Northwoods Seelsorger

On Gene Veith's blog an interesting topic was posted. It concerned the idea of online confession and absolution. The topic was launched by Mollie Ziegler Hemingway's reference to numerous online sites that encourage confession and the unloading of one's troubled conscience anonymously to some website. Numerous opinions have been given, and I would tend to side with those who are uncomfortable with this practice. As Veith's pastor reminded us from St. Paul, "all things may be lawful," but not all things "are helpful." That is, not all things "build up" (1 Cor. 10:23). This discussion is a helpful reminder of the limitations of technology and matters of faith. There is no denying that email and the Internet have offered an invaluable colloquium and a helpful forum for discussion and debate. For some people isolated by distance and circumstance this has been the only way to engage in meaningful dialogue with those who share thei...

Since my childhood I have noticed a gradual trend away from formal dress. Less and less people dress up for anything, even weddings or funerals. Blue jeans and a bar jacket are as acceptable attire as a suit and tie. When the banks when to "casual Fridays" I knew that a cultural trend had turned the corner. Banks, it seemed, were the last bastion of crisp formality - that is, after the military - or the church. In an editorial entitled "What We Wear Says A lot About Our Churches, " Douglas Mendenhall leans toward the opinion that a mixture of casual and formal in the worship place shows more openness to others different than ourselves. We need both the formal and the casual to show that the church is a welcoming place. That's not a bad thought, I suppose. We certainly don't want to turn any away simply because they own less or earn less. Yet I suspect that most people dress the way they do not because of a need to be "welcoming," ...

As a Baby Boomer I was part of that grand surge of births following WWII, which crested in '63 and redefined its time. With these numbers no longer in play at the elementary or secondary school levels, school systems designed to serve this age surge are now rapidly downsizing and cutting programs. Well, the Baby Boomers are not finished causing change. Like a slow moving glacier this generation is cutting through the soil of society and cutting a new path now that they are entering their "golden" retirement years. Health care, retirement funds, the employment sector, nursing care, and even the church are all beginning a new period of change and adaptation. Dr. Cliff Pederson calls this demographic "age wave" an "age tsunami." In the Spring issue of Issues in Christian Education he writes that the "challenge of the 21st century is not mere-aging - it is mass-aging . Never before in human history have we experienced so many older adults...

Normally I use this blog to report and analyze events impacting the church-at-large. However, today is a special day for me and I wanted to pause for a moment to give a word of thanks to God and reflect on the past. Twenty years ago I was ordained to the Office of the Holy Ministry. The picture at the right is a young 26 year old pastor, fresh out of seminary, pleasantly oblivious to the pressures and struggles he has yet to experience. He is standing just outside the sanctuary at his home church, Trinity Lutheran Church of Wausau , Wisconsin. Over the next two decades he will find his abilities and competence stretched to their limit, and more than once will wonder if he should leave this vocation and find another. Doubt will stalk him again and again. On the other hand he will also be touched deeply by the bonds of Christian friendship and the trust people will place in him as he is welcomed into the inner sanctum of their private lives. He will marry young couples ...

As many may be aware, increasing numbers of Catholic parishes have been returning to the Tridintine Latin Mass. Although certainly not a ground swell that will completely overtake the current practice of the church (proponents of the old Latin mass, it is reported, number no more than 2% of Catholics), there is a growing push for change in some places back to older customs and practices. According to a recent article in US News & World Report , there is a rising interest in the customs and practices of pre -Vatican II Catholicism among younger Catholics , and "a movement is building at seminaries nationwide to do just that: In addition to restoring the Latin mass, young priests are calling for greater devotion to the Virgin Mary, more frequent praying of the rosary, and priests turning away from the congregation as they once did." In addition to this, the author adds, there is a controversial call for "a diminished role for women, who since Vatican II have been ...

The numbers are out: the Presbyterian Church (USA) dropped by more than 46,000 members in '06. But that is similar news to many mainline denominations in the past few decades, especially the older liberal ones, such as this Presbyterian denomination and the Episcopalians , or the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America ( ELCA ), which was the 1988 merger of older Lutheran bodies. One can put forth any number of theories to explain such downturns. In our post-modern society we are well aware that denominational loyalty is at a very low ebb. People simply don't commit to denominational identity any more, or so we are told. They look for what best serves their personal needs and tastes. However, there are other issues that drive these declines, and the Episcopalians share in this with their Presbyterian cousins. The AP article that reported the decline notes that "The latest drop comes as fighting intensifies within the church over how Presbyterians should interpret Sc...

The psalm that introduces and anchors the setting of Matins/ Morning Prayer is the 95 th , also known as the " venite " from the opening word of the psalm in Latin ("come".) In my church it is sung monthly in the service of Matins, and is also part of my devotional life. As I read it again this morning, I couldn't help but notice the tone it sets for reverent worship in the presence of God. Although some English translations use the word "worship" in this psalm, a detailed look at the psalm in its original Hebrew will show that this English concept is not present (worth-ship). Rather, the words translated as "worship" have the characteristic Hebrew emphasis on direct action. Worship is bowing down, kneeling, prostrating oneself before the "great King above all gods." There is the sense here of being in the direct presence of the creator of the universe, and the sense is not at all 'chatty' as one finds too often in th...

If there is one issue that greatly confuses and concerns members of my church body it has to be fellowship and the Lord's Supper. Many churches today practice a very loose fellowship where the criteria for participation is the bare minimum of agreement on Jesus and real presence. Some denominations practice a completely open fellowship where everyone is invited, regardless of belief. Thus, when church bodies like the LCMS declare their fellowship at the altar to be one of "close" or "closed" fellowship as it is called, some people cringe in a way similar to those who have heard a derogatory or racist comment. The fear is that we are denying a gift freely given that is not ours to withhold. Or that we are somehow unfairly judging the faith of the potential communicant and declaring ourselves to be spiritually superior. It is easy to see how one can come to these conclusions. Still, they are not correct. The Supper on any given Sunday is celebrate...

As I have watched recent building projects in my area, I have noticed that architecture is finally moving away from the sterility of the 50's, 60's and 70's. What I mean is, that from my perspective, there is a move to incorporate texture and beauty back into the structure, as opposed to the boxy 'industrial' look of so much the the modern building in the last few decades. It is almost a kind of "retro" approach, reaching back to another era for inspiration. Look at the downtown projects in some cities, for example. Notice the arcane lamp posts and cobblestone sidewalks. All of this then brings me to thinking about church architecture. In some ways it seems like a reversal. Instead of incorporating more art, there is a pragmatic move to make it as functional as possible. Looking at my church here in the country I am amazed at the rich historic appearance and the attention to art in service of the Gospel. It was built in the early 1950'...

When people think of the evangelization work of the Irish, they inevitably think of St. Patrick, a once enslaved British youth who returned to his former captors to bring the Gospel. However, another equally significant figure in Irish evangelistic efforts is the Irish missionary of the Early Middle Ages known as Columba of Iona (521-597). Columba was instrumental in introducing the Gospel to the ancient kingdom of the Picts , a confederation of tribes that eventually became Scotland. Columba , also credited with revitalizing monasticism in his era, turned a base for contemplation into a base for missions, using the island of Iona to spearhead efforts to plant churches and spread the Good News of Christ throughout the land of Scotland. As a Scotch-Irish descendant of the Macauleys , I appreciate the dedication and hard work of this tireless missionary to a people that were not his own. Knowing that the Picts were often a formidable foe of the Romans, it must have taken great ...

I missed the commemoration of Boniface, which is technically June 5, but did not want to miss the opportunity to recognize this important figure in the early evangelization of the Germanic lands. Boniface (c. 672-754), who was originally from England, felt compelled to take Christ to the pagan land of Frisia and later to the Frankish realm, a territory that encorporates what today would include Germany, France and the Netherlands. The most celebrated story of this 8th century missonary is his bold attempt to cut down the "holy tree" of Thor's Oak . It was a pagan holy site and the people believed that his effort to destroy it would result in him being struck dead. When he wasn't they began to see that maybe their pagan gods were not all powerful. I commend Boniface for his courage, for certainly he knew the risks of being an Elijah against the Baal prophets of his day. In fact this God-given courage resulted eventually in his martyrdom in the land he first tried...

The recently celebrated festival of the Holy Trinity is always a reminder that we live in a world where the doctrine of God is still questioned widely, even attacked - and by those who claim to be representatives of biblical truth. The Gospel reading this Sunday ( LCMS , Three Year Series, C) was from John 8:48-59, where Jesus is confronted by the Jews as demon-possessed for his claims of divinity. Our Lord's patient responses are impressive, yet at the same time his firm and honest rebuttal reminds us that He will not let their lies remain unchallenged. It is clear that he wants them to come to the truth, to receive the life he offers. One modern day illustration of this John 8 situation seems to be played out when cults such as the Jehovah's Witnesses and LDS (Mormons) send their followers out door-to-door to lure Christians away from the Truth. Although often appearing polite and not intending to attack the Truth, they come as those representing religions that acti...

In a Sunday commentary article for The Post-Crescent of the Appleton-Fox Cities area, Lyle Boggs takes issue with "religious extremists" (as he calls them) who call for a return to a better time. Specifically he is referring to those who want to return to "the Christian values that this nation was founded upon." He states that in this search they have "tied their current search for purity to a narrow vision of the past." Instead of going back to the founding of the country, Mr. Boggs takes a look at the era of the 50's which many fondly look back to as a more innocent era with far greater respect for Christian values (e.g. prayer in school.) Naturally, he finds many examples in counterargument that the 50's had their own blights, such as racism and various incidents of inequality. Looking even further he also takes note of the "campaigns of genocide against the Native Americans and 200 years of slavery..." Without taking issue ...

As a chaplain for a volunteer fire department, I found the AP news brief out of Des Moines this week disappointing. Apparently more than 100 faculty members at Iowa State University have signed a petition that opposes the football coach's plan to establish a chaplain as an official member of the team's staff. Although the position will be funded by private donations, and despite the fact that there is a well established precedent both in the government and private sector for chaplains, faculty claim that "hiring a chaplain is improper at a public university given the separation between church and state. And they said the move would favor Christianity over other religions. 'Are you going to have counseling for Jewish students? Muslim students? There's no such thing as one religion or one version of Christianity,' said Dr. Hector Avolos , a professor of religious studies at ISU .' " And how have similar positions in the military, public safety ...

Today is the recognized commemoration of the first century apologist Justin Martyr (100-165). An apologist is a defender of the faith. In modern use the word "apology" is usually understood as a polite excuse and expression of regret. However, the meaning here is from the root meaning of the Greek word apologia , namely reason or defense. The latest hymnal of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, Lutheran Service Book , now has a section of commemorations that includes this early father of the faith. This is encouraging, as even Lutherans have developed a bit of the Protestant amnesia when it comes to the history of the church (see my previous article on "Lessons from History"). In previous Lutheran hymnals only those figures referenced directly in the Bible were mentioned, with the possible exception of St. Lorenz, which was probably a concession to the "mother church" of the Bavarians in Frankenmuth , Michigan. Nevertheless, the Augsburg Confess...