Preachrblog

Ran across this story from BBC about a Japanese developer who built an English-style church on the 21st floor of a high-rise. He did this because it's quite popular for Japanese couples to be married in English-style church buildings. We've had it happen before - someone calls us up at church and wants go get married here. "Oh, are you a member?" "No." "Have you ever been here?" "No. But your building looks pretty from the outside." "Are you a Lutheran?" "What's that?" Where does this desire come from - for church weddings among the non-church going, or even non-Christian types? But the problem is deeper. I suspect many people want a God on their own terms, who will smile when they want him to, but then fade away for the most part. A God like a family member you see only at - yes - weddings and funerals! A generic and pretty God that makes them feel good. Not a crucified and bloody sacrifice for their sin. ...

There are a number of Appendices to this document. Take Appendix 5, "Funding the Mission Reflections" The gist this of this Appendix is this: "The Blue Ribbon Task Force on Funding the Mission" (BRTFFTM) came up with some suggestions for the 2007 Convention, and though that convention didn't do much with them, the suggestions dovetail nicely with the proposals of the BRTFSSG. One BRTF helps another BRTF! Buried in this Appendix 5 is the following paragraph: It is time to grow this church. As a natural outcome of the goals of Ablaze! and the investment of Fan into Flame dollars, this Synod needs to organize a strategy to increase our membership by the 400,000 souls we lost in the last 20 years and stop the bleeding of those for whom our Lord bled and died. It is a disgrace to our faith and practice that we are losing membership. I have to say this is one of the most straightforward admissions of Church Growth ideology I have seen. Usually the un-scriptural pr...

Thanksgiving as a privilege (November Newsletter Article) Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Psalm 118:1 I think most of us know we should be more thankful to God for his blessings. We know it's a good thing to celebrate a day set aside for giving Him thanks. But we all know we should do more thanking, and be more thankful. This is a recognition of the law, that Thanksgiving is an obligation. God deserves our thanks, and is due much gratitude. We SHOULD, we MUST thank him. But oh, how we fail. There's another way of looking at thanks-giving, and that is as a privilege. We GET to thank God. Think about it. We Christians have the privilege and honor of knowing God's name – so we know who to thank! I'm always struck by a popular song on the radio that says, “at the end of the day, we should give thanks and pray to the one....” The one what? The song never says. But we know who to thank, for He gives us His Name...

The Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance (BRTFSSG, or TF) has released its final recommendations for changes to the LC-MS in the summer of 2010. As many of us pore over the 148 page document , I expect much discussion. I'll post some of my observations here. One of the first things I noticed was a proposed change in what is required of membership: _____________ Old Wording: "Conditions of Membership" 4. Exclusive use of doctrinally pure agenda, hymnbooks and catechisms in church and school. New (proposed) Wording: "Requirements of Membership" B.2. Use of worship and catechetical resources that are in harmony with the confessional basis of the Synod. _____________ NOTICE WHAT'S MISSING? "Exclusive". No longer will we require, on paper anyway, that all our resources be doctrinally sound. Instead, we must use doctrinally sound resources, but not exclusively . The new language permits what is, admittedly, already widespread: t...

This article from the Wasau Daily Herald (online - and previously in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) is a one-stop-shop for just about every bad argument rhetorical tactic that is and has been made to defend the ELCA's recent gay-clergy decisions. I don't know if the professor is affiliated with the ELCA or not (he teaches Sociology). But he's well acquainted with the rhetoric. http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20091014/WDH06/910140381 The bad arguments/tactics include: - Labeling the conservatives as "dissidents" - Asserting that everyone chooses to emphasize certain parts of Scripture (an easy way for him to marginalize the "dissidents" AND Scripture - which he compares to a Rorshack test!) - Comparing the conservatives to snake handlers - If you believe what the Bible teaches on this, you must be over-fixated on someone else's sexual orientation (an attempt to turn blame around, change focus of the issue) - Misunderstanding/misapplicat...

President Kieschnick came to the South Wisconsin District and held a Q& A at the district office on October 5th, 2009. The district website has posted video here: http://swd.lcms.org/portals/0/html/player/index.html *note: there are two videos, the DP's devotion/introduction is first, then the Q&A. After some opening comments, President Kieschnick answered questions from those gathered on the following topics: 1. Cost of upcoming extended-length convention Synopsis of PK's answer: He made the call, based on lots of input from others. 2. Recent actions of the ELCA regarding gay clergy Synopsis: He has thought of "pulling the plug" but doesn't believe he has the authority to do so. However, if something "egregious" happens before the convention acts, we may dissolve specific relationships with agencies. 3. How do you respond when media outlets, etc, lump us in with the ELCA? Synopsis: It's a pain. We answer as best ...

This Sunday, October 18th, I will be preaching at the congregation of my youth - St. James Lutheran in Baltimore (Overlea), Maryland . We will be observing the commemoration of St. Luke the Evangelist.

Pentecost 19 – October 11th, 2009 Mark 10:17-22 “You Know” The Rich young man makes a big show about falling on his knees and asking Jesus, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answers, “You know the commandments....” and then lists some off. You know. You know what you need to do – keep the law. You know the law – the law God. The rules and regulations he sets forth in Holy Scripture, and has even written in the hearts of all mankind. You know it, right? That little voice we call the conscience, that tells you when you are doing something wrong. Oh, but many people don't. Willful ignorance, perhaps. How many have hardened hearts that obscure that natural law? How many consciences are numb and dead to sin? And how many people could recite all 10 commandments (much less what they mean)? Do you know the law even as well as that rich young man who came to Jesus? Oh, but pastor, I know the basic gist.... Is that how seriously God wants us to know his law? He want...

Fellow South Wisconsin LCMS pastor from my district, Rev. Dan Torkelson, has posted the following insightful thoughts regarding the sale of KFUO-FM radio station in St. Louis. (posted with his permission) ----- Today, word is out that my beloved church body, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, has finalized the sale of its historic radio station, KFUO-FM, in St. Louis. KFUO-FM was sold by a church body which is, for all intents and purposes, bankrupt, and this in more ways than one. It is one of a growing list of symptoms of a cancer in my beloved church body which needs serious treatment. The leadership of the LCMS needs to feel "the burn" of what it takes to kill a cancer. The symptoms of the LCMS' remarkable decline can be seen in the legacy of the past 35 years. Quite famously (some have said infamously), Missouri won a "battle for the Bible" in the 1970s when it ousted liberal professors at the St. Louis Seminary who were teaching higher criticism and deny...

Pentecost 18 – October 4th, 2009 Mark 10:1-16 “What God Joins Together” It's no secret that we've had a lot of discussion around here lately about marriage and divorce. I want to remind you first of all that we pastors don't select the readings for today based on our preferences, but on a pre-determined system called a lectionary. These readings, and this Gospel reading about marriage and divorce – are the appointed readings for today. It's also no secret that we live in a culture that increasingly accepts divorce as a part of life. Hardly anyone promotes it as a good thing, but many have become as accepting of it as they have so many other sins. Can you remember the time when it was socially unacceptable? Can you remember when it was something to whisper about? “They're getting a divorce”. It used to be that way. But today, many sins which were once kept secret are no longer so. We've become numb to the outrage and disgust over sin that God still knows. ...