New Hymnal

Any reviews for Lutheran Service Book yet? It appears as if the congregation I serve will be using the new book shortly.

Read Full Post »

First Baptism?

This coming Sunday, I will, God willing, pour water over a tiny girl’s head and speak God’s Word. And she will be delivered from sin, death, and the devil. This will be the first baptism since I was ordained and installed at this church.
God has been doing this saving work for some time now. I [...]

Read Full Post »

The NYT Finally Has Some Idiots at the Editorial Desk

After reading Bernard Goldberg’s Bias (highly recommended, by the way), the New York Times no doubt has trouble seeing any humor in this section of Brit Hume’s Grapevine:
Times’ Definition of Terrorists
The New York Times has refused to print the Pentagon’s objections to an editorial asserting that the recent transfer of top Al Qaeda operatives means, [...]

Read Full Post »

God, Irrationality, and Violence

[AP]
People just can’t seem to help it. Not even the Pope can avoid it. It? Offending Muslims and fomenting violence. Even though, superficially, the problem is at the latter point, the real issue is the former.
Who has “unleashed a torrent of rage”? Whose [...]

Read Full Post »

Conscience and Moral Honesty

In the public teaching of a Lutheran clergyman or instructor, he must interpret the Sacred Scriptures according to the Symbols [Lutheran Confessions] and not vice versa. This does not mean that he is in any way prevented from considering every possible legitimate interpretation that can be placed upon any given passage or group of [...]

Read Full Post »

Jesus Told Us To

You may have heard about Georgetown University’s Protestant Ministry kicking out all outside Protestant groups. There’s a number of stories here. There seems to be some confusion about the reasoning behind the decision.
Campus Ministry officials, meanwhile, have repeatedly assured students and alumni that the new policies are meant to bolster the university’s Protestant [...]

Read Full Post »

Confirming Age

When I was growing up, it seemed that most 8th graders would go through the Rite of Confirmation. Today, some churches are confirming children earlier, some later, even in high school. They say that the high schoolers are more serious about learning the doctrine of the church. Is there a better time for this? Does [...]

Read Full Post »

“Faithful Democrats”

First of all, they either aren’t being faithful to the Democratic creed (“I believe that abortion must never be limited in any circumstance whatsoever, including twelve year-old girls, and in the right of homosexuals to do whatever they want, and that religion is only useful if it pushes a DNC agenda, so help me God/Allah/Nothing, [...]

Read Full Post »

False Dichotomy

I am tired of hearing about “traditional” and “contemporary” worship. When did the church become such an enterprise which must categorize Christ’s work according to these terms?
When people ask me if I am “traditional” or “contemporary,” I like to respond, “I am a baptized child of God.” Of course, I go on to explain, but [...]

Read Full Post »

I Love September

After a long and fruitless baseball season (and games I can’t watch, anyway), it is football time at long last! Notre Dame and Washington begin today and Seattle next week. What could be better?
We’ll see how my fantasy team works out. I’ve got Matt Hasselbeck, Tiki Barber, and Marvin Harrison, [...]

Read Full Post »