Fun Moments from the University of Phoenix, Yale University, and DEI

 

The University of Phoenix decided to sneak DEI into the classroom. I was asked and so I was paid for the revision of one of their graduate courses in master's courses in education. That particular course had some graphics in it - and I ignored them, one more superfluous thing. 

I was working on the revision with a supervisor, via Zoom. Everything was fine until her supervisor insisted on DEI. That fad was bubbling up slowly so I caught the sulphuric whiff right away. I said, "No chance. I am not going to ruin the English language with a fad." I was dropped from effort and soon announced I was done with anything from that department. 

Yesterday I was sent a questionnaire on the value of my UOP education, since I earned an MA in education there. I thought, "This will rattle HAL and be a lot of fun, especially with my name on it."

I was filling in boxes for that UOP survey and including detailed, sensitive responses, as requested, when the effort suddenly went blank and refused any and all responses. I must have hit a tender, sore spot in their search for truth.

Likewise, Yale Divinity School sent me a chance to attend their gathering at Little Rock. The leader of the event used he, his, they for his pronouns. I signed my response in three words - "ME MYSELF and I" - which ended all communications from that committee.

 

Linn Tonstad

Professor of Theology, Religion, and Sexuality

Phone: 

(203) 432-5373

Email: 

linn.tonstad@yale.edu(link sends e-mail)

Office: 

S204

Education 

B.A. La Sierra University
M.A.R. Yale Divinity School
Ph.D. Yale University

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Trinity 1 - Lazarus - "All believers are like poor Lazarus; and every believer is a true Lazarus, for he is of the same faith, mind and will, as Lazarus. And whoever will not be a Lazarus, will surely have his portion with the rich glutton in the flames of hell. For we all must like Lazarus trust in God, surrender ourselves to him to work in us according to his own good pleasure, and be ready to serve all men. And although we all do not suffer from such sores and poverty, yet the same mind and will must be in us, that were in Lazarus, cheerfully to bear such things, wherever God wills it."

 

First Sunday after Trinity

PART II. POOR LAZARUS.

12. Likewise we must not judge poor Lazarus in his sores, poverty and anxiety, according to his outward appearance. For many persons suffer from affliction and want, and yet they gain nothing by it; for example King Herod suffered a great affliction, as is related in Acts 12:23; but afterwards he did not have it better before God on account of it. Poverty and suffering make no one acceptable to God; but, whoever is first acceptable to God, his poverty and suffering are precious in the eyes of God, as Psalm 116:15 says: “Precious in the sight of Jehovah is the death of his saints.”

13. Thus we must look into the heart of Lazarus also, and seek the treasure which made his sores so precious. That was surely his faith and love; for without faith it is impossible to please God, as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews says, Hebrews 11:6. Therefore his heart also must have confessed that he even in the midst of such poverty and misery expected all good from God, and comfortably relied upon him; with whose blessings and grace he was so richly satisfied, and had such pleasure in them, that he would have heartily and willingly suffered even more misery, if the will of his gracious God had so determined. See, that is a true, living faith, which softened his heart by the knowledge of the divine goodness; so that nothing was too heavy or too much to suffer and to do. So clever and skillful does faith make the heart, when it experiences the grace of God.

14. From this faith follows now another virtue, namely, love to one’s neighbor, so that he is willing and ready to serve everybody; but since Lazarus is poor and in misery himself, he had nothing with which he could serve others; therefore his good will is taken for the deed.

15. But this lack of service in temporal things he abundantly makes good by his services in things spiritual. For even now, long after his death, he serves the whole world with his sores, hunger and misery. His bodily hunger feeds our spiritual hunger; his bodily nakedness clothes (or feeds, as some editions read) our spiritual nakedness; his bodily sores heal our spiritual sores; in this way he teaches and comforts by his example, how God is pleased with us, when we are not prosperous here upon the earth, if we believe; and warns us how God is angry with us, even if we are prosperous in our unbelief; just as God had pleasure in Lazarus in his misery, and was displeased with the rich man.

16. Tell me, what king could have rendered a service to the whole world with his possessions, like poor Lazarus has done with his sores, hunger and poverty? Oh, the wonderful works and judgments of God! In what a masterly manner he puts to shame the cunning goddess and fool of this world, namely, reason and worldly wisdom! She stalks abroad and fixes her eyes rather upon the beautiful purple of the rich man, than upon the wounds of poor Lazarus; she would rather center her eyes upon a healthy, handsome person, as this rich man was, than upon a revolting and naked person like Lazarus; yea, she holds her nose before the stench of his wounds and turns her eyes from his nakedness. Thus the great goddess and fool of this world overlooks God in the very presence of such a noble treasure, and always quietly passes her own judgment, and at the same time makes this poor person so precious and dear, that all the kings hence are not worthy to serve him or to dress his sores. For what king, do you think, would not now with his whole heart exchange his health, purple and crown for the sores, poverty and misery of poor Lazarus, if it were possible for him to do so? And what person is there who would now give a snuff for the purple and all the riches of this rich man?

17. Do you not think that this rich man himself, had he not been so blind and had known that such a treasure, a man so precious in the eyes of God, was dying at his gate, would have run out, and dressed and kissed his sores, and laid him in his best bed; and made all his purple and riches to serve him? But at the time God’s judgment went forth, he did not see that he could do it. Then God thought, truly, you are not worthy to serve him.

When later the judgment and work of God were accomplished, the wise fool begins to come to himself; and since he suffers now in hell he will gladly give his house and land, to whom before he would not give a crumb of bread; and wishes now that Lazarus might cool his tongue with the tips of his fingers, whom before he would not touch.

18. Behold, even at the present day God is filling the world with such judgments and works, but no one sees it; yea, everybody despises it. There are continually before our eyes poor and needy persons, whom God lays before us as the greatest treasures; but we close our eyes to them, and see not what God does there; later, when God has done his work, and we have neglected the treasure, then we hasten and wish to serve, but we waited too long. Then we begin and make sacred relics of their garments, shoes and furniture, and make pilgrimages to and erect. churches over their graves, are occupied with many like foolish deeds and thus ridicule ourselves in that we permit the living saints to be trodden under our feet and to perish, and we worship their garments, which is neither necessary nor of any use; so that indeed our Lord will let the judgment fall as he did in Matthew 23:29-33, and say: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell?”

19. All believers are like poor Lazarus; and every believer is a true Lazarus, for he is of the same faith, mind and will, as Lazarus. And whoever will not be a Lazarus, will surely have his portion with the rich glutton in the flames of hell. For we all must like Lazarus trust in God, surrender ourselves to him to work in us according to his own good pleasure, and be ready to serve all men. And although we all do not suffer from such sores and poverty, yet the same mind and will must be in us, that were in Lazarus, cheerfully to bear such things, wherever God wills it.

20. For such poverty of spirit may exist in those who have very great possessions; as Job, David, Abraham were poor and rich. For David in Psalm 39:12 says: “I am a stranger with thee, a sojourner, as all my fathers were.” How could that be, since he was a king and possessed extensive lands and large cities? Thus it came about; although he indeed possessed these, yet his heart did not cleave to them, and they were as nothing compared with the riches he had with God. Likewise he had said of the health of his body that it was as nothing compared to the health of his soul before God, and he would indeed not have murmured, had God afflicted him with bodily sores and sickness. So Abraham also, although he had not the poverty and affliction of Lazarus, yet he had the mind and will to bear what Lazarus did, if God had visited him thus. For the saints should have one and the same inner mind and spirit, but they cannot have the same outward work and suffering. Therefore Abraham also recognized Lazarus as one of his own and received him into his bosom; which he would not have done, were he not of the same mind and had he not taken pleasure in the poverty and maladies of Lazarus. Thus is set forth the sum and meaning of the Gospel, that we may see, how faith everywhere saves and unbelief condemns.

American Spectator Magazine Covers the Luther Seminary Meltdown

 

Article author - Ellie Gardey Holmes - A Notre Dame Alumnus

For over a century, Luther Seminary has called its beautiful campus in St. Paul, Minnesota, home. Apart from its buildings in the Collegiate Gothic style, the campus is also the site of the log cabin Old Muskego Church. The chapel was constructed in 1844 by devoutly Lutheran Norwegian immigrants in Wisconsin. In 1904, the chapel was transported, piece by piece, to Luther Seminary’s campus.

Luther’s students and faculty are now leaving all of that behind. Last week, the seminary’s board of directors announced that they have voted to sell the campus. The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal has reported that the value of the site is greater than $8.7 million.

While the seminary was once the bustling home of those aspiring to become pastors in the nation’s largest Lutheran denomination, it has in recent years grown increasingly quiet. More and more students have opted to simply take classes online on a part-time basis. Meanwhile, international students have become a large portion of those populating the physical campus. Luther Seminary remains, however, the ELCA’s largest seminary.

Over the decades, those aspiring to be pastors in mainline denominations such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have grown increasingly older. The number of pastors who work full-time jobs in addition to their time preaching on Sundays has also grown. Online learning options therefore make more sense to this majority for whom being a pastor is a capstone achievement rather than a life mission.

Robin Steinke is on the left of the other professor.

The seminary is seeking to purchase a much smaller physical location in Minneapolis, at which “periodic in-person learning” will take place. Evidently, the online model will take over, with occasional seminars to reinforce the seminary’s mission. This model, said the seminary’s president, the Rev. Robin Steinke, will make the school more “nimble.” She explained, “The way students learn and prepare for ministry has changed. Now is the right time to align our resources with that reality and evolve how we deliver on our mission.” [gag, ptui]

Luther Seminary has experienced an endless downward spiral of lower and lower enrollments alongside financial difficulties. Its enrollment has fallen from more than 600 students in 2007 to 183 students in 2024, when measured by full-time student equivalency, according to the Association of Theological Schools. Its current president arrived at the school after the previous president resigned following multimillion-dollar deficits. Many, if not most, mainline seminaries have experienced similar fates.

Luther Seminary’s decline also matches that of the ELCA more generally. According to religion statistician Ryan Burge, from 2003 to 2023, the membership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America declined 46 percent. While the ELCA had just under 5 million members in 2003, that number fell to 2.79 million baptized members in 2023. 

What is astounding about Luther Seminary’s decline is that almost all students receive a full-tuition scholarship. Even still, potential students don’t think losing several years of income is worth the value of the degree. The problem, at base, is that the ELCA is struggling to attract candidates for ordination.

*****

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a left-leaning denomination. It has, since its formation, ordained women as pastors. In 2009, the denomination allowed “LGBTQIA+ individuals” to be ordained. On abortion, the denomination says, “A developing life in the womb does not have an absolute right to be born, nor does a pregnant woman have an absolute right to terminate a pregnancy.” Officially, the church says that it “lacks consensus” on the topic of homosexuality, but the reality is much different.

This Pride Month, the week before the ELCA’s largest seminary announced the upcoming closure of its campus, the denomination’s presiding bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, delivered a message to her church in which she said the teachings of the apostle Paul and Martin Luther call people to “honor the full dignity of every person: every sex, every gender, and every body.” (RELATED: How Naivety Is Allowing Unbiblical Progressivism Into Evangelical Churches)

“We have a chance to renew our commitments to the LGBTQIA+ community,” she further said, “to speak with grace and unity that we are a part of God’s great creation.”

On its website, Luther Seminary prominently features a “land acknowledgment” about its campus: “Luther Seminary is on Miní Sóta Makhóčhe, the homelands of the Dakhóta Oyáte. The Ojibwe, Ho-Chunk, Cheyenne, Oto, Iowa, and the Sac & Fox also inhabited Minnesota land.”

Perhaps Luther Seminary will decide to give back its stolen land.

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Trinity 1 Lazarus - "So we see now in the example of the rich man that it is impossible to love, where no faith exists, and impossible to believe, where there is no love; for both will and must be together, so that a believer loves everybody and serves everybody; but an unbeliever at heart is an enemy of everybody and wishes to be served by every person and yet he covers all such horrible, perverted sins with the little show of his hypocritical works as with a sheep’s skin; just as that large bird, the ostrich, which is so stupid that when it sticks its head into a bush, it thinks its entire body is concealed. Yea, here you see that there is nothing kinder and more unmerciful than unbelief."

 

First Sunday after Trinity

6. But where unbelief reigns man is absorbed by these vanities, he cleaves to them, seeks them and has no rest until he has acquired them, and after he possesses them, he feeds and fattens himself with them as the swine wallow in the mire, and finds at the same time his happiness and felicity there. He never inquires how his heart stands with his God and what he possesses in God and may expect from him; but his belly is his God; and if he cannot get what he wants, he imagines things are going wrong. And lo, these dreadful and wicked fruits of unbelief the rich man does not see, he covers them over, and blinds his own eyes by the good works of his pharisaical life, and hardens himself until no teaching, exhortation, threatening nor promise can help him. Behold, this is the secret sin which to-day’s Gospel punishes and condemns.

7. From this now follows the other sin, that he forgets to exercise love toward his neighbor; for there he lets poor Lazarus lie at his door, and offers him not the least assistance. And if he had not wished to help him personally, he should have commanded his servants to take him in and care for him. It may have been, he knew nothing of God and had never experienced his goodness. For whoever feels the goodness of God, feels also for the misfortune of his neighbor; but whoever is not conscious of the goodness of God, sympathizes not in the misfortune of his neighbor.

Therefore as he has no pleasure in God, he has no heart for his neighbor.

8. For the nature of faith is that it expects all good from God, and relies only on God. For from this faith man knows God, how he is good and gracious, that by reason of such knowledge his heart becomes so tender and merciful, that he wishes cheerfully to do to every one, as he experiences God has done to him. Therefore he breaks forth with love and serves his neighbor out of his whole heart, with his body and life, with his means and honor, with his soul and spirit, and makes him partaker of all he has, just like God did to him. Therefore he does not look after the healthy, the high, the strong, the rich, the noble, the holy persons, who do not need his care; but he looks after the sick, the weak, the poor, the despised, the sinful people, to whom he can be of benefit, and among whom he can exercise his tender heart, and do to them as God has done to him.

9. But the nature of unbelief is that it does not expect any good from God. By which unbelief the heart is blinded so that it neither feels nor knows how good and gracious God is; but as Psalm 14:2 says: he cares not for God, seeks not after him. Out of this blindness follows further that his heart becomes so hard, obdurate and unmerciful that he has no desire to do a kindness to his fellow man; yea, he would rather harm and offend everybody. For as he is insensible to the goodness of God, so he takes no pleasure in doing good to his neighbor. Consequently it follows that he does not look after the sick, poor and despised people, to whom he could and should be helpful and profitable; but he casts his eyes upward and sees only the high, rich and influential, from whom he himself may receive advantage, gain, pleasure and honor.

10. So we see now in the example of the rich man that it is impossible to love, where no faith exists, and impossible to believe, where there is no love; for both will and must be together, so that a believer loves everybody and serves everybody; but an unbeliever at heart is an enemy of everybody and wishes to be served by every person and yet he covers all such horrible, perverted sins with the little show of his hypocritical works as with a sheep’s skin; just as that large bird, the ostrich, which is so stupid that when it sticks its head into a bush, it thinks its entire body is concealed. Yea, here you see that there is nothing kinder and more unmerciful than unbelief. For here the dogs, the most irascible animals, are more merciful to poor Lazarus than this rich man, and they recognize the need of the poor man and lick his sores; while the obdurate, blinded hypocrite is so hard hearted that he does not wish him to have the crumbs that fell from his table.

11. Now all unbelieving people are like this rich hypocrite. Unbelief cannot do nor be different than this rich man is pictured and set forth by his life.

And especially is this the character of the clergy-, as we see before our eyes, who never do a truly good work, but only seek a good time, never serving nor profiting any one; but reversing the order they want everybody to serve them. Like harpies they only claw everything into their own pockets; and like the old adage runs they “rob the poor of his purse.” They are not moved in the least by the poverty of others. And although some have not expensive food and raiment, yet they do not lack will power and the spirit of action; for they imitate the rich, the princes and the lords, and do many hypocritically good works by founding institutions and building churches, with which they conceal the great rogue, the wolf of unbelief; so that they become obdurate and hardened and are of no use to anybody.

These are the rich man.

Studio B Is Starting Its Trials Today

 

Studio B Is Starting Its Trials Today

Some of the equipment is ready, thanks to modular devices, and more should come soon. The idea is to broadcast using the outdoors from inside.

Zoom has provided the hours of anguish that come from new approaches, which are a far cry from UStream and other attempts. Ustream was a boon, especially since I was gifted with a web camera. 

Studio B is where the birds gather together in a combination of roses, butterfly flowers, and various examples of God's Creation.

Reformation Seminar - KJV Acts 16 Part 1

 

KJV Acts 16 - Part 1

16:1 Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:

2 Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.

3 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.

4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.

5 And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.

6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,

7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.

8 And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.

9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.

10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.

11 Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis;

12 And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and we were in that city abiding certain days.

13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.

14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.

15 And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

16 And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:

17 The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

Catastrophic Disaster - The Big Five Apostates - ELCA-LCMS-WELS-ELS-CLC (sic) - Plus the Pee-Wees

 

Unfortunately I landed on a video of two LCMS clergy discussing how horrible Archbishop Liz Eaton was when they asked about ELCA liturgical language. She talked about the Gospel (schock!) while they said it must be Scripture (as endorsed by CFW Walther, taught by his Bishop Martin Stephan, STD. Yes, Walther signed the bishop's paper before they went ashore at New Orleans.)

To be more precise - both groups argue the same error by declaring the entire world to be absolved of all sin, using Objective or Universal Justification (yet absent in the Scriptures).

Justification by Faith has no cosmetics to turn it into Universalism and or plain atheism from their Father Below. Walther and Pieper are just as bad as Eaton, just as proud of themselves, just as sure of their blind eyes.

Tokens of atonement - I may be wrong, but I have found a lot of synonyms about the Atonement but only one Justification by Faith. Notice that the faux-Lutherans, whatever their claims, cling to their imaginary OJ, UOJ, and UJ while daintily avoiding Justification by Faith, the Chief Article of Christianity.

The Atonement is what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross, through hideous torture and death.

More later.

Part Two - ELCA in Despair - They All Came Tumbling Down

 

Part One - ELCA Seminary Summarized Merger Disasters

LSTC - Seven mergers rolled into one stink-bomb.

Luther Seminary - Partnered Northwestern Seminary, Sinking Fast

United - Gettysburg and Philadelphia - New President Accused of Heterosexualism

Pacific - Rolled Down the Hill, To Make Room for Muslim Education

Part Two - Even Worse ELCA Seminary Mergers?

• Southern is the nickname for the $30,000 a year cost to study at Lenore-Ryne College, where the chickens have come home to roost. They include various denominations (Babtist, Mefdist) to beef up their enrollment. Shrinking and moving the seminary has become a lively sport in ELCA.
• Trinity in Columbus gathered Hamma Seminary at Capital University to shame the Scriptures, the Reformation, and their $90 million losing lawsuit. 55 students? Maybe less. Sodom and Gomorrah is their theme, which they were parading decades ago, as I saw on their notices about upcoming ordination.

• Wartburg Seminary promotes the DEI pronouns, which are hilariously goofy on their faculty page, only for some of the women and men, looking like fad-conscious grammar idiots. 

Their grammar is not so hot either - "It’s always a great idea to seek out additional funding sources.  We maintains (sic) a list of outside scholarship opportunities."

Daily Luther Sermon Quote - Trinity 1 - " Here one traces the secret sins of his heart as the evil fruit. For where faith is, there is no anxiety for fine clothing and sumptuous feasting, yea, there is no longing for riches, honor, pleasure, influence and all that is not God himself; but there is a seeking and a striving for and a cleaving to nothing except to God, the highest good alone; it is the same to him whether his food be dainty or plain, whether his clothing be fine or homespun."

 

First Sunday after Trinity

Text. Luke 16:19-31. Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, faring sumptuously every day: and a certain beggar named Lazarus was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table; yea, even the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: and the rich man also died, and was buried. And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things: but now here he is comforted, and thou art in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that they who would pass front hence to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from thence to us. And he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldst send him to my father’s house; for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. But Abraham saith, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one go to them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, if one rise from the dead.


1. We have hitherto heard in our Gospel lessons of various examples of faith and of love; for as they all teach faith and love, I hope you are abundantly and sufficiently informed that no human being can be pleasing to God unless he believes and loves. Now in this Gospel text the Lord presents to us at the same time an example of faith and of unbelief or of the state of the godless, in order that we also may abhor the contrary and the opposite of faith and love, and that we may cleave to faith and love more diligently.

For here we see the judgment of God upon the believers and the unbelievers, which is both dreadful and comforting. Dreadful to the faithless and comforting to the faithful. But in order that we may the better grasp the meaning of this text we must picture to ourselves both the rich man and poor Lazarus. In the rich man we see the nature of unbelief and in Lazarus the nature of belief.

PART I. THE RICH MAN.

2. We must not view the rich man according to his outward conduct; for he is in sheep’s clothing, his life glitters and shines beautifully, while he tactfully conceals the wolf. For this Gospel text does not accuse him of adultery, of murder, or robbery, of violence or of having done anything that the world or reason would censure. Yea, he has been as honorable and respectable in his life as that Pharisee who fasted twice a week and was not as other men, of whom Luke 18:11f. speaks. For had he committed such glaring sins the Gospel would have mentioned them since it examines him so particularly that it describes even the purple robe he wore and the food he ate, which are only external matters and God does not judge according to them. Therefore he must have led outwardly an exemplary, holy life; and according to his own opinion and that of others, he must have kept the whole law of Moses.

3. But we must look into his heart and judge his spirit. For the Gospel has penetrating eyes and sees deep into the secret recesses of the soul; reproves also the works which reason cannot reprove, and looks not at the sheep’s clothing, but at the true fruit of the tree to learn whether it is good or not, as the Lord teaches in Matthew 7:17. Hence if we judge this rich man according to the fruits of faith, we will find a heart and a tree of unbelief. For the Gospel chastises him that he fares sumptuously every day and clothes himself so richly, which reason never considers as especially great sins. Besides, the work-righteous people think it is right, and that they are worthy of it, and have merited it by virtue of their holy lives, and they do not see how they thus sin by their unbelief.

4. For this rich man is not punished because he indulged in sumptuous fare and fine clothes; since many saints, kings and queens in ancient times wore costly apparel, as Solomon, Esther, David, Daniel and others; but because his heart was attached to them, sought them, trusted in and chose them, and because he found in them all his joy, delight and pleasure; and made them in fact his idols. This Christ indicates by the words “every day,” that he lived thus sumptuously daily, continuously. From this is seen that he diligently sought and chose such a life, was not forced to it nor was he in it by accident, or because of his office or to serve his neighbor; but he only thereby gratified his own lust, and lived to himself and served only himself.

5. Here one traces the secret sins of his heart as the evil fruit. For where faith is, there is no anxiety for fine clothing and sumptuous feasting, yea, there is no longing for riches, honor, pleasure, influence and all that is not God himself; but there is a seeking and a striving for and a cleaving to nothing except to God, the highest good alone; it is the same to him whether his food be dainty or plain, whether his clothing be fine or homespun. For although they even do wear costly clothes, possess great influence and honor, yet they esteem none of these things; but are forced to them, or come to them by accident, or they are compelled to use them in the service of others.

ELCA in Despair - They All Came Tumbling Down

 

LSTC built their dark and brooding disaster near the U. of Chicago. Whoopie.

 Maywood was created by selling the Chicago Cubs, the World Series victor...finally.

As many know, Christina and I were graduating from Augustana College and getting married at the end of 1969. People said, "Oh, you are going to attend Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago!" I said, "No." 

"Why not?" Answer - "Chicago." LSTC moved out of Maywood Seminary in Chicago, into the grand and glorious new buildings. LSTC was glued together from seven seminaries and it kept shrinking faster than wool socks in the dryer. They had to abandon their hideous LSTC to adopt a morganatic marriage with the Roman Catholics, renting a floor. 

They sold the LSTC to move to the Roman Catholic merger of mergers. But wait, there's more.

Luther Seminary, once known as Luther-Northwestern Seminary, has sold off its property - as they were already doing - to find a new nest to lay more rotten eggs. It was quite large at one point, but numbers shrink while costs soar.

Philadelphia-Gettysburg is a fairly recent merger of two more ELCA seminaries, known for each one's loathing for the other. The merger began with the students accusing the new leader of having heterosexual tendencies. 

 Latini was ousted as the first Gettysburg-Philly Seminary President.

Pacific Seminary sold its campus to Muslims so they could go down the mountain and rent some space.

Awfully Funny with the Emphasis on Awful - LutherQuest And Precious Subjective or Maybe Objective Behavior

 

The Waltherians Are Clueless, Which Is Why They Love ELCA

“DEFINITION OF JUSTIFICATION.

“As soon as a contrite sinner believes the divine promises of grace which for Christ's sake is offered to him in the Gospel, or as soon as he puts his trust in the vicarious satisfaction which Christ has made for the sins of the world by His perfect obedience, he is justified, or declared righteous before God, Rom. 3: 23-24. This is the so-called subjective justification, Rom. 4: 6, or the personal application, through faith, of the merits which Christ has secured for the whole world by His substitutionary atonement (objective justification), 2 Cor. 5: 19 ff…

“Subjective justification may therefore be defined as the act of God by which He removes from the believer the sentence of condemnation to which he is subject because of his sin, releases him from his guilt, and ascribes to him the merit of Christ.

“When defining justification by faith, we must bear in mind that justification by faith without works is based upon the justification of the whole world, secured by Christ's vicarious satisfaction and offered to all men in the Gospel, Acts 10: 43. Because of the objective justification (reconciliation) subjective justification takes place “freely," Rom. 3: 24, no work on the sinner's part being necessary to complete the justification of Christ. If the vicarious satisfaction of Christ is denied, no room is left for justification by faith. On the other hand, the perfect redemption effected by Christ leaves no room for the papistic justification by works. The Gospel contains full pardon for every sinner, and as soon as he accepts the pardon by faith, he is justified subjectively.”

(Mueller, Christian Dogmatics, 367-8)

One of the challenges of Lutheran theology is to be able to explain clearly, biblically, and without resorting to unfamiliar categorizations the doctrine of Justification. It seems as though oftentimes even Lutherans have trouble distinguishing between what is called objective and subjective justification. Indeed, most Lutherans outside the old Synodical Conference do not have a tradition of using these terms, and even LCMS Lutherans may wonder what exactly they mean, or if they are simply an archaic legacy of Walther and Pieper. Some may even go so far as to say that the terms are helpful, but not absolutely necessary when explaining the doctrine of Justification.

Part of the issue is that Melanchthon’s magisterial Apology IV is not a thetic, systemic presentation of Justification. Gerhard attempted to fill the gap with his Justification through Faith, but his also admirable work is hampered by relying upon scholastic categories to define the doctrine via causes. Neither Melanchthon, Gerhard, nor the later orthodox dogmaticians use the terms objective or subjective justification.

The reason that these terms came to exist in the Missouri Synod was due to a close understanding of the Book of Concord, particularly Luther’s Smalcald Articles. Here, Luther defines the chief article in as succinct, biblical, thetic fashion as he ever would. Romans 4:25 is significantly the first point, followed by John 1:29, Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:23-4, and finally Romans 3:28 and 26. The first four passages define what the LCMS would term objective justification, while the last two verses define what is called subjective justification. Luther himself does not use these terms.

Women Bishops in ELCA - A New Turnover - 60/40 Favoring Women

 

The latest ELCA woman bishop above follows the NY female bishop - Katrina Foster - with a wife and "kid."

The first four women bishops, including Liz Eaton, posed for their onslaught against the male bishops taking away their perks. Liz quickly rose to become the Archbishop of ELCA.

ELCA Bishops Who Happen to Be Women

If the posted numbers are true, with two more female bishops replacing male bishops, the teeter-totter is more like 60% female to 40% male bishops. Oh, what a glorious time to young and full of adventure, breaking all barriers, leaving the victims behind on the side of the road!

"One Ring to rule them all, and in the Darkness bind them!"