Northwoods Seelsorger

My attention was recently drawn to a resolution by the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta proposing a study that would lead to "honoring the contributions of Pelagius."  Resolution R11-7 reads: Contributions of Pelagius  Whereas the historical record of Pelagius’s contribution to our theological tradition is shrouded in the political ambition of his theological antagonists who sought to discredit what they felt was a threat to the empire, and their ecclesiastical dominance, and   whereas an understanding of his life and writings might bring more to bear on his good standing in our tradition, and  whereas his restitution as a viable theological voice within our tradition might encourage a deeper understanding of sin, grace, free will, and the goodness of God’s creation, and   whereas in as much as the history of Pelagius represents to some the struggle for theological exploration that is our birthright as Anglicans,   Be it resolved, th...

I love to write (which is why I started this blog).  However, going the next step and submitting something for publication always seemed like too big of a step.  This past January, however, one of my professors handed back a paper I'd written the previous summer and made the comment that he thought what I had written was "publishable."  That finally gave me the impetus to give it a try.  What did I have to lose?  I reformatted the paper, doubled checked it again, and sent it off to LOGIA: A Journal of Lutheran Theology .  What a surprise when the Reformation issue arrived this past week and I saw that they had published it!  The article is entitled "Romans 7: Personal Struggle, Defense of the Law, or Israel's Struggle?"  It arose out of a class studying the "New Perspective on Paul."   As one of the 'token' Lutherans in the class (at this Anglican seminary) I decided to defend Luther against the newer 'perspective.'  My professor d...

Imprecatory psalms present a challenge.  The call for judgment and punishment on one's enemies, to the Christian ear, sounds harsh and excessive.  This morning my devotions involved Psalm 109, a primary imprecatory psalm.  Obviously the verses contain very harsh calls for hardship and suffering upon the "wicked man," possibly more than most psalms.  The 'psalm prayer' at the end in my breviary tried to soften the tone as it reminded the hearer that Jesus "blessed" those who cursed him and asked the Father to forgive those who nailed him the cross.  Still, the psalm does not bless the wicked man.  In fact, it asks that his "sin be always before the LORD."  How do we reconcile such language with our faith? Although in no way coordinated with the cycle of readings, it so happened that one of the lessons to be read for today was from James 2.  The final verse of the reading seemed to throw light on the dilemma posed above: "For judgment is w...