Colleagues, Those of you affiliated with the ELCA probably now have in hand the June issue of THE LUTHERAN, the monthly magazine of our denomination. Playing on the prose of Luther’s drum-beat question in the Small Catechism, the magazine cover hypes the lead article this way: “Kingdom of God: What does this mean?” But after that pro forma …
A Christian Message and the Virginia Tech Massacre–One More Time
Colleagues, PART I To begin with a full(er) disclosure on last week’s posting. I did disclose–and send on to you–the five submissions that came in as “Christian Message Proposals for VTU the Day after the Massacre.” What I didn’t tell you was that there were only three that “came in” from y’all. The other two were composed by …
Christian Message Proposals for VTU the Day after the Massacre
Colleagues, I didn’t get offerings from all 600 of you with my overture last week for “revisions or alternatives” (as one of you asked for) vis-a-vis Pastor Bill King’s Christian message at the VTU convocation the day after the massacre. I diidn’t even get 6! Only 5. I wonder why so few. So there’s no need to …
Gospel Proclamation–Always a Challenge. At Virginia Tech . . . and at Other Places, All Other Places
Colleagues, PART ONE: GOSPEL PROCLAMATION–ALWAYS A CHALLENGE. AT VIRGINIA TECH . . . In recent days more than one of you on the listserve has told me to show-and-tell what I would have said if I’d been asked to give a “Christian message” at the convocation following the Virginia Tech massacre last month. Not all of these missives …
Trusting the Promise: Abrahamic Faith Then and Now
Colleagues: Every now and then an email comes in asking for a “Gutachten.” That’s not the term they use, but that is what’s being asked for. Gutachten is an old German term for a piece of advice, an opinion, a “What are your thoughts . . .” on something that’s dicey or controversial, or just a sticky-wicket. …
Mixed Messages
Colleagues, ThTh 462 analyzing the Lutheran pastor’s message to the survivors of the Virginia Tech massacre drew some response. Most responders thought the pastor did proclaim an “other” Gospel. Sorry to say, but you are just too on target. It was even worse live. I watched on one of the networks. I figured we’d hear from you about …
Bill O’Reilly, Culture Warrior, a Book Review
Colleagues, Don Schedler is on the same graduation class picture as I am – “Concordia Seminary – Class of1954.” In the 53 years since then he’s been a Lutheran pastor (South Dakota, Kansas and Indiana), has gotten a Ph.D. (Counseling Psychology), and has been in that area of pastoral ministry for 3 decades, specializing in marital and …
What NOT to say After the Virginia Tech Massacre
Colleagues, This is an open letter to William King, ELCA Campus Pastor at Virginia Tech. According to the ELCA news release–copied below–King spoke “the Christian message” at the campus convocation the day after the massacre. Not clear, but not unlikely, there were other voices offering the “X” message from their faith communities. The text of King’s Christian message …
Preaching the Christian Gospel from Old Testament Texts
Colleagues, At the Crossings “Honest to God Gospel” get-together last January, there was one “closed” session. While Sherman Lee and I were doing a “Word of God and My Daily Work” Crossings demonstration before the plenum, the Text Study staff writers, who crank out the weekly diagnosis/prognosis postings–Steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6–each week, were (like …
A Caveat for Maundy Thursday–Especially for ELCA Lutherans!
Colleagues, On the eve of Maundy Thursday 2007 Jerry Burce, one of the pastors at Messiah Lutheran Church in suburban Cleveland, Ohio, sends me this eleventh hour “liturgy-alert” akin to the cyber-alerts that come our way these days when viruses are sneaking into our computers. This one sounds viral to me–sneaky too. What do you think?Peace and …