The Gottesdienst Crowd: Recent Episodes
Gottesdienst: The Journal of Lutheran Liturgy
Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, Luke 18:9-14.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 19:41–48.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/
You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/
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Rev. Chris Durham, chaplain at Wittenberg Chapel serving LCMS students at the University of North Dakota, joins the show to discuss Augustine on the theme of pilgrimage — the Christian life as movement from a beginning through this present age toward final rest in God.
The conversation starts in Scripture before turning to Augustine: Hebrews 4 and 11 on the promised Sabbath rest and the patriarchs who died as strangers and exiles seeking a better country, and 1 Peter's language of Christians as "elect exiles" on the way. These texts set a pattern — a real beginning, a center in Christ, and an end in the eternal city — against which Durham contrasts Neoplatonism, Augustine's own intellectual background before his conversion. For Plotinus and the Neoplatonists, the soul's return to "the One" is not a real destination but a perpetual, unending cycle with no true rest — a view Durham compares to modern nihilism and multiverse thinking, where there's motion but no goal.
Durham then traces Augustine's own writings across time: the early Soliloquies, where the newly baptized Augustine already breaks from Neoplatonism and Manichaeism by affirming creation from nothing as good; and the Confessions, written years later from his position as bishop, where Augustine reads his own past through Scripture and famously confesses, "our heart is restless until it rests in you." Durham walks through Augustine's account of his conversion in the garden in Milan — the child's voice repeating "pick up and read," the reading of Romans 13, and the peace that followed — as the turning point where restlessness gives way to rest in Christ.
The two also touch on Augustine's argument in City of God Book 12 against the eternity of the world, and draw out a running application: every worldly promise of peace or comfort — ancient or modern — ultimately fails to deliver what only Christ can give, a clean conscience through the forgiveness of sins and the sure hope of the rest to come.
Topics covered:
- Biblical foundations of pilgrimage: Hebrews 4 and 11, 1 Peter 1
- Neoplatonism and the "One" — creation as emanation without beginning or end
- Augustine's Soliloquies: early post-baptismal rejection of Neoplatonism and Manichaeism
- Augustine's Confessions: restlessness, the pear-theft episode, and the conversion in the garden
- City of God Book 12 on the world's createdness vs. its supposed eternity
- The false peace offered by worldly philosophies, ancient and modern
- Rest in Christ as the true end of the Christian pilgrimage
Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 7:15–23.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/
You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/
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Pastor Ben Hayter of Imanuel Lutheran Church in Waterloo, IL, joins the show to work through the CTCR's 2025 document, Unity in Doctrine, Uniformity and Variety in Practice. The document came from a 2019 synodical resolution asking the CTCR to define what Article III.7 of the LCMS Constitution actually means by "unity in doctrine and uniformity and variety in practice." The CTCR responds with six historical case studies — the Jerusalem Council, the Quartodeciman controversy, Luther's Invocavit Sermons, the adiaphoristic controversy behind Formula of Concord Article X, and two episodes from LCMS history: the Synod's founding and the debate over lay electors and women's suffrage.
Hayter raises three unresolved questions the document leaves on the table. First: the difference between how to use adiaphora and whether something actually is adiaphora in the first place — a hermeneutical question of whether church practice requires an explicit command or whether necessary inference is sufficient warrant. Second: definitional looseness around key terms like "responsible," "required," "insist," and "retain" — words that carry very different weight depending on who's doing the requiring, God by His Word or the Synod by human right. Third: even once something is settled as adiaphora, the document doesn't resolve which practices are wise and which are foolish to adopt — that work is left to pastors and congregations, argued from Scripture rather than mere preference.
The conversation lands on a practical charge: use this document as a starting point for real conversation among brother pastors — in circuit Winkels, district boards, and eventually Synod conventions — grounded in reasons drawn from Scripture and the Confessions, not personal whim.
Topics covered:
- Background on CTCR study documents and Resolution 5-11 (2019 convention)
- The six case studies: Jerusalem Council, Quartodeciman controversy, Luther's Invocavit Sermons, the adiaphoristic controversy, the Synod's founding, lay electors/women's suffrage
- The hermeneutical question: explicit command vs. necessary inference in determining adiaphora
- Defining loaded terms: "responsible," "required," "retain," "insist"
- Whether a practice being adiaphora settles whether it's wise to use
- Next steps: Winkel discussions, district conventions, and synodical bylaws as means of working this out
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Guest: Fr. Ben Hayter
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 7:15–23.
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Host: Fr. David Buchs
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/
You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/
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Is beauty just personal preference, or is it real? Rev. Kyle Verage, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Pleasant Prairie, WI, joins the podcast to trace how Scripture answers a question philosophy never could.
Verage starts with the common phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and shows where it breaks down — some things are simply more beautiful than others, whether or not we can always articulate why. He walks through the history of aesthetics from Socrates' pragmatism through Aristotle's search for objective standards to Kant's retreat into pure subjectivity, showing how each falls short apart from revelation.
The heart of the conversation is word study: Verage searched the Old and New Testaments for every occurrence of "beauty," "beautiful," and "handsome," and found the data points overwhelmingly to the Hebrew term yafeh (used of people) and pa'ar/tif'arah (used of constructed things — garments, crowns, the temple). From there he traces the Greek pairing kalos kai agathos — the beautiful and the good — through figures like David and Abigail, into Zechariah's messianic prophecy, and finally to Christ himself as the true bridegroom who makes His bride beautiful.
The conversation closes on the Divine Service: where objective beauty — art, music, architecture, rhetoric — is wedded to God's Word, and where Christ clothes His people in beauty not by their achievement, but by His declaration over them.
Topics covered:
- The history of aesthetics: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Kant
- Word studies: yafeh, pa'ar/tif'arah, kalos, horaios, tov
- Kalos kai agathos — the beautiful and the good — in David, Abigail, and Zechariah 9
- Christ as the exemplar of true beauty
- How the Word of God declares believers beautiful
- Beauty in the Divine Service as the marriage of external art and God's Word
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Host: Fr. Paul Schulz
Guest: Fr. Kyle Verage
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity, Mark 8:1–9.
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Host: Fr. David Buchs
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/
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Rev. John Koopman, Associate Pastor at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Mankato, MN, joins the show to walk through C.F.W. Walther's essay "The Duties of an Evangelical Lutheran Synod," delivered at the first Iowa District convention. The essay was written against the backdrop of the split between Missouri and Iowa Synod Lutheranism — Iowa Synod pastors trained under Wilhelm Löhe who held that the confessions should be read "historically" rather than confessed without reservation, a trajectory that ended in the ELCA. Walther, by contrast, insisted that confessional subscription must be unconditional and total, since every part of Scripture — not just the articles touching salvation — serves the salvation of souls.
Koopman and Paul Schultz work through Walther's six theses on what a synod is for:
- Faithfulness to the confessions in word and deed — testing pastors thoroughly, holding congregations accountable, and refusing fellowship with the unfaithful.
- Supporting pastors and teachers — counseling them, defending them against unjust treatment, and never abandoning a pastor for faithfully preaching hard truths, regardless of tact or rhetorical polish.
- Material on synod property and finances — Walther's warning against synods being distracted by money and institutional self-preservation.
- Promoting growth in the knowledge of truth — doctrine, not politics or mutual back-patting, must dominate synodical conventions.
- Striving for peace and unity in the truth — mutual submission and charity among brothers, without nitpicking over peripheral matters.
- Seeking God's glory, not the synod's own — Walther's striking line that the synod should prefer to go out of business rather than let the church suffer harm through its continued existence.
Throughout, Koopman and Schultz draw direct lines to present controversies in the LCMS: pastoral formation and seminary training, the role of circuit visitors, tone policing of faithful but blunt preaching, and the Synod's entanglement with money and institutional concerns.
Topics covered:
- Historical background: Löhe, the Iowa Synod, and the ELCA's descent from it
- Confessional subscription — quia vs. quatenus
- Walther's six theses on synodical duty
- The synod's obligation to defend faithful pastors under pressure
- Pastoral formation and testing candidates for the ministry
- Synod finances and institutional self-glorification
- Mutual submission and charity among brother pastors
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Host: Fr. Paul Schulz
Guest: Fr. John Koopman
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 5:17–26.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Rev. Jason Braaten sits down with attorney and longtime LCMS delegate Mark Stern to walk through the first edition of Today's Business ahead of the upcoming Synod Convention. Stern explains how overtures become resolutions, how floor committees work, and what delegates and laypeople can do right now to weigh in. He highlights key resolutions on worship (including the proposed Commission on Worship), public reading of Scripture, the Specific Ministry Pastor program, partner church concerns (SELC and AALC), assisted suicide, and more. A practical, informed guide for anyone wanting to understand what's at stake in Phoenix.
Links:
- Today's Business
- Convention Workbook
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Guest: Mr. Mark Stern
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 5:1–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Pastor Paul Schultz (filling in for Braaten) continues a two-part conversation with Pastor Joe Meunch on the baptismal theology of 1 Peter, this time working through Luther's catechism questions on baptism as a framework for the epistle. They trace how Peter's language of salvation, sonship, and the gift of the Holy Spirit echoes the Exodus pattern explored in part one, and dig into the notoriously difficult baptism passage in 1 Peter 3:21, weighing how Luther, Melanchthon, and Chemnitz understood the "answer of a good conscience toward God" as the faith that clings to God's promise rather than any work performed in the rite. Along the way they consider the flood narrative as a type of baptism, the destructive and saving dimensions of water, and what it means for the baptized to be marked off from the world and tested through suffering, much as Israel was tested in the wilderness and Christ in his own baptism and temptation. A rich resource for preachers working through baptismal texts or the Easter-season lectionary readings from 1 Peter.
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Host: Fr. Paul Schulz
Guest: Fr. Josef Muench
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 6:36–42.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Rev. Jason Braaten welcomes back Rev. John Bussman to work through the CTCR's December 2025 report, "The Proper Administration of the Lord's Supper: Applying Scripture and the Confessions to Contemporary Issues." Prompted by 2023 Synod Convention resolutions, the report addresses three practices that have crept into LCMS congregations: substituting grape juice for wine, using prepackaged communion elements, and substituting non-wheat bread for those with gluten intolerance. Braaten and Bussman walk through each section, weighing the report's appeal to the words of institution and the Lutheran Confessions against its reluctance to flatly call these practices illegitimate. They discuss why clarity—not nuance—serves the truth, how exceptions tend to become rules, and what faithful, pastoral care looks like when a congregation's practice doesn't match Christ's institution. A frank conversation for pastors who want to know not just what the document says, but where it falls short.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Guest: Fr. John Bussman
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday after Trinity, Luke 15:1–10.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Pastor Paul Schultz sits down with Pastor Zelwyn Heide of the North Dakota District to talk about one of the most neglected aspects of pastoral formation — the craft of preaching. The conversation moves from the theoretical to the practical: why content alone isn't enough, how persuasion is inseparable from faithful proclamation, an where to find the best resources outside LCMS circles for sharpening that craft. Heide walks through several key works, including John Broadus's classic Treatise on the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons, Hugh Oliphant Old's seven-volume history of preaching, and examples drawn from Chrysostom, the English Puritans, and others — all in service of helping Lutheran pastors preach with greater clarity, depth, and effect. The goal isn't imitation but formation: learning from the best so you can preach with your own voice, to your own people, in your own context.
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Host: Fr. Paul Schulz
Guest: Fr. Zelwyn Heide
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday after Trinity, Luke 14:15–24.
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Host: Fr. David Buchs
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Pastor Paul Schultz sits down with Pastor Joseph Muench of Trinity Lutheran Church in Nokomis, Illinois to dig into the baptismal and Exodus theology running through 1 Peter. Before working through the text itself, they lay out two foundational hermeneutical commitments: the Old Testament is the primary background for New Testament language and imagery, and the word and sacrament life of the church is the native context in which documents like 1 Peter were written and heard. With those in place, they begin to show why a Lutheran reading of 1 Peter sees baptism not as an occasional reference but as the lens through which Peter addresses his readers throughout. Part one of two.
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Host: Fr. Paul Schulz
Guest: Fr. Josef Muench
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This is a recording of the sermon for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this episode, we discuss the resurgence of the Deus Vult meme. What began as an internet rallying cry has tapped into something deeper: a longing for courage, honor, and transcendence in an age that often mocks those very virtues.
We’ll explore how people are reclaiming the image of the knight—not as a relic of the past, but as a symbol of moral clarity and spiritual warfare. What does this say about our cultural moment?
Along the way, we’ll hear from literary giants who understood the power of myth and chivalry:
“Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed.”
— G. K. Chesterton
And C. S. Lewis reminds us why the knightly ideal still matters:
“Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.”
— C. S. Lewis, The Necessity of Chivalry
Join us as we trace the Deus Vult phenomenon from meme culture to meaningful cultural critique—examining how the knightly ideal offers a vision of virtue, discipline, and holy purpose in a world seemingly gone mad.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Larry Beane
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 14:1–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 7:11–17.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/
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As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.
In Psalm 119:104, the psalmist declares, "Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way." We explore what it means to hate false ways in light of God’s Word, with a particular focus on the topic of contemporary worship. Join us as we discuss the cultural and theological implications of rejecting the false ways of the world and embracing God’s truth in every aspect of life.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Evan Scamman
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 6:24–34.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of St. Matthew, Matthew 9:9–13.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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Here we discuss the book A Lutheran's Case for Roman Catholicism by Dr. Robert Koons.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Joseph Greenmyer
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Holy Cross Day, John 12:20–36.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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Here Dr. Harold Ristau discusses his new book Spiritual Warfare and Deliverance: How to Minister to the Demonically Oppressed and Possessed.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Mark 7:31–37.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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Here David Ramirez takes us through some books briefly noted that are helpful for pastors and laity in handing on the faith once delivered.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, Luke 18:9–14.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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Explore the Bible’s teaching on usury—lending at interest—and how the church has addressed it through the centuries. From Old Testament prohibitions to medieval church bans and modern economic debates, we trace the theological, moral, and social arguments that have shaped Christian thought on money, lending, justice, and idolatry.
For further reading: https://scholar.csl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1123&context=thd
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Vincent Shemwell
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of St. Bartholomew, Luke 22:24–30.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In Scripture, the “womb” and the “belly” are more than anatomical terms—they are profound symbols of God’s work in creation, salvation, and judgment. In this episode, Womb of Mercy, Belly of Judgment, we explore the biblical imagery and theological depth behind these often-overlooked words. From the womb of Sarah to the virgin womb of Mary, from Jonah in the belly of the fish to Christ in the “heart of the earth,” the Bible uses these images to reveal the mystery of life, death, and divine intervention.
We’ll trace how God opens wombs to bring forth promised life and how He uses the belly—often associated with hunger, idolatry, or even the grave—to reveal His judgment and mercy. Join us as we journey through Genesis, the Psalms, the Prophets, and the Gospels to discover how the hidden places of the womb and belly point us to the Gospel: that from the depths of judgment, God brings forth new birth, and from barrenness, He brings redemption.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Karl Fabrizius
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The Augsburg Interim was a tumultuous time in the history of the Lutheran Church. With outside pressure and from within to compromise and capitulate, the time was tumultuous but also revelatory and clarifying. In this first episode, Karl Hess begins to take us through how the Lutheran Church in America is experiencing it’s own Interim.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Karl Hess
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the First Sunday after Trinity, Luke 16:19–31.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for the First Sunday after Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this Book Talk, Mikkel Søtbæk discusses his forth-coming book on the Septuagint called The Seventy-two Servants of the Word of God.
You can view more of his work:
- On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@truthuntogodliness
- On Twitter: https://x.com/potamopotos
Previous episode on Septuagint:
- https://www.gottesdienst.org/podcast/2024/10/23/tgc-418-septuagintal-superiority?rq=septuagint
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Mr. Mikkel Søtbæk
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Feast of the Holy Trinity, John 3:1–17.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Feast of the Holy Trinity from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In Psalm 119:104, the psalmist declares, "Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way." We explore what it means to hate false ways in light of God’s Word, with a particular focus on the topic of women's suffrage in the church and beyond. How does Scripture shape our understanding of order given by God to roles of male and female in life – society, family, and the church? Join us as we discuss the cultural and theological implications of rejecting the false ways of the world and embracing God’s truth in every aspect of life.
Link to mentioned paper: http://essays.wisluthsem.org:8080/handle/123456789/5921
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Evan Scamman
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Feast of Pentecost, John 14:23–31.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Feast of Pentecost from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this Book Talk, Joe Rigney discusses his book More Than A Battle: How to Experience Victory, Freedom, and Healing from Lust.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Dr. Joe Rigney
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, John 15:26–16:4.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Seventh Sunday of Easter from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this episode, we explore how the Book of Concord speaks about the Law’s twofold work—accusation for the unbeliever and mortification for the believer. Drawing from key confessional texts like the Apology of the Augsburg Confession and the Formula of Concord, we discuss how the Law always accuses, but does so differently depending on faith. For the unbeliever, the Law terrifies and condemns. For the believer, the accusation remains, but it drives daily repentance and the mortification of the flesh by the Spirit through the Word. This distinction is not only doctrinally vital but also deeply pastoral, grounding the Christian's struggle in Christ's victory and the Spirit’s ongoing sanctifying work.
Join us as we trace how this confessional insight shapes our understanding of sin, repentance, and the Christian life.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Gifford Grobien
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, John 16:23-33.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Sixth Sunday of Easter from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, John 16:5-15.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Fifth Sunday of Easter from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this episode, we’re talking about one of the most overlooked yet essential tools for church outreach today: search engine optimization (SEO) and making the most of Google. Whether you’re a pastor, church administrator, or volunteer managing your church’s website, this conversation will equip you with practical strategies to ensure your church is found by the people who are looking for it.
Every day, people in your community are searching online for answers—some are seeking a place to worship, others are looking for hope, community, or help. But if your church doesn’t show up when they search, you’re missing a major opportunity to connect with them. That’s where SEO comes in. It’s not about gaming the system or marketing gimmicks—it’s about being present where people are already looking.
We’ll walk through what SEO actually is (in plain English), how Google ranks websites, and the top things you can do today to make your church website more visible online. You’ll learn about the importance of keywords, how to write content that Google recognizes and people appreciate, and why updating your church’s Google Business Profile might be the most important five minutes you spend this week. We’ll also touch on how to make your sermons, events, and blog posts easier to find—and how small things like page speed, mobile-friendliness, and simple URLs can make a big difference.
Our goal isn’t to turn your church into a tech startup—it’s to help faithful churches reach real people with the Gospel by stewarding the tools that are already at our fingertips. This episode is packed with tips, examples, and encouragement to take small, consistent steps toward making your church more discoverable.
If you've ever wondered why your church isn't appearing in search results, how to bring more people to your site, or what Google actually wants from your content, this episode is for you. The harvest is plentiful—even online—and the tools are in your hands. Let's use them wisely.
- The Lutheran Church in a Digital Age: SEO, Outreach, and Mission blog post
- Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Lititz, PA
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Mr. Michael Usner
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, John 16: 16-22.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Fourth Sunday of Easter from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In our episode on Raising Up Men, a listener asked a question about a topic brought up tangentially to what we were discussing. The question: “How do you wrangle little ones for family devotions?” In this episode, Adam and I answer that question and offer some other thoughts on how to cultivate a family piety.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Adam Koontz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday of Easter, John 10:11–16.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Third Sunday of Easter from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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The Augsburg Interim was a tumultuous time in the history of the Lutheran Church. With outside pressure and from within to compromise and capitulate, the time was tumultuous but also revelatory and clarifying. In this first episode, Karl Hess begins to take us through how the Lutheran Church in America is experiencing it’s own Interim.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Karl Hess
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Easter, John 20:19–31.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Second Sunday of Easter from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In Psalm 119:104, the psalmist declares, "Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way." We explore what it means to hate false ways in light of God’s Word, with a particular focus on the often-ignored topic of birth control. How does Scripture shape our understanding of life, family, and God’s design for procreation? Join us as we discuss the cultural and theological implications of rejecting the false ways of the world and embracing God’s truth in every aspect of life.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Evan Scamman
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Easter Vigil, Matthew 28:1–7.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Epistle reading for Maundy Thursday, 1 Corinthians 11:23–32.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for Good Friday from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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This is a recording of the sermon for Easter Sunday from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this episode, we take up the topic of Dispensationalism from a distinctly Lutheran perspective. We unpack the origins and key tenets of Dispensationalist theology, including its views on biblical covenants, the end times, and the role of Israel and the Church. While at the same time, we contrast these ideas with historic Lutheran doctrine, exploring how Lutheran theology understands God's one plan of salvation, and the unity of Scripture. Whether you're familiar with Dispensationalism or encountering it for the first time, this conversation will help clarify the differences and equip you to think theologically about popular eschatological frameworks.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Tyson Mastin
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Sixth Sunday in Lent, St. Matthew’s Passion.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for the Palm Sunday (with Confirmation Address) from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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What does it mean that Christ “descended into hell”? In this episode, we look into an often debated line in the Apostles’ Creed. We explore how the doctrine of the Descent into Hell developed in early Church history, how it was understood by the Church Fathers, and how it shaped theological imagination through the centuries.
We then trace the shift in interpretation during the Reformation, unpacking how Protestant traditions wrestled with—or rejected—this ancient teaching. Finally, we focus in on Lutheranism, where the Descent holds a unique and powerful place in Christology and the victory of the cross.
Join us for a journey through Scripture, creed, and controversy as we uncover the rich and complex legacy of Christ’s descent—and what it means for us today.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Ian Kinney
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, John 8:42–59.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for the Fifth Sunday in Lent from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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How did the early Christians persuade a skeptical world to embrace the Gospel? Before apologetics and theological debates, the early church used protreptics—a powerful form of invitation and persuasion—to call people to faith. In this episode, we explore how early Christian thinkers like Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen crafted compelling appeals that resonated with the Greco-Roman world. Through examination of texts from the early church fathers and their rhetorical techniques, this episode uncovers the lost art of Christian persuasion and its relevance for evangelism today. Join us as we rediscover the persuasive power of the early church.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Chad Kendall
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, John 6:1–15.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for the Fourth Sunday in Lent from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In today’s episode, we explore the deep connection between character formation and the Christian call to bear the cross. Inspired by the wisdom of a father in Little Britches, we see how parental discipline shapes not only a child’s character but also their ability to endure hardship in faith.
A father’s words can leave a lasting impression on a child, becoming a guiding principle throughout life. But for Christians, character-building goes beyond earthly honor—it becomes a lesson in cross-bearing. Using examples from Scripture, including Tobit’s perseverance and biblical exhortations to discipline, we see that faithful parenting isn’t just about raising good citizens but about preparing children for the trials of faith.
Discipline, though painful, is a tool by which God teaches endurance. Parents who lovingly correct their children model Christ’s own suffering, reinforcing that the Christian life is not about avoiding hardship but embracing it for the sake of eternal joy. By bearing their own crosses faithfully, parents equip their children to do the same.
Tune in as we discuss how ordinary acts of discipline and example-setting can have extraordinary spiritual significance—both for parents and their children.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. David Buchs
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday in Lent, Luke 11:14–28.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this podcast, we explore the complex ethical and theological questions surrounding in vitro fertilization (IVF). Is human life something that is created, or does assisted reproduction cross a moral line into manufacturing life? Dr. Donna Harrison examines issues such as the moral status of embryos, the commodification of human life, and the implications of reproductive technology on faith and human dignity.
- AAPLOG Committee Opinion 12
- Dr. Gilbert Meilaender, Children: Blessing or Project?
- Eggsploitation Documentary
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Dr. Donna Harrison
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday in Lent, Matthew 15:21–28.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for the Second Sunday in Lent from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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Every pastor or father who takes teaching the Bible seriously will eventually encounter difficult questions on tough topics. When this happens, we should be ready and lean into them not run away from them. In this series, we’ll be looking at a framework for discussing these topics and walking through how best to answer them by 1) defining what it is and isn’t, 2) how is it bad, 3) how is it good, 4) what are the counterexamples, 5) how is it applied (ratcheting).
In this episode, we discuss "what about those who never heard the Gospel?"
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday, Matthew 6:16–21.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for the First Sunday in Lent from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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The liberal arts have long been a cornerstone of higher education, fostering critical thinking, creativity, and a broad understanding of the world. But within conservative Christian universities, the role of the liberal arts is increasingly under pressure. Balancing faith and intellectual freedom, academic rigor and doctrinal commitments, tradition and modern inquiry—these tensions raise crucial questions about the future of liberal arts education in religious institutions.
In Liberal Arts in the Crossfire, we explore the unique challenges facing liberal arts programs in conservative Christian universities. We examine issues such as censorship concerns, shifts in curriculum, political and cultural influences, and the struggle to maintain academic integrity while upholding religious identity.
📖 Whether you’re a student, educator, or simply interested in the intersection of faith and academia, this podcast offers an insightful and thought-provoking look into the evolving landscape of Christian higher education.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Dr. Adam Franciso and Dr. Russell Dawn
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Quinquagesima, Luke 18:31–43.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for Quinquagesima from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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This episode examines the recent charges of "Romanizing tendencies" within the LCMS over the past decade. We explore debates over liturgy, vestments, sacramental theology, and church practices, considering why some see a drift toward Rome while others argue for a faithful Lutheran recovery of historic worship and doctrine.
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Kieschnick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjsZlf4nW68&t=1989s 29:20ff
- Tim Ahlman saying "Roman" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIiAnPXJKx4&t=30s 34:30ff
- Beane’s Rumble monologue: https://rumble.com/v5hurgc-on-romanization.html
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Larry Beane
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Sexagesima, Luke 8:4–15.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for Sexagesima from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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The Holy Scriptures give clear but oftentimes uncomfortable direction to husbands and wives regarding their responsibilities and duties in marriage. Too often this out-of-style language drives Christian couples away from the Bible and the spiritual counsel of their pastor and toward secular marriage books and therapists. Learn how these challenging words from Peter in 1 Peter 3 can help you have a happier, healthier, and more faithful marriage.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Sean Willman
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Septuagesima, Matthew 20:1–16.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for Septuagesima from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this Book Talk, Heath Curtis discusses his new book The Small Town Lutheran Church & Pastor: A Concise Pastoral Theology for Pastors and Boards of Elders, with special emphasis on the chapter devoted to worship.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Heath Curtis
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, Matthew 17:1-9.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In Psalm 119:104, the psalmist declares, "Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way." We explore what it means to hate false ways in light of God’s Word, with a particular focus on the often-ignored topic of birth control. How does Scripture shape our understanding of life, family, and God’s design for procreation? Join us as we discuss the cultural and theological implications of rejecting the false ways of the world and embracing God’s truth in every aspect of life.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Evan Scamman
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of Our Lord, Luke 2:22–40.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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Many of us have experienced a friend, classmate, or family member who have left the Lutheran Church for Eastern Orthodoxy. In this episode, we hear of the opposite, and what it was that brought him to that decision.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Joshua Schooping
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Third Sunday after Epiphany, Matthew 8:1–13.
- Fr. Karl Hess, TGC 218 — Faith of the Unborn
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Third Sunday after Epiphany from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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The Augsburg Interim was a tumultuous time in the history of the Lutheran Church. With outside pressure and from within to compromise and capitulate, the time was tumultuous but also revelatory and clarifying. In this first episode, Karl Hess begins to take us through how the Lutheran Church in America is experiencing it’s own Interim.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Karl Hess
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Second Sunday after Epiphany, John 2:1–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Second Sunday after Epiphany from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this episode, we discuss catechism class and rethinking the goal of catechesis and bringing about some helpful changes to how it was done in the past.
Thanks to the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) for helping to sponsor this episode. To find out more about what LCEF does and how they can help you and your congregation, visit lcef.org.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Richard Snow
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the First Sunday after Epiphany; Luke 2:41–52
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The First Sunday after Epiphany from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this episode, we discuss what happens when District Presidents visit pastors and congregations.
Thanks to the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) for helping to sponsor this episode. To find out more about what LCEF does and how they can help you and your congregation, visit lcef.org.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Michael Mohr
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday after Christmas; Matthew 2:13–23.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The New Year’s Eve from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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This is a recording of the sermon for The New Year’s Day from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Second Sunday after Christmas from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this episode, we discuss what happens when pastors retire from full-time work in the church from the perspective of a District President.
Thanks to the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) for helping to sponsor this episode. To find out more about what LCEF does and how they can help you and your congregation, visit lcef.org.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Brady Finnern
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the First Sunday after Christmas; Luke 2:33–40.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The First Sunday after Christmas from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Christmas Day; John 1:1–14.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for Second Christmas Sermon from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Christmas Midnight; Luke 2:1–20.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for First Christmas Sermon from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this episode, we discuss the doctrine and logistics of the Call from the perspective of a District President.
Thanks to the Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) for helping to sponsor this episode. To find out more about what LCEF does and how they can help you and your congregation, visit lcef.org.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. D. Richard Stuckwisch
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday in Advent; John 1:19–28.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Fourth Sunday in Advent from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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Old Missouri Synod parishioners can still remember when it was required that communicants announce themselves at the parsonage a day or two before the celebration of the Sacrament, but hardly anyone remembers how it was done or what it was for. In this episode, we discuss what the Beichtmeldung was, why Walther and others thought it was required by the Lutheran Confessions, and how it might be recovered in our congregations.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Karl Hess
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday in Advent; Matthew 11:2–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Second Sunday in Advent from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this episode we explore the Third Use of the Law through the lens of a coach. Often misunderstood or overlooked, the Third Use serves as a guide for the Christian life, for training us in righteousness and encouraging our daily walk in Christ. How does the Law coach us to live out our vocations faithfully and joyfully? The Law of God is more than simply a tool that exposes sin but also our pedagogue. In this we can begin to see the Law not as a burden, but as a gracious tool in the hands of our Redeemer to live as the new man in Christ wants to live.
For more content from Dr. Scaer, see CTSFW Media Site.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Peter Scaer
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday in Advent; Luke 21:25–36.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The Second Sunday in Advent from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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Every pastor or father who takes teaching the Bible seriously will eventually encounter difficult questions on tough topics. When this happens, we should be ready and lean into them not run away from them. In this series, we’ll be looking at a framework for discussing these topics and walking through how best to answer them by 1) defining what it is and isn’t, 2) how is it bad, 3) how is it good, 4) what are the counterexamples, 5) how is it applied (ratcheting).
In this episode, we discuss the Israel and the Nations.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the First Sunday in Advent; Matthew 21:1–9.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for National Day of Thanksgiving/Harvest Festival Observance; Luke 12:13–21
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Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This is a recording of the sermon for The First Sunday in Advent from George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Read by: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this Book Talk, we look at George Stoeckhardt’s book Grace Upon Grace: Gospel Sermons for the Church Year, reprinted by Steadfast Press.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this episode, we get an update on The Lutheran Missal Project from Evan Scamman. They’ve finished the lectionary and are now releasing the introits, graduals. Their next focus is on the the collects for the day.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Evan Scamman
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Trinity; Matthew 24:15-28.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode, we dive into Stumbling Toward Utopia with author Timothy Goeglein. Join us as we explore the cultural and moral shifts that have shaped America, the forces driving societal change, and the challenges facing traditional values. Goeglein shares insights from his book, offering a thoughtful discussion on navigating today’s turbulent landscape and the path forward for preserving a hopeful and virtuous future.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Dr. Timothy Goeglein
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity; Matthew 9:18–26.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai.)
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb. This salvation belongs to him but it is given to us as a gift without cost apart from works of the law.
It is given to all those who believe in him from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue. Christ undoes the divisions without destroying the distinctions. He removes Babel's curse but retains the diversity of tongues.
In a miracle akin to the Holy Trinity himself, he creates a joyful unity from separated continents and ages where all are arrayed the same in white with palm branches and all singing together the same song. But what was discordant, confusing, and ugly becomes harmonious, clear, and beautiful though unified. This vision calls to our age like no other for we live in wicked days of unrest, discontent, and division.
Tuesday's election looms ominous. Fathers abandon their children. Children despise their parents.
Neighbors fear one another. Our world is marked by isolation. Differences of opinion result in demonization.
Advertisers and media seek to exploit us for profit, keeping us discontent, squeezing us into echo chambers even as beauty is cast aside for sensual banality and the puerile desires of men are celebrated as though they were virtues. Men everywhere are desperate to save their institutions for the sake of retaining power and glory even if they be without function. The government only gets bigger.
Laws ever increase both in number and complexity. Taxes and the price index only rise. Perhaps there is no greater indicator of our troubled times than the fact that the topics that matter most, religion and politics, are banned from the dinner table and polite conversation.
Even within our families we cannot be expected to discuss things that matter with rationality and kindness. There is almost no respect for dissenting opinions and the claim to be open-minded is almost always nothing more than a veiled insult against all who disagree with you. Conformity is demanded while morality is mocked and pragmatism rules with an iron fist.
Kyrie eleison. We were too weak for that. Solomon says there is nothing new under the sonnani's right.
Our current situation has existed ever since Cain murdered Abel. But it is getting worse. Biblical prophecy is unfolding before our eyes.
Things are escalating as the eschaton approaches. The chief signs of the end are apostasy and idolatry, immorality and blasphemy. Well these are the very hallmarks of our society.
Wars and rumors of war only increase. America was never perfect. There was never a golden age of the church in the past.
But it has been better than it is now. We remember those better days and we long for them. And so it is that all saints as a festival has risen among us that is nearly as popular as both Christmas and Easter.
This was not always so in the history of the church or for our forefathers. Other feasts were more important to them than they are to us. In the United States, Lutherans of yore loved the reformation more than all saints.
The Scandinavians loved St. Lucy and the like. But for us, for us it is all saints. And I think that this is because we feel the divisions of sectarianism, heresy and propaganda in the church and state more deeply than any age before us.
Because it is in fact worse. And that this has caused us to desire the unity of the church and of our families as promised by Christ more deeply. We hear the prophet's words about the hearts of the fathers turning again to their children and the children to their fathers and our hearts cry out, please God make it so.
Bring our children back. Restore us to our neighbors. Give peace in our time.
All saints is not meant to be a pining for the past. It is the hope for the future. In the end, it is nothing less than divine intervention on a cosmic scale that can satisfy our breaking hearts.
We need more than reform. The boat has sunk. Sharks are circling.
It cannot be put back together again and we are dying. But we can be rescued, delivered. Salvation belongs to our God.
That is what we need. Oh God, remove the restraint from the four angels with their destructive winds. Set them loose.
Come Lord Jesus, come quickly. Relieve us at last. Fulfill your word.
Bring us out of this veil of sorrows. Make good on your promise. Make us one.
We know that he will. Salvation belongs to him. It is his by right, but he has also purchased it with his own blood, which he pours out upon us in the sacrament even now.
And there we are joined together to one another in a mystical union, also with the saints who have gone before us. But when this good work will be brought to completion, we do not know. Our task these days is to repent and believe, to work and to pray, to read the Bible to our children, to study his word, to come to confession and to church to evangelize the world.
You do not put on muscle by going to the gym only once a week for 30 minutes. That's better than nothing to be sure, but it's not enough for actual gain, for growth. If you want to put on muscle, you have to engage in daily activity by working your body every day.
So if you want your children to believe, it is not enough to only bring them to church once a week. Read the Bible to them every day. If you want to spend eternity with your wife, read the Bible and pray with her out loud every day.
If you want to have unity in the church, study the catechism and learn to recite it. If you want the world to be Christian, cultivate an ability to talk about Jesus and look for opportunities to tell your neighbors and your friends and even your family about him every day. Invite them not only to church but also into your home.
Suffer the embarrassment, take the risk, do the work. These are the things that have been given us to do while we wait. These are the works of the persecuted saints in the church militant in the last day, the works of those who love all saints.
But they are more than simply work. In so far as we are engaged with the word of God, they are also a comfort and the distant triumph song is not so distant as it once was. And the word of God moves us out of ourselves and the ugliness of our age and into God's presence, away from obsession with our current troubles and dissatisfactions to the peace that passes all understanding.
They reorder our hearts and minds, reframe our reference points. The word of God shifts our trust away from princes or political candidates to what is sure and certain even to Jesus himself. And on top of that, there are a couple of other things that you can and probably should do in these difficult, uncertain, and painful days.
The first is to lower your expectations. Our country, our families, and our church are all filled with weak and fallible leaders and members who fail often and yet God uses them for our good. They are not perfect but they are good and they are working out his will whether they mean it or not.
And if you insist that your children or your spouse or your friends or your country or your church be perfect and focus constantly on their sins and weaknesses, you will destroy them and your family and your relationships. They need law and gospel, discipline and encouragement. We live by grace.
Jesus was compassionate and affectionate and we need to be the same. We need to show some of this also to our neighbors and to our leaders even if we do not like their policies or the way that they live their lives. And we also need to stop exaggerating what is at stake.
God is in his heavens. He is working everything together for our good including our crosses, injustices, disappointments, and the like. And if the coming days are anything like the past, then it will hardly matter who wins on Tuesday.
If your candidate wins, he will not simply turn things around. He will be too constrained by the bureaucrats who do not change, by his desire for popularity or pressure from the lobbyists, and things will most likely stay about the same. And in the same way, if the opposition wins, he will not likely ruin everything.
He will also be constrained whether he wants to be or not and things will stay mostly the same. Now I do not mean by this that we should be passive or that we should give up. I do not mean that policies and character do not matter.
You should vote for the candidate that you think will be the best or at least the least harmful in accordance with your faith. There is no separation of church and state in the individual Christian. Your faith drives your vote.
And your vote does matter. And who wins or who rules does matter. It just doesn't matter that much.
It is not, not even near, everything or the most important of things. We must put it into perspective. We trust God.
We pray and we work, but we do not despair. We do not trust in princes, nor do we fear men who can only kill the body. Nor do we think that what matters most is prosperity or winning.
And even if it does all fall apart and we're all murdered or imprisoned, or if it vastly improves and your candidate wins and fulfills every one of his promises and ushers in a new paradise on earth, it will not matter if we do not have faith in Jesus Christ. And it will not matter if our children do not have faith. This world will not last.
God is taking care of his church and his creation. He is taking care of you. Time is moving on.
The end is coming. The church is already one in Christ Jesus. Soon that will be obvious to all and it will be good.
Jesus lives and your day is coming. No matter what happens between now and then or how long it is until that day, this is what matters and what endures. Salvation belongs to our God and he gives it to us as a gift.
And now may the peace that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai.)
This episode dives into how the Lutheran dogmaticians understood and taught the role of "bearing the cross" in the life of a Christian. We’ll explore some of their writings and reflections on enduring trials, embracing suffering, and finding hope in the challenges that come with following Christ. We discuss how bearing the cross shapes believers in humility, resilience, and unwavering trust in God’s promises.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Andrew Preus
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of All Saints; Matthew 5:1–12.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode, we dive into the debate between the Septuagint and the Masoretic Text, exploring the historical, theological, and textual reasons that some scholars consider the Septuagint superior. From its ancient origins as the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures to its influence on early Christian thought and New Testament writings, we uncover how the Septuagint has shaped biblical interpretation and why it holds a unique place in the history of Scripture.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Tyson Mastin
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Epistle and Gospel reading for The Commemoration of the Reformation; Romans 3:19–28; Matthew 11:12–19.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This episode explores the challenges and threats facing the Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany (SELK) today. From cultural shifts and secularization to internal pressures and theological debates, this episode delves into the struggles the SELK encounters as it strives to preserve its confessional identity and navigate the winds of change and opposition withing modern society.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Felix Hammer
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity; John 4:46–54.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This episode takes listeners on a journey through the history of the Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche(SELK), an independent Lutheran Church in Germany. From its formation in response to state interference to its enduring faithfulness to the Lutheran confessions, SELK’s story is one of resilience and conviction. We explore the church's historical roots, its role in preserving confessional Lutheranism, and how its steadfast stand for doctrine continues today, though not without threats from the devil, the world, and the sinful flesh.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Nathaniel Jensen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Twentieth Sunday after Trinity; Matthew 21:1–14.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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The Scriptures are the Christian’s playground. They are given to us not only for teaching, correction, reproof, training in righteousness, but also to be explored and enjoyed. In this episode, we do some biblical spelunking, exploring the caves within the Scriptures to see where they lead.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Karl Fabrizius
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity; Matthew 9:1–8.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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The pastor as father is an oft-debated topic. In this episode, we not only discuss the importance of being what Luther in the Large Catechism calls "a father in office at church,” but also more importantly being a father in blood at home. Those who have been given the gift of children and are thus “fathers in blood” have a duty to be present, not only physically there but also plugged in when you are there.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Jack Gilbert
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of St. Michael & All Angels; Matthew 18:1–11.
Rev. Dr. Christian Preus, “Michael as Christ in the Lutheran Exegetical Tradition: An Analysis”
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Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this age of “digital maximalism,” where we’re “amusing ourselves to death,” how ought our preaching reignite the Christian imagination? In this episode, we discuss ways how to begin thinking about that.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. J.J. Stafanic
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 14:1–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Every pastor or father who takes teaching the Bible seriously will eventually encounter difficult questions on tough topics. When this happens, we should be ready and lean into them not run away from them. In this series, we’ll be looking at a framework for discussing these topics and walking through how best to answer them by 1) defining what it is and isn’t, 2) how is it bad, 3) how is it good, 4) what are the counterexamples, 5) how is it applied (ratcheting).
In this episode, we discuss the conquest of Canaan and the charge of genocide.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 7:11–17.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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The Scriptures are the Christian’s playground. They are given to us not only for teaching, correction, reproof, training in righteousness, but also to be explored and enjoyed. In this episode, we explore the themes of death and burial in Genesis.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Karl Fabrizius
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 6:24–34.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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We all know that Bach is a musical genius. We all know that he was theologically astute. In this episode, we marvel at just how much this is the case in the hope that it will inspire a new generation of Lutherans to be taught music and theology by one of the greatest masters: Johann Sebastian Bach.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Mr. Matthew Rivers
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 17:11–19.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Every pastor or father who takes teaching the Bible seriously will eventually encounter difficult questions on tough topics. When this happens, we should be ready and lean into them not run away from them. In this series, we’ll be looking at a framework for discussing these topics and walking through how best to answer them by 1) defining what it is and isn’t, 2) how is it bad, 3) how is it good, 4) what are the counterexamples, 5) how is it applied (ratcheting).
In this episode, we discuss polygamy.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 10:23–37.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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The Scriptures are the Christian’s playground. They are given to us not only for teaching, correction, reproof, training in righteousness, but also to be explored and enjoyed. In this episode, we explore the word forsaken.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Karl Fabrizius
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Mark 7:31–37.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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We live in an age of homogenization, an age of flattening, of evening everything out. We are, it seems, no longer able to make distinctions. We see this in the culture. But before it was cool in the culture, the church had been taking part in its own homogenization process. This has happened and is still happening with how we look at and think about sin. In this episode, Stephen Preus diagnoses this flattening of sin in order to distinguish between how all sins warrant damnation from God, but not all sins have the same effect in the life of the Christian. He calls us back to the distinction made by our orthodox Lutheran fathers of mortal and venial sins.
- Order Servant of Christ’s Church: A Festschrift in Honour of John R. Stephenson.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Stephen Preus
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, Luke 18:9–14. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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In this Book Talk, Andrew Isker, author of The Boniface Option discusses his book.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Pr. Andrew Isker----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Tenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 19:41–48.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this book talk, we discuss a more practical book from the business world on conversations and negotiation: Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if your life depended on it, by Christ Voss.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Garrett Buvinghausen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Ninth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 16:1–13.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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In this Book Talk, we take a look at Douglas Wilson’s book Ploductivity.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Andrew Packer
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Eighth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 7:15–23.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Matthew Moss
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In this Book Talk, Willie Grills walks us through the book Thoughts for Young Men by J.C. Ryle.
You can hear more about J.C. Ryle HERE.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Willie Grills
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Seventh Sunday after Trinity, Mark 8:1–9.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Sixth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 5:17–26.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode, we continue to look at the orders of creation, but this time from the perspective of the first use of the law.
Links discussed in the episode:
- The Orders of Creation — Marriage & Family Conference, Cole Camp, MO.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Adam Koontz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fifth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 5:1–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode, we look at Lutheran Classical Education and what role it will play in staving off the cultural creep into the church.
Links discussed in the episode:
- https://www.lutherclassical.org/
- https://www.lutherclassical.org/conference/
- https://cc.lutherclassical.org/
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Harold Ristau
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fourth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 6:36-42..
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Preaching for funerals is difficult. Not because the the task is different but the circumstances are unique. Those circumstances often lead preachers to focus too much on one thing and too little on another. In this episode, Stephen Preus unpacks eight things to keep in mind when taking up the task of preaching for a funeral, based on his book How To Preach for a Funeral.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Third Sunday after Trinity, Luke 15:1-10 (11-32).
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Why does God give order? In this episode, we explore the reasons for God’s good order in the church, and why we should embrace it.
Andrew Preus presentation at Marriage & Family Conference, Cole Camp, MO.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Andrew Preus
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Second Sunday after Trinity, Luke 14:15-24.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode, I go straight to the source on the events that led to and the reasons why Fr. Mark Lovett and his congregation received Mr. Ryan Turnipseed into membership, who was excommunicated from his former congregation.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Mark Lovett
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The First Sunday after Trinity, Luke 16:19-31.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
----more----
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In this episode, we talk about how to address, not so much the weaknesses of the lectionary, but of our current practice and circumstances, so that the whole counsel of God may be taught.
Here is the original blog post on the subject: Heath Curtis, Addressing Weaknesses of the Lectionary
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Heath Curtis
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, John 3:1-17.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
----more----
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Why does God give order? In this episode, we explore the reasons for God’s good order in the family, and why we should embrace it.
Andrew Preus presentation at Marriage & Family Conference, Cole Camp, MO.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Andrew Preus
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of Pentecost, Acts 2:1–21; John 14:23–31.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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At the Faith of Our Fathers Conference, Ramirez presented on The Antinomian Distaste for Old Testament Particularity. In this discussion, we focus on some of those particularities and how to combat them.
Resources mentioned:
- God’s Hand in Our Lives (Sunday School Curriculum)
- Lutheran Treasures of Old Missouri — Bible Study Resources
- CFW Walther, “Slavery, Humanism, and the Bible."
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Seventh Sunday of Easter, John 15:26-16:4.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
----more----
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Sixth Sunday of Easter, John 16:23–33.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fifth Sunday of Easter, John 16:5-15
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Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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There is always some program of concern for the wellness of clergy and other church workers. While laudable, there is a missing component. In this episode, we discuss the biggest issue with those serving in the Office of the Ministry: namely morale.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Larry Beane
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fourth Sunday of Easter, John 16:16–22.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode Dr. Schulz and I discuss his new book Anatomy of an Implosion.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten (@RevBraats)
Regular Guest: Dr. Gregory Schulz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Third Sunday of Easter, John 10:11–16.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode of book talk, the author and I discuss his new book Leadership & Emotional Sabotage.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten (@RevBraats)
Regular Guest: Dr. Joe Rigney (@joe_rigney)
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Second Sunday of Easter, John 20:19-31.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Resurrection of Our Lord (Easter Day), Mark 16:1-8.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Easter Vigil, Matthew 27:57–66.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Good Friday, St. John's Passion.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode of Book Talk, we look at Walter A. Maier’s For Better, Not For Worse: A Manual of Christian Marriage.
Here are some links to the book:
- https://archive.org/details/forbetternotforw00maie
- https://www.amazon.com/Better-Not-Worse-Christian-Matrimony/dp/1258442434
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Daniel Merz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Sixth Sunday in Lent, St. Matthew’s Passion.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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You have to have a system, a protocol, an order to follow in chunks over time. You can’t wait till you’re inspired. You can’t wait till you feel like it. It has to be done, week in and week out. In this episode, we discuss one way of doing things. If you’ve already got your protocol, then maybe you can learn something to add. If you don’t, then maybe this gives you a place to start and build from.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fifth Sunday in Lent, John 8:42-59.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Our Lord said, “ . . . these stones will cry out” (Luke 19:40). In this episode, we look at what they say throughout the Pentateuch.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Karl Fabrizius
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, John 6:1-15.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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We all have soap boxes, and this is especially so for the editors at Gottesdienst. In this episode, we pull out the box, firmly plant our feet, and talk about one of our editor’s biggest pet peeves in preaching.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Fritz Eckardt
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday in Lent, Luke 11:14–28.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode, we unveil the rich tapestry of wisdom and divine promises in 1 Kings 8-9. Delve into the Old Testament narrative and discover the profound connections to Christ and the New Testament church. Explore the timeless truths, foreshadowings, and the enduring covenant that echoes through the pages of Scripture. Tune in for insightful reflections and unravel the spiritual significance of 1 Kings 8-9 in the light of Christ's fulfillment and grace.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Karl Fabrizius
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday in Lent, Matthew 15:21–28.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Often the only thing we remember about Jephthah is his tragic vow. We, thus, miss the rest of the story and the greater vow contained therein. Explore the intriguing tale of Jephthah's greater vow in Judges 10-12, where he seeks the promise of the Lord. Uncover the complexities of this biblical narrative, delving into the faith, promises, and consequences woven into Jephthah's story. Join us in this insightful journey through Judges as we unravel the mysteries of Jephthah's vow and its profound implications.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Karl Fabrizius
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the First Sunday in Lent, Matthew 4:1–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Which way Lutheran man? Is it Hogwarts Lutheran or Heroic Lutheranism? Will we have the trappings of ancient liturgy and doctrine without being enlivened by the biblical witness and historic Lutheran doctrine and practice? Or will we find our life in these things, be enlivened by them, and fight for them? Which way, indeed?
- The Faith of Our Fathers: The Law of God Is Good and Wise: https://yourgrandfatherschurch.org/
- Kurt, Marquart, Antinomian Aversion to Sanctification? (p.22-24 of the PDF): http://www.ctsfw.net/media/pdfs/CTQTheologicalObserver67-3.pdf
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Quinquagesima, Luke 18:31–43.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this Book Talk, we discuss Christ and the Church devotion book with the author.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Andrew Richard----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Sexagesima, Luke 8:4–15.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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As a follow up to an earlier discussion on Training Martyrs for the Prize, we pick up in this episode to talk about hymns to aid in that training which instill melodic courage from harmonies of valor, tunes of triumph and chorales of victory in a mighty choir of martyrdom.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Karl Hess
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Septuagesima, Matthew 20:1–16.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In 2 Samuel 24, David commits the sin of pride by ordering a census of Israel and Judah, disregarding God's will. This act displeases the Lord, leading Him to offer David a choice of three punishments. After repenting, David chooses a pestilence that affects the land. As a result, 70,000 people die, and David pleads for mercy. In this episode, we look not just at the facts but also where they lead.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Karl Fabrizius
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, Matthew 17:1–9.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Modern Lutherans tend to look down on the Apocrypha. In this episode, we look at what the Lutheran divines have to say about it usefulness and even how they employed it in preaching, teaching, and polemics.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Ian Kinney
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Second Sunday after Epiphany, John 2:1–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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“The world is like a drunken peasant. If you lift him into the saddle on one side, he will fall off on the other side. One can’t help him, no matter how one tries. He wants to be the devil’s” (LW 54:111). Even God’s people can mimic the world like this, living as reactionaries. In this episode, we look at tools, technology, and AI and seek to stay on the horse.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Marcus Williams----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The First Sunday after Epiphany, Luke 2:41–52.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Authenticity is the watchword of our day. Keeping it real. In preaching, “keeping it real” includes more then just the preacher’s authenticity. It means keeping the real presence of Christ in His preached Word front and center. In this episode, we look at Luther’s insistence upon this, but also how to do it.
- Order Servant of Christ’s Church: A Festschrift in Honour of John R. Stephenson.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Kurt Reinhardt----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of the Circumcision & Name of Jesus, Luke 2:21.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Christmas Day, John 1:1–18.----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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Though we tend to skip them, the genealogies in Scripture are important and contain a rich theology. In this episode, we look at the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Karl Fabrizius----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Christmas Eve—Midnight, Luke 2:1–20.----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Vigil of Christmas, Matthew 1:18–25.----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday in Advent, John 1:19–28.----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Jack Gilbert----more---- Become a Patron!
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“A eulogy is not in the best Christian tradition,” (LSB Agenda, Funeral Service, General Note 8). In this episode, we discuss how to extol the work of Christ in the life of the deceased with in the funeral sermon without preaching devolving into mere eulogy.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Ben Ball----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday in Advent, Matthew 11:2–11.----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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In this episode, we discuss the place of fasting in the western tradition: When, What, How, and Why.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Ian Kinney----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday in Advent, Luke 21:25–36.----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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In this Book Talk, we review Peter Leithart’s book The Theopolitan Vision.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Matthew Moss----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the First Sunday in Advent, Matthew 21:1–9.----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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"Okay, Boomer,” to the Boomers. “Okay, Karen,” to the GenXers. “Okay, liberal,” to the Millennials. “Okay, edgelord,” to GenZ. Every generation has it blindspots that bring out mockery from the others. In this episode, we work through what the Bible has to say about it and how to handle it.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Pr. Douglas Wilson----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Twenty-seventh Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 25:1–13.----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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We are often told that we don’t live an honor and shame culture anymore despite all the evidence to the contrary. In this episode, we look at how honor and shame functioned in the ancient world, how it functions today in the modern world, and how it ought to function as described in the Bible.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Joshua Theilen----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Twenty-fourth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 9:18–26.----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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In the Michaelmas issue of Gottesdienst, Fritz took aim at 1517. In this episode we chat about his article and discuss the further implications of what he is seeing.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Fritz Eckardt----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 22:15–22.----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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This is the first session of three presentations that I gave at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Union Grove, Wisconsin on The Greatness of Difficulty. I hope to get the audio and make it available as a special release on the podcast for those who would prefer to listen.
Thanks to Pastor David Ramirez for encouraging me to put these three presentations together, to Pastor Joshua DeYoung who recorded the video and audio, Mr. Gene Wilken at Flaneur Record who edited and posted it, and to my own congregation, Immanuel, Tuscola, IL, for their encouragement in giving time off for such events. I learned so much in the process.
----more----
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This is the second session of three presentations that I gave at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Union Grove, Wisconsin on The Greatness of Difficulty. I hope to get the audio and make it available as a special release on the podcast for those who would prefer to listen.
Thanks to Pastor David Ramirez for encouraging me to put these three presentations together, to Pastor Joshua DeYoung who recorded the video and audio, Mr. Gene Wilken at Flaneur Record who edited and posted it, and to my own congregation, Immanuel, Tuscola, IL, for their encouragement in giving time off for such events. I learned so much in the process.
----more----
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You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/
You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/
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As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.
This is the third session of three presentations that I gave at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Union Grove, Wisconsin on The Greatness of Difficulty. I hope to get the audio and make it available as a special release on the podcast for those who would prefer to listen.
Thanks to Pastor David Ramirez for encouraging me to put these three presentations together, to Pastor Joshua DeYoung who recorded the video and audio, Mr. Gene Wilken at Flaneur Record who edited and posted it, and to my own congregation, Immanuel, Tuscola, IL, for their encouragement in giving time off for such events. I learned so much in the process.
----more----
Become a Patron!
You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/
You can read the Gottesblog here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/
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As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.
The ascendancy of online influencers addressing masculinity has something to teach the church. Aaron Renn has written extensively on the subject, and we discuss his WSJ Opinion piece on “What Jordan Petersen Can Teach the Church.”
Sign up for Aaron Renn’s content delivered directly to your email inbox at aaronrenn.com----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Mr. Aaron Renn----more---- Become a Patron!
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of All Saints, Matthew 5:1–12.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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The recent eruption in the Middle East from the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been on the nightly news and on most people’s minds. What is often forgotten in the discussion is the Christians caught in the crossfire. In this episode, Nabil Nour—a Palestinian by nationality, an Arab by race, and a Christian by grace—discusses his experience as a Palestinian Christian living in Israel and offers some guidance, not seen on the news, on what we as American Christians should do about it.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Nabil Nour----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Commemoration of the Reformation, John 8:31–36.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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Since 2008, a debate has raged within the LCMS about antinomianism. This is not the same kind of antinomianism addressed in the Formula of Concord, but it is like it. In this episode, Mark Surburg distinguishes between the “soft antinomianism” we see today, and that of the first and second antinomian controversies in the 16th Century.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Mark Surburg----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 22:1–14.----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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In this Book Talk, Andrew Isker, author of The Boniface Option discusses his book.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Pr. Andrew Isker----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 9:1–8.----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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Finding the right starting point makes all the difference. We begin with the institution and mandate of the Lord. This is the hermeneutical principle set forth by the Lutheran divines and put into practice in our Confessional documents for faith and life. In this episode, we look at the Office of the Public Ministry in light of this hermeneutical principle.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Andrew Preus ----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 22:34–46.----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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We have all lived through a big test where we were called to confess Christ before men and found that we were not ready. Since we can expect more contests in the future, how can we train ourselves to stand in the trials of our faith? In this episode we explore how to train for these events.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Karl Hess----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 14:1–11.----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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In a society which exults tolerance and indulgence of practically every vice imaginable, it is important to teach clearly and forcefully about the judgment of the Lord. In this episode, we look at biblical examples of men executing proper judgment instead of shrinking back away from the Word of the Lord. Zeal is an antidote when the Gospel is confused with niceness.
----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez----more---- Become a Patron!
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 7:11–17. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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The Jubilee was an extension of the Sabbath — rest and release for those in debt. In this episode, we discuss the evidence for whether it was observed and in what scenarios it might be observed today.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Tyson Mastin
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 6:24–34. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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“We were so excited we could, we never stopped to think whether or not we should,” said Jeff Goldblum’s character in the first Jurassic Park. In this episode, we look at patterns of thought that lead to the current trend in the transgender movement.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Daniel Merz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 17:11–19. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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This is the third session from the 2023 Not Ashamed Conference sponsored by Immanuel Lutheran Church, Tuscola, Illinois. Many thanks to the Central Illinois District’s Church Extension Fund (CID CEF) for their generous grant to support this event. For more information about CID CEF offerings, go to: http://www.cid-cef.org.
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This is the second session from the 2023 Not Ashamed Conference sponsored by Immanuel Lutheran Church, Tuscola, Illinois. Many thanks to the Central Illinois District’s Church Extension Fund (CID CEF) for their generous grant to support this event. For more information about CID CEF offerings, go to: http://www.cid-cef.org.
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This is the first session from the 2023 Not Ashamed Conference sponsored by Immanuel Lutheran Church, Tuscola, Illinois. Many thanks to the Central Illinois District’s Church Extension Fund (CID CEF) for their generous grant to support this event. For more information about CID CEF offerings, go to: http://www.cid-cef.org.
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Pastors are called to endow the office with a holy life — a life of reverence and humility under the Word of God. This holiness extends beyond their personal lives into how they carry out their office—how they preside at the altar. In this episode we’re looking at Old Testament patterns and paradigms of this holiness.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Karl Fabrizius
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 10:23–37.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Jared Melius
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After humanity’s fall into sin, marriage serves as a curb against sexual sin, as St. Paul outlines in 1 Corinthians 7. Sadly, most couples who come to their pastor seeking marriage view sex either as self-pleasure or a forbidden evil. In this episode, we seek to reorient the hearts, minds, and bodies toward a scriptural view of the sexual relationship in marriage.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Sean Willman
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Mark 7:31–37. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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Spiritual discipline is an ongoing topic among pastors and laity. How do we understanding it correctly and what should we set for goals? In this episode, we look at the why, what, and how of encouraging spiritual discipline in your daily life.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. J. J. Stefanic
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, Luke 18:9–14. ----more---- Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen ----more---- Become a Patron!
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In this book talk, we discuss a more practical book from the business world on conversations and negotiation: Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if your life depended on it, by Christ Voss.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Garrett Buvinghausen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Tenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 19:41–48.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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We often hear touted the distinction between the church and the state, the religious and the secular. In this episode, our guest, Christian Preus, demonstrates the the lie behind this false dichotomy, particularly within education. There is no indifferent, middle ground, and that Christians need to be aware and beware of these false notions.
For more information about Luther Classical College: https://www.lutherclassical.org
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Christian Preus
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Ninth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 16:1–13.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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What does the Bible say about killing sin? What role does the Christian play in this? How is this done? What are some practical considerations in the killing of sin? These and other questions, will be answered in this episode, which is devoted to the teaching on killing sin in your life.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Willie Grills
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Eighth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 7:15–23.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Matthew Moss
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In this Gottescast, The Gottesdienst Crowd discusses the sufficiency and clarity of Scripture. What it means and what it doesn't mean. And why it's still important today. Rev. Dr. Korey Maas (associate professor of history at Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan) joins us for the discussion. ----more----
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Korey Maas
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Seventh Sunday after Trinity, Mark 8:1–9.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode, we discuss the Elon Musk’s method of always going back to first principles and how this might be helpful for life in the church.
- Tim Higgins, “Behind Elon Musk’s Management Philosophy: First Principles,” WSJ, June 17, 2023.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Adam Koontz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 5:17–26
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode, we discuss the resolution at the forthcoming LCMS Convention that is being put forward to commend the new volume Luther’s Large Catechism with Annotations and Contemporary Applications for use by pastors, teachers, commissioned ministers, and laity. Today’s guest was the main author of an Overture asking for the distribution of this volume to cease and desist. We’ll look at his rationale and discuss what can yet be done about it.
- Convention Workbook
- First Issue of Today’s Business
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Seth Mierow
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 5:1–11
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode, Jon Harris from Conversations That Matter discusses what to watch out for when wokism and social justice go to church. He offers a framework for categorizing the kinds of offices that either practice, promote, permit, or prevent this in churches. For more of his work, you can follow him on Twitter @johnharris1989 or check out the below resources.
- Conversations That Matter website
- Conversations That Matter YouTube Channel
- Social Justice Goes to Church, by Jon Harris
- Christianity and Social Justice, by Jon Harris
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Jon Harris
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Feast of the Visitation, Luke 1:39–56.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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The Rev. Dr. Chad Walsh is the most influential theologian of the twentieth century you have never heard of. Larry Beane tells us why and how he is helpful for us today.
- Order Servant of Christ’s Church: A Festschrift in Honour of John R. Stephenson.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Larry Beane
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Commemoration of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession, Matthew 10:26–33.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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They’re not in our hymnals. But they’re in the Bible. And so they should be in our hymnals. Thus, a great treasure has been stolen from Christians to learn how to pray in the way of the Imprecatory Psalms. We’re trying to fix that. In this episode, Ramirez leads us through what imprecation is. Then he demonstrates from the psalms and examples in the Bible, where the saints of old imprecate God’s enemies, and so their enemies also, so that we can follow in their train.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday after Trinity, Luke 14:15–24.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Familiarity, we are told, breeds contempt. In practice, however, familiarity breeds contemplation. In this episode, we see how repetition of a single, standard rite for the Divine Service, not only allows for (both young and old alike) all to participate, but it also creates room for contemplation on what God is doing therein.
- Order Servant of Christ’s Church: A Festschrift in Honour of John R. Stephenson.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Paul Schulz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Feast of St. Barnabas, Apostle, Mark 6:7–13.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Mirror, mirror on the wall, what is the image and likeness of God? As Lutherans, we typically think and speak of the image and likeness of God as the original righteousness lost in the Fall into sin. In this episode, we revisit the image and likeness of God and contemplate further meaning and application of this created reality.
- Order Servant of Christ’s Church: A Festschrift in Honour of John R. Stephenson.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Fritz Eckardt
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity, John 3:1–17.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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We live in an age of homogenization, an age of flattening, of evening everything out. We are, it seems, no longer able to make distinctions. We see this in the culture. But before it was cool in the culture, the church had been taking part in its own homogenization process. This has happened and is still happening with how we look at and think about sin. In this episode, Stephen Preus diagnoses this flattening of sin in order to distinguish between how all sins warrant damnation from God, but not all sins have the same effect in the life of the Christian. He calls us back to the distinction made by our orthodox Lutheran fathers of mortal and venial sins.
- Order Servant of Christ’s Church: A Festschrift in Honour of John R. Stephenson.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Stephen Preus
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Epistle reading for the Feast of Pentecost, Acts 2:1–21.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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After the re-release of the Luther’s Large Catechism with Annotations and Contemporary Applications, President Matthew C. Harrison released a statement denouncing, condemning, and seeking for excommunication those who hold to disturbing ideologies. Since then a flurry and furor has erupted in personal communications and online. Most of this surrounds the accusations of racism in the church. Ramirez is back to discuss how this has played out, what our church body holds to officially, and marking a way forward to guide future discussions that provide more light than heat.
- President Harrison denounces disturbing ideologies
- The Sin of Partiality Explained, Matthew Cochran
- Racism and the Church: CTCR Majority Opinion
- Racism and the Church: A Dissenting Opinion and also Here.
- Racism and the Church Overcoming the Idolatry of Babel, David Ramirez
- Slavery, Humanism, and the Bible, CFW Walther
- Communism and Socialism, CFW Walther
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, John 15:26–16:4.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode, we discuss The Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord. Why do we celebrate it? How is this feast pivotal to our lives as Christians waiting for and eagerly anticipating Christ's return in glory? Why did he go away? And in departing, does that mean he is truly absent? And if not, how is he with us now. You will see just how profound and glorious this feast is as Rick Stuckwisch (pastor of Emmaus Lutheran Church, South Bend, IN, and Departmental Editor of Gottesdienst: The Journal of Lutheran Liturgy) answers these questions and more.
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Sixth Sunday of Easter, John 16:23–33.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Learning to read the Bible is a life-long endeavor. There is the daily practice and discipline of reading the Bible that needs to be learned. But there is also the kind of reading the Bible that takes the seriously the divine author of the Scriptures, so that we learn to read the Bible not as a compilation of theological truths, but also divine story by a divine story-teller with a singular emphasis: the person and work of Jesus Christ. If there is one better than Karl Fabrizius to help us do this, whose giddy joy in reading the Bible is evident, I want to meet him.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Karl Fabrizius
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, John 16:5–15.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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19th Century Christianity saw a revival in both confessional and liturgical writings and polemics. In this episode, James Lee takes us through some of the major players and themes of the confessional revival and what we can learn from them.
Further study:
- Walter Conser, Church & Confession
- Andrew Kloes, The German Awakening
- James Lee, Confessional Lutheranism and German Theological Wissenschaft
To register for the CUC Confessionalism Seminar
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. James Lee, PhD
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, John 16:16–22.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Solzhenitsyn admonished the people of Soviet Russia, “Live Not By Lies.” In this episode, Dr. Schulz wades through the lies of DIE and Woke ideology, and begins to forge a path of resistance for the home, the workplace, and the church not unlike what Solzhenitsyn advocated in his time and place: Live Not By Lies.
- https://lutheranphilosopher.com/live-not-by-lies/
- The Rock, T.S. Eliot
- Live Not By Lies, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Gregory Schulz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday of Easter, John 10:11–16.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this Book Talk, we take a look at Douglas Wilson’s book Ploductivity.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Andrew Packer
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday of Easter, John 20:19–31.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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The Lutheran Reformation brought about a return to the historical and biblical understanding of salvation. Along with that restoration, came an undercurrent of antinomianism. Early they were charges brought against the Lutherans from their Roman opponents. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession clarifies the Lutheran position. Later, actual antinomians were among the Lutherans. The Formula of Concord clarifies and sets forth the Lutheran position. In this episode, we discuss the actual position of the Lutherans with regard to Fruits of Repentance.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Mike Grieve
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Resurrection of Our Lord, Mark 16:1–8.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for the Easter Vigil, Matthew 27:57–66.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode, Larry and I discuss the advent of AI software and ChatGPT. As those created by God, who were meant for the physical, what happens when what when we go digital. Can it be used as a tool for certain things? What are the pitfalls and what should we wary of? What happens when the divine goes digital?
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Larry Beane
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Palm/Passion Sunday, (just the unique material to Matthew’s Passion) Matthew 27:3–10; 27:25; 27:52–53; 27:62–66.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode, I discuss the similarities and differences between liturgical worship among the conservative, confessional Reformed and Lutherans. The discussion surrounds Pastor Meyers book, The Lord’s Service. He grew up Lutheran, and we even chat about that a bit.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Rev. Jeff Meyers
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fifth Sunday in Lent, John 8:42–59.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this Book Talk, I talk with Stephen Wolfe, the author of The Case for Christian Nationalism, about his book.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Dr. Stephen Wolfe
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fourth Sunday in Lent, John 6:1–15.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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“That is Catholic!” is often heard by those who seek to restore historic rites and ceremonies among Lutheran churches in America. It is a charge leveled even against CFW Walther. In this two part series, we hear from Walther himself as he responds to such charges from a series of articles published in Der Lutheraner during 1846–1847.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Mark Braden
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Third Sunday in Lent, Luke 11:14–28.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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“That is Catholic!” is often heard by those who seek to restore historic rites and ceremonies among Lutheran churches in America. It is a charge leveled even against CFW Walther. In this two part series, we hear from Walther himself as he responds to such charges from a series of articles published in Der Lutheraner during 1846–1847.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Mark Braden
----more----
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You can subscribe to the Journal here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/subscribe/
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As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.
Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Second Sunday in Lent, Matthew 15:21–28.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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We are familiar with the Book of Job, particular Chapters 1, 2, 19, and 42. But what about the Christology of Job and how it relates to the patriarchs. In this episode, we dive into the Book of Job and explore what we have missed out on.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Roger Mullet
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The First Sunday in Lent, Matthew 4:1–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In the first episode of The Gods of Our Age, Mark Preus walked us through an introduction. That the people of Rome, Galatia, Corinth, and Ephesus could hardly not know that they were idolaters when Paul preached to them. They had idols of stone and wood and precious metals. They had temples with statues devoted to their gods. We know from Luther’s Catechisms that an idol is anything that you fear, love, and trust in above all things. We have idols too. They are not statues of stone or wood or precious metals. But they look exactly like the idols of the ancient world.
In this second part of two episodes, He narrows our focus on the Goddess and idolatry of Sexuality, Aphrodite.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Mark Preus
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Quinquagesima, Luke 18:31–43.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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We have already talked about the LCACA in the episode Anatomy of a Confusion (Large Catechism Edition). In this episode, we discuss President Harrison’s statement to resume distribution of this volume, despite severe and thoughtful criticism online and personally from pastors and laity synod wide.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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In the first episode of The Gods of Our Age, Mark Preus walked us through an introduction. That the people of Rome, Galatia, Corinth, and Ephesus could hardly not know that they were idolaters when Paul preached to them. They had idols of stone and wood and precious metals. They had temples with statues devoted to their gods. We know from Luther’s Catechisms that an idol is anything that you fear, love, and trust in above all things. We have idols too. They are not statues of stone or wood or precious metals. But they look exactly like the idols of the ancient world.
In this episode, He narrows our focus on the Goddess and idolatry of Sexuality, Aphrodite.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Mark Preus
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Sexagesima, Luke 8:4–15
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this episode, we take a look at what happened around the release of Luther’s Large Catechism with Annotations and Contemporary Applications (L-CACA), what the good, the bad, and the ugly are, analyzing particular statements in particular essays, and why it was a confused project on multiple layers.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Septuagesima, Matthew 20:1–16.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Aaron Renn has persuasively argued that we now live in the “negative world” with respect to Christianity. Being Christian is sociologically speaking, no longer seen by society as a positive good or even a neutral thing, but rather a negative evil — something to be gotten rid of (“Three Worlds” in First Things). Our guest has seen this born out in his own workplace as he records what happened when he professed a return to biblical male and female, family dynamics at a conference (“Anatomy of a Cancellation” in First Things). He admits he should have seen it coming, but even he was surprised by what happened. His suggestion was to begin cultivating a spirit of martyrdom.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Dr. Scott Yenor
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, Matthew 17:1–9.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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St. Paul warns us on a number of occasions to beware of envy and rivalry among the brothers. This is all the more important for pastors to live out so that the people of God may have shepherds to imitate in their life and conduct. In the first episode, Heath Curtis talks about not only spiritual implications for the pastor and the spiritual welfare of the church, but also implores us to find our place on the team, to be willing to play outfield even when we think we are better at second base for the good of the team. We are, after all, one body and each individual member has his part to play. In this episode, He points us to learn from an unlikely source, and gives us a framework for understanding where we might fit on the team in various circumstances
- TGC TGC 202 — On Being on a Team, Part 1
- Vox Day, Social Sexual Hierarchy
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Heath Curtis
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Third Sunday after Epiphany, Matthew 8:1–13.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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The Psalm are filled with all kinds of prayers: confessions of sin, praise of God’s mighty works, royal and enthronement prayers, liturgical prayers and songs, prayers of imprecation against God’s enemies, and prayers of lament. In this episode, Sean Daenzer helps us become reacquainted with lament: what it is and what it isn't, what it does, to whom it is directed.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Sean Daenzer
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Second Sunday after Epiphany, John 2:1–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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God created them male and female. They are distinct. They are related. How are men to be men and women to be women? What design is implicit in the Scriptures for each of these callings?
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Adam Koontz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The First Sunday after Epiphany, Luke 2:41–52.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this Book Talk, Zelwyn Heide walks us through the book The Practical Missionary, by JHC Fritz.
You can hear more from Zelwyn Heide HERE.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Zelwyn Heide
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of the Circumcision & Name of Jesus, Luke 2:21.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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The Lord sends his Apostles into the nations to make them Christian. We typically think of this as the realm of foreign, overseas missionary activity. But do we think of this in terms of our own nation, and the communities in which we ourselves reside, which is within that nation? In this episode, Timothy Koch asks us to consider ourselves at local missionaries, to spread the Gospel within our communities not just from the pulpit but person to person, door to door, house to house, home to home.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Timothy Koch
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas Day), John 1:1–14.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Ark Think: it’s a way of dealing with difficult times. When you can’t handle all that is coming at you, you build an ark for refuge. Thinkers like Aaron Renn, among others, have talked about this kind of thing as people deal with decline and difficult times. It’s the premise of Rod Dreher’s The Benedict Option. In this episode, Adam Koontz and I discuss the attitudes behind this way of thinking and put forward a better way.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Adam Koontz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fourth Sunday in Advent, John 1:19–28.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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There are two kinds of comfort. There is the comfort that philosophy and the wisdom of this world try to give to consciences stricken by difficulties, and then there is the comfort of the cross that actually assuages those consciences. Andrew Preus demonstrates that distinction and shows how important it is to maintain for Christians living in this vale of tears.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Andrew Preus
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Third Sunday in Advent, Matthew 11:2–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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He’s called “The Prince of Paradox.” He’s known for his biting wit and simply describing what is right in front of his eyes. His name is G.K. Chesterton. Larry Beane takes us through some of the best known works and thoughts of Chesterton, and how we are better for having him in our lives and on our team.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Larry Beane
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Second Sunday in Advent, Luke 21:25–36.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Second Sunday in Advent, Luke 21:25–36.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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There are themes in the Scriptures that must not be ignored for they speak of Christ and his work. In this episode, we look at the theme of “victory by head wound.” The first promise of the Savior, given in Genesis 3:15, says that the seed of Eve will crush the head of the serpent. Throughout the Old Testament and into the New Testament, the enemies of God are defeated by a head wound.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Karl Fabrizius
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The First Sunday in Advent, Matthew 21:1–9.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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There are often ties made between the business world and the church. Some of them are more helpful than others. Some of them are more appropriate than others. In this episode, I asked Bart Day (the president and CEO of Lutheran Church Extension Fund) about what he learned by completing a Master of Business Administration from Washington University and what he wish he had known from that program as a newly minted pastor. What can we actually learn from the business world that helps in our work in the church?
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Bart Day
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Twenty-Seventh Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 25:1–13.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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This episode reaches beyond the issues that exist only in the Lutheran world and into the world of Mere Christianity. To vest or not to vest—that is the question. Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of sacerdotal charges, or to take up arms against a sea of satire and by opposing end them. Our guest, Doug Wilson (pastor of Christ Church, Moscow, ID) has something to say about it. The occasion for the chat was a blog post he had written in 2018, Surplices are for Sissies, focusing on the importance that the pastoral office need to be masculine in voice, action, and representation. Our conversation discussed that and more. Wilson is eminently reasonable on the topic, as you will no doubt see.
If you enjoyed this episode, you might enjoy these:
- TGC 232 — Christian Nationalism
- TGC 217 — A Lutheran Kuyperian Vision?
- TGC 200 — The Fathers & The Solas
- TGC 187 — On Imprecation
- TGC 115 — Liturgicals, Pietists, and the Kingdom of the Left
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Pr. Douglas Wilson
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 25:31–46.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Christian Nationalism is all the rage in the media these days. By some it is used as a term of derision, a smear, in order to silence debate. By others it is a vision of what their nation should be and strive for. In this episode, Ramirez and I seek to clarify its meaning and ask the question if Christians should take up the smear in the same way our fathers in the faith took on the name “Lutheran.”
Further Resources:
Commentary on Psalm 82 by Martin Luther (Luther's Works Vol. 13)
The Chief Theological Topics: Loci Praecipui Theologici (1559) by Philipp Melanchthon (esp. p. 430-431)
"The Challenge of History: Luther's Two Kingdoms Theology as a Test Case" by Prof. Cameron MacKenzie http://www.ctsfw.net/media/pdfs/mackenziechallengeofhistory.pdf
Peace, Order, and the Glory of God by Prof. James Estes
Martin Luther and Religious Liberty by Pr. David P. Ramirez https://www.academia.edu/89633865/Martin_Luther_and_Religious_Liberty
"The Impact of the Reformation on Political Thought: The Three Hierarchies as Foundation for Lutheran Political Thought especially as Pertains to Religious Liberty" by Pr. David P. Ramirez (Presentation at the 2017 Association of Confessional Lutherans)
Books Mentioned:
Christian Nationalism: A Biblical Guide for Taking Dominion and Discipling Nations by Andrew Torba and Andrew Isker https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Nationalism-Biblical-Dominion-Discipling/dp/B0BCRZSHM3/ audio book: https://shop.dissenter.com/product/cnaudio
The Case for Christian Nationalism by Stephen Wolfe https://www.amazon.com/Case-Christian-Nationalism-Stephen-Wolfe/dp/1957905336/ Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of All Saints, Matthew 5:1–12.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this Book Talk, Willie Grills walks us through the book Thoughts for Young Men by J.C. Ryle.
You can hear more about J.C. Ryle HERE.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Willie Grills
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Epistle reading for The Commemoration of the Reformation, Romans 3:19–28.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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The last time we spoke, Adam Koontz mentioned that the family used to be the place where all the things for Christian living and living in general were passed down. But we live in a culture with no names for things. And we live a culture with no names because we as the church lack a robust modern articulation of the theology of creation and the created order and the wisdom found in that order.
You can hear more from Koontz here:
- A Brief History of Power with Jonathan Fisk
- Word Fitly Spoken with Willie Grills and Zelwyn Heide
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Adam Koontz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of James of Jerusalem, Brother of Jesus and Martyr, Matthew 13:54–48.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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The devil doesn’t have his own stories. Rather, he must steal and modify the only true story that God reveals in his word. In the most recent journal, Fritz argues for the truth of myth, that all mythology is modeled after the greatest story ever told.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Fritz Eckardt
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 22:34–46.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In our three sessions about Resisting the Government, Ramirez brought up Jonathan, friend to David and son of Saul the King, as an example of when the different estates begin to encroach upon one another. In this episode, Ramirez takes up these examples, and more, of how the Bible through Jonathan teaches us to respond in faithfulness to our callings when this happens.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 14:1–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Much ink has been spilled over the political topic of equity. Some from the church has supported the modern understanding, while others have rejected the term altogether. Andrew Preus argues that it’s our term and we should not give it up to the progressive left but fight to keep the biblical understanding of equity for the good of the church and the world.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Andrew Preus
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Much ink has been spilled over the political topic of equity. Some from the church has supported the modern understanding, while others have rejected the term altogether. Andrew Preus argues that it’s our term and we should not give it up to the progressive left but fight to keep the biblical understanding of equity for the good of the church and the world.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Andrew Preus
----more----
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 7:11–17.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 7:11–17.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this Book Talk, Matt Moss walks us through the book Homiletics: A Manual of Theory and Practice of Preaching, by J. Michael Reu.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Matt Moss
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In this Book Talk, Matt Moss walks us through the book Homiletics: A Manual of Theory and Practice of Preaching, by J. Michael Reu.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Matt Moss
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 6:24–34.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 6:24–34.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
----more----
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What do you say to a Christian parent when their unborn child has died due to a miscarriage or still birth or thier newborns before baptism? What comfort can be given the parent about the eternal status of these little ones? Where do we point them to? In this episode, Karl Hess points us to what the Lutheran fathers taught on this matter, especially Luther, Bugenhagen, and Gerhard.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Karl Hess
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What do you say to a Christian parent when their unborn child has died due to a miscarriage or still birth or thier newborns before baptism? What comfort can be given the parent about the eternal status of these little ones? Where do we point them to? In this episode, Karl Hess points us to what the Lutheran fathers taught on this matter, especially Luther, Bugenhagen, and Gerhard.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Karl Hess
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As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.
Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 17:11–19.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Bryan Wolfmueller
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 17:11–19.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Bryan Wolfmueller
----more----
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Luther says in the Sixth Chief Part of the Small Catechism that: “Fasting and bodily preparation are fine outward training.” Often we take this to mean that fasting is optional. Should we. What are the benefits of fasting in the spiritual life? Ryan Loeslie will help us understand.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Ryan Loeslie
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Luther says in the Sixth Chief Part of the Small Catechism that: “Fasting and bodily preparation are fine outward training.” Often we take this to mean that fasting is optional. Should we. What are the benefits of fasting in the spiritual life? Ryan Loeslie will help us understand.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Ryan Loeslie
----more----
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 10:23–37.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Jared Melius
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Abraham Kuyper said: "There is not one thumb’s width in the whole domain of human life which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry, “Mine!” This is a common refrain with the Reformed Calvinist circles as they lay out their post-millennial eschatology. They charge Lutherans with a defeatist attitude because Lutheran amillennial eschatology. Are the Reformed Calvinists right? Are Lutherans defeatist? And if not, can they with as much vigor claim a Lutheran Kuyperian vision of their own? Adam Koontz sorts it out for us.
You can hear more from Koontz here:
- A Brief History of Power with Jonathan Fisk
- Word Fitly Spoken with Willie Grills and Zelwyn Heide
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Adam Koontz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Mark 7:31–37.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Bryan Wolfmueller
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In the 4th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, Luther lists good friends as one of God’s provisions that are necessary for the support of the body. But what is a good friend? In this episode, Marcus Williams gives a working definition, so that pastors can teach it in Catechism Class and preach on it from the pulpit. And in doing this, the people of God can recognize rightly what a good friend is and help their children choose wisely.
Aelred of Rievaulx, Spiritual Friendship
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Marcus Williams
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, Luke 18:9–14.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Mike Grieve
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Tenth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 19:41–48.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Fritz Eckardt
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Luther, in the Small and Large Catechisms on the Fourth Petition of the Lord's Prayer, lists "good friends" as necessary for bodily life. But we don't talk much about it. In this episode, Dave Petersen (pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, IN, and author of the recurring column "Commentary on the War" in the Gottesdienst Journal) and I discuss the factors that led to this deemphasis on friendship. Petersen looks to Aristotle, Cicero, and C.S. Lewis for aid in exploring this lost gift of God, and then we discuss how it might be restored among us.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Ninth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 16:1–13.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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In 1 Corinthians 11, St. Paul instructs women to demonstrate the order of creation by wearing a head covering in the Divine Service. The general rubrics fro TLH indicated that this is a good practice. Yet, most of our congregations do not follow the Apostolic teaching or the recommendations from our LCMS fathers. What happened? In this episode, we discuss why this practice has fallen into disuse, and answer common objections to it. We also discuss the different readings of St. Paul’s teaching.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. John Koopman
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Eighth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 7:15–23.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Matthew Moss
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In the first episode of The Gods of Our Age, Mark Preus walked us through an introduction. That the people of Rome, Galatia, Corinth, and Ephesus could hardly not know that they were idolaters when Paul preached to them. They had idols of stone and wood and precious metals. They had temples with statues devoted to their gods. We know from Luther’s Catechisms that an idol is anything that you fear, love, and trust in above all things. We have idols too. They are not statues of stone or wood or precious metals. But they look exactly like the idols of the ancient world.
In this episode, He narrows our focus on the God of Intoxication, Bacchus.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Mark Preus
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Seventh Sunday after Trinity, Mark 8:1–9.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Cynicism, Blackpilled, Realism/Pessimism — whatever you want to call it — is the opposite of the hope and expectation of good things that God calls us to look and long for. To do this is not looking at things with rose-colored glasses or in a Pollyanna way. It is simply to take God at his Word, and thus, to bring our actions in line with what God has called us to do. In this episode, John Koopman calls us to mine God’s Word for the duties and promises that our Father in heaven gives to us and leave the rest to His providential care.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. John Koopman
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Sixth Sunday after Trinity, Matthew 5:17–26.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Jared Melius
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St. Paul warns us on a number of occasions to beware of envy and rivalry among the brothers. This is all the more important for pastors to live out so that the people of God may have shepherds to imitate in their life and conduct. In this episode, Heath Curtis talks about not only spiritual implications for the pastor and the spiritual welfare of the church, but also implores us to find our place on the team, to be willing to play outfield even when we think we are better at second base for the good of the team. We are, after all, one body and each individual member has his part to play.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Heath Curtis
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fifth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 5:1–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Karl Fabrizius
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Whether from the East or Rome, Lutherans are charged with innovation despite the Lutheran confessors protests. In this episode, Will Weedon takes us through some of the church fathers to note how they uphold what our Lutheran forebears have passed on to us, especially noteworthy is the fathers’ insistence that whatever they have written that is not in line with the Holy Scriptures should be ignored and only that which can be backed up by the Scriptures should endure.
Here is the link to the whole list of quotations from the Fathers that Weedon compiled.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. William Weedon
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fourth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 6:36–42.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Christopher Seifferlein
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We are living in a time with unprecedented, at least within living memory, pressures placed upon the church. We watch as our churches shrink and our schools close. Just in the past four years, three of our Concordia Universities have shut their doors, while others are in turmoil from the culture outside and the culture that has crept within. Can these institutions be redeemed and take their place once again as a training ground for liturgical and confessional Lutherans who will out their faith in home, society, and the church?
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Dr. Adam Francisco
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Third Sunday after Trinity, Luke 15:1–10.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Fritz Eckardt
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From the moment we are born we are dying. We are brought into newness of life in Christ and the Church through the death of Holy Baptism. Much of our Lord’s teaching and the teaching of Scripture is about learning to die well, which leads to a life lived well, now and for all eternity. In this episode, Travis Berg (pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Latimer, IA) walks us through the art of dying well and thus living well. We will confront the charge that Christians are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good, and much more.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Travis Berg
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In this Gottescast, The Gottesdienst Crowd discusses rubrics and ceremonies for the Laity. Mark Braden (Gottesdienst Editor, the author of the recurring column "Taking Pains," and pastor of Zion Lutheran, Detroit, MI) joins us for the discussion.
The bibliography mentioned may be found here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/churchplantmedia-cms/zion_evangelical_lutheran_church/a-select-bibliography-on-the-holy-liturgy.pdf
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In this Gottescast, The Gottesdienst Crowd jumps on the bandwagon of advice givers for newly-minted pastors, though its good for those not so new too. David Petersen (pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, IN, and author of the recurring column "Commentary on the War" in the Gottesdienst Journal) joins us for the discussion.
Here's a link for the Gerberding book: https://archive.org/details/lutheranpastor00gerb/page/n4
Here's a link to a podcast on Gerberding's book: http://wordfitlyspoken.org/?s=Gerberding
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In this Gottescast, The Gottesdienst Crowd discusses Trinity Sunday. Sean Daenzer (pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Great Bend, ND, and Peace Lutheran Church, Barney, ND) joins us for the discussion.
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In this episode, Ben Ball (pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Chruch, Hamel, IL, and Sixth VP of LCMS) walks us through the history and import of the Feast of Pentecost. We begin in the Old Testament where the feast is first commanded and its connection to the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai and how the giving of the Spirit by the Word of the Gospel is the fulfillment of this. Ben then takes us through the connections to the Tower of Babel and the Gospel reading. This feast, as Ben describes it, is a feast for our times, for it teaches us that Jesus reigns by his Word over all things.
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In this Gottescast, The Gottesdienst Crowd discusses with Fritz Eckardt (Editor-in-Chief of Gottesdienst: The Journal of Lutheran Liturgy and pastor of St. Paul's Lutheran, Kewannee, IL) the Feast of Pentecost and the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
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In this Gottescast, The Gottesdienst Crowd discusses the Feast of the Ascension of our Lord. Ben Ball (pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Hamel, IL) joins us for the discussion.
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In this episode, we discuss The Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord. Why do we celebrate it? How is this feast pivotal to our lives as Christians waiting for and eagerly anticipating Christ's return in glory? Why did he go away? And in departing, does that mean he is truly absent? And if not, how is he with us now. You will see just how profound and glorious this feast is as Rick Stuckwisch (pastor of Emmaus Lutheran Church, South Bend, IN, and Departmental Editor of Gottesdienst: The Journal of Lutheran Liturgy) answers these questions and more.
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Seventh Sunday of Easter, John 15:26–16:4.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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In this Book Talk, Andrew Packer walks us through the book Gashmu Saith it, by Douglas Wilson.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Andrew Packer
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Sixth Sunday of Easter, John 16:23–33.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Dave Petersen
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Have you noticed that all the old villains aren’t really villains anymore? Maleficent, Hannibal Lecter, Darth Vader, Cruella De Vil: All these villains aren’t so much villains, but rather people who have a psychological reason for what they do. If we could only understand them how they became that way, then they’re not so bad.
In this episode, we look at villain revisionism. Where bad isn’t really bad, thereby destroying any conception of what is good.
Here is the article referenced in the episode: https://treeofwoe.substack.com/p/victim-manager-rebel-destroyer?s=r
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Jim Roemke
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fifth Sunday of Easter, John 16:5–15.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Fritz Eckardt
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In this episode, Jeff Hemmer talks about our culture’s unholy trinity — masculinity, patriarchy, and dominion — and why we should cultivate these things against the culture’s insistence not to.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Jeff Hemmer
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fourth Sunday of Easter, John 16:16–22.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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In our conversation “Have We Won the Battle for the Bible?” Adam Koontz mentioned that our age suffers from mass juvenility. In this episode, Adam takes us through where this is manifested. He differentiates juvenility from immaturity. And then gives us some practical steps to counteract the juvenility and even grow in maturity.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Adam Koontz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Third Sunday of Easter, John 10:11–16.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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They’re not in our hymnals. But they’re in the Bible. And so they should be in our hymnals. Thus, a great treasure has been stolen from Christians to learn how to pray in the way of the Imprecatory Psalms. We’re trying to fix that. In this episode, Ramirez leads us through what imprecation is. Then he demonstrates from the psalms and examples in the Bible, where the saints of old imprecate God’s enemies, and so their enemies also, so that we can follow in their train.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Second Sunday of Easter, John 20:19–31.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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If you hang around the Editors of Gottesdienst for long enough, you’ll no doubt end up hearing about Wiest, Rev. Dr. Stephen Wiest. I never personally knew or met this man, but from the stories, I want to. In this episode, we look at the man, the myth, the legend, to understand his contribution to confessional and liturgical Lutheranism and the Editors of our beloved journal.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Karl Fabrizius
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Resurrection of Our Lord, Mark 16:1–8.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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In the first episode of The Gods of Our Age, Mark Preus walked us through an introduction. That the people of Rome, Galatia, Corinth, and Ephesus could hardly not know that they were idolaters when Paul preached to them. They had idols of stone and wood and precious metals. They had temples with statues devoted to their gods. We know from Luther’s Catechisms that an idol is anything that you fear, love, and trust in above all things. We have idols too. They are not statues of stone or wood or precious metals. But they look exactly like the idols of the ancient world.
In this episode, He narrows our focus on the God of War, Ares/Mars.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Mark Preus
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Sixth Sunday in Lent, Palm/Passion Sunday, Matthew 26–27.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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We’ve been told that we have won the Battle for the Bible. And while this may true with respect to many of the issues that arose in our church body in the 1970s, it appears that it isn’t completely a closed case. We still are fighting for the meaning of words. Thus, the Battle for the Bible rages on under a new flag with new colors. In this episode, Adam Koontz helps us look at what fighting remains in the Battle for the Bible.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Adam Koontz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fifth Sunday in Lent, John 8:42–59.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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In this episode, we take up a something l have wanted to do for a long time: long-form book reviews. In this Book Talk, Andrew Packer walks us through the book It’s Good To Be A Man: A Handbook for Godly Masculinity by Michael Foster and Dominic Bnonn Tennant.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Andrew Packer
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fourth Sunday in Lent, John 6:1–15.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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The Psalter was once central to the life of the Christian. It served as the basis for much of the sermons of the New Testament and the arguments put forward by St. Paul and the Book of Hebrews. In this episode, Ryan Loeslie makes the case for reclaiming the Psalter to make it part of your regular study. He demonstrates that they serve as a compendium and summary of the whole Bible. He gives practical steps on how to make this a daily practice and even on how to begin to learn them by heart.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Ryan Loeslie
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Third Sunday in Lent, Luke 11:14–28.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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In the first episode of The Gods of Our Age, Mark Preus walked us through an introduction. That the people of Rome, Galatia, Corinth, and Ephesus could hardly not know that they were idolaters when Paul preached to them. They had idols of stone and wood and precious metals. They had temples with statues devoted to their gods. We know from Luther’s Catechisms that an idol is anything that you fear, love, and trust in above all things. We have idols too. They are not statues of stone or wood or precious metals. But they look exactly like the idols of the ancient world.
In this episode, He narrows our focus on the God of Information, Hermes/Mercury.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Mark Preus
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Second Sunday in Lent, Matthew 15:21–28.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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We have all heard of The Great Awakenings of the United States. These watershed moments in history affected both the religious and political spheres of those days. In this episode, Ramirez talks about the watershed moment that we have undergone over the past decades, The Great Awokening. He notes the key features in both political and religious life, how they affect both, and what the differing generations have to offer in terms of defending the church, the home, and the community from its more virulent strains.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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We have heard of the issues at Concordia University Wisconsin surrounding the suspension of Rev. Dr. Gregory Schulz. In this episode, we hear from the good doctor himself. We talk about the definition of Woke-ism, how it is manifested at CUW, how the students are the unwitting targets, and how we are all called to defend the truth of God’s Word against those who would sideline it. Let God be true and every man a liar.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Rev. Dr. Gregory Schulz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The First Sunday in Lent, Matthew 4:1–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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In this episode, we follow up with Harold Ristau to hear about the developments in Canada from a “Fringe Minority.” Please pray for our Christian brothers in Canada.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Harold Ristau (Professor of Theology, Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catherines, ON, Canada)
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In our episode on Raising Up Men, a listener asked a question about a topic brought up tangentially to what we were discussing. The question: “How do you wrangle little ones for family devotions?” In this episode, Adam and I answer that question and offer some other thoughts on how to cultivate a family piety.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Adam Koontz
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Quinquagesima, Luke 18:31–43.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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“The problem I have with all of the “conservative” Christian angst against the cancel culture is that it has been conservative Christians who — especially beginning in the 1970s — were constantly leading the charge to “boycot” [sic] this or that product because said product was a sponsor of tv shows like Soap, or All in the Family, or anything else that the conservative Christians objected to. In other words, y’all are the prototype cancelers. It’s just more than a little disengenous [sic] that now that you’re feeling the heat from your own fire, you’re crying about it.” — "MARTIN LUTHER" WRITING TO GOTTESBLOG
The above quote was in response to my post called “Cancel Culture and the Cross.”
It amuses me for several reasons, and has given me fodder for writing more. So thank you, “Boomer Luther.”
I love how boomers are still living in the glory days of the 1960s and 70s, albeit Depends have replaced once ubiquitous bell bottoms, and Viagra has largely supplanted LSD. It is as though life reached its zenith at Woodstock, and boomers are still having flashbacks from the brown acid, even as their glory days of ruling the youth culture were to march on a few more years into the 1970s before sputtering and amounting to nothing. So much for the “Age of Aquarius”. Look at what Martin Boomer considers a cultural triumph: the subversive TV shows of five decades ago: “Soap” and “All in the Family.”
And this is why we say, “OK, boomer.”
“Soap”? I do remember the program, but barely. I was a child. It was back when the Left became enamored with deviant sexuality and having the sound of a toilet flushing on TV. So stunning. So brave. And really, “Martin Luther”? “Soap”? Does anybody under the age of 75 have any of these shows in his VHS collection? I guess that’s what they like to call “ground breaking.” Sigh.
OK, boomer.
And let’s talk about “All in the Family,” shall we? I actually watched this one as a kid. It was a celebration of degeneracy, anti-Christianism, and Marxism. It was the brainchild of Norman Lear, a political leftist and social revolutionary. The message of the show is personified by the Atheist and leftist character known by his nickname "Meathead”, played by fellow leftist revolutionary Rob Reiner. The villain of the series was Archie Bunker, who represents traditional American values (and of course is a conservative white Protestant). On the show, Bunker is a slack-jawed, mouth-breathing buffoon, and an irrational and stupid bigot, while, of course, the counter-cultural characters are all intelligent, suave, sophisticated and educated. They always come out ahead while Bunker looks like a fool. Yawn. And of course, Christianity is mocked while Marxism, sexual promiscuity and deviancy, and cultural degeneracy are celebrated. The free enterprise system is panned as well.
Watching reruns of the program from our perspective today shows the ham-handed agitprop cleverly using a laugh-track to cue and program the home audience as to whom they are supposed to identify with, and to get them mindlessly seal-clapping along at just the right time, like unto Pavlov’s slobbering dogs.
Interestingly, Lear and Reiner were old-school leftists in many ways, champions of the Declaration of Independence (which today has a so-called trigger warning for calling American Indians “savages” and not acknowledging black slaves). Lear and Meathead are advocates of free speech - at least when it suits them. I have yet to hear Norman Lear (who is still alive) or Rob “OK Boomer” Reiner utter a peep today about cancel culture and the assaults on free speech from their political allies. I guess that they’re fine with cancel culture as long as it goes from left to right.
Moreover, another fact that went down the Boomer Memory Hole is that “All in the Family” and its spinoff “The Jeffersons” included the use of the uncensored N-word. And yet, surprise of surprises, nobody is calling for Norman Lear and Meathead to apologize, to grovel, to be placed on the stools of repentance, or to be subjected to a “struggle session.” They have escaped "cancel culture.” It’s a free pass, because they’re confessors of the orthodox cultural faith: the unholy trinity of Atheism, Marxism, and Degeneracy, and as such, the Orwellian double-standard is a tenet of their creed.
As for refusing to patronize sponsors of such programs and making use of boycotts - that is not cancel culture. Everybody does this. If the local proprietor of a coffee shop called your mother an ugly name or made fun of your children, you’d simply opt to go somewhere else to caffeinate yourself. Why wouldn’t you? What kind of a cad would continue to put money in the coffers of someone who mocks his family? Maybe your other relatives and friends would opt out as well. This is just normal human behavior. If you are a police officer, and the local bakery decided to honor BLM, maybe you would decide to frequent someplace else. If your barber has Trump posters on the wall, and you voted for Joe Biden, maybe you would find a new barber - or not. As Ludwig von Mises pointed out: in a free market, the consumer is the captain of the economic ship. We all make choices based on our preferences.
What we are seeing today is far more sinister. It is destructive to societal cohesion and liberty. We’re seeing threats and intimidation, doxing, and people surrounding homes and calling for violence. We’re seeing deplatforming and those with power controlling the narrative. We’re seeing free speech taken away on college campuses - even those that are government property, where the First Amendment is supposed to be the law of the land. We’re seeing the Orwellian Memory Hole and the active use of Soviet-style propaganda in academia, government, and the workplace. We’re seeing states, here and around the world, seeking to use the force of law to censor and enforce compliance.
So where is the outrage from Lear and Meathead? And of course, they say nothing about any of this inhumane use of compulsion. Boomers, who used to put “Question Authority” stickers on their bumpers, have become like Rolf from “The Sound of Music,” using whatever authoritarian means they can muster to quash dissent and to adopt Archie Bunker’s frequent command to his wife: “Stifle.” Meathead has now become Archie. The hoary-headed hippies now want respect as “elder statesmen” - when their old mantra “Never trust anyone over thirty” has come full circle, as their old revolutionary progressivism has led to a dismissal of any claims that they might have had as leaders. We all see their double-standard and their hypocrisy, and they are well-beyond their own spoilage date.
“Soap” came to an end in 1981. “All in the Family” fizzled out in 1979. The 1980s led the country in a different direction, one that sought value in continuity and tradition, one that valued free markets precisely because it helps everyone: especially the poor and minorities. Ironically, one of the spinoffs of “All in the Family” was “The Jeffersons,” a sitcom featuring a black family that was upwardly mobile thanks to the free-enterprise system that Norman Lear and Meathead tried so hard to denigrate and destroy.
By the end of the 1980s, we saw Marxism for what it really was: corrupt oppression. We saw the peoples of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe reject Norman Lear and Meathead and turn again to tradition, religion, and advocacy of markets that were mocked in the ridiculous character of Archie Bunker. We saw the Gulag camps emptied. We saw churches spring up. We saw the Berlin Wall tumble, as people were once again free to travel, to trade, and to worship. We saw Norman Lear and Meathead’s Utopia crumble, even as Neil Young cashed in by singing “Rockin’ in the Free World” in 1989, making a lot of money celebrating the triumph of Archie Bunker’s values and the fall of World Meatheadism.
Of course, the leftist counter-culture has always been “Socialism for Thee, but Free Enterprise for Me.” multimillionaire John Lennon sang the Communist paean “Imagine” - “Imagine no possessions” while driving a Rolls Royce and living a life as opulent as any conservative politician or huckster TV preacher. Gazillionaire George Harrison sat in the lotus position singing about the superiority of the spiritual to the material, all the while living in mansions and singing a protest song that could accurately be titled “Taxation is Theft.” So much for all the “fair share” rhetoric from the Left. Then again, Lear and Meathead aren’t exactly living hand to mouth in a commune either.
But the real target isn’t merely free enterprise or bourgeois culture: it’s really Christianity itself. To Hollywood, traditional values, conservatism, and conformity to the reality of natural law is all represented by the cross, and it is loathsome to our self-proclaimed and anointed elites. The cultural revolutionaries sew chaos, and we Christians are foolish not to recognize it and instead to participate in it, allowing ourselves to sink generationally into the quicksand one inch at a time, selling out our children and grandchildren with each and every guffaw we join ourselves to on the phony laugh-track.
We don’t need to control the behavior of others. Rather we need to opt out, refuse to comply, turn off the TV, stay away from the movies designed to subvert our own children, and spend our money in our own communities and among our own people. It is they, not we, who are the people of the Gulag and the Guillotine. The Gospel is spread peacefully and voluntarily by the Word, not by threats and cancellation, not by fear and intimidation.
We offer the world a different kind of cancellation: the cancellation of the debt of sin, which ultimately cancels death.
In this episode, Harold Ristau discusses his involvement in the Freedom Convoy protests and updates us on the state of the Church and State in Canada.
For more, visit: https://www.gottesdienst.org/gottesblog/2022/2/14/an-iconic-moment-for-canada
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Harold Ristau (Professor of Theology, Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary, St. Catherines, ON, Canada)
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Sexagesima, Luke 8:4–13.
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Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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In this episode, Fritz Eckardt muses on the Book of Hebrews and what it teaches us about enduring temptation amid soft persecution.
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Regular Guest: Fr. Burnell Eckardt
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Septuagesima, Matthew 20:1–16.
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Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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Men need other men. They need fathers to grow up into men. But they also need brothers. In this episode, Ben Ball talks about the dearth of male friendship and how to counteract it, for the pastor and the lay man alike.
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Links mentioned in the episode:
- Buy Dirt, by Jordan Davis
- Study on American Male Friendship
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Ben Ball
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Two pastors thinking out loud about the upcoming Gospel reading. This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, Matthew 17:1–9.
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Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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There has been a lot of talk about the Metaverse. By all the talk, it is the new greatest thing ever. In this episode, Larry Beane points out that it is not new and it is not great. This is just the next instantiation of what has always been happening. So keep calm, stay grounded, keep it real.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Larry Beane
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Matthew 8:23–27.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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"Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. Weak men create hard times.” We’ve all heard this. But can we keep strong men in good times. What attitudes and virtues must be cultivated? And to whom can we look as heroes to learn what concretely this looks like? This episode explores the ingredients for raising up men.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Adam Koontz
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Matthew 8:1–13.
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Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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The people of Rome, Galatia, Corinth, and Ephesus could hardly not know that they were idolaters when Paul preached to them. They had idols of stone and wood and precious metals. They had temples with statues devoted to their gods. We know from Luther’s Catechisms that an idol is anything that you fear, love, and trust in above all things. We have idols too. They are not statues of stone or wood or precious metals. But they look exactly like the idols of the ancient world. In this episode, Mark Preus walks us through what they look like.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Mark Preus
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Second Sunday after Epiphany, John 2:1–11.
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Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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Identity has become our age’s watchword. And it’s entirely subjective. In this episode, Adam Koontz discusses redrawing the lines between the sacred and the so-called secular, so that we can identify not ourselves, but who is fighting against us.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Adam Koontz
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Christmas Day, John 1:1–18.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Christmas Midnight, Luke 2:1–20.
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Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Advent 4, John 1:19–28.
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Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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On Post-Evangelicalism
I ran across a fascinating article from the Washington Post called: “In a Post-Trump World, These Pastors are Ditching the Evangelical Label for Something New” by Religion Editor Sarah Pulliam Bailey - October 22, 2021. It is illustrative about the spiritual bankruptcy of Progressivism.
I decided to record a video blog going over the article.
This was my first shot at vlogging, so I did misspeak once when I referred to the Fifth Commandment (I said, “steal” when I meant “kill”). Also, I could not come up with the name “Paul Kengor” who wrote a book entitled The Devil and Karl Marx.
Since it touches on a point of controversy, I have not put it on YouTube so as not to jeopardize my channel. O I created a Rumble account and posted it there.
So you have to click the link here to watch
Read the post here: https://www.gottesdienst.org/2021/11/5/judaizing-christians-yesterday-and-today
This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Advent 3, Matthew 11:2–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Advent 2, Luke 21:25–36.
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Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Advent 1, Matthew 21:1–9.
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Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Trinity 27, Matthew 25:1–13.
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Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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There's a lot of talk these days about the duty of Christians in America to be accepting of the government's policies on open borders and refugee status. In this episode, we take a look at what the Bible says about these things and seek to apply the biblical witness to our modern discussions and provide a framework of understanding for what is God pleasing.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Trinity 26, Matthew 25:31–46.
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Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Feast of All Saints, Matthew 5:1–12.
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Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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In this Gottescast, The Gottesdienst Crowd discusses how one is to understand the Lutheran Reformation and how we thus observe it liturgically. David Petersen (pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, IN, and author of the recurring column "Commentary on the War" in the Gottesdienst Journal) joins us for the discussion.
You can read Bugenhagen's sermon for Luther's funeral here: http://luther.digitalscholarship.emory.edu/luther/luther_site/luther_frame.html
You can read Hamann's essay here: http://mercyjourney.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-false-antithesis-not-lutheran-but.html
You can read Stuckwisch's LSB Core Hymnody post here: http://sword-in-hat.blogspot.com/2007/08/lsb-core-hymnody-kernlieder.html
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Commemoration of the Reformation, John 8:31–36.
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Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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A Tale of Two Magazines
When I was in seminary (twenty years ago), we had a nickname for the Lutheran Witness. We called it the Witless. Frankly, it was not much of a witness and it was barely Lutheran.
But then, something incredible happened. It got good. It may have been when Adrienne Heins took over. There were a series of editors who seemed to have a vision of making the magazine, well, a witness, and also Lutheran. Genuinely Lutheran. Authentically Lutheran. Intentionally Lutheran. Confessional, liturgical, Gnesio, and unapologetically Lutheran.
Imagine that!
It was also aesthetically pleasing.
Not long thereafter, the souls from Dante’s concentric circles (okay, not really, that is just literary license) began to weep and gnash their teeth. There were too many C’s in the new and vastly improved Lutheran Witness, including, but not limited to the following “Seven C’s” (with apologies to Ken Ham):
- Clergy
- Collars
- Chasubles
- Crucifixes
- Chalices
- Confessions
- Church
Where are the pastors in ties and khakis and hipster tee shirts and silly hats? And why are there so many pastors anyway? Where are the feelgood fluff pieces? Where are the kinds of images that would appeal to non-Lutherans and progressives and opponents of the liturgy? And what’s with all of this Book of Concord stuff?
But weep no more, bronzies, boomers, church-growthers, imbibers of soy, and in the words of the late Reverend Professor Kurt Marquart: “little old ladies of both sexes.” For CPH has discontinued sending a free copy or two of LW to your congregation, but has started sending free bulk subscriptions of a new publication called Lutheran Life! That’s Life not Lite.
Gone are the pesky C’s. Now we have articles and a color palette to appeal to women and older folks. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But the magazine title might be more descriptive if it were called Lutheran Lady or Boomer Lutheran.
In both issues that I have looked at, the articles written by pastors feature their portraits without clericals. There isn’t a single image of a crucifix, or the inside of a church, for that matter. The first issue had one brief quote from the Small Catechism - other than that, the confessions are just not there. The entire magazine seems to be a running self-serving ad campaign for various and sundry CPH books.
The piece that really caught my eye was in the latest issue (221) called “The Virtual Church.” And if you look closely, it’s not even an article. It says “advertisement” in the fine print. It’s a slick ad masquerading as an article by a company called Vanco. Vanco is a company that benefits from “virtual church” by providing a means of making electronic payments. They are not an RSO. They have no loyalty to our Lutheran confession.
But I don’t believe in “virtual church.” My congregation did not have it, doesn’t have it, and doesn’t plan on having it. We do real church. Would you like God to virtually love you or really love you? Do you want the Lord to be virtually present, or really present. Do you want your spouse to be virtually faithful, or really faithful? Of course, the article sings the praises of “virtual” church and repeatedly orders us to “follow local laws.” They are promoting “church apps” - which, Vanco just so happens to provide.
The article tells us to disinfect stuff and wear masks. Once again, the corporate suits are clueless. We pastors have been on the front lines of all of this nonsense since day one. Moreover, different states have different situations. Do these knuckleheads really think they’re being helpful? And who at CPH thought this was something we need to read?
Did this “article,” (read advertisement) - and does this magazine itself - go through doctrinal review? The person I spoke with at CPH didn’t know. I played phone tag with a manager there and just gave up. Ultimately, it doesn’t seem to matter.
And what’s with the stock photo of fake soldiers on page 18? No insignia, name-tapes, or any identifying mark. These are models wearing costumes. We have authentic, you know real (not virtual) military personnel in the LCMS. We have a chaplain corps. We could have authenticity. So why this fake picture?
There are other criticisms I have as well, but I’ll just stop now.
Pastors, anything that gets put out for your church should pass the highest level of doctrinal review: the parochial level. You are the shepherd of your parish. You are the last gate of doctrinal review. I admit that I unthinkingly put the first issue out, being too trusting of the synod. I suspect I’m not the only one. The rest of these are going in the garbage. If CPH wants to be good stewards of their “free” magazine, they can take my congregation off the mailing list.
Meanwhile, Lutheran Witness has vanished down the memory hole, no longer promoted by CPH (who now has its own competing magazine and incentive to hide LW under a bushel). And who is paying for this? They presumably can’t eat the cost of sending a single LW to every parish, but they can print and mail bundles of 25 copies of this one? If CPH is footing the bill, maybe some of the salaries are too high. If advertisers are carrying the costs, doesn’t the piper call the tune? Maybe they could work out better deals on shipping prices instead of sending us magazines that we don’t want. I certainly never asked for this magazine.
And while the church-growthers may excitedly promote Lutheran Life, the reality is that it is not what we need to grow the church. Even as our stale one-trick-pony Church Growth experts wend their way to the glue factory, they still keep pushing the same old tired line that the key to growing the church is to ditch the liturgy. Yawn.
To use their own resource against them, a large demographic study identifies the crucial role played by fathers in the real, not virtual, growth of the church. The church needs her men to be men, to lead their families, to be their spiritual patriarchs, and to bring them to church. And so we need to start thinking about what appeals to men in the church.
It’s sure not pastel colors and touchy-feely articles about relationships. That has its place, but in church and society, anything and everything that could appeal to the masculine is being snuffed out. At least Lutheran Witness has a broader appeal to those who yearn for authenticity instead of just one more medium that is basically Oprah with a cross.
I did find out that you can talk to your district office to get a price break on bulk orders of Lutheran Witness. It’s not free, but it’s not outrageously expensive either.
And you can also order an affordable bulk subscription to Gottesdienst, as few as ten copies.
Maybe the old saying is true: You get what you pay for.
What are Ember Days? That’s the topic for this episode. Mark Braden takes us through the history and how one might observe them today at church and perhaps even at home. ----more----
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Mark Braden
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Draconis Cauda
“In addition to all this, this dragon’s tail, [I mean] the Mass, has begotten a numerous vermin-brood of manifold idolatries.” — SA 2:11
“In our churches Mass is celebrated every Sunday and on other festivals when the sacrament is offered to those who wish for it after they have been examined and absolved. We keep traditional liturgical forms, such as the order of the lessons, prayers, vestments, etc.” — AP 24:1
The Tail of the Dragon is a popular stretch of road for tourists near the Tennessee-North Carolina border. It boasts 318 curves in 11 miles. It is especially iconic among motorcyclists. I ride with a good group of guys who get together a couple times a year. For the past two years, the Tail of the Dragon didn’t work out for me because of weather issues - though one brave soul from our band of brothers rode it in the rain this year.
Luther used the term (Drachenschwanz, draconis cauda) in reference to “the Mass” in the Smalcald Articles in our Book of Concord. As anyone who has ever used language in his life knows, context matters in determining the meaning of a word. There is a huge difference between a road in Tennessee and a set of papal liturgical prayers rejected by 16th century reformers. Somehow, confessional Lutheran motorcyclists manage to keep these terms straight.
A similar contextual matter is the word “catholic.” It can be used in modern English as shorthand to refer to the papal church, but it is also used in the ecumenical creeds to mean the very opposite of a specific denomination. We LCMS Lutherans compromise by translating “catholic” from the Apostles and Nicene Creeds as “Christian” (following the pre-Luther German translation), while retaining the word “catholic” in the Athanasian Creed (see LSB 319-320). The hue and cry against using “catholic” in our creeds as “confusing” is drowned out by millions of Methodists and Presbyterians and Anglicans who aren’t confused at all. Maybe Lutherans are not as smart as they are. Maybe we are just more easily confused.
Although we somehow aren’t confused by our retention of the sign of the cross. But that’s another story for another day.
At any rate, theology is an -ology, a realm of the Logos, of words and logic. And theology, like other intellectual endeavors, uses words in multiple contexts. There are often “broad” and “narrow” uses of specific terminology. Admittedly, this takes a certain degree of sophistication and literacy, one that may well be at odds with our current generational use of language as captured by the movie Idiocracy:
But the English language had deteriorated into a hybrid of hillbilly, valley girl, inner city slang, and various grunts.
And this brings me to my point.
A pastor, who was arguing for “contemporary worship,” scolded me for using the word “Mass” (as in the quote from Article 24 above that describes authentic Lutheran worship to mean the traditional Mass with “traditional liturgical forms” and the traditional “lessons, prayers, vestments, etc.” ). You know, the kind of things that his ilk thinks that should be ”abolished” instead of “retained” and “celebrated with the highest reverence.”
He said:
Luther called the Mass the tail of Satan [sic], so maybe stop using that word, kk?
Kk? When middle-aged people try to sound youthful and hip, it reminds me of the powerful and pathetic scene from Sunset Boulevard when Gloria Swanson’s character, desperately clinging to her lost youth, utters the iconic line: “All right, Mr. DeMille. I’m ready for my close-up.” For some reason, a lot of Peter Pan pastors try to delude themselves into thinking they are still the 20-something vicar taking a group of high schoolers mini-golfing and trying to fit in with the kiddos. Maybe that’s part of our Idiocracy degradation of language.
But at any rate, the word Mass is not only the title of Article 24 in both the Augsburg Confession and the Apology - describing the Lutheran Divine Service (the latter being the longest and most detailed treatment of worship in the Book of Concord), it is by far the single most common word used to describe our services of the Lord’s Supper in our confessions. Moreover, Dr. Luther, whose remark about the tail of the dragon is part of our Book of Concord, published his first two evangelical revisions of the liturgy using the word Mass (in Latin in 1523 and in German in 1526).
In just the Augsburg Confession, the liturgy (not the “tail of the dragon” that is, the canon of the Mass) is called “Mass” about 31 times (depending on whether one is counting it in the Latin or the German as rendered into English). The Apology has 73 such uses. Math majors will note that this exceeds 100 such uses. Article 2 of the Smalcald Articles frequently refers to the Mass, but right off the bat explicitly qualifies the context as “The Mass of the papacy” - to distinguish this context from the evangelical Mass.
Apology 27 speaks of the “abuses of the Mass” - which we reject, not the Mass itself. Abusus not tollit usum, as the kids say.
If you’ve ever been around a random group of pastors, you’ll note that it really is a Tale of Two Synods. We speak two different languages. And this is no surprise. For what we imbibe spiritually and intellectually eventually makes it way out of our mouths linguistically. If we are immersed in the Bible, the Confessions, and the hymnody of the Church, we will naturally speak that way - in the same way that guys who ride motorcycles have certain turns of phrase that we pick up along the way. But if our Bibles and Books of Concord are collecting cobwebs, if the Psalms do not shape our daily piety of prayer and worship, if we are listening to neo-Evangelical pop music stations, reading neo-Evangelical books about Christianity, and adopting neo-Evangelical worship styles and gestures (in which raised hands replaces the sign of the cross), it should shock nobody that we will start talking, acting, worshiping, and believing like neo-Evangelicals.
This is the reason that a congregation that retains the Mass is much more likely to have the sacrament at every Sunday service, and those with the praise band are more likely to celebrate it infrequently. This is why liturgical parishes and pastors are much more likely to offer and incorporate private confession and absolution into their Christian life and piety than a congregation that is more interested in cupholders and casual attire. This is also why you are more likely to find solid cruciform preaching in liturgical parishes instead of fluff in non-liturgical parishes.
As a convert to Lutheranism, I’m utterly appalled by how many cradle-Lutherans, laity and clergy alike, are so quick to barter away their birthright for a bowl of slop. Our Lord offers us meat, while many of our pastors grow pudgy and weak stuffing themselves on Twinkies.
The first step toward becoming authentically Lutheran again is to once more immerse ourselves in the Bible and Confessions, to let the Word of God shape our prayers and worship, and to confess, that is, to repeat the language of the inspired Scriptures and its correct exposition bequeathed to us by the blood of the martyrs.
In the 16th century, the dragon’s tail appeared among us in the form of the canon of the Mass, which led our people away from the grace of Christ to focus on themselves. Today, the dragon’s tail comes among us yet again in the form of a blend of self-centered entertainment and emotion, replacing the Mass, which leads our people away from the grace of Christ to yet again focus on themselves.
Let us get back to where this language not only describes us, but shapes our piety:
Falsely are our churches accused of abolishing the Mass; for the Mass is retained among us, and celebrated with the highest reverence. Nearly all the usual ceremonies are also preserved, save that the parts sung in Latin are interspersed here and there with German hymns, which have been added to teach the people. For ceremonies are needed to this end alone that the unlearned be taught [what they need to know of Christ]. And not only has Paul commanded to use in the church a language understood by the people but it has also been so ordained by man’s law.
The people are accustomed to partake of the Sacrament together, if any be fit for it, and this also increases the reverence and devotion of public worship. For none are admitted except they be first examined. The people are also advised concerning the dignity and use of the Sacrament, how great consolation it brings anxious consciences, that they may learn to believe God, and to expect and ask of Him all that is good.
[In this connection they are also instructed regarding other and false teachings on the Sacrament.] This worship pleases God; such use of the Sacrament nourishes true devotion toward God. It does not, therefore, appear that the Mass is more devoutly celebrated among our adversaries than among us.
~ AC 24:1-9
Amen.
This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Trinity 21, John 4:46–54.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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The Flexibility of the Liturgy
The detractors of The Gottesdienst Crowd often create a caricature of our advocacy for liturgy, and then beat the stuffing out of that strawman. They accuse us of simply promoting “what we like.” We have been called “liturgical pietists” and “chancel prancers.” We’re accused of legalism and inflexibility.
The sad part is that our detractors are missing the great benefits and blessings of the liturgy.
We know that the liturgy teaches, as ceremonies are catechetical, according to our confessions. The liturgy is inclusive, as people all around the world can gather together to give praise and glory to God, and to receive His sacred gifts - even if there is a language barrier. The liturgy is truly “unity in diversity” in a good and edifying sense. The liturgy does not exclude young children, the handicapped, people of vastly different cultures, or people suffering with cognitive disabilities. The liturgy doesn’t focus on one form of pop music to the exclusion of everyone else outside of one target demographic. The liturgy is portable, requires no special equipment, and can be done in adverse conditions.
This year, my congregation, Salem Lutheran Church in Gretna, Louisiana missed the Sunday Divine Service for August 29: the Feast of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. We cancelled service because we found ourselves in the path of what was being predicted to be a possible Category 5 hurricane which was given the name “Ida.” The Feast of the Martyrdom of John was also the 16th anniversary of when we were hit by Hurricane Katrina back in 2005 - two weeks after I received my call to serve at Salem.
So those of us who did not evacuate made our preparations, gassed up our generators, prayed, watched, and waited. Our deacon and his wife opened their home to several members of the parish, as they have a whole-house generator. The next day, after the storm hit and passed not far to our west, my wife and I headed over to the deacon’s house for fellowship and the mutual consolation of the brethren.
I grabbed some hymnals and my Treasury of Daily Prayer. We gathered in the living room, and I led a Matins service. Several of us knew the service, others did not. We simply followed the liturgy in the hymnal, the lectionary in the Treasury, and I read the assigned meditation for the day. The Lord spoke to us in Psalm 29:1-4, 10-11 (which we chanted) . He reminded us of His power over thunder, water, and floods, and that He is enthroned in the heavens:
Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever. May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless[a] his people with peace!
These were words of comfort from the Scriptures themselves. There were no puppet show, no gimmicks, no “children’s messages”, no jokes, no emotional pop music, and no hipster posing. We did not need a drum kit, guitars, nor even electricity (though we did have that thanks to the generator). We sang “Let All Together Praise Our God” (LSB 389), which takes our attention from ourselves and places it on the Most Holy Trinity, reminding us of our Lord Jesus Christ who “undertakes a great exchange, puts on our human frame, and in return gives us His realm, His glory and His name.” Some of us were were looking at the possibility of complete devastation of their homes and perhaps even massive losses of life in our area. The liturgy is appropriate in good times, bad times, times of joy, times of sorrow, times of intense anxiety, and times of relief.
The New Testament reading was 2 Corinthians 8:1-24, in which the apostle exhorts the Christians in Corinth to generosity, and reminds them of the selfless generosity of the churches in Macedonia…
in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.
After the storm, we were grateful to know that our sanctuary stood firm with no damage, but our school and church office buildings have severe roof damage, leaving us in a position of dire need. The Holy Spirit’s exhortation to generosity was once again something we needed to hear, as we are going to have to sacrifice for the sake of our church’s property.
The meditation for the day came from the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Article 15, reminding us that “No tradition was set up by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of meriting the forgiveness of sins, or righteousness. Rather, they were instituted for the sake of good order in the Church.”
My parishioners that gathered to hear the Word of the Lord and to sing the Office of Matins ranged from a boy of nine to folks in their sixties. We come from different walks of life, but are united by the bonds of our confession and our status as baptized children of God in this place, facing these circumstances. We listen to different kinds of music, have different tastes in reading, and have a diversity of hobbies and interests. But we were able to unite around the ancient prayer offices, the constant and unchanging Word, a hymn that pointed us to Jesus, the cross, and the Gospel, and we heard anew the words of our confessions, which indeed are catechetical and confessional, but are also a proclamation and exposition of God’s Word.
Two days later, we would take the words of Apology 15 to heart as we gathered in our hot and humid sanctuary to celebrate the Feast of St. John’s Martyrdom as transferred to the midweek service. We usually hold our midweek Mass at 7:30 pm, but given the lack of power and the 6:00 pm curfew imposed to discourage both looters and driving in the pitch blackness, we moved the service to 4:00 pm. We fired up the generator and used two bright lights to illuminate the inside of the church. We ran a fan to circulate the air a bit. We gathered with hymnals in hand and sang the Common Service (Divine Service Three) a capella. We made a couple conservative changes based on our circumstances: lacking bulletins, we omitted the Introit and the Gradual, and we had no distribution hymns. Other than that, the liturgy was the same as it always is.
I preached a sermon based on the text.
Our sermon hymn was “By All Your Saints in Warfare” with the appropriate stanza to honor John’s martyrdom. We also sang “Now Thank We All Our God” as the opening hymn, and closed with the Common Doxology. Some of my parishioners wore shorts and tee shirts. I wore black pants and a black short-sleeve clergy shirt. I did not wear my usual cassock, alb, and chasuble. I wore a red stole. Traditions indeed provide for order in the church, and order is comforting when hurricanes come and bring destruction and change. Traditions anchor us to that which is unchanging. And yet, we have the Christian freedom to alter or modify traditions based on circumstances. To the contrary of the aforementioned straw man argument aimed at The Gottesdienst Crowd, we confess this flexibility and our Christian liberty, while not willy-nilly tossing our traditions that have served the Church for centuries. Indeed, especially in dire times and circumstances, tradition is a great comfort.
Christians can gather in the Divine Service in just about any circumstance, as our Lord instituted a simple, low tech rite: words, bread, wine. And embedded in the requirement of “words” is the liturgy, an unchanging and familiar dialogue between celebrant and people, familiar prayers between the people and God, and the comfort of the Word of God that does not change.
The consistency of the liturgy provides us with an anchor when the seas are tossing and turning, when the tempest rages, when death lurks, when the flesh rebels, and when the devil prowls. The old adage Repetitio est mater studiorum (Repetition is the mother of learning) is true. The more we know from memory, the better. Memorizing biblical passages, liturgical rites, and well-worn well-known hymns is a bulwark against tyrants who would conspire to rob our children and grandchildren of their faith.
A few weeks ago, the Gottesdienst editors held our annual retreat. Several editors and bloggers had to get back home, and so at the very end, we were left with five of us. We wanted to pray one more time together before our departure. We did not have enough hymnals to go around. That didn’t matter. We simply sang the service from memory, even singing in harmony.
Liturgy is not just for the Sunday service. It is also for small groups, for families, and for individuals. The Treasury of Daily Prayer is a flexible resource that can be used for family devotions, for the daily office, for the Psalter, for daily Scripture reading, and for meditations to use as one wishes. If one prefers Gregorian Chant, the Brotherhood Prayer Book is an excellent resource. Liturgy can be as simple or as elaborate as circumstances allow. And the Treasury is even accessible on your phone or iPad in the form of the Pray Now app.
The liturgy is God’s word given voice by both repetition and variety, by both tradition and flexibility. It is portable, requires no special technology or elaborate set-up. It can be memorized, sung by thousands, or it can be prayed silently, spoken, or chanted by an individual.
The liturgy reminds us, and allows us to partake in the reality that:
The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty…. May the Lord give strength to His people! May the Lord bless His people with peace!
Amen.
We know and believe that Jesus is both God and man: two natures, one person. But we often pass over thinking about his humanity. What does it mean for Jesus to be man, to grow in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men? What does that look like. In this episode, Chris Seifferlein (Pastor of Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Lititz, PA) took the time to flesh this out for students, parents, and teachers in an opening address at Veritas Academy. You can read his address HERE.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Christopher Seifferlein
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Trinity 20, Matthew 22:1–14.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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How were Lutheran pastors before the 1950s taught homiletics? What were their go-to text books? How did they envision the task of preaching? What were the stated purposes and goals of preaching? What were the assumed prerequisites of preaching? Adam Koontz (professor of Exegetical Theology at CTSFW) and I take up these questions as we look at an obscure Lutheran from the early Twentieth Century, Reinhold Pieper.
Dr. Koontz has written on this topic HERE.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Adam Koontz
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Trinity 19, Matthew 9:1-8.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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On the Gottesblog, Larry Beane has written extensively about the relation of doctrine and practice. He has also tackled issues of differences between doctrine and cultural issues within the synod. In this episode, it is all discussed under one heading: A Tale of Two Synods. How can there be such a variety of positions in liturgical practice and cultural stances when we have the same doctrine, and at least, on paper agree what that doctrine means?
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Larry Beane
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Trinity 18, Matthew 22:34-46.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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In the first part of this series, a follow up to the episode on the Persuasiveness and Pervasiveness of Feminism, David Ramirez and I looked at the roots of feminism and why it’s so hard resist, and Satan’s back door of bringing feminism into the church: Complementarianism. In this part, part 2, we look at what is actually commanded in the Scripture, that is, what God’s good order actually looks like. We also seek to answer objections.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Trinity 17, Luke 14:1–11.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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Did Luther Actually Say...?
“If men only believe enough in Christ they can commit adultery and murder a thousand times a day without periling their salvation.” — MARTIN LUTHER
“This is truly one of the most disturbing things Martin Luther ever said. He would have done well to remember the words of St. Paul, ‘Shall we go on sinning that grace may increase? God forbid it!’ Romans 6:1-2.
I know that Luther is a very important figure for those in protestantism, for those in the cults, and even for secularists, since all of them trace their movements to a great degree to what Luther did.
However, the idea that a person can rape and murder their [sic] way into heaven because they [sic] have ‘imputed’ righteousness should be abhorrent to anyone who has the Holy Spirit dwelling in them [sic]. And I think statements like this should at least make us pause and reconsider whether his influence has been for better or worse.” — A SOCIAL MEDIA WRITER WHO DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS A "THEOLOGIAN, MYSTIC, AND PHILOSOPHER"
The above quote attributed to Luther was used by a Facebook friend to make a case against forensic justification. It seems this is from Table Talk, though I did not invest the time to run down the quote and secure a page number. But assuming that the quote is true, Dr. Luther’s critic puts words into the Wittenberg reformer’s mouth, that Luther is expressing a belief that “a person can rape and murder their [sic] way into heaven.”
It should be obvious to any scholarly opponent of Luther that this is clearly not the argument that he is making. He is clearly employing the literary device of hyperbole to make a point. It is apparent to anyone willing to be fair-minded about the whole thing that Luther nowhere argues that a person can rape and murder his way into heaven, but rather the argument is that God’s grace is greater even than the sins of the world.
The use of hyperbole and other figures of speech is nothing new when it comes to theology. In fact, our Lord shocked His hearers by saying that they should poke out their own eyes and chop off their hands and hate their parents, wives, children, and siblings. St. Paul cited an old saying that people living on the Greek Island of Crete “are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons,” adding, “This testimony is true.” One of Paul’s more amusing turns of phrase intended for effect is that he wished the guys making such a fuss about circumcision would go big or go home, so to speak, and chop off the whole kit and caboodle. That is, of course, a paraphrase, and it has nothing to do with certain surgical procedures that are all the rage right now.
For as long as men have put pen to paper, or chisel to stone, there have been figures of speech. Our Lord often spoke in this way, to the point where the disciples one day were stunned when he spoke to them literally, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech!”
So I find it hard to believe that a self-professed theologian and philosopher should be dumbstruck by something like a figure of speech on the part of a theologian - especially one as prolific and playful with language as Dr. Martin Luther. In fact, there’s a whole lot more where that came from! It’s certainly not an honest way to frame someone’s beliefs based on a figure of speech pulled out of context. And in fact, this treatment of Luther is not unlike the stunt pulled on our Lord at His trial before the Sanhedrin, when one of His figures of speech was trotted out and trumped up as evidence to suggest that our Lord should be tried as a terrorist under Imperial jurisdiction (where there was conveniently a death penalty). After all, Jesus was conspiring to start an insurrection by talking about destroying buildings. Yes. I’m sure it was an honest mistake on their part rather than the deliberate and dishonest placing of words into our Lord’s mouth. And by the way, what I just said was sarcasm, another literary device.
As far as defending Luther goes, it goes without saying that Luther was wrong about many things. By definition, he was a poor miserable sinner just like the rest of us, with his own foibles and errors, poor judgment, subject to mental lapses, and with more than enough ability to be wrong about things. That’s the nature of being a fallen human being. And many non-Lutherans are under the impression that we canonize Luther’s words or treat his writings like sacred oracles. Though history has tagged us with the label “Lutherans,” it does not follow that we are “Lutherists” or “Lutherolatrists.” And it also goes without saying that Luther was a brilliant and prolific theologian, professor, scholar, church father, lecturer, preacher, and debater. But again, we do not impute infallibility to him, even though his name was put upon us. But Luther’s greatest work was not in the scholarly realm, but in the pastoral. For when He spoke the words of Holy Scripture, he was infallible. When he pronounced absolution, he spoke as an oracle of God - as do all pastors. His greatest works were his evangelical proclamation, baptizing, absolving, and administering the Holy Eucharist, speaking and acting ex officio in the stead and by the command of Christ.
Perhaps some Lutherans go too far in their admiration of Luther. And perhaps this is an unfortunate result of his name being placed on those of us whose churches confess the Augsburg Confession. All that said, Luther is as entitled as anyone else of being quoted fairly, in having figures of speech interpreted as they were intended, and not in a comical, cartoonish literal sense that would make him out to be a monster - which is precisely what this writer did.
As far as the author’s invocation of Romans 6:1-2, Luther did indeed “remember the words of St. Paul,” and what’s more, he preached, lectured, and wrote on these very verses - even as he lectured extensively on the Epistle to the Romans.
Lecturing on Genesis 29:1-3, probably in 1542, Luther cites Romans 6:2:
“For promises are not given for the purpose of snoring, loafing, and sleeping, or for doing what is in conflict with the promise. No, they are given for working, being watchful, and bearing fruit. Thus I am not baptized, do not partake of the Lord’s Supper, and am not absolved for the purpose of sleeping and snoring at home in idleness. But if you have the promise, Baptism, and absolution, remember that you have been called to be watchful and to be anxiously concerned about the things that pertain to your faith and calling. ‘How can we who died to sin still live in it?’ says St. Paul (Rom 6:2). We are not absolved from sins in order that we may live for them and serve them, but in order that we may fight against them and stoutly persevere in the promise, in order that I may chastise and mortify my flesh and bear it with a calm mind when God imposes a cross, in order that we may be purged and bring forth richer fruit. ‘By this,’ says Christ, ‘My heavenly Father is glorified, if you become my disciples,’ (cf. John 15:8); that is, if you suffer as I did, and if you become like Me. For he who is not a ‘Crosstian.’ so to speak, is not a Christian; for he is not like Christ, his Teacher.” — AE 5:274
Or consider Luther’s lecture on Isaiah 43 (covering verse 24, probably in 1529) in which he posits: “Only this teaching of Christ frees us from our burden. One has sinned, another bears the punishment…. The sinner does not make satisfaction: the Satisfier does not sin. This is an astounding doctrine.” He goes on to say how this doctrine of Christ’s satisfaction for us can well be abused:
“This teaching opens window and door to carnal people, who say, ‘Let us do evil that good may come of it, because we have someone to make satisfaction’ (cf. Rom 6:1). Although this offense arises, this teaching must not be silenced. Scripture fights against it altogether. If we are freed from sins, it is not proper for us to take them up again. As if one cured and freed from a fever should embrace it again by an evil and extravagant life.” — AE: 17:99
In his 1539 treatise On the Councils and the Church, Dr. Luther also famously railed against antinomians who might have said something like “Listen! Though you are an adulterer, a whoremonger, a miser, or other kind of sinner, if you but believe, you are saved, and you need not fear the law. Christ has fulfilled it all!” To this, Luther replied: “For there is no such Christ that died for sinners who do not, after the forgiveness of sins, desist from sins and lead a new life.”
So our self-described theologian, mystic, and philosopher - who deduces that Luther was somehow teaching the ability to “rape and murder [one’s] way into heaven”, and that this is the result of the doctrine of imputed righteousness - has either not read very much of Luther’s works, or he is deliberately lying to defame and debase, and to win people dishonestly to his side. The charitable thing would be to conclude the former (that is, ignorance) rather than the latter (that is, malice).
In this first episode of a two-part series, a follow up to the episode on the Persuasiveness and Pervasiveness of Feminism, David Ramirez and I look at the roots of feminism and why it’s so hard resist, and Satan’s back door of bringing feminism into the church: Complementarianism.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. David Ramirez
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Weaponized Vice
How often have you heard people say that all sins are equal?
If that’s the case, committing genocide is the moral equivalent of copying your friend’s homework in fifth grade. Yes, both are sins. Yes, both can be mortal sins if one doesn’t repent. Yes, both break the commandments (the former the fifth, the latter the seventh) - and yes, someone is going to point out that other commandments are involved here too.
But even the most dogmatic Lutheran will be forced to admit that there are indeed worse sins than others.
There is a category of sin that is known as “vice.” Vices are sinful personal failings that are not acts of aggression against someone else. One could call them “victimless” crimes. And yes, I realize that there are unintended “victims” of vices (such as family members of a father with a gambling addiction) - but there is a categorical difference between a man who physically rapes a woman vs. a passing lustful thought. Even the most doctrinaire Lutheran would probably not want people jailed or sent to the gallows for gossip or for coveting thy neighbor’s Mercedes.
There is a danger that Pharisaic people make a big deal out of vices for the purpose of pointing to their own self-righteousness. A teetotaler may enjoy gossiping about the crowd gathered in the bar for happy hour. Someone with no interest in gambling may scowl at the betting going on at horse races. The war on vices has led to blue laws and even national alcohol prohibition, not to mention the horrific unintended consequences of the War on Drugs. Censorship has now come full circle and is being used to stifle the free speech of conservatives and Christians.
Examples of vice abound. Every family and every community have examples of those who go a little overboard with the drinking. Aunt Sally may not be face down in the ditch, but maybe she has one or two too many and begins to embarrass herself. Your brother in law Bill may foolishly blow his tax refund at the casino, but he’s a young single guy with a lot of money, so it’s not that big a deal. Nobody is calling for his excommunication or for a police investigation.
And in days past, everyone had an uncle who was unmarried, who always seemed to have a close male friend hanging around, who went out to bars on the weekend. Everybody knew that he had same-sex attraction issues, but nobody berated him for it, but neither did anyone condone it. So, he wasn’t ostracized from the family - he was your uncle after all - but neither did he bring up sodomy at the Thanksgiving table. There was a social arrangement. And as long as he stayed away from underage young men, there was a sense of tolerance toward his vice. The pastor may have even given him communion because his sexual proclivities were so well hidden that he genuinely didn’t know. Or maybe your gay uncle knew that this was a sinful lifestyle. Maybe he even confessed to the pastor and struggled against this sin - you wouldn’t know because it’s none of your business, and the pastor probably knows more than you think he does.
But we live in a different era. It is as if everything before 2015 was the age of black and white television and Marcus Welby doling out paternal advice on “Father Knows Best.” Today, homosexuality is no longer considered by society as a whole to be a vice, but a virtue. It is a point of pride. It is socially celebrated without exception in movies, TV, music, and every aspect of popular culture. There are local holidays and lurid celebratory parades. It is venerated by mental health professionals and politicians, and now the celebrated category even includes people with sexual fetishes, gender dysphoria, and a host of subjective sexual issues. But nearly every sexual vice has been metamorphized into being the the moral equivalent of, if not the superior to, heterosexuality. At this point, even pedophilia and bestiality are losing their stigma. And there is a concerted effort to normalize sexual deviancy even to pre-school children.
I recently saw a back-and-forth on social media between a rostered LCMS male teacher at a Lutheran high school whose FB profile includes a pro-LGBT statement and the six-color rainbow. He also happens to champion Critical Race Theory. When he was challenged on it, he did not address the questions, but simply retorted that “there are gay members of the LCMS” and that people “seem awfully hung up on one sin out of millions.” He never answered the question about whether this view of sexuality was congruent with the Scriptures. He ended up just deleting the thread.
In this day and age when Critical Theory and the endorsement and celebration of violations of the Sixth Commandment have become the norm in the secular world, parents who don’t want their children “educated” in this manner either homeschool or put their children in Christian schools. They especially turn to LCMS institutions, given our confession of the infallibility of Scripture and the role of the Word of God as the “norming norm” to which we unconditionally submit. For this is not the case with denomination after denomination that has surrendered to the world.
So why do we have a rostered teacher who is openly flouting and celebrating adultery?
That’s what homosexuality and other sexual proclivities celebrated by the secular culture are according to our Small Catechism. Sexuality is a matter of holy matrimony - between one man and one woman for life. In the church, we don’t wave flags celebrating divorce. We don’t throw a party when a man is unfaithful to his wife. We don’t tell an unrepentant woman that she is “courageous” for admitting that she cheats on her husband and has no intention of stopping. We don’t have a parade to laud people for looking at pornography.
But the vice is now a virtue. It is no longer a vice. This alternative morality, this rejection of Scripture, is being normalized even in our churches. We had at least one Concordia in our university system that had a student club dedicated to the breaking of the Sixth Commandment: an adultery club that met with the blessing of the former university president. Why not a pro-abortion club? Why not a club dedicated to profaning the name of God? Why not a club dedicated to character assassination? Why not a club mocking the idea of church attendance?
This teacher’s line of reasoning that the Sixth Commandment is being treated differently than all the others is actually true. One could not imagine him promoting Atheism or lusting after his neighbor’s wife or committing acts of aggression against other people or even killing them - without incurring the ire of the school’s administration or the District President. But this teacher’s advocacy of adultery - specifically the socially acceptable variation of sexual inclinations and behaviors that are not heterosexual - seems to be just fine.
What we are seeing all around us is weaponized vice.
The old social contract of not persecuting your “happy” uncle so long as he was not making it public and keeping his activities between consenting adults has been torn up. Now, your uncle is on a rampage. He will compel business owners to violate their consciences. He will sue them and harass them. He will show up at your church with his friends and protest outside. He will call you names and make you out to be the moral reprobate. He will dox you at your job and try to render you impoverished and socially ostracized. Some of his friends will insist on their right to expose their genitals to women and girls in a spa. He will argue in court for the right of school children to use whatever bathrooms and dressing rooms that they like, and will argue that you parents have no say in the matter. He will make sure that the virtue of violating the Sixth Commandment makes its way to children’s TV shows, cereal boxes, and even on the flagpole at the hospital where Christian families may be dealing with illness in the family. He will make sure that his flag flies alongside of national and historical flags - even at American embassies. He will successfully agitate so that federal government jobs include a day set apart to honor the violation of the Sixth Commandment and that all employees will take part. Any Christian who so much as winces will be written up or fired.
And now, he will also insist that rostered LCMS teachers celebrate the breaking of the Sixth Commandment, and the school administration and the District President will either pretend not to see it or openly support it.
In time, we will get new pastors and seminary professors who will read the Sixth Commandment - and all of the Bible - with a different hermeneutic, one befitting of a hashtag campaign. In time, our churches will redefine marriage to conform to the state and to the New Orthodoxy. And whatever pockets of resistance that are left will just be marginalized and bulldozed over. And who’s to say the Nine Commandments in our catechism won’t become the Eight Commandments, or the Two Commandments, or the Zero Commandments?
We either hold to our confession, or we change it. He either hold our RSOs and DP’s accountable, or we will not. We either believe the Holy Scriptures and submit to them, or we don’t.
This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Trinity 16, Luke 7:11-17.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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We Will Not Shut Up
The Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear arguments against a new Texas law that outlaws abortion once the child has a heartbeat. President Harrison caught a lot of grief - even from many claiming to be LCMS members - because he wrote on the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod Facebook page (September 6, 2021, 9:56 AM), “Thank God the folks in Texas and on the SCOTUS think 63,000,000 dead babies is enough.”
For this advocacy of human life, President Harrison was pilloried. In the comment thread, the Synod President doubled down: “SIXTY THREE million. I’m just not shuttin up.”
And this is precisely what his detractors want. They want to gag him, our church body, and members of Synod, including pastors and representatives of our schools and universities from expressing any support of the pro-life movement. The arguments are the usual canards: we hate women, we only care about babies when they’re in the womb and when they’re born we don’t care about them, men have no right to an opinion on this issue, we don’t support crisis pregnancy centers, the Bible never addresses abortion, the Bible was only written by men, etc.
One lady decided to take a different tack with me. She attacked my personal Facebook posts dealing with politics and historiography. What this has to do with the Abortion Holocaust is beyond me. It is a classic case of ad hominem argumentation, gaslighting, and passive aggression. I’m not going to be bullied or intimidated.
But it is also a case of deflection.
The new Texas law doesn’t outlaw all abortions, but it goes a long way towards defending the innocents in utero (which all of us were at one time, and which our Lord Himself was as well). Ad hominems and deflection are actually the best strategy that pro-abortion Christians - especially LCMS members who are angry about the new Texas law and are on the attack against President Harrison and other members of Synod who support it - can muster.
The best argument for supporting the new Texas law and supporting similar laws to be passed in other states is the simple reality of what the law now bans. Here is a video. And although it is an illustration, it is still disturbing and horrifying. You may not even want to watch it. But those who support abortion as a right, those who oppose the new Texas law, those who are lambasting President Harrison really should watch this:
As you can see, even the decidedly left-biased YouTube finds this too intense to imbed in this article. To watch it, you have to click on the YouTube link and state that you are 18 years of age or older. This is the way our society used to deal with pornography. We all intuitively know across the political spectrum that this procedure is barbaric and morally indefensible. And that is why the argument has to be deflected to ad hominems and discussions of anything and everything except what exactly happens to the baby.
Although the lady’s attack on my views of American History are an irrelevant distraction, there is something to be said about historical symbols of the past and why it is not wrong to honor our ancestors and our heritage in spite of their flaws.
When I’m in uniform, I stand at attention when the flag of the United States is posted. I salute the flag. The flag represents my home and my American ancestors who were already here before the United States was founded. Many of them fought in the War for American Independence and in subsequent conflicts. I have affection for the flag in spite of the fact that it flew over slave ships, segregation, war crimes, ethnic internment camps, adventurous imperialism, and in spite of the fact that every stripe represents a slave state when the states declared their independence. Moreover, Old Glory flies over the Holocaust of the Unborn: 63,000,000 children killed in utero with the protection and blessing of the United States government, namely the Federal court system and the Supreme Court. The decree Roe v. Wade compelled all of the states to legalize, allow, and defend infanticide within their borders. At the time of Roe, gone was the old federalism of the founders that decentralized such decisions and allowed the people of the states to protect the unborn. Hamiltonian Nationalism replaced Jeffersonian Federalism (states’ rights), and until now, the State of Texas has been powerless to protect the powerless.
Without the top-down Hamiltonian interpretation of the Constitution - not as a compact between the states but as the master of the states - converting the states into provinces of a single unitary state - my own State of Louisiana and many other states (especially, but not only in the South) would have passed laws protecting the unborn. Perhaps the pendulum is now starting to shift from Hamilton to Jefferson, and maybe a new federalism and decentralization of authority from Washington will once more allow the people of the states to protect our little ones without interference from Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court. I’m certain the Nationalists won’t simply roll over. This may lead to court-packing so they can maintain their dominance over the Jeffersonian view and over human life itself.
And speaking of Jefferson, I have a bust of him, admire him, and consider him to be a great man. To many people, this would make me a “racist.” But that just isn’t true. I honor Jefferson because of his greatness and because of his ideas of decentralized government and the idea that rights come from God and not from the State. I don’t honor Jefferson because he was a slaveowner, because of his 18th century views on race, or because he did not believe in the divinity of Christ. I honor him in spite of those realities. The Left has no place for such nuance. This is why they are on a jihad against patriotism, against our American heritage, against our founders, and against a Jeffersonian historiography that does not interpret American history along the Socialist lines of Howard Zinn and Eric Foner.
I love my country, its history, its heritage, its heroes, and its symbols: slavery and the Holocaust of the Unborn notwithstanding. Slavery was eventually abolished, and one can hope that abortion will be as well. Perhaps a hundred years from now, there will be museums dedicated to this Holocaust, and the world will look in horror at what their ancestors did.
And nevertheless, hopefully they will continue to uphold the Fourth Commandment by honoring their male and female ancestors (as the Hebrew text reads), flawed as they were.
At any rate, thank you President Harrison and to other leaders of our Synod for defending the unborn, created in the image of God, knit together in their mothers’ wombs, known by God, and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights.
We will not shut up indeed.
In this episode, Fritz Eckardt, the Editor-in-Chief of Gottesdienst, thinks out loud about all things on his mind lately.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Fritz Eckardt
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Trinity 15, Matthew 6:24–34.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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From the moment we are born we are dying. We are brought into newness of life in Christ and the Church through the death of Holy Baptism. Much of our Lord’s teaching and the teaching of Scripture is about learning to die well, which leads to a life lived well, now and for all eternity. In this episode, Travis Berg (pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church, Latimer, IA) walks us through the art of dying well and thus living well. We will confront the charge that Christians are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good, and much more.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Travis Berg
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This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for Trinity 14, Luke 17:11–19.
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Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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A Reply to the Texas District Paper on Internet Communion
Here is the video of the recent three-martini Texas District convention.
Someone shared this with me as a chance to respond to the “Bible Study” that begins at roughly 1:09 and ends at 2:04. The official title is “The Church in a Post-Covid World,” but that’s not really what it is about. It is, in fact, an advocacy and apologia for “internet communion.”
The presenter is the Rev. Zach McIntosh of Concordia Lutheran Church in San Antonio. He seems like a nice, bright guy. And I have to say that I like the fact that he’s a McIntosh. His Highlander ancestors probably fought with mine in the wars of Scottish independence with a confederation known as the Clan of Cats. I have to give him props for that, especially as we Celts are dreadfully outnumbered by Germans in our synod. Having said that, the cuisine in Texas and Louisiana beat anything cooked up by Scots or Germans.
That said, I have to give him a demerit for lecturing about Holy Communion (part of his argument for internet communion is the profound importance of the Holy Sacrament) given that his congregation only celebrates it on the first Sunday of the month. I cannot even grasp it. Not counting holidays, that’s twelve times a year. That sounds like starvation rations to me. My little congregation offers the Holy Sacrament more than a hundred times a year. Perhaps Pastor McIntosh can give a presentation to his own congregation on Article 24 and the importance of the Holy Eucharist and its frequent reception. I notice that other advocates of home-internet communion tend to be pastors of churches that practice infrequent communion. I have no explanation for this.
All that said, Pastor McIntosh is open and honest that this is indeed a position paper more than a Bible Study. He presents it based on four “theses.” A thesis is part of an argument. And during the course of his talk, he openly admits that the real question behind the paper, that is the real thesis statement is: “Is it possible for a local church to rightly participate together in a livestreamed Word and Sacrament service while remaining in their individual homes?” And he is open about his answer: Yes, he is “sympathetic” to the idea of a livestreamed “Word and Sacrament” service. He also admits that the service of the Word is not really problematic, but the service of the Sacrament is the actual controversial issue. And that it is.
His four theses are:
- The Church is Invisible.
- The Church is Confessional.
- The Church is Inter-Spatial.
- The Church is Fraternal.
The Church is Invisible This is really nothing more than the assertion that faith is invisible. He cites Eph 5:33, AC 7&8, he quotes Luther using the term “invisible,” and cites 1 Cor 6:19 and 1 Pet 2:5.
The Church is Confessional He explains the development of the ecumenical creeds and the Lutheran confessions. He argues that although the Bible, Creeds, and Confessions never address remote electronic worship, we can use these resources to discern whether we should or should not make use of such technology. One statement that he makes is “There was no Mass when the New Testament was written.” This is simply untrue. Jesus established the Lord’s Supper “on the night when He was betrayed.” St. Paul, in 1 Cor 11, explains that the Words of Institution were already a tradition that was handed over to him when he was writing the letter in about 55 AD. Indeed, the Sacrament of the Altar was being celebrated by the apostles on a weekly basis very early on, according to Acts 2:42, when none of the New Testament had even yet been written. Pastor McIntosh refers to this very verse later on.
This thesis that “The Church is Confessional” is really just a premise to use the confessions to make arguments regarding administration of the Sacrament. For some reason, he omitted the longest treatment of the Divine Service and Holy Communion in the Book of Concord: Article 24 in the Augsburg Confession and the Apology.
The Church is Inter-Spatial This is where the rubber meets the road, as they used to say in Akron, Ohio. This word “inter-spatial” is a neologism coined by the presenter just to make the obvious point that the Church is both universal and local. He addresses the universality of the Church by appealing to the Una Sancta of the Nicene Creed. More accurately, the Church is “catholic.” The word “Universal” is a weak translation of καθολικός, which comes from two words: κατά (kata - according to) and ὅλος (holos - the whole).
Catholicity not only means that the Church is more than simply the local congregation, it means that the Church is una owing to a wholesomeness and fullness of doctrine. And it is ironic that he should appeal to the Church’s catholicity to argue for communion celebrated by either laymen speaking the verba, or the remote words of a pastor who is not present for the consecration. This is as un-catholic as you can get. It is sectarian, as no historic communion that confesses the Real Presence ever had, or has, practiced this, or confessed a doctrine that allows it.
Pastor McIntosh points out the both/and nature of the universality and the locality of the Church by comparing it to an interstate highway that is both within states, and crosses state lines. I think this illustration betrays him, as we are talking about roads that actually exist in space and time. You cannot be on Interstate-10 and not exist somewhere physically. If I’m in a Zoom session in Iowa, then I’m not on I-10. Roads are incarnational. The fact that the road is in California doesn’t negate the fact that when I’m driving to Baton Rouge, I’m in Louisiana.
He uses the term “ecclesiis sanctorum” from Jerome’s Latin of 1 Cor 14:33. He translates this as “multiple churches with many holy ones.” “Sanctorum” is a genitive plural. It is better translated as “churches of the saints,” as does the ESV. Of course, there are multiple churches in the sense of local congregations, even as there is one holy catholic and apostolic Church (una sancta). This reality has nothing to do with internet communion.
He tries to argue for internet communion based on Acts 4:42, 46-47 - “breaking bread in their homes.” Of course, prior to Constantine, nearly all Christian worship was conducted in homes. There is no indication that these services were lay-led, or that the pastors somehow conducted services from afar, perhaps by epistle or messenger or carrier pigeon. And local churches meet in homes to this very day, including parishes of our sister church body, the Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church. I visited one such congregation in 2015, with a Divine Service held in a parishioner’s apartment. But the Mass was officiated by ordained clergymen who drove a long way to lead the service. It would be unthinkable to our sister church body to conduct a Divine Service over Zoom, or to just have the laity speak the verba over bread and wine themselves - in spite of the reality that it takes a lot of time and money to physically travel. And it was the same way in the LCMS’s frontier days.
Pastor McIntosh cites Luther giving assent to meeting “alone in a house somewhere… to baptize and to receive the sacrament” (AE:53:63-64). But the larger context is not lay-led communion or allowing pastors to somehow consecrate from afar. This quotation comes from The German Mass and Order of Service (1526). In it, Luther identifies three types of “divine service or mass.”
The first is the Evangelical Latin Mass, to be used in a parochial setting where the people speak Latin. The second is the German Mass, which is to be used for “untrained lay folk” who do not speak Latin. And then there is the “third kind of service,” which:
should be a truly evangelical order and should not be held in a public place for all sorts of people. But those who want to be Christians in earnest and who profess the gospel with hand and mouth should sign their names and meet alone in a house somewhere to pray, to read, to baptize, to receive the sacrament, and to do other Christian works. According to this order, those who do not lead Christian lives should be known, reproved, corrected, cast out, or excommunicated, according to the rule of Christ, Matthew 18. Here one could also solicit benevolent gifts to be willingly given and distributed to the poor, according to St. Paul’s example, II Corinthians 9. Here would be no need for much and elaborate singing. Here one could set up a brief and neat order for baptism and the sacrament and center everything on the Word, prayer, and love. Here one would need a good short catechism on the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Our Father.
Nowhere does Luther advocate lay-led or remotely-led clerical ministry of Sacraments. He is describing a house-church - obviously where there is no Evangelical parish church to attend. This was certainly the case in many places during the Reformation. Luther is describing what we would call today, a “church plant,” and avers that “the rules and regulations would soon be ready.” In fact, Luther goes on to say that church planting is not his particular thing, but “if I should be requested to do it, and could not refuse with a good conscience, I should gladly do my part and help as best I can.” He adds, “In the meanwhile, the two above-mentioned orders of service [i.e. the Latin and German parochial Masses] must suffice.” He also warns of the risks of such a church, that care should be taken lest it “turn into a sect.”
Pastor McIntosh does finally admit the real crux of the problem: “There’s not a pastor there.” So how does a pastor give care and oversight when he’s not in the same room? He acknowledges the limits of pastoral care even in the same room, such as the pastor’s inability to know about all people who should be excluded from the Christian congregation because of wickedness. He points to St. Paul’s giving pastoral care remotely. And here, I think Pastor McIntosh sinks his own boat.
Giving remote pastoral care is nothing new. But let’s consider how technology has or has not been used. We have audio and video livestreaming today, but we have had the ability to send remote visual and audio images over the air since the 1940s. The LCMS was actually a pioneer in television programming. But no one in decades past, in the Golden Age of television, ever encouraged people at home in the viewing audience to put bread and wine on a TV tray while a televised pastor “teleconsecrated” the elements. There were services for shut-ins, but no suggestion of some kind of “private Mass” with “home communion” over the airwaves.
And before TV, we had radio, the technology of which predates the 20th century. And yet not even during World War I and the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic was anyone suggesting the use of the pastor’s transmitted radio voice to “teleconsecrate” remote elements. Before radio was the telephone. And even before the telephone, dating back to 1844, Samuel Morse found a way to encode words over telegraph lines. And again, not even in remote frontier locations did anyone even dream of having a pastor send a consecratory telegram or phone in the Words of Institution.
And long before electronic communication, we had pen and ink technology and mail delivery. And this is where Pastor McIntosh defeats his own argument. St. Paul indeed provided pastoral care remotely by means of epistles. But not even in 1 Cor 11 does the apostle ask that the verba be read by a layman over bread and wine outside of the pastor’s sight and control. Rather, Paul preaches the Word and gives catechetical instruction in writing. Baptisms and Eucharists were conducted by “elders” (presbyters) who were appointed for pastoral service in the local churches.
The Church is Fraternal Pastor McIntosh’s last thesis has nothing to do with the argument other than to try to prevent argument. He uses AC 26:44 “Diversity does not violate the unity of the Church” to argue that whether one uses internet communion or not, this doesn’t affect our unity. He said, “False doctrine, yeah, that’s a problem… but not every diverse practice is evidence of doctrinal disagreement.” And that is true. But it is equally true that not every expression of diversity is evidence of correct doctrine. He should not assume that internet communion is as indifferent as the color of the walls in the parish hall. We are dealing with the consecration of the elements. That is not a matter of “anything goes.” Contextually, Article 26 is dealing with diversity in fasting practices, not with consecrating the elements.
This is a very different matter.
In his conclusion, Pastor McIntosh says, “It’s so important to continue to offer, whether it’s in a cathedral or in a condo, the gifts of God to the people of God” [including] “the reception of the sacraments.” Yes, this is true. And parish pastors typically celebrate Masses in church buildings on Sundays, and often during the week at hospital beds for patients and at kitchen or living room tables for shut-ins. Yes, we do this both “in the cathedral and in the condo,” so to speak. But the point is that we pastors celebrate and consecrate, we preach, baptize, and absolve as circumstances dictate. We don’t just tell the shut-ins to commune themselves. We don’t just facetime them and say “magic words” while they hold the phone over bread and wine. That would be to treat the consecration as ex opere operato.
Pastor McIntosh’s presentation overlooks and omits all of the potential problems of remote consecration - assuming that it is even valid. But let’s say that it is valid for the sake of argument. There are unintended consequences.
For example, if I’m consecrating at the altar, and I misspeak a word, or get tongue-tied, I can simply repeat the verba. This is what celebrants are instructed to do based on the fact that we have been doing this for nearly two millennia, and stuff happens. But what happens if, unbeknownst to the remote celebrant, the Zoom transmission gets garbled, and the pastor’s voice begins to sound like ET on Quaaludes? That happens all the time. So what then? What happens if only part of the verba are heard and the connection drops? What do we tell the viewing audience at home to do with the bread and wine? Are they, or are they not, the body and blood of Christ? It matters. It really does!
And how can the pastor be a “steward of the mysteries” while he isn’t there? The steward was an ancient office dedicated to table service. The steward could water down a diner’s wine if he were getting inebriated, or even cut him off. That’s because he is able to watch and listen and make changes based on feedback. Pastors do something similar when they officiate. They may need to consecrate more hosts, or break some in half. They may need to get stingy with the Lord’s blood at the last table, or they may need to consecrate more. A theoretical remote communion separates the pastor from his vocation of stewardship. He cannot say what is being consecrated and what is not. In my practice, I count out how many hosts I need and only consecrate those in the paten on the corporal. The rest in the ciborium remain unconsecrated. I consecrate only the wine in the chalice, not every drop in the cruet. So I know what is the Lord’s body and blood, and what is not.
If I were not in the room, how would I do this? Is the wine in the glasses on the table the only ones consecrated? What about the bottle on the table? If there is a leftover piece of toast from breakfast on the table, is that now consecrated? These are not inconsequential questions. The Eucharist is not do-it-yourself project. Jesus established an office of steward.
And how is the reliquiae taken care of afterwards? And if an accidental desecration happens, why should we put the burden on laymen, perhaps miles away, when we pastors are the stewards?
And all of the above problems grant the assumption that remote consecration is possible, that this is a valid consecration. One glaring problem is that the pastor’s voice never actually comes into contact with the elements. What comes out of a speaker is a simulation of the pastor’s voice that fools your brain into thinking that it is his voice - not unlike the RCA Victor dog. In the same way, a Zoom image or a photograph is not actually the person, but is rather a simulation of that person that gives an appearance of that person’s presence. Da Vinci’s Last Supper is only a painting. It is not really Jesus and the apostles. I argue that because of this reality, it is physically impossible to consecrate the elements remotely. And even if it were possible, it would still open up a Pandora’s Box of problems.
And this is why we don’t tear down Chesterton’s Fence. This is why we don’t do sectarian things. This is why catholicity is more than just “universality” in the sense that local manifestations of Church are to be found hither and yon.
In times past, there have been wars, plagues, tyrannical rulers, and natural disasters that have impeded the ability of pastors to preach and administer Sacraments. We do what we can with our human limitations, and we accept those limitations as part of our humanity - the same humanity that our Lord Jesus Christ took on at His incarnation. Unlike the technocratic Klaus Schwabs of the world, we don’t look to transcend those human limitations by means of turning ourselves into transhumanistic cyborgs.
The Church is indeed invisible in the sense that faith is not seen by the naked eye. But the Church is also visible, as she gathers around a visible preacher even as faith comes by hearing, heard from someone preaching, one who has been sent (Romans 10). The Church is visible as the administration of the Sacraments is visible, as real, physical bread and wine and water occupy space and time, and we experience them with our bodies by means of our senses. Pastor McIntosh only spoke of the invisible Church, not the visible Church. We must consider both halves of the paradox to get the full picture.
The Church is indeed confessional, and our confessions address the question of who is charged with consecrating the elements (AC 14) and how that is to be done (AC 24, Ap 24). The Church is both local and trans-local - as evidenced by the fact that instead of a single temple, we have altars all over the world with the miraculous presence of God resting on them. And Holy Communion is not called “the Sacrament of the Altar” by our confessions for nothing. The elements are consecrated by the Word by means of one authorized to proclaim that Word - not just any person, and not by a simulacrum of a pastor’s voice. And indeed, the Church is fraternal. It is an act of fratricide to introduce a divisive, sectarian, ahistorical practice in the Church that leaves people in doubt and scandalized, not to mention leaving behind a host of other chaotic consequences in its wake.
At the conclusion of Pastor McIntosh’s “Bible Study,” President Newman pointed out that there just so happened to be resolutions pertaining to internet communion yet to be voted on by the body, and that the CTCR and seminary faculties have already weighed in. And to my knowledge, none of them agree with Pastor McIntosh and President Newman that this practice should be done in our churches.
Hopefully, this whole uproar about internet communion will be nothing more than an eyebrow-raising little episode in LCMS history that future generations will find quaint when they read about the synod’s 21st century history. And in the short term, I hope that our synod will find some way, even with our convoluted polity, to enforce biblical, confessional, and catholic doctrine and practice, and facilitate the restoration of a genuine Eucharistic piety and of yearning for its frequent reception in our churches, an ethos that would make internet communion - not to mention the practice of churches withholding the Sacrament of the Altar for three weeks out of the month - unthinkable.
What does the Bible say about killing sin? What role does the Christian play in this? How is this done? What are some practical considerations in the killing of sin? These and other questions, will be answered in this episode, which is devoted to the teaching on killing sin in your life.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Willie Grills
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This episode is devoted to the persuasiveness and pervasiveness of feminism in the church. My guest, Adriane Heins (my sister-in-law and former Editor of The Lutheran Witness) and I explore just how pervasive, even in the most subtle of ways, feminism has been in the church, and why it has been so persuasive to those in the church.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Mrs. Adriane Heins
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The Future is Now
“Based upon the logic I’ve heard from other pastors over the past 15 months, if experts & elected officials declare Climate Change a global emergency, pastors will close their churches again. After all, “gathering isn’t essential”, “we’re not climatologists”, “love your neighbour”, “it’s life or death”, “zoom church is suitable”, “the $ fines will be too high”, & “Rom 13”. ” — THE REV. AARON ROCK
Pastor Aaron Rock, a Neo-Evangelical minister who serves Harvest Bible Church in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, who wrote the above on Facebook, seems to understand ecclesiology better than a lot of Lutherans - even lacking the belief that what happens at the altar and in the sanctuary during Holy Communion is a literal miracle in which Christ is truly present in His body and blood.
Canada is becoming quite an oppressive state. One recent example is the severe lockdown that went into effect just hours before Easter Sunday this year. On Good Friday, Canadian PM Justin Trudeau acknowledged the “long weekend” (a wonderful euphemism for the holiest day of the year to some two billion people) and that “we’re all going to have to do things differently again this year.”
Article Two of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees that “Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: freedom of conscience and religion; freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; freedom of peaceful assembly; and freedom of association.” Well, sort of. For Article One preemptively takes away those freedoms when the State decides citizens don’t have freedom of religion, thought, belief, opinion, expression, press, assembly and association: “only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.”
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (the first ten amendments of which are known as the Bill of Rights) does not include such a disclaimer - such a disclaimer implying that one’s “rights” are not rights at all - which come from God - but are actually State grants of privilege. That said, we have seen our governments - federal, state, and local - act as though they did have the Canadian Loophole in them. In fact, many countries - including Communist China - also “guarantee” religious freedom, albeit with the Canadian Loophole. And this shows the real value of such lofty government “guarantees.”
The past couple years caught the Church by surprise, and we learned not only a lot about our governmental leaders, but also about our church leaders. We have learned a lot about ourselves, and what we really believe, teach, and confess regardless of what we say on paper: in Scripture and in the confessions.
Whether or not you agree with Pastor Rock regarding the danger of government overreach related to “climate change,” it is hard to be so Pollyannish as to believe that we will not have future conflicts with the State in whether or not our services are “essential,” whether our God-given rights trump positive law, whether their constitutional limitations are real or only theoretical, and whether or not the Ekklesia (Church) can long exist where there is no ekklesia (assembly). Sadly, some people will never return to assemble with the saints again, seeking instead convenient Zoom sessions that they can watch in their pajamas. We have opened the proverbial can.
But as for future government “emergencies,” we need to start talking about this now. At what point do we comply? And for how long? At what point do we resist openly? At what point do we take the Divine Service underground in defiance of the State? These are questions for individual believers, families, congregations, districts, synods, and the church catholic.
And we confessional Lutherans need to crush underfoot any and all heretical and oxymoronic suggestions such as lay-communion or remote electronic consecration, not to mention granting the State unconditional authority based on a flawed reading of Romans 13. The time to wrestle with these issues is not in the middle of a crisis when pastors, congregations, and families have a window of opportunity to do whatever they want with impunity - whether out of well-intentioned ignorance, or by carefully planned stealth. After all, as the saying goes, never let a crisis go to waste.
Thank you to Pastor Rock for calling Christians to deal with future “emergencies” by talking about them now.
We’re trying something new on top of our normal podcast episodes. Editors will be having discussions about the upcoming Gospel reading and themes for preaching. The editors taking part will have done some work, but they’re not finished. It’s a sounding board session to help generate ideas, themes, and applications for preaching. It’s a way to get the juices flowing just before we sit down to write.
This episode is devoted to the Gospel reading for The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Mark 7:31-37.
We hope you enjoy it. Let us know what you think.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. David Petersen
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Luecke Contra Baptism
I would like to thank the Rev. Dr. David S. Luecke for providing a stark contrast between his Church Growth Movement (CGM) approach to liturgy and sacraments vs. what Gottesdienst has been not only advocating, but putting into practice for going on thirty years.
His undated piece “Avoid Sacramentalism in Ministry” from his What Happened to our Churches? blog is a case in point. This article is a valuable example of why Gottesdienst exists, and why the work of pastors and the laity in the ongoing restoration of biblical theology and reverence in worship is not only needed, but is making a difference.
He begins his piece by pointing out that the local Baptist Moody radio station “dropped broadcasts of the Lutheran hour” because of The Lutheran Hour’s emphasis on “Baptism as a key to salvation.” He laments this as a “first-class communications problem,” and the fault for this “error” was “with Lutheran preachers.” He accuses Lutheran pastors of holding to an ex opere operato theology of Holy Baptism divorced from the Word and from the Holy Spirit. Luecke sums up his explanation of how salvation works, that the Holy Spirit works through the Word, and the water merely “visualizes” the Word. He never mentions Jesus or the cross in his mini-presentation of the ordo salutis in his own words.
In fact, Dr. Luecke has a strange articulation of his confession of the Holy Trinity:
All Protestants affirm the Trinity of Three Persons in One God, a concept very hard to understand. Calvinist focus on the First-Person God the Father. Lutherans emphasize the Second-Person God the Son. God the Spirit has been much neglected mostly because his role as Lord and Giver of church life was not needed when lively church life was heavily institutionalized. The rapidly growing Pentecostal movement of the last 100 years features the Third-Person Spirit. For Paul Christ and the Holy Spirit are inter-changeable. He attributes the same function in one place to Christ and another place to the Spirit. For Paul the Spirit is Christ present with us now [emphasis added].
Dr. Luecke’s assertion of Lutheran pastors severing faith from Holy Baptism is a straw man argument. He never sites any source of this apparently rampant false doctrine among Lutheran clergy, in which Baptism is treated as a magic ceremony independent of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and presumably, our Lord Jesus Christ who told us to “make disciples” by baptizing them in the first place.
And Dr. Luecke blames the Lutherans (Walt Kowalsky was right!) and acts as if being removed from the Moody radio station is a bad thing. In reality, The Lutheran Hour deserves kudos for not being afraid to confess our theology. Were a Baptist to read the Small Catechism’s seven questions and answers on the Chief Part of Holy Baptism, he would reject it as false doctrine. I was raised in the Baptist Church. I’m grateful for the biblical instruction that I had as a child, as well as learning who Jesus is and why the cross matters. The people of my little Baptist congregation were confessors of the Gospel. That said, Baptists and Lutherans believe entirely different things about Holy Baptism. Moody’s doctrinal statement is utterly silent about the sacraments.
Dr. Luecke admits that Baptists reject infant baptism, mirroring their snarky tone about “sprinkling water on a baby” having nothing to do with one’s “relationship with God.” Dr. Luecke also uses the curious term “water baptism” - a distinction often used among charismatics to distinguish actual baptism from a laying on of hands that accompanies “speaking in tongues” (which they call “baptism of the Spirit”).
As an aside, Dr. Luecke says that he doesn’t have the “gift of tongues,” but he recognizes modern glossolalia as valid in a response to a person who claims to “speak in tongues”:
I did not intend to belittle something that has been a defining feature for millions of enthusiastic believers. I intended just to say that I have not been given that gift. I am appealing to a much broader audience than those who have had the experience of speaking in tongues. I gave my understanding of it as an emotional expression. Many Lutheran pastors have hostility toward charismatics from the conflicts involving charismatics in congregations in the 60s and 70s. I respect charismatics for their energy. Yours is the first expression of your prayer language being very rational. God bless your gift and the Giver.
Moody is also to be commended for their faithfulness to their theology. They recognize what Luecke doesn’t want to: that neo-Evangelicals and Lutherans have incompatible theologies of baptism, and of the sacraments in general. Dr. Luecke longs for a kind of faux unity by having The Lutheran Hour either compromise our theology, or dishonestly put it under a bushel.
Dr. Luecke recognizes the inroads of the liturgical renewal that began in the middle of the twentieth century, as North American Lutherans began to dig out of the Pietist hole that their forbears, trying to fit in with a contemporary Protestant culture, fell into decades earlier - a cultural upheaval when the English language displaced the German during and after World War One. He describes his discomfort with “young pastors” and their “tendency toward sacramentalism” - which he defines as “treating the sacraments as more important than the Word.”
Again, this is a straw man. The problem is actually the opposite of Dr. Luecke’s complaint. While it is still not uncommon for a Lutheran congregation to have a Service of the Word without Holy Communion, I have never heard of a Service of the Sacrament without the Word. Can Dr. Luecke point to a single example of a Lutheran Divine Service that skips the Bible readings, omits the sermon, and heads right into the Eucharist? But we do see, again and again, especially in non-liturgical “church growth” congregations, the omission of the Sacrament rather than the omission of the Word. In some cases, non-liturgical churches boast about their “seeker sensitive” approach that pushes the Sacrament of the Altar to the fringes, perhaps only celebrating it once a month. I cannot imagine how malnourishing such a bland diet would be. It is a repudiation of our confession that Holy Communion strengthens our faith. And this is why Christians from time immemorial gathered on the Lord’s Day for the “breaking of bread” - that is until men of Dr. Luecke’s generation and inclination decided that what we needed was less Holy Communion.
As to the accusation of “treating the sacraments as more important than the Word,” Gottesdienst’s print journal is immersed in the Word of God. I’ve been the sermons editor for more than a decade. Every issue includes sermons. We insist that preaching be bound by, and centered on, the biblical text, the Word of God, as opposed to anecdotes, cutesy stories, emotional glurge, object lessons, or pop culture commentary. We also have regular columns devoted to the exegesis of Scripture. I have been to many Divine Services and other prayer offices at Gottesdienst events. The Word is always powerfully preached and proclaimed. I have never seen Dr. Luecke in attendance at any of them.
This is a common straw man among our critics, that we - as I heard recently - pay more attention to “the proper form of a stole to proclaiming the pure Gospel” - and that this explains the decline of Christianity in our country, in the west, and around the world. This mirrors Dr. Luecke’s Theology of Glory, in which he asserts that the number of the butts in the pews is in direct proportion to the faithfulness of the preacher and the correctness of the church’s method of worship.
The fact of the matter is that the editors and bloggers of Gottesdienst are parish pastors, some having been for decades - not primarily professors, experts in industrial organization, bureaucrats, theorists, academicians, or consultants about how to grow a church. And in the course of years of actual parish ministry, one sees the power of the Word of God, through preaching, through Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, through Confession and Absolution, through praying the Psalms, through the liturgy, on deathbeds, in times of personal and family angst, in tragedy, in bringing Christ to bear in the midst of the Culture of Death and a world that is repulsed by the cross. Actual parish pastors baptize the babies - sometimes with an eye dropper. They also bury the babies and console the grieving parents who are comforted by our emphasis on baptism. They also baptize adults, and in some cases, the elderly. They teach the Word in Bible classes, in youth catechesis, and in sermons - week in and week out. They bring both Word and Sacrament to shut-ins and to the hospitalized. They proclaim the Word of God as their parishioners breathe out their final breath on this side of the grave.
And in fact, we are so focused on the Word of God, we use the traditional liturgy!
Your Lutheran Service Book (LSB) has the biblical references embedded in the liturgy on every page. The Church has used the liturgy for well over 1,500 years precisely because the liturgy is grounded in the living Word of God. In fact, the deviants from the liturgy are those who move away from the Word into the realm of either reason (as many of the Reformed do), emotion (as many neo-Evangelicals do), phony signs and wonders (as many Pentecostals and Charismatics do), or magisterial mysticism (as many Roman Catholics do).
Dr. Luecke suffers from the Grass Is Always Greener syndrome - as do many cradle Lutherans who take their treasure for granted. As a convert, I see the futility of lusting after popularity by adopting worship alien to our confessions. I have been there, and done that - with all of its strengths and weaknesses. The reality is that we have the best of both worlds in our Lutheran confession: a rigorous cruciform theology informed not by direct revelation, the magisterium, or by a complex matrix of popes and councils, not by logic and reason, not by ginned up emotion and navel-gazing, but by the Word of God, sola scriptura. And we retain the biblical practice of baptismal regeneration and of the Lord’s own words concerning His Supper (as the great I AM proclaims the great THIS IS), as well as retaining the biblical practice of Holy Absolution according to our Lord’s institution. Dr. Luecke presents a false either/or dichotomy that offers us only option A) The Word or option B) the sacraments, without an option C) all of the above. And in fact, the real, fully-lived Christian life is not a multiple choice quiz, but rather an essay, a narrative, that is, the Gospel of Jesus Christ: His incarnation, birth, ministry, passion, death, resurrection, ascension, and the consummation of His coming again in glory.
I would agree with Dr. Luecke if his critique were a caution against the danger falling into ex opere operato (seeing baptism and all other liturgical acts as a work severed from faith). For this warning is strewn about the Book of Concord. It is one of the chief criticisms of Rome. And where I see it is in the good intention of grandparents whose faithless children will not baptize or raise their own children in the faith. And so pious grandparents, lovingly desperate for the salvation of their grandchildren, will sometimes inquire about bringing their grandchildren to church to baptize them independent of the parents’ wishes or intention to raise them as Christians. Sometimes grandparents will ask about doing a sort-of secret emergency baptism themselves (a situation so common that an episode of All in the Family depicted Archie Bunker doing this very thing). Their motivation is love. But we have to gently remind them that baptism is not a silver bullet, that faith matters, that like a seed that is watered, the ongoing life of the seedling requires ongoing care lest it die. Those with any time in the pastoral office has had to encounter this real-world situation.
But Dr. Luecke is instead condemning those who worship by means of the liturgy, in “traditional churches,” and especially in “highly liturgical churches” and their pastors who emphasize Holy Baptism in the life of the Christian.
Dr. Luecke refers back to Dr. Luther’s famous dictum that when he was tormented by the devil, he would made the good confession: “I am baptized.” Dr. Luecke cautions, “This can be taken to mean he relied on the act of water baptism for his identity as a believer.” This shows that Dr. Luecke doesn’t understand the Lutheran confession of Holy Baptism. Baptism is our identity as a believer. It is how disciples are made. It is the objective declaration of God of His objective work of regeneration. Otherwise, Dr. Luther would not refer back to it, but would rather exclaim, “I have faith.” The problem is that faith is subjective. It is impossible to quantify. Holy Baptism is objective. It is binary: you either are, or you are not. And Holy Baptism delivers faith. Nowhere in the Scriptures are we taught to sever the two, nor are we to treat baptism as a mere human act publicly acknowledging our faith (as is the Baptist confession). Rather, we confess baptism as “the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” To be baptized is to be born again. And in our first birth, we draw our first breath in the world. In our second birth, we draw our first breath in eternity. How can a Lutheran remove baptism from his identity? Baptism and faith are intertwined, but it is baptism that is the objective, extra nos reality to which a person whose faith may be tried and frayed can point. And that reality delivers faith as a gift. The remembrance of baptism strengthens our faith. Faith is not substitute for baptism. This is a theology alien to our Lutheran confession.
I remember listening to the radio on a long drive across the entire state of Pennsylvania and the only thing I could pick up was a religious station. A Baptist pastor was preaching a thunderous fire-and-brimstone sermon, but at one point in his preaching, he broke down in tears. He could not determine if his faith were sufficient. He was broken and demoralized, and had no objective means of faith, nothing outside of himself and his own sinful works to which to anchor himself. This is the crabgrass that Dr. Luecke is peering at over the fence, convincing himself that it is greener. And it is, like the “sign” of “speaking in tongues,” a navel-gazing subjective self-validation of one’s salvation as opposed to the objective, divinely-focused nature of Holy Baptism as a reality of the New Birth in a Christian’s life.
Dr. Luecke criticizes the mid twentieth century rediscovery of the liturgy as a blessing to the faith and life of the individual Christian and of the Church, as a “wrong turn.” He creates another straw man that emphasizing “renewing the forms and rituals of public worship” is antithetical to “the Word of God itself” and to “relationships.”
This is not only factually untrue, it is a weird display of mental gymnastics.
For ritual doesn’t take away from relationships. In fact, all forms of relationships involve ritual. For example, I don’t know if Dr. Lueke is married or not, but if so, I would be willing to wager that this entrance into a sacred relationship with his wife was accompanied by ritual, and it was probably quite traditional. She probably wore a wedding dress as opposed to a pair of blue jeans. Likewise, he was probably wearing, if not a tuxedo, some form of suit and tie (a form of male vesture dating back to the Pagan French Revolution). The wedding service was likely liturgical, as opposed to being ex corde. Interestingly, in my experience, weddings are an example in which Baptists actually follow a more liturgical form than the usual loosely-liturgical Sunday service. Words are read out of the book, and the couple and the pastor engage in a formal rote recitation.
And likewise, married- and family-life involves a lot of rituals. I don’t know if Dr. Luecke has children or not, but if so, I would bet that every year on the natal anniversary of his wife and children, the family would gather for a liturgy of sorts, a ritual involving a special meal, candles, and the singing of a particular traditional song. And far from standing in opposition to the idea of relationship, such rituals are like glue that bonds relationships. I wonder what Dr. Lueke thinks of the traditional ritual of celebrating one’s baptismal birthday with the lighting of a candle and saying certain prayers. And of course, there are many social liturgies, like the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem, fireworks on the fourth, handshakes, retirement dinners, clinking glasses together in a toast, the seventh-inning stretch, the starting pistol at the beginning of the race, clapping at the conclusion of a recital, eating popcorn at the movie theater, etc. All of these rituals foster relationships. They do not impede them.
In the Church, we often refer to the Lord’s Supper as “Holy Communion.” It is a “communion,” a ritual act of relationship between believers and God as well as believers to each other. How liturgy is seen in opposition to such relationships beggars belief. Nearly every act of human relationship involves rituals, formal and informal. Social iconoclasm leads only to the breakdown of civilization and the destruction of the faith - not to mention a destruction of relationships through deracination and atomization, creating a vacuum to be filled with a selfish desire for personal entertainment and the treating of “butts in the pews” as an impersonal, ego-driven barometer of faith and faithfulness.
Dr. Luecke displays a shocking ignorance of history and of the Bible itself by arguing that “the roots” of our liturgical rituals:
go back to the fourth century when the now-official Christian church began adopting special rituals, robes, and parades with incense of pagan worship. Pagan worship was meant to impress the gods, so they would look favorably on human efforts. Quality was important for that purpose. Emphasizing those rituals led to the sacramentalism that forms were more important than the Word of God itself.
And herein lies the heart of the matter of Dr. Luecke’s iconoclastic rebellion against the liturgy and the sacraments - and to be blunt, his rebellion against the Word of God itself. While some of our specific clerical vestments have their roots in the Greco-Roman world of our Lord, the apostles, and the Pagan (and later Christian) Roman Empire, the idea of liturgical vestments when ministering in the presence of God is an Old Testament idea. That which Dr. Luecke dismissively calls “robes” and other liturgical accoutrements are, per his argument, of Pagan origin to “impress the gods.” If Dr. Luecke were to read Exodus and Leviticus, he would learn what God’s preferences are.
When He appeared to Moses in the burning bush, God instructed Moses to remove his sandals, as this was a place of holiness - set apart from the ordinary because of the miraculous presence of God. He did not tell Moses “come as you are” or champion casualness as a virtue in the presence of God.
And our Lutheran confession of the Lord’s Supper is that it is a miracle, that Jesus is truly present in an incarnate, physical form occupying space and time. It is His same body born of the Virgin Mary, the same blood shed on the cross. It is not a symbol. It is not a “spiritual presence.” It is a miraculous manifestation of God in our midst: God in our sanctuary, God on our altar, God given to us to eat and drink and take into ourselves bodily, according to His Word and institution. This is why our churches are called “sanctuaries” - holy places - no less holy than the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle and temple. Why we would treat this most sublime gift and reality with anything less than complete awe and wonder and reverence can only be described by one word: disbelief.
When the time came for the Lord to dwell among His people by means of His miraculous presence, the Lord Himself instructed that a beautiful tabernacle be constructed, with specific instructions for top quality items of beauty to be used in a liturgical setting. The priests were to be vested as they carried out their ministry, with fine linen, gems, and colorful cloth of superlative workmanship. God’s house was to be adorned in the finest of silver and gold and other metals, with beautiful fabrics and artwork. And there are also liturgical instructions regarding ordinations, daily and weekly worship, and an annual calendric cycle. And it is impossible to read the Lord’s worship preferences and not come away convinced that God prefers liturgy, ritual, beauty, reverence, and yes, “quality” when it comes to His presence on earth. There are no examples in Scripture of the miraculous presence of God being accompanied by come-as-you-are casualness and an entertainment emphasis.
And there was also incense. Incense is a powerful image, the use of which is mandated in Old Testament worship, is referred to in Psalm 141 as symbolic of prayer, was presented to our Lord by the Magi, was part of our Lord’s ritual of His burial, and is also mentioned numerous times in the Book of Revelation. Incense is not of Pagan origin, but Pagans copied it from the worship of the true God. The words “incense” and “frankincense” appear 110 times in the ESV translation, including both God’s delight in it, as well as his condemnation of it being offered to false gods, or even to Himself by those who were not called to lead worship.
Dr. Luecke’s brand of de-emphasis of baptism, his anticlericalism and his innovationism is the real problem in the Church. It must be stamped out by constant and consistent catechesis (including by the teaching that happens by means of ceremonies), by a renewed biblical literacy, by a rediscovery of our Book of Concord and our Church History, by liturgical preaching, by embracing not American sectarianism but our Evangelical Catholic confession of the traditional, unchanging, apostolic faith, and by rejecting the idea that popularity is what determines righteousness. This latter one is the rotten fruits of the Church Growth Movement’s libido numerandi and lusting after the ego-stroke of big churches and big budgets. Can you imagine if we raised our children to cultivate a desire to be popular? Would we advise our sons to do drugs? Would we advise our daughters to be promiscuous? Why do CGM advocates embrace worldly popularity as a gage of “church success.” Have they not read our Lord’s words?
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
These two verses are a repudiation of Dr. Luecke’s entire career as a CGM advocate. I would posit that if he has baptized one baby in the course of his ministry, he has done more good for the growth of the kingdom than his entire corpus of books and articles. And when our Lord returns to this decimated, fallen world finding only a remnant of believers, He will not scold us for not being worldly enough, with our churches being too small, with not enough butts in the pews - but will commend His Bride for her faithfulness to His Word, promise, and command:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
This is a special edition of the podcast. It is a recording of the second keynote presentation from The Bugenhagen Conference in Racine, Wisconsin given Tuesday, July 27. The title was The Brotherhood of the Ministry.
Host: Fr. Ben Ball
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This is a special edition of the podcast. It is a recording of the final keynote presentation from The Bugenhagen Conference in Racine, Wisconsin given Wednesday, July 28. The title was Consider the Ant: Overcoming Sloth with Zeal.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
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On Gran Torino
I used to enjoy movies, that is, before they all became preachy and “woke,” eager to push a Critical Theory Neo-Marxist narrative, and turning Christians and other demographic groups, into villains.
In 2008, as the Hollywood Revolution was moving into overdrive, and as filmmaking was quickly descending into the septic tank, actor/director Clint Eastwood produced a gem of cultural iconoclasm: a movie truly worth watching, called Gran Torino.
Eastwood plays the main character, Walt Kowalski, a crotchety Korean War veteran who lives in a changing suburban neighborhood in Detroit. His once-white neighborhood is being repopulated by Hmongs, who are people of a stateless Southeast Asian nationality who live in Cambodia and Vietnam, and who allied themselves with South Vietnam and the Americans during the Vietnam War. Many Hmongs were resettled as refugees in the United States following the communist takeover of Vietnam after the US withdrawal. In fact, at my baptism in 1982, I was given the washing of regeneration and renewal with seven other adults: all Hmong.
There is an interesting conversation in the film between Kowalski and his neighbor Sue (the young adult Hmong woman whom he rescues from a dangerous situation). She explains to him about the Hmong, and said that “the Lutherans” resettled them in the United States. The Roman Catholic character Kowalski retorts with the memorable line: “Everybody blames the Lutherans.”
Without resorting to spoilers, the theme of the movie is sin and redemption - with clear and unmistakable Christological symbolism. The persistent Roman Catholic pastor is actually a heroic figure in the movie, unlike the usual Hollywood paradigm of presenting Christians and clergy as predators or criminals. Father Janovich, who recently buried Kowalski’s wife, nags Kowalski to unburden himself in confession, knowing that his soul is scarred by incidents that happened in the war. There is imagery of the baptismal font that Eastwood places into the picture at crucial moments. There is also the symbolism of the cross and of blood - though the movie is not gratuitously violent or gory (though it does have a good bit of profanity, just so you're aware).
The title comes from the name of the car that Kowalski not only owns, but had assembled in his days as a Detroit Ford auto worker. It symbolizes a kind of freedom and innocence of an era that has passed. The car becomes the object of an attempted crime, later, a symbol of friendship, trust, forgiveness, and love - and once more as the physical manifestation of redemption, of returning to the state of freedom and innocence.
The movie deals with racism, but not in the usual stilted, politically-correct, scoldy, cartoonish way that has become the norm, but rather in a refreshingly human and sympathetic way that allows for forgiveness and growth - one at odds with the current Social Justice Warrior approach of cancel culture, of the perpetually-offended, and the destruction of people’s lives.
Kowalski’s character is complex and authentic: a man who is brutally honest, bearing the scars of warfare, bigoted, but one whose bigotry is overcome by human contact and his own sense of honor. He finds common ground with his Hmong neighbors over and against the hypocrisy of his own kith and kin. The movie is also filled with ethnic humor, which shows the clear distinction between the playful and even affectionate acknowledgement of ethnic and cultural realities between friends vs actual racism. This honest portrayal of normal collegial banter has been panned by contemporary viewers who are scandalized by the words used in the film. Of course, they cry that the film is “racist” - when in fact, it is the diametric opposite. This misrepresentation is because our immediate culture is afraid of normal, human interaction and is on a hair-trigger looking for forbidden thoughts at every turn, even vilifying, if not criminalizing, normal interpersonal interaction. Of course, in the real world of sanity and normalcy, friends, colleagues, and co-workers recognize our differences, and we acknowledge them with humor across the board, equally, instead of the current politically-correct paradigm of banning all such humor and replacing it with genuine, targeted, and debilitating hatred against certain “acceptable” demographic targets for genuine racism and abuse.
Gran Torino cuts through all of that, and presents a normal, complex, lovable man underneath a gruff exterior while making use of clear imagery of the atonement and the sacraments to show God’s transformative mercy at work.
The movie is funny, touching, gritty, honest, and uplifting, but not in the usual contrived Hollywood way. The end of the film comes around to the beginning, as most great storytelling does. It is a master class for Social Justice Warriors to learn the difference between actual racism and healthy human banter and affectionate humor that naturally emerges where people are free. It is also a confession of the atonement, of redemption, of the forgiveness of sins, of love, and the peace that surpasses all understanding.
If you have not seen the film, I highly recommend it. And never forget the dictum: “Everybody blames the Lutherans.”
Libido Numerandi
In his masterpiece The City of God, St. Augustine uses the term libido dominandi, which might be translated as “the lust for domination.” It is Augustine’s term for fallen man’s inclination to lord over others, to play God by seeking to control other people.
There is a variation of this libido that seeks power and the praise of men by an appeal to numbers: libido numerandi. Even animals turn to this form of self-aggrandizement in making themselves look big - often as a defense mechanism to frighten away predators, or as an appeal to a potential mate. But especially among fallen men, there is a determination to dominate others by an assertion of self-promotion: be it physical size, strength, influence, wealth, or the number of people in one’s organization.
This libido numerandi is everywhere. Companies will routinely boast in their advertisements that they are the world’s largest this or that, the biggest such and such a firm in the country, or the Number One seller of widgets in the state.
And this libido is all too common in the church. It is the main lust displayed by the Church Growth Movement (CGM), and has become justification for a lot of mischief - even abolishing the Mass and the usual public ceremonies, like the order of the readings, vestments, etc. - all in the name of boosting numbers.
Of course, we are called upon to evangelize, but we are also called upon to seek and save even the single lost sheep, and not just make a play for ever larger numbers of people for the sake of numbers itself. In our Lord’s parable, the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine on the plain to find one of his flock that isn’t even a new “recruit,” but rather a member who has wondered off. This legacy maintenance approach to ministry must seem a strange strategy indeed to the CGM advocate, who would likely rather be leaving one behind to look for ninety-nine new members, not to mention the vault of heaven resounding over a mere net gain of only one member!
And this is part of the curse of the Church Growth Movement - people just become numbers, tallies on a spreadsheet, abstract targeted goals in a corporate jargon-filled mission statement. The now (thank God) defunct Ablaze!™ program, that was sold not a program but as a “movement”, created such a dehumanizing secular marketing approach by laying out a numerical goal of a hundred million “critical events” to be racked up (defined as telling people about Jesus, but not defined as actually baptizing someone). It was pure libido numerandi. It downplayed the means of grace, it reduced people and human interactions to the place of tick marks in a database and a number to be reported by the suits at meetings, and completely forgot about the Holy Spirit and the Doctrine of Election.
How different than our Lord’s Parable of the Sower, in which the seed is cast far and wide in a way that looks foolish to the world, unconcerned with numbers, and not reporting them to a website or to the bureaucrats in the home office. And the sower doesn’t research to find out the best place to cast. He doesn’t use the techniques of modern agribusiness to bump up the fertility of the soil. He doesn’t employ genetic modification to make his seeds more “effective.” He doesn’t even use the latest and greatest technology. He just tosses the seed everywhere, seemingly recklessly, and he just leaves the results up to God the Holy Spirit. The sower’s job is to be faithful.
And that is another thing that the lust for numbers ignores. Which church is more “successful”? Is it Joel Osteen’s stadium full of tens of thousands, or is it the little LCMS congregation that uses the liturgy, the hymns, and is normed by the Bible and the Confessions and has maybe a couple dozen people in attendance? Is the metric for success, for a “healthy church” (in CGM lingo) based on the number of people present, or the degree of fidelity to the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ?
One rank example of the libido numerandi was when a previous district president said that he hoped my congregation would grow to 900 members in a year. How he came up with that number is a mystery. Maybe it was a subconscious reference to Oral Roberts’s 900 foot Jesus. Our building holds a couple hundred. Why would we want to be that large? Why wouldn’t it make more sense to have another congregation or two (or more) - providing responsible pastoral care - if there were that many members? And why not focus on the kind of growth that sees our members grow in the maturity of their faith, in their Christian life, in their sanctification, in their knowledge of the Bible and the confessions of the church? In their love for the liturgy and their children’s growing up immersed in the means of grace? Why is success seen merely as numerical growth?
Another example is when pastors (and not just pastors) get together, one of the first questions is “How big is your church?” Or the really revealing way in which this question is often put: “How many do you worship?” If that isn’t not only libido numerandi, but outright idolatry, then nothing is! The object of our worship is the Most Holy Trinity, not the number of people in the pews.
There was even a well-known pastor who would get into discussions online about theological matters. You could tell when he was losing the argument, because he would look up his opponent’s congregation’s statistics (which are, inexplicably, published online) and then berate him if his church had a net loss of members over the past year or over the pastor’s tenure at that congregation - as if that had any validity as a theological argument. Well, according to libido numerandi, it makes perfect sense.
There is that nasty little libido in all of us to lord over others by an appeal to our own perceived greatness. And in our culture, size matters.
It calls to mind when David’s census did not go well, and God punished his libido numerandi: “Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel…. But God was displeased with this thing, and He struck Israel…. So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell” (1 Chron 21:1,7, 14). It also calls to mind the account of Gideon’s conquest of Midian with only 300 men. God deliberately shrunk Gideon’s army so as to conquer their libido numerandi: “The Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over Me, saying, my own hand has saved me’“ (Jud 7:2).
But according to the Word of God, the Spirit blows where He wishes. The Church expands, the Church contracts, and in the long run, the Church will drastically shrink. Jesus Himself said so. There is not a direct relation between faithfulness and size, and to the contrary, when one lives in a hostile culture, there may well even be an inverse relationship. This is not to say that we should strive to make our churches small, or denigrate those whose churches are growing. These things are typically beyond our control. Contrary to the premises of the CGM, numerical growth is often related much more to the secular demographic increase or decrease of a local population than anything we do.
And that is also a temptation to the Church Growthers.
Many years ago, I received a beg letter from a proposed church plant. In making the pitch, it appealed to the fact that the target subdivision demographic was suburban, well-to-do, and comprised of many young families. The implication is that your money won’t go to waste, because there is a better chance of success among people with money and kids. So the older people, the less-fortunate, and other outcasts who are not as likely to be an attractive demographic for investment can just do without evangelism, I suppose. The sower went looking for good soil, and limited his planting there, it seems. Should we assume that God blesses such an approach to evangelism?
Bishop Vsevolod Lytkin commented on the monetary inefficiencies of mission work - especially in his milieu of the vast terrain of the Lutheran diaspora in Siberia:
Speaking pragmatically, mission work always brings financial losses for the church, but we do not go to collect offerings. We go to proclaim the Word.
The worldly considerations and calculations of gains and losses, financial, or in terms of numerical bragging rights, do not enter the picture in evangelism that is done out of love for the lost. If we were to spend a million dollars and not one member joins the congregation, it is not for us to call it a success or a failure. The Word of God does not return empty. “We go to proclaim the Word.” - and to do so faithfully. The rest is up to God. Our boast is not in “how many we worship” or the balance sheet of our latest building project. Our boast is in Christ our Lord.
We must strive to replace our lust with love. And true love is not concerned with such details as numbers, personal vainglory, prestige, or impressiveness in the eyes of the world.
There’s always friendly disagreements among the editors. In this episode, we explore one: the Our Father in the Mass. What is it’s placement? What is it’s function? Who says it? These are the main points of disagreement between Fritz Eckardt and Rick Stuckwisch.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Fritz Eckardt, Fr. Rick Stuckwisch
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Mission Indecipherable
This is funny because it’s true. All too often, churches sound like the worst that corporate, bureaucratic America has to offer. It is as though we could all have corporate-speak bingo cards during district conventions and when we read various church publications. And if it were made into a drinking game, it could cause the premiums for Concordia Plan Services to increase even more, especially as the demand for pastoral liver transplants were to increase dramatically.
Some of the gobbledygook that we hear from church bureaucrats sounds just like the above video. And that is what happens when we lose touch with the Scriptures and Confessions. Instead of using turns of phrase from the Bible and the Book of Concord and from the long and rich tradition of the Holy Church, we are often treated to something more akin to the jargon of a self-help book or bureaucratic babble from the latest work productivity guru.
Is it because they don’t read the Bible? Is it because the Book of Concord has become just another dusty volume on the shelf from seminary days? Is it because our “missional” brethren’s reading is normed by mission statements instead of the mission to spread the Gospel by means of sending pastors to serve at altars, fonts, and pulpits? Is it because they put more faith in the techniques of industrial organization, managerial leadership, and the Power of Positive Thinking than in the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the means of grace, and the Doctrine of Election?
Even our bureaucratic titles sound like a bad parody of the movie Office Space: District President (DP or sometimes DiP)? Mission and Ministry Facilitator (MMF)? That one is particularly begging for it. Mission Executive? Congregation Support Specialist? Coach? (Yes, some districts have titles that include “coach” - which may conjure up images of big hairy guys in shorts with a whistle and a clipboard). We have various directors, executives, and facilitators. The only saving grace is that the names for all of these titles aren’t still in German, or else it would sound like a World War II reenactors’ convention. We have task forces and blue ribbon commissions (which sounds like something to do with the prize heifer at the county fair). We have cheesy themes for this and that, and of course, the king of corporate argot, the Mission Statement. Sigh.
Wouldn’t it be nice if this all stopped in our churches, and instead of reflecting the world, our writing and speaking and even our polity were given fluency by the Word of God?
Nondenominationalizing Tendencies: Responses to A Tale of Two Synods
Response to “A Tale of Two Synods” has been interesting and illustrative: some people posting comments to the blog, some to the FB repost, and some to the editors via email. Although many of these responders would have no problem identifying themselves, I am protecting their privacy by not publishing their names and geographical clues that might identify them. It is their choice whether they wish to be made known or not. That’s not my call.
Clearly, this phenomenon is not just an American problem, as we received feedback from three countries. The slide of our churches into pop-music entertainment worship and/or a rejection of the liturgy is especially scandalous to those who, like me, converted to Evangelical Catholicism. It is often the convert who has actually studied the Book of Concord, and leaves a service scratching his head, wondering if the Lutheran congregation sold the building to a non-denominational church.
And since the faith is the most important thing in the life of the believer, he and his faithful wife are willing to pile the family into the car, sometimes with several young children, and travel ridiculously long distances to attend an authentically Lutheran Divine Service - often driving right right past several congregations who have traded away the treasure of their birthright for a bowl of junk food.
Maybe such families and individuals can’t do this every Sunday, but they strive to be faithful under trying circumstances.
Others have a similar story. And perhaps for political reasons, their stories are not told in Lutheran Witness, Reporter, in the publications of our seminaries, in our district publications, or in our congregational newsletters. It is as though they don’t exist, as they are stifled and hidden under the blare and bombast of the cacophony coming from the speakers of the “successful” church.
It is high time that we acknowledge this massive problem in our synod and in the various church bodies around the world that were either established by, or influenced by, the LCMS. And it is certainly overdue that we begin to push back against those pushing Nondenominationalizing Tendencies in our fellowship wherever that pressure occurs - whether it be in the seminary chapel, in the district office (the MMFs and DPs in particular), or in church publications.
I’ve been considering this issue quite a lot lately, and I believe there are indeed things that we pastors and laity can do together to take practical steps towards a renaissance of Lutheran Authenticity here and around the world. It will take persistence and patience - qualities that our progressive brethren have displayed over the long haul to get to where we are today. The time is long past for the ship to be righted. I’ll be writing more about that in the future.
But the first step is to get the problem out into the open and acknowledge it.
Here is a sample of some of the responses that we have received.
I wanted to convey to you the immense encouragement that I received from this post, which might seem somewhat unusual, because I think you wrote it with some exasperation about what's going on the LCMS.
Actually, it was just great to read something that someone had written that is so close to my thinking.... I actually wrote a public statement and left the [church body] in [country], which is much further gone than the LCMS. I can tell you more, but suffice to say, that I couldn't in good conscience remain. I've just started a small congregation here in [city], and I'm hoping to make some contacts with the ILC, and such churches. (I loved the video of Siberia that you posted.)
~ Responder
I also like how the older people tend to think that this is what us younger people want: bands and lights and smoke. Okay maybe it’s true. I want the one man band called the pipe organ, I want the candles, the incense, the liturgy, a meat and potatoes sermon that will feed me through the week. Divine Liturgy that lets me worship God by repeating his words back to him instead of repeating some endless chorus of the same watered down words of a praise song. I want to touch the hymn books and have the full experience. I want to hear the little children that can not read yet but have the Divine Liturgy memorized because church is the same every week instead of some rock concert.
~ Responder
Man this hits home! Okay, so, I live in [place name], which is the "Texas of [country], and the landscape here appears strikingly similar. That is to say, while the area itself is known to be politically conservative, the Neo-Evangelicalism by way of a lack of Confessional integrity, ejection of the hymnal and liturgy in favour of "creative worship" or non-denominational mega-church nonsense, is astounding. Like the LCMS, the divide… here is very real as well (although perhaps easier to navigate geographically as it appears to be east vs. west, generally speaking). I mean, even [among our seminaries], the attitude and emphasis is in such stark contrast that it is exactly as you say where it might as well be two synods (one catering to boomers, or the death of the [Lutheran] church, and the other authentically Confessional Lutheran serving as a beacon for the elect).
The proposed polity solution I could not agree with more and would love to see such a model…. . It would alleviate much of this tension and conflict, and perhaps be the answer to the problem of the microsynods who just can't stand to be in fellowship with a body that allows what it does. It also has historical precedence insofar as superintendents used to be in charge of setting the church order for their region and standardizing practice. Although, on that note, this would also be a good time to revert back to traditional language as Fr. Peterson makes a case for, opting for terms like diocese and bishop instead. Or, at least the Orthodox Lutheran districts can use such verbiage, the rest can continue to distance themselves from anything "traditional", "catholic", or "Lutheran" for that matter. Then if/when a split happens, it'll be much easier as everyone will already be organized and grouped together in their respective camps that honestly reflect what they believe and where they stand.
~ Responder
Anyone whose been around knows that you have to carefully check a church’s website or FB page to make sure they haven’t gone off the rails. “You should try the Lutheran church” could be the best or worst recommendation at the same time.
~ Responder
I want the Pastors, and District President (Bishop) of the Texas district to understand why and what I left. I converted to Confessional Lutheranism as an adult, a few years ago. Converting as an adult I left an American Evangelical church where I had volunteered as a small group leader, musician, and technical service (sound/lighting/projection). I was in a very comfortable position as a volunteer, esteemed by my co-volunteers, appreciated by the church staff. I walked away from it all. The concert sound, the theater lights, the visuals, and a musician I walked away from it all.
I walked away from rock concert church to join a "boring" small congregation with a pianist who doubles as the organist, and seasonally triples as a choir director. I walked away from the exciting flashy rock concert church so I could read the SATB notes in the service book and struggle to sing the bass line. I walked away from one church and don't think I won't walk away from an LCMS congregation that does the same, because I already did. I needed to attend an evening service on occasion and the closest LCMS church has a soft rock band. After posting on Facebook for another evening church I drive double the distance to go to a liturgical congregation.
It angers me to see our fellowship mixed with rock'n'roll, as if we could flirt with the world and not be changed by it. We don't avoid sins by flirting with them, which is what rock and roll church is all about. And on top of this all my wife was watching, and on rare occasion coming with me to see our services. She also left the same American Evangelical church only to find the same problem among us. Can you imagine a life long Baptist in a young marriage seeing what her husband is doing in such a different church and finding the same music that caused her to leave? She's already walked from a second Am. Ev. church! whose pastor she knew! Do you think she'll want to return to a congregation in our fellowship? As her husband I pray one day she does.
~ Responder
There is frustration, disorientation, and even pain in these responses, and in similar personal accounts that I have heard over the years - and yes, experienced myself as a layman who was actually shocked at what I saw in LCMS churches. It seems like our district offices are not listening, and they just down care.
Well, it’s time that they start caring. And the first step is to start listening.
When contending for the historic liturgy of the church, we often hear the same arguments trotted out with a gotcha mic drop. In this episode, we look at a blog post by Larry Beane and build upon it to talk about how one responds to these same arguments.
Read the blog post here: Argumentum ad Repititium
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Larry Beane
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Argumentum ad Repetitium
When I get into discussions with people over the liturgy and traditional hymnody (over and against so-called “contemporary worship,”) a lot of the same arguments and assertions pop up.
First is the charge that I just want traditional worship because it is “just what I like.” In other words, it’s a matter of personal preference and taste. This accusation is more a revelation about what the one making the accusation believes, for “contemporary worship” is typically based on pop-music forms that are, well, popular. People want pop music because it is what they like, not because of its theology or particular confession, not because it reflects what God prefers from the Scriptures, or because it promotes the Word of God. No, people like pop music in worship because they like pop music elsewhere. If it’s good enough for listening to while driving to work, it’s good enough to listen to in the church service.
So the charge that traditional church music is “just what you like” sounds like a projection. For are there any people arguing that they don’t really like pop music, but it is the best music for worship? Is there anyone who champions guitars and drums in the chancel who leaves church and turns on the radio to listen to organ music and chorales? Admittedly, this is just a hunch, but I suspect that most proponents of “contemporary worship” actually prefer those music forms, and listen to them outside of the church service as well. In other words, “It’s what they like.”
One finger pointed at me, three fingers pointing back at thee.
To the contrary, my desire to uphold the traditional liturgy and hymnody of the church has nothing to do with my musical tastes. In fact, the vast majority of the music that I listen to is pop music. I like what is today called “classic rock.” I like hard rock and 1980s heavy metal. I do listen to some classical music as well, but the vast majority of my musical tastes are the very types of music that I would loath in the Divine Service, and would consider its use to be blasphemous against the Lord and a degradation to rock and roll. As the cartoon character Hank Hill famously told a Christian rocker, “You’re not making Christianity better, you’re making rock and roll worse.”
I’m a stickler for traditional liturgy and hymnody for several reasons. One of them is that this is what God likes. He is a God of order. He is a God of dignity. He is a God of beauty. He is a God of sacrifice, atonement, and forgiveness. One would be hard-pressed to find the self-serving desire to be entertained in Biblical examples of worship. In fact, after recording God’s worship style preferences over the course of seven chapters (Exodus 25-31): the beautiful tabernacle covered in magnificent fabric, an altar of bronze followed by a courtyard also outfitted with beautiful textiles and precious metals, exquisite priestly garments (as well as rubrics for ordination), the altar of incense, the bronze basin for ceremonial washing, the anointing oil and incense, and specific instructions for fine craftsmanship, we come to chapter 32: the rejection of all of this for a more entertaining worship style around the golden calf, “and the people sat down to eat and drink and rose of to play.” They played at their worship. There was no indication that God wanted the priests to “play” in the holy of holies, or that the laity should “play” while sacrificing animals as a type of the Lamb to come. Some believe the word translated as “play” may be a euphemism for erotic overtones in this worship service - something that comes to the fore in many popular “praise and worship” songs, many of which that can be embarrassing to read the lyrics out loud or to watch the gyrations of the often-female performers - or “ministers of music", “worship leaders”, or “worship pastors” as they are sometimes called.
By contrast, we see the Israelites who worshiped the true God repeating their ritual and liturgical actions of remembrance each year - and they were commanded to keep various feasts as a memorial. And to be a memorial, there must be continuity, both in ritual, and in the passing along of those rituals through the generations.
Every year, a lamb was slaughtered and it was cooked with bitter herbs. It was eaten on the same day each year, and the same ceremony was repeated again and again, century after century. There were readings, there were hymns, there were psalms to be chanted. Why? Because God commanded that it should be done each year. Why should it change, since ultimately, the Passover meal was a type of Christ, pointing us to the Eucharist and to the cross? The message doesn’t change, and therefore the rubrics of the meal do not change. For if they were to change even a little every year, in a hundred years it would look nothing like what it was supposed to remember.
And when God interacts with mankind, there is a coming of heaven down to earth. Something otherworldly, something holy is happening. “Holy” means “set apart.” So when Jacob saw the vision of the angels ascending and descending on the ladder, he set apart that place as holy, and marked it with a pillar that was anointed with oil. That place was no longer just a spot to bed down for the night, it was the gate of heaven.
God is also a God who is concerned with esthetics. He is the author of beauty. He is not indifferent about matters of style. For again, when God tabernacled with the children of Israel, he commanded a tent to be made up to His standards, with magnificent furniture, with gold and silver and fine-twined linen, beautifully woven fabrics of purple and scarlet. His tabernacle, and later his temple, was epitomized by exquisite beauty beyond what one normally had in his house and daily life. God ordered the priests to be vested, also in beautifully crafted textiles, rare jewels, and fine detailed ornamentation.
This is not my idea or preference. This was not the preference of the priests or architects of the House of the Lord. This was done according to God’s order. And God likes beautiful art - the cherubim above the mercy seat, the intricate carvings of almond flowers, palm trees, and pomegranates. Why? Because God likes this design. It’s what He wanted. It is not because the congregation liked it, or the priests, or the leaders. God also likes bells and incense. Why? I don’t know. He just does. He likes craftsmanship and high art. And this level of ornateness was not how ordinary people lived in their day to day life. The place where God made Himself present for, and with, mankind, this holy place, was set apart and beautiful.
How anyone can actually read the Bible and come away thinking that God prefers people to just “come as you are” and “don’t go to any trouble to make things nice” when they come into His presence? Or how can anyone conclude that God’s attitude is “do whatever makes you happy, whatever you like,” or “do whatever is cheap.” This is not the God of the Bible.
And related to this idea of God becoming present with His people, this is one major difference we have with Protestantism. We, along with the historic communions of Christianity, confess that a miracle happens on our altars when we celebrate the Mass, that Christ, the living God and King and Creator of the Universe, the Man who is perfect, comes to us literally and in incarnate form, as the bread and wine that are blessed by His Word are truly His body and blood.
And so, that Presence takes us out of our ordinary, pedestrian existence and places us at the table with God.
So is informality called for in times like these? Did Isaiah behave casually when he found himself in the throne-room of God, when the angels purged away his sin by bringing him a coal from the altar and placing it upon his lips? Did Peter, James, and John behave the same as they always did when Jesus transfigured before them on the mountain?
Do military men behave differently around an officer than when they are hanging out with their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen, or marines? What about when a general enters the room? How about the president? Are there different protocols and ways of behaving around one’s superiors? And how would it be received if a soldier did not treat officers differently than their friends? Do these rituals and ways of carrying oneself communicate something? Are they for the good of the entire corps, the whole body of men united in service?
What if you were invited to a banquet at Buckingham Palace? Would you comport yourself the same as if you were at home in front of the TV with a bucket of KFC? Or would you maybe be more formally dressed, perfectly groomed, more aware of those around you, especially those of high social rank? Would you like to know what the rubrics for such an important meal are? Or would you be content to carry on the same way that you do at home?
Our formality in worship as Lutherans is crucial, because it is a confession that we do confess that Christ is miraculously present with us. We do not confess, as do many Protestants, that the Lord’s Supper is a symbol, or that our Lord’s flesh is far off in the heavens, leaving us with mere tokens that are at best some kind of “spiritual” presence. No, we confess that this is the eternal banquet that Jesus is always talking about, or at least a foretaste of it. The Divine Service is eschatological and brings us into contact with eternity. He is present under our roof, though we are unworthy. He says the Word, and we are healed. The King, God Himself, deigns to dine with us! This is not watching TV with KFC eaten out of a plastic container with a spork. Rather, this is the Holy of Holies, and Christ incarnate is present with us. And we not only eat with Him, but we feed miraculously on the true Passover Lamb, even as His blood is poured into us to mark us as His own, protected and saved from condemnation, from the Angel of Death.
And so, our worship is different than our day to day lives.
The hymnody comes from our rich tradition and is unbounded by fads or notions of what is popular today, but may well fall out of favor tomorrow. Our hymns not only praise God, but confess our faith rigorously and boldly. Our worship is dignified, and like the liturgical actions of remembrance of the children of Israel, it doesn’t change again and again, becoming unrecognizable in just a few years. Nor is it play - whether motivated by a desire for fun, or even tinged with eroticism.
Jesus said, “Do this in memory of Me.” He did not order us to change the liturgical action to bend it to our standards of entertainment, or to prevent it from not being “special.” And this is why the Church’s liturgy remains the same. It is a remembrance, just as the liturgical actions of the Old Testament Church were. Any changes are not made to reflect theological change, but perhaps to accommodate linguistic or technological shifts. And over the centuries, we have developed a corpus of the very best that the Church has in terms of liturgy and hymnody, not subject to fads and fashions. Our progressive culture routinely gets rid of the old in search of the ever-new. Our church’s heritage is a blend of the old and the new, not subject to “chronological snobbery” or Critical Theory that denigrates our own forbears.
And as a pastor, I want people to be taught (as ceremonies teach the people what they need to know about Christ, as our confessions teach us). I want my parishioners to have no doubts about what it is that we Lutherans confess about Jesus, and about what He Himself says in Scripture. This is communicated verbally in what is said, and nonverbally in what is done. Research suggests that 60% of what is communicated between people is non-verbal - meaning what we do and how we speak is as important, and perhaps even a bit more, than what is said in words alone.
An informal liturgy belies what is really happening: the miracle of heaven meeting earth and of Christ tabernacling with us. Pop music lowers the level of dignity, perhaps to the depths of frivolity and impropriety. And when we have centuries of magnificent hymnody, to settle for what is sung in Pentecostal or non-denominational churches is like choosing to eat cold Vienna sausages instead of the luxurious spread of delectable delicacies that you have been invited to partake of at the feast.
So far from being a matter of personal taste, the traditional liturgy and hymnody is what God wants, is a confession of who Jesus is and what He does, and is good pastoral care in terms of teaching and confessing our faith.
And this is why our forbears included Article 24. They did not just say, “Do whatever you like.” For while our Roman opponents were lumping us in with radical reformers that abolished the Mass, we vociferously deny such a scurrilous charge. To even suggest it is a gross insult, and resulted in an angry retort by Melanchthon, as well as a master class on what real worship is all about in the Augsburg Confession and the Apology.
It all boils down to Jesus, and what you believe about Him. Do you believe the Bible when it confesses that Christ is present with us? Do you take Jesus at His word when He says, “Do this in memory of Me?” Are you humbled at the Lord’s miraculous presence with us, like Moses, like Isaiah, like Peter, James, and John? Do you believe, teach, and confess that the presence of Jesus is the fountainhead of holiness, and so our worship in the holy place must itself be holy - as opposed to common and ordinary?
Are you willing to sacrifice your own personal tastes and desire to be entertained in the style to which you were accustomed in order to submit to Him and to receive His gifts - and to give Him thanks in return in the setting of His choosing? Do you actually believe what He says, and what the Church says about Him? Or do you hold the faith of another tradition, whose informal and casual worship is more fitting?
We often hear touted the distinction between the church and the state, the religious and the secular. In this episode, our guest, Christian Preus, demonstrates the the lie behind this false dichotomy, particularly within education. There is no indifferent, middle ground, and that Christians need to be aware and beware of these false notions.
For more information about Luther Classical College: https://www.lutherclassical.org
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Special Guest: Fr. Christian Preus
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A Christian Criticism of Critical Theory: a Word Fitly Spoken
While on the treadmill at the gym, I was listening to a podcast, A Word Fitly Spoken. This particular program was about Critical Theory, and it was hosted by the Revs. Willie Grills and Zelwin Heide. The guests were the Revs. Adam Koontz and David Buchs. It was an outstanding presentation, and I commend all of our readers and listeners to give this episode a listen!
What was especially poignant for me was the juxtaposition of the bank of TVs on the wall and the messages being flashed before the eyes of the millions of viewers around the country. Right in front of me was a screen running the USA Network. There were closed captions, so I could glance at what was going on. But it was really the visual imagery that was telling - especially while listening to a biblical analysis of this very thing being promoted by the secular world in real time.
Television is a powerful medium. It not only sells Budweiser, Toyotas, Doritos, and innumerable pharmaceuticals, it gives something away for free: a worldview.
The USA Network was running a cop show (I think it was “Chicago PD”) featuring several encounters between police and criminals. In this episode, without exception, every violent thug was a white male. And with only one exception, every crime victim was black: the exception being a white female who was being brutalized by a white male.
Only glancing up at the screen without hearing dialogue or background music gave me a sense of disconnect that made it an interesting observation. One of the scenes involved a black female shoplifter who was attempting to steal a loaf of bread. The store owner, an angry white male, was aggressively trying to get the police to arrest her. He complained about junkies constantly ripping him off. The accused woman looked sad, sitting limply on the floor with big puppy-dog eyes. She told the female police officer that she wasn’t a drug user, but that she just wanted to make a sandwich for her boy. The female cop looked at her indulgently and sympathetically, and asked the scowling, angry white male shop-keeper the price of the loaf of bread which was a dollar fifty. But before paying for the woman’s bread, the cop told the shop-owner that she could probably find some code violations in the store. She immediately claimed to see mouse droppings on the floor, and a wire at the ceiling that was not up to code. She threatened to ticket the shop-owner for $20,000. In the face of this police shakedown, the store owner told the police to release the woman. The lady cop then paid for the woman’s bread and sent her on her way - before scolding the shop-owner one more time.
The racial component presented on shows like this are pushing a false narrative, one that simply doesn’t comport with reality, a narrative clearly designed to promulgate a lie to the detriment of the target demographic.
Another scene involved a cop questioning a suspect on the street by inserting the muzzle of his pistol into the suspect’s mouth and demanding answers in three seconds, then he started counting. Fortunately, the suspect was a white guy. Otherwise, the cops would have been seen as the baddies.
There was also a commercial for trans pride.
Since I don’t watch TV any more, this is all unfamiliar territory to me. But it’s very easy to see what’s going on. It’s brainwashing. It’s Critical Theory training in the guise of entertainment. It does not reflect reality, but it is designed to create resentment against the white male population. And it is working for people of every racial and sexual tribe. Whites are conditioned to hate themselves and see their own existence as toxic. Many a Christian parent has been shocked by their children coming back from college holding a completely different worldview - one formed by Critical Theory. Some return from school declaring themselves to be of a different gender identity, bearing a new sexual preference, holding radicalized political views, and even in some cases, confessing hostility to the Christian faith itself.
Parents generally blame the universities - albeit too late. But I think academe is only partly to blame. I believe that the universities are merely the last domino to fall. Children typically grow up watching a lot of TV. And all contemporary mainstream television programs - and the vast majority of movies and online series - are pushing a Critical Theory narrative. This is being done under the noses of everyone.
I don’t think Christian parents have a clue as to how formative and normative and powerful these TV shows are, nor the cumulative effect of the propaganda. They are based on a narrative - and the story is consistent, emotional, compelling, and part of a larger holistic model of re-education. But we have been boiled slowly like the proverbial frog in the pan of warm water. We are being lied to all the time. Reality itself is a casualty of Critical Theory.
As a Christian pastor, this is a source of frustration. If our parishioners attend Divine Service and Bible Class every week, we will get maybe two hours to preach and teach our Christian narrative, which is, the Biblical and liturgical Gospel of Jesus Christ that runs from eternity to eternity. The rest of the time, most of our parishioners are watching TV, movies, sports, and taking part in other aspects of popular culture - all of which push a narrative at odds with, and hostile to, the Christian faith. And as adults, we may well be able to roll our eyes and discern what we are seeing. But then again, let us not underestimate the power of the visual narrative on our minds and psyches. But think about children and youth - whose brains are still in a state of plasticity, whose minds and souls are being formed by a constant barrage of narrative in opposition to the Holy Scriptures.
So what should Christian parents - and even those who are not parents - do in the face of this onslaught? I would say to cancel the cable, and stop watching modern TV shows. Older TV is not nearly as toxic, and some of the older programs may even be neutral or uplifting. But even there, wisdom and discernment are called for. There are older movies - and perhaps a new one or two - that are not antagonistic to the Christian worldview. But allowing children unfettered access to highly suggestive Critical Theory training is, in the long run, as toxic as if they had such access to porn. These shows are designed not only to sell product, but to push a worldview, one that is, without exaggeration, Luciferian in its orientation.
Instead of sitting in front of the boob tube for hours on end, why not listen to podcasts that either uphold, or do not contradict, our worldview? Why not learn a new skill? Take up an instrument? Study a foreign language? Learn how to fix cars or quilt or do woodworking or cooking? How about daily reading or listening to the Bible and great literature?
One of the things that individuals and families can do is to replace the trash narrative of TV with the Holy Narrative of the Scriptures - by incorporating daily liturgical worship into their lives. The Treasury of Daily Prayer (which is also available as an app) is an accessible and yet robust resource for interacting with the Scriptures - especially the Psalms - in a liturgical way that counters the evil and unrealistic narrative and worldview promoted by the TV networks and by Hollywood. Children need to be reading a lot more and looking at screens a lot less. Adults too.
And the beauty of such prayer is that it is liturgical, providing an annual reading of the lion’s share of the Bible but set in a beautiful liturgical setting that can be spoken or sung, simple or elaborate. The liturgical repetition provides children with an anchor for their young memories. And technology has made it possible to hear and pray along with these daily prayer offices in their full majestic beauty as sung by the Concordia Theological Seminary Kantorei.
I recently stayed a couple days with a delightful Lutheran family that had three young children. They had a TV, but it was in the basement, and the children acted like they didn’t even know it was there. The kids were surrounded by books. They all excitedly clambered up next to me so I could read to them, and so they could read to me. These children really knew the Bible, the Catechism, and the liturgy of the church. The family prays Matins together every morning. Their six year old reads the One Year Bible (ESV) every day on her own - and was breathlessly explaining the narrative of the day’s readings to me. And the children’s reading was impeccable. Aside from Biblical names and foreign words (with the exception of the little toddler) the children could read and pronounce each word effortlessly and fluently - better than most adults that I know.
What was especially poignant was the fact that the biblical narratives are already embedded in the minds of these very young children. They know the stories of the biblical characters - and not just the usual felt-board Sunday School sections. They relate the Biblical accounts with excitement and intimacy as though they are telling about what happened at the swing-set with the neighbor children only yesterday.
These children are happy, well-adjusted, and intelligent. They are being well-prepared for a future in which their worldview will be challenged. They are being placed on the firm foundation of the Bible and the Confessions, of the liturgy and the Catechism, the Psalter and the hymns. These children clearly know the faith, and they know who (and whose) they are. And they weren’t only reading the Bible. They were also reading standard childhood storybooks and great literature and books covering a range of topics. But they weren’t reading anything about “Two Mommies” or any trashy kids’ books that one might find at a Drag Queen event.
In our modern world, there is huge pressure to conform. And children - especially if they are in public school - are subject to incredible peer pressure to watch those programs that are most at odds with our Christian worldview. This is increasingly the case even in kindergarten and nursery school. And by the time these kids face puberty, they are under enormous pressure to be anything but “normal.” It is, as though to be accepted, one must be of some exotic sexual identity or preference, not to mention, hold radical leftist political views and to question or repudiate the Christian faith. And if you understand Critical Theory, you will know that this is not by accident.
This is what Critical Theory is all about. We are seeing it bearing rotten fruit after many decades of patient brainwashing in school, on TV, in movies, in music, in sports, and in the mainstream media in general, not to mention benign neglect by Christian parents. It’s all about the replacement narrative and how to smash the old Christian worldview.
It is important for us Christians to know what the Enemy is up to, to sever our ties to Luciferian “entertainment,” to equip our children in our own Biblical worldview, and to instill it in their minds and souls through the church’s liturgy - which has formed minds into the mind of Christ our Logos for two millennia.
It is high time that the Church become unequivocally critical of Critical Theory and stop ignoring it or pandering to those who advocate it. We need to put our foot down and reject it at every level - from the parish and the district to the synod, from our publishing house to our universities and seminaries. Critical Theory is just one more serpentine “Did God actually say…?”.
I’d like to thank the guys at A Word Fitly Spoken for their solid analysis, and for their lively and informative program. What a blessing to have faithful pastors putting out programming that confirms, rather than contradicts, reality and the Christian worldview. The contrast between what I was hearing and what I was seeing could not have been more clear.
The Word is being fitly spoken indeed. The real question is, is it being fitly heard?
"Lutheran" Confessions Not Lutheran, Used by ELCA, Contain Hyper-Euro Sacerdotalism and Romanism, Authors Do Not Reply to Questions from GN
Gottesdienst News (GN) has learned that the “Lutheran” Confessions (the Book of Concord) are not Lutheran.
The Book of Concord is used in an official capacity by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) - which denies the inerrancy of the Bible, ordains women, and is in fellowship with Greenpeace. Both LCMS seminaries: Concordia Seminary Saint Louis (which was named after a Roman Catholic saint - Roman Catholics deny the doctrine of justification and the inerrancy of the Bible) and Concordia Seminary Fort Wayne (founded by Wilhelm Loehe, hyper-euro opponent of C.F.W. Walther who did not believe in voters assemblies) use the ELCA approved texts in their seminary classes. Why would Bible-believing seminaries teach using the Book of Concord that is used by the ELCA?
Letters to both Dr. Thomas Egger and Dr. Larry Rast were not answered as of this publication.
The Book of Concord is a Romanizing book that never mentions the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod or C.F.W. Walther. The Book of Concord never mentions Walter A. Meier, nor does it denounce Seminex, Nadia Bolz-Weber, or Matthew Harrison. The Book of Concord never mentions the Brief Statement, and as far as we can tell, none of the authors of the texts even wore briefs.
Catholic
The Book of Concord never uses the word “Lutheran” or “Protestant,” but the word “Catholic” is used 13 times, and in the 1921 Triglotta translation, often even using an uppercase C. The Triglotta was published by Concordia Publishing House. Letters to Concordia Publishing House - demanding why a CPH product has uppercase-C “Catholic” being used to describe Lutherans - were not answered at the time of this publication.
The Athanasian Creed (which was not even composed by Athanasius) is included in the Book of Concord. The modernist Matthew Harrison-approved Lutheran Service Book (LSB) includes a translation of the Athanasian Creed that contains the following examples of Romanism: “Whoever desires to be saved must above all, hold the catholic faith.” This means that non-catholics go to hell. The Athanasian Creed says nothing about voters assemblies. The Athanasian Creed refers to the “catholic religion” and that “this is the catholic faith; whoever does not believe it faithfully and firmly cannot be saved.”
Letters to Pastor Athanasius were returned to GN unopened. The Roman Catholic Church - which denies the doctrine of justification, believes the pope to be the head of the church by divine right, and endorses funny hyper-euro hats, also approvingly confesses the Athanasian Creed.
President Matthew Harrison, who supports the use of Lutheran Service Book (LSB), has a mustache. Hitler and Stalin had mustaches. Many of the liberals who walked out of seminex had mustaches and long sideburns. C.F.W. Walther and Francis Pieper were clean shaven. Harrison is accused by some of not believing that congregations matter, that he, like Adolph Hitler, believe in centralizing his power. Letters asking why President Harrison continues to wear a mustache have not been answered as of this publication.
Pastor John Brentz, Minister of Hall, signed one of the documents in the ELCA-approved Book of Concord (the Treatise - which actually mentions “the Pope” in its official title - the Pope is the head of the Roman Catholic Church, which denies biblical inerrancy, the doctrine of justification, and does not celebrate Reformation Day) refers to the Lutheran Church as “the true and genuine catholic Church” and desribes Pastor Bugenhagen as “revered Father” (see below).
Neither Brentz nor Bugenhagen have responded to GN’s requests for an explanation.
Call No Man Father
The Book of Concord contains unbiblical language for pastors. Jesus said, “Don’t you be callin’ anyone yo’ daddy, y’all” (Matthew 23:9, ACT - A Confederate Translation). But the hyper-euro sacerdotalist Romanizers in the Book of Concord do not follow the words of Jesus. Pastor John Brentz called Pastor Johannes Bugenhagen “Father” (see above). Pastor Brixius Northanus of Christ Lutheran Church - Soest referred to “the Reverend Father Martin Luther” in his signature to the Smalcald Articles. The authors of the Formula of Concord (Pastor Jake Andrae, Pastor Marty Chemnitz, Pastor Dave Chytraeus, Pastor Nick Selnecker, and Pastor Andy Musculus) referred to Pastor Luther as one of “our dear fathers and predecessors.” Letters to Brentz, Bugenhagen, Luther, Northanus, Andrae, Chemnitz, Chytraeus, Selnecker, and Musculus have not been acknowledged or replied to by the time of publication.
Sacerdotalism
The word “priest” is used in the Book of Concord to refer to pastors more than a hundred times. The Latin word for “priest” is “sacerdos.” This is about double the amount of times the word “pastor” is used by the authors of the Book of Concord to refer to pastors. The Latin word for “pastor” is “pastor.” Often, especially in the Augsburg Confession and Apology, the expression “our priests” is used to refer to Lutheran ministers. Calls to Mister Melanchthon’s office at Wittenberg University were not returned.
Ordination as a Sacrament
Professor Melanchthon’s Apology (which is misleading, because he never says that he is sorry) includes other instances of sacerdotalism consistent with the hyper-euros when he calls ordination a sacrament: (“neither will we refuse to call the imposition of hands a sacrament”). Melanchthon also allows for marriage to be called a sacrament. The Roman Catholic Church, which denies the doctrine of justification and biblical inerrancy, as well as cheers for Notre Dame, likewise considers ordination and marriage to be sacraments. As of this publication, Professor Melanchthon has not written to GN to respond to our simple questions.
Mass
The Church Service is called “Mass” by sacerdotalists, Romanizers, and Hyper-Euros. The Augsburg Confession and the Apology both have an entire article (24) called “The Mass.” Melanchthon (see above) writes, “We have not abolished the Mass.” Roman Catholics use the term Mass. Roman Catholics deny the Doctrine of Justification, worship Mary, and often do not have red doors on their churches. Letters to both Melanchthon and the Pope in Rome seeking an explanation have not been answered. Science professors in the Concordia University System often refer to how much something weighs as “Mass.” Calls to Dr. Dean Wenthe and Dr. Daniel Gard, both formerly linked to CUS - both of whom have connections to Notre Dame University - have not been answered as of this writing.
Hyper Euro Polity
Instead of the biblical practice of having supreme voters’ assemblies, the Book of Concord advocates a hyper-euro system of bishops. Professor Melanchthon writes in the Apology (Article 14), “it is our greatest wish to maintain church-polity and the grades in the Church [old church regulations and the government of bishops]” and “we will gladly maintain ecclesiastical and canonical government, provided the bishops only cease to rage against our churches.” The Roman Catholic Church, which denies the Doctrine of Justification, teaches the unbiblical doctrine of Purgatory, and provides pointy hats for bishops, also has hyper-euro polity. It should be noted that the Ku Klux Klan has pointy hats as well. Calls to the KKK seeking an explanation were not answered.
Approvingly Quoted
The authors of the Book of Concord approvingly quote Bernard of Clairvaux and call him a “holy father” and a “saint.” Roman Catholic “Saints” Anthony, Dominic, and Francis are also called “holy fathers.” Pastor Clairvaux referred to Mary as a “shining and brilliant star” and that we should “call upon Mary” and that when we are troubled by sins to “think of Mary, call upon Mary…. invoking her.” The Matthew Harrison-approved LSB (which uses the English Standard Version as its biblical text) approvingly includes three hymns by Bernard of Clairvaux, and two by Thomas Aquinas (who taught Transubstantiation and engaged in philosophy).
Pastor Augustine of Hippo (whom, GN has learned, never even owned a hippo), a Roman Catholic bishop, is quoted approvingly in the Book of Concord - even in Latin, which was the language used by the Roman Catholic Church in its services (the Roman Catholic Church cheers for Notre Dame and does not have voters assemblies). Pastor Augustine is referred to as a “holy father” and a “saint” in the Book of Concord.
The Matthew Harrison-approved Lutheran Service Book has a day of “commemoration” for Augustine, “Pastor and Theologian,” as well as another day to honor Bernard of Clairvaux, “Hymnwriter and Theologian.” LSB also honors Hyper-Euro opponent of C.F.W. Walther, Wilhelm Loehe as well as various popes, including Gregory the Great (whom the Book of Concord quotes approvingly), Leo the Great (whom the Book of Concord also quotes approvingly), and Clement. Pope Gregory the Great and Hyper-Euro Wilhem Loehe both have a hymn each in the mustached-Harrison-approved LSB. Roman Catholic bishop Ambrose of Milan, who allowed himself to become a relic in a Catholic Church in Italy, is also approvingly quoted, has a “commemoration” in the Harrison-backed LSB, as well as three hymns.
The Book of Concord often approvingly quotes Roman Catholic canon law (which is misleading, as canon law has nothing to do with large mounted guns or a competitor to Nikon, the Roman Catholic Church also denies the Doctrine of Justification, Anathematizes the Gospel, and sings awful hymns). The Book of Concord never approvingly quotes the Brief Statement, the bylaws of synod, or Roberts Rules of Order (revised). Letters to General Roberts were returned to GN unopened.
Luther is Not Lutheran!
Pastor Martin Luther, author of three texts of the ELCA-approved Book of Concord, believed in “semper virgo,” the belief that Mary did not have other children (a belief shared by the Roman Catholic Church, which denies biblical inerrancy and does not cheer for any of the Concordia sports teams). Semper virgo is believed by the hyper euros today. Luther prayed a version of the Hail Mary prayer even after he became a Lutheran. Luther was baptized and ordained a priest in the Roman Catholic Church - and he was never called or installed to serve as a pastor by a proper voters’ assembly. Luther advocated for “high church hyper euro” worship practices, such as genuflecting and elevating and making the sign of the cross. Luther believed that the bread and wine are the body and blood of Christ even if they were not consumed. Luther urged people to go to private confession and equated it with being a Christian. Luther called his German liturgy the “German Mass.” Luther never submitted a resolution to the LCMS convention.
Silent But Deadly
The silence is deafening. Not a single author or defender of the Book of Concord has returned GN’s calls, letters, emails, semaphores, texts, communications by radio, missives, epistles, unsavory implications, inquisitions, demands that they stop beating their wives, requests for high school year books, or simple questionnaires inquiring if they have renounced Communism, Matthew Harrison, and the heartbreak of Psoriasis.
Note: This is satire. As much as I hate to have to say so, if I don’t, Aunt Pitty will get “the vapors,” countless boomers will write to Fritz demanding that he fire me, millennial pastors will burn themselves on their soy lattes and send me nasty emails telling that their wives demand that I “be kind,” and even some of our loyal readers will miss the whole point. So here it is, boys and girls and purple penguins: this is a tongue-in-cheek homage to Christian News. And if you took the time to write without reading to the end, the joke’s on you! Thank you, ~ The Management
The Middle Ages is often looked down up as a time of great darkness, a time when not much was happening in terms of great insight into pastoral care, biblical studies, and doctrinal articulation. In this episode, Karl Fabrizius uncovers the myth of that thinking. He tells us about the great insights in biblical interpretation that is going in at that time, and not just by the super stars of the era, but even by the lesser known pastoral theologians. Fabrizius breaks down for us what great insights that they uncovered then that we should emulate today. And he gives us some practical advice in how to cultivate this in our daily lives.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Karl Fabrizius
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What is Luther’s liturgical legacy? What did he get right? What did he get not so right? What have his successors used for the edification of the church? What have they used or misused the he bequeathed to us? In this episode, we dive into find out these answers and more.
Host: Fr. Jason Braaten
Regular Guest: Fr. Mark Braden
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As always, we, at The Gottesdienst Crowd, would be honored if you would Subscribe, Rate, and Review. Thanks for listening and thanks for your support.
A Tale of Two Synods
When someone posted the above video of the Texas District that was shown at the Texas District Convention, I responded on social media in a tongue-in-cheek manner, saying that Lutherans would do well to have such polished productions as this obviously non-denominational presentation.
I thought about responding here at Gottesblog with satire, sarcasm, and gallows humor. After all, the jokes do just write themselves. The Texas District logo not only appears to depict three martinis, they get increasingly out of proportion and dizzying as you navigate from the first to the third. This could not have been by accident. Some graphic designer was obviously being cheeky. For in a very real sense, this illustrates a practical way to deal with the district - especially at convention. Although the genuine Texas beverage might be a 64 ounce bucket of margaritas, I don’t know how well that would translate to a logo. So the three-martini motif will just have to do.
I thought about comparing the entertainment-based music and emotional imagery in this video - rooted in the spoken word of vague non-sequiturs instead of the incarnational reality of Christ coming to us to forgive us and transform us for eternity by means of His physical presence. And this is manifest not only in His historic enfleshment, His birth, cross, death, and resurrection, but also in His ongoing sacramental presence with us in the miracles of Holy Baptism and the Holy Eucharist - two themes that, though central to the faith, are pushed to the margins in this video. Instead, this objective ground of faith is jettisoned in favor of emotion and slick production. In this, the comparison to the Texas-sized Neo-Evangelical megachurches of the highways and byways of the Lonestar State - where indeed everything is Bigger - is unavoidable. It is no accident that the Reverend Father Joel Osteen is a Texas pastor with a Texas-sized church that is the envy of Church Growth Movement moguls everywhere. Indeed, the lust of our baby-boomer CGM experts for Bigness and the reduction of individual human souls to a Big number in a ledger or on an annual statistics form is insatiable. No Cialis needed for this passion.
I thought about performing a Rick-roll-like trick by inviting my reader to click on the link to the Texas District highlights, but replace it with the magnificent satirical video called “Contemporvent” or perhaps “The Worship Song Song.” Both make the point well.
I also thought about all the angles I could play because it is Texas. And I do love Texas. I love the history and heritage, the independent streak of the people, the sense of Bigness in everything, a zest for life, the unique foods and cultures and byways. Texas is a quintessential part of the South, which I hold dear. And Texas is (along with South Carolina) a state where you are just as likely to see the state flag as the US flag - and it may well even be flying on a pole of the same height as Old Glory. It is a state where people, following the observation of President Obama, “cling to their guns” and “religion,” not to mention to their Whataburger, beef brisket barbecue, and big honking belt buckles.
When I once traveled to Texas on business in my former life a long time ago, being on a company per diem, I ate a one-pound T-bone for lunch, and a two-pound T-bone for supper. You can get away with such things when you’re in your twenties. I also bought myself some cowboy boots. I did not buy a cowboy hat, but did wear my boots up north. My Texan friend who lives in North Carolina always brought his pregnant wife to Texas to give birth many times in the Lone Star State, thus assuring the transmission of his Republic of Texas citizenship to posterity. And I think that is a good and noble thing. It is part of what makes Texas unique.
These delightful quirks of Texas and Texans could have provided fodder for explaining the quirkiness of the LCMS in the Republic. Lutheranism has a long history in Texas - both in its German and Slovak heritages. But sadly, there is nothing endearing in the modern context about jettisoning the liturgy and our rich theology that are truly evangelical, and trading them for the pottage of non-denominational Christianity.
Besides, those accents in the video suggest that there is a lot of carpetbagging going on.
But after considering all of these angles, I decided to take a different tack. I’m still a big fan of dark humor and throwing stones at the dragon, for if nothing else, it breaks up the monotony, and sometimes gets other guys hurling a pebble or two. And who knows, there might even be a David out there whose stone hits the beast in the right spot. And even if it doesn’t put the monster out of our Missouri, the encounter could end up in a viral Steve Inman video for entertainment purposes. And that’s not for nothin’.
But there is also something very serious and sad about this video.
It shows that Pietism is still very much alive and well in our synod: the ginning up of emotion and the downplaying of the sacraments, the transformation of worship into entertainment instead of the Church’s timeless participation in the eternal liturgy that binds heaven and earth together - that unites the Church Militant with the Church Triumphant, offering a sacrifice of praise to our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the sacrificial Lamb whose blood saves us and who breathes the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, into us. And this is not a metaphor, but rather a flesh-and-blood reality by means of the ongoing miracle of God performing signs and wonders in our midst because His Word is still sounding forth, still creating, still redeeming, still sanctifying - still reconstituting the universe, and still drawing us into the incense-filled inner-sanctum of the very throne-room of God, where Isaiah once lay prostrate in fear, but where he was comforted by the purification delivered to his lips by a messenger bearing a burning coal from the holy altar.
Of course, to the Pietist, this is just boring stuff from an old book. That’s our grandfather’s church. To them, we need music, really exciting, awesome, fist-pumping, epic music - guitars and drums and emoting vocalists and a guy running a sound-board. And that music should be repetitive, it should cause one’s heart to skip a beat, it should tug at the heartstrings, it should induce dopamine so that a proper decision for Christ can be made. It should be the kind of music that fills the modular interlocking church seats the same way that stadiums are filled - thus also paying homage to the CGM Fetish of Bigness.
This is Texas, after all.
According to Pietism, we need pastors dressed just like us, who are excitable, who are dynamic, who are not stuffy and reverent and catholic. We need awesome vision-casting, leadership, leadership, leadership, and apps. We need high-tech. We need screens and PowerPoint. We need passion and programs and fun. Did I mention excitable pastors? We need to use the word “amazing” a lot - and new turns of phrase, like “on ramps for Jesus” (which is perhaps a Texas response to Oklahoman Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel”). We need to de-emphasize “what goes on in these four walls” and focus on drawing people into the church from the world by not only going into the world, but by looking like the world.
The centrality of the Sacrament and the traditional liturgy really just get in the way of being “missional.”
The video had a lot to say about mission work, but it lacked authenticity. It just looked like well-heeled Texas suburbanites getting together with other well-heeled Texas suburbanites for brisket and music. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but that’s not really “missions.” Being missional is a big buzzword, but real mission work doesn’t much resemble watching NFL games while scooping peanuts from a tin bucket at a Texas Roadhouse. One fellow brought up the topic of Christian worship during communism and compared it to using Zoom during the pandemic. As the kids say, “Yeah, no.”
In fact, authentic Lutheran mission work is being done in the former Soviet Union. Here is a video showing how this missionary endeavor is carried out in Siberia, and how it is done in an authentically Lutheran way:
Note the Christological and sacramental focus of Siberian mission work. (Let’s just keep this between us girls, but Siberia is even bigger than Texas). As a bonus, here is a video of Siberian Bishop Vsevolod Lytkin speaking at a faithful Texas congregation, Faith Lutheran Church in Plano. This is quite the contrast to the Texas District video of the Cult of Bigness and the desire to adopt Neo-Evangelical worship.
Sadly, I often hear from faithful confessional Lutherans, seeking authentic Lutheran worship using the hymnal, who drive sometimes up to a hundred miles on Sunday morning, passing a wasteland of non-liturgical LCMS congregations, all in order to find a church that is liturgical, confessional, and reverent. It is a huge sacrifice, but it is worth it - especially to young families who want their children learning the catechism and being formed by the miraculous presence of Christ instead of being molded by vacuous entertainment. Sometimes, people have to face hard choices of either finding a Wisconsin Synod congregation (and promising to break prayer fellowship with the rest of the family and be subjected to a low view of the office of the ministry), or even attending Masses of a continuing Anglican tradition and forgoing the Holy Sacrament for a while. As I noted earlier, this desert of decent LCMS congregations in some places has led some of our laity - often young families with children - to physically move to where the liturgical parishes are. As my colleague Fr. David Petersen advises, there is another option: to start a new church. We need faithful lay people to consider such a drastic step - even if it means foregoing the Bigness and suburban wealth of the Texas-sized LCMS church up the road. For this isn’t about everything being Bigger - in Texas or elsewhere - it is about fidelity to Word and Sacrament, in doctrine and ceremonies. It is about teaching the people what they need to know about Christ.
And even Osteen’s Texas megachurch began very small - as did most of our LCMS church plants. In hostile districts, a confessional and liturgical congregation may well get snubbed by the districtocracy, even as money flows like the mighty Mississippi to church plants that downplay authentic Lutheranism and instead employ gimmicks. But remember, that the confession of the “one holy catholic and apostolic church” is located within the third article of the Creed - as the Holy Spirit is the “Lord and giver of life.” It is not mammon or district bureaucracy that quickens the church. It is not gimmicks or marketing that grows the church. For God Himself “has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.” Man does not live by District alone, and in fact, in our Lutheran tradition, both its history and its confessional writings, church bureaucracy is sometimes a hindrance to the Gospel. And when it is, it is best ignored. Certainly, our sixteenth century ancestors, who were attacked and harried by the worldwide, rich, and powerful church bureaucracy of the day, knew what it was to oppose them and stand as a “little flock” being implored to “fear not the foe.”
The adoption of Neo-Evangelical practices indeed leads to Neo-Evangelical doctrine. Lex Ordandi, Lex Credendi is not just a tee-shirt slogan for seminarians and geeky pastors. It is an ancient and wise observation that bears out our Lutheran forbears’ retention of the ancient ceremonies rather than throwing caution to the wind in search of something new. That is why Article 24 begins with the bold statement:
Falsely are our churches accused of abolishing the Mass; for the Mass is retained among us, and celebrated with the highest reverence. Nearly all the usual ceremonies are also preserved, save that the parts sung in Latin are interspersed here and there with German hymns, which have been added to teach the people. For ceremonies are needed to this end alone that the unlearned be taught [what they need to know of Christ].
~ AC 24:1-4a
One thing that is hammered home by this video is that we are two synods (at least). Can you even imagine one of the pastors in the above video standing in the pulpit and reading the above quote from our confessions to his parishioners? Or how about the Texas District President reminding his congregations that they are committed to this confession.
We can lie to ourselves that we are actually united as a synod. It just isn’t so. There is no way that I would visit and commune at the kinds of LCMS churches shown in this video. Nor would my parishioners. They would be scandalized. And there is no way that most of those folks would ever commune from my hand at the altar that I serve. We have a paper fellowship, at best, and a tenuous unity and koinonia based not on doctrine and ceremonies, but on a common bureaucracy and shared employment benefits. And as more and more congregations jettison Concordia Plan Services, even that link is being weakened. In some cases, the only thing holding the synod together is a sense of nostalgia and branding.
The Rev. Prof. Kurt Marquart of blessed memory suggested that we need a divorce in our synod. That would certainly be more honest than what we have now. And as painful as “The Walkout” and the subsequent breakup of the LCMS was in the 1970s, it was the honest thing to do.
But maybe there is another way that we could order ourselves more honestly. Perhaps what we need is to abolish the districts and circuits as they exist (as they reflect 19th century technological limitations). But why must our districts be geographical today? Why not reorder ourselves according to what we have in common - especially in matters of worship. And if we have two or three, or even five or six, subdivisions of synod, so what?
We currently have two non-geographical districts. We could have non-geographical “districts” where there is genuine agreement in doctrine and practice, and we could all keep the name and the benefits package. And if, down the road, it would be better to actually cut our ties, it would be easier to do in such a system. For right now what we have is not unlike what we have in the United States. Instead of federalism, we now have nationalism. And so US elections become a “winner take all” endeavor. And the losing side, which is typically very near fifty percent of the population - is held hostage to the faction that is bigger by only a percent or two (if that). Instead, we could decentralize our synod and let congregations have closer ties with other congregations that share their doctrine and practice - not unlike the situation in 19th century America, where small synods went into fellowship with one another.
One “district” may specify that only the ordo and hymns in the hymnal may be used. Another “district” may make it all optional. Yet another “district” might compile its own requirements as to what is permissible. Our “district” conventions would be much less the way of power struggles, and the Divine Services at the same would not be places of protest, either against the services with guitars and streamers, or with chasubles and incense. Such a scheme would provide homogeneity in matters of doctrine and practice, while allowing the synod branding and employment benefits to be shared by all. In such a structure, synod would not dictate from above, and “districts” could recognize fellowship with other “districts” based on their own criteria.
There are certainly dangers in such a polity. And there are likely unintended consequences. But what we have now is not working. We are engaging in a Mister Rogers style Land of Make-Believe fantasy that we are not in a state of impaired fellowship, and we are not involved in a power struggle between at least two opposing factions. By decentralizing the conflict, we can encourage church plants by “districts” without regard to geography, and our “district” mission funds could actually go to new congregations that reflect our confession and worship - whether Pietistic or confessional, whether normed by guitar or organ.
For what we have now is 35 civil wars and games of one-upsmanship - where the winners are determined by political means: running for office, navigating parliamentary procedure, and engaging in backroom arm-twisting of the kind we see in the secular political world.
At any rate, though we in The Gottesdienst Crowd are often marginalized and mocked by our Bigger brethren in synod (and sometimes that is a matter of the waistline and not only the waste-land), though our churches are generally smaller and often face financial struggles, let us not lose heart. Let us continue to be normed by the Bible and the Book of Concord, and let us continue to confess in Word and deed not only what Jesus has done for us, but what He continues to do for us in the Divine Service, where He comes to us in a literal and miraculous way that needs no distraction by entertainment or some Big New Awesomer Way of Doing Church.
We don’t need a new way of doing church. We need Jesus. We don’t need entertainment. We need authentic worship. We don’t need gimmicks. We need faith. And for you, dear reader, both layman and pastor, the following video (Have you seen the video?), produced by Gottesdienst, thanks toa grant from the LCMS, is an example of how “ceremonies teach the people what they need to know about Christ,” and how our bureaucracy can indeed teach the ceremonies to the pastors and laity alike. Instead of “contemporvence” grounded in entertainment, you will find reverence grounded in the reality that Jesus continues to join us in the miracle of the Holy Sacrament.
And that reality is even bigger than Texas.
Feminism Began...
The new face of conservatism and the GOP?
…with a question that wasn’t really a question: “Did God actually say…?”
Feminism changed the world.
For with this rhetorical question, “Did God actually say…?” the first woman and her husband were enticed to deny God’s Word with the promise of changing the order of creation, with the opportunity to “be like God,” to have one’s eyes “opened,” or to put it into modern parlance, to be “woke.” This was the very first instance of “Smash the Patriarchy” - and the Patriarch was God.
Adam participated in feminism even though it sought to remove his leadership of the family, but there was a lot in it for him: the chance to likewise escape the hierarchical limitations of his own created order, his own vocation given to him by God.
Feminism changed the course of history, and not for the better. This act of rebellion against God’s created order of divinely created roles of the binary sexes of male and female, this Luciferian inversion of order into an unnatural chaos lured by the lust for self-gratification, brought death into the world, unleashed the forces of chaos and violence among all creatures in what was a perfectly harmonious existence, and placed the world on a trajectory of warfare in this life and enmity with God - a cosmic conflict that places mankind in the crossfire.
And the serpent continues to deceive, continues to ask, “Did God actually say…?”, continues to call into question the order of creation - especially in matters of sex and sexuality.
Today, chaos has been mainstreamed, even in defiance of the science that so many claim to believe in. Male and Female are considered social constructs. The natural family is considered no better for children - or perhaps even worse - than unnatural configurations. God’s created order of patriarchy and complementarily between men and women is attacked in both the secular and ecclesiastical realms. Biology is held in contempt. Natural Law is disdained. That which a normal person can posit by observation is denied. And of course, all the while, the serpent continues to lure men and women into questioning divine revelation by what is in it for them: be it money and power for women, or the lure of easy recreational sex devoid of responsibility for men. Men especially “benefit” from feminism, for they are absolved from their duty to love their wives and be willing to give up everything for her sake. Instead, they are free to pursue their lusts and treat their wives as cash cows, buying toys or funding the man-cave.
There is nothing in our culture and society that has not been corrupted and putrefied by the serpent’s original intersectionality. Especially in our western civilization, and especially in America: once the world’s beacon of freedom of belief, of speech, of writing and publishing, of political liberty, and of course, freedom of religion.
One example is the military: an institution whose purpose is to use violence to protect the country from invasion, from enemies both foreign and domestic. Note how feminism has shifted the raison être of the military from being an order of warriors formerly bound by an ethos of service to the nation and a chivalrous defense of the weak into being a grand radical social “Did God actually say…?” experiment.
If you haven’t seen the juxtaposition of recent military recruitment ads by China, Russia, and the United States, you probably should have a look.
Even Atheistic China still retains some moorings of natural law, as the masculine and feminine roles shown in their ad, as well as the unmistakable appeal to the warrior ethos of men to protect and serve, is apparent - even though this warrior spirit takes on a collectivist feel. The Russian ad likewise appeals to a man’s natural biological, psychological, and spiritual urge to protect and serve. But the Russian ad is aimed at the individual rather than the collective.
The American ad begins in the form of a cartoon and the story of a young girl raised by a couple of lesbians. There is no appeal to the warrior ethic, only a ginned-up feminized and radicalized message to appeal to so-called social justice issues, tugging on the heartstrings, as though the military’s job is to provide emotional sensitivity training and sexual propaganda instead of blowing things up when that is what is needed to defend our liberties and existence as a country. The only concession to a warrior ethic is the cartoon girl’s climbing up a rope. And at the end, the cartoon gives way to live video of the young woman, who inexplicably, in spite of her impressive academic credentials, is not an officer. Perhaps her decision to serve in the enlisted ranks regardless of her qualifications is yet another way to fight back against the notion of hierarchy.
At any rate, the contrast is stark. And should other countries become a military threat to the United States, one can only imagine how ill-prepared our country will be, with our warrior institution emasculated and our military turned into an institution of social re-education and a jobs program for people who reject traditional societal norms - not to mention reality itself.
“Did God actually say…?”
The serpent has also slithered up to the Bride of Christ and has posed the same question. He has gotten once-faithful church bodies, including Lutherans, to question God’s Word - from the days of Higher Critical Theory right down to today’s all encompassing Critical Theory (which manifests itself in matters of sex and race, imposing chaos and rebelling against the orderly goodness of God’s Word and His will).
When the push for women’s “ordination” began among historic communions of the church in the twentieth century, there were prophetic voices, like Bishop Bo Giertz, the great Swedish Lutheran churchman who appealed to the Bible and the church’s confessions. Giertz and others who shared this commitment to the Scriptures were pilloried and reviled as reactionaries and misogynists. The Bishop took the slings and arrows and mounted a defense against this Satanic invasion, but that battle was lost, as Swedish society had embraced progressivism over and against submission to the Word of God. And the winners have written the history and pushed their own narrative.
Today, priestesses outnumber priests in the Church of Sweden. Secular society is dominated by female leadership. And it goes without saying that Scandinavia has led the way in the feminization of society and the normalization of sexual deviancy in the Nordic countries. The results have been disastrous, as the cancer of the rejection of the order of creation has become dominant, even to the point of the Lutheran lesbian “bishop” of the Church of Sweden ordering crosses removed from a church to make Muslims feel welcome. This corresponds to the feminized secular leadership of Sweden, naive, emotional, and lacking the God-given instinct to protect the nation, opening the borders of the country, creating violent no-go zones and an active rape culture - apparently an acceptable price to be paid for pushing a “woke” agenda.
And the often pooh-poohed argument that the male pastorate mirrors the maleness of Christ is vindicated, and sadly so, by the re-creation of God in the image of woman by an ELCA congregation in San Francisco - one that prays to the goddess and employs a special goddess rosary. One of the former pastors of this “church” (so-called) has since become the world’s first transgendered “bishop” (so-called).
The gender issue has spread like a cancer, and there is more to come.
Another ELCA priestess gave an Easter Sermon that was all about self-pleasure - including in the sexual sense. If you don’t believe me, you can watch the video - especially beginning about at the 24:50 mark. It goes without saying that viewer discretion is advised.
The canard that a church can be both feminist and orthodox is disproven by simple observation of the fruits of the tree. And far from making us like God, knowing good and evil, it has distanced us from God, as we have rebelled and used our ill-gotten knowledge to choose evil. This is apparently what is known as “empowerment.”
And so in the face of the feminist heresy, let us join one and all and answer the serpent’s question with a hearty confession: “Yes! God did actually say! Amen.”
In this episode, Heath Curtis (pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Worden, IL, and Zion Lutheran Church, Carpenter, IL) talks about his piece in the FritzSchrift on allegory: “Jesus’ Allegory of the Good Samaritan.” While allegory can be and has been taken too far, Curtis contends that the very purpose of allegory historically is the same that our Lord gives to the parables: to hide meaning from one group but to reveal it to another group. Thus, to interpret the parables rightly is to keep these two groups in mind and thus two layers of interpretation.
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In this episode, we welcome back Larry Beane. He is one of the contributors to the Fritzschrift, Leitourgiae Propria Adiaphora Non Est: Essays in Honor of the Rev. Dr. Burnell F. Eckardt on the Occasio of his Sixty-Fifth Birthday. The essay is entitled Liturgicals, Pietists, and the Kingdom of the Left. Our conversation builds upon what Larry wrote in that article.
You can get your copy at the Gottesdienst website below.
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The {Euphemism} Community
“What a wonderful bridge to the “so-called rainbow” community! Methinks this is what ol’ Clive Staples would have called “pre-evangelism”!” — A GOTTESBLOG COMMENTER
A commenter offered me this “complement” in response to my piece ROY G BIV - which addresses the so-called rainbow flag.
I’m grateful for such comments, as they provide opportunities for further reflection on things.
It goes without saying that the Secular First Commandment is “Thou shalt not offend thy neighbor.” And of course, this commandment does require some evangelical interpretation. What the SFC really means is we should not offend certain people. And a big part of not being offensive is the adoption of euphemistic language.
And in our culture, one euphemism isn’t enough. We go through generations of euphemisms. George Carlin noted this phenomenon by way of a combat condition that was called “Shell Shock” in World War One. He pointed out how direct the term is: two syllables, right to the point. In World War II, a different term was employed: “Battle Fatigue.” It just sounds nicer. “Fatigue” is a softer word than “Shock.” And we’ve padded it with another two syllables. During the Korean War, this condition was known as “Operational Exhaustion.” “Exhaustion” is even softer than “Fatigue,” and we’re now up to eight syllables. And during Vietnam, the name changed to “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.” Now we’ve really buried “Shell Shock” beneath layers of euphemisms and are still at eight syllables.
Shell Shock is a very real condition, no matter what you call it. But by making it sound softer and more like clinical jargon, are we really doing a service to those who are suffering from it?
This “euphemism treadmill” is often employed in matters of political correctness to keep everyone off-balance as to what the correct term is - especially in matters of ethnicity and sexuality. And woe be to the poor sap that uses a term that was acceptable in 2020, but is no longer au courant in 2021. After all, it is 2021, as the kids say.
Sin has become fertile ground for euphemism. In response to the pro-life movement, the pro-abortionist side of the debate expressed a preference for the term “pro-choice.” It takes the matter of life and death out of the conversation and recasts the matter with a similitude to standing at the hotel vending machine and making a choice between an overpriced Coke and an overpriced Pepsi. And who, after all, would be against your right to choose your preferred soft-drink - a fundamental right that is as American as French fries.
And so, fornication is “living together.” Despising preaching and the Word of God is “sleeping in.” Murder is “making him comfortable.” Racism is “social justice.” Rioting is “peacefully protesting.” Abortion is “reproductive freedom.” Violating consciences and denying religious liberty is “equality.” Gossip is “just talking.” Enthusiasm is “being open to the Spirit.” Rebelling against the order of creation in family life is “empowering women.” Theft is “addressing economic injustice.” Syncretism is “expressing solidarity with diverse communities of faith.” I’m sure our readers can come up with many more such examples.
Sexuality is laden with euphemisms and new terms. The once standard term “homosexual” has gone by the wayside. It was long ago replaced with “gay” - a word that in the ancient days of the 20th century, meant “happy.” But “gay” was too blunt and monosyllabic. And so The Acronym was introduced: In my article, I traced one trajectory of The Acronym’s euphemism treadmill: (LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIAA, LGBTTQQIAAP, LGGBDTTTIQQAAPP, and LGBTTQQFAGPBDSM). The Newspeak Dictionary now contains entire lists of words of obscure sexual deviancies all competing for flag-space in new and exciting vexillological configurations. Some of these new sexualities were called to mind in a viral video of a German legislator addressing the Bundestag.
Euphemistic Ministry is a relatively new approach to sin and grace.
Many years ago, in the last millennium, in fact, long before I went to seminary, I had a dear friend involved in a particular public sin. A group of his friends wanted to sit down with him and try to talk some sense into him. I had no idea what I was doing. I asked my pastor for advice. He said, “Don’t use euphemisms. Use words like ‘wrong’ and ‘sin.’” Indeed, those were the Bad Old Days of dead orthodoxy, Law and Gospel, and smoking on airplanes - long before we became wise and kind and mindful - and learned how to do “pre-evangelism.” In fact, in matters of confronting sin (as opposed to C.S. Lewis-style Apologetics), what came before the Gospel (the Evangel) was not euphemistic bridge-building, but Law. Of course, we now know today that this was wrong, er, maybe a better way to put it is: “a method of diminished utility” or some such.
At any rate, we are not engaging in what Clive Staples referred to as “Chronological Snobbery.” Oh no, not at all. It’s just that we know so much more now than we did then. And as poll after poll teaches us, we really need to listen to millennials. They have so much to teach us. Far more than dead white men like C.F.W. Walther with his “Lawn Gospel” silliness. In fact, were C.S. Lewis alive today, he might even refer to Satanists as “The Screwtape Community.”
In fact, referring to sin by means of a euphemism followed by “Community” is also in vogue. There are no more homosexuals, as they are now members of the LGBT Community. Indeed, there are many sub-communities within the People of The Acronym, some involving what are clearly healthy behaviors including “gay leather and puppy play.” It’s all very innocent, and especially attractive to children. Who could possibly be against the LGBT version of Comfort Dog Ministry? The Church needs to build bridges and stop being so judgy. After all, Jesus said, “Judge not,” right?
Maybe we should include some bridges to such communities during coffee and donut hour, Sunday School, or Bible Class. Note to self: take it easy on the glitter. The Altar Guild will blow a gasket trying to clean that stuff up.
We actually see such bridge-building pre-evangelism in the Bible - especially in matters of the unrepentant: those who see their sin as a point of pride. We saw a very early example with the LGBT Community in the Book of Genesis. Who could ever forget that bridge over the Red Sea when the children of Israel engaged in pre-evangelism with the Egyptian Military Community? Or how about Moses’s bridge-building pre-evangelism with Korah and the Egalitarian Ministry Community? We see Elijah’s bridge-building pre-evangelism with King Ahab and the Religiously Diverse Community. And of course, our Lord Himself engaged in bridge-building pre-evangelism with the Currency Exchange Community and the Self-Righteous Jesus-Questioning Community.
Obviously, we live in different times. We need to be nice and winsome at all costs. This is no longer the twentieth century when the old pastors said, “Don’t use euphemisms.” The new Bridge Building Ministry of Pre-Evangelism has finally gotten it right. When confronting the world’s twisted understanding of right and wrong, when dealing with those who are so unrepentant that they use the term “pride”, and they are bolstered by the power of the state and the corporation and the dominant cultural organs to the detriment of the Church’s confession based on the Word of God - the last thing we need to do is “use words like ‘wrong’ and ‘sin.’” People might get the idea that we are out of step with the secular world. No indeed, we need to build bridges to the {euphemism} communities. We need to get with the program, fly our own freak-flag, build bridges, and stop being judgy. The most important thing is to be liked, and we certainly need to be wishy-washy for the sake of our children, who will be growing up into a culture with all sorts of undiscovered {Euphemism} Communities.
We need to invert my pastor’s advice to this: “Use euphemisms. Don’t use words like ‘wrong’ and ‘sin.’” For that is true bridge-building pre-evangelism.
After all, it is 2021.
Covid-Closed Communion
“That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.”
“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.” — 1 COR 11: 27-30
Taking Holy Communion is a life-and-death matter - at least if we believe the Bible. St. Paul, writing to the Church at Corinth blames the death of some parishioners on the fact that they communed “without discerning the body.” And this is certainly a part of why the Church has always practiced closed communion - until quite recently, that is.
The Roman Catholic archdiocese of Chicago is concerned about people becoming weak, or ill, or even dying as a result of coming to Mass. And so they are carefully checking people at the door. Not to make sure that they “discern the body” in the sacrament, mind you, but rather to see if they have received a Covid-19 shot. Nobody will check to see that you are a Christian, a Roman Catholic, or a believer in the Real Presence when you present yourself to receive the body and blood of Christ. The priest will not ask you. You may well be a Satanist looking for a consecrated host to desecrate, and nobody will vet you. And neither will the lay man or woman who is distributing the blood of Christ - though the chalice is once again being withheld by the papal church because of Covid.
Again, someone could become weak or ill, or even die. Hence the caution.
Of course, not just Roman Catholics, but all Christians who confess the Real Presence, seem to be more concerned about people getting sick or dying from Covid than from unbelief. It is as though we don’t believe what is in the Scriptures that receiving the Lord’s Supper without belief can be fatal. Theology used to be the Queen of Sciences, but now Scientism has become the Queen of Theology. It seems that we believe more in the real presence of viruses than the real presence of Jesus, and that now the fear of the microbe is the beginning of wisdom.
In the ancient church, if you traveled to another diocese to receive the Holy Sacrament, you were vetted. You were expected to produce a letter from your priest. Today, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, something similar is happening - only the priest who must sign your letter wears a lab coat instead of an alb.
In fact, for many Roman Catholics and other Christians alike, there is a new pope. His name is Anthony.
Larry BeaneMay 28, 2021
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ROY G BIV
Now that it is June, we’re seeing a lot of so-called rainbow flags.
In the City of New Orleans, this is nothing new. We have an entire section of Bourbon Street in which nearly all of the bars fly the so-called rainbow flag year-round. Harrah’s Casino always displays the various flags that flew over New Orleans in her 300-year history. Well, almost. One is missing. It represented the period of Southern independence. That flag has been replaced by, you guessed it, the so-called rainbow flag. Not to be accused of insufficient praise for the June honorees (and I don’t mean blushing brides), the City does put up some extra so-called rainbow banners (now even more inclusive!) on Rampart Street for the month of June. One of the area’s hospitals used to fly the so-called rainbow flag beneath the state flag of Louisiana for the entire month. Last year, if memory serves, it was only up for a day and then disappeared. I don’t know what the plan is for 2021. But I imagine there is a lot of pressure to put it back up. After all, it is 2021.
At any rate, I keep saying “so-called rainbow” because this “rainbow” is deficient. It is actually an ideal symbol for sexuality that deviates from the natural biological kind as reflected in natural law and the revealed will of God. And it is also a matter of science, that is, if you believe in such things as biology. The symbol that has come to stand for The Acronym: (LGBT, LGBTQ, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIAA, LGBTTQQIAAP, LGGBDTTTIQQAAPP, and LGBTTQQFAGPBDSM) is actually not the rainbow. For hopefully we all remember the mnemonic ROY G BIV: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Seven colors. But take a look at the so-called rainbow flag. It only has six colors.
Seven is the biblical number of completeness. It represents the fullness of the week of creation. It represents six days of work plus a sabbath rest. But six falls short. Six is the biblical number of incompleteness. The triple six is the mark of the beast, a parody of the Trinity.
And there could be no more appropriate symbol for the various sexualities that fall short of how God created mankind. For God created mankind in His image in a beautiful binary of male and female, with a mandate to “be fruitful and multiply.” What binds together all of the various letters in The Acronym is that all fall short of the glory of God, insofar as none of them can bring children into the world, and none of them reflects the divine complementarity between male and female. All of these deviations from His order of creation fly in the face of biological science and nature.
Another name for the so-called rainbow flag is the “pride flag.” Pride is the first of the traditional Seven Deadly Sins. It was Satan’s pride that preceded his fall. It was his appeal to pride that led Adam and Eve astray. But Satan’s temptation to pride failed to cause our Lord to stumble. And in fact, Jesus “emptied Himself” and took “the form of a servant,” and “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” His ultimate act of love was the very opposite of pride.
As the kids say, “Love wins.”
The real rainbow, not the parody, is truly a symbol of inclusion. For “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” All is the most inclusive word of all. And the passage continues that this same all “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” The rainbow was given as a sign of God’s mercy after His judgment of mankind at the flood. So the rainbow, the true rainbow, the seven-colored rainbow that appears in the clouds - is a sign of inclusion and acceptance by God of all sinners who confess their sins and cry out to the Lord for His absolution. The waters of the flood remind us of the Law that calls us to repent, and the rainbow that appeared at the end of the ordeal is a reminder of the Gospel, the Good News that Jesus died for us - for all of us.
Don’t let pride get in the way of God’s grace. And don’t be fooled into thinking that there is no consequence for sin. Rather ask for God’s mercy that you may be forgiven and given the grace to resist the devil, even as our Lord did.
While the rainbow is not, strictly speaking, a sacrament, it is a physical manifestation of God’s grace, and thus it is sacramental. Luther wrote:
[I]t is an error to hold that the sacraments of the New Law differ from those of the Old Law in the effectiveness of their signs. For in this respect they are the same. The same God who now saves us by baptism and the bread, saved Abel by his sacrifice, Noah by the rainbow, Abraham by circumcision, and all the others by their respective signs. So far as signs are concerned, there is no difference between a sacrament of the Old Law and one of the New, provided that by the Old Law you mean that which God did among the patriarchs and other fathers in the days of the Law. ~ AE 36:65
So in the month of June, look upon the so-called rainbow flag as representing an incompleteness, but look to the heavens for a sign of the completeness of God’s mercy. And then look to the Church’s confession of the Word of God, and gather with your fellow “poor miserable sinners” where we are forgiven, and where the same water that was an instrument of God’s wrath is now a sacrament of His grace.
May the seven colors of the rainbow remind us of the completeness of God’s love and mercy, and may this sign ever be an encouragement for us to live lives of gratitude in His grace.
Pop Goes the Liturgy
“it [sic] think it would be awesome to hear rap in [the] worship service, especially if the context calls for it and it communicates the Gospel in a way the community will hear it.” — COMMENTER AT THE LCMS FACEBOOK PAGE
“I agree 100%. It would be awesome in a worship service. It’s communicating the gospel incarnationally in the cultural context of the community. However, it would need to be in the right context, because some congregations have shallow, exclusive, self-focused worship where their faith is a compartmentalized part of their life outside of the culture to which they belong.” — REPLY TO THE ABOVE COMMENT
Modern pop music arguably began with jazz in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Jazz gave way to rock and roll in the 1950s. Rock music evolved quickly into many subgenres over the next few decades. Today’s pop music is dominated by rap. But one thing that remains constant is the fact that there are those who desire to bring pop music into the Divine Service.
Here in Louisiana, Jazz Masses (and even funerals) are popular among Roman Catholics. Among Lutherans in the Wisconsin, there are Lutheran churches that conduct Polka Services. And who can forget the pinnacle of Boomer Worship: the Chicago Folk Service? Rumor has it that the CIA had been using it to interrogate suspected terrorists. I don’t believe it, though. Not even the CIA would violate the Geneva Convention so brashly.
Kyrie eleison, indeed!
And then there are the Episcopalians leading the way with the Beatles Mass (complete with John Lennon’s ode to Communism and Atheism: “Imagine.” The Beatles Mass was championed by an ELCA “pastor” named Megan Rohrer, who has recently made headlines by being the first transgender “bishop.” He was formerly one of the pastors at Ebenezer Lutheran Church (Herchurch) in San Francisco, where God is addressed as the goddess, and where the Lord’s Prayer begins “Our Mother.”
For fans of U2, Episcopalian priestess Sarah Dylan Breuer has created a U2charist.
An Episcopal congregation, St. Mary’s - headed up by Mother Kim Culp, lists other services that they have done, including the above-mentioned U2charist and Beatles Mass, a Blue Grass Mass, Coldplay Mass, CASH Mass (featuring Johnny Cash music), and a Stevie Wonder Mass.
Of course, it goes without saying - which means I have to say it because there are always readers looking to tilt at straw men - that pop music is not in and of itself evil. Some of it is, some of it isn’t. It is what it is: entertainment. And it is entertainment that can indeed be thoughtful and intellectually stimulating. I remember many years ago one of our Gottesdienst editors - who is known for his intensity and excitability - waxing eloquent on how Led Zeppelin’s song “No Quarter” reflected themes related to the office of the holy ministry. Some of the early songs by the band Evanescence confessed Christian themes - as the former writer for the band was a Christian. The band Kansas’s Kerry Livgren is a Christian, and many of his compositions reflect the faith. He even fooled the unbeliever and dabbling Satanist Ronnie James Dio to record two songs with him in which the Christian confession is hard to miss: “To Live For the King” and “Mask of the Great Deceiver.” The Christian rock band Skillet gets airplay on secular stations as well. The list goes on.
There is nothing wrong with entertainment. It is a gift of God that brings families and friends closer together and brings joy to our lives. But our sinful flesh often corrupts things that are good, turning them into idols. Satan’s most effective tactics are those which blur the line between good and evil, or perhaps more accurately, introduce the leaven of the common into the loaf of the holy.
Holiness means separation.
Holiness is a wall that divides the divine from the ordinary. Christian worship is holy according to Scripture - that is, unless we have removed Exodus and Leviticus from the canon. God Himself teaches us about worship, how He would fill out His PIF if He were on the LCMS roster. There is indeed time in our daily lives for singing the glory of God “with trumpet sound… with lute and harp…. with tambourine and dance… with strings and pipe… with sounding cymbals” and “with loud clashing cymbals” - as we sing in Psalm 150. But then there are those times when God comes to us in His most holy presence, such as when Moses found himself at the burning bush, or Isaiah stood in the throne-room of God, the high priest’s entry into the Holy of Holies, and our Lord’s miraculous presence with us in His body and blood.
Can you imagine Moses holding up a lighter and screaming “Freebird!” when God revealed His name to him and told him to remove his sandals? Can you imagine Isaiah freestyling a hip-hop beat when the seraph approached him “having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar”? Can you imagine the high priest cheerfully whistling a hippy folk song while coming into proximity with the Ark of the Covenant on the Day of Atonement?
The reality is that we have lost touch with what holiness means. Most people would probably say that it means “being good” - however that is defined, whether by not drinking or dancing or playing cards, or by being appropriately politically-correct, sensitive, and concerned with “social justice.” And how often do we Lutherans take the Sacrament of the Altar for granted? How often do we fail to appreciate that a miracle happens at our altars? Of course, when pastors conduct the liturgy in a pedestrian or even slovenly way, when they behave like stand-up comedians or clowns, and when our churches schedule Sundays to not have the sacrament and then justify it because “it’s a lot of work for the volunteers” (I actually heard that as an explanation for deviating from our confessional standard of every-Sunday communion) - who can blame our laity for not considering the Divine Service to be a miracle?
And if it isn’t a real manifestation of God coming to us, why bother? Or to put it in the words of Flannery O’Connor, “If it’s only a symbol, to hell with it.” And when the people lose faith in what the plain Words of Institution teach us, that is when pastors and congregations (and even some in our hierarchy) turn to gimmicks, to rock and roll, rap, dancing, and other entertainments to hold the attention of the parishioners, to gin up emotion, and to “get the butts in the pews” with the kinds of things that draws a crowd in a stadium or concert hall.
We must not discount the power of entertainment, especially pop music. I have had several parishioners leave my congregation and join one of our local non-denominational churches that has a pop band and a stage instead of hymns and an altar. These former parishioners outright told me that they like the music better. There were no theological considerations driving them, no crisis of whether or not what we teach is true. One said, “I gotta have a beat to move my feet.” One parishioner - whom I had baptized along with her daughter - said that her daughter enjoyed “fun church” instead of our Divine Service. But in gaining entertainment, what did they give up? In other words, what was the cost of this Sunday morning rock show? These churches do not confess Baptismal regeneration. And for them, the Lord’s Supper (so-called) is indeed only a symbol. There is no confession and absolution. The giving up of these means through which God works miraculously in our lives was, to them, a price worth paying for a beat to move one’s feet.
In our culture, entertainment is king. It is our drug of choice. It is our 24-7 companion. It gives us the dopamine we need to get through life in these gray and latter days. It is as addictive as crack cocaine, but even easier to acquire. Even our news programs are entertainment. Our schools are entertainment. TV screens adorn the walls of our doctor’s offices, airports, banks, restaurants, auto-repair shops, and our phones. Why shouldn’t our churches likewise have screens on the sanctuary walls? Why shouldn’t our church services also be entertainment? If we are entertained 24-7, 365, why should there be a single hour on Sunday morning in which we aren’t being entertained?
At the heart of the matter, this is a First Commandment issue.
As George Thorogood famously posed the question - albeit with bad grammar: “Who do you love?”
The New Benedictines
In 2017, author Rod Dreher wrote The Benedict Option: a Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation.
I’m not really a fan of Dreher. I find his writing to be whiny, his personality to be grating, and his claim to be a conservative to be dubious. One of my close friends refers to him seamlessly as The Insufferable Rod Dreher. I concur.
That said, I recommend The Benedict Option. I have also heard very good things about his latest offering, Live Not By Lies: a Manual for Christian Dissidents. In fact, Fr. Eckardt wrote about it recently.
When The Benedict Option came out, it was largely misunderstood by a lot of people in the LCMS. Some thought it was a kind of silver-bullet step-by-step program (proof of the LCMS’s tyranny of the bureaucracy). Others rolled their eyes at the idea of Christian community as an attempt to turn us into the Amish or a monastic community. Of course, many of these same moqueurs lived on a seminary campus for three years, immersed in the Bible, confessions, and patristic writings, with lives ordered by the centrality of the worship schedule of the chapel, study, time spent making lifelong bonds of brotherhood with seminarians and their families, and living a countercultural Logocentric and cruciform life, embracing biblical heteronormativity, an exclusively-male clergy, the order of creation in the family, and submission to the Word of God - not to mention putting on a black shirt with a white collar that confesses before the world that we who pursue this life are set apart from the world.
Seminary professors essentially live the Benedict Option, as their very homes, neighborhoods, employment, and day to day life are lived out in a tightly-knit Christian community that extends beyond the three years of campus life that is lived by the students. And this sense of community is a boon to both our professors and their students, which is to say, to our future pastors who are being formed for service.
Dreher came up with the title The Benedict Option based on philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre’s book After Virtue: a Study in Moral Theory, in which the author calls to mind the lifestyle of Christians living in the days of the Roman Empire’s collapse - who essentially safeguarded and restarted civilization around the Rule of St. Benedict and the idea of Christian communities springing up in concentric circles around these Benedictine centers of Christian civilization, learning, worship, and community. In After Virtue, MacIntyre says that we in the present age are awaiting “another—doubtless very different—St. Benedict.”
Dreher explains:
Today, a new post-Christian barbarism reigns. Many believers are blind to it, and their churches are too weak to resist. Politics offers little help in this spiritual crisis. What is needed is the Benedict Option, a strategy that draws on the authority of Scripture and the wisdom of the ancient church. The goal: to embrace exile from the mainstream culture and construct a resilient counterculture.
And so, he suggests that Christians should be more intentional about seeking out the likeminded, especially within the household of faith. He calls upon us to be more hospitable with one another, sharing our lives, withdrawing from the corrupted institutions of the world, and creating our own infrastructures (which is what our Lutheran forbears did by instituting parochial schools that taught the faith instead of undermining it). And contrary to some straw-man responses, Dreher is not suggesting political quietism or sticking our heads in the sand. He is not advocating a complete severance from the world, or a surrender from the idea of being salt and light. So stop typing that comment now, girlfriend. I know you’re out there.
This is hardly radical or new. We Lutherans have a strong heritage of this very thing. But we, alas, as we became more Americanized, we desired to become “like everyone else” - not unlike the Israelites in 1 Sam 8. And as the culture continues to degenerate, as Christians become increasingly marginalized - we would do well to be more proactive in how we live our lives, go about our work, raise our children, and contribute to civilization. We don’t know what the future holds. We may be facing centuries of a new dark age followed by the return of Christ when the Church may dwindle to a handful of people, or there may be a great backlash in our time that restores a sense of virtue to western society and the world.
We just don’t know.
But we do need to live in the here and now, in a world where Biblical Christianity is increasingly identified with hatred, where the idea that the freedom of religion is a preeminent natural right is increasingly seen as a retrograde and dangerous superstition, where the normal family is recast as evil, where deviancy is normalized, where there are now second- and third- generations of people in our country who have no idea who Jesus is, what the Bible is, or what the Church is. The abortion holocaust continues to rage, gender extremists are gaining ground every day, and our history is being rewritten by Neo-Orwellians. All of the major institutions of society, public and private sector alike, are increasingly pressuring conformity to a jackbooted antichristian agenda in the Gramscian juggernaut “march through the institutions “. It is becoming a problem as to how our children should be educated, for whom should they work, how they will find faithful spouses, and how much of the world’s entertainment they should ingest.
One trend that I have seen over the past several weeks is heartening.
I have run into a large number of the laity - mostly young couples - who are making life decisions based on where they can find a faithful congregation. This is not how things were when I was growing up. We went to school, and we got jobs. If the best pay and opportunity for advancement took us out of state, away from family, and even to a place where there were no faithful churches - so be it. We had to “make a living.” Our jobs were the top priority.
Early in my ministry, I had a young parishioner who nailed his dream job in another state. Some time after expressing his uncontainable excitement, he finally got around to asking me what church he should attend. Sadly, there was none anywhere nearby that I could recommend. The state he was moving to was a confessional wasteland. When I reported this to him and to his mother, they were utterly crestfallen. But he was not crestfallen enough to change his plans, not enough to decline the job. It reminded me of the tragic passage of the rich young man in Matt 19:16-22, who, upon being called to follow Jesus, “went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
I too fell for this temptation in my twenties. I took a job with zero consideration about church attendance. In time, God pushed me around like a piece on a chessboard, and somehow, I ended up in the office of the holy ministry in spite of myself. I’m still scratching my head, but gratefully.
By contrast, I am finding more and more people who are deliberately and proactively moving to cities and towns that have solid, liturgical, confessional congregations and pastors. And I have also met people who have turned down lucrative work based on the lack of a church community to join. And in one sense, I think Covid-19 had a small silver lining to it: it has diminished the importance of physical location to one’s employment. Homeschooling has also made it possible for children to be educated anywhere. More and more people are able to work from home or run businesses over the Internet.
I have met numerous Christian people, living in these gray and latter days, who see how important belonging to a faithful Christian community is to them and to their children - who in some cases have not yet even been conceived. And it is not only young couples ordering their lives around the locus of altar, font, and pulpit instead of salary, benefits, and ambition. Retired people, and even the middle aged are now more likely than ever to be willing to pull up the stakes, sell the home, and seek out a likeminded community of brothers and sisters in Christ.
And this is really what the Benedict Option is all about. The days are long over when we could essentially locate anywhere, find a faithful confessional Lutheran church and a parochial school nearby, a church that uses the hymnal and worships according to the liturgy, one with a faithful pastor who handles the Word of God rightly - whether at the altar, in the pulpit, or while giving private pastoral care. And as our society has disintegrated, so too has the unity of our churches. One must now be discerning in deciding at what altar to commune and where one’s children will be born again of water and the Spirit.
And as we have all learned in the aftermath of the coronavirus, even introverts like me need community. After all, the Greek word for Church means “assembly.” And this doesn’t happen by Zoom or by simply calling oneself a Lutheran without having a congregation to be a part of. My hat is off to our faithful laity who have made the kingdom their top priority. This is something that we pastors should encourage and exhort our parishioners to. And for all of the bashing of the Benedict Option, that’s really all that it is.
It seems like every generation has had to deal with this question: Why are we losing people? And since Covid, the question is becoming all the more intense. In this episode, Larry Peters (pastor of Grace Lutheran Church, Clarksville, TN) discusses what he sees from his vantage point . . . from the pulpit over the past forty years. Peters writes at http://pastoralmeanderings.blogspot.com.
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In this episode, Ben Ball (pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Chruch, Hamel, IL, and Sixth VP of LCMS) walks us through the history and import of the Feast of Pentecost. We begin in the Old Testament where the feast is first commanded and its connection to the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai and how the giving of the Spirit by the Word of the Gospel is the fulfillment of this. Ben then takes us through the connections to the Tower of Babel and the Gospel reading. This feast, as Ben describes it, is a feast for our times, for it teaches us that Jesus reigns by his Word over all things.
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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
When I first became a Lutheran at age 18 in 1982, our congregation had two hymnals in the pew: The elder statesman of the Lutheran world: The Lutheran Hymnal (1941) and a little red new generation paperback volume called Worship Supplement (1969). We would soon ditch the TLH for the green Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) - the joint project with the churches that became the ELCA, and which was rejected by the Missouri Synod - over the objection of the congregation’s Worship Committee, which recommended the adoption of the LCMS-approved variation of LBW, the blue Lutheran Worship (1982). I don’t know all of the political machinations of the congregation, but I did later learn that the senior pastor had authored a resolution that the Missouri Synod join the ELCA. Maybe that had something to do with the congregation being strapped with the ***A hymnal for many years.
Being a new Lutheran, I actually read through the TLH and the WS. The rubrics in TLH, which more resembled Adam’s loincloth than the historic vestments of the church - were bolstered by more detail in WS as to how to worship as a Lutheran.
Like the 1966 Clint Eastwood spaghetti western, WS was a mixed bag: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. But in the interest of starting with the Law and ending with the Gospel, let’s look at them in reverse order…
The Ugly The ugly would include things such as the horrible rewording of the Lord’s Prayer. This was, after all, the year of Woodstock. I think some of the folks on the Commission on Worship (COW) had been tripping on some bad acid while listening to Country Joe and the Fish’s “Vietnam Song.” This is an example of pure progressivism: change for change’s sake. Even the option for the version of the Our Father that English speakers of every liturgical denomination has said for 500 nearly years was excised. And our liturgical overlords were very determined on this point. The boomers tried for more years than the Beatles were together to foist this “New and Improved - Now How Much Would You Pay” verbiage on a church that didn’t want it. A modernized version of the Lord’s prayer made it to LBW and LW, as like unto cockroaches, it proved hard to exterminate, but was finally put out of our Missouri in the latest hymnal, Lutheran Service Book (2006). It seems like the Commission on Worship had, by this point, gone through rehab, kicked the habit, and had come to Jesus. The traditional wording hath won the victory. Thanks be to God.
The other “ugly” is the introduction of the Reformed ceremony of the fraction in The Holy Eucharist II (page 61). Again, LSD is the only reasonable explanation. Just say no, kids.
The Bad The Bad parts include the goofy pictographs indicating the rubrics for when to sit, stand, or kneel. I think this was about the same time when international road signs with stick figures were making their grand debut, and who knows how confusing the words “sit” and “stand” and “kneel” would be as rubrics in a hymnal? Again, the modern COW - no longer on its dope bender - has seen the light, as these silly ideograms have been replaced by plain English in LSB. After all, if English was good enough for King James and Jesus…
Also, the COW aped the papacy and the Green New Deal, I mean, the Novus Ordo, by introducing the Holy Handshake ritual. Sometimes, this is called the “passing of the peace” - but to me, it is like passing a kidney stone.
Another Bad is more along the lines of inexplicable: there is no confession of the Creed in Holy Eucharist II and III. There is no explanation for this.
The Good The Good includes the restoration of the word “catholic” in the Apostles and Nicene Creeds (which was deep-sixed by the Blue Hymnal Boys). Also a Good is the rubric for the sign of the cross at the crescendo of both creeds in which we boldly confess the resurrection. The Nicene Creed includes the restoration of the first person plural “We believe…” instead of the first person singular “I believe…” This is how the Creed was written, and how it was confessed by the Church for centuries. It is not our individual confession only, which is implied by our modern American penchant for “I believe…” but is rather the Church’s collective confession - “We believe.” This change did not survive the transition from LBW to LW - itself a mélange of Good, Bad, and Ugly.
The inclusion of the prayer offices of Prime, Noonday, and Compline are indeed very good. The COW renamed the Office of Sext to “Noonday.” This was, after all, the year after the Summer of Love. I suppose they didn’t want to give people ideas about some new form of contemporary worship. The Office of Compline is one of the greatest additions to our hymnals’ services - and LBW/LW rounded it out with its inclusion of traditional chant tones and extended rubrics. Compline got its toe in the door and was reintroduced into the North American Lutheran life by its inclusion in WS.
One of the best features is the “Suggestions for the Worshiper” on pages 15-16. It consists of rubrics for the laity, and goes into more detail than did its equivalent in TLH on page 4. This section explains the sign of the cross, and gives instructions for doing it. It encourages crossing oneself “at the Trinitarian Invocation, at the last phrase of the Creed, before and after receiving the elements of Holy Communion, and at the Benediction.” Such rubrics actually help in the restoration of liturgical practice in American Lutheranism, as it will placate some “concerns” that “people are having, pastor (but I can’t say who)” that this stuff is “too Catholic.” After all, if CPH says it’s okay, it must be okay. At least some people will accept the imprimatur of the Holy Office of the Publishing House from the Violet Vatican. Others will still demur, but a half glass is better than an empty glass, as Gottesblog’s whiskey-drinkers believe, teach, and confess.
This section also includes rubrics for bowing:
“on entering the church, during the first half of the Gloria Patri, on approaching the altar for Holy Communion, and on leaving the pew after the conclusion of the service. Bowing more deeply or kneeling is customary at the words of the Nicene Creed ‘he was born… and became man.’ Bowing only the head is appropriate at any mention of the sacred name of Jesus, especially where this occurs in the Creed.”
I learned the profound little prayer upon receiving the elements from this section, a variation of which I still say as the celebrant:
Lord, I am not worthy that You have come under my roof, but only say the word, and Your servant will be healed.
These rubrics also teach the reader to confess his “Amen” when receiving the elements after the pastor has said, “The body of Christ” and “The blood of Christ.”
This Worship Supplement’s rubrical catechesis shaped my piety as a new Lutheran attending Divine Service. Inexplicably to me, precious few in the pews actually followed these rubrics. But some did.
There is also “A Form of Private Confession and Absolution” including helpful rubrics. There was no such liturgy in TLH.
Another enhancement of TLH is the fact that the pastor’s chant tones are indicated, thus giving the celebrant “permission” to chant the liturgy - something that was missing in TLH. I’ve heard several theories, such as the World War II paper shortage or a hurried effort to publish the book, but people often make such assertions with no evidence. The TLH version of the Pastor’s Chant Tones did come out as a separate volume a couple years later, but by that time, the weird hybrid of the pastor speaking and the congregation chanting had already calcified, like clogged arteries. Some pastors are still accused of secret Romanism to this very day if they chant their parts of the liturgy - even though our hymnals have indicated these chant tones now since the days of John Cougar’s “Hurts So Good,” Asia’s “Heat of the Moment,” and Van Halen’s “Pretty Woman.” That’s almost 40 years, as long as the Israelites wandered in the desert. And we know what the purpose of that timeframe was.
Maybe some of our members of a certain age see LSB as a Russian conspiracy to put us back under the pope. OK boomers.
Perhaps the best Good of the Worship Supplement is the hymn section. So much of the hymnody that we now take for granted was introduced to North American Lutherans by this resource. And, believe it or not, many of these hymns are stronger versions than what eventually filtered its way into LSB - including some hymns that retain gendered language and even Elizabethan English. Apparently, not everyone was dropping acid. There were clearly a few Nixon voters in the old COW
Some of the “new” hymns include:
Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending Creator of the Stars of Night O Savior, Rend the Heavens Wide O Come, All Ye Faithful Angels We Have Heard on High Let All Together Praise Our God In Dulci Jubilo (in Latin and English) Gentle Mary Laid Her Child What Child is This O Wondrous Type! O Vision Fair My Song is Love Unknown Sing, My Tongue, the Glorious Battle At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing With High Delight, Let Us Unite O Sons and Daughters of the King The Victimae Paschali Celebration (LSB: Christians, to the Pascal Victim) This Joyful Eastertide I Bind Unto Myself Today Thy Strong Word Did Cleave the Darkness O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High Son of God, Eternal Savior Holy Spirit, Ever Dwelling From All Thy Saints in Warfare (LSB: For All Your Saints in Warfare) In Adam We Have All Been One Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence In Thee is Gladness Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise God of Grace and God of Glory Before the Ending of the Day
There are also improved tunes for some hymns, such as:
Hark! A Thrilling Voice is Sounding The Royal Banners Forward Go Come Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain Lord God, Thy Praise We Sing (Luther’s antiphonal Te Deum)
One glorious hymn that was introduced in WS, made it to LW, but did not make the cut in LSB is: O Kingly Love, That Faithfully
So although Worship Supplement is largely forgotten, like the fact that a band named Quill played Woodstock - there seems to be no relation to the eponymous Fort Wayne professor - it has been influential in the shaping of our worship in the LCMS. It has retired and sits on pastor’s shelves, only being thumbed through for the sake of nostalgia or research. And like the 1960s itself, it is a mixed bag.
And so as a tribute to Worship Supplement, here is a video of the earworm that we are all hearing right now.
You’re welcome.
Larry BeaneMarch 5, 2021
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In this episode, Fritz Eckardt (pastor of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Kewanee, IL, and Editor-in-Cheif of Gottesdienst: The Journal of Lutheran Liturugy) and I discuss his Easter 2021 Liturgical Observer column: Maskless: Seeing the Pastor as a Man. Scripture is clear that men are to fill the office of the ministry, but Fritz asks the question: Why? Here we look at the lex in search of a ratio.
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In this episode, we discuss The Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord. Why do we celebrate it? How is this feast pivotal to our lives as Christians waiting for and eagerly anticipating Christ's return in glory? Why did he go away? And in departing, does that mean he is truly absent? And if not, how is he with us now. You will see just how profound and glorious this feast is as Rick Stuckwisch (pastor of Emmaus Lutheran Church, South Bend, IN, and Departmental Editor of Gottesdienst: The Journal of Lutheran Liturgy) answers these questions and more.
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Congregation
Rod Dreher is either a genius or too much of a pessimist.
He writes for The American Conservative, and is also a prolific Christian philosopher. I’ve been reading his recently published Live Not by Lies, and I recommend it. I hope it’s not prophetic, because if it is, we’re in for a rough span of years, such as the Russians endured for some 70 years. I have to admit, I found myself nodding my head and grunting agreement to no one in particular. He has interviewed Russians who remember when the Bolshevik revolution was beginning to foment, and who then endured 1917, the Red Terror, and the ensuing oppressive years of the communist regime. And, looking at our culture, he sees remarkable similarities, while admitting that there are some key differences. I see the differences too, and we can hope they’re significant enough to keep us from sliding into a totalitarian abyss. Theirs was a hard totalitarianism, ours is creepingly soft—and creepy. He put it like this in an article I also recently read: “Unlike the Bolsheviks, who were hardened revolutionaries, SJWs get their way not by shedding blood but by shedding tears.” But maybe, hopefully, enough people today are awake than are woke, and can somehow stem the tide. Russia had suffered through some very real times of dreadful trouble leading up to the revolution, very much greater than the societal crises that we have been wading through of late. Today’s SJWs are manufacturing trouble we might be able to expose, if enough of us are willing. As I said, we can hope.
There are nevertheless some very troubling changes that have marked our society. One thing we have clearly been losing, and nobody seems to notice or care much, is community. The company of other people. Family. Congregation.
It’s been a long, slow erosion. One could say it began when families began to be taught that smaller is better. That goes back to the mid-20th century with the onset of birth control, with which came the great societal deception by which virtually everyone began to believe that if your family got too large, you’d be in for a world of hurt. You wouldn’t be able to afford it; you’d somehow find yourself in desperate need. And so the ideal family size shrank to four. Five was ok, but six was getting out of hand. The baby boom was really nothing of the kind; it was mostly a contrast from what followed. Families had shrunk, and it happened in such a way that large families—of Catholics, mostly—were looked upon with a subtle shaking of the head. That was the beginning.
Then came the sexual revolution of the 1960s. Engineered by widespread birth control, by now people had learned that maybe they didn’t need families at all. A libertine and hedonistic ideal began to grow on young people, though it was imperfect in the sense that sometimes you could get in trouble. Now, as never before, pregnancies were likely to be considered unwanted rather than celebrated. And along came Roe v. Wade, and the abortion floodgates opened. A culture of death had arrived, and it was scarcely noticed. Infants were being massacred, but it was hid in the antiseptic abortion mills that were kept largely out of the news.
And a sense of community continued to flag.
Then along came the Internet. So widely celebrated a thing it was, benefitting everyone, and without any of the strings of immorality attached. We all learned to love the Internet.
But there was a silent price to pay. Soon social media became the replacement for real gatherings, and a new wave of isolation so subtle washed over society that we didn’t even know we were drowning. Today’s electronics and technical advancements have brought us to the place where we enjoy our immersion in them. Not only ubiquitous TVs, but smart phones too.
And then came COVID. Now, somehow by a diabolical sleight of hand, community was suddenly considered immoral, by a soft totalitarianist inculcation in which great swatches of humanity began to believe. You must stay in your home. You must be socially distanced, or you might spread the disease! You might die! And you might be failing to love your neighbor, just by being with him. Yes, now loving your neighbor means staying away from him! And community is stamped out and lost.
I gasped the other day when I read a pitiful rationalization for online communion. We at Gottesdienst have already provided many reasons this is utterly unacceptable, but here’s another: It’s isolationist, if I may coin a term.
Here’s how the argument goes. Online communion can happen responsibly, by Zoom, because everyone is “in the room.” The pastor can see them all. The pastor speaks the words of consecration while you have your own personal bread and wine in your little square, your little part of the computer screen in front of you, and voila! - you can get your communion right there in your home. This is a Christian “gathering,” an internet gathering, don’t you know! It’s a chat room. We’re all together.
Only we’re not.
Everyone is entirely isolated. Everyone is alone. And there’s no congregation at all. And everyone is even fooled into thinking it’s desirable.
We seem to have forgotten what that word means: congregation. It’s a gathering, a real gathering of real people, physically, in the same room. It has to be. Cyber space is not real space. You might even be sitting there in your pajamas, though maybe with a decent shirt on, because that’s the part the other people will see on their screens. But more to the point, look at a Zoom screen. What do you see? Boxes, cubicles, and everyone is separate. Separated, more accurately.
How do we turn back this dreadful trend, this horrid new reality?
First, I’d suggest, by recognizing it for what it is. And then, I’d also suggest, by simply learning to treasure the real presence of real other people. Get off your cell phone and get out into your own backyard, even. Talk to the neighbor over the fence, whom maybe you haven’t seen since COVID began. Disregard the doomsday prognosticators who have fooled you into thinking that isolation is good. And gather.
And remember your family, too. Cherish them. Take time to be with them, physically, really.
Love one another. Live with one another. Even if only subtly, by small increments. Reject the “new normal,” even if only in this small way.
And come back to church.
Remember the marvelous Good Friday collect: “Almighty God, we beseech Thee graciously to behold this Thy family . . .” Whatever it takes, come back. And if the government should oppress you for doing so, then congregate secretly if you must (as they used to do in the first century). At least—at the very least—learn to yearn for this company, especially the company of your fellow Christians. They need you beside them in the pew, and you need them too.
I pray that Rod Dreher is not a prophet. But it’s abundantly clear to me that even without the dreadful depths into which our society could yet fall, we have already fallen in ways we haven’t even noticed. Well, then, let’s notice them. And let’s learn again to want to be together. And especially to believe in the congregation of saints.
The Age of First Communion, Questioning, and the Mouths of Babes
We commune children at Redeemer. Some people don’t like that. They think that children aren’t intellectually or spiritually capable of examining themselves before puberty. They think somewhere around the end of 8th grade is the best time the right time for first communion, a time that happens to be precisely the moment when most world cultures have some rite of passage to indicate that children are no longer children.
Some of these critics have explained to me the glory days. In those days, I am told, confirmation really meant something. It wasn’t the sort of thing that a 6 year old could master and recite the way that they do the Catechism. That being said, these critics themselves never seem to be able to recite the Catechism, even though the children are doing it, nor do they ever seem to know more than a few Bible passages by heart and maybe the 23rd Psalm.
I simply tell that however rigorous and demanding their instruction was, it doesn’t seem to have been very effective. After all, they learned other things in those years, like the long division and the capitals of the States, that they still remember, but they don’t remember much from Confirmation instruction except that it was a great feat and serious.
For my part, I have no desire for the children to remember the rigors of their instruction or how stern and demanding I was, or how much memory work they had. I just want them to remember the actual memory work beyond the day after Questioning and I want them to receive the benefits that Christ has promised to His children for their faith in the Holy Communion.
To that end, we held questioning about a week ago at Redeemer. One of the confirmands, who had already been admitted to the Altar in the rite of First Communion, has downs syndrome. Strangely, none of the critics of early communion ever seem to think that a down syndrome child should have the holy communion withheld from him when he reaches the appropriate age, that is, around the end of 8th grade, even though he might only have the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual maturity and capacity of a 6-year old. In any case, this young man stood with his brothers and sister as they recited the entire catechism, word-for-word, even though he never uttered a syllable until the very end when I asked him who, it is that we worship, since his answer to most every question in this context is “God.” This time he simply said: “Me. Tom Brady” as he pantomimed throwing a football.
But before that endearing response, while the other children recited, he stood statue-like and was silent, except for when I asked them what the Words of Institution were. Then, while the recited the words, without any coaching and by complete surprise, he pantomined the ceremony of the celebrant right in time with the words. When the children said “took bread” he moved his hands from the prayer position to point to a couple of places before him. When they said “this is My Body” he made the sign of the cross over those spaces. After they said “in remembrance of me” he pretended to elevate the host. Then when they said “too the cup” he again pointed to a couple of places and made the sign of the cross over them at the words “in My Blood,” and again elevated an imaginary chalice after “in remembrance of me” before he made the sign of the cross over us all.
Does that mean he can examine himself? Of course it does. What else could it mean?