The LCMS Dogmatanic Has Been Rushed Priority Mail to the Ichabode. The Two Volumes Are Expected Soon

 "And do not spare the horses!
Um, cow."

I was glad to hear that the two-volume dogmatics book from the LCMS was on the way. Needless to say, it was sent by Priority Mail, which is best when going all the way from St. Louis to NW Arkansas.

Greek Lesson Romans 5:1-11

 Norma A. Boeckler

Lenski, Romans p 302 -

"The great fact stands: Abraham was justified by God long before he was circumcised. His faith alone justified him. This towers above all else. And this is vital for us Gentile believers today. We are true children of the father of believers although we are not of his physical blood and are without the rite which he and those of his blood received during the time of the old covenant."

Parsing Link

Romans Lenski - Download and save public domain PDF.

Father Abraham - Example of Righteousness of Faith among Uncircumcise. Lazarus story - Father Abraham. Details matter.

 Norma A. Boeckler

ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 5 1550 Stephanus New Testament (TR1550)

5 δικαιωθεντες ουν εκ πιστεως, ειρηνην εχομεν προς τον θεον δια του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου

Why are Lutherans ashamed to say the first three words in Romans 5?

ειρηνην - Irene. We have peace with God when we have forgiveness, whether on a throne, in a prison, or in a hospital bed. Without this peace, we are in torment whether on a yacht, a throne, or endowed chair.

δια - Agency. Christ is the agent through Whom this happens.

ουν - Postpositive connection to Romans 4. Abraham's example shows that righteousness comes through faith, not through the words of the Law. Circumcision, said Paul, was the seal of his righteous state with God.

2 δι ου και την προσαγωγην εσχηκαμεν τη πιστει εις την χαριν ταυτην εν η εστηκαμεν και καυχωμεθα επ ελπιδι της δοξης του θεου

προσαγωγη - simple word, access, entrance, only through faith

τη πιστει εις την χαριν ταυτην - by faith into this grace; grace/faith not opposed, which is a common thread of Calvinist modern theology (I know from vast amounts of reading in modern theology - grace does not allow contigencies - if we believe - sic)

We stand and boast, no matter what, based on this grace in faith.

3 ου μονον δε αλλα και καυχωμεθα εν ταις θλιψεσιν ειδοτες οτι η θλιψις υπομονην κατεργαζεται

Paul's boast is about eternal life and also bearing the cross - afflictions, which is paradoxical.

κατεργαζεται - Paul is very interested - like the Church Growth salesmen - in what works. The verb is the basis for efficacy/effectiveness, sometimes translated as power. The Englishman's Greek NT is good for looking at these wordgroups. Also Kittel (in small, disciplined doses).

4 η δε υπομονη δοκιμην η δε δοκιμη ελπιδα

δοκιμη - experience sound weak, it is used for the veteran soldier, or metal that is proven.

5 η δε ελπις ου καταισχυνει οτι η αγαπη του θεου εκκεχυται εν ταις καρδιαις ημων δια πνευματος αγιου του δοθεντος ημιν

εκκεχυται - poured out, catechism, through the Holy Spirit. See Romans 10 and the efficacy of the Word.

6 ετι γαρ χριστος οντων ημων ασθενων κατα καιρον υπερ ασεβων απεθανεν

UOJists cannot grasp that the Atonement does not equal universal forgiveness and salvation. That ideology comes from Calvin, who separated the Spirit from the Word and felt free to make up his competing anti-Means of Grace dogma. See Romans 10 and Isaiah 55 for the efficacy of the Word, John 3 for Spirit-Word-Sacrament.

7 μολις γαρ υπερ δικαιου τις αποθανειται; υπερ γαρ του αγαθου ταχα τις και τολμα αποθανειν

Human comparison - it is rare to have one man die for another, but Jesus died for all.

8 συνιστησιν δε την εαυτου αγαπην εις ημας ο θεος οτι ετι αμαρτωλων οντων ημων χριστος υπερ ημων απεθανεν

Atonement stated again. God's will and actions came first.

9 πολλω ουν μαλλον δικαιωθεντες νυν εν τω αιματι αυτου σωθησομεθα δι αυτου απο της οργης

δικαιωθεντες - Referencing the lead Rom 1 participal, justification by faith means salvation from anger, judgement.

10 ει γαρ εχθροι οντες κατηλλαγημεν τω θεω δια του θανατου του υιου αυτου πολλω μαλλον καταλλαγεντες σωθησομεθα εν τη ζωη αυτου

This confuses UOJists, so they stick to it like lint on Velcro. The verb means one for another, like making change. However, this does presume faith, which has been Romans 1 emphasized the Gospel as the God-power  unto salvation for those who believe, not absolution for the entire world of unbelievers.

11 ου μονον δε αλλα και καυχωμενοι εν τω θεω δια του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου δι ου νυν την καταλλαγην ελαβομεν

I hate to tell the UOJists this, but lambano is used often as a synonym for faith.

John 1: 11 εις τα ιδια ηλθεν και οι ιδιοι αυτον ου παρελαβον

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

verse 12 is too horrid for UOJists to read in plain English, but they are not reading this page anyway. "As many as received Him, He gave to them the power to become God-children: to those believing in His Name." Jackson Literal Translation

 WELS brags about their great knowledge of the Scriptures,
but proof is altogether lacking. Panning endorsed this claptrap in re-issuing the book via their NPH in 2011.

 McCain - Matt Harrison's campaign manager - is an enemy of Justification by Faith. That fact is crucial in getting Matt re-elected by the Otten/Cascione UOJ fanatics,
who also populate the hopelessly lost Steadfast Lutherans.

The Small Catechism/Dogma-tanic Swindle from Matt the Fatt, Plagiarizing Paul McCain, and Concordia Publishing House

 Matt the Fatt claimed on video that he read Luther all the time! Everyone reads Luther somewhat, but most do not agree with the Reformer. Does the SP agree with Luther? No.

Someone sent me Luther's Huge and Expensive Catechism, hardbound, from Concordia Publishing House. I used to buy the Small Catechism, a dozen at a time, from Fortress.

This CPH goldmine (fool's gold) is the Small Catechism followed by endless Talmudic explanations of everything, over 400 pages with the indices.

Until now, a District President could say - and did say, quoting loosely, "We cannot punish someone for teaching Justification by Faith and against UOJ. Our synod has never had an official teaching or catechism endorsing UOJ."

This hardbound bridge to ELCA is too clever by half. So far I have missed the line foisted upon me by Mrs. Matt the Fatt, "There is Objective Justification and Subjective Justification." But there are evasions that replace Justification by Faith - The Chief Article - with UOJ - from Halle Pietists.

Color code - red is apostasy from ELCA wannabees.
Blue is faithful to the Bible, Luther, and the Book of Concord.

John Sparky Brenner did the same by using Justification of the World versus "individual appropriation of forgiveness." Name it not - SP Grandson - you might melt. I will not dignify your slippery language with color coding. If he had written the truth, which is impossible for UOJists, he would have contrasted Justification of the World with Justification by Faith.

Back to CPH's Huge and Expensive Catechism. They use "Justification by Grace", #210 in rubric red - which is not entirely bad, except they intend to deceive, which is truly evil in doctrinal matters. Why not write Justification by Faith, which is the term used by the Bible, Luther, the Book of Concord, and traditional Means of Grace Lutherans.

The deviousness is clear in that the Huge and Expensive Catechism does not clearly teach UOJ or Justification by Faith, intending to satisfying both markets while pleasing the UOJ Stormtroopers immensely. Besides, the teaching materials clearly articulate the buffoonery of OJ and SJ, as I wrote before.

An honest book would refute one or the other, but the Universalists do not like to refute Justification by Faith. Instead, they

• Revile
• Slander
• Accuse
• Blackball
• Shun, and 
• Misquote

the faithful Lutherans. Example - Rolf Preus (LCMS, ELS, Rolf Preus Sect, Eldonish Fellowship, LCMS again) said one LCMS pastor "befouled" himself for teaching Justification by Faith. When I challenged him about his language, which was published on SpenerQuest, he repeated himself. Rolf did not cite anything wrong but made it clear that his fellow thugs should also disavow the pastor, who published his work without any rebuke or contradiction from the LCMS.

Tell it not in Gath!

Watch CPH slowly withdraw catechisms that teach Justification by Faith. WELS did that so effectively that one can hardly find an original Gausewitz, who was not only WELS but also head of the late, great Synodical Conference.

Just remember that when people claim, anywhere, "We have always taught UOJ!"

 Walter Maier could say the words Justification by Faith, why not LCMS - a sect that brags about him?

Name of the ship? Concordia!

I will look at the Dogma-tanic, the two volume $90 dogmatics book from CPH, if someone has a volume to share.

Another Chance for Rain - Crepe Myrtle Blooms Pruned. Sudden Sleep Suggests Tornado Near

I continue to spoil the big Crepe Myrtle, and it blooms gloriously as a result. The fertile base soil may be a major factor in its rapid transformation to seedheads. But do not fear - another bloom will take place this summer, when the other bushes have faded away.

 I planted the Cardinal Caladiums under the Crepe Myrtle.
I grew the white ones too. I plant the bulbs rather than the expensive plants from the store.

First, I trimmed the grassy weeds coming up through the mulch. I put down newspaper, then mulch on the newspaper for looks and keeping the news in place. Sassy guarded me from the front sidewalk. Her interest in gardening has grown, perhaps because she can find rabbits strolling through the garden at all hours.

I was going to cut the bottom row of blooms off, to use as additional mulch on the base. I found more seedheads, so I took off all blooms except the top row. The vivid pink top became the vivid pink base, especially since petals scattered all over.

These CM trimmings will dry up fast and highlight the Caladiums under the Crepe Myrtle - about 16 bright red and green leaves.

Accused of spoiling the big Crepe Myrtle, I confessed to spoiling the other nine, which I got on sale. I mulched them all with coffee diapers, the grounds and paper left from pour-over coffee. I use rose collars to protect them from rabbits and weed-eaters. I give them rainwater stored in the barrels. Even a slight rain will give me five-gallon paint buckets that are mostly full of water.

Borage, often called Bee Bread, is now blooming, a safe landing zone for beneficial insects.

Misunderstanding the Soil
Many people think they plant in the dirt, so they love to whip the dirt with tillers, which will

• tear up weeds, 
• destroy soil structure, and 
• disrupt the fungal networks that provide for all the plants.

They have little roto-tillers, which some would like to use instead of weeding. I enjoy pulling or trimming the weeds, then using the weeds as mulch. Ruth Stout considered that the last insult for weeds! But I think of weeds as feeding the soil unless they get in the way of flowers and useful plants.

Clethra is known for fragrance and butterflies,
starting to bud.

And It Rained with a Torcan of 3

We had tornado warnings, but the heat, humidity, and empty radar images left me doubting. I cannot stay awake when a tornado is near, so my dropping off to sleep concerned Mrs. Ichabod. Twice I stopped driving, extremely drowsy, unable to drive, only to learn a tornado was nearby. I could be a storm-chaser, fitted out in a comfortable van driven by someone else. "He's asleep and snoring. F5! Call the alert!"

The sky darkened and the solar lights went on outside. The system passed quickly and headed toward Perryville and St. Louis.

Chaste Tree is another southern favorite.

Sassy reluctantly came outside with me to view the gardens. Chaste Tree is in full bloom and attracting bees; some consider it the ultimate bee plant. It can be a shrub by itself, about six feet tall, a row of shrubs like the Crepe Myrtles. I learned with this one - I had it in partial shade and watered it. The tree needed plenty of sun and no water at all. In fact, organic mulch is discouraged. I have three, thanks to Almost Eden's nursery nearby, so I might move one or two up front in the fall.

Autumn may be my time of moving plants around, with an abundance needing more room, more variety desired in the rose garden.

The roses are getting their second wind, after being plundered of their flowers and suffering drought and heat. The rain will go a long way toward a lot of blooms for Sunday. I will prune with that in mind.

The divided Shasta Daisies have forgiven my haste and are already blooming. If someone had gardening anxiety, daisies would be a good starting point - rapidly clumping, easily divided, and good for beneficial insects. Besides that, they are great for filling out a bouquet of roses. I have roughly 12 Shasta Daisy clumps growing now.

 Joe Pye Weed can be found growing in the wild, but it remains one of the first sold out in the spring.

Our first Joe Pye Weed is now six feet tall and still reaching up with buds. Today I confided in Mrs. Ichabod, "I know why they sell Little Joe Pye bushes. Look at that monster." I am picturing a rose garden full of six-foot-tall Joe Pyes, which could be more leverage for our Laotian neighbors.

They snickered about the Buckwheat plants taking over the rose garde - twice - last year. This year I have a few Buckwheats six feet tall. What does that suggest? The soil is incredibly fertlie, and the cover crop contributed by growing abundantly there last year.

Joe Pye and roses have similar needs. Joe Pye harbors beneficial insects, so it is a great companion plant, easy to grow, happy to be watered. Our new plants are already budding, so we will have a fun display for butterfly experts aka lepidopterists.

 Hosta blooms make them the best hummingbird feeders.

 Blue Hawaii is an example of Hostas grown for color and variety. They tolerate shade better than most but enjoy sun as much as roses.

Hostas grow in two classes in the rose garden. The veterans came from Mr. Gardener, and they developed several years in the back. I moved them to the rose garden this spring. I also had a few new ones planted last fall. Every plant is doing well, some a bit insect-chewed. I plan to divide the veteran hostas this fall. They are easy care plants and usually do not grow to gargantuan size.

Hidden Lily

I got Hidden Lily Wild Ginger for almost nothing. The flowers stay colorful, pushing up out of the ground. The sunny butterfly garden made them bloom first there, but two are also working their way up along the driveway. The Elephant Ears, which never grew, are gone to compost every one.

Every Plant Has Its Own Nature - 
Another Blow To Evolution

The people who claim they cannot garden remind me of the ones who go nuts at the mention of spiders. Additional discussion is not possible.

But for those who do garden and might garden - knowing the nature of a plant is the Creation key. Those plants with similar likes grow well together as companions. They feed bees and beneficial insects at alternate times, keep concentrations of pests away, and look attractive. The aphid hunters enjoy food as adults, but they also like neonatal units nearby for their young. Therefore, roses provide the aphids for the young to eat as they hatch. Nearby aisies provide nectar and pollen for the adults.

We can push some plants to perform against their nature, such as having Hostas in the deep shade, but they flourish when allowed the warmth, water, or sunshine they need.

The Chaste Tree did not like the shade and excess water I gave it and almost died of my indulgence. The same plant flourished after being pruned and placed in a dry, sunny spot - no watering.

That is why I return to Biblical principles all the time and make fun of clergy/laity looking for results. In the garden, results follow respect for the engineering and management of the Creator:

1. Insecticides cause more pests in the garden, not fewer.
2. Man-made fertilizers hurt the soil.
3. Soil creatures and microbes do far more than a tiller, which hurts them, and cost nothing to deploy.

Laughter from Steadfast Lutherans - 2010

I still marvel at the eagerness of the Steadfasters
to reveal their ignorance and stupidity.

SteadfastLutherans!

#17 from mbw on April 25, 2010 at 8:26 am        Reply

@mbw #15

My comment is totally off-topic, but since Rev. Jackson posted a link to his website, I thought cautions were in order. He is a very intelligent, witty and at times friendly commentator, and has written some good stuff, but denies “Universal/Objective” justification (which is not Universalism in any way), while also denying being a Calvinist.

Let's give credit to the Ft. Wayne graduates. They stick with what they learned from David Scaer 20 years ago. Nothing can budge them.

To be fair, Scaer's version of Stephan's dogma impugns the Atonement, Justification by Faith, the efficacy of the Word, and the Means of Grace. The peacock is Luther's symbol of all false teachers, who strut about in their glory but make raucous sounds because their feet (the foundation of their thoughts) are so ugly.

***

GJ - The topic being discussed was synodical power, not their precious UOJ, so this bloke first brought up another person, trying to use a logical fallacy, guilt by association, against me. Next he had to add the above comment, about changing the subject - going back to his vomit, as all dogs do. Proverbs 26:11 and 2 Peter 2:22.

Does anyone wonder why the LCMS is sinking faster than apple fritters in a fryer? Their poorly taught MDivs graduate thinking Justification by Faith is Calvinism(!?) and their Halle Pietistic dogma is "Lutheran Orthodoxy." (?!)

For example, Jay Webber imagines that anyone who agrees with his Halle Pietism is an "Orthodox Lutheran" - his term. He is another Ft. Wayne MDiv who took 20+ years to finally earn his STM - from an ELCA online school! ILT's fractulty includes many ELCA-trained, ELCA-loyal clergy, like Kilcrease and the founder.

 Founder - Institute for Lutheran Theories.
His cousin computer trained Michael Smith to be a PhD in Babtist Biblical studies. No, really!

Luther Seminary Is 50% Online Now - And Selling Off Property, Offering Free Tuition

Mrs. Ichabod and I visited the campus, to do research on WELS and LCMS working with ELCA via AAL/Lutheran Brotherhood. She found the crucial article and said, "Now I've got you, you fat little liar."

https://www.parkbugle.org/luther-seminary-to-sell-15-acres-of-buildings-land/

 Unlike Brian Williams, I was there.
Someone asked, "How did you know about Paul Tiefel's material? I said, "We drove to Luther Seminary and looked it up." Mrs. I is a whiz in research, the best anywhere.

 We also found the proof that Cho was kicked out of the Assemblies of God for false doctrine - no small feat, getting kicked out of that sect.

Luther Seminary’s new “Campus of the Future” plan will bring big change to the school by offering free tuition to all incoming students starting this fall and to the St. Anthony Park neighborhood when it sheds 15 acres of land and buildings in the northwestern part of its campus.

In May, the seminary’s board of directors approved the sale of a parcel that includes Northwestern Hall, the administrative building at 1501 Fulham St.; Stub Hall, a dormitory at 2329 Hendon Ave.; several houses and the LDR apartments on Fulham Street; a vacant home in an alley off of Hoyt Avenue in Lauderdale; and the 7 acres of wooded land abutting the Lauderdale Nature Area, known as Breck Woods. Bockman Hall, what many consider the centerpiece to the St. Anthony Park campus at the top of the hill on 2400 block of Como Avenue, will also be sold.

Michael Morrow, Luther vice president of finance and administration, said the school is hoping to find an “outside partner” that would renovate Bockman Hall, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places, and create space that the seminary can use for short-term student housing.

“I know the noteworthy change for the neighborhood is the change to the campus, but we’re excited about the new vision we’ve adopted,” Morrow said. That “new vision” includes the new Jubilee Scholarships, which will give free tuition to all incoming students this fall and increased scholarships to current students.

“We are very concerned about the cost of higher education and people going into ministry with large levels of debt,” Morrow said. Student debt has hindered the number of people going into the ministry, he said. Students will still need to pay for room and board, transportation and books, but the Master of Divinity and Master of Arts students will get full tuition.

The land sale is all part of reshaping a seminary that no longer houses all of its students throughout the school year.

“We need a different campus,” Morrow said. “We have a much different student base. The campus we have was designed for larger enrollment with everyone here taking classes full time. Today we have 500 students. About half are in the distributed-learning program, which means they live all over the country [and] take most of their classes online. We don’t have that many people here.”

When students do come to campus, it’s for two to four weeks out of the year, he said.

“For us, it’s not what we are getting rid of; it’s what we are moving to,” he said. “We can meet our needs with Olson Campus Center and Gullixson Hall. Bockman would be a good housing place, but we don’t really need all of that.”

Olson will be the campus entrance and center and will remain open to community gatherings, Morrow said. For several years, the St. Anthony Park Community Sing has used the center on the third Monday of the month for a neighborhood sing. That should not be affected by the changes to the campus, he said.

The seminary properties will be offered as a package and put on the market in July, Morrow said. The price will be made public when it goes on the market, he said.

The seminary could sell Breck Woods separately if proposals were made, he said. “We know there are people interested in doing something with the woods, and if they want to make a proposal, we would be open to listening.”

A group of residents who live near Breck Woods have been looking at avenues to protect the woods from development.

“We have been advised that one of the nimblest resources for securing Breck Woods for the public is the Trust for Public Land,” said Cynthia Ahlgren in an email. “Trying to put together a consortium to buy the land requires a longer lead time and the seminary’s timeframe to sell is short.”

The group sent a letter to the city of Lauderdale, the Trust for Public Land and Luther Seminary on June 11 supporting conserving Breck Woods for public use and wildlife habitat. “Any decision to develop and change this valuable natural resource will be irreversible,” the letter said. “We support preserving the woods, recognizing the importance of green space not only for ourselves but for the wider community.”

Luther Seminary has slowly been selling under-used portions of its property for several years. In 2014, the seminary sold five apartment buildings on Eustis Street to Greenway Village. Senior housing developer Ecumen bought 1.6 acres at Luther Place and Como Avenue in 2015 to build Zvago, a 49-unit co-op currently under construction. HealthPartners purchased 4.5 acres of land across from its Como Avenue building in 2016 to build a replacement clinic. The date for the clinic groundbreaking has not been announced.

The large grassy lawn along Como Avenue will remain part of the seminary property for now. “It is not part of what we will be bringing forward [in July],” Morrow said, however, “we are not convinced that we have a long-term need for that property.”

As far as the current package that will be up for sale and any future sales, “we know that we are picking who our next neighbors are,” Morrow said. “We are real concerned about picking someone who is a good neighbor.”

---

https://alpb.org/Forum/index.php?topic=7020.msg445958;topicseen#msg445958

United [sic?] Seminary has had free tuition for those in ELCA candidacy since it began operating, and Mt. Airy had been doing so for a year or two before the merger with Gettysburg.

spt+

Gideon Will Not Enroll at Iliff - Apparently

 The blog post is linked here.

Pastor,

I've been thinking about this for a couple of days and it rather dovetails into the Concordia mess in St. Louis (debating Creation, or more accurately negotiating the veracity of Scripture).

So here we have ILIFF, the Methodist "seminary?"  Doing well apparently:

“It’s a social justice-oriented institution. It’s the perfect place for me because they care for people who are rejected and not accepted in society.”

“She worked to provide an alternative to the narrative that permeates our culture — the idea that everything around us can be traced back to individuals and their psychology, rather than social forces. At its core, this required constant (and frequently uncomfortable) critical thought. Given the nature of sociology, this also required us to think critically about our own lives and social positioning. It takes a special person to cultivate such a space for this. She always contextualized the need for such critical thought, as well.”

 My little seminary has been named Martin Luther University College, because its main program is now in counseling, with a side helping of seminary, its lowest enrollment. The dean's statement - "At the seminary, we have done so for decades. Our school has grown to become an inclusive and multifaith learning environment. Our students represent over 30 religious traditions — or claim to no faith tradition at all. Many are also members of historically marginalized groups including LGBTQ, physically challenged, Jewish, Muslim, and Indigenous communities."

At this point, it may be debated if LLIFF is even a seminary at all since it seems to be more concerned with sociology and psychology than the Gospel.  One may wonder how on earth did the church of Wesley get here.  The answer may be with Wesley himself:  “And at the same time that we are justified, yea, in that very moment, sanctification begins.”  And, this is true as far as it goes, but Wesley went further.  It has been said of Wesley, "Luther got Justification right, I will get Sanctification right." (Craig Parton said this once at a conference paraphrasing Wesley.  The Remarkable Decline of American Evangelicalism).

And so he went, and so many followed.  Sanctification becomes the focus and Justification became a mere academic point.  Our egos love it when we can do things, and we get so full of that self adoration.  Accomplishments feel good.  Our accomplishments.  This is the danger of getting away from the Cross (Justification).  Justification by Faith is something that God does; it's his gift to us, but Sanctification is something we do in response to give him glory-- as it should be.  BUT...once Justification is removed, things can and do go sideways.

This is not something unique to Wesley, but rather common to all men.  We want to have that "garden moment" when we can take that fruit and stand on our own.  God is forgotten; this is our moment.

So, what is the result?  Where did the successors and followers of Wesley (and his ilk) end up?  Eventually we have the things like the Salvation Army (as it exists today) and what was known as the "social gospel."  Neither had much or anything to do with the Cross, and I believe ultimately these eventually gave birth to the Social Justice movement we have today ( completely devoid of the Gospel and Christ and his Cross as evidenced by a complete lack of forgiveness of its adherents).  Hence, we have the Methodist LLIFF.  Seems extreme to say that's antichrist, but where's the Gospel in that "seminary."

Herein lies the importance of being grounded in what God does and not in what we do.  Law and Gospel.  The Scriptures.  The Confessions.  Cathechisis.  With these we never stray too far.

To be sure, the likes of Bonhoeffer will remind us of the importance of Discipleship, but we won't be need to be reminded if we remember how we are justified.  If we understand Justification by Faith for what it is (which does not tend to antinomianism)  and for what OJ/SJ/UOJ is not(which does tend to antinomianism).  Faith demands an answer on it's own.  2 Cor. 5 and 6 have much to say about this.  If one reads the entire chapter it become clear that those addressed are believers (and not the entirety of humanity).  We (not the world!) are compelled / controlled / constrained. (v.14) That's what faith does.  Without faith, look to the world, and ILIFF.  With faith (the faith that God [the Holy Spirit] gives through Word and Sacrament) we cannot help but bear fruit.  For faith bears witness to both the Law and Gospel.  This fruit is real and God pleasing.  We go beyond that, we become self important.

This is why Concordia needs to stop with this foolish debate over Creation.  What do the Scriptures say?  Case closed.  Persisting in this foolishness can only eventually result in a slow slide into apostasy.  Need proof?  Just run the history of the synodical conference in reverse and ask those who walked before what they think.  Yea, ask Luther, Chemnitz, Augustine...or better yet the Scriptures which are chock full of warnings about the slow slide.  Stop the slide!  Engage the world with the Gospel!  Matt 28-18-20.  We need faithful Pastors!

SDG,

Gideon

---

Another brilliant letter from "Gideon".

 

Thank you for posting.  It's a comfort to the soul.

 

Alec 

I Stand with the Concordia Seminary St. Louis Professors

Wrong focus, professors!

The claim was made that the seminary professors - at Concordia St. Louis - want to back away from the Six Day Creation, because that concept is hurting them with the youth. I agree with them and will argue with great ferocity for their intentions. They want to remove what is causing a rapid decline in the Missouri Synod, not to mention WELS, the Little Sect on the Prairie, and the CLC cult.

Their focus is bad, like the Space Telescope that was launched with the wrong prescription for its optics. In harmony with all Enthusiasts, the Concordia professors imagine that the right man-made solutions will cure their ills.

WELS, LCMS, Seminex, ALC - they are pointing in the same direction as Jungkuntz did.

What has their Missouri Synod obsessively promoted the last 50 years?

1. Objective Justification - Forgiveness without faith, as taught by their syphilitic founder, Martin Stephan, STD; Jungkuntz, who helped set up Seminex for the Metropolitan Community Church; Herman Otten, spiker of synod scandals;  David Scaer, and other enemies of the truth.
2. Church Growth - Gimmicks and manipulation, doctrine watered down to success ideology, established by no less than five (5) LCMS gurus in Church Growth - Waldo Werning, Kent Hunter, and three addition morons.

Focusing on results is all wrong - that is their problem, something that even the daft Walther realized (borrowing from Luther). One does not seek for the fruit, as Pietism does, but for the good tree - sound doctrine.

I would love to see the city slickers at Concordia Seminary shopping for gardening supplies. They would see the splendid bulb flowers from Dutch Gardens, order a bunch of them, and say, "Eeek! These daffodils and tulips are ugly, not at all what we imagined. We saw perfect flowers, but these are homely and smell funny." Fools. The best bulbs are just as ugly as bare root roses. That is why people buy both in pots, which does not change the reality, only the perception.

The various synods and cults need to abandon their Enthusiasm and their sneering at ELCA to return to the efficacy of the Word in the Means of Grace. ELCA makes them feel superior, so why are the quasi-conservative synods collapsing just as fast? Shouldn't the escaping ELCA members fill their pews and send their male candidates to college and seminary?

No - and this is why. The LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC entities are just another version of ELCA, working with ELCA, and secretly coveting ELCA.

A priest or Babtist or non-Christian can lecture at their schools, and there is no murmur, no opposition. But if I were named a guest-speaker, their customers and leaders would go nuts. Herman Otten is just their pretend whipping boy. The synods use him to keep their scandals from coming out, to help elect the right non-leaders to office. And Otten is happy for those moments of fellowship, those whispered phone calls, those "don't tell anyone I called" calls. If a candidate for the synod president composes a song of adoration and travels to the sacred publishing location to sing it, and the editor keeps it a secret, how far apart are they?

People over the years have contacted me about the abuse and scams of the synods. Thousands have given up having any impact on their own congregations and synods, so they quietly withdraw. That will continue because the leaders skim the cream for themselves and let everything else rot away.

The numbers they give out make me laugh. WELS has 400,000 members and ELS 20,000? They cannot even scrape up cash for capital repairs on their failing prep school in Saginaw. Now it is too late to have reasonable charges, which were once subsidized by synod offerings. The Lutheran schools are luxuries that many are happy to bypass.

The leaders were content to take the money for themselves, their deluxe office buildings, portly staffs, and let the student population borrow their way to an education. Now the overhead is beyond belief and everyone is drifting away, which accelerates the problems of cost and income.

Let's look at small numbers at a tiny college. If they have a total of 200 students and lose 30 in enrollment, that is 30 x $30,000 per year. The loss is $900,000 per year - same teachers, same buildings, same utilities, same insurance. There are many tiny Bible colleges like that. The big picture is much scarier, whether LCMS or WELS or ELS or CLC. ELDONA can lose their entire seminary study body once he graduates. Then they could merge with the CLC seminary as Andover did with Newton, and Andover-Newton did with Yale, and so forth.

Luther did not worry about results. He taught sound doctrine and rejected false doctrine. Many faulted him during the Reformation, as the Lutheran leaders of today do. But if we believe the Word of God is efficacious and powerful - as I do - then God will accomplish His will through His Word, as promised.