Angry Lutherans

We've been robbed! (sort of)

2009-05-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

Go to Yahoo News or AOL news and search for "online confessions". Is anyone out there a lawyer? Do we have a case here?

Yes, we should be more upset about the disregard shown to incarnational theology and all that, but at the moment we're hoping for material gain in a lawsuit....

Pronunciation Key

2009-04-10T04:28:00.000-07:00

For the more dim-witted among the Lutheran clergy:

1. It's not "Maunday Thursday" or "Monday Thursday"; it's "Maundy Thursday".

2. "Introit" does not rhyme with "Detroit".

3. Jesus was not talking to "Eli" about a "llama sabbatical" while on the cross.

Rite of De-Ordination

2009-03-02T07:51:00.000-08:00

Is a pastor still a pastor after he retires? In our experience, there seem to be three distinct schools of thought on this issue:

1. Yes

2. No

3. Don’t you have anything better to think about?

To those in the third group, we can honestly answer, “Not at the moment.” Therefore, for those in group two, we offer the following in keeping with the Apostle Paul’s mandate that everything be done in good order.

Opening Hymn: “Oh, how blest are they whose toils are ended”

Officiating Pastor: Beloved in the Lord, Pastor _______ had been called by the Lord of the Church into the Office of the Holy Ministry of the Word and Sacraments. He has served faithfully in his calling as (Senior, Associate, Assistant, Youth, Administrative, Worship, Outreach, Inreach, Visitation, Education, Prayer, Women’s Ministry, Men’s Ministry, Pet Ministry, etc.) Pastor of __________ (Evangelical) Lutheran Church from his installation until now. As he has successfully reached his seventy-second year of life, I, in the presence of God and this congregation, now remove from him the responsibility and authority of preaching the Word and administering the Sacraments.

God gathers His Church by and around His Holy Gospel and thereby also grants it growth and increase according to His good pleasure. That this may be done, He has established the Office of the Holy Ministry into which you had been called by the Church and are now to be removed from by prayer and the laying on of hands.

Do you believe and confess the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God and the only infallible rule of faith and practice?

Candidate: I do.

Officiating Pastor: Do you believe and confess the three Ecumenical Creeds, namely the Apostles’, the Nicene, and the Athanasian Creeds, as faithful testimonies to the truth of the Holy Scriptures, and do you reject all the errors which they condemn?

Candidate: I do.

Officiating Pastor: Do you confess the Unaltered Augsburg Confession to be a true exposition of Holy Scripture and a correct exhibition of the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church? And do you confess that the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Small and Large Catechisms of Martin Luther, the Smalcald Articles, the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, and the Formula of Concord – as these are contained in the Book of Concord – are also in agreement with this one scriptural faith?

Candidate: I do.

Officiating Pastor: Do you promise that you will no longer perform the duties of the Office in accordance with these Confessions?

Candidate: Yes, I promise with the help of God.

(The candidate kneels. The Officiating Pastor places his hands on the candidate’s head.)

Officiating Pastor: Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62)

______, I de-ordain and de-consecrate you from the Office of the Holy Ministry of the Word and Sacraments of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.

(The assisting pastors remove the candidate’s stole, black Geneva, and Christian fish tie. The candidate surrenders his NIV Bible to the Officiating pastor. The assisting pastors give the candidate his Social Security and Medicare applications. The candidate recesses in silence. The Officiating Pastor and assisting pastors will be ushered out during the closing hymn.)

Closing Hymn: "Abide with Me", v. 4

Lutheran Economic Stimulus Plan

2009-02-19T04:41:00.000-08:00

In these tough economic times, there’s a need for belt tightening all over, including in the Lutheran church. Even though in many Lutheran churches it would appear to be impossible to cut costs any farther without disconnecting the heat, air conditioning, and/or running water, we have found a way!

For many churches, the priciest item in the budget is full-time staff. In the past, this cost could only be cut so far before your pastor(s) and/or teacher(s) look for employment elsewhere because they don’t love Jesus enough to live in a cardboard lean-to in the church parking lot and eat nothing but potluck scraps from the dumpster. Those ingrates start coveting the studio apartments of fast food managers and turn their backs on their “ministries” and very generous $10,000 annual salary from the church. This created countless headaches for the church in finding and breaking in new staff. UNTIL NOW!

How would you like a pastor without the exorbitant cost? How about a pastor who won’t take up space in your building for his office? A pastor who can be present whenever needed? Sound too good to be true?! It’s not. It’s…

VIRTUAL PASTOR

VIRTUAL PASTOR saves money! Instead of every congregation paying a pastor, a synod would only need a handful of paid pastors.

VIRTUAL PASTOR promotes unity! If your synod is looking for unity in doctrine and practice, look no further. Your synod can have absolute uniformity with VIRTUAL PASTOR! Every congregation can hear the same sermon and Bible class each week!

VIRTUAL PASTOR doesn’t need sleep, days off, or vacations! Unlike old-fashioned pastors, VIRTUAL PASTORs can be in more than one place at once and will never take time off!

How does VIRTUAL PASTOR work?

VIRTUAL PASTOR is a combined package for your total pastoral care. Your kit includes:

~Subscription to the VIRTUAL PASTOR DVD series. Each DVD includes the current month’s collection of services, with a called and ordained pastor conducting the liturgy and preaching. All you need to do is insert the DVD each week at the beginning of the service.

~Vend-a-sacrament kiosk. The kiosk is user-friendly and easy to assemble. After a congregation member inserts the sacrament-specific fee (Lord’s Supper $10, Holy Baptism $25), the product (prepackaged wine and bread or water bottle) will be dispensed and the screen will automatically begin the rite led by one of VIRTUAL PASTOR’s called and ordained clergy. Simply follow the on-screen instructions to receive your sacrament.

~Access to the 24/7 VIRTUAL PASTOR phone center. Just call 1-800-437-3842* and follow the prompts: wish to confess and receive absolution-press 1, in the hospital-press 2, dying-press 3, thinking about a divorce-press 4, living in sin-press 5, just want to kill time-press 0.

While the cost of a full-time pastor can extend into the tens of thousands of dollars, VIRTUAL PASTOR is dedicated to helping congregations end every year in the black. Just because your congregation is non-profit doesn’t mean it can’t make money! For the low, low price of just $5,000 plus $25 per month for the DVD subscription, your congregation can have its very own VIRTUAL PASTOR!

But wait! If you order now, we’ll also include, at no additional charge, a free year’s subscription to the VIRTUAL PASTOR Bible class and confirmation class DVD series.

CALL NOW!

VIRTUAL PASTOR-WHERE THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE LINE IN THE SAND

*That’s 1-800-HERETIC

Read This, You Whiny Lutherans

2009-02-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

If we would be Christians, therefore, we must surely expect and count on having the devil with all his angels and the world as our enemies (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:9). They will bring every possible misfortune and grief upon us. For where God's Word is preached, accepted, or believed and produces fruit, there the holy cross cannot be missing (Acts 14:22). And let no one think that he shall have peace (Matthew 10:34). He must risk whatever he has upon earth--possessions, honor, house and estate, wife and children, body and life. Now, this hurts our flesh and the old Adam (Ephesians 4:22). The test is to be steadfast and to suffer with patience (James 5:7-8) in whatever way we are assaulted, and to let go whatever is taken from us (1 Peter 2:20-21).

Sabbatical of Sorts

2009-02-06T05:29:00.000-08:00

At our November board meeting, it was decided by a vote of 365 to 173 that we should each take the next few months to sit in a dark room and ponder the root problem of the Lutheran church bodies in America. Yes, that did mean that we missed out on Advent, Christmas, and a chunk of Epiphany, not to mention many family events and work-related duties, but we feel our vocational responsibilities, though important, do not outweigh our more pressing need for self-indulgent continual self-analysis. Therefore, here’s the problem, as we see it:

Church bodies are too large. It’s difficult for a doctrinally pure ecclesiastical supervisor to keep that many sinners under his thumb. Church body size would be better restricted to nothing higher than a single-digit number, preferably all living under one roof. This could be accomplished most conveniently by the father of each nuclear family naming himself bishop, binding his wife and children to his interpretive authority, and preaching and administering the sacraments in the home. There would of course be some challenges to this approach:

a. None of these men are called to do this, so it would be a break with the historic Church, but since in so many places “everyone a minister” is already practiced, it shouldn’t cause too much of a stir.

b. It’s conceivable that not every man who is a physical father is qualified to be a spiritual father.

c. The wife and kids might be heretics who would have to be excommunicated to the garage, which while keeping purity in doctrine and practice, may make for an unpleasant living situation.

d. What to do with the older kids? School outside of the home/church environment is not a satisfactory option. The best alternative we’ve come up with so far is arranged marriages. After home-schooling through high school is completed, if you (and possibly your wife) can agree with another father enough doctrinally to permit your children to marry, you could give your daughter a letter of transfer, and after she takes the proper membership classes, she may be admitted into the church/home of her husband.

e. This may have implications for the whole “body of Christ” imagery of the Church. We’ve decided it’s best not to think too much about that. We’d rather not destroy our simplistic absolutes.*

Discovering that seminal flaw of American Lutheranism didn’t really take too long and left us with enough time to ponder the problems of some of the “confessional” Lutherans in these church bodies. The following is not a complete list, just a few random things that make us angry (more annoyed really, but this is Angry Lutherans, so we’ll stick with angry).

1. Blogging. (Yes, we’re aware of the irony of using a blog to call blogging a problem. Don’t write in.) Blogging in some “confessional” Lutheran circles has become a root of much time-wasting with precious little usefulness. The seemingly endless navel-gazing has progressed to lint-gazing and in some cases, lint describing in excruciating detail. Your situation is not that bad. God is in control. Quit whining.

2. Ego. Especially on the internet, but also in person, ego has outpaced intelligence (in some cases ego is so far out in front that intelligence can’t even be seen in the rear view mirror anymore). This seems most prevalent among the younger “confessional” pastors, though not limited to them. From our informal market research, to an outsider these men are offensive. No one is quite sure how they appear to themselves (though the word “brilliant” gets bandied about), but to others it’s just one egomaniac shouting down the last egomaniac, with nothing better about which to shout. Reminds one of resounding gongs and clanging cymbals.

3. Fighting. The fights involving “confessional” Lutherans are already legion, but apparently, there’s always room for one more. To broadly point out some of the contentions for those unfamiliar, we have pastors vs. lay people, “confessional” pastors vs. other pastors, pastors vs. district officials, pastors vs. synod officials, pastors vs. seminaries, “confessional” pastors vs. other “confessional” pastors who don’t quite measure up…. Some of the differences are serious, some are not. If “confessionals” can’t judge the difference between a gnat and a camel, they are damaging their own ability to deal with the very serious theological problems plaguing the churches.

4. Not giving the devil his due. The much maligned church growthers and “confessional” Lutherans are finding themselves closer together than either group might like. The search for methods has infected the “confessional movement”. We’ve heard many a “confessional” say: “If we use the historic lectionary…”, “If we make our people accept the chasuble”, “If we bind ourselves to a rule…”, “If we do away with the general confession and absolution…” While some (certainly not all) suggestions for methods made by “confessionals” are better than praise bands and cozy coffee house churches, they will likely not bring success (however you define it) and may not even constitute faithful service to your flock (N.B. Bullying is not faithful service.).

Is there any hope for the Lutheran churches in America? Probably not. Should we all blog ‘til our fingers bleed about the hopelessness? No. See to your duties, as insignificant as they are and as troublesome as they may be.** Christ reigns. His Church endures.

*The preceding is not meant to be serious, but we have heard some of these ideas posited in all seriousness by some who believe home-schooling, arranged marriages, etc. will “save the Church”. (To those folks we say: Christ already did that.)

**Goodness, what does one expect in the ministry?! Recall what Jesus said, “If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!”

Nobody Panic! We're Still Here!

2009-01-27T07:09:00.000-08:00

Our absence from the blogosphere will be explained in a later post, sort of. Since no one is paying for a subscription here, we, your humble sub-committee of Angry Lutherans, feel that will be more than sufficient.

In the meantime, here are a few notices regarding comments:

1. Anonymous comments from folks who misread what was written will not be posted. Although it is fiendishly enjoyable to tear to shreds the illiterate, we don't have the time.
2. Non-anonymous comments from folks who misread what was written will not be posted for their own protection from the horror of internet embarrassment.
3. Comments from anyone writing in to let us know that they are horribly offended by our sarcastic tone (which we warned you about from the beginning) and are never going to visit here again will not be posted. Since you are not a paying customer, we don't care. Save yourself some time and mental anguish by just not reading here anymore.
4. If you have a problem with these changes and write a comment to that effect, it will not be posted. We're all equal, but here on this blog, we're in charge. (someone has to be)
5. For the dinette set, laundry soap, and trip to Hawaii: to what are we referring in #4?

Reformation History

2008-10-31T01:06:00.000-07:00

Once again, it’s October 31, a day when we Lutherans reflect on our glorious history. It was on this date in 1517 that Martin Luther nailed the pope to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg and then went begging door to door for candy to give his children after his family had enjoyed a dinner of slow-roasted savory papal bull of excommunication.

As we all know, this took place during the “Babylonian captivity” of the papacy, when Vatican City was moved brick by brick from Rome to Avignon by the Babylonians using forced European peasant labor. This understandably angered the poor Germans, who were not in an economic situation to buy “indulgences” to get out of the heavy lifting. The arduous journey took its toll and many fell by the wayside, crushed under ancient relics, statues of Mary, Sistine Chapels, PopeMobiles, and JohnTetzels.

Fortunately, Luther prevailed and by 1580, he and the other reformers (whose names aren’t important) were able to eat a Thanksgiving meal of barbecued papal bull of celebration in Concordia, MO.

History’s all fine and good, you say, but what does this mean for us in 2008? Well friend, we now have the Freedom of the Gospel. How wonderful! About this time every year, we have the freedom to hear the Roman Catholic church bashed from our pulpits during our “special” Reformation worship services, where we show we’re free to treat the Divine Liturgy like a tower of Legos: we can knock it down, take it apart, and rebuild it however the mood strikes us and still consider ourselves “liturgical” and “confessional” “Lutherans”. We can have an Invocation, Kyrie, general Confession and Absolution (or the popular non-confession and limp “assurance”), Prayer (Hey, the Gloria takes too much time), Lessons, Hymn, Sermon, Offering, (everyone knows the Creeds and more time was needed for the Sermon-it’s a pulpit-poundin’ festival service), Hymn, Prayer, Benediction.

What’s missing from that “liturgical” service leads to our next freedom: Freedom from the Gospel. As Lutherans, we were taught that we have the Meansofgrace. The Meansofgrace, also known as WordandSacrament, are three (and only three) equal and to some extent interchangeable ways we receive God’s grace. They are Baptism, God’s Word (as contained in the NIV), and the Lord’s Supper. Now, you don’t want to go overboard here. If you have one Meansofgrace on a Sunday, you’re doing fine. However, an infant Baptism doesn’t really count, so on those Sundays, it’s safest to have two Meansofgraces. What you really want is God’s Word, not Christ mind you, but the BIBLE. That’s why you hear a sermon every week, though you don’t necessarily hear about Christ every week, except maybe in a “Gospel paragraph” if the preacher remembers to include one. If you have a sermon weekly, the Lord’s Supper becomes superfluous. Yes, yes, there’s some rule about having to go four times a year, but receiving the Holy Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ every week is just showy. Do you really sin so much that you feel you need the Sacrament that often? If your sins are weighing that heavily on you, maybe the problem is your weak faith. If you can’t work this out by yourself sitting at home with your NIV then fine, go to a church that offers the Lord’s Supper twice a month, but when the pastor stops in front of you and says, ”The Body of Christ given for you”, don’t you dare give your “Amen” while the host is in midair in front of you (Obviously, you also would not have kneeled, bowed, genuflected, or made the sign of the cross within three feet of your or anyone else’s body at any time during the service either). Certainly, we are plagued with some Romanizing guys and gals in the Lutheran church today who will try to convince you that these ceremonies are “Lutheran” and “catholic with a small ‘c’”, and they might try to show you in some overly large book what our church officially teaches, but really, what are you going to trust: some book written hundreds of years ago or your own feelings and memories of what you were taught growing up?

Early Christmas Shopping

2008-10-24T04:38:00.000-07:00

Something about this and this is a little disconcerting...

Ya Take Yer 2 Pieces Uh Wud ‘N Ya Nail ‘Em In Da Middle Er So

2008-10-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

Much is made in confessional Lutheranism of the Theology of the Cross. This is good. However, even among those who have the best intentions, sinful natures will subtly steer some to vain glory disguised as cross.

True Theology of the Cross is found in weakness, if able to be pointed out and named specifically at all. When we are weak, then we are strong. The elderly man whose family tries to spare him heartache by withholding a diagnosis of dementia from him, who experiences the fear of confusion and darkness where there once was clarity; the woman who is so weak from illness that she can do no more than wait patiently for release in death; the pastor who quietly fights through exhaustion to minister to those who have no earthly support and no earthly hope; this is the Theology of the Cross. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The Cross you bear is not of your own making. Sometimes the crosses you can identify are not true crosses. The pastor who is too lazy to tend to his responsibilities and then, in his opinion, receives mistreatment at the hands of his flock, has made his own cross. The church-hoppers who claim to just want a church where their kids are welcome, but have had screaming matches over relatively unimportant issues like the kids’ Christmas service with almost every pastor in a 50-mile radius, have made their own cross.

The same goes for the complaining and playing for sympathy that goes on among those who work in the Church. Many times (though definitely not all) a bad situation is at least partly of your own making. It seems some at Church gatherings wish to be Chief Martyr: the most persecuted person in the room. Keep in mind, there is always someone who has been treated worse and has deserved it less than whatever happened to you. Your sufferings are not that important. They are transitory. They do not compare to the glory that will be revealed.

Young pastors, take a cue from your older members: suffer in silence. If your suffering is of your own making, seek forgiveness and see to your duties faithfully. You probably won’t be rewarded. You’ll get no exhilarating rush like you do when successfully attacking or arguing in the relative safety and anonymity of cyberspace. Yet, it is while faithfully carrying out your vocation that you will find the true Cross. It will hurt. It is not pleasant. Through it you will be blessed.

The Spiritual Gift of Bassackwardness

2008-10-08T03:06:00.000-07:00

Many of us have been forced to participate in spiritual gift inventories. They were all the rage a number of years ago and have been mercifully fading from the scene with the advent of newer, similarly meaningless, fads in the Church. These asinine activities were sometimes given in conjunction with personality profiles (most of which are transparent enough to fake your way through and end up with a different personality every time you take them—try it, you’ll amaze the more simple-minded and trusting of your friends and/or coworkers).

The exclamations of those around the table upon discovering their personalities and spiritual gifts can make dull meetings momentarily entertaining. “I’m a lion!” “I’m a shepherd!” “I’m a badger!” “I’m an evangelist!” “I’m blue-green!” “I’m a leader!” “I’m orange!” “I’m a prophet!” “I’m an osprey!”

All this looking inside yourself to “find” your gifts is misguided. St. Paul is usually cited in connection with this nonsense, yet he did not go around handing out multiple-choice surveys, nor did he encourage anyone to look inside him/herself to discover hidden spiritual gifts. Our spiritual gifts do not come from inside of us but from outside of us. Paul did not wander around the ancient world trying to find someone with the gift of shepherding, and upon finding someone possessing that gift, then ordain him/her (yes, there’s been many a woman who finds that, lo and behold, she’s got the gift of pastorin’ upon completion of a spiritual gift inventory) into the office for which he/she has the gifts. Rather, those gifts were given to the person in ordination. This does not deny the importance of training and education or do away with Scripture’s clear qualifications for candidates, but those things, along with inherent personality traits and aptitude do not in themselves make someone worthy of the pastoral office. Who among men is fit to stand in the place of Christ? No one. That is why the gifts to be able to carry out the ministry must come from outside the person.

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.
What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” (2 Timothy 1:6-14)

“…if ordination is understood as carrying out the ministry of the Word, we are willing to call ordination a Sacrament. For the ministry of the Word has God’s command and has glorious promises, ‘The gospel…is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes’ (Romans 1:16). Likewise, ‘So shall My word be that goes out from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose’ (Isaiah 55:11). If ordination is understood in this way, neither will we refuse to call the laying on of hands a Sacrament. For the Church has the command to appoint ministers, which should be most pleasing to us, because we know that God approves this ministry and is present in the ministry (that God will preach and work through men and those who have been chosen by men).” (Apology XIII)

Obviously, the gifts given in ordination do not make your pastor into some sort of SuperMinister, nor are they a reason for him to become arrogant or dictatorial. He still serves in weakness in the Church Militant, as do all until the End. This is not an excuse for the laity to disrespect the Office or the gift you have been given in your pastor (Eph. 4). Nor does it give an excuse to pastors to be lazy or persist in improvable weaknesses. Don’t tell your people that you are just not very friendly or punctual or well-prepared and they’ll have to get used to it, even consider it their cross to bear. If you do, they will have every right to beat you over the head with the nearest cross, preferably the big empty one from the front of church. Then, your replacement can have the Ladies’ Aid donate a nice crucifix to put in its place.

Pardon the Political Interruption

2008-09-29T07:08:00.000-07:00

Liberals, be they Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, Independents, or some other sort of tin-foil-hat-wearing goofballs are not operating with a Lutheran “world view”, shall we say? By liberal, we mean those who seek to improve the attitudes of others through legislation and the threat of force. For example, some believe that it is more “neighborly” or more “patriotic” on the part of selfish wealthy Americans to send more money in taxes to the government. Forcing them to do so will not in fact make those people any more “neighborly” or “patriotic”. It might make them more intent on finding creative ways to avoid paying taxes. The root problems of greed and selfishness are not solved through legislation. For a source more authoritative than a blog, please see St. Paul on this thought. Actually, those root problems could be exacerbated by penalizing those who tend to be the ones hiring more workers and giving more money charitably, making them less apt to be neighborly to those around them in need what with the government promising to use their new tax gains to take care of the poor and needy, even those poor and needy individuals who make more cash per year than a half-dozen WELS pastors combined. Yes, we should all give up and get on the gravy train that will soon be stopping in our respective small towns…well, at least those small towns that are accepting of abortion, socialism, and the mushy superficiality of the American generic religion of spirituality and not those which cling to their God and have guns at the ready for the first toaster-bearing bureaucrat who comes into sight.

We have heard the Ron Paul complainers who want to send a message to the Republican party this fall. Guess what? The party doesn’t care. Ron Paul has some good points but is no Messiah either. He’s lost. Get over it. Move on.

Usually at this point we hear some high-pitched squealing about there being no lesser of two evils. Kingdom of the left, folks! Many times reason must decide between two evils. You choose the lesser. Use your God-given mental faculties to deal with the reality of the situation. Whining about someone who is no longer in the race is unproductive loser talk. (Hey, I understand. I wanted the Law&Order guy.)

You say your state is bluer than Papa Smurf after accidentally whacking himself in the shins with a crowbar? And your vote won’t matter anyway, so you’re going to throw it away on someone who is either not running or doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hades? Not so fast, my disgruntled friend! Even Illinois has closer polling numbers than would have been expected, so every vote has worth. (A question for Illinoisans: Does polling data in your state reflect the views of deceased likely voters, or do they only come out and make their voices heard on Election Day?)

Interruption ended. Go in peace.

For Literate Lutherans

2008-09-23T03:55:00.000-07:00

For this reason we will now explain further from God's Word how (a) a person is converted to God; (b) how and through what means (namely, through the oral Word and the holy Sacraments) the Holy Spirit wants to be effective in us, to work and bestow in our hearts true repentance, faith, and new spiritual power and the ability to do good; and (c) how we should respond to these means and use them.

It is not God's will that anyone should be damned, but that all people should be converted to Him and be saved eternally (2 Peter 3:9).

Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. (Ezekiel 33:11)

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Out of His immense goodness and mercy, God provides for the public preaching of His divine eternal Law and His wonderful plan for our redemption, that of the holy, only saving Gospel of His eternal Son, our only Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. By this preaching He gathers an eternal Church for Himself from the human race and works in people's hearts true repentance, knowledge of sins, and true faith in God's Son, Jesus Christ. By this means, and in no other way (i.e., through His holy Word, when people hear it preached or read it, and through the holy Sacraments when they are used according to His Word), God desires to call people to eternal salvation. He desires to draw them to Himself and convert, regenerate, and sanctify them.

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. (1 Corinthians 1:21)

(Peter) will tell you what you must do. (Acts 10:6)

So faith comes from the preaching (der Predigt) and preaching through the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17 Luther).

Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth...I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word. (John 17:17-20)

The eternal Father calls down from heaven about His dear Son and about all who preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in His name, "Listen to Him" (Matthew 17:5).

All who want to be saved ought to listen to this preaching. For the preaching and hearing of God's Word are the Holy Spirit's instruments. By, with, and through these instruments the Spirit desires to work effectively, to convert people to God, and to work in them both to will and to do (Philippians 2:13).

A person can hear and read this Word outwardly, even though he is not yet converted to God and regenerate. As said above, a person even since the fall has a free will to a certain extent in these outward things. So he can go to church and listen or not listen to the sermon.

God works through this means (i.e., the preaching and hearing of His Word). He breaks our hearts (Jeremiah 4:3-4) and draws us to Him (John 6:44). Through the preaching of the Law, a person comes to know his sins and God's wrath. He experiences in his heart true terrors, contrition, and sorrow. Through the preaching of, and reflection on, the Holy Gospel about the gracious forgiveness of sins in Christ, a spark of faith is kindled in him. This faith accepts the forgiveness of sins for Christ's sake and comforts itself with the Gospel promise. So the Holy Spirit (who does all this) is sent into the heart (Galatians 4:6).

The preacher's planting and watering and the hearer's running and hearing woud both be in vain and no conversion would follow it if the power and effectiveness of the Holy Spirit were not added (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). The Spirit enlightens and converts hearts through the Word preached and heard. So people believe this Word and agree with it. Neither preacher nor hearer is to doubt this grace and effectiveness of the Holy Spirit. They should be certain that when God's Word is preached purely and truly, according to God's command and will, and people listen attentively and seriously and meditate on it, God is certainly present with His grace. He grants, as has been said, what otherwise a person can neither accept nor give by his own powers. For we should not and cannot always judge from feeling about the presence, work, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, as to how and when they are experienced in the heart. They are often covered and happen in great weakness. Therefore, we should be certain about and agree with the promise that God's Word preached and heard is truly an office and work of the Holy Spirit. He is certainly effective and works in our hearts by them (2 Corinthians 2:14-17; 3:5-6).

Nice Cooperation in Externals

2008-09-14T00:38:00.000-07:00

From the LCMS, WELS, and ELS:

“Children Making Music” is a new DVD that highlights music as a gift from God that can enrich life in the church and beyond. The video will be distributed in late August to all WELS churches, schools, and early childhood centers across the country. The DVD was developed by a committee of leaders and musicians from three Lutheran church bodies: The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), and the Evangelical Lutheran Synod (ELS).
"Children Making Music" creators expect the new DVD to strike a chord with a variety of viewers. The 30-minute video is divided into three segments, with portions aimed at children, parents, and pastors and educators.
Rev. Paul Grime, who initiated the DVD project, hopes congregations will play the video at board meetings and Bible classes, for parent teacher associations and Sunday school students. “If the DVD is shown in just half our congregations and schools, and if it provides the needed encouragement to only a couple of students in each of those institutions, that would ultimately mean several thousand additional musicians who might one day be leading our congregations in song,” said Grime.

As congregations scramble to find trained musicians, this is a good and useful work. (sincerely)

Now, let's ponder how this "fellowshiping" could give the Boy Scouts a toehold... (sarcastically)

Isaiah on Ablaze!

2008-09-08T04:44:00.000-07:00

The mighty man will become tinder and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the fire.

Short-term Missionary Position

2008-09-02T03:07:00.000-07:00

We have noticed something odd going on in the Lutheran Church – Misery Synod. (Shocking, no?) People will sign up to “win” or pay out of their own pocket for short-term missionary trips. (Hey, who wouldn’t want a nice ego-boosting vacation in a third-world country?)

Some of the literature leads one to do a little head-scratching. These trips are in theory to create life-long relationships with those in the foreign country being served. While this is an admirable goal, it seems a bit farfetched, since the short-term mission trips can be as short as two days.

One wonders how this must look to the “natives”. A new suburban housewife with nicely manicured nails curing her white guilt by showing up for a two-week stint as a mild to moderately theologically adept “missionary” might start the locals to wondering who the Church is there to serve. Is their poverty-stricken, disease-riddled community on the receiving end of Christian charity or the giving end?

Although LCMS world missions claims this is a “win” all around, how do the missionaries really feel about it? Imagine if new folks showed up to “help” you at work for anywhere from two days to six months, then were replaced by others similarly inexperienced. How helpful would that really be? (As anyone who has to regularly interact with short-term temps can tell you, it’s a crap shoot at best.)

While these trips may play well back home (glossy pics of the short-term missionary gals are far easier to look at than ones of some chubby clergypersons) and get others to open their checkbooks and support the ongoing mission work, the temptation is there to put the focus on us and our wonderful works of charity. (Yes, yes, I am a world missionary. I won an all-expense paid trip for two weeks to Panama from the LWML.) Perhaps instead of paying for yourself to get in the way of the “long-term” missionaries for a few days, you could send them cash directly and allow them to do what they are trained to do. Yes, by sending prayers and money, you are involved in the mission of the Church, without the goofiness of being “transformed” into a “more active and excited participant in God’s mission” which is a load of flaming enthusiasm (in the religious sense) and should be avoided as such.

Bribery Evangelism

2008-08-19T04:10:00.000-07:00

In efforts to be “friendly” and “welcoming” some four-letter Lutheran synod churches have adopted the practice of promising gifts to prospective visitors. In some cases, these gifts are forcefully thrust at actual visitors whether they want them or not, because the congregation must at all times appear “friendly” and “welcoming” (often and easily confused with “creepy” and “desperate”). Yes, visitor, even if you really had no interest in a T-shirt, travel mug, bookmark, and pen proclaiming the contact information and service times of St. Felicity* Lutheran Church, we will stuff all this crap into the trunk of your car anyway and have a smile on our faces while doing it.

Why would a Lutheran church want to use the same marketing gimmicks as get-rich-quick scam artists who meet in hotel conference rooms? The only answer we’ve heard is “because then more visitors will come”. However, this doesn’t seem to happen. There are stories of vast storerooms of congregational gear gone unclaimed for years because, surprisingly, lost souls don’t care enough about coffee cups to bring themselves to attend your service to get one. We’ve even heard of congregations handing out coupons at public community events promising their wares free of charge to anyone who visits a service and brings in a coupon. To date, not one coupon has been redeemed.

For this post we’ll ignore the “freebie” and “give-away” theology and address the product issue instead. Every real estate office and insurance agency gives away the same sort of stuff the churches are handing out. Maybe the congregations need to differentiate themselves in the minds of potential consumers by giving out something people want but can’t get from other companies.

We suggest cash. Pens wrapped in twenty-dollar bills, T-shirts with fifties pinned to the sleeves, and travel mugs full to the brim with singles. Promise that and see how many new visitors you get. Some may argue that with the cash/merchandising system your visitors may not be coming for the right reason, but that’s a load of hooey. If the same congregation was trying to get people in the doors with cheap products previously, this is no different; it’s just a higher quality bribe.

*For those readers who don’t know the stories of the saints, google her. For anyone who doesn’t know the definition of her name, bene, cum Latine nescias, nolo manus meas in te maculare.

Angry Lutheran Rule for Blogs

2008-08-07T02:44:00.000-07:00

It's always interesting and sometimes entertaining to lurk into the minds and musings of others. Blogs have flung wide the door to thoughts that would previously have been kept tucked safely away in a paper journal and seen by very few people other than the author. Sometimes, this is good (the instantaneous sharing of valuable information and all that). Sometimes, not so much (anyone can shoot off his/her mouth and sound authoritative without necessarily having any clue what he/she is writing about). Example: Hypothetically, one could start an official blog for the LSSHP-Lutheran Synod of St. Huldah the Prophetess, and sound like something of an authority figure, even if the synod only consists of yourself and your cousin in WI who was kicked out of the CLC for praying WITH WELS members. (Mark and Avoid, people, MARK AND AVOID!)

It's to stem the tide of the latter flow of information that we suggest the Angry Lutheran Rule for Blogs. It's simple:

YOU MUST READ AT LEAST TWICE AS MUCH AS YOU WRITE.

To state the obvious, qualified reading must be on the subject on which you choose to blog.

Though following this rule will give us less fodder, it will make you smarter, which will make the interweb a better place.

If you are a Lutheran blogger, here's a start to your reading list (feel free to add to the list in the comments, but be warned, anything suggested which does not live up to Angry Lutheran doctrinal review will be deleted):

Bible
Book of Concord

Reforming Groups

2008-07-31T03:55:00.000-07:00

Recent discussions of youth groups and various other social groups in the church bring to mind the question, “Why?” What is the purpose or goal of today’s youth groups, junior youth groups, Dorcas societies, Ladies’ Aids, LWML, LWMS, LLL, Men’s Clubs, pastors’ wives groups, and so on? The social groups in congregations did have a useful purpose in the past. When children did not regularly attend high school, the church provided good social networking for teenagers. When more women were not working outside their homes, Dorcas, Ladies’ Aid, and the women’s missionary groups provided women who may have been isolated from their fellow women a chance to get together and serve other Christians and the community.

Today, some of these groups seem to exist only for their own proliferation or as a way for everyone to look busy. When someone says that a congregation should have, for example, a junior youth group in addition to a senior youth group or a young women’s group in addition to the traditional Dorcas/Ladies’ Aid, it leads some to ask, again, “Why?” It is also interesting to note who is usually suggesting these groups. It is not those who would participate themselves or, in the case of the youth, their parents. In our experience, it has been those who would have no connection to the group at all.

In a congregation with a Lutheran school, the 5-8^th graders most likely to show up for junior youth group are the same group who attend school together during the week. Even in a congregation without a school, the children still likely attend school together and see each other plenty already. Since most congregations have Sunday School programs for this age group and catechism classes, they are already receiving instruction in the Christian faith, and with today’s tendency toward overscheduling this age group’s activities, another meeting during the week or month seems difficult to justify. Yes, of course, we’re in favor of studying God’s Word, but with so many opportunities to do that in the congregation already, maybe it would be better to allow some free time for parents to teach the faith at home.

High school youth groups have more opportunity for service to their congregations and communities because they are slightly older and, at least in theory, more able and responsible than their junior youth counterparts. There are some very good high school youth groups who have done wonderful Christian service for those less fortunate. However, if the youth group exists to go to CCM concerts as an alternative to actual concerts, or for game nights and pizza parties because we don’t trust our youth to keep out of trouble if left with any free time, then we’re not sure they can justify their existence. These groups can turn into pietistic conventicles and participation seen as another level of sanctification, confusing where and when we receive the Means of God’s grace, especially when taught by well-intentioned but theologically illiterate pastors or laypersons.

Something of the same can be said for the women’s groups in a congregation. When a meeting of one of these groups devolves into the same discussion every month (e.g. “Why don’t the young women come and join this organization?”), there is a problem. We are not against the LWML, LWMS, Dorcas society, Ladies’ Aid, etc. We respect and admire those who help the poor and elderly in their communities and help to spread the Gospel and provide Christian charity around the world. Women of the church have always done these things, usually without fanfare or thanks they have carried out their Christian vocations and they should and will continue to do so. However, the Americanized organizations are not a part of the church catholic and that seems to be where the wheels have come off. Preserving an arbitrary organization is not a part of Christian vocation. As for the younger generation of women, we’ve been able to track down and talk to a few of them, so we’ll presume to answer why many don’t attend. First, many more are working outside the home than even in their mothers’ generation. Yes, some of them may be working for less than compelling reasons, but that is still the situation. Second, maybe they just don’t have the desire to attend meetings where they count the organization’s money and eat desserts full of calories they don’t need and complain that more women didn’t come to do the same. Third, church is no longer where they look primarily for entertainment and socialization, and this may be a good thing. Many congregations had previously become little more than social clubs. Perhaps by the more social aspects of the church dying out, the church can be what it actually is: the Church.

Read This

2008-07-23T03:50:00.000-07:00

It's a very insightful piece on the reservation/consecration/duration issue. It's also really long, so make yourself a nice cocktail before clicking on the link.

You Might be a Receptionist if…

2008-07-18T04:47:00.000-07:00

You argue for disposable individual cups.

You believe the Nihil Rule includes the words “plane of the teeth”.

You don’t know what is in the celebrant’s hands after the consecration, but you do know that whatever it is, it does not REPRESENT Jesus’ Body and Blood.

Your feverish arguing against the “moment of consecration” leads you to invent a “moment of consecration” (i.e. plane of the teeth).

Your feverish arguing against the “moment of consecration” leads you to invent a “moment of deconsecration” (i.e. last distribution hymn, benediction, end of your esophagus)

You throw consecrated elements back into a container of non-consecrated elements and get snippy with a nervous altar guild member who questions you about this practice.

You practice your 3-point shooting every 1st and 3rd Sunday with your disposable individual cup and the provided plastic lined garbage can.

You are in favor of de facto private masses for shut-ins rather than allowing the pastor to carry the reliquae to those members of the congregation who are unable due to illness or injury to attend the Divine Service.

FYI: Comments

2008-07-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

As Grand High Exalted Comment Reader, I make sure the appropriate person is aware of comments on each post so said person can respond to said comments if so inclined. I will be away from computers for the next two weeks, and after an Angry Lutheran executive meeting, it has been decided that comments will not be read until my return. There are new posts scheduled to show up during the next few weeks, but please be aware that any comments submitted by readers will not post until July 30 at the absolute earliest.

Thank you,
AL4

Musical Evaluation (easy-reading version)

2008-07-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

Evaluating Christian music, especially that which is used during the Divine Service, is important but difficult. It tends to devolve into a battle over “taste”, which no one can win. Musicians can explain until they’re blue in the face how the argument of “variety in worship” doesn’t really support the use of Christian pop/rock, which tends to be the same four or five guitar chords repeated ad infinitum or ad nauseum. The lyrics are usually more about us and what we are doing than any mention of who God is or why (Incarnation, blood atonement, Gospel) we are worshiping, loving, etceteraing Him. This, by the way, would also be an argument against using songs without clear doctrinal content for “seeker services”. What do you want the seekers to know? In most praise songs, they hear repeatedly about an attributeless (save vague descriptors like powerful and awesome) God or Jesus whom we love and adore for no apparent reason. It reminds us of the episode of The Simpsons where a CCM musician bemoans the loss of her band to regular rock music. The transition was simple; all they had to do was change “Jesus” to “baby”. For those who enjoy CCM, these are unsatisfactory arguments against its use, because, well, they like it. And shouldn’t the church play and sing what they like?

First of all, if you really like CCM or Lutheran chorales or Slovak folksongs or themes from Star Trek or any other kind of music, no one is stopping you from singing to your heart’s content in the shower, in your car, in your home, or with your friends. The issue is what is appropriate for public worship. This does not apply just to today’s Christian popular music. It applies to historic Christian music too. Older does not mean better.

With that in mind, we propose an evaluation tool for judging the doctrinal content of your suggested worship song. Take a modern or historic Christian song and swap out the words for God (God, Lord, Jesus—only replace general words which are standing alone, do not replace Trinitarian formulas; if your song has one, it’s already better than most) with the name of a false god found in the Bible. It helps if the name of the false god has the same number of syllables and similar emphasis to the name of God it is replacing. For “God” or “Lord”, we suggest “Baal”. For “Jesus”, we used “Chemosh”. Now, sing your song with the new lyrics. If the song is so void of doctrinal content that it can also work as a praise song to Baal, Chemosh, Ashtoreth, Artemis, or any other idol, your song is not appropriate for public worship but may still be sung in the shower or in traffic (with the permission of your carpool).

Here are some examples where making the substitution makes no difference. These songs could be sung to any god of anyone’s choosing, and because of that, are not appropriate for public worship in a Lutheran church.

I love You Baal (Lord), and I lift my voice
To worship You, O my soul rejoice!
Take joy, my King, in what You hear;
May it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.

Chemosh (Jesus), Savior, pilot me
Over life’s tempestuous sea;
Unknown waves before me roll,
Hiding rock and treach’rous shoal.
Chart and compass come from thee;
Chemosh (Jesus), Savior, pilot me.

Open the eyes of my heart, Baal (Lord), open the eyes of my heart;
I want to see You, I want to see You.
To see You high and lifted up, shining in the light of Your glory.
Pour out Your power and love as we sing, Holy, holy, holy. I want to see You.

What a friend we have in Chemosh (Jesus),
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear.
All because we do not carry
Everything to god (God) in prayer!

Here are some examples of songs where the substitution does not work. The text here is too rich to allow for idolatrous rewritings. The words are so full of Biblical doctrine that a name change alone will not make them praise songs for the deity of your choice. These are appropriate for public worship in a Lutheran church.

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly minded,
For with blessing in his hand
Christ, our God, to earth descending,
Comes our homage to command.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
As of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords in human likeness,
In the body and the blood
He will give to all the faithful
His own self for heavenly food.

All mankind fell in Adam’s fall;
One common sin infects us all.
From one to all the curse descends,
And over all God’s wrath impends.
But Christ, the second Adam, came
To bear our sin and woe and shame.
To be our life, our light, our way.
Our only hope, our only stay.

Before anyone complains that these are all “old”:

The infant Priest was holy born
For us unholy and forlorn;
From fleshly temple forth came He,
Anointed from eternity.
The body of God’s Lamb we eat,
A priestly food and priestly meat;
On sin-parched lips the chalice pours
His quenching blood that life restores.

O sing of Christ, whose birth made known
The kindness of the Lord,
Eternal Word made flesh and bone
So we could be restored.
Upon our frail humanity
God’s finger chose to trace
The fullness of His deity,
The icon of His grace.
What Adam lost, none could reclaim,
And Paradise was barred
Until the second Adam came
To mend what sin had marred.
For when the time was full and right
God sent His only Son;
He came to us as life and light
And our redemption won.

N.B. This post is about lyrics/text only. We hope to deal with instrumental accompaniment and musical style sometime in the future. So, don’t comment on it here.

Musical Evaluation

2008-07-13T04:05:00.000-07:00

Evaluating Christian music, especially that which is used during the Divine Service, is important but difficult. It tends to devolve into a battle over "taste", which no one can win. Musicians can explain until they're blue in the face how the argument of "variety in worship" doesn't really support the use of Christian pop/rock, which tends to be the same four or five guitar chords repeated ad infinitum or ad nauseum. The lyrics are usually more about us and what we are doing than any mention of who God is or why (Incarnation, blood atonement, Gospel) we are worshiping, loving, etceteraing Him. This, by the way, would also be an argument against using songs without clear doctrinal content for "seeker services". What do you want the seekers to know? In most praise songs, they hear repeatedly about an attributeless (save vague and possibly menacing descriptors like powerful and awesome) God or Jesus whom we love and adore for no apparent reason. It reminds us of the episode of The Simpsons in which a CCM musician bemoans the loss of her band to regular rock music. The transition was simple; all they had to do was change "Jesus" to "baby". For those who enjoy CCM, these are unsatisfactory arguments against its use, because, well, they like it. And shouldn't the church play and sing what they like?First of all, if you really like CCM or Lutheran chorales or Slovak folksongs or themes from Star Trek or any other kind of music, no one is stopping you from singing to your heart's content in the shower, in your car, in your home, or with your friends. The issue is what is appropriate for public worship. This does not apply just to today's Christian popular music. It applies to historic Christian music too. Older does not mean better.With that in mind, we propose an evaluation tool for judging the doctrinal content of your suggested worship song. Take a modern or historic Christian song and swap out the words for God (God, Lord, Jesus--only replace general words which are standing alone, do not replace Trinitarian formulas; if your song has one, it's already better than most) with the name of a false god found in the Bible. It helps if the name of the false god has the same number of syllables and similar emphasis to the name of God it is replacing. For "God" or "Lord", we suggest "Baal". For "Jesus", we used "Chemosh". Now, sing your song with the new lyrics. If the song is so void of doctrinal content that it can also work as a praise song to Baal, Chemosh, Ashtoreth, Artemis, or any other idol, your song is not appropriate for public worship but may still be sung in the shower or in traffic (with the permission of your carpool).Here are some examples where making the substitution makes no difference. These songs could be sung to any god of anyone's choosing, and because of that, are not appropriate for public worship in a Lutheran church.I love You Baal (Lord), and I lift my voiceTo worship You, O my soul rejoice!Take joy, my King, in what You hear,May it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.Chemosh (Jesus), Savior, pilot meOver life's tempestuous sea;Unknown waves before me roll,Hiding rock and treach'rous shoal.Chart and compass come from thee;Chemosh (Jesus), Savior, pilot me.Open the eyes of my heart, Baal (Lord), open the eyes of my heart;I want to see You, I want to see You.To see You high and lifted up, shining in the light of Your glory.Pour out Your power and love as we sing, Holy, holy, holy. I want to see You.What a friend we have in Chemosh (Jesus),All our sins and griefs to bear!What a privilege to carryEverything to God in prayer!Oh, what peace we often forfeit,Oh, what needless pain we bear.All because we do not carryEverything to god (God) in prayer!Here are some examples of songs where the substitution does not work. The text here is too rich to allow for idolatrous rewritings. The words are so full of Biblical doctrine that a name change alone will not make them praise songs for the deity of your choice. These are appropriate for public worship in a Lutheran church.Let all mortal flesh keep silence,And with fear and trembling stand;Ponder nothing earthly minded,For with blessing in his handChrist, our God, to earth descending,Comes our homage to command.King of kings, yet born of Mary,As of old on earth he stood,Lord of lords in human likeness,In the body and the bloodHe will give to all the faithfulHis own self for heavenly food.All mankind fell in Adam's fall;One common sin infects us all.From one to all the curse descends,And over all God's wrath impends.But Christ, the second Adam, cameTo bear our sin and woe and shame.To be our life, our light, our way.Our only hope, our only stay.Before anyone complains that these are all "old":The infant Priest was holy bornFor us unholy and forlorn;From fleshly temple forth came He,Anointed from eternity.The body of God's Lamb we eat,A priestly food and priestly meat;On sin-parched lips the chalice poursHis quenching blood that life restores.O sing of Christ, whose birth made knownThe kindness of the Lord,Eternal Word made flesh and boneSo we could be restored.Upon our frail humanityGod's finger chose to traceThe fullness of His deity,The icon of His grace.What Adam lost, none could reclaim,And Paradise was barredUntil the second Adam cameTo mend what sin had marred.For when the time was full and rightGod sent His only Son;He came to us as life and lightAnd our redemption won.N.B. This post is about lyrics/text only. We hope to deal with instrumental accompaniment and musical style sometime in the future. So, don't comment on it here.

Fellowship, Schmellowship

2008-07-09T03:57:00.000-07:00

Another kind reader has passed along an interesting tidbit received in the mail. The following is a quote from Curt Hanna, producer of Time of Grace, starring Pr. Mark Jeske of the WELS. This statement was made after appearing on Celebration, a program on the Daystar Television Network (not of the WELS) hosted by Marcus and Joni Lamb who founded the Daystar Television Network (not of the WELS).

“It was a joy to experience the excitement of the LIVE Celebration program in the studio with Pastor Mark,” Curt said. “And I believe the Lambs and Daystar staff thoroughly enjoyed having Mark on the show. For us to join our ministry with theirs was truly an example of the Lord using the diversity of the body of Christ to minister through the media.”

The same synod that advises against saying table prayers with your LCMS grandmother is ok with Pastor Mark Jeske joining his ministry with the non-WELS founders of the Daystar Television Network?

Me not read Confessions? That's unpossible.

2008-07-07T04:23:00.000-07:00

After being asked by some Lutherans (who we thought would know) where the quote on John 6 came from, the ALs met and unanimously agreed to post the source of the quote.

Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XXIV, para. 75

To paraphrase LeVar Burton, don't take our word for it. Look it up yourself. And read the context. Actually, read the whole of Article XXIV. While you're at it, start reading the whole book. We know it's thick. Don't panic. The new one from CPH has a handy reading guide. You'll have it read in a year. Then you can stump your pastor. Enjoy.

John 6

2008-07-03T04:24:00.000-07:00

Mildly interesting to note where these Lutherans fall in the discussion of whether John 6 is about the Sacrament of the Altar:

"Ambrose says about comfort: 'Go to Him and be absolved, because He is the forgiveness of sins. Do you ask who He is? Hear Him when He says, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to Me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst' (John 6:35).' This passage declares that the forgiveness of sins is offered in the Sacrament."

We Put the Fun in Funerals

2008-06-27T03:46:00.000-07:00

Lutheran funerals are truly wonderful. There is a marked difference between a Lutheran funeral rite and one of most other denominations. In the midst of life, we are in death, and so in the midst of death we do not abandon what we have heard and prayed in life, the Word, in favor of weeping and wailing or celebrating and worshiping the earthly life of the one now asleep, but instead, God comes to us through the Christ-saturated liturgy of the funeral rite.

A Lutheran liturgical funeral rite stands in stark contrast to the typical Reformed/Protestant funeral, and this difference will be noticed by those non-Lutheran family members and friends attending the funeral of a loved one. The Lutheran funeral, more than knocking on random doors and handing out cheesy fliers, little loaves of flavorless bread, or tiny bottles of water (that can be mistaken for “holy water”) is an effective evangelism tool. Not effective because more people will join a Lutheran church; they probably won’t. Not effective because the Lutheran pastor might be praised for the funeral rite or his sermon, though he may be. No, it is effective because it gives opportunity for the pastor to “speak Lutheran”, that is, to proclaim Christ. Christ and Him crucified is not what many non-Lutheran attendees of a Lutheran funeral are expecting to hear. They expect to hear about dear Grandma/Grandpa, Mom/Dad, sister/brother and how we can be sure he/she is in heaven because of his/her clear confession of a personal relationship with Jesus. Hopefully, they will not be fed this tripe by a Lutheran preacher. Let the E-Frees do that in the memorial “celebration” service later in the day with the non-Lutheran side of the family. Preaching is ideally not a eulogizing of the deceased, but a proclamation of the comfort found in Christ and a reminder that though death comes for us all, we have overcome because Christ has overcome. A listing of the accomplishments or a brief biography of the dead has its place, even during the rite, but not in the sermon. It does those left behind and the loved one now asleep no good to list his/her accomplishments and merits done while on Earth. Those righteous acts and filthy rags are not what allowed the deceased entrance into God’s kingdom, nor can anyone still here ride a family member’s coattails of good deeds into eternal life. The sermon is Christ for He is our entrance, He is our merit, He is our salvation.

A latent American Gnosticism sneaks into funerals, which Lutheran funerals would do well to avoid. Discarding the body, especially in cremation, furthers the thinking that the body that was wracked with illness and weakness is evil and the deceased is better off rid of it. This confuses the gift of our bodies from God with the sin in which we live. Our bodies are not evil; they are important enough that they will be with us for all eternity.

Even though there are inherent fellowship issues, the reintroduction of the Sacrament of the Altar at funerals is long overdue. Though it may be a little messy to explain to the self-appointed Charismatic Pentecostal High Priestess in attendance why she should not commune at her own grandfather’s funeral, that same sticky subject would have come up had she been visiting on a Sunday, which she may have done, since she does her prophesyin’ on Saturdays. The offering of the Sacrament, in addition to giving forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation, may help the Lutherans in attendance to connect the dots that have been staring them in the face an entire lifetime: “Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven…”

Deceased Lutherans

2008-06-20T04:15:00.000-07:00

"Let us discuss the word liturgy. This word does not properly mean a sacrifice, but rather the public ministry. Liturgy agrees well with our belief that one minister who consecrates gives the Lord's body and blood to the rest of the people, just as one minister who preaches offers the Gospel to the people. As Paul says, 'This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God' (1 Corinthians 4:1), that is, of the Gospel and the Sacraments. And, 'We are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God' (2 Corinthians 5:20). So the term leitourgia agrees well with the ministry."

Angry Lutheran Weddings

2008-06-16T05:13:00.000-07:00

It is now June and our thoughts have turned to weddings….

On the whole, weddings are unpleasant. Weddings make normally calm and generally nice people turn into rude, inconsiderate, unkind, self-absorbed, crazy versions of themselves. With a few exceptions, we cannot stand weddings. They are to be survived, not enjoyed. A bright resourceful pastor will keep several maps stapled to clear directions to the nearest courthouse in his desk to hand out to prospective brides and grooms at the first hint of trouble. Weddings don’t have to take place in a church, so if the couple is just looking for a space in which to hold a wedding, the prepared pastor can point out that the state has kindly provided just what they need.

If a couple cannot be dissuaded from holding the ceremony in the church, there should be some guidelines. Keeping in mind that a wedding is not only a hassle for the pastor, but also for the musician(s), janitor, secretary, and altar guild, we propose something like the following be given to the happy couple at an early premarital counseling session (preferably the first one, which may fortuitously turn out to also be the last one):

As potential bride and groom, you must both agree to ALL conditions listed for each affected member of the staff and volunteers of St. Spener Lutheran Church:

Pastor:

1) There is a $150 fee for performing the ceremony and putting up with you and your obnoxious relatives and friends.

2) The fee will be paid at the beginning of rehearsal by cash or cashier’s check, or Pastor will not show up for the ceremony.

3) Unless you know Pastor well, don’t invite him to the reception.

4) Really, it’s ok; he has better things to do and won’t be offended.

5) Pastor and musician(s) will approve all music selections.

6) The rite will be the one in the hymnal.

7) Congregational songs will be from the hymnal.

Musician:

1) There is a $150 fee for time, skill, and mental anguish caused by dealing with your terrible taste in music and your lack of knowledge about what is appropriate in a Lutheran church.

2) All music must be approved by musician(s) and Pastor.

3) To save you some time: no country, no show tunes, no CCM

4) All music will be chosen at least twenty-one days prior to the wedding with no changes allowed once selections have been agreed upon by all parties.

5) Musician(s) will be paid at the beginning of rehearsal by cash or cashier’s check, or he/she/they will not show up for the ceremony.

6) He/She/They definitely have better things to do than go to your reception, like practice for Sunday’s Divine Service.

7) He/She/They will NOT purchase music just for your wedding. You will provide legally obtained sheet music if the musician(s) do(es) not already own a piece you would like to use (provided it passes review by the Pastor and musician(s)).

8) He/She/They reserve the right to carry and make use of a hip flask of the alcohol of his/her/their choice from the moment the rehearsal begins until the last note of the recessional is played at the ceremony.

Secretary:

1) Don’t call the church office with stupid questions.

2) The secretary will make wedding bulletins for you at a price of $5/bulletin.

3) If that’s too steep, do it yourself.

Janitor:

1) There is a fee of $50 for cleaning the church after the ceremony, provided cleaning takes less than one hour.

2) This fee will be paid at the beginning of rehearsal by cash or cashier’s check, or you will be cleaning up after yourselves and your guests.

3) Extra mess = extra time = extra cash and a future bill, so be clean.

4) Don’t leave children or groomsmen unattended, especially in the restrooms.

5) If you leave it behind, and the janitor finds it, he/she keeps it.

6) No throwing things: rice, confetti, beer bottles, etc.

Altar Guild:

1) There is a $50 fee for each altar guild member present for setting up and removing wedding kneeler.

2) This fee also covers the inconvenience of having to come later on Saturday to set up for Sunday’s Divine Service.

3) The fee will be paid by cash or cashier’s check at the beginning of rehearsal, or we will let the whole town know what a pair of ingrates you are.

Principles and Applications II

2008-06-10T04:56:00.000-07:00

When a certain unofficial group in the WELS wanted to have a certain Methodist professor speak at their gathering, a royal stink was raised. Those upset had the law on their side. From the WELS’ Theses on Church Fellowship, “Church fellowship is every joint expression, manifestation, and demonstration of the common faith in which Christians on the basis of their confession find themselves to be united with one another.”

This is further explained, “We may classify these joint expressions of faith in various ways according to the particular realm of activity in which they occur, e.g., pulpit fellowship; altar fellowship; prayer fellowship; fellowship in worship; fellowship in church work, in missions, in Christian education, and in Christian charity. Yet insofar as they are joint expressions of faith, they are all essentially one and the same thing and are all properly covered by a common designation, namely, church fellowship. Church fellowship should therefore be treated as a unit concept, covering every joint expression, manifestation, and demonstration of a common faith. Hence, Scripture can give the general admonition ‘avoid them’ when church fellowship is to cease (Ro. 16:17). Hence, Scripture sees an expression of church fellowship also in giving the right hand of fellowship (Gal 2:9) and in greeting on eanother with the fraternal kiss (Ro. 16:16); on the other hand, it points out that a withholding of church fellowship may also be indicated by not extending a fraternal welcome to errorists and by not bidding them Godspeed (2 Jn. 10,11; dr. 3 Jn. 5-8)”

That little word “every” creates a bit of a problem. 1 Corinthians 10:31 states “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Whatever a believer does as a Christian is an expression of faith, which would mean that WELS members would have to avoid everyone but other WELS members in every aspect of life. Not too practical, so we have the very handy “framework of fellowship”. We’ll let an anonymous Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary professor explain the framework of fellowship in his own words from the WELS’ website’s Q&A: “I’m not sure if there is one single definition of that term (or others very much like it) that prevails among us, but I freely share what I have observed over a period of many years when I’ve heard such a phrase used. Subject to correction or improvement, I offer this definition: An event or task that is carried out beyond the framework or bounds of fellowship is one that involves what may well be perceived as a religious activity done by people who either are not in doctrinal fellowship with each other or who do not want others to assume they are in doctrinal fellowship. The kind of activities they seek to accomplish are, therefore, not to be considered expressions of people in full unity with each other regarding doctrine and practice. Lacking an authoritative definition, I’ll offer examples of what I see as activities that have been or might be carried out beyond the framework of fellowship. Since we use civilian chaplains to serve our people in the military, and since these chaplains (for the most part parish pastors) have limited knowledge of how best to find their way about military bases, etc., we might arrange for a workshop or seminar led by military chaplains who do not share our doctrinal confession. The benefits our chaplains may derive from the knowledge of military protocol and experience of such people may be considered quite valuable, so we ask them to serve our people. In a real way the subject has to do with ministry, serving souls with God’s Word and sacrament, and equipping ourselves to serve more efficiently, so someone may assume that such a workshop is carried out by Christians expressing their unity in the faith. But it isn’t so—and we may say the event is carried out outside the boundaries of fellowship so no one would be confused about that. So-called ‘free conferences’ have been used by people who do not currently share the same doctrinal confessions but who want to meet to inform, encourage, and be of mutual benefit to each other. Sometimes participants may (at least for a time) be members of synods that are not in doctrinal fellowship, but they see a value in gathering, discussing theological issues, and clarifying doctrinal positions. That is the kind of activity that is normally (in our circles) associated with people who are already in doctrinal fellowship. So notice may be given that no one should assume that this is so at a ‘free conference’. Full doctrinal agreement is not a prerequisite for gatherin. It is carried out outside the framework of fellowship. Sometimes in their desire to do charitable work and to do it as efficiently and wisely as they can, Christian people, churches, and synods may sometimes make use of organizations that are very good at distributing food or clothing or medical supplies to those who need it but who do not share the same doctrinal position that we do. We might use such an organization that is religious in a real way, but not necessarily Lutheran or orthodox, confessional Lutheran. We don’t want people to assume that we are united in doctrine so we might say that this work is carried out beyond the framework of fellowship. (Sometimes the term ‘cooperation in externals’ has been used for this too, and I’ve heard some complain that we don’t have an adequate definition of that term either.) I suppose other examples of doing things that have religious aspects but where full doctrinal agreement is not necessarily assumed nor implied might be mentioned. Saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag in a mixed group and saying ‘under God’ or singing ‘God Bless America’ in a football stadium are certainly carried out beyond the framework of fellowship too. So is participation in community choruses when classical music that happens to be religious music (e.g. Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus) is sung. When we use the term I suppose we envision an event or activity that is more likely to be understood or misunderstood as an expression of doctrinal unity when it really isn’t.”

Some of the presenters at the WELS Conference on Worship, Music, and the Arts are not of the WELS. They must then be presenting “outside the framework of fellowship”. However, the conference brochure does not point this out, which makes the WELS’ position very unclear for anyone not familiar the WELS’ doctrine of fellowship. The WELS COP passed a resolution in 2003 that says, “1. It is possible for presentations and discussions about secular and/or religious matters which take place in schools, churches, conferences, commissions and parasynodical organizations of our fellowship, or other similar events to occur outside the framework of fellowship. 2. When speakers and presenters are not of our fellowship they MUST conduct their presentation(s) outside the framework of fellowship: a) that means that they must not lead worship: Including prayer, confession, song and sacrament; b) preliminary cautions must be made in the advertisements and the introduction of the presenter if that individual draws conclusions on the basis of Bible truths; c) since fellowship includes joint church work, outside speakers must not participate with their audience in church activities; e.g., canvassing, counseling, Bible studies, etc.”

The WELS’ own worship conference isn’t following the resolution of the COP. LCMS and ELCA members are presenting without the necessary warnings in the advertisements that WELS purity of doctrine and practice may be brought to an end by attending this conference. Oh, the horror! (Actually, some of the outsiders will be worth the price of admission, but be afraid, be very afraid of the non-WELS!—Are the WELS presenters going to be standing inside a big picture frame on the floor and the non-WELS presenters jumping out of said picture frame to indicate whether one is inside or outside the framework of fellowship?)

Something intended to keep out false theology can easily backfire. Leonard Sweet and Carl Schalk end up on the same side of the frame and could both be equally qualified to present to an audience of WELS members. All this silliness ignores the real problem. Instead of evaluating what these outside speakers say and either allowing them or barring them based on that, this inside vs. outside the framework of fellowship game ends up including every Jew, Turk, Hindu, or Methodist provided there is adequate warning in the advertising (or not, as in the case of the upcoming conference).

Why does a Lutheran elementary school have a weekly chapel service?

2008-06-05T04:15:00.000-07:00

To learn about God?

To worship together as a “school family”?

To give the kids an opportunity to “lead worship”?

Perhaps the reason is more educational. Just as the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray and as parents in the Old Testament were commanded to instruct their children, so also a Lutheran school should teach the children in its care to pray. We are all by nature Enthusiasts who left to our own devices will “give” God our filthy rags of self-centered instrumental selections, vocal stylings, puppet performances, or chancel dramas. While children are in school to learn skills and gain knowledge they will need to function as mature human beings in the world, a Lutheran school should also teach children how and why Lutherans pray.

“However, ceremonies should be celebrated to teach people Scripture, that those admonished by the Word my conceive faith and godly fear, and may also pray. (This is the intent of ceremonies.)” --Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article XXIV

You've Probably Already Heard...

2008-05-31T04:56:00.000-07:00

But, just in case you haven't...

Heilige Scheisse

2008-05-29T04:24:00.000-07:00

From the Wisconsin Synod’s website Q&A:

Q:On Sunday I had my first introduction to the Athanasian Creed. The Blue Luther's Catechism has nothing on it. My parents visited my church with me this weekend and said that the two WELS churchs (sic) we went to never used it. I also attended Lutheran Grade School at Emanuel New London 1-8th grade and confirmed there and never read it their (sic) either. That brings me to that I have never been introduced to it. The second sentance (sic) struck me and I had to stop reading it aloud with others. "Whoever does not keep this faith pure in all points will certainly perish forever." I have always been taught that we only need to believe that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. I thought our faith could be as simple as that and not have to be kept "pure in all points (we) will certainly perish forever." I have been reading alot about the Athanasian creed but have found nothing about the topic I am addressing. This definitely seems to be questionable doctrine to me.

A:The Athanasian Creed was written to defend the correct Trinitarian teaching of Athanasius against the error of Arius, who denied the true diety of Christ. A person cannot be saved without faith in the Triune God. If this is the intent of "Whoever does not keep this faith pure in all points will certainly perish forever," the statement can be understood correctly. If it means that a person cannot be saved without a complete understanding of all biblical doctrine, it goes too far. If we were writing the Creed, we would not word it that way, because it is subject to misunderstanding.

“The Blue Luther's Catechism has nothing on it.”

True, because that’s the Small Catechism. However, the WELS hymnal, Christian Worship, does have something “on it”.

“My parents visited my church with me this weekend and said that the two WELS churchs (sic) we went to never used it. I also attended Lutheran Grade School at Emanuel New London 1-8th grade and confirmed there and never read it their (sic) either.”

Sad, but entirely plausible.

“The second sentance (sic) struck me and I had to stop reading it aloud with others. ‘Whoever does not keep this faith pure in all points will certainly perish forever.’”

It struck us too. That is what CW says.

“The Athanasian Creed was written to defend the correct Trinitarian teaching of Athanasius”

Might it be better to say “the correct Trinitarian teaching of” the Church?

“A person cannot be saved without faith in the Triune God. If this is the intent of ‘Whoever does not keep this faith pure in all points will certainly perish forever,’ the statement can be understood correctly. If it means that a person cannot be saved without a complete understanding of all biblical doctrine, it goes too far. If we were writing the Creed, we would not word it that way, because it is subject to misunderstanding.”

Ah, okay.… Ignore the arrogance in the last sentence for the moment. It seems (according to our cursory research and our vague memories from our schooling) this exact sentence is ONLY in the WELS version of the Athanasian Creed (if someone out there knows of a source other than CW for this translation, let us know; remember, CW was published in 1993 and translations are not generally able to be sent back in time).

Various translations of the Book of Concord, other Lutheran hymnals (TLH, LSB, LW), and other denominations (LCMS, ELCA, Roman Catholic, Christian Reformed, etc.) all have the following as the second sentence: “Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled (some: inviolable) will without doubt perish eternally.” The Latin is: “Quam nisi quisque integram inviolatamque servaverit, absque dubio in aeternam peribit.” That doesn’t mean quite the same as CW’s “pure in all points”, but is much, much better translated “whole and inviolate (or undefiled)”.

In the Acknowledgements of CW the source of the Nicene Creed translation is listed as “the English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC), 1988, altered.” No source is listed for the text of the Athanasian Creed and the ELLC does not have a text of the Athanasian Creed on its website, which has an extensive collection of its translations.

“If we were writing the Creed, we would not word it that way, because it is subject to misunderstanding.”

Huh? It seems THEY DID word the Creed “that way”.

Principles and Applications

2008-05-26T04:47:00.000-07:00

The WELS’ principles and their applications seem very squishy these days and are getting more gelatinous and sticky all the time. Here is a part of the official doctrinal statements on male and female roles from www.wels.net: “All Christians, men and women, are to use their God-given gifts to serve each other (1 Pe 4:10). Women are encouraged to participate in offices and activities of the public ministry except where the work involves authority over men.”

This “authority over men” is explained to include teaching and voting. Yet, the WELS National Conference on Worship, Music, and the Arts will have women presenting sectionals. One of the sectionals, apparently open to both male and female attendees, led by a woman, will trace “the development of a contemporary liturgical service at Emanuel, New London, WI. Practical examples of service formats, repertoire, and rehearsal strategies will be covered along with discussion of the challenges faced in helping people value Lutheran worship principles. Ideas shared will help move beyond confining terminology and options while exploring variety in Lutheran worship.“

Sounds like this “woman” is going to be “teaching” “men”. How is this in line with the written doctrine of the synod? We’ve heard some explain that if a woman teaches in a submissive way (Could we get a demonstration, please? Does this mean slouching and looking at the floor and mumbling at a barely audible decible?) then it’s ok for her to teach men. Fine. Then a woman can preach from the pulpit on Sunday morning, consecrate the elements, and commune the faithful, as long as she does it in a submissive way. That’s where you end up when the pastoral ministry is all about authority and not about Christ. However, let’s leave that for some other time. The sentence, “Women are encouraged to participate in offices and activities of the public ministry except where the work involves authority over men” has more issues in it than will be covered here today.

Marketing Fellowship???

2008-05-22T05:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to an alert reader, we were directed to this from the LCMS e-News May 20, 2008:

Is your church . . .

SMALL--with fewer than 100 people in attendance on Sunday mornings?

LARGE--with many members and musical resources?

TRADITIONAL--with a deep desire to retain familiar worship patterns?

DIVERSE--offering different worship styles to members and visitors of many ages and cultures?

EVANGELISTIC--with a congregational mindset for reaching the lost?

EVALUATING--with a growing interest in new forms and music for worship?

ACTUALLY A CHAPEL--where daily worship serves high school or college students?

ACTUALLY A CLASSROOM--where children gather each day to worship the Lord?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, then you will want to attend the:

2008 Institute on Liturgy, Preaching, and Church Music

July 22-25, 2008

Concordia University Nebraska--Seward, Nebraska

That looks oddly familiar... Where have we seen something like this before?

From the conference brochure the the WELS National Conference on Worship, Music, and the Arts:

Who should come? Anyone whose church is:

*Small with fewer than 75 people in attendance on Sunday mornings

*Large with many members and many musical resources

*Traditional with a deep desire to retain familiar worship patterns

*Diverse with members and visitors of many ages and cultures

*Evangelistic with a congregational mindset for reaching the lost

*Evaluating with a desire to enhance worship that edifies members and guests

*Experimenting with a growing interest in new forms and music for worship

*Actually a chapel where daily worship serves high school or college students

*Really a classroom where children gather each day to worship the Lord

We don't know which was written first.

Just a coincidence? Perhaps.

Wendell the Agnostic

2008-05-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

*Like they say on the TV, this is a true story.*
*Name and details have been changed to protect the agnostic.*

Wendell grew up in a nominally Christian home. He was baptized as an infant in 1929. His parents took him to church most Sundays. He believed the Bible just as most of his friends did. He believed in a Christian work ethic and was pretty sure there was a passage in the Bible somewhere that said something about God helping those who help themselves. He believed that if he worked hard and did what was right, God would help him and give him what he wanted. With the rest of his Sunday School class, Wendell memorized Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you”.

Wendell’s birthday was fast approaching. He had been a well-behaved, respectful young man and so believed that if he prayed really hard, God would make sure he received a Hubley 7” cast iron race car as a gift, which he had wanted for almost an entire year. So, Wendell prayed. He had also memorized 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing”, so he prayed a lot: at school, at home, at the dinner table, while playing, and before going to sleep. Every available moment he had during the month before his birthday, he prayed for that car. He was certain that God would reward his good work and give him what he asked for.

Sadly, his birthday came and there was no Hubley 7” cast iron race car for Wendell. His mother baked a cake and he was given a present, but it was not what he had been asking God for. Instead of the race car, he received four toy soldiers. He hadn’t prayed for or wanted toy soldiers, but that was what God had given him. It wasn’t fair in Wendell’s mind. He had done his part by obeying his parents and teachers. He had even prayed! He had prayed for a whole month! Why hadn’t God answered him? Perhaps, God didn’t answer because He isn’t there. The first seeds of doubt were sown in Wendell’s mind. God didn’t give him what he wanted, so maybe God doesn’t exist.

Wendell continued going to church with his family. He went to Sunday School and learned more about God but was always carrying the nagging uncertainty whether God was real.

In time, Wendell grew up and left home. He married and his wife became pregnant. She went into labor too early in the pregnancy and the baby boy died. Wendell had prayed for that baby too, but God had let him down again. God hadn’t protected Wendell’s family. He had brought the family grief. Wendell’s wife was unable to become pregnant again and died childless, leaving Wendell all alone. Now, Wendell had more doubts about the existence of God. If God did exist, it seemed that He hated Wendell. This was too much to bear for Wendell had always tried to follow God’s will for his life. God had no reason to be so angry with Wendell. The only answer that made sense was that there was no God. Wendell’s parents had been suckers to spend so much time and money in church. There was no God. They were fooling themselves.

Wendell retired and met another retiree in his neighborhood who was a member of the local Lutheran church. They would talk about religion and this Lutheran tried and tried to convince Wendell that God did exist, despite the hardships that Wendell had endured, and that God was merciful and loving. Wendell didn’t buy it but was lonely and liked the company, so he kept up the conversation. Eventually, the Lutheran invited Wendell to attend a church service with him. Wendell declined. Wendell continued to decline for several months. Then, the Lutheran invited Wendell to attend Bible class held after the church service. Wendell accepted. He saw this as an opportunity to save those dopes some time and cash by showing them that God is not real. He hoped to trip up the pastor leading the class and show him for the charlatan he must be.

Wendell’s friend brought him to Bible class every week. Wendell asked questions but none of the church members seemed able to see the inconsistencies and logical fallacies inherent in Christianity. Wendell was undeterred and had nothing better to do, so he kept coming to the class for years. In that time, the church changed. When Wendell had started coming, there had been a “praise service” advertised. Wendell had no interest in seeing popular music, which he didn’t enjoy, modified to Christian lyrics, and he didn’t believe there was any God to praise anyway, and if there were a God, a God who allows such suffering on Earth, why in the world would we want to sing Him love songs?

Eventually, a new pastor came. This pastor was convinced that the Bible could be proven to be true using science. Wendell was curious, and still had nothing better to do, so he kept attending the Bible class, but not the church service, which was now only from the hymnal all the time, though no one could explain to Wendell why that change was made. The pastor made his case for creation using science, but his conclusions could not be proven absolutely, so Wendell continued to doubt and loudly question.

In time, that pastor retired and a new pastor came. This pastor taught the people why they prayed the historic liturgy every Sunday. Wendell didn’t really care. This pastor also related everything to Christ in Bible class. This was mildly annoying to Wendell, but he kept attending and bringing his questions to the pastor and the group of duped church members. They studied parts of the Bible that warned against hardening your heart (Psalm 95). They studied the Gospels and Christ’s atonement for all sins of all people. They learned of the promises of Christ, not to give Christians whatever they want, but to provide for what all need and that bearing the cross in a fallen world is painful and difficult but is always for our good.

The pastor met with Wendell privately and with a trusted group of Wendell’s friends and warned him that he was in danger of eternal punishment in hell and told Wendell that he was praying and would continue to pray for Wendell. Wendell told the pastor that he didn’t believe in hell and that the pastor could keep praying if he wanted to but it made no difference because God probably wasn’t real. Besides, Wendell didn’t believe that he sinned. He had found a nice lady TV preacher, and though she was kind of shrill and obnoxious, he did agree with her that he too was not a sinner.

For the time being, this is the end of Wendell’s story. He continues to come regularly to Bible class, not believing what is taught. He still asks questions to try to trip up the Christians but has never succeeded in turning any away from their confession of faith. Wendell’s Lutheran acquaintances continue to pray for his conversion and probably will until his time on earth is ended, but they are not so naïve as to think that perhaps some different method would have a more favorable effect. The method of evangelism is not the issue. Hardness of heart is. We do not overcome another’s hardening of his or her own heart by our cleverness or novelty. Only the Holy Spirit overcomes hardness of heart (“so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11)

The story of this real person and of all those who have hardened their hearts is sad, profoundly sad. How difficult it is to sit next to someone, in a Bible class no less, who has chosen to reject Christ. Yet, this person will continue to be welcome in the congregation and will be taught and remembered in prayer and kindly spoken with by the pastor and the members always in the hope of a blessed eternity with our Savior.

The Answers Are:

2008-05-20T03:47:00.000-07:00

We almost forgot, but in case you were wondering, here are the quotes from below with their sources.

“This invitation to dream, however, is not one that asks you to dream with your eyes closed and simply to imagine what can be. Rather, this invitation asks you to dream with your eyes wide open.”-Rev. Gerald Kieschnick
“The rewards of lending a helping hand to others or being the recipient of an act of kindness leads to an atmosphere of trust, caring and relationship building.”-Mary Kay
“_________ meetings are full of shared energy, enthusiasm, and excitement.”-Amway
“It’s so simple, yet makes such a difference. Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make me feel important’.”-Mary Kay

Synod Propaganda or Pyramid Scheme

2008-05-13T04:20:00.000-07:00

Ok, here’s another game we’ve developed after wading through the junk mail. There’s an odd familiar ring to some of the propaganda that is sent out from Lutheran synods. With the constant drumbeat of missions behind darn near everything that is written, the synods end up sounding mighty similar to multi-level marketing organizations (pyramid schemes).

You start with a product and a leader who gathers around him/herself a small group of “believers”, gets them all fired up to go tell others about the wonders of Amway, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, Tastefully Simple, Tupperware, Lia Sophia, Herbalife, Shaklee, Creative Memories, or Jesus, then sends out those from the small group to form their own small groups and get new people fired up. Hopefully, some from these small groups will also see the benefits of being part of the organization and make a formal commitment. Then they can go form their own small groups and the conversion continues. Just as there is no need for a Mary Kay salesperson to ever set foot in the door of the corporate headquarters, there also seems to be no need for Lutheran pyramid scheme operators to get themselves to their assumed source, the Church. No, the impression is given that the small groups are the answer. They will self-perpetuate divorced from the preached Word and the administered Sacraments. The big show on Sunday becomes the rally to get more new people to sign up for the small groups, with hopes that they will then eventually form and lead their own small groups.

This approach of marketing the Gospel may explain some of the backdoor losses the Lutheran church experiences. If you come into the church because of the inspirational high of emotionally charged music and worship or because of a Lutheran testimonial to what wonderful things have happened in the life of another since joining a church, how difficult is it to leave when things start to go badly in your life or if the emotional high doesn’t come as readily as it once did? This same burnout is seen in MLM salespeople who come in excited and assured that all will now be well with them, but then fall away when the promises of exorbitant wealth, free time, and happiness aren’t kept. Reminds one of Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed.

This pyramid scheme evangelism ignores the cross Christ promised to His followers and makes unrealistic promises and unScriptural demands on new members. No, your life might not get outwardly happier or easier if you join a Lutheran church. No, you don’t HAVE TO join a social group in a congregation to BE INVOLVED. No, it isn’t necessary to membership in Christ’s Church to receive phone calls from other, more established members inviting you, the new sucker, to every potluck, coffee hour, kids’ concert, meeting, fundraiser, or picnic under the sun.

Church isn’t primarily about us; it’s about Christ. Only after it’s about Christ is it about us. Never underestimate your own insignificance.

So, at long last, which of the quotations below is from a Lutheran church leader? Bonus points* if you can guess** the source of any of the others, too.

“This invitation to dream, however, is not one that asks you to dream with your eyes closed and simply to imagine what can be. Rather, this invitation asks you to dream with your eyes wide open.”
“The rewards of lending a helping hand to others or being the recipient of an act of kindness leads to an atmosphere of trust, caring and relationship building.”
“_________ meetings are full of shared energy, enthusiasm, and excitement.”
“It’s so simple, yet makes such a difference. Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make me feel important’.”

*If you send us real money, we will send out real prizes
**”Guess” means no internet searches

Placement Whining

2008-05-10T04:34:00.000-07:00

It’s the middle of placement season. LCMS seminaries have made their spring placements and the WELS is not far behind with teacher/staff minister placement coming next week and pastoral candidates the following week. There was a shortage of calls for the LCMS seminary graduates this spring which has been the cause of some online whining, which in our view, is stupid. The complaints we’ve heard and seen run along these lines: “the students put in eight years of school”, “the students went into debt”, “there are congregations who plan to stay vacant instead of calling which means there are calls available”. Yes, all three complaints are entirely accurate. However, so what?

Did you think you were joining the Army when you entered the seminary? Did anyone promise you a job for signing up? We doubt it very much. If your church body has more pastor-students than congregations willing to take them, then not all of the graduates are placed. This isn’t new. Would those of you complaining be doing the same kind of whining for graduates in an accounting program, clown college, or dental school? We doubt it. Yet, the situation is somewhat similar. Most of those students went through several years pursuing an education in their chosen field. Many of them went into debt. Though these men at the seminary are planning to go into church work, there is still a role for the kingdom of the left in the process. If 42 vacant congregations are looking for candidates and there are 53 graduates, some of the graduates will not be placed. Life’s not fair, even in the church. The truly admirable part of all this is the work done by the placement directors who have high hopes of placing everyone by later in the summer. They should be commended, not crapped on.

There will still be LCMS congregations who are vacant while graduates twiddle their thumbs waiting for a placement. Sometimes, the responsibility for this lies partially with the graduates. If you told the placement director you would only accept a TLH congregation with no women voters within a 40-mile radius of Tampa, FL, you may be waiting a while to be placed. Some vacant congregations are ornery, cantankerous groups that don’t want some pastor telling them what to do and will be vacant until Christ returns (and even then won’t appreciate the New Guy telling them what to do in their church). Would you want to be assigned to such a place? It might be better to take the plumber’s exam instead.

Missourians should be dancing in the streets for joy over how much control they do have as students in their first placement. Come to the WELS where there are no interviews and no advance warning, with the exception of international mission placements. You get what you get. You don’t find out until they announce your name in the call service. Teacher/pastor/staff ministers are all in the same boat. You may be assigned to the educational specialty for which you had been studying the past five years. You may not. You may be assigned as a staff minister, you may be assigned to run a preschool. You may be assigned to be the second pastor in charge of chancel dramas and the praise team even though you were the one pushing for installing a tabernacle in the new-fangled portable chapel. We don’t wish to hear of any weeping or gnashing of teeth in St. Louis or Fort Wayne, but we won’t be surprised if the number of prescriptions for Cymbalta goes through the roof in New Ulm and Mequon in the next two weeks.

Attention, Blue-Haired Hotties

2008-05-09T04:30:00.000-07:00

This is to all the LWML babes out there. Or, rather, all of you who were able to hook your manual typewriter up to the interweb so you could send teck messages to your great-great-grandchildren. (This might be a small audience.) Anyway, your church body needs you. The LCMS seems to be unable to keep missionaries in West Africa. We think it’s about time someone stood up for the poor who desperately need help for this world and the next even if that means backing off attempts to reach those who drive by US LCMS churches every day in their SUVs without setting foot inside, have ignored your canvassing efforts, and threw out your church-advertising mailers. Who better to support the spread of the Gospel in places like Togo and Burkina Faso than an organization like the LWML? If you can take a break from throwing your hands in the air and waving them around like you just don’t care, consider supporting planting churches and schools in West Africa.

"What the Church Militant Means to Me"

2008-05-07T03:45:00.000-07:00

Some would say the Church Militant means to be always contending for the faith. This is true, however always contending does not mean always looking for a fight and starting one if none have come your way recently. The fights over the exact wording of a closed communion statement in the bulletin, blue vs. violet paraments for Advent, pinpointing the exact moment when you MUST leave a synod, whether to use TLH page 15 or Divine Service, Setting 3 in LSB (for LBW/LW/CW users-TLH p.15 and LSB DS3 are the same) and which direction to cross oneself fly around the internet perpetuated by self-indulged, self-important people with too much time on their hands. This is not what is meant by the Church Militant.

If you really want to contend for the faith, just do what you are supposed to be doing. The fights, the actual important ones, will come to you. Whether you are a clergyperson or a layperson, it would be better to spend your time in study of God’s Word and the Lutheran confession (no, not alone with your NIV, BoC, and a flashlight in a closet) to be able to answer the questions and challenges that come your way regarding children’s sermons, Sacraments, female elders, female pastors, praise bands, the latest American religious bestseller, fellowship, or whatever else.

The email group arguments, the ones that are not that important, may be serving to insulate you from the battles that are worth fighting. It is easier to vehemently argue against a Roman collar in the relative security and anonymity of cyberspace and pat yourself on the back when another Anglican-leaning person agrees with you than it is to tell the daughter of your congregation’s president that she is under the lesser ban because she continues to live with her boyfriend outside of marriage. No glory there, only headaches. Yet, the latter example and not the former is the Church Militant. When you are forced to contend for the faith, you do. It is not enjoyable. If the contention becomes enjoyable or becomes a hobby, there may be something wrong.

But what about all the body armor language from Paul? Aren’t we supposed to be always fighting? Yes, and we are, but we will appear to lose. In the real contending for the faith, we will turn people off, make people angry, hurt 21^st century sensitivities, and life might be fairly miserable. However, in that real contending for the faith, you will be helped if you treat your audience in an appropriate way. If you are a pastor, the language and forcefulness you use amongst other pastors is not always appropriate. If you are attempting to explain to the Ladies’ Aid why it may be better if they didn’t sing “We All Are One In Mission” at every meeting, it really won’t help your cause to go into great detail about ordination and the Office of the Holy Ministry. They will not think you intelligent. They will think you a jerk. Any suffering you experience after such a boneheaded move you have brought on yourself. Take a lesson from the laypeople who go to work with unbelievers, Protestants, Roman Catholics, and idolaters every day, yet manage to let their light shine, not by being Jesus pushers or arrogant donkeys’ behinds, but by quietly and respectfully contending for the Gospel in their vocations in the world.

Pentecost vs. Mother’s Day – Cage Match

2008-05-05T06:25:00.000-07:00

SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SEE THE VICIOUS FACE-OFF BETWEEN A HISTORIC HIGH FESTIVAL OF THE CHURCH AND AN ENCROACHING SECULAR HOLIDAY! WATCH THE BLOODBATH AS THE UNDERDOG PENTECOST VIES TO REGAIN ITS FOOTING ON THE CHURCH CALENDAR ATOP THE GUILT-LADEN OBSERVANCE OF A DAY SET ASIDE TO HONOR MEN NOT GOD! YOU’LL BE SEEING RED THIS SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!

Seriously, the battle has already been waged, and from the advertising many churches are doing, Pentecost has lost. For someone on the outside looking in, the highest festivals of the American Lutheran Church year could be ranked as follows: Christmas, Mother’s Day, Reformation, Easter, and the other days are all about the same, aren’t they?

We are certainly not against mothers. We all had mothers. We like mothers. We’ll happily send cards, flowers, and gifts this Mother’s Day. If we live near enough to our mothers, we will be taking our mothers out for brunch or dinner and will try to give our respective mothers a nice, relaxing day.

The problem is the insertion of the observance of Mother’s Day into the Church. There is an appropriate place for the observance of Mother’s Day in the Divine Service: during the prayer of the Church. There is the opportunity to thank God for mothers, ask God to bless and give strength to mothers, and ask God to comfort those mothers whose motherhood has brought them trials, sadness, and grief.

Mother’s Day should not become a spectacle that takes the focus off Christ and places it on frail, sinful humans. In the end, this is damaging to both the mothers and those seeking to adore them. Though everyone had a mother, not everyone had a good mother. An observance that asks a child to recall abuse or neglect can be torture and will not be a cheerful day no matter how distant the ugly memories are.

Any honest mother will admit that she is not the mother God wants her to be; she is not and cannot live up to the perfect expectations of this vocation. Putting the spotlight on one sinful person or a group of sinful people exposes the flaws and hurts in them. Because of sin, even those who by all outward appearances are good mothers, may have crappy children. Through no fault of the parents, children do drift away from Church, make immoral choices and sometimes get themselves in trouble with the law. This doesn’t mean they didn’t have good mothers; it’s another example of the taint of sin.

Our only perfect Mother is the Church. She will never neglect or abuse us. She washes us clean in Holy Baptism and feeds us Christ’s Word, His Body, and His Blood to nourish us. On May 11, 2008, instead of celebrating the icons, celebrate our perfect Mother, the Church.

(Then take Mom to brunch….Bring flowers….and a card. Really. Remember how many hours of labor she went through to bring your sorry behind into this world. This is the LEAST you can do.)

^“38Then Peter said unto them, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.³⁹For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all who are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.'⁴⁰And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this untoward generation.’⁴¹Then those who gladly received his words were baptized, and that same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.⁴²And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread and in prayers.”

Anonymous Comments on Anonymous Answers to Anonymous Questions

2008-05-03T04:18:00.000-07:00

The question and answer portion of the WELS website is something of an enigma. Questions sent in are usually posted on the public forum anonymously, though to the best of our knowledge, they are sent in signed or at least with an email address. The answers are written, again to the best of our knowledge coming from a reliable source, by professors from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, though these answers are published anonymously.

Why is this important? These questions and answers can serve as a barometer of WELS’ current teachings. The men who provide these answers are charged with teaching the next generation of WELS pastors. Reasonably, you can expect these teachings to be coming soon to a WELS church near you.

Some of the answers are well done like the first example below, even if the seminary professor forgot to spell check (which seems to happen regularly; could those of you who have some clout over at 2929 look into that? Thank you.):

Q:I often wonder why our synod prefers to call ourselves Lutherans. While I agree that Martin Luther did many good things, I feel our synod places too much emphasis on him. Why do we spend so much time memorizing his words during confirmation? Instead we should focus our energy on God's Word and memorizing that. When people begin calling themselves, Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Calvinists, etc. I really feel this is dividing the church. Did Paul not warn the Corinthians that we should avoid quarreling and divisions in the church? The Corinthian church had people saying they follow Apollo, while others followed Paul, but Paul correctly rebuked them and said we are all one in Christ. Is not saying, we follow Luther, or we follow Wesley, etc, very similar to the Corinthians. I know the WELS is caught up in fellowship issues, but we need to start uniting in Christ. As Paul says, "No more boasting about men!" (1 Corinthians 3:21)

A:First of all, I do not think the Lutherans, Calvininst (sic), Baptists, or Methodists named themselves that. These names began as the accusations of others, as did the name Christians or Nazarenes.

Luther did not want a church named Lutheran, but the name Lutheran came to stand for something--the the (sic) church that believes by grace alone, by faith alone, by Scripture alone; the church that gives full value to the sacraments. Why would you not want to be known for that?

What divides Lutherans from the other churches you mention is not a name but such differences of doctrine as rejection of infant baptism, rejection of the real presence of Christ body and blood, predestination to damnation, etc, etc.. If you want a church which will not baptize your children, you can easily find one. It will be labeled Baptist. If you want a church that rejects the real presence and believes in predestination to damnation, you can find one. It will be labeled Calvinist. If you want a church that teaches that salvation is by faith and works, you can find one. It is labeled Catholic. These are not just names. They identify the teachings of that church.

It does not matter whether these labels have a person's name in them (Lutheran, Calvinist) or if they do not (Methodist, Baptist, Episcopalian). These labels identify a position.

People are beginning to adopt a position that ignores the meaning of those labels, but this has not led to a clearer, biblical position but to just the opposite, to a muddle that treats doctrine with indifference.

Not bad. Not bad at all. But then there are also many answers that cause us to become, well,… Angry. Here’s one we like to call:

"So, Nadab and Abihu were Roman Catholics?"

Q:Does the WELS believe worship practices such as kneeling, the Sign of the Cross, the use of incense, anointing of oil, and blessing oneself with holy water before entering and leaving the sanctuary are acceptable? I know Lutherans may think of these practices as "Catholic," but if done for the right reasons, I think these practices should be encouraged.

A:Many WELS congregations have the custom of kneeling during the Confession of Sins. A growing number of WELS members, many of the young people, have become comfortable making the sign of the cross as they hear the words of the Baptismal formula, "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," thus recalling both the words and sign of Baptism. The use of incense together with the Vesper canticle, "Let My Prayer Rise Before You as Incense," is not common in WELS, but has been done at special events.

You're correct that many Lutherans would consider these customs to be "Catholic." One might be able to debate with them that these customs had wide usage already in Bible times and in the New Testament Church before the formation of the Roman Church; one could even demonstrate that some of these customs were accepted and used in the Lutheran Church after the Reformation. On the other hand, one can hardly blame Lutherans for being wary of practices long associated with Catholicism, a theological system that has perverted the the clear teachings of the Scriptures for centuries and endangered the faith of billions of people. The introduction of time-honored traditions and customs, especially those closely attached in people's minds to false theologies, goes slowly and carefully.

To dip one's hand into the water of a baptismal font as one passes it on the way into worship and to make the sign of the cross could be a wonderful reminder of baptism and is certainly a worthy custom. The use of oil as a symbol for joy and purity is another fine tradition. I know of no WELS congregations that use these symbols, nor have I seen them in use at any WELS event. I doubt there is much interest in either symbol.

“One might be able to debate”? Yeah, ONE who read the Bible and had a passing familiarity with church history or had ever cracked open a copy of the Book of Concord “might be able to debate” “that these customs had wide usage already in Bible times and in the New Testament Church” and in the Lutheran Church.

So, it’s ok to be suspicious of customs that appear Roman but there’s no need to question praise bands, testimonials, and reading of lightly edited Reformed sermons from WELS pulpits? In fact, we’ll link to them from the official WELS website? (Maybe it has to do with the number of people who have had their faith endangered. After you get into the “billions and billions served” range, then we’ll raise a red flag.) This is not only a theological problem, it’s a credibility problem. The inconsistencies are getting more and more difficult to defend. Perhaps, this is another reason, in addition to the official ones given, why the WELS is shrinking. Instead of carefully studying WELS doctrine and admitting that possibly, just possibly the Wauwautosa theologians were more influenced by their own time than by Lutheranism, and that maybe, just maybe the WELS has gone astray, some of the anonymous seminary professors on the Q&A continue to talk themselves farther and farther back into a corner, from which, they may end up just dissolving into the whitewashed wall of American Protestantism, regardless of whether they retain the name Lutheran or not.

Happy Ascension

2008-05-01T13:30:00.000-07:00

You do know that Jesus ascended twice, don't you?

Read Judges 13.

(For you WELS folks-especially the pastors-, that's in the Old Testament. Yes, yes, we understand your hesitation: if the Old Testament was so good, why did God write a New one?!?!)

Read it anyway.

There’s a doin’s a-transpirin’!

2008-04-30T04:50:00.000-07:00

Is there a Confessional “movement” in the Lutheran church today? While here, in the present time, we are not at a good vantage point to judge that. Future generations will be able to look back and see more clearly what is happening now than we can. For example, back in the 5th century, Romans and Visigoths were not sitting around discussing starting the Middle Ages.

Visigoth: “Well, we’ve sacked you quite thoroughly. What shall we do now?”

Roman: “Hmmm, why don’t we start a movement called the ‘Middle Ages’?”

Visigoth: “Sounds good!”

To push for a Confessional “movement” is counterproductive. Pre-made “movements” don’t work. Look at the LCMS’ Ablaze! “movement” for a good example. Real movements are determined by history and they are not the result of a person or group of people deciding a “movement” needed to be started. They start because of what a group of people are doing at a specific time in history, whether that group was well-organized and their movements thoroughly planned and coordinated or not. Look at Luther. He didn’t wake up one morning and decide to start a “movement”. He didn’t collect an amiable committee of monks around himself to discuss how to start a “movement”. He was used by God and did what he was supposed to be doing according to his vocation. From that, a legitimate movement sprung up, but its beginnings were not contrived as some are attempting today.

Roman Catholic: “Hey, Marty, what are you doing this weekend?”

Luther: “I think I’ll start a Lutheran Reformation. Would you like to help get the movement organized? We need some catchy slogans and a focused marketing campaign to really get our message out to our chosen key demographic.”

We Angry Lutherans would be tickled pink if there were a Confessional Lutheran movement happening today (Hey, we’d be thrilled, “movement” or not, if more Lutherans would read and be taught the Lutheran Confessions as they are a correct exposition of Holy Scripture) but will have to leave the judgment of our day to our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Instead of trying to organize or galvanize “Confessionals” on email groups or as delegates for the next synod convention (even with a good synod president, there will still be problems), keep serving faithfully, learning more of our Lutheran faith, and teaching others. God will take care of His Bride. If there is a Confessional movement today bringing many back to a focus on Christ and his gifts, it is not our doing, but His.

In other news: Today, the Earth Will Continue Rotating

2008-04-25T05:11:00.000-07:00

It should be no surprise that the LCMS COP issued a vague statement that did little more than attempt to cover the backsides of the LCMS COP after the Issues, Etc. mess. What were some of the Issues supporters hoping for? A fistfight at the COP meeting? A dramatic testimony from the conservative/confessional DPs ending with something reminiscent of Luther’s “Here I stand…”? Nothing like that was going to happen for this is a bureaucracy. A bureaucracy, whether in a church body or a purely secular organization is large, slow, unemotional, and largely unintelligent, even though it may be made up of individually highly intelligent people. The bureaucracy will always seek to protect the bureaucracy.

Let’s look at what the statement says. “We are very concerned about how this pain has affected the church as it carries Christ’s gifts to the world. Only the devil would rejoice over this disruption!” Yup, and the devil must be pretty happy over both the ending of this radio outreach tool and the division that was previously around and has now surfaced.

“We realize that in our understanding and application of the 4th commandment, this matter is not the responsibility of the Council of Presidents.” This seems to be an attempt to say in some religious-sounding way that this was not the jurisdiction of the COP. See Rev. Cwirla's excellent thoughts on this.

“We must regard with Christian charity and trust the judgment of our duly elected brothers and sisters in Christ on the BCS, along with its Executive Director, Mr. David Strand.” True. Since Mr. Strand has provided no reasoning behind his decision the dissenters have NO PROOF of his motives. To speculate without proof diminishes the credibility of those who oppose him.

“In response to the concern that the manner in which this decision was
implemented lacked Christian compassion, it is important to note our belief that such was not the case.” This sentence doesn’t really say anything. It doesn’t say the implementation was carried out with “Christian compassion”, it just says the COP’s belief is that is was not implemented without such compassion. Again, with no proof, those who disagree have no facts on which to stand.

“Where there have been communications that have violated the integrity of a brother or sister in Christ, Christ calls us to repentance.” Yes. We assume that as Pres. K. and the DPs have all agreed to this that they are repentant for any angry words they have said or written to the Issues, Etc. supporters and that they, along with those who oppose them, will not make any more personal attacks, though the issues behind this entire issue should still be discussed because they brought to light serious differences in theological thought in the midst of the LCMS.

Now to Pres. Kieschnick’s statement: “Some have interpreted the decision to discontinue 'Issues, Etc.' as being theological or political in nature or purpose. Such interpretations have no basis in fact.” This is true. To surmise the reasons without facts does the Issues supporters no good. You will never know what was actually said. Move on.

“As president of the Synod, I respectfully request and pastorally encourage all in the Synod to be patient and charitable regarding this matter, putting the best construction on actions and decisions connected therewith.” Rev. Petersen is a good example of this.

If you really want to know what went on at the COP meeting, call your DP and calmly and respectfully ask what was said. If you are in one of the districts where the pastors’ conference recently passed a resolution regarding Issues, Etc., that resolution would be another good topic to discuss with your DP. He may not tell you anything, but it would be an honest attempt at finding information.

“I pray for the day when the financial resources of our Synod do not necessitate the reduction in force of radio personnel, the return of missionaries from the foreign mission field, or any other such difficult and painful decisions.” There you go, the decision was purely financial. If you are not happy with what Synod is doing with its limited financial resources, STOP SENDING THEM MONEY. Pres. Kieschnick has given two wonderful ideas for where funds should be diverted: radio ministry and foreign mission fields.

Issues, Etc. was a powerful educational and outreach ministry. Put something similar back on the airwaves or over the internet. Complaining about motives and theorizing on blogs and in discussion groups about why the decision for cancellation was REALLY made does nothing but make you look like a conspiracy theorist. You may as well be wearing a metal colander on your head and wrapping your entire body in tin foil to block the mind-control rays emanating from the Death Star Jerry’s building in the IC (Maybe protecting the super weapon is the REAL reason for the lockdown in the Purple Palace the day of the Issues demonstration???)

Quit bitching and get out your checkbooks. Support Todd and Jeff. Put a good Lutheran program back on the air. Encourage the little old ladies (or any other group in your congregation) to adopt a foreign missionary. Out-mission the self-proclaimed mission-minded.

Update on Issues

2008-04-21T04:42:00.000-07:00

An update from Mollie Hemingway after the BCS meeting last week raises more questions and eyebrows than it answers. Maybe the unity Pres. K. was talking about was the unity of having the Strand family unit handle the entire Issue?

How Many Rosary Beads Must I Smash to Inherit Eternal Life?

2008-04-19T01:30:00.000-07:00

The Roman Catholic bashing done by some American Lutherans is unfortunate and annoying. It shows an ignorance of both what the errors of the church of Rome are and of what the Lutheran Church confesses. It also fails to recognize how closely related the errors of Rome and Geneva are. American Lutherans tend to side with other protestants in church décor, ceremony, and language to avoid “looking Catholic”, which gives the impression that Lutherans and Reformed are much closer in doctrine than they officially are, which, ironically, places these Lutherans much closer, at least in appearance, to the doctrine of Rome.

The following conversation has not actually taken place but is a combination of several real conversations that have occurred over the years.

American Lutheran: “So, I just returned from my vacation in _____(Mexico, South America, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, Israel, etc.).”

Angry Lutheran: “Oh, yeah! How was it?”

American Lutheran: “It was great! The buildings are so beautiful, especially the churches. After touring ________ Cathedral, which was only open for tours in the afternoon because they still say Mass (look of disgust comes over face) every morning, we were so happy to find a gift shop a few blocks away run by Christians. It was so refreshing to finally find some people over there who believe that Jesus isn’t still dead.”

Angry Lutheran: “Um, what?”

American Lutheran: “Yeah, we got these nice nickel-plated empty tomb and empty cross keychains.”

Angry Lutheran: “Are you saying that Roman Catholics aren’t Christians?”

American Lutheran: “Well, they don’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead!”

Angry Lutheran: “I’m pretty sure they do believe that Jesus rose. They do accept the three Ecumenical Creeds and I haven’t watched EWTN in a while, but I think I would have remembered hearing something about the entire Church of Rome denying the resurrection of our Lord.”

American Lutheran: “All their statues and pictures of Jesus showed him dead on the cross, so it sure seems like they don’t believe that he rose.”

Angry Lutheran: “Church art depicting Christ’s death on the cross is a most comforting sight for Christians. After he suffered for our sins and declared, ‘It is finished’, the punishment for our sins was paid. Because of his death we are washed clean in his blood.
“Aren’t you a member of Backlit Empty Cross Lutheran Church (BECLC)? What does your art tell people? It appears that you worship an ancient form of execution. Your God isn’t even pictured in your church.”

American Lutheran: “Well, everyone knows that Jesus isn’t still on the cross. The empty cross shows that he rose.”

Angry Lutheran: “No, it doesn’t. The empty cross doesn’t show that he was ever on the cross or that he paid the price for our sins. Didn’t your congregation stop praying the historic liturgy because you felt that visitors wouldn’t understand it? Isn’t that why you switched to a praise service? How is it that you don’t expect the visitors to understand what is happening when the liturgy traces the whole story of salvation drawn from Scripture during worship, but you expect them to look at an empty cross and know that Jesus suffered and died on that cross and three days later rose again?”

American Lutheran: “You’re just holding onto tradition.”

Angry Lutheran: “Yup. And so are you. The difference is that the tradition you prefer leads back as far as the Radical Reformation and doesn’t clearly teach what Christ did on the cross. The tradition of picturing Christ on the cross leads back much farther and is truly catholic and Scriptural. St. Paul wrote, ‘We preach Christ crucified’, not hey, look at our empty cross! By the way, did you bother to talk to any Roman Catholics to ask about their beliefs?”

American Lutheran: “You can’t listen to those unbelievers! We have to evangelize them!”

Angry Lutheran: “Is there a bar near here? Suddenly, I need a drink.”

Why?

2008-04-16T05:59:00.000-07:00

When it’s all about us and our feelings, then it’s not about Christ. Even with good intentions, in our sinful natures, we are all Enthusiasts and put our felt needs and our wants first. Were the employees of the Purple Palace unaware of the feelings of many regarding the cancellation of Issues, Etc.? No, they were well aware of the 7,000+ signatures on the petition and the article and letters to the editor in the Wall Street Journal and the resolutions passed by some districts’ pastors’ conferences. Was the demonstration on Monday necessary to let whoever was responsible for the decision to cancel Issues, Etc. know about the feelings of those who disagree with the decision? No. Then for whose benefit was the demonstration staged? We posit that it was unintentionally (we’ll grant) for the sake of the feelings of those demonstrating. The rationale for the protest we had heard was that it would support Todd and Jeff. Trying to look at the situation objectively, this reason does not hold up. Did a demonstration put food on the tables of these two families or help with their bills? Did it thank God for their faithful service in a better or more meaningful way than the Vespers service the night before? No, so the most likely reason left for the demonstration has at its heart that most dangerous of reasons: “our feelings”. Feelings are fickle, feelings are not always to be trusted. Feelings are generally self-centered.

As was seen in the St. Louis Post Dispatch coverage of the event, the BCS chairman was certainly aware before the protest that his decision has not been received well in some corners of the LCMS. The problem is not that he and others didn’t know, the problem is that he and others, as evidenced by his words to the Post Dispatch reporter, don’t care. He trivialized the 7,000 signatures and basically gave a big bureaucratic middle finger to those trying to show their “feelings” on the matter. This shouldn’t surprise anyone. It fits perfectly well with how the Issues, Etc. matter has been handled up to this point. It is not a productive use of time, energy, paint, or posterboard to continue looking for the reasons behind the cancellation. Most likely, they will never be given honestly. We all have our suspicions, but without proof, it may be best to move on from the “Why?”. The question has been asked. It has not been answered. It probably will not be answered.

Unfortunately, photos were taken of the protesters by some from the International Center. By the way, when was the decision to make signs and act like it’s still 1968 made? Wasn’t this supposed to be more of a prayer vigil? Regardless, how do you think those pictures are going to be used? Do you think Pres. K. or Mr. Strand wanted them for a scrapbook? With those pictures in hand, who will look like the wild nutcases? The folks telling the synod that they had no choice but to shut down Issues, Etc. to be fiscally responsible or the ones out on the street holding signs in the air?

We are just as upset about the cancellation as many of you are. However, this demonstration was not a good idea. Don’t give fodder to those who oppose you. If the synod doesn’t care about the 1/3 of 1% who signed the petition, then those unimportant thousands can make a much more effective protest with their pocketbooks. Put Issues, Etc. either back on the radio or on the internet, and put your donations behind that and Higher Things and other worthy truly Lutheran efforts.

“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.”

A Very Short Distance from Rome to Geneva ~ There is Nothing New Under the Sun

2008-04-15T05:06:00.000-07:00

“Clearly theologians have mingled more of philosophy with Christian doctrine than was necessary. Their influence should not appear so great that it will be unlawful to disagree with their arguments, because at the same time many clear errors are found among them. One of these maintains that, from purely natural powers, we are able to love God above all things. This preaching, although it is clearly false, has produced many other errors. For the Scriptures, the Holy Fathers, and the judgments of all the godly everywhere respond. Therefore, popes, or some theologians, and monks in the Church have taught us to seek the forgiveness of sins, grace, and righteousness through our own works and to invent new forms of worship, which have clouded over Christ’s office and have made out of Christ not the Atoning Sacrifice and Justifier, but only a Legislator. Yet, the knowledge of Christ has always remained with some godly persons. Scripture, furthermore, has predicted that the righteousness of faith would be clouded over by human traditions and the teaching of works in this way. Paul often complains about this. (See Galatians 4:9; 5:7; Colossians 2:8, 16-19; 1 Timothy 4:2-5; etc.) There were even during his time those who-instead of the righteousness of faith-taught that people were reconciled to God and justified by their own works and own acts of worship, and not through faith for Christ’s sake. People judge by nature that God should be appeased by works. Nor does reason see a righteousness other than the righteousness of the Law, understood in a civil sense. So there have always been some who have taught this earthly righteousness alone to the exclusion of the righteousness of faith. Such teachers will always exist. The same thing happened among the people of Israel. The majority of the people thought that they merited the forgiveness of sins by their works. Therefore, they piled up sacrifices and acts of worship. On the contrary, the prophets, in condemnation of this opinion, taught the righteousness of faith. What happened among the people of Israel are illustrations of those things that were to happen in the Church (1 Corinthians 10:11).” -Philip Melancthon, The Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article V

Equal Opportunity Offenders

2008-04-12T04:07:00.000-07:00

From the inaugural post on this site (a.k.a. the Angry Lutherans’ Mission Statement): “The Lutheran church has much to offer, yet, in many places in the United States, it has sold out to Enthusiasm to the point where a good number of Lutherans do not know or care what their church officially teaches. This is truly sad.” And this is what makes us angry. When pastors, lay leaders, bureaucrats, and synod officials speak or write contrary to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions or are unclear and vague, Lutherans are driven farther from what the Lutheran Church confesses. All pastors in the LCMS and the WELS gave a quia subscription to the Lutheran Confessions on their ordination days. Yet, some of these same pastors will vigorously argue against what the Lutheran Confessions say, sometimes through ignorance, sometimes willfully. If you are a Lutheran pastor, you should be reasonably expected to teach the Lutheran faith. While no church body in this country has ever been entirely pure in all of the teaching done by all of its pastors, this is still a praiseworthy goal. Not just pastors, but all others who have the task of speaking on behalf of a Lutheran church body should be held to the same standard.

We are not angry with any particular church body or organization. Actually, if you are angry with the LCMS, the WELS, or any other organized body, you may have crossed the line from Angry Lutheran to Crazy Lutheran. Like most others, we have friends and relatives in many different Christian denominations, sects, cults, and non-Christian religions. The Lutheran Church stands in stark contrast to all others. We believe that the doctrine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, drawn from Scripture, is faithful and true. We are deeply concerned when this doctrine is not clearly proclaimed, for the Lutheran doctrine is Christ and Him crucified as the only Way of salvation.

We do not believe that either the WELS or the LCMS is the Only True Visible Synod on Earth. We are not proselytizing. We have no interest in playing musical Lutherans by urging people to join another Lutheran synod or one of the new smaller Lutheran church bodies. Because those of our little committee are involved in the LCMS and the WELS, these are the two church bodies discussed here. Both the LCMS and the WELS had conventions this past summer in which divisions within each synod were noticed by anyone honestly paying attention. These divides are over more than just style or adiaphora. They are theological, and they run deep. Because the Lutheran confession is so precious, we continue to be angry whenever anyone who claims to be Lutheran contradicts or muddies it, especially when these things are almost constantly sent to us through official channels or by acquaintances. We certainly hope that all Lutherans, especially pastors and synod leaders, will learn what the Lutheran Church has, treasure it, and clearly communicate it with others. However, in our advancing age and crotchetiness, we will continue to be annoyed by practices and statements that should be Lutheran but are not, regardless of where they originate.

Was George Orwell a Lutheran?

2008-04-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

There are rumors of spies in the offices of Lutheran synods who keep tabs on what is written about their particular synod on blogs and in discussion groups. Is this true? We don’t know, but the rumors lead us to wonder, ”Why?” Why would a synod official order a subordinate to spy on what members of said synod’s congregations and the synod’s pastors are writing about the synod? If the officials of a synod are confident in and believe what they have done and said publicly, they shouldn’t be nervous if anyone questions or challenges their public statements, should they? Any such challenge could just be met with a strong backing of Lutheran theology that reinforces whatever was questioned, right?

Insubordination among pastors and laity can be a serious offense. However, when pastors and lay people are asking why certain statements were made or challenging that what was said was not in keeping with Lutheran doctrine, they are not being insubordinate but are obeying “God rather than men”. Pastors and synod spokesmen should be happy when people are acting like the Bereans and testing what they say against Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions. It shows people are paying attention and helps to sharpen the pastors and synod-types who will need to give answers to those bringing questions.

Such spying shows either doubt about whether what you as an official of a Lutheran church body have said or written is correct, or something of a Narcissistic personality disorder that gets its knickers in a twist when faced with the reality that not everyone is going to agree with you, admire you, or accept your word as absolute truth. If you know what you are doing, what you are writing, and stand behind what you write and speak for the public, you can have the confidence to ignore such challenges if they have no merit.

Are there spies? Who knows? If there are it shows a sad cowardice on the part of those who should first of all know Lutheran theology, and secondly proclaim Lutheran theology, not spend their time scouring the internet for dissenting voices.

How About Absolute Attention?

2008-04-07T04:11:00.000-07:00

In the oft-repeated quote Lord Acton writes, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Can we apply the same thinking to attention? If a preacher is getting some attention locally for an engaging personality and is liked well enough to be given the opportunity to start a “television ministry”, in some ways a first for a preacher of his particular synod, is there a temptation to shift the focus of the message preached off of Christ and onto the preacher himself? We think so, for this is sinful human nature. Even we Christians will tend to put ourselves first, direct the spotlight onto ourselves, and bask in the head-swelling glow of fawning attention paid by anyone who will support us.

The correct answer to the game below is, as you know, C. This quote was taken from the Winter/Spring 2008 edition of Time of Grace Magazine and was written by Pastor Mark Jeske, who is a WELS pastor, as far as we can tell. The Time of Grace website is not terribly forthcoming on either Jeske’s or his congregation’s (St. Marcus Church in Milwaukee, WI-Wasn’t it formerly called St. Marcus Lutheran Church?) synodical affiliation. However, the official WELS website links to Time of Grace Ministry, so we believe it safe to assume that both he and his congregation are WELS.

You may have seen Pr. Jeske last summer at a synod convention. Oddly, you would not have seen him at the WELS convention but the LCMS one, which has caused some other WELS pastors to twist their colorful neckties in frustration. Why would a WELS pastor attend the LCMS convention but not the convention of his own synod? Was the trip to Houston an attempt at evangelism? Is it really a good idea to try to evangelize away members of another church body during that church body’s convention? Or, was this an offer to “help” with the ministries of LCMS congregations by directing their members to the Time of Grace television program? If so, wouldn’t this be participating in an expression of the faith with the LCMS and be a fellowship issue for the WELS?

The quotation for Spot the Lutheran was taken from Pastor Jeske’s featured message (sermon?) for this issue. The entire message sounds disturbingly similar to most other protestant televangelists. The first and second pages of the four-page message have no mention of Christ or sin. This is the closest we found to the preaching of the Law: “You cannot get to heaven by yourself. You cannot beat death and Satan by yourself any more than you can swim from Long Beach to Hawaii. You have only one chance to get this right, and I would advise you not to dawdle on making up your mind about this, because you cannot guarantee how many more breaths your lungs will suck in.”

Later, Pr. Jeske writes after quoting 1 Corinthians 15:1 (“Brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.”), “I hope that you burn that verse into your memory and carry it around with you for the rest of your life. I hope you will be willing to share those words with other people who are afraid to die, people who live with terror, who drag around guilt and who know no other way to face death”.

This is the first Bible passage to make it into the message. Sadly, 1 Corinthians 15:1 does not say what the gospel is, therefore that verse by itself cannot comfort anguished consciences. You cannot take a stand when the Rock on which to stand has not been proclaimed. Pr. Jeske had only mentioned Jesus in passing before this point. He wrote three paragraphs previous, “Your getting to heaven is done by Jesus as a gift to you, and you grab on to it by believing-by faith.” Ok, though that doesn’t really say what Jesus did. He goes on: “By grace, through faith. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? To find where it says that in the Bible, go to 1 Corinthians, Chapter 15. This is a magnificent essay on what resurrection of the body is all about. It explains the connection between what Christ went through on Easter Sunday and what you and I are investing all of our hopes in.”

This seems somewhat misleading. Christ said “It is finished.” on Friday, not Sunday. To write “what Christ went through on Easter Sunday” sounds like His suffering continued. This is not Lutheran. The price for sin was paid in full by Christ’s suffering and death. And what about that suffering and death on Good Friday? It’s not here. Not directly. We did find it in passing in a few places, but couched in decision theology language, softened by folksy images, and tinged with universalism:

“That message – the message of the gospel – is stained and splattered with blood, his blood, for yours. That is not cheap at all. It’s very expensive and precious. It’s a gift, and it comes through words – words that your granny told you when you sat on her lap and she told you about Jesus rising from the dead, or words your daddy used when he tucked you into bed and prayed with you, ‘I pray the Lord my soul to take.’”

“So here it is; it’s this or nothing. Make up your mind right now. What is going to be your plan when your life comes to an end? I want to assure you that the resurrection of Jesus Christ demonstrates that everything he said is real, including his words on the cross, ‘Father, forgive them…’

Remember his words, ‘Today you will be with me in paradise.’ He said that to a slimy criminal receiving the death sentence, but the same goes for you. What if Jesus said to you, ‘You might think of yourself as a failure, a sinner, a loser – but today you will be with me in paradise.’”

“You are clean in the blood of the Lamb, and the resurrection guarantees that the Father accepted his payment for you and stamped your account paid in full.”

For a Lutheran pastor, something is missing. Where are the Sacraments? As Luther wrote in his Large Catechism, Part V: “Although the work is done and the forgiveness of sins is secured by the cross (John 19:30), it cannot come to us in any other way than through the Word.” Now Luther is not writing about the quotations of random Bible passages that mention the word “gospel”, but to be clear he writes, “Now the only way this treasure is passed along and made our very own is in the words ‘Given…and shed for you’.” This in no way denigrates the preached Word, through which the Holy Spirit works and sustains faith where and when He wills, but why would a Lutheran pastor not mention the Sacraments as they are also God’s means of grace?

“Daddy” and “Granny” talking to a youngun’ about Jesus’ resurrection is great, and the Word is efficacious when shared by clergypersons and non-clergypersons alike, but why not talk about the Church and finding Christ there as that is where He has promised to be? Why not mention Holy Baptism as entrance into the Church? As Dr. Luther wrote in the Large Catechism, Part IV: “We have, therefore, no greater jewel in body and soul. For by Baptism we are made holy and are saved (1 Corinthians 6:11). No other kind of life, no work upon earth, can do this.” Look at Pentecost for an example. Peter did not preach to the crowd to make a decision. He preached Christ and Him crucified and said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” (Acts 2:38) The three thousand who were added to the church that day were not added by their decision, but by their baptism. Our confidence in our salvation does not rest on what Grandma or Dad have said but on our baptisms. Again, Martin Luther, “So when our sins and conscience oppress us, we strengthen ourselves and take comfort and say, ‘Nevertheless, I am baptized. And if I am baptized, it is promised to me that I shall be saved and have eternal life, both in soul and body.’”

The audience for whom the Time of Grace message was written is not clear. With several appeals to “make up your mind”, in the initial three pages it seems that this message is written for non-Christians. Yet, on the last page, Pr. Jeske is encouraging his audience to share the Easter message with others, which could only be done by Christians. This brings in a rather curious line of reasoning that has arisen to defend parts of Lutheran sermons that tend to sound like decision theology. We have heard that when a Lutheran preacher urges his audience to make a decision, others will defend this as “preaching to sanctification”. It is assumed that this will cover the tracks that seem to lead to decision theology, which most Lutherans will still say is wrong, even if they don’t know why. Decisions CAN be made with regard to sanctification, the thinking goes, because somewhere in the Lutheran Confessions it says something about us cooperating with our own sanctification, though not our own justification.

Well, it does say something like that in The Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration: “as soon as the Holy Spirit has begun His work of regeneration and renewal in us through the Word and holy Sacraments, we can and should cooperate through His power, although still in great weakness. This cooperation does not come from our fleshly natural powers, but from the new powers and gifts that the Holy Spirit has begun in us in conversion. St. Paul clearly and eagerly encourages that ‘working together with Him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain’ (2 Corinthians 6:1). But this is to be understood in no other way than the following: the converted person does good to such an extent and as long as God by His Holy Spirit rules, guides, and leads him. As soon as God would withdraw His gracious hand from the person, he could not for a moment keep obeying God. But (if anyone would take St. Paul's words in this sense-) the converted person cooperates with the Holy Spirit the way two horses draw a wagon together-this could not be allowed in any way without damaging the divine truth.” The Confessions are pretty clear; some Lutheran preaching is not. Without qualifications in sermons or messages, perhaps it would be best for Lutherans to stay away from “decision” language to avoid giving the impression that we cooperate in our own justification or that we are able to do more in our sanctification than we can.

Another section of the magazine has several questions written by readers printed with their answers by Pr. Jeske. Half the questions have more to do with Mark Jeske than with Christ. It would be analogous to receiving an issue of Gottesdienst with a glossy four-page spread of questions from readers and answers by Rev. Dr. Eckardt. (What’s your favorite liturgical color and why? Do you prefer single malt or blended Scotch? Aged twelve or fifteen years?) Pr. Jeske’s answer to a question about “living a Christian life Monday through Saturday” is quite telling. Pr. Jeske writes, “No matter how great your study and worship on Sunday was, it is not sufficient to sustain your life for six more days.” So much for God’s grace being sufficient for us! Pr. Jeske goes on to encourage the questioner to find some time every day to read God’s Word and pray. We’re all for reading God’s Word and praying, but there’s no need to question the efficacy of God’s Word in preached Word and offered Sacrament in the Divine Service!

The focus here is not on Christ. It is on the preacher. Even in an attempt at humility, it doesn’t quite come off believably. Pr. Jeske writes in the opening letter to the magazine that he doesn’t enjoy having his picture taken. Yet, there are twelve pictures of him in the twenty pages of this edition. (Sorry, one more Gottesdienst comparison: imagine grinning pictures of all the editors and contributors next to sermons, articles, and poems, some formal in clerical garb, some maybe more casual-fishing, golfing, etc.) He is the focus of most of the publication. In an article written by Pr. Jeske he recounts meeting a young man with many physical handicaps who through great effort, made it to a special Sunday church service that featured Pr. Jeske’s choir. “That young man, who deals with lots of difficulties and physical challenges most of us will never have to face, manages to get himself 60 miles from home just so he could hear our choir and meet me. That’s humbling.” So the thrill is not in preaching Christ crucified, not that someone was brought to faith, but that someone would want to meet you? Compare that to the testimony given by another preacher, “I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him. The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.”

And the Answer is...

2008-04-05T06:34:00.000-07:00

C

We promise to post more information regarding this quote as soon as it is received and reviewed at Angry Lutheran HQ, hopefully by Monday.

Spot the Lutheran

2008-04-03T03:51:00.000-07:00

If you belong to a four-letter Lutheran synod you receive a fair amount of mail from the synod and its affiliates. Usually these colorful, supposedly uplifting publications are accompanied by a return envelope to make it more convenient for you to send in your check to support whatever “ministry” is being specifically touted or the synod in general. If you are an Angry Lutheran, your “friends” may pass along their junk mail to you in order to get some sick thrill by watching your blood pressure rise. If these “friends” are theologically sharp church secretaries or pastors, you will be buried in propaganda and not just that of your own synod since Lutheran churches seem to be sent more wacky American Protestant propaganda than the general public. Regardless of where it comes from, you may end up with piles of mostly useless paper and the question arises: What should I do with all this unsolicited crap?

There are a few options:

1. You could read it all to keep up-to-date on the happenings in your synod and American Christianity.

~We don’t recommend this. It will lead to debilitating mental illness.

2. You could throw everything you receive into recycling without opening it.

~While recycling is our preferred disposal method, we think it’s a shame not to find a use for it before recycling. Hey, a tree gave its life already, and recycling won’t bring that tree back. Don’t let a tree die in vain!

3. Make a game.

~This we do recommend. And so we bring you:

Spot the Lutheran

The rules are quite simple. Below are four quotes. One came from Lutheran junk mail. The other three are from non-Lutheran junk mail. (Sesame Street kids of the 70s and 80s, all together now: “One of these things is not like the others….”) Can you spot the Lutheran?

(No cheating with internet searches, please. Use your own reason and background in bureaucratic propaganda reading.)

A. “In the midst of our suffering, we can be blessed as we think of His (Christ’s) suffering and relate to Him in that way. Then as we realize that His suffering was for us personally, we can, in a small way, participate in His suffering as we experience our own suffering. That leads to real fellowship with our Lord and communication with Him, which leads to the revelation of His plan for our lives.”

B. “Real friendship with anyone involves a growing, loving relationship. And to be a friend requires a decision to love that person whether human or divine. In our spiritual teen age, we need to decide to love God.”

C. “So here it is; it’s this or nothing. Make up your mind right now. What is going to be your plan when your life comes to an end? I want to assure you that the resurrection of Jesus Christ demonstrates that everything he said is real”

D. “That suffering of Jesus is beyond our comprehension. He had become sin and when He died, sin died. But that was not the end—He rose again sinless, thus defeating Satan for all eternity. Through that victory, our Lord has given us power outflowing from His resurrection”

Hmmm....

2008-04-01T05:22:00.000-07:00

Interesting. We assume Pres. Kieschnick spoke privately with Ms. Hemingway in accord with Matthew 18 and the 8th Commandment before writing to the Wall Street Journal. Or was her "sin" of writing an accurate and fair editorial one of those elusive public sins that calls for public rebuke?

Truly, this is sad. If the Archbishop of the LCMS believes that a 51% or 52% majority is "unity", there's a massive problem of dealing with reality before addressing any theological issues.

Confirmation Memories

2008-03-31T02:45:00.000-07:00

Since Confirmation season is now underway, we thought we would hearken back to the essays given by many of us as 14 year-olds, when we were paraded up to the front of church to each give our testimony or sermon to let the congregation know what Jesus, God, confirmation, or the Lord’s Supper meant to us after our few brief years of poor catechesis. (Any Lutheran congregation where this custom is observed has poor catechesis.)

Then, after doing our first preaching, as a reward, we were allowed to receive Christ’s Body and Blood. Maybe. If Confirmation was on a Communion Sunday that year, which it may not have been, because Confirmation Sunday gets a lot of visitors, and we don’t want to offend visitors. We’ll offend our own members by withholding the Sacrament of the Altar from them. In fact we’ll even defend the practice of only offering the Sacrament once or twice a month to our deaths, but we dare not offend those golden calves, those potential giving units, the visitors.

(Note: A very informal survey of pastors who are against an every-Sunday offering of the Lord’s Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation because they are afraid of offending visitors has not yet found one pastor who can give one example of one visitor who has ever been offended by the offering of the Sacrament. They have received questions about closed communion, which any pastor worth his maniple should be able to answer though not always leading to a cheery resolution. Besides, if you want visitors there every Sunday, which these pastors claim they do, then why would you want to offend them at all? Why have any Communion Sundays?)

Cheap Church

2008-03-29T03:45:00.000-07:00

You cannot save your way to financial freedom. If you are taking in less than your bare-bones budget needs to keep your congregation afloat, you cannot save enough by making cuts to meet your budget. Congregations who cut pastors’ and teachers’ salaries or don’t pay their secretaries, organists, or janitors, or cut out frills like call-waiting and heat in the church office generally still don’t make their budget. Perhaps it is because this creates a mindset that we can, in fact, do everything in God’s house cheaply, or circumvent the laws of the state or nation and should be commended for it. This tends not to sit well with members who have to run businesses, deal with employees who are looking for fair pay and hours for their experience and education, or any members who have to run their own family finances within realistic means and the rule of law.

Asking for money is unpleasant, but in a non-profit organization, it sometimes becomes necessary. The nebulous goal of “meeting the budget” doesn’t resonate with many in the congregation, especially if they are having trouble meeting their own budget at home or if they don’t have a defined budget at home. Congregations don’t need to resort to cutesy stunts or send everyone free return address labels to con them into giving more. The simplest approach is usually the best. Someone, not the pastor, standing up (please, please NOT during the Divine Service!) and saying “Look folks, if we don’t get $x this week, we can’t pay the electric bill” works wonders. Or “Pr. Schmidlap won’t be able to cash his paycheck and his twelve kids won’t be able to have clear broth to eat this week because our checking account has insufficient funds” will probably move some kind soul to donate out of his/her bounty of gifts from God to help the freezing, shoeless, skinny pastor’s kids live another week.

This relates to the congregation’s pay scale for organists, teachers, secretaries, janitors, and pastors as well. These tend to be, proportionately, some of the biggest givers in a congregation. Ten percent of squat is squat. If you expect your janitor or organist to perform services for the church out of the bottomless kindness of his/her heart and love for Jesus, they may not be inclined to put any coin in the plate on Sunday morning. Ten percent of zero is even less than ten percent of squat. Oddly enough, it appears, at least from anecdotal evidence, that if church workers are paid a fair salary (say near district/synod code), they are more inclined to give back to the church and will still have enough to keep their kids in second hand shoes.

This One's for Rob from MI

2008-03-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

A good source for info on the KFUO "issue" is here.

Fantastic responses to the situation in general and to Mr. Strand's latest release can be found on Pr. Petersen's blog. Although he referred to us as "snarky", in our expansive magnanimity, we'll let it go.

This is the most hilarious coverage.

And, in case you haven't already, you can sign the petition here.

Calling all Confessionals!

2008-03-26T05:58:00.000-07:00

It was recently overheard that the “Confessional Lutherans” should organize to better play in the politics and bureaucracy of a four-letter synod in order to thwart the designs of the church-growth groups (WELS-think Church and Change, LCMS-think JesusFirst). The lack of a blog for these “Confessional Lutherans” was lamented. Ah, yes, salvation by blog! Nevermind that there are already many excellent Confessional Lutheran blogs in cyberspace. Nevermind that if people aren’t reading what’s out there now, they are not likely to read anything new. The particular blog idea being pushed was a blog about contraception. The thought was that this would unite the “Confessional Lutherans” and next synod convention they would take the presidency and the church on earth would be salvaged.

There may be a few flaws in this thinking. There are already at least a couple blogs promoting, in theory, “Confessional Lutheran” thoughts on contraception, yet those are not uniting the “Confessionals”. Perhaps the “Confessionals” don’t all agree on contraception. Maybe this isn’t the issue they all want to rally around.

Yes, if your church is organized into a bureaucracy, you will have to work through it and not against it. Planning and uniting to a common cause is fine. However, a bureaucracy will not preserve the Church on Earth, neither will a blog or a group of like-mindeds. Christ will preserve His Bride, the Church. Contend for the truth of the Gospel where you are, pray and trust that Christ will work all things for our good, which He will, although it will almost always look and feel like the faithful are being pummeled.

Heartening

2008-03-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

Quoting

2008-03-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

A brief word on quotations: as the AL fact checker will attest, our quotes have been entirely accurate to date. Quoting something distributed widely and publicly is not the same as distorting, misrepresenting, or misconstruing what was said or written. It is to avoid just that impression that all our authors try to stick to extended quotes, not short snippets that can be pulled out of context.

For example, in last week's Together, we had very little issue with what Pres. Schroeder wrote in the first paragraph: "One activity by far exceeds all others in involving people directly with the life and work of a congregation—worship. Public worship is so central to our understanding of the church that we couldn't possibly conceive of the church without it. It's the time when we gather with our fellow believers to hear the precious Word of God proclaimed. It's the setting for us to confess our sins and to receive the precious news of God's forgiveness. In worship we kneel beside those who share our faith and receive the body and blood of our Savior. In worship we witness and celebrate the new life that God creates in Holy Baptism. In worship we join our hearts and voices in prayer and in songs of praise to a gracious God. In worship, as God conveys his love to us in Word and sacrament, we convey to him our thanks, our gifts, and our faith-generated commitment to a life of faithful service."

While that is a bit heavy on what we do in worship, it can be understood well, which the author of our post, "O Sorrow Dread! The Synod's Dead!" did. It was in the further explanation in the following paragraphs of Together where issues came up that were questionable. We have to assume that what someone writes for or speaks to the public is what is believed by the author. We try to choose our words carefully and assume others do likewise unless it is proven differently.

Something for Everyone

2008-03-22T04:16:00.000-07:00

When you attempt to stand for everything, you end up standing for nothing. From the brochure for the WELS National Conference on Worship, Music, and the Arts: “Who should come? Anyone whose church is: Small-with fewer than 75 people in attendance on Sunday mornings, Large-with many members and many musical resources, Traditional-with a deep desire to retain familiar worship patterns, Diverse-with members and visitors of many ages and cultures, Evangelistic-with a congregational mindset for reaching the lost, Evaluating-with a desire to enhance worship that edifies members and guests, Experimenting-with a growing interest in new forms and music for worship, Actually a chapel-where daily worship serves high school or college students, Really a classroom-where children gather each day to worship the Lord.”

It’s all about us. And it doesn’t seem to matter what you are doing or what you believe. If there is an underlying theology, it is well-hidden. Lip service is paid to Lutheran heritage and Gospel proclamation, but WE predominate. Pastor Aaron Christie in the March WELS Connection said that decisions about music need to be made in love. “What I like may not be what my brothers and sisters like.” We “need to experiment with musical styles in love.” Again, it’s all about us. Worship is what WE do for God, and lucky Him, He can hear both my bad taste in music and your bad taste in music. Hey, it’s all the same anyway.

Another telling statement from the March WELS Connection came from Grace Hennig, a presenter at the upcoming conference, “The wonderful thing is that more people are getting involved in the worship.” She was referring to the extra musicians and singers who are recruited for performances in church. This gives evidence of a common and faulty mindset in American Lutheranism, the only people involved in worship are the ones who are actively, outwardly doing something: pastor, musician(s), singers, readers, flag wavers, liturgical dancers, etc. This is simply not true. All members of the Bride of Christ are involved deeply and meaningfully. They receive God’s gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation, and pray, thank and praise God for them. We are not there primarily to “do stuff” but to “get stuff”.

From the director of the high school Honors Choir for the National Conference on Worship, Music, and the Arts, Michael Goede: “If the mission of the Church really is to spread the Gospel to all nations, how do we reflect the global church within each of the congregations and really recognize the different cultures that are coming in? And to integrate that into our worship, I think, is really important.”

We have an easy solution: the historic liturgy of the Church. Because of its age and multitude of geographical sources, the liturgy reflects the true multiculturalism of the Church better than any new, contrived program could. Parts extend back to before the time of Christ in Jewish synagogue worship. Other parts come from North Africa, Syria, Greece, Rome, Germany, France, England, and Spain. In every place the liturgy is used, those who pray it add their own stamp through hymnody. All three sons of Noah (Shem, Ham, and Japheth) are represented by their descendants’ contributions to the liturgy of the Church catholic. The liturgy of the Church is not exclusive to one culture, it transcends all human cultures. Though the contributions came from different locations, the source for all of the liturgy is Scripture. To say, as some have, that when “ministering” to certain ethnic groups we should ditch the liturgy in favor of pandering to human culture, is racist. To assume that because of the color of someone’s skin, where they live, or their socio-economic situation, they should be fed thinly veiled Pentecostalism, Methodism, or American Evangelicalism by “Lutherans” is judging, condescending, and wrong. There is not a black form of Christianity, or a white form, or a Hispanic form. There is one faith, one Lord, one Baptism. Through the historic liturgy of the Church, we transcend our earthly ethnicity and embrace our ethnicity as the people of God. We have unity with Christians around the world, as well as those who have gone before us into the Heavenly Feast, and God-willing, those who will come after us.

Focus!

2008-03-21T04:44:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of Angry Lutherans this week, due to the cancellation of the radio program Issues, Etc. We're upset too. However, now, before anything rash is done, might be a good time to step back and ask, "What's your goal?"

Two admirable goals have already become well-established since Tuesday: supporting the men who lost their employment and putting a good Lutheran program back on the airwaves. What should be done to achieve these goals? At least one petition has been started, which as of this posting has 2,326 names. Calls and emails have flooded the KFUO offices and LCMS offices voicing displeasure at the decision and the way it has been handled. These are good, calm ways to address the situation and possibly achieve the goals stated above.

Unfortunately, some are starting to discuss a full-scale, 60s-style protest outside the Purple Palace in St. Louis. Will this accomplish the goals of providing for the two men who were terminated and their families or getting the program back on the airwaves? No. The only "good" this would accomplish is a swelled feeling of self-righteousness among the protesters. There is, as of right now, no proof of what happened, only rumors and conspiracy theories. There is no need to be that vocal in voicing displeasure over what has happened. The people responsible know that you are not happy. They would benefit from you showing up with placards and screaming your heads off. They would appear to the the cooler headed group, while your actions would confirm the caricature of Confessional Lutherans as raving lunatics.

Instead, we propose another plan:
1. Recruit more people to sign petitions.
2. Keep calling the proper offices to voice your feelings.
3. Donate to help the men who lost their jobs.
4. If you donated to KFUO, ask for your money back. This is the surest way to let them know that you do not support this decision.
5. Work to find another venue for the show, whether radio or internet. With all the interest this situation has generated, it's possible that another station might want to pick up the show. It had a respectable sized listenership before; now, at least for a while, the number of people tuning in would probably be larger due to the controversy. This also makes it an advertiser's dream. If another venue is found, sponsors will probably be plentiful.

Don't get caught up in emotion. This is an excellent opportunity to support a good program and to keep the focus on the very strange things that happened this past Tuesday. As our Lord said, "I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves."

O Sorrow Dread! The Synod’s Dead!

2008-03-20T04:23:00.000-07:00

It appears the worship wars in the WELS are over. And the winner is…everyone! And really, no one. Anything goes in the WELS world of worship, provided it is “done well”. We have become the Anglicans and the Roman Catholics. Roman Catholic in that the liturgy or worship has become the work of the people, and Anglican in that there is little theology behind worship, so as long as it is pretty or “done well”, anything and everything is ok. Here’s WELS President, Mark Schroeder on worship, specifically the upcoming WELS National Worship Conference: “Since worship is such an important activity in our lives as Christians, it's absolutely vital that we get it right. We need to be sure our worship is Christ-centered and biblically based. We need to be sure that our worship expresses the joy that we have in Christ and that it proclaims clearly the reason and basis for that joy. We need to plan carefully and to carry out our worship in a way that touches the hearts and lives of God's people and in a way that equips them for lives of service to him. In worship, as in anything we do as Christians, we will want to strive for excellence as we give God the glory and honor due him.”

Who puts Christ in worship? We do! Who makes worship efficacious? We do! No focus on God coming to us with his gifts in Word and Sacrament. Instead, worship is “an important activity in our lives as Christians” that we need to do correctly. Instead of the Holy Spirit working when and where He wills, we “carry out our worship in a way that touches the hearts and lives of God’s people”. Then there is the reference to the NIV translation of Ephesians 4:11-12” It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” These passages are mangled by the NIV and are not what the original text actually says, which is something you would think the president of a Lutheran church body would know. A more exact English translation is the KJV “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” Note the difference. In the NIV Christ gave these for two reasons: “to prepare God’s people for works of service” and “so that the body of Christ may be built up”. In the KJV Christ gave these servants for three reasons: “for the perfecting of the saints”, “for the work of the ministry”, and “for the edifying of the body of Christ”. The KJV is closer to the original, but in a church body that sees us doing stuff in worship instead of God giving to us, it is no surprise that the NIV was alluded to.

Pres. Schroeder goes on to say that “we will want to strive for excellence as we give God the glory and honor due him.” Yes, of course we will. However, in worship, in Lutheran worship, we are primarily passive. Our excellence is not based on our performance, it is our debasement of self in allowing God to serve us, and even that is not a work of our own. We come with nothing. We are the tax collector who only begs for mercy. God grants us mercy, grace, and forgiveness, and then we respond with our praise, thanks, and prayers, but the work is still primarily not ours but God’s. The “excellence” of our worship is not determined by the number of mistakes made by the musicians, the cleverness of the preacher, the smiles on the faces, or how we felt it went. It is determined by the faithful proclamation of Christ the Word and the administration of the Sacraments.

And again Pres. Schroeder, from the same source, the March 17, 2008 edition of Together: “In a day when so much discussion on worship is taking place, this conference will help to clarify the important principles to keep in mind as we plan and carry out our worship. It will be a means for us to unite around the timeless worship heritage and values that we share and to explore the best possible ways for us to exercise our Christian freedom in worship in ways that glorify God, proclaim the saving gospel, and touch the hearts and lives of God's people.”

The WELS enjoys principles. Don’t call their principles laws. That will only get you into trouble. Principles are carefully distinguished from laws, as in the preaching paradigm: law, gospel, application (principle).

The WELS also enjoys “Christian freedom in worship”. Yes, as we are constantly reminded, there is no ceremonial law in the New Testament. Therefore, some in WELS are taking that to its logical conclusion which is: anything goes. The oft-touted Christian freedom regarding worship tends to blur another principle, one that has been around longer than the WELS, that of lex orandi, lex credendi-the law of prayer is the law of belief. In other words, if you worship like a Baptist, you will believe like a Baptist. What you “do” in worship is not neutral. Everything has meaning. Even something as mundane as having the little kids sing from the front of church as opposed to the balcony has meaning. If the kids are up front where everyone can admire their cuteness, where is the focus? Is it on the children or the One they are singing about? All attention is on them, the message becomes secondary. If they are in the balcony, the message heard takes center stage, while those giving it, the sinful little humans, are in the background. The latter example is Lutheran, the former is not.

Again Pres. Schroeder is looking to “touch the hearts and lives of God’s people”. An admirable goal, but WE don’t do that. God does. Finding the “best possible ways” seems to be a misplaced faith in what we are doing instead of letting worship be what it is: where God comes to us.

Sad

2008-03-19T04:21:00.000-07:00

Pastors Say the Darndest Things II

2008-03-18T04:30:00.000-07:00

Some congregations have schools associated with them. This can be a good thing for the children of the congregation, but it gives Pr. Scheisskerl and his associate, Pr. Mistkerl, more people to have to work with. This can be a challenge. Some advice:

1. When talking to a teacher, NEVER say, “Well, sure that’s a nice idea, if the school stays open.”

2. Don’t let the teachers conduct devotions of their choosing and then complain that said devotions were from less-than-Lutheran sources. Of course they were! Look at what is taught at where most of your teachers received their training! You are the pastor. Teach the teachers. Without being a jerk.

3. If a child, parent, or teacher asks you why your four-letter synod believes what they believe, you had better have an answer ready. And it had better sound like it makes sense. And it had better sound like at least you believe it.

4. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES use the Office of the Holy Ministry (LCMS) or call as a male pastor in the full-time public ministry (WELS) to beat your teachers into submission. It will backfire. Painfully.

5. You can’t die on every hill. If the eighth graders are being shown the Left Behind video series for religion class, you should deal with that-it’s a hill to die on. If the preschool kids are parading up to the front of church once a month to sing some meaningless sappy song, it may annoy you and all parishioners with Lutheran sensibilities, but this is not a hill worth dying on.

6. Let the principal and teachers do their jobs and thank them. They are getting just as much grief as you are. Parents can be just as bad as methobaptiluthecostals.

Stop, Drop, and Roll in the Dough

2008-03-16T13:11:00.000-07:00

LCMS district officials are just giddy over new mission starts these days. And why wouldn’t they be? The more congregations that are started, the more we fulfill the Great Commission and speed Jesus’ return. Or something like that... Yes, spreading the Word is wonderful, however the push for new starts is causing some puzzlement among some long-time members of the LCMS, specifically those in older and smaller congregations.

The money for these glorious new starts is coming from current members. Should these current members go looking to their district for financial assistance for their congregation, they may be out of luck because their district may be one which is only interested in new mission starts.

Shouldn’t existing congregations be able to support themselves? Usually yes, but this gives the impression that new starts and the members contained therein are more important or more valuable than the congregations and members that have been around, some for more than a century, and for whatever reason are now falling on financial hard times.

When a district official advises a new seminary graduate to close up the parish to which he has just been assigned and give its money to Fan into Flame, that gives the impression that the few members of the existing congregation are not as worthy of preaching, teaching, and administration of the Sacraments as are the potential members of the new mission start which could be funded by the cash realized by closing the existing parish.

Theologically, while hopefully unintentional, this smacks of decision theology (those who have already asked Jesus into their hearts are not in need of pastors or keeping their churches open) and a once-saved, always-saved mentality (these members are already in the church and don’t need to be evangelized anymore; time to go find new converts). The Theology of Glory pervades. If a congregation is not successful, in terms of money and new converts, shut it down and start something new. Then our statistics look better, or our rocket ship or other bureaucratically chosen symbol of success will take off! No thought to what was being taught in that congregation, whether the Gospel was faithfully proclaimed and the Sacraments rightly administered. No reflection on what Our Lord said about bearing the cross and examples from His own earthly ministry when by the standards of numbers, He failed miserably.

It is an insult to those faithful pastors and members of small congregations. The districts are, in effect, saying that they are not important, not worth the time or money of the district. This may be part of the reason the Ablaze! movement hasn’t moved too many.

Can We Get a GPS?

2008-03-13T03:06:00.000-07:00

What is the direction of the Lutheran church in America? Are we heading up, down, or sideways? Some would say things have improved in the last few generations: every Sunday offering of the Sacrament of the Altar, renewed interest in liturgical worship, renewed interest in study of the Lutheran Confessions and patristics. Yet, this is but one end of the spectrum. At the other end is the wholesale sell-out to Evangelicalism, Pietism, and Enthusiasm. Between these poles is every variation of good, bad, and indifferent.

Thirty to forty years ago, with some exceptions, American Lutheranism was a homogenous mass of mediocrity. While alternating between page 5 and page 15 in TLH from week to week may not have been ideal, it was quite possibly the saving grace of those generations. Where the preaching was weak, the liturgy remained strong and constant. It made certain the faithful heard God’s Word of salvation every Lord’s Day, even if the pastor was not well-versed in Lutheran theology.

Today, we have gone to the extreme in heterogeneousness. You cannot predict from the acronym on the sign out in front of the building what you will hear and see inside. In some places, this is very good. In others, it is terribly sad.

In some locations today the preaching is Christ-centered with liturgical worship and every Lord’s Day celebrations of the Sacrament with excellent catechesis. In others, the Lutheran congregation is indistinguishable from the Christian Reformed church down the street, right down to quoting long sections from Joel Osteen’s latest bestseller during the sermon.

Overall, it has been a lateral move. There is no large consensus among Lutherans. Glaring differences in practice from congregation to congregation make it impossible to hide the differences in doctrine. This should come as no surprise, for it has always been this way with the Church Militant and will be until our Lord returns. There is no golden age to which to return when there were no quarrels and heresies, nor is there such an age coming while on this earth. While we can and should be thankful for those places where the Gospel is preached and the Sacraments rightly administered, we dare not fall into triumphalism. Things are not getting better. That is not what Our Lord promised for His Church on Earth. Here the Church endures because God preserves Her. That is what we are promised. Not success, not growth, but endurance (endurance of the Church, not necessarily your congregation or church body). The Glory is not for the Church Militant but the Church Triumphant.

Having Authority Without Having Authority

2008-03-12T04:47:00.000-07:00

Pretend your congregation needs a new treasurer. There is a retired CPA in the congregation willing to serve and fully competent for the task. No one else is qualified or remotely interested. The retired CPA should get the position easily, right? Ah, no. Because your congregation is WELS and the position of treasurer is a member of the church council, and, unfortunately, the retired CPA is a woman. For those not familiar with WELS teaching on the roles of man and woman, no woman can have authority over any man. They extend this authority to voting both in the church and in secular elections (though this varies depending on who you talk to-it’s fun to watch the tap-dancing when this question is asked).

So, what to do in the case of the treasurer? You create a new position in the church! Well, of course! Problem solved. The retired CPA is now your Financial Secretary. She gets the privilege of doing all the work of the church treasurer without the title! The title of Treasurer goes to a man, who will do nothing related to the finances of the congregation but attend council meetings.

This is nothing new. For years, female WELS teachers of one-room schools were not principals of those schools because that would involve authority (Over whom? Good question. Some will say over the 8th-grade men-students, others will say over the fathers of the students, others just shrug when asked). Sure, they did all the work of the principal, but the title went to the pastor.

The same situation is now seen in WELS early childhood education centers. Many times the pastor is named the head of the ECE facility, even though he has nothing to do with it. It’s all about the titles. So, yes, as a woman in the WELS, you can do important work in the church; just don’t expect a title that describes what you are actually doing. Expect that to go to a male person who likely has nothing to do with what his title implies.

Pastors Say the Darndest Things

2008-03-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

So, a church has a new pastor. He seems like a nice guy. He’s a self-titled “Confessional Lutheran”. Sounds great! The congregation is also “Confessionally Lutheran”, as far as they know. Then he gets into the pulpit the week after installation and he begins his sermon: “In the milieu….the Theotokos….Blessed Fr. Luther….Chrysostom….Blessed ever-virgin Mary….Mass….Sexagesima….(ten minutes of head scratching later)Amen.” Later, during the consecration, the congregation gets quite concerned when this new preacher has to bend down TWICE to pick up things he apparently dropped.

Then the complaints start. The congregation is pretty sure their new pastor is a Roman priest seeking to reclaim Cross of Glory Evangelical Lutheran back into the fold of the Bishop of Rome, but they aren’t positive because they have no idea what the guy actually said. Meanwhile, the pastor is completely clueless as to why these horrible people are criticizing him. Goodness, all he did was preach a fine “Confessional Lutheran” sermon. What is wrong with these American Enthusiasts? He is tempted to send them off to their Joel Osteen prattle since that’s what they seem to want. He is ready and willing to be martyred for the cause of “Confessional Lutheranism”. He is sure that generations will praise him for his bold confession of the truth in the midst of these pseudo-Lutherans, who in the future will know how unfairly they treated him and will weep at his graveside. Oh, if only they had brought their thesauruses, dictionaries, and French translators to church with them! Then they would have appreciated and learned so much from Pr. Wichtigtuer and not stoned him in the parking lot between conventicles. (By the way, this is only applicable to the LCMS, as the number of WELS sem grads who even know what a thesaurus is can be counted using the six fingers on one of their inbred hillbilly hands-the Great Commission does not mean it’s ok to marry your first cousin for the sake of having more babies to baptize and teach).

Church history for most laypeople extends back to their earliest remembrances of Sunday School and VBS. What they were taught by good old Pr. Wahrheit is considered to be straight from God’s mouth. Likely, it was not. However, when a new pastor comes in and changes practices which in the minds of life-long members were instituted by God himself, that pastor is going to have problems. He may be doing nothing wrong, but he is acting quite stupidly. True Confessional Lutheran pastors teach. They teach the Lutheran faith. They will not convince everyone. Most Lutheran congregations have some Baptists and Methodists spooking about, sometimes loudly making trouble for the actual Lutherans, but it’s the Church Militant, so that’s to be expected.

When these Confessional Lutheran pastors teach, they speak so as to be understandable. If they really get a hankerin’ for four and five-syllable words or to throw in some French, German, or Greek, they wait until they are at a pastors’ conference or at home with their families, who likely have learned to ignore such outbursts.

This is in no way to imply that your hearers are of a lesser intellect. There are probably several listening who have a higher IQ and more expertise in various areas than the one speaking. A middle ground must be found between talking down to the laity and talking over their heads. It does no good to preach the healing of the Great Physician in technical jargon to show how intelligent you are, just as it does no good to treat your hearers like toddlers. You will unintentionally, but inevitably make your listeners feel inferior, and they will dislike you. And, more importantly, they will not know what or Whom you are preaching.

OT/NT Connections

2008-03-08T06:18:00.000-08:00

From Augsburg Confession, Article XXVIII, paragraphs 61-62: "There are monstrous debates about changing the law, ceremonies of the new law, and changing the Sabbath Day. They have all sprung from the false belief that in the Church there must be something similar to the services set forth in Leviticus (1-7), and that Christ had commissioned the apostles and bishops to come up with new ceremonies necessary to salvation."

Note that it doesn't say the ceremonies from Leviticus are NOT similar and do not foreshadow those in the New Testament Church, but they are arguing against those who say there MUST be something similar, that bishops are to create new ceremonies, and that such ceremonies are NECESSARY to salvation.

The very specific instructions for sin offerings in Leviticus 4 and 5 foreshadow the New Testament Holy Absolution. When an individual sinned, he brought and killed an offering (confession), the priest made atonement with the blood of the sacrifice, and the sin is forgiven (Absolution). In both OT and NT situations, the actual sin offering is, of course, Christ.

This also relates the OT royal priesthood (Exodus 19:6) with it's more popular counterpart, the NT royal priesthood. The NT royal priesthood still receives Absolution through God's appointed ministers/priests.

This is not to say that something in the pastor makes the Absolution valid. God always works through means, both in the OT Church and in the NT Church. Holy Absolution is received by the royal priesthood through the means of called and ordained men standing in the place of Christ for that very purpose. There is beautiful continuity from the Old Testament Church to the New Testament Church.

*The ALs thank Prs. TandP for assistance in articulation.

Pay Your Organists

2008-03-08T04:13:00.000-08:00

If someone were called on with four hours notice to work part of his/her weekend, should that person expect to be paid for time, skill, and inconvenience, or at least not lose money by being reimbursed for mileage? If you are a Lutheran organist, the answer you’ll still get at some congregations is a stunned “What?!”

Yes, we all “serve the Lord with gladness”, but that gladness is tough to muster when being taken advantage of. Organists, for the most part, buy their own shoes and books, paid for their own training, and provide their own transportation. Most also do not just show up for services and sight-read but take time out of their schedules to do careful preparation for each service.

Organists are largely very generous and don’t mind donating their time as the pay per service is usually quite low. However, it is one thing to give a token amount as a thank-you and acknowledgement that the organist did some skilled work for the congregation and quite another when the organist is expected to take the good ol’ Lutheran “bend over and grab your ankles” routine with good humor and grace. Some congregations have financial constraints which make it next to impossible to pay the organist anything near what is suggested by the
American Guild of Organists, but those congregations can still pay something. If a congregation of less than one hundred souls in a poor, rural area can still toss ten dollars the organist’s way each service, so can yours.

It’s not about the money, it’s the principle. Most organists do not make a living playing but do it as a service to a congregation, while keeping other jobs that actually pay the bills. Many give back their organ pay and much more in offerings. The surest way to tighten organists’ grips on their wallets and purses is to not pay them. They will not only not give monetarily to your congregation, they probably won’t answer the phone the next time you’re looking for an organist either.

The argument has been raised: “Well then, why don’t we pay Sunday School teachers then too?” One answer those in Lutheranism will understand is “We’ve never done it that way before.” And possibly with good reason. Organists are trained (or should be) longer than Sunday School teachers, and most organists paid for that training, while most Sunday School teachers did not. Also, the time involved for a dedicated organist is far more than most Sunday School teachers. Plus, most organists provide their own music paid for out of pocket, but most Sunday School materials are provided at no cost to the Sunday School teachers by the congregation.

If pastors would like to have organists who take the time to prepare carefully and bother to learn why the Lutheran church does what it does and sings what it sings, then please show them enough respect to pay them.

What if your organist refuses pay? This sometimes happens whether for pious or self-serving motives on the part of the organist. It might be best to say, “Gee, (insert name of organist), we appreciate your willingness to play for free, but you won’t be able to always be here, so we need to have a fair pay scale in place for those rare times when you need a substitute and for when you, sadly, are no longer able to play. If you’d like to donate your pay back to the church or to any charity, you are certainly free to do so, but we would really like to show the congregation’s appreciation for your work and the work of other organists by paying you $x per service.”

There are very legitimate concerns about where a future generation of church musicians will come from. Encouraging young musicians to serve in the church might be at least a little easier if they knew they would be appreciated and not sink farther into debt by giving of their time and skill to work in the church.

No Blood Test Necessary

2008-03-07T04:31:00.000-08:00

If a seminary professor of your church body reads Pia Desideria and says publicly, “Huh! Spener agrees with us…I guess he had some good things to say.” your synod is infected with Pietism.

Know Your Place

2008-03-06T04:36:00.000-08:00

Recently spoken by a Lutheran pastor of the LCMS persuasion, “Well, this is a real long Gospel reading, but let’s get through it with just as much energy at the end as we’ll have at the beginning.”

Angry Lutheran response, “What the…?!”

Then, the entire congregation read the Gospel reading. Mind you, this was after a nameless, vestment-less female parishioner had wandered up to the lectern to read the Old Testament and Epistle readings. What was the pastor doing during all this? Standing with his hands at his side and staring into space for the first two readings and then reading the Gospel along with everyone else.

Why would this practice be instituted? You’ve likely heard the answers before: to be inclusive, to give ownership to the people, to get everyone involved, after all, they are a royal priesthood. Now how can Angry Lutherans have a problem with that?

This practice confuses the identities of those present in the Divine Service. Yes, those in the pews are the royal priesthood who sing praise to God, pray, receive God’s gifts, give thanks, and go out into the world to serve as little Christs to their neighbors. However, they are not standing “in the stead and by the command of “ Christ. That is the pastor’s position. He is there to give. The royal priesthood is primarily to receive. Laypeople should revolt at the suggestion that they should be trundling up to the front to “do the readings”! Their response to pastors who would abdicate that part of their responsibility should be, “No! We are the Bride of Christ! We are here to receive gifts from the Bridegroom who loves us and gave Himself up for us! You, who stand in His place, should serve us with His Word and Sacraments! How dare you try to shuck off part of your role! Don’t insult us with your pandering to make us feel more included! Proclaim God’s grace to us! Don’t make us proclaim it to ourselves!”

Testify!

2008-03-05T03:11:00.000-08:00

Are Lutherans ashamed of what their church confesses? Or are they just woefully ignorant of that confession? What is the reason so many Lutherans continue to invite those whose theology is in opposition to the Lutheran church to speak to Lutherans? Do they just not care? Maybe it’s a problem of insecurity or an inferiority complex? Baptists, Methodists, and Reformed congregations aren’t beating down the door of Dr. David Scaer’s office to invite him to come and tell them “how to do ministry” or to give his “testimony”. Their churches wouldn’t agree with what he would have to say and they know it. Do they have a better understanding of their own church’s beliefs or just more integrity than Lutherans? (Prof. Brug’s name from Mequon could have been substituted, but with the fellowship issues involved, even if a WELS professor was invited somewhere, we don’t think he’d be able to go, unless he could present “simultaneously” and not “with” anyone else.)

Lutherans should first, learn what their church’s confession is, and then confess it. Lutherans have no need of the broken cisterns and polluted wells of American Protestantism.

Tone Disclaimer

2008-03-03T13:33:00.000-08:00

No complaints about tone, please. The tone here is sarcastic, and that is deliberate. The discrepancies, annoyances, and heresies pointed out here have all been presented to the appropriate people over the years in a gentle, evangelical way and were either not answered or not given any credible defense. Because these issues are serious (some more serious than others), they are being discussed again, this time more forcefully and sarcastically. Again, this is intentional. Any complaints about tone will be deleted.

Unless we find them humorous.

Why Anonymous?

2008-03-03T04:50:00.000-08:00

This is intentional. Ideas may be considered more carefully if you don’t know who the sources are. For example, if we are LCMS members, some WELS members would immediately retract the right hand of fellowship and replace it with the left hook of Ro 16:17, for there is the belief that nothing good dwells outside the WELS. Likewise, if we are LCMS members of the St. Louis or Fort Wayne persuasions, the other side could ignore what is written as alternately St. Louis or Fort Wayne drivel. If we are WELS members, we may live in fear of retired synod presidents coming after our children or pets in the dead of night or making certain no one in our families receives a call into the public ministry again. If we are female WELS members, no male WELS member would be able to read this, unless it was written in a posture of submissiveness with no attempt at exercising authority over any man anywhere, which is a rather subjective standard and difficult to prove decisively either way.

As we remain anonymous, we will accept anonymous comments, though all comments will be screened and any deemed inappropriate, whether signed or anonymous, will be deleted.

Why Angry Lutherans?

2008-02-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

The Lutheran church has much to offer, yet, in many places in the United States, it has sold out to Enthusiasm to the point where a good number of Lutherans do not know or care what their church officially teaches. This is truly sad. Many have lost the comfort of extra nos and are meandering with the rest of America through their own sinful hearts and minds to find God. They reject those places where God has promised to be and go off to campfires, “Christian” rock concerts, and small homogeneous groups to drown an unquenchable thirst for experience and emotion.

The big four-letter Lutheran synods in America, LCMS and WELS, are a mess. The ELCA has made so many concessions that it can no longer be considered a Lutheran church body, though there are exceptions at the congregational level.

This is a place to vent: to point out errors, inconsistencies, and obnoxiousness. It may also be a place to examine practices and the reasons behind them and possibly to learn something. Problems will not be solved here, any more than they will be by synod conventions or committees. We in the Church Militant can reasonably expect problems to remain with us until our Lord returns.

If you are a member of a Lutheran church, you should know what the church of the unaltered Augsburg Confession teaches and why before you go setting your People Ablaze or freeing your slaves (a.k.a. called workers) for the Year of Jubilee.