Rev. Baker, Gerhard seems to have some very confused rhetoric on election. I think that I would like to believe Robert Preus’ interpretation of him, and hold that he was orthodox in this regard- but it is difficult at times. The rest of them taught that God elects through his Word. People become assured and receive God’s electing activity in the Word. I think what you’re trying to suggest by the use of the word “during” is that for Forde, God somehow lacks an antecedent will to elect in the form of an eternal decree and that somehow it just “happens” when preaching happens. There is nothing really in his corpus of writing which suggests that he holds his position, not least because he held to the doctrine of divine immutability. When he discusses God’s electing activity in the Word, his point is mainly to draw out the implications of the sacramentality of the Word as it pertains to preaching. People should be draw away from abstract speculations about the hidden God, and directed to God’s concrete saving and electing will present in Word and sacrament.

BTW, this will be a my final response to you on this point. I see very little reason to debate you on this point, insofar as I think you lack evidence for this assertion.

Later the interviewer brought up the question again (at 10:03), and Ellefson diverted (again) by alleging that a couple of years ago Revolver magazine did a story about the Bible being the number one book that influenced heavy metal.

I’m not impressed.

I am using the phrase “act of faith” to describe an action resulting from faith which God gave.

Great. With that meaning, I understand now what you meant.

The point in the order of salvation that I was thinking about was converstion. Before a person is converted, he or she has no faith, and therefore cannot act from faith, or do what you called an act of faith. For the unregenerate or unconverted person, faith is not their act, or something from which they act, but is an event that happens to them when God converts and regenerates them. That’s the use I was making of the word “event,” and how I was distinguishing the words “act” and “event.”

In the case of the rod in the wilderness, some were converted to God already before the calmity and its cure, so there would be some in the multitude that, as you say, did an act of faith to look at the serpent on the rod. But for many, until they heard that word of God to turn, look, and be healed, they were not converted, lacked faith, and could not do any act of faith whether it be turn, look, or any other act. But the Word so preached was effective in precipitating onto many an event of faith, in which they were converted, and then looked at the serpent.

http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/selgin.gresham.law

The parallels should be obvious. Whether the currency is monetary or ecclesiastical, the principle applies. And no matter in which kingdom the coin is minted, it’s the common folk, the laity, who gets hurt. Big time.