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| John Sparky Brenner called Justification by Faith "individual appropriation of forgiveness," the most awkward circumlocution since "picking flowers in the woods." |
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| Walther learned his OJ from Stephan, who studied at Halle University. |
Walther started the predestination/election conflict on his own to back up his UOJ. If justification is without faith, so must election be, he reasoned falsely.
John Sparky Brenner said it went with or backed up OJ. Download below.
I know Walther argued people into it saying that we could not include faith or that would make election a work of man, just CFW's attitude about justification. This put Walther even more in the Calvinist camp. Ask Lito Cruz, who has personal experience with this.
Walther (and Bishop Stephan) are portrayed as true Confessional Lutherans, repristination and all that. But Walther grew up in a rationalist pastor's parsonage and attended Pietist cell groups with one guru and then (when that guru died) with Martin Stephan. Stephan was in a Pietistic church where the land was donated by Zinzendorf (Pietism alarm). Stephan's church had government permission to have cell groups at the church. Otherwise they were illegal.
Calling Stephan and Walther true blue Lutherans is a stretch.
Pietism is anti-Means of Grace, so Walther's background fashioned him toward Calvinistic thinking, and Germany was/is very much committed to Lutheran-Calvinist thinking, with the emphasis on Reformed.
F. Pieper was Wisconsin Synod, founded by Pietistic Lutheran-Calvinist unionists. Several early leaders moved them away from that, but it was gradual.
I had a church which had been the Calvinist wing of the WELS/Calvinist congregation in New Ulm. A new pastor came to St. Paul's and said, "I thought we settled the Calvinist issue already." The Calvinists packed up and formed a new church a block away. Later the CLC (sic) bought it and the Calvinists turned UCC moved downtown.
That is physical proof of the WELS early years of Calvinist accommodations.
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| Pietism leads quickly to rationalism, and then to radical social activism, as proven by the Pietist origins and radical boasting of ELCA. |
