This has to be the cheap shot of all time. Let me say something here folks, this isn't about a talk show or the hosts thereof. It's about a Church Body, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, wanting to throw away it's Lutheran heritage along with the trappings of old world German Culture. In doing so, they are turning from Grace and leaving the word behind.
What am I talking about? Unless I'm sorely mistaken, this is the current model for Lutheran Church.
http://www.watersedgefrisco.com/
Take a look at the sermon videos, all the band instruments dwarfing the alter, no space set aside for the work of God, a "youth pastor" styled pastor who's yelling and screaming and giving good advice. He tries to placard Christ and him crucified up before the people, but he winds up driving the verbs the wrong way. It's subtle, but it's there.
Pastor Todd Wilken has taught me too well. Where other world religions are growing by remaining authentic, we're throw any chance at authenticity we have out the window. While Islam and it's Imams still say that Allah is not the Christian God, we are comprimising the Triune God's identity to attract people. While other religions are not concerned about numbers, we are counting the heads and the beans.
What's happening people?
Friday, March 21, 2008
What happening people?
4:39 PM
Matthew
2 comments:
Yeah, that stuff is out there. It' sin our synod. And it stinks.
But there is another side to our synod - one people don't see very often. Here in Fort Wayne, at the seminary, I see guys every day who are learning and confessing Christ Jesus. We're learning how to preach real (Christocentric) sermons, again. We're learning about the liturgy. We're learning how to read the Bible (with Jesus Christ and His atonement at the center of it all).
Sure, not everything is perfect here, either. But there's certainly none of that "contemporary worship" stuff going on here. It's not in the class rooms and it's not in the chapel. And the message is still apostolic.
I realize you're not disputing that, nor was your post about this, but we so often hear about all the bad in Synod that we forget about the good. There is still a lot of good. It is only by the grace and love of our merciful Lord that we have received so much good - but at least it is there. At least new and faithful pastors are still entering the field.
To quote John Paul Jones, "We have not yet begun to fight." Hyperbole, of course: in other words, the Lord is still sending soldiers into the battlefield that is our Synod. I, personally, think it's too soon to call the outcome just yet.
I would not have had this attitude a year ago. Seminary is... refreshing.
I get you, except for that bit about "band instruments dwarfing the altar." Why make an issue of that? (I'm just speaking here as someone who really likes worship led by a band a whole lot better than worship led by an organ.) I mean, there's nothing distinctively Lutheran about worship with an organ rather than a band. I get crazy reading WT posts about the evils of praise bands; why not stick with what's truly Lutheran and let adiaphora remain adiaphora?
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