Northwoods Seelsorger

After years of government sanctioned atheism, religion again returns to the public sector in Russia. And this time it is the public school system. How life has changed in the nearly two decades since the collapse of the old Soviet Union. With roughly half to two-thirds of Russians identifying themselves with the Orthodox faith, one should not be surprised to find this faith at the forefront of the effort to reintroduce religious instruction into the new curriculum. However, it is not without some adjustment. Clifford J. Levy in the New York Times writes: The new curriculum reflects the nation's continuing struggle to define what it means to be Russian in the post-communistic era and what role religion should play after being brutally suppressed under Soviet rule. Yet the drive by a revitalized church to weave its tenets into the educational system has prompted a backlash, and not only from the remains of the Communist party. The new emphasis on religion in the schools comes...

Many years ago there was a general backlash in the Lutheran Church against anything that smacked of being "Catholic." Thus, pastors wore black Geneva robes in protest against the more Catholic looking vestments, and many traditional aspects of worship were toned down so as to appear more Protestant (such as no chanting). In the years since I was ordained this backlash has relaxed. Nevertheless, one can still hear rumblings of it from time to time with those who remembered that past era as a golden time in Lutheran history. As any student of Lutheran history will know, the blessed Reformer was largely alone in his conservative approach to retaining practices of the church that were deemed faithful, even if they were not seen as mandated. Thus, Lutheran churches have altars and pulpits where Reformed parishes sport tables and podiums. Lutheran clergy wear the traditional vestments of albs, chasubles, cassocks and surplices, and stoles, where Reformed clergy don black...

Politically, regardless of the side of the party isle you are on, being "green" is now a prerequisite to any campaign. The church has also not wanted to be left behind either, and more and more we see various denominations placing topics such as global warming at the center of their mission. Religious News Service recently posted this account of Evangelicals going green: Some Evangelicals Going Green as Skepticism Lingers By Adelle M. Banks (UNDATED) When Bishop Harry Jackson saw melting glaciers and devastated forests on a recent trip to Alaska, he decided that global warming should be a higher priority on his list of key issues for evangelicals. Now he's ready to work to bring evangelicals from the left and right together to address reducing carbon emissions and oil use. Some evangelical leaders, often one by one, have similar stories of environmental conversion. Supporters of the Evangelical Climate Initiative say the numbers o...

The art of preaching demands much of the pastor, and many in the pew too quickly judge its effectiveness or worthiness not by the doctrinal content, but by issues of style. Preaching to the regular "Hans and Gretel" as Luther called them, requires a sensitivity of the preacher to the world and culture in which they live. Naturally each pastor develops his own approach to this sacred task. Ideas of what is in bad taste or unnecessary or even wasteful are therefore in great abundance when preachers discuss this ancient art. Recently I ran across an article on preaching by Dr. Eckardt on Gottesblog that addressed these very issues. His appeal to preaching without a manuscript and his comments on the use of illustrations, as well as being immersed in the psalter and the language of holy scripture were especially interesting. I will readily confess that I have used a manuscript for all of my 20 years now, and I like to think that although I am dependent on having it t...

This afternoon I witnessed something that had largely disappeared after the 1960's: the Tridentine Mass. EWTN broadcast the Tridentine Mass both this morning and later at 5:00 (CST). As a traditional liturgically-minded Lutheran pastor I was quite fascinated to observe this Mass. Thankfully I had an 80 year old Missal handy to follow along, as I am not conversant with Latin, classical or ecclesiastical. There were, of course, many elements of the Divine Service familiar to me that have been retained in the Lutheran tradition. In fact, I was probably more at home with the music and ritual than some modern Catholics who, like Lutherans themselves, have been victims of overzealous and misdirected liturgical reformers over the years. It must have been refreshing for them to again hear the grandness of the organ and the sweet melodic chants of the choir ringing in that ancient tongue. Many today criticize worship that feels stiff and formal. They want upbeat music that relat...

Close communion is a topic guaranteed to generate heated and passionate discussion, especially when it impacts a family member. To see your son or daughter excluded from the Table because they are from a different denomination seems to some to be overly rigid and strict. And to some degree denomination affiliation means little to many in the pew today. ELCA, LCMS, or WELS - what's the difference, they say. They're all Lutherans, right? People usually join local congregations for personal reasons (spouses, location, etc.), and only secondarily consider the denomination label, if they consider it at all. It doesn't matter to most. Although they may not state it quite this way, denominational affiliation is not all that different from belonging to the local Optimist or Kiwanis club. It's just another organization. So do denominational affiliations really matter any more in this "post-denomination" culture? Admittedly many do not understand the di...

I do not need to remind any of you what today represents. In a way this is the new Pearl Harbor Day. We remember this day not as a victory, but as a tragic event in the history of our country and the horrible loss of life that resulted. It was a day we were invaded as a nation by hostile forces. It was a day we were violently attacked. It was a day that changed our country forever. 9-11 is the "ground zero" of the subsequent military operations since that day, and a reminder of the continued sacrifice of life in the war against terror. The shadow of 2001 stretches over us even now. The rules changed that day. Evil took on a new incarnation. The wars of past eras have transformed into a reality that resembles a mine field of random explosive potential more than a clearly demarcated line of battle. In many ways this new reality also reflects the world of evil in which each believer wages daily war against the demons of hell. In the life of faith one does not see...

The "Walkout" at Concordia Seminary in '74 is now more than thirty years removed from us. The ELCA long ago absorbed those who desired a different approach to doctrine and belief and wished to walk a different path than that traditionally traveled in Missouri. With Dr. Paul Zimmerman's book A Seminary in Crises: The Inside Story of the Preus Fact Finding Committee , however, the ghosts of Seminex have again been awakened. And in so far as the lessons of history help us from repeating the mistakes of the past, such works are invaluable. But they also awaken the resentments of unresolved issues as well. Dr. Ed Schroeder on his "Crossings" site is one of those wounded ones who needed to provide a counter defense to those who had once labeled him "liberal" and deemed that he was not teaching in accordance with the Lutheran faith. You can read Dr. Schroeder's review of Zimmerman's book on his Thursday Theology section. He appears to wan...

Watching one of the professionally produced commercials by the Mormons can easily lead the unsuspecting to believe they are Christian. Until you take the time to really read what they believe and teach. I suspect that many church goers do not want to take that time to truly investigate, and choose to assess an organization based on the 'feel good' message they portray. Up the road from my church is a religious group that also styles itself as Christian, yet upon close examination seems to lack all the creedal affirmation of Christian orthodoxy. Some locally have labeled them a cult. Here is their "Statement of Faith" from the church's website : It is our belief that God cares much more about the condition of one's heart than in their doctrinal statement. We also believe that it is possible for people to vary greatly in their beliefs and doctrines and each be pleasing to God. The Bible We believe that the bible is a very powerful book with great ...

His enthusiasm is without question. He sweats out his messages before live TV with the zeal of a man on a life-and-death mission. And if you merely listened to the tone of his words you would have to be convinced that he speaks the truth of the Bible. At least until you listen to the content. This morning I heard Rod Parsley deliver one of his fiery orations to his packed assembly and I was aghast at his horrible confusion of Law and Gospel. Now, I know that such is often the case with Pentecostal theology. Still, you want to believe that maybe this time he will see the Truth and get it right. Wrong. The theme of the day was "Uncommon Obedience - Uncommon Favor." It came from the story of Saul in 1 Samuel 15. The idea he promoted proclaimed that "obedience reverses the curse." Thinking back to the Fall and the Curse, I remembered those key words in Genesis 3:15 where God promised that the Seed of the Woman would crush the head of the serpent. HE would b...

The Rev. Dr. D. J. Kennedy became known to many Lutherans through his popular outreach program of the 70's (First developed in 1962): Evangelism Explosion. Although long since modified by other evangelism incarnations, his program became a standard for a variety of denominations eager to make a difference in reaching the lost. After 48 years of active ministry Dr. Kennedy is finally retiring. Actually his last sermon was on December 24, after which he is said to have suffered cardiac arrest, keeping him since then from resuming any work in the pulpit. Dr. Kennedy, predominantly known by the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church he founded in 1959, shepherded a small parish of 45 members to an eventual mega church of 10,000. It became the center of a world-wide TV and radio program that reaches 3.5 million people for all of its broadcasts. He is also the founder of Knox Theological Seminary, which began in 1989, and like its founder reflects the commitment to traditional Reformed ...