The Burr in the Burgh

Yesterday, the family and I happened to catch not one, but two movies. It was a day off school, you see. But don't think we observed our Memorial Day only with self indulgence. Earlier in the day we visited the Soldiers and Sailors Museum for a patriotic celebration.

• The Pacifier starring Vin Diesel was playing at the local dollar theater. And let me say that I thought it was a terrific family film. I enjoyed it A LOT. Admittedly, I'm kind of a Vin Diesel fan already because Saving Private Ryan is one of my all time faves.

• Why I liked it: No cursing (that I can recall). It was clean. It was very pro-family. And I would say that it was pro-military too. And it was funny, with a decent story and enjoyable characters. Occasionally, over-the-top silliness, but that's OK.
  

• Criticisms: A bit too much diaper humor. Gets a laugh the first time, maybe, but then after that it just reveals the laziness of the writers. Y'know, whenever you get stumped, just throw in another poop joke.
  
  And I suppose some might suggest that the subplot with the oldest boy is a subtle attempt to encourage acceptance of homosexuality, as was purported for Shark Tale. And that may well have been the producer's intent, but it could also just be a way to encourage the audience to accept that people are different and have different likes and dislikes. I guess I'm just not in the mood today to find a cultural boogeyman behind every bush.



• I, Robot with Will Smith. Watched on DVD. Second time for me. Not really based on the Isaac Asimov collection of stories of the same name, only "suggested" by it.


• Why I liked it: Awesome action sequences and special effects. Good story. And Will Smith remains an outstanding action movie hero but has something Arnold and Sylvester could never quite achieve, and that is humor. Bruce Willis is another one who can deliver in the rough-and-tumble department and still also deliver a funny line.

Another thing the movie did well, in my opinion, was to illustrate the classic Science Fiction theme that technology dehumanizes us. There's a note of warning in there somewhere. (It's ironic that I'm stating that on a blog.)


• Criticisms: Bad language all over the place.

I don't know if this is so much a criticism as an observation. The movie had almost no connection, plot-wise, to the Asimov book it was named for. However, the three laws of robotics which play a central role in the film do come from Asimov. Overall, a good flick.

In the media, Islam has been called the religion of peace. I suppose destroying all the infidels is one way towards creating harmony.

Here's an excerpt from a "sermon" delivered by Sheik Ibrahim Mudeiris on Palestinian television. I've talked about this general issue with Christian leaders and laity I know in Muslim countries and they agree that any Americans who think this "sermon" represents a small lunatic fringe is living with their heads in the sand. When my son was three years old, he believed that if he covered his eyes with his hands, it made the person he'd be looking at disappear. It just seems to me that there are a lot of people who think that if they don't think about this, it won't become a problem. Denial is not just a river in Egypt. It's a state of mind.

Jesus said, "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world (Joh 16:33)." True peace is only available in Jesus Christ. He alone has reconciled sinners to the Heavenly Father.

I tip my hat to The Volokh Conspiracy.

Michael Yon is a journalist travelling with American soldiers in Iraq. You should click here to read what he writes about the Muslims who are intentionally killing Iraqi children and using them as shields and doing it in the name of their false god. Jesus talked about men who would do evil and think they were doing God a favor. Their god is the devil.

Yon also writes how the children in Iraq LOVE the American soldiers. He says that they come running filled with excitement when they hear the tanks rumbling the same way American children run when they hear the bell of the neighborhood ice cream man. And the soldiers are sadly forced to tell the children to stay back. Why? Because the evil ones they are fighting use the children as shields and have killed many.

Yep, you read that correctly. A Danish Lutheran pastor was under scrutiny by his ecclesiastical supervisors, apparently, for denying the afterlife and the resurrection. He is also quoted as saying that there is no "heavenly God."

William Shakespeare said that not everything that glitters (he actually wrote "glisters") is gold. Likewise, not everyone who calls himself a "Lutheran" is one. Not everyone who calls himself a follower of Christ is one either. Jesus said that on the last day there will be many who say, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out devils and perform many miracles?" And He will say to them, "I never knew you. Depart from me you evildoers."

One Danish bishop said that although he disagrees with this pastor's views there should be room for him in Denmark's state church. Are there no limits to diversity of belief in the Lutheran Church in Denmark?

My understanding of what makes a person a Lutheran is not merely his heritage but that he or she believes that the Holy Scripture are the inerrant Word of God and the Book of Concord of 1580 is a faithful and true exposition of the Scriptures.

Hat tip to Rev. Paul McCain for his analysis of an Associated Press story dated May 29.

Question: What was the number one song on the U.S. pop charts the day I was born (June 16, 1969)?

Go here to see what was the top of the pops on your birthday.

Hat tip to: Territorial Bloggings

Today I saw a photo that made me cry. It was of an American soldier, Major Mark Bieger, holding and hugging a little dead Iraqi girl that the animals we are fighting murdered. A Muslim suicide bomber decided to attack our troops at the exact moment when about twenty children were crowding around them.

I have asked the journalist, Michael Yon, for his permission to include the photo (and maybe others) on my blog. But here is a link to his site. You should read it and scroll down to view his pictures of the Iraqi children. I was literally brought to tears. They are beautiful. Looking at his site only made me want to go there myself. At 35, I'm too old to enlist, even as a chaplain (I think), but only a stone could look at these images and not want to do something to help them.

Tomorrow I will be writing checks to Operation Iraqi Children and Wounded Warrior Project as my way of honoring our brave service men and women on Memorial Day weekend. Another excellent charity is Ollie North's Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund. They provide college financial aid for children of our soldiers who've died or been permanently disabled.

Many of you will get a three day weekend for Memorial Day. And some of you will have picnics and have fun and drink beer with your friends. Think of those who cannot be with their families because they are serving their nation and take AT LEAST the price of a case of beer and give to these worthy causes.

Hat tip to Michelle Malkin, one of my new favorite people.

The Gitmo prisoner who'd originally accused his captors of flushing the Koran in a toilet as a means of intimidation has now recanted. At least that's what the Pentagon now says. I noticed that yesterday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette top front-page headline was about supposed FBI corroboration of the original claim. Today's headline was about Bolton, but a smaller headline - still front page and above the fold - did at least allude to this new information.

Hugh Hewitt, in his important new book Blog: Understanding the Information Reformation That's Changing Your World, says that mainstream media (MSM) is increasingly impotent. News cycles are not 24 hours, but 15 seconds or less. So while I knew about the Pentagon's latest claim yesterday from scanning the blogosphere, this morning's paper includes an editorial by E.J. Dionne Jr. based on the now irrelevant FBI documents released yesterday. Hewitt offers the frankly indisputable argument that blogging makes the morning paper taste like day-old bread (and the news weeklies like stale week-old hot dog buns - And not the kind you keep around to make into homemade croutons either).

Of course, I realize the Pentagon could be lying, but who should I give the benefit of a doubt to? The Pentagon or Al Quaeda?

Don't like the news? Wait five minutes. It may well change again.

Hat Tip to Michelle Malkin.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis are wonderful fantasy stories written for children, but enjoyable for adults as well. I loved reading them as a young person, but I think I've loved them even more sharing them with my son. We've read and re-read them together. Go to my Chronicles of Narnia Amazon.com link on the right of my blog if you have never read them.

Lewis wrote The Chronicles as allegories (sort of like extended parables) to illustrate basic tenets of the Christian faith. He once said that since people have little interest in Christian doctrine these days, you sometimes have to smuggle it in to them. And that's what he does.

The Chronicles of Narnia are really seven books. Originally, the first book was "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." Disney is about to release Lion as a movie this December. Here is the first glimpse of its preview:

Lion in Quicktime

Viewing Options at "Coming Soon"

The Narnia Movie website

Thanks to Beggars All for bringing this to my attention.

I've been hearing and reading certain dismayed braying over the alleged incident of U.S. interrogators in Guantanemo Bay flushing the Quran in a toilet.

It's wrong to desecrate religious symbols and texts... unless they're Christian, of course. In that case, it's not only acceptable. It's hip. If you want to, for instance, immerse a crucifix in a jar of urine or smear elephant dung on a picture of the Virgin Mary, that's not disrespect. That's art. (What're you, some kind of Cretan?) The taxpayers will give you big dollars too.

When the Baptist church in Danieltown, NC put this message on their church sign "The Koran Needs to Be Flushed," it raised a ruckus. One local college professor criticized the Baptists for their "intolerance" and "aggressive disrespect for other citizens' deeply held views." I hope he complained about the NEA funded projects I mentioned above.

Call me nuts, but sometimes I detect a double-standard. When you bash Christianity, it's free speech. When you bash Islam, it's a hate crime. Personally, I think we should ALL be nicer. But there is that whole Voltaire thing about not agreeing with what you say though defending to the death your right to say it. (I'd previously attributed that saying to Patrick Henry, but now I think I was in error and that it was actually Voltaire.)

The top cleric in Saudi Arabia, one Grand Mufti Adul-Aziz al-Sheik, said, "We condemn and denounce this criminal act against Muslims' most sacred item." Is that the same guy who called fire and brimstone down on those Palestinians who used pages from the Bible as toilet paper while violating the Church of the Holy Nativity in Bethlehem three years ago? I guess not.

And for the record, we should note that the government of Saudi Arabia routinely burns Bibles whenever such contraband is uncovered. In late April, 40 Pakistani Christians living near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were arrested for "trying to spread their poisonous religious beliefs to others through the distribution of books and pamphlets." Apparantly, Christians are supposed to respect Islam, but the favor need not be returned.

Trashing someone's sacred book is not torture. It's not illegal (in America, that is). It might even be an effective interrogation technique. I don't know if the Newsweek account is true. Probably, it's not. But if they did do it, the Saudi cleric is wrong. It wasn't criminal. It was just rude.

Someone just alerted me to a stunning website called By the Fireplace - An Online Library. It's got 1710 books and 1193 short stories by 287 authors. All in the public domain. There are some outstanding classics such as:

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Animal Farm by George Orwell
And dozens of hilarious Wooster and Jeeves books by P.G. Wodehouse

Dozens of science fiction novels by H.G. Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jules Verne, and Jack London.

Short stories by O Henry, H.G. Wells, Jack London, Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe (including my favorites, The Cask of Amontillado and The Tell-Tale Heart) and many others.

Plays by Ibsen, Moliere, Chekhov (including my favorite Uncle Vanya), 4 Greek comedies by Aristophenes, and almost 40 masterpieces by the bard himself, Wm. Shakespeare.

The incredible poetry section includes: Beowulf, The Divine Comedy by Dante, Homer's Odyssey and selections from Emily Dickenson

Non-fiction from Martin Luther, St. Augustine, and G.K. Chesterton

Oh great! Just what I needed. Another reason to sit for hours in front of the computer.

I'm not feeling like Mr. Creative today so I thought I'd just point you to some interesting stuff I've bumped into lately:

• Two new Lutheran blogs on my blogroll. Incarnatus Est by Pr. Greg Alms. He's new so not lots there yet, but he is posting some pretty insightful theology. And CyberStones by the meek, soft-spoken, ever winsome rose petal, Pr. David Petersen. He'd be alright if he'd ever stop beating around the bush and just say what's on his mind, geesh!

• In honor of yesterday being Trinity Sunday, here is a nice essay by Dr. David Webber on the filioque clause of the Nicene Creed. He offers a Lutheran perspective on the controversy.
  

• As the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church of America) moves toward ordaining practicing homosexuals and blessing homosexual unions this summer, you'll be reading a lot more stories like this one. Pastors, congregations and individual laypeople are gonna bail out. And if it doesn't happen this summer, it will soon enough. With the ELCA's low view of the authority of Scripture, there's really nothing to prevent it. They'll just keep "studying" the issue until they come up with the answer they want.

• Dr. Gene Veith's review of Star Wars: The Revenge of the Sith. You should subscribe to WORLD magazine, if for no other reason, to read Dr. Veith's culture reviews and columns each week.

• Roman Catholic priest denies communion to supporters of homosexuality. He did the right thing. According to St. Paul, if an unrepentant person communes, he is eating and drinking God's judgment onto himself.
  

The son of one of my parishoners is serving his country with the USMC in Iraq. Here's wishing a happy birthday to Jesse Macklin. May the holy angels guard you in all your ways.

Or maybe I should have entitled this piece, "The Media's Intolerable Arrogance."

By now, everyone has heard about the Newsweek story that claimed that some of the U.S. interrogators at Gitmo flushed a Koran down the toilet in order to rattle their detainees. When this story broke internationally, there were anti-American riots and upwards of 20 people were crushed or trampled to death. And now Newsweek is retracting their story claiming that their anonymous source cannot be sure the allegation is factual.

In the Washington Post's coverage of the Newsweek disgrace, they report: "The intensity of the anti-American riots, fueled in part by outraged Muslim clerics and radio broadcasts by elements of the ousted Taliban regime, took many Western analysts by surprise (emphasis added)."

And all I can say to that is, "WHAT??!!" Who exactly was surprised that reports of desecrating the Koran would foment riots? Muslims view the Koran as sacred, as the very words of God. All Muslims are taught to treat the book with the utmost respect. Christians in Muslim countries are even advised not to place their Bibles on the floor because no Muslim would do that to the Koran and if a Christian has such low respect for his sacred text, it would convince them that Christians don't take their faith very seriously. In some Islamic countries desecrating the Koran is a crime punishable by death. And many Western analysts were surprised?!

That would be comparable to me shouting "FIRE!!" into a crowded theater and later saying I was surprised to have caused such a panic. I might be forgiven for the ruckus if my warning were based on fact, if the theater truly were burning. But if I carelessly hit the alarm and were thus responsible for the ensuing havoc and admitted later that I really had no evidence that the theater was on fire, I ought to be penalized.

The problem, as I see it, is that many of those who are reporting on Islam don't know much about it. In fact, the mammoth ignorance of religion by those who report on it is, at times, frankly staggering.

Newsweek Editor, Mark Whitaker said: "I suppose you could say we should have foreseen the consequences of the report, but we didn't." Y'think?

You can rest assured that once I actually view the final chapter of George Lucas' magnum opus, I will post my review here. I haven't seen it yet, but I am almost done reading a book based on the screenplay to my 9-year-old son, so I have seen it in my mind's eye.

I usually appreciate everything Fredrica Mathewes-Green writes and lately she's been doing movie reviews for National Review Online. Her reviews are always very well-written. I enjoy her's more than anyone else's. Sometimes I enjoy her reviews more than I enjoy the movies themselves.

Here is her take on The Revenge of the Sith.

I am usually reading at least two or three books at the same time. I'm not boasting. In fact, I consider this one of my flaws (though not one of the greater ones). I typically have one religious book at hand as well as one work of fiction. Occasionally, I may also be into something political or a biography. I wish I could focus my attention on one thing at a time, but alas, I cannot.

The two book occupying my mind at the moment are:

Journey Back to Eden: My Life and Times Among the Desert Fathers by Mark Gruber

The author is an American Benedictine monk who teaches anthropology at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. For his doctoral research, he spent a year or so visiting and living in Coptic monasteries in the Sahara desert. This wonderful book was the result. It is his log of his time in Egypt.

Personally, one of my great desires is to visit Egypt and at least see the types of ancient desert monasteries he writes about. He focuses on the liturgical life of the Coptic monks, their forms of piety, and some of their theological reflections on sin, temptation, and grace. He gives insights into their cycles of fasting and feasting, their austerity, and their tremendous joy under hardship. He noted that Coptic monks are quite a bit more rigorous than Western monks. For instance, they go to pray for up to six hours at a time, standing, singing the entire psalter every day. He tells of attending a Christmas Eve service that lasted from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.

I have often been intrigued by the life of the Christian churches in Muslim countries. Christians in Egypt are a despised minority, though they probably fare somewhat better than in many other countries in the region.


Windswept House: A Vatican Novel by Malachi Martin

This is the second time I've read this fascinating and exciting book. Malachi Martin, now deceased, once worked closely with Pope John XXIII at the Vatican, so he is well acquainted with life in that most rarified of settings.

I was previously blown away by his documentary dramatization of several true modern case studies of demonic possession and their exorcisms in his work: Hostage to the Devil. That's well worth reading too, as long as you don't mind being completely freaked out.

Windswept House is what I would call a Vatican thriller. The halls of Vatican City become the battleground between good and evil, boiling over and scalding characters and settings around the world. It could have been re-titled Satan at St. Peter's. In a near apocalyptic drama, Martin uses the occasion to comment sagely on real spiritual issues undermining the Roman Catholic Church (and the rest of us too). It's fiction. . . I think. A real page-turner.

Question: What's your favorite television theme song?

Some people collect stamps or desiccated insect carcasses to pass the time. Not me. No sir. I just blew the last 40 minutes listening to the most awesomest T.V. theme songs of all time. Check this out baby!

So what's yours? And don't give me something obvious like Cheers or Welcome Back Kotter. Surpise me!!

Rev. Tom Chryst has offered this marvelous service.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A free service with which you can submit your Lutheran Blog listing.

Guidelines:
Lutheran Blog Directory will list blogs pertaining to Lutheranism.

Personal blogs are welcome from clergy and lay alike, but content should reflect a Lutheran perspective.

Sites listed should be blogs. Church websites, and other site formats will not be listed.

All blogs submitted must be approved by the webmaster. I reserve the right to refuse listing for any reason.

Please feel free to link to us, and tell your Lutheran blogging friends!

If you have questions, comments, or complaints, contact me:
Rev. Tom Chryst, Owner: tomchryst@yahoo.com

Today, a Lutheran pastor asked me about a movie I had recently recommended, The Addiction, so I decided to post a comment about it.

I’m not a film critic and I don’t particularly fancy horror films, but I did become intrigued by the genre after being assigned to write an article for Higher Things magazine. I found that there are some distinctly biblical notions underlying many of the better horror movies. I know that might sound strange to some, but it’s true. Check out my previous post to read where I’m coming from.

The Addiction is a vampire movie, pure and simple. I stand by my recommendation, but with this word of caution: It is a gory movie and has some quite unpleasant scenes. The fact that it is black and white helps a bit. But the easily rattled may want to stay away.

The vampire motif is the film's way of portraying Original Sin. The disposition of fallen man toward evil is a bit like an addiction, a craving that must be fed. One of the reasons I recommend the picture is because it does not buy at all into this modernist notion that people are good. Enlightenment optimism regarding man's nature is simply not borne out in our experience.

Don’t misunderstand, human nature is essentially good. If I said otherwise, I’d be accusing God of creating something evil. Even more, I’d be saying that God Himself is evil. We were created in the image and likeness of God after all. But since our first parents took the forbidden fruit, our pristine human nature has been corrupted. Now, as St. Augustine said, "Non posse non peccare," (“We are not able not to sin.”)

And that is what this movie is about. Why is that beneficial to the cause of Christ? Because we live in a society that is in denial. By failing to recognize our corruption for what it is, we fail to understand our need for a savior. As long as I can remain even the slightest bit optimistic about myself then I will not seek Christ. Martin Luther once said, “It is certain that man must utterly despair of his own ability before he is prepared to receive the grace of Christ (Heidelberg Theses).” To recognize your need is the first step toward recovery.

Members of my congregation, Concordia Lutheran Church, and I marched today to raise funds for the Pregnancy Resource Center of the South Hills here in Pittsburgh. This is an outstanding organization which provides services for women in crisis, considering abortion, and in need of guidance and help.

[The beautiful banner you see above was made by Debbie Malenky.]

Am I speaking in tongues? No. The above word (Paraskevidekatriaphobia) refers to the irrational fear of Friday 13th. Today was mostly over before I realized that it is the loathsome date. And I’m not particularly worried. Nothing bad has happened. I have read that the fear of this date is still quite common. Can anyone offer an explanation for this?

I think it is bizarre that many modern people eschew Christianity (organized religion) because they find the story of the Israelites crossing the parted sea, the virgin birth and the bodily resurrection of Jesus difficult to digest and yet they wouldn’t schedule their wedding on Friday 13th. Many office buildings don’t have a 13th floor (which is silly because calling the floor after the 12th the 14th doesn’t mean it’s not still the 13th floor). How many people do you know who believe unquestioningly in space aliens in area 51, ESP, and ghosts but think Christianity is for little kids and old women? It simply demonstrates that human beings are insatiably religious. The trouble is that we prefer the weird, exotic and ridiculous to the much more familiar Christian orthodoxy.

I'm sure that you, like I, have used light sabers in a variety of ways. Slicing bagels. Heating coffee. Lighting your cigar. Even trimming hedges. Haven't you ever wondered exactly how these useful tools work? The answer can be found here. Hat tip to The Terrible Swede.

A flea and a fly in a flue
Were imprisoned, so what could they do?
Said the fly, "Let us flee!"
"Let us fly!" said the flea!
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.
-Ogden Nash

I love the STAR WARS movies. I think I like them even more than my nine-year-old son and that's saying a lot. But don't we need to keep a distinction between Christian worship and cinema? Check this out. And this.

What does the Force have to do with the Holy Spirit? What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?

I believe there are many times when Christians can and should use the products of popular culture in order to "build bridges" and begin to communicate the message of Jesus Christ. Paul in Acts 17 is the perfect example. In preaching to Athenian philosophers, the apostle quotes pagan Greek poets in order to make a point, to gain a hearing. He spoke their cultural language. And this lead to proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus - at which point, of course, he lost most of his audience.

And that's not the only instance where he does that. In 1 Corinthians 15:33, St. Paul quotes from the Greek comedy Thais written by Menander. Obviously, the apostle saw or read the play and knew it well enough to quote it. That's like me using a quote from Forest Gump or Spiderman or Lord of the Rings in a sermon. It's like refering to American Idol or CSI:Miami. Or a familiar song from the radio. I do that all the time. Some people like it. Some people don't.

Based on the way Jesus used irony and humor and examples from daily life, I don't doubt that He might draw illustrations from STAR WARS if He gave His Sermon on the Mount today. But would he have St. Peter dress in a wookie suit, charge people to watch a film in worship, base sermons on major concepts of the movie, and suggest that the Bible is irrelevant? No. Jar Jar might, but Jesus wouldn't. Every bad thing is really just a good thing gone too far.

To their credit, the folks at Epic Church did alter their website blurb. It originally said, "No long boring sermons filled with Biblical terminology you don't understand, just messages that relate to real issues in your life!" Call me wacky, but I believe the Bible is relevant. Yes, we need to be careful of cliche preaching and over-use of jargon that the unchurched are not familiar with, but we can't encourage the notion that the Bible doesn't speak to real life human needs.

And "Join the Rebellion" is a terrible motto for a church. The apostles weren't the rebels. Everyone else was. Let's keep this straight. Christianity is not a rebel movement. We are not rebelling against the devil. The devil and the world are rebelling against God and His Church. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers," not "blessed are the insurgents."

I know the dear well-meaning Christians at Epic Church think they are being edgy and inviting people to swim against the mainstream. But face it, tying your religion in to the biggest pop culture phenom of the year is hardly the way to invite people to a life of dying to self.

My fellow blogsters Bunnie Diehl and Pastor Jeff Warner have good stuff to say too.

In Iraq, a 1400 year old custom of Shi'ite Muslims has seen a resurgence: Temporary Marriage. Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, had outlawed this practice, but now it's back in vogue. The way it works is this. If a man sees a woman he wants to have sex with, he "marries" her for an hour or a night or a couple of days. He then has sex with her. And he pays her for it. Naturally, there are some restrictions. She must be unmarried at the time. A married man can do this, but a married woman cannot. A widow is good. A virgin is OK as long as her father consents. They say they do this to cut down on promiscuity. After all, it's not fornication if she's your wife - even if only for the hour. I'm not making this up. (I mentioned this practice in a class I was teaching 6 months ago, and people laughed. I think some thought I was kidding.) The other reason they say they do this is so that widows can make money and provide for themselves. I'll make an outrageous suggestion. If we're concerned about the plight of widows and orphans, why not just GIVE them the money?

Today, we had a congregational one-day retreat on the topic of vocation. That's "vOcation," not "vAcation." All of us have various vocations or callings from God. For instance, I have a divine call to be a pastor. But I am also called by God to be a husband, a father, a son, a citizen, a neighbor, etc. And each person's various vocations have particular functions and responsibilities. Martin Luther's "Table of Duties" in his Small Catechism spells this out quite well.

Each one of us is a "mask of God" as, through us, the Creator continues to sustain His creation. How does God take care of you in the world? Through the farmer who grows your food. Through the grocer who stocks and sells you your food. Through the policeman who protects your life and property. Through doctors and nurses who treat you when you are sick. Through your pastor who applies God's Word to you. And so forth.

Our relationship toward God is defined by faith, the passive reception of God's gifts through His Son: namely, forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. Our relationship toward our neighbor is defined by love, expressed through good works. God uses your good deeds, as you faithfully fulfill your vocations, to sustain those around you. God, after all, does not need your good works. But your neighbor does.

Hearty thanks to Rev. Mark Sell, book editor at Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.

I'm taller than Pastor Sell.

Rev. Mark Sell, retreat leader, man-o-God, cool-shirt-wearing, super book dude

Just because I dig cats...

The ancient Christian Church grew by leaps and bounds on account of the sword. Of course, the sword was aimed AT the Christians, not BY them. Yes, that's right, in the first 3 centuries after Christ's ascension, the Church was hotly persecuted, first by the majority of the Sanhedrin, then by the Romans (and other sundry lovelies). The second century theologian, Tertullian, once said that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.

But the persecution of Christianity is not just an ancient phenomenon. More believers were killed in the 20th century on account of Christ than in the previous 19 combined.

I guess one of the things that concerns me is that not only do most people ignore the plight of persecuted Christians, but many of us refuse to acknowledge one of the chief sources of this strife: the Muslim world. That's why I am very cautious about this new movie on the crusades, "The Kingdom of Heaven." From what I have read thus far, it is revisionistic and soaked in political correctness. WORLD magazine has a good piece on it. And so does columnist Debbie Schlussel. If you only read one thing today (other than the Burr), read Schlussel's article.

I'm not defending the crusades or the acts of the crusaders. The fact of the matter is, insofar as they were guilty of rape, murder and theft, they were acting contrary to the faith of the New Testament. Never once does Jesus Christ or St. Paul urge their followers to take arms. The same cannot be said about Mohammed or the Koran. The ancient church was badly battered by their opponents, even as Jesus had foretold, but they didn't raise militias. They endured their sufferings, mirroring their Savior, with strength supplied by God.

Study the history objectively. In the sixth century, Turkey, the Middle East, northern and eastern Africa, were all heavily Christianized. Within a century or two of Mohammed's birth, his armies had overtaken all these lands. And now they remain the hottest beds of persecution toward Christians and Jews. People forget that Spain was dominated by Islamic occupiers for 800 years. Even in the 16th century, Muslim armies were advancing against Vienna. Dr. Alvin Schmidt records the details of violent Islamic expansion in his book, "The Great Divide." This article from Issues, Etc. gives a pithy summary.

So if you go see "Kingdom of Heaven," please consider doing a bit of study first so your brain won't be confused by the dis-information. Better yet, don't go see it. And keep the iconography in mind. The symbol for Christianity is the cross, the sign of one Divine Man's suffering for the sins of all. The symbol for Islam is the scimatar, a means of inflicting suffering upon all. Hmmmm...

Since everyone on earth (and then some) has read Warren's book, it is necessary to offer some reactions. Actually, not everyone has read it, because I have not. But you probably have. Go to the Preachrblog to find some thoughtful, well-crafted responses by pastors, theologians and laypeople. I don't know about you, but I find meaning for my life in what Christ has done for me, not what I do for Him.

If anyone is interested in listening to Christ-centered, unashamedly Lutheran radio, I have a couple of recommendations for you.

First of all, check us out at "Let's Talk About Jesus." That's the Sunday night radio program on which I am a regular guest with host, Rev. Don Matzat, aired here in Pittsburgh on WORD-FM.

And secondly, I will be interviewed next Wednesday (May 11) from 5:00-5:30 p.m. eastern, on the KFUO radio program "Issues, Etc." in St. Louis about my recent article in Higher Things magazine on the topic of horror movies.

Since I am new to blogging, I have been amazed by some of the awesome Lutheran blogs that are out there. I encourage you to check out the links I post to the right. But here are a few recent highlights:

• Pastor Tom Chryst in Racine, WI over at Preachrblog posts some very edifying sermons and original hymns he has written. I keep meaning to ask his permission to use his hymns in our worship service here. And he said some nice things about the Burr.


• Seminarian Steve Parks over at Sceleratissimus Lutheranus has been writing some interesting things about Mormonism.


• Pastor Jack Kozak from Akron, OH has a very cleverly titled blog: Pastor Kozak. I giggled furiously reading his "Latin You Can Use."
  

I am a pastor with the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. That is the particular denomination of American Lutheranism I belong to. Our church body holds to a classic traditional view of the authority of Scripture. When I post things (like below) about other churches, it is not my way of gloating or trying to look superior. We have our troubles as well. But these are significant events in the life of the Church-at-large and I believe we need to be aware of them.

Six priests in the Episcopal Church-USA, of the Diocese of Connecticut, are being threatened by their bishop with suspension. For what heresy or which manifest immoral failing are their ministries in jeopardy? They are redirecting their financial giving away from the diocese to protest the recent consecration of Gene Robinson, an openly homosexual man, as bishop of New Hampshire. The six priests in Connecticut are also seeking to come under different ecclesiastical supervision since their bishop was one who voted in favor of Robinson's promotion. The controversial new openly gay bishop has severely strained the unity of the worldwide Anglican communion as African and other third-world bishops, typically more biblically conservative, objected to his consecration. My observation (correct me if I'm wrong) is that within Western Anglicanism, everything is tolerated except disobeying your ecclesiastical supervisor. There is already widespread doctrinal chaos in the EC-USA and seldom is a whimper heard about that. But once a few priests reject the authority of their bishop, then look out. The post-modern church doesn't bother itself much with doctrine, only authority and power.

World magazine, a publication you should all subscribe to, covers this story.

As a parish pastor, I never "feel" more like a shepherd than when a member of my flock is dying.

It is a holy and solemn vocation to be able to give comfort to the dying man and his family from the Word of God at times when all other helpers fail.

Y'know, if I put up a sign in the front yard saying, "The Antidote for Death - Free - Inquire Within," or a full page ad in USA Today that announced,"New Discovery - Fountain of Youth Is Real - Phone 555-xxxx," people would be pounding on my door. The phone would never stop ringing.

But isn't that precisely what Christ's Holy Church does present to the world? The antidote to death. The source of eternal health. People will chase every bizarre promise. They will spare no effort or expense to achieve immortality by the craziest means. We live in strange days when the thing which gives real abundant life is scorned and all that brings death is embraced.