ELCA Seminary News Update

Anders Nelson - ordination candidate, Luther Seminary.

It was Luther-Northwestern, and Northwestern was the conservative seminary that merged into Luther. Joseph Stump (catechism) was the first president of Northwestern Seminary.

Luther is the name for all the seminaries merged into that one location. Guess whether the conservatives or liberals won. No, guess! They are selling off land to stay solvent but got a $20 million gift to reduce tuition.

Quick Facts

Luther Seminary at a glance

Enrollment

• 490 students

Enrollment by degree program

• 56%    Master of Divinity
• 17%    Master of Arts
• 7%    Ph.D., Master of Theology
• 14%    Doctor of Ministry
• 6%    Graduate Certificate, non-degree or special programs

Online Learning

• 124      students are enrolled in the M.Div. DL degree program
• 16      students are enrolled in the M.A. CYF DL degree program 

Male/female/undecided enrollment

• 43%     male
• 57%     female

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http://www.phillytrib.com/religion/women-in-clergy-becoming-a-growing-trend-across-the-u/article_c551c15d-bd2f-5313-ab4f-6c34789c70b3.html

In the report, it said mainline denominations, such as Unitarian Universalist, United Church of Christ, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and Assemblies of God, combined to have 32 percent of its clergy be a woman. The denominations of UU and UCC have either more women than men or are even. The clergy is 57 percent women in UU and it’s 50 percent in UCC.

In 1977, that was nowhere near the case.

The denomination with the most women in clergy at that time, according to the report, was Assemblies of God — 11 percent. With other mainline denominations, UU had 6 percent, UCC had 8 percent, Disciples had 9.5 percent. And, on the extreme low end, Episcopal, ELCA, Brethren and Free Methodist were less than 1 percent.

Combined it was 2.8 percent.

 The Rev. Alina M. Kanaski recently completed her first year as pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and Chartiers Valley United Presbyterian Church.

https://triblive.com/local/carlynton/14390634-74/pastor-completes-year-one-at-two-churches

The Rev. Alina M. Kanaski recently completed her first year as pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and Chartiers Valley United Presbyterian Church, both in Scott Township. She is a graduate of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and served at several churches as an intern before getting the pastor leadership position in September 2017.

Although she is a Presbyterian, she is allowed to serve a Lutheran church because the Presbyterian Church (USA) has been in full communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) since 1997, thus pastors of either denomination are free to preach, baptize and serve communion in churches of the other denomination.

Kanaski learned that the worship style between the two churches was slightly different and included different kinds of prayers and music. Other differences included how the church operated; for instance, as pastor in a Lutheran church, she is responsible for keeping membership records whereas in Presbyterian churches, a layperson called the clerk of session takes care of this duty.

Good Shepherd Lutheran, 1700 Bower Hill Road, was founded in 1946 and has about 85 members. Many community organizations use the facilities during the week, including the Boy Scouts, Mary Kay Cosmetics and a tai chi group, as well as the Greater Hope Restoration Ministry. Women of Worship meet twice a month for Bible study and recently coordinated Hug Bags of toiletries for women in shelters and made blankets for cancer patients. They also co-sponsor the Women Helping Women Craft Fair which benefits Family Promise of Southwestern Pennsylvania. Children’s Sunday School is held during worship services at 9:30 a.m.

 How can this be?

 Stan Olson had almost every title in ELCA - professor, pastor, bishop, headquarters staff until his positions were eliminated by budget meltdowns, Wartburg Seminary President.
He pioneered the Lutheran-Reformed communion services and also restored the pastors who were kicked out of ELCA, like the one recently arrested. We were in the same New Testament classes at Yale, where he earned a PhD.

 ELCA Pastor Steve Sabin was restored to the clergy roster in a ceremony (dabbing tears from my eyes) written by Olson.

OLCC - Enforcing Dogma While Ignoring the Scriptures - The OLCC's Enthusiasm

Luther always started with the Scriptures.
Waltherians end their falsehoods with erroneous citations - often none at all.

The OLCC has two congregations, plus another in Brazil. If this is the original Orthodox Lutheran group, LCMS SP Al Barry was a student with them in their seminary, which was lodged in a church basement. Barry was also in the ELS and WELS.

Pastor Jim Shrader disagreed with the OLCC statements on Objective Justification, so they beat him like a rented mule, but offered to take in his doctrinally-widowed wife, Chris. She did not buy that offer!

That topic is being discussed somewhere on Facebook, so I am dealing with their website instead, since it is easier to access and less changeable. When I quote people verbatim, the original pages disappear, unless I preserve them here.

OLCC on Justification

The OLs begin with ambiguity, not a great place to start. If the Bible were this confusing, no one would believe anything.

"Justification is the declaration of God that because of the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ, the sins of the world have been forgiven, and God is reconciled with all people." OLCC

All we need to do is begin with Genesis 15:6. Why are these pretend theologians so allergic to the anchor of Justification by Faith? I can answer that question - They ignore Genesis 15:6, because they would have to begin with the Biblical doctrine instead of their fanciful argument.

Genesis 15 KJV
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted [imputed] it to him for righteousness.

Abraham believed God's promise and it was counted as righteousness. Abraham believed the Promise of a Messiah, the One who would establish an everlasting and ever-growing Kingdom. And that Messiah would come from his line.

Abraham is basic to the Spirit's message through Paul in Romans and Galatians, as well as being a key figure in the entire New Testament. That message is Justification by Faith, which is individual and not universal.

Romans 4 KJV
17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed [GJ - same verb in the Greek LXX and here] to him for righteousness. 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Genesis 15 and Romans 4 fit together because Romans 4 is the Gospel explanation of Genesis 15. The Word interprets the Word, a rule of interpretation constantly on display in the New Testament.

Thus the true teaching of the Scriptures must be in harmony with the Scriptures, not with a man or men, not with sects, not with a hollow loyalty to the past.

Huber was a "former" Calvinist, the first pseudo-Lutheran to teach Objective Justification.

"Declaration" language belongs with Justification, but there is no Biblical declaration of the entire world being forgiven without faith or saved without faith. There are three possible origins for this dogma:

1. In Roman Catholicism, they sometimes speak of universal grace, which is interpreted various ways. There is no real grace since works must be included in forgiveness, which denies grace.
2. Former Calvinists recognize the language as being similar to what they left behind. There is a universal grace, but only some are predestined, which is taught apart from the Means of Grace. 
3. Halle Pietism, the source of much of the Historical-Critical Method of denying the Scriptures, taught the entire world was forgiven when Jesus rose from the dead (Rambach, Jay Webber), in opposition to Martin Chemnitz and anyone who can read. Stephan had some of his inadequate education at Halle and Walther learned OJ from Bishop Stephan, STD.

Apostates Hate the Atonement

It is time to recognize the real message behind  "OJ is not the Atonement." Robert Preus made that clear in his OJ and Church Growth days - he embraced both with Enthusiasm. 

All the apostates hate the Atonement. They skip over the various synonyms for Christ dying for the sins of the world and claim the entire world was justified either at the death of Christ, or more in harmony with Walther and Pietism - when He rose from the dead.

Braaten/Jenson's ELCA Church Dogmatics denied the Trinity and the miracles of Christ, mocking the Atonement. That rowdy bunch calls itself Evangelic Catholics, Confessional Lutherans, and who knows what else. Nevertheless, Braaten left ELCA for the break-off ELCA groups, perhaps so he could poison them too.

The Life of Jesus movement (headquarters, Halle) did not accept the Atonement.

Walther Rauschenbusch and Paul Tillich, among others, found various ways to deny the meaning of the Atonement. Rauschenbusch said Jesus was showing solidarity with the poor.

By claiming "OJ is not the Atonement," the OJists skip the Gospel by landing on universal salvation, as the Universalists and Unitarians do. In fact, the separate Universalists and Unitarians rejoiced that they agreed on this - like the ELS-WELS-LCMS - and created the Unitarian Universalist  Association.

The Gospel Is Not Universal Forgiveness without Faith

When people say, "Isaiah 53 is the Old Testament Gospel," they are saying - "the Atonement is the Gospel, Christ Jesus paid for our sins with His terrible suffering and death on the cross. This is portrayed in Isaiah 53 and described in Psalm 22."

Confusion, Error, and Ignorance

"The term Objective Justification, as it is used today, was adopted in the 19th century to describe an aspect of the Universal Atonement. Properly speaking, Objective Justification teaches that not only is the death of Christ sufficient to atone for the sins of the World, and not only has the debt of sin been paid by Christ, but that God has, in a forensic act, declared the sins of the world forgiven, imputed the righteousness of Christ to the world, and reconciled all people to God." OLCC

Objective Justification Comes from the Calvinist Translator of a Halle Pietist

To be clear, various sects and looney-toons have used the term Objective Justification, but the bloodlines of "Lutheran" OJ are easy to trace.

The General Synod (Muhlenberg), the Stephanite LCMS (Stephan), and the Wisconsin Sect (Hoenecke) came from Halle or Francke Pietism. Add to that the Scandinavian groups who were also Pietistic when they came to America. 

The Muhlenberg tradition (General Synod, General Council, United Synod of the South) combined to form the ULCA in 1918, which became the larger part of the LCA in 1962.

On The ALC side of the ELCA merger were various Pietistic groups, but they opposed OJ at first and broke with Walther. The ALC veterans have forgotten leaders like Lenski and now agree with OJ, so that may explain why WELS-LCMS-ELS leaders are glad to work with ELCA via Thrivent. It could not be about the Thrivent money, could it? The loot is just a bonus on the side.

Counted/Imputed through Faith? or Without Faith?
The OLs have clearly broken with the Scriptures and Book of Concord by embracing Enthusiasm.

"God has, in a forensic act, declared the sins of the world forgiven, imputed the righteousness of Christ to the world, and reconciled all people to God." OLCC

This is what happens when people imagine they can teach sound doctrine by aping what leaders from the past have said. If they cannot base their doctrine on the Scriptures, they are nothing more than noisy, angry fools.

Wartburg Seminary - ELCA - Features Their 2014 Graduate, A Local Leader in Activist Spaces

Wartburg Theological Seminary

30 mins · 

Minna Bothwell, WTS '14, has been named one of the The Des Moines Register's People to Watch in 2019!

Minna, "Has become a local leader in activist spaces confronting issues like climate change and gun violence. But her core mission to lift up the voices of immigrant and refugee communities, LGBTQ people and other marginalized groups starts at Capitol Hill Lutheran Church."

We love how this article shows that pastoral ministry is so much more than being in a pulpit! We are grateful to God for Minna's faithful leadership, advocacy, commitment to justice, and unrelenting hospitality in her community and beyond.

Fourth Midweek Advent Service

Mid-Week Advent Service, 2016

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

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

Mid-Week Advent, Thursday, 7 PM Central

The Hymn # 240                    Father Most Holy
The Order of Vespers                                             p. 41

The Psalmody            Psalm   2                         p. 124
The First Lection                  
The Second Lection       
The Sermon Hymn #61      Hark a Thrilling Voice

         

The Great Miracle - God Incarnate - God in the Flesh

The Prayers and Lord’s Prayer                         p. 44

The Collect for Peace                                           p. 45

The Benediction                                                   p. 45

The Hymn # 558                All Praise to Thee

Sermon - The Great Miracle - God Incarnate - God in the Flesh

Isaiah 7:10 Moreover the Lord spake again unto Ahaz, saying,

11 Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above.

12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.

13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

This passage is often debated over the issue of the Virgin Birth. For some reason, the people who pretend to be shocked about rationalism and denying the Virgin Birth of Jesus forget one thing. The greatest single source of this rationalism was Halle University, which was the center of denying the truths of the Scripture and defining Justification as universal, everyone forgiven without faith.

As I have said many times before, the language alone of the passage states that this will be a great miracle, even greater than the one promised by the prophet. When the hypocritical king denies any need for a miracle, the response is extremely harsh, ending with God Himself will give this miracle.

Based upon the language alone, this miracle must be gigantic, a miracle of miracles, so the Halle wise guys said, "Just a young woman giving birth to a baby." And their fellow wise guys have said the same thing ever since.

As dense as that is, that rationalism pales in comparison with the even greater miracle - God in the flesh. Immanuel can only mean that. El is for God, and Immanu means "with us."

So the issue is not proving what the passage says. The Hebrew word almah means virgin, and the explanation goes beyond that, transcends that to say - God with us - his name.

One part of this miracle reflects upon the other. This unique birth to come would be the marker of the Messiah coming to the world. Because it was far beyond man's reason, that also signaled that the Son of God would not act according to man's material desires, but fulfill God's will.

This is a good example of what Luther taught about God's Word. He observed that men claim they cannot believe what is taught in the Scriptures because they defy human reason. But if man could comprehend one thing, like Creation, or the Incarnation (God with us; God in the flesh), we would not need the Bible at all.

The Bible reveals mysteries through the teaching of the Holy Spirit. We can support those mysteries through our observations, but teaching comes by revelation, not by adding up our evidence.

For example, Creation is a mystery. No one can explain how it happened, and every effort by man falls apart. However, we can see the truth in that mystery when we observe the way everything around us is perfectly times so that animal and plant life work together in every possible way.

I have a plant that sows its seed easily, and in doing so provides food for the beneficial insects all summer - Fever Few. It is also a medicine for headaches. I planted two of them this fall, and every time we have a thaw after a hard freeze, the plant greens up and grows again. Not even the mints are doing that. This has to be design rather than random chance. And it can be multiplied thousands of times over in anyone's yard.

Is Jesus the Son of God? His resurrection has never been refuted, and the greatest skeptics have to agree. Of course we can always find some so blind they have to deny everything. But this has withstood the attacks of the rationalists, whose reasoning falls apart with only a little research.

In a way, the attacks were good, because they made many researches go back to the sources to show the wise guys were wrong - about the Star of Bethlehem, about the early date and great reliability of the Fourth Gospel.

What began as a mystery - Creation - and continued as a mystery - the Promise of a Savior, God in the flesh, the Virgin Birth - culminated in Christ dying for the sins of the world - the Atonement.

Parser link

Lenski, p. 382:
The sum and substance of true religion is fellowship with God. Hence any number of men claim to have such fellowship, in particular the heretics who deny that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that his blood alone places us into and maintains us in fellowship with God. That is true to this day. John's encyclical rightly lays the circle of facts centering on fellowship with God upon the great fact that Jesus Christ is the Logos of the Life, the Son of God, to which fact the apostles are witnesses. The presentation is simple, clear as crystal, complete as a unit. John ranges the facts that are pertinent to fellowship with God together so that the readers may at once see that they are truly in this essential fellowship and may also note who is and who is not in it. The presentation of this group of facts is an assurance to the readers and at the same time strikes at the liars who deny the deity of Jesus and the power of his blood.

2 τεκνια μου ταυτα γραφω υμιν ινα μη αμαρτητε, και εαν τις αμαρτη, παρακλητον εχομεν προς τον πατερα ιησουν χριστον δικαιον

Very basic simple Greek. Why? In a metro area, many know Greek but some only basic Greek for trade.

2 και αυτος ιλασμος εστιν περι των αμαρτιων ημων ου περι των ημετερων δε μονον αλλα και περι ολου του κοσμου

propitiation? - ιλασμος - by placing the Greek word in Google and adding Strong, we get an instant list of occurrences and possible meanings.

3 και εν τουτω γινωσκομεν οτι εγνωκαμεν αυτον εαν τας εντολας αυτου τηρωμεν

obey commands or guard/observe them? The verb is used in the sense of guarding a jail cell. 

kappa is often the sign of the perfect tense.

4 ο λεγων εγνωκα αυτον, και τας εντολας αυτου μη τηρων, ψευστης εστιν και εν τουτω η αληθεια ουκ εστιν

The positive and the negative statements are basic to the Christian Faith. Note that the UOJists do not admit, "We are against JBFA," but say "We excommunicate those who deny our precious UOJ." That is dishonest and cowardly.

5 ος δ αν τηρη αυτου τον λογον,  αληθως εν τουτω η αγαπη του θεου τετελειωται; εν τουτω γινωσκομεν οτι εν αυτω εσμεν

The Greeks had the brains, but we have the punctuation.

6 ο λεγων εν αυτω μενειν οφειλει - καθως Eκεινος περιεπατησεν - και αυτος ουτως περιπατειν

The second infinitive finishes the thought. The one saying ought to remain (John 15)  - just like Jesus - that man ought to walk thusly. Jesus is the bracketed thought, the ideal or pattern.

7 αδελφοι ουκ εντολην καινην γραφω υμιν, αλλ εντολην παλαιαν ην ειχετε απ αρχης; η εντολη η παλαια εστιν ο λογος ον ηκουσατε απ αρχης

Paleontology. 

8 παλιν εντολην καινην γραφω υμιν, ο εστιν αληθες εν αυτω και εν υμιν, οτι η σκοτια παραγεται και το φως το αληθινον ηδη φαινει

9 ο λεγων εν τω φωτι ειναι - και τον αδελφον αυτου μισων - εν τη σκοτια εστιν εως αρτι

John is addressing those fooled by the false teachers, who claim to be with the light and are in darkness and hate.

10 ο αγαπων τον αδελφον αυτου εν τω φωτι μενει και σκανδαλον εν αυτω ουκ εστιν

Strong Thayer for σκανδαλον. The term meant the trigger of a snare trap.

11 ο δε μισων τον αδελφον αυτου εν τη σκοτια εστιν και εν τη σκοτια περιπατει και ουκ οιδεν που υπαγει οτι η σκοτια ετυφλωσεν τους οφθαλμους αυτου

12 γραφω υμιν τεκνια οτι αφεωνται υμιν αι αμαρτιαι δια το ονομα αυτου

Dr. Lito Cruz - Math PhD and Certified Lutheran Pastor - On CFW Walther

Dr. Lito Cruz

These quotes are taken from the work of the Rev. Dr. Karl Edwin Kuenzel.

I blogged about this in here

The fanatical adoration of CF W Walther in American Lutheranism is astoundingly cultic already, so here are the results of Dr. Kunzel's evaluation:

Walther was a tremendous leader, a dynamic preacher, a powerful lecturer, and a remarkable writer. However, lest we wind up worshipping the man, as many had done with Martin Stephan, and perhaps some do with Luther, we need to be mindful of some of Walther’s deficiencies.

Walther was legalistic when it came to the matters of usury, dancing and going to the theater, life insurance, running a tavern, in-law marriage (e.g., a man marrying the sister of his deceased wife), geographical parish boundaries, the local congregation, and the pastoral office. He often made his position as if it were Scripturally based and therefore God-given doctrine, when, in fact, he was going beyond what the Bible says and turning matters of casuistry into untenable doctrines.
....
Not only did Walther use terms that were readily misunderstood by others, but another cause for his naevi [faults], according to his student August Pieper, was that Walther depended too heavily on the secondary sources of theology, i.e., Luther and the lesser fathers. In spite of all his emphasis on Scripture, there can be no denying this. Although Walther was a great and a very talented leader, he was a poor, even an inferior exegete. He had only an average knowledge of the original biblical languages. Frequently he would cite dozens of Bible passages merely because Luther and the dogmaticians had done so. Yet these passages did not prove what they were supposed to prove. Although very eager to express himself on matters, he failed to recognize that his position was based on translations and not on the original text. Thus, he could say something as if it were doctrinally true, but without a firm scriptural basis. Overall, the knowledge of Scripture that Walther had was more an intimate acquaintance with Luther’s Bible and knowledge of certain passages rather than knowledge of the whole line of thought of a biblical book and of the original text.
Note: The conclusion is that he was a fantastic quoter but a poor and weak exegete who could not read the original Biblical text. As we can read, seems like he had an opinion about any spiritual matter, "eager to express himself on matters". There are plenty of these cultic types of people who can even quote Scripture from memory but when analyzed deeper, it is off.

Classic Lutheran Books Adding Members Hourly

 We'll have this computer purring in no time.

People are joining Classic Lutheran Books - all day long. Many are adding their friends and posting tips on how to obtain traditional Lutheran books.

We are featuring Alec Satin's
Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry

Consider this, fair and noble readers. That  Lutheran Library website alone has a large collection of the books I would recommend to anyone, plus many more bonus volumes. All of them are free and easy to store on any digital device.

I am getting all my books into Dropbox for free - public domain - sharing by everyone. If someone wants Luther's Sermons and the Gems, I can send that link (and so can you) to anyone. No charge. No fees. Free sharing. Unlimited and unconditional use.

The page of free book links on Ichabod, The Glory Has Departed, is here. I am adding to it, as time becomes available.

As you might notice, I link often because that feeds the search engines when anyone clicks on the links. So much can be done for free.

Fair Warning - David Scaer Has Published a Book

He wants $35 for his Lulu book, which he could give away as a PDF.

The UOJ stylists like Scaer and Otten did not invent Universal Objective Justification, but they were part of Team Preus in shoving aside Justification by Faith (Dr. Walter A. Maier) - calling it false doctrine - promoting their Halle rationalistic Pietism as:

1. Lutheran orthodoxy - false;
2. True Waltherism - true;
3. Confessional Lutheranism - haha.

Maier earned a PhD in Semitics at Harvard University, while Scaer got his ThD from his own seminary - not exactly a broad or prestigious degree for David. John Johnson, former president of Concordia St. Louis, told me, "A Missouri doctorate is only good for teaching in the LCMS, nowhere else." 

Those who brought UOJ into American Lutherdom were uneducated and unqualified to teach. Bishop Martin Stephan chose the John Moldstad approach - drop out of college and trust in politics to get ahead. But Stephan did study a little at Halle University, central node of Pietism and rationalism.

CFW Walther only earned a bachelor's degree at Leipzic University, a rationalistic school in a rationalistic system that only ordained rationalists like his father. Rationalism is pretty dry, so Walther, his brother, and their circle sought out one Pietistic guru, and when he died, another one - Martin Stephan. The open Pietists were denied pastoral calls and obtained tutoring positions instead, as CFW's friends did. How did Walther pass the exam that excluded non-rationalists as "mystics" and "Pietists?" Stephan called Walther a fox, so let us assume he was crafty.

When Walther made himself head of the seminary, why did he create a textbook out of Baier (his edition of course)? Is Baier known for anything other than being edited by Walther, BA?

When America needed more of Luther (as Krauth and Schmauk understood in their books), Walther had his students jabbering in Latin and studying Walther-Baier. Even today, the rest of us marvel at how the LCMS continually venerates Walther, even though many more were far superior in intellect and knowledge of Biblical teaching.

As Egbert Schaller correctly pointed out, Walther was weak in Biblical teaching and leaned on his thesis statements, not Biblical exegesis. More of the same came from his hand-picked double, F. Pieper, who would have people memorize and repeat Latin terms far removed from the actual text.

The proof of this is the peak of Walther-Pieper nonsense, the scrambled, confused, and ridiculous Justification section of the Brief Statement, 1932, which is published with great solemnity and honor on the LCMS website.  Everything is a human document - and not the revealed Word of God - until we get to Walther, Pieper, and the B.S. of 1932.

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...

Does Romans 5:19 teach this? No. Does 2 Corinthians 5:18-21? No. Romans 4:25? No, no, hilariously no - because Romans 4:24 refutes the B.S. 1932 claim - the entire Romans 4 chapter is about Abraham's Justification by Faith applied to us. Below is a Luther quotation that addresses the "all" confusion among those with poor reading comprehension and extreme veneration of Walther-Pieper.

Not All Are Justified

87. And I cannot reject this interpretation; for St. Paul also speaks in like manner in Romans 5:18: “As through one trespass the judgment came unto all men to condemnation; even so through one act of righteousness the free gift came unto all men unto justification of life.” Although all men are not justified through Christ, he is, nevertheless, the only man through whom justification comes.

So it is also here. Although all men are not illumined, nevertheless this is the only light through which all illumination comes. The Evangelist has used this manner of speech freely, and had no fear that some might take offense because he says “all men.” He thought he would anticipate all such offense, and explains himself before and afterwards, and says: “The darkness apprehended him not, and his own received him not.” These words are sufficient proof to prevent anyone from saying that the Evangelist meant to say that all men are illumined; but he did wish to say that Christ is the only Light that lighteth all men, and without him no man is lighted.

           Third Christmas Day, or Principal Service. Jackson Lenker, Luther’s Sermons, Volume 1: page 146. Also posted in Gems Mined from Luther's Sermons.

---

How did Valleskey advance his ridiculous ode to Fuller Church Growth?

Answer - By stating his little theses based upon his little knowledge of the Scriptures, which refute his beloved UOJ and his true love - Church Growth falsehoods from Fuller (anti-inerrancy) Seminary.

WELSians - realize this. The Bible is flexible, volatile, and fallible, but the seminary professors at Mordor are infallible, inerrant, and prone to revenge, visiting their wrath upon the third and fourth generation. But those who obey and join the drunken revelries, they will be rewarded on earth until it comes time to pay their dues to their Father Below.

This train don't carry believers, this train.
This train don't carry believers, this train.
This train don't carry believers,
just false teachers and their eager beavers.
This train don't carry believers, this train.

Who's Who in WELS? Ski and Lawrenz

Ski is enjoying his fourth district in four calls.
Pastors in the AA circuit, Anything Goes District claimed Ski was very popular. Yes, especially with moving companies.

The Martin Luther College InFocus magazine must have chuckled in listing their college presidents, DMLC, NWC, and MLC - Lawrenz was president for one month, a shorter tenure than Frey's presidency at Michigan Lutheran Seminary.

 This was some kind of joint ELCA-WELS mission trip, filed under "Nothing happened, I know nothing about it, who told you?"