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| No marble, no gold - just the Word of God. The altar was designed, photographed, and Photoshopped by Norma Boeckler. |
These two quotations from Luther's Sermons reveal the "conservative" synod leaders as buffoons.
I was telling the vice-president of our congregation how the original Lenker edition of Luther's Sermons could be obtained on the used market - "completely unmarked, eight volumes, $80."
He said, "From what you said, aren't they all like that?"
I thought a second and laughed. I am still laughing. The best humor comes from simple observations. I had been saying earlier that no one ever suggested that Lutheran seminarians read Luther's Sermons. An ELDONA exile said his first required reading at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, was The Purpose-Driven Church. Timid Tim said that all his books at Mordor were Reformed: "Greg, all your books are Lutheran! We had to read all those Reformed books at Mequon."
But I digress from the Luther statements. Every debate about doctrine reveals the "conservative" Lutheran leaders as anti-Luther, anti-Scripture, anti-Confessions. That is so easy to determine. They cite their numbskull authorities - uncle, dad, grandpa, cousin, favorite prof, synod resolutions - against the Gospel, against Luther, against the Book of Concord.
Whenever that happens, that individual is saying, "Here I stand - against Luther."
Jon-Boy Buchholz says his precious Objective Justification dogma is "settled doctrine." Who settled it? JP Meyer? David Valleskey? Larry Olson? Paul Kelm? They have a group doctrinal IQ of 20.
Gausewitz did not teach OJ, because his forgotten and out-of-print catechism is simply based on showing the Scriptures behind Luther's Small Catechism. And if not, then who cares anyway? Gausewitz is not the last word on anything.
The LCMS and ELS have dozens of OJ experts to cite. Both sects like to bring up the Brief Statement of 1932, as if it trumped the Bible and the Book of Concord. As if that political statement, which launched the radical liberal era of Missouri, has any standing outside of the Midwest.
The great and wise of LCMS, WELS, ELS, CLC, and the micro-mini sects show their true color (yellow) in directing people to Fuller Seminary, not to the Word of God. See Luther's statements.
Whom do they admire and emulate? ELCA! They subordinate their supposed principles to ELCA too, in working with the various genders and identities of that decomposing and rationalistic sect of Pietism. ELCA is what the rest are rapidly becoming. Not that WELS, for instance, is unwilling. They want to ordain women, but as John Brug says, "WELS is not ready for that yet."
Fuller will make them ready. Willow Creek will steel their knobbly knees, which quake at the sound of Schwan money declining. Rick Warren will play the fool and make them laugh at the next conference they attend, spending your offering money on slow horses, expensive booze, and fast women. Some other heroes have evaporated faster than the Little Mermaid at the end of her original H. C. Anderson tale. Mark Driscoll - gone - sob. Robert Schuller - gone - shudder. But the "conservative" Lutherans have raised up their own Colossus - Mark and Avoid Jeske. He can lead them into ELCA paradise.
A Severe Thrust at Every Doctrine…Not Derived from the Word of God
21. This Gospel is therefore a severe thrust at every doctrine and every comfort of any kind that is not derived from the Word of God. You may therefore say: It matters not how highly you exalt reason and the light of nature, I reserve the right of not putting my trust in it. The councils have issued decrees and the pope or the holy fathers have taught what they wish, but that does not concern me; I will not depend upon them.
First Sunday after Epiphany
He will not permit himself to be found…outside of his Word.
27. Behold, he punishes his parents because they had erred and had sought him among earthly and human affairs, among friends and acquaintances, not thinking that he must be in that which is his Father’s. He wishes to indicate by this, that his kingdom and the whole essence of Christianity consists alone in the Word and in faith, not in external things (as the external and hypocritical sanctity of Judaism), nor in temporal and worldly ordinance or government. In a word; he will not permit himself to be found, either among friends and acquaintances, nor in anything outside of his Word. For he does not wish to be worldly, nor in that which is worldly, but in that which is his Father’s, even as he always manifested himself from his birth through his entire life. He was, indeed, in the world, but he did not conform to the world, as he also said to Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” He was among friends and acquaintances and came to them, but did not identify himself with any of their affairs in the world, except that he sojourned in the world as a guest and used it to satisfy the wants of his body; but he waits alone on that which is his Father’s i.e., the Word. There he can be found; there he who wishes truly to find him, must seek him.
First Sunday after Epiphany, Second Sermon
