The Burr in the Burgh

Not long ago, I watched Sophie Scholl - The Final Days. I'd read much about it when it was briefly in the theaters. Then I got it through Netflix but kept putting off watching it. I need to be in the right mood to watch a film with subtitles. What a terrific movie! It's based on a true account of a young German woman and her family who resisted the Nazis during WWII. Naturally, I was particularly pleased with the sympathetic manner in which Scholl's Christian faith was portrayed.

Concordia Theological Seminary has a wonderful 16 voice choir, the Kantorei. Their Epiphany tour this year takes them to Maryland, Connecticut, New York, Virginia, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Here is their itinerary. Yours truly will be traveling as the preacher. Come hear us. And tell any prospective seminarians you might know to come and meet with me. Go to the link and you can listen to selections of the Kantorei's music.

How many of you have heard of this? It sounds cool.

Just another reminder that we are producing 5-minute audio devotions for each day in Advent. Go here to listen.

I recorded one this evening which will go up in a couple of days. In it I talk about the continuity that exists between the Old and New Testaments of the bible. I didn't include this but I was thinking that this brings up a common problem. Many Christians will read the bible like they eat from a salad bar. I really like the carrots, spinach and peppers but ignore the sprouts and have no use for bacon bits unless they're made from real bacon. Similarly, you read some from the Gospels, maybe the psalms, and a few scattered passages from Paul's epistles. But what about the rest?

I highly recommend the practice of reading entire books of the bible from beginning to end. Obviously reading from Genesis to Revelation makes a lot of sense. From time to time, you will return to those isolated verses here or there which you love. But pulling 10 or 20 consecutive words out of the Bible can become problematic if you lose the sense of the whole thing. A good rule of thumb is simply to read more and to read continuously.

After the massive success of The Passion, Hollywood has been percolating with ideas about how to cash in on the whole religion thing. The current film, The Nativity Story, is an example of this.

First, has anyone seen the Nativity movie and what did you think of it?

Secondly, here is an interesting article explaining how Hollywood can truly turn the religious faith of millions of Americans into box office success.

I know it sounds like the title of an Agatha Christie -style murder mystery. But it's not. Some archaeologists believe they've found the bones of the apostle. See here.

I haven't posted much lately in large part because I've been terribly sick with some virus. It's been three weeks and I think I am only now starting to turn the corner.

But here are a couple of things going on:

• Work in recruitment for the seminary is fun and challenging. I really enjoyed a conference in Indianapolis which focused on recruitment for theological schools. I have a wonderful staff and it's been rewarding to learn to know and utilize their respective gifts.
  

• Next week, I'm going to meet with three focus groups. I'm getting three sets of five first year students and their wives to meet with me for 30-40 minutes. I'm going to interview them to find out why they chose to come to CTS, what the chief issues were, and to get their ideas for how my team can better serve future prospective students.

• We're still putting up our daily audio advent devotions which you can get by going to our seminary website. I have another one of mine going up tomorrow. Excuse how hoarse I sound.

• I re-watched the movie, Crash, the other night. I really think that's a great flick. It's a very clever commentary on all different aspects of racial stereotyping. Everyone does it and the movie is good about showing the flaws and strengths of each character. Everybody is bad but nobody is all bad. I liked that about the movie. We talk in Lutheranism sometimes about "total depravity" but that really is a Calvinist category. I don't know that I accept it. Certainly, before God I have nothing to offer but my sin. But even the vilest person does nice things for his neighbor. When we speak of the fallen nature of man, we should distinguish between righteousness before God and righteousness before man. I don't have any righteousness of my own to offer God for salvation. But toward my neighbor, I may do all sorts of right things, even as I do a lot of wicked things mixed in. Lutherans must not talk about the fallen-ness of man as if to say everything he ever does or thinks or says is worthless in every way. I think we do that sometimes.
  

How well do you know the Nativity story? Take this quiz.

I want you to give me your ideas for how to recruit more excellent students for the seminary. I have lots of ideas we're working on, and this recent conference in Indy really got some juices flowing. What do you suggest?

I haven't posted as much lately, in part, because of being on the road a bit. But I've also just started to emerge from a nasty cold. I got back from a conference in Indy on Friday night. I laid down in the recliner and didn't get up until this morning at about 8 a.m. to go to work. I literally slept all weekend. I feel better but now I hardly have a voice.

This Sunday marks the beginning of the new liturgical year. Many Christians observe this special season by special offerings, midweek worship services, advent calendars, wreaths, etc. I don't know how common this is in other traditions but we Lutherans like Advent devotion books. Daily Scripture readings with short meditations and prayers.

The Admission Counselors at Concordia Theological Seminary will post an audio devotion each day in Advent on our website. The first devotion is already up (a bit early).

Go here.

Why not check it each day as a way to observe the holy season we are soon to enter?

Now this might surprise you in light of my last post. But a comment made by Peter below set me to thinking.

One of my pet crusades is that TV deadens the mind. I say that a lot. I believe it. The evidence is all around us. At 12:15 a.m., August 1, 1981 the very first music video to be shown on MTV was Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles. Well, of course, music videos did not kill radio. Far from it. You'd be hard pressed to find any music programming on MTV these days. But I do believe that watching lots of television kills the ability to communicate verbally.

When people (especially children under 8) spend hours watching television, it literally damages their brains and impairs their ability to think verbally. Vital synapses are underdeveloped. How many people have you heard say, "Well, I learn visually"? Sure. That's legit. But it becomes a problems when folks are truly unable to follow a sustained argument or express complex thoughts verbally.

Everyone should read: The Vanishing Word: The Veneration of Visual Imagery in the Postmodern World (Focal Point Series) by Arthur W. Hunt III, edited by Gene Edward Veith.

That having been said, I also believe that American television is in a golden age. Insofar as anyone can identify their current age as golden, I think this is the case for American TV. And why has this happened? Market economics. There is sooooo much television these days that producers have had to come up with truly high quality material in order to stand out. Hence, the proliferation of so many very well written and excellently produced programs. Some that I have found to be very powerful and entertaining include: 24, The Office, The Sopranos, Carnivale, Lost, and Battlestar Galactica. Other people have sung the praises of House, Heroes, and others. But I'd be surprised if these programs constitute even 1% of all that is available on television.