This Side of the Pulpit » Entries tagged with "ecclesiology"
LCMS Convention
The LCMS Convention is well underway (I’m behind the game on this). Already our byzantine church polity has been replaced with a less byzantine church polity, and more is underway. After all these re-structuring changes are complete, the normal order of business will be followed, i.e., electing the President and other resolutions. I cannot get excited or bothered by much of this. Re-structuring is probably necessary; our constitution is an unwieldy amalgamation of rules and conflicts. But restructuring will not change the Synod that much. Likewise the question of who is president. A more liberal president will ignore the conservatives, and a conservative president will ignore the liberals. It’s all politics, after all, and no one wants to preside over the real change that must happen in our synod. What’s that, you … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Blue Ribbon Task Force and Analysis Part Three:The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good Again, I was impressed with the overall demeanor and forthrightness of the Task Force. They have been responsive to questions and criticism and changed much of their recommendations over time. They do appear to be genuine and actively listening to the concerns and needs of those who have responded. And many of their recommendations are good. I firmly support the change in length of terms, the four-year cycle and the reduction in delegates to Synodical Conventions. These will provide significant cost-savings to the Synod and to the congregations, which are assessed for conventions. In fact, I really find that few of the actual recommendations are bad or dangerous or misguided or anything else that critics have suggested. Since I am not a voting delegate to the Convention, I recommended those … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Blue Ribbon Task Force Report and Analysis Part Two
In this part I will address the content of the presentation and the recommendations of the Task Force in more detail, reporting on some of the major changes and providing information gleaned from the Q&A portions of the presentation. Part Three will offer my analysis and commentary on the good, bad and ugly of the Synod and this restructuring proposal. The final report is published here. If any of these posts are of interest to you, I recommend you read the whole thing, in all it’s mind-numbing detail. Recommendations #1-3 were essentially brushed over by the panel. They include #1 Affirm and Clarify Governing Documents #2 Clarify the Congregational Principle #3 Restore Circuits to their Primary Purpose Despite some significant changes to the wording of the Constitution, the panel emphasized #3 the most throughout the event. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Blue Ribbon Task Force Report and Analysis: Part One
Part One: A Summary of the Event My report and analysis will be divided into three parts. First, I will provide a general look at what happened at the conference. In part two I will offer and comment upon the content of the presentations and a portion of the questions raised and answers given, with emphasis on what I feel are the most critical and important recommendations. The final section will give my summary and general critique of this proposal and the future of the Synod. The Blue Ribbon Task Force on Synod Structure and Governance began their work four years ago. President Kieschnick suggested that they have spent thousands of hours on the recommendations, and it shows. Before you read all of this, please be aware that the entire presentation given … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Catholics, Lutherans and Unity: What Cardinal Ratzinger Said
This post is a little more academically-oriented than my usual fare. As such, I ask more questions that usual If you’re interested in Catholic/Lutheran dialog keep reading. If not, please come back tomorrow I just finished reading an interview of (then) Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. It is entitled “Luther and the unity of the churches: an interview with Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.” I’m not sure where it was published, as I just stumbled upon it and the article didn’t include publication information. If you know, please leave a comment so I can correct it. Pope Benedict made some fascinating observations. I’d always heard that he was a Luther scholar, and it is evident in this interview. In these days when he has opened a path for … Read entire article »
Filed under: The World
Wish Dreams and Lutheranism: Part IV
So you want to be a rock and roll starThen listen now to what I sayJust get an electric guitarThen take some time and learn how to play… And in a week or twoIf you make the chartsThe girls’ll tear you apart (The Byrds) Option #2: Get yourself a Mission Church The Wish Dream for Lutheranism proposed this for the simple reason that sometimes it is easier to start with a clean slate. Renovations can only go so far. When you take the house down to studs, or even the foundation, it’s not a remodel anymore. The mission church option allows the enterprising pastor to get it right from the start. When transfers or life-long Lutherans come in, it is simply a matter of explaining to their raised eyebrows, “We’re a mission church, we do … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Wish Dreams and Lutheranism: Part III
What follows are a series of posts regarding the possibilities of taking “Weedon’s Wish Dream” and making it reality. Remember (especially my members), that while I am very sympathetic to 99% of what the Wish Dream was, I’m just talkin’ right now. Regarding comments: DO feel free to make suggestions of pros and cons that I may have missed. DO NOT dismiss an option until I have outlined all of them. Remember that I am not finished yet! DO offer suggestions for a different name than “Weedon’s Wish Dream,” as what he described could well be a generic description of the ideal Evangelical Catholic/Confessional Lutheran congregation. Option #1 Stay where you are and bring the Wish Dream to your parish. This honors the divine call and prevents schism. Our theology states that God has called pastors … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
Wish Dreams and Lutheranism: Part II
Since I called Pr. Weedon’s idea a “wish dream,” I thought I should provide a definition of what this is. In my first term at Concordia Seminary we were required to read Bonhoeffer’s Life Together. It’s a pretty good book, though I haven’t looked at it in 13 years (13!!). The following passage seized the imagination of my friends and I, and ever since we have identified the “what-if’s” and “if onlies” of ministry and parish life as the “wish dream.” Innumerable times a whole Christian community has broken down because it had sprung from a wish dream. The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and to try … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
My Weekend Wedding
This weekend I performed a wedding at First Presbyterian Church in Tulsa for Marjorie’s nephew Curt, who is also Jack’s godfather. Working out the details with the pastoral staff was a breeze. They wanted to make sure I was doing something dignified and appropriately Christian. They also didn’t want to make it a joint service of some sort. I assured them I didn’t want that either, and after looking at the rite of marriage from LSB, they agreed. The church was impressive, to say the least. I was struck by the traditional Presbyterian architecture. A massive raised oak pulpit dominated the center of the chancel area, with a low, long table in front of it. Behind the pulpit there was a vestige of a rood screen, and ranks for the choir … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
The "Only Thing Left" in the LCMS?
In the Summer 2008 (Vol. 25, no. 4) issue of Focus on Concordia Seminary, a magazine written for alumni and donors, President Dale A. Meyer dedicates his column on the Synod’s restructuring proposals. In the course of the article he allows that the situation today is vastly different than it was in 1847 when the Synod was founded. He offers that congregations themselves are not as important to people today, and loyalty to a church body is not as significant as finding a congregation that “fits what they like.” It’s probably true, and he makes pains to say that he’s simply describing what people seem to do. But he concludes: That’s why, I believe, we want a Synod also in the 21st Century, not a restructuring to perpetuate an institution but … Read entire article »
Filed under: Uncategorized
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