Reason instead of Faith - From Lenski, More Than a Century Ago

If I have a friend who thinks he is a Christian, and yet believes in this latter kind of (delusional) faith, do you think going over the following passage with him would do any good?

Any suggestions welcome.

quote:

"The adepts of faith-cure look upon disease as something subject to “faith,” namely to what they call faith. This faith simply appears to be a conviction that what they want shall and will take place. This is not the faith of which the Scriptures speak, it is not Christian faith. It is a man-made thing, and when mistaken for Christian faith a terrible delusion. Disease is not subject to this man-made faith of faith-curists any more than to strong mental impressions generally. Christianity has nothing to do with it, for pagans may have this faith. Disease is not subject even to Christian faith, so that when a faithful Christian prays to be healed, healing will certainly take place. St. Paul had faith, and prayed in faith to be healed of a thorn in the flesh, yet God answered him by allowing the affliction to remain, declaring: “My grace is sufficient for thee.” 2 Cor. 12:7-9. The great function of Christian faith is not to shake off disease, but to trust in Christ, to embrace forgiveness and salvation, and to submit to His will, which is often that we shall be sick and suffer. The plea of faith-curists, when they fail, that the patient had not faith, is an empty excuse to explain away failure. Some have the “faith” of the faith-curists, and yet remain sick and die; others get well without it."

From: Lenski. “Faith Cure and Christian Science” in Loy, ed. The Columbus Theological Magazine. Vol. 18, 1898. LutheranLibrary.org

***

GJ - Lenski was ahead of the rationalists, who were plentiful back then as well. The essence of curing by faith in the Bible is the idea that believing - or having positive thoughts - is curing. 

I have often heard people write on Facebook, "I am sending positive thoughts to you," which sounds like a new and emission-free power source. I am not the target, so I have not had the chance to test it.

The original New Testament, in Greek, is mostly comprised of common words from the time, so it is called Koine Greek, common Greek. Most of the time, the Greek word in use at the time is what we read in the Scriptures. People will focus on one word and use the word out of context. The extremists of this style are said to suffer from studying Kittel, an alphabetical set of volumes practicing this magic.

The meaning comes from the context and familiarity with it. That is why so few pastors know the New Testament. They look at a Greek word they do not know and fly away with the claims of some source. There are also entire verses removed for the sake of clarity! - typical ESV and NIV, plus RSV and NRSV, and Beck.

I follow Luther's approach of knowing the entire Bible serves as a unified truth, the Book of the Holy Spirit. That is God's intention, in contrast to those who pick a verse - or just a phrase - and run off in every direction without anchoring the claim with various Scriptures. 

The vacuous Objective Justification parsons and their Church Growth allies are prisoners of rationalistic nonsense. It is not surprise that some of the loudest advocates of both have become atheists.

What a Wonderful Day!

 

The Carbon Cowboys emphasize the organic side of growing food and flowers. Everything that has grown will end up as soil, so the Creation Garden gathers leaves when others are bagging them up to be hauled away.

We had heavy rain for two days, just what we needed, and then cold, followed by a perfect fall day with trees golden from the frost.

The roses show signs for another bouquet on Sunday, especially Veterans Honor.

The curtain for sound dampening in the chapel arrived at the parsonage - or rather, the renterage. Ranger Bob came by for pour-over coffee, and chicken. Sassy was overjoyed and repaid us for sound advice.

Everything came today, from a white computer mouse to the curtain and rod to absorb sound behind the computer and webcam. I also have small metal shelves for speakers and for future flower displays - Christmas, Easter, and Ascension Day. Bob and I went to work and Sassy observed with grins and sharp barks. Most of it was done today with a little more to be adjusted tomorrow.

When we were done, Sassy went to the bed for her lovey time, so I could tell her how much everyone loves her, especially Bob. When I clapped for her to jump up, she pivoted 180 degrees and marched off to the front door to go outside, grinning. She enjoyed sitting on the driveway and observing everything on the cul de sac. The weather was perfect for her, cool, dry, with only a slight breeze.

In Lord of the Rings, Frodo dreamed about the pleasure of the "garden at twilight." 

 Norma A. Boeckler, our artist-in-residence, has a garden very much like this.

Book Review of The I AM Sermons in the Gospel of John - The Name of God in Exodus 3

The I AM Sermons in the Gospel of John -  The Name of God in Exodus 3

Christine G. Shrader

5.0 out of 5 starsChristian: Connect the dots from Exodus 3 and the Gospel of John

Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2022

Pastor Jackson has written a wonderful book, that can be read in one day. This book is filled with Scripture and connects the dots from the Exodus 3 Name of God to Jesus' I AM statements in John. A certain TV preacher once stated that Jesus never claimed to be God. 

Dr Jackson shows us that God's word says differently. "Not only does Jesus identify himself as God, but He also taught Martha that this meant life everlasting for those who believe in Him." p. 63. From a fourth grader down to the more mature Christian, Dr. Jackson makes this topic most accessible.

Every time a Biblical book is reviewed, an angel earns his wings, but Christian News, WELS, ELDONA, LCMS, ELS, and ELCA continue to hold out.

Anything Interesting This Week?

The Objective Justification gurus should admit that this is why they hate Luther and envy the corporate wealth and pomp of the Vatican. Their Father Below praises and rewards their labors.

My doctor was stunned by my weight loss. We traded jokes about the endless cash flow of trademark diets and their appealing products - Keto Bread, South Beach Candy. "They will never run out of profits!" I stick to vegetables, fruits, and exercise.

He sent a nurse in to draw my blood. She asked, "Doing anything interesting this week?" I said, "I finished one book and I am starting a new one."

She asked how many, so I told her, "Thirty-seven in print, so the next one is thirty-eight."

I have started the Parables, and the art is already done by Norma A. Boeckler! She finished the art of The I AM Sermons in John's Gospel. I will have to get a subtitle ready. 

Liberalism, Its Cause and Cure was published by Northwestern Publishing House, and those involved were punished and fired for it. Nevertheless, the book sold rapidly. NPH scheduled Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant for printing and then reversed direction and said, "Not until you change your attitude about WELS."

I have to thank NPH for moving me into independent publishing. They sold CLP for years, and promoted it - the same NPH that refused to print what they had already approved. Otten's family got CLP into print, but my family financed it. The cub editor, Phil Hale, ordered 10 copies of CLP but never paid for them. That is very frugal!

I am going to take more time with The Parables of Jesus. After that, I am going to work on Jesus, Titles of Majesty, about the meaning of His many titles - Son of Man, Son of God, Messiah, Lamb of God, King of Kings, and so forth.

Gateway Pundit - Great News for the Bill of Rights and the US Constitution

 

New York – A Judge for the Richmond County Supreme Court, Judge Ralph Porzio, has ruled that the vaccine mandates issued by the New York City Health Commissioner are unconstitutional and violate the separation of powers. 

The ruling permits city employees to return to work effective immediately and orders backpay.

According to attorney Chad Laveglia, the judge ruled “the commissioner’s order mandating private and public employees get vaccinated was arbitrary and capricious.”

LCMS

From Tom Fisher - Justification by Faith

 

Charlton Heston, Planet of the Apes, shouted this when he realized that he landed on Earth, after the great war. I believe this is the Concordia, St. Louis statue, which I Photoshopped into the scene.

Luther warned us about sects that would insist on adding teachings not found in our Bible (KJV) or Catechism (1941 CPH, Gausewitz, 1905, 1902). They say to us, "You have the basics but you must make a decision to accept objective justification. You must make a decision to accept that God has already forgiven and justified the whole world without faith in Christ, without God's Word, without God the Holy Ghost, without Baptism into Christ." 

To this we reply, "That's not in my Bible (KJV) or catechism (1941 CPH, 1905, 1902, Gausewitz). You are a works salesman insisting I make a decision to accept Objective Justification." 

Dr. Gregory Jackson, PhD said in his new book, "Using Walther as the gold standard, there is only universal forgiveness without faith (Objective Justification) and making a decision to accept this dogma (Subjective Justification)." (The Path To Understanding Justification, ISBN 9781072530428, pg 70) 

The 2011 NIV teaches Objective Justification by adding the word 'all' to Romans 3:23 Dr Gregory Jackson, PhD, said in his new book, "This new paraphrase teaches that every single person is justified, forgiven, saved without faith. That dogma is also called Objective Justification, Universal Justification, the Justification of the entire World, General Justification, Universal Objective Justification, and Universalism." (The King James Version: Apostolic Texts, Precise Translations verses Fraudulent Texts and Heretical Translations, ISBN 97978429093451, pg 169. [GJ - Not one of these versions of OJ is in the Bible, any Bible. Justification by Faith, even Justification by Faith of Jesus - is found easily and often in the KJV.]

Throw away your corrupt modern Bibles (NIV, ESV, NKJV, RSV) and buy a King James Bible right now!!! You will also notice that your modern catechisms teach Objective Justification and use corrupted Bible verses. Throw them away and buy the 1941 from CPH or the 1902, 1905 catechisms from LutheranLibrary.org or find your grandma's old catechism or the 1956 Gausewitz. 

[GJ - There are still original Gausewitz catechisms around, but they have been hidden from the secondary market. I gave one away to Pastor Paul Rydecki.]

"And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheh you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

Dear Pastor Jackson please publish and add your comments and thoughts as you wish.

In Christ

Tom Fisher

Just remember that Wayne Mueller published in the WELS rag - There is no Church Growth in WELS. Didn't he work on the same floor of The Love Shack with Robert Hartman, Paul Kelm, and other scoundrels who hated Lutheran doctrine as much as he did?

Promised Post on WELS Abuse

They hauled the Sprinter statue from Northwestern to MLC, they missed him so much.

The Wisconsin Sect statistically is 50% in Wisconsin, 25% in Michigan, 25% in Minnesota. It did not begin as an orthodox church body but as a Lutheran-Calvinist union, very German and very Pietistic. The trouble with German Pietists is they never banned alcohol.

WELS today is best described by two factors. 

• One is the culture of bullies and victims, thanks to its parochial and prep schools. 
• The other is the culture of lying all the time and smirking about those fooled by the lies.
• These characteristics taint WELS, even among those who did not attend their precious schools.

They start right away with forced crossed dressing for boys and zechsing, the overall bullying of young students by older students. When John Laurenz was head of Michigan Lutheran Seminary (just a private high school), a student was held out an upper storey window by his legs. The bullies let go and the boy broke a bone or two. Lawrenz laughed in the middle of his sentence about this - another common WELS trait - starting, laughing, and then finishing the sentence.

The serious bullying begins at the two remaining prep schools and worsens in college and seminary. I know two men who were knocked or beaten unconscious during hazing. An ELS leader was whipped on his bare buttocks with a wire hanger. 

The students are punished for telling their parents, and often no one believes their saintly WELS brethren could be nasty, cruel, crude, violent, and degenerate.

 The GA Pope, dressed somewhat like this, became a district president.

The promotion of cross-dressing and their fun of sodomizing the Sprinter statue is well known. They not only dress as women, but photograph and videotape their celebrations. 

The WELS college guys copied the Fire Island Pines video almost frame-by-frame, except that the WELS version added a gratuitous grabbing scene taped in a public part. Antinomians have no Law and no sense.

Criticizing the secretive, double-talking, and abusive tactics at the WELS schools is a lifetime sin, considered the mark of Cain. When one pastor backed up his cousin about the abuse at the late Northwestern College in Watertown, the college president said, "_____ criticized GA!" Now we know who the felons are - people who complain about degenerate and criminal behavior.

One Northwestern student quit after his fellow students locked him in the men's bathroom all night. He was labeled bad for "not getting along with the others." He dropped out.

Alcoholism is rampant in WELS, so a stewed DP is not going to be hard on a pickled pastor or teacher. The mutual encouragement of alcohol abuse sets the stage for a life of addiction and denial. Boys will be boys, they say.

Lying is promoted so much that members and clergy know that the latest whopper is intended to tell everyone, "Be quiet or else. That is the way we are doing things." 

Two Examples - 

1. When Wayne Mueller published the lie that WELS had no Church Growth program, cuz he would know, that meant - "I will get you and your little dog too!" Wayne once threatened a whole group of WELS clergy for giving me a copy of his false interpretation of Luther. Touchy, eh? Physical threats are the fruit of hazing - they mean it.
   
2. When the Synod President told all the districts that WELS would "pull the plug" if the Martin Luther College enlargement bill got higher than $8 million," he was saying - and he did say - "The bulldozers have started, we can't stop now." Did it matter that the vote to merge the colleges failed? No, they switched the vote count and threatened the counting committee if they told. 

Ancestor Worship

Certain families have automatic get-out-of-jail-free cards, no matter what they do. Others will say in a hushed voice, "He is a Name!"  When people were questioning Mark Jeske, he responded, "I am fifth generation WELS. I am never leaving." The unfolding merits of paternity and maternity are awesome. Blood is thicker than doctrine in WELS.

One pastor was protected as a falling-down drunk because his wife "is a Name."

All this creates and sustains a secretive cult - so insecure, the scandals and felonies must be denied. The laity repeat the lies of the clergy and synod officials. 

Star published two books at Northwestern Publishing House on his favorite topic. He and young Scott Barefoot also started a gay ministry, not too far behind ELCA.

If questioning laity or clergy force a meeting over the issues, they find out how quickly everyone can become the enemy, especially the kindly person who offered to help and speak on that person's behalf. That is GA double-talk, pretending to be sympathetic (the Softs) and laughing at those newbies who take them seriously.

If someone objects to clergy adultery and alcoholism, the response is about the complainer - repeated all over the WELS Grapevine - "He is bitter."

WELS is especially obsessed about Justification without Faith, so that makes Antinomianism their religion. There is no Law and therefore no Gospel. But legalism triumphs.

ELDONA Lies about The Lutheran Hymnal Being Out of Print for Years!ELDONA's Green Machine - Costly Costumes To Prove What Exactly?

 

Why not just stick with TLH? There are a few reasons for this: 1. TLH has been out of print for years and, although you can still find it, the companion books (e.g. altar book, Agenda, etc.) are almost impossible to find. 

The sentence ends with a broken word, appropriate for people who teach Objective Justification for years and then suddenly switch, only to become as papal as possible.

TLH Out of Print for Years?

CPH Does Not Agree!

TLH Lectionary almost impossible to find? - I found that in a few seconds. Is incense clogging the cerebral crevices, blocking simple tasks, forgetting easily, speaking silky subterfuge?

When Were My Eyes Last Checked? Never! They Have Always Been Green

 

I saw the eye doctor today, starting with the extern. "Does extern follow after serving as an intern?" He said it did.

I said at the desk, upon completing a hand-held computer list of information, which included about 18 variations on marital status, "I assume this information goes directly to the FBI." The clerk laughed. Her associate laughed. Then the hand-held computer laughed.

The optometrist looked into my eyes after the extern practiced with the instruments. They also had the computer test results for damage caused by glaucoma. My vision improved! They were pleasantly surprised. I said, "Maybe it helped to have lutein every day." They both became nervous - "Well, if you think that helps, go ahead." 

 

Book Reviews on Amazon Really Matter

New books are sent to the list of usual suspects for free, and why not? WELS, Missouri, and Christian News get their free copies and never mention them at all. My books have been consigned to the furnace more often than those first pages of Codex Sinaiticus.

Censorship on the Net is widespread, sponsored by those with the money or the clout to ban or shadow-ban information they do not want shared.

A one-sentence review counts on Amazon, so that is a reasonable price to pay for a full-color book sent to your home.

These 37 titles are listed by Amazon - so far.

People who hate a book are also welcome to review it anonymously. 

The reviews build up slowly. I am thankful for the many people who have posted them. The Boomers may be the last generation to spend any significant amount of time reading a book. 

They did their best to force the NIV, Church Growth, and Justification without Faith on the entire sect, proving the right group of nincompoops can create radical growth - downward.

For decades, WELS and the LCMS have been force-feeding leftist "Biblical scholarship" and tacky hymnals on their disappearing membership. This monumental effort took all their energy and most of your money. 

The King James Version Book - Antivenom? - Oh, Now We Begin To Smell the Potroast

 

A survey showed that 60% of readers use the King James Version or the New KJV. Do the Math - The Remainder (40%) Is Shared by the Wretched Calvinist ESV (A Facelift of the RSV), the Even Worse NIV, Plus the New RSV. That Residue Includes Three Bibles Licensed by the Marxist National Council of Churches - RSV, NRSV, ESV. These paraphrases add up to 90% of the mainline - and Lutheran - seminaries - and you wonder why your leaders favor gender re-assignment for children?

Brad Rupp

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have for the Christian

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2022

This book is a must-have for the Christian. It will keep you in the fight to keep your faith against the attacks which have crept in and left their poison. You may remember that first attack, “Yea, hath God said”?

This book provides the knowledge of how this first and long-continuing attack has been used to attempt to poison and infect the faith of those who would believe and hang onto every Word of God.

Surprisingly, and coming as a challenge to many in today’s church bodies, the new Bible versions being sold for great profits are actually designed to bury the miraculous and replace it with the rational. Selling lies, they would sell away souls. Your leaders may not believe AT ALL what you believe (or used to). The very things one must believe to be saved are being thrown out, folks.

Dr. Jackson deftly dissects and reports on the machinations of the adversary used by those trying to give us reason to looked differently on the Scriptures we held so precious when we first believed. If only you knew who they were, what they were doing, and how they did it. Dr. Jackson knows it and shows it in a simple, clear, and bright light. You just didn’t know. Now you can. Grab this book.

Thank you, Dr. Jackson. The antivenom is working.

Review of The King James Version

 

 The King James Version

Amazon Customer

5.0 out of 5 stars The problem with modern Bible translations

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2022

Verified Purchase

Gregory L Jackson PhD is a Lutheran theologian, teacher, and pastor. He received a STM degree in Biblical studies from Yale in 1973 and he earned a Master's degree and a PhD in theology at the University of Notre Dame in 1982.

The purpose of the Bible is to instill faith. Faith is the instrument God uses to save us. Doubt is the instrument the devil uses to lead us away from God.

In his previous book on the King James Version (KJV), Dr Jackson demonstrated that the KJV is an inspired and trustworthy translation, and it is the Bible which faithful English-speaking Christians should read. He described how the authentic texts of the Bible were preserved and passed down by faithful men as what we call the Majority Texts, and how they were translated into English by faithful men.

In this book, Dr Jackson demonstrates that “modern” Bible translations (such as the RSV and NIV) are neither inspired nor trustworthy. They are based on defective texts, translated by faithless men.

On page 1, Dr Jackson provides the following quote from the Trinitarian Bible Society regarding the problem with modern translations:

“Today there is an artificially produced conviction resulting from marketing techniques and imposed on the churches from without. This whole modern consensus maintains the Bible publishing industry must now determine the texts of Scripture.

The Church ... has abdicated her role as guardian of the Bible and has turned such responsibility to hirelings who market various, conflicting translations to the confusion and disarray of the Church.”

Dr Jackson provides an overview of the actions of several persons who brought us to this state: Constantine Tischendorf with his 'discovery' of Codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus which he claimed were the world's oldest and best Bibles, Wescott and Hort with their redacted Greek New Testament which removed references to miracles and the divinity of Jesus, and Eugene Nida with his dynamic-equivalent, paraphrase translations in which essential doctrines are watered-down so as to make them acceptable to Roman Catholics and other apostates.

Dr Jackson also provides an extensive lists of books which the reader may use to make a deep-dive study of the issues behind deficiencies in modern Bible translations. Therefore, one can use this book as an overview of the issues as well as a reference source for further study.

I would recommend this book to someone who wishes to learn about the deficiencies of 'modern' Bible translations and how such defective Bibles have contributed to the apostasy which we see today in mainline denominations.

The I Am Sermons in the Gospel of John - Revised Improvements with Vimeo

 

God willing, the revision of the I AM Sermons in the Gospel of John will be sent to Janie Sullivan tomorrow.

The revision was mostly a matter of format, but also included some improvement in language, bolding I AM, and adding a name (Dr. Lito Cruz) to our distinguished roster of parish professors.

I made some changes to the audio for our service today and results were good. Some more basic changes will be made this week - sound dampening, testing combinations.