Territorial Bloggings

There’s an interesting discussion about the “ideal” church/congregation size going on over at the Cranach blog. I find it to be of great interest because I have some strong thoughts & ideas on the subject.

Put most succinctly, bigger is badder not better.

The trend towards mega-, giga-, and tera-churches is not a good thing. Proper Pastoral care is really not possible on that scale. The sheep may feel like they’re getting what they need, but it’s actually more like they’re getting what they want. Proper Pastoral care gives them what they truly need.

Another pernicious result of too-large congregations is that “ghetto-ization” and purposeful divisions are not only tolerated, but are specifically built in to the fabric of the “single” congregation. A standard reaction is that “small group ministry” can help fill the gaps and give folks what they want/need. In reality, this is nothing more than sanctioned conventicles, which tear down unity and erode proper Pastoral authority.

Theologically speaking, large congregations are difficult to justify & defend. They might make sense in certain pragmatic ways, but at core, fundamental, theological levels, I think that such pragmatism breaks down.

I think that the better model is one which was in force when the LCMS was experiencing its greatest growth (i.e., its first 100 years of existence, from 1847-1947), wherein once a congregation grew to about 300-500 baptized members, preparations began to form a daughter congregation, thus expanding the geographic area of influence, as well as the ability to reach out in local mission. And it allows both doctrine and practice to remain orthodox.

I just thought I’d post something that was about neither realitytv, nor WordPress…

I know that I haven’t been posting as much theology-related stuff lately, and that’s been partially purposeful. “Why?” you ask… Well, I guess that some of it is because I’m feeling a bit conflicted. Not about being Lutheran. About being in the LCMS. More specifically, about being a voting delegate (as well as being up for election on two CUS boards of regents) at the upcoming synodical convention this July in Houston.

I love Lutheranism —in its historic, quia subscription to the 1580 Book of Concord form, it is the clearest explication of Christianity & the visible church that we have. And, insofar as the LCMS has traditionally been pretty darned faithful to that standard, I have a fondness for “Mother Missouri” as well. It’s just that these days, so much of Missouri is a paper tiger — i.e., Lutheran & Waltherian on paper, but in practice? Not so much. There’s a part of me that finds it very distasteful to be a knowing participant (on a certain level, let the reader understand) in the growing heterodoxies, even as there’s another part of me that feels compelled to “fight the good fight” and try to right the ship. I just don’t want to spend too long at the party on the Fiesta Deck of a sinking ship…

I think that the upcoming convention could be both contentiously ugly and dishearteningly disappointing. God willing, though, it could also provide rays of hope.

I just need to keep that second point in mind as I begin to receive the deluge of information (partisan and not) over the next 5 months.

While I don’t want Argentina to cry for me, I would appreciate your prayers.

-ghp

Move over Asia & all the other “Supergroups” — you’ve been supplanted by the powerhouse that is “The Blog of Concord” aka Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions!

Just look at these marquee names:

• Rev. Paul Gregory Alms (Incarnatus Est)
• Rev. Dr. Albert Collver (no blog, but lots of other good stuff…)
• Rev. Paul T. McCain, Administrator (Cyberbrethren, CPH, & Editor of Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions [aka, The McCain Edition])
• Rev. David Petersen (Cyberstones)
• Rev. Dr. Holger Sonntag (Pastor, Trinity Lutheran Church, Carver, MN & lots of good comments in the blogosphere
• Dr. Gene Edward Veith (Cranach)
• Rev. William Weedon (Weedon’s Blog)

That is a lineup of epic proportions, certainly worthy of the topic that they will be discussing – i.e., The Lutheran Confessions.

Nifty!

[HT: Cyberbrethren]

-ghp

Mea culpa — I didn’t post anything about Reformation Day yesterday.

So, I’ll make up for it by directing you to two great posts over at Cyberbrethren: We Should Not Refuse to Walk in Our Fathers’ Footsteps & Does Being Lutheran Matter?

I’ve said it before, I’m saying it now, and I’ll say it again: Thank God I’m Lutheran! For there is no clearer explication of the Gospel of Christ Jesus given us in the Bible than what was boldly confessed in the Book of Concord. We must never be seduced by the temptation to trade away the rich birthright of the faith handed down by the Fathers for the pottage of cultural “relevance” and/or temporal popularity.

Such temptations promise much but deliver little, and what little is delivered is so fleeting as to be ephemeral and useless. If provides no comfort against the onslaught of daily life. It gives us no protection against the sin that batters us mercilessly.

Only Jesus Christ, and Him crucified gives us any hope, comfort, or protection. And nowhere is that good news delivered any more clearly than in the Lutheran Church!

-ghp

From the CTSFW News page:

Dear Friends:

I wish to inform you that on the morning of September 19 our distinguished colleague, beloved professor, and brother in Christ, Dr. Kurt Marquart, died. After suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease, he died peacefully at home. Earlier in the evening he had baptized his new great-grandson, Evan.

As baptism joined Dr. Marquart and Evan to Christ’s death and resurrection, we confess that he now enjoys that full life that Christ gives to those who are joined to Him (John 10:10).

President Wenthe

The ‘net will be awash with remembrances of this great man — and justifiably so!

I only met him a few times, but I can say with confidence that nothing will be said that can do justice to the man and his years of faithful service to God, the Church, and the LCMS. I can honestly say that I have never met a man who was so brilliant (an intellectual giant!), yet so genuinely and winsomely pastoral.

We are all better off for the blessing of his faithful service, and I thank God for that blessing. I thank God that Dr. Marquart has been taken to his reward. I thank God for the saving grace that ensures that I will join Dr. Marquart in that same, Christ-earned, reward.

Amen!

-ghp

Cyberbrethren is back from a brief summer blogging hiatus — back with a vengeance — and I for one am grateful!

In I Love Jesus, That’s Why I Love Lutheranism, Rev. McCain clearly & powerfully lays out just why true, balls-to-the-wall (earthy, sure, but so was Luther!), Book-of-Concord-confessing Lutheranism is where it’s at. I’ve been working around the edges, at least in my mind, of a posting like this, but Rev. McCain has blown the doors off of anything I might’ve come up with in my own, inimitable, “roomful of monkeys” style.

I, too, love Jesus, His Word, and His doctrine. That, then, is why I also love Lutheranism!

-ghp

It has been observed that there is much ongoing/ever-present angst that exists amongst denizens of the LCMS. I would agree.

There is also much speculation & analysis as to why the angst exists and who is stoking it. Depending on who you ask, the “radicalist” culprits are either on the “left” (Jesus First, DayStar, et al) or the “right” (Christian News, Reclaim News, etc.). As a side note, while it’s obvious that Satan is the true source of all dissension & divisiveness, there seems to be some, shall we say, disagreement on just who his favored operatives are (as if we weren’t all guilty & sinful in this regard…). I don’t especially want to get into a whole discourse as to what I think on the matter, because, well, it doesn’t really matter (I have the suspicion that most of my readers would agree with me, and thus I don’t need to preach to the choir on this subject at this time…).

What I do want to comment on, however, is the rather odd effect that Christian News (aka Rev. Herman Otten) and Reclaim News (aka Rev. Jack Cascione) have in the discussions & eventual plans of action that come out of the group on the “right” (aka “conservatives” or “confessionals”). These two entities are significant players primarily through the rather impressive information dissemination channels that they have developed over the years. These two pastors have built & cultivated significant “bully pulpits” from which they can (and do) broadcast their opinions. And we have witnessed the effect that these opinions have had on Synodical politics in recent years. The LCMS wouldn’t be what it is today were it not for Rev. Otten’s work during the 1970′s era “Battle for the Bible”, nor would we be in the mess that’s developed since Rev. Al Barry passed away just prior to the 2001 convention were it not for the inexplicable cantankerousness of both Revs. Otten & Cascione. But enough history…

My main reason for writing now is this — as we get ready for the 2007 convention, it seems that Revs. Otten & Cascione are both looming large in the development of plans & strategies, and there’s one thing that puzzles me. I get why Rev.Otten is involved, as his congregation still belongs to the LCMS (even if he, for whatever unjustifiable reason, never got certified). IOW, he still has a dog in this fight.

Rev. Cascione doesn’t.

His congregation voted to leave the LCMS, and shortly thereafter he himself took leave.

He doesn’t have a dog in the fight anymore.

So why does Reclaim News continue to be almost exclusively about the latest happenings in the LCMS? Why does the goal of Reclaim News seem to be to obsessively detail each & every detail of the legal goings-on in the LCMS?

I don’t get it.

Can someone explain it to me?

-ghp

I’m so very thankful for faithful pastors, as well as for faithful men who are willing to take on the difficult yoke of becoming pastors. For an example of what I mean by the former, read this posting over at Bloghardt’s Reflector, which came to my attention via an example of the latter, i.e., Outer Rim Territories.

It’s amazing how often Gospel freedom is misused & twisted in such a way as to inject works into the salvation that is truly given by grace alone (through faith alone in Christ alone!). But it is. And it shouldn’t be. As Pr. Borghardt so skillfully proclaims.

-ghp

The LCMS is heterodox.

Or, at least as heterodox as a man-made organization can be, ’cause Missouri ain’t Church. It’s a political organization that at one point, long, long ago, did what it was created to do — make it easier for like-minded confessional congregations to do coordinated mission work & train church workers, esp. pastors. Brotherly admonition & loving church discipline was also the hallmark of Missouri back in the day. None of this is all that accurate to say anymore. Missouri has grown to such a size that it merely (like any other bureaucracy) seeks to perpetuate itself and the power of those positions that run it.

Now, part of why I say this is to remind myself of why it’s important to be a confessionalist rather than a synodicalist. I also say this in order to provide a jumping off point for commenting on two passages that I’ve recently come across in the course of my reading. Both passages nicely illustrate that that what we are enduring in Missouri is nothing new, neither in the context of Scriptural teachings, nor in the context of Missouri’s lifespan.

A commentary series that I can recommend with the clearest conscience is The People’s Bible Commentary, originally (and still) published by the WELS’s Northwestern Publishing House, and also now available again from the LCMS’s Concordia Publishing House. Even though it uses the NIV (which I believe is an inferior translation compared to the NKJV, the NASB-95, Beck’s AAT, and even the ESV) it’s still a worthwhile series for it’s solid, orthodox, Lutheran commentary.

I get the first passage from the The People’s Bible Commentary volume on Hosea/Joel/Amos, by Paul E. Eickmann. Commenting on Hosea 5:8-15, which deals with Judah’s unfortunate following of Israel into exile, the author writes:

“When the Lord’s people forget Him, they look for salvation elsewhere. During this period in their history both Judah and Israel frequently turned to Egypt and Assyria for help.” … “Now Judah is turning in the same direction for help against Israel and Syria. Hosea compares his people to a hopelessly sick man looking for a new doctor to heal him. The people’s real sickness is an idolatrous trust in Baal and in various human helpers. Because of their unbelief the Lord is bringing His judgement upon them.” (p. 54)

Now it’s not too difficult to see that this theme has repeated itself many times throughout history. The Church Militant is constantly under siege by the Enemy. We should never be truly surprised by this. But it is disappointingly easy to see that Missouri is quite thoroughly entrenched in the same behavior as Judah. Ablaze!(tm) Open Communion. Politics trumping theology/doctrine. The list goes on & on. Synodical leaders have looked elsewhere for “deliverance” as they get sucked into the latest fads of “relevance,” “church growth” methodologies, and even worldly acclaim & popularity. Yes, these things have been pursued despite all the evidence, historical and Scriptural, that such a course of action is actually the fast track to failure.

The second passage also comes from a book published by NPH — A Tale of Two Synods: Events That Led to the Split between Wisconsin and Missouri. This book, authored by Mark E. Braun, is a wonderful work of History based on the exhaustive use of first person accounts & primary source research. It chronicles the ebb & flow of the relationship between the Wisconsin & Missouri Synods, especially from the beginning of the Synodical Conference in 1872 until Wisconsin broke fellowship with Missouri in 1961. It’s a fascinating read from both historical and Lutheran perspectives. It also shows that there have always been problems in Missouri. It could be argued, however, that the tide really started to turn with the reluctance to exert proper church discipline back in 1945 with the A Statement of the 44 controversy. This tide built & crested in the mid 1970′s “Battle for the Bible” and Seminex walkout. We’ve been living with the results, directly and indirectly, ever since.

These tendencies in Missouri have been noted by those outside of the synod for quite a while. On p. 228-229, Braun relays the following statements by a WELS pastor (Egbert Schaller) on the subject of a church being orthodox, erring, or heterodox:

“Schaller defined an orthodox church body as ‘one which consistently, through official declaration and confession, teaches the Word of God in its truth and purity,’ and one in which its practice ‘is in full accord with that doctrine.’ An erring church body has been ‘overtaken in a fault’ by following corrupt leadership ‘but is taking energetic steps to restore its orthodox character by vigorous discipline.’ A heterodox church ‘persistently, by official pronouncement and resolution, advocates and justifies a corruption or an ambiguous form of any doctrine of God’s Word and tolerates unscriptural practice.”

I think it’s quite clear & plain to see that Missouri, then, is no longer either an orthodox, or even an erring church body. She is very much so a heterodox body. This was noted in Wisconsin. Even in 1953 it was observed that,

“after 15 years of ‘fruitless appeal for correction and the most patient admonition on our part,’ Missouri’s aberrations and offenses had increased, not diminished. It was unrealistic to consider the Missouri Synod an involuntarily erring chruch body. A church body must be considered heterodox when heterodoxy ‘has become its fixed characteristic.’ Though ‘the Lord in that body still has thousands of faithful,’ it ‘does not change the verdict upon the church body as such.’ Schaller then reviewed the past quarter-century of intersynodical history, offering ‘compelling evidence that the Missouri Synod, once an orthodox body, has become a heterodox body.”

Now, lest you think that I’m leaning towards Wisconsin being a viable alternative to Missouri, let me state that such is not the case. From what I’ve read/seen/heard, WELS has their own demons that they’re fighting, particularly in the form of church-growth. Besides, I’m not really sure that I agree with their view of the OHM. In the end, the Wauwatosa theologians make me kind of nervous — I’ll take Franz over August, in the Pieper-brother battle royale. However, I do think that the ELS is a possibility, as they seem to be very solid on paper, in a Brief Statement kind of way.

Nope, Missouri is heterodox, and I don’t think that she can be saved. Nor do I think that it’s really all that big a deal if we don’t/can’t. God’s Church will prevail, even if our synods might not, and in that I take comfort. My hope is that there will always be an easy way for me to identify a faithful church body, so that I can take my family there. If that means that there are many smaller synods (my preferred case, as I think size brings too many problems & temptations, but that’s a post for another day…), great. If it means a more episcopal/hierarchical polity, ok (but I doubt it). Certain things are negotiable. The important things are not. And Missouri has lost the distinction between them.

-ghp

A while back, a brief discussion thread on one of the warm, friendly, and always theologically-astute CAT41 mailing lists piqued my interest, and I’m finally getting around to blogging about it.

More specifically, a response from a Pastor that I respect (and who has graciously given his permission for me to quote from his message) really brought some things into clearer relief for me regarding the tensions between Lutheranism and Protestantism (particularly the American strain), and the fact that Lutherans are not Protestants. Rather, from the very beginning Lutherans wanted to reform the historic catholic church, not break from it — this fundamental difference (and the theological underpinnings from which it is derived) is still true today.

As Lutherans we live in a society of American Protestants. Even most Lutherans seem to think that we are just a “protestant denomination.” They listen to “Christian radio” and so, outnumbered 100 to 1 we begin to conform to them. Virtually all those “Christians” deny the means of grace. So what’s left? You have to find God on your own, so everything is about ME and I.

Read more…