Wed 14 Jan 2009
A couple of newspaper-people I know were shocked that I have stopped receiving home delivery of the Record, the New York Post, and the New York Times, making me a literal “newspaper-free” news hound. Even today as I sit here in my church office, I cannot believe that I do not have a newspaper on my kitchen table every morning.
Mon 18 Feb 2008
I know the 24-hour news networks need something to fill time, but their ceaseless coverage of the 2008 Presidential race is making me sick. Oh, how many times can they talk about what Hillary Clinton needs to do win the Democrat Party nomination? Or if Barack Obama can withstand the Clinton onslaught? Or if John McCain and conservatives can play nice together?
Aaaaaarrrrrgggghhhh!!!!
I am sick of it!!
Fri 3 Nov 2006
“At some level if it becomes clear that the relationship is broken, that there’s no possibility for a new life in that relationship, then the pastoral thing to do is to find a creative way to separate, a gracious way to separate,” Jefferts Schori said. “I hope we don’t have to go there. My hope is for finding life that is still present in relationships, and if we go the separation route, the door is left open and the lights on.”
Those are the words of Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who will be installed as the leader of America’s Episcopal Church tomorrow.
Bishop Jefferts Schori has been somewhat controversial within the Episcopal union since her election back in June to head the American branch of the church. She is openly pro-homosexual union, something that sets her apart from her fellow Episcopalians throughout the world.
For a couple of years since the American Episcopal church allowed an openly gay priest to become a Bishop, Episcopalians around the globe have signaled their displeasure at the moves by the American church citing their lack of a basis in Scripture. When she is installed this weekend, you can be sure that these stories will pop up again.
The fact of the matter is that the Episcopalian Church is fighting over the meaning of the Word of God and whether “modern ideals” can be woven into the fabric of Holy Scripture to give it new meaning and understanding.
As Lutherans, we take the Word of God for what it is: the truth. When God says something, He means it. Whether it is found in the Gospels of Jesus Christ or the Law He gave to our spiritual forefathers, we say it is truth. Nothing that this world can produce can be anywhere near the perfection and truth of God’s Word.
This is at our core as Lutherans. We don’t say that God didn’t mean what He said. We don’t question His Word – we accept it as true. Nothing that our world can say can change that, even though there are people within Christendom that urge a change in our social policies and theology to make sinners feel comfortable while living in their sin.
My friends, that is why the church can never waver in its doctrine and its stance on Holy Scripture.
To God, sin is a non-starter. It is what separates us from Him. Sin is the one and only factor that destroyed our relationship with our Creator. And after God gave His Law to His people to follow, a Law that if kept would have restored a right relationship with Him, we found out one important thing: we can never keep the Law as fully as the Law demands. Therefore, fellow sinners, we remain sinful. We fail to live up to God’s Law constantly, whether it is in thought or deed.
I don’t know how many times my mouth belies my office — whether it is driving on the Turnpike or walking around the corner seeing someone do something stupid. My sin is ever in front of me, and because of it, I cling to the cross of Christ and plead for forgiveness. This is who I am – a sinner in need of forgiveness; a sinner in need of a loving God who will forgive my sins and forget them.
When one looks at the Word of God and decides that sin is OK, it turns the Word on its ear. Whether it is homosexuality or abortion or clamoring for a new television you saw over at your neighbor’s house, it is all sin. If a man and a woman outside of marriage engage in sexual intercourse, it is sin. Lusting after someone other than your spouse, it is sin. Using your spouse or children as punching bags, it is sin. Sleeping in on Sunday mornings instead of going to church and receiving and worshiping your Lord as He outlines in Scripture, it is sin. Saying you aren’t a sinner, that, too, is sin.
The list could go on – but what we see in ourselves when we look at God’s Law is our inability to keep it. To then say that I’ll remain in my sin and not come to God in repentance and asking for forgiveness, that is the arrogance of human flesh. We think we are better than God at those times. And when this happens, we should make a bee-line to the nearest church and repent of our sin.
That is why the church must never waver in its definition of sin. If it is wrong in God’s eyes, it is wrong. But we must stand firm on the promise of God to forgive our sins when we repent of them. When we repent and say that we are sorry, our God in heaven forgives us our many sins. He tells us as Jesus told the woman He saved from being stoned by the crowd that her sins were forgiven and that she should go and sin no more.
And this is why we don’t turn sinners away who come to our door. We show the love of God to them and preach the word rightly that condemns sin and leads people to repent and to the forgiveness offered by God through Jesus Christ. We don’t make them comfortable of their sin – we preach Christ crucified and tackle the sinfulness of this world. And we lead God’s children to repent.
The Episcopal Church in the world is facing the problems that it is because the definition of sin has change in their church. This isn’t an attack on the Episcopalians. This is my fervent prayer that the understanding of God’s Word will return to a true Biblical foundation and that the influences of the world would be locked out when they discuss the social and cultural issues of the day. They should strive towards the highest common denominator when talking about sin and God. They should never weaken their doctrinal stand just to make people feel good about living in sin.
The church is supposed to be the place where people flee to escape the world. May God give all pastors in the Missouri Synod the strength to keep firm to the doctrine that springs forth from Holy Scripture.
Fri 27 Oct 2006
I found myself thinking about prayer this morning, not because of our Morning Prayer service in church at 7:15. Prayer is one of those things that Christians should do everyday, going to our Father in heaven and laying our concerns and troubles before Him and asking for help. We also go to our Lord in prayer in thankfulness for all His blessings He has bestowed on each of us, and of those blessings, our Lord Jesus Christ being at the top of the list.
But this morning when I opened up my computer and downloaded my morning newspaper, I noticed that I could receive a free copy of one of the other newspapers that Press Display offers. You read that right – I download my morning newspapers. It cuts down on paper (there isn’t any). I don’t get ink on my fingers. And the newspaper is usually there when I wake up at 5A. Currently, I receive the New York Post’s electronic edition (it is more than half off their regular newspaper subscription rate) and use the New York Times’ “Times Reader” application. Too bad the Record doesn’t have an e-edition (though the Star Ledger does!).
After going through their list of newspapers, I downloaded the Indianapolis Star – the major statewide newspaper of Indiana. When I was in Fort Wayne at seminary, I liked the Star better than the morning newspaper in town. On those days that I bought the paper, I always found it to be a solid paper.
This morning when I opened it up, I was reminded of something they do: they have a Scripture verse on the front page and a short prayer on page 2. Wow! Yes, the prayer is generic, but it is a prayer nonetheless. On page one:
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
And on page two:
“Holy God, help us put cynicism and despair behind us. Help us to live by practicing compassion. Amen.”
Could you imagine the Bergen Record putting either of these religious references in the masthead of their newspaper or on page two?
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Mon 23 Oct 2006
The British Broadcasting Company has admitted something that Christians have known for a while: they are biased in their news coverage of Christian issues.
For a long while, the BBC has presented Islamic issues in a more positive light – especially in their coverage of Islamic terrorists where they made a point to not calling them Islamic or even terrorists. On the other hand, Christianity has pulled the short stick in their coverage where it is more negative.
One senior BBC executive admitted to the ‘Daily Express’, "There was a widespread acknowledgement that we may have gone too far in the direction of political correctness. Unfortunately, much of it is so deeply embedded in the BBC’s culture, that it is very hard to change it."
Let’s see if they actually do something about it.
(Hat Tip: The Drudge Report)