A Missed Opportunity to Proclaim the Gospel

Occasionally I take a look on the Crossings website to see what Dr. Schroeder has written. We are on different places of the theological spectrum, yet that does not mean that our convictions do not converge every now and then. His latest post is one of those. He reacts to the words of the ELCA campus chaplain, the Rev. William King, during a "campus convocation" at Virginia Tech as they recorded in an official ELCA news brief. Even before I read Dr. Schroeder's assessment, I found myself asking: Where is Christ? Where is the resurrection, the hope to eternal life through Jesus? I know that such public campuses are very diverse, but Schroeder is right - if you are the "Christian message," then proclaim it!

You can read his "open letter" to Pastor King under Thursday Theology #462 - April 19, 2007 - "Topic: What NOT to Say after the Virginia Tech Massacre."

As happened at the "Yankee Stadium" affair following the Trade Tower collapse, many opportunities to clearly proclaim the real hope of Christ crucified and risen are unfortunately avoided by chaplains today intent on not offending other faiths. The generic God of American Civil religion takes center stage and pushes from the podium any who might proclaim the divisive Christ. But the Gospel, as Paul tells us, is a "stumbling block" to the Jews and "folly" to the Gentiles. It's going to offend. It always does. But it also saves and gives hope. So chaplains - Proclaim Christ!

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