Archive for May, 2009
Thursday, May 28th, 2009
After listening to Dr. Ken Schurb discuss the BRTFSSG (LCMS restructuring) and WELS President, Pastor Mark Schroeder I can’t help but thank the higher-ups at LCMS, Inc. for untethering Issues, Etc. from LCMS politics. I doubt these two discussions, and many others, would have taken place if Issues, Etc. were still part of the KFUO family. So, since nobody ever claimed credit for this decision, I’m forced to give an anonymous high-five and thanks to the brave and forward looking individual who freed Issues, Etc.
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Friday, May 22nd, 2009
I have this idea that video games can be used as a tool to spread the Gospel. I really don’t know if it’s possible. The medium of video games lends itself to choice, control, and interaction as opposed to words which convey linearity, specificity, and propositional truth. Looking at these attributes, you can see why words are the optimal medium for transmitting the Christian faith as Lutherans confess it. Choice, control, and interaction are not primary concerns when we speak of the faith, so video games may be a completely incompatible medium for proclaiming the Gospel. I’ve made several feeble attempts (here, here, and here ) but they certainly don’t convey Law and Gospel in any sense. I am not going to stop trying, I’m just not laboring under any illusions.
That being said, I will say definitively that video games don’t belong in the divine service. “Of course,” you say, “Who would ever do something like that?” Well, here’s a blog post where the author talks about his idea for using an interactive experience to reinforce the message of a sermon. The tool is in its early stages of development and is implemented as a video clip, but the author sees its future as a fully developed interactive environment. The post has a video clip for how it was used in a “worship service.” This is crazy! It utterly and completely takes our focus off of Christ and what He has done and has us concerned about our experiences. If I were a fundamentalist, I’d say this was proof that video games are tools of the devil. Used in this way, they are completely turning us from Christ. (Since, I’m not a fundamentalist, I’ll say that sinful man has turned these gifts from God against Him.)
The other thing that caught my eye was that this was done at Lutheran Church of Hope. I did some digging and they appear to be an ELCA congregation but that doesn’t excuse them from obscuring the Gospel gifts uncovered by the reformers. I wish they would drop the “Lutheran” part of their name so the casual onlooker doesn’t confuse them with confessional Lutherans. My sinful side thinks they kept the Lutheran prefix because churchofhope.org was already taken.
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Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
“If someone sees you reading that you could be blacklisted.”
My pastor’s comment while I was catching up on my Book of Concord.
“There was no grape juice in the Bible.”
My pastor’s comment after reading the communion statement which included the option of grape juice.
“This generation of pastors is known for its body-count in sermons.”
My pastor’s comment after Dr. Kieschnick’s sermon
“It gets real tricky when there’s a plane crash or natural disaster.”
A pastor’s comment while discussing keeping the afore mentioned body-count.
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Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
“We have a better praise band.”
A pastor’s comment on why someone should go to his church.
“The prescriptions aren’t canned.”
A pastor’s comment on the TCN prescriptions.
“… give them a contemporary lifestyle.”
A pastor’s comment on their church’s worship service.
“When I felt the energy coming from the top of my head and through my arm; as we were healing this woman. I knew God could do anything.”
A pastor explaining the most influential moment in his life.
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Sunday, May 17th, 2009
I had nerves before my first communion. I didn’t want to choke on the wine or anything. But Friday night was the first time I’ve ever actually panicked while receiving the blood of Christ. My pastor and I read the communion statement which included a note that grape juice was available for those concerned about alcohol consumption. This is a hot button for my pastor since he was recently unexpectedly communed with grape juice. After receiving the body of Christ, I was presented with a tray of individual cups, some with red some with white. My first instinct was to grab the white cup because i’ve never properly communed with anything other than white wine. But then most people were taking the red and wait… one of these was grape juice. I panicked for a split second. In my mind, I said, “what the *ell do I do?” I took the red because there were more of those and most people would be taking the wine. I drank it and asked for forgiveness for my, “what the *ell do I do?” and for taking the grape juice if that’s what I took because I couldn’t tell from the taste. Turns out the red was wine. Just a reminder that you should read the communion statement very carefully in any church in which you are planning to take communion.
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Sunday, May 17th, 2009
There was only one recorded “no” vote during the entire convention. This no vote was on a poorly thought out change of wording to a resolution. Other than that, the entire district agreed on everything. Dr. Kieschnick and Dr. Newton praise us several times for being so united… except we’re not. The two ways used to reach this unity in convention business were a) to put forth proposals lacking in substance and specificity and c) to not call for the opposing vote.
In the first category, we passed things like “Encourage disaster preparedness in congregations and ministries” and “Approve transfer of churches to new circuits.” Other similar resolutions could have been “Thank God for the rising of the sun this morning” and “Approve the changing of the toilet paper in the men’s restroom at the district office.”
In the second category, was “Encourage revitalization in our congregations.” Although there was no enforcement this was a proposal to encourage the Revitalization process to all congregations. Revitalization is code for Transforming for Mission which is the CNH branding of the Transforming Congregations Network. I couldn’t vote for this based on what I know about it, and my pastor wants a theological review before he would recommend it. But the yes vote was overwhelming, so the no’s were never requested.
So the way to show a united districted is to ignore the dissenters.
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Sunday, May 17th, 2009
We had pastors asking, “Amen?” We had general laying on of hands. We had open-mic testimonials and testimonials about “Lutheran” altar calls. Is it because the culture depicts Christianity in this way that we Lutherans feel we have to do the same? Thankfully there were no “Lord, we just…” in the prayers.
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Sunday, May 17th, 2009
Lots of emphasis on Leadership and Ministry as opposed to Servant and Calling or Office.
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Sunday, May 17th, 2009
By the end of the convention, I came to realize that being in a confessional Lutheran congregation has likely put me in the minority within the district. I have no doubt that the vast majority of pastors would say they still subscribe to all the documents they vowed to honor. But it appears that there have been enough minor concessions for love, or mission, or context such that the exceptions now appear to be the rule.
I was prepared for the various open communion practices and contemporary worship. I was not prepared for the circuit that has joint ELCA, Episcopalian circuit meetings. I was not prepared for the pastor who almost left ministry until he felt the energy flowing from his head out through his arm while he was laying hands and healing someone in India.
California is typically a harbinger of what is to come in the cultural. My hope and prayer is that it isn’t the harbinger of things to come for the LCMS.
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Sunday, May 17th, 2009
Applause during the Divine Service.
Praise band leaders who call the congregation to Confession and Absolution. Thankfully he did not give the absolution.
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