Northwoods Seelsorger

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...

Books that slander the Christian faith and cast aspersions on Jesus himself seem to have little trouble finding willing publishers these days. Yet books that dare talk of Islam or its founder, even when they are not slanderous, would seem to be cautiously avoided. Such was the case with the almost new novel The Jewel of Medina by journalist Sherry Jones, a story of Aisha, child bride of Islam's founder Muhammad, five years in the making. The publisher, Random House, initially showed such excitement for the book that they gave Jones a $100,000 contract for not just this work, but for a sequel as well. However, it only takes one voice of protest to stop the presses, and the voice of Denise Spellberg, who teaches Middle Eastern studies, was just such a voice. After reading a galley of the book she declared that the novel was a "declaration of war...explosive stuff...a national security issue." Random House eventually reached a "termination agreement" with...

Michael Newdow, the atheist who worked for years trying to get the Pledge of Allegiance out of public schools, has now turned his attention to the common coin. He insists that the motto "In God We Trust" imprinted on the nation's currency violates the principle of the separation of church and state. You can read about this story and the history of how our motto appeared on the currency in "Atheists Challenges 'In God We Trust'" at the MSNBC site .

One of our local churches advertises itself as a "Spirit-Filled Ministry." Such a title, as I understand it, identifies the church as Pentecostal or Charismatic. These are churches that believe they have a "full gospel" ministry that includes the fullness of the Holy Spirit's work. This usually means they exercise all the so-called "gifts" of 1 Corinthians, such as speaking in tongues and miraculous healing, which are the most popular. But where does the Bible actually define a church as "Spirit-filled" as opposed to a church that is, well, "Spirit-empty"? Doesn't Peter indicate to the Pentecost converts that they will receive THE gift of the Holy Spirit in Baptism? Or is it the case, as I have observed, that "Spirit-filled" people will define gradations of filling, making a distinction between the ordinary believer who "have the Spirit", and the truly spiritual ones that are "filled with the Ho...

Known only as a "Canaanite woman," this desperate mother of Matthew 15 (Gospel for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost) teaches us a great deal about real faith. In the comfort of our plush chairs and stable homes, we can only imagine the horror this poor woman endured on a daily basis. Can you picture her daughter overwhelmed by personal evil, disheveled and wild-eyed in rage? Can you appreciate the pain of seeing one you love so tortured and manipulated by this uncaring demonic power? And then to endure the rude indifference of the disciples who desire only to be rid of the annoyance of her cries for help. Yet the greatest test comes when she must face the Lord Himself who seems to turn away at just the moment of her greatest need. She came in true faith, believing in the mercy of God, trusting that the Messiah would care. But then she encounters silence and the face of God is initially hidden. Most would surrender in frustration and self-pity and walk...

Certainly no one would argue that pastors must exercise leadership within the church to which they were called. However, does the aspect of leadership define their calling? In the book Power Surge (Augsburg-Fortess, 2000) , author Michael W. Foss states: "The pastor as spiritual leader is emerging as a much more dynamic and effective pastoral role than those of pastor as caregiver, teacher, and preacher. Not the pastor as spiritual authority, but as spiritual leader, guide, or mentor..." The model Foss develops in his book betrays a similar trend I 0bserved even within the " church growth" model, which he indicates he is moving beyond. Here the pastor is supposed to be more than simply a "manager," but rather the vision-setter at the head of the organization. He contrasts the model of "chaplain" with that of the new model of pastor as "spiritual leader." In the end it still feels too much like the old "church growth" m...

During my days in Traverse City, Michigan, I would hear about how some churches were literally throwing their organs away. It seemed then that the days were numbered low for the survival of this magnificent king of instruments. With the rise of contemporary worship the organ faced extinction within the one place it was most effective and needed. No other instrument equals it in the leading of worship. One can therefore imagine my delight when I read a story in Concordia University-Nebraska's Broadcaster about the purchase and dedication of a brand new Casavant Freres Opus 3868. It took seven weeks to construct the case and tune the pipes of this stately pipe organ. I was also pleased when I read that they have 15 students for which the organ is their "principal instrument," in what is considered the "largest music department in the Concordia University System." BTW, if you ever get to Traverse City, Michigan, make sure you take time to stroll through th...

After preparing for a couple of funerals here recently, I was reminded of an article I read a few years back in the Concordia Journal entitled, "Five Things You Should Not Say at Funerals" (October 2003). My one pet peeve with funerals I attend as a guest is the all too frequent absence of Christ crucified and risen. Too often the content is trivial and shallow and centered on the life and times of the deceased instead of our Lord. However, even after several years of ministry, I realize that I may not have always presented the fullness of our hope as accurately as possible, even while preaching Christ. Dr. Jeff Gibbs gave me pause to think. The five things he tells us we ought not to say: 1.) "Bob has received the crown of righteousness, and he has heard the Lord say, 'Well done, good and faithful servant.'" Gibbs reason for not saying this: Like some of the phrases to follow, these are words that point to the final Day of Judgment, not to th...

A debate has long raged on whether Freemasonry is a religion. Christian denominations such as my own (LCMS) have long opposed Freemasonry on the grounds of its incompatibility with the orthodox Christian faith and its overt religious rituals that honor and worship a generic god equally acceptable to Hindus, Muslims and Christians alike. Freemasonry, of course, denies being a religion, or that it is a substitute for one. Yet, how is that understood by the many practicing masons in the world today? In the obituary section of my local paper I read about a man who was identified as being with the Knights Templar , one of the many branches of Freemasonry . It was interesting that this was the first thing he was identified with, even before the date of his death and year of his birth were given. No church affiliation was listed in the obituary, although a Christian minister was found to conduct his service. And where will the service be held? The Knights Templar Clubhouse. Despite ...

In Dear Abby yesterday a series of letters continued a discussion on cheating in school, a disturbing reality with implications far beyond the classroom. I clipped the article to save for use with my youth group, realizing the topic has huge implications for young Christian people especially. However, one of those responding to the topic caught my attention with his simple, but powerful observation. For young people just thinking about their careers and future lives, this bears remembering the next time they are tempted to cheat: "DEAR ABBY: After teaching in public and private schools for 44 years, I believe that most students are honest the majority of the time. However, I would advise 'Valedictorian' to pay attention. Make mental notes of the names of her classmates who cheat every chance they get. Do not forget who they are. She will be meeting them all the rest of her life. If they go into business, shop elsewhere. If they become bankers, put your money el...

During my seminary education we spent many semesters discussing and learning the finer points of Christians doctrine. Franz Pieper's multi-volume set of Christian Dogmatics occupied our waking moments well into the night as we digested the hundreds, if not thousands of pages of detail. After seminary some pastors gave a sigh of relief. Finally, they said, I don't have to concern myself with all that doctrine. I can now do the work of ministry. Yet, can we be about the work of church and ministry, including missions and evangelism, without careful attention to the doctrine and teaching of the church? All you have to do is to believe in Jesus and salvation. The rest is secondary, some would claim. Anyway, all that discussion of doctrine only gets in the way of Christians working together for a common cause and confuses people. I remember a community women's Bible study in the city where my last parish was, which attracted some of the lady's from my church....

Although the time I spend in the woods rarely takes me far from home or far from the main trail, I am fascinated by the art of outdoor survival. Bear Grylls in Man vs. Wild and Les Stroud of Survivorman rank among my favorite TV personalities. I have probably watched most of the episodes by now. Some may think the skills of outdoor survival benefit only those in extreme situations, and their applicability to everyday life is limited. But I beg to differ. There is a lot to general survival that can be carried over into normal life, and life as a Christian in an evil world. Recently I picked up the August copy of National Geographic's Adventure magazine , lured by the lead article: "How to Survive (Almost) Anything." What was particularly interesting was that the article was not so much about outdoor skills, as such, but about the psychological aspect of survival. Laurence Gonzales, the author, noted that "After more than three decades of analyzing who liv...

While looking for information on a Christian child sponsorship organization, I stumbled across an interesting site called Christianagression.org . What I 'stumbled' onto, actually, was a "blacklist" of Christian organizations deemed "aggressive" against the culture and religions of other countries. Turns out that my own denomination, the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod is on that list. Although directed primarily against Christian mission activity in India, the site's purpose appears to be to educate people that all missionary activity is inherently aggressive and dangerous. They state: "Christians believe that they have been commanded by Christ to go and “save” (convert) the people of this world. This is also supposed to give them special merit when it comes to the day of final judgment. While there are many Christians who today do not believe in this exclusivity, there are a still large number of misguided Christians who still believe tha...