The Burr in the Burgh

Announcing a new residence for my blog. The Burr in the Burgh will now have this address:

www.burrintheburgh.com

Please update your listings.

Time to compare web browsers. Do any of you web savvy browser mavens have insights into the new browser "Google Chrome?" Is it worth investigating?

I prefer Firefox over everything I've tried because it's just super customizable and functional for me. Some webpages only work properly when viewed on IE, so I do keep that one around basically put I have to. I tried Safari but didn't like it. Opera is great because it is super fast. I've even used Flock which is very cool for social networking. Now what about Chrome?

My wife's latest children's book is Gobble-Gobble Crash: A Barnyard Counting Bash published by Dutton. Unlike most of Julie's books which can be purchased from CPH, this one is not religious.

Her latest book is also one of her earliest books. I remember the day she wrote it in our backyard in Pittsburgh about eight or nine years ago. For those of you who aspire to publish, patience is your friend.

Recently, I read that the Roman Catholic Church will soon be revising the wording of bits of their liturgy. The discussion then ensued about whether liturgical language should be lofty or more colloquial.

I noticed from the examples I read online that a number of the "updates" actually bring the new Roman mass closer to our Lutheran worship texts. So I asked our seminary Dean of Chapel, the Rev. Dr. Paul Grime, to comment. Prior to coming to teach at the seminary a year ago, he was the chief architect of our synod's newest hymnal.

His comments are found on our seminary blog here.

John McCain has never been my favorite Republican. I haven't always agreed with him on every issue. I'm not a hard right-winger or anything. I really don't like Rush Limbaugh (oooooooh). I am definitely no Libertine, uh, I mean Libertarian.

I believe in fiscal responsibility, but I am not voting primarily on the economy. As I understand it, human governments are instituted by God primarily to protect us. One of the few real reasons we need a federal government is to raise and command armed forces.

That's how God protects us on a national scale. The armed forces. In a more personal sense, God protects us through legislature, courts and law enforcement.

And here is where the rubber hits the road for me. If you and I cannot agree on the definition of "human being," we've got problems. How can a man deny that a human zygote or a fetus deserves to be protected? Even a mangy dog will protect his pregnant bitch. Even a goose will become aggressive if you approach her eggs. In other words, denying the humanity of an unborn child is contrary to natural law. And everyone knows it.

A leader who will not agree that it is his/her divine calling to defend every person in his realm, the aged, the ill, and in utero is both self-deluded and dangerous.

What is a human being? If you don't know or are not sure, then you are not qualified to govern.

I believe that John McCain and Sarah Palin know what a human being is. And they know it would be their responsibility to protect all Americans.

A Russian judge ruled that it is acceptable for men to sexually harass women in the workplace because such behavior helps to insure the survival of the species. No, you know what would really help the human species survive?? The banning of abortions. Russia has one of the highest abortion rates in the world, something like 2 abortions for every live birth.

Is this for real? I expected to see that this came from a humor mag like The Onion. It seems like a real news item.

Thanks to SouthCon for this nifty tool. A page called Glassbooth can show you which of the presidential candidates most closely shares your views on a variety of subjects.

A Visual Dictionary.

I think this is amazing! A dictionary which uses visual dynamics to show how a word relates to other words while defining it. You have to see it.

Text: Luke 1:39-55

There are only 133 shopping days left until Christmas. If you are like most people, here in the middle of the August heat and humidity, Christmas is probably the farthest thing from your mind. It seems strange to consider at this time the narrative of the Annunciation, the Holy Family, and Mary’s visitation to Elizabeth. But there is good reason for us to do so. There is always good reason to examine the deeds of God in and among his people.

The early fathers of the Lutheran Reformation continued to faithfully observe much of the same holy calendar which had become custom in the West. Even though many Lutherans today feel uncomfortable with recognizing saint days, that was not the case for our spiritual forefathers. They knew that there were indeed certain excesses and malpractices to be avoided. But they also well understood the value and benefit of observing these special occasions in the liturgical life of the church.

One of the benefits of remembering the saints, for instance, is for our encouragement and the strengthening of our faith. How does this happen? When we recall the marvelous things which God accomplished through those earthen vessels, we respond in hearty thanks and praise. Look how God Almighty rescued the Israelites from cruel slavery in Egypt through His servants Moses and Aaron and Joshua. See again how God defended His people from the giant Goliath through a shepherd boy’s sling. These accounts along with dozens of others help us to understand the nature of God, that He protects His children and provides for them. As it was in the past, so it will be today. God is at work even now guarding you against the Evil One and He is providing for your needs of body and spirit. You and I have never seen God directly. No, God is known through His deeds. And His greatest deeds are often accomplished through men and women He chooses. No one sees God directly. But we see Him at work in our world through those whom He calls and appoints to serve us. God is active in our government officials, through public servants, through police and firefighters, through doctors and scientists, through farmers and laborers. It is by those means that He helps you, defends you, feeds you and heals you.

Furthermore, our faith can strengthened when we recall the great compassion He has shown toward sinners. David was forgiven for his adulterous affair. St. Peter was absolved for denying Christ. When we see the mercy of God at work in the lives of Christians who have gone before, we can take heart that God’s mercy will extend also to us. God is good to sinful men and women. In our corporate confession of sins we acknowledge that we deserve to be punished for our sins both now in time and forever in eternity. But God does not treat us as our sins deserve. He loves you and extends the hand of friendship to you. He invites us into His presence to enjoy table fellowship with Him.

A couple of years ago, I was a guest at a family’s house for their New Year’s Eve celebration. I’d never met them before. I was traveling for the seminary and circumstances just worked out for me to be there that night. In some ways, I felt very out of place at that meal and the celebration of the evening. This family and their group of friends were all wealthy, highly educated people, people in positions of power and authority and influence. And then there was little ol’ me. But I guess I would say that was one of the most enjoyable New Year’s Eve celebrations I have every experienced. The meal was grand and expensive. We were served delicacies and wines of the highest quality. But the main reason it was such a pleasantly memorable night for me was because of the warm welcome that I was shown. Though I was a stranger, though I am not a person of affluence and power, everyone was kind and gracious. They made me feel welcome and as though I belonged.

We are unworthy of standing in the holy awesome presence of God. Our God is a consuming fire. It is a fearful terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God. But we can come into His presence, not trembling with self loathing, terrified of His wrath, unsure of our standing before Him. Because of the work of Jesus Christ upon the cross, we are declared righteous in the eyes of God Almighty. Our sins have been atoned for in full by the bloody sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And it is on His account, by His merit, that we can enjoy God’s good favor and be welcomed into His festal hall.

Our faith is fortified when we understand that God so often chooses the weakest and lowliest among us to accomplish His purposes. This was never more true than in His selection of Mary of Nazareth to bear and deliver His Son. In the eyes of the world, she was nothing. She was a peasant, a nobody, a peon. But in the eyes of God, she was precious beyond measure. It was not due to any merit or virtue in her as a person that God chose her. It was purely out of God’s incredible grace that He showed His servant this unspeakable kindness, that she should become the Mother of our Lord.

It seems to me that Mary, the mother of our Lord, was one of the world’s most profound theologians. For in her beautiful song, the Magnicat, she exhibits an understanding of the ways of God which seems to escape so many wise heads both then and now. She sang, “He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away….” She understood so eloquently that God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. For it would be the way of the world to bless the rich and curse the poor, to admire the strong and despise the weak. But God lifts up the lowly and removes the haughty. Beware all you who are confident in yourselves, for God will leave you to yourself. The God of Moses and David and Peter and Mary is the God who dines with sinners. He is the God who comes down to the lowly and then exalts them. He has come for you. God, in Christ, has chosen you in your sorrow, your fear, your failure, your unhappiness. He has chosen you in your sin, your rebellion, your disease. God Has chosen you to be the lords and ladies of His Kingdom. He will wipe your face. He will dress you in finery. He will take you proudly, a groom with his bride, into the hall where angels will bow before us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our family left Friday night for our annual two week vacation. For the past several years, we've gone to Colorado (Denver, Colo Springs, Rocky Mtn National Park, Grand Lake, Glenwood Springs), which we always enjoy. But this time, we just wanted to see something different. Jacob's never seen any part of New England and I've only seen parts of it in passing.

11:45 p.m. Friday, July 25: We got two sleeping compartments on the Amtrack which took us from the station north of Fort Wayne all the way to Washington D.C.

3:30 p.m. Saturday, July 26: Arrived in D.C. and took cab to hotel in downtown, about a mile from the Capitol building.

4:00-10:00 p.m. July 26: Got checked in and hung around the hotel. We ordered room services. Jacob and I got some mean chicken wings. Julie ordered a salad. And a bucket of Amstell Light. Went swimming on the rooftop pool.

J & J went on a walk and took some nice snapshots. I stayed at the pool area to finish reading Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is really good, by the way.

10:30 p.m., July 26: Sack time.

St. Paul wrote: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy— think about such things (Phil. 4:8)."

Many Christians read this passage and focus on the pure & lovely. But notice that the first word Paul uses is TRUE. Think on the truth. Not every truth is delightful to behold. According to the pure & lovely standard, narrowly understood, one might need to exclude important scriptures such as the beheading of Goliath, the global destruction of the flood, the slaughter of the priests of Baal on Mt. Carmel, or the torture and murder of Jesus. Those are horrifying scenes indeed. I know of people who have been deeply upset to learn of such excessive violence in Holy Scripture. In some cases, their very faith was shaken. The book of Ecclesiastes often takes fire for being, in the eyes of some, a hopeless text. The Gospels are blamed for inciting hatred against the Jews. The epistles of St. Paul have several rather harsh blasts of holy anger. My point is that the Bible itself contains much distasteful content. It is, at times, disturbing, unsettling, and infuriating.

Other important works of literature may not pass the pure & lovely test either, including the plays of Shakespeare (Macbeth, Hamlet, Titus Andronicus), Homer's Odyssey, the novels of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Graham Greene, and John Steinbeck to name only a few.

Some Christians will disagree with me vehemently, but I think the latest cinematic Batman episode, The Dark Knight, written and directed by Chris Nolan, is a work of genius. Yes, it is dark. Yes, parts of it are hard to watch. But it tells the truth, at least part of it. An important part.

I'm no expert on the work of Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross, but I am familiar with his great work entitled "Dark Night of the Soul." That phrase has come to refer to those times in the life of a person when God seems particularly distant, when the soul is alone with his corruption. That's what this movie is about. The Joker is the archetypal man.

Much of contemporary culture is infused with a deadly optimism about human nature. And this is a demonic lie which blinds people to the depth of their need for someone more than a super-hero, a true white and noble Knight to rescue them.

Mutilation. Disfigurement. Anarchy. Random violence. Betrayal. It's no Frank Capra flick. Chris Nolan did not make a "feel good" picture. But he did make a great movie that tells the important truth of mankind's deep inbred narcissism. Without external restraints, we are worse than savages. Apart from restoration in Christ, all people are disfigurements. Deep beneath the veneer of civility, all human beings are unfunny clowns who appear to thrive on mayhem. At one point, the Joker says, "Madness is like gravity. All people need is a little push."

One extremely useful insight the film conveys is the utter meaninglessness of evil. We don't want to believe that. We constantly want to explain away our bad behavior, to make excuses, to justify ourselves. I steal because I'm poor. I hate because I'm ignorant. I kill because I'm a victim. Ultimately, that is just baloney. We do those things because we are bad. That's all. Sinners sin because they are sinful.

The Joker says, "Do I really look like a man with a plan, Harvey? I don't have a plan. The mob has plans, the cops have plans. You know what I am, Harvey? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do if I caught one. I just *do* things."

Alfred, Batman's butler, gets it. He says, "Some men aren't looking for anything logical. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."

In the dark night of the soul, when God is absent, there is no meaning, no purpose, no direction. Even an evil direction would be more bearable than having none whatsoever. Of course, Chris Nolan's masterpiece knows nothing of the dawn, the Morning Star (Rev. 22:16). But if you can sit through the 2 1/2 hours of "Dark Knight" and not exit craving the sunshine, you are made of cement.

The untimely death of actor Heath Ledger several months ago, makes his performance particularly bitter to watch. What a loss. His Joker strikes me as one of the most amazing on-screen performances I've ever seen. Of course, it goes a bit over-the-top. It has to. Otherwise most of us would scarcely notice. As Flannery O'Connor once said, "you have to make your vision apparant by shock, to the hard of hearing, you must shout. And for the almost blind, you draw large and startling figures."

In my judgment, this is not a movie about Batman. It's about the Joker. Which is to say that it's about me. The Joker is a mirror, a truth-teller of unpretty realities.

June 21, 2008
Text: Colossians 2: 1-12

When I was a teenager - about 150,000 years ago - I was a pretty big fan of riding roller coasters. The amusement park near where I grew up in Kansas City, MO is called Worlds of Fun. I can remember the first roller coaster that I ever rode that had a loopty loop. It was called the Scream Roller. The first wooden coaster I rode was the Timber Wolf. But my all-time favorite, which now no longer exists, I'm sad to say, was the Orient Express. I could go on and on. And now I have the joy of watching my almost 13-year-old son become entusiastic about theme parks and extreme thrill rides.

Last year, I went with the Academy to Cedar Point and a great time, even though my stomach cannot tolerate the rides like it used to. There is just something about being thrust along at 70 m.p.h., 75 degree angles, 350 foot drops, loops, twirls, corkscrews and having my head jostled around, back and forth, like a bobble-headed doll in an earthquake that just is not as fun as it used to be. It can be disorienting. It makes me feel dizzy and light-headed and yes, maybe even a little bit nauseous.

Like so many things, this can be a metaphor for life. Is your life merely a day at the park? All fun and games? Cotton candy for dinner and ice cream for dessert? Or is it sometimes fun and sometimes confusing, disorienting, dizzying, terrifying or even nauseating?

We have an enemy, the devil, and he is a liar. Jesus said that the devil has been lying from the very beginning. Ever since he told that deadly little fib to our first mother, Eve, in the garden of earthly delights. Jesus said that when the devil lies, he is speaking his native language.

The very best lies, the most effective deceptions, are those which are blended with a dose of the truth. The difficulty is being able to divide the truth from the errors. St. Paul speaks to us today and he says: "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ."

This is precisely the reason why I rejoice to God that all of you are here at Christ Academy these two weeks at the end of June. Some of you are here for the very first time and others of you have been here year after year. Frankly, I consider that to be a miracle of God. It is miraculous that you young men, with all the world's temptations displayed lavishly before you, have chosen to be here in humble Fort Wayne, IN in order to study the very words of our great and living God. You are here by God's design. Not your own. And what we give you here are not the philosophies of this age, the empty traditions of men, but rather the truth of Jesus Christ. Jesus said that the truth shall make you free. Well, He is the truth. He is the One who makes us free. Not as a mere theory or abstraction but in reality, in flesh-and-blood, in history, on the earth.

We want you to have fun while you are here as well. And we schedule a number of events and activities that we think you will enjoy like Cedar Point yesterday, the baseball game on monday, a movie night later next week. We want you to enjoy the good things of God's world and to make lasting friendships with one another. But most importantly, Christ Academy exists in order to train young men in the things of the spirit, to deepen the roots of your faith in the soil of Holy Scripture and perhaps even to equip some of you for a later life of formation and pastoral ministry.

One of the most pernicious and persistent lies of this age is the doctrine of naturalism or scientific materialism. This is the belief that all there is to human existence is summed up in what the hand can hold and the eyes can see. Very persuasive entities in our culture maintain that nothing exists except that which can be observed. And although most Americans still profess some kind of belief in God, many are living as if all that really matters is material stuff: money, possessions, bodily enticements, and the feeding of your carnel appetites.

St. Pauls was concerned for the congregation in Colossai that they not be, as he puts it, deluded by plausible arguments. That rebelliousness that resides inside all of us wants to be deluded by plausible arguments. We want to be persuaded that the pursuit of earthly gain is a good thing. We want to believe that everything is ok and we are alright in the sight of God, all on our own, no matter what. A part of you wants to be independent, not just from your parent, teachers and human authority, but from God Himself. And there is nothing natural or good or beneficial in that rebelious wish. In fact, it is destructive, corrosive, poisonous and foul.

In our reading from Colossians chapter 2, St. Paul states: Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in him.... "Walk in him" is a common biblical way of saying live your life in Christ, take every step in fellowship with Jesus. He says, "as you recevied Christ Jesus... so walk in Him." In other words, live your life as a Christian in the same manner as you began it. And how did you receive Christ? In what manner did that occur? Certainly, not as a result of your good works. Not by the effect of your will. No, you received Christ Jesus by God's grace. He gave Himself to you at your Baptism. He continues to give Himself to you in preaching, absolution and the sacrament of the altar. God is a giver. It is the very nature of God for Him to offer himself to those whom he loves. That is the definition of love, the giving of oneself to another, with no thought for personal gain. Our Lord has no need of us. There is nothing compelling Him to love us, forgive us or save us. This He does freely, purely out of goodness and mercy, concepts which we can never fully understand. For just as it is the very nature of God to give, it is the very nature of created beings to receive.

You have received Christ and with Christ, you receive all things, forgiveness, righteousness, and abundant life both now and forever. As Christians and as sons of God, we live by faith, not by sight. The Bible says, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Heb. 11:1)." Contrary to the philosphers of this age who place their ultimate hope in material goods, we see what lies beyond.

It reminds me a little bit of those police television shows where the detectives are interrogating their prisoners in the poorly lit room with no windows. There is only a single long mirror on the wall. But of course, we the viewers all know that it is not really a mirror, but a two way glass and that there are other detectives on the other sides observing all that takes place.

Like the suspect in the interrogation chamber, the people of this world look and all that they see is a reflection of themselves. We are on the other side of the wall and because of illumination we have in Christ, we can see through the glass, not at ourselves, but at reality as it truly exists.

You know the truth about yourselves, about this world and its passing fantasies. You know the truth about your Creator and your eternal destiny in Him. For Jesus Christ, in whom dwells all the fullness of the deity in bodily form, He has suffered and died on your behalf, in your place, in the place of sinners, so that we who were once captivated by the lies of Satan, in bondage not with shackles of iron but with the brittle chains of false promises. And you have been liberated from your bondage, set free from captivity, unleashed by the pronouncement of God. In Jesus' name. Amen.

I'm back in my hometown area, Kansas City, MO, doing a bit of recruiting for the seminary. I do love being here. One thing I'd nearly forgotten about is the legendary Winstead's burger joint. I'm glad to see there are some new locations, but this place is pretty unique to Kansas City. There just happens to be one near my hotel. I haven't eaten there yet, but will probably for dinner tonight. They have arguably the best steakburgers in the world and the awesomest chocolate malts named The Frosty long before there ever was such thing as Wendy's. They've been in business since 1940.

If you ever come to Kansas City, MO, there are a few must sees. One is the excellent art museum, the Nelson Atkins gallery. I've been to art museums all of the nation and the one in KC is one of the best. Another is Gate's Bar-B-Q. But if you don't at least once at Winstead's, there's something wrong.

A great pal has this short insightful post on his blog, The Lutheran Logomaniac.

In case you've wondered at the recent scarcity of posts here, I have been putting most of my blogging energy recently into the new seminary admission department blog called Concordia TheoBLOGical Seminary. Come pay a visit.

Penis Theft Panic Hits City

I don't know yet what I think of Stumpedia. It's interesting. I've been adding a bunch of links. You should too.

I think this is great!

South Wisconsin District Votes Unanimously to Support "Issues, Etc."

Did you just figure out how to get online a year ago? Have you only recently discovered what "Googling" means? Well, get ready for the next information technology paradigm shift.

European scientists are unveiling something called "the Grid" which is supposed to be so fast that it will download full length feature films in two seconds.

Check it out.

I've been doing some research lately on the history and practice of Satanism. I just finished Lure of the Sinister: The Unnatural History of Satanism, in which the author, Gareth Medway, argues that there is no proof of any satanic crimes or ritual abuse/murders, as was the scare in the 60s, 70s and 80s. For the longest time, it was frequently reported that covens were sexually abusing, torturing, and murdering children and adults in Black Masses or other satanic rituals.

You can see evidence of this popular fascination with Satan by the way scary movies changed in the 1970s. In the 30s, horror films dealt mostly with mythical and literary figures. In the 40s and 50s, the struggles with fascism and communism were mirrored in alien invasion pictures. Also in the 50s, a string of atomic mutant films emerged with giant ants, Godzilla, etc. But in the 60s and 70s, the horror themes became much darker. That's when satanic conspiracies were in the backs of peoples' minds, i.e. The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby, The Omen.

Medway posits that this is a phenomena akin to people who talk about being abducted by aliens: lots of reports and rumors with scant physical evidence.

Certainly, we saw lots of "survivors" of ritual abuse and former high priestesses on Oprah and Sally Jessy Raphael. In the 70s and 80s, a popular evangelical preacher/comedian named Mike Warnke made an impression on me. I had some of his comedy tapes and I thought he was hilarious. But then he would become serious and talk about his years as a satanic high priest as his evangelistic hook. The trouble is that he made it all up. He was exposed as a liar and fake. Medway points out that this is the pattern with most of these scenarios.

Gareth Medway is not unbiased. His inclinations are easily apparent. He reveals upfront that he is a practicing pagan. And it is evident that he believes that followers of dark spiritualities have been persecuted by narrow minded Christians. Indeed, many innocents have had their reputations destroyed by the conspiracy theorists.

I don't know if he's right or not about satanic crimes and ritual abuse. And it is helpful to distinguish between Wiccans, neopagans, Church of Satanists and run-of-the-mill devil worshippers. What is crucial, I believe, is that the Christian Church have a clear understanding of the person and work of Satan. Out of sight, out of mind. But this mustn't be out of our mind. If the sensational stories are mostly bunk, there still is a rebellious spirit who oppresses the earth and all upon it.

I posted a commentary on the incarnation and abortion over at the seminary blog. Go here to check it out.

I'm thoroughly enjoying Anne Rice's second novel about Jesus, having read and enjoyed the first when it came out. It's called, Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana. Her first novel about Jesus which looked at a portion of his childhood is Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt.

I am one who has also read a couple of her former vampire books, and derived a certain literary enjoyment even from them. She is, without question, a gifted writer.

And I can't imagine the overpowering experience it must have been to pen these books on Jesus' life, especially as they are told in the first person, from the Lord's point of view. I would be terrified to attempt that. And I ordinarily would scoff at anyone who would be bold enough to attempt it.

But my impression is that she pulls it off. The books are reverent without being saccharine or entirely predictable or boring. Her extensive biblical and historical research is evident, but not in the sense of bogging down the story. Rather in the sense of illuminating it. Writing these must have been an act of worship for her. I can see no other way. Only with much prayer and fasting could one do this.

I have not finished The Road to Cana yet, but what I've read so far is very encouraging.

Dr. Gene Vieth posts some new remarks from Rice about her conversion over on his blog. Go here to see.

We have two cats and one dog. Our dog happens to be one of the most popular breeds, a Golden Retriever.

Living with these animals, I enjoy observing their behavior especially as they relate to Julie and Jacob and I.

The dog is an innocent. She really is without guile. This animal adores us. She worships us. Her greatest desire is to please us. Her greatest fear is our displeasure. If anything, she is too obsequious. It gets kind of pathetic at times, her constant need for our approval. But that is unarguably a dog's charm. There is no one more loyal, no one more faithful, no one more reliable than one's pet dog. Man's best friend. She is also a pacifist. Don't raise your voice in her presence. Don't appear to make any threatening gestures. If she thinks you are getting violent, she will not hesitate to take you DOWN! She even breaks up the cats when they fight with each other. Though Lucy can be annoying as she fawns for attention, she is amazing in that she is always happy to see me, she is always the first one to greet me when I get home from work, she is always ready to do whatever I desire. I have no greater fan than Lucy and no more loyal subject.

The cats are different. Everyone knows that. They are more solitary animals. In their feral state, dogs live in packs while cats are their own masters. They do like human companionship but they aren't as obsessed with us as the dog is. The relationship is always on their terms.

I am clearly Lucy's master. Not so with the kitties. They acknowledge no lord but themselves. I exist to serve them, not the other way around.

When Lucy does something "bad," and I scold her, her emotional state is clear as crystal. Immediate remorse and fear of punishment. The cats don't give a rip. Oh, they know what I'm saying, they just don't care.

Not all cats and dogs are the same. When you are around them for any stretch of time, you begin to note their unique "personalities." But what amazes and amuses me, at times, is how much they reflect various aspects of people.

All I can say is "Wow!" Julie and I watched Across the Universe this evening after a romantic dinner at the Glenbrook Mall food court. It's a terrific film, particularly for music lovers. When was the last time you saw a really good new movie musical? Moulin Rouge? Chicago? Those were good, but this one transcends them.

Hearing all those incredible Beatles songs in these new settings was a really powerful experience for me. I've always liked a lot of their stuff, but tonight I completely fell head-over-heels in love with them all over again. Man, oh man.

Just the other day, Julie and I were listening to some of the tracks from Abbey Road and remarking on how creative was the Fab Four. Every song is completely unique. They sound like absolutely no one else. Poets and musical geniuses really. Most of today's popular music sounds like the same song just replayed over and over again. Blah! Like eating nothing but Saltine crackers for every meal.

Over impressed with their massive talent, I'd almost forgotten how truly sweet and charming so many of their songs are. And humorous too. But the performances in Universe with the art, the style, the dance, the design, the 1001 inside jokes and references, and the story moved me. Bravo!

It's not very politically correct, and in some quarters is not even safe, to say that Islam is a problem. A couple of years ago, I spent several days in the Kenya/Sudan border town of Lokichoggio in the Turkana district of Kenya. If you've seen the movie Constant Gardener, Loki factors into that plot. Getting to know one of the Christian men there, I noticed that he kept referring to a lot of the locals simply as al Quaeda. Here in the U.S., of course, one think of that term to refer to a very specific group of Islamic terrorists. I asked my new friend about this and he simply said that that is how they refer to all Muslims there.

My point is that the soft and ignorant Westerners tend to want to assume the best of everyone. All Muslims are nice until proven otherwise, we are prone to think. I'm just not so sure. People in other parts of the world, such as Africa, seem to perceive Islam a bit differently.

I'm delighted to report that our seminary is hosting a conference on the challenge of Islam led by Dr. Adam S. Francisco, of our CTS faculty. Click here for the brochure.

Third Sunday in Lent
February 24, 2008
Text: Lk 11.14-28

We don’t know much about the man who was possessed by the demon in Luke chapter 11. We don’t know his name or where he came from. We don’t know how long he’d been possessed or how he came to become possessed. All we do know is that while he was under the control of Satan, he was mute. And when Jesus performed the exorcism, the man began to speak.

There were three types of response to this miracle. The Scripture says that some were amazed. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. They conclude, and rightly so, that this is clear evidence that God is moving amongst them in powerful ways. Matthew's account tells us that a hopeful murmur went up from the crowd, "Could this be the Son of David?" Is he the one?

Incredibly, some of them doubted and said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” The word “Beelzebub” is usually translated as “Lord of the Flies.” It could also be “Lord of the Dung Heap.” This verse reminds me that there are always people who insist on seeing everything in the worst light. They aren’t happy unless they’re mad at something. A man is delivered from a debilitating demonic affliction. It must be the work of the devil. They can’t tell the difference between good or evil. God blesses them and they insist that it’s a curse.

Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. But if releasing a man from demonic possession is not a sign, I don’t know what is. What they had just witnessed in the cleaning of the demoniac was an unambiguous demonstration of the power of God. Yet they are so blind to God’s mercy that they fail to see the obvious.

Jesus' exorcism of demons should be seen as signs pointing to the arrival of the Kingdom of God, just as seeing leaves budding on the trees is an indication that the lifeless tyranny of winter is coming to an end. The exorcisms indicate that an invincible, world-transforming potency has been set in motion. The visions of the prophets are being fulfilled! The day is dawning. The night is over.

Remember the song?

Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch!
Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead.
Wake up - sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed.
Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead. She's gone where the goblins go,
Below - below - below. Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out.
Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low.
Let them know The Wicked Witch is dead!

The scene in The Wizard of Oz when the munchkins realize that their oppressor had been crushed under Dorothy’s house?

Jesus is not a pacifist. Elsewhere he said, “Do not think that I came to bring peace to the world, but a sword.”

The Muslims speak of the concept of a jihad, or a holy war. The only holy war is the war that Christ has waged against the Devil. And it is a war that will not be fought and won with bullets and guns. Our sword is the Word of God that pierces through your armor of defensiveness and self-justification. There is no diplomacy. There is no negotiation. There is no appeasement. There is only crushing, brutal, devastating victory from the ashes of which springs new life.

There are no Switzerlands in spiritual warfare. Neutrality is not an option. No one is merely an onlooker. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. It is impossible to remain uninvolved in the conflict of the ages – the conflict between the Church Militant on earth, and the satanic realm of darkness and evil.

On the one side, there is joy and peace and knowledge and power. And on the other is madness, horror, idiocy, rage, impotence, and eternal loneliness.

In Matthew chapter 16, Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” I think many times Christians understand this to mean that God will preserve His Church on earth through every toil and pain, that no matter what evil Satan pours out upon us, the Holy Church will endure by the grace of God. It certainly means that, but also something more. The idea is not merely that the Church will survive, but that the Church will prevail. It says the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against us. We, the church, are on the offense. We are not quietly enduring the assaults of the devil. No, the Church is laying siege to hell itself. And the battering ram of the gospel, of the good news of forgiveness, will shatter the gates of Satan’s realm. The chains of guilt which bound us drop from our arms and the prisoners, newly freed, go delirious with their freedom. In Christ, the dominion of evil is ended. By his glorious resurrection from the dead, our Lord Jesus is not merely a survivor. He is the victor. Christ’s epic battle with Satan is not some kind of draw or stalemate or deadlock. He won the decisive victory. He is the champion and his scars are his trophies. Jesus is the victor and He shares the spoils with all of us.

But that does not mean there will not still be trouble for us here. The enemy insurgents are still trying to sabotage Christ’s victory. But do not be afraid.

A couple of years ago, when I was still pastoring a congregation in Pittsburgh, PA, there was one Sunday morning when I was sitting in the Sedalia off the to the side of the chancel during the hymn just before the sermon and I saw coming toward me on the carpet a big, black, fuzzy spider. Of all of God’s creatures, the spider is one of the few that creeps me out. I know I should have been paying attention to the hymn or at least thinking pious thoughts in preparation for delivering the message. But I just kept watching that little fiend coming closer and closer. Finally, it came to the point, where I felt action was required on my part. So right when he got to my foot, I lifted my black, leather, wingtip shoe to send him to his maker when the most amazing thing occurred. For at that moment, the spider must have detected my challenge and he stopped in his tracks and he raised up his legs at my shoe like this (demonstrate). Now I almost had to laugh because, his threatening gesture aside, I knew without a shadow of doubt that I was going to smoosh him. And I did. That spider was no match for the sole of my shoe.

In the words of Jesus this morning, Satan is the strong man who has built a fortress around his possessions. And we are born into this world as objects of God’s wrath. Before we do or say anything, we are alienated and enemies of our Creator. And we are fully subjects of the Evil One. Looking all around you, it is obvious the mastery which Satan has in this world, this fallen order of things. Yes, Satan is strong. He is the strong man. But Jesus Christ is the stronger man who comes to invade the devil’s fortress. Jesus Christ breaks down the doors of hell and He overpowers the tyrant. And He expels that bully, that braggart, from our lives forever. And He did so with the flick of His finger.

Once upon a time, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, and Pharaoh would not let them go. How were they eventually freed? God Almighty attacked the arrogance of Pharaoh and his evil magicians with one plague after another to confound them. In exasperation the sorcerers and witch doctors of Egypt exclaimed: "This is the finger of God" (Exodus 8:18). That is the same unusual phrase Jesus uses this morning. He casts out demonsby the finger of God. We are also told that after God finished speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him two tablets of stone, written by “the finger of God.” Jesus had the same power and authority as Yahweh when He emancipated His people of old. And He comes to emancipate us as well.

Think of that the next time you see your pastor use finger to make the sign of the cross upon the baptized to mark him as one redeemed by Christ the crucified. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

The famous first line of the novel Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy is: Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Tolstoy was a brilliant writer but I think he’s got it wrong. It’s exactly the opposite. It’s unhappiness that is monochrome, uniform and boring. Joy is lively and complex and filled with an abundance of variation.

Thanks to Rev. Paul McCain for bringing this fine article by Pastor William Weedon to light. Did Lutheranism exist before there was a Martin Luther? In other words, did the Lutheran Reformers innovate a new doctrine or are the standards of the Reformation truly catholic? Read and enjoy.

UPDATE: Here it is as a pdf.

If you are a conservative Republican but find yourself getting tired of Rush and other rightist blowhards talking as if a McCain nomination will be the end of the world, check out this article from the National Review Online by William Bennett and Seth Liebsohn. They argue quite soundly that John McCain is no liberal and would be lightyears better for America than any Democratic nominee. In fact, McCain is a conservative who has taken some liberal positions. While I don't necessarily agree with everything McCain stands for, I'd take him as president in a heartbeat.

The two issues that speak loudest to me personally are life and national defense. John McCain's voting record in the Senate speaks for itself. He is strongly pro-life and strongly pro-military.

HT to Gene Veith.

Some people are dog people and some are cat people. I'm both. Or one of each. Or whatever. Growing up we always had a dog. But then as a married couple, me going to seminary, living in apartments, Julie and I decided to get a cat. Well, actually, a group of sixth graders in Alhambra, California decided to get us a cat, a kitten. Julie was their teacher and that was her going away present. And we have been cat people ever since. Now our household includes 2 cats and a Golden Retriever. Yesh, cats and dogs living together.

Somewhere I read a quote, I believe from C.S. Lewis, where he opines as to why God gives us animals for pets. Scientific studies show that pet owners tend to have less stress, lower blood pressure, and live longer. Having an animal can be beneficial for a person's physical and mental health. But the quote I'm seeking says something to the effect that God teaches us to be gentle and merciful through animals. In other words, if a man is able to have pity on a beast, it inclines him to being merciful with other people.

Of course, we know with the extremes of the animal "rights" movement today that loving animals and loving people do not automatically go together. They say that Adolph Hitler loved dogs. But the extremists aside, there may be a principle truth in the elusive quote nonetheless. At least the adverse is true. People who are intentionally cruel to animals, who take pleasure in the suffering of senseless beasts, are deeply impaired and are likely incapable of compassion. Most serial murderers and sociopaths have a history of tormenting animals before they take out their aggressions on other persons.

Does anyone know the Lewis quote I'm thinking of?

Below is the homily I delivered this morning in chapel.


Kramer Chapel
February 4, 2008
Text: Luke 9:23-27

And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? 26For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. 27But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."

In a fundamental sense, your salvation is something that happens out side of you, extra nos. We speak in our circles of objective justification. By this, we mean that your redemption was accomplished as a real historical event when the Son of God bled and died as a sacrificial lamb upon the altar of the cross. At that moment, God’s just anger toward sin was quenched and satisfied forever. And that is not a thing which happens in your heart or as a result of your actions or by any movement of your will.

Another Christian once asked me, “Are you saved?” And I said, “Yes.” The person then asked me, when were you saved? And I said: “I was saved when Jesus died on the cross for me. Why? When were you saved?”

Your salvation is an objective fact, a reality that occurs outside of you. Christianity then at its very heart is not about you. It is about Jesus. From our perspective, it is never about us.

But from the perspective of God, it is always about you. It is you specifically that our Lord had in mind when he He told Nicodemus that God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son. Jesus said that God loved the world. Who is meant by that phrase, “the world?” The world is not just some abstraction, some generic concept, not a platonic idea. The world refers to you! Whom does God love? The world. That is to say, He loves you.

Love is never a hypothetical. Cartoonist Charles Schulz once said, “I love mankind. It’s people I can’t stand.” Its corollary for the church, I suppose, would be, “I love the church. It’s the individual members I can’t stand.” That line is humorous to us because it’s so obviously ridiculous but it’s also how most of us feel at least part of the time. But the truth of the matter is that you cannot love in the abstract. Nor does God. The world which God loves and for whom He sent his only-begotten Son is you and it is me.

Likewise, when John the Baptist hollered from banks of the Jordan, “Behold, there goes the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” There is a part of you that finds it easier to believe that God loves the world than that he loves you. And that same part finds it easier to believe that the Lamb of God paid for the sins of the world than to consider that He has atoned for your sins. This is manifest in every Christian, particularly every preacher, who confidently declares to others the mercies of God in Christ, but who continues to languish in guilt of his own.

I started this homily pointing out that there is something objective and external about the justification of sinners. But that coin naturally has another side to it for whoever heard of a one-sided coin? On one side, your salvation is objective, occurring outside of yourself, taking place through historical events and residing in the heart of God. Jesus Christ died for you. His death is the once for all, all-sufficient sacrifice to pay for our disobedience: thought, word and deed. But you also must undergo death and resurrection in Him. Salvation is founded extra nos, outside of us, but it does not remain extra nos.

See how naturally Jesus goes from speaking of his own cross to speaking of ours:

22And he said, "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life

23Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Crucifixion was a demeaning form of execution. It is an absurdity. It is an obscenity. The cross means one thing: death by torture. To die in Jesus Christ is the painful death of the old nature. German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, wrote in his most famous book, “When Christ calls a man, He bids Him come and die.” Sounds very appealing does it not? Not too many evangelism programs will be adopting that line as their motto. And if every Christian is called to suffer and die in Christ, then that cross is all the heavier for those called into the Office of the Holy Ministry. Here is what Martin Luther said in one of his house postils: "To the devil with this position! I'm ready to chuck it. That's what it means to have an office. To be on top is no frolic or bunny dance. It entails work and stress, so that no one in his right mind would actively seek it." No one in his right mind, Luther said, would actively seek to hold an office in the church.

First of all, I’d be very curious to know what a “bunny dance” is exactly. But I think I get the gist of it. Do you love this world? Do you desire comfort and pleasure? Then you should not be a student here. I say this with every ounce of sincerity I am able to muster, the pastoral ministry is filled with moments of tremendous joy. I, Scott Stiegemeyer, am very pleased to work at this institution, but I would be able to return to parish ministry without a blink of hesitation. To paraphrase slightly one of the characters in The Hammer of God, I can think of nothing more wonderful than to be a pastor in God’s church. But a “bunny dance,” my friends, it is not.

Here we are, on the brink of lent. Tomorrow is fat Tuesday, one last huzzah before seven weeks of stricken, smitten and afflicted. While Rick Warren talks about his 40 Days of Purpose, we begin our 40 Days of Purple. And when, not if, but when you fast and practice self-denial, it is likely that the words of Luke 9:23-27 and similar passages will underlie your observance and rightly so.

But we do dis-service to these words of Jesus if we make them nothing more than an injunction to being a more committed Christian, as it were. These harsh and hard words are not merely law. They are also promise. To die with Christ is also to rise with him.

You are made participants in the death and resurrection of Jesus by God’s Word as it is applied to you especially in baptism and as your once-in-time baptism continues to unfold its power in you in daily repentance and faith. Matthew and Mark record this passage nearly identically. But it is Luke’s sources that add the word “daily.” The Christian life is a daily dying and rising in Christ. A work both completed at Calvary and ongoing in your heart.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

February 1, 2008 .................... LCMSNews -- No. 11

World Mission re-evaluating situation in Kenya

By Paula Schlueter Ross

LCMS World Mission has asked its missionaries to Kenya to remain indefinitely in Ethiopia after they attend regularly scheduled meetings there, according to Travis Torblaa, the mission board's personnel care manager.

The move came in the wake of post-election rioting in the East African country that has left more than 600 dead, hundreds of thousands displaced, and widespread destruction of property, including as many as 10 churches of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya (ELCK), an LCMS partner.

LCMS World Mission decided Jan. 30 to temporarily relocate the missionaries -- Dr. Paul and Joy Mueller and Rev. Claude and Rhoda Houge -- after receiving a recommendation to do so from its crisis-response management service. The two couples will remain in Ethiopia "while we re-evaluate the situation" in Kenya, Torblaa said.

"We are hopeful that it will be for a very short time," he added.

Dr. Carlos Walter Winterle, former president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Brazil who has been serving for more than a year as pastor of an international congregation in downtown Nairobi, also is leaving Kenya, according to Torblaa. Winterle's ministry is a partnership of LCMS World Mission and its partner churches in Kenya and Brazil.

Two days earlier, on Jan. 28, Joy Mueller had said via e-mail that the missionaries had no plans to leave, but were taking precautions, especially regarding their travel within the country. She said U.S. embassy officials there were "very optimistic that the [peace] talks will go well and reconciliation and peace will be restored." Some ethnic fighting is still taking place in isolated areas, she said.

Mueller said that Bishop Walter Obare of the Kenyan church body met Jan. 25 with political, community, and gang leaders in Kibera, and the group is "working together to bring peace into Kibera and restore harmony in the community."

In a Jan. 29 telephone interview with LCMS World Relief and Human Care staff, Mueller described the Kenyan people as "very resilient."

"The people have gathered their strength in the Gospel and they've gathered to worship in His name," she said. "They aren't waiting for outside help to come in and solve their problems, but they're getting together, they're praying together, and they're going into communities and they're serving each other out of the love of Christ."

LCMS World Relief and Human Care has sent $60,000 in emergency grants to the ELCK to help people in need. Mueller said the Kenyan church body is using the funds "to help restore lives, homes, churches" and to "share God's love with all."

Contributions to help Kenyans may be sent to LCMS World Relief and Human Care, P.O. Box 66861, St. Louis, MO 63166-6861 -- please make checks payable to "LCMS World Relief and Human Care" and note "Kenya Relief Effort" on the memo line. Or, to make a donation by phone, call the toll-free gift line at (888) 930-4438.

To hear the audio interview with Joy Mueller, visit the Web site of LCMS World Relief and Human Care at http://www.lcms.org/?12981.

The seminary admission office is delighted to announce a new monthly electronic newsletter called ePilgrimage. This is our latest project to help us stay in touch with inquirers, friends and supporters. It is a supplement to the quarterly printed and mailed version called simply Pilgrimage and that will not change.

Who is ePilgrimage for? It’s written for Lutheran pastors, prospective students, teachers, family members, alumni and everyone interested in staying up-to-date with the happenings and opportunities at Concordia Theological Seminary.

Go to this link to sign up:

http://seminaryblog.com/sign-up-for-a-monthly-email-newsletter/

As I was recently working on creating a new blog, I spent a fair amount of time researching the art and science of blogging. There are oodles of websites and resources to learn from. One blog that I'd never seen before, but now can't live without is called Copyblogger by Brian Clark. He's full of insight on everything to do with marketing and promoting your blog to the principles of good style. A few of the gems I've recently discovered:

• Ten Timeless Persuasive Writing Techniques



• The Persuasive Power of Specificity



• Do You Make These Mistakes When You Write?
  

Here's a must-have utility.

Heath Ledger's most critically acclaimed performance was for the recent Brokeback Mountain, a film I did not happen to see. But I could tell from several earlier performances such as The Patriot and Monster's Ball that this was a young artist of considerable promise. It is with some sadness then that I write of his strange and sudden death.

My further comments can be read at the Seminary Blog.

Haven't you heard this before from non-religious people? "Oh, the Bible has been copied and translated so many times in the past 2ooo years, no one can really know what the original manuscripts said."

What is frustrating is that this critique is made so often and is simply accepted as common knowledge when the science of textual criticism would lead to very different conclusions. The historical integrity of the biblical manuscripts is not a matter of religious faith or theological speculation. It's supported by evidence and reason.

See this useful article.

Prospective Students! How would you like to win a copy of the Lutheran Service Book, the Personal / Gift edition and become a published blogger in the process?

We are inviting Concordia University students as well as other prospective seminary applicants to submit brief answers to this question: "What is your favorite hymn in LSB and why?" The answers must be between 300-500 words. A person may submit an entry no more than once per week. A person will only be selected once.

Twice in the month of February (10th & 24th), we will publish on this blog what we believe are the best two responses. The winning writers will receive this handsome resource.

So put on your thinking caps and tell us what you love about the LSB.

The entry form can be found on the seminary's new blog here.

St. Louis songstress, Erin Bode, was a huge hit at the banquet this evening at the Grand Wayne Center here in Fort Wayne. Every year, Concordia Theological Seminary hosts its annual Exegetical and Confessional Symposia. This year the topic was on the Atonement. And every year, the Thursday night of Symposia week is the night of the banquet. Traditionally, attendees were treated to speakers, intros, jokes, etc. This year, to the relief and delight of some and most likely the chagrin of others, the faculty roasts and inside jokes were put aside and the packed banquet hall was filled with the sounds of jazz music. Bode was quite the hit receiving a lengthy standing ovation at the end. Go here to read information about her inspiring work with the Themba school in South Africa.

As you may know, we've launched a new blog from the Admission Department of Concordia Theological Seminary. It's called Concordia TheoBLOGical Seminary. Cute, eh? We're trying hard to use that new blog to bring attention to our school and to hopefully inspire prospective students to inquire.

If you have 2 minutes, you could help us tremendously. Go to the seminary blog and look at the left hand column. Down a bit, you'll see a notice that Concordia TheoBLOGical Seminary is in the running for best religion blog. If you think our efforts have merit and want to help us generate higher traffic, please click that button and vote for us.

Thanks for your support.

Do you ever wish you had your own personal cheerleader?

Check out the latest post at Concordia TheoBLOGical Seminary.

January 6 is the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord. The word "epiphany" means that something is revealed. Epiphany is a season which focuses on the manifestations of Jesus' divine nature. God reveals His glory most supremely in the flesh and blood of a man, Jesus Christ.

The Gospel reading for this day is Matthew 2:1-12, the story of the wise men. The Holy Scriptures actually tell us very little about these fellows. And several misunderstandings have piled up over the years.

The songs says, "We Three Kings," but the bible says nothing about them being royalty. They are called magi which means that they were wise men or scholars. We don't know where they came from exactly, though Persia is a good guess. The Scriptures merely say they came from the east. Even though your crèche has the wise men figurines, they were not present at the time of our Lord's birth. The holy family was no longer in a stable, but in a house and Jesus was probably about 2 years old when they showed up. We don't even know that there were three of them. It just says that they brought three gifts.

One thing we do know is that they were not Jews. Thus, they represent the nations of the world coming to Israel for salvation. Jesus later said, "Salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22). Many moderns assume that all religions are essentially the same. The Gospel of Matthews suggests otherwise. If that were so, why did those poor stargazers and their camels cross mountains and deserts to worship the newborn king of Israel? If all religions are the same, they should have just stayed home and prayed to Ishtar and burned that frankincense in the temples of Zoroaster.

Author of study guide for ‘The Golden Compass'

By Rosa Salter Rodriguez

The Journal Gazette

Janelle Sou Roberts | The Journal Gazette

Scott Stiegemeyer, a Lutheran pastor, says “Compass” author Philip Pullman “clearly does have an anti-church agenda.”

Leave it to the Rev. Scott Stiegemeyer not to stray too far from the front lines of the culture wars.

A pastor in the Lutheran Church’s Missouri Synod who now serves as admissions director of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Stiegemeyer has a longtime interest in the intersection of faith and popular culture.

So, it didn’t surprise him when an editor at the synod publishing house called him three weeks in advance of the release of the controversial movie version of Philip Pullman’s “The Golden Compass” and asked him to write a study guide for use in churches.

“He was a reader of my blog,” says Stiegemeyer, who uses current events and cultural topics to gather readers to his “Concordia TheoBLOGical Seminary.”

But, while some are calling on Christians to boycott the movie because of its allegedly anti-Christian themes and Pullman’s militant atheism, Stiegemeyer’s guide doesn’t.

Instead, it lays out some of the issues and provides biblical and doctrinal context for approaching the work in a question-and-answer/discussion format.

Should Christians read/see works by unbelievers? Who is Philip Pullman and what does he believe? Should I, as a Christian, see the movie?

Formerly a pastor at Concordia Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh, where he started his first blog, “The Burr in the Burgh,” Stiegemeyer has credentials that include presentations on C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles of Narnia” and “The DaVinci Code.”

For about two years, he and another Lutheran pastor, Don Matzat, turned an otherwise dead Sunday night radio time slot into two hours of lively chat on a call-in show, “Let’s Talk About Jesus.” The two took on topics such as the then-popular apocalyptic “Left Behind” book series.

“Questions and Answers about Philip Pullman’s ‘The Golden Compass’ ” is available free at www.cph.org/compass.

Why would you as a pastor even get involved in this area of popular culture?

“It seemed to me that congregation members, especially those of the younger generation, are getting more and more of their information from entertainment media even more than from the hour they’re in church on Sunday morning. Popular culture is influencing people’s faith. So as a pastor, I felt called to help them sort the good from the bad, and interpret what they are hearing and seeing from the perspective of their faith.”

What piqued your interest with this movie?

“Well, I had read the novels several years ago, and what piqued my interest about them then is they’re fantasy genre, and with fantasy genre novels, they often have spiritual themes. And Pullman has been outspoken about wanting to be the anti-C.S. Lewis (known for his Christian orientation). I think (Pullman) may be a bit tongue in cheek about that, but he despises C.S. Lewis. So that intrigued me. And a lot of (the commentary) was sort of predictably reactionary and emotional. … ‘Knee-jerk’ is a good word. So I wanted to balance that out.”

For those of us who might have been living under rocks, what’s the fuss about with this movie?

“This is the first part of a trilogy called ‘His Dark Materials.’ Its (theme) is not at all subtle. The characters find the church and God are evil, and they go on a crusade to kill God, whom they call The Authority. It’s set in an alternative universe, but very similar to the one we know. The characters do travel between universes. But it’s very complex, as fantasy novels are. ‘The Golden Compass’ is the most toned down, and the movie, if anything, softens the potentially objectionable material.”

So what happens in “The Golden Compass?”

“The bad thing that happens is that children are being taken, and what you eventually find out is that it is the church that is taking them and torturing them. The church is conducting experiments on them and basically sapping their souls. The heroine and her companions go on this rescue crusade.”

Not a pretty picture.

“No. It’s not a pretty picture. (Pullman) clearly does have an anti-church agenda.”

Which I’d guess you think isn’t accurate?

“In his view, the church is oppressive of free thought and free expression. I think it’s unquestionably true that at times in its history it has been oppressive, by burning books, and, occasionally, people. I’m not defending the flaws. But even from a secularist point of view, the church has done a lot of good.”

So you think Pullman is going to the extreme?

“In his church, there are no good people. There’s no ambiguity there. There’s nothing redeeming. And there’s nothing appealing about the religious characters. I think it’s not only not true, but it also hurts his storytelling, because the art of a good storyteller is to have characters that are multifaceted.”

Do you think his portrayal of God is Christian?

“ He portrays the church and God as being purely about law and rules. His favorite term for God is ‘The Authority,’ which leaves out a lot of things, like mercy and kindness, compassion and love, which are essential features of the God I believe in. He never really talks about Jesus and what he represents. If the church taught what he says, I’d be against it.”

Do you think the movie or the book is appropriate for the audience at which it’s aimed, which is young teens?

“It is targeted to the 12-to-14 age group. That’s a very difficult age. Young people are starting to define themselves. If you have someone who is uncertain in their beliefs, this could have an influence. And there is some merit to the argument that it is an entrée to the other books, but I think that is a weak argument. Do I think it’s appropriate? I wouldn’t ban it. But I don’t think I would just hand it out. I think discussion in a book club or church group is certainly a good way to approach it.”

So, if I’m a parent of someone in that age group, what do I do?

“I am a parent of someone in that age group! (Stiegemeyer and his wife, Julie, a children’s book author, have a son, Jacob, 12.) We went and saw the movie together. I didn’t block him from the book, but he doesn’t show any real interest in it. He was interested (in the movie), but I would have given the movie only a fair grade because it was confusing, and it wasn’t that well crafted as a film. His one response about the movie was that it was confusing. He liked the action scenes and special effects, the computer animation.”

What about parents who say they don’t want, as Christians, to expose themselves or their kids to these ideas?

“Some parents will say, ‘I want to avoid it,’ and I don’t blame them for that; I can respect that. But as a parent, I think we have the responsibility to equip ourselves to answer the challenges it raises, not avoid them. I’m not one of those Christians who want to shield themselves from the surrounding culture.”

So, you’re saying to parents “Don’t overreact”?

“I don’t think it’s a major threat to faith. People will want to forbid it, but I think that will have the opposite effect. If a kid wants to read it, he’ll read it, or if he wants to see the movie, he’ll find a way. I’d rather he do it in front of me than reading it or seeing it and hiding it from me. That way we could have a conversation about it. I just don’t want to make a law about it. I don’t want to be what Pullman says we are, which is lawgivers to exclusion of everything else.”

Why did Jesus die on the cross? I wrote a blog post on that question a while back and it is by far the number one most viewed post on this blog still to this day. Not that I wrote something so terrific. But I still get Google hits on it daily. And that is because people all over the world are asking and debating that question. [Go here to see that old post.]

The Mel Gibson movie brought this discussion to the surface and I was astonished (I was naive) at the number of commentators on the film saying that it is wrong to focus so much attention on the death of Jesus, as if the crucifixion were merely the unfortunate demise of an otherwise promising young man.

Concordia Theological Seminary is conducting an in-depth series of lectures on the subject of the atonement. Classic understandings are being dismissed, even in traditionally evangelical circles. What a delight it is to be part of a major institution that still boldly maintains the central truths of Jesus Christ and His salvation.

Register now to attend the Symposia, January 15 - 18, 2008. Engage with world-class theologians from our institution and elsewhere. David Scaer, William Weinrich and many others.

Posted also over at Concordia TheoBLOGical Seminary.

The CTS Kantorei, a 16 voice choir, is making stops in WY, MT, and CO this week. Check their schedule here and if any of those locations are near to, they'd love to have you come.