Endorsed by the Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry

  Three blind guides, three blind guides,
See how they grin. See how they grin.
They all ran after the Fuller growth
For UOJ they all take oaths
Did you ever see such useless blokes
As three blind guides?

http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2018/06/lcms-has-been-hatching-denial-of.html

Hi Greg,

 

The information included in the post http://ichabodthegloryhasdeparted.blogspot.com/2018/06/lcms-has-been-hatching-denial-of.html is the clearest I remember reading in regard to present day LCMS official teaching in regard to UOJ.

 

It certainly makes the LCMS look less appealing as a place to recommend for people looking for a church.

 

When considered in conjunction with the "ban" on public discussion of theological topics by non-ministers (is this still a valid thing - I had a hard time finding backup for this via a quick search), would you consider the LCMS to be "holding steady", "continuing to slip", "falling quickly", or something else?

 

Alec

***

GJ - The LCMS convention ban on discussing doctrine - outside of having an official title - that scared people into silence, but the discoussion boards had already banned Justification by Faith and anything less than abject brown-nosing of synod leaders. This new weapon just made it easier to kick any pastor out who dared to think on his own, a deliciously ironic way to celebrate the Reformation's 500th.

WELS is the worst synod because of its concentration of abusive pastors, teachers, and leaders, all driven by their fulminating infection of false doctrine. But there are faithful pastors out there. If I mentioned names, the axe would fall on them. The CLC cult and the ELS are almost gone and good riddance.

The LCMS's strength is its lack of uniformity, which ranges from ELCA-love to formally declaring CFW Walter a saint and a Doctor of the Church, the only one who can explain the Bible to us mortals. Somewhere in that mix are pastors who teach the Means of Grace and Justification by Faith.

I believe the LCMS congregations will have to struggle to remain Means of Grace Lutherans as the older generation of pastors move into retirement. A total reallignment of remaining Lutherans may be necessary.

The ELDONUTs ignored UOJ for years while palling around with the Rolf Preus Sect, even though Heiser was supposedly against UOJ, after reading what UOJ really meant. Check out his conversion in 2000 versus their sudden reversal years later and the exodus of the final Rolfians. Now the ELDONUTs act as if they discovered Justification by Faith. And - as a treat - they boast of the vast superiority of Concordia, Ft. Wayne, where they were taught UOJ. And, of course, they have a boss who went out seeking pastors who would call him Right Reverend Bishop. Hint - the word in the New Testament means supervisor - not "one who wears a fish-hat, carries a $400 stick, covets the Eastern Orthodox, and expects abject obedience."

 They were incensed that I posted this photo, which they took. Note the EO beard.

UOJ Should Stop Pretending It Is the Real Thing - A Suggestion from a Reader

From A. Reader - Let the Guessing Begin!

Your use of the analogy of advertisements  for Margarine never mentioning Butter, the product it was supposed to replace brought back memories when margarine was new in the marketplace.

At first, it was white and included capsules of yellow dye which the consumer mixed with the white margarine to make it look like butter.  Dairy farmers prevailed on state legislators to forbid margarine manufacturers to color margarine the same color as butter.  Our family had some dairy cattle and my father was a member of the Michigan Milk Producers Association which lobbied the state legislators to prevent the sale of "yellow" margarine.    

One of the cliché's related to the issue came from the dairy farm industry:  "If they, (margarine makers) want to produce and market a competitive spread to butter, why don't they dye it pink?"  

Eventually the prohibition of yellow margarine went by the wayside in most states, but in Wisconsin as late as mid 1950's, sale of yellow margarine was still not allowed.  During the brief year of

living there, I recall when someone went to Chicago or over the border to Illinois, friends and neighbors would request  a supply of yellow margarine be purchased for them in Illinois and brought back to Milwaukee for their pantries .  That  "bootlegging" of yellow margarine was a common occurrence.

Perhaps a parallel can be drawn using your visual and mental imagery re: current methodology being used by synods "selling" Objective/Subjective Justification  to members.   If they want the members to "buy" OJ/SJ why don't they admit that OJ/SJ is different from what Luther's Reformation Theology proclaimed.  Color OJ/SJ  "pink" instead of  misrepresenting it as something which has always existed in Lutheranism?

Roses at the Doctor's Office

 Two Mr. Lincoln roses were enough to drop-kick some fragrance into the room, but I included a secret weapon - posted below.

We visited a doctor today. He grows a lot of KnockOut roses, which are a prolific shrub rose, almost disease free. KnockOuts are also fragrance free, so he smelled the roses as soon as he walked into the room.

The secret weapon added to the potency of the perfume - Fragrant Cloud.

Fragrant Cloud is another rose that will perfume a bouquet.
Most of our roses are fragrant, but when they are not, I include Fragrant Cloud or Mr. Lincoln.

I filled in with Shasta Daisies again. This is my first planting from last year, which has multiplied into 12 clumps by dividing them (very easy to do). Cutting the flowers will generate even more, just like roses and Crepe Myrtle.

Two Boosts for Roses in a Hot Summer
Roses need plenty of water, and mulch will help keep that moisture in the soil longer. A drought means two waterings per week.

For roses or any plant needing intensive care, I use several gallons of rainwater. They sell all kinds of additives to help plants, to protect against shock, for example. God already invented rainwater for that - a combination of newly formed water and usable nitrogen - and it is free.

Sassy's Laotian friends came across the street to see her and look through the garden. Most have fenced off gardens, but I have mulched walk-through gardening. Another new surprise is always popping up to show what fertile soil can do. For example, the Trumpet Vines decided to flower this year, providing a second favorite flower - with Hostas - for hummingbirds

A second boost is constant pruning. My pruning shears and the shovel are both near the front door. If I am making a bouquet for someone, I also look for dead wood to trim away, completed roses to trim away from the stems.

 Ichneumon Wasps: every gardener sees them,
but how many notice and value them?

Creation Software Experiment
I try to imagine what makes an individual plant or animal distinctive. Variety seems almost endless. Witness the Ichneumon Wasp, a tiny beneficial insect, which is helping you in your garden, unless you suppress it with toxic insecticides. There are 100,000 species - and last I read - possibly more ichneumon species to be discovered.

The Snoring Bird: My Family's Journey Through a Century of Biology (Ecco, $30), by biologist Bernd Heinrich.

 Ichneumon Wasp: beautiful, delicate, tiny - but a deadly tracker of pests.

Finding and cataloging them was quite a chore by itself - I would stop at 50,000! I can imagine Little Ichabod saying, "Dad! Enough with the wasps!" But even better than their variety is the engineering and management of these delicate insects. How do they know how to flourish while attacking insect pests? They do not really "know" but they do accomplish specific tasks with remarkable determination. They follow roses into the vase when I am gathering flowers for neighbors, friends, and doctors.

Etymology

Ichneumon (ἰχνεύμων) means "tracker" in Greek. Cockatrice, a name for another mythical beast, derives from calcatrix, a Latin translation of this. The Ichneumon was one of the few who can look at a cockatrice without turning to stone.

Cultural significance

In the eighteenth century Ichneumon was regarded as an instance of the God-given balance in nature; in the nineteenth the possibility of using it as a form of biocontrol was briefly entertained. It was used as the symbol of the reformed Entomological Society of London in 1833.^[1]

Put Down Your iPhone and Read Slowly and Carefully about Some of These Remarkable Little Wasps - Wiki

• Chemical Warfare
• Underground Warfare
• Tracking a parasite, killing, evading with "pot vapors"

Many species use polydnaviruses to suppress the immune systems of their host insects. Due to the wide variety in hosts and lifestyles, see subfamily pages for more detail.

The female ichneumonoid finds a host and lays an egg on, near, or inside the host's body.^[8] The ovipositor of ichneumonoids generally cannot deliver a sting as many wasps or bees do. It can be used to bore wood and lay eggs on hosts deep inside, or reach hosts hidden inside leaf shelters. Upon hatching, the larva feeds either externally or internally, killing the host when it is ready to pupate.

Various ichneumonoids are used as biological control agents in controlling horticultural or forest pests.

An interesting example is the relationship between the species Ichneumon eumerus and its host butterfly Phengaris rebeli.^[9] The butterfly larva is a parasite within Myrmica ant nests. The adult Ichneumon eumerus searches for ant nests and only enters when they contain P. rebeli caterpillars.^[9] Once inside, they oviposit their eggs within the caterpillars and escape the nest by releasing a chemical which causes the worker ants to fight each other rather than the intruding wasp.^[9] The wasp eggs then hatch inside the caterpillar and eventually consume and kill the host.

Ichneumon wasps FAMILY Ichneumonidae NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES 3300 While many species of ichneumon wasps are extremely tiny, others are very large (up to 1.5 inches or 40 mm!). All are slender with long antennae. Many females have a highly noticeable ovipositor; it is sometimes longer than the insect’s body. Ichneumon wasps can be yellow to black or have patterns of various colors. They use caterpillars, the wood-boring grubs of various beetles, and other insects as hosts.

Walliser, Jessica. Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 1139-1144). Timber Press. Kindle Edition. 

 Dill - teeny, tiny beneficials need teeny, tiny flowers
for the adults to enjoy. Fresh raw meat is normally for the hatchlings.

--

Tiny parasitoids, like the minuscule parasitic wasps on this dill, require exposed nectaries and shallow flowers to access nectar. Open nectaries, such as those present in members of the carrot family (Apiaceae), are among the most user friendly to the largest diversity of beneficial insects.

Walliser, Jessica. Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control (Kindle Locations 1519-1521). Timber Press. Kindle Edition. 

Know your carrot family - here is a cousin of dill.
Queen Ann's Lace evolved a bug painting to fool bugs into landing on it. Sure it did ↘😀- but how did QAL know how to form that little bit of make-up and pass it on to all royal heirs? Ask the faculty at Concordia, St. Louis. They know everything. No, they really do.

That Is Why

I do whatever I can to keep the beneficial insects happy and protected. As I wrote before, Jessica Walliser expanded my knowledge of beneficial insects by connecting specific beneficials to their favorite plants.

 Giant Hogweed and Poison Hemlock are also carrot family hosts of a zillion insects. Both are large and impressive, but horribly toxic. Thus the Lutherans with their ordinary size Means of Grace congregations were drawn to the giant, toxic Church Growth blobs and converted into Enthusiasts of the worst kind: third-rate generic Protestants, fourth-rate faux-Lutherans. Ask WELS/ELS and LCMS how they did this while denying/praising it at the same time.

Now Do You Understand Paul McCain Mocking Luther During the 500th Anniversary?

Concordia Publishing House shot glass

The cheap trinkets sold in the name of the Reformation's 500th Anniversary now make sense. The LCMS wants to make money from Luther's name and image - just like WELS/ELS - but they clearly despise the Reformer, especially his Biblical doctrine.

Concordia Publishing House dog shirt, showing what they think of the Reformation. We are embarrassed for you - Paul, Bruce, and Matt the Fatt.

This is why I have no use for the declared stances of the synods - they are meaningless. Inerrancy? - The synods follow Walther, the disciple of an obvious, known abuser of young women - Martin Stephan. Quia subscription to the Book of Concord? They have a quia subscription to Karl Barth and Paul Tillich, the adulterous false teachers of the 20th century.

 CPH - more evidence of their attitude toward Luther

 A CPH drink coaster, when trying to absolve oneself through alcohol

 McCain was proud to post this nonsense on his late, pathetic blog.When he wasn't plagiarizing his friends, he was copying from the Roman Catholic Church. He is Matt the Fatt's junkyard dog, so it is fitting that he sells doggy equipment in the name of the Reformation.

LCMS Has Been Hatching the Denial of Biblical Doctrine for Many Decades

 Just like the margarine salesmen, they will not name what they are replacing.

A Layman Sent the Following Information

LCMS Blog - OJ and SJ

Subjective and Objective Justification 
and Justification and Evangelicalism

Justification is the doctrine on which the Church stands or falls [GJ - Liars! Justification by Faith is that doctrine, not Stephan/Walther's OJ/SJ]. The CTCR has furnished the last set of Bible studies in its series on justification. Learn the ins and outs of subjective/objective justification, justification and evangelicalism, and the ecumenical discussion on justification in the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.

Session 1: Leader guide | Participant guide

Session 2: Leader guide | Participant guide

https://blogs.lcms.org/2018/ctcr-bible-study-justification/

If you scroll toward the bottom of the page you'll see a topic "Subjective and Objective Justification and Justification and Evangelicalism", there are PDF documents attached which explain the LCMS position on justification.

If you open the Leader's Guide for Session 2,  and go to page 3, you'll find the following information:

5. Summary of Objective Justification
Let’s review once again the definition of objective justification with which we started:

“By ‘objective’ or ‘universal’ justification one means that God has declared the whole world to be righteous for Christ’s sake and that righteousness has thus been procured for all people. It is objective because this was God’s unilateral act prior to and in no way dependent upon man’s response to it, and universal because all human beings are embraced by this verdict. God has acquired the forgiveness of sins for all people by declaring that the world for Christ’s sake has been forgiven. The acquiring of forgiveness is the pronouncement of forgiveness.”

Interestingly, the Leader's Guide assumes that lay people will react negatively toward UOJ. So the guide presents 'talking points' to address the questions that come up. At the bottom of page 4 you'll find the following information:

9. Objections to Objective Justification

Depending on how the discussion has gone to this point, the instructor may want to select or focus on specific objections that are most relevant to the particular context of his hearers.

"Does this mean that all people will go to heaven?"

To answer that, let’s start with the basis of all talk about justification: Christ’s work. Christ bore the sins of all men on the cross. He paid for the sins of all men.

"If He paid for the sins of all people, how can it be that there are still people who will have to pay for their sins in hell?"

We believe in the perfect, all-atoning sacrifice of Christ and that those who reject Christ enjoy no benefit of this sacrifice. We do not say that Christ’s sacrifice did not pay for all their sins. We say that because of the sacrifice of Christ, all are forgiven. Those who reject this sacrifice of Christ as it is proclaimed to them as the forgiveness of all their sins will get what they want. They do not want to be forgiven, and so God will regard their sin as they want it to be regarded — as not covered by Christ’s sacrifice. He who rejects God’s absolution will be treated as one who has rejected God’s absolution and will be judged according to the Law.

..............................................................................................................

Pastor Jackson, based on these CTCR documents it appears that the LCMS endorses UOJ. And based on the paragraph above, it also endorses decision theology (people need to make a decision to accept God's offer of forgiveness in order to be saved.)         

***

GJ - Modern Missouri is doubly damned because they want to suggest their Subject Justification is Justification by Faith, so people mistakenly believe Objective Justification is the Atonement. But both parts are utterly wrong. 

OJ is God's pronouncement of world absolution of all sins - for atheists, polytheists, cannibals, pagans, and false teachers like them.

SJ is making a decision in favor of world absolution.

The LCMS Dogmatanic Has Been Rushed Priority Mail to the Ichabode. The Two Volumes Are Expected Soon

 "And do not spare the horses!
Um, cow."

I was glad to hear that the two-volume dogmatics book from the LCMS was on the way. Needless to say, it was sent by Priority Mail, which is best when going all the way from St. Louis to NW Arkansas.

Greek Lesson Romans 5:1-11

 Norma A. Boeckler

Lenski, Romans p 302 -

"The great fact stands: Abraham was justified by God long before he was circumcised. His faith alone justified him. This towers above all else. And this is vital for us Gentile believers today. We are true children of the father of believers although we are not of his physical blood and are without the rite which he and those of his blood received during the time of the old covenant."

Parsing Link

Romans Lenski - Download and save public domain PDF.

Father Abraham - Example of Righteousness of Faith among Uncircumcise. Lazarus story - Father Abraham. Details matter.

 Norma A. Boeckler

ΠΡΟΣ ΡΩΜΑΙΟΥΣ 5 1550 Stephanus New Testament (TR1550)

5 δικαιωθεντες ουν εκ πιστεως, ειρηνην εχομεν προς τον θεον δια του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου

Why are Lutherans ashamed to say the first three words in Romans 5?

ειρηνην - Irene. We have peace with God when we have forgiveness, whether on a throne, in a prison, or in a hospital bed. Without this peace, we are in torment whether on a yacht, a throne, or endowed chair.

δια - Agency. Christ is the agent through Whom this happens.

ουν - Postpositive connection to Romans 4. Abraham's example shows that righteousness comes through faith, not through the words of the Law. Circumcision, said Paul, was the seal of his righteous state with God.

2 δι ου και την προσαγωγην εσχηκαμεν τη πιστει εις την χαριν ταυτην εν η εστηκαμεν και καυχωμεθα επ ελπιδι της δοξης του θεου

προσαγωγη - simple word, access, entrance, only through faith

τη πιστει εις την χαριν ταυτην - by faith into this grace; grace/faith not opposed, which is a common thread of Calvinist modern theology (I know from vast amounts of reading in modern theology - grace does not allow contigencies - if we believe - sic)

We stand and boast, no matter what, based on this grace in faith.

3 ου μονον δε αλλα και καυχωμεθα εν ταις θλιψεσιν ειδοτες οτι η θλιψις υπομονην κατεργαζεται

Paul's boast is about eternal life and also bearing the cross - afflictions, which is paradoxical.

κατεργαζεται - Paul is very interested - like the Church Growth salesmen - in what works. The verb is the basis for efficacy/effectiveness, sometimes translated as power. The Englishman's Greek NT is good for looking at these wordgroups. Also Kittel (in small, disciplined doses).

4 η δε υπομονη δοκιμην η δε δοκιμη ελπιδα

δοκιμη - experience sound weak, it is used for the veteran soldier, or metal that is proven.

5 η δε ελπις ου καταισχυνει οτι η αγαπη του θεου εκκεχυται εν ταις καρδιαις ημων δια πνευματος αγιου του δοθεντος ημιν

εκκεχυται - poured out, catechism, through the Holy Spirit. See Romans 10 and the efficacy of the Word.

6 ετι γαρ χριστος οντων ημων ασθενων κατα καιρον υπερ ασεβων απεθανεν

UOJists cannot grasp that the Atonement does not equal universal forgiveness and salvation. That ideology comes from Calvin, who separated the Spirit from the Word and felt free to make up his competing anti-Means of Grace dogma. See Romans 10 and Isaiah 55 for the efficacy of the Word, John 3 for Spirit-Word-Sacrament.

7 μολις γαρ υπερ δικαιου τις αποθανειται; υπερ γαρ του αγαθου ταχα τις και τολμα αποθανειν

Human comparison - it is rare to have one man die for another, but Jesus died for all.

8 συνιστησιν δε την εαυτου αγαπην εις ημας ο θεος οτι ετι αμαρτωλων οντων ημων χριστος υπερ ημων απεθανεν

Atonement stated again. God's will and actions came first.

9 πολλω ουν μαλλον δικαιωθεντες νυν εν τω αιματι αυτου σωθησομεθα δι αυτου απο της οργης

δικαιωθεντες - Referencing the lead Rom 1 participal, justification by faith means salvation from anger, judgement.

10 ει γαρ εχθροι οντες κατηλλαγημεν τω θεω δια του θανατου του υιου αυτου πολλω μαλλον καταλλαγεντες σωθησομεθα εν τη ζωη αυτου

This confuses UOJists, so they stick to it like lint on Velcro. The verb means one for another, like making change. However, this does presume faith, which has been Romans 1 emphasized the Gospel as the God-power  unto salvation for those who believe, not absolution for the entire world of unbelievers.

11 ου μονον δε αλλα και καυχωμενοι εν τω θεω δια του κυριου ημων ιησου χριστου δι ου νυν την καταλλαγην ελαβομεν

I hate to tell the UOJists this, but lambano is used often as a synonym for faith.

John 1: 11 εις τα ιδια ηλθεν και οι ιδιοι αυτον ου παρελαβον

12 οσοι δε ελαβον αυτον εδωκεν αυτοις εξουσιαν τεκνα θεου γενεσθαι τοις πιστευουσιν εις το ονομα αυτο

verse 12 is too horrid for UOJists to read in plain English, but they are not reading this page anyway. "As many as received Him, He gave to them the power to become God-children: to those believing in His Name." Jackson Literal Translation

 WELS brags about their great knowledge of the Scriptures,
but proof is altogether lacking. Panning endorsed this claptrap in re-issuing the book via their NPH in 2011.

 McCain - Matt Harrison's campaign manager - is an enemy of Justification by Faith. That fact is crucial in getting Matt re-elected by the Otten/Cascione UOJ fanatics,
who also populate the hopelessly lost Steadfast Lutherans.

The Small Catechism/Dogma-tanic Swindle from Matt the Fatt, Plagiarizing Paul McCain, and Concordia Publishing House

 Matt the Fatt claimed on video that he read Luther all the time! Everyone reads Luther somewhat, but most do not agree with the Reformer. Does the SP agree with Luther? No.

Someone sent me Luther's Huge and Expensive Catechism, hardbound, from Concordia Publishing House. I used to buy the Small Catechism, a dozen at a time, from Fortress.

This CPH goldmine (fool's gold) is the Small Catechism followed by endless Talmudic explanations of everything, over 400 pages with the indices.

Until now, a District President could say - and did say, quoting loosely, "We cannot punish someone for teaching Justification by Faith and against UOJ. Our synod has never had an official teaching or catechism endorsing UOJ."

This hardbound bridge to ELCA is too clever by half. So far I have missed the line foisted upon me by Mrs. Matt the Fatt, "There is Objective Justification and Subjective Justification." But there are evasions that replace Justification by Faith - The Chief Article - with UOJ - from Halle Pietists.

Color code - red is apostasy from ELCA wannabees.
Blue is faithful to the Bible, Luther, and the Book of Concord.

John Sparky Brenner did the same by using Justification of the World versus "individual appropriation of forgiveness." Name it not - SP Grandson - you might melt. I will not dignify your slippery language with color coding. If he had written the truth, which is impossible for UOJists, he would have contrasted Justification of the World with Justification by Faith.

Back to CPH's Huge and Expensive Catechism. They use "Justification by Grace", #210 in rubric red - which is not entirely bad, except they intend to deceive, which is truly evil in doctrinal matters. Why not write Justification by Faith, which is the term used by the Bible, Luther, the Book of Concord, and traditional Means of Grace Lutherans.

The deviousness is clear in that the Huge and Expensive Catechism does not clearly teach UOJ or Justification by Faith, intending to satisfying both markets while pleasing the UOJ Stormtroopers immensely. Besides, the teaching materials clearly articulate the buffoonery of OJ and SJ, as I wrote before.

An honest book would refute one or the other, but the Universalists do not like to refute Justification by Faith. Instead, they

• Revile
• Slander
• Accuse
• Blackball
• Shun, and 
• Misquote

the faithful Lutherans. Example - Rolf Preus (LCMS, ELS, Rolf Preus Sect, Eldonish Fellowship, LCMS again) said one LCMS pastor "befouled" himself for teaching Justification by Faith. When I challenged him about his language, which was published on SpenerQuest, he repeated himself. Rolf did not cite anything wrong but made it clear that his fellow thugs should also disavow the pastor, who published his work without any rebuke or contradiction from the LCMS.

Tell it not in Gath!

Watch CPH slowly withdraw catechisms that teach Justification by Faith. WELS did that so effectively that one can hardly find an original Gausewitz, who was not only WELS but also head of the late, great Synodical Conference.

Just remember that when people claim, anywhere, "We have always taught UOJ!"

 Walter Maier could say the words Justification by Faith, why not LCMS - a sect that brags about him?

Name of the ship? Concordia!

I will look at the Dogma-tanic, the two volume $90 dogmatics book from CPH, if someone has a volume to share.