LPC - On the Faith of Abraham

LPC has left a new comment on your post "Joe Krohn: Abraham Was Justified by Faith":

rlschultz and JK are onto something. When UOJers deny that the same faith of Abraham is the same faith we have today in Christ, they are functioning dispensationalists.

Jesus rejects this dispensationalism for the Lord said that Abraham rejoiced to see my day.

John 8:56

One error leads to the next, same thing that happens in Romanism.

Some Hyper-Dispensationalists have gone out to say that Baptism is not even for us today.

Also Dispensationalism makes faith a work of man.

LPC

Joe Krohn: Abraham Was Justified by Faith

Thursday, June 16, 2011

A New Dispensationalism

The false extreme teaching of Objective Justification teaches that everyone in the world is forgiven; even before they are born.   So my question naturally is; 'Including all those who ever lived?  Including those before Christ's death/resurrection?  Was Adam forgiven before he was created?  This false teaching seems to find it's grounding in the work of the cross.  For us A.D. folks, I can sort of buy it; until of course you examine the work of the Holy Ghost, the forgiveness of sins and the Means of Grace; all of which the Holy Ghost is present in.  So if this is true for us New Testament believers and we know God's relationship with His people never changes, it goes that even though the the O.T believers did not have the sacraments, they still had the Holy Ghost in and with the Word spake by the prophets; the Means of Grace.

As the Church Catholic we believe this statement to be true and the hallmark of our faith:

"The sinner is justified by grace for Christ’s sake through faith."  We know this to be absolutely true by these words in Romans 4 leading into chapter 5:  "¹⁶ Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. ¹⁷ As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.”^[c] He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.  ¹⁸ Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”^{[d] 19} Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. ²⁰ Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, ²¹ being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. ²² This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” ²³ The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone, ²⁴ but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵ He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. ¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we^[b] rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."

The keyword throughout those passages is key.  Promise.  What is that promise?  That God will justify the sinner by grace for Christ's sake through faith.  This statement is true for all men of all time.  God promised in Eden that he would provide for mankind a Savior, namely Christ who would expiate the sin of the world in man's place. (Gen. 3:15)  From the very beginning God was reconciling men to him through Christ. (2 Cor. 5:19)  Note here that at the end of verse twenty, Paul says 'be reconciled to God'.  That is key.  It can only mean that all men are not reconciled (hence unforgiven) to God and that the only way is through faith in Christ and His promise (there's that word again) of forgiveness.

But that is not what Pastor Patterson is preaching when he says in a sermon on January 30, 2011 that we were forgiven before we were born...before we ever heard the Word of God; or were baptized into faith by the Holy Ghost.

Or when he says:

May 26, 2011 in an email Patterson said: "If I understand all of your recent emails correctly, you wish to remain members of Holy Word only if you can convince us of the errors of our ways in regard to my preaching that "we were forgiven by God in Christ before we believed that we are forgiven"

From an email exchange of 4-4-2011: "But you have to understand that forgiveness, reconciliation, justification, atonement - all describe the amazing grace of God given for this whole world irrespective our faith or repsonse. (sic) God loves us all and forgives us all long before we do anything at all -"

From an email exchange of 2-4-2011.  I could almost buy into this one, except when you hear what he preaches along with the more recent quotes, you can see he is equating justification with forgiveness as in universal absolution:  "That the Bible speaks of justification by faith I will not disagree (how could I) but unless he had already done all the work objectively- then we have no hope - he objectively justified the whole world 2 Corinthians 5:19 and only those who beleive (sic) receive the benefits -John 3:16." 

And there are others teaching this false doctrine.  This paper came highly recommended by Pastor Patterson.  He emailed it to me and asked me to read it.  Pastor Buchholz (AZ/CA District President) summarily discredits Prof. Sig Becker in his defense of the Kokomo Statements in the appendix, but spends the essay defending the very theology of Becker.  Here are some excerpts from the Buchholz essay:

"Let’s begin by considering the word justification. The basic meaning of justify is to prove something to be right, just or valid; to absolve; or to free a person from guilt or sin. Justification is the act of justifying, absolving, or declaring free from guilt. To be justified is to be forgiven"

"Here is the legal or juridical nature of justification, revealed at Calvary. The change does not take place in the sinner. The change takes place in the relationship or the status between a sinner and God. A verdict has been rendered, which declares man free of sin and guilt, righteous in God’s sight, and worthy of eternal life, for Jesus’ sake."

It is here where the theology goes wrong.  The status was never changed at Calvary.  He is making it a Second Article forgiveness of sins and this is wrong.  The relationship with God and man was changed in the Garden of Eden when God made a promise (there's that word) to provide an out for man through faith in Christ as Savior (it was as good as done); worked by the Holy Ghost preached by the prophets;  the message of repentance and the remission of sins.  We know this to be true as before Christ even died on the cross, there was Moses and Elijah with Him at the Transfiguration.  Or when He told the thief on the cross that he would be with Him that very day in Paradise." 

"Faith lays hold of the completed work of Christ for comfort and the certainty of salvation. “Whoever believes in him is not condemned” (John 3:18a). “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1)."

Again he has made a statement that only applies to A.D. believers, but uses verses that refer to B.C. Christians too.

There is so much more from the paper that contradicts itself and shows what an utterly disjointed theology this is like this one:

"In speaking of objective and subjective justification we may never use these terms to imply that there are two justifications. There is one justification; it is an objective, universal reality, completed by Christ at Calvary, and appropriated subjectively through faith."

A Patterson email of 4-20-2011 says, “Truly, so much that we proclaim about the work of Christ cannot be said in the exact same words about the OT saints and their faith.”

This is how Wikipedia defines Dispensationalism:  "Dispensationalism is a nineteenth-century evangelical development based on a futurist biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants."

Now I realize that the dispensationalism described in the article refers to  a specific theology, but the spirit of the term seems to fit this extreme teaching of Objective Justification.  It never deals with it's workings in regards to OT believers as evidenced by Pastor Patterson's quote.  Is this not preaching God relating to mankind in different ways regarding His covenant of forgiveness, by grace for the sake of Christ through faith alone?

***

GJ - Kelm is the sterling example of double-speak in WELS. In fact, many of the Church and Change leaders have probably used this method quite deliberately, to fool everyone. Part A is - Of course we know... Part B reverses that position. In the Kelm quote above, the Lutheran approach is mentioned first as justification for using magisterial reason from the Calvinists: Lewis, Schaeffer, and Josh McDowell. The climax is the absurd "Lord, Liar, Lunatic" sales pitch. Either Jesus was the Lord, or He was a liar, or He was a lunatic. Pick one. Lord? Now you can make a decision for Christ. Pray for Him to enter your heart by reciting this prayer.

Luther - The Abundance of God's Grace - Smalcald Articles

Martin Luther, Smalcald Articles, The Book of Concord, Part III, Article IV. Of the Gospel.

We will now return to the Gospel, which not merely in one way gives us counsel and aid against sin; for God is superabundantly rich [and liberal] in His grace [and goodness]. First, through the spoken Word by which the forgiveness of sins is preached [He commands to be preached] in the whole world; which is the peculiar office of the Gospel. Secondly, through Baptism. Thirdly, through the holy Sacrament of the Altar. Fourthly, through the power of the keys, and also through the mutual conversation and consolation of brethren, Matt. 18:20: Where two or three are gathered together, etc.

Martin Luther on Faith - The Large Catechism

This is again most beautifully and clearly expressed in the words: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. That is, faith alone makes the person worthy to receive profitably the saving, divine water. For, since these blessings are here presented and promised in the words in and with the water, they cannot be received in any other way than by believing them with the heart. 34] Without faith it profits nothing, notwithstanding it is in itself a divine superabundant treasure. Therefore this single word (He that believeth) effects this much that it excludes and repels all works which we can do, in the opinion that we obtain and merit salvation by them. For it is determined that whatever is not faith avails nothing nor receives anything.
Martin Luther, The Book of Concord, The Large Catechism, Holy Baptism, #33f.

Universal Objective Justification Rejects The Formula of Concord: Abraham Justified by Faith

"Here belongs also what St. Paul writes Romans 4:3, that Abraham was justified before God by faith alone, for the sake of the Mediator, without the cooperation of his works, not only when he was first converted from idolatry and had no good works, but also afterwards, when he had been renewed by the Holy Ghost, and adorned with many excellent good works, Genesis 15:6; Hebrews 11:8. And Paul puts the following questions, Romans 4:1ff.: On what did Abraham's righteousness before God for everlasting life, by which he had a gracious God, and was pleasing and acceptable to Him, rest at that time?"
Formula of Concord, SD III. #33. Righteousness of Faith. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 927. Tappert, p. 545. Heiser, p. 252. Romans 4:3; Romans 4:1ff; Genesis 15:6; Hebrews 11:8.

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rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "Learn about Justification by Faith By Observing WE...":

Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness. Teaching justification by faith alone implies that belief equals faith. Therefore, Abraham was saved by faith. Mr Meyer - your opponents argument that Christ had not come yet in Abraham's is true but it will lead to crypto-dispensationalism, as was pointed out earlier here on Ichabod.

KJV Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

KJV Galatians 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

KJV James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

KJV Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Learn about Justification by Faith By Observing WELS Opposition to the Gospel

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Brett Meyer on Buchholz Essay":

LutherRocks, I had the same experience multiple times. They would argue that it was different for Abraham since "Christ hadn't come yet". When I pointed out that Scripture declares the way of righteousness, for the forgiveness of sins, is the same for us as it was for Abraham, they told me to speak to the Synod officials. My brother-in-law even began yelling at me over the phone. He was on the (W)ELS school board that sent me the letter quoting August Pieper who said that you stab the Gospel in the heart if you ever so much emphasize Justification by faith and are on the way to losing your faith altogether.

The Lutheran Synods, churches and schools have abandoned Justification by Faith. It is now anathema. And cling to Justification before and without faith for assurance that they are forgiven, justified and children of God regardless of their faith. They have gone about to establish a new way to righteousness before God and have condemned themselves and those who believe what they teach without testing the spirits with Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. The Lutheran Synods, Thrivent and a love of man has made them ripe for the picking by the New Age Religion.

***

GJ - I hear Kudu Don Patterson loves the Buchholz essay. You can bet that Buchholz speaks the same double-talk as SPindoktor Mark Schroeder about UOJ double-justification.

The sad thing is - they do not realize that their incomprehensible words are the opposite of Luther and the Book of Concord.

Roger's Brother Is Looking for Digital Sources, Orthodox Lutheran Books

A.D. is a Lutheran. He is shown looking for Kudu Don's new multi-site, figuring they would market a popular brand in Texas.
Everything is adiaphora in Kudu-Don-land, except UOJ.


I am trying to put together a set of electronic literature for African Pastors (Not that such would hurt for American). There will be a problem getting them to have and use computers, but cell phone proliferation has astounded so computers probably will too. Anyway no one could afford the paper ...

Chemnitz' Loci Theologic, "Garrett" mentioned translating. Would he have an eletronic version available? CPH is only interested in money ...

I have Keil Delitz and Edersheim electronic. Will be looking for your listings of basic authors.

***

GJ - All Martin Chemnitz Press books are free PDF downloads at Lulu.com. Three books are being turned into e-books by Lulu. I am also looking at Amazon resources.

Lulu link for Martin Chemnitz Press books.

Brett Meyer on Buchholz Essay

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Apology, Augsburg Confesssion: Opposing Justificat...":

(W)ELS was thrust further into the false gospel of UOJ with the following
public teachings. The first three of the seven quotes below show the
contradictory heart and essence of General Justification as taught by the
WELS, ELS, LCMS, CLC, ELCA and the New Age Religion.

"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."

"Faith is simply trust. Faith must have an object, something that it holds
onto. That object may or may not be real or true, but faith doesn't make it
real or true. Faith that holds onto something untrue is misplaced-no matter
how sincere it may be. Christian faith appropriates and holds onto the
reality of God's justification completed in Christ. It does not cause
justification or forgiveness to take place. It simply grasps God's
justification that is already a reality."

"Scripture teaches universal reconciliation: "God was reconciling the world
to himself in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:19). Jesus is the universal
peacemaker. His sacrifice on the cross has removed the barrier of guilt and
sin that separated humanity from God. Where the barrier of hostility has
been removed, there is peace. In Christ and through Christ the status
between God and the human race has changed from one of hostility to peace."

"Since the term objective justification is found neither in Scripture nor in
the Lutheran confessions, we can understand the term correctly as referring
to the justification of the entire world."

BM - All quotes are from (W)ELS District President, Pastor Jon Buchholz's
2005 Conference essay: http://www.wlsessays.net/node/390

To date Pastor Jon Buchholz has never retracted any of the false doctrine he
taught in the 2005 essay. It is this doctrines teachings, such as those
quoted above from DP Buchholz, which the Krohn family was recently
excommunicated from the (W)ELS for rejecting based on their faithfulness to
Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.


Brett Meyer

Luther's Large Catechism in the Book of Concord: The Holy Spirit Distributes the Treasure of the Gospel

He first leads us into His holy congregation, and places us in the bosom of the Church, whereby He preaches to us and brings us to Christ. For neither you nor I could ever know anything of Christ, or believe on Him, and obtain Him for our Lord, unless it were offered to us and granted to our hearts by the Holy Ghost through the preaching of the Gospel. The work is done and accomplished; for Christ has acquired and gained the treasure for us by His suffering, death, resurrection, etc. But if the work remained concealed so that no one knew of it, then it would be in vain and lost. That this treasure, therefore, might not lie buried, but be appropriated and enjoyed, God has caused the Word to go forth and be proclaimed, in which He gives the Holy Ghost to bring this treasure home and appropriate it to us. Therefore sanctifying is nothing else than bringing us to Christ to receive this good, to which we could not attain of ourselves.
Martin Luther, The Large Catechism, Article III, #37f. Concordia Triglotta, p. 689. Tappert, p. 415. Heiser, p. 194.

Apology, Augsburg Confesssion: Opposing Justification by Faith Means Abolishing the Gospel

"These things are so plain and so manifest that we wonder that the madness of the adversaries is so great as to call them into doubt. The proof is manifest that, since we are justified before God not from the Law, but from the promise, it is necessary to ascribe justification to faith. What can be opposed to this proof, unless some one wish to abolish the entire Gospel and the entire Christ? "
Apology of the Augsburg Confession, III. #177. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 205. Tappert, p. 153. Heiser, p. 60.

Chemnitz Taught Justification by Faith - Not Universal Objective Justification

"Therefore God, 'who is rich in mercy' [Ephesians 2:4], has had mercy upon us and has set forth a propitiation through faith in the blood of Christ, and those who flee as suppliants to this throne of grace He absolves from the comprehensive sentence of condemnation, and by the imputation of the righteousness of His Son, which they grasp in faith, He pronounces them righteous, receives them into grace, and adjudges them to be heirs of eternal life. This is certainly the judicial meaning of the word 'justification,' in almost the same way that a guilty man who has been sentenced before the bar of justice is acquitted."
Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, 2 vols., trans. J. A. O. Preus, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1989, II, p. 482. Ephesians 2:4.

***

GJ - I bought this book, still a typescript, through Jay Webber and Paul McCain. They were convinced it would never be published. Since both MDivs from Ft. Wayne are ardent UOJ advocates, I wonder, "Did they ever read this work? If they did, do they have any reading comprehension skills? Any doctrinal discernment?"

Two Views - Money versus the Word of God:One Opposes the Other

One reader wrote that he liked the post about modern philosophy, which is the dividing line in theology. Judging Luther's doctrine from the rationalistic position of modern philosophy is like viewing coal as an ornament. Yes, it once was used that way in England, because it is an easily carved mineral.

Anyone who follows the history of philosophy would find Halle University's approach to modern philosophers enlightening.

But I digress. The other dividing line is money versus the Word of God. Most congregations and pastors, and all synods make money Number One. Talking to a Doctrinal Pussycat about the Word of God is bound to irritate him as he envisions the money flying away from his consecrated and consecrating hands.

In Canada it was common for wealthy Lutherans to move to the Presbyterian church across the street, because that was where the moneyed people went to church. "It's not personal. It's business. I always liked you, kid."

The Daddy Warbucks are used to making money talk. (It does, but it's always saying "Goodbye" to me.) The wealthy make it clear that all issues will be settled in their favor, and they are pragmatists. The parish as a business is bewitching to their ears, especially when the pastor speaks the same business and new age lingo as the secular leaders do in their huddles.

In contrast, the Word of God seems weak but is all-powerful. Those who use the Word to judge everything are working in harmony with the Scriptures and the Book of Concord. But they are a minority voice and probably have always been, except for brief moments in church history.

God raised up genius leaders during the Reformation and soon after, to establish the Gospel once again, both in its positive sense and also in the rejection of false doctrine. Calvinism and rationalism entered the Lutheran Church; pragmatists compromised for the sake of outward peace and unity.

People are inclined to ask, "Why is Kelm protected and Witte promoted when they have such clear records of promoting false doctrine?"

The answer lies in God's Word and Luther's writings. God is punishing WELS for abandoning sound doctrine and advocating false doctrine.

To rub salt in the well-deserved wounds, the disciples of Satan demand and get ten times as much money as faithful pastors did before them. And they get it. People would not give a dollar to Christ, so now they have to give ten dollars to Satan.

Enjoy My Stained Glass Collection:Doctrinal Graphics To Share With Everyone

I have two folders for doctrinal graphics. I started the first to create my version of stained glass windows, art with a message. The second folder developed because false doctrine needed the same treatment. I can find my favorite good and bad quotations from the art associations.

I post the positive messages on Facebook in two places, on my profile and page and on the one for Martin Chemnitz Press. You may find it convenient to go through my MCP wall photos to find a graphic you want to copy and send to someone else. You do not need to be a FB friend to see the MCP material.

I also have both sets of graphics in menus on the left.

According to Jack Cascione, who featured this quotation and the Robert Preus essay supporting it, we were all justified before we were born. The Ed Preuss book elaborates by saying the Hindus and all other pagans in the world are also justified, declared forgiven. The UOJ Stormtroopers dance around this fact, even though this book is often cited as a great classic in Lutheran justification. Yes, it is a classic pratfall, an elegantly expressed load of baloney. The Ed Preuss fans never mention that he left the Missouri Synod seminary faculty to promote Roman Catholic dogma.

As a Lutheran, he argued against the Immaculate Conception of Mary (that Mary never sinned in her entire life). As a Roman Catholic, he anonymously published another view. That is their UOJ hero, their authority on justification, who died in the Church of Rome.

There is plenty of money to be made in WELS through promoting Fuller Seminary's dogma: Church Growth principles. The Kelm-Mueller-Valleskey crowd rubbed this in the face of WELS and everyone took it. Now they complain!

But when SPindoktor Mark Schroeder tells a whopper on the front page of Christian News, they are once again silent. My last words will be, "I told you!"

Look at those Church Growth Eyes! Hunter published this photo of himself, so I used it as is, no embellishments. Charis or another one of those overlapping groups invited Hunter and Waldo Werning to teach WELS.

The Wisconsin Sect had no problem with Methodist New Ager Leonard Sweet or ELCA theologian Martin Marty, but they had a big enough hissy over Missouri guys to get the Hunter-Werning confab nixed.

Members and pastors keep taking it and paying for it, in every way possible.

At the WELS convention, the leaders will make the NNIV seem like the best thing since Tiger Meat and the only possible translation to use. And it will be voted in.

The Yale-Priced Missouri Synod MDiv

bruce-church (http://bruce-church.myopenid.com/) has left a new comment on your post "Artful Dodger Suggests SMP Plus a Real Academic De...":

The Artful Dodger asks what Dr. Jackson recommends about SMP vs. M Div. I can't speak for Dr. Jackson, but I can guess what he'd conclude. I'd guess he'd say that for the outrageous price and other reasons, no one should seek a M Div from either Concordia St. Louis or Ft. Wayne unless he is independently wealthy. Only SMP students should go to those two places (assuming they are reasonably priced for SMPs), and only if they are in a situation that truly calls for an SMP, and they don't want a M Div. Otherwise, one ought to attend St. Catharines for quality education at a decent price (as this post suggests), especially if they can receive a M Div at St. Catharines for about the same price as a SMP at a LCMS seminary:

Modest Proposal:
http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2011/02/modest-proposal.html

Lutheran Seminary Fraud, May 16, 2011
http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2011/05/lutheran-seminary-fraud-students-are.html

***

GJ - I hasten to add that training in Enthusiasm is too high a price to pay, even if school is free.

Jay Webber, Pope Paul the Unlearned, Rolf Preus, Jack Casione, and many others prove that the Concordia system turns them into anti-Lutherans. Moreover, they consider their precious MDiv degrees such a perfect education that they no longer need to study the Word of God or the Confessions. They only need to repeat their talking points from seminary.

Missouri and WELS would have to admit they have vast doctrinal problems at the heart of their synodical education machines. Otten's Christian News has been handy in creating a smokescreen about those awful Seminex supporters still in the LCMS. The problems began with the Great Usurper, CFW Walther, and his chosen disciple F. Pieper.

According to the Bronze Age Missourians, their synod needs to return to kidnapping children (Walther), covering up their leader's promiscuity (Walther), and plagiarizing false doctrine from Halle University (Walther).

Bishop Stephan graduated from Halle University, which may explain the dominance of Knapp in Walther's dogma.

The kidnapping story is told in Philip G. Stephan's book, p. 131, available in part on Google.

Zion on the Mississippi describes Stephan's many evening walks with various women, a matter of grave concern for the police before the group set sail for America. When I first read Zion, I wondered more about Walther's studied blindness than Stephan's overt immorality.

Somehow Walther became the the mythical founder of the Missouri Synod, even though Loehe began the effort and invited the Perry County bunch to join. Now Loehe is bad (Christian News) and Walther's critics, when telling the truth, are evil.

The LCMS airbrushes their leaders' biographies. No blemishes are left. No mention is made of Al Barry's many synodical transfers. No one counts or mentions Jack Preus' multiple affiliations. And everyone is left thinking that Their Hero, CFW Walther, rescued Lutheran doctrine by suddenly discovering the adultery of Stephan and forcing him out. Walther, whose Pietism is forgotten, allegedly beat back the savage forces of false doctrine, and anointed Pieper as his successor. Walther's doctrine reflected his times, but his character was more of a cult follower who longed to become a cult leader. And he did achieve that goal.

Missouri already has a passel of stories, red herrings, to keep people from realizing that their Perry County #2 leader had serious flaws.

Dr. Lito Cruz - LutherQueasy's Ocean of Fallacies

LPC has left a new comment on your post "Has the Lutheran Church Fallen So Low That Pastors...":

Pr. Greg,

Just recently, I went to LutherQueasy and I read for some hours the content and nature of conversation there. I found so many faulty argumentation that I could not even find a place to start as there were zillions of them.

For example, if a man does not have an argument, the low down approach is to divert the discussion on some personal issue.

Another example is just what you placed here in this post. They do special pleading. They want people to not listen to you because you were in several synods, yet they want people to listen to them, though they themselves hopped from one synod to the next.A corollary fallacy to this is red herring. So can you see why I never bothered engaging with those people? The fallacy simply multiplies.

LPC

According to Scaer, Calov denied the Atonement, etc.

Brett Meyer Answers an Earlier Post

Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "Has the Lutheran Church Fallen So Low That Pastors...":

Has the Lutheran Church Fallen So Low That Pastors Cannot Teach Justification by Faith?

Yes.

On Ichabod alone, there are more direct examples and quotes to prove this contention than any other place on the world wide web.

***

GJ - Perhaps someone from LutherQueasy could explain how they understand the Quenstedt quotation above, which Preus quoted with approval.

Good Argumentation: Lessons in Lutheran RhetoricSeldom Observed on Lutheran Blogs

Research is the first requirement in Lutheran rhetoric. The laity are far beyond most clergy because they read the Scriptures without the brainwashing of seminaries. Each seminary teaches its students that they belong to the best synod, really the only synod, in the world. As Thundershorts said to one student at Northwestern College, "Now that you have experienced the Wisconsin Synod, how can you return to the slime-pits of Missouri?"

The advantage a layman has is a lack of filters. The Holy Spirit speaks directly through the Word. Both the reading and the believing are instruments of the Spirit.

Christian doctrine is not subject to human logic, but the Faith is completely consistent in all parts. A layman asks, "If I am justified by faith, how can I be justified without faith?"

The brainwashed MDiv says, "According to our experts..." No one has heard of these great experts and precious few own their books. The really good ones can be misquoted and used as fake witnesses. No layman has Calov and Quenstedt at home. He may have Gerhard now, thanks to Repristination Press. Gerhard worked with Chemnitz, so he is right just fine with me. But I like Chemnitz better.

Here is another advantage for the laity. Clergy like to have large libraries which they seldom use. The laity are more likely to have a few good books. Luther's sermons and the Book of Concord are enough volumes to supplement a Bible in the Luther-KJV tradition.

Research means reading and remembering. I use a database to help me remember and cite. Chemnitz took notes by hand, like the legendary founder of the Oxford English Dictionary. Both would have loved my system. I entered quotations with all the citation material, including Biblical citations in a separate field. I can search on words, topics, authors, and Biblical passages.

Modern tools are not primary in research. They make the labor a little easier. The real issue is living in the sources, asking what that author is saying, not what another person claims that writer is communicating.

A true study of the Bible will reveal that most of the theories, advanced by favorite writers and professors, are bogus. They are not useful anyway. Mark or John may have been written down first or last. Careful study will reduce the importance of theory and increase the value of the content, which belongs to God alone.

Knowing the Word is essential in evaluating authors. The ones who communicate the Word best are: Augustine, Luther, Melanchthon, Chemnitz, Chytraeus, and Gerhard.

My secondary list includes Krauth, Jacobs, Hoenecke, Schmauk, and Lenski.

Comparing this to ice cream - Luther is vanilla, and should be read more than all the others combined. Melanchthon and Chemnitz are chocolate, to be read more than the rest of the rainbow flavors. When was the last time you ordered peppermint almond fudge ribbon ice cream? That was probably the same day you finished a volume of Krauth.

Opposition research is also necessary, but completely lacking in the blogs. I am still looking for someone who says, "I reject justification by faith because..." while giving cogent reasons and actual research.

I quoted and cited every UOJ passage I could find, although they crop up all over, like black mold in a damp unventilated house.

I showed both sides of the issue with WELSian doctrine, years ago. I quoted confessional authors on various topics and compared that to WELS quotations (chapter and verse). When I gave that paper at a conference, VP Kuske was outraged.

Special Pleading
Special pleading is is a logical fallacy known to all parents. Children give all the reasons why they need their faces pierced or their torsos tattooed. All opposing reasons are rejected as utterly invalid.

The UOJ Stormtroopers claim that anyone who disagrees with them "rejects the Gospel." No reasons are given for this outrageous statement because the writer or speaker has already determined there is only one answer.

Begging the Question, Circular Reasoning
Most people know this as circular reasoning, since the reasons and the conclusion are the same. A good fallacy is subtle, such as the question, "How long will we continue the quagmire in Iraq?" That was asked just before Petraeus mopped up in short order.

UOJ Enthusiasts claim that God must have justified all people because Jesus became sin. If sin and righteousness are exchanged, then every single person on earth has been justified, they imagine.

The Enthusiasts offer their great argument, "If you deny UOJ," assuming it is Christian doctrine, "then you are a Calvinist."

Pleading Authority
Pleading authority can be a fallacy, depending on the relevance of the argument. All celebrities are authorities on all matters, as we can see on TV - clearly a fallacy.

Jack Cascione likes to use Robert Preus as an authority, although he is not honest about it. He quotes an old essay - fair enough - but does not deal with Preus' final book.

Paul McCain, MDiv, uses Jack Kilcrease as his authority. Jack grew up in a WELS parsonage, but attended an ELCA seminary (Luther, where Jack and Robert Preus were students). Kilcrease teaches at a Roman Catholic college and is now a Missouri layman. Scaer (UOJ certified) also goes for Kilcrease.

McCain cannot use Luther, Melanchthon, or Chemnitz as his authorities for UOJ, so Kilcrease will have to do.

Has the Lutheran Church Fallen So Low That Pastors Cannot Teach Justification by Faith?

I try to understand how people argue their position. For a few years I taught critical thinking to many college students, so we explored logical fallacies and the foundation for a sound argument. For instance, someone can argue a position well even if it is lost cause. That means adopting the formal restrictions of analytical thinking.

Thucydides wrote the best history of all time, about 24 centuries ago, because he observed details, did copious research, and always offered both sides of the question. In contrast, Herodotus relied on tall tales and anecdotes, so he was more entertaining but not as credible.

Thucydides had me digging my nails into my palms while reading about one battle, as if I were watching the good guys lose. I thought, "This was over a long time ago, and he has me emotionally involved."

Smoke and Mirrors
Many laity and some pastors are fully informed about the smoke and mirrors used to dazzle the uninformed. LutherQueasy addresses the issue of justification by faith by saying I have belonged to more than one synod.

They never act scornful about the late Al Barry:

1. Attending a church basement seminary in the Twin Cities,
   
2. Attending Bethany Lutheran Seminary, ELS;
   
3. Vicaring in the Wisconsin Synod;
   
4. Landing in the LCMS.
   

Or they might discuss, with appropriate anathemas:

1. Robert Preus graduated from Luther College (future ELCA);
   
2. He attended Luther Seminary (future ELCA);
   
3. He graduated from the Little Schoolhouse on the Prairie (ELS) and served as an ELS pastor;
   
4. He and brother Jack moved the breaking of fellowship between the ELS and the LCMS;
   
5. Both brothers joined the LCMS as theology professors. Both became LCMS seminary presidents, and Jack became the Synod President.
   
6. Yet Bob left his priceless library to the Little Schoolhouse on the Prairie, and his children attended that school, post-ELS.
   

I remember his wife (now widow) Donna saying they were Wisconsin Synod for a period of time, but I might be wrong. I do not want to start another two-month thread on LutherQueasy. Rolf and Dan Preus share that same rotating synodical resume, but that is never used to refute UOJ. Rolf and his sons have added the Lutheran Church in Canada to their synod memberships, eh?

I believe we should include the Rolf Synod--which started small and ended up having one pastor--counts.

Don't the Queasies make fun of me for being independent? Where is Rolf on this?

Dr. Lito Cruz would have a merry time examining LutherQueasy logic, which suggests the entire Preus family is wrong about justification, whether they advocate UOJ, as Robert Preus once did, or they teach justification by faith, as his last book made abundantly clear.

The exact size of a congregation is a big concern of theirs, as long as they do not talk about their own glorious synods. The Little Sect on the Prairie is comprised of tiny congregations, with only a few of moderate size. The CLC (sic) is even more micro. The marks (notae) of the Church are...? One hundred members? One thousand? I am curious about this Fuller-inspired metric. The popularity fallacy is hotter than Georgia asphalt on LQ. "Every Lutheran synod agrees with us about UOJ, right? right?"

Yes, they do - including ELCA.

Now we have another benchmark for being right - the popularity of the opinion. That axe swings both ways. Precious few laity know UOJ or agree with it, if they do. Traditional Protestants teach justification by faith, even if Lutherans have been taken over recently by the Walther-Pieper-Otten lobby.

If we set aside their main argument, that justification by faith is wrong because I am an evil, multi-synod, Notre Dame graduate who publishes funny Photoshops of their heroes, is Luther's justification by faith doctrine refuted and abolished? Paul's?

Below you will see two graphics of quotations by orthodox Lutheran theologians, quoted favorably by Robert Preus in Justification and Rome. The Queasies never addressed themselves to those quotations or to Preus' own words in support of justification by faith, against UOJ.

Artful Dodger Suggests SMP Plus a Real Academic Degree.Maybe Missouri Could Spend Millions On Something Worthwhile

http://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=188112

I had to send this link to you in view of your recent posts on the cost
of seminary education.  Incidentally, shouldn't you be recommending that
LCMS students deliberately take the SMP (all the alternative methods to
ordination) routes since they seem to save a lot of money? (You can
always go to school elsewhere for the academic degrees once you are
certified.)

Also I wonder if the AFLC (free church) seminary (Green Lake, MN) isn't
a lot cheaper?


http://discover.coverleaf.com/discovermagazine/201006/?pg=62#pg60

This link between infection and some forms of insanity seems important
for pastors to be aware of.  Just being able to comfort someone, that
this is a disease and not demon possession for example, would seem to be
important.  Hopefully there will soon be actual cures.

No Intention of Yielding Anything Of the Immutable Truth of GodFor the Sake of Peace

"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, Concordia Triglotta 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. FC SD XI, #94-96.

The Formula of Concord Confesses the Efficacy of the Visible Word

"The other eating of the body of Christ is oral or sacramental, when the true, essential body and blood of Christ are also orally received and partaken of in the Holy Supper, by all who eat and drink the consecrated bread and wine in the Supper--by the believing as a certain pledge and assurance that their sins are surely forgiven them, and Christ dwells and is efficacious in them, but by the unbelieving for the judgment and condemnation, as the words of the institution by Christ expressly declare when at the table and during the Supper He offers His disciples natural bread and natural wine, which He calls His true body and true blood, at the same time saying: Eat and drink. For in view of the circumstances this command evidently cannot be understood otherwise than of oral eating and drinking, however, not in a gross, carnal, Capernaitic, but in a supernatural, incomprehensible way; to which afterwards the other command adds still another and spiritual eating, when the Lord Christ says further: This do in remembrance of Me, where He requires faith [which is the spiritual partaking of Christ's body). "
Formula of Concord, SD, VII. #63. Holy Supper. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House 1921, p. 995. Tappert, p. 581. Heiser, p. 270.

Preaching and Hearing the Word:Instruments of the Holy Spirit

"Now, all who wish to be saved ought to hear this preaching [of God's Word]. For the preaching and hearing of God's Word are instruments of the Holy Ghost, by, with, and through which He desires to work efficaciously, and to convert men to God, and to work in them both to will and to do. This Word man can externally hear and read, even though he is not yet converted to God and regenerate; for in these external things, as said above, man even since the Fall has to a certain extent a free will, so that he can go to church and hear or not hear the sermon."
Formula of Concord, SD, II, #52. Free Will. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House 1921, p. 901f. Tappert, p. 531. Heiser, p. 246.

Pieper versus Valleskey: Do the Enthusiasts Downplay Or Reject the Means of Grace?

Father Burger King Counsels a Repentant Ronald McDonald

"Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It has been four months since I last used real meat in the Quarter Pounders."

Cornerstone and Filthy Lucre

rlschultz has left a new comment on your post "The Cornerstone Effect:Robotic Hearts in Focus":

I was not there for the presentation, but my wife was. You have it pegged right. It is cold and calculating. Also, this congregation has contracted the services of Cornerstone. The Council brought Cornerstone on about two years ago. That was the last straw for me. I told the Council President about the connection between Cornerstone and the Church and Change group. He saw nothing wrong with it. The KJV called it filthy lucre.

***

GJ - Although I imagine a large church could use a specific organization faithful to the Scriptures and Confessions in helping with stewardship, I doubt whether any spiritual wisdom comes from Church and Change's Team Tetzel.

In fact, I have had first-hand reports about poor stewardship from this multi-denominational money making group, Cornerstone. A number of WELS congregations have been pushed into massive funding schemes, which fall short, and are left holding the bag for debt incurred for those wild, vain, self-centered plans.

This statement by Jesus is made in the context of discipleship, but it also applies well to stewardship:

KJV Luke 14:28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

Now that a number of WELS congregations are burdened with debt and much larger facilities to support, without the promised of effect of Build It and They Will Come, will Cornerstone refund their impressive fees?

Joe Krohn - On Doctrinal Topics

Monday, June 13, 2011

The Office of the Holy Ministry vs. Priesthood of Believers

 Acts 1:1 "...after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen."

Mark 16:15-16  "¹⁵ He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."

Interesting that the NIV Mark stays true to the KJV in this passage.  The KJV stays consistent with the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19 and that of Mark 16:15 and yet the NIV and many ensuing translations bastardize Matthew 28:19 as 'to make disciples'.  Number one, you have to realize who actually 'makes disciples'.  It is the work of the Holy Ghost.  Called and ordained men are to merely preach the Word as the KJV accurately proclaims in Matthew 28 and Mark 16.  Number two; who are these called and ordained men?  You have to differentiate between disciples and the Apostles.  There were many disciples...as many as 72 (Luke 10).  But there were only the chosen "twelve".  These were the first duly called and in a sense ordained servants of the Word.  It was these "twelve" that Jesus called; these twelve who were present throughout Christ's ministry; these twelve who deserted him during His passion; these eleven that he appeared to in the upper room; these said same who were with Him at Ascension and then received the Holy Ghost on Pentecost.  There is a clear delineation between the Priesthood of all Believers and the Office of the Holy Ministry.  WELS clearly contends with Scriptures and the Confessions when it elevates laymen to this office thereby exaggerating the Priesthood of all Believers and equating it to the Office of the Holy Ministry.  Yes, we know we all are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28) and yes, we are to be ready to give testimony when opportunities present themselves (1 Pet. 3:15), but the preaching and teaching of God's Word rests on those DULY called and ordained.

One of my points of contention with Holy Word was lay led Bible class and lay leaders giving sermonettes prior to the assigned Bible reading/lesson of the day during the worship service.  These men; and I am not questioning their faith; are not all equipped as the Bible says they should be; whether it be content and how it relates to the theme of the day or to their oral diction and manner of speech; or answering questions in Bible class with authority.  No doubt this is happening all over WELS especially in relaxed worship settings and etc...  I was a part of it (regrettably) at Crosswalk in Phoenix and at Christ the Rock in the Austin area.  Even staff members from Arizona Lutheran Academy (teachers; male admin staff) preached at Crosswalk.  Staff Minister Chad White recently preached (as he does on occasion) during a Lenten Service at Holy Word (3-23-2011).  Chad White is not a duly called and ordained servant of the Word.

Supporting Scripture References

MATTHEW 16:18-19
18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

JOHN 20:22-23
21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld."

ACTS 14:23
23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

ACTS 20:28
28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

I CORINTHIANS 4:1:
1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

TITUS 1:4-5
4 To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior. 5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—

I TIMOTHY 3:1-5
1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.  2Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church?

I PETER 5:1-3
1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

Supporting Statements from the Book of Concord; The Lutheran Confessions

LUTHER’S SMALL CATECHISM:
What is the Office of the Keys? The Office of the Keys is that special authority which Christ has given to His Church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent.  Where is this written? This is what St. John the Evangelist writes in chapter twenty: “The Lord Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (Jn. 20:22-23)

What do you believe according to these words? I believe that when the called ministers of Christ deal with us by His divine command, in particular when they exclude openly unrepentant sinners from the Christian congregation and absolve those who repent of their sins and want to do better, this is just as valid and certain even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself.

AUGSBURG CONFESSION – Order in the Church, ARTICLE XIV
Our churches teach that no one should publicly teach in the Church, or administer the Sacraments, without a rightly ordered call.

APOLOGY OF THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION – The Number and Use of the Sacraments, Article XIII, 11-13
But if ordination is understood as carrying out the ministry of the Word, we are willing to call ordination a Sacrament. For the ministry of the Word has God’s command and has glorious promises,…For the Church has the command to appoint ministers, which should be most pleasing to us, because we know that God approves this ministry and is present in the ministry that God will preach and work through men and those who have been chosen by men. It is helpful, so far as can be done, to honor the ministry of the Word with every kind of praise against fanatical people.

APOLOGY OF THE AUGSBURG CONFESSION, ARTICLE XXVIII, 13-14
“Therefore, the bishop has the power of the order, that is, the ministry of Word and Sacraments. He also has the power of jurisdiction. This means the authority to excommunicate those guilty of open crimes and again to absolve them if they are converted and seek absolution. [John 20:23]. But their power is not to be tyrannical, without a fixed law. Nor is it to be regal, above the law. Rather they have a fixed command and a fixed Word of God, according to which they should teach and exercise their jurisdiction…They have the Word, the command, and how far they should exercise jurisdiction if anyone did anything contrary to that Word they have received from Christ.”

TREATISE ON THE POWER AND PRIMACY OF THE POPE – The Power and Jurisdiction of
Bishops, 60, 74
“The Gospel assigns those who preside over Churches the command to teach the Gospel [Matthew28:19], to forgive sins [John 20:23], to administer the Sacraments, and also to exercise jurisdiction (i.e., the command to excommunicate those whose crimes are known and to absolve those who repent.)…Certainly, the common jurisdiction of excommunicating those guilty of clear crimes belongs to all pastors [I Corinthians 5]

2517 Page Reads Today

The Cornerstone Effect:Robotic Hearts in Focus

LutherRocks has left a new comment on your post "When All Else Fails - Try Religion.Message Not Rec...":

"giving unit"...you must have been subjected to a Cornerstone presentation. That is how they refer to faithful souls who offer first fruits. Can you say cold and calculating? Hmmmmmm?

The Efficacy of Holy Baptism

"Thus it appears what a great, excellent thing Baptism is, which delivers us from the jaws of the devil and makes us God's own, suppresses and takes away sin, and then daily strengthens the new man; and is and remains ever efficacious until we pass from this estate of misery to eternal glory."
The Large Catechism, Part Fourth, Of Baptism. #83. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 751. Tappert, p. 446. Heiser, p. 209.

The Efficacy of the Word in Holy Communion

"For the true and almighty words of Jesus Christ which He spake at the first institution were efficacious not only at the first Supper, but they endure, are valid, operate, and are still efficacious [their force, power, and efficacy endure and avail even to the present], so that in all places where the Supper is celebrated according to the institution of Christ, and His words are used, the body and blood of Christ are truly present, distributed, and received, because of the power and efficacy of the words which Christ spake at the first Supper. For where His institution is observed and His words are spoken over the bread and cup [wine], and the consecrated bread and cup [wine] are distributed, Christ Himself, through the spoken words, is still efficacious by virtue of the first institution, through His word, which He wishes to be there repeated."
Formula of Concord, SD VII, #75. Holy Supper. Concordia Triglotta, St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921, p. 999. Tappert, p. 583. Heiser, p. 270f.

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A Moline friend from my Lutheran church wrote:

"His precious gift to all. I can't tell you how much having a pastor visit me and share His body and blood with me (when I had pneumonia) meant."

***

GJ - DP Buchholz said that WELS pastors do not visit people anymore. They must not believe in the efficacy of the Word...or in fulfilling their pastoral duties.