We have to ask the question, "What does Dr. Waldo Werning
believe?"
Dr. Waldo Werning has apparently reversed his opposition to the statement
that, "All of God, not one third of God died on the Cross."
Consequently he must now agree that, "All theology is Christology."
On June 11, 2002, Werning writes: "Jesus is God! Every Person of the
Trinity is all of God, yet there is only One God!"
We should say, "Hurray, Werning has it right!" Yet, he continues
to insist that all his writings about the Trinity in his "Health and
Healing for the LCMS" are correct. On June 12, 2002, Werning writes to
members of Redeemer Lutheran Church and me, "Apparently, you have some
severe problem to which you ought to attend immediately." Werning sends
one or two attack letters a week to officers of our congregation and copies
LCMS officials, including President Gerald Kieschnick.
Prior to June 11, Werning was vehemently opposed to every Person of the
Trinity being all of God.
In the February 26, 2002, meeting I asked Werning: "When Christ died
on the cross, was it all of God or part of God? Are you going to answer
that?" Werning replied, "I'm not going to answer 'God.' Because I
know as well as you, I'm no infant in this, what you are talking about.
Secondly, about the whole unity of God, the Athanasian, One God, in One
Godhead, the whole business . . . .and you are fabricating stuff and you did
it right now." Again I asked, "Are you going to answer that
question?" Werning replied, "It is a philosophical question."
On March 6, 2002, Werning wrote to Christian News:
"You published the following overtly outrageous statement which Cascione
wrote on his 2/26/2002 Internet article, 'All of God, 100% of God died on the
Cross' . . . .Now you with Cascione face the question of Trinitarian heresy
related to Scripture. The Lutheran Confessions, and the three Creeds which
clearly reveal that the eternally alive God did not experience death on the
Cross from Friday to Sunday, nor did the Father and the Holy Spirit, but the
Bible and Creeds reveal that God's only begotten Son in His human nature died
and shed His blood for our salvation."
On March 6, 2002, Werning wrote:
"By the way, Cascione employs another argument that 100% of God literally
died by quoting the Athanasian Creed out of context, 'There is not One
Almighty but three Almighties.'"
"Cascione confuses both Creeds by saying that " all of God, 100%
of God, died on the Cross."
On May 20, 2002 Werning wrote:
"Your philosophical statement that all of God died on the Cross, not one
third of god, not dividing God, literally not only denies the Personhood of
the Godhead (Apostle's Creed), but denies the humanity of Jesus. . ."
"At the same time, your misinterpretation leads to the conclusion that
the eternal God was dead and in a grave for three days."
On May 28, 2002, Werning wrote:
". . . your [Cascione's] 'All of God, not one third of God' distortion
and heresy."
". . . but now you have changed the argument to your new invention
about 'All of God, not one-third of God' died on the Cross."
And now on June 11, 2002, Werning reverses his position on the Trinity and
writes:
"I have not refused to identify that Jesus is God, or that every Person
is all of God - undivided Substance."
It is impossible to quote Werning without being accused of breaking the
Eighth Commandment, an accusation he makes in every letter.
If Werning now agrees that every Person of the Trinity is all of God, then
all of God died on the Cross, and not just Christ's human nature, which
Werning demands above on March 6, 2002.
Now with Werning's new position, if every Person of the Trinity is all of
God, then "All theology is Christology." It must also be said that,
"All theology is the Word of the Father." And, it must also be said
that, "All theology is given by inspiration of the Holy Ghost."
However, on pages 34-35 Werning's book claims there are three
communications from God instead of one, which is a damnable lie about God.
Werning fantasizes about a sliced-and-diced three-part God, with three of this
and three of that when he writes:
1. "experiencing God in a three-fold manner."
2. "three manners of being (God above us, God among us, God in us),"
3. "three levels of reality (nature, history, existence)"
4. "three ways in which God reveals Himself"
5. "three forms of address [from God] ('You shall!,' 'You may!,' 'You
can!')"
6. "one of the three ways in which God has revealed Himself"
No one in the Missouri Synod has "experienced" God except,
perhaps, the South Wisconsin District President and "Jesus First"
who both endorse Werning's teaching on the Trinity. However, the Bible tells
us that God only gives us One reality, One revelation, and One address, and
God only has one manner of being. Every one of Werning's six statements above
is a damnable lie about God.
Of course, in the "New Missouri" most of the District Presidents
and "Jesus First" feel free to make up anything they choose about
God and worship. Why get too picky about who God is? Just tell everyone that
Jesus loves them and keep sending those cards and letters. The validity of a
new program or doctrine is justified by its statistical success.
Doctor Werning now writes that he and Cascione have never been in Dispute
Resolution. However, on October 24, 2001, Werning wrote that on the basis of
By-law 2.27 "Commencing an Action to Terminate Membership," he was
contacting the District President and the Synodical President because I
publicly condemned his farce about the Trinity in "Health and Healing for
the LCMS." On March 6, 2002, Werning wrote that action according to
By-Law 2.27 had taken place in our February meeting.
It was only because of By-Law 2.27 that I was compelled to meet with
Werning in December of 2001 and again in February of 2002. In the first
meeting we met by ourselves and in the second meeting we met with four of
Werning's witnesses. According to By-law 8.13c these are the preliminary steps
to Dispute Resolution.
On May 20, 2002, Werning writes, "Please forget about By-Law 2.27 at
this time." If we were not in Dispute Resolution to terminate my
membership in the Synod according to By-Law 2.27, why were former Michigan
District First Vice President Toshio Okamoto, Pastor John Reusch, former COP
Chairman Dr. John Heins and Werning's Pastor present as Werning's official
witnesses? Werning even demanded that spectators leave the February meeting
for constitutional reasons.
Heins was one of the architects of Dispute Resolution. Now I learn that he,
Okamoto, and Reusch simply participated with Werning in a constitutional
charade and a manipulation of the Handbook. It was all a cover for Werning's
fairy tales about God in "Health and Healing for the LCMS."
In the May 2002 issue "Jesus First" takes CPH to task for seeking
"a very clear focus," while "Jesus First" staunchly
defends Werning's lies about the Trinity in "Health and Healing For the
LCMS" that was sent to every 2001 LCMS Convention delegate. The next vote
and not the truth about God is "Jesus First's" top priority. We
doubt if the "truth about God" has even crossed their minds.
Before "Jesus First" tries to correct CPH they should stop
endorsing published lies about God.