Let's Do a Steve Spencer (WELS) Style Leak

 The Dirty Half-Dozen may get a thorough wash this weekend.

"Sunday Morning Chapel Speaker WELS Rev. Steven Spencer. 8:00 AM Sermon Text: “But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. (John 16:13 NAS)" 

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GJ - WELS Pastor Steve Spencer used to get all wound up about fellowship issues. However, he was happy to join the grab-bag of hooligans who hate Justification by Faith, to help Cascione avoid the Scriptural issues in his review of The Path To Understanding Justification.

Helping the pan-Lutheran group was WELS Pastor Adam Mueller, often featured on this blog, for his Church and Change leadership, and for his lovely dress at the drag queen congregational picnic, where children were tasked with putting make-up on the men. Mueller's parish bragged about the drag queen picnic and posted the pictures for everyone to see.

 Pastor Adam Mueller, son of Wayne, one of Cascione's little helpers for his bizarre book review.

Why did no one post child abuse charges?
Oh, this is WELS,

 Spencer supposedly hated WELS Church and Change, but left it to me to expose their crafts and assaults. Pictured are Adam Mueller, Larry Olson, and Jeff Gunn, C and C stars on the same page.

Jack never learned Biblical doctrine at Ft. Wayne, so he needed help with his false doctrine. Here is his list of helpers:

"This writer wishes to thank the following for council, editing, and corrections: Rev. Paul Fleischer CLC, Rev. Steven Spencer WELS, Rev. Joel Baseley LCMS, Drag Queen Adam Mueller WELS, Rev. Jerome, Cascione LCMS, Dr. Andrew Cascione ELS, Mrs. Dale King ELS, Karl Randolph LCMS, and Mrs. Virginia Cascione LCMS."

 

"At the time of the faculty’s conversations with Maier II, Robert Preus looked for support and found it among conservative friends in the Evangelical movement who admired him for his defense of biblical inspiration and inerrancy, including several faculty members of Westminster Seminary—Escondido, California, with its renowned Reformed scholar Michael Horton (b. 1964). Preus must have been aware, but chose to ignore that the Reformed see objective justification as a component of their doctrine of election, but it was hardly universal in scope as Lutherans have historically held it."

Scaer, David P.. Surviving the Storms: Memoirs of David P. Scaer . Luther Academy. Kindle Edition. 

The Union of Anti-Scripture Bigots To Speak at Camp Trinity: Cascione (No Synod), Spencer (WELS), Mueller (WELS), Rolf Preus (ex-ELDONA)

Wayne Mueller swore on a stack of McGavrans that there was no Church Growth in WELS. But here is son Adam Mueller with a pack of CG gurus.

At least they admitted it. Camp Trinity is hosting joint worship and lectures by anti-Scripture bigots:

1. Pastor Jack Cascione
2. Pastor Steve Spencer
3. Pastor Wayne Mueller
4. Pastor Rolf Preus

They are Objective Justification fanatics. They deny the Chief Article of the Christianity - Justification by Faith.

They are going to parade their belief in Creation, but what does that mean when they make their money on repudiating the Master and Chief, the Prince, the article that judges all other articles of faith?

Professors Zarling and Bivens lectured this to WELS and posted their essays in the Holy of Holies, the WELS Essays File.

"The article of justification is the master and prince, the lord, the ruler, and the judge over all kinds of doctrines; it preserves and governs all church doctrine and raises up our conscience before God. Without this article the world is utter death and darkness... The doctrine of justification must, as I frequently urge, be diligently learned; for in it all the other articles of our faith are comprehended. And when that is safe, the others are safe too."
(E. M. Plass, ed, What Luther Says: An Anthology, 3 volumes. (St. Louis: CPH, 1959), 2:703-704.)

No, that justification is not Objective Justification, as the professors scandalously claimed. Luther, Melanchthon, and Chemnitz made it clear in the Book of Concord, which these Quia Marias pretend to honor.

6] This article concerning justification by faith (as the Apology says) is the chief article in the entire Christian doctrine, without which no poor conscience can have any firm consolation, or can truly know the riches of the grace of Christ, as Dr. Luther also has written: If this only article remains pure on the battlefield, the Christian Church also remains pure, and in goodly harmony and without any sects; but if it does not remain pure, it is not possible that any error or fanatical spirit can be resisted. 

Formula of Concord, SD, III, 3.

Their OJ arguments are exploded in the nearby section below, which they have never read, never comprehended. That is why they squawk, howl, and jibber about their precious OJ.

10] These treasures are offered us by the Holy Ghost in the promise of the holy Gospel; and faith alone is the only means by which we lay hold upon, accept, and apply, and appropriate them to ourselves. 11] This faith is a gift of God, by which we truly learn to know Christ, our Redeemer, in the Word of the Gospel, and trust in Him, that for the sake of His obedience alone we have the forgiveness of sins by grace, are regarded as godly and righteous by God the father, and are eternally saved. 12] Therefore it is considered and understood to be the same thing when Paul says that we are justified by faith, Rom. 3:28, or that faith is counted to us for righteousness, Rom. 4:5...

Formula of Concord, SD, III, 3.

 "We have pacified these people - Wayne - too bad their church had to close."
"Good work, Steve, and thanks for cleaning out the Intrepids."

Intrepid Judas Goat Rounding Up for Jack B. Simple Cascione Now. Note to Toadies - Spelling Counts

The Book? The Path To Understanding Justification? I ate it.

Hey Greg – Still nothing on Ichabod in direct reply/rebuttal to Casione (sic). I don’t get it. Why didn’t you print out Jack’s review for your readers and then refute it point by point? Here is a great opportunity to deal with the topic in a very detailed and organized fashion and at the same time defend your viewpoint for all to see. Why would you pass up such an opportunity. Come on, don’t let this slip by!



Peace!



Spence

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GJ - Mrs. Ichabod said, "Gracious. You did that already. Can't he see?"

Jack B. Simple Cascione and His Lady Scholars versus the KJV Scriptures, the Original Text, Luther, and the Book of Concord

https://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2019/07/jack-b-simple-cascione-and-his-lady.html

Robert Preus Consulted with Reformed Theologians On OJ


At the time of the faculty’s conversations with Maier II, Robert Preus looked for support and found it among conservative friends in the Evangelical movement who admired him for his defense of biblical inspiration and inerrancy, including several faculty members of Westminster Seminary—Escondido, California, with its renowned Reformed scholar Michael Horton (b. 1964). Preus must have been aware, but chose to ignore that the Reformed see objective justification as a component of their doctrine of election, but it was hardly universal in scope as Lutherans have historically held it.


Scaer, David P.. Surviving the Storms: Memoirs of David P. Scaer . Luther Academy. Kindle Edition. 

On Lenski

Lenski’s denial of objective justification was found in his commentary on Romans. Opponents of seeing justification only as subjective see it as nothing other than synergism, the issue which was at the heart of the Lutheran Reformation protest against Rome. Since God justifies all humanity by raising Christ from the dead, justification is universal and, as an act of God and not of man, is objective. By faith justification becomes a reality for the believer and is called subjective. 2.  
Lenski, R. C. H., The Interpretation of the New Testament (Columbus, OH: Wartburg Press, 1934–1966).

Scaer, David P.. Surviving the Storms: Memoirs of David P. Scaer . Luther Academy. Kindle Edition.

Too Good Not To Quote Verbatim

WELS leaders still think justification by faith
is a horrible error they must attack and reject.

Pastor SpencerDecember 21, 2014 at 9:18 AM

Thanks for your comments WDs! Good to hear your own views. Re: Salem, I've been told that I missed a reference in their material to the BoC. If I did I apologize. I just read through the material posted here for the third time. I still don't see it. Perhaps the person who contacted me thought I was referring to more material on the church's site. I wasn't. I was only talking about the specific document here - their "values" as listed. Again, they are fairly good for the most part. If I missed something, I'm sorry. 

And I can tell you, President Schroeder still feels as he did when he became President. And he has made such clear in FiC and elsewhere numerous times. That he gets precious little support on this point from the CoP is not his fault. People need to do two things - contact him directly, and also make their concerns known to their DPs. It is not the SPs silence that's the problem, it's the silence of all those who claim to be unhappy about all the CoWo nonsense in the WELS. I'm sure that if hundreds of Pastors and thousands of laypeople objected publicly and loudly, they would not be ignored.

1. WELS DiscussedDecember 22, 2014 at 9:47 AM

   Pastor Spencer--how do you expect a movement of "hundreds of pastors and thousands of laypeople" to get off the ground or come into being when movements of "dozens of pastors and scores of laypeople" objecting publicly and loudly, like Intrepid Lutherans, are squelched with nary a word from the SP?

   Reply

2. 

   There were two circuit pastors at the first and last Intrepid convention, Paul Rydecki and Steve Spencer. Soon there was only one, because Jon-Boy Buchholz kicked Rydecki out while lying to his congregation about continuing the discussion. Spencer started the Intrepid Lutherans and bailed out -not my definition of intrepid.

   
   
3. 
   AnonymousDecember 22, 2014 at 1:38 PM

   WELS Discussed has a good point. So how will this movement get started? Who will start it and get it off the ground? The funny thing about WELS is they either kick you out or ignore you in public until you either shut up or leave. Squelch is too kind of a word for what happened to the Intrepid's, mugged in a dozen different back alleys and left for dead is more like it. (Perhaps a bit over the top but perhaps not. Names did seem to drop like flies from the Intrepid's clergy rolls once the pressure started to be applied.) So okay the SP doesn't have a lot of real authority over the DP's, or for that matter the rest of the synod's machinery, but he should have a great deal of moral authority and the bully pulpit to cry out a warning. Why doesn't he use it loudly and clearly? Why doesn't he call for a great open debate? Silence is Complicity and so is a whispered warning from the watchman.

   Reply

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GJ - It is doubly ironic that WELS Pastor Steve Spencer named the group - Intrepid Lutherans - and bailed out on them. Doubtless his classmate and pal, the infallible Mark Schroeder (ex cathedra) ordered the shut-down. 

In contrast, under the wobbly and uncertain trumpet call of the SP, Church and Change has grown into a dozen different groups and owns the agenda of the sect.

Intrepids - Accentuate the Positive - Don't Mess with Mr. Inbetween

Anonymous said...

This is starting to put things, around me, in a certain perspective.
What does this mean, to laity, who signed, those deemed non members?

What exactly, is being done & what are those who stand fast & firm, in for?
Heidi Stoeberl

JANUARY 17, 2013 AT 7:37 AM

Pastor Spencer said...

Heidi,

I'm not sure, frankly, what this means. I have spoken to the synod President about this. It is my understanding that each District President will handle this in his own way.

I can say this much: I have had dozens of contacts from Pastors around the synod who have said they are not going to change the way they preach and teach, namely, that we justified freely by grace and saved by faith in Jesus given by the Means of Grace. To a man, they have deemed this debate "an argument over words." Ovbiously, Pastor Rydecki does not see it that way, and neither does the CoP. So, exactly how this will play out in the end - God alone knows. Again, I say, let Pastor Rydecki explain his position thoroughly and completely, and let the Pastors and people "test the spirits." (First John 4:1)

Thank you.

Pastor Spencer

JANUARY 17, 2013 AT 8:54 AM

Rev. Paul A. Rydecki said...

Just to remind everyone, I was perfectly willing and even eager to continue studying the doctrinal issues with my brothers in the WELS in order to determine if it was all just "an argument over words." I wasn't the one condemning people as false teachers or calling on them to repent for their teaching on justification. Not once. It was the WELS leadership that determined I was the false teacher and called on me to repent for teaching that sinners are only justified through faith in Christ. So at this point, if one believes that it was all "an argument over words," then what will he do with the WELS COP that has condemned a man (and divided a congregation) over a simple matter of words? It seems to me that one cannot sit on this fence for too long.

JANUARY 17, 2013 AT 9:11 AM

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GJ - Note the quibbling nature of the words used in Pastor Spencer's response. Error loves ambiguities.

Justified freely by grace  - this is the phrase used to market UOJ. "Freely by grace" is redundant. 

Why not justified by grace? Buchholz and the UOJ leaders have declared war on the Biblical doctrine of justification by faith.

If they agree with Paul - the original Pau, the Apostle - they would say, to a man, "We reject forgiveness without faith. We reject universal absolution without the Word of God."

Let's look at the entire brief confession:

We justified freely by grace and saved by faith in Jesus given by the Means of Grace.

Justification by faith is forgiveness. Justification by faith is salvation.  Therefore, this brief confession is rather addled, even for WELS. Jon-Boy Buchholz has written that the entire world is saved, period, finished, completed. This is constantly reiterated by the UOJ chorus, with pastors saying, "I was saved 2000 years ago." By that they mean - the entire world was pronounced forgiven and saved when Jesus died (or when He rose). They have not figured out the Moment of Absolution, but they are working on it. (Watch Notre Shame pressers for tips on how to finesse the truth.)

The fact remains, there is no grace apart from the Means of Grace. This WELSian brief confession lets everyone see it both ways, and the quibblers are intending to leave that false impression. The UOJ crowd says, "Ah. Everyone is forgiven. If we believe in UOJ, we are saved." 

The normal, un-brainwashed believer says, "There is justification by faith, and grace, and the Means of Grace. Everything is fine."

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Intrepids - Accentuate the Positive - Don't Mess ...":

Pastor Spencer states, “we justified freely by grace and saved by faith in Jesus given by the Means of Grace.”

This is classic UOJ speak. UOJ teaches the whole unbelieving world has been forgiven all sin and justified before and without faith in Christ – before and without receiving Christ as Mediator through faith alone – before and without obtaining Christ as their Propitiation through faith alone. Therefore the false gospel of UOJ teaches that the whole unbelieving world has been received into God’s grace, redeemed and reconciled to God without faith in Christ alone. UOJ teaches that Grace forgives – without the Means of Grace and faith therefore isn’t the righteousness of Christ by which men are forgiven – it only saves. UOJ teaches the forgiveness of sins is not eternal salvation for the unbelieving world which has already been declared forgiven, guiltless and righteous.

Faithful Wittenberg Confessor Hunnis rejects this teaching:

THESES CONCERNING THE HUBERIAN UNIVERSAL JUSTIFICATION OF BELIEVERS AND UNBELIEVERS

Thesis 1
Huber professes such a justification, for the sake of which Christ has properly, actually and practically conferred redemption on the entire human race in such a way that sins have been equally remitted to all men, including the Turks101, and that all men (including unbelievers) have received remission of sins, and that the whole human race has, in actual fact, been received into the grace and bosom of God.

Thesis 2
Hence he says that all those to whom the Gospel is proclaimed are to be called "elect, justified by God, sanctified, redeemed," and some of these are said to be "believing and converted."

Thesis 3
This universal justification of the entire human race he considers (even without respect to faith in Christ) to be fully completed 102, sins having been remitted on account of the satisfaction made by the Son of God and swallowed up in His own blood and wounds. These things he says concerning his justification.

Thesis 4
He was pleased to correct this foul and disgusting error in the first legal proceeding before the commissaries. But what he was at that time thought to have vomited out, he swallowed up again in his later writings, which his own reply to the Heidelberg Articles as well as a response to the censure of the Tiibingen theologians shows in the page markings in the upper margin.
Hunnius
Thesis Opposed to Huberianism
Translated by Rev. Paul Rydecki
Available from Amazon.com