The Burr in the Burgh

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.