Hi Pastor,
I found another jewel from T. E. Schmauk in A Biographical Sketch by George W. Sandt:
The minister of Christ will manifest Christ in the strength of individuality. He will not follow the stream whichever way it leads. From the cut of his coat to the formation of his opinion, from the most trifling act to the weightiest decision, he will not do only as others do. He will not dread being in a minority. He will not become a mere reflection, an echo, a shadow of those with whom he mingles. He will not imitate either preacher of thinker. Rooted firmly in the Word, he will develop and proceed in his own way, as God intended he should.
What a radical idea. My prayer to the Lord of the Church is that He would fill Mequon with Schmauks.
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GJ - The Pietists are quick to condemn brilliant quotations like these, saying, "They are not from our group, so they come from false teachers.
Pietists are "respecters of persons" - literally "appearance people," a very serious sin in the New Testament. They condemn the outside and ignore the statement itself.
Romans 2:11King James Version (KJV)
11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
Acts 10:34King James Version (KJV)
34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
Schmauk, Krauth, and Reu are ignored, and even condemned by the "conservative" Lutheran leaders, but these three battled for Luther's doctrine and the Book of Concord. Those years of turmoil - dealing with the Church Growthers of their era - gave them a profound appreciation for the Confessions.
Funny how the numerous felonies of Walther - and his papal ambitions -are swept away in paroxyms of joy, because the LCMS has another printing of CFW's Pastoral Theology.
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| In the LCMS-ELCA-ELS-WELS, Zion is read even less often than Luther's Sermons and the Book of Concord. |