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.