Recent Posts
Should prayer be permitted in public schools?
I did all 12 steps. (Friday May 31 | post #169)
Should prayer be permitted in public schools?
By nature, public schools are squarely in the Greco-Roman tradition as opposed to the Judeo-Christian tradition. So, legalities aside, it's really a pointless exercise to attempt to prayer-ize a Greco-Roman institution. The most you're going to get out of it is some kind of bland Rotary Club civil religion drivel...which is just thinly veneered Tony Robbins capitalist "spirituality ". On the other hand, if one thinks of prayer as an action of going good to others in the context of the Greco-Roman culture's Darwinian dog-eat-dog culture, have at it. (Friday May 31 | post #164)
In my own tradition, they came out with a new service book which attempts to stradle all fences. It has some old stuff, and some new stuff. They've messed with theology and language with the new stuff...like neutering the Trinity as an option for those who want to. The new music doesn't have the dignity of the old, and in my opinion, it is garishly sing-songy on the verge of pop. This is the ELW. I'm much more comfortable with the previous service book, the LBW, which has good theology, and good liturgy tied to the ancient liturgies of the historic Church which are based on biblical texts. If truth be told, I'm rather partial to the earlier service book, the SBH of 1956, I believe that's the right year...I could be off a year or two. It has a lot of similarities with the Anglican Book of Common Prayer of 1928 which many conservative Anglican new denominations that have split off from the liberal have gone back to. In their day, these liturgies represented the centrist mainstream of their traditions...which were themselves center-right to conservative. Obviously drunk Jonah is switched off here, but in all honesty, I envision a center-right position on theology, Bible, and faith, and a center-left position on kindness to those who are burdened. The Cross tells the facts of human sin and the human condition...our common burden. The Empty Tomb proclaims the Promise which is our Salvation won by Jesus. With this post, Pr Jonah concludes his posts (may the drunk ones be taken for the jokes they were.) Amen. (Sep 29, 2012 | post #14)
I would add that there are increasing articles in the Evangelical press like Christianity Today which are worried about the number of Evangelical you who are proficient in praise lingo, but cannot articulate basic Christian beliefs that their own Evangelical traditions are rooted in. A pastor friend of mine relays a conversation he had with a Nazarene pastor who has a big mega church based on the praise stuff, and he confesses with grief to my friend, "All I'm doing is entertaining...we' ve lost all our traditonal language I grew up with...no one understands it anymore." (Sep 29, 2012 | post #11)
In short, I am representing the criticism that traditional Christianity has of the entertainment evangelism in the praise worship movement. It's one-sided and marketed to emotionality devoid of the cost of Christian discipleship. A lot of old time revival preachers out there are levying this charge against the praise movement. So again, it's not necessarily the musical style of "The Old Rugged Cross" that is superior, but its theology. (Sep 29, 2012 | post #10)
That would not be specific enough for those who do not know the Christian story. Thus the song is singing to the choir. Otherwise Thor or Krishna could have made the same claims. You cant' evade the Cross. Even Mel Gibson would agree. Beter yet, just sing "The Old Rugged Cross", huh? (Sep 29, 2012 | post #6)
Lutheran Theology 101: Every proper exposition of Christianity must articulate both Law & Gospel. The crufixion and death of Jesus represents the Law. The ressurection of Jesus represents the Gospel. You can't respresent Christianity by only speaking of the resurrection side. If the song wants to speak of Jesus ruling alone...it should do so by speaking of the event by which Jesus' power is known: his triumph from: death on a Cross. Geesh. Billy Graham would have told you that. (Sep 29, 2012 | post #4)
The theology of the song does not pass Lutheran muster. It presents only a theology of glory without a theology of the Cross. There is no Easter without Good Friday. (Sep 29, 2012 | post #2)
Churches Should Close Their Food Pantries, Right?
In & out. I just do supply preaching for booze money. (Sep 28, 2012 | post #185)
Churches Should Close Their Food Pantries, Right?
Anyway, the food pantry business has a lot of complexity. Matt Habash at Mid-Ohio Food Bank makes over $220,000 yr. But, then when the food truck comes, all the frozen meat from Kroger, Meijer and Giant Eagle is way expired, and I've seen a lot of "Manager Special" stickers on the Kroger meat...so that means it was on the edge already when it was frozen. Meanwhile Kroger hits you up for donations to Mid Ohio at the cash register, and puts up big signs everywhere including their semi trucks about how much they're doing for hunger. Oh really? WTF? Some churches have kicked Mid Ohio and the like to the curb and gone with their own local sources. I would prefer that in terms of quality. The trade off is less quantity. But, I think it's just a lawsuit waiting to happen with the tainted food. More important, the thought of kids getting sick off stuff we gave their parents is horrendous. Many times I and other pantry workers have made unilateral decisions about pitching stuff that those above would not agree with. They can bite me. (Sep 28, 2012 | post #183)
Churches Should Close Their Food Pantries, Right?
What should a full time janitor make? (Sep 28, 2012 | post #177)
Ah, sounds Scotch-Irish. They never took their religion too seriously. Gramps must have been mighty disappointed with daddy. Me own gramps said the same between swigs on a bottle of Lord Calvert. (Sep 28, 2012 | post #175)
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