Warren Has Spoken

January 3, 2014, 10:00 pm

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I suggest Luther's sermon on the stoning of Stephen to get straight on justification by faith.

Dear Pastor Jackson: The title you put to the posting in your Ichabod blog of my emails to Pastor Spencer is incorrect, and the reason for the error isn't hard to realize: You judge other people by your own moral standards, assuming the worst of other people's motives because of your own.

I contacted you in 2012 as a new member of the WELS for the same reason for which I contacted Pastor Spencer and Intrepid Lutherans: for more information about what I had read online.  I stopped contacting you for the same reason for which I stopped trying to post in the Intrepid Lutherans forum: I disagreed with what I was reading, and because of your/their failure to respond/post my messages, because neither of you can accept dissent from your own positions.

That said, I consider it a badge of honor to be criticized in your blog along with others who accept the Bible's teaching of the doctrine of Objective Justification.  For my correct spelling you can thank my teachers.  --Warren Malach

***

GJ - Warren got a free ride for his opinions on this blog, but he was hardly the babe in the woods he pretended to be.

Like many other Iagos, he will tossed away by DP Buchholz when he is no longer useful.

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The Star of Bethlehem

January 5, 2014, 6:37 am

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Possible Explanations of the Star of Bethlehem

 http://www.observadores-cometas.com/Star_of_Bethlehem/English/Possible.htm

The are many possible explanations of the Star of Bethlehem which have received wide support over the years. The most widely accepted are variations on comets, novae and conjunctions, although a new candidate, which has to be taken seriously, is the idea of a planetary occultation. What are these candidates and what are their strengths and weaknesses in each case?

Planetary conjunctions

The idea that a planetary conjunction might have been the Star of Bethlehem is usually credited, erroneously, to Johannes Kepler. In fact, the planetary conjunction theory only dates back to the middle of the 19^th Century. Kepler only pointed out that a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn had occurred near the time of the Nativity whilst himself favouring the nova/supernova hypothesis. A planetary conjunction is when two (or more) planets approach each other in the sky, one passing due south of the other. Conjunctions can be quite spectacular and last for several nights although a really compact conjunction lasts for just a few hours.

It was in 1968 when Roger Sinnott wrote a highly influential article in Sky and Telescope pointing to the June 17^th 2 BC conjunction of Venus and Jupiter as having been particularly spectacular from Babylon that this theory took off. Sinnott’s work is still one of the finest ever carried out in this field and all the more laudable for having been done from planetary tables, without the assistance of a computer. Sinnottinvestigated conjunctions over a wide range of dates from 12 BC to 7 AD finding more than 200 conjunctions of the major planets. He also found no less than 20 compact groupings of three or four planets, of which only 4 would have been observable. After carefully filtering the events, Sinnott concluded that the 2 BC conjunction, in Leo, would have fitted the bill.

On June 17^th 2 BC, as seen from Babylon, Venus and Jupiter would have set 3 hours after sunset, with the two planets too close together to separate by eye, having closed considerably in the time since sunset. In fact, we now know that the disk of Venus actually passed in front of Jupiter, occulting it partially.

The problem with conjunction though is that they are too common. When the Magi have been waiting several hundred years for the birth of the Messiah, they would have seen all kinds of occultations and it is hard to believe that a single occultation, however spectacular, could have been the Star of Bethlehem, quite apart from the fact that this one happened several years too late.

A Triple Conjunction

Any pair of superior planets (that is, planets outside the Earth’s orbit) can give rise to a triple conjunction whereby, instead of a single pass, the planets meet and separate three times over a period of a few months. The more exterior a pair of planets are, the more frequent are triple conjunctions relative to normal conjunctions, although the more infrequently a conjunction of any kind will occur.

Jupiter and Saturn will enter conjunction about every 20 years. During the last millennium BC, however, no less than 7 triple conjunctions also took place – one every 140 years, on average – although the interval varied from 40 years (as between 861 and 821 BC and again between 563 and 523 BC) to 377 years (as between 523 BC and 146 BC). Over the millennium there were 43 “normal” conjunctions between the two planets and 7 “triple” conjunctions.

In December 1603 Johannes Kepler observed a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn (a normal one), followed by a massing of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars, when all three planets were close together in the sky. He calculated that a similar set of circumstances would have occurred in 7 BC. In fact, the 7 BC conjunction was a triple conjunction, although Jupiter and Saturn were never much less than a degree apart.

In 1976 David Hughes popularised this triple conjunction and suggested that it might explain the Star of Bethlehem, particularly as it happened in the constellation of Pisces, a constellation associated with the Jews. Sceptics point out that a far more spectacular triple conjunction (although in the constellation of Cancer) happened in 146/145 BC. Similarly, triple conjunctions were seen in Pisces in 861/860 BC and in 981/980 BC, during both of which the separation of Jupiter and Saturn was less than in 7 BC. Another important point is that the 7 BC triple conjunction was observed from Babylon, as was the massing of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars which followed, but the Babylonian records give no sign that they found the phenomenon of any special interest.

An occultation

A recent and interesting suggestion is that the Star of Bethlehem might have been an occultation. At first sight this seems unpromising. Between 20 BC and 1 AD the Moon passed in front of (occulted) the four main planets (Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) 170 times. In other words, it is hardly a rare event. However, when we calculate which of them would have been visible from Babylon in a dark sky, the number reduces in to just 5 over the 20 years – somewhat better, although still hardly a rare event.

Recently, however, Michael Molnar of Rutgars University has drawn attention to an occultation of Jupiter by the Moon in 6 BC. This took place in the constellation of Aries and was similar to a later occultation of Venus which may be referred to in a coin known as the Antioch coin. This coin shows a Ram (Aries?), the Moon and a bright star, and what appears to be the track of a planet.

Molnar suggests that the 6 BC occultation was the Star of Bethlehem because of its astrological associations, Aries being the ruling star sign of Judea and Jupiter symbolising a king, with the occultation – the reappearance of the planet from behind the Moon – symbolising a royal birth.

I am sceptical because the March 17^th 6 BC occultation took place very close to the Sun and just after sunset. It is hard to believe that it would have been observable with the Sun just 3 degrees below the horizon and Jupiter 5 degrees above it. This theory though has been very well received by many astronomers and popular writers and may be more than just an interesting anecdote in the story of the Star of Bethlehem.

Comet(s)

A theory which has been popular for many years is that the Star of Bethlehem was a comet. There is no doubt that a bright comet is a very spectacular event and would be an impressive “star”, but scrutiny of the Chinese and Babylonian chronicles reveals no evidence of a bright comet. There is an event observed in 5 BC which may be an account of a comet, but there is no description of classical elements in Chinese reports such as the tail and the comet’s movement which make it doubtful that this was a comet. Similarly, the Chinese reports imply that the object was stationary – most uncometary in an object seen for two and a half months.

Such doubts do not stop many “stars” from being depicted as comets – this practice is particularly widespread in Spain where stylised comets which show a large star with a flowing curved tail (thus getting the best of both worlds), adorn Christmas trees and buildings everywhere.

Nova

If the object seen by the Chinese in 5 BC was not a comet, then it can only have been a nova (we know, from the lack of a radio source and a visible remnant that it was not a supernova, despite its long duration of visibility). The position (southern Aquila) is consistent with having been a nova, although a little further south of the plane of the Milky Way than is normal.

The date of its apparition (March 5 BC), coinciding with the best guess as to the date of the birth of Jesus, its position in the sky (in the east at dawn) and long duration of visibility (more than 70 days), make this a very plausible Star of Bethlehem. Again though, we would have to ask the question “why this nova?” given that the Magi must surely have observed dozens of novae over the centuries that the spent watching the sky. It is a little hard to see what would have made this event particularly significant to the Magi – apart from the fact that its date coincides, as far as we can guess, with the date of the Nativity.

The Second Sunday after Christmas.

January 5, 2014, 7:24 am

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The Second Sunday after Christmas

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Church, 10 AM Central Time

The Hymn # 131           The Star Proclaims                4:89

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual       

The Gospel              

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn # 305:1-5                   Soul Adorn Thyself                4:23

 Planned from Eternity for Us

The Hymn #305:6-9               Soul Adorn Thyself             

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #657            Beautiful Savior                                       4:24      

Ephesians 1:3-16

King James Version (KJV)

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

⁴ According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

⁵ Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

⁶ To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

⁷ In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

⁸ Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

⁹ Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

¹⁰ That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

¹¹ In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

¹² That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

¹³ In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

¹⁴ Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

¹⁵ Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

¹⁶ Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

Planned from Eternity for Us

 

Matthew 2:13-23 (King James Version)

¹³ And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

¹⁴ When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

¹⁵ And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

¹⁸ In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

¹⁹ But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

²⁰ Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.

²¹ And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

²² But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:

²³ And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

The Wise Men and the Star

We have a curious reversal about science. Today we have vast sums of money spent on exploration and astronomy, but few people know anything about the night skies above them. One reason is our lighting wiping out the star-scape, and we need them less for navigation and weather predictions.

When I had a large telescope, I looked forward to the nights when I could use it and share the views with friends. I got to know the weather and get a feel for what would happen. The moon tended to wipe out the best views, and nights with the full moon were the clearest of them all. After a full moon, we usually had days of rain in Michigan.

When the skies are blackened by a lack of artificial light, and night vision is keen, everything in the sky is known and significant. When Jesus was born people were quite observant of the sky and everything happened. The Chinese wrote down their observations.

The people who mocked the Star of Bethlehem (common when I was growing up) showed how little they knew about the sky. During the time Jesus was born, two or three events took place that are considered the Star of Bethlehem. The Chinese recorded them and astronomers can reproduce them for SRO audiences during the Christmas season at the planetarium. We saw this done in Chicago.

Planetary conjunctions are very exciting, because their wandering (Greek name for planet) in the night sky draws them together every so often. I was going to a clergy event with Chris when the night sky featured all the bright planets in conjunction. I said, “Look, that will never happen again for 1100 years.” A Harvard PhD lady pastor said, “My boyfriend loved astronomy. That was boring, so I dumped him.” In fact, I was the only pastor who noticed the night sky. Oh – we are so scientific today.

http://www.observadores-cometas.com/Star_of_Bethlehem/English/Possible.htm

Since the night sky was the Internet, television, radio and newspapers combined, consider how the entire world viewed those celestial events. According to one theory, the conjunction of planets made it clear that the king was being replaced. Everyone knew something was going to happen. Add to that electric atmosphere, star-gazers from East, traveling a long distance and asking about this king and savior.

Kings are always jealous of their power. If they are not brutal, they are quickly replaced. Everyone knew something was about to happen, and the Scriptures said it would. Once the throne passed from the House of David, the Savior would come. Herod was not a Jew. He fulfilled that prophecy. The Wise Men placed even more emphasis upon the change by asking the king about the star.

We can easily imagine that fear, confusion, and hope were all mixed together at the same time. Herod responded with the slaughter of the innocents. The wise men had to leave town quietly. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus escaped to Egypt.

As Luther observed, the appearance of the Star shows that God ordered His Creation so that the birth of the Savior would be a world event. In many different ways, for Jews and Gentiles alike, His future ministry was announced in the clearest possible ways.

This upsets rationalists, who loved to mock the Star of Bethlehem as a fable, a myth that was invented to make the birth of Jesus more charming. When the reality of the Star is grasped, and people flock to demonstrations of its truth, the rationalists seethe that planetariums are making money from the faith of their patrons.

This is the balance between faith and reason. The Enthusiasts betray their mental laziness by mocking study, as if brainless faith is better because it is based on emotions alone. But emotions are as volatile as the weather.

Knowing and appreciating what God has done in history is one way to guard against our volatile emotions. Gerhardt was a sensitive man and experienced more loss in his lifetime than six men – loss of career, loss of his wife and all his children (except one). He was exceptional in his learning and yet he was faithful to Biblical, Lutheran doctrine – not a crafty schemer using his brains to look for job security.

We can experience his inner thoughts in studying his hymns. “How dearly God must love you” – in looking at the circumstances of the Nativity.

Grilling Outside - 20 Below Wind Chill - Chicken Ichabod Recipe

January 6, 2014, 1:23 pm

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The Kingsford Grill - aka T-Rex.

Our son and daughter-in-law got us a very large portable grill, which we put together as a group. Like many projects, the directions made more sense after we were done.

We awoke today to temperatures around zero and a minus wind chill, perhaps 20 below but not bad at all around noon. It was sunny with no wind.

Everyone was crying about wind chills all over the Midwest, which were slightly better than what we had in New Ulm, Minnesota 20 years ago - 60  below for about two weeks. I do not remember anyone caring.

In that vein - Green Bay hosted an outdoor football match last night but canceled indoor school this morning and tomorrow.

Father Hollywood convinced me to try the paleo-diet, going easy on the breads (hard for a baker's son) and heavy on meat, fruit, and vegetables. However, I was aghast at the price of such things as sliced turkey and chicken. I was grilling chicken often and knew what meat prices were. Besides, deli sliced meat is really salty.

So I decided to grill twice a week, especially after finding out how good my BBQ meat was for sandwiches, warmed up or cold. I adopted a meat market (Dime's, Springdale, a few miles away), and a secondary one (Harp's) when Dime's is not open. We have used Sam's Club quite often for chicken and bacon. We figure all chicken is Tyson's anyway, since this town is their headquarters.

Here is the recipe for Chicken Ichabod. It is easy, fast, and delicious.

A grill with a rack above the main rack is best, since it is hard to make bacon-wrapped meat and grill it. One problem is the heat and the blazing, smokey fires that erupt.

I put the chicken on the main level and the bacon on the mezzanine level. T-Rex makes the bacon sit above the chicken below and drip bacon grease on it as it cooks.

I use Kingsford charcoal, mesquite style. In the past I have soaked hickory chips in water and added them to the hot coals. That really adds a great hickory smoke flavor to the meat. In Phoenix I simply cut green mesquite from my trees and tossed it in.

The drop-down hood on the T-Rex allows the bacon to heat up enough to drip down. If I leave the hood down too long, the bacon napalms and I get a roaring grease fire. Still, the results are not that bad with the roaring fire. The bacon gets crisp fast and the chicken is still good. Still, it is better to lower the hood for short periods of time. The volume of smoke is a good indication of how well it is going. I try to keep it at "Habemus papam!" rather than "Abandon hope all ye who enter here."

The Chicken Ichabod recipe works just as well for pork, so I use boneless pork steaks, which are only $5 a pound at Dimes. Boneless chicken breasts are $2 to 3 a pound, only the low end at Sam's Club. Harp's had me buying chuck eye for beef, which is a way to have a small, inexpensive steak, about $6 a pound. We would rather eat pork and chicken overall.

Sassy takes an immediate interest in my cooking efforts, as soon as she sees indications of BBQery. She decided against outdoor supervision today, but stayed in the living room - inside. She has a fur coat, but it is more of a sweater.

Sassy loves to get her share of the meat and then some.

The bonus for Chicken Ichabod is the grilled bacon. The chef and assistants get to sample the bacon as it cooks. When I cook for Team Jackson, everyone enjoys bacon and chicken. The last vote went against pepper bacon in favor of maple bacon.

The most delicious bacon is from Nicollet, Minnesota, so I may try that out on the family.

The best compliment I have had was hearing a granddaughter say, "Mom. Make sure you take home some chicken."

There is nothing like grilled chicken with that bacon-glaze flavor. It is great off the grill and superb as a replacement for $9 sliced deli chicken.

We have gone out for lunch with our son's family, but cooking together is more fun. The grandchildren are great helpers. Tammy brings fantastic desserts and other dishes. Everyone helps with the set-up and the clean-up.

St. Peter and The CORE Have Plans

January 7, 2014, 4:09 am

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Lutheran Wall of Shame on Facebook

Can't wait for January 10th when this site is launched. 922Church.com. Watch the video below announcing it.

Will it be an effort to be This 922 Church ?



http://www.christschapel.net/ministries/church-922

or this one?

http://www.resonatechurch922.org/

Can't wait to see how "The Core" and all the various affiliates join together to be a 922 Church. You know you are Lutheran when you are all things to all people.

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Nearby - In the Valley of the Fox -

http://www.stmarkpartners.org/

Men of His Work or Men of His Word - Cannot get their headlines to match the story.

Intrepid Lutherans - This Is "Intrepid" - Just So You Know

January 7, 2014, 4:17 am

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LCMS/WELS Pastor Mark and Avoid Jeske sits on the Thrivent Board.

Thrivent Choice Controversy – An Overview

http://daringlutheran.net/thrivent-choice-controversy/

On or about December 17th, 2013, it was discovered that Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota had appeared in the Thrivent Choice database. Thrivent Choice is a member-directed grant program funded by Thrivent Financial, “a faith-based, not-for-profit membership organization nearly 2.5 million members strong.”

Much controversy erupted, with large protests online directed against Thrivent and asking them to immediately remove Planned Parenthood from the list of approved Thrivent Choice organizations, and to setup a moral criteria for organizations allowed in the Thrivent Choice program.

This page is intended to provide an overview of the events and related links pertaining to the controversy. Please provide any additional links that should be included.

December 17th, 2013

• Thrivent’s Dangerous Game is published, outlining initial conversations on Twitter with Thrivent surrounding the issue.

December 18th, 2013

• My article is republished by LifeNews.com and SteadfastLutherans.org.
• After more investigation, it’s discovered that Thrivent Choice dollars, if given to Planned Parenthood, would be undesignated and therefore directly fund abortions. (Thrivent Does Not Have the Komen “Out”)

December 19th, 2013

• The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod issues a statement on the matter.
• The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod Reporter published a more detailed news story.
• The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod also issues a statement.

December 20th, 2013

• Thrivent issues a statement officially responding to the controversy. In their response, they remove Planned Parenthood from the list of eligible Thrivent Choice organizations.
• At the same time, Thrivent also temporarily removes all pro-life organizations from the program. (Thrivent’s Statement)
• My article “Thrivent’s Statement” is republished at LifeNews.com.
• The LCMS responds to Thrivent statement with a statement of their own.
• The LCMS Reporter publishes a follow-up news story.
• A list of the “temporarily suspended” organizations is published. (Download PDF)
• Christianity Today publishes a short story on the controversy.
• Christian Life Resources issues a statement on the controversy.

Ongoing

• Issues, Etc. has a half-hour open-lines discussion of the controversy. (12/20/13)
• Rev. Todd Wilken posts some thoughts about Thrivent’s resolution. (12/21/13)

Lutheran Satire Video

Lutherdom's Violation of the Seventh Commandment Proves One Thing: Unbelievers Run the Show

January 7, 2014, 5:25 am

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I was preparing for the yet-untaught lesson on the Seventh Commandment, Large Catechism, Book of Concord.

I realized it was one of the funniest passages in Luther. The best humor consists of observations that go beyond the accepted view of a given situation.

Luther - Seventh Commandment:
After your person and spouse temporal property comes next. That also God wishes to have protected, and He has commanded that no one shall subtract from, or curtail, his neighbor's possessions. 224] For to steal is nothing else than to get possession of another's property wrongfully, which briefly comprehends all kinds of advantage in all sorts of trade to the disadvantage of our neighbor. Now, this is indeed quite a wide-spread and common vice, but so little regarded and observed that it exceeds all measure, so that if all who are thieves, and yet do not wish to be called such, were to be hanged on gallows, the world would soon be devastated, and there would be a lack both of executioners and gallows. For, as we have just said, to steal is to signify not only to empty our neighbor's coffer and pockets, but to be grasping in the market, in all stores, booths, wine- and beer- cellars, workshops, and, in short, wherever there is trading or taking and giving of money for merchandise or labor.

Luther expounds on all the ways people steal, such as mechanics charging too much, and ends with the Church of Rome as the primary thief.

Luther:
229] Therefore they are also called swivel-chair robbers, land- and highway-robbers, not pick-locks and sneak-thieves who snatch away the ready cash, but who sit on the chair [at home] and are styled great noblemen, and honorable, pious citizens, and yet rob and steal under a good pretext.

230] Yes, here we might be silent about the trifling individual thieves if we were to attack the great, powerful arch-thieves with whom lords and princes keep company, who daily plunder not only a city or two, but all Germany. Yea, where should we place the head and supreme protector of all thieves, the Holy Chair at Rome with all its retinue, which has grabbed by theft the wealth of all the world, and holds it to this day?

And now, the "conservative" Lutheran Church takes its place beside the Church of Rome as a den of thieves, stealing from its own members - even stealing from various denominations.

The "conservative" Lutheran congregations either steal from Fuller and Craig Groeschel or they rob Rome of its titles, incensed entertainments, and robes. If they are not stealing the anti-liturgical clown acts of Evangelicals, they are cloning the smells and bells of popery. The emphasis is never upon the Word of God, which they do not trust, but upon their methods of amusing the masses.

They are lazy, greedy, and violent. If anyone dares to point out their follies, no matter how polite and deferential the critics might be, these clowns drop their smiles and pious gestures to get even. They want an open and honest discussion only among those who agree completely with them. The rest they will silence and eject, shunning them as lepers.

Lutheran pastors and laity - while they are stealing the worship of Rome and Driscoll, they are robbing you blind. They skim all the money for themselves because they are too weak to dig ditches and too proud to beg on the streets.

They scoff at the poor fools in real missions, who barely have enough to keep going, whether on the arid Great Plains or the frozen tundra of the Upper Midwest.

Sending a Message to the New Love Shack in WELS?

January 7, 2014, 1:43 pm

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Was supposedly leading the opposition to the NNIV. Never voted on the NNIV but approved all translations/paraphrases.

This is the time of year when congregations are prayerfully determining the level of financial support they can provide for our common work as a synod. Congregation Mission Offerings (CMO) serve as the primary means of support for our synodical mission and ministry.

Over the past four years, congregations have done a commendable job in meeting the commitments they have made. On the other hand the CMO commitments have been relatively flat and have not been meeting the goals established by the synod in convention. CMO are still below what they were in 2007. While we have been able to avoid cuts in ministry and, in fact, have been blessed in our efforts to carefully expand our efforts, God continues to place many opportunities before us to share the gospel with more people.

Plans adopted by the synod in convention assumed a four percent increase in CMO. While this is a greater increase than we have seen in recent years, the synod in convention believed it was achievable.

The "reforming" District Pope kicks out the only Lutheran pastor in the district, but embraces Jeff Gunn's Ministry of Plagiarism.

It’s our prayer that congregations throughout the synod will recognize the privilege they have in supporting the work we do together as a synod. God’s blessings on our synod, our congregations, and on our families have once again been more than we could ask or imagine, and our offerings for the mission and ministry of the synod are one way for us to demonstrate our humble thanks. Pray about this. Encourage one another. And trust that God will bless our efforts.

Serving you in Christ,
President Mark Schroeder

Tons of WELS money for the Glende/Ski circus, but Glende's first parish is being foreclosed by WELS - no mission support for the victims of Glende's bullying.

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Details to Follow - Martin Luther College WELS

January 7, 2014, 1:46 pm

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Sunday, October 9, 2011. It was on the calendar in the student center. I assume it was similar to the "best evangelism fails" session they do during Evangelism Day.

Waking Up to Thrivent's Evil - With Mark Jeske on the Thrivent Board

January 8, 2014, 7:05 pm

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http://thebarebulb.com/2014/01/08/an-odd-choice/

An Odd Choice

Posted by Todd Wilken on January 8, 2014

The guy in the Mercedes full of cash is Jordan Belfort, the real-life “Wolf of Wall Street.” Leonardo DiCaprio portrays Belfort in the new movie based on his memoir of penny stocks, prostitutes, cocaine and crime.

Belfort defrauded the clients of his Stratton Oakmont brokerage house out of more than $110 million in the late 1990s. He made (stole) a lot of money for (from) a lot of people. He still owes those people almost $100 million in restitution.

Belfort was also one of the speakers at the most recent Thrivent Financial for Lutherans‘ National Sales Meeting.

No joke.

Belfort seems an odd choice of speaker to address Thrivent’s sales force. Thivent’s website says, “Thrivent Financial does what’s best for our members, supporting the values of faith, family, stewardship and service.” So was Belfort there to teach Thrivent’s salespeople how not to do their jobs?

That must be it.

***

 GJ - It is well known that AAL/LB (Thrivent) converted whole life policies into Universal Life by giving half the cash value to the salesman as a commission. AAL/LB promised any interest the client or sucker wanted to predict. As everyone knows now, high investment rates are never sustained for long.

One LB salesman illustrated 12%, giving me a fortune at 65. His calculator printed it out. It had to be true. I protested that was impossible, because I knew a little about investments.

One AAL salesman told me that many of his friends retired with a fortune after doing this to their long-term clients. However Universal Life did not pan out and never paid those high rates. The policies tended to tank, requiring more money to keep up the same death benefit. (UL is defined as term insurance with a flexible side portion of cash.)

Those whole life policies had guaranteed values and prices, but the UL replacements promised nothing.

So I think this speaker was ideal for Thrivent - a grifter speaking to grifters.

Strange New Name for Tim Glende's Sandbox - Will It Play in Peoria?

January 10, 2014, 9:00 am

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ABOUT 922 CHURCH

http://922church.com/about

"I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some."

(1 Corinthians 9:22)

These words were written by the Apostle Paul nearly 2,000 years ago, and they still apply today.  Paul's words spoke to the purpose of the Church…to share Jesus with others even if it meant sacrificing his personal preferences.  The purpose of the Church in the 21st century should be no different…"to become all things to all people" without compromising the Bible so that lives might be transformed for eternity.  That's what a 922 church looks like no matter what time in history it is.

We chose this web address to encompass our ministries because it describes the kind of church that we are and strive to be in the 21st century.   We are a Lutheran Christian congregation that consists of multiple campuses in the Fox Valley Area.   St. Peter Lutheran Church & The CORE seek to reach everyone who is impacted by the world’s changing culture with the changeless Gospel, by using traditional and innovative ministries.  For us, being "all things to all people" means the following:

• offering a variety of worship opportunities each week all grounded on the truth of God's Word but different in style - some using the traditional Lutheran Liturgy, others being modern traditional, and still others that are non-traditional.  We believe this variety is essential so that we can  reach more people.  Different worship styles "speak" to people differently, so our members and guests are able to pick the form of worship that is most meaningful to them so that they're motivated to live their lives for the Lord.
• using technology and the visual arts in worship and beyond
• doing life together in small groups that meet weekly throughout the year
• being a congregation that is committed to developing creative and energetic ministry for our children and youth
• involving all our members as partners in ministry
• implementing aggressive outreach strategies in our growing area through programs and special events in order to reach people others aren't reaching
• partnering with other ministries beyond our walls because the Church is bigger than us

We are passionate about sharing the Gospel of Jesus with everyone we can in our community and beyond!

Thank you for visiting our site.  We hope to have the chance to meet you in person at one of our campuses in the future.

St. Peter Lutheran Church N2740 French Road Appleton, WI 54913 (920) 739-2009

St. Peter Lutheran School N2740 French Road Appleton, WI 54913 p (920)739-2009 f (920) 739-3615

The CORE   222 W, Franklin Street Appleton, WI 54911 (920) 364-0200

info@922church.com

The Children Are Tucked into Bed Again - No More Crying from Their Nightmares. Intrepid Lutherans Moonwalk Away

January 11, 2014, 3:02 am

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Universal Objective Justification teaches against faith and lives in fear. Why trust God's Word when men have all the cash?

The self-named Intrepid Lutherans are tucked back into bed again. Mark Schroeder has rocked them back to sleep. They will not bother anyone again with their posts. They give every indication of closing down for good. Later, they will erase their files.

Protests in WELS have had a mild rather than a wild history. Issues in WELS (DP Free, Dave Peters) shrank in horror when pastors found out that SP Gurgle was actually attending a meeting. Most clergy were too scared to show up. Once DP Free was gone, so was IIW and its website.

Previous to IIW, the Orthodox Lutheran Forum (Steve Spencer) folded up when clergy got nasty over sensitive topics like doctrine and practice. The only acceptable theme in any WELS effort is "The Glory of WELS and the Sanctity of Its Leaders."

Several scandals should have been enough to send Mark Schroeder and Jon-Boy Buchholz packing. Instead, they have enjoyed a second chance as members of Team Jeske.

How many sects have had the FBI show up at headquarters to seize equipment and thumb-drives full of man-boy rape videos? Only WELS. And it was not some minor employee in the building but the head of public relations. After repenting several times while pleading non-guilty, Hochmuth went back to the slammer for backsliding and breaking all his promises. Why not? He is WELS. Find one WELS official whose word is his bond.

Likewise, Buchholz was elected (with Spencer's help) to purge his fetid district of Church Growth inanities like Jeff Gunn. Although Buchholz signed the "secret" WELS petition against Mark Jeske, Jon-Boy spoke in favor of Jeske at the convention. He looked and sounded like OJ Simpson pledging to find the real killer of Nicole.

Buchie not only switched on Jeske but soon found a strange affection for the same Jeff Gunn Warren-cloning parish he was keeping off the official rolls of the infallible Wisconsin Synod. Suddenly, they were welcomed into the district, synod, and Kingdom of God by the same man who kept talking and even working against them. Immediately, anyone who criticized Gunn was evil.

At one point Buchie had the funding for Gunn's parish down so low that Jeff went looking for a new job at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Instead they hired that retro-Luther figure Paul Kelm, whose cell groups would explode into Milwaukee and convert the city like lightning - so they claimed. But Gunn was given the consolation prize - a board membership at WLC, bringing the number of people from his parish on the board to three (3). When I published that fact, it was denied (of course) and the board no longer listed parish membership.

I could list dozens of people who are scared to death that I will thank them by name for all their help. They think Jeske and Gunn are the problem when in fact - they are.



Nothing helps the opposition more than criticism followed by reversals and support. Team Jeske loves watching the so-called Intrepids moonwalk away from their blog. That is a clever move - the moonwalk, The person seems to walking forward but instead moves backward.

Hilarious Reviews of the Andy Stanley Gay Activist Babtist Church - Where Ski, Glende, and Six Other WELS Ministers Were Trained

January 11, 2014, 7:19 pm

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Research from a non-Lutheran visitor to the Stanley cult:

“The congregation of the Buckhead church, really knows how to party, every time we go on a retreat going to a bar is always on the itinerary” (Parker, 2013). [GJ - Doubtless this inspired the Glende/Ski bar ministry, which was supposedly aimed at coffee shops.]

“One thing that I find different about this huge church is that they do not have Sunday school” (Pearson, 2013) 

“The praise band is very loud and it’s more like a rock concert and the entire sermon seemed more like a very weak, self help seminar” (Brown, 2013). 

“I heard no theology or anything from the Bible until the last ten minutes of the three hour service, and  overall the sermon was boring and had no substance” (Baker, 2013).                                             
                                                
“Please don't go there expecting choir robes and a hymnal but more of a rock concert, and most disturbing to me was the fact that attendees’ never get to meet, greet or shake hands with the minister, all the services are pre-recorded on a huge screen” (Baker, 2013).  

“Besides the fact that the congregation is watching the minister on a screen, he also takes several breaks, at which time the rock ban entertains the audience, sort of like watching church on television.” (Baker, 2013). 

“This was the first church I have ever visited that had no alter (sic) call or communion on the first Sunday” (Lloyd, 2013). 

“Honestly I have visited this church on four different occasions and I will never go again because on my last visit I realized that it is nothing more than a cult” (Lloyd, 2013). 

Mark Schroeder and Keith Free had over $500,000 to give away to Ski and Glende to buy this bankrupt bar, but they refused to help the congregation in Illinois that Glende destroyed with his bullying. WELS will foreclose on the Savoy congregation soon, which was "redeveloped" so Glende could make it his Church Growth sandbox. But Glende evaporated before the new building was finished.

First Sunday after the Epiphany, 2014. Jesus in the Temple

January 12, 2014, 7:15 am

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The First Sunday after the Epiphany, 2014

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bethany-lutheran-worship

Bethany Lutheran Worship, 8 AM Phoenix Time 

The Hymn #133      Within the Father's House   2:19

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual             Romans 12:1-5
The Gospel           Luke 2:41-52          
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #660 Heaven Is My Home         2.46

In the Temple

The Hymn # 306:1-4          Lord Jesus Christ            2.50

The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn # 656         Behold a Host           2:39 

KJV Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. 4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: 5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

KJV Luke 2:41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. 43 And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. 44 But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. 45 And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. 46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. 47 And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. 48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. 49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? 50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. 51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

http://www.normaboecklerart.com

First Sunday After Epiphany

Lord God, heavenly Father, who in mercy hast established the Christian home among us: We beseech Thee so to rule and direct our hearts, that we may be good examples to children and servants, and not offend them by word or deed, but faithfully teach them to love Thy Church and hear Thy blessed word. Give them Thy Spirit and grace, that this seed may bring forth good fruit, so that our homelife may conduce to Thy glory, honor and praise, to our own improvement and welfare, and give offense to no one; through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

In the Temple

This is a lost generation. Not every is lost, but in general, the description is valid. 

Few know what truth is or where to find it. Many deny there is such a thing as truth. For them, everything is relative and it depends on perspective. That means the ultimate norm is what someone thinks or feels. The result is confusion.

Feeding this confusion is a general philosophy that there is only one truth - that there is no truth. Since a popular attitude is backed by academic experts and societal specialists, the Old Adam is well fed and constantly ambivalent about all these matters.

One of my students went to a very popular congregation to check out its urban ministry - Andy Stanley's in Buckland. The group of parishes (multi-site) has 23,000 people who are considered members. That is larger than some smaller Lutheran denominations, larger than quite a few small towns.

From a distance, the operation seems impressive. They even train pastors to be just like them. There is no confession of faith. Lots of bright lights and loud music. Everything is casual. But not everyone is fooled. My student collected comments from people who were there. They were appalled by the recorded message flashed on the giant screen. It was nothing more than a self-help message. God is almost entirely absent from the party-like affair.

The story of Jesus in the Temple is an antidote to these notions and practices. An editor would say, "How did they let this story get published?"

Mary and Joseph do not come across very well. They do not keep track of their very special responsibility. In fact, they are like many parents who have left a child somewhere, assuming he is with friends or relatives. It happened in my family, with my sister left at a gas station until I spoke up.

Jesus seems oddly distant, surprised that His parents do not know "I must be about my Father's business." Using our logic, He should have told His parents what He was planning. Divinely aware, He must have know what was about to transpire.

This narrative seems to strike two generations at once. As a child I was in awe of this story. Jesus' mission was so clear already that He stayed in the Temple area for days to display His divine power to the great teachers of the Law, who were astounded at His knowledge and His questions.

I posted a story about a boy who was treated in special education class because he was so out of the norm. He did not even speak for 18 months. Worse than that, he had been speaking, then stopped. Many normal activities were not comfortable for him, so he was judged autistic and put in special classes. He had only a few isolated interests, including astronomy.

No one knew his capabilities, although his mother suspected, until he attended an astronomy lecture so he could look through a telescope. He alone knew why the satellites of Mars were oddly shaped. But this is the odd part. He asked what size they were, then explained from that fact why they were different. It was gravity. The adults were staggered. Soon he was in physics classes for adults and then onto a very special program for genius physics student at the University of Waterloo, where my wife earned her master's degree in German literature. The ability was there and waiting to be revealed.

Thus the true divine nature of Jesus was there and not yet discovered, until He chose to reveal it at the right time and place.

The purpose is clear. Jesus revealed the Gospel to the Temple leaders as the preparation for His public ministry. We can see that in retrospect. God used miraculous revelation to show the Redeemer to the world:

1. Through the angels to the shepherds.

2. Through the Star of Bethlehem to the Wise Men.

3. Through the circumcision and naming of Jesus.

4. Through His visit to the Temple as a boy.

5. Through John the Baptist in preparation for the public ministry of Jesus.

Through these interventions in history, clearly recorded for us, we can see that there is One Truth revealed to all mankind, not simply a truth among many truths.

For that reason the centrality of the Word as the force of the Gospel is essential to realize and emphasize.

Those who taught the Law all their lives and found great reward for their scholarship were staggered at the presence of Jesus. The very figure who should have been dismissed as a curious young boy became the center of attention. Since this event was one involving multiple days and many witnesses, it can be seen in retrospect as one which was remembered. 

The Word is effective when read, heard, and remembered. Those who saw the Word of God and heard Him speak remembered. We do not have records of all that happened, but there was an open door into Judaism because of those various events before His public ministry.

We can tell from the Gospel of John that the Gospel was live among the Jewish leaders, even though He was crucified. Later history also showed, through Paul, a miraculous growth in Christian faith among Jews at that time. It was one reason Paul was so hated, why riots started, and why he was arrested and executed.

If Paul had been ineffective, he would have been dismissed as a madman and ignored. Instead, he was silenced through jail and death - but the Word is not ever silenced. And the Spirit-inspired letters were preserved, carefully copied, and circulate, even in the midst of heresies and persecutions.

Jesus in the Temple shows us why the proclamation of the Word is so important. Everything pales in comparison. Luther called it taking the Word to the opposition, not simply to the friendly and the receptive. Strange how Luther anticipated every excuse of this age. 

The popular approach to missions is to start a new church in the midst of a prosperous suburb and simply invited active church members who have moved into the most attractive new location. These missions offer programs and groups and activities to make the building a social center. Norm Berg, the head of American Missions at one time, thought it was good for the pastors to offer classes in stress management, since that was a felt need of the time. If only Jesus had done that in the Temple. Imagine how stressful it was to be a Jewish leader in Roman occupied Jerusalem. Some useful tips might have been appreciated.

But as many recognize, the purpose of the Gospel is to proclaim what God has done in redeeming us from sin. Wherever the Old Adam stops to doubt, the Gospel overcomes that doubt with the revelation of Christ.

Jesus entered Jerusalem a number of times, knowing in advance that one day it would be His arrest and death. This was so clear to the disciples during the last trip that doubting Thomas assumed they would all die together there (Gospel of John). 

Each verse, each story, each miracle is designed to prompt faith and strengthen faith in Jesus. We can see also that many parts of the Bible are designed especially for the child. 

When a child sees a painting of Jesus as a boy in the Temple, he has to imagine what that would be like. He is a child in church and the elders do not gather around the ordinary church member's child. But these ancient elders, with their flowing beards and exotic robes gathered around Jesus and listened to Him.

That makes us as children and later as adults also want to listen to us. And we are drawn to His gracious Person, His forgiving nature, His desire that we live life in its fullest because of forgiveness and salvation.

Best of all, we get to participate in sharing that complete life with others across the world. Whatever we do in broadcasting the Gospel is a participation in God's work through His powerful Word.

Confessional Lutheran Defined

January 13, 2014, 9:16 am

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Isn't this the most eloquent trash you ever read?

We define a word or phrase by its use, so this is what I have learned about what Confessional Lutheran means.

A Confessional Lutheran teaches against justification by faith, always on the attack, while saying he truly teaches justification by faith. In fact, there is a blog calling itself Confessional Lutheran, which does precisely that.

But the entire UOJ Hive calls itself Confessional Lutheran.

A Confessional Lutheran is a gay activist ELCA bishop, the first one to be openly gay, with the emphasis on openly.

A Confessional Lutheran in WELS is not only a UOJ, Church Growth, and Emergent Church fanatic, but also one who dismisses the Book of Concord as "boring and irrelevant."

A Confessional Lutheran Synod President, of the WELS persuasion, cannot stand up for a decent translation of the Bible, cannot identify Book of Concord study materials, and cannot detect felonies committed against children in the same building where he works.

A Confessional Lutheran Synod President, Missouri-flavored, fawns over their Pietistic sex cult usurper and forgets who the real founder of the LCMS was - Bishop Martin Stephan, STD. He gets elected based on his book, Dreams of My Father.

A Confessional Lutheran in the LCMS is one who joins Eastern Orthodoxy or the Church of Rome as a priest, soon after graduating from one of the great Confessional Lutheran seminaries of the LCMS.

A Confessional Lutheran pastor in WELS joins the Babtists, Pentecostals, or atheists after his graduation and anti-Lutheran parish work.

---

When Wright Is Wrong. Barbarian Bishop Far More Embarrassing Than the One-Minute ELCA Service

January 13, 2014, 6:23 pm

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Atlanta Episcopal Bishop Departs from the Faith in Interfaith CommentsWright is wrong in rants over the Faith and other religions

News Analysis

By David W. Virtue DD
www.virtueonline.org 
January 13, 2014

At an interfaith inaugural worship service at Cascade United Methodist Church in Atlanta marking the beginning of Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed's second term, the Episcopal Bishop of Atlanta Rob Wright made comments that fundamentally denied the Christian Faith and his ordination vows.

WRIGHT: Greetings to you in the name of Yahweh the Almighty, in the name of Allah the beneficent and merciful. Greetings to you in the name of the Eternal One who gave the Buddha his great enlightenment, and in the name of the Hindus' Supreme Being that orders the cosmos. 

VOL: This is a fundamental denial of the uniqueness of Faith in the Holy Trinity. The First Article (of the 39 Articles) reads thus: "There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or passions; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the Maker, and Preserver of all things both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost."

By acknowledging Allah and Hinduism, he has attempted to shatter the unique historical, theological and ontological understanding of who God is, as well as the personhood of God and the fullness of the godhead.

WRIGHT: Greetings in the name of generosity and human compassion that guides some of us who claim no faith at all. Greetings to you to in the name of Jesus of Nazareth through whom many of us hear the words of God. It is wonderful to be here on this happy occasion. Thank you to Pastor Moss and the people of Cascade United Methodist Church for your leadership and hospitality. It is a delight for us to be together, in the spirit of prayer and fellowship, raising our voices in praise and rededicating ourselves to the common good, as we embark with our Mayor Kasim Reed on his second term. 

VOL: To lump Jesus in with unbelievers as though they are on an equal footing with believers is to deny the uniqueness of Jesus, his claims, personhood and the salvation he offers to unbelievers. Wright's attempt to create a level playing field is false.

It is also an insult to The Rev. Marvin A. Moss of Cascade United Methodist Church whose church Mission reads: "The Mission of Cascade United Methodist Church is to bring others to Christ and to nurture and develop the spiritual growth of our membership. The Vision of Cascade United Methodist Church is to be a Christ-centered church that effectively and efficiently develops spiritual gifts, embraces the local and global community and nurtures all generations."

That is not the "mission" of the Diocese of Atlanta which reads: "The work of the church is to follow Jesus' command to 'love our neighbor as ourselves' - as we move our worship out into the world, whether around the corner, around the diocese or around the globe. Throughout our diocese, leaders encourage people to reflect theologically and practically on issues of poverty, social justice and advocacy. The Diocese of Atlanta also has a corporate voice as it engages government entities and public policy at every level."

In the diocese of Atlanta's mission statement there is no mention of God's gracious gift of his Son for our salvation...it is all about social efforts of human amelioration. There is nothing transcendent in this statement at all.

WRIGHT: The Psalmist puts it perfectly, "How good and how pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to dwell together in unity." (Ps. 133:1) Some of us have already been to worship today or have led worship today so don't worry, I'm sensitive to that; I won't be long this afternoon. 

VOL: The Psalmist was not preaching a faux ecumenism of Muslims, Jews, (Christians) or Hindus. David, the Psalmist was lamenting the need for kith and kin to be in harmony with one another. The previous Psalm, which sings of the covenant, had also revealed the center of Israel's unity in the Lord's anointed and the promises made to him. Brethren dwell together in unity when God dwells among them, and finds his rest in them. The translators described it and the preceding as a "Psalm of Ascents", the benefit of the communion of saints. Bishop Wright completely misuses and abuses the text.

WRIGHT: There is an implicit message in our gathering today. It seems, at least to me, that there's an expectation written in to our being together in prayer and praise. The expectation is that we the people of various faith traditions and those of no faith tradition at all might leave this place more seriously committed to collaborating with government for the good of all people, especially the most vulnerable. Especially the indigent, the immigrant, and the ignorant. 

VOL: This is a total confusion of what the church is called to be and do and what the state does or is supposed to do. Nowhere is the church called to bless or necessarily "collaborate with the government" or its activities on every issue. The church is a counter culture and called to speak truth to power. There are a great many Christians in the U.S. who believe that President Obama does not speak for them and is doing things that violate their cherished freedoms. Bishop Wright does not speak for all Episcopalians or all Americans and, we suspect, not all Atlantans either.

WRIGHT: It is as if there is an engraved invitation from our mayor to each of us today ― an invitation to partner more purposefully with him. I don't know about you, but I believe that real interfaith work is not so much in the praying but the doing, in the going, the giving and the governing, in advocacy and advancement. 

VOL: That all depends on what the mayor advocates for the city of Atlanta. Christians are not called to roll over on everything a mayor says, advocates or does. A lot of US cities have long histories of corrupt and inefficient local governments and that includes Atlanta. In 2004 Mayor Campbell was indicted on charges of racketeering, corruption, bribery and tax fraud in violation of the RICO statute, mail and wire fraud statutes.

WRIGHT: "...we must always remember, beloved, the climax of prayer is action not amen. The most worthy enterprise of our coming together is to take on the challenges that are too big for us individually. This is the most worthy enterprise of our coming together. This is the best vision of real interfaith work. It is true in the Atlanta metropolitan area that you can't throw a rock without hitting a church, synagogue, mosque, temple or house of prayer. If this is so, then after we are empowered by prayer, and strengthened by fellowship, we could suspend dialogue about doctrine and make a difference in this city together..."

VOL:Actually bishop the climax of prayer is amen and you are not permitted to "suspend dialogue about doctrine" that is forbidden. The Christian Faith is riddled with doctrine; it is the lattice work that holds the faith together. It is what we preach....Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles (everyone else). Islam offers neither hope nor salvation and neither does Hinduism.

WRIGHT: Now is the time for us to celebrate our individual faiths for what they actually are: traditions of revelation and wisdom and insight. Iron anvils where human purpose is forged and refined. Not competing religious product offerings. God is big and the world that God loves and has intertwined God's self with is vast and dynamic. 

VOL: This is the great interfaith mush god talk. There is little or nothing uniquely revelatory or self-disclosing in Islam or Hinduism. Islam tracks its lineage from the birth of a child of unmarried parents. It is a bastard religion. The polytheistic religion of Hinduism with its 33 million gods speaks for itself. India's economic backwardness for centuries has been rooted in its multiple religions. The West has thriven under Christianity.

WRIGHT: To be committed to interfaith work is an easy thing, really, if you understand God. God is always simply but sublimely calling us to be the words we pray. Listen to the great Sufi Rumi: "I was dead then alive, weeping then laughing. Love came into me and I became fierce like a lion and gentle like an evening star." Listen to the great Jewish call to worship: "Shema Israel, adonai elohainu adonai ecahd. Hear O Israel the Lord your God is one." Listen to Jesus remind his disciples not to be religiously narrow. "I have sheep who are not of this fold," he told them. My purpose is to go after the lost. Or in another place, real worship is in spirit and in truth. The good news today is God is for all of us. Goodness is for all of us. We were made by good to do good. 

VOL: We had a presiding bishop, one Frank Griswold, who also had a fondness for Sufi the Rumi and meeting in plains beyond good and evil with Bishop Charles Bennison. Never happened. It was fiction and then and remains so today. Jesus's condemnation was aimed at the Pharisees and Sadducees whom he called a "generation of vipers" and "whited sepulchers". He offered the woman caught in adultery freedom from her sins as he did the dying thief. Wright's appalling misuse of Scripture and his understanding of "goodness" without seeing the possibility of sin that lies at the root of even the best of intentions and the fact that good is little more than exercised common grace. The bishop says he wants to "go after the lost" but what's the message he plans to deliver? The bishop should be reminded of what the Apostle Paul said, "For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing." (Rom 7:15)

WRIGHT: I'm saying God is not a Christian, a Jew, or a Muslim. But God is real, and able, good and generous. And while we have this faith in the real world, we serve a yet more real God. That's all you have to believe to collaborate with others. That there is truth, but none of us have the copyright on it. And our understanding of this truth is evolving. So while we are growing up in the full stature of the divine, let us do those things together that we know are of God. Those things that are ethical and moral. 

VOL: Our God is The God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob fully and completely revealed in Jesus of Nazareth. If you cannot affirm that bishop then please don't call yourself a Christian. You cannot nor are you permitted to reduce the Christian Faith to things that are merely "ethical and moral." You can join the Ethical Society or the so-called Moral Majority, but you cannot reduce Christianity to these mandates. Truth evolves but it must never lose its footing in the ancient record otherwise you will end up like Bishop Charles Bennison who said man wrote the Bible and can therefore rewrite it. Mercifully the Church will survive Bennison.

WRIGHT: It is the day when we believe that the wise men actually reached Bethlehem and met Jesus. It's poetic because those wise men were from Iraq. They weren't Jews, Muslims or Christians. But they found some direction in Jerusalem. That ultimately led them to Bethlehem and to the new thing that God was doing. Many faiths, no faiths all under the same star. Going forward in a new way. 

VOL: Not true, Bishop. Traditionally, the view developed that they were Babylonians, Persians, or Jews from Yemen as the kings of Yemen then were Jews, a view held for example by John Chrysostom. There is an Armenian tradition identifying the "Magi of Bethlehem" as Balthasar of Arabia, Melchior of Persia, and Gaspar of India. You cannot assume they were from Iraq, that is assumption based on almost nothing. Finally, the star that lead was not to "many faiths or no faiths" but to a manger from which the future Savior of the world lay and to which you once prostrated yourself before and whose person and salvific work you swore to uphold.

END

Breaking News - McCain Posted about a Saint without Plagiarizing.

January 14, 2014, 5:56 am

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He is still a Romanizing false teacher.

http://cyberbrethren.com/2014/01/10/basil-the-great/

I ran it through my text-matching plagiarism checker.

Ichabod will continue to monitor his blog, which has nothing to do with Concordia Publishing House, according to his boss at CPH.

WELS DP Buchholz Used "de fide" Dogma of Rome - Against Justification by Faith.

January 14, 2014, 6:17 am

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When Jon-Boy Buchholz was justifying himself for the evil, cowardly, duplicitous things he did in his pathetic reign of terror, he claimed UOJ was "settled doctrine."

That reminded me of the time I was discussing Purgatory with two Roman Catholic priests. The senior priest said I made too much of it in Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant. The young priest asked in a pleading way, "It isn't de fide, is it." His elder said sharply, "It is de fide."

De fide means - this is what Catholics must believe in order to be saved - although "to be saved" leaves something to be accomplished, like 1,000 years of torture in Purgatory.

Readers who think about this exchange will spot the contradiction. I made too much of a dogma required by Rome - undebatable dogma. Silly me.

Thus, in his Human Nature, Buchholz allowed a discussion of justification by faith, but only so long, because UOJ is de fide in WELS. That doubles up on the irony - one must believe that faith means nothing in justification. De fide means just about the same in Rome and WELS, a pale imitation of Rome. De fide is not faith in the Gospel but faith in Holy Mother Church.

Holy Mother Church is never wrong. The Holy Spirit will not allow that. I have seen that published in Roman Catholicism and taught in WELS.

The Hellishness of Hell
As we know from the eructations of JP Meyer, Paul McCain, Jack Cascione, and LutherQueasy, Hell is just backed with righteous, guilt-free saints.

What put them there? They answer glibly, "They did not decide in favor of UOJ - they did not believe the world was absolved on East by the resurrection of Christ." This absolution was never recorded in the Bible for our edification, but that does not slow them down. They continue to repeat their mantra.

Rolling this back to Walther - people go to Hell after dying because they did not accept the teaching of Walther and his syphilitic bishop, Martin Stephan.

One must trust in a human being (one of our guys) not in Christ.

Proof of the degradation of the Gospel message is the state of Lutherdom today.

The Confessional Lutherans Are Masters of Deception and Self-Deception

January 15, 2014, 5:49 am

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When my English students see me with a beautifully bound book, they ask, "Is that Moby Dick?" I must mention that work fairly often in class.

One great passage in Moby Dick describes the mad prophet who bewitches a ship's crew with his ravings. The author points out that the deceiver deceives himself most of all.

The people who call themselves Confessional Lutherans are far worse than the objects of their conditional wrath. They deceive themselves most of all because they confess nothing.

Let me explain. Every so often there is a little outbreak of dissent. For instance, a few people suddenly discovered that Thrivent was pro-abortion, eager to match funds for the baby-killing machine called Planned Parenthood (one of the most ironic names since Confessional Lutheran).

They might have know a few years earlier if they had read this blog. No one reads it, so it must have registered 2500 page-views yesterday from me checking on the stats. OK - someone is reading it, but they are terrified of quoting or citing it, let Paul McCain - Confessional Lutheran - turn the slime hose on them.

They are Confessional until and unless someone threatens them. Sometimes they imagine the threat first, which is enough to silence them.

The Thrivent dust-up will last a few weeks. If someone persists with the truth, he is a fanatic or crazy or has some weird hang-ups. That will be suggested by the LCMS money-men. Finally, he will be told to silence himself or else.

Bribes also work. They are not conditional. No. It is just that certain opportunities come up just when someone starts to gain traction on an issue. The issue evaporates with a flimsy excuse.

Herman Otten publicly moaned about Thrivent grants until he got a fat one for Christian News. The last time I looked, his congregation was still part of the baby-killing business (granted - I looked about 20 years ago).

The editor of Lutheran Forum wanted the fraternal bribes investigated. I was well read on the topic, about 25 years ago. I offered to write the piece. Lutheran Forum got a fraternal grant and lost interest in the topic. They never responded to my query letter. But that was a co-inky-dink.

Recently, LutherQueasy and Steadfast Lutherans exposed the latest scandal involved DPs promoting sex offenders into the pastoral ministry. ELCA is not alone. Matt Harrison ordered "Steadfast" to erase all the evidence about Darwin Schauer - and they did.

As Henry of Navarre said, "The Kingdom of France is worth one mass." He was the great Protestant leader who came to Paris to claim his throne. They would not let him in until he joined the Church of Rome, so he converted with that quip. How many Protestants were slaughtered in the quest for religious freedom? No matter. He flipped sides for a crown.

Many of your Steadfast, Confessional, Intrepid Lutherans have done as much for far less reward than a kingdom.

A coveted committee assignment?
A call to Sweden or Japan?
Being taken off the official WELS leper list?
A seat on a synonical board?
A return to the ministerium?
A teaching job?
A position at the publishing house?

One Confessional Lutheran advised me, "Never fight a battle unless you can win." So he felt the only battle worth fighting was no battle at all. That sounds like a life full of tedious meetings and self-congratulations.

Another one said, "I was not getting anywhere, so why try anymore?" Of course, in the Age of Apostasy, which is predicted somewhere in the Bible - or maybe in Shakespeare - getting somewhere is like brooming back a high tide.

The only requirement is to be faithful stewards of the mysteries of God. That precludes our human, narcissistic, self-centered concept of winning. There is no compromise with God's Word.

According to Isaiah 55, God's Word always wins because His Holy Spirit never works apart from it, never returns void, and always prospers His will. That means the collapse of the Synod Conference and its Big Sister ELCA is promoted and accelerated by God's Word. Every idiotic convention and committee meeting that goes against the Word and the Confessions is additional lubricant for the apostasy machine.

The apostates become more obvious, the faithful become more alarmed. The Confessional Lutherans rush to serve as the next herd of Judas Goats, the ones who lead the sheep to the slaughter. After every council meeting, every voters meeting, every district and synodical debacle, they say - as Liz Eaton did after the 2009 convention vote - "Don't worry. Nothing has changed. Everything is fine. Only the crazies worry about what just happened. Holy Mother Synod will wipe away your tears and provide for you forever."

She and Mark Jeske rule over the Synodical Conference.

Former Fuller Student Rebukes Favorite Seminary of Bivens, Olson, and Valleskey - Not to Mention LCMS, WELS, ELS, CLC sic, and ELCA

January 15, 2014, 8:53 am

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Rebuke Letter Against Fuller Theological Seminary





Currently Reading:

Reason We Believe: 50 Lines of Evidence that Confirm the Christian Faith

by Nathan Busenitz

Category: Theology / Apologetics

Crossway, 2008









For some who are wondering why I no longer go to Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, I have decided to share a letter that I wrote to the President, Dean, and staff of Fuller just a month ago. This letter may come as a shock to some, and maybe not so shocking to others, but I feel that it is imperative that people know what is going on in that school. Those who are thinking about going to seminary or know anybody who is, please take the time to read this letter, because I believe you will find it to be very helpful and informative, especially if you truly love the Bible and are adamant about seeking after truth.

Here it is:

















My name is Steve Cha, and I was a student who was in the MAT graduate program. I have recently left Fuller Theological Seminary after studying one year with the school. I felt burdened to share with you why I decided to leave Fuller after much contemplation. This will not be easy for me to say, but I feel that I need to do it for the sake of God’s honor and for the future of the school.

Over the course of the year (from Spring 2011-Spring 2012), I have had an uncomfortable and unsatisfying experience at Fuller because of its teaching, which, quite frankly, borders on heresy. I’m not talking about peripheral biblical issues like charismatic spiritual gifts or modes of baptism, but the core, foundational doctrines that all Christians should agree on, as established by the New Testament and illustrated by the 16th Century Reformation.

During my five quarters at Fuller, I have had professors who defied the trustworthiness of Scripture, questioned the literalness and existence of eternal hell/lake of fire, taught a form of theistic evolution over the six-day creation account established in the book of Genesis, hinted that Jesus may not be the only way to heaven, and shaped the gospel message and Jesus’ work on Calvary to make it fit the paradigm of a cultural mandate and social justice type of message instead of the orthodox view of what the gospel and the cross means, which is God’s punishment of sinners with eternal hell, Jesus’ sacrifice and atonement to satisfy God’s justice and wrath, Jesus’ imputed righteousness, salvation by faith in Christ alone, etc.

I have many examples and stories to share, but I’ll start with some of the key ones. It first started when I took the NT Gospels class with Professor Tommy Givens. Professor Givens taught a skewed understanding of the gospel message. In general, he taught an unorthodox view of what Jesus did on the cross, and had an unbiblical view regarding heaven, hell, and the afterlife (which he didn’t really believe in). In addition, the eschatological view Professor Givens taught is not what the Bible teaches regarding the future and Jesus’ Second Coming. Givens interpreted Matthew 24 (the “signs of His coming”) to be merely pointing to the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70 and God’s judgment on the Pharisaic Jews, when the language of the text and its worldwide scope clearly show that it is talking about the final generation before Jesus’ Second Coming to earth. My big issue, however, is not with the professor’s eschatology error.

The real dangerous issue that came about was that Professor Givens defied a central pillar of Christianity by declaring that he did not believe that there was a place of individual eternal torment that unbelievers go to after they die. In essence, he didn’t believe in hell! He believed that people go out of existence when they die (which is exactly what the WatchTower teaches) and that the lake of fire in Revelation 20: 11-15 was symbolic and figurative! Furthermore, Givens made an unproven claim that the place of “outer darkness” that Jesus talked about in the Gospels was really God’s judgment that came upon the Pharisees duringRome’s destruction of theTempleand the Jewish people in A.D. 70 and didn’t apply to us today. This is clearly unbiblical and indicative of poor hermeneutical training, since the Bible shows that the references to outer darkness, place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, and fiery furnace is the reference to eternal hell, not to some temporal earthly judgment of the past, with no real relevance today.

So why doesn’t Professor Givens believe in the traditional view of hell? It is because he implied that he cannot imagine a “loving God who can torment people in hell forever” (which is exactly what Rob Bell believes), and Professor Givens made another speculative claim that the orthodox idea of hell was based on Greek mythology and had no basis from the Old Testament.

Tommy Givens even stated in class that mainstream evangelical preachers and theologians, such as John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, Greg Laurie, and David Jeremiah were all wrong in their view of eschatology and to some degree the gospel message and the Christian life!

Because Given’s view of hell was a serious heresy that tampered with the foundational doctrines of Christianity, I reported Given’s unorthodox views of “the afterlife” to the student affairs office, and the office told me that they would take care of this issue. I don’t know what ever came about with the school’s dealings with Professor Givens, but I must say that if he has not repented of his view and continues to teach what he does in class, Fuller Seminary is obligated by the command of Scripture to deal with such a professor and dismiss him from the faculty until he repents. I say this not to hurt or defame Professor Givens, but in with a strong desire to see Givens restored to the truth.

I seriously pray that Professor Givens is not a wolf-in-sheep’s clothing. If his view of the afterlife is like that of Jehovah’s Witnesses and mainstream Judaism, then he is most likely following another gospel and another Jesus, and he must not ever be in a position to teach other students who can be easily misled, even if the school is post-conservative evangelical. If his students listen to his false teaching, then they will also teach the wrong things to other in the future and needlessly incur God’s divine chastening.

There are numerous other aberrant doctrines and teachings I can point out from other classes, but I want to say that my decision to leave Fuller was finally cemented after taking Systematic Theology I with Professor Margaret Shuster. For the first few weeks, it seemed as if Shuster were teaching nearly everything correctly, until she got to the issue of anthropology and the six-day creation account. She did not honor what God stated plainly in Genesis 1 about how He created the world. Instead, Professor Shuster bought into the error of the secular humanistic thought and taught a false, distorted, and illogical view of how the world came about, teaching a form of theistic evolution that nearly matches the views of atheist scientists. She even taught that Adam and Eve evolved from “Neanderthal species,” a view that is entirely unbiblical and based on speculative theory from the secular world.

I find her beliefs very disheartening and discouraging. Just the fact that evolution has done more damage than good to the morale and cause of Christianity during the last century (leading to ungodliness, atheism, and immorality throughout the world) already is an indication that the theory is suspect and has been one of Satan’s most powerful tools to cast doubt on the clarity and trustworthiness of Scripture, most specifically sections like Genesis 1-11, which is the foundation to the rest of Scripture.

Predictably, Professor Shuster’s teaching on theistic evolution confused and caused some heated debate in the classroom, and why wouldn’t it? Most of the students grew up believing that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh (which is why the world runs on a seven day cycle, and why God instituted the Sabbath law forIsrael). Most importantly, these students believe in the simplicity, perspicuity, and integrity of God’s Word, which the unbelieving academic world seeks to demolish everyday with their anti-Christian theories and futile speculations.

What Shuster said next shocked me. She made this statement (which I hope is not true, but if it is, I am speechless): “What I am saying about creation and anthropology may seem shocking, but I am actually one of the more conservative teachers on staff. At least I am trying to give a historical place to Adam and Eve, whereas most other professors within Fuller don’t…”

If this statement is true, then I cannot, in good conscience, get my graduate degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, especially if this degree is going to represent me and my teachings for the rest of my life. Fuller may be a popular seminary name to have on a resume, but it is simply not worth it for me because Fuller is so theologically suspect. It is truly sad I had to make this decision and now take the time to write such a letter to you, considering I had hope for Fuller and my Christian education when I came to the orientation. I even read Fuller’s Statement of Faith that made it seem like it was solid in Christian foundational doctrines, when in fact it is not and is somewhat deceptive.

I understand Fuller’s desire to be as open as possible to students from many denominational backgrounds, but that simply cannot work because it ends up accommodating everyone’s views (even if they are wayward and unbiblical), and still offending some. It’s ironic that Fuller claims to be open and accommodating to all denominational backgrounds (even to Catholics and Seventh Day Adventists), but most of the professors and staff are anti-conservative evangelical.

Fuller’s evangelical teaching is so different than the orthodox teachings of many popular preachers, even on TV shows and radio stations, and is even at odds with one of Fuller’s most known graduates, John Piper. How does John Piper’s teaching square with what Fuller teaches currently? Even over the course of the my year at the school, I have examined the types of books I was assigned to read for class, and I noticed a pattern amongst almost all courses, in which books were written by Catholic priests like Gustavo Gutierrez and open theist writers like Clark Pinnock, yet Fuller never incorporates course books from conservative evangelical preachers who have boldly stood up for the integrity of God’s Word and get persecuted in the process, even by the liberal “evangelicals.” Most of the books I read from Fuller had a water-downed view of the gospel, oriented very specifically toward a social justice, liberation theology, feminist, and cultural mandate type of crowd, and should not have been the books assigned for the courses, especially if Fuller’s aim is to train students who will be faithful expositors and teachers of God’s word.

Because Fuller does not have a very high view of Scripture and opens up Bible books to many interpretations, it confuses students and makes them unsure of what to believe about the Bible or how to teach God’s Word for future ministry. Fuller seems to encourage and tolerate students who question key doctrines of the Christian faith, having them dabble over futile speculations, historical theories, and man-made traditions, all of which does incredible damage to the student’s sanctification and Fuller’s reputation.

It pains me to say this, but some of these students are so confused as to what they believe about their faith that they are not fit to be pastors once they graduate. I learned the truth of this when one of my Fuller classmates named David told me about a time when he was trying to obtain signatures from Fuller students to stop homosexual/gay agendas being pushed into public grade schools and their textbooks. David told me that most of the Fuller students refused to sign the petition because they didn’t know what to think about homosexual agendas and/or thought there was a better way to approach the situation.

In essence, they were okay with the homosexual agenda being legitimized and taught in public schools. Any soundly educated and regenerated Christian should know the answer to this dilemma, whether it is homosexuality or pedophilia, abortion, incest, bestiality, murder, or any other transgression of God’s law that would be taught and legitimized in a public forum. In fact, David told me that he was able to get more signatures at a local Albertson’s (from the unbelieving world) than from students at Fuller!

Do you find this terribly tragic?

In conclusion, my point in writing this letter is to bring awareness of what is going on at Fuller Theological Seminary and what needs to be corrected according to what Scripture says. I am not here to spread any hate messages or hurt anyone. I do not presume to be better than anyone in the school or presume to know everything there is to know about life. My aim is to simply confront and rebuke the position of my past instructors and of Fuller Theological Seminary based on what Scripture presents so that Fuller can be the school God desires it to be. Although Fuller is not quite as aberrant and liberal asPrincetonor Yale Seminary, it is clearly heading in that direction. And if Fuller Seminary persists and continues to go that route, then the Lord will have no choice but to remove its lampstand out of its place (Rev 2:5). I humbly ask that Fuller return to sound, biblical Christianity, especially if it wants to see more of God’s blessing poured out on the school and its students.

I have a feeling that some of the students and even staff members at Fuller are on that wide gate path that Jesus talks about in Matthew 7, and the fruit of their teachings pretty much affirms it. If Fuller Seminary is serious about the warning Jesus makes in his rebuke and eschatological judgment passage, as well as His repeated the authority of Scripture, then I pray that the school will immediately see to it that all necessary corrections are made, even if it shall be uncomfortable and inconvenient in the early stages. As much as we naturally want to be people-pleasers, our first priority is to be a God pleaser, even if it shall lead to persecution, insult, and death. The way is very narrow, but the ultimate end is rewarding.

Scripture mandates that, according to Jesus’ message about the 7 Churches in the book of Revelation, Christian organizations like Fuller Seminary return to orthodox, biblical Christianity so that it will not have to be subject to God’s discipline. I only desire to see God’s blessing and favor over Fuller, but this cannot happen if it continues to experiment and tolerate theories that are unbiblical and sometimes heretical. Remember that we will all stand before the Bema Seat Judgment one day (2 Corinthians 5), and our lives will be assessed based on how faithful we were in carrying out God’s word in this life.

How do you think Fuller Theological Seminary will do on that day? Be like the Bereans and read the Scriptures honestly, and you will know the answer. It’s not too late to change. Make the appropriate changes while there is still time.



Sincerely,



Steve

- See more at: http://stevecha.net/rebuke-letter-against-fuller-theological-seminary/#sthash.fb6YD50x.dpuf