Northwoods Seelsorger

Recently the Southern Baptists discussed renaming their denomination.  They were frustrated by declining numbers and less success in mission outreach and felt their name was holding them back.  In the end the vote went against renaming.  David Gibson at the Religious News Service discusses this and other discussions regarding "re-branding" of religious groups such as the Mormons.  Interestingly, folks from the corporate world advise against name changing, as there is value in the wide recognition of a well known label.  Some time back the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod discussed the same thing.  They, too, decided to stick with LCMS - for now.  Some feel that changing a name changes the image, and changing public perception translates into other successes.  Yet such is not always the case. "I think you should stick to your mission and just work harder to explain why your mission matters," advises Josh Feldmeth, head of the New York office of...

For those interested in learning more about President Harrison's time before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to discuss the recent federal mandate on contraception should check out the Witness, Mercy, Life Together site , which is his official blog.  There are other sites as well, but this one is the official one.  The posted articles also summarize the general issues involved.

If you have been keeping up with the recent political fallout on the federal government's contraception mandate, you may want to read this recent article in Christianity Today .  As many observers will note, the discussion has swung between issues of religious freedom and women's rights.  So it was to be expected that someone would cry foul at the House hearing when the table did not include representative women.  The author, Maggie Karner, works for the LCMS, and so she brings a voice both of women and the Synod.  Surprisingly for some she wasn't bothered by a lack of women on the panel.  A 'taste' of her article can be gained by this choice quote: As a woman, I was embarrassed by the cry of "Where are the women?" because I don't give a rip what gender is speaking about religious freedom as long as it is being addressed. It matters to us all—at least I thought it did. It certainly did to our Founding Fathers who penned the Constitution. And it ...

Those promoting the eventuality of women's ordination in the LCMS continue to insist that we still need a "Synod-wide discussion" on the issue in order to finally put it to rest.  This troubles me.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for discussion and debate.  It clarifies positions and sharpens points of contention.  Yet when it comes to what the church teaches and practices as a matter of public conviction, deciding on the basis of a "discussion" seems fraught with all kinds of pit falls.  From my vantage point the ELCA tried this and eventually gave in to the political and social pressure surrounding "gay rights."  Theological rationale was given, but one wonders how much of the theology was driven by "Synod wide discussion."  Such a discussion will only provide resolution for those seeking the outcome of women's ordination when it finally makes it 'legal' in Synod.  Even if we took a Synod-wide vote it would remain unsettle...

Some comments by Dr. Becker have continued to trouble me and I would like to work with it here for a moment.  He has stated: "The prophetic and apostolic gospel frees us from many Scriptural texts that are no longer binding or applicable for Gentile Christians."  In particular he is referring to such texts as circumcision and OT sacrifices and such. However, he also believes that parts of scripture are "culturally conditioned," and we therefore need to balance the "historic meaning with the contemporary understanding."  Many times he has stated that such an approach to scripture has backing from past sources in the Synod's history, and yet every time I hear him speak this way it sounds strangely foreign to my ears.  I can't help but wonder where all this must lead.  He appears to embrace the essential message of the gospel, as far as I can tell. That is, he hasn't denied salvation through Christ, etc.  He gives the impression that teachings su...

Dr. Matthew Becker has formally dissented from two areas of teaching in Synod, which he submitted to the CTCR.  Their response is now public, as his response to them.  You can read about it all in his most recent blog article, "Dissent in the LCMS."   The CTCR response to his dissent and further commentary on the nature of his dissent can be found here .  I highly recommend anyone who has followed my commentary on Becker's theology to read both of the documents at the CTCR site linked above.  They speak for themselves and in a way far superior to any additional commentary from me.  As I understand it now, any further written dissent on his part will be forwarded directly to his ecclesiastical supervisors (district president and synodical president), who are then obligated to follow through on appropriate discipline.  I am pleased that the church has spoken clearly and firmly against his interpretations and theology.

My familiarity with this great lexicographer comes, as for many others, through the use of A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament .  As a Greek student at Concordia-St.Paul from 1979-1983, one of my first required texts was most certainly this tome for which he served as one of its valuable contributors.  The second edition (1979) was at the time of my initial studies virtually 'hot off the presses.'  Although Danker went on to produce yet a third edition in 2000, I have yet to replace my original.  Dr. Danker, who taught at Concordia Seminary-St. Louis for twenty years from 1954 to 1974, was one of the professors who later left to help form Christ Seminary in Exile (Seminex).  He wrote his reflections of this difficult period in the book No Room in the Brotherhood: The Preus-Otten Purge of Missouri , published by Clayton Publishing House in 1977.  I have never read this work, but was surprised when I checked out Amazon.com that no reviews exist for i...

There are always 'gaps' between the generations; experiences and preferences only understood by people of a particular age.  Another 'gap' is now occurring, but this time it concerns not styles and tastes, but access to technology, computer technology to be specific.  The most elderly face the greatest separation, yet it affects people of varying age groups from middle age to elderly.  Part of the problem concerns the ability to afford this technology.  Although greatly reduced in cost from a couple of decades ago, much of the cutting edge equipment remains out of reach for many.  No part of society is exempt from the frustration this brings.  In the church, where the bulk of membership in some smaller, more rural parishes is to be found, this technological generation gap is being felt as denominational entities and headquarters shift to online access for services once enjoyed through the mail.  For cost reasons such a shift is good stewardship.  ...

Of the various sites that I monitor for information, Religious News Service (RNS) provides insights from time to time of the religious world outside my denominational world.  While checking in recently I noticed that they have revamped their site.  I like the new look,  but admittedly I haven't explored it fully yet. 

Cleaning the house inevitably unearths forgotten treasures and faded memories.  Last night while straightening up one room I ran across some files set aside for a purpose long since expired.  In the midst of these files were letters, one of which was from a past member, taking issue with my leadership and actions at the time.  Reading it again brought back the memories of a difficult era in my ministry, one that was deeply formative, yet also quite filled with stress.  The date of the letter goes back 14 years, so the immediate issues are now irrelevant.  I was in my mid-30's, the senior/administrative pastor of a 1,600 member parish, trying to juggle family, church, and personal life.   Mistakes were made, as they always are by sinful people, and I was initially reminded that while our self-protective memories may shield us from the pain of past regrets, revisiting those times is sometimes healthy.  It is a careful dance between past and present....

In a previous post I noted the creation of a new Facebook page dedicated to the promotion of the ordination of women in the LCMS.  A few days later I posted again on the reactions to this site.  Since then I have simply dropped in from time to time to read the many posts for and against.  At present the administrators of the OWN Facebook page have begun to ban certain participants from posting.  I would encourage you to go to the site and review for yourself the dialogue and discussion, but with certain posts removed I suspect the script is rather disjointed and hard to follow.  The administrators are certainly within their rights to ban whoever they wish.  Even on a blog like this I have the same rights and powers.  However, watching this play out over the last couple of months has brought a few observations from the Seelsorger: A topic such as ordaining women does not lend itself to dispassionate discussion, despite the fact that the administrato...