It’s well-known that in a battle one running man or one charging man can turn the tide of battle. Macarthur’s’ father won the Medal of Honor for picking up the fallen standard of his Civil War unit and continuing the charge. The battle analogy is all through Scripture. We “war” not against flesh and blood. Pastor Timothy is admonished to solider on. The question is will we hold the line on the LGBT or BGLT or whatever alphabet soup represents the embracing of things perverted sexually? Confidence is not high that we will, and if we don’t hold our line we will dance their tune. Continue reading
The Quest for Holiness
I just finished reading The Quest for Holiness for the fourth time. I probably wouldn’t have ever read it once except that Doctor David Scaer wrote the foreword to the 1995 edition. Each time I read it I like it; I hate it. I am helped; I am bothered. Continue reading
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Is He a Churchill?
A while back I opined that the President of the LCMS is not a Lincoln, but is he perhaps a Churchill? Continue reading
Posted in Missouri Megatrends
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Failing Homosexuals
“Preach the Law as if there is no Gospel; preach the Gospel as if there is no Law,” is a Lutheran dictum, and it is here we have failed homosexuals. Continue reading
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Don’t Worry the Public Square Will Find Us
There has been much handwringing among conservative Christians since the 80s about not having a voice in the public square. If Cardinal Francis George of Chicago is right, we need not worry about being absent from the public square for long. It will eventually find us. Continue reading
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An Explanation of our Continued Dissent against Six Identified Errors in the LCMS
Our Statement of Confession, written by me and adopted by you, is really a copying of work done by others. This was a mistake. The virtue of our statement is that it is the only one I know of that contains documentation of the errors. However, by titling it Statement of Confession and citing the 1970 CTCR’s definition and acceptance of the term, I have repeatedly been asked about a time frame. Continue reading
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Battle Fatigue, Old Sergeant’s Syndrome, and Grace
You can’t miss that St. Paul likens ministering to soldiering. In reference to paying pastors, he says in 1 Corinthians 9:7, “Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?” In Philippians 2:25 he calls Epaphroditus “my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier.” To Pastor Timothy Pastor Paul writes, “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs–he wants to please his commanding officer” (2 Timothy 2:3-4). And in forgotten Philemon he calls Archippus “our fellow soldier” (verse 2). Where’s the shepherding imagery? Why all the soldiering imagery? Because while you’re a shepherd to sheep the ministry is warfare to you. Continue reading
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Caged Frogs Worse than Non-barking Dogs
A guard dog that won’t bark at approaching danger is worthless but caged frogs can be worse. Continue reading
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The Piety of the People
While St. Kurt (Marquart) lay dying from ALS, a Reverend David Petersen collected stories of the good saint to present to him before he entered Paradise rather than to each other after he had. That was a good idea. One of the most moving came from the good Rev. Petersen himself. Continue reading
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Why Don’t We Do That?
Years ago a pastor said to me that the Lutheran Witness serves to raise the question in your congregation “Why don’t we do that?” That’s true to this day. The Reporter which goes to that churchly office of “professional church worker” serves to make the assertion, “We are doing that!” The “we” is the LCMS and the “that” is the things of Babylon. Continue reading
Posted in Missouri Megatrends
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