Right off the bat let me say that I heard the Vicarious Atonement, Universal Atonement, and the Bible is the Word of God mentioned. The Nicene Creed was confessed and the Lord’s Prayer prayed. So, an unbeliever could have entered this church and walked out a Christian, but it is doubtful anyone could come out or stay a Lutheran here. Why? It’s the little things.
Continue readingDefection by Television
Forty Autumns, the story of East Germany and Germans inside and out of that dystopian regime is worth the read. It illustrates why the most effective way of undermining an Iron Curtain is not an effective way for spreading the Gospel. The ubiquity of Zoom services and Facebook streaming not withstanding.
Continue readingProlife Pregnancy Centers and Contraceptives or 21st Century Bread and Circuses
Recently my congregation stopped funding a local prolife pregnancy center because they provide birth control to the unmarried. When I told this to the center this is how they responded:
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Posted in Missouri Megatrends
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“I Support Rick Sawyer”
That’s the title I saved this under in 2011. I think this is the writing of his I am referencing https://steadfastlutherans.org/2011/03/acelc-conference-the-divine-service-and-daily-offices-by-rev-rick-sawyer/ . As always from the original Seelsorger of the web, good stuff.
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Posted in For Pastors Only, Missouri Megatrends
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Fact or Fiction, the Blurring of Theology
In the category of truth is stranger in fiction, we find that Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mocking Bird, and author and gadfly Truman Capote grew up together.
Continue readingPope was Right
No, not the Pope but Alexander Pope, the turn of the 18th century English poet who some consider better than the Bard. He told us how we would come to embrace LGBTQ. And boy have we.
Continue readingUxoriousness
I had to look this word up when I first read it. Uxoriousness means to be “excessively fond of or submissive to a wife”. It’s from the Latin for wife uxor (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/uxorious ). In his 1999 book The Church Impotent, Roman Catholic scholar Leon Podles observes: “Not tyranny, but uxoriousness, is the chief danger of patriarchy” (73).
Continue readingThe Fat Lady Hasn’t Sung
Who knew that this saying is no older than 1976 and comes from Texas Tech sport’s information director, Ralph Carpenter, when the Aggies tied the Red Raiders in the conference finals? The actual quote is: “The opera ain’t over till the fat lady sings.” (Based on my research, I think the jury is still out as to where, when, and who first said this.)
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Posted in For Anyone who dares
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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 didn’t.” Then as we’re driving away she worked her way to why: It was all works. Bingo. And works that you could do.
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Posted in Ablaze, Contemporary Worship, Missouri Megatrends
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Gateway to What?
Gatewaychurch.com says of itself: “Gateway is a COME AS YOU ARE kind of church – a community of imperfect people doing life together, helping each other become all that God created us to be. Whether you’ve had a relationship with God for years or you’re not even sure God exists, come as you are. Bring your questions, doubts, fears, and hurts – but as we say, NO PERFECT PEOPLE ALLOWED — because pretending just keeps us stuck” (https://www.gatewaychurch.com/new-here/new-to-gateway/getting-started/). They have 5 Austin area locations and one in Branson, Missouri. They are indeed a gateway, but to what?
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