Ecclesia Augustana: A Valediction to Ecclesia Augustana:
Who We Are
A Valediction to Ecclesia Augustana
I wrote in my previous post on my "encouragement" that I am willing to be corrected or instructed. Here I hope to make good on that statement.
That post was my revealing of a weak argument against me -- one that bent around a fairly elementary logical fallacy (guilt by association), one that felt slick with legalism, and was enforced argumentum ad consequentiam (an appeal to positive or negative consequences.) I'm not ashamed of what I wrote. But contrary to certain outside opinions going wild on this incident, this was not coercion or bullying. The episode stemmed from genuine concern about my present and future ministry, and I will repeat here one more time, I am genuinely grateful for that concern. Nevertheless, I wish such an episode of guilt-heaping (i.e. guilting and not even using God's Law to do so properly) shouldn't exist in the Lutheran church.
Since then, after much prayer, I have come to believe that I ought to retract my authorship here. To my co-authors, I'd like to give my sincere praise. It shows great spiritual maturity to be so interested and public about Lutheran dogma. This is a rare gem to see in the youth, and I wouldn't want this enthusiasm quashed. But I would also exhort these acquaintances to "watch their life and doctrine closely," particularly in what they choose to opine in public, and especially when using sensationalist words. Wise Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 10: Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil ferment and stink; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
I am rescinding my author status and disassociating with the blog "Ecclesia Augustana".
What, now, may happen to me? If my mere association here was so grave, will my past collaboration with these Ecclesia Augustana authors unnecessarily and unrighteously haunt me into the future? I pray no. If indeed I am promised "all is forgiven," I urge: don't later revoke or make hypothetical God’s own absolution. C.F.W. Walther says about forgiveness of sins:
"If the pastor strongly doubts the repentance and sincerity of a person confessing to him, without, however, being able to convict him of it and refuse absolution, [the pastor] dare not salve his own conscience by adding all sorts of conditions, or even warnings and threats, to the absolution." (Pastorale, p. 164. Emphasis mine)
'via Blog this'
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Brett Meyer has left a new comment on your post "How Many Church and Changers Have Quit Their WELS ...":
Benjamin Rusch, "...such an episode of guilt-heaping...
I believe that is a sufficient description of bullying.
Interesting that Benjamin equates giving a bold public statement (and in the case of his former Ecclesia acquaintances - faithful Christian confessions concerning the chief article of Christ's doctrine - Justification) to dead flies making oil ferment and stink.
What a shame.
Then he's embraced by Tarheel Paul who himself praised August Pieper for taking to task Lutherans quoting at length the faithful statements of the Lutheran Confessions, Luther, Gerhard, Chemnitz, Hunnius etc. etc. When the fruit of August's Pietism peaked with this heinous statement in the third volume of the Quartalschrift , "But whoever molests the doctrine of justification stabs the
gospel in the heart ...even if he ever so much emphasizes justification by faith." (as quoted by unChristian Pastor Nathan Seiltz (W)ELS in defense of teaching the laities children the false gospel of forgiveness without faith.)
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GJ - Bullying is standard behavior for WELS. They are frightened that people will study the issues, think on their own, and act on them.
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Benjamin Rusch has left a new comment on your post "How Many Church and Changers Have Quit Their WELS ...":
Ah, I'm a bit late to the party...
Good gravy, Mr. Meyer. I thought my post was lucid enough, so I'd like to address your deductions.
I believe that is a sufficient description of bullying.
It's your place to define what bullying means to you. I can't refute that.
I deliberately did not disclose every fact of this episode for obvious ethical reasons. Seeing what I did choose to disclose, I can understand how you came about that determination. Nevertheless, "this was not coercion or bullying" is my reminder to you.
Interesting that Benjamin equates giving a bold public statement (and in the case of his former Ecclesia acquaintances - faithful Christian confessions concerning the chief article of Christ's doctrine - Justification) to dead flies making oil ferment and stink.
Hyper-analyzation. "Equate to"? Did I mention Justification? Did I link to any articles on Justification? Did I even allude to the doctrine of Justification? The folly of sensationalism is the source of dead flies.
As for "giving a bold public statement," read the very same paragraph again. "I wouldn't want this enthusiasm quashed," should suffice as an answer.
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GJ - True - no one knows all the facts, including the defenestrated. But the question remains - how many Church and Changers were forced to jump ship on their blog? In fact, when WELS was telling people that Church and Change was over, finished, shut down, the wily rodents were registering people for their next conference via a link on the WELS.net website. I had to prove that many times before the link disappeared.
I do not believe the Intrepids were given their own registration link for their conference. Nor were the people who ran Issues in WELS, which included a former DP.
Apostasy is rewarded in WELS. Ask Larry Olson, David Valleskey, Frosty Bivens, Paul Calvin Kelm, Steve Witte, Elton Stroh, Mark and Avoid Jeske, Floyd Luther Stolzenburg, and VP James Huebner.
Justification by faith is punished, but a Day is coming when human judgment means nothing.
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| This is Luther's answer to WELS/LCMS infatuation with Management by Objective. |