In a 1936 essay entitled “The Literary Twenties – The Younger Generation” a New York literary critic, Carl Van Doren, looks back at the generation of the 1920’s which he was on the cusp of. Among his pearls of wisdom is that no generation can really understand the one behind it or in front of it. Here’s how he illustrates that view: “I loved danger, says the father, and it hurt me. The sons says, I love danger.” Another pearl is that there is always a “Younger Generation”. Continue reading
Giving away the Farm – Part II
In the February 22, 2024 post, I promised this. There I posted the 1993 essay mailed to me at that time, and probably most conservative Lutherans. The booklet was titled “A second opinion after ‘The Church and Human Sexuality” (The ELCA’s ‘study’ on sexuality). The actual essay inside was titled The Bible and Sexual Boundaries. It was by Professor Craig R. Koester of Luther Seminary, St. Paul. Did you see the pottage for which the Order of Creation birthright was sold if not profaned? Continue reading
Posted in Families, For Pastors Only, Missouri Megatrends
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Reportage or Fearmongering?
I was going to title this “Fake News and Battle of the Bulge” in homage to St. Merv. Merv was with the 101st Airborne at the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. “Band of Brothers” is his story. We were together on 9/11 watching the news on TV as it came streaming in (a reference to amount not technology). He, a combat veteran of both WWII and Korea, walked away muttering: “Too much information. No one can process this.” Too much information is the norm today with a 24/7 livestream. What human can process it all? What is reportage and what is fearmongering? Which is news and which is fake news? Continue reading
Posted in Big Tech Big Lie or Promise?, Families
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Evolutionary Racist
You don’t have to have ever seen the 1965 poster “The Road to Homo Sapiens”, more commonly referred to as “The March of Progress”, or to have read Darwin’s Descent of Man to know that evolutionary theory if not the root than certainly produced the fruit of racism. But what would you think if I told you Darwin’s wife’s favorite pet name for him was…. Continue reading
Posted in For Anyone who dares
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty -Sort of
With probably two exceptions all of the blogs heretofore were written before retirement. This was written January 24, 2024, and reveals a secret of life like Walter Mitty’s – sort of. Continue reading
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Something’s Blowing in the Wind and It ain’t Fortitude
Tyndale’s ad in the September 24, 2022 issue of WORLD for their Every Man’s Bible is one word, ”Fortitude”. ‘Fortitude’ is a manly word. Growing up boys would tease each other about their ‘intestinal fortitude’, AKA ‘guts’, or lack thereof. So with this manly, masculine word ‘fortitude’ they advertise their Every Man’s Bible with a quote of 1 Cor. 16:13. Continue reading
Posted in Families, Missouri Megatrends
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A Synod of Benefits not Faith
Even when I was in the LCMS, I thought this. What we all waked together in, what we were really a synod in more than name only, was the Concordia Health and Retirement Plans. A confessional pastor observed after I made this remark in the 1990s, “Oh, like the Roman burial societies.” Christians formed these legally because they were not church, per say. And synodical health and retirement plans aren’t church either but are they even good business? Continue reading
Posted in Missouri Megatrends
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Does Rome still teach Ex opere operato?
I’ve been on 2-year quest, odyssey really, to answer for myself if Rome still teaches ex opere operato. Based on the quote below from Rome’s official catechism of 1994, I doubt it. Continue reading
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GodConnect Videos – Connecting With the Video Generation
I grew up when the marks of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod were the “L’s”. Lutheran Layman’s League, Lutheran Women’s Missionary League, and Aid Association for Lutherans. You saw these “L’s” and you knew you were home where, to steal from Garrison Keillor, “all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” I was asked recently what I thought about the above named offering from the Lutheran Hour Ministries. In a word: you know how video killed the radio star? It’s going to slaughter theology. Continue reading
Posted in Ablaze, Contemporary Worship, Missouri Megatrends
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