The Mother of Society
If authority is the father of society, then compassion is its mother.
Society is a group of individuals coming together to govern themselves under a predetermined group of laws, rules, or social contracts. This cannot be denied. The flip-side of the societal coin, however, is the compassion that its citizens have for one another. You can’t have a society of rules without having mercy. For the society which is heartless will not be able to sustain, for the merciful compassion of mothers and fathers is how children are able to survive and thrive. Children cannot raise themselves, feed themselves, teach themselves the rules. It is the duty of parents not to just put a roof over the heads of children, but to create a home to learn and grow and become compassionate themselves. ”Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” -Proverbs 22:6
Unfortunately, we, as a society, have chosen to remove compassion from our society for the sake and benefit of those who would be mothers and fathers. Or, rather, as of late, mothers. We are not mercifully defending those who cannot fight for themselves, but rather we preserve the choice to fulfill our physical desires, without reserving compassion for the potential result. We make the life we lead comfortable, rather than to be compassionate for the life that cannot be without us and our protection. Mothers and fathers should be merciful because their children require mercy to live. A society that uses abortion as a means to maintain status quo for those who would be mothers and fathers is a society that does not value life, and has no compassion for those who could live in the society and still require compassion.
You cannot have a one sided coin. What would become of a society with only rules and laws, but no compassion?
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” -Colossians 3:12
A New Method to Build a Pastor
Having observed from the sidelines some of the discussion regarding the seminary programs and paths to ordination (here, here, and here, just to link a few), I’ve heard quite a number of solutions for how to form pastors in the LCMS. I was a pre-seminary student at one of the Concordia Universities, so I’ve seen the process from the traditional side. I’ve also done my share of reading on the SMP program, so I understand the intent for beginning it. The SMP program, however, isn’t being used only as intended. It’s forming pastors as fast as possible without the cost or time of the traditional path.
Cost and time may be the problem. So I submit to the blogosphere the following ideas for changes to the seminary ordination path.
1) The seminary needs to be free for ordination-seeking M.Div. men. Cost is the biggest obstacle for those to whom the SMP program should be available: pastors for the newly planted, the multi-lingual, or the special-needs congregations. We are, however, a Synod with limited funds and a pair of seminaries already having financial issues. The question then is, how can we make the seminaries free for M.Div.? It’s time to decide as a Synod that the education of our ministers, teachers, D.C.E.’s, etc. is the most important thing we can do. We need to let the bodies who are trained to do this do the work, and not the Synod. The most amazing things I saw after Hurricane Katrina were the vans, trucks, and trailers lined up in front of the local Wal-Mart and grocery stores, packing up food and water, and driving south the day after it hit. FEMA hadn’t even gotten up out of it’s chair yet to take a look at the issue, and many individuals were streaming into the void to provide for those most affected. The Synod does great and powerful work, but it’s first job should be to provide education and $$$’s for those that educate.
2) Limit enrollment for ordination-seeking men. It is time for the seminaries and the Synod to be responsible enough to plan for the future and budget it’s resources ($$$ AND pastors) appropriately. That means that the district presidents must provide every year to the seminaries and Synod a projection for pastoral openings 4 years out. Then the seminaries can divide the number between themselves and each add 10 percent for attrition. This will help to provide each graduate with a call to fill.
With a limited enrollment, the incoming students should be further subdivided. Up to 25% of the incoming class should be second-career students. It’s important to have a perspective tempered by time spent outside of a classroom. Congregations have benefited from these pastors for years, and we should continue to prepare them for service. Also, up to 25% of the students should be the original target for the SMP program. Purposefully providing for the multi-lingual, the church-planter, and the specialty parish will change the outlook for our Synod and our seminaries. If one-quarter of our pastoral students are preparing to step foot into a mission field, it will have an effect on the whole class.
3) Make the M.Div. program a cohort-style program. Organizing the curriculum into a cohort-style, pre-arranged program will save funds because the costs will be predictable. Number of classes will be steady from year to year, and the seminarians will have a group of men to bond with as they move through their time at seminary.
4) Reduce the M.Div. program to 3 years. A cohort-style program means that the class schedule would need to be pre-defined, removing the ability for students to try and plan a schedule. This means that the electives would have to go. No electives and an arranged schedule of classes could move the seminarians through the required classroom courses in two years. A vicarage in the 3rd year would become more like an actual internship, and would set them up to keep the mindset of working with parishioners. This would also speed up the seminarians who need to move into specialty calls.
5) Push electives to the fourth year as an optional and online program. And charge for it. The learning a pastor receives from electives is still important, but it’s not required to administer sacraments, teach the Scriptures, or preach the Gospel. Seminarians who would like to add to their learning can do through online classes. The technology is available, we have experience with it as a Synod (Wisconsin and St. Paul have very successful online programs), and it’s time to make it available. The electives they take in the 4th year would cost them tuition, but could be used toward an additional Master’s degree, or even a Ph.D. By this time, they would be a called and ordained pastor, would be receiving a salary, and supporting their family. Some would say that they won’t have the time in their first year to take classes. If that’s the case, then the online programs will be available to them in the future, or could be taken at a pace that would not remove them from there duties. And the pastors in our congregations would still be learning and developing. That, and other individuals in the Synod would be able to pursue advanced degrees from our seminaries online, giving others access to the amazing and intelligent individuals teaching at our seminaries today. Also, the classes would provide another form of financial support for these institutions.
6) Add local supervision as a replacement for the 4th year. Let’s not push our new pastors out of the nest so quickly to cause issue. Create a local supervision committee, or a mentorship program to provide for these men who have just lost a year of support on campus. They will be fine, their training will be as excellent as it always is at St. Louis and Fort Wayne, but they may want to have someone to lean on or look to for questions or concerns that may have been addressed in the 4th year during classes.
I believe that it’s time to adopt the technology available today for our seminarians, and to help them start out without the overwhelming debt which the seminaries require today (and if they have come from one of the Concordia universities prior to seminary, watch out!). We can get them in and out quickly and still give them an effective and biblically-sound education, while saving our Synod and seminaries money. The adoption of a program like this would require us to end the SMP and lay minister programs. All the better, for these cause nothing but division and frustration amongst the Synod membership. And why would we want to create ministers with “restrictions” (direct from lcms.org) to their ministries? Let’s provide the right number, at the right time, for the right reason: To spread the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory alone. Amen.
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Responsibility and Contraception
Let’s face it, sex is fun. It feels good. Really good. No one who has, can, or does partake of sex will deny that is one of the most enjoyable activities for humans.
It’s important to note that sex creates people. That’s what it does. Having sex makes more people. Again, this isn’t news to those of us who have had, or will have, sex.
What do more people create? The answer to that is much more complicated. So let’s talk about this not as “more people”, rather a person. Because sex creates just one person (well, most of the time, but we’ll leave twins or more out of this).
The first thing sex creates is another mouth to feed, not just our own. Sex also creates a relationship with the other person who is biologically part of the mouth to feed, whether you like that person or not. Although, if you’re willing to have sex with someone, I would hope you like them a little bit. Sex creates dirty diapers, sleepless nights, field trips, college tuition, brothers, sisters, and/or grandchildren (because sex creates more sex, no one will deny THAT statement). Sex creates borrowed cars, boyfriends, sporting events, school pictures, punishments, cell phone bills, and trips to DisneyWorld. Simply stated, sex creates responsibility. Responsibility is a consequence.
How does contraception fit in to this responsibility and consequence? Contraception allows for the removal of responsibility and consequence while leaving the capacity to feel good. Perhaps that’s over simplifying the discussion. But contraception means that one doesn’t have to consider what will happen after having sex. Instead, one can just think about having more sex. Without the risk of responsibility.
Because no one wants to be responsible, right?
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On the Death of Christopher Hitchens…
Christopher Hitchens, prodigious author, raging atheist, and one of those for whom Christ suffered and died on the cross, has passed away from cancer. His life was full of choices and challenges. Heavy drinking and smoking, failed marriages, cancer of the esophagus, anger and bitterness to all major world religions, one must wonder why I would choose to memorialize him in this blog.
Mr. Hitchens, for all his faults and failures, worldly successes and fame, was a sinner, just as I am, and just as you are. His life was an example of the hold that sin can have on someone, and the power of the temptation of the devil.
He is not, however, an example of the vengeance of the Lord. Christopher Hitchens didn’t get cancer because God decided to punish him for the book God is not Great in 2007. He is not dead because the Lord turned His wrath on this “evil man.” Not at all. Instead, the Lord allowed Mr. Hitchens a long life, 62 years worth, and had him cross paths with many different Christians throughout his time on earth. I dare to say that Christopher Hitchens was preached the Gospel more than most men.
Our God is a merciful God, as the psalmist says in Psalm 86:15, “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” The Lord is so merciful, He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to be crucified for Christopher Hitchens. That is not a God of vengeance, or a God of raging anger. If the Lord had chosen to punish Christopher Hitchens, He would have destroyed him in 2007, or when he left his wife, or renounced his Christian upbringing as a youth.
Instead, the Lord gave Mr. Hitchens a long life, filled with struggle and temptation, the life He gives us all. It is a life which knows sin, and all the pain that comes with it. And through that pain and sin Jesus stands waiting, and we cling to the cross, and receive the salvation our God gives us through the faith He brings us in baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and hearing His Word.
I am sad for the death of Christopher Hitchens. Death is not the natural, created state of man. It is the result of sin. His death reminds me that we all will die. But in our earthly death, our faith brings us to new life in Christ Jesus for those who believe. I hope that Mr. Hitchens was able to remember that Gospel he heard so many times, and that the Holy Spirit was able to work in his heart. May God have mercy.
A House Divided…
I attend a church made up of three congregations. There’s the 5:30 Saturday night congregation, the 8 AM Sunday morning congregation, and the 10:30 AM Sunday morning congregation. Some of the 8 AM people pass through the 5:30 service occasionally, and the 8 and 10:30 people cross paths in the airlock of the 9:15 Bible classes, but even there, it’s less about the congregations coming together and more about a whole different group who happens to attend Bible study at the same time. A house divided…
At what point does it become OK for a congregation to be this way? We are there together to make up the Body of Christ, yet we can’t be together because we won’t sit in the other’s service. We are divided not by time (although some have chosen when to go and make it a point to follow that choice), or because of a propensity to attend Bible class before/after the church service. We are divided because of music and liturgy.
Our congregation has become the congregation of the Divine Service and the congregation of the Contemporary Service. Those who attend 5:30 PM or 8 AM do so because they want to attend during the worship service from the Lutheran Service Book. They enjoy the hymns and cherish the settings of the Divine Service, and want to go to church when they know they will be comfortable and able to worship in a predictable and reverent manner. The Contemporary Service people go to 10:30 AM because they like the music, and the way the service changes every week, and how it fills them with faith and gives them hope for the week to come.
Both are valid and healthy ways to think about and participate in church. Both services include the key parts of any worship service: Confession and Absolution, the Readings, Songs and Hymns, a Sermon, the Lord’s Supper, and Blessings and Prayers. Each service builds faith and brings the forgiveness of sins. Each strengthens the children of God in the Body of Christ. And it’s tearing us apart.
We are not to seek a church of faithful INDIVIDUALS! We are the whole Body of Christ, His Bride the Church, and yet we would never set foot in the other’s service. And why not? Because we would say, “I don’t worship that way.”
It is a work of the Law to believe that church is only to be done as the Divine Service lays out, rubic by ordinary by proper, start to finish. It is also a sinful heart who would criticize the worship of another because it is “repetitive” or “boring”. We have become the circumcized and the uncircumcized of the early Christian church, divided by practice and by our view of the other’s worship style.
Paul says in Ephesians 2:14ff: ”For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.” Christ is the One who gathers us up and brings us together. We are not a church because we share a building. We are a church because we share Jesus and Him Crucified.
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” -Ephesians 4:1-6.
We are to love one another, not tear the other down or turn up our noses. We are to worship with one another, not because we have to, but out of love for one another, and because we are the one body, with Christ as our head.
“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” -Ephesians 4:15-16.
I have sinned greatly in this as well, for I have stated, quite plainly, that I do not like Contemporary worship, and key changes during songs, and sermons from the communion rail rather than the pulpit. I ask for your forgiveness, and the forgiveness of my Lord, for I have torn down the faithful worship of others. I am not proud of my actions regarding the other service, and I will seek to understand and encourage those who would sing to the Lord a new song.
I ask of you the following: attend a service you normally would not. Share Christ with the brothers and sisters in your church, in your one congregation, at the table of the Lord. Seek to build each other up, and understand the faithfulness that comes not from liturgy or from songs, but from the Word of Christ, and the Supper we partake in Him, and the Baptism we have received through Jesus our Lord.
Was the American Revolution Unchristian?
I’m beginning to do some reading on the Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms (aka the Two Realms). This is the concept that God is the ruler over all things, and all He rules over is based in two realms, His left hand (the “civil” realm) and His right hand (the “heavenly” realm). But before I go any further, let me break this doctrine down very quickly (I’ll do a more in-depth post on the Two Kingdoms later…and special thanks to Pastor Joel Biermann and Concordia Seminary’s iTunesU videos as a source for information).
The “civil” realm is not just the government, but also includes the home, the economy, the environment, etc. It is the realm of preservation, such as preserving peace and justice in the world. It is the realm of the Sword, which the government (or those in authority, i.e. parents, teachers, bosses) wield to maintain order over the earth and those over which God has placed them. This is a key point. God rules over both realms, and as such, grants authority to those He wishes to have it.
The “heavenly” realm is the church, but not the little “c” church of this world, necessarily. It is the realm of forgiveness, life, and salvation. It is the realm of the Word, and is the realm of the work to bring salvation to those who believe.
The two realms are not opposed to each other. They are not at odds. Instead, they cross into each other and even compliment each other. The work of the left realm is to maintain order and civility so that the work of the right may continue to save. The right hand will bring peace and comfort to the soul, and allow the left to complete it’s task.
An excellent set of examples is the judge and the murderer. The judge will work in the left realm, dispensing justice from the authority of the government to the murderer. The murderer, who may repent and truly be sorry for his sins, will still be punished for his crime. The judge does not let the repentance of the murderer sway him from his task of judgement, and the murderer does not expect that his repentance and forgiveness from God will remove from him the judgement he faces. The murderer will be forgiven by God, but will receive the Sword of the left hand kingdom. The judge will use the Sword, but may still work to spread the Word of the right hand kingdom outside of his job.
Still, both kingdoms are ruled by God. He grants grace and forgiveness on the right, and sets up any authority He wishes on the left. If God did not want an authority to rule, He would not allow it to be.
So, was the American Revolution against the will of God? Did our forefathers sin as they overthrew the government which ruled them? The answer is a resounding “Yes.”
Romans 13:1-2: ”Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”
But God works through the sinfulness of man to fulfill His purposes. Were our forefathers wrong? Yes. Does that mean that our nation is inherently evil? Not necessarily (although THAT’S a discussion for another time). God uses our country to fulfill His purpose. May He grant us the strength to do His will when it is our time to complete it.
Now, ask yourself this: Are the Occupy Wall Street protesters right or wrong? Are they doing God’s will? And is supporting them sinful?
A Persuasion to Prayer
As we move through the stress and strain of our daily lives, sometimes we wonder how we should best handle our worries and fears, our hopes and desires, our needs and our wants. Where can we find help and strength to carry our in the burden of life? Stress relief is often the topic of many emotional self-help books and audio recordings, like the ones we see on TV at 3 am between Law and Order and Dracula vs. the Wolfman, Part 17. They tell us that we can look inside ourselves to find The Power of Living, as one so-called collection states. Yet, these always cost large amounts of time and rather large amounts of money, because, as we all know, 4 easy payments of $39.99 is not cheap to anyone in a recession.
However, I would like to offer a simpler, easier, more fulfilling method to handle to problems of this world. Something that is useful anywhere, in any situation. It’s inexpensive (actually, it’s free), anyone can do it, and available to all. The solution is prayer.
Now, you may ask yourself, why pray? Well, Paul tells us in his first letter to the Thessalonians, chapter 5, verse 17, to “pray continually.” I know that in my life things happen on a regular basis such that I need help, or just want to talk about them with someone. God is always there and ready to hear what I have to say. Christ commands us to pray in Matthew 7:7ff, when He says “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” God wants us to talk with Him. He is willing to listen to us in our times of trouble, or even to thank him for what He has done for us. Even medical studies show that prayer is helpful in the midst of an illness. Prayer relieves stress by focusing one’s attention and calming an individual. Prayer is the equivalent of a child’s time-out. It gives us a moment to step back and look at the things around us.
How, then, should we pray? Christ answers this question fully when He says in Matthew 6:9ff, “This, then, is how you should pray,” and follows with what has thus been known as the Lord’s Prayer. However, this is not the only way that we can talk to our Father. Martin Luther states one method of praying in his definition of the Second Commandment, taken from his Small Catechism, which states that we should “in every time of need call upon [God], pray to him, praise him, and give him thanks.” From this we can see three major types of prayer: prayer in times of need, praising God as our great and almighty King, and thanking God for the gifts He has given to us. When we pray in times of need, we should ask God not only to help us and watch over us, but those around us, such as our family and loved ones; Christ even tells us to pray for our enemies. Thanking and praising God should be the easiest part of prayer, because of all of the gifts we receive from Him should be more than enough of a reason to pray. All of these types of prayer can be seen in the most amazing collection of prayers ever assembled: the Psalms. Here we see many of the different ways that we can talk to God. But these are not the only ways. Even just having a plain, old conversation with the Creator of all (as ironic as that sounds) is a comfortable and helpful way to give peace to our lives. Some see prayer as a quiet meditation time, to look over the events of their lives and to seek God’s guidance. That is the essence of prayer. Asking for God’s guidance and strength, seeking His peace and love, searching for His will and desires in our lives.
What are the benefits and drawbacks of prayer? As for the latter, I see no drawbacks to talking with God. He commands it, and answers us. When we pray, He comes to us and comforts us in our time of need. All that He asks is that, when we pray, we thank and praise Him. To me, this sounds like a win-win situation. The benefits of prayer are even greater. Besides the physiological benefits of relaxation, rest, and rejuvenation, we receive many mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits as well. Peace, joy, happiness, restoration of the heart and mind, comfort, and strength are just a few of the things that we see in our lives after we pray to God. Also, God answers those questions that most trouble our hearts and minds, and He leads us to live lives of good and faithful righteousness in Him.
After having seen all of these reasons to pray, sometimes we are still unsure of what pray. Many daily devotional books and pamphlets, such as the Portals of Prayer series, updated every quarter, which is available online through Concordia Publishing House, are readily accessible to all. Also, leaflets, like Talking with God, are handy in looking into the discussion of prayer and its usefulness. The Treasury of Daily Prayer, and it’s corresponding app, Pray Now, are available at all times through any Apple device.
Prayer should be a major part in the lives of every Christian. Its benefits are far greater than even the person praying can ever imagine. We are commanded to pray by God Himself. It is not time consuming nor is it hard to do. We have a shoulder to cry on, someone to laugh with about the humor of life, someone to hear us and understand all of the things that affect us in our daily lives. With this kind of a deal, who could pass up the opportunity to be heard? The benefits are outstanding, and in the end, we will be glad that we did it. So go on, pray. It regularly gets me through this blog. It can get you through anything.
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