Search This Blog

Friday, December 21, 2012

The Lukewarm Lutheran Report. (Finally!)

A commenter on the previous post stated this:
In other posts you seem to accuse Dr. Scaer the Elder of denying Universal Justification. Do you even know what he has dedicated decades of his life to teaching? He's fought real battles to preserve this doctrine and been a chief factor in restoring it to prominence at CTSFW.
For a few moments, this comment floored me.  I was wondering "What have I done?"... I should never disparage a great teacher of Universal Justification, one who restores and preserves this wonderful doctrine... especially at a seminary like CTS-FW that is training young men for the holy Ministry...

Then I started to come to my spiritual senses...

Finally!  I have flushed out some "intrepid Lutheran", some Lutheran "with an attitude", some "gnesio" Lutheran who will finally suggest that the LC-MS actually teaches Objective Justification, actually teaches Universal Justification – other than Paul McCain's claim.  Yes, maybe even defends it!  If I had only known...

When Larry Darby was directly attacking my faith with his vehement denial of Universal, Objective Justification (UOJ) in the 1990s, when I was trembling in my very weak faith,  I was desperate for someone in the LC-MS to come forward, to step up to the plate, to show that the LC-MS was still actually the heir apparent to the true teaching of Christianity, what the old (German) Missouri Synod taught (and the old Synodical Conference was built on)... that it would still be able throw off all the terrible errors it had fallen into, the horrible unionism in its midst.  Larry Darby even started publishing and mailing a newsletter called "The Lukewarm Lutheran Report", basing his charge of "lukewarm" on the allegation that today's LC-MS was still following that erroneous teaching (UOJ) of old Missouri and not teaching "justification by faith", that "great cry of the Reformation!".

The pastor of Darby's congregation (Pastor William Bischoff, formerly of the LCR) struggled mightily against this layman's attack.  So much so that he called on an LC-MS professor to give his opinion, thinking he would be confirmed in his defense of UOJ.  Who did he turn to?  He turned to a member of the faculty of CTS-FW!  He turned to Prof. Kurt Marquart (why not Prof. Scaer "the Elder" who fought real battles for decades for UOJ?).

Did Pastor Bischoff ask Prof. Scaer for his opinion in this matter concerning the heart of Christianity?  No.  Did Marquart turn this assignment over to Scaer because he considered Scaer the better proponent of UOJ?  No.  Did Scaer write anything on this matter or about the Walter A. Maier Jr. controversy?  I have not seen it.  It must have been in other decades of Scaer's life that he publicly defended UOJ than the years I looked for him.  Nothing was found in your CTS-FW Seminary Bookstore... no articles in your journals... nothing.
- - - - - - - - - - -
The WELS teachers were being charitable towards you, today's LC-MS, when its representative (on page 5) gave you complements on your 1983 CTCR Theses on Justification.  Was this CTCR document only the opinion of Robert and J.A.O. Preus?
I will consider that student who ran weeping away from Prof. W.A. Maier Jr.'s teaching to Prof. Buls, that student is the real Christian in this matter.  I too am a son of the LC-MS who is running from the LC-MS...  no... more than that, I am... oops, I'm jumping to conclusions – see my last paragraphs below.
- - - - - - - - - - -
But then I read how your LC-MS tried to defend UOJ...  with Scaer?  No, it was Prof. Kurt Marquart who earlier had produced an essay during the great controversy that erupted over Prof. Walter A. Maier Jr. [archived] with his teaching against UOJ.  And how Marquart tried to be the peacemaker in both the W.A.M. Jr. and Darby controversies.  How hard he struggled in his essays to put a constructive face on those who utterly denied the true Gospel.
---------------------
How it grates at me when I run across online LC-MS Lutherans proclaiming "Peace".  What peace?  Peace?  God gives the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7); but to you, today's LC-MS, He says this of your "peace"  –

Peace, peace; when there is no peace. (Jeremiah 6:14, 8:11)
--------------------
Does Paul McCain call on Prof. David Scaer today to write a great defense of UOJ ... maybe write a book on it... maybe extol Walther for "gathering the luminous rays of the Gospel"?  Of course not.  Because your claim about Scaer does not hold true today. 

I am aware that Prof. Scaer may have been known in earlier times for being "conservative"... he even authored the helpful little pamphlet "A Latin Ecclesiastical Glossary for Francis Pieper's Christian Dogmatics" in 1978 to help students understand the many Latin phrases.  How I longed to see him or Marquart or Buls or MacKenzie... or someone at CTSFW take up this torch of the Gospel and run with it.  How I longed that he understood Pieper's use of the Latin phrase usque ad nauseam.

During the Darby controversy, there was a professor in the LC-MS who cried out against Darby's allegations in Herman Otten's Christian News, but surprisingly (actually shocking to me) it was a professor in St. Louis!... not Fort Wayne (CTS-FW).  It was a St. Louis seminary professor!  It was Prof. Thomas Manteufel, emeritus.  I could hardly believe my eyes.  If you must believe that the LC-MS is orthodox, then read his letter to the editor of Christian News publicly defending UOJ in January, 1998.  He is probably the best defender of UOJ within the LC-MS today.  How did he get on the faculty of St. Louis?  But the greater question (that I wrote to him) was how could he stay on the faculty of an LC-MS seminary?  Where was he in the debacle of Prof. Walter A. Maier Jr.?
-------------------------
Lest I confirm any of Herman Otten's enemies, I will state that, although I warn against Otten for his weakness, I did (finally) find one place that he personally admitted "objective justification" in a letter to "GJ" (CN, Dec. 19, 2000 – pg 15).  But how hard I had to search for that!  Would to God that he would preach it!... proclaim it to the mountaintops instead of pining away to be certified into today's LC-MS.
--------------------------
But just like the new (English) LC-MS which did not censure Prof. Theodore Graebner in his public attack against Walther's and Pieper's teaching on UOJ (search "American Lutheran magazine" on my blog), so CTSFW could not expel Prof. W.A. Maier Jr. in his hardness.

Yes, today's LC-MS, you are "lukewarm" as Darby charged, but for the very opposite reason that Darby stated.  You are "lukewarm" on UOJ. (Revelation 3:16)  This doctrine is the real "First Premise" according to the Lutheran Confessions, despite those who claim "Theologia crucis", theology of the cross.  There is no "theology of the cross" without UOJ – Universal Justification, Objective Justification!
- - - - - - - - - - -
– Here's an assignment for my commenter(s) – some real "research" for you.  Find out who all the panel members were on the CTCR panel that came out with the 1983 Theses on JustificationAccording to Rolf Preus, his father, Robert Preus was the author.  I can believe that.  Was David Scaer or Kurt Marquart on that panel?  I would like to find this out...  it shouldn't be too hard for you with your contacts.
– Here's another assignment for you... start a Wikipedia article on the "Statement of the 44".  Surprisingly there is none.  It should have been at least mentioned on the Seminex page, but I have not seen it.  Now there, that should keep you busy.
- - - - - - - - - - -


But my faith is far too weak to admit those who are weak on the Gospel... I am one step away from Hell!  I have tried to "taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8) by devouring all I could of today's LC-MS, chewing, rolling it around in my mouth, chewing some more, and finally, Finally!  I felt an uneasiness in my stomach, a sick feeling, a burning sensation in my throat, awful feeling, something was coming up,....

I vomited out today's LC-MS!  I vomited you out – by faith!  Then I wrote franzpieper.com.  Let that be the testimony for the Twentieth Century!

I have vomited you out, you who think you can judge Luther, Walther, and Pieper!  ... you who think you've got the Gospel down pat... in your back pocket.

I have spued you out because you cannot root out the great error that fights against the Gospel.  It started with Theodore Graebner, was allowed to grow through unionism under Ludwig Fuerbringer and J.W. Behnken, flourished through the Statement of the 44, never fully recovered after the walkout of those who formed Seminex.  It continues through your CTSFW Professor Walter A. Maier Jr. and those who will not discipline him (with his error that destroys Christian faith), who will not cry out against the soul-destroying doubt that his teaching brings.  All these have put the true Gospel in doubt!  The Devil is having a field day... right in your midst!  The WELS (with all its problems) suspended a pastor for teaching against UOJ – a thousand times more evangelical than you.  The old (German) Missouri Synod disciplined a pastor over Modern Dance (ha, ha!) –  but you can't even discipline a seminary professor over the true Gospel – you are "losing it".

No, I could not find a real defense in today's LC-MS that I needed for the true Gospel – God had strengthened my faith through the fight against Larry Darby so that I would never again throw Him off – let all men be liars, but God be true – to His Word (Romans 3:4)!

Since vomiting you out, I can see the horrible effects that you still are having on Christianity Today....  you have caused this blog that I can cry out against you.  I could go on page after page of this... but, I'm going to have to end this post now.

I will allow no comments from the likes of those on my previous blog post.  This is a Christian blog, not a quiz for the "Jeopardy" TV show.  This is not a forum for smart-alecks, smug scholar/theologians.

Let the reader judge who are the real "helpers of joy", who are the real ones who have "gathered the luminous rays of the Gospel".  See my masthead!

Now read what real confessional Lutherans start with – the Lutheran Doctrine of Justification (BookOfConcord.org hereTriglotta pg 121, Concordia, the Lutheran Confessions, page 82 – Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article IV (II), Of Justification:
But since in this controversy the chief topic of Christian doctrine is treated, which, understood aright, illumines and amplifies the honor of Christ [which is of especial service for the clear, correct understanding of the entire Holy Scriptures, and alone shows the way to the unspeakable treasure and right knowledge of Christ, and alone opens the door to the entire Bible], and brings necessary and most abundant consolation to devout consciences,
Oh! those beautiful Lutheran Confessions!  Do you see that word "alone" in there twice?  Get McCain's edition... it's on sale for just $19.99 with free shipping now!  Then turn to page 82, and highlight this portion, put a sticky note there, turn the corner of the page, read it again daily.  Here is where the Lutheran Church from above, yes all of Christianity, lives and breathes.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments only accepted when directly related to the post.