Only the Large Congregations Are Leaving ELCA - And the Number Is Growing

We still have 10,000 left...so far.

The Liberal Spirit

In response to my request to the office of the ELCA secretary, I received an email from The Rev Ruth E Hamilton, Ph.D., which is reprinted below:

These are the latest statistics:

As of April 7, we have been advised that 308 first votes have been taken by congregations to terminate their relationship with the ELCA (some congregations have taken more than one first vote). Of those 308 first votes, 221 passed and 87 failed. Synods also have informed the Office of the Secretary that 90 congregations have taken a second vote, 89 of which passed. (This does not mean that all of these congregations have been removed from the roster because Synod Council approval is required for congregations established by the ELCA and former congregations of the Lutheran Church in America, and, in some cases, the vote is disputed because questions exist regarding the process. The Office of the Secretary will remove a congregation from the roster only upon advice of the synod.) As of this date 46 congregations have been removed.

For comparison purposes, the website of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC) reports 185 new congregations since CWA09. It would appear that a heavy preponderance of the congregations departing the ELCA are coming to rest in LCMC, which raises interesting issues for the Lutheran CORE progeny, the new denomination scheduled to start next August, which will be called the North American Lutheran Church (NALC). Again, remember that the ELCA counts over 10,000 congregations on its rolls.

UOJ Confusion

"Luke, I am your mother!"
"No-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!"


Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "LP Cruz - On the Bourman UOJ Paper":

In order to induce at least a small level of frustration in both UOJ promoters and simultaneously in Justification By Faith Alone defenders I quote contradictory declarations from WELS AZ/CA District President Pastor Jon Buchholz in his 2005 WELS Convention Essay concerning Objective Justification as nurtured and nourished in the Wisconsin Synod.
http://www.wlsessays.net/author/B/Buchholz%2C+Jon+D.


"God has forgiven the whole world. God has forgiven everyone his sins." This statement is absolutely true! This is the heart of the gospel, and it must be preached and taught as the foundation of our faith. But here’s where the caveat comes in: In Scripture, the word "forgive" is used almost exclusively in a personal, not a universal sense. The Bible doesn’t make the statement, "God has forgiven the world."

"God has forgiven all sins, but the unbeliever rejects God’s forgiveness." Again, this statement is true—and Luther employed similar terminology to press the point of Christ’s completed work of salvation.16 But we must also recognize that Scripture doesn’t speak this way."

"God has declared the entire world righteous." This statement is true, as we understand it to mean that God has rendered a verdict of "not-guilty" toward the entire world. It is also true—and must be taught—that the righteousness of Christ now stands in place of the world’s sin; this is the whole point of what Jesus did for us at Calvary. However, once again we’re wresting a term out of its usual context. In Scripture the term "righteous" usually refers to believers. "

"God has forgiven the whole world. God has forgiven everyone his sins." This statement is absolutely true!" Also, "God has declared the entire world righteous." This statement is true, as we understand it to mean that God has rendered a verdict of "not-guilty" toward the entire world."

Pastor Buchholz' statement to me, "I also note in your description of UOJ below that you characterize UOJ as saying: "The world has had righteousness, forgiveness and justification charged to their account." That statement confuses universal acquisition and particular distribution of the forgiveness of sins. While I imagine that some WELS person may conceivably have written that statement, it is nevertheless sloppy and imprecise and cannot be used as a correct characterization of UOJ"

Shrinkers To Speak at South Central District, WELS, June Meeting

Drive your Edsel to Jim Huebner's Soul Cafe. Wait - Groeschel is in the driver's seat in WELS missions.

James Huebner (WELS First Veep) and Mark Paustian (Mary Lou College) - both of Church and Change - are the speakers at the upcoming district meeting for South Central, WELS, June 7-8, Calvary, Dallas.

That, readers, is how WELS keeps its members and pastors in Stygian darkness. First they pummel them with horrid papers on UOJ. Next they have their Shrinker leaders offer another round of poison based on UOJ.

There are intelligent pastors who actually understand what is in the Book of Concord and never attend Chicanery hive meetings, but they do not get asked.

Expect no difference while the current generation of Doctrinal Pussycats remains on the job.

Of course, Kudu Don Patterson cannot wait to reform the district!

Sauer Notes for ELCA

Kenneth Sauer was an LCA bishop, then an ELCA bishop. Now he is taking people and congregations out of ELCA.

Kenneth Sauer, ex-bishop of ELCA, had this to say about how ELCA degenerated so quickly. His remarks imply that ELCA began with a lesbian preacher in 1987, the same who preached for Goodsoil after the winning vote. In other words, the fix was in from the beginning.


One of the last remaining thinkers in ELCA has written an excellent essay on ELCA going wrong from the beginning, with mandated quotas. He failed to mention the required gay quota, which paid off royally at the 2009 ELCA convention. Much of this began with Missouri's Seminex, which had its beginnings at Northwestern College, Watertown, where Professors Jungkuntz and Gehrke taught apostasy with abandon.

The president of the ELCA (formerly ALC) seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, resigned and left town rather quickly. Just as fast, the board appointed an interim president, David Tiede, who was formerly head of Luther Seminary in Minneapolis. The leadership crisis suggests something, but what? One possible cause is insolvency. Several ELCA seminaries are flat busted, in spite of their female and LGTB pastoral candidates. Perhaps some additional facts will turn up.

The seminaries will lose students from the recent vote, but they will doubtless gain a few new ones, too. The fan page for Party-in-the-MLC will grow. Phones will ring in the New Ulm dorms. "Hi. I was just in town and..."

The ELCA Council member quoted recently is probably the LCA pastor we knew in Ohio. He was against the change but abstained from voting, since that was against the will of the Church Wide Assembly. The courage! The integrity!

How does one get on these legislative boards? By being slithering compromisers. Each one wants to paddle up to the edge of Niagara Falls for the view, but they all express shock that they cannot paddle back to safety.

PS - A 550 member church in Ohio just voted to quit ELCA. The bishop complained he did not get enough time to present the case for an LGTB denomination. Later the same guy might do a Ken Sauer and complain about the ordination of cats and dogs.

LP Cruz - On the Bourman UOJ Paper

This news photo illustrates the consistency of UOJ argumentation.L P has left a new comment on your post "

LP Cruz - On the Bourman UOJ Paper": BTW, that picture made me ROFLOL!!!!

L P has left a new comment on your post "Bruce Church - The Nate Bourman UOJ Paper":

A few points:

1. The use of Chemnitz to vouch for his position is anachronistic and coerced. He does this by equating the Atonement points Chemnitz made with Justification but that is begging the question.

2. If one assumes the Atonement is the same and equivalent with Justification then he will see any Atonement topic from Luther or Chemnitz as a statement about Justification. This is assuming already what one needs to prove.

3. Bourman assails H. Schmidt and G. Fritschel for saying that justification occurs at the time of faith yet this is what the Scripture says about Abraham Gen 15:6.

4. He quotes Chemnitz saying that Chemnitz equated justification with reconciliation p.7. However, the question is does Chemnitz equate the two without reference to faith? The second point is that reconciliation has a past sense of the atonement and a continuing sense in that men are still being justified today as they believe. His use of Chemnitz to leverage his case is suspicious.

Lastly, the pastors in this conference know of one thing about Calvinism - that Calvinists deny the universality of the Atonement. But that is not the only thing the Calvinist does. The Calvinist equates the Atonement with Justification too! Which I might add, the UOJers do as well.

LPC

***

GJ - Every UOJ paper argues that the Atonement passages in the Scriptures are also justification passages. They also repeat the same authorities, all post-Walther, all from the Synodical Conference, without addressing contrary positions, including Robert Preus' final book. Therefore, all UOJ efforts have proven themselves to be prime examples of Begging the Question.

Not only that, but these UOJ Stormtroopers betray their ignorance by using Guilt by Association, a variation on the personal attack, the Ad Hominem. The fake blog runs on fallacies, especially those.

Here are the responses of UOJ Stormtroopers to justification by faith:

1. You are a Calvinist.

2. You are in fellowship with Larry Darby.

3. You are in agreement with Greg Jackson.

4. Your faith is in faith.

5. You deny UOJ! - which assumes UOJ is Biblical or Confessional or just plain unassailable.

6. You have fallen into the error of intuitu fidei.

Bruce Church - The Nate Bourman UOJ Paper

bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Knapp's Portrait Contributed by...Someone":


They finally have the Nate Bourman paper up at the WELS essay site--the one on the origin of the terms SJ and OJ.

I just perused the Bourman paper on the history of the term OJ and SJ, and did a search on the name Knapp. Nothing. Another thing that's missing is the entire p. 6 (lines 91-122)! I doubt the missing page mentioned Knapp.

Here's a statement: "They may even argue that the forgiveness of sins is not the same as justification." I've never heard anyone make that claim. The BoC says that the forgiveness of sins is the same as justification, according to my recollection. However, this statement comes out of the confusion caused by UOJ since the UOJers say someone is justified and forgiven but doesn't benefit thereby.

The whole Texas conference on UOJ turned out to be a circling the wagons, and dodging issues. Bourman asks us to believe that UOJ came fully formed out of Walther's head in 1872, and didn't come from Knapp and the many Halle U graduates and Knapp readers in the Synodical Conference.

Another example is when Ichabod says that UOJ is 99% on the way to universalism, Schleicher writes a paper on the differences, but neglects to admit there isn't a whole lot of difference. Also, he writes about universalist churches with their strange doctrines, but this is all irrelevant.

Once again Mequon graduates show their dependence on their indoctrination. On the universalism paper, Schleicher listed in the bibliography: "Seminary Dogmatics Notes, cf. the Seminary mimeo company."

http://scdwels.wordpress.com/essays-papers-presentations/

Justification by faith alone since the Reformation: the use and emergence of “objective” and “subjective” in relation to justification.

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Words for Today

When I find a fellow who clearly hasn't learned anything new since leaving school, I'm reminded of the old saying, "Even the best soil becomes exhausted by constant tillage!"
(I.R. Penworthy)

Posted by Rev. Fr. Spencer at 2:53 PM

Fake Clergy Shortage in the Missouri Synod

Blessing the compost will create a lot of happy campers, even if they do not get a call.
Mollie on the fake shortage.



Do you write the blog Ichabod, the Glory has Departed? Well, if you did, you called it about the Ft. Wayne Sem and trumping the need for pastors to get guys to attend, because my class at the sem alone is 20 calls short.

***

GJ - More Church Growth programs are needed, funded by Thrivent.

Another Gratuitous Comment from the Knapp Faction

Is MBW still a Christian News fan? Otten also loves UOJ.


Steadfast Lutherans

April 25th, 2010 at 01:10 | #15
Reply | Quote

@Gregory L. Jackson #9

I see Greg Jackson has posted a link to his website. Greg, are you and Larry Darby still as one doctrinally? What do you say about MO’s traditional doctrine of Universal Justification?




April 25th, 2010 at 08:26 | #17
Reply | Quote

@mbw #15

My comment is totally off-topic, but since Rev. Jackson posted a link to his website, I thought cautions were in order. He is a very intelligent, witty and at times friendly commentator, and has written some good stuff, but denies “Universal/Objective” justification (which is not Universalism in any way), while also denying being a Calvinist.

***

GJ -

I responded:

@mbw #15
It is too bad you cannot focus on the topic at hand or list your name. I suggest you read this blog post for some doctrinal clarity: http://extranos.blogspot.com/2010/04/some-tips-to-calvinist-becoming.html

I was happy to link LPC's excellent post on the topic.

I believe the gratuitous comments, which have nothing to do with the discussion, are a sign of anxiety about their precious UOJ losing ground - as laymen examine it and clergy confide that they consider it junk theology.

WELS Never Tires of Patting Itself on the Back, Thanking God for Being So Superior

Easter Egg hunts are a habitus practicus, or is that habiti practici?

oldjoe (http://oldjoe.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Holy Word Should Read the Appointed Gospel for Jub...":

Without a doubt, thank God, we are among the best trained for the public ministry anywhere in the world.

Unfortunately that high-quality education leaves a lot to be desired in terms of understanding Scripture and basic skills like spelling. Mr. Gurgel, you should avoid making claims that are so patently false. Making false claims destroys your credibility and that of what you say about the Word of God.

Jubilate - The Third Sunday after Easter

Jesus commended a child-like faith:
art by Norma Boeckler.


Jubilate, The Third Sunday after Easter


Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time


The Hymn # 536 Awake My Soul 3.28
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 36 Now Thank We 3.40
Because They Do Not Believe
The Communion Hymn # 354 In the Cross 3.84
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
The Hymn # 195 (Luther) Christ Jesus 1:46

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER
Lord God, heavenly Father, who of Thy fatherly goodness dost suffer Thy children to come under Thy chastening rod here on earth, that we may be like unto Thine only-begotten Son in suffering and hereafter in glory: We beseech Thee, comfort us in temptations and afflictions by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may not fall into despair, but that we may continually trust in Thy Son's promise, that our trials will endure but a little while, and will then be followed by eternal joy; that we thus, in patient hope, may overcome all evil, and at last obtain eternal salvation, through the same, Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

KJV 1 Peter 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. 13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

KJV John 16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. 17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? 18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith. 19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. 23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

To Convict the World of Sin, Because They Do Not Believe

KJV John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

The text for today is taken from the historic lesson for next week, because I glanced at another website and forgot they were using the Vatican order (3-year lectionary), which mixes things around. John 16 is a chapter worthy of considerable study, because it is Jesus’ farewell sermon and contains so much for us to know.

The work of the Holy Spirit (that is, the Word) is three-fold:
1. To convict the world of sin.
2. Of righteousness.
3. And judgment.

Whenever we speak of the work of the Holy Spirit, it is the work of the Word of God. And the reverse is also true. The Word of God is always the work of the Holy Spirit, no matter how we might be tempted to judge it.

Some say, “Do not speak so sharply about doctrine, because it makes people upset and unhappy.” But that is the work of the Holy Spirit – convicting them of sin, because they do not believe.

Verse 8 is the most upsetting of all verses in the New Testament, for two reasons.

One is the definition of sin for most people. Our first thought is the Prodigal Son, who wasted all his money on slow horses and fast women. We think of carnal sin and all the vices of the world. Most people think of sin this way because it is the primary definition in the minds of all people. That is also why they think the opposite of sin, or the cure for sin, is virtue and good works.

The second reason this upsets is that constant war against faith being waged by the stormtroopers of the Synodical Conference. Borrowing from Calvinism via Pietism, they imagine that everyone is already forgiven, without the Holy Spirit working through the Word, that salvation is believing we are already forgiven, while repudiating faith in an odd sort of way.

No matter how much we know as believers, we still go back to the world’s definition of sin. That is also why we spend so much time justifying ourselves instead of relying on the justification promised by and given by the Word of God.

To understand this properly we need to return to Luther’s concept of the Bible, which was the result of his spiritual agony, his extensive training, and his duties in lecturing on the Bible.
Luther, as a monk, thought battling sin meant confessing his sins for hours, ruining his health, torturing himself with physical pain of various types. The more he did this, the more he less he felt in control of sin. He knew the mental battle was the greatest of all. As he said in one sermon, someone can be tied up and incapable of doing anything, yet sin inwardly. Physical restraint is no cure. Nor is total fear of the consequences. If someone refrains from sin from fear, that is not conquering sin at all. Take away the fear and the impulse remains.

Because we all have a general knowledge of sin and a default attitude of paying for sin by ourselves, the Biblical solution must be different. God’s ways are not man’s ways, and God’s thoughts are not man’s thoughts.

The basis for all sin is lack of faith in Christ. The Gospel alone conquers sin, so the lack of Gospel from a lack of faith is the cause of sin.

I contend that the teaching of UOJ in WELS, the ELS, Missouri, and the CLC (sic) has had catastrophic consequences for the clergy. Most laity do not grasp the false doctrine of UOJ because it is so self-contradictory. However, the clergy get UOJ left and right and know they cannot openly oppose it. For the spiritually lazy, it is wonderful, because it justifies anything they do, whether it means addiction to alcohol, drugs, adultery, or false doctrine. Under UOJ, unionism is meaningless and there is no room for the category of false doctrine (except “denying UOJ” which is condemned with fury).

The larger problem of a lack of faith in Christ comes from impatience with His results, which are never enough for us, and the experience of the cross.

Impatience with results will always lead us to doubt God’s Word and His goodness. Clergy get that experience because everything leading up to the first call is usually positive. Isn’t it wonderful is a common phrase. The vicar is almost always in a large congregation and never faces the real action. He is ordained and gets some gifts, his first real dwelling, to be shared with his shepherdess, and then it all starts. It is the bad side of teaching and preaching the Word. One member will be furious because a single announcement was overlooked.

As someone said, the actions of one person can color one’s perception of the whole group. Reaction against sound doctrine is much stronger than support of sound doctrine. That leads the clergy into ways of creating happy campers, as one Church Growth leader said, and the road to apostasy follows, especially since Satan rewards apostates to keep them in the fold.

No one looks at the last act of the apostate. Robert Schuller was the man to emulate for decades. Now various businesses are suing his church for unpaid bills. I have seen unpaid bills in a church before, but never so bad that lawsuits were filed to collect. That shows where the Power of Positive Thinking leaders. But others will follow younger, more radical wolf-shepherds and forget about old Schuller, yesterday’s news.

More importantly, people fail to grasp the Gospel when they think their battle against sin is one of works and virtue. The Law has no power to conquer sin. The Law can only convict us of our sin and stir up sin. A perfect Law sermon is this “You know why we are not growing? You are not friendly enough! We need a program of friendliness to make people want to join our church.”

That kind of Law sermon will make people upset at their unfriendly neighbors and induce people to engage in a works-program of friendliness.

All the self-improvement and addiction programs are based on works and virtue.

Fruits of Christianity come from faith in Christ. Faith in Christ comes from remaining with the Means of Grace. A forgiven Christian is motivated by love, God’s love. The Gospel alone has to power to conquer sin because believers receive the righteousness of Christ and enjoy that energy, that leaven in their lives.

I use the term energy because it is a pun on the Greek word expressing God’s Word “at work” or effective in the lives of believers. Paul and Christ warned against the bad leaven of the Pharisees but commended the constantly growing leaven of the Gospel.

As Luther said, and we read in the Confessions, the Gospel continues to work in us to make us more loving, more patient, more generous.

The unforgiven person rages against sin because he never knows how to be forgiven. The UOJ parson is in the same fix, because his solution is anti-Biblical rather than God-pleasing.

Not believing in Christ is a sin. Faith in Christ means receiving all His benefits.

Holy Word Should Read the Appointed Gospel for Jubilate Sunday

From: Pastor Gurgel

SPREAD the WORD Holy Word Ministry Expansion Project April 23, 2010 There is nothing more exciting and rewarding than Spreading the Word of Christ's love and grace! It is with this thought that this first of many communications is being sent to you regarding Holy Word's ministry expansion project: SPREAD the WORD! The origin of the SPREAD the WORD project is rooted in several past Holy Word initiatives and much prayer and meditation seeking Christ's guidance for the future of our church family. Given the tremendous effort and history associated with this project, the focus of this letter is to provide background information that led to initiating the project and to provide the project vision and mission statements that have helped to guide the project thus far. Future communications will dive into more current details about the project and strive to answer questions Holy Word members may have about this exciting ministry expansion project. So what is the foundation for SPREAD the WORD? First and foremost SPREAD the WORD is based on Christ's Great Commission as stated in Mark 16:15. He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Through God's grace Holy Word has been priviledged (sic!)to start several mission churches over the past 15 years. Blessed fruits from these outreach projects include the following Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) churches: Cross and Crown in Georgetown (97 souls), Risen Saviour (sic!) in South Austin (123 souls), Living Waters in Marble Falls (20 souls), Trinity in Temple (81 souls), Abiding Saviour in Killeen (102 souls) and Christ the Rock in Round Rock (110 souls). During these years, God provided Holy Word with unique opportunities to minister to our Apache brothers and sisters in White River, Arizona, and our spanish (sic!) speaking neighbors. In 2003 Holy Word engaged with Forward with Lutheran Schools (FWLS), a consulting ministry that existed to help WELS congregations advance the gospel of Jesus by starting and strengthening early childhood ministries. FWLS, in coordination with Holy Word's staff and Church Council, held several member focus group meetings to gather feedback and gain insight into future directions for Holy Word's school ministry. Project leaders also conducted research to learn more about the surrounding area demographics and growth patterns. The resulting report recommended that Holy Word look to relocate the school to the Pflugerville/Round Rock area. In 2009, Holy Word's Church Council and staff developed a long term strategic plan for the church and school. During this planning process, serious consideration was given to the past fruit-filled outreach projects that God gave Holy Word the opportunity to lead. The FWLS report for strengthening our early childhood ministries was also a significant input to this process. At the conclusion of this planning project, the Church Council presented to the congregation Holy Word's 10 Year Plan that included a vision statement declaring that.... HOLY WORD, IN THIS DECADE, desires to SPREAD the WORD to others by establishing a SECOND SITE for EDUCATION AND WORSHIP. The following three mission statements were developed to help guide future progress on this project. God willing, and with the approval of the Voters of Holy Word, we will... SPREAD THE WORD by September 2010, HOLY WORD will hold worship services at a temporary SITE SPREAD THE WORD by September 2011, HOLY WORD will purchase a second SITE SPREAD THE WORD by September 2012/2013, HOLY WORD will operate a second SITE for worship & education Finally, in April of 2009 Holy Word extended a call for me to come and continue the planning process, lead additional outreach efforts and develop tactical plans to move the SPREAD the WORD project forward I accepted the call and began working on this project in September of 2009. Praise God for the leadership and vision of Holy Word's Church Council, staff and congregation! God willing, and with the approval of the Voters of Holy Word, we will begin holding worship services at a temporary site in the Pflugerville area by September 2010! At this time we would ask each of you to personally pray, asking for God's guidance and gracious support as we strive to Spread the Word. Subsequent project letters will begin to address potential questions that members may have about this project and will provide invitations and opportunties (sic!) for members to put their talents and gifts to work supporting SPREAD the WORD! In HIM, Pastor Gurgel Christ's Great Commission He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." ~ Mark 16:15 Questions If you have questions you would like addressed in future SPREAD the WORD communications, please email them to spreadtheword@holyword.net or place your questions in church mailbox S12.

***

GJ - The ex-SP shows that he used the same spelling textbook as the other pastors in his synod. The only one who laughs about this is the Church Lady.

If Gurgle does for Holy Word what he did for WELS and his district, the banks should call in all their loans.

Bragging about Round Rock? That black hole for subsidies is nothing more than a channel for copied Schwaermer sermons and programs.

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bruce-church (https://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Holy Word Should Read the Appointed Gospel for Tom...":

Gurgel's spelling leaves me speachless. :)

***

GJ - I got it, Bruce. I spotted one right away, and it was such a howler that I looked for more, as any good editor would. I wondered about the British spelling of Savior, permissible - but in Texas? That was another error. It took me a few seconds to verify it was Savior rather than Saviour.

Anyone can produce a typo, but this went out to a whole list and no one caught the errors. Perhaps no one tried.

Team Patterson - where spelling don't count.

Buggy Trashy Splashy Noisy Birdy

All finches love Nyjer seed, which will last long in a "sock" feeder.

One reader wondered about his suet feeder not getting any action so far, so I created the headline to illustrate how to have a lively bird experience.

Buggy
The bug eaters love suet, so I would hang suet where the feeding can be enjoyed by everyone. Birds are wary, so it takes several weeks to get them eager to feed. The process speeds up with the other methods employed below. Bug eaters include starlings, all woodpeckers, and bluebirds.

Trashy
A trashy yard does not have to look like Dogpatch. The term is used for areas left wild, such as an isolated area with long grass and weeds or berries. Piles of brush are loved by birds for resting and also by insects for breeding. Compost is alive with food for birds, so a compost area will be a permanent bird feeder. Plantings can be designed for being bird and insect friendly: sunflowers, butterfly bush, trumpet vine, raspberries, blackberries, and gooseberries. Mud and manure are good for birds and butterflies, believe it or not.

Splashy
Birds have to clean themselves and drink water, so they gather around water sources. The more sources, the better. They like shallow water and splashy sounds, which can be created with simple devices such as a leaky vessel suspended above a pan of water. I borrowed my dog watering device for the birds, since the dogs were raiding the shallow pan. The ceramic pan will now be a backup for dogs and birds alike.

Noisy
Birds cannot help themselves when they are having a good time. If they are cleaning and feeding, they will make happy noises, and that will attract even more birds - numbers and species. Throwing seed down by the suet will attract the ground feeders, who will make the suet feeders less wary.

Birds count on a scout to check an area first. If the scout is calm, more will settle around and wait their turn. If the scout flies away, they all leave at once. Only God knows how they figure this out.

Birdy
If I want to watch birds through our picture windows facing the ravine, I place myself where I can sit motionless in comfort. Birds stop seeing a motionless figure.

I have watched birds from a few inches away simply by continuing the feeding and showing up to look at them through the window. They become used to a non-threatening figure. Close-up views are especially fun.

I created a bird swing with two chains and a metal rod. I suspended that from two hooks outside a picture window when we lived in New Ulm. The birds rested on the swing before and after feeding. The total cost of the swing was a few dollars.

A bird-friendly yard will be endlessly entertaining and educational. People often despise the common birds, like sparrows and starlings, but those birds do more than their share in eating weed seeds and pests.

Birds are smart enough to train humans. Once the birds realize that I am the keeper of the food, they let me know they are around. Jays shriek or make their bell-like sounds. Robins perch on a nearby limb. Hummingbirds fly inches away, looking for another fine shower from the garden hose.

The Gospel Is Not for the Rich, Powerful, and Wise

The nuthatch was designed by the Creator to eat bugs and larvae
lodged in the bark of trees and hidden in bushes.

"Early in the morning it rises, sits upon a twig and sings a song it has learned, while it knows not where to obtain its food, and yet it is not worried as to where to get its breakfast. Later, when it is hungry, it flies away and seeks a grain of corn, where God stored one away for it, of which it never thought while singing, when it had cause enough to be anxious about its food. Ay, shame on you now, that the little birds are more pious and believing than you; they are happy and sing with joy and know not whether they have anything to eat." Sermons of Martin Luther, 8 vols., ed. John Nicholas Lenker, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1983, V, p. 114. Trinity 15 Matthew 6:24-34

God is celebrating Creation Day by sending a gully-washer of a rain to Northwest Arkansas. I have noticed a relationship between weather and bird feeding. When a big storm is on the way, feeding accelerates. If the birds come out in the rain in numbers, they sense the storm will be long.

The best time to feed birds is right after a sleet storm. God's bird-feeders are trees and bushes, especially in winter. The only time they are really famished comes after the ice covers over their meaty, fatty foods - bugs served on bark and lodged in bushes.

The squirrels, who can be fussy about their food, and careless in their eating, lose their sloppy habits after a winter storm. They will pry each kernel of corn from the ice on their feeders. They will not let a single morsel slip away. They feed earnestly, devouring every scrap available.

The Lutherans who appreciate their doctrinal heritage are not the sons of DPs, the descendants of synodical authors, nor the children of circuit pastors. If they have not endured the cold, November drizzle of apostasy or the dark night of the soul, they simply repeat the bromides that keep their tummies full. They find g-r-e-y areas of Scripture on a regular basis. They defend the indefensible. They declare: 'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry." ' (NKJ Luke 12:19).

Those who read the blogs or writings of LP Cruz, Freddy Finkelstein, and Brett Meyer will find that they have struggled with the issues of the Gospel for many years. The word scholarship is not based on the Greek word for IQ or formal education, but on the word for leisure. They have taken the time to study the Confessions to sort out the issues of the day, based upon their own experiences.

There is an immense gulf between those are who are starved for the real Gospel and those who are kept by synod subsidies, foundation grants, and gifts from adulterous men. Kept pastors are safe pastors, equivocators, wafflers, timid souls. Faith in God's Word makes men bold, but trust in material riches will always make ministers into milque-toasts of moderation.

As Chemnitz wrote so eloquently in the Book of Concord:

"We have no intention of yielding aught of the eternal, immutable truth of God for the sake of temporal peace, tranquility, and unity (which, moreover, is not in our power to do). Nor would such peace and unity, since it is devised against the truth and for its suppression, have any permanency. Still less are we inclined to adorn and conceal a corruption of the pure doctrine and manifest, condemned errors. But we entertain heartfelt pleasure and love for, and are on our part sincerely inclined and anxious to advance, that unity according to our utmost power, by which His glory remains to God uninjured, nothing of the divine truth of the Holy Gospel is surrendered, no room is given to the least error, poor sinners are brought to true, genuine repentance, raised up by faith, confirmed in new obedience, and thus justified and eternally saved alone through the sole merit of Christ." (Closing of Formula of Concord, Trigl. p. 1095) Francis Pieper, The Difference Between Orthodox And Heterodox Churches, and Supplement, Coos Bay, Oregon: St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1981, p. 65. Tappert, p. 632. Heiser, p. 294.

PS - Freddy's pastor gave that Pieper essay to me, about 23 years ago.

ELCA's Time Bombs

ELCA's Stan Olson is greasing the skids of apostasy.

I wrote about all this 23 years ago and published it, quoting people and citing all the evidence. A PhD in chemistry said, "I wouldn't have believed it, but you provided all the evidence."

Very few pastors left because of the 1987 merger, but gay quotas were already instituted then and were bound to create the results of the 2009 ELCA CWA.

Here are some of the ELCA time bombs, which Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson and others are trying to laugh away:

1. Over 200 parishes have already taken the first vote to leave, and they are the largest, most prosperous congregations in ELCA. The giant Community of Joy in Phoenix left with a 100% vote.

2. Almost all the income flows from the very congregations leaving ELCA, leaving the denomination with the low producers, as they say in sales.

3. Many unsuccessful votes, either on the first or second vote, are splitting the congregation, effectively turning a larger congregation into a zombie. The breakaway congregations will probably thrive.

4. No one knows exactly how many congregations will clamp down on giving, even though they are staying for the time being.

5. ELCA is being sued by ELCA, a messy kettle of fish. The publishing house pension fund went bust, so they are suing ELCA. I like it. My rejoinder in court would be, "Hey, start publishing some decent books and you won't go broke."

6. Thanks to the management skills of PB Hanson, ELCA has grown considerably light in their lavender liturgical robes. Even his liberal allies are enraged at his tactics and abandonment of theology. The former liberal leaders are downright caustic in their remarks, some approaching the polemical style of this blog, though lacking its substance.


Jerry Kieschnick's morganatic union with ELCA seems to be floundering, as people see how slick, cool, and utterly incompetent their SP is. Color him gone.

Pope John the Malefactor, capo of the Little Sect on the Prairie, is being discussed as a goner, too. He may stay because the ELS does not have the nerve to fire him by voting him out, as they should. They may fear him going back to teaching. Instead of being gone but not forgotten, he will be forgotten but not gone.

Cloned from the Land Down Under

LP Cruz:

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Some Tips to the Calvinist Becoming Lutheran

If you were like me, I was a Charismaniac Calvinistic Evangelical - who had no confession. Deep down inside I knew the problem was this - what should I confess? Because frankly, my confession at that time came from the kitchen. It did not come from the study room.

If you are one of those who walked the same path as I did, here are some tips for the trip, based on my experience.

Don't start off reading some Lutheran theologian like Walther and Pieper. Not that they do not have useful things to say, and not that one can not learn from them, but the issue for you is not what this or that theologian said. Because at the end of the day, you will not be signing your name on the books they have written. At the end of the day, you will have to sign your name to a confessional statement.

I know, I know, some give you the impression that Walther's and Pieper's books etc are part of the BoC, and they appear as if they have signed thier names on the Synodical Father's books. But let us be honest, their books are not part of the Book of Concord.

Most Calvinists who turn Lutheran almost invariably become a fan of the Synodical Fathers, they get loved and get considered to be their hero. For after all why would a Calvinist read a Lutheran theologian if in the first place, he/she did not have anything already bothering the conscience? Mind you these Fathers do have a lot to say about the perils of Calvinistic theology. They pinpoint well the ills of Calvinism. Saying they are anti-Calvinists is an under statement. So for a Calvinist who is already sad about the uncertainty brought about by that theology, reading the Fathers seems like having a liberator releasing you from the jail of mental anguish, and depression, the misery induced by uncertainty . Their reputation of being anti-Calvinists are so strong amongst (what is called - repeat-after-me) Lutherans that a Lutheran questioning these Fathers is immediately branded - guess what - a Calvinists! (I wanted to say I laugh my ___ off, but this blog is rated G).

There was a time when I was bothering more with some books other than the BoC, finally I slapped myself in the head and I said - you must go through the process. The process is the BoC first! Is the Lutheran confession Biblical? That is the question on the table. I said to myself I have no right reading this or that book if I have not answered the question about the BoC. That is why today I do not have lots of books authored by Lutheran theologians. I got delayed by the BoC. I have a few but not a lot.

So as you read and listen to say Issues Etc. never forget to take the Bible in your left hand and take the BoC on your right. Then start scrutinizing what the BoC says compared to Scripture. Spend time doing that. For my case I went to the heart of the whole thing - Justification like that found in the Apology Article IV. I would also read what the BoC says on Original Sin, Repentance, Free Will, Election etc. I cannot part with my Tappert BoC because it is heavily annotated with my notes, incidentally the red covering has turned to white, due to handling.

Why do I say go to the BoC first? Because IMHO if we do not go to the Confession, then we will be repeating the mess we found ourselves in and then all over again. It is again sailing through the high seas with a ship that has no rudder. Also when controversies explode, and they will, you will not know where to stand. You will have a pastor dictating to you and ruling over your conscience. So we are back again, in the same mess.

It is a great shame, if someone can quote what the Synodical Fathers said, but that someone does not have a clue as to what the BoC said. It is a great shame too is to endorse the BoC and not have read it. That would be terrible too.

Let me share with you what the late Reformed theologian H O J Brown said. He said that between Calvinism and Lutheranism, Calvinism has produced more heresies than Lutheranism (but who knows, it may be catching up). You can read this in his book - Heresies. Brown was impressed that when the BoC came out 8,000 pastors and thelogians signed it.

One more thing. Whereas in Calvinism, you see regional confessions, you won't find that in Lutheranism. In Calvinism you have confessions like Heidelberg, Belgic, Helvetic, Westminster, Savoy Confessions. Notice how many confessions there are? You have none of this in Lutheranism. There is no such thing. It does not matter which country you come from, if you cannot in good conscience endorse the BoC as correct exposition of Scripture - then you are not a Lutheran (at least not Confessional that is).

Lastly, where does the BoC shine? In its exposition of Justification By Faith Alone.


God bless.

***

GJ - The pastors who think the Book of Concord is "old-fashioned, out of date, and not interesting" are ignorant louts who should be chased out of town and pelted with dog manure, to quote our Confessions.

Creation Day - 2010

Willowcreek's Little College is a fad promoter.

For Creation Day I fired up the grill and sent a huge cloud of carbon dioxide into the air, cackling with delight. Al Gore may curse me, but the Icelandic volcano smoked extra hard as a testimony against the pagan tree-huggers best remembered in the Hitler video satire.

---

From California:

The penchant for hopping on the pantheistic earth worship symbolism has a long acceptance in WELS. While still a member of a WELS congregation here in California, there was a likeable nice young summer vicar assigned to the congregation. When he arrived from Wisconsin, he had a bumper sticker widely used by what was called the Ecology Movement in the 60;s and into the 70's. It was a version of the flag done in green with the ecology "e" letter where the blue field of the flag would be. It's still around now and then.

Someone called attention to the inappropriateness of it especially since he would be considered to represent what the church stood for. He didn't see why it should be an issue, and thought it OK since to him it meant being a good steward of God's Creation. It was an example of the total disconnect on the part of WELS, that the world's symbols and methods had meaning, much of which was antithetical to Christianity. It seemed incredulous that WELS colleges and seminary would not prepare the students and seminarians to know and recognize that the message sent by displaying such symbols sent a message known and recognized by the world, not one of a naïve vicar's own interpretation. The bumper sticker remained until he returned to Wisconsin.

Four Atheist Essays in the Holy of Holies: WELS Essay Files

Hmm. LCMS CGM. No WELS CGM. No, let's try atheism.
Yes - Freedom From Religion.

Peterson, Curtis A.

Titles:

1. A Second and Third Look at Church Growth Principles
2. Dangers and Opportunities in the Contextualization of the Gospel
3. The Case for Remaining in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in a State of Confessional Protest
4. The Doctrine of Church Fellowship in the Lutheran Confessions

He is still publishing, too - for atheism.

Financial Peas University

This Seminar is based upon Financial Peace University (FPU), a life-changing program that teaches you to achieve your financial goals by eliminating debt, saving for the future, and giving like never before. More than 1 million families have attended FPU with amazing results. You will be challenged and motivated to make a plan for your money and change your family tree forever! The specific topics covered will be: saving, budgeting, and eliminating debt. The fee is $15 per family (payment due by the beginning of the first session). Childcare and a light supper will be provided.

• When – This course will be offered as a two part seminar on Sunday, April 11^th and Sunday, April 18th, from 4-7pm.
• Leader – Donna Nitschke (Donna is a certified counselor with Financial Peace University and has counseled over 400 families in the FPU principles.)
• Where – Old Settler’s Association (where we meet on Sunday mornings)

p.s. If you have a spouse, we strongly encourage both of you to be there together.

***

GJ - Correction on the headline. Mrs. I says, "Financial Peace, not Peas."

I thought Easter Sunday was so two weeks ago.

Sig Becker's UOJ

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "WELS Church Lady":

Siegbert W. Becker is used as the holy doctrinal standard for WELS defense of UOJ. Here's a beaut from Becker on the Kokomo statement #1

The first Kokomo Statement, 1) Objectively speaking, without any reference to an individual sinner’s
attitude toward Christ’s sacrifice, purely on the basis of God’s verdict, every sinner, whether he knows
it or not, whether he believes it or not, has received the status of a saint.

Becker, "One really becomes a guilt-free saint only through faith, if we limit ourselves to the biblical usage of the word. However, since our holiness, as Augustine says, consists in sin’s remission rather than in life’s perfection, we could say that when God forgave the sins of the whole world he regarded all sinners as guilt-free, but if they are guilt-free we might also say that they are considered sinless in the sight of God. But a sinless person is a holy person, a saint. The fact that unbelievers do not consider themselves to be forgiven does not change the truth of God’s Word that tells us that God does not impute the sins of all men to them, or that through one man justification has come upon all men." Page 14 http://www.wlsessays.net/files/BeckerJustification.PDF

Oh! don't limit yourself to the Biblical usage of the word!!

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "WELS Church Lady":

Additional WELS golden nuggets on the Kokomo statements via S.W. Becker states, "The
third statement is a basically good summary of our position" Becker follows with, "it is especially necessary to point out that the statements do not contain false doctrine."

Kokomo statement #1 - Becker, "the meaning of the statement is nevertheless clear and correct."

Kokomo statement #2 - Becker, "we could say that when God forgave the sins of the whole world he regarded all sinners as guilt-free, but if they are guilt-free we might also say that they are considered sinless in the sight of God. But a sinless person is a holy person, a saint."

Kokomo statement #3 - Becker, "The third statement is a basically good summary of our position,"

Kokomo statement #4 - Becker, "Even the fourth statement can be defended even though it leaves much to be desired. As we have said, the statement is not drawn from a WELS source. If it is true that God has forgiven the sins of the world then it is also true that he forgave the sin of Judas."

http://www.wlsessays.net/files/BeckerJustification.PDF

WELS Church Lady

An act of God - the Easter egg hunt was rained out.
Lutherans were egg-static.


WELS church lady has left a new comment on your post "Brett Meyer Tries To Organize the Ball of Yarn Cal...":

If the powers that be think you can have a UOJ conference without the ichabodians knowing about it, they are sadly mistaken. We were on to them LONG before the conference. Why did Schleicher defend Kokomo?? Don't write a check that you can't cash. Bourman's essay? Where is it? Was he indeed the UOJ hold-out? Teaching Justification by Faith as noted in the Bible and BOC? Perhaps. Who knows, it could be just like the rest. Computer and technical errors do occur!

Hey, Five vicars will be assigned and guess what church in Austin is getting one. One lucky vicar will work alongside ex SP Gurgel. The four other assignments were worthy, Gods' blessings on those vicars and the congregations.

In Christ,
from WELS church lady

Freddy Asks a Question

Hoenecke's professor at Halle, Tholuck, was a Universalist.

Freddy Finkelstein has left a new comment on your post "LP Cruz Explains Calvinism to the Crypto-Calvinist...":

If, as LP suggests, it is true that UOJ has turned the Law into a farce, it would explain the conspicuous rarity of Second-Use preaching. Who really needs it after all? Why not dumb-down Law preaching and adopt a more relevant, seeker-sensitive effeminate approach? You know, upside-down evangelism! Speak the Gospel, and the Law stuff can come later, if at all. That is, Speak to the unconverted righteous person as if he is already a believer! But wasn't that Karl Barth's error, a notion he derived from a mistaken interpretation of Aquinas? Wasn't failing to take sin seriously a hallmark of neo-orthodoxy? And wasn't Karl Barth a celebrity at Fuller in their early days?

If LP is correct in his analysis, it seems to me that in UOJ, while the doctrine of Original Sin is still acknowledged, the doctrine of Actual Sin has been rejected.

Is this the case?

Freddy Finkelstein

***

GJ - WELS Pastor Robert Schumann, a Wally Oelhafen fave, loved the Church Growth Movement and preached that the Law was obsolete - the classic Antinomian position. His members asked him if he really meant that - and he did mean it. He also denied Creation, which is why St. Paul, German Village left the ALC - denial of Creation.

WELS really did a number on that congregation. They made Stolzenburg a fake-pastor for years, and now Floyd is taking members from St. Paul whenever there is turmoil. With such abysmal doctrinal leadership, turmoil is a sure bet.

Antinomianism is big in WELS, but try to explain that to a layman whose pastor is sleeping around the parish.

Brett Meyer Tries To Organize the Ball of Yarn Called UOJ

The DNA comes out in the long run.


Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Make This a Dialogue on UOJ":

I'm wading through the essay titled is Objective Justification Universalism. http://scdwels.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/schleicher-paper.pdf
(I'm a bit grumpy because I was so thoroughly enjoying "Luther vs. the Pietists" - outstanding!) This WELS essay is replete with the standard contradictions and "Repeat After Me" UOJ statements.

One specific section needs more attention.

Page 5, "14 Justification does not involve a change in our nature, for Scripture speaks of the nature of 15 those justified as still sinful. Paul speaks of “God who justifies the wicked'' (Ro 4:5). He states, 16 “Christ died for the ungodly. . . . While we were still sinners, Christ died for us'' (Ro 5:6,8). 17 As our confessions state: “To be justified” here (James 2:24) does not mean for a
18 righteous person to be made out of an ungodly one, but to be pronounced righteous in a forensic sense'' (Ap IV:252)."

Questions: When is a man born again? When does a man die to sin and raised again to life in Christ? When does man, by the grace and work of the Holy Spirit, put off the old man and put on Christ? When does the carnal mind of man die and is given the Holy Spirit's spiritual mind? When does the Holy Spirit make of an unjust man a just man?

John 3:3, "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Colossians 3:9-10, "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:"

2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

71] "but we maintain this, that properly and truly, by faith itself, we are for Christ's sake accounted righteous, or are acceptable to God. And because "to be justified" means that out of unjust men just men are made, or born again, it means also that they are pronounced or accounted just. For Scripture speaks in both ways. [The term "to be justified" is used in two ways: to denote, being converted or regenerated; again, being accounted righteous. Accordingly we wish first to show this, that faith alone makes of an unjust, a just man, i.e., receives remission of sins".
http://www.bookofconcord.org/defense_4_justification.php

***

GJ - Now Brett. You know what happens when someone asks a WELS guy a pointed question. They answer a question with a question.

"Who told you this?" and

"How do you know Greg Jackson?"

They even have WELS Facebook police, who want to know why someone is listed as my friend. Alone in the world, I have 960+ FB friends, including Waldo Werning and Ed Stetzer.

Alone in the world, I am in constant contact with Little I and his family, who live a few minutes away. Brett: Just between you, me, and 8,000 readers - I cannot comprehend how WELS Stormtroopers can maintain such a colossal display of ignorance. Nothing seems to dent the depravity of their malice.

Alone in the world, I hear from various clergy and laity on a daily basis. I could list the names and titles, but I won't. Many times they write just to fill me in, and I keep that information for background.

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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Freddy Asks a Question":

Mr. Finkelstein, this is the case.

It is in fact worse than that if such a distinction can be made considering the consequences of perverting the Gospel of Christ. UOJ teaches that although God has declared the whole unbelieving world to be righteous, forgiven of all sin (justified) and guiltless by His divine verdict, they are also at the same time condemned and under his wrath because they don't believe that they have already been declared at peace with him and righteous. Consider the implications of this. For a sinful man to be forgiven by God he must have Christ's righteousness. To have Christ's righteousness and considered by God to be sinless, justified and righteous but still be under God's wrath means that Christ's righteousness and the bestowal of it upon man is not effective in making that man a child of God and no longer under His wrath and an heir to eternal life. UOJ is an attack on the righteousness of Christ. Either Christ died for all sins and his righteousness removes all sin or it doesn't. UOJ teaches that unless the unbelieving world believes they are already forgiven of all sin they go to Hell for the sin of unbelief. Wait - so Christ didn't pay for the sin of unbelief? His righteousness doesn't remove the guilt of the sin of unbelief? The same unbelief we were all born with? Christ himself states that he died and paid for the sin of unbelief. Romans 11:23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.

Just another horrible perversion of Scripture by the false man made doctrine of UOJ.

***

GJ - That ball of yarn just won't unravel, Brett!

LP Cruz Explains Calvinism to the Crypto-Calvinists

John Calvin had trouble with Law and Gospel. Calvinist John Newton: "Twas grace that taught my heart to fear..."


L P has left a new comment on your post "Make This a Dialogue on UOJ":

Sorry to come late.

OK here is my bit. I am reviewing the Schleicher Paper.

He asked Is Objective Justification Universalism?
Me: Does he still need to ask? (LOL)

OK seriously we have these
1. The need to identify universalists societies which the paper does is useful but in the end, irrelevant. Why? Because one can be inventing its own brand of universalism and the fact that your position does not match the others do not imply your position is not a form or shape of universalism.

2. God has declared the world righteous for Jesus' sake. This is an objective reality, whether anyone believes it or not. Even if the whole world rejected the message of the gospel, it would still remain an objective reality that God had acquitted the world of sin.

Does the author believe in Law and Gospel distinction? Or in the first place does the author KNOW the distinction between Law and Gospel? It does not appear that he does by that statement. Proof: If the whole world is now declared righteous for Jesus sake, then what is the need to preach the Law and then the Gospel?. There is no more Law to preach. For what does the Law accuses us - precisely we are WICKED we are Unrighteous. But since the Gospel - so he says is that - God HAS declared the world righteous of Jesus sake, already then there is no more Law to preach. Since the author misses the Law, by default, he misses the Gospel as well. Even if he does what Dr . Siegbert Becker says - you do not preach the Gospel to the impenitent wicked (his words) unbeliever, still the Law he preaches is actually a farce. For he knows that this unrepentant unbeliever by his "Gospel" is already forgiven even before he was born, so the Law he preaches carries no sincere threat. The Law has been reduced to hypotheticals, it becomes a myth.

3. Another one he says Calvin would accept that justification is objective in nature (as it applies to the elect)

He is right about Calvin but he does not see that UOJ is really Calvinism in spirit. Calvinism sees at least for the elect already saved even without faith, which is what UOJ does except it does this universally!

4. Again category mistake equating the Atonement with Justification as on bottom paragraph p.5 God has justified the world

5. This paper is filled with so many flaws, I could not keep count of them. For example quoting Mt 9:2 and arguing that believing is synergism. Did this author even read carefully the passage? For in that verse before Jesus pronounced the forgiveness of sins, Jesus saw something ..."and Jesus seeing their faith, said to the paralytic - Take courage My son your sins are forgiven".

Clearly this teaching says believe you are already justified and so you are. Or else believe that you are not and so you are not. It all depends on what you believe. Now who is making faith in this manner a form of works?

Just like Calvinism, this paper muddles up the object of faith. For example, the paper mentions belief in Jesus. But what does believe in Jesus mean?

6. The paper is flying at mach speed, in lampooning faith in Christ as a none event, as if faith is something easy. Yet it is precious to God. The category mistake is just disheartening. For example when quotes "It is finished" - He mistakes this payment as automatically equivalent to justification. Rather it meant "paid in full". Tetelestai. In fact in the Bible, if you disbelieve this, you are still in your sins and the Scripture describes you as not righteous but "wicked". So one needs to wonder, if God declared the whole world already as righteous, then how does and why does he send them ever to hell (any of them for that matter). So God sends people whom he already declared righteous to hell. Or when anyone who is already declared righteous and then disbelieves God takes it back and calls them wicked. This paper make God an Indian giver (so to speak).


More could be said...

LPC

***

GJ - LP is good at examining the contradictory nature of UOJ. What keeps the little UOJ Klan operating is their inner conviction that they have the true Gospel.

My advisor at Notre Dame was Tjaard Hommes, a Remonstrant (Arminian) from Holland. His interest in Calvin, Schleiermacher, and Barth encouraged me to do plenty of research in those areas. Since he earned his doctorate at Harvard, the books I read were written by his professors and fellow students at Harvard. That was a far cry from the yellowed dog notes of the Mequon Sausage Factory, where brains are permanently entombed in talking points.

Remonstrants broke with traditional Calvinists over a number of points. They rejected Limited Atonement and Double Predestination. In keeping with the traditions of Zwingli and Calvin, they did not reject Enthusiasm.

Therefore, UOJ is Calvinism without the Limited Atonement. As Luther warned, when the Means of Grace are denied, all kinds of foul errors rush in.

At Notre Dame I edited a number of articles, written by Hommes, for scholarly journals. The process of getting them ready and seeing them in print was another stimulus for research rather than repeat-after-me slogans. As the sole Lutheran in my area, I was always being asked about Lutheran doctrine. But it was the anti-Lutheran, divorced, adulterous clergy in Columbus who really energized my research in the Confessions. They were UOJ and Church Growth, just like their counterparts in Texas.