Mysticism in the SED: Part 1, Embracing False Doctrine

“We should not and cannot pass judgment on the Holy Spirit’s presence, operations, and gifts merely on the basis of our feeling, how and when we perceive it in our hearts. On the contrary, because the Holy Spirit’s activity often is hidden, and happens under cover of great weakness, we should be certain, because of and on the basis of his promise, that the Word which is heard and preached is an office and work of the Holy Spirit, whereby he assuredly is potent and active in our hearts (II Cor. 2:14 ff.).” (Solid Declaration, Article II, 56)


You may remember Rod Serling’s introduction to the original version of the TV show The Twilight Zone:

You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension – a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, things, and ideas. You’ve just crossed over into The Twilight Zone.

Much like a journey into The Twilight Zone, the Southeastern District (SED) of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) is opening a door to another dimension, and you unlock this door with the key of imagination as well. It is a door that beckons, enticing the unwary to turn the forbidden key. It is the door of mysticism.

The SED offers seminars on spiritual formation, prayer, and meditation. They state that the spiritual disciplines that they will teach you

are patterns of communal action that create openings in our lives where the grace, mercy, and presence of God may be made known to us. They are places where the power of God is experienced. In the end, these are not ultimately our practices but forms of participation in the practice of God.

If you read that carefully, you might have the same reaction that the then-future LCMS President Freidrich Wyneken had when he stumbled into a Methodist pentecostal-like prayer meeting in 1838 where they were barking and howling,

Well, I don’t know if it was from God or the devil, but it certainly wasn’t Lutheran.

The SED invites us to unlock the mystical door through such practices as listening prayer, healing prayer, lectio divina, praying without words, the Jesus Prayer, breathing prayer, centering prayer (also called contemplative prayer), journaling, dream interpretation, labyrinths, and use of a spirit director. All of these practices taken together are called “spiritual formation,” and all can be thought of as mystical practices when placed in the SED context. If you don’t recognize all of these practices, or don’t see how they relate to mysticism, please review the glossary provided at the end of this post, which gives a definition of each using the SED’s own terminology, complete with references to SED documentation as well as references for apologetic purposes. Their own words will prove that their practices are blatant mysticism. When they say

• “express to God your intention to know God’s love through your breath and body,”
  
• “being present to God through breathing and stretching,” and
  
• “the work of silence is a way of gently saying ‘no’ to the endless stream of thoughts and feelings that make up our world in order to listen for and say ‘yes’ to the thoughts and feelings that are the voice of God,”

you know something has gone terribly wrong.

Click HERE to continue reading >>

The Push Me - Pull You and Other Oddities

Paige and I went on a photographic expedition near our house in the beautiful Puyallup River Valley. Here's a few of the results.

Speak the Amen Firmly

Quoting from Luther's "A Simple Way to Pray (...for Master Peter the Barber)":

Finally, mark this, that you must always speak the Amen firmly. Never doubt that God in his mercy will surely hear you and say "yes" to your prayers. Never think that you are kneeling or standing alone, rather think that the whole of Christendom, all devout Christians, are standing there beside you and you are standing among them in a common, united petition which God cannot disdain. Do not leave your prayer without having said or thought, "Very well, God has heard my prayer; this I know as a certainty and a truth." That is what Amen means.


photo credit: tray

I’m Looking for that Double-Wide

The great thing about being a Christian is that there’s no gray area when it comes to salvation. He that believes and is baptized is saved. There’s nothing you’ve got to do to be saved, since it’s already all been done for you in Christ. Even your faith has been given to you. You didn’t do anything, yet you still get the credit for Christ’s merit.

Unfortunately, not all people understand the meaning of grace. Pastor Jim Wilson, on the June 17 Table Talk Radio Table Scraps show, talks about his time in the Assemblies of God denomination, and their requirement to speak in tongues – an entertaining and informative segment:

This is how it goes. This is what you’re supposed to do. This is when you really get to be a real Christian in the fullest sense, because now you’ve got the Holy Spirit. Of course you could be a Christian “without” the Holy Spirit, but that was just, you know, kind of a bargain basement K-Mart level of Christianity. You’d get the single-wide trailer at the edge of heaven.

Thanks be to God that my salvation and sanctification aren’t based on my own merit, or I’d be living in this, right along with you (and I don’t think it’d be on the edge of heaven either):



photo credit: escapo

A Great Temptation

     This is surely a great temptation. With it Satan tries to induce Eves mind to reach the conclusion that God is not inconsistent. Accordingly, if He turned over all the other creatures, He also turned over all the trees. Therefore it follows that the command about not eating of the tree is not God’s command, or at least is not to be understood as though He did not want anyone to eat from this tree.
     Thus a twofold temptation is put before Eve, by which, however, Satan has the same end in view. The first is: “God did not say this; therefore you may eat from this tree.” The second is: “God has given you everything; therefore you have everything in your possession; therefore this one single tree is not forbidden you.” However, each aims at the same end: that Eve be drawn away from the Word and from faith. This command about not eating from the tree, which was given them by God, is a convincing proof that even if his nature had remained perfect, Adam, together with his descendants, would have lived in faith until he would have been translated from this physical life to the spiritual life. Where the Word is, there necessarily faith also is. Here is the Word that he should not eat of this tree; otherwise he would die. Therefore Adam and Eve ought to have believed that this tree was detrimental to their welfare. Thus faith is included in this very commandment.
     We who are being brought out of sin into righteousness and from our mortal body to the immortal body also live in faith. But we have a different Word, which Adam did not have when his nature was perfect, since he would have been directly translated from the physical life to the spiritual. For this reason I said above that this tree in the middle of the garden would have been like a temple in which this Word would be preached: that all the other trees were wholesome, but that this one was destructive.9 Therefore they should have learned to obey God and to render Him the service of refraining from eating of it, since God had forbidden it.
     In this way uncorrupted nature, which had the true knowledge of God, nevertheless had a Word or command which was beyond Adam’s understanding and had to be believed. Moreover, this command was given to Adam’s innocent nature that he might have a directive or form for worshiping God, for giving thanks to God, and for instructing his children. Since the devil sees this and knows that this command is beyond the understanding of the human being, he tempts Eve so that she herself may proceed to ponder whether this is God’s command and will or not. This is the beginning and the main part of every temptation, when reason tries to reach a decision about the Word and God on its own without the Word.
     It was God’s intention that this command should provide man with an opportunity for obedience and outward worship, and that this tree should be a sort of sign by which man would give evidence that he was obeying God. But by getting a discussion under way as to whether God had commanded this, Satan is trying to lead man away from this obedience to sin. In this situation the only salvation would have been if Eve had laid emphasis on God’s command and had not allowed herself to be drawn away to other discussions about whether God had commanded this, or whether, since God had created everything for the sake of man, this one tree had been created for the ruin of man. It seems a matter of wisdom to investigate these questions rather carefully; but the moment the mind engages in discussions of this kind, it is done for. Now let us hear what Eve’s reply was.

Luther, M. (1999, c1958). Vol. 1: Luther's works, vol. 1 : Lectures on Genesis: Chapters 1-5 (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (1:153). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.


photo credit: Sint-Katelijne-Waver

Who Knew?

Rev. Dr. Martin Noland, the pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Evansville, Indiana, is one of those guys who generally stays out of the limelight. As a parish pastor he does a great job of preaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments, drawing attention to Christ rather than to himself. With only the occasional appearance on Issues, Etc. or the infrequent article on The Brothers of John the Steadfast, we don’t often see him. Thus it should come as no surprise that Dr. Noland doesn’t often allude to his colorful past in the music business.

Dr. Noland’s musical talents are no secret. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree with a Director of Parish Music (DPM) certificate from Concordia River Forest. But what few people know is that Dr. Noland also lived a past life as a famous jazz musician. That’s right – he went by a stage name back then, Alan Rubin. Alan Rubin’s nickname was “Mr. Fabulous,” and he's played with greats such as Paul Simon, Bill Joel, and Eric Clapton, as well as playing his trumpet for such famous bands as The Saturday Night Live Band and The Blues Brothers. Did you see “The Blues Brothers” movie? He’s in it! Still doubting? Here’s the photographic proof.

Note the same flashy but yet conservative dress, and the wavy hair nearly touching the collar in the back. He’s aged very little over the years. About the only change is a bit of a graceful receding hairline. Who knew?

So the next time you run into Dr. Noland, ask him to play a lick or two on his trumpet. You’ll be glad you did.

For other factual oddities and LCMS secrets, check out these past groundbreaking stories on Stand Firm:

Pastor Walter Snyder moonlighting as Dr. Demento.

Pastor Todd Wilken making an exception to his no-autograph rule.

Pastor Bill Cwirla in his fatigues.

President-Elect Matt Harrison and his clone.

Pastor Todd Wilken wearing his kilt.

Dr. Larry Rast in dreadlocks.

Against Universalism

Quoting Lutheran theologian Martin Chemnitz from Loci Theologici, Locus 7:

Thus with the original depravity there are always actual sins, which in the unregenerate are all mortal. And the total person is damned with his fruits, as John says: “He that believeth not the Son…, the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). Although there are the great virtues of Aristides, Fabius, Pomponius Atticus, and others, we know that the original depravity nevertheless remained in them, and that their hearts were full of doubts and corrupt desires. The knowledge of Christ was lacking and there was no true worship of God.

Let us never forget that many excellent men of outstanding virtue were nevertheless defiled by extraordinary vices, demonstrating that they were in the power of the devil. How great was the depravity in the morals of Hercules, Themistocles, Pausanias, Alexander, and many others, who in the beginning were very restrained. These examples warn us that we may not disparage the knowledge of Christ, as many do by transferring the heathen to heaven. Let us rather fear the wrath of God the more, because we see them rejected and defiled in various and fearful ways, even though there were many excellent qualities in them. Let us not despise the Son of God; let us not imagine that men have been saved without the Son of God; let us not trample upon the blood of the Son of God. These matters we have prefaced concerning the unregenerate, in whom all actual sins are mortal, even as is original sin.

Martin Chemnitz and Johann Gerhard, The Doctrine of Man in the Writings of Martin Chemnitz and Johann Gerhard, ed. Herman A. Preus and Edmund Smits, (St. Louis: CPH, 2005) 196.

photo credit: Darren Hester

What is Baptism?

Quoting from Luther's Large Catechism on Baptism:

14 Now you can understand how to answer properly the question, What is Baptism? It is not simply common water, but water comprehended in God’s Word and commandment and sanctified by them. It is nothing else than a divine water, not that the water in itself is nobler than other water but that God’s Word and commandment are added to it.
15 Therefore it is sheer wickedness and devilish blasphemy when our new spirits, in order to slander Baptism, ignore God’s Word and ordinance, consider nothing but the water drawn from the well, and then babble, “How can a handful of water help the soul?” 16 Of course, my friend! Who does not know that water is water, if such a separation is proper? But how dare you tamper thus with God’s ordinance and tear from it the precious jeweled clasp with which God has fastened and enclosed it and from which he does not wish his ordinance to be separated? For the nucleus in the water is God’s Word or commandment and God’s name, and this is a treasure greater and nobler than heaven and earth.
17 Note the distinction, then: Baptism is a very different thing from all other water, not by virtue of the natural substance but because here something nobler is added. God himself stakes his honor, his power, and his might on it. Therefore it is (tr-737) not simply a natural water, but a divine, heavenly, holy, and blessed water — praise it in any other terms you can — all by virtue of the Word, which is a heavenly, holy Word which no one can sufficiently extol, for it contains and conveys all the fullness of God. 18 From the Word it derives its nature as a sacrament, as St. Augustine taught, “Accedat verbum ad elementum et fit sacramentum.”9 This means that when the Word is added to the element or the natural substance, it becomes a sacrament, that is, a holy, divine thing and sign.
19 Therefore, we constantly teach that the sacraments and all the external things ordained and instituted by God should be regarded not according to the gross, external mask (as we see the shell of a nut) but as that in which God’s Word is enclosed. 20 In the same way we speak about the parental estate and civil authority. If we regard these persons with reference to their noses, eyes, skin and hair, flesh and bones, they look no different from Turks and heathen. Someone might come and say, “Why should I think more of this person than of others?” But because the commandment is added, “You shall honor father and mother,” I see another man, adorned and clothed with the majesty and glory of God. The commandment, I say, is the golden chain about his neck, yes, the crown on his head, which shows me how and why I should honor this particular flesh and blood.
21 In the same manner, and even much more, you should honor and exalt Baptism on account of the Word, since God himself has honored it by words and deeds and has confirmed it by wonders from heaven. Do you think it was a jest that the heavens opened when Christ allowed himself to be baptized, that the Holy Spirit descended visibly,1 and that the divine glory and majesty were manifested everywhere?
22 I therefore admonish you again that these two, the Word and the water, must by no means be separated from each other. For where the Word is separated from the water, the water is no different from that which the maid cooks with and could indeed be called a bathkeeper’s baptism.2 But when the Word is present according to God’s ordinance, Baptism is a sacrament, and it is called Christ’s Baptism. This is the first point to be emphasized: the nature and dignity of this holy sacrament.

Tappert, T. G. (2000, c1959). The Book of Concord : The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (438). Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

This Does Not Concern Me!

Quoting Dr. Martin Luther:

Let us remember this well in our personal temptations, when the devil accuses and terrifies our conscience to bring it to the point of despair. He is the father of lies (John 8:44) and the enemy of Christian freedom. At every moment, therefore, he troubles us with false terrors, so that when this freedom has been lost, the conscience is in continual fear and feels guilt and anxiety. When that “great dragon, the ancient serpent, the devil, the deceiver of the whole world, who accuses our brethren day and night before God” (Rev. 12:9–10)—when, I say, he comes to you and accuses you not only of failing to do anything good but of transgressing against the Law of God, then you must say: “You are troubling me with the memory of past sins; in addition, you are telling me that I have not done anything good. This does not concern me. For if I either trusted in my performance of good works or lost my trust because I failed to perform them, in either case Christ would be of no avail to me. Therefore whether you base your objections to me on my sins or on my good works, I do not care; for I put both of them out of sight and depend only on the freedom for which Christ has set me free. Therefore I shall not render Him useless to me, which is what would happen if I either presumed that I shall attain grace and eternal life because of my good works or despaired of my salvation on account of my sins.”

Luther, M. (1999, c1964). Vol. 27: Luther's works, vol. 27 : Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 5-6; 1519, Chapters 1-6 (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (27:11). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

Caution, Blogging Ahead

photo credit: PaDumBumPsh