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Sunday, April 30, 2006

This Man Was in Hell

I love Touchstone magazine. You should all subscribe to it and read every word. It is ecumenical in a good way. The writers are mostly Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican with a few Lutherans and occasional Protestant-types. Not that there aren't important doctrinal differences here. There surely are. But there is much common ground that Confessional Lutherans need to examine. This journal deals with issues of substance, both cultural and theological, from a refreshingly traditionalist perspective.

In any case, I just noticed that they've expanded their online archives. And since I'm terrible at keeping and organizing old magazine, this is good news for me.

I just located an old column that I recalled about a gay man studying to become an Episcopal priest. He says that he was in hell. The struggle between those in his church who were affirming his deviant behavior and his conscience which wouldn't stop pestering him. This is a valuable 5 minute read.

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Saturday, April 29, 2006

Assurance of Salvation

Not long ago, I was reading a book by Daniel Preus,Why I Am a Lutheran: Jesus at the Center. And he said that one thing that always challenges or frustrates him as a pastor is when you ask your flock, "Are you going to go to heaven?" and they answer "I hope so." He makes the point that we can know; we can be certain. And that's not because we have perfect faith that never wavers, but because God's promises are sure.

There is another side to this coin too, similarly related. When you ask Christians if they are going to go to heaven, many will say "Yes, definitely." But then ask them, "Why?" Some will say things like, "Because I love Jesus and gave my heart to him." That's great. I'm glad YOU did that. But is that the reason why you are saved? Because YOU love Jesus and YOU gave yourself to him? Isn't the reason really because HE loves you and HE gave himself for you on the cross?

We are saved BY grace, THROUGH faith. Not BY our faith. In other words, salvation is God's gift to you through Christ. That's by grace alone. Martin Luther described faith as the open hand that receives the gift of God. We don't have faith in our faith. We have faith in Christ and him crucified.

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Friday, April 28, 2006

God Does, In Fact, Reject People

Maybe you've seen the latest television ad for the United Church of Christ. If not, go here. The UCC is one of the most liberal denominations in America and also one of the fastest shrinking. If they are not growing numerically, it's not for lack of being inclusive.

On the one hand, I see their point. God loves all people. He desires all to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. The Church must reach out to the marginalized and downtrodden. That's a good message.

However, there is a problem. In this new ad - a parody of snobby churches - homeless people, handicapped people, racial minorities and a single mom with a fussy baby are all, literally, bounced out of the church, presumably for being undesirable. There is also a flagrantly gay couple who get the boot.

The implication is that the UCC - unlike us meanies - is godlike because . . . (drumroll) "God Doesn't Reject People" and neither do they.

But they're comparing apples to oranges. Truly God is not a respecter of persons and he does not favor or disfavor people on the basis of race, gender or class. But the implication that sin does not alienate us from the Father is quite untrue.

The Scriptures are actually pretty clear that on the Day of Judgment, God will reject those who dwell in their sins.

Jesus will say,"Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt.25)."

"Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' (Mt.7)"

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God (1Cor.6)."

Call me goofy, but I think the words "depart from me," and "away from me" qualify as words of rejection.

Why is this a problem? Because it is unloving to give people false hope. In fact, the false hope that God will accept you and receive you even though you remain in sin (the flagrant gay couple) is the ultimate cruelty. It could mean the difference btwn heaven and hell. We can't pronounce absolution where there is no repentance.

We must preach the cross of Jesus Christ. And we must preach it in the sense of propitiation. Your sins are forgiven BECAUSE Jesus turned aside the wrath of God by his own sacrificial death. Saving faith necessarily includes repentance. The words of Jesus above suggest the only alternative.

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Thursday, April 27, 2006

Television: Consumers or Consumed

Egad! I've nearly missed it entirely! This is the annual Turn-Off-TV Week, April 24-30, 2006.

Most of us watch far too much television. I'm not a big TV fan. And it's not just the offensive nature of much of the content that irks me. You've read the studies which show the increasing instances of violence, sex and profanity on cable and broadcast television. But there is something about the medium itself which tends to deaden thought. Ever hear of some going to "zone out" in front of the television? Ever seen the hypnotized expression of a 4-yr-old watching Teletubbies? When was the last time someone said they were going to go "zone out" with a good book?

OK, admittedly, there are some programs and channels on television that are quite entertaining and thought-provoking. No one said TV is all bad. It's just the proportion which people consume. The hours upon hours of watching flickering two-dimensional images flashing rapidly from scene to scene does something to the brain and the way it functions. People these days find it harder to digest written texts, even when they are technically literate. To read and interpret a sustained argument or follow complex discussions is vital to civilized life. And these are capacities we are slowly losing.

Take political discourse for instance. In 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debated one another all over the state of Illinois fighting for a seat in the U.S. senate. Research into this a bit and compare these lengthy detailed debates over policy with the snippets and sound-bites which impersonate political debates btwn candidates today. To say that we have shorter attention spans today is . . . uh, what was I saying?

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Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Facts About 24's Jack Bauer

My wife and I are enjoying DVDs of the previous seasons of 24. This blurb completely cracked me up. Go here. Some of my favorites are:

Killing Jack Bauer doesn't make him dead. It just makes him angry.

Superman wears Jack Bauer pajamas.

Jack Bauer is the leading cause of death in Middle Eastern men.

When Jack Bauer was a child, he made his mother finish his vegetables.

When the boogie man goes to sleep, he checks his closet for Jack Bauer.

What color is Jack Bauer's blood? Trick question. Jack Bauer does not bleed.

If Jack and MacGyver were locked in a room together, Jack would make a bomb out of MacGyver and get out.

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Monday, April 24, 2006

Sanctuary Flags: Love 'em or Lose 'em?

I found this interesting post about sanctuary flags over at Purgatorio. I say, "Lose 'em."

Here at my church, there are flags in the building, but they are the very back of the nave. My preference would be to remove them altogether.

I'm a patriotic American. We put the stars and stripes outside our house on the 4th of July. But putting an American flag in a Christian church is a strange practice. The church is not a civic institution. Nor should it be a nationalistic one. It is catholic, that is, universal. The church is not an American thing.

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Friday, April 21, 2006

Experience with Rick Warren's Book

One or two of you may be getting tired of these recent posts about Rick Warren. I know that I am. I really wasn't planning to write these but a certain someone decided to slam me with a nasty-gram on Maundy Thursday. Interestingly, my blog readership has quadrupled.

Darrell over at SouthCon posted a very telling personal experience with The Purpose Driven Life. He's been kind enough to link to me a couple of times recently and I am very happy to return the favor. I read his and his wife Wendy's blog, Tales From the Dorkside, every day w/o exception.

Here is an excerpt, but go here to read the whole post. Warren fans really need to read this.

A few years ago, my wife and I were having a hard time of it, still getting used to our new marriage, trying to work things out, grow together as a couple, grow spiritually and individually, etc. It was a desperate time for me. I was searching for meaning, looking for anything that might be a clear indication of what God had in mind for me.

We were attending a nondenominational Fundamentalist church and the preacher there was, to his credit, doing everything in his ability to help us. Once, during a particularly tearful, confessional meeting on my part with him, I asked him to recommend a resource for me, and he suggested that I read Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life.

I'd never been a fan of the kinds of books that were popular with the members of our congregation, the kinds of things that they wanted to study. I didn't like Max Lucado, Bruce Wilkinson, etc. I thought of their books as silly, Halmark Card theology. Christianity-and-water, as C.S. Lewis might say. But I was willing to try Warren's book because the title seemed to speak to my problems. This might be the book, I hoped, that pointed me in the right direction.

I think I finished half of it.

Warren's book struck me as smug, superficial, self-congratulatory, and absolutely pointless. It seemed like the kind of thing that was designed to soothe rather than provoke. It seemed like the point was to avoid offending, to avoid challenging, to simply lull the reader into sleep. When I noticed that Warren also had books about the "Purpose Driven" church and "Purpose Driven" journals and devotionals, etc, it became clear to me. From what I could tell, Warren's "Purpose" was one thing and one thing alone: Marketing. Rick Warren had found his niche in the publishing world. Rick Warren was making an appeal to the pocket-books of the same "Wal-Mart Christians" who had bought so many of the "Left Behind" books and the silly, sappy greeting-cards of Lucado, Wilkinson, et al.

I was disgusted. Heart broken. Is this what Christianity was in the modern world, then? A marketing gimmick? A commercial cult? Drive-thru salvation? A large order of McDevotion and a side-order of fries?

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Thursday, April 20, 2006

Doctrine vs. God's Word

The New Testament uses the word "doctrine" or "doctrines" over 50 times. Sometimes it refers specifically to the "doctrines of men." Sometimes it refers to false or perverse doctrine. And sometimes it refers to religious truth.

The word simply means "teaching." Just as there are false teachings and harmful teachings and dangerous teachings, there are also true, wholesome and beneficial teachings.

Doctrine gets a totally bad rap nowadays. If I say I am going to indoctrinate the children, people assume that's a bad thing when in fact, I plan to instruct them in the teachings of Holy Scripture.

It's similar with the word "Creed." A creed is simply a statement of one's beliefs. When someone says "no creed but the bible," they are being overly simplistic. If you say, "Jesus Christ is Lord." That is more than a bible quote. It is your creed, your belief. It's a doctrine.

Even worse is when someone says, "Deeds, not creeds." That's like saying, "deeds, not beliefs." Is Christianity really just about deeds? About improving your behavior? About what you do?

I realize that Christianity is more than a set of correct propositions and more than just true information. It is a relationship with the true and living God accessed through faith in Jesus Christ. But to have a relationship with Christ, one must KNOW him.

It matters WHAT you believe, friends. You can't just say, "I love Jesus." Nearly everyone says that from Mormons to Muslims. "Who do men say I am?" WHO is Jesus? WHAT did he do?

If you say that God is not going to judge you according to your doctrine, be careful because it sounds like you are suggesting that your relationship to God is not related to what you believe.

According to St. Paul:

If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. (1Timothy 6)

In this passage, the apostle equates the word "doctrine" with "godly teaching." Who is the arrogant party, the one who teaches falsely or the one who condemns the one who teaches falsely?

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers (1Timothy 4).
And here Paul suggests that false doctrine (as much as immoral living) will harm the teacher as well as his hearers. How many in the church today can be said to be watching their doctrine closely?

I realize that for a lot of Christians today, this is horrifying. Doctrinal indifference is equated with love. But according to St. Paul, if you want to save people, correct doctrine is necessary. Those who dismiss doctrinal purity are like those who go to sow seed but pay no attention to the health or condition of the seeds themselves.


P.S. Friends, I do also realize that it is possible for the pendulum to swing too far the other direction. I'm not in favor of a Doctrine Gestapo. But it just seems to me that the majority of contemporary American Christianity is plagued with indifference to correct teaching. Flannery O'Conner once said that to the hard of hearing, you shout. So forgive me if my tone seems too intense. I'm actually a pretty wonderful guy.


ADDENDUM
Re-reading my post here, I want to also point out that faith is not a mere rational enterprise. Scripture shows that infants (even unborn) can have faith. Like John the Baptist leaping "for joy" when he overheard the voice of his Savior's mother. And an infant's faith is not based on cognitive data. This remains a mystery. Ultimately, faith is the product of the Holy Spirit's work. It is not something we drum up inside ourselves. To a rationalist I will emphasize the mystery of faith (fides qua creditur). But to someone who goes to the other extreme, I will emphasize the propositional nature of the faith (fides quae creditur).

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Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Mission to Siberia

I don't have a ton of information yet, but I thought I may as well go ahead and ask for prayers. I will be traveling in June and July to several cities in eastern Siberia as part of the Russian Project of my alma mater, Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, IN. We'll start in Kamchatka and go west from there. At each location, we will conduct seminars on topics of Christian theology. Similar seminars have been key in helping local Russian Lutheran pastors plant and nurture congregations. I believe the two classes I'll be teaching are Christian Ethics and The Meaning of Suffering. More info as it comes.

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Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Cycle of Sanctification

In my last post, I asked "who is the gospel for?" One perceptive commenter, Elaine P, recommended I post this article by Pr. Don Matzat. She is right. It is a good article.

Issues, Etc. Journal - Spring 1998 - Vol. 3 No. 1


Hitting For The Cycle

What is sanctification? How is it produced? To grow in our Christian faith and life, do we simply go in circles and do the same things over and over again? You got it!

by Don Matzat

On a recent Issues, Etc. interview, we discussed the subject of sanctification. My guest, a Reformed theologian, compared the various views on sanctification with a wind-up doll. When you wind-up the Pentecostal doll, it speaks in tongues. The Reformed doll grabs the third use of the Law. The Holiness doll goes after perfect sanctification. And what about the Lutheran doll? Well, from his perspective, when you wind-up the Lutheran doll it simply goes in circles.

After giving some thought to what he had said, I came to the conclusion that he was right. Lutherans go in circles. Or, to put it into baseball parlance, we hit for the cycle. Let me explain. . .

Think of a baseball diamond. At home plate, put the Law. At first base, the Gospel. At second base, Faith. At third base, Good Works or the Christian Life.

Now then, when an unbeliever steps up to the plate, the first thing he is hit with is the Law. He becomes aware of his sin before God.

This drives him to first base where the Gospel confronts him with the Good News of the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

As he rounds first base, the Holy Spirit produces faith causing him to grasp the Good News and rejoice in his salvation.

As he rounds second base, faith, being no idle notion, brings the Holy Spirit, and produces good works. His life is changed as he motors to the Good Works of third base.

In the third base coaching box there are a variety of coaches holding up the "stop" sign.

"Stop," they cry. "Come over here and speak in tongues to get really holy." Others offer the dream of perfect sanctification. Some promote their own evangelical house rules – don’t drink, smoke, dance, or go to movies. Some theologians of the Reformation group are debating the third use of the Law.

The Apostle Paul is also in the coaches box waving the runner through. "Get to home plate," he shouts. "Keep going! Don’t stop at third base."

So the runner rounds third and heads for home saying to himself, "Wow! I am really a good, holy Christian."

As he gets to home plate, he is in for a surprise. He gets nailed by the Law again. This time, though, it is not Romans 1 and 2, but rather Romans 7.

"So, you think you are really hot stuff," the Law says to him. "Quite a good Christian, eh? You are merely a wretched man born out of the wretched root of your father Adam."

Filled with sorrow and contrition, he wanders back up the first base line declaring, "Almighty God, merciful Father, I a poor, miserable sinner. . ." This time, as he gets to first base, he not only hears the Good News of forgiveness, but his pastor is waiting for him with words of absolution – "I forgive you!" He also hears Jesus saying to him, "Take and eat, this is my Body and Blood given for your forgiveness."

"This is fantastic," he cries as his faith is again built up and his heart is filled with great joy. He heads toward second base renewed in his faith. As a result, his behavior, actions, and attitudes are again being adjusted.

This time, as he arrives at third base, the coaches box is filled to overflowing. Everyone wants him to stop. One former football coach offers "Promise Keeping." Someone else wants to put a "What would Jesus do?" bracelet on his wrist. Bearded psychologists are there offering self-esteem, support groups, and help for his wounded inner child.

The apostle Paul is still there waving him home. But this time he is being backed up with some of the saints of the past – Martin Luther and C.F.W. Walther.

So our faithful baserunner heads back to home plate only to get clobbered with the Law again.

He continues to run the bases and his understanding of sin deepens. He grows in the knowledge of the grace of God in Christ Jesus. His Faith increases and good works freely flow from his life. Much to his amazement, as he reads the Bible, he discovers that this is exactly what God wants for him.

As he grows, he learns to love the worship of the Church. He discovers that various elements of the liturgy deal with either the Law, Gospel, Faith, or Good Works.

The traditional hymnody of the Church enhances his experience of Christian growth. He sings with enthusiasm "Alas, My God, My Sins are Great," "Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness," "My Faith Looks Up to Thee," and "May We Thy Precepts Lord Fulfill." In so doing, he is running the bases again and growing.

So, we go in circles! Fight the good fight, and run the good race, but whatever you do – don’t stop at third base!

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Who Is the Gospel For?

When I was a teenager, I used to attend youth rallies on Saturday nights with some friends at Kansas City Youth for Christ. One night in particular, I remember being exhorted by Ronnie Metzger to bring our unbelieving friends to the rallies because otherwise, "We're just preaching the gospel to a bunch of Christians." Now even at age 16 I remember thinking, "So what's wrong with that?"

Certainly I understand that the rallies were largely supposed to be evangelistic. And I agree with the advice to bring unbelievers to places where they'll hear the good news about Jesus Christ. But is the gospel message just intended for unbelievers? How often do Christians need to hear that their sins are forgiven?

I believe that as a pastor, it is my calling to proclaim the cross of Jesus Christ every time I step into the pulpit. Occasionally (but not that often) I get criticized for all the talk of sin, repentance, cross, blood, etc. Some people would like me to talk more about "practical" things or life applications.

I've heard some clergy and laypeople express the idea that the gospel - in the narrow sense of atonement and justification - is really only for unbelievers or backslidden believers. Now that we know about what Christ has done for us and believe it, we should talk about other stuff like marriage, family, finances, morality, emotions, leadership, and so forth.

So thus my question: Who is the gospel for? Should pastors preach the crucifixion of Jesus every time they open their mouths? Or is once in a while sufficient? What about all those pressing life application issues?

Let me tell you what I think. A pastor must teach his flock about these life application issues. Yes, we are called to teach people what God's word says about marriage and family, about morality and a whole host of issues. In Martin Luther's Small Catechism and Large Catechism, he devotes a good deal of time on these things in his explanations of the Ten Commandments, the Table of Duties and elsewhere.

We can deal with these in Bible classes, special presentations, pastoral conversations and sermons. But I also firmly contend that as we teach these matters, we are not only informing people of God's Will, we are also condemning them. The Law always accuses. Who of us perfectly lives what we are teaching?

And that is why each and every message must center on Jesus and his cross. If we are going to speak God's Word which we know will burden people's consciences, it is pretty important to give them the balm of God's forgiveness.

So, here are some other questions to ponder.

  • Can a sermon be called Christ-centered if it does not mention Jesus?

  • Can a sermon be called Christ-centered if it talks about Jesus but not about his death and resurrection?

  • Has the gospel been proclaimed if Jesus is mentioned but primarily as the object of the verbs instead of the subject? Ie. "I love Jesus. I trust Jesus. Give your heart to Jesus."
My answer to all three above questions is "no."

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Our Easter Sanctuary



Thanks to Judy for these very nice photos our our church on Easter morn.

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Monday, April 17, 2006

The Beast on Rick Warren

Pastor Philip Meade, over at The Beast's Lair, is always a fun read.

His recent posts on the historical nature of Christianity and distinguishing Law and Gospel have been very good. His link on The Gospel of Judas was one of the best I've read.

Hoping I'm not going to be creating grief in his life by directing you to him, I want you to read what he wrote about The Purpose Driven Life.

He gives a great example of what I've been trying to say. And he says it much better.

Pastor Scott Stiegemeyer over at "The Burr in the Burgh" has stated rather clearly his stance on Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life." He is receiving some heat for his comments from PDL supporters, not particularly surprising. Pastor Scott certainly doesn't need me running to his defense, not to mention that the fact he is receiving feedback from a worship leader within the Saddleback church. Regardless of if the feedback is positive or negative, his blog is being noticed and making a difference. I have 3 family members and few friends reading mine. I can't wait for someone "high up" to smash my views at my blog. Well, not really. But anyway. . .

I have said before the The Beast's Lair is not a place to throw down judgment, and I want to remain true to that conviction for my blog. Nevertheless, the minister has a responsibility to keep working to find the space between being judgmental and protecting our sheep. I have students and adults under my care at my church, they look to me and frankly expect me to know what is good and what is not. Lot's of times I don't know, something that keeps me awake at night.

With that in mind, here are my concerns with "The Purpose Driven Life." First of all, I don't know anything about Rick Warren, save what I have read from his books and biography. His personal life, convictions, and character are all removed from my knowledge, and so my comments have nothing to do with Rick Warren the man. All I have to go on and process are the words he has written that are being digested and fed to literally millions of people. I also acknowledge that Warren's book is going to be much more scrutinized because of it's huge success, but that is exactly the point. When something is reaching so many people, any responsible minister is going to take a closer look.

My main issue with his book and study sessions that accompany his book are with the presentation of the Gospel, or I should say, the lack of presentation. Here is a quote from Saddleback's Study Guide and Teaching Video for the 40 Day's of Purpose:

"Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ? If you aren't sure of this, I'd like the privilege of leading you in a prayer to settle the issue. Let's bow our heads. I'm going to pray a prayer and you can follow it silently in your mind:

'Dear God, I want to know Your purpose for my life. I don't want to waste the rest of my life on the wrong things. Today I want to take the first step in preparing for eternity by getting to know You. Jesus Christ, I don't understand it all, but as much as I know how, I want to open my life to You. I ask you to come into my life and make yourself real to me. Use this series to help me know what You made me for. Thank you. Amen.'

"If you just prayed that prayer for the very first time, I congratulate you. You've just become a part of the family of God."

Based on this confession, salvation means turning your life from purposeless to purposeful. There is no mention of sin, forgiveness of sin, belief in the resurrected Christ, etc. I by no means think that there is one word-for-word prayer that is the "correct" prayer and unless a non-believer says those exact words, God will not hear. However, the foundation of salvation rests on the blood of Christ and the recognition and forgiveness of sin, not the lack of purpose in a life. Plus, in this salvation prayer, the words "use this series to help me" is beyond belief. Surely in our prayer for salvation, we would ask God first to use the Bible to help us. I appreciate a good Bible study or commentary for help, but not as an addition to a prayer of salvation! Furthermore, in this first lesson of the study that offers this prayer, there is no mention of any scriptures relating to the Gospels. Biblically illiterate people who read this prayer would do so with no knowledge of the cross or God's understanding of sin.

Secondly, I have concerns with Warren's use of scripture, ...

Read the rest of his post by going HERE.

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Sunday, April 16, 2006

Glorious Pascha

Our Easter celebration this morning was wonderful! The choir sounded quite good. And I always enjoy the Hallelujah chorus. The trumpeter worked his lips to the bone. The smell of easter was everywhere as we had more lillies than I can ever recall having. The sun was shining. The breakfast btwn services was a success. Everything was bright white and gold and shiny and new. Even the big wooden cross from Good Friday was draped in white linen and surrounded by flowers.

But of course the thing that made it so wonderful is the fact that Jesus is alive. What a joy it was to baptize an adult woman today with her husband and three sons standing around her. Indeed she has been baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The sermon, well.... I strive to proclaim Jesus Christ clearly.

And then the Eucharist, the foretaste of the feast to come. As a shepherd one of my greatest joys is serving the saints with the body and blood of our Lord.

P.S. If any of yinz have a photo of the church from this morning, please ship it to me.

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Saturday, April 15, 2006

More Rick Warren Stuff (sigh)

Hey, go check out the scribblings of the brothers at Fide-o. Look around awhile and you'll see their section on Saddleback Church. That's Rick Warren's. Since Mr. Richard Abanes is now on record calling me a bunch of names, it was comforting to see I haven't been his only target.

As you can see, Abanes calls me a witch-hunter, a liar, small-minded, unloving, unChrist-like, hate-filled, arrogant, ignorant, evil, fanatical, sectarian and damaging to the Body of Christ. All in one comment. Not to mention an embarrasment to my denomination.

The thing is, in all honesty, he is right (not necessarily in the ways he meant it but even so). I don't deny any of it. That's what is so wonderful about Jesus and His cross. And that's why Rick Warren's book The Purpose Driven Life is so pointless. It's not just that Warren distorts and misapplies the Bible over and over and over. It's not just his false teachings. It's also what he doesn't say. There ain't much gospel there folks and w/o the gospel, your life has no purpose.

I'm sure that Rick Warren means well. I don't question his intentions or motives. I challenge his words.

While there are hundreds of websites condemning The Purpose Driven Life and articles too numerous to cite, I like what Pastor Gary E. Gilley of Southern View Chapel in Springfield, IL had to say in his short review:

when every third page of a book presents either an unbiblical, or at least a biblically unsupportable idea, there is not much sense bothering to read it. And that would be my suggestion - don't bother.

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Friday, April 14, 2006

O Sacred Head Now Wounded

The torture and murder of Jesus Christ is one of the strangest events in all of human history. How utterly embarrassing this must have been for the first disciples....

Jesus was a mysterious figure in his day. Some people believed that He was the One sent from God who would set everything right. Others believed he was a dangerous fraud. But I suspect that for many average Joe Israelites, the jury was still out. A lot of them probably thought, “Well maybe he is the Savior. Let’s wait and see what happens.” And for those many who were in the mushy middle, the death of Jesus on the cross must have been supremely disappointing. Crucifixion was such a shameful way to die that the average Jew at the time would have thought that God surely would not allow a righteous man to suffer innocently that way. The fact that He did not save Himself and the fact that God did not come to his aid was proof positive, for many, that Jesus may have been a lot of things, but the Messiah he was not....

You know about His sufferings because you’ve seen it in movies, heard about it in sermons and read it in the bible for yourselves.

He was arrested and falsely accused. His friends abandoned him. The guards mocked him and spat on him. They ripped his beard off his chin. They struck him with rods and with their fists.

Then came the flogging, the terrible brutal torture with the scourge. Long leather straps with bits of metal and bone so that it catches the skin and shreds it like paper. After a good thorough lashing, Jesus’ flesh hung off his back in quivering strips of bleeding meat.

Then came the crown of thorns pressed hard upon his brow. And the Romans always crucified you naked, adding insult to injury. So they nailed him up, bare and bleeding, in between two thieves. And they left him there to die.

Only his mother and one or two others were there to comfort him. But what kind of man wants His mother to witness His execution. Her presence there probably brought to Jesus more grief than solace.

But all of that – as terrible as it most undoubtedly was – was nothing. That was a piece of cake. All the Romans could do was poke and jab His body. It’s not what happened before the cross that hurt Jesus the most. It’s what happened ON the cross. For there God laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. The anguish of having to bear the weight of the guilt of every sinner’s sin far overpowered the nails and lashes. And God despised His Son. He poured out His vengeance and wrath onto Jesus. And for those moments while he hung there, suspended between earth and sky, Jesus of Nazareth was the most cursed human being of all time.

As you return home this evening, take a moment and think this over very carefully. It is because you lied, that Jesus died. It is because you were unkind that Jesus suffered. It is because you are selfish that Jesus bled. It was because of you. You did this. It’s your fault. ...

In a sermon on the death of Christ, Martin Luther wrote, “You should deeply believe, and never doubt, that in fact you are the one who killed Christ. Your sins did this to Him. Therefore, when you look at the nails being driven through His hands, firmly believe that it is your work. Do you see His crown of thorns? Those thorns are your wicked thoughts.”

But don’t despair. No one did anything to Jesus that He did not allow them to do. He gave Himself into death for our salvation. He submitted to these sufferings willingly, to pay for your sins, to satisfy the wrath of God, and to spare us from going to hell....

My prayer is that each of every one of you will be able to go home tonight with the assurance that whatever you may have done, whatever lies upon your conscience, that you have been reconciled with your Heavenly Father. ...

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Thursday, April 13, 2006

"Lutheran" Goddess Worship

This is one reason the Lutheran Church -Missouri Synod (LCMS) is not in fellowship with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Oh, certainly the LCMS has problems of its own. There is no flawless denomination. But the spirit of a church body can be discerned not only by what it teaches, but also by what it allows.

People who believe in biblical inerrancy and oppose womens ordination (on biblical grounds) are not welcome in the ELCA. But goddess worshippers and gay activists are.

Go to Her Church.Org, the website of Ebenezer Lutheran Church in San Francisco. You can read all about their goddess worship, their goddess rosaries, the Gay/Lesbian promotions, etc.

There are still biblically sound pastors and people in the ELCA, to be sure, but the tolerance of these theological extremes suggests that, as a church body, they've sold their soul.

In the picture at the top, devotion is paid to little pagan fertility goddesses. Yahweh commanded Israel to slay all the Canaanites because he knew that His people could be easily lured into practicing local fertility rites, such as temple prostitution. What God condemned is now being endorsed in this ELCA congregation.


And I'm not sure what the lower photo is supposed to communicate. It appears next to text stating that homosexuality and practicing homosexuals are embraced in their communion.

[A Word on Homosexuality: Both the Old Testament and the New Testament clearly and repeatedly condemn homosexuality as sinful. It is contrary to God's created plan for humankind. I don't believe it is a more damning sin that hetersexual lust, fornication or adulterty. But it is certainly not less. A person who has homosexual temptations and recognizes his or her sin and seeks God's pardon through Christ is indeed welcome at our church. The impenitent are welcome also but with the hopes that the Law of God will enlighten them and drive them in humility - with all other sinners - to the cross of Jesus.]

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Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Maybe the Gnostics Have Already Won Anyway

OK, one more final post about the Gnostic Gospel of Judas.

Over at Mere Comments, I found this disturbing set of statistics. The question is: "Do you believe that, after you die, your physical body will be resurrected someday?"

Only 36% responded yes. Only 50% of those who've attended church recently said yes. You can see the details for yourself here.

Even though it gets recited just about every Sunday in many-if-not-most American churches, people don't believe the Creed. "I believe in the resurrection of the body." And I contend that one reason is because pastors do not preach it clearly enough. We preach the gospel as if the point is just to save your soul.

Interestingly, when God created Adam and Eve in His image and likeness, He did not just create spirit beings. When the eternal Logos came to redeem humanity, he became flesh and arose in the flesh. And the apostle (1 Cor 15) clearly teaches a resurrection on the Last Day.

If you believe that the REAL you is your soul/mind/spirit and that your body is just a shell or dispensible container, then guess what, you are a gnostic. If you believe the soul is what matters and the body is unimportant, guess what, you are a gnostic. If you believe that eternal life consists of remaining disembodied forever, yep, you are a gnostic. The Christian religion, however, confesses the resurrection and glorification of the body, that you will live forever as body and soul.

But the fact that so few church goers know that is, at least to great degree, a failure of the clergy, the shepherds who are called to feed Christ's flock with the truths of his word.

Here is a test. St. John said to test the spirits.

  1. Did your pastor clearly preach the bodily resurrection of Jesus on Easter?

  2. Did your pastor make the connection between the resurrection of Jesus and your own resurrection?

  3. At funerals, does your pastor consistently preach about the resurrection or does he just talk about Aunt Mildred's soul?
We do not confess that you die, you go to heaven, end of story. We preach you die, you await the resurrection, you are raised glorified, you reign with Christ eternally.

I'd love to hear your comments about the three questions above.

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Jesus Made Me Do It!

I had decided not to waste any more time blogging on the Gnostic Gosepl of Judas. I fully concur with The Beast that if Christians would pay more attention to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, then Judas would be less an issue. But I like the title from Daylight so much that I couldn't resist.

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Monday, April 10, 2006

Responding to the Gospel of Judas: Ignorance is Not an Option

Darrell at The Southern Conservative posts his views after seeing the television special about this Gospel of Judas. I agree with Darrell that Christians ought to read - or at least become familiar with - some of these ancient gnostic texts. Not because they have any spiritual value but because of their historical importance.

In our time, when people are eager to reject established sources of authority, when victimization is in vogue, when minds are unusually open to conspiracy thinking, Christian people must know more about the origins of Christianity and the development of the Biblical cannon. If pastors, scholars and especially average lay people do not become more conversant with these issues, then crap writers like Dan Brown and historical revisionists will carry the hour. And practically speaking, that could equal souls lost.

Dr. Elaine Pagels of Princeton University has been asserting for decades that there were numerous competing theologies in the early period of the Jesus movement. And through political machinations, the so-called orthodox party managed to suppress its competitors, including Gnosticism. And ever since then, the church has been tyrannized by Dead White European Males, the dreaded D.W.E.M.S. Or so the theory goes.

Dr. Albert Mohler offers this very lucid treatment to help us know fact from hype. But let's be clear here. NO ONE is saying that this newly translated text was actually written by Judas, the disciple who betrayed Jesus. NO ONE is even saying it comes from the apostolic era.

Apparently, there is some reference to the Gospel of Judas in Irenaeus which would put it from the late second century. These gnostic texts all seem to date from the late 2nd or 3rd century. And while some of these texts may have circulated quite a bit, none of them enjoyed anything close to a widespread reception from ancient congregations.

In order for a book to have been welcomed as Scripture in ancient Christian communities, it had to have bona fide apostolic origin. In other words, was it TRULY written by an apostle or a close associate of the apostles? That was the fundamental criterion for the reception of a letter or text. Those pseudapigraphic texts like the Gospels of Thomas or Judas simply did not meet the test.

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Saturday, April 08, 2006

Dembski's Intelligent Design Blog

Uncommon Descent is the Intelligent Design weblog of Dr. William Dembski and friends.

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Friday, April 07, 2006

The Gospel of Judas

You may have heard - and certainly will be hearing more - about this alleged "Gospel of Judas." This is really much ado about doo doo. From what I understand, the "Gospel of Judas" is just another old gnostic pseudapigraphic text. Judas didn't write it any more than Thomas wrote the gospel of Thomas. Gnostics were people who held to a varied set of heretical teachings. There were numerous such sects in the early centuries of Christianity.

Common themes in gnostic texts include:

  • The Highest God did not create the world, some lower deity or emanation of God did.
  • The material world is evil
  • Only spirit is good
  • Thus, gnostics tended to promote celibacy because the body doesn't matter.
    • Some went the opposite direction and lived licentiously because the body doesn't matter.
  • Women were often denigrated. The "Gospel of Thomas" states that a woman (Mary Magdalene) must become a man in order to be saved.
  • The Logos (eternal only-begotten Son of God) was not incarnated. The true God could not become a man because the material world is evil.
    • One theory was that Jesus was not truly human, he only appeared to be flesh and blood.
    • Another theory suggested that Jesus wasn't any more divine than you or I.
  • Because the material world is intrinsically evil, Jesus did not rise bodily from the grave.
  • Because the material world is evil, Christians do not receive His body and blood in the Eucharist.
  • Because the material world is evil, salvation means being set free from the body.
  • Because the material world is intrinsically evil, you will not rise bodily on the Last Day.
  • The word Gnosticism comes from the Greek word for knowledge (gnosis). Gnostics held that Jesus passed on certain teachings only to a few. And these secret teachings are passed along only to the worthy. So only those ascended masters, the enlightened ones, who posseses this secret knowledge gain the highest salvation.
And so forth. Does that sound anything at all like Christianity? If you believe ANY of the above statements, you cannot in good conscience speak the Nicene Creed. And if you cannot honestly confess the Nicene Creed, you are not a Christian.

Soon, I will be preparing a series of lectures on the Da Vinci Code, so you will be reading more from me on these matters.

Christianity Today has a nice write up on this which I recommend you read.

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Quack! Quack!

I was reading LCMS news maven, Miss Mollie Ziegler, at Get Religion and discovered a very helpful website called Quack Watch. I'm not a doctor and so I'm not qualified to evaluate all of the information on Quack Watch. But I do believe people need to do a bit of level-headed research before embracing so-called alternative medicines and therapies. It's amazing how much quasi-voodoo superstitious nonsense people will accept. Such things as Reiki, therapeutic touch, chakras, aromatherapy, reflexology, past lives therapy and so forth are bewitching legions of otherwise reasonable Americans.

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Thursday, April 06, 2006

Your Decision-Making Process

I'm doing some serious thought these days on topics related to bio-ethics. And this afternoon, I've been pondering the internal process involved in making a tough ethical decision. Tell me, if you are faced with a difficult ethical decision - such as the Terri Schiavo case - which of these factors are most important in how you arrive at a decision:

  • How will this affect me?
  • Will I be burdened or inconvenienced?
  • What do I want?
  • What do I think the person would want?
  • What is the financial cost?
  • Does God's Word provide any guidance?
  • Is one decision more in line with traditional Christian living?
You see, I think Dr. Richard Eyer is correct in his little book: Holy People, Holy Lives: Law and Gospel in Bioethics. He writes that people today usually think in terms of what is practical and/or what do I want. In other words, they make decisions according to whether it is pragmatically and emotionally satisfying instead of which course of action most reflects the mind of Christ as revealed in Scripture and 2 millenia of Christian reflection.

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Wednesday, April 05, 2006

"V for Vendetta" is a Fascist Movie

You need to read this movie review by Dr. Angus Menuge over at The Pearcey Report.

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Monday, April 03, 2006

The Pearcey Report

cover

John and Nancy Pearcey run the Pearcey Report webzine. I just discovered it and will be adding it to my daily read list. You must read Nancy Pearcey's book Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity.

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Silly Putty Galore

I still love this stuff. Buy an egg every couple of months or so. Here you can get me a giant five pound blob.

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Sunday, April 02, 2006

Reepicheep!!!

One of my favorite characters in the Chronicles of Narnia is Reepicheep the mouse. Well, guess who's going to be his voice for the Prince Caspian movie. See here.

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Saturday, April 01, 2006

Intelligent Design Seminar

Hi all,
Today we had a very successful seminar on Intelligent Design with Dr. Angus Menuge of Concordia University, WI. Turnout was delightfully higher than expected and people came from all over the city, as well as some from Ohio.

We are just now in the process of building our church website and will very soon have Dr. Menuge's powerpoint presentation available for viewing there.

One favorite quote came from C.S. Lewis who talked about chronological snobbery. I heard it somewhere said that just because it's newer doesn't mean it's truer.

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New Curriculum at Concordia Theological Seminary