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 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 National Council of Churches.
We had a breakfast nook at home in Moline, which served as my mother's office for grading papers, which she did with speed and efficiency. An electric typewriter was there for some work, and bookshelves filled the upper half of one wall.
The more useful books were there, including a set of encyclopedias. She said, "I read a whole set once," and I had no reason to doubt her.
The King James Bible was there, so I often saw it with a paper cover on it, somewhat like the graphic at the top. I was curious about the Authorized Version on the front page. That happens to be one of the strange aspects of that sub-title. That was not the official title, but it seems to be the favorite in England, just as KJV is here.
The back and forth of critics, good and bad, made me reminisce about the musical, majestic tone of the KJV. I tried my hand at translating some books of the New Testament. I learned - tis easier to imagine a better translation than to execute one.
Can anyone improve on the KJV's 23rd Psalm, John 10 - I am the Good Shepherd, The Lord's Prayer, and 1 Corinthians 13 - the love chapter perfectly recited at Princess Diane's wedding?
I remember little tidbits from the past - the doxology from the Lord's Prayer - "Oh that was taken from the Didache, an early Christian document."
Going over the historical trickery used against the Majority Text - I thought - "More likely the Didache took the doxology from Matthew!" So why do Roman Catholics not use the doxology to the Lord's Prayer and we retain it? There is a very long history of papal corruption of the apostolic Majority Text. It is much easier to corrupt by erasing than by adding clumsy extra words - the ending of Mark, the woman caught in adultery, the Johannine comma, and the Lord's Prayer doxology.
If I could take everyone through each erasure in the NIV, the precious ESV, and the RSV, each would be shocked beyond belief, that such flagrant pilfering has taken place by the very people who praise themselves for being "scientific, exacting, scholars of the text." The erased words are directly related to faith in Christ and His divinity.
Even more laughable is how these masters of deceit have achieved the most perfect text (cobbled together as if by drunks, skunks, and enfeebled monks) and the most glorious dynamic equivalent translation, yet they differ from each other hundred or thousands of times, and differ from their own previous efforts hundreds more times.
The Majority Text was preserved by the Christian Church, from the Apostolic Era onward, and beautifully expressed in the King James Version.
The modern paraphrases, passed off as translations, come from corrupt and fraudulent sources (Vaticanus - a LCMS fave; Sinaiticus - pure fraud; the Vulgate - Rome again!). Who prints these disasters? - Profiteering Bible businesses do - and their greedy denominational sponsors.
The Confession of Sins The Absolution The Introit p. 16
Introit
All the earth shall worship Thee: and shall sing unto Thee, O God.
They shall sing to Thy name: O Thou Most High.
Psalm. Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
sing forth the honor of His name, make His praise glorious.
The Gloria Patri The Kyrie p. 17 The Gloria in Excelsis The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, who dost govern all things in heaven and earth, mercifully hear the supplications of Thy people and grant us Thy peace all the days of our life; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Gradual
The Lord sent His Word and healed them:
and delivered them from their destructions.
V. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness:
and for His wonderful works to the children of men! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. Praise ye Him, all His angels: praise ye Him, all His hosts. Hallelujah!
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 Hymn #54Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah
In Our Prayers
Prayers and Announcements
Doctor's care - Pastor Shrader, Pastor K, Dr. Lito Cruz, Randy Anderson. Alicia Meyer - flu symptoms.
Pastor Jackson, right eye surgery, Monday.
A Pilgrim and a Stranger is from Paul Gerhardt, next to Luther, the greatest hymn-writer of all time. Gerhardt was a children's tutor and became a beloved pastor in Berlin. However, he was forced out of the parish because he would not concede anything to the Calvinists. He finally got a small parish. He lost his wife and all his children but one. He wrote Sacred Head Now Wounded and many other great hymns.
KJV Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; 7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; 8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; 11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; 12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. 14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. 15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. 16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
KJV John 2:1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. 6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins [GJ -10 gallons per firkin] apiece. 7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank Thee, that of Thy grace Thou hast instituted holy matrimony, in which Thou keepest us from unchastity, and other offenses: We beseech Thee to send Thy blessing upon every husband and wife, that they may not provoke each other to anger and strife, but live peaceably together in love and godliness, receive Thy gracious help in all temptations, and rear their children in accordance with Thy will; grant unto us all to walk before Thee, in purity and holiness, to put all our trust in Thee, and lead such lives on earth, that in the world to come we may have everlasting life, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Water into Wine - The Ordinary into the Extraordinary
KJV John 2:1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.
Introductory:
The conclusion of this miracle notes that this was the first miracle performed by Jesus - and His disciples believed. The miracle is especially important for two or more reasons. One is that it involved all the disciples, so they could verify to each other that this actually happened - the details proving it a miracle and not a fraudulent display . Secondly, Mary and the disciples being there with Jesus meant He honored marriage - and early Christianity did so as well. Only later did paganism influence pastors to believe they should live without being married and be monks, as if that were a higher calling. That was already true when Western Rome fell and Augustine was the famous bishop and theologian. This one miracle anticipates the anti-marriage law that took over and also the elevating of Mary beyond reality and the truth.
People are inclined to reduce individual episodes like this into one or two sentences. The Gospel of John is especially generous with details of great importance in Christianity. Because the Holy Spirit is so stingy with words, we need to consider each verse, sometimes each phrase, to understand the complete message. This miracle proves the Lordship of Jesus over all earthly matters - and the disciples believed - but it also supports marriage as God's will, the actual place of Mary as the mother of Jesus, and an example of God transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.
there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:
God created marriage through His Word - the Logos, and Jesus honored marriage by His presence with His mother and the disciples there. This one miracle explains quite a few important ideas. Official Roman Catholic teaching has Mary commanding Jesus to do her will, and also serving - priest-like, offering Jesus as the sacrifice of the eucharist. This corruption of the relationship between Jesus and Mary began after one conference (Theotokos - Ephesus, 431 A.D.) And as we can see, the corruption blossomed ever since. As Luther commented, one error can lead to an entire nation falling prey to false doctrine. Similarly, Calvinism separated the Spirit from the Word, which provided a steep path into rationalism and the Unitarian denial of the Trinity.
Luther suggested that Mary was substituting for the couple's parents, since she stepped into the wine shortage problem. The lack of wine suggested that this was a wedding feast limited by a lack of money, since wine was a staple and not just a sip for a toast to the bride and groom. The disciples were all there, so that increased the demand, but they bore witness to this miracle. Some are going to say, "Then why did they have doubts and fears, and worry about their future glory?" They are mirrors of our failings, since we know about all the miracles and the greatest one of all - defeating death and granting eternal life to Christian believers.
3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
There are two parts to this wine solution, on the part of Mary. One is that she took the problem to Jesus, believing He would solve the problem. The second is that she remained undaunted when He appeared to dismiss her request. That is an important parallel to the Canaanite woman, who kept asking Jesus and kept getting apparent rebukes from Him, thus showing her utter trust in Jesus. Mary is another example. She first asked then assured the stewards that Jesus would take care of matters.
4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. 5 His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
Jesus addressed His mother as "Woman," without any modifiers. He did the same at the cross, addressing her as "woman" but referring her to the beloved disciple John as a "mother to him." Woman, behold your son. Son, behold your mother. Like many passages in the Fourth Gospel, this one anticipates and shreds the elevation of Mary while honoring her faith in Jesus. The point of the miracle is Jesus' power through the Word, not Mary being in charge over Him.
People are inclined to think, "Why should I pray about something so trivial. I am nobody in the Kingdom of God, and this is too minor to take to God." But so was the lack of wine, and Jesus took care of the problem without being told how to do it. It is a sad spectacle that pastors and lay leaders tell God what to do - and give Him a deadline for getting it done. I saw the prayer on the Episcopalian bulletin board - "We are praying to God for a 10% increase in membership and offerings each year, for the next three years." (The pastor just got back from Fuller, where he was taught this nonsense.)
6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins [GJ -10 gallons per firkin] apiece.
Firkins are named in "The Music Man," which was produced in our lifetimes.
So they had 120 gallons - or more - of storage possible.
7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
These details matter because there have always been con artists with their pre-set tricks. Many basic magic tricks are now taught on video, where the magic comes from special tools or misdirection of the eye. In this case, the pots were empty, but filled to the brim with water from the well, as Jesus directed. He and his disciples did not touch anything. He then ordered the stewards to take some of the liquid to the toastmaster.
9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
The toastmaster did not know the origin of the water turned into wine, he called for the bridegroom, to teach him some wedding etiquettes. This is subtle humor, which is often found in the Fourth Gospel. The toastmaster is angry with the broom, and neither one knows what has happened.
10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good [noble, the best] wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good [the best] wine until now.
In the language of two men utterly baffled, the miracle is told in words that describe what has happened. They ran out of wine for the wedding, but instead of bringing in cheaper wine, they provided the best wine. This is the term used by Jesus in John 10 - I AM the Good Shepherd (the ultimate or best or noble; Greek is subtle, the word for good suggests being useful; this means the Shepherd above all shepherds).
Nothing is more ordinary than water, so this transformation from water to the best wine is very much worth thinking about. The Fourth Gospel involves a lot of symbolism, as the Bible does in general. Physical signs are good for reminding us of the spiritual message they teach.
What is more ordinary than marriage. People despise marriage and run away from it. And no matter what the couple's love might be, there will always be the ordinary - friction about money, raising the children, and goals in life. No matter how difficult things can be, God has blessed marriage among believers many times over. Those who believe in Christ also know about sin, contrition, and forgiveness. Partners (whether business or marital) cannot continue when there is a lack of forgiveness. And forgiveness is a great blessing from God, where all past problems are set aside and drowned in the sea of God's grace. Luther wondered about how long Adam and Eve argued about the forbidden fruit - whose fault was it?
God does more than transform marriage. He transforms the worst difficulties into the greatest gains, individualized for each person. How many people have said, "That disaster led me into the greatest part of my life." The biggest mistake we make is thinking that we have been plagued with a bad deal. Cannot God turn that ordinary into something extraordinary? This first of all the miracles Jesus performed - tells us yes.
I almost wrote - "four new hymns." The hymns on the Bethany Lutheran Hymnal Blog are classic, but the illustrations are new. Thank you, Norma Boeckler.
The best known hymn tunes are linked to the Tacoma Lutheran Church site, where they have posted most of the tunes of The Lutheran Hymnal.
1. Upon the cross extended,
See, world, thy Lord suspended,
Thy Savior yields His breath.
The Prince of Life from heaven
Himself hath freely given
To shame and blows and bitter death.
2. Come hither now and ponder,
'Twill fill thy soul with wonder,
Blood streams from every pore.
Through grief whose depth none knoweth,
From His great heart there floweth
Sigh after sigh of anguish o'er.
3. Who is it that hath bruised Thee?
Who hath so sore abused Thee
And caused Thee all Thy woe?
While we must make confession
Of sin and dire transgression,
Thou deeds of evil dost not know.
4. I caused Thy grief and sighing
By evils multiplying
As countless as the sands.
I caused the woes unnumbered
With which Thy soul is cumbered,
Thy sorrows raised by wicked hands.
5. 'Tis I who should be smitten
My doom should here be written:
Bound hand and foot in hell.
The fetters and the scourging,
The floods around Thee surging,
'Tis I who have deserved them well.
6. The load Thou takest on Thee,
That pressed so sorely on me,
t crushed me to the ground.
The cross for me enduring,
The crown for me securing,
My healing in Thy wounds is found.
7. A crown of thorns Thou wearest,
My shame and scorn Thou bearest,
That I might ransomed be.
My Bondsman, ever willing,
My place with patience filling,
From sin and guilt hast made me free.
8. Thy cords of love, my Savior,
Bind me to Thee forever,
I am no longer mine.
To Thee I gladly tender
All that my life can render
And all I have to Thee resign.
9. Thy cross I'll place before me,
Its saving power be o'er me,
Wherever I may be;
Thine innocence revealing,
Thy love and mercy sealing,
The pledge of truth and constancy.
10. How God at our transgression
To anger gives expression,
How loud His thunder rolls,
How fearfully He smiteth,
How sorely He requiteth,-
All this Thy sufferings teach my soul.
11. When evil men revile me,
With wicked tongues defile me,
I'll curb my vengeful heart.
The unjust wrong I'll suffer,
Unto my neighbor offer
Forgiveness for each bitter smart.
12. Thy groaning and thy sighing,
Thy bitter tears and dying,
With which Thou wast opprest,-
They shall, when life is ending,
Be guiding and attending
My way to Thine eternal rest.
The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn #171
Text: Hebrews 9:28
Author: Paul Gerhardt
Translated by: John Kelly, 1867, alt.
Titled: O Welt, sieh hier dein Leben
Composer: Heinrich Friese, 1703
Tune: O Welt, sieh hier
1. To shepherds as they watched by night
Appeared a host of angels bright;
Behold the tender Babe, they said,
In yonder lowly manger laid.
2. At Bethlehem, in David's town,
As Micah did of old make known;
'Tis Jesus Christ, your Lord and King,
Who doth to all salvation bring.
3. Oh, then rejoice that through His Son
God is with sinners now at one;
Made like yourselves of flesh and blood,
Your brother is the eternal God.
4. What harm can sin and death then do?
The true God now abides with you.
Let hell and Satan rage and chafe,
Christ is your Brother--ye are safe.
5. Not one He will or can forsake
Who Him his confidence doth make.
Let all his wiles the Tempter try,
You may his utmost powers defy.
6. Ye shall and must at last prevail;
God's own ye are, ye cannnot fail.
To God forever sing your praise
With joy and patience all your days.
The Lutheran Hymnal
Hymn 103
Text: Luke 2:10, 11
Author: Martin Luther, 1543
Translated by: Richard Massie, 1854, alt.
Titled: Vom Himmel kam der Engel Schar Tune: Puer nobis nascitur
1st Published in: "Musae Sioniae," VI 1609
1. Built on the Rock the Church doth stand,
Even when steeples are falling;
Crumbled have spires in every land,
Bells still are chiming and calling,
Calling the young and old to rest,
But above all the soul distrest,
Longing for rest everlasting.
2. Surely in temples made with hands,
God, the Most High, is not dwelling;
High above earth His temple stands,
All earthly temples excelling.
Yet He whom heavens cannot contain
Chose to abide on earth with men,
Built in our bodies His temple.
3. We are God's house of living stones,
Builded for His habitation;
He through baptismal grace us owns
Heirs of His wondrous salvation.
Were we but two His name to tell,
Yet He would deign with us to dwell,
With all His grace and His favor.
4. Now we may gather with our King
E'en in the lowliest dwelling;
Praises to Him we there may bring,
His wondrous mercy forthtelling.
Jesus His grace to us accords;
Spirit and life are all His words;
His truth doth hallow the temple.
5. Still we our earthly temples rear
That we may herald His praises;
They are the homes where He draws near
And little children embraces.
Beautiful things in them are said;
God there with us His covenant made,
Making us heirs of His kingdom.
6. Here stands the font before our eyes
Telling how God did receive us;
The altar recalls Christ's sacrifice
And what His table doth give us;
Here sounds the Word that doth proclaim
Christ yesterday, today, the same,
Yea, and for aye our Redeemer.
7. Grant then, O God, where'er men roam,
That, when the church-bells are ringing,
Many in saving faith may come
Where Christ His message is bringing:
"I know Mine own, Mine own know Me;
Ye, not the world, My face shall see.
My peace I leave with you." Amen.
Hymn #467
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Ephesians 2:19-22
Author: Nicolai F.S. Grundtvig, 1837
Translated by: Carl Doving, 1909, alt.
Titled: "Kirken den er et gammelt Hus"
Composer: Ludvig M. Lindeman, 1871
Tune: "Kirken den er et"
"In the struggle with conscience the feeling of sin, the wrath of God, death, hell, and all other terrors exert a powerful control, as we know by experience.
Then we must tell the tempted one: Brother, you desire to have a righteousness that one is able to feel, that is, you want to feel your righteousness as you feel your sin. But it will not be so…
Your righteousness cannot be seen, cannot be felt; rather you must hope that it will be revealed in due time. This is why you must not judge by the feeling of sin, which troubles and terrifies you, but by the promise and teaching of faith, by which Christ is promised, who is your perfect and everlasting Righteousness."
Otto H. W. Heick taught at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary and befriended us. He took us out to dinner and ate at our apartment
First of all, I thank God for placing in my life so many Lutheran leaders who were incompetent, apostate, and just plain dishonest. Some were laity, too. I can name them and match their paradoxical influence with things I learned from the Scriptures, Luther, and the Book of Concord, which they pretended to know. If everything had gone well instead awry, I would have been a placid, no-nothing, blander than milquetoast manager of sorts, very comfortable.
Secondly, I thank God for Christina, from the first day of college to her first day in eternal life, 55 years - almost to the day. The funny-hilarious-dramatic-genius moments with her are not so painful to recall now. She had everything to do with many blessings for me, her children, members, her friends - especially those almost friendless or overlooked.
I am thankful to God for this far-flung congregation and group of readers. Yes, I welcome and am thankful for those who read the blog out of fear, anger, or curiosity. Some have been angels unaware, thereby converted to the truth of the Scriptures, Justification by Faith, and the Means of Grace.
Someone asked the Yale philosopher-theologian Paul L. Holmer why he was a Christian. They expected something deep, cryptic, and incredibly complicated. He said, "My mother taught me." I can say the same thing. I remember my mother teaching me the 23rd Psalm (KJV). When she was dying in our house, 90+ years old, I said, "You taught me this, Mom." And I read it to her. She breathed deeply and passed into eternal life.
Ultimately, the Scriptures taught me, and I had my mother's deep knowledge of science and nature plus her trust in the Word of God. There was no contradiction.
The Book of the Holy Spirit is wiser than any man or book, so I feel like I just discovered a KJV at my doorstep because of the effect of defending and promoting this translation. In fact, a KJV did show up at our doorstep, the lectern Bible that rests on the stand which I built from an Amazon kit.
Paul L. Holmer, Guggenheim Fellow, Yale philosopher-theologian.
Nils A. Dahl was head of the Yale New Testament department, devoted to the text, not the theories.
One of the key values of the KJV is its longevity as a translation. Updates have been rare and slight, except for the famous 19th century KJV Revision, which bombed worse than Paul Kelm's version of evangelism, absent the Gospel, packed with plagiarized droppings from Fuller Seminary.
But that is not all. The KJV team tried hard to make their words match the original, so the translation is the best possible experience for those who only know English (which now means almost all seminarians).
The WELS college faculty, now submerged into the ladies' school of ministry in New Ulm, hated the NIV - the "classic" NIV, the holocaust NIV exterminated by its greedy, rapacious publishers. The college professors murmured against the NIV in classes but said little or nothing when WELS made the new, even worse NIV their standard. The New NIV is truly the ideal bad paraphrase for the KJV-Never bumpkins who run the sect.
Those who respect the KJV also honor Justification by Faith - not just among Lutherans.
The KJV translators were not great, famous writers, but they lived at the same time as Shakespeare (actually the Earl of Oxford). English was at its peak, but that does not explain the beauty and cadence of the KJV verses, many passages welded into our memories - The 23rd Psalm, 1 Corinthians 13, and the Lord's Prayer.
The modernists skip all around with their Nida Dynamic Equivalence, so a word or phrase translated one way is changed in another location.
I am not arguing for a word for word translation, which only happens in clumsy interlinear Bibles. Those like Lenski who provide a translation showing off the Greek grammatical points will produce a New Testament that becomes humorous at times (yet effective for teaching Greek).
The KJV translators themselves were awed by the finished product, which gradually pushed the Geneva Bible into the dustbin of history. Nobody ordered the KJV to dominate. That kind of tyranny had to wait for WELS to ban everything except their precious New, Improved, NIV. You will notice that changing year by year, though English does not change so fast. They must think their original and subsequent editions were pretty bad, no?
The explanation for the KJV lasting 400+ years and dominating the reading of all English Bibles is simple. The KJV teams worked from faith in Jesus Christ and a genuine desire to take what was good from before and make it even better if possible.
Tyndale set the stage - and he was a rare genius in giving life to his work, which was most of the New Testament and a large part of the Old Testament. One writer said that Tyndale outshone Luther, but that is debatable and includes Luther's entire team. Nevertheless, the KJV's genius began with Tyndale. Honest scholars give credit to the earlier efforts, to Luther, to the Geneva Bible, and 50+ faithful scholars of the KJV translation.
If you hate the New NIV, don't worry, they will keep changing it, year after year. The WELS clergy nicknamed it the Nineveh Bible, but they whispered in Gath lest the joke be heard in plush carpeted halls of the Love Shack.
Harold Bloom, The Shadow of a Great Rock: A Literary Appreciation of the King James Bible.
I knew that Harold Bloom was famous at Yale, in the English department, so I ordered his book on the KJV, via Alibris used books, which usually means almost brand new condition.
The back cover made it sound positive, but the entire book is in praise of himself - Harold Bloom, atheist - no he likes the term "gnostic" better. Mild praise of the KJV is followed by superficial, snide remarks, as if he can look down his nose at the Bible because he is a famous critic, no longer chasing the skirts of his students, having met his Maker.
The Harvard book - which reviews the precision and style of the KJV - is so much better. I will be using that for the second edition of The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God.
Bloom is an excellent example of someone who does not believe the Scriptures and therefore becomes blinded and hardened. The Spirit is always at work in the Word, so someone who uses that powerful and effective Word for mockery will pay a terrible price.
That mockery is standard for those tenured professors who teach the Scriptures and "world religion." My informant about world religion in the Phoenix community college network said, "They are all atheists and hate each other. I wish you could get the position but you would not be happy there."
What people sense, and also act upon, is the chill of apostasy among the Lutheran synod leaders and teachers. Those apostates are devoted to their perks and privileges, and mock the KJV.
When offered the chance (for free) to teach Lutherans to use the Gospel Word about faith in Jesus Christ, the Wisconsin sect chose to buy the Unstuck Program. Most of the real work of evangelism is free or almost free. Unstuck is just an echo of Fuller, Willow Creek, Waldo Werning, and the gimmicks of Floyd Luther Stolzenburg.
The last celebration, July 10, 2021 - was for 9 million views. I know many are praying for me - to stop. So I want to discourage them as much as possible.
That gives us a million-per-year viewing rate. I wonder how that matches the Calvinist News (nee Christian News, nee Lutheran News). They turned that into a goldmine, or rather, a lead mine. Those who dig up lead for a living find traces of gold, so the analogy is apt.
CN is out of gold but the lead can be polished to look like silver.
Interest in the KJV is very high. When my eyes work together, after the second cataract surgery, I will be able to finish up the second edition of The Bible Book: The KJV Reborn for Those Who Love the Word of God.
Let me count the ways - NIV or ESV Bible, KJV-Never, praise band, Luther only used for funny trinkets, Melanchthon and Chemnitz unknown, frequent trips to Fuller, Willow Creek, and other doctrinal dens of iniquity, clergy drunk or adulterous or both.
The atrocity of my food habits is becoming obvious as I dethrone the Standard American Diet (SAD) and replace it with Furhman's nutritional ideas. Each day I study the two Fuhrman books I have, because they are so full of information.
Eggs, toast, and butter - gone.
Cheese - bye-bye.
Candy, desserts, and diet drinks - too obvious.
That did not happen at once, because I was paring down the fat-producing foods in favor of nutrition. In the last month I have lost weight and increased in energy. I also sleep through the night, which is another improvement.
My new kick is leafy greens. I had two piles of them yesterday, for lunch and supper. I will have one today for breakfast. There are two basic reasons:
They are almost calorie free but add a lot of nutrition, especially when eaten with some nuts (almonds, walnuts) and some seeds (flax ordered).
I used to read things like "four fruit servings a day" and think - I will try for one a day. When protein and desserts are a priority, fruit is a distant goal, a long-distance goal. Now fresh fruit replaces dessert 100% and I consider fresh oranges and apples dessert. Juices are banned, whether sugared or sugar-free, because they have the same bad effect. Diet juices and sodas can be very addicting.
Furhman calls this a relying-on-fat diet, because it is possible to avoid eating fats with so much stored around the waist. Some call this a fat-burning diet, which also makes sense. Relying on sugar and fast-acting sweets for energy, the liver quickly lays down a new row of sandbags - fat layers. When this is denied, stored fat is rousted from its comfortable position and used for fuel. That is energizing while storing new layers makes us tired, sleepy, and unambitious.
That explains why sensible eating helps us lose weight while giving us more energy. Crash diets lose weight in a miraculous fashion, but they do not change habits. The rebound is something to see, gaining it all back, adding another 10% for margin, and feeling like a dope.
Long ago I spotted a diet book-of-the-month club, which is as hilarious - or as sad as - the Church-Growth-Book-of-the-Month club. Both assuming that one idea per month is a complete failure, so they try the new one. Church Growth soldiers on because the apostates love it and cannot digest Biblical doctrine.
Mencken was a bit harsh on the WELS-LCMS-ELS-CLC combine. Add a boatload of Thrivent salesmanship.
Barbara and Kurt Aland. They remind me of the stars in Frankenstein. Kurt is Boris, and Barbara is...
I had two big finds on KJV information. One was about the literary style and translation art of the KJV. Yes, translating is an art. Simply knowing the language is not enough. More on that later.
The other one was a big shock, because many books go over the background material most know about. This one has a lot of new information gathered about how the 19th century revision of the KJV utterly failed - so bad the leaders knew it was unfixably bad. They printed zillions and hoped to make a fortune. Nope. Everyone wanted the KJV.
The book also describes the devious, dishonest tactics used - not as bad as WELS changing the vote to yes on the DMLC-NWC merger. But close to that level of crookedness. The revisers pushed the traditionalists out and promoted their own wacky ideas. They were also very close to the Roman Catholic leaders and friends.
I hope to make the point clearer (since I know more now) that Roman Catholics were invited in and given the leverage needed to challenge the faithful KJV and Majority Text and replace both with pieced-together paraphrases and Roman Catholic frauds - Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus. The public thought their work stunk like a dead, rotting elephant corpse, but the radicals took over in the name of the "oldest and best, scientific, accurate and awesome text," except it does not exist.
The "eclectic text," as they call it, does not exist anywhere except in their parboiled minds. They snipped and pasted and looked in wonder at what they invented - "This is truly the original Greek New Testament, because we ourselves fashioned it on our computers."
I only had BelVita crackers for breakfast, with pour-over coffee from Costa Rica. I was not really hungry until lunch, which was the perfect time to try some new foods.
Chickpeas boast an impressive nutritional profile.
They contain a moderate number of calories, providing 269 per cup (164 grams). Approximately 67% of these calories come from carbs, while the rest comes from protein and fat (1Trusted Source).
Chickpeas also provide a variety of vitamins and minerals, as well as a decent amount of fiber and protein. A 1-cup (164-gram) serving of cooked chickpeas offers (1Trusted Source):
Calories: 269
Protein: 14.5 grams
Fat: 4 grams
Carbs: 45 grams
Fiber: 12.5 grams
Manganese: 74% of the Daily Value (DV)
Folate (vitamin B9): 71% of the DV
Copper: 64% of the DV
Iron: 26% of the DV
Zinc: 23% of the DV
Phosphorus: 22% of the DV
Magnesium: 19% of the DV
Thiamine: 16% of the DV
Vitamin B6: 13% of the DV
Selenium: 11% of the DV
Potassium: 10% of the DV
They tasted much better than red kidney beans, but were a bit dull in flavor. I added almonds, walnuts, and blueberries, all three tasty and loaded with beneficial nutrients.
Fuhrman promotes green, leafy vegetables because a huge serving provides no calories, plenty of healthy nutrition, and satisfies. I bought balsamic vinegar dressing for a mixed selection of greens.
This was a plunge, because I associate lettuce with unpleasant eating, especially when my mother found out I was hiding my portion behind the curtains. (Note to self - throw away what is hidden!)
The salad was delicious, especially because I was still hungry. I finished with an orange, my first for the day, but not the last. Envy apples were in the fridge cooling. They are juicy, a bit tart and a bit sweet.
Fuhrman is right - this kind of eating is very filling, but it does not make me feel stuffed, as the SAD diet does (Standard American Diet). I am going to have an apple or two. One giant apple later - that Envy was good.
