The loss of the doctrine of the Trinity must inevitably mean the loss of
the Gospel. This was plainly evident in my last encounter with Werning in
front of witnesses at St. John's Lutheran Church in Fraser, Michigan on
February 26, 2002.
Doctor Waldo Werning will not agree that "all of God," 100% of
God, died on the cross. This begs the question, "What part of God did not
die on the cross for Waldo Werning?"
Jesus Christ is not one third of the Trinity. All of God died in Jesus
Christ, not a part of God. We read in Colossians 2:9 of Christ, "In Him
dwelleth the fullness of the Godhead bodily."
Pieper tells us that every person of the Trinity is fully God, not one
third of God, yet there is only one God. (Vol. 1 385, 405)
For years, Doctor Werning has been an advocate of the Church Growth
Movement and the right of every pastor to invent his own contemporary worship.
This must inevitably lead to the right of every pastor to invent his own god
as Dr. Waldo Werning has done, as endorsed by "Jesus First" and Ron
Meyer, President of the South Wisconsin District.
Werning rejects the teaching that every Person of the Trinity is involved
in every work of God. This includes creation, salvation, redemption,
sanctification, and judgment, and yet at the same time, Christ alone is our
Savior.
Pieper writes: "Scripture teaches that there is no division or
limitation of the divine attributes, works, or worship among the three
Persons, but that the three Persons share in them without any distinctions of
rank." For example, John 1:3, Col. 1:16; and Heb. 1:10 teach that Christ
created the world. Also Ps. 33:6 and Job 33:4 teach that the Holy Ghost
created the world. (Vol.1 Page 386)
Werning also rejects any difference between the internal and the external
activities of the Trinity. We confess a particular external work of each
Person of the Trinity in the Creeds (Pieper Vol.1 page 416, 423) and yet these
works are common to each Person. We also confess an internal distinction of
each Person of the Trinity, fatherhood, eternally begotten, and procession.
Luther teaches every work of each person of the Trinity is the work of one
God. (page 423)
In his three contested paragraphs on pages 33-34 of his book "Health
and Healing in the LCMS," Werning appeals to a "balanced Trinitarian
faith". While writing about the Trinity, Werning claims that he
experiences God in nature, such as in earthquakes. He cannot distinguish the
natural knowledge of God in nature, history, and conscience, which is Law,
from the revelation of the Trinity, which is only found in the Gospel.
If Werning experiences God in earthquakes, this means he also experiences
God in ice-cream cones and sunrises. This is pure fanaticism. Instead of
experiencing God, we sinners only experience the earthquake. We only
experience what God made, not God. I worship the God of the Bible, not my
experience.
No one is experiencing God apart from the Means of Grace. When I read the
Bible, I read God's Word, not God. I cannot feel God in the Bible, Baptism or
the Lord's Supper. Werning is replacing the definition of faith with
"experience."
When I joined the LCMS clergy roster, I had hoped to avoid all the
bat-brained, yahoo pastors who experience God, but alas, the Synod and many
District offices are being overrun by them.
Werning claims he doesn't teach "modalism" but refuses to
acknowledge that his definition of God acting in a "three-fold
manner" must also mean a three-fold mode. According to the dictionary,
"manner" means "mode."
Werning rails against Scaer and Wienrich for teaching that "all
theology is Christology." However, Pieper writes, "men can find life
only in God, who has revealed Himself as the God of our salvation only in
Christ." (Vol.1 page 388) Again Pieper writes, "these words state
expressly as do the words in John 17:3, that there is no knowledge of the true
God outside the incarnate Son of God." (page 389) In other words, without
Christ, there is no knowledge of the Trinity, no Gospel, no sacraments, and no
salvation. The limitation of not knowing God except by Jesus Christ is more
than Werning can tolerate.
Many LCMS clergy support Werning's position. His political cronies and
blind guides pat him on the back, and say, "We are with you Waldo."
These LCMS pastors' words about each other have become more important than
what they say about God. The Second Table of the Law has been given president
over the First Table of the Law, and Matthew 18:15 has been placed in front of
Mathew 16:15.
Werning continues to quote the Lutheran Confessions (Tappert, Large Cat.
page 423, par. 22-24) as proof that when he prays it is God's Word in his
mouth. Yet Luther is only speaking about the Lord's Prayer, which is indeed
the Word of God. Our prayers, unless we quote scripture, can never be the Word
of God.
I promised Dr. Werning that I would retract my statement from September
19th that Doctor Werning hates me. I retract that statement. Doctor Werning is
adamant that he does not hate me. However, his speaking about the Trinity in
the three contested paragraphs is heresy.
Werning stated repeatedly that no LCMS professors or pastors agree with me
on my teaching on the Trinity and that he has broad support. In this point, he
may be correct. Yes, many LCMS pastors support Werning's heresy, particularly
members of the COP, supporters of "Jesus First" and the officers of
the South Wisconsin District.
The truth is a defense. If Werning is correct, I have slandered him. If
Werning is wrong, he is a heretic. In our pluralistic culture, many will ask,
"Who can tell who is right? Does it really matter?" Here is the
insidious nature of Werning's heresy. Those waiting for more information
before they make up their minds about God can hardly have faith.
I asked Werning, "Do you support your statement, 'We experience Christ
as Savior through prayer?'" He refused to answer. I say, he has never
experienced Christ through prayer. Prayer is not a means of Grace and the LCMS
is not the Assembly of God, at least not yet.
The entire 2 hours and 45 minutes of our meeting were little more than
Werning's monolog, diatribes, reading of prepared statements, and questions. I
wasn't given the opportunity to speak or reply more than 10% of the time.
Nearly every time I tried to speak, Werning put up his hand and said I was
interrupting.
The souls of the South Wisconsin District are in grave danger because
President Meyer publicly endorses Werning's innovations about God as follows:
1. "Truly knowing the Father and the Holy Spirit, as well as Christ,
guides to new experiences with God."
2. "The Three-fold Art of Experiencing God"
3. "experience Christ as Savior through prayer,"
4. "experiencing God in a three-fold manner."
5. "God revealed Himself in three ways,"
6. "three manners of being (God above us, God among us, God in
us),"
7. "three levels of reality (nature, history, existence)"
8. "three ways in which God reveals Himself"
9. "three forms of address [from God] ('You shall!,' 'You may!,' 'You
can!')"
10. "we also reduce our possibilities of experiencing God"
11. "one of the three ways in which God has revealed Himself":
The meeting only proved that Werning continues to teach false doctrine
about the Trinity with the written endorsement of the South Wisconsin District
President.