Northwoods Seelsorger

We often think of Advent as the beginning of the church year.  However, the church's calendar is more cyclical  than linear.  Thus, one does not so much observe a beginning and ending as an ongoing cycle moving from one theme to another. The traditional Advent Wreath may be an appropriate way to illustrate this, as we move toward Christmas by moving in a circle, a symbol of eternity. One half of the year reflects on the life of the church, the other on the life of Christ.  Advent does make us think of beginnings and endings as it points us in anticipation to the end of time and the return of Christ, as well as the birth of Jesus.  Yet the best way to think of Advent is to see it in terms of the fulfillment of prophesy.  How do we know that Jesus will come again in glory, as He promised?  The answer is found in His first coming, the incarnation.  In a sense past, present and future are collapsed and made a single whole.  As we look back we f...

In the continued interest of keeping all informed of theological discussions on both sides of the fence within Missourian circles, please note that the Daystar Journal has published a new set of articles for the fall. I have not had a chance to fully read and review all of them, and will report my reflections as time and opportunity allow.  After going to the Daystar Journal site click on "Recent Articles" for the current selection. The introduction to the articles, however, indicates that the journal has decided to tackle topics in a "social gospel' direction this time around, a theme reminiscent of the 70's.  Still, the first article by David Domsch begins the offerings by taking a direct swipe at the LCMS under the accusation that it is a synod run entirely by fear.  After reading this brief selection one would be led to believe that Missouri is a dictatorial state.  Domsch also takes aim at the seminaries, which he obviously believes are failing to fulfill ...

Thanks to the former dean of Nashotah House, I discovered this little piece by way of his own blog "To All the World..."  The 'tool' is an interactive map of the U.S., that shows the percentage of faith groups represented by each state in the union.  Simply pass the cursor over the state and the bar graph to the right will immediately register the percentage of various religious groups. What was interesting to me is how many "unaffiliated" there are, sometimes equaling the number of Evangelicals and Catholics in certain areas. Check it out here . 

I shouldn't be surprised or shocked anymore.  When it comes to worship many churches assume that the form and music of worship remain neutral, and therefore subject it to whatever manipulation will attract the next crowd.  The Church of All Saints in Stockholm has simply applied that to the latest trend among the young, celebrating the upsurge of numbers while oblivious to the injury they inflicted on the spiritual life of God's people.  Take a moment and read the Associated Press article here reprinted by the Washington Post and judge for yourself. Even the writer noted early on that the so-called service resembled a "disco at a youth center" more than worship. With increasingly fewer worshipers the church felt it needed to so something to attract the younger crowd and turned to the tools of the entertainment industry. That the participants were entertained is a given.  "It was an awesome feeling," said one.  “It was superfun, it was really kicking......

Purgatory presented Martin Luther with one of his early theological challenges.  I suspect that some Catholics today would claim that purgatory is among those practices of the past that possess little meaning for the modern believer.  In Luther's day purgatory featured prominently in the believer's mind.  It was also tied directly to indulgences which became a major fundraiser, especially for those trying to raise much needed capital to build St. Peters and pay off debts resulting from the purchase of titles and positions.  Given this state of affairs it makes sense that such a practice was ripe for abuse.  However, past abuses aside, is purgatory a doctrine of the current Catholic Church?  The answer is yes.  Yet how central to Catholic teaching is purgatory?  Admittedly, purgatory also does not list among the primary and central teachings or truths of the church.  Alan Schreck (author of Catholic and Christian , 1984) sees part of the pro...

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...