Confessional's Bytes

Twelve Days Later

2012-01-12T13:32:00.000-08:00

I thank God for another year. Every moment I have is a gift from God. This has always been the case, but since my wife was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in early November I have a greater appreciation for each day. Although, my appreciation is not, by any stretch of the imagination, perfect. I thank God for repentance!

Twelve days into the new year and the truth remains the same. God is faithful, I am a sinner, and He has forgiven me of all my sins due to the blessed work of His dear Son Jesus Christ on the cross. For the sake of Christ God has adopted me as His child. God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

A question about whether or not I have changed my perspective regarding truth was posed to me in light of my wife's cancer diagnosis. The answer is, of course, yes. My perspective has changed and I now know that it is Christ who is carrying me. I am weak, but He is strong! I repent! If anything, the crisis my family is in at the moment has made me so very thankful for repentance. What I mean by that is this, when under fire I see even more what a wretched man that I am and the great need I have for a savior. The "old Adam" constantly looks for means to usurp Christ from the center of life and to install self as king supreme. Self-glory inheres in our very natures.

My dear wife and I were speaking to a social worker the other day in order to gather resources dealing with Acute Leukemia. The social worker was very helpful for the most part, but then came the talk of "self." She spoke of my wife doing x,y,z in order to uplift herself and thereby gain some strength. This sort of talk is nothing but Law. What if doing x,y,z doesn't work? The answer is that one will collapse into despair, since we really aren't strong enough to lift up ourselves. Besides, "feeling good" is not the ultimate measure of a happy, successful, life. The social worker prescribed doing things to "feel good" about self; which is all the sinful, natural, man knows to do. We see this notion of "doing things to 'feel good' about self" everywhere we look in this fallen world. The world is broken, and people know only to apply the law to the brokenness. It takes a gift of faith, given to us by the Holy Spirit through the Word, to know that we are broken beyond self-repair and that we need a divine doctor to heal us. We don't need to feel good, we need Christ Jesus.

Twelve days into the new year and my wife and I count on receiving the forgiveness of our sins each Sunday in the divine service. Indeed, it is truly a blessing to know that we attend a service where our feelings aren't being manipulated by a praise band or by a fiery sermon meant to elicit some sort of emotional response. It is comforting to attend a divine service where the center is Christ Jesus. Yes, where the entirety of worship is about Christ coming to us with His gifts, serving us, and healing us. The focus of such as service is not about feeling good about ourselves. And, it is not about what a good job we can do in worshiping God. So many Christians are sinking under the weight of the boot of the law in many congregations where the worship service has become something about what we can do for God; that is, worship is law. What sort of comfort does the sick find in a "worship service" which demands they should be fit enough to serve Christ? Imagine, if you will, the dying, gasping for breath, and being told that they must breathe in order to be healed! Or, to put a finer point on it, imagine telling a cancer patient they must heal themselves. That is precisely what a law driven "worship service" does. All one can obtain from such law driven "worship" is ultimately despair. There is little soothing Gospel in such a place. No, it is comforting to attend the Lord's Service, since He bids us to come as we are and it is He who serves us, it is He who does the work of healing. He dispenses the divine medicine of the forgiveness of sins through His Word and Sacrament!

Twelve days later and I know that I am a sinner. I also know that I have been granted repentance by God out of His mercy and love for me. Such a jewel we have in repentance! I am so thankful to my Lord that He brings His Holy Word to me so that I can hear solid law and gospel. Thus, He drives me to repentance and then forgives me of all my sins out of His immense love. What more do I need? I am a baptized child of God, pardoned for the sake of Christ. Amen!

Merry Christmas My Atheist Friends!

2011-12-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

Members of the FFRF displaying their banner on public property

There are many things we can count on during Christmas, and some of those things I wish just wouldn't happen but they do. One such thing is the seasonal, but ongoing, battle waged by atheists against anything that would have something to do with Christ put on public display by a government (e.g. see this FOX news article here). One rancorous atheist group working full time to ensure that governments in the US are cleansed of any mention of the Triune God or Christ is the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The FFRF is presided over by an ex-Pentecostal minister, Dan Barker. In fact, I chatted with Mr. Barker on the phone years ago when I was an atheist and a member of the FFRF. I, too, had been a Pentecostal pastor prior to becoming an atheist and joining in with other "evangelical" atheists around the country to fight the evil Christians who dared to put a Christmas creche on public property!

The Scriptures rightly describe atheists as fools (see Psalm 14:1). Certainly what organizations such as the Freedom From Religion Foundation are doing is foolish. Whether these atheists like it or not, Christmas has as its historical roots a celebration of the advent of the Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, Jesus Christ. Like it or not, Christians have chosen to celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th and there may always be areas in the country where people want to see nativity scenes decorating public walkways and the like on that day. Indeed, one doesn't even have to be a Christian to understand that "Christmas" is about Jesus' birthday. Even my Buddhist Mother-in-law gets that!

As a Christian I simply can't understand why the evangelical atheists, such as Dan Barker and company, just can't stop from falling all over each other in their efforts to stop city halls from putting up a nativity scene. What gives? After all, assembling a collection of plastic dolls made to resemble a scene depicting a new born baby Jesus in a bed of hay on public property is not an establishment of religion by the state. In other words, a Christmas creche on public grounds is not an action by government prohibiting the free exercise of any other religion. Would the atheists kindly point out how such is a violation of the establishment clause of the US Constitution? Besides, what other religions are vying for precious public space to put on display items which signify their celebrations on December 25th? Well, apparently those religious nuts of atheism are just such people.

The members of the Freedom From Religion Foundation don't seem to mind at all celebrating the Winter Solstice, a pagan holy day, on December 21st as evidenced by the banners they create and fight to place on public property. The banners they've created read, "At this season of THE WINTER SOLSTICE may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven, no hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds" (source).

Is Dan Barker seeking out the government to establish a pagan day of celebration, the winter solstice, in lieu of placing one of their ridiculous banners on government property? I don't think so, so why does the FFRF believe that a creche on public property establishes religion? Aren't these atheists being hypocrites? Aren't they pushing a "religious celebration," namely the Winter Solstice, in tribute to their "god" reason?

The fact of the matter is that evangelical atheists, such as those belonging to the Freedom From Religion Foundation, ironically hate God. The very being they claim has no existence, they spend night and day fighting. Where are the anti-Santa Claus movements? Indeed, why isn't the FFRF fighting to have Santa Claus and Rudolph depictions removed from government buildings, since don't they send a message connected to Christmas? I'll tell you why Barker and company don't fight to have things such as a drawing of Santa Claus removed from a public school. They don't do it because Santa Claus doesn't really exist, but God does and His existence is evident all around us (Romans 1:20). Dan Barker and the evangelical atheists fight as hard as they do, because they want to eradicate from their hearts the constant gnawing of the knowledge that their Creator truly exists and they are in trouble with Him.

This Christmas I want to wish all my atheist friends a very Merry CHRISTmas! I also want to suggest they get over themselves and stop fighting "city hall" so hard on the issue of Christmas decorations, such as a nativity scene, being placed on public property. Since Christ is just a figment of the Christian's imagination, then the members of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, or any other atheists, shouldn't be so worked up.

Have a Merry CHRISTmas my friends and remember that the reason for the season is the Lamb of God, Christ Jesus, who died on a cross to take away the sins of the whole world. That is truly something to be celebrated, not just once a year, but everyday.

Peace Passing Understanding

2011-12-11T14:39:00.001-08:00

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." —Philippians 4:7

I am truly thankful to my Lord Jesus Christ for the peace that He has given to me through His Word and Sacraments. Times are difficult right now with my bride in the hospital being treated for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). I have to confess there are times where I just don't understand how we are making it and it is at those times I quickly realize that Jesus is carrying us. I can't stand, but He stands for me.

My loving wife and I have noticed the great comfort we are getting from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Being in a hospital gives a different perspective to the both of us as to what it can mean to live under the boot of the law. We look around us and watch as people use the law written on their hearts to try to soothe their souls when faced with extremely difficult times. We hear allot of comments from others talking about what "we need to do" in order to overcome cancers, etc. I hear much talk of "if you are just positive enough" or "keep thinking positively and you will kick this problem." When I hear these sort of claims, I can't help but recall Luther's struggle with the law. Luther would ask something such as, "Just how many good works must we do in order to be justified by God?" The answer he found from the Scriptures is "none." Justification is a free gift given to us by God. We can't possibly do any works to remove our sins.

Cancer is similar, in a certain sense, for the patient suffering from it. There is nothing a cancer patient can do to remove the cancer from his or her own body. Cancer patients must trust in a physician to cure them. We trust in God to work through means (such as her doctors and nurses) to bring healing to my wife. How many positive thoughts does it take to cure cancer? The answer is "none." There is no peace of mind to be had if one is trusting in themselves for a good outcome. Especially if the outcome is bleak and in which case, the sick is then embattled by despair brought upon them because they didn't do enough. They didn't think positively enough. They didn't do enough works in order to heal themselves. How horrible to live under such oppression!

Knowing that God is in control and that no matter what we are in His hands is powerful. In the Lord's Prayer we ask for God's will to be done "on Earth as it is in Heaven." There is a great deal of relief knowing that God's will is going to be done. Sometimes I don't know what to ask for, but God does know and He will ask for me (Romans 8:26-27).

There is a vast difference between "just think enough positive thoughts and you will be alright" versus having a positive outlook over an outcome because of the peace that comes through the faith given to us by the Holy Spirit whereby we trust in the promises of God. I am not positive because of my works, but because of the work of Christ. My positive outlook is given to me by God and His promises. He is faithful and He never fails. On the other hand, I am not faithful and sin. I constantly need His forgiveness. I need Jesus always.

I can rest knowing that God is the sustainer of my life. He provides my daily bread and tends to my physical needs. This is true for all of us. There is great peace knowing that it is God who is "doing it."

I can't explain the peace of God which passes all understanding. If I could, then it wouldn't go beyond my comprehension. Nonetheless, I know that there is such a peace and it is given to us by God for the sake of His Son, Jesus. It is my prayer that those individuals I meet at the hospital will be given faith to repent and receive Christ, so that they too will be given peace which affects all areas of our lives. May the Lord grant them peace which passes all understanding. Amen!

Different "Prayers" (Revisited)

2011-12-07T08:08:00.001-08:00

A couple days ago I blogged about the prayers of non-Christians offered in support of their sick and/or dying Christian friends. My posting was too polemic even for me and so I deleted it with the hope that I would again pick up what I think is a very important topic. Today I wish to "tackle" this subject and approach it, hopefully, somewhat less harshly.

As mentioned earlier, my loving bride is in the hospital with an acute form of cancer in her bone marrow. Our whole temporal world has been turned upside down. We continually pray and trust in the Lord for His peace during this most darkest of times and we are joyful in that Christ does give us His peace through the Word and Sacraments.

I have been meditating on what it means to pray and have also been thinking about our Lord's Prayer as recorded in the Gospels. Of course, my route of inquiry into this subject also takes me to the Book of Concord, and in particular passages from the Large Catechism, where the subject of prayer is dealt with at length. However, probably the clearest explanation that I have read, and what has been the most helpful to me at this point is Martin Chemnitz's explanation of prayer from his Enchiridion. There Chemnitz explains for young pastors the difference between the prayers of Christians and the praying of the unregenerate. Chemnitz writes,

"Heathen and all other infidels call upon either their frabicated idols or the God whom they do not know (Jn 4:22). But they do not call upon the true God, who is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, since they do not know Him. They also do not call upon God in the name of, and [in] faith in, Christ, the Mediator, without whom no one comes to the Father (Jn 14:6). They base [their] confidence of being heard not on Christ but on their sacrifices and self-appointed acts of worship. In fact, they believe that they are heard if they use many words (Mt 6:7), yet are always unsure, uncertain about being heard and helped. If their wishes are not at all granted, they censure their idols and gods with abuses and blasphemies. Besides, they know nothing at all about asking for truly spiritual good things" (ibid. p. 143).

Chemnitz here is touching upon so many good points. I am first reminded by Chemnitz's words of the explanation for the First Petition given to us in the Large Catechism. What does it mean to hallow the name of the Lord? Luther answers "When both our doctrine and life are godly and Christian" (LC 39). This is certainly scriptural, as Chemnitz points out above with John 14:6. No one can come to God except through Jesus Christ. Only in faith in Christ Jesus can we approach God and "hallow" His name. Paul writes to the Galatians that those who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27). We can't approach our Holy Father in heaven apart from the righteousness of Christ. Christ imputes to us His righteousness through which we can truly call upon and hallow the name of our Lord in spirit and in truth.

Those who have not been given faith in Christ Jesus do not call upon the Father in "prayer." They remain dead in their sins and truly call upon that which "they do not know," or speak words to idols, ideas, myths, and legends of which none of them are of any help, since they do not exist. Furthermore, as Paul writes to the Corinthian church, the man without faith in Christ is spiritually dead and does not accept the things of the Holy Spirit, thinking they are foolishness (1 Corinthians 2:11-15). It is impossible for the unregenerate to come to God through their own strength or reason and petition Him. The prayers of the ungodly to their idols and "unknown gods" are very much vaporous words. No true comfort can be had from such prayers.

What I am writing is quite unpopular, even among some who claim to be Lutheran Christians and do not see a problem joining in prayer with Muslims, Jews, Hindus, and Buddhists. We live in an age where unionism and syncretism is the "right thing to do" and this out of tolerance and "love." These so-called "Christians" give little thought to Jesus' words uttered in the Lord's Prayer, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name...." A Christian can't possibly accept that the prayers of the unregenerate are hallowing the name of God!

As mentioned earlier, my wife is in the hospital quite ill. We have tremendous support from family and friends alike. During this time I have been reminded that the world does indeed have a "form of Godliness" but they deny the power thereof. That is, we can practice civic "righteousness" apart from acknowledging the One True God. People are capable of doing "good deeds" in the eyes of others in the world but not God, since the law is, after all, written on all our hearts. As a Christian, I can be thankful to God that He uses these works to provide for my wife and family. Yes, I do thank those who lend us support, even if they are not Christian. This is most certainly right and good to do. However, a sticky point for me has been over how to respond to those non-Christians who tell me they are "praying" for me. Here is how I have been handling it and I will illustrate the point with a single example.

The other day I had an atheist couple who are into "spiritual things," as they like to say, tell me they are praying for my wife. I about fell over! This couple knows that I was an atheist at one time, and they have heard my confession of faith several times over. They should have had, by now, at least a clue as to how I would take their "prayer support." Yet, they rattled off the words as if they were praying to the same Holy God as I and my wife pray to. In a real sense, this is a tragedy beyond words. The Devil has successfully deceived people into thinking that praying means something like offering good will towards others. In times of trouble "I am praying for you" has become the hip and cool thing to express "I am thinking about you." I am guessing that the former is supposed to show us that the person is "spiritual" and not just an ordinary schmuck without some sympathy. I can't say for sure what "I am praying for you" is supposed to mean when uttered by an atheist?!

These two atheists informed me of their prayers to I don't know what, and as I pointed out, I was somewhat flabbergasted. Am I supposed to thank them for their "prayers"? Should I have nodded my head giving assent to their prayers and act like we were all praying to the same "thing," whatever it is? How I handled the situation may not be the best way, but since most of these "prayer" offerings have been mentioned to me in the hospital room, I have chosen not to be my normal confrontational self until a different time. What I have been doing is making statements, as clear as possible, that I and my wife greatly value the concern and support being shown to us. Several times I have even stated that we are very thankful to Jesus for lifting us up and carrying us at this difficult time in our lives.

As a side note, I have found it quite interesting just how silent the unregenerate become when I mention the name of Jesus and the good things that He is doing for me and my sick wife.

I am really grateful to our well meaning friends and family who are not Christians and who continue to offer their support to my family. Some of them even read this blog, since they know what a blasphemous atheist I was prior to Christ giving me faith to receive the forgiveness of my sins and they are interested in reading my confession of faith. But at times like these I, and my loving bride, do not at all give an inch to the spirit of this world who says that all prayers are heard by the same "universal life force" or being, and therefore it only matters that we pray. That is simply a deception given to us by the father of all lies, the Devil. No, even in difficult times like this one, we must pray and ask the Triune God to help us stand firm in the faith given to us by Jesus and the Apostles. All we have is Jesus and His Word and Sacraments, given to us for the forgiveness of sins. Now, and never, is no time to give away what Christ has done for us all for a "feel good" sense of "oneness" with the world that many seek to comfort themselves with in times of trouble. So-called "prayers" to idols, gods, fictions, or energies, are really nothing other than false hopes in our own works.

Our hope is in the Lord who made heaven and earth. It is He who sent His only begotten Son into the world to die on a cross for not only my sins, but the sins of the whole world. The comforts of this world are nothing at all in view of the eternal comfort that comes to those who are in Christ Jesus. Yes, indeed, there is a peace that passes all understanding and this comes only to us through the faith given to us by Jesus Christ Himself.

Temporarily Out

2011-11-28T10:37:00.001-08:00

I am currently not blogging regularly, as you—my dear reader—have likely noticed. The reason for that is my dear wife has become seriously ill. About a weak and a half ago she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Our temporal world has been turned upside down in many respects.

I am writing this from her hospital room and am spending many hours a day at her side. What that means, of course, is that I am not writing. My time is spent caring for her as much as I possibly can without getting into the way of doctors and nurses. I will resume regular blogging in three months or so, God willing. My focus right now is on my wife and family.

My dear wife is doing as well as can be expected given her circumstances. We are very thankful to God that the Leukemia was caught and early enough before it could infiltrate her internal organs. We are trusting in God for her healing and know that the doctors and staff working on her are extensions of God's hands healing her body. In all things we are giving thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you for reading.

Jim Pierce

When Bad Things Happen

2011-11-16T08:18:00.001-08:00

When bad things happen to the baptized children of God, we mustn't think that we are undergoing the wrath of God because of sins, as some false teachers proclaim. Indeed, the truth is as Jesus Himself states,

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!(Matthew 7:7-11)"

God our Father will not give us a stone if we ask Him for bread, for He loves us and gives us good gifts as our Heavenly Father. We may not always understand the good things our Lord is providing to us, but yet He meets our every needs. He isn't about handing us a snake when we ask for our daily bread!

The Apostle Paul writes, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)"

When bad things happen to the baptized children of God we have a great comforter in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who freely gives us His means of grace for the forgiveness of sins. He is, indeed, our bread of life come down from heaven (John 6:35-40).

Thanks be to God!

How has God chosen to deal with us?

2011-11-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Pentecostals "slain in the spirit"

Imagine, if you will, that it is Sunday night. You're sitting on an old oak wood pew with about six others and intently singing a praise song while the band pumps out a real toe-tapping, high-energy tune. All of a sudden somebody at the end of the pew where you are seated pops up out of their seat and begins frantically shaking their body with their arms rapidly waving in the air. You can hear their shoes banging into the pew as they "dance" in place. Just as suddenly as they had popped up, they collapse into their seat, "speaking in tongues" which otherwise sounds like gibberish to you. Enter a Pentecostal "worship experience." I had participated in quite a number of these when I was a Pentecostal.

After I witnessed a "worship experience" similar to the one I just described, I chatted with several people about the experience and heard statements such as "God shook him like a rag doll" and "God sure did speak to him!" The consensus amongst us was that God was immediately "talking" to the person having the experience. Of course, nobody really knew what God was saying, since the whole affair was utterly subjective. The person having the experience could interpret it any way they so desired, just as long as it "gave glory" to God.

About 500 years ago the fathers of Lutheranism were well aware that people in their day claimed to have similar immediate experiences coming from God as those claimed by the Pentecostals. These people are known in the Lutheran confessions as "Enthusiasts." Luther writes about these "Enthusiasts" in the Smalcald Artilcles,

"And in those things which concern the spoken, outward Word, we must firmly hold that God grants His Spirit or grace to no one, except through or with the preceding outward Word, in order that we may [thus] be protected against the enthusiasts, i.e., spirits who boast that they have the Spirit without and before the Word, and accordingly judge Scripture or the spoken Word, and explain and stretch it at their pleasure, as Muenzer did, and many still do at the present day, who wish to be acute judges between the Spirit and the letter, and yet know not what they say or declare." (III, VIII, 3)

We find a similar statement in the Augsburg Confession where Melanchthon rightly tells us, "That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel, to wit, that God, not for our own merits, but for Christ's sake, justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ's sake" (AC V, 1).

Returning to the Smalcald Articles, Luther makes it abundantly clear that the Schwaermer (Enthusiasts) have fallen to listening to the Devil and our fallen natures and not God when he insists,

"9] In a word, enthusiasm inheres in Adam and his children from the beginning [from the first fall] to the end of the world, [its poison] having been implanted and infused into them by the old dragon, and is the origin, power [life], and strength of all heresy, especially of that of the Papacy and Mahomet. 10] Therefore we ought and must constantly maintain this point, that God does not wish to deal with us otherwise than through the spoken Word and the Sacraments. 11] It is the devil himself whatsoever is extolled as Spirit without the Word and Sacraments. For God wished to appear even to Moses through the burning bush and spoken Word; and no prophet neither Elijah nor Elisha, received the Spirit without the Ten Commandments [or spoken Word]. 12] Neither was John the Baptist conceived without the preceding word of Gabriel, nor did he leap in his mother's womb without the voice of Mary. 13] And Peter says, 2 Pet. 1:21: The prophecy came not by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Without the outward Word, however, they were not holy, much less would the Holy Ghost have moved them to speak when they still were unholy [or profane]; for they were holy, says he, since the Holy Ghost spake through them." (SA III, VIII, 9-13)

A coin in the coffer

Notice that Luther is far from being "politically correct" in dealing with this insidious problem of enthusiasm. One of the reasons for that is clear from the quoted text above; namely, enthusiasm finally rejects the one true Gospel of salvation by God's grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ and replaces it with our own works righteousness. Rather than trusting in God's means of Grace to sustain us in faith, the Enthusiast instead looks to their own experiences. The object of faith for the Enthusiast is the variety of experiences they seek.

What the citations from the Lutheran confessions point at is absolutely true. While I was a Pentecostal I constantly sought after my own "blessings of the Holy Spirit," which usually meant strongly feeling God's presence such that I spoke in tongues, or went into a trance through earnest prayer, or perhaps "danced in the spirit." Of course, hearing a preacher speak the "word of God," or earnestly "praising God" during the "worship service" could induce these "immediate experiences" with God.

If I wasn't feeling the Holy Spirit, or being "blessed by the spirit," then I would examine my heart for sins, since I believed my lack of obedience to God's laws brought on a "dry time in the spirit." It could have also been true, so I thought at the time, that God was testing me, and so He was withholding the outpouring of His "Holy Ghost powers" upon me to see if I would pass muster as His faithful servant. The bottom line was that all these "blessings" and "gifts" were contingent upon my faithfulness, upon my works. Such is a peek into the experiences of a modern day Enthusiast.

Before we Lutherans start shaking our heads at the Pentecostal experience I share above, we might want to take a good look around us first. Luther writes that "enthusiasm inheres in Adam". Do we find such enthusiasm amongst us?

Look around and you will easily find LCMS congregations on the Enthusiast's "hamster wheel" of experiences. We see this plainly in Contemporary Worship where the "highs" wear off and the worship services must become more intense in order to grant a greater worship "fix." There has to be more flair, since waving banners accompanied by light shows and "liturgical dancers" get boring when seeing it day in and day out. Something "fresh" and "new" has to always be presented lest those sitting in the pews lose that "burning in their bellies" and become pilot light Christians rather than Christians on fire for God.

Some justify their journeying on the roller coaster ride of enthusiasm in the name of growth. The Contemporary Christian Music (CCM), the praise band, the lights, the fog machines, and big screens, are all meant to attract the "unChurched" with the hope that they will like the spiritual smorgasbord laid out in front of them and will be converted. The excuse for practicing Pentecostal worship forms is "doing mission." Interestingly enough, as a Pentecostal I never met a single "unChurched" person who wanted anything to do with CCM or any other Church Growth program that could be offered to them. The only people who were into what we did as Pentecostals were those from other churches. As a side point, I think it fair to ask the Contemporary Worship supporter whether or not music is a means of grace? Is the ambiance created for the "unChurched" a means of grace? If not, then why are they treating these things as if they will bring the forgiveness of sins to the "unChurched?"

An interesting comparison here, too, is with my Pentecostal experiences of "blessings" and that of the Church Growth minded's obsession with numbers. They like to point at increasing numbers of visitors and new members as evidence that the "worship experiences" they are creating have been blessed by God. Are we to believe that an increase in numbers means that God is responding to our works? Here is something to think about, according to this US News and World Report article Mormonism is "one of the country's fastest-growing religious groups." According to the missional enthusiast's logic, Mormons must be really "blessed" by God with growth!

The sad reality is that the enthusiasm which "inheres in Adam and his children" is alive and well in the LCMS amongst the Church Growth and Contemporary Worship adherents. Grounding mission work in anything other than God's chosen means of grace is the Devil's farce employed to ensnare Christians with the broad net of synergism.

Being "Christ centered" means just that. God doesn't want to deal with us other than through His chosen means of grace: Word and Sacrament. That means that God doesn't want to deal with the so-called "unChurched" through any other means than that which He has chosen. God kindles faith in us through Word and Sacrament and not through some special revelation given to us by a Church Growth guru or a praise band leader on how to increase attendance numbers.

Through What Means?

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Martin Chemnitz

"But how and through what means does God want to work and kindle faith in us?"

Surely not without means. Nor does He want us, with the enthusiasts, to await the bestowal of special revelations and violent raptures, beyond and beside the use of the Word and the Sacraments, by private speculations. But for that purpose He instituted and ordained a certain means, which He would have to be the tool, organ, or instrument of the Holy Spirit, namely the preaching, hearing, and meditation of the Word. Ro 10:17; 2 Co 3:8; Ps 119:50, 130. Through this means God works and is efficacious in man, enlightens the mind, opens the heart, and thus stirs up and kindles faith by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lk 24:45; Acts 16:14; 2 Co 4:6; Ph 2:13; 1 Co 3:5-6; Jn 1:7." —Martin Chemitz, The Enchiridion, Poellot, Preus, Williams CPH 2007 p. 77

Sacredsandwich.com: Turkey Call

2011-11-11T09:45:00.001-08:00

Enough Knowledge to be Dangerous

2011-11-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Luther writes regarding the sinful human condition in the Smalcald Articles, "3] This hereditary sin is so deep [and horrible] a corruption of nature that no reason can understand it, but it must be [learned and] believed from the revelation of Scriptures, Ps. 51:5; Rom. 6:12ff ; Ex. 33:3; Gen. 3:7ff" (SA III, I, 3) His statement mirrors what we Lutherans learn early on from the Small Catechism and namely, "I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts..." (Small Catechism, 3rd Article).

The above certainly expresses the truth of the Scriptures. The prophet Isaiah records God's truthful claim, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:9). The Apostle Paul hands down to us Christ's teaching when he writes, "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). Indeed, when Jesus taught the disciples what the Scriptures (old testament) had to say about Himself, Luke records that Jesus had to open the disciples' understanding to the Scriptures (Luke 24:45). That is to say, Jesus had to reveal the truth about Himself to his disciples, since they were incapable of understanding from natural reason what the Scriptures had to say about His death, burial, and resurrection.

However, the fact that we cannot approach God through our own corrupt powers of reason, and through that faculty come to "accept the things of the Spirit of God" does not mean the Christian faith is irrational. In the Forumula of Concord we read the following concerning human reason,

"9] For, first, although man's reason or natural intellect indeed has still a dim spark of the knowledge that there is a God, as also of the doctrine of the Law, Rom. 1:19ff, yet it is so ignorant, blind, and perverted that when even the most ingenious and learned men upon earth read or hear the Gospel of the Son of God and the promise of eternal salvation, they cannot from their own powers perceive, apprehend, understand, or believe and regard it as true, but the more diligence and earnestness they employ, wishing to comprehend these spiritual things with their reason, the less they understand or believe, and before they become enlightened and are taught by the Holy Ghost, they regard all this only as foolishness or fictions" (SD II, 9).

Notice that the writers of the Solid Declaration point us to Romans 1:19 in reference to the statement we all have a "dim spark of knowledge that there is a God, as also of the doctrine of the Law." Paul writes in verse twenty of Romans chapter one that the attributes of God "have been clearly perceived" since the creation of the world such that nobody can claim ignorance to the existence of our Creator. Indeed, Paul goes on to write in chapter two verses twelve through sixteen that the Gentiles are proof that the law of God is written on all our hearts and that same law accuses us all day and night.

It is because humans, even in their corrupt sinful natures, do have "...a dim spark of the knowledge that there is a God..." that we can have a "historical faith" about God (James 2:19) as opposed to the faith given to us by the Holy Spirit through the hearing of the Word of God and whereby we joyfully receive the promises of His Word (Romans 10:17, Ephesians 2:8).

It is because of the natural state of human reason that we can broadly understand there is a God (yet not know Him) and know right from wrong due to the law written on our hearts, that we also face doctrines of Devils found in many false teachings and false religions. Men such as Mohammed, Gautama Buddha, and other founders of so-called "world religions" are capable of saying something which is truthful because of this "dim spark" of knowledge we retain of God. Should we be surprised by such as Christians? Absolutely not. Even the Devil himself was able to tell some truth in the Garden of Eden through which he was able to twist it around and deceive Adam and Eve. The entire premise of "false prophets," "false shepherds," and "wolves in sheep's clothing" is built upon the idea that just enough of the truth is being expressed in order to trick the faithful into listening to the falsehoods.

The fact that we have "a dim spark of the knowledge that there is a God" means that when left to our own natures we have enough knowledge to be dangerous. We can't reach God through our natural reason. The unregenerate can, and sometimes do, state profound truths, but none of which grant faith unto salvation. Indeed, these same "wise persons" are described in the Scriptures as fools who are always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 3:7). From the Gospels it is clear that the only way to get the truth of Jesus is that it takes His opening our understanding through the Word of God.

"Your Friends and Neighbors: Kenny the Sacramentarian Kindergartener"

2011-11-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

I won't spoil this great installment of Lutheran Satire, but the last lines in this video are on the mark.

God Gave Me Faith to Trust His Word

2011-11-08T06:00:00.001-08:00

I spent a good number of years as a Fundamentalist Pentecostal prior to my being driven by an incessant focus on the law into despair and finally hatred of God. The absence of pure Gospel being preached, and instead replaced with a "gospel" of works righteousness drove me to atheism where I wallowed under the weight of the law for eighteen years until one day God fished me out of the dark pit of death I was in and gave me a gift of faith so that I would receive the forgiveness of sins.

I think it difficult for some to understand just what sort of gross attention is given to the law by some Fundamentalist Christians and the reasons why they do it. I would like to offer up something anecdotal which I hope will help some grasp part of the root of terror many Christians live in daily.

I think one of the greatest problems of Fundamentalism is how they approach the Scriptures. While I certainly agree with the Fundamentalist that the Holy Scriptures are the inspired Word of God and do not err (inerrancy), I approach the Scriptures much differently today as I did while a Fundamentalist. Today, I correctly approach the Scriptures as inerrant because God gave me the faith to believe that they were given to us in order to bear witness of Jesus Christ and in particular Christ's death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:17). God has brought me the hope in Jesus Christ by working through His Word to bring me to faith.

While a Fundamentalist, I believed the Scriptures were primarily given to me as a guide book to life. God preserved the text as error free so that I could have answers to everything I encountered in life. The result was I constantly looked to the Scriptures for something I needed to do in order to make my life better.

Martin Chemnitz, while not directly addressing the points I am making here, writes something which I believe touches upon this issue. In answer to the question "Are all things that are sufficient for people as the Word of God for faith and conduct of life contained in the sacred writings" Chemnitz writes

"For it is the function of the Holy Spirit to suggest and, as it were, recall to mind, the things that Christ said and taught, Jn 14:26. And though not all miracles, just as not all discourses of the prophets, Christ, and the apsotles are individually set forth, yet the Holy Spirit included in Scripture the sum of the whole heavenly doctrine, as much as is necessary for the church and suffices for the faith by which believers obtain life eternal, Jn 20:31". —The Enchiridion, CPH 2007 transl. Poellot, Preus, Williams p. 43.

A couple things I take notice of from Chemnitz's words is first of all, it is the Holy Spirit working through the Scriptures that make us wise unto salvation (2 Timothy 3:15). Secondly, "it is the function of the Holy Spirit to suggest and, as it were, recall to mind, the things that Christ said and taught." That is, the Scriptures are a means through which the Holy Spirit reveals to us Christ. Thirdly, and finally, the Holy Scriptures do not contain "the whole heavenly doctrine," but only a "sum" of it which is sufficient and necessary for creating faith "by which believers obtain eternal life." In short, the Holy Scriptures is not an exhaustive manual about living life and answering all the questions that life might toss at us.

Taking the Scriptures to be a "rule book" about how to live life means turning God's Word into nothing but law. The Scriptures, then, become a "death book" which doesn't really reveal to us a living Jesus coming to us with the good news, but instead the Word of God becomes another stony tablet of Moses' declaring what we ought to be doing for God.

There is no doubt that the Scriptures contain law, but this is only for the sake of working repentance in our hearts. The Scriptures are given to point to Christ and what He has done for all of humanity. As a Lutheran, I confess that the Holy Scriptures are a means of Grace. That means it isn't a science textbook which will tell me if "Global Warming" is one of the signs of the Apocalypse. This also means that the Holy Scriptures is not meant to answer every question I have about life and neither is it a book from which I can derive a purpose driven plan in order to become a better me.

The Scriptures are not an error free law book, or guide to good living.

I, as a Christian and Lutheran, confess that the Holy Spirit gave me a gift of faith whereby I can receive the forgiveness of sins won for me by Christ on the cross some two thousand years ago. As a result of the faith given to me for salvation, I trust that the Scriptures are in fact the Holy, inerrant, Word of God. God gave me faith to receive the truth of His Word and all that is sufficient and necessary for obtaining life eternal.

Thankful for Repentance

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have often mused here on Confessional's Bytes what the world might look like without the grace of God being shown to everyone. As a former atheist I have had but a small taste of what such a world could be, since I worked extremely hard at pushing God out of my view.

Now that I am a Christian, due to nothing other than the unmerited favor of God and the faith He gave to me to receive the forgiveness of sins, I look back at the atheist I was and find nothing there but utter darkness and hate for God. I know from experience the truth that the world of the unregenerate person is filled with despair and hate for his creator.

God's Holy Word is given to bring us the Gospel. It is a gift which terrifies the conscience through the law, brings us to repentance, and offers the healing balm of the gospel message that we are forgiven because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

Repentance doesn't stop once we have been regenerated by God. Repentance is a gift from God and it continues to be so for the Christian, through out our entire lives. Read what Martin Luther had to say about this wonderful gift, repentance:

Martin Luther
“3] This, then, is what it means to begin true repentance; and here man must hear such a sentence as this: You are all of no account, whether you be manifest sinners or saints [in your own opinion]; you all must become different and do otherwise than you now are and are doing [no matter what sort of people you are], whether you are as great, wise, powerful, and holy as you may. Here no one is [righteous, holy], godly, etc.

39] Of this repentance John preaches, and afterwards Christ in the Gospel, and we also. By this [preaching of] repentance we dash to the ground the Pope and everything that is built upon our good works. For all is built upon a rotten and vain foundation, which is called a good work or law, even though no good work is there, but only wicked works, and no one does the Law (as Christ, John 7:19, says), but all transgress it. Therefore the building [that is raised upon it] is nothing but falsehood and hypocrisy, even [in the part] where it is most holy and beautiful.

40] And in Christians this repentance continues until death, because, through the entire life it contends with sin remaining in the flesh, as Paul, Rom. 7:14-25, [shows] testifies that he wars with the law in his members, etc.; and that, not by his own powers, but by the gift of the Holy Ghost that follows the remission of sins. This gift daily cleanses and sweeps out the remaining sins, and works so as to render man truly pure and holy.

43] It is, accordingly, necessary to know and to teach that when holy men, still having and feeling original sin, also daily repenting of and striving with it, happen to fall into manifest sins, as David into adultery, murder, and blasphemy, that then faith and the Holy Ghost has departed from them [they cast out faith and the Holy Ghost]. For the Holy Ghost does not permit sin to have dominion, to gain the upper hand so as to be accomplished, but represses and restrains it so that it must not do what it wishes. But if it does what it wishes, the Holy Ghost and faith are [certainly] not present. For St. John says, 1 John 3:9: Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin, ... and he cannot sin. And yet it is also the truth when the same St. John says, 1:8: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. —Smalcald Articles III, III, 3, 39, 40, 43

Repentance "in Christians... continues until death." Indeed, we are "all of no account, whether you be manifest sinners or saints." Did you catch that?

Even though we think of ourselves as "saints" we must remember we are still sinners, "of no account," who live a life daily repenting of our sins and wrestling against them. If we have stopped repenting and striving against sin, then sin has the dominion over us. Sadly, in such a state, as we read in paragraph 43 from the Smalcald Articles, faith and the Holy Spirit have been "cast out" of the unrepentant. They have chosen to return to the state I describe above when I was an atheist who hated God. What a miserable state of affairs we are in when we have given sin and the devil full control over our lives by hardening our hearts against God and refusing to repent!

I am so very thankful to God that He grants us repentance. To Him goes all the glory. He provides His means of grace through which we hear the preaching of His law which shows us how rotten we are. Through the hearing of His law we are driven to our knees and confess that we deserve His eternal punishment right now and forever. Christ then comes to us through His Word and Sacraments, offering His eternal balm to mend our broken souls. We hear the words of the pastor, standing in the stead of Christ, declaring the forgiveness of sins. We partake of the body and blood of Christ, "given for you," for the forgiveness of our sins.

How wonderful it is to receive God's mercy and grace through the means He provides to connect us back to the cross of Jesus Christ where His dear Son gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we could come to repentance today and receive the forgiveness of sins.

I am so thankful for repentance.

Worldview Everlasting: "Difference That Don't Make a Difference"

2011-11-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

What Are You Reading?

2011-11-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

What are you reading? I have a couple books on my current reading list, but before I get to them I want to mention one book I am eyeing which is a collection of essays edited by Robert D. Preus and compiled into the book A Contemporary Look at the Formula of Concord. I have only thumbed through the book, but it looks like it contains some excellent history around several controversies which faced the infant Lutheran church such as the "Synergistic controversy," the "Majoristic controversy," and controversies arising out of the Interims. When I get around to finally reading this book I will think about writing up a short review, but I can see already that it is likely a good book to have in my library.

A couple days ago a new book arrived on my doorstep which I am excited to have in my library, Martin Chemnitz's Enchiridion, The Lord's Supper, The Lord's Prayer. This is volume five of the series produced by Concordia Publishing House aptly titled "Chemnitz's Works." I didn't waste a moment to start reading this book the moment it arrived. Thus far I am fifty-two pages into the Enchiridion which is something of a theological instructional manual for the pastors of Chemnitz's time. The format of the book reminds me of an elenctic method of teaching where a negative question is asked and the instructor offers an answer which corrects the line of questioning. The questions and answers are numbered and are categorized under general topics which makes it easy to refer to specific questions and their explanations. This book has quickly become a favorite of mine and I have already been marking it up like I have with my Book of Concord and Walther's Law and Gospel. If you don't already own a copy of this book, put it on your Christmas shopping list. This is definitely a "must read" for any layman who wants to dig deeply into our Lutheran confession of faith.

I finished up a delightful little book introducing the Book of Concord written by Robert D. Preus titled, Getting Into the Theology of Concord: A Study of the Book of Concord. This gem is only ninety-four pages in length, contains a glossary of terms, and provides study questions covering each chapter read. It is meant to be a study book to use in a group reading through the Book of Concord. Are you reading through the Book of Concord, the Lutherans confessions? If you haven't done so you don't know what you are missing! Perhaps this tiny book could help you "jump start" your way into study of the Book of Concord?

As an aside, and perhaps a bit of a rant, in the past I engaged a Lutheran pastor who insisted upon using a Pentecostal/Charismatic teaching program containing false doctrine from which to catechize new members of his congregation. This program he is so enthused about is called "The Alpha Course." Nearly three years ago I wrote a brief expose of the dangers of "The Alpha Course" which can be found here on this blog. One of the excuses this pastor gave for using the false teachings of today's Enthusiasts (mystics/Pentecostals/Charismatics) is that Concordia Publishing House (CPH) doesn't offer good study programs for teaching the laity the essentials of the Christian faith. Excuse me, but that is simply a load of bull-malarkey. There are many excellent resources provided by CPH and one of which is Getting Into the Theology of Concord: A Study of the Book of Concord by Robert Preus. Dr. Preus' book is solid confessional Lutheran teaching which covers all the essential doctrines of the Christian faith such as Holy Baptism, the deity of Jesus Christ, the Holy Trinity, Original Sin, and much more. There is no excuse for utilizing the materials of false teachers in catechizing our laity and especially when we have so many excellent resources available to us as LCMS Lutherans.

Finally, I have been working my way again through two books I am quite familiar with. I am in a reading group going through Walther's Law and Gospel: A Reader's Edition published by CPH. C.F.W. Walther's mind never ceases to amaze me. The man was simply gifted by God as a brilliant theologian. I am constantly learning something new from his Law and Gospel. The second book I am working through, now for the third time, is Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. Once again I am going through the Book of Concord in the setting of a reading group. The Lutheran confessions never cease to amaze me. How anyone can insist that the Book of Concord is but a museum piece having no relevance today is beyond me. Indeed, those who claim as much have probably not read the Confessions closely, or they have been living under a rock. For example, I was reading through article XXXIII of the Apology which deals with the marriage of priests, but the explanation of marriage and sexuality contained in the article applies to hot topics of today such as homosexuality and so-called "gay marriage." Of course, if we don't read the Apology, then we could never know how it speaks to the issues we face today as a church body.

So here is the list of what I am reading now: The Enchiridion, Law and Gospel, and the Book of Concord. It goes without saying that I am reading the Scriptures, too.

Answering the Sadducee

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

A Sadducee walked up to Jesus one day and asked Him, "What is the greatest of all the commandments? (Matthew 22:35)" No, this isn't a lead into the punch line of a joke. The Sadducee was quite serious, since he was testing Jesus. Of course, Jesus knew what the Sadducee was up to and provided a divine answer.

As I engage Christians of other denominational stripes, and even a few within my own Lutheran synod (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod), I often hear a shortened version of Christ's answer to the Sadducee, "The greatest of all commandments? Oh, that's easy... love." Often the critical part of Jesus' words is left off and perhaps are even unknown to Christians today venturing a guess as to how to answer the question posed to Jesus.

Luther answers the Sadducee in his Large Catechism where he discusses the meaning of the first commandment. The first commandment is "You shall have no other Gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). Luther succinctly writes,

“If your faith and trust be right, then is your god also true; and, on the other hand, if your trust be false and wrong, then you have not the true God; for these two belong together, faith and God. That now, I say, upon which you set your heart and put your trust is properly your god.” (LC, First Commandment, 3)

What is the object of our faith? Find that object and there you will find your "god." However, the object of faith for the Christian is the one true God. Without the true object of faith, then we have absolutely nothing. No God, no faith, zero.

Jesus answers the Sadducee with an answer that surprises those who stop short at "love" when talking about the greatest of all the commandments. Stopping short at love is to fail to include the object of that love. Indeed, it is a critical abandonment of the one who is responsible for giving us true love to begin with, since without His love we can't love (1 John 4:19).

Excluding the object of the greatest of all the commandments, which Jesus states as a summation of the first three imperatives of the Decalogue in His response to the Sadducee, is to have a commandment that almost anyone could agree with, be they Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, and perhaps even some of the most pagan of hedonists.

Then there are those who truncate Jesus' answer to the Sadducee and give us the social gospel. These people leave God out of the picture and claim that the greatest of all the commandments is to love your neighbor as yourself. Hmm... is that what Jesus said? There is a large gap in the social gospel adherent's answer. Where is the object of the love? Where is God in the answer? Feeding your neighbor without including the object of the true faith, God, is not love.

Jesus answered that Sadducee and told him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment" (Matthew 22:37-38).

If we miss the first table commandments it is impossible to know what it means for the second table commandments to be satisfied. Really we can't understand what it means for Christ to fulfill the law if we chop off all the words after "love" where Jesus tells us what is the greatest of all the commandments. That is, we will not know that Christ so loves His Father, who loves Him, that He freely gave up His life on the cross for your sins and mine. Jesus perfectly satisfied the first and greatest of all the commandments, to love the Lord God with all His heart, soul, and mind. The evidence of Christ's love for the Father is His agony and death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.

A Momentary Lapse of Hearing

2011-11-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday night was extraordinary for my son and I. He has frequently brought up to me that I should take him to a concert of his choice. I must confess my reluctance to attend any more concerts than I already have. So, I put off taking my son to a concert until an act rolled into town which I knew we both could enjoy and one worthy of the typical high ticket prices of today. This past Saturday night, right on the eve of Reformation Sunday, three acts were scheduled to play at a single venue which satisfied that requirement. I purchased the tickets and we planned a father/son day together to go listen to Thin Lizzy, Black Label Society and the headliner, Judas Priest.

Reformation Sunday Eve came and I rolled out of bed groaning to myself over what I had gotten into. Part of me, the 47 year old part, wasn't looking forward to spending five to six hours being hammered by Metal. I haven't listened to live Metal since the 1990s and my ear drums were thanking me for that. However, the "metal head" part of me was very excited. I have been a fan of Judas Priest and Thin Lizzy since I was a teenager my son's age. I still "rock out" to my Judas Priest collection when I know am going to be on my feet working for a few hours straight. It helps melt away time and otherwise takes my mind off of the work at hand.

Most importantly though, I was really excited about being the person taking my son to his very first major concert. The bands who played are not amateurs in any sense of the word. All three acts are top notch and know how to put on a show, or at least they should know how by now.

I knew what I was up against. I wasn't looking forward to having only four or five hours of sleep on my pillow come Reformation Sunday morning, but it was time to "suck it up" and head out the door. My son and I were on a mission to have a fantastic day and God blessed us with such a day.

My son had me in tow and we were off to downtown Seattle. After finding some free parking, which I was frankly amazed we found any free parking, we walked to the International District to hunt down some good grub. No, I am not talking about insect larva. I am talking about excellent Asian cuisine which can be found at little store front restaurants peppered all over this Seattle neighborhood. After discussing with my son what food he wanted and hearing the words "I ain't hungry dad"—uh, right, a sixteen year old who isn't hungry—I chose a Taiwanese restaurant I was introduced to years ago. It is the only place I know in town that serves excellent congee, or rice porridge, amongst many other great dishes. I don't even know the name of the restaurant, and every time I have gone to eat there I have been the only person in the place who couldn't speak a dialect of Chinese. But the food there is superb.

My son and I was seated at a small table and given well used menus. I was surprised that the menus had changed, they had actually translated the Chinese into English. The last time I ate there the menu hadn't been translated into English and I had to intently listen to my waitress' broken English in order to make heads or tales of what it was I was ordering. I remember giving up and just pointing at something on the menu and being pleasantly surprised with my guessing.

Barbecue Pork Noodles

We ordered two dishes and shared them. When the food arrived at the table my son had "miraculously" found his appetite. We gobbled down a tasty barbecue pork and rice dish along with a spicy hot shredded pork and noodle dish that was the best I have had in a very long while. As we ate we chatted and watched as a Dim Sum cart was rolled around. At a large family table behind us were patrons "chowing down" on barbecue chicken's feet, rice buns, and wide assortment of dumplings. They had ordered the Dim Sum service which is basically "all you can eat." We didn't order Dim Sum because we knew that we were going to be spending a couple hours in line and then would possibly be on our feet for another five or more hours listening to music if we didn't choose to sit down in the theater seating sections of the theater where the concert was being held. The wheels of a Dim Sum cart clattered as it was pushed past our table. Wisps of steam trailed behind it as well as tantalizing smells arousing more than curiosity, but our appetites. It was time to trek over to the theater and stand in line, tickets in hand.

We weren't the first in line. We had a good three hours to go before the doors opened up for general admission seating. Understandably many people arrived at the venue quite early, since this was "first come first serve" seating and/or standing. If you wanted to get a coveted place on the rail directly in front of the stage, that meant being one of the first hundred or so in the line. Unless of course you are one who is into "moshing" and then you may not have to worry about your place in line. Those who "mosh" simply push their way to the front of the stage and sometimes do so violently.

The number of middle aged men standing in line patiently waiting their turn into the concert outnumbered young men and teens eager to watch a bunch of men in their sixties bang out loud tunes which have vibrated and "thumped" many heads for decades and often to the annoyance of many parents yelling "Turn that noise down!" As I stood in line with my son, we chattered with other older "metal heads," affectionately exchanging stories about concerts we had attended in years since gone by and almost giggling like children about how we escaped permanent ear-drum damage from the "gnarly tunes" which "really cranked out" in our day. This evening was to be no different. It turns out that forty year old Metal bands are just as loud as they were in their hey-day. My ears are still ringing... why did I forget my ear plugs? Stupid of me.

The line started trickling forward and soon my son and I were rewarded for being early birds. We walked right up at the front of the stage, just an arm's length from the black steel rail there to keep eager fans away from both the stage and those who were to entertain us for the evening. Our proximity also meant that we were prime targets of "moshing" and I explained that to my son whom to his credit wanted the full experience. I was hoping dear old dad's descriptions from past experiences would have been enough to scare him into wanting to sit up in the seated areas, but alas he is a chip off the old block. I was about to get my work out for the day, thank the Lord for Ibuprofen.

Scott Gorham of "Thin Lizzy"

The band "Thin Lizzy" was up first and played their classic hits "The Boys are Back in Town," "Jail Break" and several others. Us "old guys" enthusiastically sang along with the band while the younger set were "warmed up" for the next act. I watched Scott Gorham masterfully play his Gibson Les Paul Custom nearly as he did back in the late 70s. Although, at times he noticeably tired and I think I detected some of the younger people watching closely to see if he might break something as he arthritically moved around the stage. The passage of time and mortality was on display.

"Thin Lizzy" played their final song of the evening and the curtain closed. The next act was up and the air noticeably changed. I took a moment to look behind me, which I hadn't done since the concert began, and the crowd had gotten denser. Those who would be "moshing" had pushed their way forward and I felt that the next band, Black Label Society, would bring with it a "work out" that Richard Simmons could not imagine. This wouldn't be "Sweating to the Oldies," but would be something like swimming in a sea of Metal fans pressing physical boundaries towards the breaking point, all for a chance to be up front and center of the stage.

Black Label Society churned out their grinding sound of primeval drumming, blistering guitar licks, and piercing vocals which pushed the crowd back and forth like a massive tidal force. Bodies pressed hard against sweaty bodies as those at the black rail in front of the stage gallantly resisted the onslaught from behind. Energetic pushing and relentless pressure forward moved with the staccato of the music ripping through our ears.

The final act took the stage. By the time Rob Halford of Judas Priest began to warm up his vocal chords the masses in front of the stage were a perspiring lot reeling to and fro with every note alighting from the fingers of veteran guitarist Glen Tipton and the latest band member, Richie Faulkner on lead guitar. As it turns out veteran lead guitarist, K.K. Downing quit the band right before this last tour for Judas Priest set out for the road. I suppose the old man had had enough. I can't say that I blame him.

I'm surprised I got this shot with my phone!

Heads "banged," fists shook in the air to the beat, and all of us croaked out the words to vintage Priest tunes such as "Breaking the Law," "Hell Bent for Leather," and the ever popular and timely "Electric Eye." Two faux-curtain closes with subsequent protests and chants of "Priest! Priest! Priest!" brought aging Rob Halford out from behind a curtain to the roar of his now famous motorcycle. The hands of my watch had been moving along its face as usual, but time seemed to have sped up and before I knew it I was enjoying the last song of the night's act. Yes, the last song of the last concert Judas Priest will play in Seattle: "Living After Midnight."

Thankfully most of the band members of Judas Priest are in their sixties and maybe because of that they aren't "living after midnight" anymore. The curtain closed shortly after 11:00 PM and my son and I used what energy we had left and hurried out to our car for the short ride home. Along the way home we began talking up what will no doubt become a lasting memory for the both of us. This will certainly be one Reformation Sunday Eve to remember.

God Gets it Right

2011-10-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

I have been reading through the Historical Introductions to the Lutheran Confessions by F. Bente. You can find these gems in the Concordia Triglotta, but if you don't own a Triglotta you can find Bente's introductions on the web at the Book of Concord Online (http://bookofconcord.org).

As I mentioned I have been reading through these introductions and with a good amount of interest. It is certainly true that there is nothing new under the sun. Indeed, Lutheranism has been plagued with the same issues since its inception. Read the following take from Bente's aforementioned work,

“Melanchthon lacked the simple faith in, and the firm adherence and implicit submission to, the Word of God which made Luther the undaunted and invincible hero of the Reformation. Standing four-square on the Bible and deriving from this source of divine power alone all his theological thoughts and convictions, Luther was a rock, firm and immovable.With him every theological question was decided and settled conclusively by quoting a clear passage from the Holy Scriptures, while Melanchthon, devoid of Luther's single- minded and whole-hearted devotion to the Word of God, endeavored to satisfy his reason as well. Consequently he lacked assurance and firm conviction, wavered and vacillated, and was never fully satisfied that the position he occupied was really the only correct one, while, on the other hand, he endeavored to present his views concerning some of the disputed doctrines in ambiguous and indefinite terms."We have twenty-eight large volumes of Melanchthon's writings," says C. P. Krauth, "and, at this hour, impartial and learned men are not agreed as to what were his views on some of the profoundest questions of church doctrine, on which Melanchthon was writing all his life!"(Conservative Ref., 291; Schmauk, 748.) This indefinite and wavering attitude towards divine truth, the natural consequence of the humanistic bent of his mind, produced in Melanchthon a general tendency and proneness to surrender or compromise doctrinal matters in the interest of policy, and to barter away eternal truth for temporal peace. It made him an indifferentist and a unionist, always ready to strike a bargain also in matters pertaining to Christian faith, and to cover doctrinal differences with ambiguous formulas.While Luther's lifelong attitude on matters of Christian doctrine is characterized by the famous words spoken by him at Worms in 1521: "Ich kann nicht anders, I cannot do otherwise," Melanchthon, treating even questions of faith as matters of expediency rather than of conscience, was the man who, as a rule, could also do otherwise, and who was great in manufacturing "Polish boots," as the ambiguous phrases by which he endeavored to unite opposing parties were called by the Lutherans in Reuss.

In order to preserve peace with the Romanists at Augsburg in 1530, he did not hesitate to sacrifice Lutheran truths and to receive into the bargain a number of what he considered minor papal errors. In his subsequent overtures to the Reformed he was more than willing to make similar concessions. The spirit of Melanchthon was the spirit of religious indifference and of unionism, which, though thoroughly eliminated by the Formula of Concord, was from time to time revived within the Lutheran Church by such men as Calixtus, Spener, Zinzendorf, Neander, and, in our own country, by S. S. Schmucker.

The unionistic tendencies and doctrinal corruptions which Melanchthon injected into Lutheranism were all the more dangerous to our Church because they derived special weight and prestige from the fact that Luther had unstintingly praised his gifts, his books, and the services he had rendered the Church (St. L. 18, 1671; 23, 1152), that he was now generally regarded as Luther's successor with regard to theological leadership of the Church; and that he was gratefully admired as the Praeceptor Germaniae by a host of loyal pupils, who made it a point also to cultivate just those theological peculiarities of Master Philip, as they called him, in which he differed from Luther." (source)

I consistently "run into" this Melanchthon-esque ambivalence towards a staunch adherence to the truth. Typically such ambivalence manifests itself in a false humility such as characterized by the words, "We are all sinners, our thinking isn't perfect, so our doctrine must contain imperfection, or errors." Of course, the conclusion from such erroneous thinking is that there is no such thing as absolute truth, or pure doctrine.

It certainly is true that we sinners aren't at all perfect and we definitely have a rational capability corrupted by sin. However, the idea that we can't know the truth of God's Holy Word because of our own sinfulness is a slap at God's ability to preserve for Himself a people (the Church) who do "get it right" only because of God.

The fact of the matter is, if we were talking about our own doctrine, then yes, it would be full of error. But the doctrine given to us by God is His. It is pure. He gives us the truth of His Word which does not err. He preserves His truth for His people. The truth is God's work freely given to us. Yes, we don't "get it right" but God does!

Something for those who defend the idea that we can't know pure doctrine, or truth, to think about is this... is your assertion about our inability to know doctrine and truth, true? Hmm...

Life and Truth

2011-10-27T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Psalmist writes,

"I call to you; save me, that I may observe your testimonies. I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise. Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O LORD, according to your justice give me life. They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose; they are far from your law. But you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are true. Long have I known from your testimonies that you have founded them forever. (Psalm 119:146-152 ESV)

As recorded in the gospel of John, Jesus said about His heavenly Father, "Thy word is truth" (John 17:17). Matthew records in his gospel that Jesus repels the devil's attacks with the Holy Word of God. Indeed, Jesus rebukes the temptation to turn stones into bread when He emphatically says, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Both the Psalmist and Jesus have inextricably woven together life with knowing the truth of God's word.

Interestingly enough, in the gospel of John the eternal logos, or Word that dwelt with God the Father from the beginning of time, literally becomes food for the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. John records Christ as saying,

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (John 6:53-58 ESV)

Christ is the bread that came down from heaven. John says that He tabernacled amongst us and we beheld His glory as the only Son of the Father "full of grace and truth " (John 1:14). Yes, as Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6). The truth of God's Word and life can't be separated.

Truth is such a precious gift given to us through God's revealed Word. As David sang, "I hope in your words." Where there is God's Word we find the truth, life, and hope is given to sinful creatures who would otherwise be lost and hungry in terrible darkness.

I thank the Lord for the life and truth He has graciously given to me. God be praised! Amen.

"Liturgy and Youth" by Pr. Matt Harrison

2011-10-26T09:03:00.001-07:00

LCMS Synod President Matt Harrison's words in this video are true today as they were when he spoke them. Listen to his story of how he got involved with and then left contemporary worship and embraced the historic liturgy.

From YouTube—"In this video from 1995 the Rev. Matthew Harrison speaks to a group of pre-seminary students attending Concordia University, River Forest (now Concordia University, Chicago) while at a retreat concerning the importance of the liturgy in the life and spiritual formation of our youth. This short presentation, though several years old, is just as applicable this day as it was when Pastor Harrison first gave the presentation.

The complete DVD can be found at http://www.thelcs.org"

How to Express the Christian Worldview in One Easy Step

2011-10-25T06:00:00.001-07:00

The following is how to express the Christian worldview in one easy step. The Church has used this expression for centuries and it is just as relevant today as it was long ago.

Step 1) The Apostles Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic* Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

* The word "catholic" means "universal" and is not a reference to the Roman Catholic Church.

See... wasn't that easy? :)

Understanding Concord

2011-10-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Over at the Brothers of John the Steadfast, Pr. Joshua Scheer posted up a great review of the Koinonia project presentation given at the Wyoming district pastor's conference (link to review). Pr. Scheer's comments are insightful and his perspective is refreshing. In particular I appreciate the following point he makes,

"I am also concerned that in this process the “norms” of the Lutheran Church will not be used to their fullest extent. Not only does Scripture define our doctrine and practice, but also our Confessions (they are a normed norm, normed by the Scriptures and fully acceptable to be used among Lutherans to teach and discuss doctrine and practice). There is a great emphasis on Scripture, but we need not reinvent every wheel here, but the Book of Concord should also be used in this project. As they are the only correct exposition of the teachings of Scripture out there that we have all agreed to, the Confessions will undoubtedly be used in the Koinonia Project. The only caution will be in how they are used (remember that the ELCA holds up the confessions too, only as a historical confession with limited importance on specifics for this time)."

Pr. Scheer is addressing one of the deep concerns I have with the Koinonia project. My concern is that many congregations will not understand what it is that we are supposed to be in concord.

One of my concerns is that during my short time as a Lutheran, I have found that most life-long Lutherans are woefully unaware of the Book of Concord. I happen to be in a rock solid congregation where the pastor spent a year working through the Book of Concord with us. We also have a regular, weekly, confessions reading group available for anyone to attend. However, and sadly, my church is the exception to the rule.

How this concern of mine translates out is framed in the question, "How can we have 'life together,' or reach concord, when much of the synod is not being educated in our Lutheran symbols?" The obvious answer, at least to me, is that most will not have a clue over what we as Lutherans believe, teach, and confess on some extremely important issues we as a synod are facing. Issues such as open communion, women's ordination, the authority of scripture, and the liturgy.

Godly unity is all people who would call themselves "Christian" unreservedly agreeing on all articles of Christian doctrine. We have excellent examples of such agreement in the three ecumenical creeds of the Church and with the agreement reached amongst orthodox Lutherans over the Book of Concord in 1580. This is what Francis Pieper had to say about the meaning of unity, or concord:

"The form of the Church willed by God is the agreement in all articles of the Christian doctrine, the orthodoxy of the same. All people should be Lutheran just as much as God wills that they accept His entire Word. All ought to accept, and so certainly as the Lutheran Church, the Word of God in toto. God does not will, for instance, that while we on the basis of the Word of God say, 'God alone works conversion,' there the Ohioans [i.e., the Ohio Synod] say that in a certain way, conversion and salvation depend upon men and not only on God. God does not desire that while we, according to the Scriptures, say of the Holy Supper, 'It is the true body and blood of Christ.' the Reformed also assert that it is not the body and blood of Christ, [but] rather the body and blood of Christ are only signified by bread and wine.

So God expressly mandates the unity in doctrine given by Him for faith. 1 Corinthians 1:10 says, 'I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgement.' Here is said, as clearly as is possible, that according to God's will, all Christians should be completely united in the faith. One Christian should not advocate this view and another that view. All should speak in the same manner with the same understanding and meaning. Among Christians who are strewn over the entire earth, there can and must be many differences. They are different with respect to their languages and customs. Their worship may take forms that are externally quite different. But in one matter there should be no difference. Here complete similarity rules. All Christians in the entire world should be united in doctrine" —Dr. Francis Pieper, On Unity in the Faith, as quoted in "At Home in the House of My Fathers" by Matthew C. Harrison, p. 586

The problem is that we, as a synod, can't possibly "speak in the same manner with the same understanding and meaning" (ibid.) if much of the laity, and possibly many pastors, lack a quality education in our Lutheran confessions and are therefore not really up to speed on what it is we do teach. By "quality education" I don't mean that everyone has to go to seminary. What I do mean by that is repeatedly spending a good amount of time studying the text of the Book of Concord. The only way to know why we are Lutherans, and to understand what it is that we ought to be in concord over, is through picking up our Lutheran Confessions and actually reading them. There is no substitute for this sort of education. And, I would dare say, that many of the issues we face as a synod would nearly evaporate if we literally were all on the same page together, studying the Book of Concord... together.

It is my hope and prayer that the Koinonia project will produce good fruit, but my concern is that we can't possibly gauge where we are at in the process if we don't look to the doctrinal mile posts established for us in the Holy Scriptures and as expressed in the Book of Concord. Indeed, we won't know of a need to repent if we are ignorant of our own teachings.

Not only should the Book of Concord be used in the processes of Koinonia, as Pr. Scheer points out, but I will boldly state that the Book of Concord must be used or we will not understand what it means to have Godly concord over doctrine and practice.

Dear False Prophet Camping

2011-10-21T10:51:00.001-07:00

Introducing the Government

2011-10-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite blogs to follow is Cyberbrethren, edited by Rev. Paul McCain. I enjoy when Rev. McCain shows pieces from his firearms collection. While I am not a gun collector, I do like antique firearms and most of all I like to shoot handguns and rifles for target. I have been shooting since I was 12 years old. Following Rev. McCain, I would like to introduce you to one of my "toys."

Click on photos to enlarge

In the left hand picture you will see the government... well... the famous Colt Government model 1911 pistol. Not that long ago I was given this Colt 1911 Government model. This particular Colt 1911 is an original Series 70 Mark IV made in 1971. It is a .45 caliber semi-automatic.

The Series 70 Mark IV's have an excellent reputation as one of the best 1911 model handguns to be found. In fact, they have such a great reputation that Colt began reproducing the series 70 in 2002 with some minor variations from the original model.

The Colt 1911 you are viewing came to me in pretty bad shape. Once I received it I field stripped it and began to inspect it. The previous owner of this pistol had taken "creative liberty" with the slide and did a very poor job at replacing the original sights on it. The front sight was literally about to fall out since it had been staked in improperly. The rear sight was not the original but was an old Pachymere adjustable sight. The fellow who gifted this fine pistol to me said he had shot it once and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with it. I could see why.

I do minor smithing work to all my firearms. I am competent enough to swap out firing pins, etc., but I don't like to mess around with work that might touch on slide of frame modifications. After looking over this 1911 I had a hunch that the slide had been modified and so I took my pistol into a local 1911 pistol expert. Most of his business is doing nothing but refurbishing, modifying, and building 1911s for the target shooting community. I set up an appointment and took my 1911 to him for evaluation.

Series 70 Collett Bushing

The gun smith took one look at my 1911 and I could see he was drooling even though it was in pretty bad shape. He was definitely a Colt series 70 fan. The first thing he checked over was the finish. The value of these pistols can be impacted by whether or not the finish is original and if it is rusty, pitted, etc. In my case the finish was near perfect. He then field stripped it and we considered what parts we were looking at. The original series 70 had what is called a "collett bushing" which as you can see from the picture to the right has "fingers" which tighten against the barrel. Colt designed this bushing to give their series 70 1911 better accuracy as it prevents the barrel from basically wobbling as the slide moves back along the barrel when the pistol is fired. The problem with these barrel bushings, though, is that they are also prone to breaking and thus are not reliable. My pistol had the original collett bushing in it which was amazing by itself, since they are hard to come by.

We also looked over the trigger, rear sight, and front sight. As the gun smith examined the front sight it fell off the slide. He showed me how the DIY "smithy" didn't correctly stake in the front sight. After removing the rear sight it was discovered that the slide had been filed on and was no longer flat in the dovetail securing the rear sight. That definitely had to be fixed!

The trigger was the original, but had been tinkered with. The trigger pull was right around 8 pounds. That is way too heavy for this shooter. I like a 3.5 pound pull which is standard for target shooting. I don't carry this pistol, so I don't need to worry about it accidentally discharging should it bump into something really hard.

After about an hour examining this 1911 with the gun smith, I decided to have a new trigger installed. He would also replace the hammer (which was horribly worn for some reason) along with all the pins and springs that needed to be replaced to make the hammer and trigger work together perfectly. He also replaced the collett bushing with a tight fitting solid bushing and installed new rear and front sights. The new sights are Heine straight eights (my favorite) and the sight dots are manufactured by Trijicon. These sights glow in the dark for night time use. They are pretty awesome.

There was much work did on this pistol by the gun smith and I did other work to it when he was finished. I replaced the GI style half guide rod with a full length, stainless steel, guide rod. Another thing I did was polish up the feed ramp as well as the barrel choke to a mirror finish. Finally, I tossed the old rubber wrap around grips and replaced them with oak wood grips, giving this 1911 the classical look it was made with back in the 1970s.

When all the work was finished I headed out to the indoor range to take this classic Colt for a test run. I put around 150 rounds through it without a hiccup. At 15 yards I had very tight groupings. All the work I had done paid off into a very fine shooter. I was saddened that I couldn't have restored the slide to its factory original configuration which would have increased the value of this pistol, but over all I am very pleased with this Colt 1911.

Of Presidential Candidates and Cults

2011-10-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Gov. Mitt Romney is a Mormon

If you have been following the Republican presidential candidate's debates, or just the national news, then undoubtedly by now you have read or heard something over the brouhaha surrounding comments made by pastor Robert Jeffress that Mormonism is a cult.

I am not going to get into whether or not Pr. Jeffress should have made such a statement in the particular venue in which he did. The good that is coming out of his choice of words is it has brought attention to Mormonism and in particular to what is meant with the claim that Mormonism is a cult.

What is a cult? A dictionary definition of the word cult is,

1. a. A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.

b. The followers of such a religion or sect (source).

Sociologically the word cult can simply refer to a new religious movement, i.e. a religious movement that is recent in origin and is essentially different from all other religions. Sociologically speaking, Christianity was a cult in the early first century (source).

Both the dictionary definition and a sociological definition are not satisfying in this case since neither are rooted in theology. When we say that Mormonism, the Jehovah's Witnesses, or the Moonies are "cults" we want to say something about their theology and not necessarily focus on the social aspects of these movements. Although, they are important.

The definition I prefer for the meaning of the word "cult" comes from the Apologetics Index. The Apologetics Index is an online resource I like to go to in order to read briefings about heretical Christian movements around the world. It is extremely useful to know the false teachings of these movements and groups in order to meaningfully dialogue with the members of these groups. For example, having a general understanding that Mormons believe, teach, and confess there exists a council of gods of which the Father of Jesus is just one of many gods sitting on that council is very useful when sharing the truth of God's word with a Mormon. Otherwise, you don't know what the Mormon means when they claim to believe in "God the Father" just like you do.

From the Apologetics Index we find a definition of the word "cult" provided by Dr. Alan Gomes from his book Unmasking the Cults. Here is his excellent definition:

"A cult of Christianity is a group of people, which claiming to be Christian, embraces a particular doctrinal system taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or organization, which (system) denies (either explicitly or implicitly) one or more of the central doctrines of the Christian faith as taught in the sixty-six books of the Bible" (source)

The first thing I take away from his definition is that it is theologically based. We are talking about the truth claims of those professing to be Christians and so we ought to be able to examine their confession of faith against the truth of the Holy Scriptures in order to discern where the cult's teachings have gone wrong.

The second thing to notice is that we are not necessarily talking about new religious movements and neither are we looking for extremism in practices or teachings from which to decide if a group or movement is a cult.

Not the "Manson Family"

When we use the word "cult" as defined by Dr. Gomes, we know we are talking about a group which claims to be Christiaan but embraces heretical doctrine. That is, we are talking about a group or movement which rejects one or more of the fundamental teachings of the Christian faith as expressed by the three ecumenical creeds. So, for instance, if a group rejects the doctrine of the Holy Trinity but claims to be "Christian", then we know we are dealing with a cult of Christianity. Any group or movement claiming to be Christian, but which rejects the doctrine of the Trinity, the deity of Jesus Christ, and/or the death, burial, and bodily resurrection of Jesus is a cult of Christianity.

Dr. Gomes' definition is also incredibly useful, because it avoids the confusion some Christians fall into when trying to define what is a false religion as opposed to a cult of Christianity. We can see from Dr. Gome's definition that Judaism, for example, is not a cult, because the followers of Judaism do not claim to teach Christian doctrine. So while Judaism rejects the doctrine of the Trinity and the deity of Christ, they aren't considered a cult of Christianity—although it is a false religion—for the very reason that they do not claim to be Christian.

Once we understand what is meant with the word "cult" when someone asserts "Mormonism is a cult," then we can proceed to have a meaningful discussion as to why such is the case. Mormonism is a Christian cult precisely because it rejects the truth of the central doctrines of Christianity, while maintaining that it teaches the truth about Jesus Christ.

If you would like more information about why Mormonism is a cult of Christianity then I recommend visiting Dr. James White's web site "Alpha and Omega Ministries" and in particular this page which lists several topics regarding what Mormons teach. Concordia Publishing House also provides an 80 page booklet titled, How to Respond to the Mormons by Edward P. Kaiser (link to book) should you like an informative book on how to approach Mormons with the truth of God's word.

Mormonism is a dangerous cult of Christianity and we should not be afraid to identify it as such. However, we must take great care when directly approaching Mormons and we certainly wouldn't want to begin any discussions with them by calling them a cult member. Indeed, we should inform ourselves, but at the same time remember to speak the truth with gentleness and love whenever we can.

Atheists and Evil

2011-10-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

When I was an atheist, one of my favorite arguments against the existence of God was one of the many varieties of arguments from the problem of evil. If you don't know what the problem of evil is, you aren't missing all that much. However, in its basic form the argument goes something like the following:

(P1) Unnecessary and unwarranted evil exists in the world (e.g. the Jewish Holocaust).

(P2) Such evil as described in P1 can't possibly exist in a world created by an omnibenevolent being; namely God.

(C1) Therefore, an omnibenevolent God can't exist.

The "evil" described in P1 is the sort that there is no greater good resulting from the evil such that the evil itself can be said to be good because of its side effects. In other words, there is no amount of good resulting from the evil that it cancels itself out. That such evil actually exists is fairly clear given the example of the Jewish Holocaust spanning the reign of Adolph Hitler in the twentieth century. Millions needlessly suffered indescribably horrific deaths at the hands of Hitler's henchmen. The Holocaust, and other similar evils in the twentieth century, certainly lend fuel to the atheist's argument that an all loving God can't possibly exist. People all over the world look at such terrors and ask "Where is God?"

The typical response to the above argument is to offer a traditional "free will" defense. Richard Swinburne offers such a defense in his book, The Existence of God. His defense is lengthy and technical, so I will not be presenting it here. While I am not doing his cogent arguments any justice in my attempt to encapsulate his points, I will offer here my very brief synopsis of the conclusion to his arguments. Swinburne argues that free will is the greatest good that God could give to us and it is so great, that it cancels out grotesquely unnecessary evils such as the Jewish Holocaust. Human "free will" is the answer to the problem of evil. Swinburne's arguments are convincing, but I disagree with his conclusion.

For one, the problem with Swinburne's theodicy is that it falls into a trap of talking about values and not about good or evil, per se. The moment we start weighing, or judging, if one good is greater than some evil, then we simply fuel the atheist's assumptions being introduced in his argument. Take a good look at P1 and ask yourself the following question, "What do we mean by 'unnecessary and unwarranted evil'?" There is some question begging going on, is there not? We want to ask, if there exists an omnibenevolent being, such as God, then is there any such thing as "unnecessary and unwarranted evil" in the world? Who am I to tell God, if He does exist, that events such as the Holocaust are unwarranted? Isn't there a reason for all things? Swinburne's answer to the atheist's problem of evil simply mires us down into talk over moral relativism and what we value as good and evil. Hence we are left with a question mark and not an answer to the problem as stated.

Secondly, it simply isn't convincing that "free will" is so great a good that that can explain why a good God tolerates great evils in the world such as the Jewish Holocaust. Besides, the atheist is arguing that there is a contradiction involved in the concept of an omnibenevolent God and the existence of gratuitous evil is evidence supporting this claim. Swinburne, and others I think, go the wrong direction in arguing that a Holy, all loving, God tolerates evil in the world because of what a great thing human free will is supposed to be. The atheist isn't buying that argument, since it doesn't answer the alleged contradiction in the concept of God they raise by pointing out that evil exists and a good God would not tolerate evil in the world; He would eradicate it.

I think the best answer is a scriptural one which agrees with the atheist to a point. Namely, a holy and omnibenevolent God does not tolerate evil and will never tolerate evil. Yet, evil exists and so does God. Can the Christian explain why there is no contradiction here in the concept of God? The answer is a resounding "yes."

I think it unfortunate that the humanists, with their free will argument, have propped up what amounts to an easy target for atheists to shoot down. No, the argument I prefer is the one found in the Scriptures and notably argued by the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter eight. Paul explains how both an omnibenevolent God and unnecessary and unwarranted evil exists in the world,

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience"(Romans 8:18-25 ESV).

Paul writes concerning "the sufferings of this present time" and creation's "bondage to corruption." What is Paul referring to? I believe he is writing about what has happened to the whole of creation due to the fall of Adam and Eve and the subsequent curse upon all things because of sin. Genesis chapter three details God's curse upon all things as sin and death entered the world. All kinds of evils exist in the world precisely because of sin. Terrible events in history such as the Jewish Holocaust are the side effects of sinful human natures. Indeed, natures which when left to themselves cause us to utterly hate God and pretend that He doesn't exist. Atheism is the epitome of a world cursed by sin.

Notice, too, that Paul offers the solution to this problem of great evil which has entered the world through sin. He writes, "...we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved." Paul is pointing to the person God promised to the world as our redeemer in Genesis 3:15.

It is cliche, but Jesus is the answer to the problem of evil. Great evil entered the world because of the fall of Adam and Eve, and the resulting greater good is found in the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross. He is the hope that the creation will be set free from its bondage to corruption. Christ's death and resurrection guarantee that one day the heavens and earth will be fully restored to the great good that God intended for us all in the Garden of Eden prior to the fall.

The problem of evil is that sin entered the universe corrupting all things. God has conquered evil in the world by providing us the Lamb of God, Jesus. The only answer to the problem of evil in the world is the cross of Jesus Christ and the hope we have because we are saved through faith alone in Him.

Life Without God

2011-10-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

11 year old Tommy: FOX

I was reading this FOX News article yesterday and it simply angered me. The article reports that two lesbians who have an eleven year old boy in their custody are giving the child hormone blockers until he is age fourteen or fifteen so that at that time he can make a choice as to what gender he would like to be. Here is the lead paragraph into the article:

"A lesbian couple in California who say their 11-year-old son Tommy who wants to be a girl named Tammy are giving their child hormone blockers that delay the onset of puberty -- so that he can have more time that he can have more time to decide if he wants to change his gender."

The actions of these two women against this boy are horribly sinful. I read in Jeremiah 1:4 and Isaiah 44:2 that God forms us in the womb. David writes in Psalm 139:13, "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb." God chooses our gender, we don't. What these two women are doing to this little boy is abhorrent.

Paul writes to the Romans,

"For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."(Romans 1:26-32 ESV)

The Apostle Paul very simply describes the depravity of those who reject God. Life without God is impossible. After all, God holds all things together. He causes the rain to fall upon the just and unjust alike. Even when I was an atheist, God still loved me. Indeed, God so loved the entire world that He sent His only begotten Son (John 3:16) as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Christ Jesus died on the cross for the sins of these two women and the child in their care, too.

Somewhere in the depravity of the unregenerate mind we believe that we can hide from God. Didn't Adam and Eve try to hide their shame over their sin from God? Those who don't acknowledge God are wishfully living as if there is no God. The FOX News report is just one example of living a life in darkness, trying to hide from God so as to fulfill our own passions. Life without God is really bondage to sin. It is not just a metaphorical enslavement, but a literal one. Christ died and rose again in victory over bondage to sin and death. In Christ we are set free, but unless this fact is received in faith we remain bound in gloomy chains of sin and death.

The FOX News report is a reminder that there is still much to be done in bringing the Gospel to the world. Lord have mercy!

Ten Foot Pole

2011-10-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

I rarely blog about anything political, because I was taught not to speak of politics in mixed company. That is probably a good rule of thumb, but I am going to be political today. I am getting out the proverbial ten foot pole to touch the Occupy Wall Street protests happening around the USA.

If you haven't heard about Occupy Wall Street they are a self-professed "resistance movement" pushing for the redistribution of wealth. Quoting from their website "

Occupy Wall Street is leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. We are using the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to achieve our ends and encourage the use of nonviolence to maximize the safety of all participants."

Notice that they claim to be mimicking the protest tactics of those in Egypt and other Arab countries (Arab Spring tactic) and that they will not "tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%". As an aside, do these protesters understand that Egypt was under the control of a dictator for several decades and the Egyptians are looking for democracy; hence the massive protests?

In following the news concerning Occupy Wall Street I have seen some of the protesters basically camping out in front of busy market places, or in front of financial institutions. Why? Those doing the "camping" believe they are making a peaceful statement against the greedy. Against the greedy? You mean business owners and their employees who are struggling in this poor economy?

Here in Seattle the counterpart to New York city's Occupy Wall Street is Occupy Seattle. In reading this Seattle Time's article it is apparent that the protesters aren't terribly unified over the particulars of what they are protesting, other than the greedy 1% should have less. Ironically, one protester, as reported by the Seattle Times, says he loves businesses and loves making money. Is he greedy?

A good question all these protesters should be asking themselves is, "Who here is not greedy?" The very fact that Occupy Wall Street and its counterparts around the country are in the streets is a good indication that this rabble might be looking to possess material wealth they don't deserve and that is called greed.

It isn't at all greedy to work hard and achieve success. Fantastically rich billionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet deserve the fruits of their labors. However, the idea that those who are making money and are a success are greedy, in virtue of the affluence they won with hard work, is simply nonsense. Yes, we can be certain that there are greedy people in the world and greed is certainly wrong. In case some have the self-aggrandizing thought that they are above the greed of the 1%, pinch yourselves and take a hard look in the mirror. My experience is that greed runs rampant even amongst the 99% the Occupy Wall Street gangs say they are fighting to defend.

The United States is in economic turmoil, unemployment is chronically high, and people are really hurting and fed up. I know, I am one of those people who are not at all happy with our current economic and political situation. However, camping out in front of someone's business causing them to lose customers, or barring entry into a financial building so that employees—who work to bring home a paycheck to pay bills and feed their families—can't enter is the height of greed and covetousness.

All things considered, if the primary thrust for one's protesting is greed, then what concerns me the most is the authoritarian government that person wants to establish in order to manage and regulate our lives. We have governments around the world which are all too happy to manage greed and many other things for you, they are called communist regimes.

If Occupy Wall Street is at all concerned about the 99%, then they should put down the picket signs and stop asking for stronger government to enforce a utopian world view which redistributes wealth from the so-called "greedy" 1% to the 99%. A "peaceful" Bolshevik revolution is not the answer.

An Occupy motto?

Here's a thought, Occupy Wall Street could marshal enough supporters to start their own fund and invest in the economy. If they want, they can volunteer to pay more taxes from that fund, or perhaps they could start sending out checks from the money they will make to the 99% percent they claim to be looking out for. Why not do something like that rather than pushing for more government intervention?

Better yet, the Occupy Wall Street mobs should step up to the plate and start giving to the poor and needy out of their own pockets. You want to redistribute wealth? Then start giving what wealth you have away. There is no need for a government mandate or tax if we are really willing to care for those who have less than ourselves.

I suppose it is easier to sit in front of a department store protesting the evils of "the man" than it is to go out and "beat the bushes" to make a dollar.

The Freedom to Worship

2011-10-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Early yesterday morning I was reading the daily writing from the Treasury of Daily Prayer. That day's writing was taken from Luther's Large Catechism. Luther writes concerning keeping holy days, "Second, and most especially, on this day of rest (since we can get no other chance), we have the freedom and time to attend divine service. We come together to hear and use God's Word, and then to praise God, to sing and to pray [Colossians 3:16]" (p. 807).

I hadn't really noticed it before, but Luther is here treating the divine service as being part and parcel of the day of rest for the children of God. In other words, it isn't a day of working at evangelism. In the Augsburg Confession we read, "The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered" (AC VII). As one of the baptized children of God, I attend the divine service on my day of rest and there I should expect the Gospel to be "rightly taught" to me and the sacraments to be "rightly administered" to me: that is the divine service.

Sadly too often I hear of some congregations where the divine service is focused on evangelism, or mission and not upon Christ coming to us with His rest which we find in the forgiveness of our sins. These congregations are being "missional" and they scale their services down in order to meet the expectations of the unrepentant sinner who may not be attending church. The divine service is then not about the rest God gives us in Christ Jesus, but about how we are to work at bringing the "unChurched," or unconverted, into the building so they can hear the hip praise band play and a cool message for the day. The hope is that the "unChurched" will want to return to the church building often and maybe will be converted.

The unrepentant sinner can't understand God's rest freely given to us through Jesus Christ. They can't possibly praise God and thank Him for the Gospel and Sacraments. So who has the divine service? Do the "missional" who adopt Contemporary Worship and Church Growth methodologies really have a divine service as described by Luther in the Large Catechism? I think not. We can't possibly be gathered around hearing the pure Gospel preached and around the Sacraments "rightly administered" if we are working on our own projects at evangelizing the so-called "unChurched". Indeed, if we are at church on the Lord's Day for anything other than receiving His Word and Sacraments, then we have given up the freedom our Lord has given to us so that we may gather around His Word and Sacraments for our rest.

Pancakes for ULC

2011-10-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

Originally posted at the Brothers of John the Steadfast.

University Lutheran Chapel needs our help. Their building is being sold out from under them, and soon they will have no church building.

They are a faithful Lutheran (LCMS) congregation at the University of Minnesota. They are a congregation of students and non-students gathering together to hear the Word and receive the Sacraments together. They are suffering. They need financial support from us, their brothers and sisters in Christ. We are called by our Lord to serve them, for we are all one in Christ Jesus. We can stand together in prayer for them, let them know they’re not abandoned, and help them financially at the same time.

Read more about it at Pancakes For ULC. Register your church as supporting this cause, and raise money to help them!

For more information on ULC see our homepage where we have information at the top of the body.

Old Dog, Old Tricks

2011-10-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Scriptures tell us "there is nothing new under the Sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Yes, what has been done is what will be done, nothing really changes but we do see these old things anew and especially if they have been out of mind for a good number of years.

I visited with my doctor for my annual check-up, which I missed last year. My doctor was pleased to tell me that I shouldn't have skipped my yearly physical. It wasn't the first time that had happened, but of course he is right. The good news is that my health has significantly improved and so much so that I was taken off my blood pressure medicines. Blood pressure going down, cholesterol going down, stock market tumbling and bouncing around. I wonder if that is a coincidence or not? Well, I'll take the good health, thanks be to God!

I also have been very slowly loosing weight, which delighted the doctor. We talked about "fad diets" and that making slow, incremental, changes in diet is really a sustainable means to permanent weight loss. Fad diets are likely to put one on a roller coaster ride of starvation and then overeating. It is much better, says my doc, to cut down portion sizes and eat everything you want to eat. Just don't overdo it!

I have been walking when I can and that has helped me to drop a few pounds, too. "Take baby steps" in physical fitness is what I heard my doctor saying. He is right. Overdoing it, especially when over 45, could mean really hurting one's body and in turn could be discouraging. I know that from experience.

One thing I very recently reintroduced into my exercise regimen, after literally years of not doing it, is a heavy bag work out. Punching a heavy bag is excellent exercise for so many reasons. Hitting a heavy bag tones both your arms and legs. You are forced to use all the large muscle groups in your body and it gives an excellent cardio workout. The best thing about it is that if you know how to hit the bag, as I do, it is really a low impact exercise. I know that sounds counter-intuitive, but it is true. There is no jarring of hip, knee, and ankle joints typical with running and jogging. Oh, yeah, there is the martial element of training involved with hitting the bag, but I am not thinking about punching out anyone as I work out. Although my stress levels do go down.

I thank God for my improving health, and for giving me a fresh perspective and some motivation to pick up some old exercise routines. Who says an old dog can't return to his old tricks? Maybe that doesn't sound as good as I think it does. Hmm.... oh, well. There it is.

What Are You?

2011-10-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

Every Sunday morning I buy fresh bagels for my family to munch on as we drive to the early morning divine service. My local grocer carries New York style bagels freshly made each day. My Sunday morning routine of purchasing bagels typically means I am walking through the store freshly shaved, hair neatly combed, and wearing ironed slacks and a starched dress shirt. I am the odd ball in the store, because most everyone else looks like they could be cast extras from a zombie movie, sans all the bloody makeup.

As I make my way to the bagel shelf, dodging one of the occasional "living dead" as I go, I eventually wind up where everyone else does: at the checkout counter. Early Sunday morning shift at a store is not the best of shifts and of course that means when an employee is found who can "hack the mission," then he or she will be given that duty until they can't stand it any longer. This also means that I get to see the same cashier each and every Lord's day.

This particular cashier is definitely much more lucid than I am for a Sunday morning. I may be well dressed, but don't let that fool you; my brain is still not functioning well, just like all the other "walking dead" roaming around the store and pawing at the goods on the shelves as they grunt and groan. The cashier, though, is quite awake and not much gets by her. "How many bagels are in your bag?" she asks. "Huh? Bagels? Oh, yes... uh... here let me count'em." While I am opening up the brown paper bag my bagels are housed in the cashier asks me another question which makes me lose count. "Are you going to church?" Through the grogginess I sense that a couple of the handful of somewhat functioning neurons in my brain begin to fire as the mush between my ears firms up. "Yes, I have two bagels and yes I am going to church" I feebly reply as I push my eye glasses back up my nose so I can get a good look at the questioner. She turns on a bright smile with my affirmation over attending church. Unfortunately there are others in line and they, too, seem to be snapping out of sleep and looking not at all appreciative of the momentary lull in the flow of the line.

As I walk to my car I kick myself, since I didn't ask if the cashier attended church. I suppose I was taken back by her interest. It isn't everyday that someone asks me if I attend church. I register a note somewhere in my mind that the next time I see her I should ask her if she attends church.

Another Sunday morning arrives in Seattle and I risk traveling market aisles occupied by the early morning "living dead" all for my Sunday morning bagel fix. As I approach the check out counter I am relieved that the same cashier is working. I guessed that would likely be the case. This time I am a bit more awake and I take a card out of my wallet which has the address of my church on it and the times for our adult catechism class listed on it. Once again the cashier looks happy to see me all dressed up and ready to go to church. I ask her if she attends church and she informs me that she doesn't due to her work schedule, but that she would like to. She quickly follows up her response by letting me know that she is loosely affiliated with the Methodists. I hand her the card and invite her to one of our services if she gets a day off sometime and if not, I let her know that she can come on by some Thursday evening for the class.

Somewhere in our short exchange she asked me, "What are you?" I assumed she meant to ask what denomination my congregation belongs to and so I stated, "I am a Lutheran Christian." Without a pause she asked me if I am one of "those ELCA Lutherans." I think my heart skipped a beat and I could feel a quick jolt of adrenaline rushing into my body. My interlocutor had asked a pretty serious question and I was standing at a check out counter with people impatiently waiting in line to purchase their goods and go. "Nope. I am not one of those ELCA folks. I am a Lutheran who believes that the scriptures are God's word and do not err I have severe differences with that denomination." That was all I had to say, she looked relieved and smiled. My time was up. I had to go.

John the Steadfast

What are you? That is an extraordinarily important question to ask. In the context of one's confession of faith it means providing a steadfast and faithful answer to the query. The cashier I spoke with was looking for good information in "short bursts" of time. In fact, I continue to dialogue with her across the counter. She hasn't had time to visit my church and may never do so, but at least we are talking... even if it is mere seconds each Sunday morning! What she wanted to know was how am I any different from "those Lutherans" who reject the inerrancy of the Scriptures and not only embrace but celebrate the sin of homosexuality?

I think her question is a good one for all of us in the LCMS to answer. What are we? Do we unconditionally subscribe to all the doctrines found in the Book of Concord, or are we paying a quia subscription lip service? Do we truly believe that women should not be ordained as pastors, or do we really think that is a non-issue and we tolerate those openly calling for the LCMS to allow for women's ordination? Are the Holy Scriptures really inerrant, or are we nibbling around the edges of a false doctrine concerning the authority of scriptures which allows for some errors? Do we worship like Baptists and Pentecostals, or are we liturgical? What are we? It really is a good question.

Yet Another Perspective....

2011-10-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest names and intellects in computing history succumbed to pancreatic cancer and died on Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at the age of 56. The airways, blogsphere, and web news outlets are buzzing with tributes to the late Steve Jobs of Apple Computer.

I am not going to offer up my perspective about Steve Jobs. I think very highly of his work in the computing world and he will certainly be remembered for that work. There is no doubt in my mind that his legacy will live on for quite a long time.

No, what interests me is the buzz going around in the Lutheran blogsphere about Steven Jobs' religious views. Speculation abounds over whether or not Jobs was a Lutheran Christian at the time of his death and whether or not he was instructed in an LCMS confirmation class. Perhaps he was confirmed in the LCMS as a child. I don't know. What interests me is why it is important for some to assign Steve Jobs into the "Lutheran column"? Is it because of his celebrity in life? Are we supposed to derive some level of comfort knowing that a big name in history was one of us? Maybe I don't "get it?"

What I have read about Jobs tells me something different about his religious views while he was alive. Now that he has passed on he knows the truth, but here is what FOX News reported about Jobs on October 5, 2011:

"Jobs' personal ethos -- a natural food lover who embraced Buddhism and New Age philosophy -- was closely linked to the public persona he shaped for Apple. Apple itself became a statement against the commoditization of technology -- a cynical view, to be sure, from a company whose computers can cost three or more times as much as those of its rivals" (FOX News On-line)

According to FOX News, Jobs was a Buddhist. ABC News has run a story about Jobs titled, "Steve Jobs' Mantra Rooted in Buddhism: Focus and Simplicity" (source). The ABC article simply oozes enthusiasm over Jobs' being a Buddhist in life, while maybe not a devout one. Both sources corroborate the Wiki Article about Jobs (found here) which tells of his conversion to Buddhism early on in his life and his being married by a Buddhist monk. There is no hint in these articles of Jobs ever being a Christian, or a Lutheran Christian for that matter. So was Jobs a Buddhist when he breathed his last, or did he return to a Christian faith he supposedly had as a child?

Really, I think such questions are nonsense. I don't mean to deflate the happy bubble for some who get some sort of tingly thrill up their back thinking that yet another celebrity might have been a Lutheran. Some of us Lutherans fall all over ourselves with glee at the thought of someone famous sharing in our faith. Perhaps that is warranted where it is evident that the person died in their baptismal faith. In the case of Steve Jobs the story that he might have been raised a Lutheran Christian only to turn his back on God to become a Buddhist is not at all a happy one. It certainly brings no comfort to people to speculate over whether or not he repented on his death bed, drawing comfort from his baptism; if he was baptized at all. Only God knows the heart and the truth in this case and that is where we should leave it.

What I know is that Christ died on the cross for all people regardless of their social status.

My perspective is that we baptized children of God trust solely in Jesus Christ for our salvation while we are alive. He will continue the good work He has started in our lives and preserve us to the end. We can take comfort in our baptisms knowing that we are His. We don't need to speculate over whether or not we are going to be in heaven. We have the promise of God now.

2011-10-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

Issues, Etc. Reformation week... yes, it is that time of the year! Time to tune into, IE.

I am a supporter of Issues, Etc. Please prayerfully consider joining me in giving to Issues, Etc. so that we can keep this excellent, Lutheran, resource on the air.

Ruminations About the Meaning of Truth

2011-10-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

In the introduction to his collection of essays titled Consequences of Pragmatism Richard Rorty writes concerning the meaning of truth, "On James's view, 'true' resembles 'good' or 'rational' in being a normative notion, a compliment paid to sentences that seem to be paying their way and that fit with other sentences which are doing so." Rorty is a philosopher following the pragmatist tradition after William James. For these pragmatists truth is found in the practical consequences of work, or action. As William James aptly framed his point, truth is found in answer to the question "What practical difference does belief in some theory make?" For the pragmatists if belief in a theory makes no practical difference at all, then it lacks value and is not "true."

I am not a pragmatist. I firmly believe that truth exists apart from my cognitional reflexes to the world around me. In the gospel of John I find one of the most persuasive claims that truth is real and not at all contingent upon my own mental states. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life..." (John 14:6). Jesus also stated about His Father, "...your word is truth..." (John 17:17). The truth is real and is extra nos. That this must be the case is indubitably clear from Christ's own words. Jesus didn't assert that His Father's word is truth because it works, or because the practical consequences of His word hold value for us.

Consider this, John writes under inspiration of the Holy Spirit that in the beginning was the Word, and it is through the Word that all things are made (John 1:1-5). John writes that this same Word became flesh and dwelt in our midst and we beheld His glory as the only begotten Son of the Father (John 1:14). Furthermore, the Word become flesh is the creator of all things. That is to say that our very existence is contingent upon the Word... upon God.

In order to coherently maintain that truth is a valued practical consequence of our own actions, we would have to redefine truth as something other than what Christ says regarding the objectivity of truth. Namely, that His Father's word is truth and that He is the truth.

William Alston in his book A Realist Conception of Truth writes, "A statement (proposition, belief...) is true if and only if what the statement says to be the case actually is the case" (p.5). Alston is arguing that for a proposition to be true it must express something that is actual in the world. In other words, truth is conditioned upon something being the case in the world external to the person thinking about it. Isn't this similar to what Jesus explains to us about truth, but without the philosophical jargon?

By way of example and to flesh out a little more what I am thinking about here, when I reflect upon chapter three of the gospel of John, it is easy for me to understand that John the Baptizer was no pragmatist and neither was he a relativist when it came to truth. John the Baptizer said that those who receive the testimony of Christ affirms "that God is true" (John 3:33). In fact, if you read chapter three of John's gospel it is clear that the testimony of He who comes from heaven, i.e. the words of Christ, are "above all." Another way of putting it is that the meaning of Christ's words are true regardless of what you or I think. John the Baptizer was a realist in that he had to fully believe the truth was something outside of himself and was found in Jesus. John the Baptizer knew that the truth was something separate from himself and we see this in his exclamation "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29)!" Not only is the Lamb of God knowable, but so is sin. Sin is a condition that is not a figment of the mind and neither is it merely a social construct invented to bring order from an otherwise chaotic world. It is the case that sin is actually something requiring a real "lamb of God" who takes it away. Think of it this way, sin is not just an unwanted consequence of our actions. If that is all sin is, then we wouldn't need a lamb of God to take away sin, instead we would need something like a supernatural "life coach" to change our behavior. Jesus didn't die on a cross in order to pay the price for new behaviors. Christ was punished and died on the cross for real sins which exist whether we want to believe that or not.

Truth is not that which is "paying" its way, or that which merely has value to us at the end of the day. That which is true, i.e. what is actually the case in the world irregardless of what you or I think, is the Word of God. His Word is above all things in heaven and on earth. It is little wonder why Peter rhetorically asked Jesus, "To whom shall we go?" Peter knew that the words he uttered about Jesus, "You have the words of eternal life," were actually the case. Peter asserted something about Christ which didn't rely upon his own mental states for their truth. Indeed, Christ has true words of eternal life for everyone in the whole world, because He is the author and finisher of our lives. He is the truth and was so even before a single human mind was created. Indeed, even before there were pragmatists viewing truth as a sentence which pays its way in the world.

"God said it and that settles it!"

2011-10-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

I remember following an on-line debate over some matter in the Scriptures a couple years ago and one of the participants wrote something to the effect of "God said it and that settles it!" Another person took issue with the comment quipping, "Knowing the mind of God must be nice!" The snarky retort meaning that the Scriptures were not clear in the matter. What was being argued? Whether or not God directly created Adam.

The debate over God's word between "Theistic Evolutionists" and the "Young Earth Theorists" has been going on since at least the early twentieth century. Up until the advent of Darwinian evolution in the later half of the nineteenth century, it was taken for granted that God had designed and created all things, including humans. It isn't until Darwin that we find the idea that life pops into existence by happenstance getting any traction.

As a Christian the whole debate over whether or not God is the efficient cause of Adam and Eve is a non-issue for me. I expended a good number of brain cells over quite a long time thinking about the issues of creationism as a skeptic. As an atheist hell bent on proving that God doesn't exist, I took great pleasure banging Christians over the head with physical evidence suggesting that Darwinian evolution is a fact and therefore, the creation story in Genesis is mythological.

Today, by the grace of God alone, I am a Christian and I humbly confess that God is the efficient cause of the universe and all that is in it. God directly created Adam and Eve, according to the Genesis creation account. The Scriptures declare in Genesis 2:7 that God "formed the man" and He "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life." The question of when this happens in time doesn't remotely concern me. God's Word declares it, and that settles it!

For some such questions are really important and I am not wanting to cast aspersions against those asking such questions. As I write above, I spent too many years entertaining skepticism regarding what the Scriptures plainly teach. However, I am a firm believer that we can press our questioning too far. It is one thing to dig deep into the Scriptures, and yet quite another to go beyond the Scriptures and try to plumb the depths of God's mind though today's physical theories. Moses wrote under inspiration of the creator of the world. Stephen Hawking is a brilliant man, but doesn't have the mind of God. Who am I going to trust?

Hearing Repentance in the Divine Service

2011-10-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

The most comforting words I hear each Lord's Day are Christ's being proclaimed through my pastor to me, "Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins."

Repentance is a joyful gift from God. Philip Melanchthon writes about repentance in the Augsburg Confession in this way, "4] ...Now, repentance consists properly of these 3] two parts: One is contrition, that is, 4] terrors smiting the conscience through the knowledge of sin; the other is faith, which is born of 5] the Gospel, or of absolution, and believes that for Christ's sake, sins are forgiven, comforts 6] the conscience, and delivers it from terrors" (XII, 4-6).

In the divine service we confess before all standing with us that we rightly deserve God's punishment now and forever. We are not proudly standing as we publicly declare our remorse over the sins we commit. Humbly we speak as we thirst after the righteousness of Christ and we earnestly desire to hear Jesus declare once again that even though we are sinners, begging at the table of our Lord, we are forgiven. The pastor speaks aloud relief for the terrified soul, "As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the † Son and of the Holy Spirit." The Gospel is spoken to us, "I... forgive you all your sins." In the space of a few moments Law and Gospel are delivered and repentance happens. We hear it all around us in the divine service, repentance.

Repentance is God's gift, He leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4; 2 Timothy 2:25). Indeed, God the Father sent His Son Jesus Christ to give us repentance and the forgiveness of sins (Acts 5:31).

Public confession of our sins with absolution following is simply tremendous. So why then would any congregation calling itself "Christian," or even "Lutheran" for that matter, want to water down this extremely comforting and important aspect of the divine service to the extent that it is wholly unrecognizable? Indeed, there are some congregations which have ejected public confession and absolution from its "worship service" so as to not offend the "unChurched" who may not understand the meaning of terms such as "sin," and "eternal punishment." Why is that?

I am a repentant sinner by God's grace alone. I need to hear repentance in the divine service precisely because I am a sinner. The Church of Christ repents. Pastors and congregations who mess around with the liturgy and either weaken public confession and absolution, or leave it out of the Sunday divine service, hurt the baptized children of God.

I give thanks to God for pastors who are faithful to His word and understand that we need to hear and speak repentance; that is, we need public confession and absolution so clearly practiced in the divine service that nobody can miss it for it brings the repentant much comfort and strength.

President Matt Harrison Speaks About Sale of ULC

2011-09-30T11:40:00.002-07:00

LCMS Synod President Matt Harrison has blogged about the sale of the ULC on the blog "Witness, Mercy, Life Together." The following is taken from the article listed on that blog.

Concerning the Sale of University Lutheran Chapel

Friday, September 30, 2011

Dear Friends in Christ,

In the course of the September meeting of the Council of Presidents, Minnesota North President Don Fondow and I requested of President Lane Seitz a meeting with himself and the Minnesota South District Board of Directors. Of the several concerns raised by the then-impending sale of the University Lutheran Chapel property, President Fondow and I were in agreement that it was unwise to disregard the resolution of the joint pastors’ conference requesting that any decision to sell the property be made at the Minnesota South District Convention. We were seeking to share this and other information directly with the board. President Seitz quickly offered us options for the meeting and was polling his board for an agreeable date. However, President Seitz later informed me that the individual authorized by the Board to sell the property had signed documents to that end at very nearly the same time as President Seitz was working to find an agreeable date for us to meet with the board.

The Life Together which we enjoy is fragile and often fractured. This action makes it even more so. There is no question that the Board had the right to do what it did with the property. Unfortunately, this action is difficult, even impossible to separate from ongoing dissensus in the district about what it means to be Lutheran, very similar to our larger challenges as a Synod. We have a long way to go in this regard. God help us.

I wish to state my hearty thankfulness for ULC. I have met more delightful and engaged Lutherans from this campus ministry around the country than any other. They are occupied in all manner of professions and active in church. We need many more campus ministries just like ULC. The army of clergy and now deaconesses who have come through ULC is astounding.

I would urge that all who are concerned about ULC turn away from judging motives, as difficult as that may be. This action comes as no surprise to anyone close to the situation. It’s time to turn toward ULC’s future, a future I support.

It is also time to have more brotherly conversations around the Word of God and to implore the Lord of the Church to grant greater harmony in what it means to be Lutheran. Together, let us hear and heed the apostolic word: “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:9–10).

Pastor Matthew C. Harrison, President
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

(Witness, Mercy, Life Together)

ULC Minnesota SOLD

2011-09-29T04:30:00.000-07:00

Copy of memo announcing sale of ULC

LU Clemmensen, Treasurer for the Minnesota South District of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (MSD), entered into a purchase agreement with Doran, Inc. on September 23rd to sell the University Lutheran Chapel (ULC) according to the copy of a memorandum found on the ULC website (link here).

The purchase agreement is for the amount of $3.5 million dollars and the sale will be finalized on July 1, 2012 if Doran acknowledges all conditions of the sale have been met by that time.

I blogged about the ULC sale on September 20th (here) and described the action of the MSD to sell ULC as "boneheaded." I am being kind with my description.

The way the MSD conducted themselves in pushing the sale of the ULC is an embarrassment to the LCMS. The Board of Directors of the MSD managed to show to the world the worst possible treatment any large corporate landlord in the world could heap upon its tenants and that is by selling the tenant's "home" right out from underneath them. Indeed, nobody—not even non-Christians—could have guessed that an entity bearing the name of the LCMS, which represents millions of Lutheran Christians, would have been so callously Draconian in its treatment of the pastor and parishioners of the ULC.

The Persecution and Killing of the Saints

2011-09-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

According to this ACLJ article A Christian pastor by the name of Youcef Nadarkhani may be executed Wednesday or shortly there after. His crime? He confesses Christ Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

"When asked to 'repent' by the Judges, Youcef stated, 'Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?' The judges replied, 'To the religion of your ancestors, Islam.' To which he replied, 'I cannot.'" (ibid.)

Pr. Nadarkhani will be given two additional chances to renounce his faith in Christ and confess Mohammed is the true prophet of God. If he doesn't, he will likely be executed immediately as an apostate according to the government of Iran.

Pr. Youcef Nadarkhani's situation gives me much to think about.

As an American citizen the idea that I could be executed for the confession of my faith by the state is utterly foreign to me. I really can't grasp what it means to live under the fear of a theocratic government having the power to force me to choose between my faith or death. It's simply "unAmerican" for government to infringe upon another's right to practice their own religion.

At times I have heard some American Christians wistfully talk about martyrdom and put down Christians in the USA and Europe as "Laodiceans" who are weak in faith. It is true that the Churches throughout Europe and America do at times look lukewarm, or indifferent, in their confession of Christ. It is surely a fact that some denominations have fallen into outright apostasy. However, I believe it is a mistake to try to compare Christians living in western democracies with those who live under the boot of theocratic oppression such as that found in Iran. It is an apple versus oranges comparison. Sadly, with much liberty comes ample opportunity to walk away from our faith.

American Christians are attacked on all sides by an insidious persecutor. We are beset upon by a moralistic, deistic, therapeutic ethos which also happens to forcefully propound "religious tolerance" in an effort to silence Christians (or anyone else with an exclusive truth claim for that matter) who would dare confess the truth of Jesus Christ. Make no mistake about it, we Christians in the western world are heavily under attack. The truth is under attack. We just don't have the executioner's axe physically held over our heads.

One of the attacks we face in American Christianity is the strong temptation for syncretism and unionism. We are barraged with a "live and let live" message through various sources such as the media and entertainment industry. The multicultural message is all around us, indoctrinating us with the universalist message of religious coexistence, which really means that there is no room for anyone's identification with an exclusive truth claim (such as Christ's "I am the way, the truth, and the life" John 14:6) aside from the claim that all religions are basically the same. There just is "religion," which has become a generic brand of therapy. You have your "god" which makes you feel good and helps you to live a moral life, and I have my "god" which does the same, or so the spirit of the age tells us.

Religious leaders caught up in this universal spirit of the age fall all over themselves in taking opportunity to show their unity in the doctrine of religious multiculturalism. What used to be simply a call for tolerance of each other's beliefs is now a silent killer. Rather than physically executing a Christian for confessing the truth, we now have a politically correct apparatus through multiculturalism in which to "kill" the message that there can be only one truth found in Christ. Claiming to have "the Truth" is a message held by hyper-radicals like Islamofascist terrorist groups, by today's "standards." "Live and let live" is the message of the day and sadly too many American Christians are buying into it. Don't believe me? Just do a web search on "interfaith community" and you will get over 6 million results. It is extremely popular today for religious leaders of all faiths to publicly join hands together in "working for a better world." The "social gospel" transcends all "faith traditions." The following is highly unpopular with the priests and priestesses of the multicultural religion of today,

Interfaith service in Pomfret, CT

"14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“ I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” —1 Corinthians 6:14-18

My prayers go out to Pr. Youcef Nadarkhani and his family. I don't want to romanticize his predicament and neither do I want to belittle it with some sort of comparison to what we Christians in America are facing. However, I think there is much to be said about being able to see your enemy's face and with the strength of God confess the truth of Christ Jesus. All too often, here in America, we don't get to see the "face" of the enemy until it is too late and the evil work of the devil has been thoroughly accomplished in our midst.

Learning to Pray

2011-09-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

I am "green," "wet behind the ears," or however else you want to describe being a novice at certain things. Five years ago I was an absolute "n00b" (that is slang for "being new" or beginner, in case you didn't know) when it came to praying. I had spent years as an unrepentant sinner and when Jesus brought me to repentance I had little understanding of how I should approach God in prayer, or for what I should even ask in prayer. Some life-long Christians who are used to praying may find that difficult to understand or believe, but yeah, verily, it was the case.

Now, I don't mean to say that I had no idea how to speak words to God. You have to understand that prior to being an atheist I had been part of the Pentecostal movement. At that time when I prayed, I was heavily influenced by the "name it and claim it" crowd who when approaching God in "prayer" treated our Lord as a servant they could manipulate with their demands. Praying, in these circles, was a show of strength in the individual's faith. For example, rather than ask God "Lord if it is your will that I have an Audi A7, then please help me make my car payments," I might have strongly asserted something like, "Lord, you promised us 'Ask anything in my name and you will receive it!' and I am claiming, in faith, this here electric blue Audi A7 with Italian leather seats in your name! AMEN!" If I wasn't "blessed" with the automobile of my choice, then I chalked it up to not having enough faith or to sin. After all, God wanted me to prosper financially and have the wealth of the world, since I was His child and the wealth of the world was my earthly inheritance. Sad, I know.

When I eventually left the world of Pentecostalism and became a conservative Baptist, I still hadn't been taught how to pray and my "prayer life"—we talked allot about such a life since we liked pietism—hadn't changed all that much. I wasn't "talking in tongues" anymore and I didn't hop up and down like I had hot charcoal in my shoes, but my demanding language hadn't really changed. My Father in heaven was not revered in my words or actions. I wasn't bowing to God in either my heart, nor with my head.

After I had walked away from God and spent eighteen years as an atheist, God granted me faith to receive His forgiveness of sins. The fact that I was such a wretched, blasphemous, person and yet God loved me and forgave me blows me away even now as it did five years ago. How does one approach such a Holy and loving God in prayer? I didn't really know at the time and so I asked my pastor.

My pastor pointed me to several sources. The first place he turned my attention to was the Lord's Prayer found in the Gospels. I remember having an "Oh, duh!" moment, because I had already been praying the Lord's Prayer in the liturgy. The second place I was pointed to was the structure of the liturgy itself. In there I found confession of sins, praise and thanksgiving to God, prayers for the whole people of God and for all people according to their needs. Little did I realize at the time the liturgy was training and preparing me in my faith. I firmly believe the traditional liturgy is indispensable for catechesis. Why on earth would anyone want to take such a sound means of teaching the one true faith away from the laity?

My pastor also showed me a couple prayers found in Luther's Small Catechism. As a "n00b" at the time I was just getting my feet wet in the adult catechism class taught by my pastor and I hadn't gotten around to reading the copy of the Small Catechism given to every new member of the congregation. I honestly had a "geek" moment as I looked through the Small Catechism. It was better than playing around with a new operating system! For a "geek" that means it is really good.

One thing I noticed right away was that all the prayers I was being taught were quite reverent. God wasn't being treated disrespectfully as some sort of Genie in a bottle from which I could demand the fulfillment of my wishes. No, in these prayers God was being esteemed as the Most Holy One who made it possible for me to approach Him through His dear Son, Jesus Christ.

Today I am not as much of a novice to prayer. Thanks to the pattern of prayer given to us by Christ with the Lord's prayer, I now know how to pray to my heavenly Father. I am also thankful for the Small Catechism and for prayer books (e.g. Starck's Prayer Book and The Treasury of Daily Prayer) I regularly use.

Word and Sacrament: Hip? Cool? Nah, it's Scriptural

2011-09-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Pr. James E. May, Jr. doing real missionary work

A friend of mine, Pr. Thomas Messer, posted the above picture in his Facebook stream and wrote something I think is profound, "A REAL, live missionary at work, doing REAL, live missionary work!"

I thank God for faithful pastors such as Pr. Messer and Pr. May. Indeed, this is REAL missionary work. It isn't the hip and cool "missional" hype some are caught up in. What we are seeing is the Word of God and water working a miracle on a sinner. Jesus tells us, "...there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10). We, too, can rejoice with the angels that yet another sinner has been added to the Church through teaching God's Word and Baptism for the remission of sins!

Unionism Again?

2011-09-23T12:47:00.002-07:00

Unionism: The Concordia Cyclopedia (St. Louis, 1927), p. 774: “Religious unionism consists in joint worship and work of those not united in doctrine. Its essence is an agreement to disagree. In effect, it denies the doctrine of the clearness of Scripture.” —Christian Cyclopedia

On September 12th the egregiously sinful Evangelical Lutheran Church of America announced that it had held a number of commemorations of 9-11 with its "interfaith partners" (press release¹). These commemorations were prayer and worship services.

According to the press release issued by the ELCA these "interfaith partners" included, "...Muslim, Jewish and other Christian neighbors." Just who were some of these "other Christian neighbors?

Attending the Manhattan "prayer and remembrance" event, hosted by ELCA Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, and showing support as an "interfaith partner" was none other than Lutheran Church Missouri Synod's Atlantic District President David Benke. Wasn't Rev. Benke the center of controversy over an interfaith prayer event held at Yankee Stadium in 2001 upon which he was brought up on charges? Yes, he was exonerated of those charges eventually and after much turmoil which is an understatement. So, here again we find the District President of the LCMS Atlantic District involved in another event displaying a show of religious unionism via worship with "interfaith partners" which includes the ELCA. Have I missed something here? Is there a technicality that allows us to lock hands in public worship with pagans and heretics?

Editor's Note: The CTCR issued a brief paper on cooperation in externals in which it provides basic principles for cooperating with the ELCA in works of mercy. The December 2010 document titled, "Principles for Cooperation in Externals with Theological Integrity (2010 Res. 3-03)"—which can be found at this link—clearly states, "Organizational events or ceremonies must not involve public worship and neither the LCMS nor the ELCA (or any other church with which we might be cooperating apart from a relationship of altar and pulpit fellowship) ought to imply that the joint effort fully represents its confession of faith in all articles."

_________
¹Thanks to Pr. Eric Stefanski for drawing my attention to this news.

The Enthusiasm of Old Adam

2011-09-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

I and my wife was driving home from a function and talking over pretty much anything popping into mind when we found ourselves chatting about the terrible malaise of not feeling close to God all of us Christians at one time or another experience. Our conversation was an important one since both of us come from a Pentecostal background and we also had been neck deep into the pop-spiritualism of the world prior to becoming Lutherans.

When I was a Pentecostal much of my waking time was spent on thinking over how to have a personal revival everyday. What could I do to get closer to God? The evaluation tool of choice in measuring the success of my works was wholly experiential. I, and my fellow Pentecostals, talked allot about "blessings" from God in response to our own faith driven actions. If I prayed, fasted, and read my Bible, then I could expect to experience God in a richer way than if I had not done any of that at all. How did I know I was experiencing God? The answer was by the number of blessings I received. Was I prosperous financially? Was I in good health? Was I winning souls for Jesus? Did I feel close to God? If I was prosperous, I was being blessed by God in response to my works. Ditto for my health, winning souls for Jesus, and my overall mental health, or "feeling good."

I was treating God like a heavenly slot machine where if you just pump Him full of coins sooner or later He will give you a jackpot physically and spiritually. Another way of thinking about this is treating God like He is a rabbit's foot. The problem is trusting in one's own action of rubbing the foot to obtain good things versus looking to what God promises us in the work of Christ. I was exercising faith in my own faith and works. I had to pull the lever to win big.

The most devastating problem, and one I think we all encounter, is gauging whether or not we belong to Christ with our feelings. I remember one Pentecostal pastor's sermon where he was preaching about having "mountain top" experiences in the Holy Spirit and "valley of dry bones" experiences. At one point in his sermon he asked a fairly legalistic question addressing it to those "in the valley." His condemning question was, "Who moved? You or God?" The answer, for this pastor, was if anyone was having a "valley of dry bones" experience then that person likely lacked faith, or was sinful, or both.

You would think that as Lutheran Christians we would know better than to rely on our own feelings to gauge whether or not we are Christ's, but we are just as susceptible to the Pentecostal's enthusiasm as they. We state in our confession of faith:

"9] In a word, enthusiasm inheres in Adam and his children from the beginning [from the first fall] to the end of the world, [its poison] having been implanted and infused into them by the old dragon, and is the origin, power [life], and strength of all heresy, especially of that of the Papacy and Mahomet. 10] Therefore we ought and must constantly maintain this point, that God does not wish to deal with us otherwise than through the spoken Word and the Sacraments. 11] It is the devil himself whatsoever is extolled as Spirit without the Word and Sacraments. For God wished to appear even to Moses through the burning bush and spoken Word; and no prophet neither Elijah nor Elisha, received the Spirit without the Ten Commandments [or spoken Word]. 12] Neither was John the Baptist conceived without the preceding word of Gabriel, nor did he leap in his mother's womb without the voice of Mary. 13] And Peter says, 2 Pet. 1:21: The prophecy came not by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. Without the outward Word, however, they were not holy, much less would the Holy Ghost have moved them to speak when they still were unholy [or profane]; for they were holy, says he, since the Holy Ghost spake through them." —Smalcald Articles, part III, article VIII, 9-13

Notice that Luther writes "enthusiasm inheres in Adam and his children from the beginning." As Lutherans we are not immune to falling into the trap of looking into our own hearts to try to find Jesus there. Where do we find Christ? Where we find His "outward" Word and Sacraments.

For those who don't understand what "enthusiasm" refers to in the above, Luther is broadly writing about the erroneous view that God draws us and justifies us without objective means of grace. Enthusiasm, in this sense, can involve a radical mysticism which teaches that we can have an immediate experience with God apart from God's own chosen means of grace. As Luther points out in the Smalcald Articles reference above, enthusiasm is the "power [life], and strength of all heresy" including the teachings of works righteousness (exemplified by the "Papacy and Mahomet [Islam]").

I believe some, and perhaps many, problems we face as Christians are created by us as our Old Adam seeks to find a ladder to God through our own works. It is our sinful nature that tells us we have to do something in order to merit God's favor. Our Old Adam can't possibly believe on its own that the forgiveness of sins is a gift freely given to us for the sake of Jesus Christ.

God so loved the world that He sent His Son (John 3:16) to take away each and every one of our sins and those of the whole world. It is Jesus who triumphed over our sins. Sometimes Christ was sinless. His work on the cross was not at all selfish. He wasn't crucified for His sins and we just happen to benefit. No, Christ went to the cross so that your sins and mine could be nailed to the cross and in so doing Christ took our sins away with Him in victory over sin and death (see Colossians 2:6-15; Isaiah 53:4-10).

When Paul writes under inspiration of the Holy Spirit to the church of Rome that there is no condemnation to those in Christ (Romans 8:1), he knows this to be true as an objective fact. That is to say, for those in Christ there is no condemnation over our sins, since we have been freely given Christ's righteousness which has nothing to do with our own works, or our feelings. This imputation of Christ's righteousness to us is something that happens outside us (extra nos). Isaiah writes about Christ's "robe of righteousness" (Isaiah 61:10) and how that it is He (Christ) who clothes us with His own robe. When Christ was led to the cross He was covered in a bloody robe. Those who crucified Him took His robe off and cast lots for it while Jesus hung on the cross naked. Christ suffered the shame of hanging naked on a cross before the world as a condemned man where you and I should have suffered. The glorious news is that the robe of Christ Jesus is put on us, covering our sinfulness and shame. Because of Christ's work we are not condemned. Thankfully we don't rely upon our own works for righteousness (justification) or else we would certainly be damned (Galatians 3:10), but we trust in Christ imputing His righteousness to us and He does this freely on no account of anything we did or could do.

Are you a baptized child of God? Good! Then you don't have to seek after immediate experiences with God through means outside the Word of God, baptism, and the Lord's Supper. Every Lord's Day when you partake in the Holy Supper of our Lord you are in Christ's very presence. You don't have to look for the feel of hairs raising on the back of your neck, or for some zing in your step to know you are truly Christ's. You don't have to be stuck on the emotional ups and downs of being "high on the mountain" one day and in the "valley of dry bones" the next to know that your sins are forgiven in Christ Jesus and that our heavenly Father loves you, because you have the objective promises of Christ which do not hang on your feelings or works.

Name Changes and Maximizing Effectiveness for Christ

2011-09-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

SBC Logo

One of my Google+ friends brought to my attention this linked article which reports that the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is considering a name change.

It doesn't matter to me if the SBC changes its name, but what catches my eye from the article reporting the potential change of name is the following quote from SBC president Bryant Wright:

"With our focus on church planting, it is challenging in many parts of the country to lead churches to want to be part of a convention with such a regional name. Second, a name change could position us to maximize our effectiveness in reaching North America for Jesus Christ in the 21st century."

Mr. Wright believes that a name change, or "rebranding" as it is called in the corporate world, will "maximize" the effectiveness of his denomination's mission in North America.

In 2008 the idea of a name change for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod was presented by the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance in its brief Walking Together—The LCMS Future. At that time the Blue Ribbon Task Force showed interest in changing the name of the LCMS citing the following reason,

"Changing the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod to better reflect who we are today, a church body that serves throughout North America and in partnership with 30 other Lutheran church bodies around the world" (p. 6).

Rebranding is typically done in order to change public perception about a product, business and other corporate structures. Rebranding per se isn't necessarily wrong. However, what can make a name change problematic and even wholly wrong is the rationale offered in support of rebranding. For instance, take the reasoning offered for changing the name of the LCMS. On the surface that seems to be a good reason for a name change. After all, most of the synod is not contained in the state of Missouri. Perhaps a name change would better reflect who we are as a synod today? I don't have an answer to the question and that is besides the point being made here.

The problem I see with the rebranding strategy waved at by the SBC's president is that he is claiming a name change will "maximize" the SBC's "effectiveness in reaching North America for Jesus Christ." His claim is nothing more than sheer Church Growth gobbledygook. If people are attending a church because of a brand name, then the owners of that name need to urgently assess their teaching on the Gospel.

The Church Growth world contains many a guru who believes that it is their work that has the power to make disciples for Christ. Ever since the 1970s followers of Donald McGavern and Peter Wagner have promoted a doctrine that reduces the working of the Holy Spirit through His Word in adding to the Church daily to the roll of a spiritual energy bar to be consumed by the missional enthusiasts who believe they and their programs are the real power behind the growth of the Church.

I bring the reasoning offered by the SBC's president for a name change to our attention as Lutherans, because there isn't a single Lutheran synod I can think of that hasn't been infected by this sort of Church Growth nonsense permeating American denominations and churches and that because of the success of the SBC and other American Evangelical denominations peddling Church Growth programs. The case in point here over rebranding is that a name change not only has the power to bring people to Christ, but will maximize the effectiveness of the Gospel. Hmm....

Jesus instituted the perfect means through which to grow His Church and that is through Word and Sacrament. Church Growth initiatives, such as rebranding a denomination in order to "maximize the effectiveness in reaching" sinners with the Gospel, are doomed to fail from the outset because the object of growth in the Church becomes our own programs and not Christ Jesus. Faith in our works is at best misplaced and wrong headed and at worst idolatrous, but in each case needs to be repented of.

The rationale offered by the SBC president for a name change is a good example of men putting faith in their own works when it comes to growing God's kingdom. Why not trust that the Holy Spirit will work through the proclamation of His Holy Word and leave it at that? Why not jump off the consumeristic, Church Growth boat and get to teaching and baptizing as our Lord instructs His Church to do in Matthew 28? The problem and answer may be as simple as that enthusiasm truly does cling to the Old Adam. The Old Adam just doesn't want to believe that God works through His chosen means of grace alone. Indeed, God doesn't want to deal with us sinners except through Word and Sacrament. That is exactly how He reached this sinner.

Hey what happened to your blog roll man?!

2011-09-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

To blog roll or not to blog roll... that is the question! Uh... well... maybe not. Blog rolls are pretty important in the blogging community. For one thing, it is nice to be tied into a community of bloggers and blog rolls help to create such a community. On the whole though, it is just darn nice to be listed on another's blog. Don't ask me why, but it just is... it is one of those blogger things.

Some of you will undoubtedly notice that my blog roll is no longer on the front page. My blog roll has moved. It now has a full page devoted to its own growing self. You can find my blog roll by navigating to it from the top nav bar under "Blog Roll." Pretty catchy name huh?

At the top of my new blog roll is the mother of all blog rolls, "The Big Blogroll O' Vark." and its equally large cousin the "Lutheran Blog Directory." If I don't have a blog listed for one reason or another (usually because I don't have time to visit them all throughout the day), you can find it on the Big Blogroll O' Vark or Lutheran Blog Directory. If you want to be listed on my blog roll just shoot me an email. I like to read other's bytes and wouldn't mind reading what you have blogged... unless of course you are selling something... or spamming... or a Russian bride site... or... well... you get the drift.

ULC and Synod, Inc. Shenanigans

2011-09-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you are an LCMS Lutheran frequently reading web community boards such as Steadfastlutherans.org, then you have undoubtedly read something about the University Lutheran Chapel (ULC) which serves the University of Minnesota.

The ULC is a thriving campus chapel which serves roughly 200 parishioners half of which are University of Minnesota students. The ULC has been serving its community since 1925 and is currently one of the most successful campus ministries in the LCMS. The problem is that the Minnesota South District Board of Directors (MSDBOD) has unilaterally decided¹ to sell off the ULC for $3.2 million to developers.²

Speculations are flying around the internet as to what is prompting the MSDBOD to sell off the ULC. I don't care to speculate over the motives of this board. What I have read are a good number of questions as to why the sale is being pushed hard and fast. A good question, being asked by several, is why can't this sale be brought up for a vote at the next district convention? What is the hurry?

The ULC is working hard to raise funds in order to buy the campus chapel from its own synod.³ To date it has raised roughly $16,000 and needs a bare minimum of $30,000 in order to seriously pursue purchase of the chapel.

It is my opinion that the proposed sale of the ULC has to be one of the most embarrassing moments for the LCMS on whole. Here we have a university congregation which is the only campus ministry of its kind serving the University of Minnesota and having long deep roots in the community, and now it is abruptly being sold off for no clear and good reason. This is the sort of action one would expect to see from "sharks" in the corporate world who don't give a hoot about the "little people" being affected by their actions. No matter how the MSDBOD spins this sale, it is simply an incredible embarrassment that the district would drag the name of the LCMS through a calloused action of booting some 100 or more people out of their home church, a church where men, women, and children have been receiving the forgiveness of sins since 1925. I will just call the move what it is, bone headed. It is really stupid to knock down a well established center where the means of grace are being given to students and who in turn go out in their vocations and show the mercy of Christ to perhaps thousands of students and faculty attending the University of Minnesota.

What price will the MSDBOD put on solid gospel proclamation to those in the university community? What's the price on Word and Sacrament ministry? Apparently the current price is $3.2 million.

If the ULC eventually sells to some entity other than the congregation now housed there, I can't see how such can be anything other than a gigantic sore on the record of the MSDBOD. Indeed, I wouldn't at all be surprised if members of that district worked hard to ensure that all the members of the board of directors were not reappointed to their positions.

I find it heartbreaking that Christians would sell out from underneath their brothers and sisters in the Lord the very place where they receive the forgiveness of sins. And for what? Money! What in the world could the MSDBOD be thinking? Or are they thinking? The evidence strongly indicates they are not.

It is my hope and prayer that enough money can be raised for the ULC to be purchased by its congregation. There is no good reason I can think of as to why the ULC should be closed down. If you would like to support the ULC please visit the following web page for details. Thank you.

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

2011-09-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

I am so very thankful that my Lord Jesus Christ saw fit to reach out and pluck up a blasphemous atheist of 18 years out of the pit and make him His own. God is faithful (1 John 1:9) and His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1-9 is most certainly true.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Give thanks to the LORD of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever; the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever; the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever."

Remember Your Baptism

2011-09-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

As one who loves the Lord it can be painful to think about my own sinful shortcomings and I surely have them. Christians all over the world groan and long for the day when we will no longer have to grapple with our sinful desires, but one day we will live with our Lord Jesus Christ in a new heaven and earth and we will be like Him. Until that day we struggle with our fallen natures, sin, and repent.

Are you breathing? If so then you are a sinner by nature. There is no way around it, we are sinful and only deceive ourselves if we think otherwise (1 John 1:8). Repentance is a wonderful gift given to us by God. What is repentance? As a Lutheran I confess along with my Lutheran forefathers,

"Now, repentance consists properly of these 3] two parts: One is contrition, that is, 4] terrors smiting the conscience through the knowledge of sin; the other is faith, which is born of 5] the Gospel, or of absolution, and believes that for Christ's sake, sins are forgiven, comforts 6] the conscience, and delivers it from terrors. Then good works are bound to follow, which are the fruits of repentance." —Augsburg Confession XII 2-4

Repentance is remorse over our sins and believing that for the sake of Christ, God has forgiven us our sins. It is because of the work Jesus did some two thousand years ago that our sins are forgiven. There is nothing we can do which will earn the forgiveness of sins and this remains true throughout the life of a Christian. God mercifully grants us repentant hearts. He graciously and freely pours out His forgiveness of sins to us and this all because of what Christ has done.

As repentant, baptized, children of God our consciences smite us over our sins and the good news is that the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives through His Word and Sacraments. If we didn't care about sin, or if we didn't earnestly desire the forgiveness of our sins, then we would be in trouble. We would have to wonder if we had any faith at all. I like what Luther has to say on this topic. I was reading the following a couple of days ago in the Treasury of Daily Prayer (p. 721) and found it quite encouraging and comforting. Luther says regarding our baptisms,

"The Children of Israel, whenever they turned to repentance, remembered above all their exodus from Eqypt, and remembering turned back to God who had brought them out. Moses impressed this memory and this protection upon them many times, and David afterwards did the same. How much more ought we to remember our exodus from Egypt, and by this remembrance turn back to him who led us through the washing of regeneration [Titus 3:5], remembrance of which is commended to us for this very reason!"

Here Luther has certainly given us a good reason to remember our baptisms. We are comforted by the objective fact of the remission of our sins through the means of water coupled with the promised Word of Christ. But Luther doesn't stop at our baptisms. There is another means through which we can remember that our Lord "led us through the washing of regeneration," as Luther put it. He continues,

"This can be done most fittingly in the sacrament of bread and wine.... Thus you see how rich a Christian is, that is, one who has been baptized! Even if he would, he could not lose his salvation, however much he sinned, unless he refused to believe. For no sin can condemn him save unbelief alone. All other sins, so long as the faith in God's promise made in baptism returns or remains, are immediately blotted out through that same faith, or rather through the truth of God, because he cannot deny himself if you confess him and faithfully cling to him in his promise" (ibid.).

Now before we start patting ourselves on the back for having been baptized, or look to ourselves clinging to the cross as a means of comfort, we should rethink such! Faith in our own faith is to lose the object of faith which is Christ. Such a loss creates a despair where we only see the blackness of our own hearts and we spiral downward into defeat, a loss of hope, and possibly a loss of our faith. Faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8). God in His great mercy raised us up from sin and death and made us alive in Christ. Indeed, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). Luther's Small Catechism echoes this point in the explanation of the third article where Luther writes,

"I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life. This is most certainly true."

We have no room to boast about our justification before God, or even our sanctification as we journey through life. It is the Holy Ghost who keeps me in the truth faith. Everything that we have comes from God and hallelujah for that fact! If we did have to look to ourselves for our own justification and sanctification, then we would be in real trouble! Thank our Lord we can look to Him solely for strength and comfort for it is He who is faithful and will continue to be merciful and gracious to us even in our darkest of hours.

The devil likes to bash us with our sins and remind us of what horrible sinners we are. Here we can agree with the devil that we are wretched, poor, miserable sinners. However, we also have the promise of God through the means of grace He has given to us. So, we can rest in Christ's promise and tell the old devil, there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)! Yes, indeed, "Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation" (Psalm 68:19). Amen.

Save the ULC

2011-09-14T13:54:00.001-07:00

The following is taken from the University Lutheran Chapel's (ULC) website. The ULC serves the University of Minnesota and is the only LCMS chapel of its kind serving the university area's residents and students alike. Please read over the following and consider supporting the ULC.

A Brief Overview

On April 19th, 2011, the Minnesota South District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod unveiled a plan to "expand campus ministry" within the District. The keystone of the plan is to sell the chapel of University Lutheran Chapel and use the money to start other campus outreach posts at schools around the state. The rationale being that buildings cost too much money to maintain, and that church buildings really have nothing to do with mission work.

We at University Lutheran Chapel believe our chapel building is extremely important to our work of campus ministry at the University of Minnesota and to the life of our congregation.

Why should you care?

University Lutheran Chapel is the only LC-MS congregation near the University of Minnesota and is extremely important to the spiritual welfare of our students and for outreach to those whom Christ would call to faith from the campus community.

ULC is not only important to our students at the U of M, but also to our entire church body. Our chapel is a flagship ministry in the LC-MS. We are one of the campus ministries that others look to for how faithful and successful campus ministry can be done. ULC impacts the entire synod through our students who leave our chapel to become leaders in churches throughout the world.

Consider the following:

ULC's campus ministry is one of the synod's oldest , having been active on the U of M campus since 1925, and in its current chapel since it was built in 1949/50.

ULC has sent 26 men to seminary over the tenure of pastors Pless and Kind. She has also had students become deaconesses, Lutheran school teachers, LC-MS camp directors, missionaries, etc.

ULC has had students and members who have done mission work in Haiti, in Kenya, in New Orleans, in South America and in many other places around the world.

ULC provides confessionally faithful and liturgical services to students throughout the year, numerous catechetical opportunities, Bible studies, social events, outreach events, and community service opportunities.

ULC is the only congregation in the city of Minneapolis that has shown consistent numeric growth (members, attendance & giving).

ULC as a congregation has become home to many young familes throughout the Twin Cities metro area, with a thriving Sunday School, VBS program, confirmation classes, youth group, choir, etc.

ULC has worked very hard to become self-supporting and now costs the MNS South District very, very little to operate (see "MNS District's Campus Ministry Budget" at the right of this page. Please note that based on this budget it is not zero dollars as previously reported, but still a relatively small amount of money. We are sorry for any confusion on this.)

What can you do?

Contact the MNS District Board of Directors, President and Mission Exec

Board of Directors: Make sure to address messages to the Board of Directors care of President Seitz. and put something to that effect in the subject line of the email and send it to President Seitz.

Or better yet send an old-fashioned snail mail letter to the following address: Board of Directors - MNS District, LC-MS, c/o President Seitz, 14301 Grand Ave. South, Burnsville, MN 55306

Rev. Dr. Lane Seitz + mnspres@mnsdistrict.org + 952-223-2150.

Rev. Peter Meier + peter.meier@mnsdistrict.org + 952-223-2151

Emails addressed only to President Seitz or Rev. Meier will almost certainly NOT be passed on to the Board of Directors.

Help Spread the Word!

Tell others to visit this website or to visit our Facebook fan page "Save University Lutheran Chapel".

Pray for us

Above all else, we pray the Lord will uphold this congregation and her students in the midst of all of this; for as He has said, even the gates of Hell shall not prevail against His Holy Church.

_____________

(Blog Editor's addition)

Donate Today to Help Save the Chapel
The ULC chapel is up for sale. It is still possible for the ULC chapel to be saved through purchasing the chapel. If you have the means consider donating to help save the chapel today. Thank you.

Glass Walls and Stitches

2011-09-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

I live in the "Emerald City," Seattle. My home was built in 1927 and is one of the type of "craftsman homes" which are in demand in the Seattle neighborhoods. The homes are certainly very nice, but they also require allot of work in upkeep due to their age.

When my family first moved into this house it had a late 70s/early 80s interior decor which had made a come back in the early to mid 90s. One of the walls in the living room was covered in 12" X 12" square mirror tiles. It looked cool for a time, but as time passed my family was ready for change and so was I. The glass wall had to go!

I am one of those frugal type who will squeeze all I can get out of a penny. Before I will seek to hire someone to do a job, I will take my time and investigate whether or not I can do the work myself and save labor costs. Anyone who has had work done to their home knows that labor is the largest cost when having work done.

After a good deal of research I decided that I could remove the glass wall myself and save a bundle of money. I had little time to get rid of the glass wall, since we had new furniture on order and it was to arrive soon. The following are some pictures of the job as I was working. I did all this work by myself and I only had four days to do it before our new furniture was delivered.

First picture of prepped glass

This is the first picture I took documenting my work. I had already taken down oak wood that had been used to help hold the mirror tiles in place. I really don't know why the wood was necessary, since these mirrors were not just hot glued into position, but also had double sided tape securing the corners of the glass to the plaster behind them in addition to the adhesive backing on each tile. Talk about overkill. As you can see I taped off each glass tile using masking tape. I did this in order to keep down the amount of glass shards flying around when it was time to pull the glass down off the wall.

As I said, the glass was firmly secured to the plaster. I was really hoping that a number of things were going in my favor as I started the job. The first thing I was hoping for was that the tiles had not been hot glued into place, but rather that they were being held in place solely by the factory adhesive backing on each tile. That would have been ideal, since I would have only needed to heat each tile with my hot air gun and the tile would then practically slip off the wall with little damage to the plaster behind it. The second condition I was hoping for was that the wall behind the glass was dry wall and not plaster. One of the problems with these old craftsman homes is that the walls are constructed of the old lattice and plaster type. It is an enormous amount of work to have to hang dry wall and I really didn't have the time to do it since I only had four days to demo the wall, mud it, texture it, and paint.

After prepping the glass for take down I started testing individual tiles to determine the easiest method of removal with the least amount of damage to the wall underneath. I took my hot air gun and heated up the first glass tile. The glass "popped" and then cracked as I had applied too much heat. It was then, to my horror, that I discovered the glass tile had been hot glued to the plaster! This was not a good thing, since it was going to require more time and effort to remove the glass, time I really didn't have. I decided to test another tile. In my right hand I held the hot air gun and in my left I held a tape knife which I gently slid under the glass as it heated up. This method seemed to work quite well. In fact all too well, since no sooner had I applied pressure to the tape knife after heating up the glass, the knife quickly slipped under the tile and before I could do anything my unprotected hand slid over an adjacent tile and cut my hand wide open. It was like the Texas Chain Saw Massacre! My hand was squirting blood all over the place. I quickly got into the bathroom and took a nice white towel (man was I in trouble!) and wrapped my bleeding hand with it. Blood was in the carpet, on the floor in the bathroom, all over the sink and all over me. An emergency room trip and two large stitches later (and a large doctor bill to boot!) I was back in business, but not that day. Day one ended in a bloody mess.

The wall by mid-day

You know that old saying, there is no rest for the wicked? Well, in my case I had only three days left to get my job done and the freshly stitched hand couldn't hold me back. I was up early the second morning and with tape knife and hot air gun in leather gloved hand I started tackling the wall. I had to have it down in a couple hours, the glass removed from the floor and had to have the wall patched and ready to go for mud and primer the next day. There was simply no way around it. By mid-day my left hand was aching, but I had all the glass down. To my relief the damage to the underlying plaster wasn't all that bad.

Wall mudded in and ready for sanding

I dragged out about 100 pounds of glass. I must admit I had some choice words that I muttered as I was going along. With every tile that shattered and hit the floor, taking along with it a nice sized chunk of plaster board with it, I wondered what would have possessed someone to secure glass tile to a wall as if a tank was going to drive across the wall. Indeed it was frustrating work. What had I gotten myself into? Would I make the deadline? I was already hearing pleas from my loving wife to put off the delivery of the furniture, but being the stubborn man that I can be I opted to work harder, faster, and longer. By the end of the day I had the wall completely mudded in with "hot mud" and dry wall compound. The next day I would have to sand the wall down and texture it to match the texture of the surrounding walls. I left two fans blowing on the wall so that they would dry enough over night for me to sand over them.

Day three found me up very early in the morning to start sanding and to get the texture up on the wall before noon. I had two fans blowing on the wall as I worked with the texture, since it had to be dry enough to get primer on the wall. Even though I was going to use a high quality self priming paint, I still wanted to ensure that there would be no "bleed through" from the wall causing bright spots and priming the wall prevents such "bleed through." I worked long into the night and had two coats of primer up on the wall before bed time. The plan called for the color coats of paint to be on the wall by the end of day four so that hopefully delivery day the paint would be hard enough to have new furniture moved into the living room. I definitely didn't want fresh paint on the new couches!

Drying paint on the wall

I rolled out of bed early on day four. Not only was my hand aching, but so was the rest of my body. I am a computer "geek" and not a laborer. The hardest manual work a computer "geek" has to do is lifting a coffee mug to his lips as he types away at his keyboard. Of course, occasionally a computer needs to be moved, but it certainly isn't as labor intensive as this job was. Although, I do have a story I could share another time about how I had a job tearing out a server room years ago. Now that was hard labor... for a nerd like me. At any rate, if you are guessing that I missed my deadline you would be wrong. With my two fans blowing on the wall, I worked through the day and applied several coats of paint to the wall once covered by glass. As you can see from the picture the wall looks much nicer than the 80s look we had for far too many years.

There's nothing more satisfying to me than a job well done and one that was very hard. I made the deadline. The paint was dry and hard enough to move our new furniture into the room. Literally after much sweat and some blood I was able to stand back and enjoy my finished work. Although, now I have quite a bit of new wall space to hang pictures. Any suggestions for wall art? Please don't suggest glass tiles!

Worldview Everlasting: "Symphonizing the Idle w/ Equal Dikaios"

2011-09-13T14:45:00.000-07:00

Why Apologetics?

2011-09-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you are a regular reader of Confessional's Bytes, then by now you have read ad nauseum that I was an atheist for 18 years prior to being a Christian and Confessional Lutheran. Every chance I get, whether it is speaking to others, or writing comments on message boards, I like to talk about what Christ has done for me and continues to do for me: He has forgiven me of all my sins and this not because of any works I have done or did (after all I was a blasphemous atheist), but He has forgiven me out of His unmerited favor upon me.

I also like to use my story in making the point that God's Holy Word is powerful. I know that the Holy Spirit does work through His Holy Word in creating faith (Romans 10:17)! When I was a atheist there was no amount of reasoning that would have convinced me that God really does exist and that Jesus is God the Son who died on a cross for my sins. Indeed, I spent years studying the arguments of Christian apologists such as John Warwick Montgomery, Richard Swinburne, Alvin Plantinga, William Lane Craig, and many others and to no avail. The more I studied, the more entrenched I became in my own atheism. Indeed, I became evangelical about my atheism and joined the ranks of men like Richard Dawkins in promulgating militant atheism. There was not a single logical argument or bit of empirical evidence that would convince me that God exists and that Christ died for my sins.

Unfortunately, my insistence on this truth over the bondage of my will to sin when I was an atheist is mistaken by some as a treatise against the work of apologetics. Nothing could be further from the truth. As a Lutheran layman I firmly believe that we should be able to give a reason for the hope that is within us when called upon to do so.

In my opinion, apologetics is a useful tool through which the good news about Jesus can be spoken to others. In fact, I often engage in apologetics, that is arguing in favor of what Christ has not only done for me, but for the whole world (John 3:16). For me apologetics is something quite personal, since it involves the confession of my faith in Jesus Christ. God does not need my defense nor my confession, but the Scriptures are very clear that those who confess Christ before men, He will confess them before His Father (see Matthew 10:32-33). As Christians we confess Christ.

I am certainly a supporter of apologetics, in the sense that I point at above, but there is another view of apologetics that I am wholeheartedly against. It is the view that I, or anyone else for that matter, am capable of proving the truth of Christianity to the satisfaction of the skeptic. The reality of the situation is that apologetics is actually for those who already solely trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Evidential arguments in support of the resurrection of Jesus, for example, will not at all bring the skeptic to his knees in repentance. One will be lucky to get any agreement out of the skeptic regarding the miraculous, period. However, sound arguments and solid evidence in support of the resurrection of Jesus most certainly will embolden us Christians to speak out against those attacking the truth and will provide us tools through which we can speak God's Word that He has given to us to tell to others who don't know Him.

I am not against apologetics. If we are too busy arguing ontological arguments for the existence of God and pointing out archaeological evidence for the historicity of Christ and the reliability of Scriptures, we may miss the reason why we are talking to someone about Jesus. I believe we have to keep in perspective why we confess our faith to others and that isn't so we can trot out "Evidence that Demands a Verdict," but rather that we may tell others about the mercy Christ has had on us poor miserable sinners. The bottom line is not to convince a skeptic we are right, but to tell them that they are in trouble with God and the good news is their sins are forgiven in Christ.

Soap Box Central

2011-09-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

"18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 So let no one boast in men." — 1 Corinthians 3:18-21

Martin Luther had much to say about the wisdom of the world. In his famed Heidelberg Disputation he grounds his arguments around the distinction of the theology of the cross from a theology of glory in the Scriptural view of what it means to be wise. Here is what Luther wrote,

"22] That wisdom which sees the invisible things of God in works as perceived by man is completely puffed up, blinded, and hardened.

This has already been said. Because men do not know the cross and hate it, they necessarily love the opposite, namely, wisdom, glory, power, and so on. Therefore they become increasingly blinded and hardened by such love, for desire cannot be satisfied by the acquisition of those things which it desires. Just as the love of money grows in proportion to the increase of the money itself, so the dropsy of the soul becomes thirstier the more it drinks, as the poet says: The more water they drink, the more they thirst for it. The same thought is expressed in Eccles. 1:8: The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. This holds true of all desires.

Thus also the desire for knowledge is not satisfied by the acquisition of wisdom but is stimulated that much more. Likewise the desire for glory is not satisfied by the acquisition of glory, nor is the desire to rule satisfied by power and authority, nor is the desire for praise satisfied by praise, and so on, as Christ shows in John 4:13, where he says, Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again.

The remedy for curing desire does not lie in satisfying it, but in extinguishing it. In other words, he who wishes to become wise does not seek wisdom by progressing toward it but becomes a fool by retrogressing into seeking folly. Likewise he who wishes to have much power, honor, pleasure, satisfaction in all things must flee rather than seek power, honor, pleasure, and satisfaction in all things. This is the wisdom which is folly to the world." — Heidelberg Disputation 22

Ultimately a theology of glory is anthropocentric. It is a theology where the rationality of man reigns supreme over the wisdom of God as found in the Holy Scriptures. What forms might this magisterial use of human reason and wisdom take in the Church?

I think probably the most distinct form to be witnessed are the rationalist assumptions about the Scriptures coming out of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. One of these assumptions is that the Holy Scriptures can't possibly be inerrant. This assumption is based on a deduction from human fallibility. I will not be exploring this issue in any depth here, but suffice it to say that the idea that the Holy Scriptures are not inerrant isn't derived from what the Scriptures say, but is a conclusion drawn about the Holy Scriptures from human understanding as to why the Scriptures must err.

Another example which is unfortunately highly controversial even among my brothers in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is a literal six day creation. Those rejecting a literal six day creation solely based upon empirical evidence found in the latest theories of science today exemplify a magisterial use of human reason over the Scriptures. It is not enough to allow the Genesis account of creation to speak for itself, but the purveyors of rationalism must harmonize the Scriptures with today's empirical studies. Anyone suggesting that we should simply remain silent, where the Scriptures are silent, and speak using the language used by the Scriptures with regard to creation, are ridiculed as Neanderthal flat earthers.

The theologians of glory must give to human reason the power of "satisfaction of all things." These are the men who are "ever learning" and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:7).

Of course, a theology of glory can be quite subtle. We see the insidiousness of a theology of glory in the Church Growth movement, Seeker Sensitive movement, and in the Contemporary Worship movement. The Church is repeatedly being pitched by these movements that the world is going to hell in a hand-basket and that the Church must change, or it too will slide off into obscurity along with the pagan religions of old. Of course, the pitchmen for these movements ignore the words of Jesus where our Lord quite literally promises that the gates of hell will not prevail against His Church (Matthew 16:18). Nonetheless, much of Christendom has come down with a severe case of Chicken Little disease because they are trusting that the prognosticators of the Church's demise have the correct solution to the very problem they have created.

The theology of the cross is one that is not recognizable to the "old Adam" which seeks anything other than the suffering and death of Christ on the cross. We do not comprehend out of our human reason alone the power of Christ working through the mundane objects of water, bread, and wine. Our brain power collapses at the words "take eat, this is my body" and all we see is bread. Likewise, the idea that Christ is in control and that the Holy Spirit adds to the Church daily (Acts 2:47) those whom He has chosen before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) simply causes the human mind to go "bonkers." It is far easier to accept the glitz of a theology of glory and implement the Contemporary Worship programs coming out of the Willow Creek Association than it is to practice a humble liturgy which places Jesus front and center of the divine service rather than the pastor's oratory skills, or a "worship leader's" crooning, or the praise band's hot contemporary sound.

The wisdom of this world, e.g. a theology of glory, suggests that the Church must be permeable to the culture around it. If we are to "survive," then local congregations should allow the community to influence how worship is conducted in the divine service. If a poll strongly indicates that the "unChurched" don't like public confession and absolution, don't like the pastor to preach and teach using words such as "sinner," "suffering," and "Christ," and that they don't want to see crosses or crucifixes, then the theologian of glory will see to it that the wishes of the unregenerate are catered to. As Luther states in the above quote, "...men do not know the cross and hate it, they necessarily love the opposite, namely, wisdom, glory, power, and so on." A theologian of glory doesn't want to be the salt of the earth.

What rejection of a literal six day creation as recorded in Genesis and the Church Growth, Seeker Sensitive, Contemporary Worship movements have in common is interpreting the Scriptures, or parts of them, exclusively in terms of human values and experiences. The question, "What does this mean?" is rewritten to "What does this mean to me?" And, it is in the two words "to me" which turns a theology of glory into the anthropocentric bulwark against Christ that it is. It is simply the Tower of Babel revisited; humanity trying to create their own ladder to God because it is much more palatable to us to create our own means to God rather than accept the humble means of grace that Christ has instituted and through which God works in the world.

Theology of the Cross

2011-09-08T08:57:00.000-07:00

I am always amazed at how pertinent Luther's Heidelberg Disputation is for us today. In particular where he writes about the theology of the cross versus the theology of glory. With much of evangelicalism caught up in a theology of glory, the following words stand out as a grim reminder that the Church is constantly buffeted by our "old Adams." May the Lord continue to have mercy!

20] He deserves to be called a theologian, however, who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God seen through suffering and the cross.

The manifest and visible things of God are placed in opposition to the invisible, namely, his human nature, weakness, foolishness. The Apostle in 1 Cor. 1:25 calls them the weakness and folly of God. Because men misused the knowledge of God through works, God wished again to be recognized in suffering, and to condemn wisdom concerning invisible things by means of wisdom concerning visible things, so that those who did not honor God as manifested in his works should honor him as he is hidden in his suffering (absconditum in passionibus). As the Apostle says in 1 Cor. 1:21, For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. Now it is not sufficient for anyone, and it does him no good to recognize God in his glory and majesty, unless he recognizes him in the humility and shame of the cross. Thus God destroys the wisdom of the wise, as Isa. 45:15 says, Truly, thou art a God who hidest thyself.

So, also, in John 14:8, where Philip spoke according to the theology of glory: Show us the Father. Christ forthwith set aside his flighty thought about seeing God elsewhere and led him to himself, saying, Philip, he who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9). For this reason true theology and recognition of God are in the crucified Christ, as it is also stated in John 10 (John 14:6) No one comes to the Father, but by me. I am the door (John 10:9), and so forth.

21] A theology of glory calls evil good and good evil. A theology of the cross calls the thing what it actually is.

This is clear: He who does not know Christ does not know God hidden in suffering. Therefore he prefers, works to suffering, glory to the cross, strength to weakness, wisdom to folly, and, in general, good to evil. These are the people whom the apostle calls enemies of the cross of Christ (Phil. 3:18), for they hate the cross and suffering and love works and the glory of works. Thus they call the good of the cross evil and the evil of a deed good. God can be found only in suffering and the cross, as has already been said Therefore the friends of the cross say that the cross is good and works are evil, for through the cross works are dethroned and the old Adam, who is especially edified by works, is crucified. It is impossible for a person not to be puffed up by his good works unless he has first been deflated and destroyed by suffering and evil until he knows that he is worthless and that his works are not his but God’s.

22] That wisdom which sees the invisible things of God in works as perceived by man is completely puffed up, blinded, and hardened.

This has already been said. Because men do not know the cross and hate it, they necessarily love the opposite, namely, wisdom, glory, power, and so on. Therefore they become increasingly blinded and hardened by such love, for desire cannot be satisfied by the acquisition of those things which it desires. Just as the love of money grows in proportion to the increase of the money itself, so the dropsy of the soul becomes thirstier the more it drinks, as the poet says: The more water they drink, the more they thirst for it. The same thought is expressed in Eccles. 1:8: The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. This holds true of all desires.

Thus also the desire for knowledge is not satisfied by the acquisition of wisdom but is stimulated that much more. Likewise the desire for glory is not satisfied by the acquisition of glory, nor is the desire to rule satisfied by power and authority, nor is the desire for praise satisfied by praise, and so on, as Christ shows in John 4:13, where he says, Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again.

The remedy for curing desire does not lie in satisfying it, but in extinguishing it. In other words, he who wishes to become wise does not seek wisdom by progressing toward it but becomes a fool by retrogressing into seeking folly. Likewise he who wishes to have much power, honor, pleasure, satisfaction in all things must flee rather than seek power, honor, pleasure, and satisfaction in all things. This is the wisdom which is folly to the world. —Heidelberg Disputation 20-22

BREAKING NEWS

2011-09-07T13:05:00.000-07:00

This just in. Scott Diekmann of the absolutely great blog "Stand Firm" teases those who have been lurking his blog for AGES and wondering when he will pick up the virtual pen once again with...

"Stand Firm will return in 5 days." (on-line source)

There you have it folks. FIVE days from now Stand Firm will be up and running, ready to rock-n-roll.

Sacredsandwich.com: "The Bunk Pew"

2011-09-07T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here's an Idea...

2011-09-06T15:18:00.001-07:00

I often beat my little drum about why Lutherans ought to read the Book of Concord from cover to cover at least once in their lifetime. It would be really spectacular if all Lutherans became experts on the Book of Concord and knew the doctrines contained therein frontwards to backwards and inside out! Of course, that is a life long effort and I seriously doubt anyone is going to fully master its contents, but what a wonderful thing it would be if we were doing this level of study together as Lutherans. Alright, I hear somebody calling me hopelessly naive or even a romantic, but I think not.

In the LCMS we talk allot about "walking together" and "life together." What about "study together?" I suppose that will scare people away. But what if we all took a year to read at least the Augsburg Confession, the Large Catechism, and the Smalcald articles together, as a synod? Would that benefit the congregations of the synod?

Why Christianity?

2011-09-05T15:46:00.006-07:00

A person doesn't go from being an atheist to a Christian without at least some of his friends and family taking notice. Once the alarm has been raised, then follows all the questioning such as "Do you really believe the earth was created in six days?" "Did you toss out human reason and exchange it for sheer faith?" and one of my all time favorites is, "Why Christianity? Why not another religion?"

It is inconceivable to the unregenerate mind that I didn't make a choice for Christianity, or for Jesus. This is particularly difficult for those of us raised in consumer driven America to comprehend. Everything from what we wear and eat to our very "religious faith" is a matter of choice. Religion is treated like choosing a US president. Some have voted for Buddha, and others have cast their vote for Jesus. That is one way "spiritual affiliation" is made.

As an aside, it is interesting to note the numbers of "church professionals" worried about how people are "voting." I can imagine a smoke filled room somewhere with a group of missiologists asking, "Why 'taint dey votin' fer Jebus?!" Isn't it true to life? Hasn't missions, in many respects, turned into an exercise much like that done by "Get Out the Vote?" We have our consultants, our pollsters, our canvassers, and our gimmicks. How can we get somebody to raise their hands in the air for the Lord? Somebody out there thinks we choose Christianity like we choose a brand of cereal to eat. It's really odd for people to hear, "Christ chose me." Anyone hearing that wants to ask, "What does that mean?" Good question!

Many years ago the mathematician and philosopher, the late Bertrand Russell, wrote several essays compiled into a single book titled, "Why I am not a Christian." One would think that is really all those who aren't Christians like to hear about. That isn't necessarily true though. Today people tend to talk about a "big tent" philosophy with regard to Christianity and religion in general. We see books about holding to a "generous orthodoxy" by some calling themselves "Christian." There are those of various religious faiths calling for all the world religions to co-exist and some have even melded them altogether into one grand religion called "the Bahá’í Faith" which is really Grand Central Station for syncretism. One of the more pathetic twists in this so-called "big tent" philosophy is a movement comprised of those who claim to be "Christian atheists." I suppose the so-called "Christian atheists" are being honest about one thing, there are far too many Christians who live as if God doesn't really exist "down here" on planet earth with His people. When God is "out there" it is pretty easy to take on the view point of Gottfried Leibnitz and deists that the world is like a big clock God made, wound up, and left to wind down on its own. Where is God? He just isn't there.... He has left the building with Elvis. But look. He did leave a nifty moral instruction manual behind with some tantalizing fables about Adam, Noah, Moses and Jesus. ...Oh, brother.

Talking in the same horrid line of thought about that "nifty moral instruction manual," I recall a Roman Catholic friend of mine, who sadly uses Christianity as therapeutic moralism, being delighted that I chose Christianity, since it is a good "life-long moral philosophy and discipline." Christianity for that Roman Catholic is the same as Buddhism. It is just a good way of life and assists us in attaining spiritual enlightenment. If that is all Christianity is about, then isn't there far easier methods at navel gazing our way to an "empty mind"?

On the subject of "navel gazing." I think it unfortunate that there are a number of Christians who have fallen prey to belief in the old dictum "know thyself" in order to know the truth. What I mean by that is for some the study of theology has become a catharsis for ridding themselves of "bad thinking" and in attaining deeper self-knowledge. The idea is that the more we study God and truth, the further up the cave path we travel out towards the light. Doing theology is a means to bring the mind out of darkness to light. Socrates would be proud of such thinking. That isn't, however, why I am a Christian.

No, the reason why I am a Christian is not because I like the image of being a "Christian" and so I cast my vote and became one. I'm not a Christian so I can live a better moral life. I'm not a Christian so I can have the ultimate buddy. I didn't choose Christianity so I could practice a religion in order to rid myself of darkness and attain a greater spiritual light through disciplines such as studying theology.

The truth of the matter is that Jesus chose me. He took pity on a blasphemous atheist wallowing away under the crushing weight of sin and death and freed me. Yes, Christ took off of me the quite weighty harness of sin and death chained to my neck and shoulders, placed it on His shoulders, and provided me His yoke which is easy and light (Matthew 11:28-30). What I do as a result of Christ's choosing me and giving me faith to receive His forgiveness of sins all centers upon knowing Him and the power of His resurrection, that I may share His sufferings and become like Him in His death and resurrection (Philippians 3:10-11).

I didn't choose Christianity. Christ chose me.

Worldview Everlasting: "The More You Ignore (Might Mean Your Doom)"

2011-09-02T15:00:00.002-07:00

Ecumenical Agreement: Issues, Etc.

2011-08-31T11:33:00.001-07:00

Become a regular supporter of Issues, Etc.

Blogcation

2011-08-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

I have been on blogcation for a few weeks now and wanted to make it "official." I am in the middle of recharging my batteries, so to speak. After some rest I intend to return; though I don't know when that will be exactly.

Blessings,

Jim Pierce

The Chief Article: Justification by Grace Alone Through Faith Alone in Jesus Christ

2011-07-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

1] That Jesus Christ, our God and Lord, died for our sins, and was raised again for our justification, Rom. 4:25.
2] And He alone is the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world, John 1:29; and God has laid upon Him the iniquities of us all, Is. 53:6.
3] Likewise: All have sinned and are justified without merit [freely, and without their own works or merits] by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, in His blood, Rom. 3:23f
4] Now, since it is necessary to believe this, and it cannot be otherwise acquired or apprehended by any work, law, or merit, it is clear and certain that this faith alone justifies us as St. Paul says, Rom. 3:28: For we conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the Law. Likewise 3:26: That He might be just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in Christ.
5] Of this article nothing can be yielded or surrendered [nor can anything be granted or permitted contrary to the same], even though heaven and earth, and whatever will not abide, should sink to ruin. For there is none other name under heaven, given among men whereby we must be saved, says Peter, Acts 4:12. And with His stripes we are healed, Is. 53:5. And upon this article all things depend which we teach and practice in opposition to the Pope, the devil, and the [whole] world. Therefore, we must be sure concerning this doctrine, and not doubt; for otherwise all is lost, and the Pope and devil and all things gain the victory and suit over us.—Smalcald Articles II I 1-5

Baptism Now Saves You

2011-07-16T12:53:00.002-07:00

Imagine No God?

2011-07-12T12:17:00.007-07:00

In 1971 John Lennon issued his hit single titled Imagine which managed to take the #3 spot in Billboard's "Hot 100." Shortly after John Lennon's death in December of 1980 the song was resurrected as an anthem supporting utopian ideas such as a world without any religion, no countries, no possessions, but simply a world comprised of a single brotherhood. These same sort of impracticable ideas are not new and will no doubt continue in the world until the final day when Jesus Christ returns. The law of God which is written on everyone's heart bears witness of our fallen natures and in turn allows humanity to wonder what a world might look like if there was no divine law accusing us. Enter the atheist.

I spent a good deal of my adult life confessing the belief that because there is no evidence God exists, then there is no reason to believe in His existence. My confession, if left in the form I just wrote out, is what can be termed soft atheism. As opposed to hard atheism, soft atheism doesn't contend that the statement "There is no god." is true. Rather, the soft atheist maintains he is an atheist because he fails to believe there is a god. Interestingly enough, this failure to believe is exactly what Jesus tells us in the Gospels condemns us, "...whoever does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:16).

The hard atheist, on the other hand, confesses something much more than a mere lack of belief. He maintains that the statement, "There is no god." is true. It is because of this affirmation of the truth of the aforementioned statement that hard atheism is also referred to as positive atheism and with soft atheism therefore being called negative atheism.

In sum, the hard atheist affirms that it can be proven—through reason and evidence—that the statement "There is no god." is true; whereas, the soft atheist simply maintains that he has no good reasons for believing God exists at all. What is common between the two is imagining their creator does not exist.

There isn't a self-professed atheist alive who isn't imagining a world with no God. Recall that the Apostle Paul instructs us

"14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus" (Romans 2:14-16).

That is, the law written on our hearts shows us that God does indeed exist (Romans 1:19). The atheist of any stripe must work to suppress the truth that they are the creation of God. Yes, when I was an atheist I pushed down against the truth of what my heart told me is the case, God exists and I am in trouble with Him.

Notorious atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens spend an enormous amount of time and effort resisting the truth written on their hearts. Why do these atheists beat their drums so hard if in fact there is no God? How many people are writing books titled "The Santa Claus Delusion" or "Unicorns are Not Great: How Belief in Unicorns Poison Everything"? (I am playing off the titles of books written by Dawkins and Hitchens.) I'll tell you the reason.

Atheists have to work hard at imagining a universe where God doesn't exist because, unlike Santa Claus and Unicorns, God does exist and He created in such a way that nobody can excuse their unbelief. Isn't this what Paul writes to the congregation in Rome?

"For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20).

I know first hand that atheists will deny it, but the reason why they don't spend time and resources arguing against the existence of Santa Claus, Unicorns, and perhaps the Tooth-fairy is because in their heart is no concept of such beings having existence in the world. There is truly nothing to kick against in these instances. Such is not true about God, though.

So-called hard and soft atheists must use every wit of their imaginations to raise enough unbelief to silence the accuser in their heart which tells them night and day they are in trouble with their Creator. The atheist doesn't understand or know how to bring peace to his heart other than to desperately try to erase any knowledge of the existence of God from his mind. Indeed, the whole affair is much like Edgar Allen Poe's tale, The Tell-Tale Heart. In that story Poe's fictitious murderer finds no relief over his crime of murdering the "old man." Indeed, the imaginary sound of the old man's beating heart terrifies the villain of this story. Try as he may to convince himself that the old man is gone forever, the law written on his heart accuses him of his sin and the villain is driven to finally confessing to the police,

"Villains!" I shrieked, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed! --tear up the planks! here, here! --It is the beating of his hideous heart!"(source)

Credit: Lindsay Bolin

Yes indeed, we all have been given a "tell-tale heart" by God. The good news of Jesus Christ's death, through which our sins have been forgiven, is not written on our hearts. We must hear this good news through preaching of the Word (Romans 10:17). It is only through receiving the Gospel in faith that the wicked imagining there is no God can be repented of and stopped. Ultimately this is what the atheist is kicking against, the Gospel. He does so out of rebellion and he knows he hates God. There in is a surprising difference between God and Tooth-fairies in the mind of the atheist, hard or soft. The atheist doesn't hate the Tooth-fairy or Unicorns, but they really do hate God. Hence they labor against the law's accusations against them night and day. For them, a god-less universe is the ideal perfect place; it is a place of peace from their nagging conscience, a place where they don't have to think about God and their sins ever again. Yes, a universe without God is a fiction and it is one the atheist imagines he lives in now.

"Condimentality": Sacred Sandwich

2011-07-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Sacredsandwich.com