I received by mail the CPH 2018 Christmas catalog about 2 weeks ago. I don't usually spend much time with their catalogs as I am interested in spiritual content rather than pseudo-spirituality. But even I was surprised by the lack of books by the Missouri Synod's founding father C.F.W. Walther. Without fully investigating the matter, I blurted out my comment on the cover page "Nothing on WALTHER" as a summary judgment on Concordia Publishing House and its sponsoring LCMS. I must of course beg forgiveness from CPH for my error on this point as they do in fact offer one book on page 26, their 2010 edition of Walther's Law and Gospel. If they would forgive me this error, then maybe they would also answer why (1) they do not offer Walther's much touted book Pastoral Theology and (2) why they seem to be late in coming out with the next "Walther's Works" book Predestination scheduled for "Fall 2018"? (Oh, that's right, Fall does not officially end until December 21...)
Anyway, the gaping hole, the lack of "Walther's Works", can be filled marvelously by the following 2 books for holiday reading and/or gift giving:
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| $19 shipped @ Lulu |
(2) Confessing the Scriptural Christ against Modern Idolatry: Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Truth in Scientific and Biblical Conflict, by Philip Hale (2016).
I had been aware of this book from information published in Herman Otten's Christian News 2 years ago, but for some reason held off purchasing it. After now receiving it, I am sorry that I waited so long. There are very few books today actually defending the Inspiration of Holy Scripture, but this book may be the best one being sold today, except perhaps Theodore Engelder's The Scripture Cannot Be Broken.
A thorough review of this book is beyond the scope of this blog post, but I would highlight a few delicious aspects. First of all it is unapologetic for being a polemical book, and it defends not just against unnamed "liberals" but it names prominent teachers of Hale's own LC-MS who teach all of its future pastors. I would especially mention his glaring exposure of Prof. James Voelz of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis and (2) Prof. David Scaer of CTS-Fort Wayne. These 2 teachers have essentially denied their subscription to the Lutheran Confessions, and are therefore unLutheran. I may quibble that certain other prominent teachers are not named, but the strength of Hale's defenses are sufficient to cover most of the field.
Another strength of this book is the exposure of "famous" German theologians who are so treasured in the LC-MS as its great lights: Ebeling, Sasse, Löhe, Bonhoeffer, Werner Elert, even Brunner, and perhaps others. I appreciated Hale's explanation of the false charge of "docetism" by these errorists. Hale is following the old Synodical Conference as it also defended against this same charge in the essay delivered to the 1886 Synodical Conference. — I also appreciated his overturning of "popular, rationalizing systems". The chief current example of this is the misuse of Luther's phrases "theology of the cross" and "theology of glory".
Hale is not afraid of being labeled a "fundamentalist" for he knows where that charge typically comes from today, the deniers of Inspiration. Franz Pieper defended perhaps the greatest teacher of "The Fundamentals", B.B. Warfield, for his stand on Inspiration.
There are a few other quibbles beside the one mentioned earlier, one being the wish that he had quoted even more from Walther and Pieper who are the greatest lights on this teaching of perhaps the last 400 years. Other minor quibbles were sufficiently recovered from in his own words elsewhere in the same book.
There is only one caveat that I would openly caution this great "voice in the wilderness", the wilderness being the LC-MS. It is basically the same weakness for which I was compelled to defend against with Profs. Eugene Klug, Siegbert Becker, and Pastor Paul Burgdorf, (editor of the great periodical The Confessional Lutheran) and others. I would hold him to what he stated himself on page 296:
"Gospel reductionism" and Justification
At just this point, you, Pastor Hale, are not to concede the charge made by some conservatives against the "moderates", that of "Gospel reductionism". That term implicitly grants the errorist as having the true Gospel, but I would not grant this to these so-called "moderates", especially the "Walkout faculty majority" of 1974 at Concordia Seminary. I would not grant the pure Gospel to all those teachers denying the Inspiration of Holy Scripture. They joined in fellowship (and in spirit) with the ALC at that time, a church body opposed to the Doctrine of Universal, Objective Justification. The ALC was opposed to the pure teaching on Conversion and Election of Grace. I would not grant the doctrine of the pure Gospel to those who even said they agreed with Walther on his teaching of "Law and Gospel" (p. 233 here), for they did not properly distinguish the Gospel from the Law, for the Gospel must be preached as if there were no Law. This cannot be done (that is to confess "Jesus is Lord") without the Holy Spirit. And as you teach in your book, the Spirit comes only by The Word. Luther practically stood alone again at Regensburg 1541 because he held to sola gratia, not the infused grace of the Roman Church.
Because this book arrived on the eve of the publishing of my new translation of a major writing of Walther, I want to confirm Pastor Hale in this marvelous endeavor of his, his book that surely mirrors Franz Pieper’s earliest “Brief Statement” – “I believe, therefore I speak”. Even with the caveat I have mentioned, I dedicate the following series, a translation of Walther’s "Foreword" to the 1886 Lehre und Wehre, toA thorough review of this book is beyond the scope of this blog post, but I would highlight a few delicious aspects. First of all it is unapologetic for being a polemical book, and it defends not just against unnamed "liberals" but it names prominent teachers of Hale's own LC-MS who teach all of its future pastors. I would especially mention his glaring exposure of Prof. James Voelz of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis and (2) Prof. David Scaer of CTS-Fort Wayne. These 2 teachers have essentially denied their subscription to the Lutheran Confessions, and are therefore unLutheran. I may quibble that certain other prominent teachers are not named, but the strength of Hale's defenses are sufficient to cover most of the field.
Another strength of this book is the exposure of "famous" German theologians who are so treasured in the LC-MS as its great lights: Ebeling, Sasse, Löhe, Bonhoeffer, Werner Elert, even Brunner, and perhaps others. I appreciated Hale's explanation of the false charge of "docetism" by these errorists. Hale is following the old Synodical Conference as it also defended against this same charge in the essay delivered to the 1886 Synodical Conference. — I also appreciated his overturning of "popular, rationalizing systems". The chief current example of this is the misuse of Luther's phrases "theology of the cross" and "theology of glory".
Hale is not afraid of being labeled a "fundamentalist" for he knows where that charge typically comes from today, the deniers of Inspiration. Franz Pieper defended perhaps the greatest teacher of "The Fundamentals", B.B. Warfield, for his stand on Inspiration.
There are a few other quibbles beside the one mentioned earlier, one being the wish that he had quoted even more from Walther and Pieper who are the greatest lights on this teaching of perhaps the last 400 years. Other minor quibbles were sufficiently recovered from in his own words elsewhere in the same book.
There is only one caveat that I would openly caution this great "voice in the wilderness", the wilderness being the LC-MS. It is basically the same weakness for which I was compelled to defend against with Profs. Eugene Klug, Siegbert Becker, and Pastor Paul Burgdorf, (editor of the great periodical The Confessional Lutheran) and others. I would hold him to what he stated himself on page 296:
“Inspiration is not the most important truth, but it is part of God’s truth, and one that cannot be taken for granted in these last days. The Reformation clarified the doctrine of justification…”
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| Pastor Philip Hale |
At just this point, you, Pastor Hale, are not to concede the charge made by some conservatives against the "moderates", that of "Gospel reductionism". That term implicitly grants the errorist as having the true Gospel, but I would not grant this to these so-called "moderates", especially the "Walkout faculty majority" of 1974 at Concordia Seminary. I would not grant the pure Gospel to all those teachers denying the Inspiration of Holy Scripture. They joined in fellowship (and in spirit) with the ALC at that time, a church body opposed to the Doctrine of Universal, Objective Justification. The ALC was opposed to the pure teaching on Conversion and Election of Grace. I would not grant the doctrine of the pure Gospel to those who even said they agreed with Walther on his teaching of "Law and Gospel" (p. 233 here), for they did not properly distinguish the Gospel from the Law, for the Gospel must be preached as if there were no Law. This cannot be done (that is to confess "Jesus is Lord") without the Holy Spirit. And as you teach in your book, the Spirit comes only by The Word. Luther practically stood alone again at Regensburg 1541 because he held to sola gratia, not the infused grace of the Roman Church.
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Hale finishes well, quoting Martin Luther (p. 297):“For if they believed that these [words of Scripture] were God’s words they would not call them ‘poor, miserable words,’ but would prize a single tittle and letter more highly than the whole world, and we would fear and tremble before them as before God himself. For he who despises a single word of God certainly prizes none at all.” -- Luther, Confession Concerning Christ’s Supper (1528), LW 37:308
Pastor Philip Hale... the award for "little noticed pastors" who will lead the Church in troubled times.
True Missourian
2nd Pieper Award – "Little Noticed Pastors"
Now I will begin my next series in a following blog post, a translation of C.F.W. Walther's great plea for the teaching of the Inspiration of Holy Scripture, at the beginning of the last full year of his life, 1886.
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