Back to work . . .

Howdy folks, remember me?

Yes, it has been a very long time since I last shared words of wisdom here. (Fine. Last time I ranted here.) Much has happened and yet some things are still the same.

I won't bore you with comments and posts on topics that are no longer timely. There may be some allusions to past happenings, but there is no need to go that far back.

I know that there are few followers of this blog out there. I doubt that my absence was noticed.

It is time to get things back on track. The sabbatical is over. Time to start bringing to the forefront things that need to be said, questions that need to be asked. I can't make many promises regarding content or responses, other than to say I will try to do my best.

Happy reading.

. . . And The Power Of The Devil.

I came across this article a few weeks ago about the Roman Catholic Church looking for a few good priests. Apparently there is a severe shortage of trained exorcists in the United States. According to the article there are only about "five or six exorcists in the United States."

That is not good.

How does the Roman Catholic Church in the United States allow itself to let something as significant and important as trained exorcists dip to such low levels?

Follow up question -

Does the Lutheran Church still believe in such things?

I'm serious here. I do not take this topic lightly.

During the time of Luther, there was an acknowledgement that the Devil did exist. It was was firmly believed that the Devil and his minions were very active. Even in Luther's Order of Baptism (1523) there are minor exorcisms.

When I attended seminary, the question was asked in my Pastoral (Mal)Practice class about what a pastor should do if they came across a member that was suspected to be demon possessed. The response from the professor was none too helpful. The response consisted of having that individual seen by a psychiatrist to make sure that it was not mental illness (which made sense). If it was determined that it was not mental illness, than we as pastors were to contact our respective district president who would then "take care of things."

What exactly did that mean?

Was there some secret "black ops" team of trained exorcists that would just magically appear after that phone call was made?

Or did it mean that the LCMS was "sub-contacting" exorcisms to the Roman Catholic church? That their people would take over and "take care of things."

If there is one thing that should never "go out of fashion" in the Lutheran church is the fact that the Devil and his minions are just as active today as they were then. Some may not believe that. Others may want to refuse to accept that concept.

Again, I do not take this topic lightly. Personal experience leads me to firmly believe that this is a force that should not be ignored. 

I guess I worry how, today, it seems that the Devil is thought of in more of an abstract way. It sounds great to talk about "the Devil" in a sermon in an impersonal way. A really neat "straw man" to blame things on. Yet, the Devil is much more than than. The Devil is a very real thing that people do struggle with.

I think there needs to be a renewed focus on this. Just as the Roman Catholic church is looking to add new exorcists to its ranks here in America, the Lutheran Church should not be that far behind in looking at topic and discussing it openly.

The thought I had then, I still have now.

I left that class wondering if the church of today really believed as the church of Luther. Especially those words "the power of the devil."

Bits and pieces

I'm back!

I know, I was greatly missed.

I know I also have a lot of catching up to do.

Shame I missed the whole election cycle in October and November.

I do have a few thoughts on that.

Mainly, the amount that was spent.

The best guess estimates from the 2010 midterm election cycle peg this one at $3.98 billion and still counting.

That's right, billion.

That makes this the most expensive midterm, ever.

If this doesn't turn a Christian off to the political process, I really don't know what will.

$3.98 billion dollars spent. To elect what?

Just think about what could have been done with that money. Even half of it.

Please don't shovel me the crap that the "good guys" are in control now. There are none in politics. If you believe that, please stop singing "A Mighty Fortress". Especially the part about not trusting in princes.

If you have donated money to a particular candidate or political party, or PAC. Please stop.

Your local parish, mission project, missionary, or food pantry could do so much more with that money.

Bonus! You also can get a tax deduction and there are no contribution limits.

OK, enough of that.

On to other things.

Stayed tuned.

Has Lutheran Education Failed (To Keep Its Graduates Lutheran)?

In case you were wondering, I'm on Facebook.

Yippee!

It is kind of nice to "reconnect" with some people. At least to find out what became of them.

I was going through my "friends" list recently and noticed something disturbing.

Looking at my "friends" from grade school and high school got me kind of depressed. No, not because they portray themselves as having a great job and a great life. (Believe me, there are other things that depress me more.) It's that part where one can list their "religious views."

Let me backtrack here.

I am what can be affectionately called a "system kid." I attended an LCMS grade school, I attended an LCMS high school, I attended an LCMS college and I attended an LCMS seminary. Through all of that, I am still a member of the LCMS. (Sadly, no award exists for those of us who have accomplish such a feat.)

It was looking at those "religious views" that got me depressed.

Reading over and over again the "religious views" of people that I had gone to grade school or high school with and seeing the views posted: "Methodist", "I believe there is a God,", "non-denominational", blah, blah, blah.

This was painful to read. I grew up with these people. I went to church with them. I knew their parents and, in some cases, their grandparents. I know that a majority of those that I went to high school with also went to an LCMS grade school. What the hell happened?

Who does this reflect poorly on? Do you blame the churches? Do you blame the schools? Do you blame the parents? Do you blame the pastors? Do you blame the teachers? Is it some of the above? All of the above? I don't know.

What I do know is that it looks like almost a whole generation just disappeared. Gone.

I wonder if the parents who sacrificed (I know my parents did) so their children could get an education at a Lutheran school wasted their money? Maybe they would have been better off sending their children to public schools and treating themselves to a better car or vacation.

What happened? Why was there a disconnect?

How, why, did this faith not get passed on to my generation?

Is there any way to get them back?

Not likely, I think.

Is this still happening today?

What can be done to prevent this?

Does something need to change?

Here's my challenge to you:

If you are on Facebook, and you graduated from an LCMS grade school and/or high school, check out your friend's "religious views" and see where they are today. (If you went to an LCMS college, I guess you can play as well.)

Let me know what you find.

Coming To A Parish Near You

I know you have been waiting for it.

You're going to have to wait just a little bit longer for it.

That's right, the new English translation of the Roman Missal will debut in Advent 2011!

It looks like Rome has done an excellent job with this one.

How do I know? Because there are already people complaining about it before it is even released! Here's the article for you to read.

I love the complaints that appear in this article.

Here's a few quotes:

"It will impact every Catholic in every parish because they will have to learn new responses in place of the ones they have been using since Vatican II," Reese said. "I believe that the new translations are a step backwards and confusing to the people in the pews."

Critics contend the translation is too literal and includes too many theologically complex terms.

I really enjoy the rationale behind this as well:

Critics like Bishop Trautman argue that Jesus Christ taught in the language of the common man and, further, that Vatican II reforms that first allowed the Mass to be translated from Latin to the vernacular are being unraveled by the more complicated words used in the new translation.

What are some of these big changes?

Those who have reviewed the translation say it requires new responses from church members in about a dozen places in the Mass. Generally, those responses are relatively simple, as when members will respond "And with your spirit" after the celebrant says, "The Lord be with you." The current response is, "And also with you."

Yikes! I don't know if your average parishioner will be able to handle that!

Enough about the people. What difficult things will the priests have to change and say?

Currently, priests dismisses the congregation by saying, "The Mass is ended; go in peace." Priests will now have four more specific options, including two suggested by Pope Benedict XVI: "Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord" and "Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life."

Prayers offered by the priest will include more complex terms such as "consubstantial," "inviolate," "oblation," "ignominy" and "suffused."

If the priest doesn't know what those words mean, and if they cannot explain them to their parishioners, maybe there needs to be an investigation by Rome as to what is being taught at their seminaries in the United States.


That's right, Jesus didn't use big words, let alone complex thoughts, nor did the authors of the Bible. Or the early church. I guess we shouldn't either when we worship.

Just For Fun

I came across this blog and I feel compelled to share.

Maybe you can find out what your pastor is hiding under his clerical!

Enjoy!

Lutherans Ashamed of the Mass?

While following a news story regarding upcoming changes to the missal of the Roman Catholic Church, I found myself wandering around the Archdiocese of Milwaukee website. The image above caught my eye. Of course I clicked on the pretty picture and was taken to this site.

Wow! Why can't our synodical district websites look like this? Furthermore, looking at the Living Our Faith initiative, there is more substance there than "the-program-that-cannot-be-spoken-unless-you-want-to-get-sued-by-the-LCMS". The message is so simple, "See You At Mass." It looks like they're a sacramental church body.

Here's the question - Why is the LCMS afraid to be sacramental?

Look at your district's website. Is there a something there to let the average person know that the LCMS puts the sacraments as a central part of its beliefs? On a congregational level, it may be a different case. Right now, I am focusing on the district level and higher.

Look at the Lutheran Confessions, specifically the Apology to the Augsburg Confession XXIV - The Mass. The section is titled, The Mass! The first paragraph states, "At the outset we must again make the preliminary statement that we do not abolish the Mass, but religiously maintain and defend it. For among us masses are celebrated every Lord's Day and on the other festivals, in which the Sacrament is offered to those who wish to use it, after they have been examined and absolved. And the usual public ceremonies are observed, the series of lessons, of prayers, vestments, and other like things." (Italics mine.)

Why do some in Lutheranism prefer an a la carte approach when it comes to the Lutheran Confessions and Lutheran doctrine that are believed, promoted, and taught?


I'm not at the banks of the River Tiber. I'm not looking to cross over, nor am I promoting such things. I am just asking a question that needs a serious answer.

Why are Lutherans ashamed to publicly proclaim the centrality of the Mass?