Fuller Seminary Is No More Than a Business Turning Out Bachelor of Gimmicks Degrees

 

I always sit up straight and murmur something profound when I see that someone has earned a D.Min. at Fuller Seminary, which is as popular as Bud Lite. A Budweiser chemist told me that Bud Lite was simply Budweiser with water added. Years later, he denied that fact with some authority, but then conceded the truth. 

Fuller Seminary is pondering its future with pansexual pastors, where the demographics are headed. WWII Baby Boomers have seen their grandchildren grow up, so that supply is running low. Long ago, Fuller Seminary had its own kill squad to discipline any student who denied women's ordination. The school's warning was part of their official description. Fuller opened up the mainline minister demographic for women pastors and denominational staffers. 

"What's NEXT!?" my vicar supervisor often said with fury, upon hearing about the latest cool fad. Now the same church - being refitted for low-cost house apartments - is saying "What's next!"

Those who pay for a D. Min. degree insist on the title "Dr." - which is odd considering that two years of study are good only for an STM. They dropped the STD because nobody wanted to say "I got my STD at our seminary." 

Fuller sold the D.Min. designation to draw in pastors for a quick, easy, but costly superficial degree. They paraded their Bachelor of Gimmicks degree as worthy of velvet stripes on the arms of their Geneva gowns. 

Fuller and its clones (Concordia St. Louis and Concordia Ft. Wayne) both market their D.Min. degrees and Church Growth. 

They are all engaged in business practices which have proven to be complete and devastating losses of membership. Why are no Church Growth Enthusiasts 

• deprived of food
• driven out of town
• baited by dogs
• pelted with dung?

God's Word is the master of more than 100,000 arts, far more than Satan can attempt. The problems are compounded in the Walther Four - LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic) - because they teach against faith, as they argue with pride. Wayne Mueller bragged at the WELS youth gathering in Columbus - "Evangelism is easy. All you have to do is to tell them - you are already forgiven." 

Baptist News Global

Fuller Seminary’s current president, David Goatley, came to the nondenominational school in 2022 from Duke Divinity School, where he served as associate dean for academic and vocational formation, research professor of theology and Christian ministry, and director of the Office of Black Church Studies.

Recently, Goatley appointed a task force of administrators and faculty to facilitate “the community’s consideration of issues related to human sexuality.”

In 2019 and 2020, two former students sued Fuller, alleging they were expelled for being in same-sex marriages. In October 2020, courts affirmed Fuller’s right to uphold its sexual standards policy.

Fuller’s website describes the school as “an evangelical, multidenominational graduate institution committed to providing indispensable, formational education for diverse Christian leaders everywhere.”

Jack Kilcrease, trained by Jesuits, is consistently anti-faith.

LutherQuest (sic) and the ALPB Ovaltine Forum Chaps Are Discussing SP Harrison's Tarbaby - Luther's Large Catechism

 

Christianity Today Takes Note of LCMS Blunder - https://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/.../chris...

James Shrader

Interesting summary, Greg. I noticed the photoshopping. It's truly a shame that the LCMS is reverting to its UOJ 2005 catechism, which made the false doctrine obvious in its question of why God forgives your sins.

• Gregory L. Jackson

  LCMS is fond of taking Reformation literature, especially Luther, and explaining Justification by Faith as Justification without Faith.

  

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• Micheal STrong

  Interesting that Jackson is Johnny-on-the-spot whenever he sees a potential opportunity to castigate, besmirch, ridicule a person or organization. Tell us, Oh mighty Pope of Facebook the way the LCMS should be.

Gregory L. Jackson

Micheal STrong Sarcasm does not become you, Michael.

Save This Luther Quotation - and Check Out - The Modular Book of Concord

 Lutheran Librarian Print Books are found here.

Lutheran Library free ebooks are found at this location.

Long ago, I sent this Luther quotation, above, to Patsy Leppien, who was working on ways to show what the LCA/ALC synods - now ELCA - were teaching. The author was extremely careful in showing what was taught in the ALC/LCA and how those articles of faith were revealed in the Scriptures.

ELCA's birth was midwifed by Seminex, the Missouri contingent led by Richard Jungkuntz, the UOJ fanatic and future Seminex chairman of the board. Seminex became the official seminary for the rainbow Metropolitan Community Church.

Difficulties did not come from the ELCA corner of the Lutherverse, but from the conservatives imagined rejoicing at Leppien's efforts to clarify the differences. But no, the conservatives raved at her. I called that the highest compliment and a true honor.

 Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, print version at Amazon.

The last Beatitude certainly came true when WELS put Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant on its printing schedule, only to withdraw that "until your attitude changes." Valleskey was on the board and I was supposed to lie weeping, prostrate before the Fuller alumni of WELS, begging forgiveness and hoping the terms of absolution would not be too severe.

Blessing? Yes, that catapulted me into independent book publishing.  Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant was the first of over 30 titles - now in print. Likewise, being kicked out of Free Republic caused me to start this blog, now approaching 8 million views. Various irritations moved me to make all titles non-profit and pubic domain.

Lutheran Synodical Publishing - rainbow, anti-Justification by Faith,
anti-Biblical text.

Monopolies Crumble, Screaming as They Crash to the Ground

Not long ago, the book publishing industry was a powerful business, and that included the nodes in each denomination. A few people could decide to publish a few titles within their areas of interest. Who else would publish

1. The Wonders of WELS or 
2. Isn't WELS Fabulous! or 
3. WELS and Church Growth: Perfect Bedfellows?

Those were just the initial titles - the language had to be toned down to keep people from laughing out loud.

Now anyone can publish anything at a very low cost and distribute it through channels already set up for that purpose.

The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine

The Modular Book of Concord

The Lutheran Librarian, Alec Satin, began publishing long-lost and hard-to-find Lutheran classics through the Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry, with over 150 titles listed already, free ebooks, portable, easy to quote from.

Once attracted to The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine, Satin could not stop. He began publishing in print - on Amazon - those titles he had already prepared as ebooks.

Many of us know the Triglotta, a library - or museum - in one, very heavy and tiny-print volume. It uses three languages, though most seminarians barely know English and hardly know Lutheran doctrine - plus Bente's Historical Introductions.

 Lutheran Librarian print books pages.
Nota bene - pages.

The Lutheran Librarian has put together separate titles from the Book of Concord, very useful for people who want to ready and underline the printed material.

 Bente's Historical Introductions are great background reading for the development of the Book of Concords, heroes and villains.

 The Augsburg Confession, 1530, Jacobs edition, with the Saxon Visitation articles.

 Luther's Small Catechism

Luther's Large Catechism is based upon his sermons and includes essential teaching for pastors and laity.

 The Formula of Concord summarizes the Biblical teaching of Luther and Melanchthon, from the Reformation scholars of that era.

 Every time you click a link, an angel sings "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God."

Alec Satin's Work in the House Postils

In light of our conversation regarding Calvinism, etc., here is a brief and comforting section from Luther, his church postil Eleventh Sunday After Trinity:

 

[7]  This is also proper fruit, since it promotes God's honor; as God desires nothing but the offering of praise, as Psalms, 50:23. says: "Whoso offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifieth me, and to him that ordereth his way aright, will I show the salvation of God."

 

In this way the publican also proceeds, gives God the offering of thanksgiving and secures to himself the forgiveness of sin, and praises God, puts himself to shame and exalts the truth above himself. Therefore we must praise and commend his work, because he gives God the highest honor and true worship. For he says: "God, be thou merciful to me a sinner." As though he would say: I am a rogue, this I confess, as you yourself know. Here you see that he confesses the truth, and is willing that God should reprove and revile him; yea, he does this himself, and casts himself down the very lowest, and with God he again rises upward, gives glory to God that he is gracious, kind and merciful. But in himself he finds nothing but sin. Wherefore these are the true fruits of faith.

 We interrupt your Objective Justification for this important Luther quotation from the Book of Concord.

More Book News - The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine Has Been Found. Luther's Sermons Are Next. More Luther Books Are Planned

Click this link for the Amazon book list for Gregory L. Jackson.
If you do, an angel will get his SEO wings.
SEO = Search Engine Optimization

Amazon will soon be hosting The Lost Dutchman's Goldmine, the printed version and the Kindle ebook. I have already sent out the first few, but I have not seen the printed version so far.

Yesterday I put two more volumes of Luther's Sermons into Word. I expect to do the final two volumes today. I found a rhythm for getting that done- I could teach copy and paste at Mordor - except I favor Reformation theology over Halle dogma.

I need a couple more volunteers to help edit, if possible. The set has typos from the original Optical Character Reproduction software someone used. There will be format adjustments too.

Believe it or not, Liberalism was first printed that way - scan the manuscript, try to find the scan mistakes. WELS first published Liberalism and the Church Growth fanatics hated it. WELS also accepted Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant, put it on their schedule, and then spat it out. But they promoted it once I had it in print via Otten's printer.

I am definitely doing a book on Luther's Large Catechism after the Sermons are done. Some other volumes are on the list, with Luther's works at the top.

More about Lutheran Reading

One reader looked at the Lutheran reading list I drew up and asked, "All those?"

Some readers are much younger than I am, so they appreciate a little guidance for a lifetime of reading.

Some are my age and need to be nudged back into the Luther orbit. At the very least, Luther's sermons and Luther's writings in the Book of Concord should be primary for all clergy.

How odd to have CFW Walther, Bachelor of Arts, the final authority on all things doctrinal, all practical applications, all cultural matters!

That is quite a sleight of hand, misdirection of the brain cells, to talk up Luther-an doctrine and use a poorly educated, unethical, dishonest cult follower like Walther as the ultimate, the ruling norm.

The yahoos running the LCMS, WELS, and ELS would be laughed off the stage if the somnolent clergy actually knew Luther's sermons and his Book of Concord writing. But this is why that never happens. No one enforces this statement of Luther.

Luther, Introduction, Large Catechism, Book of Concord
12] And what need is there of many words? If I were to recount all the profit and fruit which God's Word produces, whence would I get enough paper and time? The devil is called the master of a thousand arts. But what shall we call God's Word, which drives away and brings to naught this master of a thousand arts with all his arts and power? It must indeed be the master of more than a hundred thousand arts. 13] And shall we frivolously despise such power, profit, strength, and fruit-we, especially, who claim to be pastors and preachers? If so, we should not only have nothing given us to eat, but be driven out, being baited with dogs, and pelted with dung, because we not only need all this every day as we need our daily bread, but must also daily use it against the daily and unabated attacks and lurking of the devil, the master of a thousand arts.

14] And if this were not sufficient to admonish us to read the Catechism daily, yet we should feel sufficiently constrained by the command of God alone, who solemnly enjoins in Deut. 6:6ff that we should always meditate upon His precepts, sitting, walking, standing, lying down, and rising, and have them before our eyes and in our hands as a constant mark and sign. Doubtless He did not so solemnly require and enjoin this without a purpose; but because He knows our danger and need, as well as the constant and furious assaults and temptations of devils, He wishes to warn, equip, and preserve us against them, as with a good armor against their fiery darts and with good medicine against their evil infection and suggestion.

15] Oh, what mad, senseless fools are we that, while we must ever live and dwell among such mighty enemies as the devils are, we nevertheless despise our weapons and defense, and are too lazy to look at or think of them!

Eighth Commandment
I have noticed that the citation of the Eighth Commandment has receded a bit, because many are quite willing to quote this from the Large Catechism:

The Church Growth Movement has crept up under the cover of the Eighth Commandment, like the Roman soldiers who interlocked their shields as they approached their targets. With the shields overlapping, they were a mobile, armored division.

So when I quoted Paul Kelm at a conference meeting, where I was invited ot speak, Forrest Bivens (Fuller Seminary alumni) became Jumpin' Jack and sprang up to cite  the Eighth Commandment. He was so quick to call me a slanderer! Bivens, "I want to protect the good name of Paul Kelm." He solemnly doubted whether that was a gen-you-whine quotation.

Someone asked, "Do you have proof Kelm said this?" I opened my briefcase and got out the brochure where Kent Hunter (Fuller Seminary grad) quoted Paul Kelm (Fuller Seminary grad) on some Church Growth program they were hatching. Of course, I just made up quotations! And the picture of Paul Kelm in the brochure.

Someone offered, "How do we know Kelm actually wrote that?" So now Kent Hunter, who produced the brochure, was the liar who made up quotations!

Later, I asked Kent Hunter (Fuller Seminary grad) if Paul Kelm (Fuller Seminary grad) actually wrote those words. He said, "I asked him for a recommendation and Paul gave me one."

As readers might recall, if they have memorized 14,000 posts, Bivens bragged about studying at Fuller Seminary and denied it to his gullible students at Mequon. No wonder he said he said his students were not very bright. When he denied what I published about his study at Fuller, he was calling me a liar, which is ... fill in the blank.

DP Seifert denied twice that Bivens talked about studying at Fuller Seminary, then agreed when I reminded him. I did not give him a chance to deny the truth three times - too Biblical for a future DP.

Larry Olson (DMin, Fuller Seminary) bought a drive-by degree at Fuller Seminary but had a pal from WELS question in Christian News whether that was true. I had the physical proof of his love affair with Fuller, because I found his article in a Church Growth journal, where he gushed about meeting McGavran.

Likewise, David Valleskey showed obvious signs of Fuller intoxication when he gave his odious Spoiling the Egyptians paper, subsequently published in WELS' hideous journal of false doctrine. I asked him to his face, and he denied studying at Fuller. Later, he admitted it to David Koenig, CLC Church Growther and friend of Gutsche.

Valleskey was furious with Koenig for telling the truth, and Koenig was furious with me for quoting him.

Gutsche has been a WELS pastor too, according to his LinkedIn profile,
which I copied into this blog.

Falsehood requires refutation. Otherwise, we are simply condoning it.

Romans 16:17-18King James Version (KJV)

17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.

This Sunday - Study of Luther's Large Catechism Begins

We just finished the Book of Romans, noting how clear St. Paul teaches justification by faith.

I hope to do the Lenski work next on Romans 16. Promises are so much like goals - easy to make, even easier to ignore.

Luther's Large Catechism is almost completely ignored by the Synodical Conference. Many clergy ignore the Book of Concord altogether, and if they do know anything about the Lutheran Symbols, the Large Catechism is not high on their list.

The Large Catechism is derived from Luther's sermons and is designed to be a guide for clergy and laity. The ALC used to publish it separately as a small book, and that was an ideal way to carry it around and appreciate it. I kept one copy available at home and read often, but I searched it more thoroughly when I wrote Thy Strong Word.

Luther - But Outside of This Christian Church, Where the Gospel Is Not, There Is No Forgiveness. Large Catechism, Book of Concord

Photo by Iggy Antiochus

Martin Luther, Large Catechism, The Creed, Article III, Book of Concord:

We further believe that in this Christian Church we have forgiveness of sin, which is wrought through the holy Sacraments and Absolution, moreover, through all manner of consolatory promises of the entire Gospel. Therefore, whatever is to be preached concerning the Sacraments belongs here, and, in short, the whole Gospel and all the offices of Christianity, which also must be preached and taught without ceasing. For although the grace of God is secured through Christ, and sanctification is wrought by the Holy Ghost through the Word of God in the unity of the Christian Church, yet on account of our flesh which we bear about with us we are never without sin.

Everything, therefore, in the Christian Church is ordered to the end that we shall daily obtain there nothing but the forgiveness of sin through the Word and signs, to comfort and encourage our consciences as long as we live here. Thus, although we have sins, the [grace of the] Holy Ghost does not allow them to injure us, because we are in the Christian Church, where there is nothing but [continuous, uninterrupted] forgiveness of sin, both in that God forgives us, and in that we forgive, bear with, and help each other.

But outside of this Christian Church, where the Gospel is not, there is no forgiveness, as also there can be no holiness [sanctification]. Therefore all who seek and wish to merit holiness [sanctification], not through the Gospel and forgiveness of sin, but by their works, have expelled and severed themselves [from this Church].

The Large Catechism Has a Special Format

I did the initial format changes to Luther's Large Catechism. I see that more needs to be done.

I haven't heard so much noise from Appleton since Katy Perry became a free woman.

I marked sections in blue that are especially clear about the efficacy of the Word. Those are the best passages on that topic. The efficacy of the Word is so basic to Luther and the Scriptures that many more places could be marked in the Large Catechism.

I decided to visit a favorite UOJ passage, the Fifth Petition of the Lord's Prayer.


And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

This part now relates to our poor miserable life, which, although we have and believe the Word of God, and do and submit to His will, and are supported by His gifts and blessings is nevertheless not without sin. For we still stumble daily and transgress because we live in the world among men who do us much harm and give us cause for impatience, anger, revenge, etc. Besides, we have Satan at our back, who sets upon us on every side, and fights (as we have heard) against all the foregoing petitions, so that it is not possible always to stand firm in such a persistent conflict.

Therefore there is here again great need to call upon God and to pray: Dear Father, forgive us our trespasses. Not as though He did not forgive sin without and even before our prayer (for He has given us the Gospel, in which is pure forgiveness before we prayed or ever thought about it). But this is to the intent that we may recognize and accept such forgiveness. For since the flesh in which we daily live is of such a nature that it neither trusts nor believes God, and is ever active in evil lusts and devices, so that we sin daily in word and deed, by commission and omission by which the conscience is thrown into unrest, so that it is afraid of the wrath and displeasure of God, and thus loses the comfort and confidence derived from the Gospel; therefore it is ceaselessly necessary that we run hither and obtain consolation to comfort the conscience again.


The blue section is quoted with great joy and fervor by the UOJ spin-doctors. I have to call them spin-doctors, because they specialize in spin rather than Christian doctrine. With tedious, robotic consistency they repeat the blue section as if it stands alone as the high point of the Christian Church, although its gnostic mysteries were not revealed until Walther followed his syphilitic bishop to mosquito-bitten bay of New Orleans.

Alas and alack, the blue section is preceded by the red section. "our poor miserable life...is not without sin." That contradicts the nefarious wisdom of the UOJ cultists. They claim to be born without sin (E. Preuss) and to be saved in their pre-existent life (divine or human nature, both?). They never tire of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, who never works apart from the Word. And yet they call justification by faith blasphemy.

They pixelate every instance of atonement in Luther's words or the Book of Concord - even in Romans 4 and 5. They find the phrase that satisfies their itching ears and rest on that alone.

No wonder the publication of the Confessions sends them back to their Twelve-Step programs, begging for help from their fellow addicts.

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