That’s not my title that’s Jon Meacham’s, the former executive editor of Newsweek and now executive editor at Random House. His article is in the July 30, 2012 issue of Time. The upshot of the article is that if you have an ounce of humility you will recognize what God wills for the church to do by looking at reason and history. And God wills for the Church and individual Christians to embrace homosexuality, and if you’re against this, not only are you proudly fighting God’s will you are no better than a racist. (Gasp) Continue reading
Suicide, Social Contract, and Synod Leaving
This has been ruminating in my thoughts since Easter 2009. No, it was before that. Circa 2001 a Fort Wayne Seminary student in town working at summer job said, “Leave Synod and you die.” Continue reading
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Roadmap for the Emergent Church
The title should read “Insurgent Church” for that is what is among us and has been ever since they first went out from us because they were not of us ( I John 2:19). Continue reading
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A Leap out of the Faith
I commend to you the 1993 Steve Martin move “Leap of Faith.” If Steve Martin is not enough to grab your attention try Debra Winger, Liam Nielsen, and Phillip Seymour Hoffmann. The error a leap of faith, portrayed so well in this movie, is illustrative of the current leaping out of the faith the LCMS is currently bounding for. Continue reading
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“Joy and disbelief greet Obama’s support of same-sex marriage”
That was the LA Times banner headline on May 9. Let’s see if we can do that with any of the other Commandments. Continue reading
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You May be Right I May Be Crazy
The word “may” in the title to this Billy Joel song is the operative word, and as we are perched on the cusp of the newest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders (DSM) the “mayness” of the matter should be foremost in mind. Continue reading
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Art Matters
No artist I, not even a little, not by a long shot, but I do know art matters. Continue reading
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LCMS 2.0 Continues
The April Reporter sports a blue LCMS cross. We who formerly preached under the burgundy cross are going to switch to a new color. Blue is one choice. Just like Wal-Mart has gone from brown, to blue, to tan, so does the church. Not the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ, not the Una Sancta, not the Church we confess to believe in every Sunday, but the church as business, as marketer, as sales. This is LCMS 2.0. Continue reading
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So you think I’m being too picky?
Bethel Lutheran Church, Dallas, has 802 communicant members. Their August 14, 2011 online bulletin had this to say about Communion: “• Holy Communion will be celebrated in the 8:30 Traditional Service today. For those who desire to commune with us for the first time, know that not everyone is obligated to commune. This sacrament is for those Christians who confess their sin and believe that the body and blood of Jesus are present for their forgiveness. If you have questions, please consult the pastor” (Emphasis and theological errors theirs.). Continue reading
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In a Heep of Trouble
You bet you are pastor. You are in a heap of trouble if one member tells you another member needs pastoral care and you don’t act on it. I know so because Uriah Heep showed me so. Continue reading
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