Today’s Theology is the First Grave.

opinion, then I find them so contrary to God's truth that I can in no way give them my approval.

2. It is indeed true that they refer to the Scriptures and have many beautiful words, but the effect and practice of their teaching is not truthful; for they boast of possessing the Evangelical doctrine In this context, "Evangelical" refers to the Protestant/Lutheran tradition based on the Gospels, which the author feels has been betrayed by its leaders, while meanwhile their entire life and actions conflict with it. They invent so many interpretations and explanations of the Scriptures that nothing living can be found in them anymore. It appears as a mere history which must be told to the people so that they might keep it in their memory alone; alongside this, all the sciences of the schools are devised solely to string words together, by which one might coax people into a contempt for the Evangelical doctrine and grant them a wicked life; for if contemporary theology did not spare sins, no one in Christendom who wished to be saved would be able to rest peacefully in their current state and way of life. Everyone would clearly see that they could not be saved on such a footing, since the practice of Christians today is entirely contrary to the first Church that Christ established. But because one hears these interpreters philosophizing and debating so forcefully to distort the true sense of the Scriptures, everyone lets themselves be convinced that one can well believe and follow them; for they are regarded by men as learned, though before GOD they are ignorant. They bring forth so many questions, so many Cases of Conscience original Latin: Casus Conscientiæ. This refers to casuistry, the practice of resolving moral problems by applying general rules to specific cases, which the author views here as a way to excuse sinful behavior (cases of the conscience) and so many explanations of the meaning of the Holy Scriptures, that it seems as if their theology were devised for no other purpose than to validate all kinds of sins,