Northwoods Seelsorger

Recently the Freedom From Religion Foundation felt they needed to get their message out there during the holiday season. Along with the Nativity scene and the "holiday tree" (Pleeeese! - It's a Christmas tree!), they put out a simple sign to somehow balance the festive mood. "There is only our natural world. Religion is but a myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds, " the placard outside the Washington state capitol proudly reads. The picture to the right is one I found on the web. It may be the whole message of which the newspaper only caught a part. But is that the best they can do? Only a negative message during an otherwise positive season? Only a negation on what is not and never an affirmation of what there is to celebrate? How sad. I would have thought they might at least have celebrated their faith in humankind's ability to solve the world's problems. Or maybe their optimism in the boundless human spirit to do...

Although the voters have spoken by a fair majority (see previous post on this vote), the gay community is still crying crying foul. They are now actively targeting the LDS church and the well-known Saddleback Church in Forest, California for their support of the passage of Proposition 8. More comments to follow the article below. Protests sweep across Calif. on post-Prop 8 Sunday By THOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press Writer Thomas Watkins, Associated Press Writer – Sun Nov 9, 6:55 pm ET LOS ANGELES – On the first Sunday after a gay marriage ban passed in California, activists rallied in defiance, including hundreds of protesters outside an Orange County megachurch whose pastor brought Barack Obama and John McCain together last summer for a "faith forum." About 300 gay-rights advocates fanned out along sidewalks leading to Saddleback Church in Lake Forest to voice their anger of the church's support of Proposition 8, a constitutional amendment approved by voters Tuesday t...

According to FOX news , President-elect Obama is expected, as many would have anticipated, to review and most likely reverse many of George Bush's executive orders. The most troubling, though, are those that once again place the unborn in needless peril. "Presidents long have used executive orders to impose policy and set priorities. One of Bush's first acts was to reinstate full abortion restrictions on U.S. overseas aid. The restrictions were first ordered by President Reagan and the first President Bush followed suit. President Clinton lifted them soon after he occupied the Oval Office and it wouldn't be surprising if Obama did the same. Executive orders "have the power of law and they can cover just about anything," Tobias said in a telephone interview. Bush used his executive power to limit federal spending on embryonic stem cell research, a position championed by opponents of abortion rights who argue that destroying embryos is akin to killing...

After hearing about the results of this important vote in Washington State on the radio this afternoon, I found the following from the Wall Street Journal : Washington Passes Initiative 1000, Legalizing Physician-Assisted Suicide Posted by Jacob Goldstein Voters in Washington State gave a clear answer yesterday to a thorny ethical question: Should a doctor be allowed to prescribe a lethal dose of drugs to a dying patient? A state measure known as Initiative 1000 passed by a margin of 59% to 41%, making it legal for doctors to prescribe a lethal dose of medication for patients with less than six months to live. As we reported last week, the law is packed with provisions intended to limit the practice. Patients must make two separate requests, orally and in writing, more than two weeks apart; must be of sound mind and not suffering from depression; and must have their request approved by two separate doctors. Doctors are not allowed to administer the lethal dose. Backers of the bill, inc...

While the mainstream media was consumed with the presidential election, equally important election results in California regarding significant proposition issues seemed completely ignored. Late into the night I switched channels looking for results on the fate of Proposition 8 which endeavored to secure the traditional institution of marriage. Nothing. Not a word. Was it just too close to call? Or would that even matter? Or was it not reported on because it was losing and such a loss was a disappointment to the mainstream media that normally throws it support toward same-sex rights? Evangelicals were greatly concerned about this proposition and the cultural domino effect that would ensue if it was defeated. For those not familiar with the issue, the Supreme Court of California back in May struck down a ban on same-sex unions. According to a CNN article at the time, The California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage Thursday, saying sexual orienta...

As has been my practice for 20+ years now I will not publicly announce who I am voting for today. However, I can tell you that my trip to the township hall where I will vote has a higher mission than just voting for a candidate. Of all the issues discussed this season there is always one that stands out as of primary concern for any voter. For me that issue is LIFE. Life for the unborn . The next four years will provide the next president the unique opportunity to influence the rights of this silent mass of humanity by his appointment of judges to the Supreme Court. Roe v. Wade has been a blight on this nation that has historically defended the rights of all. My vote may not change the this judicial atrocity. Judges may be appointed that guarantee the entrenchment of this decision for generations to come. However, it is my privilege to at least speak quietly for those who cannot speak for themselves by that single vote. Today I vote for life.

This past week when I was at our district's Professional Church Worker's Conference, I was once again blessed to find some worthwhile books to add to my library. The two highlighted here are 2008 publications of Concordia Publishing House. For those familiar with Bo Giertz (1905-1998), best known as author of The Hammer of God (1941) and one time bishop in the Lutheran Church of Sweden, the recent translation of his devotional To Live with Christ is a true gem to acquire. 830 pages, arranged according to the church calendar with short devotional readings and prayer, hardbound, and my copy was secured for only $16.00 ($19.99 list price at CPH.) Arthur A. Just Jr. is a name familiar to any who attended Concordia-Ft. Wayne in the last 20 years. He came to the seminary during my student days (1983-1987.) I was able to take some of his new liturgical courses before I graduated, and in a cursory look of his most recent work Heaven on Earth: The Gifts of Christ in the Divi...

All Saints’ Day November 2, 2008 Text: Rev. 7:9-17 Theme: A Vision of the Triumphant Church When my mother passed away I freely admitted that I would not want her to have to come back to this life - even though I missed her a lot. I’ve heard others say this as well. After watching someone suffer you’re relieved, in a sense, to know that the one we love doesn’t have to endure the pain anymore. Death is hard to face, but there’s the comfort knowing something better came out of it. No more struggle. No more agony. No more limitations. No more frustration. And for those who die believing in Jesus we have the added anticipation of all the good that awaits them beyond this “veil of tears.” We are allowed, for a moment, to start dreaming again. Dreaming about the heaven Jesus prepared for us. Dreaming about a place where there is no hunger, no thirst, no death, no sickness, no disease, no injury, no sadness. All Saints’ Day is the day for the Church itself to dream too - ...

Do we really know our history as Lutherans? I suspect not in many cases. This was brought home to me the other night at a youth meeting when I showed a video clip from the Luther movie . Before I ran the clip, which happened to be Luther before Charles V at Worms in his famous "Here I stand" speech" (1521), I tried to review the basics of Reformation history. Basic as in "Does anyone know who Martin Luther is?" While some of the answers were predictable, as in confusing the great Reformer with the U.S. civil rights leader who happened to also have his name, they were also alarming in their ignorance. They seemed to have no idea of who this man was, what history surrounded his actions, and how any of that pertains to where we are at today. To my defense, in part, some of these kids did study these things under my catechetical direction. I realize that Americans, in general, are often ignorant of their historical roots, as evidenced more than once on late...

Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost October 19, 2008 Text: Matthew 22:15-21 Election season, especially in a presidential year, can get pretty nasty at times. Candidates are placed under a public microscope where their lives and words are picked apart unmercifully. But it’s not just the candidates that are the focus of extreme scrutiny at times like this. It seems that government itself is often put on trial. Much ink is spilled during election years showing everything that is wrong and broken and misguided with government. And it’s easy to set the whole system up as a kind of “enemy” that is out to get us and our money. As Christians we may feel this tension as well. Government becomes the “necessary evil” we must endure, but certainly not support. We live in a different kingdom, a spiritual kingdom, right? After all, doesn’t the Bible tell us that our “citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20)? Yet, on the other hand, could it also be possible that we instead actually ...

I recently found this article in my email inbox from one of the 'lists' to which I currently subscribe. To find a clean copy to print here I did a Google search of the title and author and received 227 'hits.' Apparently others have found this as thought-provoking as I did. [Note: The pictures were added by me and were not part of the original article.] REMEMBERING COLLECTIVE SHAME By Uwe Siemon-Netto This column requires a caveat: I am not an American citizen and therefore neither a Republican nor a Democrat. But as a German residing permanently in the United States I believe I have a duty to opine on at least one aspect of the upcoming elections - the question whether years from now Americans will have to wrestle with collective shame, just as I have had to deal with collective shame over what has happened in Germany in my childhood for my entire life. It was West Germany's first postwar president, Theodor Heuss, who coined the phrase, "collective shame...

A recent article from the Religious News Service made me wonder: What is it like to die without the direct comfort of the resurrected and living Christ.? Pastor Forest Church of the Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York is dying of terminal cancer. But he is dying, it would appear, without the comfort of eternal life in Christ in which Christians find great comfort at times of death. The article notes: "Like other Unitarian-Universalists, Church rejects many aspects of Christian doctrine. He neither blames God for his illness nor asks God for a cure. "I don't pray for miracles," he said. "I don't pray to cure my incurable case. I rejoice and consecrate each day that I'm given as a gift. As to the afterlife, Church said he has "no idea what happens after we die. I go with Henry David Thoreau who, when he was asked about the afterlife, said, `Madam, I prefer to take it one life at a time.'" At the same time, Church says he has com...

The founding fathers certainly could not have imagined that people today would be so hypersensitive about anything religious in connection with the national government. Yet once again we hear the clarion call that something else has violated the constitutional ban on "government officials endorsing religion" and the so-called separation of church and state. This time the target is the National Day of Prayer. Note the recent AP article: ATHEIST GROUP SUES BUSH OVER NATIONAL PRAYER DAY By Scott Bauer, Associated Press Writer Fri Oct 3, 9:26 PM ET MADISON, Wis. - The nation's largest group of atheists and agnostics is suing President Bush, the governor of Wisconsin and other officials over the federal law designating a National Day of Prayer. The Freedom From Religion Foundation sued Friday in U.S. district court, arguing that the president's mandated proclamations calling on Americans to pray violates a constitutional ban on government officials endorsing religion. ...

The Diocese of San Joaquin of Fresno, Calif. (now known as the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin ) became the first to leave in 2006. Now the Pittsburgh Diocese is following suit. Bit by bit the Episcopal communion continues to fray apart at the seams. It would appear that even in this country, where diversity is praised above fidelity, a church can become so liberal that people will still leave - and take much of their church with them. Following the vote of clergy and lay members of the theologically conservative diocese to officially break from the Episcopal church, Assistant Bishop Henry Scriven commented: "I am delighted that what we have done today is bringing the Diocese of Pittsburgh back into the mainstream of worldwide Anglicanism ." Naturally not all were pleased. The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori , presiding bishop of the U.S. church , was critical of the vote saying: "There is room in this church for all who desiere to be members of it." It ...

It seems that there is the belief out there among some that faith is a purely subjective experience entirely divorced from reason. On "The View" the other day someone again made that claim, one I seem to be running across more frequently. To be fair, I understand how some arrive at this conclusion, especially if they have concluded that what faith is based upon is pure myth. If you do not acknowledge the premise, then the only conclusion is that faith is mere subjective opinion or wish. However, those who have concluded this a priori have neglected to examine the objective evidence of the faith claim - i.e. historical documents that underly the claim. If a faith claim (in this case Christian) asserts that it is based on objective, historical facts that can be authenticated and examined, then the claim deserves to be heard and reasonably debated on those terms. Christianity has not divorced reason from faith, but understands that reason can be wrongly used. Typically...

If you are interested in the historic confessions of the Lutheran Church, there is a new site you need to check: The Book of Concord . It contains the complete next of the Book of Concord (including the German 1580 version), introductions to the book, and a wealth of other information. There is even a link to a blog where you can interact with others on questions or concerns regarding the theology of the Book of Concord. So, bookmark this now. I am also going to provide a link to the left on this blog if you forget ;)

"Authorities Want to Arrest Pregnant Woman to Protect Unborn Child." So the headline read this past Wednesday over at MSNBC . The woman in question is an habitual drug user who has repeatedly refused treatment. The district attorney wants to arrest the woman to protect the unborn child from her uncontrolled drug abuse. The author of the article called the action "controversial," yet only a couple of sentences later reported that "Parents can't understand why a woman would use drugs with a baby due in just a few months. 'I’ ve been a dad and a grandfather for over a year, and it's hard for me to imagine why someone would ever do that to a child. Why they wouldn't take care of them?' Frank Schinko said." Interesting how common sense can understand the need to protect life even when it is pre -born, yet the so-called right to terminate a pregnancy is considered one of the most sacred of choices. It is also interesting how many sta...

Recently I received a forwarded piece from George Carlin on the subject of "How to Stay Young." Much of his advice was common sense and reasonable. One point, however, caught my attention. He wrote: "9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is." Now I understand that there is an excessive and unhealthy side to guilt. I've been there. Too often we can beat ourselves up over false guilt, taking on responsibility that is not ours. In that sense, I agree. Don't take such a 'trip.' It only leads to misery. On the other hand, our society regularly tells us that any guilt is unhealthy, and that we should do whatever makes us happy and content. Our mores are self-serving credos that elevate freedom as the highest aspiration. And this lack of restraint has brought untold damage to marriages and families, cheapened sex, increased violence and substance abuse, and so...

According to an article in my Sunday paper labyrinths are finding "new converts in the modern world." In "A Spiritual Path," Post-Crescent author Cheryl Anderson begins by recounting how a certain Anglican priest began creating these things by mowing intricate paths in her backyard, and then later at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Menasha, WI. This is just the latest version of what has descended from one of the most famous 'Christian' labyrinths located at the Chartres Cathedral of Notre Dame, France. "A labyrinth is a form of a maze," Anderson writes, "but unlike a maze there's only one path leading to the center with no dead ends or false turns. It is a meditative tool used to quiet the mind. Labyrinths serve as a metaphor for the person's inward spiritual journey." Labyrinths fell out of exsistence over time, and were only 'rediscovered' in the '80's and '90's. I have never 'walked" a l...

The title to this article presents an odd question. However, it was raised by one of the writers to Dear Abby and reflects a deep seated concern in our times regarding women, children, traditional families, and the role of women in society. This mother from Texas claims that she loves being with her children and taking care of them. Yet, she wonders: "Am I doing long term damage to them by being so dependent on their father for everything? To her credit, Abby affirms the value of a loving mother. "How can having a mother in the house whose focus is on their welfare and development be damaging?" she asks. "Most children should be so fortunate." Indeed. Nevertheless, I suspect that there are those out there who would answer differently, advising this women to get out there an find a career so that her children had the proper role model of an independent and thoroughly self-sufficient woman. The irony of this woman's question is that the problem of o...

Currently the LCMS has a blue ribbon task force studying possible changes in the structure of the governance of Synod. The September Reporter revealed several proposals currently on the table for discussion, summarizing a recently released "white paper" called Walking Together - The LCMS Future . The suggestions, at present, seem to be fairly extensive, and in some cases reflecting conflicting directions. Districts should either be increased in number or decreased or remain the same, but cooperate more with other districts. Change the circuits so that they are purely "visitational," and not "electoral." Involve the district presidents in choosing the circuit counselors. Change the voting representation so that larger congregations will have more delegates to correspond to their greater membership numbers. Discontinue advisory delegates. Continue the policy for submission of overtures, but include district or synodical officers as well. Enco...

Church-going people sometimes have stereotypes of those who do not go to church. They may think such people are thoroughly turned off of the established church, antagonistic to anything Christian or religious, resistive to invitations to Sunday worship, and put off by old, traditional church buildings. How wrong we are. While searching Google for information on the unchurched, I ran across the following: Ten Surprises About the Unchurched by Dr. Thomas Rainer Unchurched Prefer Cathedrals to Contemporary Church Designs by Tobin Perry The message on current outreach and evangelism often suggests significant changes from traditional practices. Old buildings are not attractive as theater-style structures, so the old cathedrals are torn down for state-of-the-art edifices with drop down screens and cutting edge sound systems. Hymnals and traditional music is tossed in favor of contemporary bands. All this is supposed to be so much more effective in reaching the unchurched. But what...

On Thursday, August 28, the Rev. Joel Hunter of the Northland Church in Floria, gave the closing prayer at the Democratic National Convention. As a well-known, albeit unconventional Evangelical, Hunter's prayer certainly raised more than a few eyebrows in the Christian community. The buzz concerned the all-inclusive nature of the prayer (especially the ending), something unheard of in conservative Christian circles. As one who has been called upon to pray in public for a wide variety of civic groups over the years, it has always been my conviction that I would pray specificially in Jesus' name, or I would not pray at all. In the explanation to Luther's Small Catechism we read that "Only those who believe in Jesus Christ may pray to God and expect to be heard." Aparently Evangelical theology is changing. The definition of God is now broad enough to encompass all faiths. Here is a transcript of the prayer as taken from the DNC itself . What do you t...

Why is this question so difficult? At the risk of sounding downright simplistic, would not the definition of the beginning of human life be the moment of conception? I mean, it's life and it's decidedly human. How else do we explain it? Still, the confusion goes on. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi recently stated that she didn't think anyone can tell you when life begins, that is, human life. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama essentially dodged the issue. In response to the question of when does a baby get human rights, he stated that such an answer would be "above [his] pay grade ." I'm not entirely sure what that means. Is he simply conceding the answer to God? If so, he's right in one sense. But the point here is that God has already answered the question. Life begins at conception. And what about science for those who would cloud the issue by saying it's really all about religious views? In one of America's most pr...

Check out the new kid on the Lutheran blogosphere block: Mercy Journeys with Pastor Harrison . Pastor Harrison is the executive director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care and author of the book Christ Have Mercy: How to Put Your Faith in Action (CPH).

If you have hung around Lutherans for any length of time you no doubt have heard the term "high church." Like the term "liberal," it is not a label typically used for complimentary reasons, but rather to identify a group that is out of step with where they should be. In a church body such as the LCMS, where a declining and aging membership signals a need to change for the sake of survival, "high church" is a handy term to identify those who stand in the way of progress. "High Church," actually, is a term borrowed from the Anglicans, and does not originate with Lutherans. Nevertheless, there now is an identified phenomenon known as "High Church Lutheranism." That having been said, however, the use of the term "high church," from my perspective at least, is overused and abused, especially as a way of pitting evangelism against ministry, and progress against stagnation. "High Church," in common usage, now o...