Category Archives: Ablaze
A Statement of 46 Years Ago
The “Statement of the 44” made in 1945 was one of the sharpest turns the Good Ship LCMS ever made. Actually, the turn was made when they were allowed to withdraw it with no consequence, no repentance. It was a … Continue reading
Impacted by Which Spirit?
I attended a virtual service of Impact Family Church, Austin on Sunday, June 19, 2022. I started with the service for that day and my computer crashed while livestreaming, so I switched to the Sunday before. This was serendipitous if … Continue reading
Carrie Underwood Does Church Better: Visit to another Non-denom
All the markings are there: the Untuckit shirt, the ironed jeans, save for no high-dollar, colored tennis shoes. He wore boots. Fitting for Bryan, Texas. But of all the churches out there who fly the colors of not being sure … Continue reading
From Synod, to Corporation, to Bodily Function, to a Typo
It starts with the synod not being a church. Congregational polity rules the day. Then the Synod incorporates and must function as one. Synodical president, District presidents, and even Circuit Counselors – oops now visitors – as officers of … Continue reading
Gateway to Bait and Switch
This visit to Gateway was to the mother ‘church’ of the Austin area, Gateway North. My wife’s initial impression as we’re walking to the car: “I don’t know why this week I came away depressed while last week I … Continue reading
Dale Meyer Does George Bush
Who can forget the iconic landing of President George W. Bush on an aircraft carrier ablaze with a banner proclaiming MISSION ACCOMPLISHED? Who does not now know how utterly naïve or perhaps impolitic it was? The banner referred to the … Continue reading
The Real Plasticity of the Text
The Reverend Doctor Jeffery Kloha has been pilloried for asserting the plasticity of the New Testament text. I don’t agree in general with his paper that makes the argument and I don’t agree with how he reaches the following conclusion, … Continue reading
Explore God But Not Too Closely
I can’t get away from exploregod.com. It’s in the mail, phone messages, emails, and on billboards and radio. It’s a pan-Christian movement meant to appeal to what used to be called “seekers.” LCMS churches are participating in this movement. The … Continue reading
Now We’re Really Cooking
You just thought you knew what it meant to be Ablaze! or as the Pentecostals have always said “on fire for the Lord.”
Plain Label Christianity and Hall Monitors
There are hundreds of shampoos on the market; far too many to make any logical, rational, certain choice, so I choose one called “Generic Shampoo.” There are hundreds of beers too. All have competing claims and counter claims so I … Continue reading