Gideon Warns about Kookaid

Pastor Jackson,

Lots of good reading on your blog over the past month or so.  I really appreciate the analysis on the catechisms over time.  That was a real eye opener.  I didn't understand why your paid so much attention to it initially (months and months ago), but I do know now.

This crazy doctrine (UOJ, OJ/SJ) is just but a single facet of the decline of American Lutheranism, and I am not speaking of just the numbers.  I keep asking myself "why?"  And, the only answer I can come up with is that they must believe this clap-trap.  They are always talking a good game, but they have dumped the notion of efficacy of the Word altogether.  Why else would they always attempt the enhance the Gospel (UOJ) and enhance the Bible (NIV and others).  They talk about the Word, but apparently they don't believe God will deliver or He needs their help.

I read a book lately on the Third Use of the Law (Scott Murray - CPH).  Have no idea what the author's position is on Justification, but the book was an eye opener.  He defended the position that the Law does indeed have a use after conversion. Seems ridiculous that anyone would say that it doesn't but, at any rate he chronicled Lutheran thought on the topic since WWII, after which American Lutheran pastors and theologians were infected with Barthian Existentialism.  But, the theme that made an impression on me was this:  Some theologians made the subtle error of allowing their systematic theology to overrule Scripture.  The theology was correct....until it crossed the line to judge Scripture.  Some theologians actually used Law and Gospel (as a theology) to judge Scripture.  Who could argue with Law and Gospel, right?  Doing so allowed some theologians to draw some interesting conclusions with regards to the 3rd use (some dismissed it in the name of the Gospel for example).

 Gideon is dead on target with "improvements,"
which are described in the last paragraph.

I think the same is the case with the Synodical Conference over the past 150+ years.  Layers and layers of small "improvements" in theology and so forth have calcified in American Lutheranism.  With a healthy dose of nepotism make it harden.  UOJ is just one example, perhaps the most glaring error of them all. But, it can't be questioned, because "that's how daddy did it!"  In a sense, UOJ is American Lutheranism's analog to Catholicism's Purgatory doctrine.  As was demonstrated a few weeks ago on your blog, someone wrote in and blew UOJ to smithereens with nothing more than simple Scripture used in context.

You wrote recently:  "The advantage laity have over clergy is their lack of synodical brain-washing. Seminaries train future pastors to be synodocrats. Those who conform best and think least are rewarded with non-parish jobs, high-carb dinners, and free deluxe travel. One could start a new synod simply from settled, hush-hush lawsuits each year.

So "I'm only a layman" is an advantage, not a liability."

I would only add this qualifier:  ONLY if they spat out the Kool-Aid, and shook off the slick ministry plans, etc. and simply read the Scriptures.  

This isn't easy.  It took me many months of examination after stepping back to get a larger perspective.  After all you're supposed to implicitly trust your pastor and synod.....to judge Scripture for you?  Friendships, relationships, euphoria...meanwhile who's reading the Bible as it was intended?  When you're inside you just don't see clearly because it never occurs to you to challenge or test the spirits.  You're in the program!  You drink the Kool-Aid.  You open your wallet.  

Most members I have known don't even know what UOJ or OJ/SJ is; they are easily steered by ministry efforts to enhance the Gospel. They just go along because they just like that smiling nice man.  And, I think there are a lot of pastors too that have been suckered in by the program.

American Lutheranism is dire need of Reformation.  They need to shed corporate influence (let Thrivent go back into the business of paying for funerals), return to solid theology and as much as I hate to admit it, they need to downsize by giving the congregations back to the congregations.  This can happen when they start teaching the Bible again instead of worksheets and stupid thick catechisms that no one will really read anyway.  There's plenty of good theology out there; we don't need any more improvements.  The theologians that have calcified the Lutheran Church are progressives.  And that progress needs to be rolled back.

SDG,

Gideon

Relax, folks - their replacements will be worse.
Some thought ELCA Bishop Hanson was bad, then came Liz.