Zinzendorf's "Jesus Lead Thou On" - Was Stephan and the Walther Circle Pietistic?

 Norma Boeckler's Christian Art

"Jesus, Lead Thou On" - Nicholaus von Zinzendorf
Cento by Christian Gregor, 1723-1801
Translated by Jane Borthwick, 1813-1897

Nicholaus von Zinzendorf was a leader of Pietism, had a close connection with Martin Stephan, and was the author of two hymns in The Lutheran Hymnal.

Tune - Seelenbraeutigam - linked here

1. Jesus, lead Thou on
Till our rest is won;
And although the way be cheerless,
We will follow calm and fearless.
Guide us by Thy hand
To our fatherland.

2. If the way be drear,
If the foe be near,
Let not faithless fears o'ertake us;
Let not faith and hope forsake us;
For through many a woe
To our home we go.

3. When we seek relief
From a long-felt grief;
When temptations come alluring,
Make us patient and enduring;
Show us that bright shore
Where we weep no more.

4. Jesus, lead Thou on
Till our rest is won.
Heavenly Leader, still direct us,
Still support, control, protect us,
Till we safely stand
In our fatherland.

The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #410
Text: Luke 5:11
Author: Ludwig von Zinzendorf, Cento by Christian Gregor, 1778
Translated by: Jane Borthwick, 1854, alt.
Titled: "Jesu, geh voran"
Composer: Adam Drese, 1697
Tune: "Seelenbraeutigam"

From Magnus Sørensen - Some Important Notes from a Research Paper

The Justification of Christ as the Efficient Cause of Our Justification -The Narrow Lutheran Middle in the Controversy on Universal Objective Justification

Magnus Sørensen


***

GJ -

The linked paper is from a European pastor who has left the corrupted and corrupting bosom of Objective Justification. As you can tell from reading the entire paper, he was still suffering from the effects of picking the best position among the Synodical Conference writers. Therefore, the conclusion is muddled. The Word of God judges all human publications, so we have to start there, at the source. 

I picked out a few highlights that are so obvious to those who actually do research, and quite valuable in showing that Pietism was indeed the error that led Stephan, Walther, and the Synodical Conference into Objective Justification. The paper also reveals Robert Preus supporting Justification by Faith from Romans 4:5 at an early stage, before his gig as one of the Righteous Brothers (Jack and Robert).

His paper showed how Moravian Pietists taught Objective Justification, how the Easter absolution of the world (without faith) was basic to this view.

What was Bishop Martin Stephan? Answer - a Moravian Pietist.

His church was actually on ground donated by Zinzendorf (Moravian Pietist) and his congregation was Moravian Pietist - as Stephan was. They were allowed to have Pietistic cell groups (loved by all Church Shrinkers) on their church grounds, though Stephan used other places to cloak his many adulteries with young women. Walther confessed that he learned Justification from Stephan, and the OJ Walther Fan Club proclaims Walther never wandered from that position (Robert Preus festschrift).
The research show, therefore, that there are only two sources for Objective Justification. One is Calvinism, as Samuel Huber revealed before being kicked out of Wittenberg.

The other source is Pietism, as shown by this paper - especially by Stephan's Movavian Pietism that brought the cult to America.

It Came from Pietism: Some Honesty about LCMS History

Stephan’s Official Seal

And  His Zinzendorf Connections, 

#3 Devil’s Advocate Report

In Pursuit of Religious Freedom: Bishop Martin Stephan’s Journey

By Philip G. Stephan (born 1935), New York: Lexington Books, 2008.

http://www.amazon.com/Pursuit-Religious-Freedom-Stephans-Journey/dp/0739124420

My citations will be In Pursuit of Religious Freedom, instead of Stephan, to avoid confusion, since the author is a descendant of the bishop.

I am not going to rehearse all my posted information about Zinzendorf, one of the most influential figures in Lutheran Pietism. Here are some links:

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2008/11/pietism-narrative-basics-save-this-link.html

Thirty Eight Posts on Pietism here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolaus_Ludwig_Zinzendorf

“There is also a family oral tradition about the hat drawn in the seal. It was believed that the hat represented the hat that Martin used when he preached. This preaching hat may have represented Herrnhut, which translated into English means ‘the hat of the Lord.’ Herrnhut was alos an important place in the Pietist tradition. It was in Herrnhut where two families of Moravian Brethren came to live on the estate of Nicholas Ludwig, called Count von Zinzendorf. The count donated the land for their community that grew and then they built a church on the donated property that was near Dresden…Zinzendorf was born in 1790 only seventy mikles from Dresden. He had a profound influence on the ‘awakening’ movement, on Pastor Stephan, and on the Bohemian founds of St. John’s Church in Dresden.”

#31, IPRF. p. 64.

Join Me in the CFW Walther Sainthood Project

How many synod leaders have been guilty of multiple kidnapping, betraying the secrecy of the confessional, mob organization, and grand larceny?
Matthew 18 and the Eighth Commandment are rules for suckers, not for leaders, Walther would say.

Missourians are so protective of Walther than Loehe is not allowed a little publicity and thanks, because that would detract from the all-surpassing wisdom of the Kidnapper.

The Olde Synodical Conference is gearing up for Walther's birthday. Protestants make fun of Roman Catholicism's sainthood business, but they allow more than one saint in their pantheon. Missouri does not.

I am publicly pushing for Walther to be declared a saint, a honest way of dealing with this business. However, I will play the role of the Devil's Advocate, an actual title in the Catholic sainthood business. The DA gets to bring up all those unsavory details that might impede the declaration, although I suspect it is a formality in many cases, such as the odious Mother Theresa, an unbelieving demon from hell, who tortured the very people she used to raise millions for the Antichrist.

October 25, 2011 is Walther's 200th birthday, so Ichabod will feature him. I am copying quotations into Word for the Justification book. I will post them and link them together.

May is the Month of Mary for Catholics, so October is the Month of Walther for the Syn Conference, with several weeks to warm up for that holiday of holy days.

Who needs the Reformation? Walther had all the answers. All we need to do is return to his consecrated and consecrating essays. If he overturned justification by faith, it needed overturning. If he alienated Lutherans leaders by calling them all false teachers, they deserved it - just for appearing to disagree with him. If he kidnapped minor children from his father's parsonage, they wanted to be kidnapped.

Walther saves a lot of time. Instead of studying Luther or the Scriptures, Syn Conference leaders only need to mention His Holiness and the sheepfold begins to heave, sigh, and bleat with pleasure. There are two possibilities - either no one has ever studied his life and doctrine. Or - they have studied his life and doctrine, so they have added him to the Trinity to cover up his moral failings and his doctrinal poison.

Walther secretly organized a mob against Bishop Stephan, stole his land, threatened his life via the mob, deposed him, robbed him, and kidnapped him.
First Installment - Devils Advocate in Sainthood Case
Second Installment - Bishop Stephan a Pietist, Leader of Conventicles or Cell Groups 
Third Installment - Zinzendorf and Bishop Stephan