Dogmatics - Lo, How the Professors and Bishops Have Fallen!

 

"The first and coarsest is that of St. Thomas (if indeed he be a saint). This was taken from the system of pagan science and art which was written by that great light of nature, Aristotle. Now they say that his philosophy is like a bright, shining plate, and the Word of Christ is like the sun. And as the sun shines upon the plate, causing it to gleam and glitter all the brighter, so the divine light shines upon the light of nature and illumines it. With this beautiful simile they have introduced pagan doctrines into the Christian church, which have been taught and cultivated by the great universities and in which teachers and preachers have been instructed. The devil has taught them to speak in this way. Thus the Word of God is trodden under foot, for when it is given full play, it subverts all these satanic doctrines." Epiphany 1 sermon, #16.

Dogma is often used as a term to refute someone's argument, but somehow  Dogmatics is a wonderful, large, impressive set of books, required reading - they claim. A few years later, they are retired reading, beautiful backdrops of 300 unread volumes hovering above and behind a pastor's head.

Luther's statement above - and in the previous post - is enough to warn people away from dogmatics. However, even today the ranking theologians are stuck and will not let themselves be unstuck (the last being another fad).

Here is a sample -

Thomas Aquinas - required reading for future popes and dogmaticians.

Calvin - boring, lifeless, often ridiculous, but somehow addicting to semi-Lutherans.

CFW Walther, BA, genuinely Calvin with a veneer of Luther.

Paul Tillich - The Courage To Be, mostly forgotten.

Karl Barth and his live-in mistress/assistant - Church Dogmatics; on sale for $1 a volume.

Franz Pieper, Christian Dogmatics, a clever sleight of hand, merging Justification by Faith with Objective Faithless Justification, promoting yet denying the efficacy of the Word of God.

Braaten-Jenson, Christian Dogmatics, an introduction to ELCA, a superb collection of ponderous drivel. 

These volumes are guaranteed to slowly turn someone into an atheist, step by step, though many deny it. Note that the Pieperites are perfectly happy to work with ELCA's Braaten-Jenson and Fuller Seminary's McGavran/Peter Wagner style theologians.

The only book they all loathe is the King James Version of the Bible. Now we begin to smell the pot-roast, as Luther once wrote.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Epiphany 1 - "Now if they say to you: Should we not believe the holy fathers? you may reply: Christ is not found among the kinsfolk and acquaintance. It would indeed be well if Christians generally were to heed this example from the Gospel and use it as a maxim against every doctrine that does not agree with the Word of God."

 

"The first and coarsest is that of St. Thomas (if indeed he be a saint). This was taken from the system of pagan science and art which was written by that great light of nature, Aristotle. Now they say that his philosophy is like a bright, shining plate, and the Word of Christ is like the sun. And as the sun shines upon the plate, causing it to gleam and glitter all the brighter, so the divine light shines upon the light of nature and illumines it. With this beautiful simile they have introduced pagan doctrines into the Christian church, which have been taught and cultivated by the great universities and in which teachers and preachers have been instructed. The devil has taught them to speak in this way. Thus the Word of God is trodden under foot, for when it is given full play, it subverts all these satanic doctrines." Epiphany 1 sermon, #16.

Luther's Sermons - Luke 2:41-52.
First Sunday after Epiphany

Now if they say to you: Should we not believe the holy fathers? you may reply: Christ is not found among the kinsfolk and acquaintance. It would indeed be well if Christians generally were to heed this example from the Gospel and use it as a maxim against every doctrine that does not agree with the Word of God.

16. But in order to emphasize this more and to make it clearer, let us see what other doctrines have been proclaimed that do not agree with the Word of God. Up to this time we have had three different systems of doctrine. The first and coarsest is that of St. Thomas (if indeed he be a saint). This was taken from the system of pagan science and art which was written by that great light of nature, Aristotle. Now they say that his philosophy is like a bright, shining plate, and the Word of Christ is like the sun. And as the sun shines upon the plate, causing it to gleam and glitter all the brighter, so the divine light shines upon the light of nature and illumines it. With this beautiful simile they have introduced pagan doctrines into the Christian church, which have been taught and cultivated by the great universities and in which teachers and preachers have been instructed. The devil has taught them to speak in this way. Thus the Word of God is trodden under foot, for when it is given full play, it subverts all these satanic doctrines.

17. In the second place, they have taught and prescribed human laws, called the institutions and precepts of the holy Christian church. Thereby these fools have thought to lead men to heaven and to be able to comfort and pacify our conscience. These human laws prevail to such a degree that like a great deluge they cover the whole world and have submerged everything else, so that it is almost impossible that any one may be saved from going down to hell. For they clamor unceasingly as though they were insane: This has been decreed by the holy councils and that has been commanded by the church; we have observed this a long time, shall we not believe it now?

18. Therefore we should reply to this from the Gospel, as I said: Even if Mary, the Holy Virgin, had done this, it would not be surprising if she had erred. She was the mother of God, and yet she did not know where to find Christ; she sought him among her kinsfolk and acquaintance and failed to find him. Now if she did not succeed in finding Christ among her kinsfolk, but had finally to come to the temple, how shall we expect to find him outside of the Word of God in human doctrines, in the decrees of the councils or the teachings of the scholastics? Bishops and councils have undoubtedly not possessed the gift of the Holy Spirit in as large a measure as Mary. If she erred, why should not they also be mistaken who fancy to find Christ elsewhere but in his Father’s house, that is in the Word of God?

19. If therefore you find one who adheres to these two different systems of doctrine, believing them to be right and trusting in them, ask him whether he is quite confident that they will comfort his soul in the hour of death or under the judgment and the wrath of God, whether he will be able to say then with a conscience undaunted: This has been declared and decreed by the pope and the bishops in their councils, I depend upon that and am quite certain I shall not fail? He will soon be obliged to say: How can I be so certain of this? Thus, when it comes to the point and you are in the presence of death, your conscience will say: It is indeed true, the councils have decreed this, but what if they were mistaken, and who knows whether they were right? Then when you are in such doubts, you cannot hold out, and Satan will assail you and hurl you to the ground, so that you lie there helpless.

20. In the third place, besides these two theories they have also pointed us to the Holy Scriptures and said, that above every other doctrine the laws and decrees of the pope in matters of faith must be observed. But here they except the teachings of some of the holy fathers, who have interpreted the Scriptures, and whom they have exalted so highly that they place them on the same level with the pope of Rome, or a little above him, asserting even that they could not err, and clamoring: How could it be possible for the holy fathers not to understand the Scriptures? But let these fools say what they wish, always remind them of the words of Christ: “Knew ye not that I must be in my Father’s house?” We must above all things have the Word of God and cling to it, for Christ will be there and in no where else. Therefore it is in vain that you seek him elsewhere. For how can you convince me that Christ must be found in the writings of the holy fathers?

21. This Gospel is therefore a severe thrust at every doctrine and every comfort of any kind that is not derived from the Word of God. You may therefore say: It matters not how highly you exalt reason and the light of nature, I reserve the right of not putting my trust in it. The councils have issued decrees and the pope or the holy fathers have taught what they wish, but that does not concern me; I will not depend upon them. We will soon agree if they decide and propose what they please, but grant me the liberty to say: If it pleases me, I shall observe it, but not as something that is especially meritorious. They will however not grant us this right; for they are not satisfied to let us use our own discretion in these things, but demand in addition that we base our trust and comfort on them, teaching that if we trust in them, it is as much as if we place our confidence in Christ and the Holy Spirit. We can not tolerate their delusions according to which they think that they are doing a good work who keep their laws, and again, that it is a sin not to keep them. For they declare that the precepts and doctrines of the pope and the church come from the Holy Spirit and are the Word of God, for which reason we ought to believe and observe them. But this is an obvious and shameless lie; for how can they prove it?

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Epiphany 1 - "But the consolation of which I have spoken is that Christ is only found in the temple, that is to say in the house of God. But what is the house of God? Is it not the whole creation? It is indeed true that God is everywhere, but he is especially present in the Holy Scriptures, in his Word, more than anywhere else. We learn therefore here that nobody can presume to derive any comfort from anything but the Word of God; you will find the Son only in the temple. Now look at the mother of Jesus who does not yet understand this and does not know that she must seek for him in the temple. When she sought for him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance, and not at the right place, she did not find him."

 

Complete Sermon ->

Luther's Sermons - Luke 2:41-52.
First Sunday after Epiphany

11. We find many examples of similar trials in the Scriptures, and here we might refer to the words of David in Psalm 31:22: “As for me, I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes,” just as we sometimes think that God does not want us. Such trials are unendurable and severe beyond measure, wherefore the saints passing through them lament greatly, for if God would not deliver them they would be in hell. Compared with these trials other temptations and sorrows are trivial, as for instance when our possessions and honors are taken from us, or when the innocent babes were murdered and Jesus was forced to flee into Egypt. The prophet speaks of this in Psalm 94:17: “Unless Jehovah had been my help, my soul had soon dwelt in silence.” So great is the terror and anguish of such visitations. But God permitted them that we might lay hold of these examples, be comforted and saved from despair. At the end of our lives we must also pass through like trials. Therefore we must be armed and prepared for them.

II. AN EXAMPLE OF COMFORT UNDER THE CROSS.

12. Such is the narrative and example of the great sorrow as it is portrayed in this Gospel, but we are also shown where comfort may be found. The parents of Jesus lost him, going a day’s journey and seeking for him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance, but found him not. They return to Jerusalem and after a search of three days he is found by them in the temple. Here God has pointed out how we can find consolation and strength in all our sorrows, and especially in these great trials, and how we can find Christ the Lord, namely by seeking him in the temple. Jesus said to his parents: “Knew ye not that I must be in my Father’s house?”

13. The words of Luke “and they understood not the saying which he spake unto them” are especially to be noted here. With these words he silenced the idle talk of those who exalted and praised the Virgin Mary too highly, asserting that she knew everything and could not err. For you see here how the Lord permits her to seek her child for a long time in vain, till she finds him in the temple after three days. In addition to this, Jesus seems to reprimand her when he says: “How is it that ye sought me? knew ye not that I must be in my Father’s house?” She understood not the saying which he spake to her. Consequently all the idle talk to which we have referred is nothing but falsehood, and the Virgin Mary does not need this fabricated and mendacious praise. God concealed much from her and led her through many trials, so that she might remain humble and not think herself better than others.

14. But the consolation of which I have spoken is that Christ is only found in the temple, that is to say in the house of God. But what is the house of God? Is it not the whole creation? It is indeed true that God is everywhere, but he is especially present in the Holy Scriptures, in his Word, more than anywhere else. We learn therefore here that nobody can presume to derive any comfort from anything but the Word of God; you will find the Son only in the temple. Now look at the mother of Jesus who does not yet understand this and does not know that she must seek for him in the temple. When she sought for him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance, and not at the right place, she did not find him.

15. Therefore I have often said and say again, that in the Christian church nothing should be preached but the pure Word of God. With this the Gospel agrees when it says that they did not find the Lord among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. It is therefore wrong to say that we must believe what the councils have decreed, or what Jerome, Augustine and other holy fathers have written. We must point out the place where Christ may be found, which he himself points out when he says that he must be in his Father’s house, which means that he can only be found in the Word of God. We should therefore not believe that our conscience may trust in the teachings of the holy fathers or derive comfort from them. Now if they say to you: Should we not believe the holy fathers? you may reply: Christ is not found among the kinsfolk and acquaintance. It would indeed be well if Christians generally were to heed this example from the Gospel and use it as a maxim against every doctrine that does not agree with the Word of God.

A Bitter Snowstorm Reached Springdale, Arkansas Today, Leaving an Inch of Accumulation by 10 PM.Correction - Knee-high Snow

Before and after - Friendship Sunday in WELS and the LCMS.

This is how Northwest Arkansas people view the first snow of the year.

"Do you really think this Friendship Sunday is going to work? I brought my dozen fresh cookies so I can discover my felt needs." 

Going Downhill Fast - ELCA's United Lutheran Seminary - aka Gettysburg Seminary - aka Philadelphia Seminary

 

 Keith Gough and his son, Matthew, sled on the hill at the United Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg Tuesday. Many schools in Adams County cancelled classes for the second straight day. (Darryl Wheeler/Gettysburg Times)

The very cool and elaborate website created with all ELCA seminaries! That is gone now or in hiding. Each seminary compared faculty, student body, tuition, and other tidbits.

Gettysburg and Philadelphia - always divided - are still in separate locations and operating as if united.

She was pushed out of the seminary presidency for being...wait for it...hetero.

Christian Century:

The day before, Latini released a letter addressing concerns that had been raised in public conversations at the seminary in late February and early March. Latini acknowledged a primary issue for many: that in the 1990s she had directed an organization—formed by members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)—that “believed and taught that sexual orientation change was possible to varying degrees for some, if not many, LGBTQIA+ persons seeking to live in accordance with the former ‘fidelity and chastity’ standard” then in effect in the PCUSA. She also stated: “I profoundly regret my work in this organization. . . . I completely reject any and all other attempts to change one’s own or another person’s sexual orientation.” Latini became an advocate for full inclusion of people of all sexualities and genders in the church and the academy in the past 12 years, she wrote.

People Ask about Charlie Sue, Patterdale Terrier

 

I had to look up Charlie Sue's papers to recall the peculiar sub-group, Patterdale Terrier. The vets were stumped too. Her traits include -

Always hunting - She stops with one front paw lifted, as if to say, "Quiet, I have a target." She also uses some hunting tactics on me, such as lightly chewing up and down my arm, leaping up at me outdoors, and looking for new scents.

Prancing on her hind legs - revealing her ultimate joys, such as going out for a walk or racing around "the park," a grassy area where cows once roamed.

Ordering boy friends - Charlie chides across the fence until they obey her. She loves to run races along the fence, barking orders, but she also refuses to run at times. Her friends include Porchi, Dustmop, Pug, and Duke the German Shepherd. We use the grassy area between homes to get Sassy closer and free. She can race into the ally or tear out of there for fun.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Epiphany 1 - "But God does all this out of his superabundant grace and goodness in order that we might perceive on every hand how kindly and lovingly the Father deals with us and tries us, so that our faith may be developed and become continually stronger and stronger. And he does this especially so as to guard his children against a twofold danger which might otherwise threaten them. In the first place, being strong in their own mind and arrogant, they might ultimately depend upon themselves and believe they are able to accomplish everything in their own strength."

 

Complete Sermon ->

Luther's Sermons - Luke 2:41-52.
First Sunday after Epiphany

8. We find many examples of this in the Scriptures, as for instance in Joshua 7:6-7. God had given to Joshua great and strong promises, telling him that he would exterminate the heathen and charging him to attack his enemies courageously and vigorously, which he also did. But what happened? When his faith was strong he,sent three thousand men against a city to take it. They were proud, seeing that it was a small city with only a few people to defend it. When the men of Israel approached, the enemy sallied forth from the city and defeated the people. Then Joshua fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of Jehovah until the evening, lifting up his voice and lamenting before God, saying: “Alas, O Lord Jehovah, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over the Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to cause us to perish?” His faith had become weak and he was utterly discouraged, so that God himself had to raise him up again. Thus God deals with his great saints, whom he sometimes deprives of Christ, that is, of their faith and confidence.

9. But God does all this out of his superabundant grace and goodness in order that we might perceive on every hand how kindly and lovingly the Father deals with us and tries us, so that our faith may be developed and become continually stronger and stronger. And he does this especially so as to guard his children against a twofold danger which might otherwise threaten them. In the first place, being strong in their own mind and arrogant, they might ultimately depend upon themselves and believe they are able to accomplish everything in their own strength. For this reason God sometimes permits their faith to grow weak and to be prostrated, so that they might see who they are and be forced to confess: Even if I would believe, I cannot. Thus the omnipotent God humbles his saints and keeps them in their true knowledge. For nature and reason will always boast of the gifts of God and depend upon them. Therefore God must lead us to a recognition of the fact that it is he who puts faith in our heart and that we cannot produce it ourselves. Thus the fear of God and trust in him must not be separated from one another, for we need them both, in order that we may not become presumptuous and overconfident, depending upon ourselves. This is one of the reasons why God leads his saints through such great trials.

10. Another reason is, that he wants to give us an example. For if in the Scriptures we had no examples of saints who passed through the same experiences, we should be unable to bear our trials and would imagine that we alone are thus afflicted, that God never dealt with any one in this manner; therefore my suffering must be a sign of God’s displeasure with me. But when we see that the Virgin Mary and other saints have also suffered, we are thereby comforted and need not despair, for their example shows that we should calmly and patiently wait until God comes and strengthens us.

11. We find many examples of similar trials in the Scriptures, and here we might refer to the words of David in Psalm 31:22: “As for me, I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes,” just as we sometimes think that God does not want us. Such trials are unendurable and severe beyond measure, wherefore the saints passing through them lament greatly, for if God would not deliver them they would be in hell. Compared with these trials other temptations and sorrows are trivial, as for instance when our possessions and honors are taken from us, or when the innocent babes were murdered and Jesus was forced to flee into Egypt. The prophet speaks of this in Psalm 94:17: “Unless Jehovah had been my help, my soul had soon dwelt in silence.” So great is the terror and anguish of such visitations. But God permitted them that we might lay hold of these examples, be comforted and saved from despair. At the end of our lives we must also pass through like trials. Therefore we must be armed and prepared for them.

How Many Members Were Lost Since President Matt Harrison Took Office in 2010?How Many Leaders Have Apologized for Their Beloved Church Growth Movement?

 

"The LCMS membership is declining at a little over 50,000 members (2.8%) per year. The data on LCMS membership don't include the number of high school age members over the past couple of decades." LutherQuest

Bishop Susan Johnson, ELCiC, was elected in 2007.

ELCiC Bishop Susan Johnson, 2024

Some people enjoy the old graphics, so I am including some favorites, old and new.

St. Peter Lutheran Church in Kitchener, Ontario, ELCiC, is turning its building into subsidized apartments with the third floor rented out  for gubmint officials. Note the rainbow stole.

Quote - "You Are Not a Christian. You Are a FAITHian. Your Faith Is in Faith!"

 

The "faithian" argument has been around for some time. Those who know and understand English, or German, or Greek can discern the difference between Justification by Faith and Justification without Faith.

The Great Walther, as they like to call him, was simply a copycat who adopted the Pietism of Bishop Martin Stephan, STD, the syphilitic who adopted the dogma of Halle University. Study of the Walther circle shows that the earlier Pietist dictator was followed by another - Stephan - who lost his dictatorship to CFW.

A lot of adoring OJists quoted similar statements from this Preus-centric book,
but he repudiated Objective Justification in his Justification and Rome.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Epiphany 1- Jesus in the Temple - "When God vouchsafes to us a strong faith and a firm trust in him, so that we are assured he is our gracious God and we can depend upon him, then we are in paradise. But when God permits our hearts to be discouraged and we believe that he takes from us Christ our Lord; when our conscience feels that we have lost him and amidst trembling and despair our confidence is gone, then we are truly in misery and distress."

 

Luther's Sermons - Luke 2:41-52.
First Sunday after Epiphany

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY.


TEXT:

Luke 2:41-52.And his parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up alter the custom of the feast; and when they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem, and his parents knew it not; but supposing him to be in the company, they went a day’s journey; and they sought for him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance: and when they found him not, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking for him. And it came to pass, after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both hearing them, and asking them questions: and all that heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when they saw him, they were astonished; and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? knew ye not that I must be in my Father’s house? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and he was subject unto them: and his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.



I. AN EXAMPLE OF THE CROSS.

OR SANCTIFIED SUFFERING.

1. This is a Gospel that presents to us an example of the holy cross, showing us through what experiences those have to pass who are Christians, and how they ought to bear their sorrow. For he who desires to be a Christian must expect to help bear the cross. For God will place him between the spurs and thoroughly test him that he may be humble and no one will come to Christ without suffering. Of this we have here an example, which we ought to imitate and shall now consider.

2. Although the holy mother Mary, who was highly blessed and upon whom many favors were bestowed, had undoubtedly the greatest delight in her child, yet the Lord so ruled that her joy was not without sorrow and like all others she did not attain complete blessedness until she entered heaven. For this reason she had to suffer so much sorrow, pain and anguish on earth. It was her first great sorrow that she had to give birth to her child in Bethlehem, in a strange town, where she found no room with her babe except in a stable. Then her second sad experience was that soon after the six weeks of her purification she was compelled to flee with her child into Egypt, a strange country, which was indeed a poor consolation. She undoubtedly experienced many more like trials, which have not been recorded.

3. One of them is related here, when her son caused her so much anxiety, by tarrying behind in the temple and letting her seek him so long, and she could not find him. This alarmed and grieved her so that she almost despaired, as her words indicate: “Behold, thy father and I, sought thee sorrowing.” For we may well imagine that thoughts like these may have passed through her mind: “Behold this child is only mine, this I know very well, and I know that God has entrusted him to me and commanded me to take care of him; why is it then that he is taken from me? It is my fault, for I have not sufficiently taken care of him and guarded him. Perhaps God does not deem me worthy to watch over this child and will take him from me again.” She was undoubtedly greatly frightened and her heart trembled and was filled with grief.

4. Here you see what she experienced. Although she is the mother of a child in whom she might have gloried before all mothers, and although her joy was immeasurably greater than any she had ever felt, yet you perceive how God deprives her of all happiness, in that she can no longer call herself the mother of Jesus. In her great dismay she probably wished, she had never known her child and was tempted to greater sins than any mother had ever committed.

5. In the same manner the Lord our God can take from us our joy and comfort, if he so desires, and cause us the greatest sorrow with the very things that are our greatest joy, and, on the other hand, give us the greatest delight in the things that terrify us most. For it was the greatest joy of Mary that she was the mother of this child, but now he has become the cause of her greatest sorrow. Thus we are afraid of nothing more than of sin and death, yet God can comfort us so that we may boast, as St. Paul says in Romans 7, that sin served to the end that we became justified and that we longed for death and desire to die.

6. The great sorrow of the mother of Christ, who was deprived of her child, came upon her in order that even her trust in God might be taken from her. For she had reason to fear that God was angry with her and would no longer have her to be the mother of his Son. Nobody will understand what she suffered who has not passed through similar experiences. Therefore we should apply this example to ourselves, for it was not recorded for her sake, but for our benefit. She is now at the end of her sorrows; therefore we should profit by her example and be prepared to bear our sorrow if a similar affliction befall us.

7. When God vouchsafes to us a strong faith and a firm trust in him, so that we are assured he is our gracious God and we can depend upon him, then we are in paradise. But when God permits our hearts to be discouraged and we believe that he takes from us Christ our Lord; when our conscience feels that we have lost him and amidst trembling and despair our confidence is gone, then we are truly in misery and distress. For even if we are not conscious of any special sin, yet in such a condition we tremble and doubt whether God still cares for us; just as Mary here doubts and knows not whether God still deems her worthy to be the mother of his Son. Our heart thinks in the time of trial thus: God has indeed given me a strong faith, but perhaps he will take it from me and will no longer want me as his child. Only strong minds can endure such temptations and there are not many people whom God tests to this degree. Yet we must be prepared, so that we may not despair if such trials should come upon us.

The Reformation Seminary Lecture Is Not Working Today

 There are multiple computer conflicts, so it is not working in Zoom.

The Scriptures Are Always Effective -- The Holy Spirit Working Through the Word

 

1. The Bible begins with the Holy Trinity -
2. The Father commands each of the days in Genesis.
3. The Son executes those commands.
4. The Holy Spirit hovers over Creation and teaches this wonder to us, from the  very first Word and throughout the New Testament.

The Apostles only had the Scriptures - not the Old Testament but simply the Testament. Luther called the New Testament a series of sermons on the Old Testament.

In other words, the Old Testament phrases and verses in the New Testament serve - even now - as the NT anchor, not just a quote from ancient times. Those Old Testament statements were puzzles for centuries until they were fulfilled by the Spirit teaching through the Apostles as promised.

Each Old Testament citation in the New Testament is not simply a light from the past, but The Light shining from the earliest days to serve as the foundation for the new and final era of the revealed Gospel.

KJV Exodus 3 reveals the Angel of the Lord as God. The Burning Bush has Two Natures, signifying the bush as burning but never consumed. Moses insisted on a name for God, Who said, 

"Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM That I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." 

Around 1400 years later, the Two Natures of Christ enraged His opponents.

KJV John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM. 

The clergy and laity should take this to heart. Those who believe the power of the Gospel can expect to have to rocks thrown, with joy and energy. Oh, but energy is the Greek word for efficacy, effective. They forget the dual nature of effectiveness. The Holy Spirit hardens and blinds those who will not believe the Savior.

The Denominations Do Not Believe the Scriptures - When Did They Stop?The Big Five Apostates Shrink! - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic).

"The work of the fathers was not to give light to the Scriptures with their comments, but rather to set forth the clear Scriptures and thus interpret Scripture by Scripture only without any additions of their own."
Luther's sermon on on the Epiphany, Lenker edition

How do they sleep at night - these brave warriors against the truth? Elizabeth Eaton can only talk about and write about her favorite subject. Yes, that one. But she also writes letters addressing every possible Left-wing issue. Those nuggets of negativism have to be published to edify the shrinking corporate body called ELCA.



Matt the Fatt's Missouri Synod has a solution - two seminaries! Each one argues against the other one - about which one is more absurd.



In the LCA, Gettysburg opposed Philadelphia until they merged. That seems to be the trend, with lots of posing about the glittering future of their enterprises. After all,  Philadelphia alone has an Osage Indian as its president, preceded by a woman who was suspected of being hetero in the past.

The LCMS and WELS postured as synodical opponents a few decades ago, but now everyone is so broke and needing Thrivent calendars that they gladly walk in mincing steps, side-by-side with ELCA.



The ELS and CLC (sic) are dissolving or merging, as so many have. Bethany Seminary has two students per class, for a total of eight, counting the vicarage year. Spelling is not an issue for the CLC. Donkey basketball is the key.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Epiphany - "The work of the fathers was not to give light to the Scriptures with their comments, but rather to set forth the clear Scriptures and thus interpret Scripture by Scripture only without any additions of their own."

 

Complete Sermon -> Luther's Sermons - Matthew 2:1-12.
Epiphany - The Story and Spiritual Meaning of This Gospel

45. In the third place, they hold up to us the saints’ interpretations of the Scriptures, and consider them a great light. They finally adhere to them and believe that in these interpretations they possess something that no one could reject, and claim again and again in order to keep us away from the pure Word that the Scriptures are obscure and make many heretics.

46. Is not this a masterpiece of blasphemy? But who guarantees them that the fathers are not also obscure? Or who will give us the guaranty that the fathers did not err in their interpretations? Indeed it is well known that they did often err, often contradicted themselves, often contradicted each other and very seldom were unanimous in their agreement. God permitted this to happen to make uncertain also the interpretations of the fathers and to warn us on all sides not to depart from the Scriptures. And yet we stumble here and do not permit ourselves to be guided by the Scriptures. Therefore we should know that it is not true when they say: The fathers give light to the obscure Scriptures. They are doing injustice to the fathers, and belie them. The work of the fathers was not to give light to the Scriptures with their comments, but rather to set forth the clear Scriptures and thus interpret Scripture by Scripture only without any additions of their own.

47. However, that heretics originated from the Scriptures, is true. From where else should they have come? There is no other book that teaches the Christian faith but the Scriptures. Therefore, as no one can become a Christian except by the Scriptures, so also can no one become a heretic but by the same Scriptures. Christ is indeed a sign spoken against and set for the falling and rising of many. Should we on that account reject him or set up another Christ by his side? You do not at the same time need wine and bread, but should we on that account quit tilling the farm and the vineyards or start others besides them? Satan is the enemy of the Scriptures and therefore he has decried and calumniated them by this clamor and blasphemy.

48. But what does this Gospel teach? In the first place, these wise men did not inquire after the chief priests and do not ask: Where is Annas or Caiaphas, or how did this or that man live? But they ask: Where is the newborn king of the Jews? Yes, Christ permits them, as a warning to us, to go astray and to seek him in Jerusalem in the holy city among the priests, the learned and the royalty. He is not found in the holy place nor in the holy customs. Nor did they receive as an answer any human opinions, but only what the Scriptures say about Christ, which alone are to be sought among the holy people and in holy places.

Tom Fisher - Illinois Blizzard

 

Thank you for praying for me Pastor Jackson! 

Here are some pictures I took this morning, Monday January 6, 2025. Everything looks so much better.

Temperatures will plunge to single digits Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday and then begin to warm up on Friday.

In Christ,

Tom Fisher

ELCA - "One Ring To Rule Them All And In the Darkness Bind Them!"The Big Five Apostates - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic),

The Day of Epiphany marks the moment when the Wise Men from the East risked their lives to visit and worship the Christ child. The Star of Bethlehem was no longer honored when the Lutheran astronomer Kepler emphasized the reality of the event. The great intellectuals of Kepler's day scoffed - a fairy tale. Centuries later, Christina and I saw the Star of Bethlehem explained and displayed at Chicago's Adler Planetarium.

Oh how the great and mighty make fools of themselves. Science - which is worshiped arduously - changed its tune. Planetariums did the math and they filled their sky temples with visitors (not even PhDs!) viewing the Star of Bethlehem, displayed by carefully calibrated settings. One bitter astronomer was disgusted that his colleagues used the Star of Bethlehem to increase their attendance!

God's wisdom is foolishness to the unbelievers - 

1. Synod presidents like Liz Eaton, Matt the Fatt Harrison, and Mark Schroeder.
2. Professors of Nonsense at ELCA's collapsing seminaries. 
3. Concordia Ft. Wayne and the Other One.
4. Mequon GA, and Bethany OJ.
5. The CLC, home of Donkey Basketball.

When His Holiness - Dr. Lawrence Otto Olson (WELS) - bragged that Missouri and WELS had more post-grad students than their own seminaries, the die was cast, as Julius Caesar blurted out. 

Concordia Ft. Wayne, under Robert Preus, created a Church Growth DMin, so their students could enjoy the toxins of Fuller Seminary and a fake doctorate. In the past, seminaries had awarded STMs to those who studied an extra year or two (sometimes 20, J. Heiser). However, interest in hanging an STD diploma in the church office slowly faded away. Fuller and its copy-cats created a Jesuit-like cohort of Church Growth fanatics across all denominational lines.

Who was not honored at Fuller Seminary graduations? Their student body first included all the foreign mission executives first, then filtered into the American missions, and finally anyone who insisted on being called doctor (fill in the blanks). One of the Ft. Wayne DMins was furious that I dared to criticize his beloved Church Growth Movement. I read his alleged dissertation, which was complete nonsense. Ft. Wayne made some money and he got to be called Doctor.

According to Christian News and a WELS pal, Larry Olson never attended Fuller Seminary. Oddly enough, I found his bound DMin "dissertation" in the library of Martin Luther College.

Bottom Line - Sales

The Big Five Apostates - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic) - have this in common, which is why they are fading faster than meringue pie left in the sun - they are selling their soggy brand, not teaching faith in Jesus Christ.

Their sales are secure because that is what they do - conforming to the goose-step of Fuller Seminary, Unstuck, and other idiocies.