First Mid-Week Advent Service - Thursday - And Greek Lesson Following Vespers

Bethany Lutheran Worship

First Midweek Advent Service and Greek Lesson, 2018

7 PM Central Standard Time

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Mid-Week Advent, Thursday, 7 PM Central Standard

The Hymn #81 Gerhardt       O Jesus, Christ, Thy Manger Is  
The Order of Vespers p. 41
The Psalmody  Psalm 2
The Lection - Isaiah 40 KJV
The Sermon Hymn #61     Comfort Ye My People  

Proof-Texts and the Divine Nature of Christ

The Prayers and Lord’s Prayer p. 44
The Collect for Peace p. 45
The Benediction p. 45
The Hymn #552                   Abide with Me

Background for Sermon

Proof-Texting

Proof-texting is a name used critically to describe citing a Biblical text. One example was a liberal Methodist professor's wife who responded to my statement in class that Greek mythologies of returning from Hades are not parallel to the New Testament. I used the original Greek text to point that out. She responded, "We can proof-text all day." She implied that any position was valid, especially hers. Citing the meaning of the Greek verb annoyed her.

Was I proof-texting? That term should be used in a derogatory way, but only when the criticism fits. For example, the resurrection of Christ is not at all like Greek mythology.

Lutherans use the term sedes doctrinae, but I dislike falling into the habit of using Latin terms to discourage thought. The temptation is great to say that "Lutherans have always viewed this passage as teaching..." That leads people into applying dogmatic claims they wish to support with "we have always taught." That is already once removed from the Bible (Lutherans have...) and really twice removed when someone is trying to sell something new and alien, as if the Synodical Conference always taught Objective Justification (not true - see the Gausewitz original catechism and the KJV catechism sold by CPH). 

The dogmatic habit is also dangerous because it leads to the ossification of error, where more is attributed to support that error.

Proof-texting is clearly revealed when people find every Atonement passage teaching that "God proclaimed the entire world of sinners righteous in Christ." Every atonement passage teaches that Christ died for the sins of the world, which is not the same as saying Hindus, Hottentotts, atheists, and Hitler were pronounced "guilt-free saints."

 Grabbing a proof-text.

When the dogmatic claim is the key to interpreting the Biblical text, that is proof-texting. A historical pratfall has been carefully recorded and repeated many times over. The 1932 convention document of the LCMS has this claim:

Scripture teaches that God has already declared the whole world to be righteous in Christ, Rom. 5:19; 2 Cor. 5:18-21; Rom. 4:25;

Many pastors have declared that these three passages teach Universal Forgiveness without Faith. Focusing on Romans 4-5, Paul teaches clearly and repeatedly that we are justified by faith. There is no world absolution via the resurrection of Christ. Romans 4:24 clearly teaches - "if we believe..." 

Romans 5:1-2.

5 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

So - just before Romans 4:25, Paul wrote "if we believe," and just after, with Romans 5:1-2, "being justified by faith." So Paul teaches the Chief Article, then Objective Justification, then the Chief Article again? 

That shows how badly proof-texting works, because grabbing a text and making a false claim with it only showcases one's Biblical ignorance and dogmatic mummification. The argument grows weaker with "Lutherans have always taught..." or "Our synod has always taught..." Imposing synodical authority is no different from the Church of Rome saying, "People get confused so the Pope explains the Bible for them. The hierarchy are like the Supreme Court, clarifying the Bible." 

In Contrast - Exegesis.

18 No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. He is the Father's exegesis.

18 θεον ουδεις εωρακεν πωποτε ο μονογενης υιος ο ων εις τον κολπον του πατρος εκεινος εξηγησατο. Verb form of exegesis

Strong

exégeomai: to show the way

Original Word: ἐξηγέομαι
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: exégeomai
Phonetic Spelling: (ex-ayg-eh'-om-ahee)
Definition: to show the way
Usage: I lead, show the way; met: I unfold, narrate, declare.

The only true teaching of the Scriptures can come from exegesis, where we begin with the text instead of enforcing an argument with a citation or two or three. 

The Book of Concord is an excellent example of this method, addressing doctrinal issues by explaining what the Scriptures say about the topic.

A crucial part of Biblical teaching is showing that this doctrinal point is consistently taught throughout the Bible. We can test Objective Justification this way. If Abraham was justified by faith in Genesis 15, Romans 4, Galatians, Hebrews, and James. This immunized people against false claims.

Historical knowledge is important too, if we do research into what people taught at various times. For example:

1. Luther taught Justification by Faith and called it the Chief Article, a description repeated by Melanchthon and the Book of Concord editors.
2. The first person to teach Objective Justification among Lutherans was Samuel Huber, who was kicked out for this false teaching.
3. The next to teach Objective Justification were the professors at and clergy from Halle University, such as Rambach the hymn writer (The Lutheran Hymnal). 
4. Bishop Martin Stephan studied at Halle and taught OJ.
5. Walther learned OJ from Stephan and said it saved his life.
6. Walther insisted on Pieper replacing him, and Pieper taught OJ.
7. The Missouri Synod did not make OJ official.
8. The Wisconsin Synod did not make OJ official.
9. LCMS-WELS let the OJ faction take over and persecute Justification by Faith.

The Bible Teaches the Divine Nature of Christ

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Our rationalistic age likes to give credit to Jesus for being a good person, a great teacher, and so forth. But the divine nature of the Savior is beyond us. It is not something we can deduce - it is revealed by the Scriptures.

This passage is remarkable because the divine nature of Christ is so clearly taught. The child will have some titles in the future. Wonderful and Counsellor sound quite good, but the next three are beyond dispute.

The child is Mighty God - that is the subject of many hymns, how the infant was still while a baby, a weak human, God with all the divine power and majesty of the godhead.

The Everlasting Father teaches His pre-existence and future existence. He is One with the Father - "I and the Father, we are one." Gospel of John. That is so interwoven that some cults feel they must have one person and one god, such as the Spirit only or so other confusion. This is a mystery revealed to us.

The Prince of Peace shows that the mission of this Child will be to atone for our sins and teach faith in Him. Prince of Peace is a charming title because everyone wants to enjoy true peace, and that only comes from the forgiveness of sin received in faith. 

Where do I go for peace?  To Jesus.

How do I receive this grace? From the Instruments of Grace, the Gospel Word and Sacraments.

These Messianic Promises - which are Gospel, creating and strengthening faith - are rejected by the rationalists and lazy fellows who overlook the powerful second verse in this passage.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.

No empire, no kingdom has ever lasted. The greatest ones have become the least. Look at the PIGS - Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain. All were powerful empires that ravaged the earth and gathered its spoils. They are now groups as the PIGS because their economies are so weak.

Christianity has grown since the beginning and more importantly, the True Church, the Kingdom of God is everlasting.

upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever.

This is not a material rule but a spiritual rule, one established with judgment (Law) and righteousness (Gospel) forever.

This clarifies the true Kingdom of Christ. As Jesus told the man who held power over His life - "My Kingdom is not of this world."

That should remind everyone that the importance of life is eternal, not material.

The divinity of Christ is in harmony with His Virgin Birth, so that means Matthew and Luke understood Isaiah 7 and 9 well. So many wise guys know better because they do not believe and are blind to this great wonder.

But this indication of divinity is also in Romans 1 and John 1, not repeated over and over with the same words but taught with different expressions, such as His pre-existence and fashioning the universe as the Logos (John 1), "And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" Romans 1. 

Because the divine and human natures are united in Christ, we see how the New Testament will emphasize one and then the other. Jesus was thirsty in John 4 (human nature) but knew everything about the woman at the well (divine nature). This was so startling to her that the conversation moved to His role as the Messiah, and she believed in Him, and witnessed about Him to everyone.

Reading and hearing the Scriptures is a comforting and consoling because we learn again how God cares for us, protects us, blesses us, and extends His grace through the Means of Grace.

Greek Lesson

Everyone should have a copy of Paine, the best book for NT Greek. It costs about $25.

Steps in learning Greek are:

1. Learn to recite and write down the alphabet, which is almost the same as ours, cause we stole it.
2. Read passages out loud. That takes some practice, but it is essential in learning it and making it our own.
3. Never, ever write the words above or near the Greek text. Old Adam will cheat and that short-circuits learning the Greek words in their context.
4. Greek is easy, but time spent means learning more until it is like reading the newspaper.
5. Look for cognates below - words in Greek that mean the same or almost the same in English. I redlined them.

ΚΑΤΑ ΙΩΑΝΝΗΝ 1 1550 Stephanus New Testament (TR1550)

1 εν αρχη ην ο λογος και ο λογος ην προς τον θεον και θεος ην ο λογος

2 ουτος ην εν αρχη προς τον θεον

3 παντα δι αυτου εγενετο και χωρις αυτου εγενετο ουδε εν ο γεγονεν

4 εν αυτω ζωη ην και η ζωη ην το φως των ανθρωπων

5 και το φως εν τη σκοτια φαινει και η σκοτια αυτο ου κατελαβεν

6 εγενετο ανθρωπος απεσταλμενος παρα θεου ονομα αυτω ιωαννης

7 ουτος ηλθεν εις μαρτυριαν ινα μαρτυρηση περι του φωτος ινα παντες πιστευσωσιν δι αυτου

8 ουκ ην εκεινος το φως αλλ ινα μαρτυρηση περι του φωτος

9 ην το φως το αληθινον ο φωτιζει παντα ανθρωπον ερχομενον εις τον κοσμον

10 εν τω κοσμω ην και ο κοσμος δι αυτου εγενετο και ο κοσμος αυτον ουκ εγνω

11 εις τα ιδια ηλθεν και οι ιδιοι αυτον ου παρελαβον

12 οσοι δε ελαβον αυτον εδωκεν αυτοις εξουσιαν τεκνα θεου γενεσθαι τοις πιστευουσιν εις το ονομα αυτου

13 οι ουκ εξ αιματων ουδε εκ θεληματος σαρκος ουδε εκ θεληματος ανδρος αλλ εκ θεου εγεννηθησαν

14 και ο λογος σαρξ εγενετο και εσκηνωσεν εν ημιν και εθεασαμεθα την δοξαν αυτου δοξαν ως μονογενους παρα πατρος πληρης χαριτος και αληθειας

15 ιωαννης μαρτυρει περι αυτου και κεκραγεν λεγων ουτος ην ον ειπον ο οπισω μου ερχομενος εμπροσθεν μου γεγονεν οτι πρωτος μου ην

16 και εκ του πληρωματος αυτου ημεις παντες ελαβομεν και χαριν αντι χαριτος

17 οτι ο νομος δια μωσεως εδοθη η χαρις και η αληθεια δια ιησου χριστου εγενετο

18 θεον ουδεις εωρακεν πωποτε ο μονογενης υιος ο ων εις τον κολπον του πατρος εκεινος εξηγησατο

 I could be watching football instead.

Way-Back Machine Reveals First Draft of Mirthless Mark Schroeder's Doctrinal Discussions Message

 "This is the only way to read Ichabod - eyes wide shut."

Informal doctrinal discussions with the Missouri Synod and ELCA continue
2018/11/20/in

Together

Representatives of the Wisconsin Synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, ELCA, and the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod will meet Nov. 27 and 28 for another in a series of annual informal doctrinal discussions. Thank you, Holy Mother Thrivent, for funding these meetings at deluxe accommodations.

These meetings have proven to be beneficial in helping the four synods better understand the doctrine that binds us together - UOJ. The meetings have opened lots of funding between the leaders of the four synods and between various groups such as the feminists, the Fullerites, and the Willow Creek Association. The meetings have also been beneficial in providing mutual encouragement to stand firm in the areas where there is full agreement - the NIV, the UOJ cult, Church Growth, and feminist goals.

 WELS MLS - "We feel pretty, oh so pretty,
so, pretty and witty and..."

In previous meetings the group has focused on various areas of doctrine and practice, working to identify where we agree and where disagreements remain. Topics discussed in the past have been Church and Ministry, fellowship, the role of men and women, and principles that guide the interpretation of the Scriptures. The main focus of discussion for this year’s meeting will be to identify, from each synod’s perspective, what issues would need to be resolved—on the basis of Scripture—for more Thrivent funding.

These discussions have been termed “informal” to avoid giving the correct impression that they will result in a re-establishment of fellowship in the near future. Wake up and smell the Blatz Beer - we have been working together with ELCA for decades - the Church Growth Initiative, Joy Radio, you name it.  Any restoration of fellowship would be possible only when the four synods are in full agreement with our public relations teams. Even though fellowship might not be possible now, the informal discussions will continue because of the benefit$ and opportunitie$ they bring.

Serving in Christ,
President Mark Schroeder
https://wels.net/informal-doctrinal-discussions-missouri-synod

 "Liz, if you do not mention our synodical felony convictions,
we won't publicize yours."

Sabin Arrest - Sierra Pacific ELCA Synod - Committed To Being Re-Formed!

 Pastor Steve Sabin was restored to the ministry by ELCA, but has resigned his call. Is he still on the ELCA roster?

"Investigators with the San Francisco Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit searched Sabin’s home on the 1300 block of Market Street on Thursday. On Sabin’s phone, detectives found “hundreds of child pornography videos and images depicting juvenile minors being sexually abused,” police said in a written release."

 Steve Sabin was arrested for child porn.

Joel Hochmuth, WELS, got public absolution without repenting, a top lawyer, and one year of easy work-release, which he violated.

The sainted Gutsche was WELS and CLC, died in the Canadian ELCiC, arrested as an ELCA pastor, lying about the circumstances.

November 26th, 2018 A Letter of Disclosure from the Office of the Bishop Dear St. Matthew Lutheran Church, In shock and with much sadness, I write to inform you that Pr. Steve Sabin, the lead pastor of Christ Church Lutheran in San Francisco since 2001, has been arrested and arraigned on charges of possessing and distributing child pornography on the internet. Pr. Sabin is currently out of jail on bail and chose to plead not guilty at his arraignment. I have spoken with Pr. Sabin and encouraged him to seek pastoral care and support for him and for his spouse, Travis. He has resigned his call and will no longer be serving as the pastor of Christ Church Lutheran.  Our office has been in communication the President and the Church Council of Christ Church and the Conference Dean, Pr. John Kuehner. The deans and rostered leaders of the four Bay Area Conferences (where there has been considerable media coverage about Pr. Sabin’s arrest) were notified late last week of his arrest and the response of the Office of the Bishop to these events. Pr. Katy Grindberg and I attended Christ Church Lutheran on Christ the King Sunday and after worship, met with the congregation and the Church Council to offer our presence, prayers and support on your behalf. Following that visit, I believe now is the appropriate time to offer this disclosure to the entire synod.   As you might imagine, Sunday was a very challenging day for the members of the congregation who have received Pr. Sabin’s ministry with much appreciation over the years and who are at a loss to understand how he has come to be charged with such egregious crimes. Many of you have already reached out to offer your support and prayers for the congregation – thank you. I pray we will all be led by the Spirit of Christ as each of us deals with our own feelings about this and as we encounter in others the range of emotions and responses many will have in receiving this news.  Moving forward, the Office of the Bishop will provide care for the leaders and members of Christ Church Lutheran, along with Pr. Tom McQueen and Pr. Kathleen Boyer-Visser, who will continue offering pastoral care and support for the congregation. Counseling services will be provided as requested, and an interim pastor will eventually begin serving as part of the transition to new pastoral leadership for the ministry of Christ Church. For now, there are concerns and hopes for this vital ministry in the Sunset District of San Francisco that are being addressed, including its ongoing work and witness and the need to repair damage caused by a fire in the basement of the church earlier this year. Your continuing prayers will be much appreciated.   Blessings as we prepare to celebrate Advent in hope and trust that the light, peace and reign of Christ continues to break into our world.    Peace,  Bishop Mark W. Holmerud Addendum -- For those who have not heard this news, a link to one of the media reports on this story is below: https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/SF-church-pastor-among-five-men-arrested-in-child-13409874.php

Sassy Heard the Admonition - Make No Small Plans. The Legs as Motivators

She heard "Treats!"
Sassy is the cyber-pet for many blog fans.

Sassy uses her legs as powerful communication devices. One is her levels of urgency when she on the bed and I am resting or reading:

1. Very gentle, steady pressure - duties await.
2. Light swat at my leg - you know what is coming up.
3. Single scrape across the kneecap - I mean it now.
4. Double scrape, kneecap, vigorous - No more stalling. This is when I tell Chris to watch for the triple-scrape, which does not hurt.
5. Sassy makes a surprised noise about my reluctance and drags her claws across my kneecap three times, faster and harder than before.

At this point I burst into laughter, because she has worked up to the ultimate, you-cannot-ignore-this signal. She enjoys the laughter because she is a clown who wants to entertain us and anyone else who is observing her.

She has more tricks. One is the scrape in the air. That began as scraping the antique table, which made a lot of noise with her claws. I did not see where the odd noise came from, and it happened only when I was concentrating. Finally I caught her and glared at her. She withdrew looking very guilty. The next time I laughed and she realized the joke. From that time on, a scrape on the table was done with a big grin. "Am I smart and funny too?" We moved a metal table to that place and the noise was very strange. I repeated my fierce look. She paused, grinned, and did it again.

Now there is a narrow shelf in the same place. She cannot easily reach it, so she reaches up in the air and scrapes the imaginary table, grinning. "Oh my, Sassy. What do you want? Crunchies? A walk? Frosty Paws? Lovey time?"

She may answer by being happy and energetic, or by slumping on the bed as if she is burdened by thick-headed staff. Normally, lovey time means she will not come to us but looks defiant. "Do I have to draaaag you?" She looks frightened at the thought. I reach out and touch her gently then say, "Move move." She jumps up and moves several inches. "Oh Sassy, you moochy pooch. You can move." She grins, moves close between and flops down.

The ideal lovey is when she comes up on her own, lays her front paw on Chris, grins, and listens to praise and encouragement. Once she has her quota from Chris, Sassy lays the same paw on me - it is my turn. I talk about her popularity in the neighborhood and the McDonalds staff loving her. That done, with some petting, she goes to her place and falls asleep.

The Catholic Diocese Had a Duty To Report Their Priest To Authorities - They Did Not.

 The diocese already knew enough to report Father Foxhoven, but they did not.
What about his previous duties?

From the article:
"Under Ohio law, institutions such as churches and schools have a duty to report allegations of physical or sexual abuse of a minor."

WELS does not think it has a duty to report. I talked to a Circuit Pastor, who first of all wanted to know my sources (so he could attack them) - typical tactic. Then he wanted to say he phoned because he "was concerned about me." I told him tears were rolling down my cheeks and shorting out my cell phone.

The CP, a member of the odious Patterson circle, insisted they had "no duty to report" even though Alaskan law was very clear that the people in authority were not to judge the case but refer it to the state. He kept yelling "Nothing happened." That must be part of the WELS cover-up kit:

1. Find the sources and attack them viciously.
2. Express deep concern for anyone angry about the situation.
3. Yell "Nothing happened!"

By the way, he wrote to me for my phone number and did not call. Once I identified that fact on this blog, he phoned. He was obviously disturbed that I knew about the DP flying in to reverse the firing. "Nothing happened!" I asked, "If nothing happened, why did they immediately change the parish constitution and reverse the firing, after being bullied by the DP?" My knowledge of the facts rattled him.

Robert Guenther: The Main Thing is the Main Thing. Seriously. He changed his website name to http://www.themainthing.us. On the front page:
Helping You Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing

The main thing is honesty and obeying the law, not being lawless and devious, extending a call instead of dealing with an issue. That is the Wisconsin Sect that Otten defends so vigorously.

 What if WELS had acknowledged its duty to report in the first incident with Joel Hochmuth?

Established 2010 - Moline Memories Blog Reached 300,000 Views Today

 This photo shows how tough the Moline teachers were. 

I started the Moline Memories blog in 2010. I thought some recollections might be interesting for our grandchildren in the distant future. Writing creates a need for research, so I learned a lot about our area: John Deere, the celebrities born or raised in Moline, the important leaders of the past.

I report on our the Moline High Class of 1966 - The Class the Stars Fell On. We have a growing list of Golden Wedding Anniversaries, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Views were very few at first, a few dozen a day. Now they average several thousand a month. I enjoy the shift in most seen for the week, which shows readers picking up on topics from the past and reading them.

It helps that my mother was one of the best teachers in an excellent school system and my father was a legendary baker. Classmates have asked me to re-start Melo-Cream and make more long johns and cinnamon fries for them.

A 2010 Moline Memories Post -

On February 3rd, 1959, a small plane took off in a winter storm and crashed immediately, killing Buddy Holly, J. P. Richardson (The Big Bopper), Ritchie Valens, and the pilot.

On a Winter Dance Tour, their last concert was at Clear Lake, Iowa, near Mason City, hometown of the Music Man, Meredith Wilson.

Holly's early death was especially tragic, because he was a musical pioneer with great talent and a young wife. She was expecting but lost the child.

Don McLean coined the term the day the music died in his song "American Pie." The song became a perennial hit, encouraging the fad of inexplicable lyrics. One attempt to decode the song is located here.

Holly's songs are classic pop, simple and evocative.

---

Dave Coopman has left a new comment on your post "February 3rd - The Day the Music Died":

The Winter Dance Tour played the Capitol Theater in Davenport on January 29, 1959. It was sponsored by KSTT, and for this appearance it was called the Concert of Stars, since it was the only venue where dancing could not take place. There was an ice storm in the Quint Cities that night, but the show was still sold out. 

Strangely, no pictures of that night have ever turned up. There must be some somewhere.

Winter Dance Party Dates:

January 23 - Milwaukee, WI
January 24 - Kenosha, WI
January 25 - Mankato, MN
January 26 - Eau Claire, WI
January 27 - Montevideo, MN
January 28 - St. Paul, MN
January 29 - Davenport, IA
January 30 - Ft. Dodge, IA
January 31 - Duluth, MN
February 1 - Green Bay,WI
February 2 - Clear Lake, IA

 Ken Berry, Moliner, recently celebrated his 85th birthday.
He was known for Mayberry RFD, F Troop, and guesting on the Carol Burnett Show.

I used to walk, bike, and drive by the Bartlett Insurance Agency, near my father's donut shop, little realizing that Bonnie Bartlett would team up with her husband William Daniels in St. Elsewhere, a show we watched all the time, many years later.

The shortest guy in gym class at Moline High earned the Medal of Honor in Viet Nam, John Baker.

 They named this bridge after Sgt. John Baker.

The Lutheran Leaders, After Betraying the Reformation, Have Swindled Their Members

 Zwingli was the first modern theologian, and Calvin followed the same subjective method. The appeal is to Zwingli's opinion, which became the norm. Why did the Anabaptists split with him? - they had feelings too.

The typical faithful member of a Lutheran congregation believes and thinks in a completely different century than their leaders. I recall a Missouri pastor complaining, "We did not have a single course on modern theology when I was in seminary." What a tragedy!

Most people think in terms of the Bible, the language of the 1500s, the basics of faith. They hear alien terms - like Objective Justification - and convert them into Biblical words - the Atonement. The reverse is true of modern theology, which includes Objective Justification and the de-mythologizing of Bultmann. They have a different meaning for all the Biblical terms and events. Rauschenbusch, Tillich, and Barth/Kirschbaum are pristine examples of this shell game.




The concepts of objective and subjective are reversed. Luther considered the Scriptures to be

• the objective truth, 
• the Word of God, 
• the Book of the Holy Spirit, 
• one unified truth. 

The modernists have an incessant need to rethink Biblical terminology. They are inherently subjective with favorite terms, favorite passages, and their own meanings. The Reformation popes in Rome began this erosion - "It is our Bible, so we will tell you what it means."

Zwingli, Calvin, and the Pietists continued this slippage:

• Why argue over doctrine - we can work together.
• I feel Luther and Paul were too harsh.
• Grace means God forgives everyone, without contingencies - like faith.
• Mythological terms like resurrection, divinity, and salvation need to be reconsidered in light of modern science. Bultmann, "Every schoolboy knows a corpse does not revive and leave a tomb."
• "Let's teach Marxist revolution and call it the Dogmatics," Kirschbaum whispering to Barth in their summer cabin.

 That is why the synods secretly love Christian News,
its UOJ and Church Growth modernism.

Modern theologians have been thoroughly trained in modern philosophy, so they isolate terms and write a dissertation about one word - Agape, intent, etc - or about one of their living professors - the servant theology of John Howard Yoder. 

Paul L. Holmer brilliantly described this approach as "about..." As long as we write and speak "(About) Paul's Concept of Salvation," we can pretend to be objective while promoting our own subjective interpretation. Then we can write chapters on Hellenistic and Pharisaic influences on Paul to show what a male chauvinist he was, a warning not to repeat those errors today. 

If someone teaches Reformation theology (Luther, Melanchthon, Chemnitz, Book of Concord), he is teaching the substance of the Bible and Early Church. This is a minority view today and heavily censored.

The Lutheran faculty members are political appointees, selected for their loyalty to their denomination's stories and dogmas. Their path through higher education has immersed them in modern philosophy and modern theology. They are not concerned with the objective truth of God's Word or the Lutheran Reformation. Their ears are always attuned to the right use of terms.

The photographer wanted to know how to get Sassy Sue to pose for her portrait. I said, "Use the word treats, which makes her ears perk up." We watched as those ears went from resting to full alert each time, her eyes glowing.

The modernists listen for their favorite words of evasion and also for dangerous terms that make them growl. They love all the synonyms of world absolution without faith (OJ, UOJ, Justification of the World, General Justification). They refuse to say:

1. Justification by Faith.

John Sparky Brenner (WELS) writes: Individual Appropriation of Forgiveness, which seems to be a category of its own, neither Paul's nor Luther's, but neither SJ or anything else. (I am open to correction on this.)

Justification must be God's declaration, and from Moses (Genesis 15) to Paul's Epistles to Luther and beyond, that forensic declaration has always been "by faith," and always connected to the Means of Grace, the efficacy of the Gospel Word. 

Otten, like John Sparky Brenner, cannot write the words Justification by Faith. I check each issue with a control-f to scan every article. For the UOJists, Justification by Faith is like garlic to the vampires. They say "the cross" but that means universal salvation to them, not the Atonement. The pity is, the errors have been repeated so often, and their pride is so ossified, that they cannot discern the difference between the Atonement and the blasphemy they teach.

A smooth liar like Jon-Boy Buchholz (WELS District Pope) will deny that WELS teaches universal salvation while promoting his precious essay that declares that to be so.

 WELS banner for congregations to use - "We are saved, just like you." Jon-Boy denied this happened, but look at his blasphemies, enshrined in the WELS Holy of Holies, near Jay Webber's monstrosity.

One can apply the dogma of Halle to every Biblical example and see how preposterous it is, but that is the problem. The ELCA-WELS-LCMS-CLC (sic) are so subjective in their teaching that it only matters whether someone is faithful to the peculiar papacies. That is why they are in the sack together via Thrivent, always obedient to the far Left agenda, since they are disengaged from the Scriptures and Confessions as objective truth.

More than one pastor - maleducated by the Synodical Conference - has found his entire viewpoint changed by Luther's Reformation. I get that reaction when people read Thy Strong Word. I was at Mordor for the WELS enforced post-graduate course on Church Growth. As soon as the seniors graduated, they had to endure a week of Fuller dogma (Barth/Kirschbaum) from the carefully trained alumni of Fuller, though none dare tell the truth. The graduates were forced back for even more later. So WELS should be buying up ELCA properties for all their new missions, no? No.

WELS and CG reminded me of my seminary and pastoral counseling. The new dean converted many courses into pastoral counseling courses, his favorite topic. No matter what department, it ended up pastoral counseling. Now the seminary is mostly a school for counseling with a few MDivs in the program. Seminarians are the smallest part of the school now.

At Mordor, their mission festival was Paul Kelm and CG. The evangelism program was Paul Kelm and CG. Worship was CG. World Emissions - CG. Magazine articles - CG. Books - CG. Special programs, one requiring all pastors to attend - CG with Kelm, Olson (Drive-Buy DMin), and Huebner. Synod officers - 

1. Wayne Mueller CG, 
2. James Huebner Fuller alumnus CG, 
3. David Valleskey Mordor Prez Fuller alumnus CG. 

In the future, Mordor and the Little Seminary on the Prairie will be merged into a hallway at Concordia Seminary St. Louis - CG Department, one faculty member.

The Church Growth Movement - now Missional - has been a fantastic success at imposing Barth/Kirschbaum's subjective modernism on all denominations. Fuller went from tepid semi-inerrancy to rejection of inerrancy under the leadership of Barth/Kirschbaum students, who returned from Switzerland with new insights.

What do they promote?
And what do they deplore?
That is the answer.