Pf10: Good pastors aren’t “Pfaffen”, honor them!

      This continues from Part Pf09 (Table of Contents in Part Pf01) in a series presenting C. F. W. Walther's 1874 Der Lutheraner essay on "Who are the Pfaffen?", the good and the bad. — After writing so strongly against the Pfaffen, Walther now flips to the other side of his question, to the faithful pastors, the ones that prompted his essay. As Walther said in his opening paragraph, the opponents tended to "insult the preachers of the Gospel" with the term "Pfaffen". But these preachers are to be truly honored and valued. Unfortunately they must sometimes suffer for their faithfulness. — From Der Lutheraner, vol. 30 (1874), p. 52-2 to 52-3: 

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Who are the Pfaffen?

[by C. F. W. Walther; Part 10]

Before we now close this article, two more remarks!

As important as it is that a Christian does not take a Pfaffen for a true servant of Christ, follow him, and thus become a Pfaffen servant; it is equally important that a Christian does not, on the contrary, take a faithful servant of Christ for a Pfaffen, be ashamed of him and reproach him with the world, and thus become a persecutor of faithful servants of God. False Christians are usually quick to call a pastor a Pfaffen when he tells them the unvarnished and therefore often very bitter truth, and that they already call that a pfaffish domineering nature when a conscientious preacher does not want to deviate from God's Word even one letter. But such false Christians should know that it is a terrible sin to call a preacher a Pfaffen because he sticks unbendingly to God's Word and punishes all false doctrine and all ungodly nature without asking for the favor of men. 

Whoever gives a servant of Christ the title of a Pfaffen for this reason should know that he is not only insulting and blaspheming a Christian man [not woman], but the Son of God Himself, and that he will learn on that terrible day what an abominable sin he has thereby loaded on his conscience; for Christ says of all pure teachers: “He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.” Luke 10:16. Unfortunately, this has happened at all times even in the orthodox church. When the faithful Lutheran preachers in Nuremberg in 1541 had to severely punish the ungodly nature, especially the avarice, which was spreading among the “Lutheran” citizens, they also had to learn that their own Lutheran parishioners called them “Pfaffen”. The godly Wenceslaus Link complained about this to Luther in a letter, to which Luther replied, among other things, as follows: 

“I have often wondered why John the Baptist and Christ himself were not killed for the sake of the first table, but for the sake of the second, namely, because the former had punished the incest (of Herod), but the latter the avarice (of the Pharisees), while the apostles and later the martyrs were killed for the sake of the first table; perhaps we also will suffer not for the first table, which they will confess with us, but for the second, for which they do not want to be punished. But be thou strong, and persevere against those words, ‘Pfaff’ and the like. For thus [page 52-3] speak those who regard our words as the words of men, by which they testify that they respect neither the first nor the second table. But it will be very shameful for Nuremberg, if it comes out by word and in writing, that they consider the Gospel, which they have confessed, to be the word of men, since we have swept out all the word of men in such hot battles. If they do not consider it to be God's Word, it is all the more shameful that they set out to remove the ban which is God's Word, to despise and hate the ministers of God's Word, and to blaspheme God, whom they have confessed, in His ministers so nefariously as ‘Pfaffen’.” *) 

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* See: Luther's Previously Unpublished Letters, provided by Dr. G. Schütze. Leipzig, 1780. vol. I, p. 165. F. [StL 21, 2646]

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Walther offers the highest praise for these ministers of the Word, and this praise comes not from those who would be honored themselves. — In the concluding Part Pf11…, Walther finishes his counsel regarding not Pfaffen, but faithful pastors. 

Pf09: Servant behaves like master; Pfaffen fall on doctrine

      This continues from Part Pf08 (Table of Contents in Part Pf01) in a series presenting C. F. W. Walther's 1874 Der Lutheraner essay on "Who are the Pfaffen?", the good and the bad. — Walther finishes a description of his fourth class, then declares that Pfaffen, with their subtle attempts to appear orthodox, usually fall regarding Christian doctrine in the long run. Luther thinks so too. — From Der Lutheraner, vol. 30 (1874), p. 52-1 to 52-2:

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Who are the Pfaffen?

[by C. F. W. Walther; Part 9]

But that all this, as I said, is something pfaffish, we see from the fact that this is also listed in God's Word as one of the characteristics of a wicked priest or Pfaffen. For so we read of the false shepherds: 

“The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them.” Ezek. 34:4. “A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule in their office; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” Jeremiah 5:30–31. 

It is true that it is an abomination for preachers to flatter the people and to act in a lascivious manner in order to curry their favor, but it is no less abominable when he who is supposed to be the servant and steward of the church behaves like the master of the house. [Gottesdienst]

By the way, it is rare that a preacher, in whose life and practice all kinds of pfaffish things tend to occur, should then remain completely faithful in doctrine. Not only will he not easily preach that by which he would reveal himself, he will thus “deviate” somewhat from God's Word in this respect, but, if the pfaffish sense prevails with him, God's grace and Spirit will finally depart from him completely, and he will then be intent on embellishing and justifying his Pfaffery, whether it exists in his way of life or in his official practice, by distorting God's Word, that is, by false doctrine. Luther therefore writes concerning the life of preachers: 

“If a preacher seeks honor and riches, it is impossible for him to preach or believe rightly, as the Lord Christ in John 5 also says, when he says: How can you believe, who seek honor among men? [John 5:44 ff.] He that seeketh honor in preaching, and desireth to be great and honourable and wise in the sight of the world, believeth not. If he himself is unbelieving, how can he preach rightly? He must keep silent about everything that may harm his honor and reputation with the people; and he will always mix his leprosy and poison into the wine and adulterate it; if this is the case, then the preaching ministry is not pure.” (On Matt. 21, 1538, Erlanger Ausgabe, Vol. 44, p. 266. f. [StL 7, 1080; Am. Ed. v. 68:101-102]) 

It is the same with the pfaffish ministerial practice [Amtspraxis]; an unfaithful preacher will finally try to cover it up with false doctrine, even to justify it, and finally, together with the Pharisees, make his human ordinances and commandments equal to God's commandments, even to abolish God's commandments with his human essays. Matth. 15:1–14. In this way, preachers with a pfaffish nature finally become — perfect Pfaffen.

Nor must it be thought that only those preachers are on the way to becoming Pfaffen who, from shameful [pg 52-2] motives of honor and lust for power, make their orders and commandments equal to the divine ones; no, those also belong to this category who, in their delusion, think that preachers must have this authority for the sake of the salvation of the church. [Harrison / LC–MS / Gottesdienst] Luther therefore writes on Ecclesiastes 1:14–15: 

“With these words Solomon wants to have increased the thought of the wise people when they do something without the fear of God in governing or in church matters, as first happened with some statutes under the papacy, and then say that it is truly good and well meant. For it is not always good that it is well and truly meant to help the country and its people. For what is not done by God's command and Word and in faith, even if it seems to be a good and noble idea, often turns out to be the worst and does great murderous harm” (V, 2060; not the same text in StL V, 1398)

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The "Gottesdienst" organization wants people to think that proper Liturgy will save the church, instead of doctrine. Walther calls that "delusion". — In the next Part Pf10…

Pf08: Special holiness, mysterious power, dignity; Luther's counsel against Pfaffen

      This continues from Part Pf07 (Table of Contents in Part Pf01) in a series presenting C. F. W. Walther's 1874 Der Lutheraner essay on "Who are the Pfaffen?", the good and the bad. — Walther continues his narrative of the 4th class of Pfaffen and we are treated to Luther’s clear warning against “Pfaffen” who seek their own honor. — From Der Lutheraner, vol. 30 (1874), p. 51-3 to 52-1: 

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Who are the Pfaffen?

[by C. F. W. Walther; Part 8]

It is something Pfäffish [or clericalism] when the preacher always sees to it that his person is honored; when he does not come among his congregation as a brother among brothers, but as a person of special holiness and mysterious power and dignity among sinners [Gottesdienst]; when he does not receive his congregation members in a friendly manner, but mostly in a gloomy and sullen manner; when he immediately flares up as often as he is contradicted; when he demands obedience even in matters that are not decided in God's Word [e.g. liturgy, Gottesdienst], but are ordered on the basis of Christian prudence and experience; when he does not show mercy, patience and long-suffering toward the ignorant and fallen, and does not want to bear the wicked; when, as soon as he has admonished someone, he immediately expects and demands obedience, and as often as this is lacking, he grumbles and scolds; in short, when he thinks that modesty and humility toward the members of the congregation is something degrading and shameful for him and not a virtue that should adorn him in front of everyone. Luther writes: 

“There are many anxious and hot-tempered preachers, who burn and are hot-tempered and want to get through with their heads; they do not know that it is another thing to plant and water, and another thing to prosper, 1 Cor. 3:6-7. As soon as they have said it, they want it to be done; they are not so much concerned about wanting to be heard because they speak God's Word as that they are speakers of the word; they want the instrument [i.e. themselves] to be praised more than the one whose Word they are to preach purely, without all their pleading. Of the same are these also a part, who with choice and well-considered words pretend to themselves, confront them with now this, now that, to sting and bite, and soon to convert; since it is then by the wondrous counsel of God that they accomplish and create nothing less than the very thing which they have thought. For man by nature feels that the Word against him and upon him is prepared with guile and smeared with human dung.” (On Psalm 8:3; IV:763 f.[? StL 4, 624-625?].) 

It is remarkable what Luther writes to the Coburg pastor Balthasar Thuringia shortly before his death: 

“Help out these vices (among the preachers) where you can, and remind both of them that they should present what serves for edification gently [page 52-1] and mildly, namely the doctrine of repentance, faith and good works; that they administer the office of the Lord without vice (reviling) and their own pleading and affect, without anger or vindictiveness. It is a wretched thing that almost all of our people avenge their own grudges and things like this in the church. We reproach the adversaries (the papist priests [Priester]) that they serve the belly, but ours are hard and hang on to anger. I ask you, therefore, for God's sake, to make every effort that the Gospel be taught humbly.” (XXI, 1348 [not in StL ed.?]).

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      Prof. Joel Biermann, because he boasts that he does not quote Scripture but 1 in 10 sermons, evidently wants his hearers to listen to him instead of God’s Word. Luther has a sharp word of warning against this pfaffish Concordia Seminary professor. — In the next Part Pf09…