 |
| Let's not get upset over small things - think of all the Benjamins instead. |
ELCA Teaches UOJ 24/7 - Here Is the Proof.
Hey SynCon Boys and Girls -
Let's Do a Bunch of Ministry with Them Guys
Most Viewed Posts - Last 30 Days
If we go back a certain number of years, the language used by Lutherans is completely different. The most obscure writers speak this language, because they treated the Scriptures as the Word of God and Justification by Faith as the Chief Article of Christianity.
CFW Walther was one of the first polarizing rationalists. He organized a mob, robbed the bishop of a fortune in gold, and kidnapped the man at gunpoint. The Holy Land guides point to the chest where Stephan kept his gold and talk about how much he had in there - as if that were evil by itself. But no one talks about how the Great Walther stole it so the Perryville cult could be solvent. Not just the millions worth of gold in today's money, but also 120 acres of land owned by the bishop, all his books, and even his personal effects.
John Sparky Brenner has identified the real issue in the so-called Election Conflict as a battle over Justification. On the Walther/WEL side was UOJ, aka the Justification of the World. On the other side was Justification by Faith. See Brenner, p. 150.
If we reduce this to plain, basic English, Justification of the World would be called what it is - Universal Salvation - or - Universalism.
The Missouri Synod did not teach this UOJ dogma at first, only the Walther-Pieper faction did. The bosom of WELS did not heave and pant for UOJ either, until the ministers trained in Waltherism slowly took over and removed the Gausewitz edition of the Small Catechism. That took decades, but synods are like royal dynasties - they work in view of decades and centuries, not years.
The Norwegians were as Pietistic as the Stephanites, but Herman Preus' congregation tossed him out on Good Friday, because he would not pledge to Justification by Faith. Ever the opportunists, the Preus clan declared him a Martyr to the Faith, a Soldier of Christ, a Militant sacrificed on the altar of duty. More Preus hagiography can be found here.
The brilliance of this UOJ takeover can be seen in the way all the UOJists call their own people "Orthodox Lutherans." Jay Webber, with his ELCA online STM in hand, did the same at Emmaus. According to Webber, those Pietistic theologians (often and best forgotten) were "orthodox" by virtue of their UOJ teaching. One might as well mention Quistorp and Luther together, since no one reads Luther either.
By the way, I saw this done with far more craft and guile among the Roman Catholics, who show great patience for the truth while piling up their experts for every possible error. Those experts in false doctrine receive the honors, even the office of sainthood. Their opposition to the Scriptures gains them a fast-track so adherents can cling to them and pray to them far earlier than tradition allows. Then if someone cites one of those nay-saying smart-alecks, the visible Church frowns and the dissenter withers away, forgotten but not gone - the best of all burials.
Note the voice of outrage than can be mustered so easily - "He denies the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary!" Fists will be raised, tires will be slashed, heads bowed in pitying sorrow.
The same crowd control exists for UOJ. How many times have I heard - "He denies Objective Justification!" when people know less about OJ than they do about the non-reciprocity of the second genus (Jesus' divine nature is not limited by His human nature).
In fact, the Right Rev. James Heiser, Bishop-for-Life of the ELDONUTs, said those very words when Rev. Balmer spoke at an independent conference many years ago. With outrage in his voice, Heiser said, "Balmer denied Objective Justification!" All the Fort Whiners are taught to be:
- Victims. They are always victims, so orthodox, they are perpetually persecuted.
- Triumphalists. Their views must dominate all matters and eviscerate all opposition, unless it is convenient to wait it out for a decade or two.
Lost in the Fog of Rationalism
The Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry has shown repeatedly that the "lost books of American Lutheranism" are merely overlooked books of great value. I linked the bio of Schmauk, but 99.9% of all Lutherans would fail a test about Schmauk, truly a great scholar, a man of faith, a multi-talented genius.
That is why the blogs and discussions among Lutherans are verbose, insipid, and sleep-inducing. The dungeon-masters want this UOJ to be the opiate of Lutherdom. They want clergy and laity debating individual glasses versus the common cup, the use of the Christian flag, the office of the ministry, and piles of trivia.
Thus Lutherans are so devoid of faith that they tolerate Thrivent as their golden goose, though the goose only gives back a tiny bit and demands to be fed - never questioned. Just like the gubmint.
Lutherans are so lacking in faith that they gladly work with ELCA leaders who despise and pity them. Of course, many of "conservative" Lutheran leaders look at ELCA the way David looked at Bathsheba bathing.
The clergy are so unfaithful that they happily bribe the mob with soft drinks and snacks on Sunday, booze at their Bible studies. The rest of the clergy are so somnolent that they are not bothered at all.
