Northwoods Seelsorger

Well this is a new twist. In an attempt to protest the illegality of gay weddings, some liberal churches are refusing to do any civil weddings at all. The pastors who are refusing to sign legal wedding licenses are predominately from a handful of small liberal churches, according to the Associated Press article, I believe this past Sunday (the article was handed to me in church undated.) These churches, however, may perform a religious ceremony "to bless the unions of straight and gay couples - but straight couples must go separately to a judge or justice of the peace for the marriage license," the article reports. The idea being pushed is that the separation of church and state should dictate that civil marriages and religious ceremonies celebrating a marriage are two different things. Under the guise of this separation principle these pastors are thus refusing to perform "civil marriages." Interesting. As Lutherans we have never had a problem recognizing ...

This past Sunday the Epistle reading from St. James, the fifth chapter, reminded us to "be patient" as we wait for the coming of the Lord. The bishop of Jerusalem was writing to Christians under the pressure of poverty and violence and certainly no little persecution since the day of Stephen's martyrdom. In his words of encouragement he pointed to the farmer, who despite the unpredictability of the Spring and Autumn rains, so critical for a successful crop, nevertheless remained full of hope by focusing on the valuable harvest to come. James also reminded his readers of the prophets, who faithfully proclaimed God's Word, even though many rejected their message and turned on the messengers themselves. Finally he pointed to Job, the greater sufferer, who learned what it really means to live under the cross, where the face of God is hidden behind pain and loss. Advent is a season that teaches patience as we are required to wait for our celebration, first giving ...

It might seem self-evident that missionary work, by definition, involves proclaiming the Gospel. However social and humanitarian efforts can easily eclipse the normal focus of evangelization. Recently Religious News Service posted this brief note: Vatican says missionaries must also evangelize By Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY -- Roman Catholic missionaries should aim to convert people to their faith and not restrict themselves to humanitarian good works, according to a Vatican document released Friday (Dec. 14). The 19-page document tries to correct a “growing confusion” among theologians who argue that “it is enough (for missionaries) to build communities which strive for justice, freedom, peace and solidarity,” and who claim that it is “possible to be saved without explicit knowledge of Christ and without formal incorporation in the Church.” The statement is a follow-up to Dominus Iesus, the 2000 document produced by Pope Benedict XVI when he was still a cardinal, which said ...

Recently Mike Huckabee asked a question during an interview that has caused a bit of controversy. He simply asked if the Mormons taught that Jesus and Satan were brothers? Now, first of all, let us note that Huckabee did not say that the Mormons taught this. He merely asked if it was so, admitting that he did not know a lot about Mormon doctrine. This little piece of fact was conveniently forgotten in the transmission of the story. However, in an election season we can expect such things to happen. Any little word that has potential for controversy is pounced upon with great enthusiasm by those seeking sensationalism. But aside from this, the question is stilled begged: Do the Mormons teach that Satan and Jesus were brothers? There has been swift response by Mormons to distance themselves from this, and for good reason. Even nominal Christians would be quite offended to be told that the Savior of the Word and the arch-enemy of God are essentially related. To answer the question, I firs...

As Todd Wilken admits in a recent article in Issues, Etc. , the combination of the word "freedom" and "law" seems out of place. "What does the Law have to do with Christian freedom?" However, Wilken is addressing an issue that is often used within the Church as a license for abuse or excess in the name of freedom. The issue is sometimes referred to by its technical Latin name, adiophora , which refers to the area of theology concerning matters that are neither commanded nor forbidden in Scripture. Within the LCMS the appeal to adiophora is often used by pastors and churches to justify massive overhauls of the liturgy and the ministry with the justification that the details of these areas are not spelled out in specific terms within Scripture. However, as the saying goes, "the devil is in the details," and much mischief has been attempted by tampering with the little things that often go unnoticed by the general observer. Christian freedom ha...