Northwoods Seelsorger

One of the more enjoyable aspects of being a pastor is being able to spend time with living history. By "living history" I mean the elderly; people who possess a rich depository of firsthand experience with the past. The elderly most interesting of late involve those with experiences from the Great Depression. Now in their 80's and 90's, this generation, like those of WWII, is disappearing at a rapid rate. Few remain to pass on their wisdom. So when I am able to, I deliberately try to get them to talk about those days. I don't care if it derails a Bible class temporarily, or if it prolongs a shut-in visit. Their experiences will too soon pass into secondhand recollection and I need to hear their voice of faith before it fades forever. These unique treasure keepers possess for us an especially valuable memory: survival in one of history's most devastating economic disasters. Every day I listen to increasingly depressing reports of a faili...

In a recent article from the March issue of Christianity Today entitled "The Other Side of Church Growth," Philip Jenkins suggests that in contrast to a theology of church growth, we also need a theology of church extinction. As Stan Guthrie, the interviewer of Jenkins observes: "In our time, we are witnessing an extraordinary phenomenon: the virtual wiping out of the church in a place it has existed for nearly 2,000 years. The plight of Iraq's Christian community reminds us that church expansion is not a constantly upward slope." While we are fixated in this country on the numerical growth of the church as a sign of the certainty of God's working in this world, how are we to then answer the reality of the contraction of the church in many parts of the world? As Jenkins points out, the killing of churches in these places comes largely as a result of active persecution. At the same time, however, when one area is contracting, another is expanding. Je...

Young Catholics will no doubt be as surprised and confused as Protestants. It seemed as if they were a thing of the past, along with such practices as the mandatory eating of fish on Fridays. Yet it would appear that indulgences are making a comeback in church practice. According to a recent article in the New York Times, entitled "For Catholics, a Door to Absolution Is Reopened," bishops are beginning to publicly announce the availability of the "plenary indulgence" (which eliminate any punishment in Purgatory until another sin is committed.) After reading the article I would have to note that the author is not entirely accurate with his Catholic theology, yet many in the mainstream media are weak on theology. Explaining indulgences and the doctrine of Purgatory to which they are related is sometimes a tricky business. With fairness to Catholics it is not right to paint Purgatory and indulgences as the theological equivalent of a "Get Out of Hell Free...

A debate has raged for some time now about whether the Missouri Synod is so lost that the only choice left is to disassociate oneself from her entirely; that to stay is simply to endorse the falsehoods and wrong practice by ones presence. I have seen a fair number of confessionally minded pastors peal off over the years for any number of supposedly greener pastures: Rome, Orthodoxy, ELS, WELS, independent, etc. The argument espoused also contains not a little guilt for those who remain. Are we sharing in the sins of others by not leaving? Are we complicitely participating in an organizataion that is heterodox by holding on to membership with those whom we openly disagree? In the midst of this debate I have often thought about men like Martin Luther and C.F. W. Walther, who both ended up outside the church bodies with which they began their ministries. Luther was officially excommunicated by Rome and seemed to show no intent on leaving on his own prior to his forced exit. Walthe...

Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have long been favorite whipping boys of the political left. They are seen as long on talk and short on fact, and far too influential to impressionable citizens who they claim are being swayed by more rhetoric than truth. With the recent partisan struggle over the so-called Stimulus Bill, and the perceived role these radio personalities had in it, there is now increased talk about what can be done to rein them in. Reintroducing the Fairness Doctrine is one popular suggestion, although it was obolished over 20 years ago by the FCC. While the Supreme Court ruled that the FCC has the right to enforce it, it is not obligated to do so. With the modern poliferation of mutiple channels, both cable and public, not to mention the internet and radio, such a 'corrective' to the danger of on-sided reporting no longer seemed necessary. Although Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is in favor of it, it seems unlikely, at this juncture, that the pres...

I should be more casual, given my age and generation (Baby Boomer.) However, it must have been the influence of being raised by Depression/ WWII era parents that skewed my view of this.  Don't get me wrong, I love to relax in a good, comfortable pair of jeans.   However, there is a time and place for casual atire.  Still, I sense this practice is eroding in all settings, and I am struggling to accept this.  When banks went to "casual Fridays" I cringed.  Banks were always suit and tie places.  Dealing with money was serious business.  Serious atire seemed appropriate.  So too with doctors.  They should dress to reflect the 'life and death' nature of their responsibilities.  It was inevitible that the church would quickly follow suit.  In my 20+ years of ministry I have seen the 'dress code' decline much from what I remember as a kid.  Recently I heard about a new Wisconsin Synod mission start.  Their web site says it all:   www.casualaboutchurch.org .  The...

According to the New York Times on Thursday: WASHINGTON — President Obama signed an executive order Thursday to create a revamped White House office for religion-based and neighborhood programs, expanding an initiative started by the Bush administration that provides government support — and financing — to religious and charitable organizations that deliver social services....In announcing the expansion of the religion office, Mr. Obama did not settle the biggest question: Can religious groups that receive federal money for social service programs hire only those who share their faith? The Bush administration said yes. But many religious groups and others that are concerned about employment discrimination and protecting the separation of church and state had pushed hard for Mr. Obama to repeal the Bush policies. Meanwhile, other religious groups were lobbying to preserve their right to use religion as a criterion in hiring. Some religious social service providers warned they might sto...

I love history. Now that my age pushes me closer to 50 I realize that I now have history . Living through a few episodes on the world stage gives you a renewed and broader perspective on the present. With apologies to Dickens, it is never the "best and the worst of times." There i s always something that is better or worse from the past. Which brings me to a gripe with which I am currently wrestling. As we are all too painfully aware, the media with government in tow (or the other way around - I'm not sure), is pressing the panic button and invoking Chicken Little's fear. Every day with renewed layoff postings and business failures we are even more certain that the sky is indeed falling. We live constantly in the worst of times. Too bad the Great Depression Generation and those of the WWII era are dying off so quickly now. We need their perspective now more than ever. They could easily shame us into the realization that ours is by far a time unequally blessed. ...