The Sleep of Reason Produces Strange Monsters

 Goya's Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters

My morning starts with pour-over coffee and reviewing books. I try to review one book a day on Amazon for the Lutheran Library/Librarian. We have this great producer of almost forgotten Lutheran and Christian books. They remind me of the silver mine found in Thorikos, Greece.

On the one hand, we have a very useful online selection - over 150 ebooks - portable, free, and easy to use for quotations. But what reader can resist the printed book? Now Alec Satin is using the ebooks to make print books on Amazon.

I named the book of the day "Luther Right or Wrong" in the blog post headline and wrote out the review for Luther Examined and Reexamined, the actual title, several times.

Search Engine Optimization - but you knew that already.

 I met the author of Luther Right or Wrong? - cigar-chomping Father McSorley. He gave a presentation at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary, taking Luther's side. Our dogmatics professor, Siirila, agreed with Erasmus in his undistinguished book. At least we heard both sides of the issue, unlike the sectarian Synodical Conference, where DNA establishes orthodoxy. McSorley sells for $75, Siirala for $7. Haha.

That made me think of the Goya painting we studied in college, pictured above. Sleep can bring on the strangest dreams. I am often working in those dream, at the donut shop or in graduate school. Waking up from hours of imaginary and frustrating labor is a relief, but I am only half awake. My early morning typos are hilarious so I first drink coffee and read various samples of Lutheran and news posts.

We have two types of Americans now - the annoying "woke" ones, the final decaying stage of Pietism, and the "awakened" - the larger group (I hope) who realize they have been swindled by socialistic statism, robbed of their freedoms and peace.

The Left-wing Woke generation is humorless, always condemning, and rigid in following a set of man-made rules. They even dare to rewrite English so they are never offended. One Lutheran Woke website published the allowed pronouns for each leader. I did not find it later, so maybe it was laughed off the Net - but it will be back.

This wokeness is fed by a generation or two of Social Justice Warriors who have answers for all problems, especially problems that do not exist. The Woke leaders have lined their pockets with giant, expensive blenders in the air, useful for chopping up flocks of birds but very inefficient in generating electricity.

I could go on.

The Awakened are those who are studying the issues independently, acting upon the facts rather than letting the monsters of tyranny reproduce.

It is not an accident that Luther's break with the Roman Catholic theocracy of Europe brought on a new era of freedom.

 No, the New Rome.

Review on Amazon for Dau's Luther Examined and Reexamined

The Amazon print book of Luther Examined and Reexamined can be found here.

 Luther's memory was so great, and his training so thorough, that he could pull together the themes of the Bible, teaching the Scriptures as a unified truth rather than a grab-bag of sectarian verses. He has never been forgiven for demolishing so many errors in Roman Catholicism and Swiss Enthusiasm.

Luther Will Always Be Cool

Luther has precipitated more attacks than most historical figures, more than most authors. The reasons given are legion, but they begin with more people discussing Luther than studying Luther. Dau's book answers many objections and remains a classic. The best outcome from reading Luther Examined and Reexamined is a regular habit of studying, marking, and remembering his sermons. They are Biblical treasures, often humorous, with many wise and perceptive observations about the human condition and God's graciousness.

 The free ebook PDF of Luther Examined and Reexamined can be found here.

“Attacks on Luther are demanded for Roman Catholics by the law of self-preservation… Rome has never acknowledged her errors nor admitted her moral defeat. The lessons of past history are wasted upon her.

“A recent Catholic writer correctly says: ‘There is no doubt that the religious problem today is still the Luther problem.’ ‘Almost every statement of those religious doctrines which are opposed to (Roman) Catholic moral teaching find their authorization in the theology of Martin Luther.’ – William Dau