Famous One

You are the Lord
The famous One, famous One
Great is Your name in all the Earth
The heavens declare 
You're glorious, glorious!
Great is Your fame beyond the Earth

And for all You've done and yet to do
With every breath I'm praising You
Desire of nations and every heart
You alone are God

You are the Lord
The famous One, famous One
Great is Your name in all the Earth
The heavens declare
You're glorious, glorious!
Great is Your fame beyond the Earth

The morning star is shining through
And every eye is watching You
Revealed by nature and miracles
You are beautiful
You are beautiful

You are the Lord
The famous One, famous One
Great is Your name in all the Earth
The heavens declare
You're glorious, glorious!
Great is Your fame beyond the Earth

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
 Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head.
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

So how well was that time spent?

You have no idea how right this turned out to be.

How science is really done

According to the Onion, at least.

St. Ambrose

O God, you gave your servant Ambrose grace to proclaim the Gospel with eloquence and power. As bishop of the great congregation of Milan, he fearlessly bore reproach for the honor of your name. Mercifully grant to all bishops and pastors such excellence in preaching and fidelity in ministering your Word that your people shall be partakers of the divine nature; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Liturgy

There's something about it... not sure what it is. Maybe I'm going through a phase. But I'm increasingly drawn back to it.

Tragedy has a tendency to drive you strongly in one direction or the other. For me, the tragedy was a long time ago (well, relatively speaking). However, I've observed from my experience and that of others that tragedy will either drive you away from God or toward him.

In my case it drove me toward him. Not just toward God, but deeper into the traditions that have formed me since my youth. I still believe that so many of my Lutheran brothers and sisters are dead in terms of their evangelistic fervor. However, I have grown tired of happy-clappy worship that revolves around my emotions and how I feel instead of the story of what God has done in Christ.

That doesn't mean I reject contemporary worship forms. In fact, the places where I've attended the past few years have carefully chosen "praise and worship" choruses that have glorified Christ, his work on the cross, his resurrection from the dead, and his coming return and renewal of heaven and earth rather than focus on me and my changing emotions. However, even so, I feel drawn to the ancient forms that I heard since I was a young child.

That probably has more to do with what's comforting than anything else. Which, of course, brings things back to my emotions, not Jesus. Hence why I think it might be a phase. 

I remember almost two years ago, at around the time my personal tragedy was coming to a close, when I went to a conference for church leaders with my best friend. On the last night of the conference, there was a long prayer time, occasion for confession of sin, and the Lord's Supper. I remember going up for confession (because boy I needed it), receiving absolution, and then receiving the Supper. I then went back to my seat to pray, feeling refreshed. There was worship music still going on as I prayed. Then the band started to play:

Jesus, what a friend for sinners;
Jesus, lover, of my soul!
Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
He, my Savior, makes me whole.
Hallelujah, what a Savior,
Hallelujah, what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end!

I broke down bawling. Like, literally, on the floor, crying. I remember singing that so many times in the church where I grew up. And the words just cut straight through to my heart, it was exactly what I needed. I remember going to bed that night at peace, very odd because of what was supposed to happen the next day.

It was comforting because it was familiar. We can make the familiar into an idol, yes. And we can depend on it rather than Jesus. But maybe this was (and is) something else. Maybe this is Jesus taking me down, down, back to the basics. Back to the "heart of worship," if you will. Stripping away all of my foolish pretenses about being holy and good and all of that, and bringing me back to the place where I cling to him for life, indeed, for life eternal.

Jesus, I do now receive him,
More than all in him I find!
He has granted me forgiveness,
I am his, and he is mine!
Hallelujah, what a Savior,
Halleluhah, what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end!

St. Nicholas

Yes, for real... anyway... here you go.

Almighty God, you bestowed upon your servant Nicholas of Myra the perpetual gift of charity. Grant your Church the grace to deal in generosity and love with children and with all who are poor and distressed and to plead the cause of those who have no helper, especially those tossed by tempests of doubt or grief. We ask this for the sake of him who gave his life for us, your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

And Pastor Paul McCain has a great post on St. Nicholas up at his blog. Supposedly he got so mad at Arius he slapped him. Wow!

Bad Associations

To adopt an over-used phraseology from the election, the AiG Creation Museum pals around with unrepentant Jew-haters.

If you want an example click here (warning, you may be very offended, and in fact, you should).

DISCLAIMER: When I say "Jew-haters" I'm really only referring to Herman Otten, not to anyone else in the picture.

Issues, Etc. Promo Video

St. John of Damascus

O Lord, through your servant John of Damascus, you proclaimed with power the mysteries of the true faith. Confirm our faith so that we may confess Jesus to be true God and true man, singing the praises of the risen Lord, and so that by the power of the resurrection we may also attain the joys of eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Christmas Needs to Get More Materialistic

This is the best Christmas sermon I've ever heard: it was preached by the Rev. Sam Wells, Dean of the Chapel at Duke University . It's entitled "Christmas Needs to Get More Materialistic," and the Scripture text is John 1:1-14 . You can get the text of the sermon here.

My favorite part, where he really hits it home:

This is Christianity: not some set of disembodied ideals and noble values, but the life shaped around the logic of God in a human form, at Christmas found in a tiny crying baby, on Good Friday found in a naked man hanging on a cross, on Easter Day found in the wonder of a man defeating death and opening the gates of glory. And this is what we find difficult about Christianity: not its sense of the spiritual, not its sense of inner logic and its appeal to a personal God, for who could be against such reassuring things; no, what we find difficult about Christianity is its materialism, its claim that God took human, material form and lived and died and rose again clothed in and surrounded by the sheer material stuff of ordinary life. A God who is watching us from a distance is a God we can keep at a distance. A God who takes human form is a God that comes up close and personal, a God so close to us we can never escape his grace.

Death before the Fall

Greg Koukl of Stand To Reason nails it on this last week's program regarding the question of what kinds of "death" were in operation before the Fall and what it all means theologically. You can hear it on this week's podcast.

Advent

Almighty God,
give us grace to cast away the works of darkness
and to put on the armour of light,
now in the time of this mortal life,
in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;
that on the last day,
when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

St. Andrew

Almighty God, by Your grace the apostle Andrew obeyed the call of your Son to be a disciple. Grant us also to follow the same Lord Jesus Christ in heart and life, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Heroes

In the wake of evil, we find the strongest acts of good.

REUTERS: Staff emerge as heroes in Mumbai hotel sieges

Pray for the peace of Mumbai.

Why is it so unbelievable?

From the hymn O Come, All Ye Faithful, waxing Nicea:

God of God, Light of Light;
Lo, He abhors not the Virgin's womb:
Very God, begotten, not created;
O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

It is because of this that the phrase "Mother of God" enters into our speech.

That's right. I said it. "Mother of God". Or Theotokos, if you will.

Isn't that nuts? Isn't that crazy? The shock in it has nothing to do with Mary. It has everything to do with the fact that the Creator of the universe condescends and takes on a human nature, made of ordinary flesh made of ordinary molecules made out of ordinary atoms that were fused in an ordinary star sometime in the past, just like you and me.

The logic of the universe (see John 1) is wrapped up in a tiny, crying, pooping baby.

This is the lengths to which God will go to redeem the world. By the standards of human wisdom, this is scandalous.

More reflections on this later.

Famous One

You are the Lord
The famous one
Famous one
Great is your name
In all the earth
The heavens declare
You're glorious, glorious
Great is your fame
Beyond the earth

And for all you've done
And yet to do
With every breath
I'm praising you
Desire of nations
And every heart
You alone are God
You alone are God

You are the Lord
The famous one
The famous one
Great is your name
In all the earth
The heavens declare
You're glorious, glorious
Great is your fame
Beyond the earth

Church discipline

So I'm a big believer in church discipline. Jesus tells us this in Matthew 18:15-20:

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

Sometimes it takes this latter extreme, bringing to the church, to bring a person to repentance. In such situations the whole body of believers is involved, and boy can it be difficult.

My pastor said in the sermon last week while talking about this that John MacArthur makes it a policy to sometimes read off the list of names of people who are in the situation where they are completely unrepentant, and unable to come to communion because they have been barred. I just think this is wrong.  Sure, this person needs to know that they may not approach the Table of the Lord (for their own safety if nothing else), and others need to know this too so that there can be accountability. But repeatedly driving this point again and again in this way can lead to all kinds of sin. Doing this could cause others in the church to feel negatively towards the fallen brother or sister, thinking "Ha! I'm glad I'm not that guy" or " Boy, she is such a horrible sinner." It breeds arrogance in the body.

I've always kind of thought that MacArthur was nuts anyway, but I was still surprised by this. Fundamentalism breeds pride and arrogance. True evangelicalism upholds the truth of Scripture, and the necessity of church discipline, but does so with humility and grace as well as firmness.

Or maybe I'm wrong. Any takers?

"Dear Ed. Young"

Hilarious. Simply hilarious. 

But very true.

I'll stop talking about it now.

If only I was Presbyterian...

There are plenty of those kind of churches where I'm moving... not shocking that there's only two LC-MS churches in the whole dang city of Boston.

Good stuff at STR

A good program from Stand to Reason this past weekend... topics are divorce and remarriage, the power of prayer, and how we know that Jesus was who he really said he was.

Listen here.

EDIT: Don't care much for the global flood/YEC stuff that comes at the end though. Too bad otherwise competent apologists have to peddle this crap.

What does your pastor read?

The great thing about where I go to church is that I know exactly what my pastor is reading besides the Bible. Why? Because before he goes off on some big idea he names the person he got the insight from. I don't want to label ideas by the person they come from, but it does help me get a bearing on whose thought is influencing the guy who brings the Word of God to me every Sunday. And that is very good.

Incidentally, this is why being part of a historic tradition actually means that you are probably less prone to wander away from the Bible, because at least if you're a Lutheran or a Calvinist or a Baptist or whatever at least you know where your ideas (and hence your biases) about the Bible come from. If you're nondenominational, where do your biases come from? Basically your pastor. Where does he get  his ideas about the Bible from? Whatever he's been reading; this year, this month, or maybe even this week.

People who say things like "you have Luther, we have only the Bible" drive me nuts.

Ed Young makes a fool of himself on CNN

The anchor really takes him to task. Good for her.

So what should we think about the "7-Day Sex Challenge"?

Pastor Todd Wilken of Issues, Etc. and listeners talk about it. Listen embedded below or go to the Issues, Etc. web site.

Just take it

Do you know what's great about the Sacrament of Holy Communion? That it's the body and blood of Jesus, shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins. That it's a means of grace simply because of what it is.

I have  long lived with a foot in both evangelicalism and Lutheranism, living in the tension that such a position engenders. One of the things I  have noticed about (non-Lutheran) evangelical celebrations of the Lord's Supper is that there is such a contemplative air about it. People take the bread and wine, meditate and pray, and then eat and drink. 

Now, to itself, this is all well and good. In fact, it's biblical: "Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup." (1 Corinthians 11:28, ESV) We should take some time to remember what it is we're doing, why we need it because of our sin, and thank God for the gift he's given us in Jesus.

But this goes too far when we make our contemplation the make-or-break element of our receiving the Lord's Supper. "If I don't remember, if I don't take it in appropriately, then I haven't done it." How could you ever be sure you "remembered" enough? Will God, who supposedly wants to give us a "means of grace", withhold that grace if our contemplation isn't up to snuff?

No. It's a means of grace for those who have faith in Jesus because it is what it is, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus. If I eat the bread and drink the cup, believing that I need what Jesus gives for the forgiveness of sins, I will receive it. That's it. It's not conditioned on the quality of my rememberance. 

So go receive the Supper. Hear the words "shed for you" and "broken for you". Take and eat. Take and drink. And be forgiven.

Sola Fide

Great post over at Internet Monk.  An excerpt:

I grew up in a church that would have told you that you had to believe in salvation by faith alone to be a Baptist. I minister among those same people today.

And what do I hear?

I hear that no Christian could read Harry Potter.

I hear that no Christian would wear that t-shirt or listen to that kind of music.

I hear that no Christian could possibly not see in the Bible all the things that I see there.

I hear that if you are a Christian, you must support these political views.

I hear that a person can’t be a Christian and not oppose another set of political views.’

I hear dress codes called “the way Christians should dress.”

I hear in reference to any number of sins common to human beings that “no one could be a Christian and do that.”

And with every statement (and many more) sola fide is dismantled a bit more.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said that if you aren’t regularly accused of being an antinomian, you probably haven’t preached the Gospel. I absolutely agree.

How many?

"How many do you worship on a Sunday?"

"Three, or one, depending on how you count Him."

I wholeheartedly agree...

Who can't say "amen" to this?

All right, all right... sure, I know there are some that would. But they're wrong. :)

No idea

Why do people insist on claiming they have a "thus saith the Lord" on something when it is clear they don't?

Dropping like flies

MSNBC.com -- Episcopal diocese splits from national church

Lord, we pray for these your faithful servants, and the faith of the entire church, that one day we may all be united once again, but not at the expense of the truth of your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.

*sigh*

There are some days that I would just give up if I didn't know that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, and that someday he's coming back to put everything right again.

The Day After the Election

Just another reminder....

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, Jesus will still be King.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our responsibilities as Christians will not have changed one iota.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the greatest agent for social change in America will still be winning the hearts and minds of men and women through the gospel, not legislation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my primary citizenship will still be in this order – (1) the Kingdom of God, (2) America, not vice-versa.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the tomb will still be empty.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the cross, not the government, will still be our salvation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our children will still be more concerned with whether or not we spend time with them than with who is President.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my neighbor will still be my neighbor, and loving him/her will still be the second greatest commandment. (Do you know the first?)

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the only way to see abortion ultimately overturned will still be winning men and women to a high view of life through the gospel of Christ.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the only way to see gay marriage ultimately defeated will still be winning men and women to a biblical view of marriage through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my retirement will still not match my treasure in Heaven.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, “Jesus Is Lord” will still be the greatest truth in the Universe.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, we will still know that God is in control.

HT: Boar's Head Tavern

Reformation Rap

Whatever you want to make of it, it makes you laugh.

Benedict XVI Speech to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences

Not bad, not bad... but I always liked this guy's thought if not his theology.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am happy to greet you, the members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, on the occasion of your Plenary Assembly, and I thank Professor Nicola Cabibbo for the words he has kindly addressed to me on your behalf.

In choosing the topic Scientific Insight into the Evolution of the Universe and of Life, you seek to focus on an area of enquiry which elicits much interest. In fact, many of our contemporaries today wish to reflect upon the ultimate origin of beings, their cause and their end, and the meaning of human history and the universe.

In this context, questions concerning the relationship between science’s reading of the world and the reading offered by Christian Revelation naturally arise. My predecessors Pope Pius XII and Pope John Paul II noted that there is no opposition between faith’s understanding of creation and the evidence of the empirical sciences. Philosophy in its early stages had proposed images to explain the origin of the cosmos on the basis of one or more elements of the material world. This genesis was not seen as a creation, but rather a mutation or transformation; it involved a somewhat horizontal interpretation of the origin of the world. A decisive advance in understanding the origin of the cosmos was the consideration of being qua being and the concern of metaphysics with the most basic question of the first or transcendent origin of participated being. In order to develop and evolve, the world must first be, and thus have come from nothing into being. It must be created, in other words, by the first Being who is such by essence.

To state that the foundation of the cosmos and its developments is the provident wisdom of the Creator is not to say that creation has only to do with the beginning of the history of the world and of life. It implies, rather, that the Creator founds these developments and supports them, underpins them and sustains them continuously. Thomas Aquinas taught that the notion of creation must transcend the horizontal origin of the unfolding of events, which is history, and consequently all our purely naturalistic ways of thinking and speaking about the evolution of the world. Thomas observed that creation is neither a movement nor a mutation. It is instead the foundational and continuing relationship that links the creature to the Creator, for he is the cause of every being and all becoming (cf. Summa Theologiae, I, q.45, a. 3).

To “evolve” literally means “to unroll a scroll”, that is, to read a book. The imagery of nature as a book has its roots in Christianity and has been held dear by many scientists. Galileo saw nature as a book whose author is God in the same way that Scripture has God as its author. It is a book whose history, whose evolution, whose “writing” and meaning, we “read” according to the different approaches of the sciences, while all the time presupposing the foundational presence of the author who has wished to reveal himself therein. This image also helps us to understand that the world, far from originating out of chaos, resembles an ordered book; it is a cosmos. Notwithstanding elements of the irrational, chaotic and the destructive in the long processes of change in the cosmos, matter as such is “legible”. It has an inbuilt “mathematics”. The human mind therefore can engage not only in a “cosmography” studying measurable phenomena but also in a “cosmology” discerning the visible inner logic of the cosmos. We may not at first be able to see the harmony both of the whole and of the relations of the individual parts, or their relationship to the whole. Yet, there always remains a broad range of intelligible events, and the process is rational in that it reveals an order of evident correspondences and undeniable finalities: in the inorganic world, between microstructure and macrostructure; in the organic and animal world, between structure and function; and in the spiritual world, between knowledge of the truth and the aspiration to freedom. Experimental and philosophical inquiry gradually discovers these orders; it perceives them working to maintain themselves in being, defending themselves against imbalances, and overcoming obstacles. And thanks to the natural sciences we have greatly increased our understanding of the uniqueness of humanity’s place in the cosmos.

The distinction between a simple living being and a spiritual being that is capax Dei, points to the existence of the intellective soul of a free transcendent subject. Thus the Magisterium of the Church has constantly affirmed that “every spiritual soul is created immediately by God – it is not ‘produced’ by the parents – and also that it is immortal” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 366). This points to the distinctiveness of anthropology, and invites exploration of it by modern thought.

Distinguished Academicians, I wish to conclude by recalling the words addressed to you by my predecessor Pope John Paul II in November 2003: “scientific truth, which is itself a participation in divine Truth, can help philosophy and theology to understand ever more fully the human person and God’s Revelation about man, a Revelation that is completed and perfected in Jesus Christ. For this important mutual enrichment in the search for the truth and the benefit of mankind, I am, with the whole Church, profoundly grateful”.

Upon you and your families, and all those associated with the work of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, I cordially invoke God’s blessings of wisdom and peace.

HT: The Holy See

Everyone just needs to remember...

...that Jesus is Lord and Caesar is not.

So everyone needs to stop going nuts.

Reformation Day

Almighty and gracious Lord, pour out Thy Holy Spirit unto Thy faithful people. Keep us steadfast in Thy grace and truth, protect and deliver us in times of temptation, defend us against all enemies, and grant to Thy Church Thy saving peace; through Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with The and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Semper Reformanda!

Dawkins Now Going After Harry Potter

See, now he's just going to piss everyone off. It was OK to go after God, but now he's messing with Harry Potter!

"Harry Potter fails to Cast Spell Over Professor Richard Dawkins" -- London Telegraph

Some real doozies from this article:

"I think looking back to my own childhood, the fact that so many of the stories I read allowed the possibility of frogs turning into princes, whether that has a sort of insidious affect on rationality, I'm not sure. Perhaps it's something for research."

"It is evil to describe a child as a Muslim child or a Christian child. I think labelling children is child abuse and I think there is a very heavy issue, for example, about teaching about hell and torturing their minds with hell.
"It's a form of child abuse, even worse than physical child abuse. I wouldn't want to teach a young child, a terrifyingly young child, about hell when he dies, as it's as bad as many forms of physical abuse."

This coming from the guy who claimed that there is no standard for determining whether or not something is "evil". What a nutball.

On the bright side, maybe this looniness will wake people up to the equally-fundamentalist nature of his brand of atheism. Come to think of it... isn't it funny that Dawkins and fundamentalist Christians now have something in common? They hate Harry Potter!

Sts. Simon and Jude

Almighty God,
who built your Church upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets,
with Jesus Christ himself as the chief cornerstone:
so join us together in unity of spirit by their doctrine,
that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

If only...

... I had my way pastors who endorsed political candidates would have their 501c3 status yanked. Yes, Brian McLaren, and yes, all of you pastors who want to preach about McCain, this means you.

Mighty To Save

Boy, did I need this one today...

Everyone needs compassion,
Love that's never failing;
Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness,
The kindness of a Saviour;
The Hope of nations.

Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.

Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.

My Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave. (x2)

Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus (x2)

My Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave. (x2)

Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus. (x4)

Lift High the Cross

Lift high the cross,
the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore
his sacred Name!

Come, Christians, follow where our Captain trod,
our King victorious, Christ the Son of God.

Lift high the cross,
the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore
his sacred Name!

Led on their way by this triumphant sign,
the hosts of God in conquering ranks combine.

Lift high the cross,
the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore
his sacred Name!

Each newborn soldier of the Crucified
bears on the brow the seal of him who died.


Lift high the cross,
the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore
his sacred Name!

O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree,
as thou hast promised, draw the world to thee.

Lift high the cross,
the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore
his sacred Name!

Let every race and every language tell
of him who saves our souls from death and hell.

Lift high the cross,
the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore
his sacred Name!

From farthest regions let their homage bring,
and on his Cross adore their Savior King.


Lift high the cross,
the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore
his sacred Name!

Set up thy throne, that earth's despair may cease
beneath the shadow of its healing peace.


Lift high the cross,
the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore
his sacred Name!

Misplaced Priorities

Was stuck in jury duty today and they had Oprah on TV. It was a show about the conditions that farm animals have to live in, particularly ones that breed, so chickens laying eggs, pigs birthing, etc.. Basically the idea is that the animals have to live in very confined quarters. In the state of California on Election Day California residents will get to vote on Proposition 2, which enforces farmers to raise their livestock "free-range." Proponents argued that this was basic humane treatment of animals. Opponents argued that this would wreck the industry because it would be far too expensive to raise the animals in this way, and that free-range eggs and meat and poultry products are far more expensive than the ones breeded in the normal means.

I'm all for caring for the creation, but these people who are pushing this proposition really get under my skin. If people demand livestock to be raised "free-range", and that extra demand moves the market in that way, then fine. Then maybe someday down the line the prices will go down as the situation stabilizes. However, people have to eat, and most people would probably prefer to know that their eggs were laid and their meat and poultry was raised locally. That way, through responsible legislation, it is possible for them to have a say in ensuring a degree of safety of this food for their consumption. If you make it difficult for the farmers local production would go down and you'd be importing your food from elsewhere. It is simply not acceptable to force a situation where farmers must change the way they do things that will inevitably hurt the industry and the consumer at the end. Care for these animals must be done in such a way that minimizes damage to human beings. These goofballs who want to impose these restrictions by legislative fiat are doing so because they want to feel good about themselves later when they're sitting at the martini bar running up a large tab.

The funny thing about all of this is that Oprah sure as heck cares a lot about this kind of stuff but doesn't give a rat's you-know-what about the unborn child in a mother's womb. Those are disposable. But man, we gotta make sure them chickens have their space!

The God Gene?

John Cleese does a pretty decent job of satirizing the reductionist tendencies of some scientists.

It makes me feel better... I guess?

HT: PhD Comics

Perhaps a bit too eager

HT: Internet Monk

Jesus Is A Friend Of Mine

So I've seen this now on programs as disparate as "Fighting for the Faith" on Pirate Christian Radio and "Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld" on Fox News within a matter of just a few weeks.



I'm not sure whether laughing or crying is the most appropriate response.

Bah

The truth is just offensive. I shouldn't add to the offense, but I need to stop making excuses for it.

It almost makes me weep

This is the result of American evangelicalism. We have detached ourselves from history, and a whole new generation is growing up believing that they can believe whatever they want about the Bible, and they can interpret it however they wish.

I have friends that I have disagreements with a lot of things when it comes to the Bible. But at least we all agree that the "just me and my Bible" approach is not going to cut it. If we are so arrogant to think that we don't need the community of the church or the testimony of history, then we deserve the crap we get.

Sorry. Rant done.

More wacky (and borderline heretical) YEC views

My ears perked up today as I listened to listener emails read and answered on "Issues, Etc." One woman emailed in to claim that she had heard that the Institute for Creation Research (a prominent young-earth organization) had said that the Virgin Mary served as the place where Christ was conceived but did not provide her genetic material for him to be conceived from.

Ummmm.... huh?

I couldn't believe that this was for real. A little bit of searching revealed it was true, because I found this article. Here are some excerpts of the lunacy written by Henry Morris.

Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the incarnation is that a God who is absolute holiness could reside in a body of human flesh. Is it not true that "they that are in the flesh cannot please God?" (Romans 8:8). Our human bodies have been formed through many generations of genetic inheritance from Adam himself, and "in Adam all die" (I Corinthians 15:22).

The paradox is partially resolved, of course, when it is realized that Jesus Christ came in a body which was not of sinful flesh. His body was truly "in the flesh," but only "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Romans 8:3).

 So far, so good, I suppose, but I wouldn't make too much of the distinction between "in the flesh" and "in the likeness of sinful flesh" as Morris does. I think that Paul's point is merely that the flesh of humans is sinful, though Jesus is the exception to this. But beyond that, Jesus took our sin upon us on the cross, so in this limited sense it is true that the flesh of Jesus was "sinful." However, Morris quickly goes overboard:

But even this doesn't resolve the dilemma completely, for how could His body be of flesh (carbon, hydrogen, amino acids, proteins, etc.), received by the normal process of reproduction of the flesh of his parents, without also receiving their genetic inheritance, which is exactly what makes it sinful flesh? "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5). "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble … Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one" (Job 14:4).

Sinful flesh comes about by genetic inheritance? It's, like, in the DNA like a gene? I don't want to go into this too much, but it seems clear to me the Bible doesn't teach this. Whatever "born in sin" and "conceived in sin" means, I doubt it has anything to do with meiosis. However, building on this argument, he carries it through to a very odd conclusion, even for an odd argument:

Not only is there the problem of inherent sin, but also of inherent physical defects. Over many generations, the human population has experienced great numbers of genetic mutations, and these defective physical factors have been incorporated into the common genetic pool, affecting in some degree every infant ever born. Yet the Lamb of God, to be an acceptable sacrifice for the sins of the world, must be "without blemish and without spot" (I Peter 1:19). The very purpose of the incarnation was that God could become the Saviour of men as well as their Creator, but this required that in His humanity He must be "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (Hebrews 7:26), and this would have been absolutely impossible by the normal reproductive process.

Morris has completely missed the point. In the Old Testament ritual, "without blemish and without spot" may have been from a physical perspective, but it was only because it was a type and a shadow of the one who would be without blemish or spot of sin. It has nothing to do whatsoever with whether or not Jesus had or didn't have physical defects. The New Testament clearly teaches that Jesus got tired, hungry, frustrated, worried, etc.. For Jesus to fully take part in our humanity it seems essential that he was not immune to the effects of genetic deterioration that piled up over the centuries either. I believe that Jesus was in pain when he stubbed his toe, that he bled if he scraped his knee, and that he got sick and ran fevers. Why should we deny the possibility that he also might have inherited physical defects? He was fully a part of our humanity, with only one Biblically-stated exception: he was without sin. Morris has completely re-defined and misunderstood the humanity of Jesus.

The solution could only be through a mighty miracle! He could not be conceived in the same manner as other men, for this would inevitably give him both a sin-nature and a physically defective body, and each would disqualify Him as a fit Redeemer. And yet He must truly become human. "Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people" (Hebrews 2:17).

Morris has taken away with one hand what he gave with the other. How in the world is Jesus truly human if he does not have a human conception? I'm not denying the conception by the Holy Spirit  and the virgin birth. I'm simply stating that Jesus' true humanity requires he receive genetic material from Mary. Otherwise all of the fuss that the Gospel writers make with the geneaologies showing the lineage of Jesus is pointless.

On second thought, however, one realizes that it was not the virgin birth which was significant, except as a testimony of the necessity of the real miracle, the supernatural conception. The birth of Christ was natural and normal in every way, including the full period of human gestation in the womb of Mary. In all points, He was made like His brethren, experiencing every aspect of human life from conception through birth and growth to death. He was true man in every detail, except for sin and its physical effects.

The miracle was not His birth, but His conception. And here we still face a mystery. Conception normally is the result of the union of two germ cells, the egg from the mother and the seed from the father, each carrying half the inheritance and thus each, of course, sharing equally in the transmission of the sin-nature as well as all other aspects of the human nature.

Morris has completely contradicted himself. It is simply not possible for him to affirm that Jesus was made like his brethren in "all points" if he did not receive genetic material from Mary. Jesus needs to have a human conception, albeit a miraculous one, for him to have true humanity. The early church fathers would not have tolerated such nonsense had they had access to the science we have today.

Therefore, even though He was nurtured in Mary's womb for nine months and born without her ever knowing a man, it was also necessary for all this to have been preceded by supernatural intervention, to prevent His receiving any actual genetic inheritance through her. The body growing in Mary's womb must have been specially created in full perfection, and placed there by the Holy Spirit, in order for it to be free of inherent sin damage. Christ would still be "made of the seed of David according to the flesh" (Romans 1:3), because His body was nurtured and born of Mary, who was herself of the seed of David. He would still be the Son of Man, sharing all universal human experience from conception to death, except sin. He is truly "the seed of the woman" (Genesis 3:15), His body formed neither of the seed of the man nor the egg of the woman, but grown from a unique Seed planted in the woman's body by God Himself.

 So Morris claims that Jesus has no physical continuity whatsoever with his mother, or anyone before him for that matter. He claims that the human flesh of Jesus was a special creation. That's right, creation ex nihilo. He claims that this is necessary because if he did he would of necessity be tainted with sinful flesh. Where on earth did he get all of this? Certainly not from the Bible.

Where did all of this nonsense come from? It comes from the assumptions that he reads into Scripture and binds himself to. YECs have a view of the Fall that ends up being a soft Gnosticism, irrevocably tying whatever comes from physical processes to sin, including conception. Morris assumes that for something to be "good" and without sin it must come from a special creation, brand spanking new out of nothing. Rather, it seems that the true message of the Bible is that God is taking the good creation which has been tainted by sin and is making it without sin through the work of Jesus. Jesus was made of the stuff of this creation, yet was without sin, by the miraculous power of God. And through the perfect, sinless life of Jesus, his sacrifice on the cross, and his resurrection from the dead God is making "all things new." From our own sinful lives and flesh to the creation itself, God is making all things good once again. Paul says:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:18-23, ESV)

Jesus, true God, Creator of the cosmos, is also true man, conceived and born of the Virgin Mary. I have no idea how this happened, or where the "rest" of the material came from. That's why it's a miracle. But when we deny Jesus a real conception with real physical continuity with his mother, we implicitly deny his humanity.

Luckily, Todd Wilken, the host of "Issues, Etc." affirmed this. However, he then derisively questioned if ICR was one of those "old-earth, quasi-theistic" organizations. I'm sorry, but that's patently insulting. I wish Todd would seriously interact with old-earth creationism. However, that's another topic for another time.

Live like... what?

Christ did not call us to "live like you were dying." He's called us to live like we are dead.

Happy birthday to... me.

Not my birth-day, though. My rebirth-day. Twenty-eight years ago I was baptized in St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Mattoon, IL.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:1-4, ESV

Ha ha

Reality check for all of us (myself included) in this intense political season.

Absolutely Terrifying

I'm all for claiming the truth wherever you find it and all, but this is just plain ridiculous.

It's borderline blasphemous.

Have a listen.

Gregory the Great

Father, you guide your people with kindness and govern us with love. As you did Saint Gregory, give the spirit of wisdom to those you have called to lead your Church. May the growth of your people in holiness be the eternal joy of our shepherds. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Just change a word or two...

Some funny parodies of worship music... see how easy it is sometimes? Unfortunately, the "health and wealth" and "it's all about me" gospels are alive and well these days.

Calvinism = "God saves sinners"?

Was just listening to an old podcast from Greg Koukl, president of the apologetics ministry Stand To Reason. He said a couple of things that I found interesting (and somewhat odd). He was referring to a question from a friend about whether or not he was a Calvinist, and if so whether or not he was a "five-point" Calvinist. He claims "there is no other kind," and followed that up with this whammy: that there is only one point to Calvinism, and that is "God saves sinners."

Huh? So if I accept that (very Biblical) statement I must be a Calvinist? Do Lutherans not even exist? What about others, who don't consider themselves either Calvinist or Arminian? I think his supposition is that the five points of Calvinism must all hang together and are logically interdependent. So, if there really is only one point of Calvinism, then that must mean this:

"God saves sinners" = {"Total depravity", "Unconditional election", "Limited atonement", "Irresistible grace", "Perseverance of the saints"}

Last time I checked a lot of people believed the former but disagreed with some of the points of the latter, especially limited atonement (the idea that the sacrifice of Christ was only for the elect) and irresistible grace (that God's grace which makes belief in Christ and justification possible is irresistible to the human heart if that person is truly called). This is a result of demanding that all of your theology is like a solution to a differential equation, where the initial and boundary conditions are the data of the Scriptures, and what comes out is completely determined in a completely logical and completely understood way from this information.

I believe the Scriptures are absolutely true, and I believe that there is no contradiction in God's truth, but that doesn't preclude the possibility for mystery. If we are saved, it's because God chose us, but if not, it's because we refused him. Isn't that a contradiction? It is if you demand that God be placed in a four-dimensional straitjacket. The body and blood of Christ are really, truly present in the celebration of the Lord's Supper. Does that work? Not if you believe in some kind of rigorous 16th century cosmology that claims it contradicts Jesus sitting on the literal right hand of the literal throne of God. There are some things that I believe the Scriptures teach that are just plain irreducible to human logic. That doesn't mean they are illogical, it just means that God's ways are not always reducible to ours.

STR's podcast page is here, and the relevant program is from July 10.

Pastors' Roundtable On Divorce

It's pretty good... here on Issues, Etc.

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

O God, by whose grace Your servant Bernard of Clairvaux, kindled with the flame of Your love, became a burning and a shining light in your Church, grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, walking before You as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

This is just freaking cool

Nothing to say about it. Just read it. A miracle.

Blessed Virgin Mary

Almighty God,
who looked upon the lowliness of the Blessed Virgin Mary
and chose her to be the mother of your only Son:
grant that we who are redeemed by his blood
may share with her in the glory of your eternal kingdom;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

from Common Worship

"It's not my job."

This post nails it on the stuff flying around about Victoria Osteen and the alleged altercation on the airplane.

My favorite quote: "If you're a follower of Jesus, wiping up people's crap is your job."

Science-related Positions of the Presidential Candidates

If you're interested, these are the positions taken by Barack Obama and John McCain on various issues relevant to science and scientists.

Info from the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The Transfiguration

Father in heaven,
whose Son Jesus Christ was wonderfully transfigured
before chosen witnesses upon the holy mountain,
and spoke of the exodus he would accomplish at Jerusalem:
give us strength so to hear his voice and bear our cross
that in the world to come we may see him as he is;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

from Common Worship

I almost fell off my chair

It's freaking hilarious.

Uh oh

FOXNews.com: Flight Attendant Sues Wife of Evangelist Joel Osteen Over Alleged Air-Rage Incident

Says she was forceful with a attendant because of some liquid spilled on a chair. Threw her against a door and jabbed her in the breast.

Not saying I want bad things to happen, but I just can't get up the sympathy. However, innocent until proven guilty.

Isn't it a little creepy that the guy can't ever not not have a smile on his face, by the way?

Nice

Virginia Tech has built a cluster out of Mac Pros.

Now all I need is an account on it. Anyone wanna help me out with that?

No?

Didn't think so.

St. James

Merciful God,
whose holy apostle Saint James,
leaving his father and all that he had,
was obedient to the calling of your Son Jesus Christ
and followed him even to death:
help us, forsaking the false attractions of the world,
to be ready at all times to answer your call without delay;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

from Common Worship

The Pope on the Eucharist

Does this sound Roman Catholic? I suppose, but still...

"The Eucharist is sacrifice," memorial of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, the cardinal explains.

"When we hear this phrase, we resist within," he states. "The question arises: When we speak of sacrifice, are we not before an unworthy, or at least ingenuous, image of God? Do we not end up by thinking that we men could and should give something to God?"

Cardinal Ratzinger adds: "The Eucharist responds precisely to these questions. The first thing it tells us is that God gives himself to us so that we, in turn, can give ourselves. The initiative in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ comes from God. In the beginning, it was he himself who lowered himself."

"Christ is not a gift that we men present to an irritated God; on the contrary, the fact that he is here, lives, suffers and loves, is already the work of the love of God," the cardinal writes. "It is the merciful love of God, who stoops down to us; the Lord who makes himself a servant for us.

Maybe not exactly Lutheranism, but it's not far off.

St. Mary Magdalene

Almighty God,
whose Son restored Mary Magdalene
to health of mind and body
and called her to be a witness to his resurrection:
forgive our sins and heal us by your grace,
that we may serve you in the power of his risen life;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

from Common Worship

Jesus a Young-Earther?

Todd Wilken said on Issues, Etc. today that Jesus and Paul thought that believing in a six-day creation was very important.

My ears perked up. I wanted to hear the Scripture citations for that!

Then he talked about Jesus referencing the "in the beginning God made them male and female" in his teaching on marriage (e.g., Matthew 19) and Paul's teaching that Christ is the Second Adam (Romans 5, 1 Corinthians 15).

All well and good. It demonstrates that Jesus and Paul took the stories about the origin of humanity seriously. But what does that have to do with a literal 24-hour day creation week? Every time Todd has someone on to talk about creation and evolution the discussion revolves around young-earth creationism vs. theistic evolution. Most (but not all) theistic evolutionists believe that the Genesis stories are myths, and this is what he was really arguing against.

I know Todd has heard about old-earth creationism, but for some reason (that I am not aware of) he doesn't seem to want to engage with it.

How Marvelous! How Wonderful!

I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me!

He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calvary,
And suffered and died alone.

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me!

When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
’Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of His love for me.

O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
O how marvelous! O how wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me!

Christian Vocation

Click here to listen to a great discussion on a Christian perspective on vocation from "Issues, Etc."

Viva la Vida

Issues, Etc.'s new bumper music is Coldplay's "Viva la Vida." It sounds good for that purpose.

The lyrics are pretty good, too. Lots of people are seeing lots of things in these words, probably more than they should. I'm going to play on the safe side and say it speaks pretty powerfully of the human experience with the sinful lust for power and prestige, and how everthing can be snatched away in an instant.

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemies eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing:
"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt, and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can not explain
Once you know there was never, never an honest word
That was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in.
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People could not believe what I'd become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can not explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

Academic Freedom?

Lots of Christians are saying that public schools need to allow for "academic freedom" and have criticism of evolution. Some states are attempting to pass laws to this effect. I'm not quite sure how a legislature can enforce "academic freedom," and I find it funny that a whole bunch of Republicans have suddenly decided that government intervening in the school system is a good thing. But that's another topic.

I agree that we should be allowed to question Darwinism, but these laws that are being passed are too sloppy and allow all sorts of ideas that are not science a potential foot in the door of the science classroom.

Here's a question: I'm a Christian who doesn't believe in Darwinism but does believe that the earth and universe are billions of years old. What about those Christian institutions that only allow people who believe in a young earth to teach? Shouldn't I have the academic freedom to question the young-earth paradigm? (Pointing out the fact that these are private insitutions misses the point.)

We're not full of crap...

...about the amazing fine-tunedness of our planet for intelligent life. We're not crazy religious people just making this up.

So claims this recent article at SPACE.com (without reference to the religious stuff).

Earth has liquid water in the just-right amounts, plate tectonics, a large moon, etc., all of which are necessary for the existence of advanced, intelligent life.

Donald Brownlee of the University of Washington debunks the silly speculation regarding the existence of life elsewhere in the solar system:

"You hear all the time how Earth-like Mars is, but if you were taken to Mars you wouldn't feel happy there at all," said University of Washington astronomer Don Brownlee, author of the book "Rare Earth" (Springer, 2003). "It's not Earth-like. And Titan, when the [Huygens] probe landed, there was all this stuff in the media about how Earth-like it is. Earth-like? It is completely different. It has all this methane on the surface. Venus has about the same mass [as Earth], almost the same distance from the sun. But it's a totally different place — no oceans, no plate tectonics — and it's not a place you would want to be."

So far, we haven't seen any planet outside the solar system come very close to Earth either.

Of the nearly 300 new worlds glimpsed elsewhere in the galaxy, most are "hot Jupiters" — large planets that orbit close to their stars, on which life and liquid water are unlikely to exist.

"I doubt that in our galaxy typical stars have planets just like Earth around them," Brownlee said. "I'm sure there are lots of planets in the galaxy that are somewhat similar to Earth, but the idea that this is a typical planet is nonsensical."

This is where the real science is going. And it's teaching us lots of things and making astronomy more exciting.

Some Reflections on Issues, Etc.

Warning: This is a very "in-house" LC-MS post. If you are aware of what's been going on lately with regards to the LC-MS radio ministry, or you want to know, read on and make sure to click on the links provided below for some background.

I'm very glad that "Issues, Etc." is back on the radio. I haven't always agreed with Todd Wilken, the show's host, on everything, but I find the show stimulating and to be very much what the church needs in this day and age.

I don't know who to believe as to why the show was cancelled (to get some idea of what happened see here from a position critical of the Missouri-Synod and here from the Synodical perspective, I don't want to take the time going into all of it myself). I have supported some of the aims and the goals of the current synodical leadership on many things, and I have defended them from criticism when talking to others. I definitely consider myself to be on the moderate side of some issues, e. g. worship styles, communion fellowship, etc.. However, this does not make me a fan of "church growth" and "purpose-driven" approaches to ministry (some of you might be dumbfounded at this point because you may feel that there's a one-to-one correspondence, but there isn't, and that's another discussion for another day). As "Issues, Etc." criticized these things as being contrary to the message of the Gospel and to Lutheran theology, I have agreed.

If the synodical leadership felt as if they were being challenged and threatened by this radio program, and this was the reason that they cancelled it, and the statements being put out are really just evasions as some fear, then this is truly disappointing. Exercising your power as a bully is not the way to handle things and get your point across. It also reinforces the argument of those that oppose the things that you are doing that you argue from a position of theological weakness.

So, may God bless Pastor Wilken and the producer Jeff Schwarz. May he use them to continue to encourage us to think clearly about how the gospel affects all of life, and most importantly us. And may the LC-MS stay on course in its mission to proclaim Christ and him crucified to the world.

Yaar!

Issues, Etc. has returned.

"Tis of Thee" we sing, but who's the "Thee"?

Attending a Protestant church in America on the Sunday around the 4th of July might be hazardous to your spiritual health.

Under what reasonable understanding of the Christian faith is it ok to sing "My Country, Tis of Thee" in a Sunday morning worship service? I thought the "Thee" we were supposed to be singing to was Jesus.

Would it make any sense for me to sing a love song to my girlfriend in church? Most people would find that very inappropriate. Not that they would be opposed to me loving my girlfriend or singing a song to her. Nor would God. Human affection for one another is good. However, when the focus is supposed to be on our Creator and Savior, it doesn't make any sense.

I think patriotism is like that. It's good, but it's not what Christianity is about. Ceasar might be important, but Jesus is Lord.

Am I wrong about this?

Happy Independence Day!

I'm happy and proud to live here in this country and I thank God for the blessings of freedom.

Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

God Bless America! And Happy Birthday!

NOTE: If you happen to be a pastor/worship leader/running a service this Sunday for any reason whatsoever, party your heart out for the USA Friday and Saturday and do whatever you like, but leave it out of Sunday morning. Jesus loves America and all, but he didn't ask for the day off.

St. Thomas

And I totally love how this one is worded... it's just right. :)

Almighty and eternal God,
who, for the firmer foundation of our faith,
allowed your holy apostle Thomas
to doubt the resurrection of your Son
till word and sight convinced him:
grant to us, who have not seen, that we also may believe
and so confess Christ as our Lord and our God;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

from Common Worship

Pretty scary stuff

Read this article on what happened when a group of volunteers answered every piece of spam they got.

That's right. EVERY piece.

It will make you realize how much junk there actually is out there.

Bah

Windows is such a pain in the ***. Glad I don't use it.

A Good Point About the Ancient World

N. T. Wright says this in his book Jesus and the Victory of God (p. 186, footnote 160):

It is naive to suppose that first-century Galilean villagers were ready to believe in "miracles" because they did not understand the laws of nature, or did not realize that the space-time universe was a closed continuum.... As has often been pointed out, in Mt. 1.18f. Joseph was worried about Mary's unexpected pregnancy not because he did not know where babies came from but because he did.

Who's against the Big Bang? And why?

You can get some hints here.

From this so-called "cosmology statement":

The big bang today relies on a growing number of hypothetical entities, things that we have never observed-- inflation, dark matter and dark energy are the most prominent examples. Without them, there would be a fatal contradiction between the observations made by astronomers and the predictions of the big bang theory. In no other field of physics would this continual recourse to new hypothetical objects be accepted as a way of bridging the gap between theory and observation. It would, at the least, raise serious questions about the validity of the underlying theory.

Unfortunately, they don't bother pointing out that several independent lines of evidence lead to the conclusions about dark matter, dark energy, and inflation. The underlying motivation of many of the signers is subtle, but it pokes out momentarily:

Yet the big bang is not the only framework available for understanding the history of the universe. Plasma cosmology and the steady-state model both hypothesize an evolving universe without beginning or end.

Oh yes, that troublesome beginning of the universe that comes with that big bang. Philosophy and theology (or lack thereof) drive most objections to the big bang. However, objections to the big bang often make odd bedfellows. Take, for example, this set of names of signers to the statement:

Harlton Arp
Hermann Bondi
Thomas Gold
Eric J. Lerner
Jayant Narlikar
Anthony L. Peratt

Those are just some of the physicists and astronomers' names I recognize. They all don't like the big bang because they have philosophical objections to the universe having a beginning (especially Lerner). However, there are another couple of names on this list that I find interesting:

John Hartnett
Charles Creager Jr.

These guys are both young-earth creationists. The big bang bothers both atheists who want an eternal universe and young-earth Christians who want a young one.

And of course both groups are claiming that they don't get a fair hearing and that the research is skewed. This isn't really fair either. Some of the astronomers on that list were prominent scientists who made valuable and important contributions to the field, and without their poking and prodding at cosmology we would have never refined the big bang theory. And, of course, young-earth creationists have no shortage of money and attention.

Anyone is free to put forward any model of the universe they choose to be subjected to testing. The facts, however, seem to again and again point in the direction of a big bang universe.

Sts. Peter and Paul

Almighty God,
whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul
glorified you in their death as in their life:
grant that your Church,
inspired by their teaching and example,
and made one by your Spirit,
may ever stand firm upon the one foundation,
Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

from Common Worship

Jesus Paid It All

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

Refrain

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

Refrain

And now complete in Him
My robe His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.

Refrain

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

Refrain

When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.

Refrain

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down
All down at Jesus’ feet.

Refrain

St. John the Baptist

Almighty God,
by whose providence your servant John the Baptist
was wonderfully born,
and sent to prepare the way of your Son our Saviour
by the preaching of repentance:
lead us to repent according to his preaching
and, after his example,
constantly to speak the truth, boldly to rebuke vice,
and patiently to suffer for the truth's sake;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

from Common Worship

Cognitive Dissonance at the Washington National Cathedral

While in Washington DC this past week I paid a visit to the Washington National Cathedral, a beautiful and enormous church that functions as both an Episcopal church and a "national house of prayer." I of course wanted to stroll through the catherdal's gift shop and look at what they had there. It turns out that they had one of my biggest weaknesses: lots of books.

As I walked around the store, I noticed lots of Anglican-esque symbols, like crosses and icons, and materials, like the Book of Common Prayer and some other writings. There was an entire section devoted to the writings of N.T. Wright (a good move), an Anglican bishop over on the other side of the pond.

However, there were a lot of other things in the store, things that felt sort of out of place. There were aids for Buddhist meditation. There were books written by prominent "Gnostic Christianity" proponents, and prominent atheists. However, on the other hand, the conservative Catholic publisher Ignatius Press had quite a few books in there, and there was a whole freaking section with Lutheran books, most of them by Missouri-Synod authors.

It was difficult to put all of that together in my head as I walked around. I suppose this is the purpose of a "national house of prayer" for a pluralistic country such as the USA? To get literally everything, running the spectrum from Eastern mysticism to Gnostic Christianity to Roman Catholicism to fundamentalism and conservative Lutheranism all in one place? If so, it's too bad that we have to use a Christian church for that. I'd rather just stay out of that.

In any case, my head a splode.

Vista vs. Ubuntu

I'm a big Mac guy, but I do have a PC at home with Windows XP and Ubuntu Linux installed. I have to say that as far as eye candy goes, Linux is starting to beat Windows pretty hard.



And it doesn't hog near as much memory. Microsoft needs to get its act together.

Gotta love nerd comics

Click on it to actually read it.... unfortunately it doesn't work otherwise.



This and more at xkcd.

N.T. Wright on Comedy Central

Promoting the book Surprised By Hope on "The Colbert Report"



I thought he did very well considering the show (but perhaps Colbert is sympathetic due to his Catholicism).

Understatement of the Year

Chemical Engineer: So what do you think happened "before" the Big Bang?

Me: I have my own answers to that, but they don't come from science.

St. Barnabas

Bountiful God, giver of all gifts,
who poured your Spirit upon your servant Barnabas
and gave him grace to encourage others:
help us, by his example,
to be generous in our judgements
and unselfish in our service;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

from Common Worship

How great?

When Christ shall come....
With shout of acclamation....
And heal this world....
What joy shall fill my heart....
Then I shall bow....
In humble adoration....
And there proclaim....
"My God, how great Thou art!"

Tripping, Tripping, Everywhere

My posting has been sporadic due to the large volume of traveling I have been doing lately. I was in Boston last week, and I'm in St. Louis this week.

I drove by the "purple palace" today. Some of you who are Lutherans (and some others) know what that means.

Confessions, Lutheranism, etc.

Fearsome Pirate has a good post about how we sometimes become so confessional we confess ourselves right out of the confessions. An excerpt.

For example, it's sort of trendy these days to say that simul justus et peccator means that the life of a Christian is at best indistinguishable from that of an unbeliever except when he is participating in the liturgy, and that furthermore unbelievers are very much capable of being outwardly far more righteous than Christians. This doubtlessly arose because every other Christian tradition teaches the opposite. The problem is that the Confessions teach the opposite as well. This is because Scripture is painfully clear on the subject, and the Lutheran fathers did not see a need to reinterpret Scripture every time they found someone else agreeing with it.

Full text here.

Messianic Jewish Response to Hagee

Regarding the last post...

Here's a blog post from a Messianic Jewish rabbi that pretty much destroys Hagee's idiotic twisting of Scripture.

McCain Rejects Hagee Endorsement

Story here at Fox News.

John Hagee (his page, Wikipedia) is a dispensationalist pastor. For those of you who don't know exactly what that means, it's basically a Biblical hermeneutic that (among other things) teaches that God works with humanity differently in well specified historical periods (dispensations), with a focus on the entirely different (according to them) relationships between God and the people of Israel on the one hand and the Gentile world on the other. It places national and biological Israel in a prominent place in end-times scenarios, including the re-establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine (which, yes, has happened) and the rebuilding of the temple on the historical site in Jerusalem. The political upshot of this theology is that the state of Israel must be defended at all costs. This is what motivated Pat Robertson to claim that Ariel Sharon was being judged by God when he ceded the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Arabs.

McCain courted Hagee's endorsement because he needed the support of a key GOP constituency, evangelicals. It saddens me that to get evangelical support you have to go to this guy. After all, dispensationalism de-emphasizes the evangel at the expense of a theology that interprets Scripture with the Bible in one hand and the daily newspaper in the other. Having Hagee's support also buttresses your claim as a politician to be a big supporter of the State of Israel.

Well, McCain has been forced to distance himself and finally reject Hagee's endorsement because of all of the looney things that Hagee has said over the years. Hagee called the Roman Catholic church the antichrist (not really a new argument for Protestants, but nowhere near as sophisticated as it used to be), and claimed that Hurricane Katrina was sent as a judgment on New Orleans for homosexuality (yes, I believe it's a sin, very much so... but Hagee seems to have forgotten about all the other sins going on in New Orleans and everywhere else). But what took the cake is Hagee's claim that Hitler was God's instrument to punish European Jews for not returning to Palestine to establish the State of Israel and to basically force the world to help to do so. It was this that caused McCain to do something he should have done a long time ago.

This kind of theology is not merely wrong. It's bad enough that it takes the focus off Christ and him crucified. It's also dangerous. It's the kind of theology that will lead this country into even more war in the Middle East if we follow it to its logical conclusions. We can support the existence of the State of Israel as a political position without using theology to justify it. However, if we do so it also means that we want an Israel that lives at peace with its neighbors, including a viable, democratic Palestinian state. That's the other problem with Hagee... by shunning the Palestinians he basically throws a whole bunch of Palestinian Christians overboard, but (ATTENTION: SARCASM) most of them aren't Protestants, so they're not really our brothers and sisters anyway, right?

However, one of my favorites was this YouTube clip:



Dispensationalism is like drinking theology from the toilet.

Young-Earth Bible

A friend of mine who works in a Barnes & Noble texted me a picture of this Bible today:



Good grief. First, they pick an outdated translation (though this comes as no surprise). Second, note that it is not the doctrine of creation that is emphasized here, but creationism that is.

Creation is a worthy doctrine to focus on, since the story of the Bible is the story of the God of creation, and how he elects, covenants with, and redeems the people of his creation. In the end, he will also redeem creation itself (Romans 8:18-25). However, creationism is a different thing, and young-earth creationism (YEC) in particular. YEC ties the creation story in the Old Testament to a particular interpretation and a wholesale denial of essentially everything discovered by physics, astronomy, and geology.

More importantly, however, most YEC proponents usually end up de-emphasizing the resurrection and the new creation at the expense of their obsession with the age of the earth. Even more importantly, the story of the Bible is ultimately about Jesus Christ, and how in him all of the themes of the Bible are tied together.

Themed Bibles stink. I have enough trouble with my own presuppositions, the last thing I need is to lay down another layer of them on top of them. I would hope that my ministry would never choose to publish a Bible with our own opinions stuck in there. Luckily, I doubt it.

By the way, "New Defenders"? What's so "new" about young-earth creationism?