Northwoods Seelsorger

The other day as my wife was proofreading an installation service for a neighboring congregation, she observed how hearing the promises in this rite would be helpful even for a church that already has a pastor. I agree. As with marriage, we often forget about the depth and implications of the solemn obligations to which we originally pledged ourselves. Below are selections from the Rite of Installation as found in the current Agenda of the Lutheran Service Book . Address of the Pastor-elect P: Dear brother in Christ, the Lord grant that you receive and keep these words in your heart so that you may be strengthened and encourage in your labors. God gathers His Church by and around His Holy Gospel and thereby also grants its growth and increase according to His good pleasure. That this may be done, He has established the Office of the Holy Ministry into which you have been called by the Church and have been ordained and consecrated by prayer and the laying on of hands. It is ...

Yet another pastor of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod has left the church for the lure of Orthodoxy. Fr. Fenton's case was by far the most celebrated in recent years. Fr. Hogg was yet another of which I am aware. Now it is the Rev. Daniel Hackney. You can read more of his 'conversion' in the article "Pastor finds a home in Orthodox Christianity." Having had my own flirtation with the East, I understand to some degree its appeal. Still, it concerns me to see so many LCMS pastors leave for Orthodoxy in last few years. What should we be doing at the seminary level to help our pastors truly appreciate the rich heritage they already have in the Lutheran Church? Or is there something else we need to be doing? Fr. Hogg in his blog Pillar and Ground of Truth opines on the question of Lutherans heading East in "Why do Lutherans Go East?" His view and the 30 comments that follow, of course, are all from an Orthodox bias, and a "I-left-Luther...

According to the Religious News Service blog , Merriam-Webster, the trusted dictionary for most of my life, has caved in to the cultural pressure of defining our language in such a way as to placate practitioners of alternate lifestyle relationships..... Redefining Marriage Marriage has officially been redefined...at least, according to the updated version of Merriam-Webster's dictionary. The AP reports: In its Web and print editions, Merriam-Webster defines marriage as "the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law." But in a nod to evolving ideas of love and English usage, the Springfield, Mass.-based company in 2003 added a secondary meaning for "marriage" as "the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage." "World Net Daily was apparently first to write about the change ... six years after t...

Did they expect it to be different after he was elected? Last Fall many Evangelicals and Catholics jumped on the Obama bandwagon for a variety of reasons, and in the process, it appears, turned a blind eye to certain areas that would later come back to haunt them. They may have been tired by the war in the Middle East. They may have been concerned about the worsening economy. Financial worries topped the list for many of them. Obama ran a upbeat campaign aimed to project the beginning of an era change and hope. He was the face of youth and possibility. Nothing seemed out of range now. Christians saw a man deeply concerned about people and life, and assumed he shared their values. Unfortunately there was also a entire agenda accompanying him that ran completely counter to conservative Christian values. He was pro-abortion. He was prepared to reverse the restrictions on embryonic stem cell research put in place by the previous administration. Somehow, it seems, they though...

According to the cover story in the March 9 issue of USA TODAY "almost all denominations are losing ground." In fact the percentage of those who claim to be "some type of Christian" has shrunk by 11% in the span of one generation. As the author Cathy Lynn Grossman wrote: "When it comes to religion, the USA is a land of freelancers." The dramatic changes were detailed in the new American Identification Survey (ARIS). It has found that even despite the fact that growth and immigration have added nearly 50 million adults to the U.S. population, "almost all religious denominations have lost ground since the first ARIS survey in 1990." What is of particular interest is the growth of what the survey calls "nones," those who claim no religion. It has grown from 8.2 % in 1990 to 15% in 2008! Furthermore, the survey discovered that the "nones" where the only group to have grown in every state of the Union. Much of the decline i...

Last night I had the privilege of seeing Fiddler on the Roof for the first time. It was a stage rendition of the famous musical done at my son's high school. Oh, and did I mention that my son was in the play? I suppose it seems odd that I am enjoying this play for the first time only in my middle years. Still, enjoy it I did. And probably more so precisely because of my age. In many ways I related most closely to the central character Tevye . He is the poor milkman in the Russian village Anatevka, struggling to make ends meet in the pre-revolution year of 1905. Although he freely admits to his many struggles and frustrations in occasional prayers to God, he still values the tightknit Jewish community that comprises his world. In his first monologue Tevye addresses the audience and explains to them the meaning behind the "fiddler on the roof" visible behind him, which serves as the theme of the play. It is a simple, yet profound testimony to the value of traditi...

From time to time I drop in on the Jesus First website just to see what is happening on that side of LCMS issues and life. Many times the newsletter and articles are months out of date. No surprise. They are a political group designed for political purposes, especially to influence the direction of synodical policies and elections all the way to the national level. Given that the current climate in Synod has been quietly within their wishes, and the national convention was well behind us, there has been little reason to write. However, the various districts of the LCMS will be holding their conventions throughout the next half year. Two have already met (North Dekota and Southern Illinois). These inevitably have some impact on what will occur at the synodical convention in 2010, and will give opportunity for the national organization to address the districts on upcoming developments. Thus, JF is "gearing up" their political machine to keep the troops informed in pre...

Less than a month ago the ELCA's task force on sexuality issued a recommendation for their upcoming national convention. The last study that came out of the ELCA proved to be highly controversial, and this study will prove to be no less. Essentially, they are asking for their denomination to reverse its current policy regarding gay and lesbian pastors and allow them the freedom to be fully rostered clergy while also fully practicing homosexuals. Up to this point they served the church but were required to remain celebate. In true liberal fashion the task force admits disagreements within the church body on this subject, but leans in the direction of solving this tension by the simple "live and let live" philosophy. Forget truth. The subject of sexuality is relative as far as the Bible is concerned. The task force acknowledged that there is neither "a consensus -- a general agreement -- nor any emerging consensus" either within the ELCA or within other ...

It's long been a 'pet peeve' with me, so let me vent a moment, after I show you what got me going. In the "letters" section of the recent Lutheran Witness, a man from Oklahoma wrote in response to an article in a previous issue celebrating our Lutheran faith and heritage: "As I read, I got the distinct impression it was much more important to be Lutheran first and then Christian. How sad that the emphasis wasn't on being Christian first." This really doesn't have to involve a long response. In fact, it begs a simple question which all Lutherans should be able to answer: Is being Lutheran different than being Christian? What part of being Lutheran is different than being Christian? And why does one have to come first? (thus, the "chicken and egg" title to this post)? No one seems to want to answer this. My theory is that people seem to believe that each church possesses a basic Christian identity that is common to all, and that L...