Cyberbrethren: A Lutheran Blog

Presbyterian Church USA Proposes Change to All for Gay Clergy

Read it and weep. Not surprising, but nonetheless distressing. Another of the ELCA's ecumenical "partners" has embraced actively homosexual persons as clergy. Not it up to local prebyteries to decided if they will approve this change in the denomination's constitution. [The photo to the left: The Reverend Dr. Jane Spahr, center, a Presbyterian minister, performs a same-sex marriage for Sherrie Holmes, left, and Sara Taylor, right, at the Marin Civic Center in San Rafael, Calif., Friday, June 20, 2008.]

Ecumenical News International
Daily News Service
30 June 2008

US church votes for change that could permit gay ordination
ENI-08-0511

By Chris Herlinger
New York, 30 June (ENI)--The general assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) has approved a proposed change in the denomination's constitution that would, in effect, permit the ordination of openly gay clergy.

However, a majority of the 2.2-million-member denomination's local districts, known as presbyteries, must now approve the change, and those against gay ordination are likely to heavily oppose it. Similar efforts to change Presbyterian ordination rules in 1997 and 2001 failed.

Pluralism Sunday or Pentecost Sunday?

I receive a lot of news releases from various church press agencies and entities. Most are about as exciting as reading stereo instructions, but every once in a while along comes one that makes me sit up and take notice.

May 11 is Pentecost Sunday but apparently some Christians believe that the celebration of Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, often referred to as the birthday of the Holy Christian Church, would be a good day to celebrate Pluralism Sunday, a day on which all world religions are honored for the good they do their adherents. This is a tragedy of indescribable proportions.

Read the following, and weep. Then pray that God the Holy Spirit would stir the hearts of the faithful to reach out in love and compassion for all those are wandering as sheep without a shepherd, either caught up in the error of false and damning beliefs, or who have wandered away from the sheepfold of Christ. Here is the press release, and following it, is the description of the event on the web site of the Center for Progressive Christianity. The Center for Progressive Christianity has 325 web pages of congregations that have indicated they want their affiliation with the CPC to be made public knowledge.

Pluralism Sunday - May 11, 2008 - Worldwide
Christian churches around the world will celebrate Pluralism Sunday on May 11 in worship - in recognition that other religions may be as good for others as their faith is good for them. The worship services will include speakers from other faiths, and music and liturgical elements from other religions, honoring the religious diversity of the world.

Pluralism Sunday is sponsored by The Center for Progressive Christianity, www.tcpc.org. It is a network of over 5000 affiliates and nearly 400 churches nationwide which have adopted a "Welcome Statement" that affirms that other religions can be as good for their followers as Christianity is for Christians. Churches in Australia, New Zealand and Britain are also participating in Pluralism Sunday. "We do not claim that our religion is superior to all others. Instead, we celebrate that we can grow closer to God and grow deeper in compassion, and we can understand our own traditions better, through a deeper awareness of the world's religions," says Rev. Jim Burklo, the event's national coordinator.

Here are the plans of a few of the other churches participating in Pluralism Sunday around the U.S.: Epiphany Community Unitarian Universalist Church of Fenton, Michigan, has invited a Zen Buddhist with a Christian background to be the preacher that day "so that we can experience the similarities of our faith paths," according to Anne Lerche, the pastor Mizpah United Church of Christ in Hopkins, MN, will do a pulpit exchange with Bet Shalom Temple (Jewish) on Fri, May 9, and Sunday, May 11.

The Prince of Peace Church in Anniston, Alabama, will conduct a service that will include readings from the Muslim and Buddhist traditions, and hopes to have a guest speaker from a local mosque. Barbara Currie, pastor of the Congregational Church in Deering, NH, will preach about how Jesus is the church's gate to God, yet there are other equally important and creditable gates to God for other people.

For more information about Pluralism Sunday, see its website: www.pluralismsunday.org, and contact: Rev. Jim Burklo, coordinator, Pluralism Sunday, for The Center for Progressive Christianity: jtburklo@yahoo.com - 415-847-8997 or Fred C. Plumer, President: 253-303-0022

Web site text:

On Pluralism Sunday, May 27, 2007, Pentecost, progressive Christian churches around the US will explore and experience other religious traditions. 

Speakers, music, liturgies, and other elements from various religious traditions will be included in worship services.  This event is sponsored by The Center for Progressive Christianity. 

Participating congregations will benefit by being included in national and regional publicity for the event by TCPC, creating a special “evangelism” opportunity to reach out to people who seek open-minded, open-hearted churches. To be listed as a participating church, contact Rev. Jim Burklo, Pluralism Sunday’s coordinator, at jtburklo@yahoo.com as soon as possible. Indicate your church contact person, email address, phone, church web address, and any plans you have for celebrating Pluralism Sunday in worship on May 27.   For resources and information to help your church participate, see www.tcpc.blogs.com/pluralism_sunday .

Progressive Christians thank God for the diversity of religions in the world! We don’t claim that our religion is superior to all others. We grow closer to God, grow deeper in compassion, and understand our own tradition better by honoring and exploring the world’s religions.

 

Many if not most people think that in order to be a Christian, it’s necessary to believe that Christianity is the only valid way to salvation, and that other religions are inferior at best and evil at worst. But Pluralism Sunday spreads good news: there is a way to be Christian without making this prideful claim, which has been the cause of so much inter-religious division and misunderstanding. Pluralism Sunday takes a big step beyond mere “tolerance” of other religions, and affirms that other faiths may be as good for their adherents as our faith is for us.

Acts chapter 2 in the Bible recounts the powerful legend of Pentecost.  When Jesus’ disciples gathered in Jerusalem, the “curse of Babel” was reversed, and suddenly people who spoke different languages could understand each other.  This coming Pentecost, May 27, progressive churches will celebrate the Holy Spirit of harmony and understanding that is possible among followers of different spiritual traditions. 

PLURALISM SUNDAY is:

* time to bring people of other faiths to our churches to preach or help lead worship and celebrate other religions through songs and liturgies

* time for children and adults to learn more about the rich traditions of other faiths

* time to let the wider community know that our churches embrace religious pluralism.

 

To learn more about PLURALISM SUNDAY nationwide, contact Rev. Jim Burklo, TCPC Pluralism Sunday coordinator, at 415-332-3790 or jtburklo@yahoo.com, and look at  www.tcpc.blogs.com/pluralism_sunday for more background.

 

Latest Developments in State Church of Finland

Latest developments from Finland:

Two separate developments were made public yesterday in Finland, creating a wonderful (sic!) irony that accurately describes the state of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland:

(1) Pastor Jari Rankinen, who has been under investigation by the cathedral chapter of the archdiocese of Turku for a good part of this year, on account of his refusal to share an altar with ordained women, has been suspended, both from his position within his congregation and from the pastoral office for three months for that crime, pending any appeal he may launch. He is the second pastor, following Vesa Pöyhtäri of Oulu diocese last month, to face suspension for non-co-operation with female pastors. Pastor Rankinen's appeal to his Word-bound conscience was not considered a valid defence.

(2) Pastor Leena Huovinen has been named Pastor of the Year by the Pastors' Union, the professional body for Lutheran pastors in Finland. Earlier this year, Ms. Huovinen came to nationwide prominence by openly admitting that she has blessed same-sex unions on her own initiative. For her, to act thus is a matter of conscience.

Please pray for pastors Rankinen and Pöyhtäri, their congreagations, and for the whole, sorry Church of Finland.

Tapani Simojoki

Sign of the Times

Christmas is the time of the year when peace and brotherhood are celebrated. That's the whole point, right? Well, a Presbyterian Church, (PCUSA), is hosting an event that is in perfect harmony with this view of Christmas. Is this what plays in Peoria? Must be! To which, I say in my heartiest Scrooge-voice, "Bah! Humbug!"

The Deed is Done: Norway Votes in Homosexual Clergy

The Norwegian State Church has, as of today, voted to ordain actively homosexual persons as pastors. This signals the yet more complete collapse of the state church as a genuinely Lutheran Church in Norway. May God strengthen those who continue to oppose these evils and remain steadfast in His Word. A friend sent me this note: "Pro-homosexual ordination forces won a final vote by 50-33 in the Church of Norway's assembly today (16 November).  The measure removes the bar to ordination of practicing homosexuals, permitting "local option" on the question for now. ["Local option" is, of course, the standard revisionist ploy until they consolidate their position.]"

If your Norwegian is serviceable here is a link to a story on the web.

Latest from Finland

Here is the latest information on the situation in Finland I've mentioned here before, the case involving the pastor who refused to conduct a communion service with a woman pastor. The local prosecutor has decided to move ahead with legal charges.

In the spring of this year, a Finnish missionary pastor hit the
headlines for his refusal to serve at the altar with an ordained woman.
He was a visiting preacher at a congregation near Helsinki, having been
invited on the initiative of the local branch of the Lutheran
Evangelical Association of Finland. He and the local LEAF
representatives had been given the impression that there would be a male
pastor assisting at communion. However, a few minutes before the service
began, a local female pastor turned up at the vestry, expecting to
assist. Pastor Norro made clear his position and offered to stand down,
at which point the lady in question decided to leave. The Senior Pastor
stood by and did not interfere in the discussion. Within days, the
matter was reported to the police who decided to investigate whether
this was a case of sexual discrimination against the female pastor
(despite churches being excluded from the Sexual Discrimination Act).
Thus far history.

The case has now taken a new turn. It was reported yesterday that the
local District Attorney/Prosecutor has decided to charge pastor Norro,
the chair of the local LEAF branch and the acting Senior Pastor with
sexual discrimination. He stated, "No exceptions have been stipulated in
the law concerning discrimination. On the other hand, juridically this
may be a tricky case for a magistrates' court to handle since it
concerns matters of conscience." The nature of the charge is such that
the maximum penalty is a fine.

The case will be heard on 16 November this year.

Source:
http://www.kotimaa.fi/kotimaa/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3100&Itemid=38
[17 Sep 2007]

Sent by: Tapani Simojoki

ELCA Votes to Allow Gay Clergy to Be in "Committed Same-Sex Relationships"

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at its Church wide Assembly voted that its bishops should refrain from disciplining  rostered workers who are in a "mutual, chaste and faithful same-sex relationship."

After several votes turning down efforts to change the ELCA's "Visition and Expectations" document that governs the standards required for rostered workers, in order to permit such relationships, this was a substitute motion to ask at least for there to be an end to any disciplinary efforts against such rostered workers, a "cease fire" or a "time out" as it was put on the floor during the debate.

My sense is that many of the voting members of the Assembly simply had been worn out emotionally by the plaintive speeches made by, and for, homosexuals in relationships and this was perhaps regarded as a gesture of conciliation. Upon further reflection perhaps a number who voted for this will realize that they have, effectively, just given a green light to what in Scripture is very much a large, flashing red light and "danger" sign.

The best speech on this matter, in my opinion, was given by a dairy farmer from Wisconsin who rose and said, simply and powerfully:

I've listened to the debates over homosexuality all week. This debate is literally breaking my heart. In this post-modern world which says everyone defines what is right or wrong for himself/herself, the idea of discipline for violating boundaries is viewed as injustice. We can not live our lives without boundaries. I'm a dairy farmer and I work daily around large animals and large pieces of equipment. We raised five children who always wanted to be with dad. Because I loved them I built a fence and they had to stay in the boundaries of the fence, even if they cried or begged. They could climb out. When they did they were disciplined. It did not matter how much they wanted to be with me, or I with them. Our Creator has given us boundaries, if we could live within those boundaries a need for discipline would not exist.

Distinguishing Truth from Error, Pure Doctrine from Heresy

"Just as the confession distinguishes the church from strange religions, so also it distinguishes—this its task—truth from error, pure doctrine from heresy, the church from sect within Christianity. Thus rings the definition of confession in the introduction of the Formula of Concord: “Et quia statim post apostolorum tempora, imo etiam cum adhuc superstites essent, falsi doctores et haeretici exorti sunt, contra quos in primitiva ecclesia symbola sunt composita, id est, breves et categoricae confessiones, quae unanimem catholicae christiani fidei consensum et confessionem orthodoxorum et verae ecclesiae complectebantur.” (“And because directly after the times of the apostles, and even while they were still living, false teachers and heretics arose, and symbols, i.e., brief, succinct confessions, were composed against them in the early Church, which were regarded as the unanimous, universal Christian faith and confession of the orthodox and true Church.”) This setting of the limit of truth and error belongs to the essence of confession. If the improbant [“they (our churches) reject”] and the damnant [“they condemn”] (by which is designated the impossibility of church fellowship), which sound so harsh to modern ears are silenced, the Augustana ceases to be confession.

If this drawing of boundaries is called “loveless” and “unchristian,” then the same reproach is also directed toward the Apostolicum, every sentence of which was formulated against some heresy, and, above all, this reproach is directed toward the Bible itself. Just as the false prophets stand over against the prophets of God (Jer 23:21 ff.; 29:8–9; Ezekiel 13), [and just as] the false apostles stand over against the apostles of Christ (2 Cor 11:13), so the sect and heresy stand over against the church. And just as the struggle between truth and error rings through all of Holy Scripture, so also it runs through the history of the church, and the church would cease to be the church of Christ, messenger of the redeeming truth of the revelation of God to people, if it would cease to fight this battle. Here lies the greatest and most difficult task of the formation of confession. Here is shown whether or not Christianity still knows what the confession of the church means. The manner in which an age approaches this task shows what of courage and strength of faith, and what of humility and love are alive in Christianity. Here is shown whether the church knows of the reality of the Holy Spirit.

If the people of the Christian West, deep into the rank and file of the church, have forgotten this last sense of the confession of the church, then the reason for the downfall must not be overlooked. It happened because this struggle for the truth of the Gospel—the most difficult struggle which the church in the world has had to carry out—was not always fought with pure hearts and unsullied hands. Nowhere has the church failed so seriously as there where it should have struggled for the pure teaching of the Gospel. In the fight against apostasy from the church, the church has itself only too often forsaken Christ. Thus the confessing church has ever and again become the denying church. The history of Simon Peter, who was the first to express the confession of the church and the first to deny the Lord, has been repeated in the history of the church. But something else is also repeated therein: the tears of repentance and the reinstatement into the office, and this is the office of confession, of bearing witness, of martyrdom."

Source:
Hermann Sasse
The Confession of the Church
The Lonely Way, p. 113.

In Defense of Liberal Theology

Call me an old stick-in-the-mud, or, as I recently admitted to a fellow Lutheran blogger, I unashamedly consider myself on the cutting edge of 16th century Lutheran theology, a new book from Augsburg-Fortress Press, to me, pretty well summarizes the problem with mainline Christendom in this country. Sasse once observed that the classic liberals of the 19th century were like little children playing in their sandbox unaware that the sun was setting on them. In the same vein, the publishing house of the ELCA, a church body in a flat spin, has issued an apologia for liberal theology, the "great movement" that has delivered to the church doubt, confusion and damning apostasy. Why would anyone wish to advocate for it? I'm all for understanding it, but defending it? Arguing for it? Not so much. Here's how this new book is described:

In this incisive work, distinguished theologian Peter Hodgson reflects on the precarious yet vital role of theology today and its nearly lost and sometimes discredited tradition of liberal thought, especially liberal theology. Liberal theology has been the main thread of Christian thinking over the last 200 years, but it threatens to be obscured by a rising tide of conservative and even fundamentalist Christianity, on the one hand, and a secular materialism, on the other. Hodgson's sure-footed work offers a way of seeing our religious and political situations together. He calls for liberal theology to reinvent itself and to fulfill its crucial historical roles as a mediator between Christian commitment and the cultural situation and as a critical lens through which to retrieve and reconstrue key Christian doctrines. The heart or root of Christian commitment, Hodgson finds, lies in its radical vision of freedom – God's, nature's, and our own. In the end, Hodgson's proposal embraces not only theology but Christianity itself and its relevance to today's most pressing problems.

Ashamed of the Gospel? Missed Opportunity at Virginia Tech

I've not said anything about the murders at Virginia Tech simply because so many others have, and no doubt will continue to in the months ahead. The depth of sin once more was revealed in all its horrible brutality. A deeply mentally ill young man was passed around, in and out of "counseling" situations, but never stopped and institutionalized. Why? I do not know. I'm disgusted by the blog posts, by pastors no less, who have decided to turn this situation into a forum on gun control, either pro or con.

I'm deeply troubled by one aspect of this situation: the abject failure of the Lutheran pastor on the scene there to say a clear word about our Lord Christ during the special service held on the campus and broadcast nationwide.

I'll put it plainly: If you are going to participate in an overtly syncretistic service like this, a bad situation to begin with, then for the love of Christ [literally!], speak of Christ and the power of His resurrection! Here is an excellent commentary on the situation that I entirely agree with.

Ashamed of the Gospel?  Missed Opportunity at Virginia Tech
By Frank Pastore
Sunday, April 22, 2007

Let’s test your knowledge of world religions. Below is the entire message delivered by one of the four religious leaders at last week’s convocation at Virginia Tech, in the aftermath of the horrible mass murders that left 32 dead and 21 injured.

The test is simple: determine the religion being represented.

We gather this afternoon for many purposes. To weep for lost friends and family, to mourn our lost innocence, to walk forward in the wake of unspeakable tragedy, to embrace hope in the shadow of despair, to join our voices in a longing for peace, and healing, and understanding which is much greater than any single faith community. To embrace that which unifies, and to reject the seductive temptation to hate. We gather to share our hurts and our hopes, our petitions and our prayers.

We gather also to drink deeply of the religious streams which have refreshed parched peoples for many generations. We gather together, weeping. Yes, we weep with an agony too deep for words and sighs that are inexpressible. But also we gather affirming the sovereignty of life over death.

At a time such as this, the darkness of evil seems powerful indeed. It casts a pall over our simple joys, joys as simple as playing Frisbee on the drill field. We struggle to imagine a future beyond this agony. If we ever harbored any illusions that our campus is an idyllic refuge from the violence of the rest of the world, they are gone forever. And yet, we come to this place to testify that the light of love cannot be defeated.

Amid all our pain, we confess that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. We cannot do everything, but we can do something. We cannot banish all darkness, but we can by joining together, push it back. We can not undue yesterday’s tragic events, but we can sit in patient silence with those who mourn as they seek for a way forward.

As we share light, one with another, we reclaim our campus, let us deny death’s power to rob us of all that we have loved about Virginia Tech, this our community. Let us cast our lot with hope in defiance of despair. I invite you to observe a moment of silence.

Difficult, isn’t it?

The message was delivered by Reverend William H. King, Director of Lutheran Campus Ministries at Virginia Tech, and a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The video of the message is available online.

Each of the four speakers were there to represent their religion, to bring the message of comfort and hope rooted in their faith tradition. The Muslim speaker read passages from the Koran in Arabic and appealed to Allah, the Jewish speaker read from Ecclesiastes 3 while an assistant repeated the passages in Hebrew, the Buddhist quoted the Dalai Lama, while the Christian did not even quote from the Bible, nor mention the name of Jesus – the namesake of his religion.

What Mr. King said should be studied in every seminary in America. It is precisely what not to do when given the opportunity to bring the message of the Gospel of Jesus to those grieving the loss of loved ones and struggling to make sense of the evil visited upon them.

The nearest thing to Christianity anyone heard at the Convocation was the playing of Amazing Grace and the unison recitation of The Lord’s Prayer. There was far more Bible coming from the pews than being preached from the pulpit.

No wonder Christianity is so easily and regularly attacked on college campuses. With advocates like this, who needs opposition? We’ve got guys in our uniform playing for the other team.

Mr. King could have spoken the truth. He could have explained why Christians are confident in divine justice, why we believe that good will ultimately triumph over evil, why we know that there is life after death for those that trust Christ. He could have explained that Jesus paid the penalty for all our sins on the Cross that Friday long ago, and rose bodily from the dead on Sunday to prove His sovereignty over evil, sin and death.

In short, he could have preached the Gospel. After all, the murders were only a week removed from Easter.

But, Mr. King decided to do something apparently more important in his mind. He decided to be politically correct and not offend the members of his interfaith community by offering hollow words of humanistic philosophy lacking any real substance, and by appealing to various “religious streams” and by validating the search “for a way forward,” he insulted those of us who actually believe Christianity is true and other religions false.

In so doing, he denied his faith.

He offered those mourning no hope for the present nor any hope for the future.

He left the hearers dead in their sins.

A minister ashamed of the Gospel should not have been on that podium.

Lutherans heatedly debate 'marriage, family and human sexuality'

More sad news of the false doctrine embraced by many churches who are part of the LWF.  The Latvian Archbishop was the only voice from European Lutheran churches who spoke out opposing the liberal church's views of homosexuality.

By Peter Kenny 
Lund, Sweden, 23 March (ENI)--Blessings for people living in
same-sex relationships triggered heated debate at a meeting of
the main governing body of the Lutheran World Federation in the
southern Swedish city of Lund, this week. 

Decision about ELCA Pastor is Made

Indicating their hands were tied by church rules, the committee hearing the case of an ELCA homosexual pastor who admitted to his bishop that he was in a homosexual relationship ruled that he would be removed from the ELCA clergy roster in August 2007. But its ruling indicated that the rules of the ELCA should be change, for they saw no reason why a man living with another man in a homosexual relationship should be excluded from the office of pastor. Read the extended entry for the complete ELCA news release and the complete decision of the panel. Read it and weep. The slouching toward Gomorrah in the ELCA continues unabated. This "ruling" is empty and hollow. If you want to jump right to the ruling itself, here is a PDF of it:   Download elca_decision.pdf

False Peace with Man and God

"As sinful and godless as it is to quarrel over mere words or indifferent questions, it is just as reprehensible to ignore differences concerning precious, certain, divine truths instead of fighting for them. . . . According to God's Word, the church that wants to make peace by leaving some of the truth behind and declaring false doctrine to be acceptable is a house of whitewashed walls that are neither mortared nor built upon solid ground. As a result, any wind can blow it down, and any rain can wash it away. Such a church is more dangerous than the most awful sect, for at least the sect recognizes that only pure doctrine should be preached in a church. A so-called union church stands on rotten ground. No one in it can find and possess the pure truth because no one is willing to fight for it. May God protect every pious Christian from such false peace with man and against God."

-Dr. C.F.W. Walther
God Grant It
(Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006), p. 154-155.

One To Watch

It will be interesting to see how this trial turns out.

Link: US News � Gay Lutheran minister faces church trial (AP).

"Paul Tillich helps the barbarians maintain their illusions"

Many years ago when we were living in Chicago and I was finishing up my last year at Concordia College, my wife and I went out with one of her friends from her days at Valparaiso University. This lady's husband was a seminary student at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. I remember this outing because of the bizarre conversation I had with the man. He was singing the praises of Paul Tillich and I had done a bit of reading in Tillich and for the life of me could not understand why anyone in their right mind, let alone anyone remotely interested in genuine Christianity, not to mention authentic Lutheranism, would want to waste their time studying Tillich and his drivel.

This just isn't right...on so many levels

Yet Another Study on Sex from the ELCA

PIcked up this news story just now on my lunch break. Prepare for another opportunity to explain to people what confessional Lutherans believe, teach and confess on these issues as, once again, we are lumped into the "general" Lutheran bucket on this stuff. No doubt homosexuality will be a major part of this latest "study" and so a short, to the point treatment of the subject will prove helpful. I would recommend What About Homosexuality.

CHICAGO (AP) ``Lutherans talk about human sexuality."

That's the subject of a study being released today by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which has lost members amid divisions over homosexuality.

Last year, delegates to the denomination's national meeting split almost evenly on whether to let gays and lesbians in long-term relationships serve as clergy. The proposal, which needed a two-thirds majority, failed but a church task force was told to keep studying issues of sexuality and prepare the report that's being issued today.

E-L-C-A officials say the new study will invite Lutherans ``to consider human sexuality through the lens of Scripture and Lutheran teaching."

What's Missing Here?

Here is a good case study in what is wrong with much of modern Christianity. Here is a church leader's Christmas greeting. Study it and then comment on what you believe is missing from these thoughts on Christmas.

    "The Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory..." (John 1:14). We live in a visited world.  On that holy night twenty centuries ago, God visited the world in the miracle of Bethlehem.  Held in Mary's arms that night was the revelation of steadfast, unbounded love for all humanity.  The birth of Jesus disclosed God's saving will and eternal desire for reconciliation and peace.

Presbyterians Offer Christmas Gift

Westminster/John Knox Press, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church USA, has published a new book, just in time for Christmas, savaging the truth of the Faith! [Am I allowed to mention the fact that Augsburg-Fortress Publishing House is now partnered with W/JK to produce the "Lutheran Handbook," and the ELCA's new Sunday School curriculum and also their Vacation Bible School?]. Here's more on the book:

Christianity's Origins Questioned by Sociologist
by David Klinghoffer

Westminster John Knox Press, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA), kicked up a controversy this summer when it published a book alleging that 9/11 resulted from a Bush Administration plot. Critics, including Presbyterians, wondered what the press was doing promoting a conspiracy theory like the one in David Ray Griffin's Christian Faith and the Truth Behind 9/11. Now WJKP is back with another title that may again leave the faithful scratching their heads in wonderment.

The book, out this month, is Why Christianity Happened: A Sociological Account of Christian Origins (26-50 C.E.) by James G. Crossley. It argues that a key feature of Christian doctrine was merely a response to social conditions. Specifically, the apostle Paul rejected observance of Jewish law as a requirement for new Christians, thus turning one of Jesus' original teachings on its head, simply because there were so many new gentile converts to the Jesus movement. It thus became implausible to require them all to follow Old Testament laws like circumcision and eating only kosher food.

San Francisco Lutheran Churches

Note: the title is *not* my title, it is the newspapers' title, and "queer" in this group's view is a good thing. Don't hold your breath waiting for the ELCA to remove from their fellowship any of their clergy or congregations doing this.

Consortium of San Francisco Lutheran Churches to Ordain a Queer Pastor on November 18th

Lutheran Blessing of Animals or Another Example of What Happens When You Drift Free From Your Theological Mooring

Two questions: A) Why do pets and other animals need the church's "blessing"? B) What Lutheran congregation in its right mind would so such a thing? I know, it is "cute" and I'm sure the kiddies and grown ups all are quite pleased with the whole thing and it makes a lot of people happy, but....is that any reason to engage in such activity? This happened in Georgetown, South Carolina at an ELCA congregation. I'm wondering what might happen if the congregation were to "bless" a nice fat pig and then slaughter it on the spot and roast it for a delicious pork feast. Now that might be something a bit more appropriate if we are truly to celebrate God's gift of animals to us, "Take and eat" as St. Peter was told. But it would be terribly messy, might upset some folks and kind of be a damper on the whole "cuteness" thing going on here. In our house we "bless" animals every day when we pray, "Lord God, Heavenly Father, bless us and these Thy gifts, which we receive from Thy bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Little Daniel Cox ran around the lawn of Trinity Lutheran Church in Maryville Sunday afternoon showing everyone in attendance his turtle Marty, one of the numerous pets gathered by their owners for the first-ever Blessing of the Animals service held at the church.

“Everything needs a blessing, even the animals. I figure this will help them,” Daniel’s dad, Richie Cox said.

While dogs greatly outnumbered the other pets that were there to receive a blessing from Pastor Nedra Merriman, there were also ferrets, guinea pigs, cats and – for a short time – a horned owl.

Merriman said Blessing of the Pets and Animals services are quite common across the country but, as far as she knows, this was the first held in Georgetown.

The services are generally held in early October to coincide with the Oct. 4 date of death of St. Francis of Assisi, the Roman Catholic patron saint of animals and ecology.

She said such services were held at her church in Atlanta and she wanted to bring the tradition to Georgetown.

About two dozen people gathered outside the church under perfect fall weather as the service began with Irene Mobley presenting and then releasing a horned owl that has been receiving care from International Center for Birds of Prey.

“It came into the center in June. She had been found on the ground in Walterboro. She had severe emaciation, we don’t know why. We gave her antibiotics and kept her and fed her and now she was ready to be released,” Mobley said, adding that she fed the owl half a rat prior to being set free.

As the owl flew out of sight towards the marshes surrounding the city, Merriman and some kids from her church read scriptures as the pets sat amazingly quiet and still next to their owners.

Merriman, after the scriptures and a prayer, walked around touching each animal, delivering a personal blessing to each one. What the pets probably liked the most was the bag of treats each was given for their owners to take home and feed them.

Shelley Kaufman had two dogs in tow – Jed and Molly – for the service.

“My mom is a member of the church and these dogs are very important to us,” she said.

Mobley also brought her ferret, Otter, to the service which seemed to take a liking to many of the dogs and other pets on hand.

Little Tyler Bone, who spent a lot of time rubbing the stomach of her dog Cassie, had people laughing when she ran up front asking Merriman to also bless two small stuffed animals she was carrying.
Merriman, herself a pet lover, had her dog Shelly by her side during the service.

“It’s amazing the friendship human beings develop with their pets. She loves me when it seems other people may not. She is glad to see me and I am glad to see her. I care for her the way God cares for me,” Merriman said.

She said the service is “an acknowledgment of our great love for God's creation.”

She also said she was amazed at how well the various animals got along. She said she had feared there may be problems when they were all brought together but the service was peaceful.

Source:

PCUSA and Marijuana

Now it all makes sense. The recent decision by the PCUSA to accept alternative names for God must be somehow related to their interest in smoking pot. Perhaps this the most charitable explanation for the PCUSA's heretical names for God is that they were sampling some medicinal marijuana.

US Presbyterians support medicinal use of marijuana   
ENI-06-0514   

By Cheryl Heckler 
Oxford, Ohio, 28 June (ENI)--The Presbyterian Church (USA) has
become the seventh major religious organization in the United
States to support the use of medical marijuana, an issue expected
to come before the US House of Representatives during the week. 

"Medical marijuana is an issue of mercy," said the Rev. Lynn
Bledsoe, a Presbyterian minister from Alabama who works as a
hospice chaplain, in a statement issued by the Interfaith Drug
Policy Initiative, a group seeking to promote "less coercive"
alternatives to the war on drugs. 

The consensus vote of the church's general assembly in
Birmingham, Alabama on 21 June came as the US lawmakers were to
consider a bill prohibiting the federal government from using any
of its budget to take legal action against medical marijuana
users who comply with their state laws and have a doctor's order.

 

Currently, 11 US states allow medical uses of marijuana following
a doctor's prescription, but federal law enforcement officials
can arrest people in those states.   

"As people of faith, we are called to stand up for humans who are
suffering needlessly," said Bledsoe. "It is unconscionable that
seriously ill patients can be arrested for making an earnest
attempt at healing by using medical marijuana with their doctors'
approval." 

Polls show that about three out of four Americans support
allowing doctors to prescribe medical marijuana for patients who
need it. However, the US Congress voted by 264 votes to 162
against legalised medical marijuana in 2005, and experts do not
expect the current bill to pass either.   

Other religious groups endorsing the use of medical marijuana
include the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, the
United Church of Christ, the Union for Reform Judaism, the
Progressive National Baptist Convention and the Unitarian
Universalist Association.   

Those supporting the use of marijuana say it helps in short-term
use for those suffering debilitating symptoms such as vomiting or
intractable pain and should be permitted when other approved
medications have failed. 

Those opposing the use of marijuana argue it offers no unique
benefits and that prescription drugs can provide everything
marijuana does. They also argue it is a bad example to society
and that it stands as a gateway drug to cocaine or heroin. [379
words]   

All articles (c) Ecumenical News International 
Reproduction permitted only by media subscribers and 
provided ENI is acknowledged as the source. 

Ecumenical News International 
PO Box 2100 
CH - 1211 Geneva 2 
Switzerland 

Tel: (41-22) 791 6088/6111 
Fax: (41-22) 788 7244 
Email: eni@eni.ch 

 

The Local Options and the PCUSA

Among other interesting decisions made by the Presbyterian Church USA, they have now, in essence, as a national church body, washed their hands of accountability on homosexuality issues, by making these decisions matter of local option. I'm surprised that this is not where the ELCA went at their last Assembly, though I have a strong suspicion that this is where the ELCA will end up next time. The PCUSA and the ELCA are "full communion" partners and this means that PCUSA clergy are recognized as full and legitimate pastors in the ELCA. What now will happen? Will the ELCA try to make exceptions to this rule? Or grant "local options" to homosexual PCUSA clergy? This gets very messy, very quickly. Here is the ENI story. Also, please note Dr. Veith's comment on the PCUSA and the Trinity!!

US Presbyterians will allow districts to decide on gay
ordinations   
ENI-06-0492 

By Cheryl Heckler 
Oxford, Ohio, 21 June (ENI)--The Presbyterian Church (USA) has
voted to allow flexibility in deciding whether to ordain
non-celibate homosexuals as clergy, something that was previously
banned outright by the denomination. 

"With the vote today, we have not altered the fundamentals; we
have the same standards as before," said the Rev. Clifton
Kirkpatrick, the denomination's stated clerk (chief executive),
after the 20 June decision at the church's general assembly in
Birmingham, Alabama. 

The denomination's Book of Order states that clergy must adhere
to "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a
woman or chastity in singleness". 

But the new policy approved by 298 votes to 221 on 20 June gives
regional presbyteries (church districts) and congregations
greater leeway in ordaining clergy as well as lay deacons or
elders, provided they are faithful to the church's core values. 

"The report encourages a more pastoral approach to ordination and
encourages our governing bodies to do a thorough work of
examining people for office," Kirkpatrick stated during the 15-22
June assembly of the church. 

But the Rev. David Miller of Tampa Bay presbytery called the
measure "a wrong turn", the Presbyterian News Service reported.
He said it was "a license * to overlook clear standards that have
been set, a license to ignore the larger discernment of the body
of Christ and a license to legislate by interpretation". 

The proposal was one of seven contained in a theological task
force report that has spent four years looking for ways to help
the denomination stay together despite its differences. The
report urged all Presbyterians "to avoid division into separate
denominations", a warning also sounded by the general secretary
of the Geneva-based World Alliance of Reformed Churches. 

"I'm afraid that fragmentation has crept into the church," the
Rev. Setri Nyomi told   
an 18 June service gathering of worshippers from the PCUSA and
two smaller denominations - the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
(CPC) and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America (CPCA),
without referring specifically to the issue of ordination of
homosexuals. 

Based in Louisville, Kentucky, the 3.2-million-member PCUSA is
the largest Presbyterian body in the United States and has almost
11 000 congregations.   

"Everything is seen as a disposable good, including relationships
and the oneness of the church," Nyomi said, urging members of the
three denominations to "lay aside every weight and sin" -
especially divisiveness and fragmentation - in order to run the
race of faith properly. [419 words] 

All articles (c) Ecumenical News International 
Reproduction permitted only by media subscribers and 
provided ENI is acknowledged as the source. 

Ecumenical News International 
PO Box 2100 
CH - 1211 Geneva 2 
Switzerland 

Tel: (41-22) 791 6088/6111 
Fax: (41-22) 788 7244 
Email: eni@eni.ch 

Wright not Right: On the Dangers of Getting Too Cozy with False Teachers

Brothers Bayly sound a most approrpriate note of caution about Bishop Wright:

Evangelicals tend to go all woozy when they hear a British accent, especially in the pulpit. No doubt it’s part of the inferiority complex country cousins face when they meet their city cousin.

This goes a long way to explaining the lack of critical capacity demonstrated by Bishop N. T. Wright’s fans. Overawed by the Bishop’s learning and vocabulary, the accent pushes it over the top and all things Wright are right.

Well, I envy the British accent as much as the next guy, but I still think we should keep our heads screwed on squarely when it comes to men like Stott, Wenham, Packer, and Wright. Stott’s an annihilationist (or universalist depending upon whose testimony you accept); Packer long ago proved he’s a better theologican than churchman, opposing Martyn Lloyd-Jones precisely at the point of Lloyd-Jones greatest wisdom—namely his warning of the coming train wreck in the Anglican communion; and Wenham’s also gone loosey-goosey on the doctrine of the last things, particularly the doctrine of hell.

Bishop Wright? Well, among other things, Wright’s a feminist advocate of women holding office in the church, despite Scripture’s clear command that they not do so; he’s an equivocator on the consecration of sodomitic bishops in the Anglican communion; and much of his biblical and theological writing builds the case for rapprochement with Rome.

Now we read that Bishop Wright’s opposed to the bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ being a defining doctrine of Christian faith. Wright says...

 

Continue reading "Bishop N. T. Wright: good Christians can deny Christ's resurrection..."

Fellowship Without Agreement, Unity Without Confession

I was perusing the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau's on-line site, where they have an interesting forum for discussion. One thread there is discsussing the UCC's latest offensive TV commercial. This led to comments wondering why, precisely, the ELCA and the United Church of Christ are in full communion. A pastor tried to help folks understand that such "full communion" arrangements are not in fact indications that the churches in "full communion" agree with each other about doctrine, but that they have agreed that the Gospel [whatever it is!] and the sacraments [whatever they are!] are going on in their respective church bodies. This is a fairly typical mind-game played in the ELCA and with it there can be justified all manner of "full communion" arrangements. The United Church of Christ has no confession of faith to which it binds itself. The UCC is clearly the most apostate so-called mainline denomination in the United States. I think ELCA folks need to continue asking, "Why are we in full communion with them?" And then ask, "What does it say about our church that we are?"

Here is how the pastor explained the nature and basis of fellowship in the ELCA:

But the point of altar and pulpit fellowship is not that we agree with each others' "doctrine," but that we agree that in our denominations "the gospel is preached and the sacraments are rightly celebrated." This is the "it is enough" of Augustana 7 that has been the basis of our ecumenical concords.

Notice: fellowship is now reduced not even to agreeing what the Gospel is, or what it is about, or what it is not, but agreeing that in one another's denomination "the gospel is preached and sacraments are rightly celebrated." But ... do not dare to define things anymore than that. This is utter rubbish. The Lutheran Confessions define precisely, on the basis of the Bible, what the Gospel is and what the Sacraments are and how they are rightly celebrated. There can be no fellowship between churches that hold different views on the Gospel.

This must be clear. You can not confess the Small Catechism's teaching on the Lord's Supper and say, "This is what the Bible teaches" and be in full communion with those who do not. Yes, it is that simple. To suggest otherwise is to lie in God's name, a grevious sin.

Another person in this thread shared how his cousin's wife, a UCC pastor, didn't feel she could serve a particular UCC congregation when she interviewed. This is by no means not at all a-typical in the United Church of Christ. Read what happened:

My cousin's wife is a UCC pastor.  A few months back, she visited a congregation to explore the possibility of accepting a call there.  As part of her visit, she attended an open meeting with members of the congregation during which she argued that it is important to use the Nicene and Apostles Creeds as a regular part of worship.  In response, one of the parishoners chastised my cousin's wife for holding to a faith that proclaims the "mythological Christ figure" (a direct quote) as the sole Way to redemption and salvation. It became clear that the rest of the crowd generally agreed with this parishoner's complaint. I think that we have a few congregations like this in the ELCA, but not nearly as many as the UCC. Needless to say, my cousin's wife took her ministry elsewhere.

Here is another explanation offered for how the ELCA does "fellowship."

The thread suggests the need for a talk about how we do ecumenical relationships in the ELCA and what constitutes fellowship and "unity." It is - let us be clear - quite different from the way the LC-MS pursues fellowship and unity.
 
And let us also be clear that fellowship with the UCC - and the RCA and the PC/USA - is not an option; it is declared in the ELCA, along with our fellowship with The Episcopal Church and the Moravians. We have decided and declared that we have enough "agreement in the Gospel" to be in altar and pulpit fellowship, and we believe that God has led us to that decision. We have not declared that we are in agreement with everything done in those denominations, and we certainly knew this when we agreed on fellowship. 
 
But, friends, after 30+ years of being deeply involved in ecumenical discussions and some of the talks that led to our declarations of fellowship, I just personally do not have the energy to start that discussion again with people who now, after ignoring all those years of dialogue, are honked off that we have made those agreements or want to undermine them by changing the rules of dialogue.
 
And to my friends in the LC-MS, I say: fellowship? Fine! Let's do it. I won't insist that you ordain women (though you will ordain them someday); and you may not insist that we quit doing so. 

"The Most Inclusive Fellowship"

Ecumenical News International 
Daily News Service 
03 April 2006 

Catholics and Pentecostals included in new US church grouping 
ENI-06-0296 

By Chris Herlinger 
New York, 3 April (ENI)--After nearly five years of discussions
and planning, a new grouping of the major Christian traditions in
the United States, including Roman Catholics as well as
Evangelical and Pentecostal denominations, has been formally
launched. 

Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT), calling itself "the
most inclusive fellowship of Christian churches and traditions"
in the United States, was inaugurated on 28 March. 

It marks the first time that bodies representing the five major
Christian traditions in the United States - Evangelical and
Pentecostal, Protestant, predominately racial/ethnic churches,
Orthodox, and Roman Catholic - have come together at a national
level, though such churches often work together at local levels.

"We finally found the courage to confront our obvious and
longstanding divisions and to build a new expression of unity,
rooted in the Spirit, that will strengthen our mission in the
world," the Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson, general secretary of
the Reformed Church in America and interim CCT moderator, said in
a statement. 

The creation of CCT is the first time that the US Conference of
Catholic Bishops has joined such a church grouping.   

Thirty-four churches and church organizations are formal
participants in the new grouping, while eight others, which are
considering participation, remain observers. 

The launch had been delayed in mid-2005 after concerns were
raised by leaders of predominantly black churches as to whether
another national ecumenical body was needed in the United States
alongside the US National Council of Churches (NCC). They also
questioned whether the new grouping would address concerns
important to their members, such as racial and economic justice.

The statement announcing the launch of the new grouping noted
that overcoming poverty was "central to the mission of the church
and essential to our unity in Christ", and that participants had
committed themselves to work together to address the causes of
poverty. 

Granberg-Michaelson made clear that membership now includes
representation from the five major church groupings in the United
States, including the historic black churches. 

Christian Churches Together is not seen, at least for now, as
supplanting the NCC. The Catholic Church, the largest
denomination in the United States, does not belong to the NCC nor
do many evangelical or Pentecostal groups. 

CTT, however, includes participation by a variety of groupings.
They include several Orthodox churches; Protestant groups as the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Episcopal
(Anglican) Church; and bodies such as the Salvation Army, Open
Bible Churches, International Pentecostal Holiness Church and the
humanitarian organization World Vision. [429 words] 

All articles (c) Ecumenical News International 
Reproduction permitted only by media subscribers and 
provided ENI is acknowledged as the source. 

Ecumenical News International 
PO Box 2100 
CH - 1211 Geneva 2 
Switzerland 

Tel: (41-22) 791 6088/6111 
Fax: (41-22) 788 7244 
Email: eni@eni.ch 

I've Been Wondering About Believing In and Worshiping the One True God

The story about the man who may be executed in Afghanistan for his conversion to Christianity got me to thinking. I found myself wondering why it is that if Christians and Muslims actually do believe in and worship the one, true God, a person can be put to death for worshipping Christ, intead of Allah in Muslim nations that follow strict Islamic law? And for that matter, if Muslims do in fact believe in and worship the one, true God, why should we be concerned if people are Muslim instead of Christian? Sometimes we hear people say something like this: "The Muslim God is also the true God (there is only one true God, right?) but worshiped in an inadequate way."

Finally I had to ask myself, "Was Jesus wrong when He said 'You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also' "(John 8:19; ESV)? If it is true that Jews do worship and believe in the one true God, though they deny Christ as Messiah and Lord, then Jesus must have been wrong. If it is true that Muslims and other non-Christians actually do believe in and worship the one true God, even while rejecting Jesus Christ, then Jesus was a liar.

The operative words here are "believe" and "worship" and "one, true God." Let this much be clear, as one would hope it would be. Muslims absolutely do not believe in, or worship, the one true God. To say this is not in any way to deny the natural knowledge that there is a god. But as Paul makes clear in Romans 1, this natural knowledge is corrupted by sin and men turn to the worship of false gods (Romans 1:21 "Although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened"). This is precisely what happens when you believe in and worship any god other than the One, True, God. In other words, the corruption of the natural knowledge of God is dramatically evident when people do not worship the Most Blessed and Holy Trinity, but turn to false gods, such as the Muslim "Allah."

Here are a few Luther quotes on the subject that I find particularly instructive:

"When the Turks go into battle their only war cry is “Allah! Allah!” and they shout it till heaven and earth resound. But in the Arabic language. Allah means God, and is a corruption of the Hebrew Eloha. For they have been taught in the Koran that they shall boast constantly with these words, “There is no God but God.” All that is really a device of the devil. For what does it mean to say, “There is no God but God,” without distinguishing one God from another? The devil, too, is a god, and they honor him with this word; there is no doubt of that. Therefore I believe that the Turks’ Allah does more in war than they themselves. He gives them courage and wiles; he guides sword and fist, horse and man. What do you think, then, of the holy people who can call upon God in battle, and yet destroy Christ and all God’s words and works, as you have heard?” (American Edition 46:183).

“All people who say that they mean the true God who created heaven and earth are lying. They do not accept His work and Word but place their own thoughts above God and His Word. If they truly believed in a God who created heaven and earth, they would also know that as Creator this same God is also above their thoughts and possesses the same authority to make, break and do as He pleases. But since they do not let Him be the Creator above them and their thoughts in so small a matter, it cannot be true that they believe [Glaube] Him to be the Creator of all creation.” (Walch 10.I.1:241)

“It does Jews, Turks, and heretics no good to profess a very great devoutness and to boast against us Christians that they believe in the one God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and also call him “Father” with intense earnestness. For all that, their worship consists of nothing except futile and useless words that they use to take the name of God in vain and misuse it, against the Second Commandment. . . Here you see that when they do not know who God is; and when they call Him “Creator” and “God” and “Father,” they don’t know what they are actually saying…Therefore they have no God, but they misuse the name of “God” in sin and shame and invent their own god and creator, who is supposed to be their father and whose children they profess to be.” (St.L 3:1932)

“Jews, Turks, and Tartars all esteem Christ and His mother Mary very highly. But they do not believe [glaube] that He is the Son of God, in whom one must believe and through whom all are saved. . . .  Therefore, the faith of the Jews and the Turks is nothing but sheer blindness, for they exclude the Son and want to retain only the Father. This is the chief article of our Christian faith: that the Son is eternal and true God, and also true man, sent into the world for its salvation. This article annuls the belief [glaube] of the Jews, the Turks, and all others who renounce the Son and thus worship another god and look to another source for help. The Turk is not able to pray the Lord’s Prayer or the articles of the Creed. Faith, to which God alone is entitled, is the chief type of worship. For we are not to believe in angels, prophets, or apostles. No, this divine honor is due the Son alone; for He is true God with the Father. John treats this article very intensively. . . . If I earnestly believe that Christ is true God and that He became our Savior, I will never deny this but will proclaim it publicly against the Turks, the world, the pope, the Jews ,and all the sects. I will confess that it is true. I would rather forfeit my life or jeopardize my property and honor than disavow this. Wherever faith is genuine, it cannot hold its tongue; it would rather suffer death. Such faith will also confess God’s Word before tyrants. To be sure, it will encounter all sorts of trials and temptations from the devil, as the martyrs amply demonstrate.” (AE 22:392-393).

“Turks and Jews boast a lot about God and claim to have a better faith than we Christians. They say they cannot be wrong. They say that they believe [Glaube] in one God, who created heaven and earth and everything else. This kind of faith