This Side of the Pulpit » Entries tagged with "Christianity"
Boneheaded
This article highlights the “Conservative Bible Translation”–an incredibly stupid, irresponsible perversion of God’s Word. The argument of the project: scholars are liberal for the most part and translate the Bible too much like democrats. So they are going to translate it according to their conservative Republican values. Avoid this at all cost. Jesus is not a Republican. He’s not a Democrat either. Jesus is Lord. Jesus was not a “conservative” either, if by that you mean anything like modern American political conservatives. Nor is He a Progressive, Socialist, Communist, Liberal, Whig, radical, reactionary, fundamentalist or any other category we can put Him in. He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. His ways are not our ways. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
St. Michael and All Angels
Today we fest and celebrate for St. Michael and all Angels whom God has created to watch over, protect, and do all other sorts of duties we cannot fathom. We call the Archangel “Saint”, not to suppose that he is a human being glorified by God, but in giving him the title “Holy.” In other words, nearly every other time Saint is used, it refers to human beings who have been justified by God and brought into fellowship with Him. The Lutheran readings are particularly good for this feast day: Daniel 10:10-14; 12:-13 which speaks to some of the warfare and powers that the spiritual beings exercise on our behalf; Rev. 12:7-12 and Matthew 18:1-11 which gives us the teaching that we have guardian angels. On a sad note, when I was … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Doom!!
UPDATE–Link to Alan Keyes video fixed. At the beginning of the week I wrote something about sensing an increasing amount of doom-saying. It’s official. Christianity is on the wane in America (read here) Evangelicalism is on the wane. (read here) Catholicism is being persecuted. (the last post) People are worried about civil unrest. Alan Keyes actually uses the phrase “civil war.” (watch this) Let’s be honest: of course we all would much prefer peaceful days and status quo. And frankly, all this doomsday talk bugs me. …and in a moment of writer’s block, my friends at Creative Minority Report (you are friends, aren’t you?), just posted another doom and gloom post…. And in my comment there, I was not joking about speaking German. I’m resisting with all my effort to refrain right now. But I don’t think this … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Thanksgiving For Everything
An excerpt from a sermon for tomorrow Our thanksgiving as Christians is much deeper than simply thanking God for all the good things. Christians give thanks for the bad too. Christians thank thank God for disease, for cancer, for the droughts, for the rain that comes to late, for the injuries. It sounds masochistic. Perverse. The delusions of a fanatic. Nonsense. Think what you will. I know that God is good. I know that “all things work together for good, for those who love God.” I know that St. Paul says, “in everything give thanks.” I know that God disciplines those He loves. I know that God works all things for my salvation. I know that God is good. I know that suffering with Christ is a blessing. I know that Christ suffered for me. I know that God is good, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
A Free Lunch?
UPDATED & CORRECTED: changes to the last sentence of the first paragraph Scott Diekmann blogged about a District President who claimed that The Book of Concord is no longer relevant. For those who don’t know, the Book of Concord is the compendium of what Lutherans believe, teach and practice; our doctrinal standard. It’s composed of various confessions of faith, some by Luther, others by his peers, and one by the “next generation” Lutherans. However, Scott didn’t name names, so it’s hearsay and gossip for me to be reporting it, I suppose. But did a DP really say it’s irrelevant? It wouldn’t surprise me. It doesn’t surprise me when pastors say it (I’ve heard it). And in the LCMS we live like it’s irrelevant, even if we don’t say it out loud. What do … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
I write this on Tuesday afternoon and it will appear at midnight CST on November 5. I do not know what had happened since. I do not know what will happen today. There is hope right now. There are also riot police mobilizing in our major cities, but nobody is talking much about that. Hopefully this will not be necessary. Regardless of the next eight hours and the next eight weeks, and the next eight years, the following is for us who call on the name of Christ. The Anonymous “Disciple” wrote this to Diogenes within decades of Jesus’ Ascension: [Christians] dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Pr. Beecroft on Technology
I had started a post this week on technology, agrarianism and what it means to be a person, a human. It sounded a little to paranoid and luddite, especially for me, considering I spent a few hours last evening trying out a live CD installation of Ubuntu. So I checked Bloglines tonight and see that Pr. Beecroft has said some of what I wanted to say (thank you!). Read his post below, and consider it foundation for a post perhaps next week. I’m not sure I would agree with his conclusion, however. I’m not sure we can be liberated to enjoy the deathworks of technolatry. I think in many respects our liberation is expressed in denying it, it giving it no quarter. What do you think? We live in a culture … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Do Not Seek to Avoid
Fr. Stephen Freeman’s latest post asks: This may seem an entirely innocuous question. But I ask it in earnest. What do you want from God? On the level of the trite, we may want more of what we already have, but have it in abundance. We may want less of what we have, only have it in a healthy manner (relationships come to mind). What is more difficult, for the heart, and for the spiritual life in general is to say: “I want God, and more of Him.” This is the statement of someone who has tasted of the heavenly gift and cannot be satisfied with less. It is rare. Though it is rare, it is the common confession of the saints. What do you want? Is there some degree to which you want … Read entire article »
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The Faith of Barack Obama: A Review
Thanks to Mr. Michael Hyatt, President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, I received a copy of The Faith of Barack Obamaby Stephen Mansfield on the promise to write a review. It’s a slim book–only 147 pages plus endnotes. It’s divided into six chapters, the first is biographical, outlining Obama’s childhood and discussing the “Is Obama really a Muslim” question. Mansfield makes a presuasive argument that the years Obama spent in Indonesia were not formative for his religious faith. On the contrary, Mansfield, relying on Obama’s books, The Audacity of Hope and Dreams from My Father, makes a convincing case that Obama was raised respecting religion without actually having a faith of his own (p. 16). The following chapters deal with Obama’s connection to Trinity in Chicago (Chapter 2); his … Read entire article »
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Distractions
There’s my work and all that I do, all that I left undone, all that I could do. There are too many hobbies. There are too many projects. Then of course, are all the chores, the mowing, the cleaning, the fixing, the painting, the folding. Then there’s my children who are growing up right in front of me and I feel that my time is spent carping and correcting and sighing and cajoling and I’m missing it. Then there’s t.v. and two hours of Heroes last night. Then there’s movies. Then there’s computers and blogs, games and sports. There is working out. There are also car repairs. There are books and magazines. And there’s sleeping and eating and resting. And our enemy scatters and distracts and shines lights upon those things we are not doing and gives us thoughts about yesterday … Read entire article »
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