CCC23, S3: Bryan Wolfmueller - ”How Things Went Wrong”

The Christianity & Culture Conference of Spencer, IA

July 7-8, 2023

"Competing Stories: God's v. the World's"

Speaker: The Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller

Session 3: How Things Went Wrong

What’s wrong with the world? What’s wrong with me? The Bible talks about sin, but the world talks about systemic problems and political solutions. We’ll look at the different ways different worldviews diagnose the trouble we are in.

 

Feedback for Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller: bwolfmueller@gmail.com

Podcast Feedback (Broken links, suggestions, etc): CCConferenceSpencer@gmail.com

 

Summary

• LSB 562 - All Mankind Fell in Adam’s Fall. See the words here: https://hymnary.org/text/all_mankind_fell_in_adams_fall
  • Part of this hymn is included in the Lutheran Confessions, in the Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord, Article I. Original Sin, paragraph 23 (Also in the Epitome of the Formula, paragraph 8): https://bookofconcord.org/solid-declaration/original-sin/
• Beginning Chapters 2 & 3, and how these two chapters go together.
• Next: Pushing more into the emergency idea to the problem and solution

References

• Concupiscence, our hearts being inclined toward sin and evil, is sin, see the Augsburg Confession, the Second Article, “Original Sin,” paragraph 2: https://bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession/original-sin/
• “On the Bondage of the Will,” Martin Luther
  • Read for free here: https://wolfmueller.co/wp- content/uploads/2019/10/Bondageofthe-Will.pdf
  • Or listen to it here: https://librivox.org/the-bondage-of-the-will-by-martin- luther/
• The Book of Concord, the Confessions of the Lutheran Church (What we believe, teach, and confess), can be found here: https://wolfmueller.co/wp- content/uploads/2019/11/Book_of_Concord_100718.pdf
  • Or listen to it here: https://librivox.org/group/376primary_key=376&search_category=group&search_page=1&search_form=get_results
• Genesis 3, Philippians 4:6-7, 1 Peter 5:6-7, Luke 15:11-32, Revelation 12: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3%2C+Philippians+ 4%3A6-7%2C+1+Peter+5%3A6-7%2C+Luke+15%3A11- 32%3B+Revelation+12&version=ESV
• Ray Comfort video: https://youtu.be/Jch_NyRTUMk?si=0ycCcCC7dBAqPWgp
•  “Why I Am Not a Christian,” Bertrand Russell: https://users.drew.edu/~jlenz/whynot.html
• Commentaries by Christopher Wordsworth: https://wolfmueller.co/product/christopher-wordsworth-new-testament-commentary-4-volumes/
• Quote by St. Hilary on the fall of the devil (???)
• Ray Comfort, the story of the parachute: https://www.epm.org/blog/2012/Sep/7/how-you-view-parachute

 

• “Dear ELCA,” YouTube video by Rev. Wolfmueller with the Large Catechism Challenge for ELCA members: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ohhh75FK57c
• Are you part of the ELCA or a progressive Lutheran Church body and want to hear more about confessional Lutheranism? Do you want to take up Rev. Wolfmueller’s challenge? Then fill out the form here: http://wolfmueller.co/dearelca/
  • And if you just can’t wait for the mail to read Luther’s Large Catechism, read it online here: http://wolfmueller.co/downloads/

Clarification

33:52: “Genesis chapter 3 is our chapter 2”

1:03:42 (first question): Clarification - the enmity between us and God and between the Woman and the Serpent: Where was the enmity before this? What is the source of the serpent’s enmity in giving a false word and to lie about God’s Word?

1:08:06 (second question): The fall of satan is pride; and last month (June) was “pride” month

1:12:35 (third question): The dumb TV show “Naked and Afraid” (mentioned); “Naked and Afraid” as an opportunity to confess, like Adam and woman, “Naked and Afraid”; but like Adam, people don’t have a high view of sin, which then misses the sweetness of the Gospel

1:14:21 (fourth question): The evangelicals say to people outside the faith, “You need saving, you need to Jesus, you need faith”; but people don’t know they need saved. Like trying to save someone from a burning house who doesn’t believe the house is burning.

1:19:17 (fifth question): With the language of “they were deceived first, then they are,” why not call it the “The Deceiving” instead of “The Fall” when the word “fall” is not used in Genesis 3?

1:24:33 (comment on answer to fifth question): That’s how wicked we are; as wicked as Adam who sat by, let the Woman be deceived, and ate of the fruit instead of telling the Woman not to talk to snakes and stopping her from eating the fruit.

 

Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller is pastor of St. Paul and Jesus Deaf Lutheran Churches in Austin, TX. He is the author of Take They Our Life: Martin Luther’s Theology of Martyrdom (2019), A Martyr’s Faith for a Faithless World (CPH, 2019), Has American Christianity Failed? (CPH, 2016) and Final Victory: Contemplating the Death and Funeral of a Christian (CPH, 2010). He is host of What-Not The Podcast, posts videos on YouTube at wolfmueller1, and has a number of other theological projects that all end up on his blog, www.wolfmueller.co. Bryan is a member of the Doxology Collegium. He and his wife Keri live with their four children in Round Rock, TX.

https://wolfmueller.co/

 

Conference Partners:

Christ the King Lutheran Church, Spencer, IA - Rev. Michael McGinley - www.ctkspencer.com

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Spirit Lake, IA - Rev. Paul Dare - www.lcmslakes.org

First English Lutheran Church, Spencer, IA - Rev. Paul Kaldahl - www.spencer-church.com

Immanuel Lutheran Church, Terril, IA - Rev. Tom Marth - https://lcmsterril.weebly.com

Spencer Circuit of the Iowa District West (LCMS)