The Burr in the Burgh

I loved and could totally relate to this post by Pastor Chryst.

Since the word "doctrine" simply means "teaching" and since in the context of Christianity, the word "doctrine" means "the teachings of God's Word," I don't see how any believer can not be passionate about pure doctrine.

Of course, there are Church Bullies in every denomination. And the LCMS is no different. Pure Doctrine is not a club to beat up our opponents with or a badge of superiority. The chief aim here is not simply to "be right" or to win debates or to intimidate those who disagree. The kingdom will not come by sword or force or arrogantly bullying our opponents. Smugness is not a virtue. Nastiness in the name of orthodoxy is repugnant.

But on the other hand, it seems to me that in our day and age an equally pernicious difficulty facing American Christianity is theological laziness and doctrinal indifference. The temptation is to reduce Christianity to a shared experience or raw moralism.

People will say the word "doctrine" like it's a profanity or as if it literally puts a foul taste in the mouth. How can this be? Some will say something along the lines of, "as long as we love Jesus, why make a big deal of doctrine?" The answer is because our doctrine is nothing other than God's Word. It is not possible to love Jesus AND be indifferent to the His Word. It is not possible to proclaim Jesus rightly without maintaining doctrinal integrity. Doctrine matters because God matters and what God says matters. It matters more than human opinion, more than misty religious experience; it matters even more than moral reform.

Confidence does not have to equal arrogance. Boldness does not require a sharp tongue. But neither does love mean wishy-washiness or humility equate with uncertainty.

God's Word is the lamp to our feet and the light for our path. God's Word is the powerful message of salvation. God's Word creates, destroys, kills and gives birth. Mixing human philosophy with God's Word or mixing contemporary opinions with God's Word do not sttrenthen the Church, do not make Jesus more relevant. It only pollutes us all. I am not embarrassed by my passion about speaking God's Word correctly.

Nor am I above correction. Being passionate about pure doctrine does not mean that I never err. When I say that your doctrine is wrong, I don't mean that I hate you or that I am better than you. And if you find it necessary to correct me, then do so on the basis of Holy Scripture and sound reasoning and I will listen. Ad Hominem attacks - though not unheard of in Church history - are not the way to go. I believe that thoughtful and careful argument is good for us. As someone wise once said, the only reason we fight is because we don't know how to argue.

If by "Doctrine Monster" you mean arrogant smart-alek who nit-picks everyone to death, then may I never be one. If, however, you mean a bold confessor of the faith (creed) handed down to us, then I'll take the title gladly.

I want to report that the weeklong Lutheran youth gathering in Colorado Springs was abso-posi-lutely awesome! Kudos to the hard work of Rev. Marcus Zill and his 10 zillion faithful helpers. Higher Things youth organization is doing a terrific job of training the future of our churches in sound doctrine, biblical knowledge and wisdom for life. I am ALWAYS impressed, not only with the excellence of the conferences, but also with the excellence of the participating youth.

For three days, I lectured on The Da Vinci Code. We covered some heavy duty stuff. The deity of Christ. The development of the biblical canon. Art history. And so forth. But the kids were attentive and engaged. I had numerous participants ask me to send them my PowerPoint presentation. Why? So that they could show it to their family and friends who are being deceived by Dan Brown. RIGHT ON!

So if any of the youth participants who were present and might want a copy of the presentation, just send me your email address and your snail mail address. I will either send it to you via internet (if you have a hi-speed connection) or on a disk. But you have to finish this sentence in an email to me: Dan Brown eats...

In researching about The Da Vinci Code this evening, I found this wonderful sermon by St. Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306-373). Below are few quotes, but the whole sermon can be found here.

“If He was not flesh, who was lying in the manger? And if He was not God, whom did the Angels come down and glorify?

“If He was not flesh, who was wrapped in swaddling clothes? And if He was not God, whom did the shepherds worship?


“If He was not flesh, whom did Mary suckle? And if He was not God, to whom did the Magi offer gifts?


“If He was not flesh, who was invited to the wedding in Cana of Galilee? And if He was not God, who turned the water into wine?


“If He was not flesh, who fell asleep in the boat? And if He was not God, who rebuked the winds and the sea?


“If He was not flesh, who wept at Lazarus’ grave? And if He was not God, who by His command brought out one four days dead?


“If He was not flesh, who was struck with a blow? And if He was not God, who cured the ear that had been cut off by Peter and restored it to its place?


“If He was not flesh, who stood before Pilate at the judgment seat? And if He was not God, who made Pilate’s wife afraid by a dream?


“If He was not flesh, who was hung on the cross? And if He was not God, who shook the earth from its foundations?


“If He was not God and man, our salvation is a lie, and the words of the Prophets are lies.”

So Julie and I are now at The Feast in Colorado Springs. This is the 2006 Higher Things Lutheran Youth conference. Both of us are doing mega-sectionals which begin this morning. Mine is a three part thing on The Da Vinci Code. And she is doing one on being a Christian writer along with Miss Adrian Dorr, the Higher Things magazine assistant editor. Read about what Julie and Adrian are up to here.

My stuff on Da Vinci won't be too hard for me because I just did a series on that topic for my congregation. I just had to turn my 4-part series into a 3-part and then youth-ize it.

If you are ever looking for a great cause to support, consider throwing some money at Higher Things. This is an organization committed to in-depth catechesis for the church's young people. This is not an effort to compete with other official synodical youth ministry, but to complement it. We have gatherings like this every summer and they are held all over the country. I believe that in 07, we'll start having them at two locations. These are much smaller than the triennial synodical youth gatherings (only 1500-2000) but are often much less expensive. But if you believe that offering week long retreats packed with fun, worship and study for teenagers is important, pray for Higher Things.

Hi all,
Julie and Jacob and I flew to visit my inlaws in Denver today. Tomorrow, we drive down to Colorado Springs for the annual Higher Things Youth Conference. Julie and I are both doing mega-sectionals.

When we're done with this on Friday, we're going to my inlaws's cabin in Grand Lake for a few days. You may be reading horse riding stories from me that day. And then we are going to the Hot Springs Lodge in Glenwood Springs for a few days - a family favorite vacation spot.

When we say that we are saved through faith alone, what do we really mean? Are we saying that repentance is unessential? No. The Lutheran Confessions understand repentance to be part of saving faith and faith to be part of repentance. Are we saying that good works are unimportant? No. It is clear that a person who apprehends what Christ has done and appropriates those treasures for himself will produce works of love toward his neighbor. As Luther says, "It is as impossible to separate faith from works as it is to separate heat from light in fire."

It seems to me that what we are really saying with sola fide is that the sinner is saved solely and completely by Jesus Christ. We really mean solus Christus. We are acknowledging that I can add nothing to the work of Christ for my salvation, that His work is complete and sufficient to save me and all sinners.

The Rev. Dr. Jonathan Naumann is a Lutheran pastor in Pittsburgh and has just entered the blogging universe. Check him out.

I have always wondered about the origin of that phrase. What cloth? Thanks to Pr. Petersen for finally clearing up this great mystery.

Someone told me recently that when public speaking, I need to pay more attention to my hands. I gesture a lot. And I was told that, according to body language experts, whenever a speaker touches his mouth or nose it means he is lying. And I touched my nose a couple of times. I explained that I have allergies and when they begin to kick in my nose itches. But I guess I better be more careful.

Here I am lecturing in Abakhan with the mighty Pr. Alexei Streltsov as my translator.

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Recently the Southern Baptist Convention issued this statement in total opposition to consumption of alcoholic beverages.

While I do respect their intentions, I cannot affirm this decision. The Scriptures clearly condemn drunkeness. And having just returned from Russia, I can attest to what a serious problem alcohol abuse is in that country. People everywhere are seen carrying open bottles of beer and spirits. Public intoxication there is common. I had 5 or 6 different drunk people attempt to engage me in public places such as airports, on an airplane, train stations, and the beach. Without doubt, such alcohol consumption is socially and spiritually destructive.

But I also believe that watching television more than an hour or two per week is socially and spiritually destructive. The same with Big Macs. Gluttony and obesity are also serious social, health, and spiritual issues in our time. If overeating is one of the seven deadly sins, having 3 squares a day is not.

I respect any person (Christian or otherwise) who makes the decision to not drink alcohol. I met a number of very solid Lutheran pastors in Russia who avoid alcohol, not because they see it as sinful in itself but because of the issues mentioned above. But mandating temperance is not a good solution.

First, it is pharisaical to make religious/moral legislation beyond what is contained in Scripture. There really is no avoiding the daily use of alcoholic beverages in Bible times. "The fruit of the vine" is unquestionably alcoholic wine. Before the invention of pasteurization in the 19th century and without refrigeration, it is not possible to keep grape juice from fermenting. People drank wine. Jesus made high quality wine, in massive quantities, at the wedding of Cana. In addition, there is the symbolic eschatological dimension to wine in the Bible. It is always associated with the joyfulness of banquets and feasts, particularly wedding feasts which are visages of the great wedding feast of the Lamb in heaven.

OK, so I am not defending alcohol abuse. I just think it's wrong to bind consciences in this way by totally condemning even moderate alcohol consumption.

In Colossians, St. Paul says not to let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink. I don't ridicule those who abstain and I ask not to be condemned for the occasional pint of ale.

The woman whose given name is in honor of the Mother of God (Madonna) is reportedly about to renounce the heretical Jewish mystic school of thought known as Kabbalah. See here. She is so very typical of postmodern humanity. Try an exotic religion. Go whole hog even. But abandon it when it gets boring, loses it sexiness, or causes inconveniences. Actually, I am glad that she is ditching Kabbalah. It's just that we so often see the same mentality in the Church. "I'm a disciple of Jesus until it interferes in my human relationships." Or "I'm a Christian until it actually makes demands on how I raise my kids." Or "I will follow Christ as long as all my felt-needs are getting scratched."

Here I am teaching on a Sunday afternoon in Abekhan, Russia. My main series of lectures were on Christian Ethics. I spent the first half of the seminar describing the difference between justification and sanctification. And the last couple of days, I taught the Ten Commandments. Actually I only got through the first 6.

The young woman in orange you see assiduously scribbling notes in the front row is Gloria. She is a deaconess student at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN. She is from Tomsk, Russia and is doing her year-long internship at a Christian crisis pregnancy center in Novosibirsk, Russia.

A few blurbs from Article III of the Formula of Concord (SD).

These treasures (of Christ) are brought to us by the Holy Spirit in the promise of the Holy Gospel. Faith alone is the only means through which we lay hold on, accept, apply, and take them for ourselves (10).

Nor, on the other hand, is this the meaning: without repentance, conversion and renewal we can or should yield to sins and remain and continue in them. True contrition must come first (22).

Love is a fruit that surely and necessarily also follows true faith. The fact that a person does not love is a sure sign that he is not justified. He is still in death or has lost the righteousness of faith again, as John says (1John 3:14).... Good works do not come before justification but follow it.... (27)

It is also correct to say that believers who have been justified through faith in Christ first have the righteousness of faith credited to them in this life. Then, they also have the initial righteousness of the new obedience or of good works. But these two types of righteousness must not be mixed with each other or both be injected into the article of justification by faith before God. For this initial righteousness or renewal in us is incomplete and impure in this life because of the flesh. A person cannot stand with and on the ground of this righteousness before God's court. Before God's court only the righteousness of Christ's obedience, suffering and death - which is credited to faith - can stand (32)

A blogging buddy is doing a discussion on Sola Fide over at his blog. I'd put his address here, but I am honestly concerned about inadvertantly directing a bunch of Lutheran and protestant shi'ites over to bury him in comments. It is not my intention to flood him with rabid Reformationistas. He is a good friend and sound thinker. And he is making a good and good-natured foray into apologetics.

But, I did write a little something and figured why write two posts in one day. So I've included a slimmed down version here. Tell me what you think. And if you are nice and WINSOME (as another good blogging budy would say), I'll allow others to read your comments.

What is meant by "faith?" Is faith simply declaring that one believes in God. No, even the devil believes in God and shudders. Is faith merely believing that Jesus is the Son of God who died for the sins of the world. No, again, the devil understands this much. The Lutheran Confessions state that faith is how we "lay hold upon, accept, and apply, and appropriate them (the treasures of Christ) to ourselves."

Faith - by definition - includes contrition and repentance. And this kind of faith, alone, justifies the sinner in the eyes of God. But such faith is never truly alone.

The Lutheran Confessions also state that it is just as impossible to separate true living faith from a life of good works as it is to separate heat from light in fire. No one can have faith who does not have repentance.

The important distinction, in my view, is that btwn justification and sanctification. I say "distinction" not "division." Am I righteous in the eyes of God on account of Christ only or on account of both Christ and my own merits?

My understanding is that we are counted righteous on account of what Christ alone has done. And believing, laying hold, accepting, applying and appropriating that to myself is what I mean by "sola fide."

Sanctification refers to the inner renewal, transformation and life of good works that necessarily follows justification (not temporally but logically).

Many of you suffer from some form of clinical depression or anxiety disorder. Or you know someone who does.

A Lutheran pastor has now started a blog, Dark My Road, to discuss his own personal journey with mental illness. It is definitely worth your attention.