
"Where's my groomer?"
Today Dustmop (toy poodle) and Porchie came to the fence for some attention. The Great Pyrenees appreciates lavish appreciation and finger combing. He likes to hear how handsome and athletic he is. Dustmop uses him to jump and chew (lick) my fingers. Porchie stood up against the fence, and also turned each way on all fours for some high-end finger combing. He starts by pointing East on all fours, then turns to face West for the other side. Combing his head and chest is welcome and expected.
Shorty (Corgie) was our guest for a few days. He had the best time, and so did we. Both dogs were fun, totally at peace with each other.
KJV 1:3 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (anothen, from above)
8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
Numbers 21:8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. 9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
16 ουτως, γαρ ηγαπησεν ο θεος τον κοσμον - ωστε τον υιον αυτου τον μονογενη εδωκεν, ινα πας ο πιστευων εις αυτον μη αποληται αλλ εχη ζωην αιωνιον
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
[Not is saved but might be saved - crucial error in Objective Justification]
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
[faith in Jesus Christ, or believing in Jesus Christ means grace, forgiveness; not believing already means condemnation; OJ is repudiated by Romans 4 and 5, plus chapters 1 and 3]
Romans 1:17 δικαιοσυνη γαρ θεου εν αυτω αποκαλυπτεται εκ πιστεως εις πιστιν καθως γεγραπται ο δε δικαιος εκ πιστεως ζησεται
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
15. Behold, here is a good, real, living and true example of Christian faith, that sufficiently teaches us how we must be disposed if we would find grace, piety and salvation. Now, in addition to this doctrine follows the incentive or inducement to faith, that we should gladly believe as we are at present taught to believe. This incentive, however, consists in that we observe how such faith never fails, that as it believes so it comes to pass, and that it is certainly heard and answered. For Luke describes how graciously and willingly Christ beheld and heard the lepers, and says: “And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go and show yourselves unto the priests.”
16. How very friendly and lovingly the Lord invites all hearts to himself in this example, and stirs them to believe in him! For there is no doubt that he desires to do for all what he here does for these lepers, if we only freely surrender ourselves to him for all his favor and grace. Just as true faith and a Christian heart should do and delight to do; so these lepers also do and teach us to do. For how earnestly the Lord desires that we should joyfully and freely venture to build on his favor before we experience or feel it, he has here sufficiently testified that he hears them willingly, without any hesitation, that he does not first say he will do it, but as though it were already done, he did as they wished. For he does not say: Yes, I will have mercy on you, ye shall be cleansed; but merely: “Go and show yourselves unto the priests.” As though he would say: There is no use of asking, your faith has already acquired and obtained it, before you began to ask; you were already cleansed in my sight when you began to expect such things of me; it is no longer necessary, only go and show your purity to the priests; as I consider you and as you believe, so you are and shall be. For he would not have sent them to the priests, if he had not considered them clean, and so wished to deal thus with them, as those who had become cleansed.
17. Behold, so powerful is faith, to obtain all it wants of God, that God considers it done before the asking. Of this Isaiah says, 65:24: “And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Not as though faith or we were worthy of it, but in order that he might show his unspeakable goodness and willing grace, thereby to stir us to believe in him, and comfortingly look to him for every good thing, with joyful and unwavering consciences, which do not stumble after him nor tempt him. So now you also see that Christ hears these lepers before they call, and before they cry out he is prepared to do all their hearts desire. “Go,” he says, I will not add a word, for it has succeeded in your case farther, no promise or consent is necessary; take what you ask and go. Are not these strong incentives that make the heart joyful and eager? Behold, then his grace permits itself to be felt and grasped, yea it grasps and satisfies us. This has been said on the first part, namely, faith.
18. Now we must also examine the other part of this example of the nature of Christianity, love. The lepers have instructed us how to believe; Christ teaches us to love. Love does to our neighbor as it sees Christ has done to us, as he says in John 13:15: “For I have given you an example, that ye also should do as I have done to you.” And immediately afterwards he says in verse 34: “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”
What else does this mean than to say: Through me in faith you now have everything that I am and have: I am your own, you are now rich and satisfied through me; for all I do and love I do and love not for my but only for your sake, and I only think how to be useful and helpful to you, and accomplish whatever you need and should have. Therefore consider this example, to do to each other as I have done to you, and only consider how to be useful to your neighbor, and do what is useful and necessary for him. Your faith has enough in my love and grace; so your love shall also give enough to others.
19. Behold, this is a Christian life, and in brief it does not need much doctrine nor many books, it is wholly contained in faith and love. Thus also says St. Paul, Galatians 6:2: “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the Law of Christ.” And to the Philippians 2:4 he says: “Not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.” And there he gives us Christ as an example, 5:6: “Who existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped.” Who, although he was true God, yet became our servant and served us, and died a scandalous death for us. This Christian, free and joyful life has the evil spirit as its enemy, who with nothing else does such great injury as with the doctrines of men, as we shall hear. For truly the manner of a Christian’s life is briefly marked out in the words, have a good heart toward God and a good will toward your fellow man, here it consists entirely within us.
20. His good heart and faith naturally teach him how to pray. Yea, what is such faith, but pure prayer? It continually looks for divine grace, and if it looks for it, it also desires it with all the heart. And this desire is really the true prayer, that Christ teaches and God requires, which also obtains and accomplishes all things. And because it does not trust or seek comfort in self, its works or worthiness, but builds upon God’s pure grace, therefore whatever he believes, desires, hopes and prays, also comes to pass; so that the holy Prophet Zechariah justly calls the Spirit a Spirit of grace and of prayer, where God says, Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and supplication.” Because faith recognizes and desires God’s favor without any intermission.
.jpg)
