A guard dog that won’t bark at approaching danger is worthless but caged frogs can be worse. Continue reading
The Piety of the People
While St. Kurt (Marquart) lay dying from ALS, a Reverend David Petersen collected stories of the good saint to present to him before he entered Paradise rather than to each other after he had. That was a good idea. One of the most moving came from the good Rev. Petersen himself. Continue reading
Posted in For Pastors Only
Why Don’t We Do That?
Years ago a pastor said to me that the Lutheran Witness serves to raise the question in your congregation “Why don’t we do that?” That’s true to this day. The Reporter which goes to that churchly office of “professional church worker” serves to make the assertion, “We are doing that!” The “we” is the LCMS and the “that” is the things of Babylon. Continue reading
Posted in Missouri Megatrends
Fifty Shades of Shame
Now that a movie is being made of the blockbuster novel Fifty Shades of Grey it seems appropriate to comment on it. Continue reading
Posted in For Anyone who dares
The Structure of Synodical Revolutions
This title might ring a bell. It’s a shameless rip-off of Thomas S. Kuhn’s landmark book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. It was published first in 1962. I bought it circa 1996 after finding it referenced time and again in works on a variety of subjects. I finally got around to reading it. Another time I will share some of his insights as they pertain to science. Here I want to cite him as he pertains to Synod. Continue reading
Posted in Missouri Megatrends
Twerking
I was relieved when I heard a woman in her 30s say she had to look up the word “twerking.” When it came across Google news, I too had to look it up thinking I really was asleep at the switch. Having neither tweeted nor texted I thought I somehow missed twerking, but since this thirty-something missed it too, I don’t feel so out of touch. Continue reading
Posted in For Anyone who dares
Not Locking the Barn Door at All
It’s considered foolish to lock a barn door after the horse has gotten out, but it’s more foolish still not to lock it even after the horse has fled. There may be other animals still in the barn, other important things that need to be protected. Failing to lock the barn door even after the horse has escaped is what the NALC is doing. Continue reading
Posted in Missouri Megatrends
Of Popular Music and Unpopular Crime
Apparently, “senseless” or “random” crime bothers us more than crimes for which there is motive. Killing someone just to see what it feels like is appalling, but it has always been celebrated in popular music. Continue reading
Posted in General
What the United States, Louisiana, a Zombie, and the LCMS Have in Common
There may be many more than one thing these all have in common, but I can only think of one. They refuse to call things what they are. Continue reading
Posted in For Anyone who dares, Missouri Megatrends
The Law of the Land and the Gospel of the Church
One dominos causes the other domino to fall because of the law of gravity. The law of God is a powerful force, but it can be overwhelmed by the law of the land. Continue reading
Posted in General