No artist I, not even a little, not by a long shot, but I do know art matters. Continue reading
LCMS 2.0 Continues
The April Reporter sports a blue LCMS cross. We who formerly preached under the burgundy cross are going to switch to a new color. Blue is one choice. Just like Wal-Mart has gone from brown, to blue, to tan, so does the church. Not the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, not the Una Sancta, not the Church we confess to believe in every Sunday, but the church as business, as marketer, as sales. This is LCMS 2.0. Continue reading
Posted in Missouri Megatrends
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So you think I’m being too picky?
Bethel Lutheran Church, Dallas, has 802 communicant members. Their August 14, 2011 online bulletin had this to say about Communion: “• Holy Communion will be celebrated in the 8:30 Traditional Service today. For those who desire to commune with us for the first time, know that not everyone is obligated to commune. This sacrament is for those Christians who confess their sin and believe that the body and blood of Jesus are present for their forgiveness. If you have questions, please consult the pastor” (Emphasis and theological errors theirs.). Continue reading
Posted in For Anyone who dares
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In a Heep of Trouble
You bet you are pastor. You are in a heap of trouble if one member tells you another member needs pastoral care and you don’t act on it. I know so because Uriah Heep showed me so. Continue reading
Posted in For Pastors Only
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An Introduction to our Divine Service
Our Order of Service is not unique to us Lutherans. Martin Luther did not break away from the universal Christian Church, but rather, he recalled the Church to Her original doctrine and practice. The Church still existed, but She had become corrupt through false teachings. It was Luther’s intention to keep everything (the order of service, the furnishings, the music, vestments, candles) as long as they were not contrary to the Word of God. A manufacturer may put out an automobile with a faulty radiator, but one does not throw out the entire car for that reason – one replaces the radiator. Continue reading
Posted in Contemporary Worship
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How Come Growing up I could Say the P Word but not the N Word?
I really don’t get this. Growing up my parents didn’t use and I was not allowed to use the “N” word, but I could use the “P” word. Though my parents weren’t Polish (I could say “thank God” here and most Poles would even laugh.), they were from the heavily Polish Bay City, Michigan. We could say Polack and even tell jokes about them, but never, ever about Black people. They might have been Negros back then; I don’t think they were African-Americans yet. In any event, it troubles me that certain ethnic slurs are all right and even used in church newsletters. Continue reading
Posted in Missouri Megatrends
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Distinctions that Matter
For some time I’ve wondered why liberals in general and scholars in particular want to make a distinction between resurrection and resuscitation. At first, I thought there were some plausible reasons for doing so; then I concluded it ought not to be done; now I’ve seen the argument was going the opposite direction I thought. (This is not an unusual experience for me.) Continue reading
Posted in For Anyone who dares
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Presidential Politics and Closed Communion
I received two interesting pieces of mail on the same day. One was from Houston Lutheran’s Life; the other was another LCMS church’s newsletter. They both had startling information. Continue reading
Posted in General
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Lutheranism 101 is Really LCMS 2.0
Surely someone has already pointed this out. Lutheranism 101 published in 2010 is the popularization of the positions taken in the 2004 synodical convention. It’s LCMS 2.0 Continue reading
Posted in Missouri Megatrends
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BTO Is Back
Bachman Turner Overdrive was a 70’s band with hits such as “Let it Ride,” “Taking Care of Business,” “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet.” To say or read these titles is to hear them all over again. But of that band I do not write. Of another Bachmann, I do. Continue reading
Posted in Missouri Megatrends
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