Two Approaches to Scripture - The Springboard or The Source. As Always, the Scholars Are Divided

His name was Abraham Malherbe, part of Nils Dahl's effort to have Biblical scholars in his department at Yale Divinity School. Most of us had been subjected to years of efforts to deny the reliability of the Scriptures, courtesy of Halle University, the home of Objective Justification.

Malherbe had a plain but effective statement about Acts. "New Testament scholars scoff at the historical accuracy of the Book of Acts. What are their timelines based upon? The Book of Acts." He let that sink into our propagandized brains. He had the most effective defense of Acts - all the scholars depended upon its precision.

 Nils A. Dahl studied under the great Biblical scholars of Europe, including Mowinckel and Bultmann. Nevertheless, he emphasized the text rather than modern, harebrained theories.

Robert Wilson, Old Testament, Yale, wanted us to learn from the text itself. Colleges and seminaries typically teach theories and loyalty to certain denominational favorites.

Two Approaches to the Scriptures

Biblical studies can be divided into two categories:

1. The Scriptures are my springboard.
2. The Scriptures are the source.

Springboard

The first one is the most popular and will always remain dominant in culture. Historic Christianity has always considered the Bible to be infallible and inerrant (until Halle University), but every heresy and cult has used the Scriptures as the launching point of their bizarre claims. The celebrity of the day has often claimed, "I will show you those truths which only I can unearth for you." In time, a fortress is built around those claims - at the Vatican, in Switzerland, and in Mequon, Mankato, St. Louis, and Ft. Wayne.

The Source

In ancient times - and when the light of truth shines for a moment - the Bible is God's own Word, powered in every phrase and word by the Holy Spirit. That divine power (denied by Calvin, Barth-Kirschbaum, and modern Lutherans) is not taught by man but by God.

All the textbooks could be removed and this approach would still be easily derived from the Biblical text itself. That is why a layman armed with the Scriptures - in a good translation - is wiser than a Biblical scholar who knows the original language but denies the original teaching.

What Dahl, Malherbe, and Robert Wilson offered was not a series of theories or a list of their favorite experts, but a return to the source.

Knowing some early church history - from Chemnitz, Examination of the Council of Trent - turns synodical wisdom into a comic sketch. The ancients paraded the Scriptures before their conferences, to remind one another that the Bible was the source. The muddier the water, the more they needed to return to the source. Therefore, they would not start with this or that confession.

ELCA's Bishop Liz Eaton is harder to remove than the Three Stooges - Harrison, Schroeder, and Moldstad.

But ELCA, solemnly convening with proper robes, incense, white gloves, and gay leaders, has declared by vote that Jesus is not the only way of salvation.

The laity will vote with their feet, leaving their endowments and buildings behind. If I were an investor, I would gather funds to grab the empty  ELCA, WELS, and LCMS buildings. Then I would convert them into restaurants, gyms, theaters, bookstores, and coffee shops. Many churches already have theater seats, gyms, and gourmet coffee equipment.

WELS and the LCMS, by approving their leaders' work with ELCA leaders, have signaled their fellowship with the craziest cult since the flagellants whipped themselves into a frenzy. See the link for Change or Die! here.

After Change or Die! takes hold, all the synods will have better but fewer members.

Read the Siebert Foundation registration form -

"Please select if you require a gluten-free or vegetarian meal for lunch.

Gender identification - Male, Female, Other."

Our 2019 Planning Commitee consists of:

Rev. Walter Baires, ELCA South Central Synod of Wisconsin Rev. D.Min. Bruce Becker, WELS, Time of Grace Ministry Rev. Heidi Borkenhagen, ELCA Grace Lutheran Church, Grafton. "RIC – What is needs to be done - complete an Affirmation/Welcome statement (to be completed by committee formed), hold Adult Forums on this throughout the year (options for meeting: – review what Bible does and doesn’t say; have families come in to discuss this; Bill Beyer 1st openly gay pastor in area come talk). Would be looking to have this completed by end of 2019 to have church vote on this at annual meeting. Committee formed could be short term to long term, based on what the committee chooses to do. Council recommends moving forward with presenting information to church leading to vote by end of the year. Pastor Paul, Linda 2nd, approved. Pastor Heidi will head up committee and start getting Adult Forums plan." Michelle Burmeister, Siebert Lutheran Foundation Gretchen Jameson, Concordia University Charlotte John-Gomez, Siebert Lutheran Foundation Rev. D.Min. John Parlow, WELS, St. Mark Lutheran Church, De Pere Rev. Randy Raasch, First Immanuel Lutheran Church, Cedarburg - LCMS Rev. Matthew Short, ELCA Greater Milwaukee Synod Rev. Tom Wink, Retired, LCMS Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Pewaukee  Change or Die! enabler, Change or Die! enabler, Change or Die! enabler. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Aug. 21, 2009 Contact: Joel Hochmuth Director of Communications Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod joel.hochmuth@wels.net  WELS president expresses regret at ELCA decision on gay clergy Milwaukee, Wis.—Rev. Mark Schroeder, president of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), is expressing regret at the vote of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) convention regarding homosexual clergy. Friday, delegates approved a resolution committing the church to find a way for “people in such publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships” to serve as professional leaders of the church. “To view same-sex relationships as acceptable to God is to place cultural viewpoint and human opinions above the clear Word of God,” says Schroeder. “The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, along with The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and other smaller Lutheran synods, maintains and upholds the clear teaching of the Bible that homosexuality is not in keeping with God’s design and is sinful in God’s eyes.”  At the same time, Schroeder says WELS congregations stand ready to support those struggling with same-sex attractions. “As with any sin, it is the church’s responsibility to show love and compassion to sinners, not by condoning or justifying the sin, but by calling the sinner to repent and by assuring the sinner that there is full forgiveness in Jesus Christ,” Schroeder says. WELS, with about 390,000 members and nearly 1,300 congregations nationwide, is the third largest Lutheran church body in the United States. In Wisconsin alone, there are more than 201,000 members and 417 congregations. “It’s unfortunate that many headlines have referred to the recent decisions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as something ‘Lutherans’ have decided,” Schroeder says. “In fact, the ELCA is only one of many Lutheran denominations. We are saddened that a group with the name Lutheran would take another decisive step away from the clear teaching of the Bible, which was the foundation of the Lutheran Reformation.”  Schroeder says that WELS is firmly committed to upholding God’s design for marriage as outlined in Scripture—a design intended for one man and one woman. “We believe, and the Bible teaches, that God designed this relationship to be a blessing for men and women and for society. Any departure from what God himself has designed does two things: it denies the clear teachings of Scriptures and it undermines God’s desire that the man/woman relationship in marriage be a blessing.” --- On the WELS.net site I found a reaction to that news release, but not the news release itself. Feedback to a WELS news release quoting Pres. Mark Schroeder's reaction to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's (ELCA) decision to allow homosexuals in "lifelong, monogamous" relationships to serve as pastors continues to flow in. On Aug. 21, the day the ELCA churchwide assembly approved the resolution, Communication Services posted Pres. Schroeder's response expressing WELS opposition based on clear biblical principles on the synod's Web site. A news release was also sent to Religion News Service for worldwide distribution. So far, the reaction has been almost universally positive, with statements of support coming from both WELS and non-WELS members. "I appreciate your statement and share your disappointment," writes one woman from Michigan. "Thank you for posting the statement with a clear Biblical viewpoint." "As a member of an ELCA church, I applaud you standing up for the Word of God and having the backbone to speak up and put your 8/21 letter on your Web site," writes another woman from Minnesota. While it is impossible to gauge precisely how widely published Schroeder's comments were, the news release was printed virtually verbatim on more than a dozen blogs. Schroeder's comments were quoted in an MSNBC.com article (link no longer available) on the reaction to the ELCA decision from both WELS and the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. --- Hochmuth was not excommunicated, but Rick Techlin and the Krohns were.