This Week In Seminary

Feast of the Booksale

2010-10-28T17:34:00.002-05:00

This week, at the Fort Wayne sem., we had the annual Reformation book sale. I'm not sure if this happens in St. Louis, but it's a great time. People from all over donate books to our library, and whatever is not added to the collection is sold to students. Books are $1 for hardback books, $.50 for paperbacks, and there are also several items up for auction. There are always treasures hidden among the rows and rows and tables and tables of books. This year, there was a full set of Luther's Works on auction.

A Word of Law and Gospel: Go To Chapel

2010-09-16T12:14:00.000-05:00

I, Josh Schroeder, have a sin to confess: I do not regularly attend daily chapel at the seminary. I make it usually around twice a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. It's not that I'm off campus or can't fit into my schedule. I just neglect it.

Some of us rationalize our less than perfect chapel attendance using family, workload, incompatible schedules or whatever.

So for me it is a reminder from the Law, but also a great blessing from the Lord to have a Synodical President make room in his schedule to attend chapel at the seminary. He was in "civilian dress," that is to say he was not wearing an attire to draw attention to either his elected position or pastoral office, except for what looked like a "keycard" type lanyard. And he sat in the back. It's likely fair to say that he "snuck in." I don't think he was here on any official business.

And so I'm probably violating his unspoken desire to NOT draw attention to himself, but I thought it was worth letting others know that we have a synodical president who is not too busy for the seminary (seminaries - we just happen to be closer to Kirkwood, I guess), and not too busy to hear the Word and to receive the Lord's body and blood in the Sacrament with us.

"I'm Outta Here!"

2010-05-23T01:46:00.000-05:00

Spring Quarter has just ended here in Saint Louis, and I just realized a few minutes ago that all three of my professors are leaving the country. One is already in France, another in Germany, and the last one leaves tomorrow for Korea.

Was I that bad of a student?

Call Day Approaches, but...

2010-04-24T13:15:00.003-05:00

Today the LCMS Council of Presidents, acting as the Certification and Placement Committee for seminary candidates, will approve the final slotting of first calls to be later announced at Concordia Seminary (Tuesday evening) and Concordia Theological Seminary (Wednesday evening).

Tomorrow, about 20 of my classmates here at Fort Wayne (possibly including myself) will receive a call from the seminary's Director of Placement. They will be told that there is not a call for them at this time. It is not unusual for there to be 20 students from both seminaries combined to not receive calls, but it is out of the ordinary for there to be 20 from one particular seminary.

Please pray for all who will be receiving calls, both this week and in the weeks and months to come. Pray also that more congregations would be open to calling candidates from the seminaries and that students from either seminary would be given as equal treatment as possible by the Certification and Placement Committee.

Institution of Confession and Absolution

2010-03-30T19:26:00.000-05:00

This morning in chapel we used the order of Corporate Confession and Absolution on pages 290 and 291 in the Lutheran Service Book. Later in the day, it was pointed out to me that Confession and Absolution was instituted by Christ after His resurrection in John 20:19-23:

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Stay in the Pulpit

2010-03-23T05:00:00.001-05:00

I'm still a year away from taking Homiletics, but I need to get this off my chest:

Since the days that pulpits have been in church buildings, sermons have been preached from them. This has traditionally been the case in the Lutheran church. However, it seems that over the last few decades, many pastors have gotten into the habit of preaching in the midst of the congregation, or at least walked around the chancel during their sermon.

Now I can't point to Scripture or the Lutheran Confessions to say "All preaching must stay within the confines of the pulpit." We're dealing with something which God has neither commanded nor forbidden. But I will say this: Don't leave the pulpit without good reason.

From time to time, I hear a sermon that is not given from the pulpit. And more often than not, I find myself drawing conclusions like "There was no reason for him not to give that sermon from the pulpit," or "His absence from the pulpit had nothing to do with what he said or how he said it."

Like I say, if you're going to give any part of your sermon from the pulpit, at least have a reason that serves the delivery of your sermon. Maybe you want to walk over to a stained glass window and point something out about it (instead of just pointing to the window from the pulpit) or you're preaching on baptism and want to stand at the font to emphasize a point. But don't just stand there in the middle of the chancel or walk around a bit in our midst unless it serves a useful purpose.

Why do guys do this in the first place? Is it just the desire to be different or do something different, to show off that you're preaching from memory without a manuscript, to let people know how relevant you are that you don't allow yourself to be confined to the pulpit when you preach? I don't get it. In my experience of sermons preached outside of the pulpit, nothing was gained by leaving the pulpit and nothing would have been lost by staying in it. And in some cases, people may find it harder to pay attention to the sermon because they're following the preacher as he walks around.

So unless doing otherwise actually serves a useful and obvious purpose, stay in the pulpit when you preach.

Hymnal Catechesis Project

2010-03-14T16:22:00.002-05:00

I have recently completed the first draft of a 32 lesson project that teaches the Six Chief Parts of Luther's Small Catechism using both the Bible and Lutheran Service Book. If you would like to see it, please respond to this post and I'll find a way to get it to you.

No Show Today

2010-03-07T09:30:00.002-06:00

There will not be a show today because the guys in Fort Wayne are on break and classes resume in Saint Louis tomorrow. We'll be back on the air next week.

Why Lutherans Can't Evangelize

2010-02-23T23:03:00.001-06:00

I find much to disagree with in this blog post, but it's worth reading: Why Lutherans Can't Evangelize.

Your thoughts?

The Godless Generation of Heroes?

2010-02-23T01:11:00.000-06:00

This is an interesting opinion piece from across the Pond. Here's the first paragraph:

Today's young people are, apparently, uniquely godless. Studies released this week by the Pew Forum have revealed that 25% of young Americans born after 1980 self-define as "atheist", "agnostic" or "nothing in particular", as opposed to 19% of the previous cohort. A similar decline is taking place in Britain, with the British Humanist Association reporting a 10% decline in religious faith among young people in less than 10 years. Across the west, fewer young people than ever are attending church services and other religious ceremonies. This reported lack of formal religious belief chimes with the dominant stereotype of the millennial generation as amoral, directionless and self-obsessed – but my generation is nothing of the kind.

Reflections on Luther's Commentary on Galatians 4-6

2010-02-16T15:41:00.000-06:00

I did not really know what it meant to be a Lutheran until I went to college. Prior to that I was raised in a Lutheran congregation entrenched in the church growth movement, and I attended a Lutheran high school that was in many ways more American evangelical than Lutheran in the theological instruction it offered. For example, I cannot remember hearing about baptism, confession and absolution, or the Lord’s Supper one time, not even in a chapel message! After becoming a “confessional Lutheran” I was less tolerant of non-sacramental theology, sermons dominated by the Law, and Christ-less worship songs than I had previously been. When I would express my frustration with these things which I formerly thought were normal for Lutherans to accept, many of my classmates and other acquaintances would accuse me of being too radical. They said that the Bible is not clear on the importance of the sacraments. Songs about “choosing” Christ could be understood in a Lutheran way. Moralistic sermons were the best thing for people who had already gotten the basics of Christianity, justification by grace alone through faith in Christ, out of the way. My years at the seminary have strengthened my convictions about what it means to confess Christ as a Lutheran, but only after reading from Luther’s lectures on Galatians 5:9-10 was I reminded that my “radical” thinking was nothing but Lutheran thinking.

Luther says some things about church fellowship and the unity of doctrine that are difficult to accept in today’s pluralistic and tolerant culture. The sectarians were accusing the Lutherans of being unreasonably unloving because they would not compromise their teaching about the Lord’s Supper, supposedly the only article of doctrine which separated them from fellowship. Luther disagrees vehemently, particularly on the basis of Paul’s warning that “a little yeast leavens the whole lump” (5:9). In theology, “a tiny error overthrows the whole teaching” (AE 27:37). Thus, ignoring Christ’s promises in baptism and the Lord’s Supper, singing songs with lyrics that are either unclear or blatantly false, and hearing a sermon with just a couple of sentences of false teaching are no small matter. Ultimately, this “little yeast” will infect the whole batch of dough and will cause its destruction.

Doctrine is one. It cannot be divided. Luther compares doctrine to a perfect circle. If even the smallest crack appears in the circle, it is no longer perfect, and so it is with doctrine. Church fellowship is a rather simple issue for Luther. Rather than being something which we establish with one another, church fellowship is God’s action. He unites His Church together in the confession of the one true doctrine. The doctrine belongs to Him. Luther would have been happy to welcome the papists and sectarians had they abandoned their false teachings for the one true doctrine. Luther curses a “love” in which “fellowship” takes precedence over doctrinal unity. Church bodies such as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have much to learn from Luther on this point. There is no room for Gospel reductionism. Church fellowship assumes complete agreement in every article of doctrine, for God would expect nothing less from His people. False teaching can only harm. It is not a neutral thing that we may wink at. God’s truth brings with it eternal salvation. This is no inconsequential matter. “If you deny God in one article of faith, you have denied Him in all; for God is not divided into many articles of faith, but He is everything in each article and He is one in all the articles of faith” (AE 27:39). These are strong words, but they were spoken from a pastoral heart, for Luther knew the great power to save that accompanies God’s truth, and he desired that all might come to know it in its unadulterated form. The one true doctrine is our “only light,” and it “shows the way to heaven.” (AE 27:41). Having experienced plenty of false and unclear teaching in the past, I share Luther’s sentiment, and I will soon pledge to the Lord that I will diligently teach His one doctrine as He has revealed it in His Word and as it has been faithfully exposited in the Lutheran Confessions, all for the good of His people.

LCMS Pastor Blogs about the "Bad Seminary" Double Standard

2010-02-14T14:42:00.001-06:00

http://thehighmidlife.blogspot.com/2010/02/bad-seminary-double-standard.html

Poverty and the Church

2010-02-09T23:34:00.002-06:00

We spent roughly 20 minutes talking about poverty and the church in last Sunday's episode of This Week In Seminary. One thing that I wanted to throw in, but forgot to mention, was that Dr. Alvin J. Schmidt pointed out in his book How Christianity Changed the World that state welfare cannot be equated with Christian charity. Last year, I wrote about this extensively at my personal blog here.

By the way, if you're wondering who the Simpsons character was I was referring to, here he is: Gil Gunderson.

Reflections on Luther's Commentary on Galatians 3

2010-02-07T10:57:00.001-06:00

Whether it is in my older daughter’s Bible story book for children or in the research I have been doing on the Jehovah’s Witnesses, I have been noticing a common theme lately: “righteous” people are those who live obediently to what God demands. God saved Noah and his family because he did not engage in sinful activity like the world around him. God chose Abraham because he obediently walked in His ways. Never is there one mention of faith or its object, Christ. Luther’s definition of true righteousness and his emphasis on the continuity of the story of salvation from Adam’s fall until the eschaton were a breath of fresh air in contrast to the theological smog of a world so turned in on itself. Paul asks the Galatians if they had received the Spirit by works of the Law or by the hearing of faith (3:2). “If it was by the Law, then it was not by the hearing of faith; it if was by the hearing of faith, then it was not by the Law. There can be no middle ground” (AE 26:203). Therefore, either Noah, Abraham, and every other saint is righteous by obedience to God’s Law or by hearing and believing the Gospel. A matter of eternal life or death should never be treated ambiguously, for guilty consciences are in desperation of the one thing needful.

The Gentile Cornelius was a righteous man. In contradiction to the world’s understanding of righteousness, God declared Cornelius to be righteous “on account of his faith in the coming Christ, just as all the patriarchs, prophets, and devout kings in the Old Testament were righteous, having received the Holy Spirit secretly on account of their faith in the coming Christ” (AE 26:210). Therefore, even if Cornelius had died before Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, he still would have been saved, just like the patriarchs, who were “saved solely by faith in the Christ to come” (AE 26:210). There is, then, a unity to history. Just as Christ is the “golden thread” that runs throughout Scripture, so He is the One who gives meaning to this world from its beginning to its end. I can boldly proclaim that there is one Lord, one faith, and one Church. There has always been only one Name under heaven given to men by which we are saved, whether He was known as Eve’s serpent-crushing Seed, Abraham’s Seed in whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed, or Jesus Christ crucified and risen from the dead. There is a continuity to God’s one plan of salvation: “The faith of the patriarchs was the same as ours (AE 26:239).

For years, I was held captive by moralistic Sunday School lessons, sermons, slogans, and well-meaning but misinformed teachers of the Word who read Scripture dualistically. The impression I was given was that people who lived before Christ were saved by keeping God’s Law, and those who lived after Christ are saved by God’s grace. Using human reason, I assumed that “to do” should always be taken at face value, which would mean that portions of Scripture attribute salvation to man’s works. However, Scripture must always be read in its proper context and with realization that every verse is part of an organic whole. Because of the total corruption wrought by sin, the enormous guilt felt on account of the Law, and God’s clear promises that we are saved not by works but by faith alone, I can confidently read these verses which one troubled me (and have confused countless teachers in our Lutheran schools) in a new light. “To do” is “first to believe and so, through faith, to keep the Law” (AE 26:255). Just as God took the initiative in coming to Abraham, so He comes to us with the only salve that can heal our mortal wound. To seek righteousness apart from faith and through works is to reject God and elevate oneself to His place. Satan continually tempts us with the alluring notion that we can be like God. Thanks to God’s Word to the Galatians and Dr. Luther’s commentary on it, I am now well-equipped to defend what it truly means to confess the one holy catholic and apostolic Church: Noah, Abraham, Luther, and all of God’s chosen people have looked to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of the one true faith.

The Chief Article of Doctrine and Practice

2010-01-31T17:04:00.003-06:00

There is no such thing as talking too much about justification. Sometimes we are tempted to assume that since everyone understands the "basic" message of Christianity, that Christ died for sins and rose from the dead, we can move on to more "practical" things for Christian living. This is hardly the case! As sinners, we are in constant need of the message of comfort brought by the Gospel. We can never get enough of this message. In fact, this message informs the rest of Christian doctrine and practice, and it even empowers us to live the "practical" Christian life in our daily vocations.

Luther says it well: "The doctrine of justification must be learned diligently. For in it are included all the other doctrines of our faith; and if it is sound, all the others are sound as well." (AE 26:283).

May the doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Christ alone guide all that we do in the Church!

Prayers for LCMS World Relief and Human Care

2010-01-21T12:03:00.002-06:00

Word on the street is that a contingent from LCMS World Relief and Human Care is on the ground now in Haiti (or at least en route). Please keep these folks in your prayers as they do the Lord's work.

WR&HC Haiti Benefit: Green and Gold Follies

2010-01-15T14:54:00.000-06:00

This email just went out to all pastoral ministry students at Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis. The Green and Gold Follies is our annual variety talent show. Normally it's just put on for the seminary community, but this week it was decided that it would be a benefit show for LCMS World Relief and Human Care for Haiti relief. So anyone in the LCMS community within driving distance is invited to attend. Here is the flyer in PDF format: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2318816/Haiti%20Flyer.pdf

And now, here is the email:

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     With the recent devastation of Haiti, fresh in our minds, the leadership of the Student Association has decided that an offering will be taken at the Green and Gold Follies. Because of this we have decided to invite the members of the local LCMS congregations to come and enjoy the entertainment while supporting a good cause.

     That is why we are asking all of you to take the attached flyer to your congregation and ask that it be posted and that an announcement be made at an appropriate time the next two Sundays.

     Together we can help those who have suffered greatly during this natural disaster.

In Christ's Service.

Your Student Government,

[Names and titles]

The Earthquake in Haiti: Again, the ‘Why’ Question

2010-01-15T14:00:00.012-06:00

Professor John Pless at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN, has an excellent article just published on the Lutheran Witness website. Read the first two paragraphs here, then read the whole thing:

As I write these lines, the world reels with the news of a devastating earthquake in Haiti that has left a death toll numbering in the thousands. In this impoverished nation, the magnitude of suffering cannot be measured.

Closer to home, senseless workplace murders, seemingly random violence, and cases of child abduction and sexual assault culminating in murder have become an all too common feature of the daily news. Recent memories of 9/11, the tsunami in Asia, and Hurricane Katrina are compounded with countless personal tragedies that press people to ask the ancient question, “Why is there suffering?” More existentially put, “What did I do to deserve this?”

Bloggers Wanted

2009-12-20T19:39:00.000-06:00

Are you an LCMS seminarian? We're looking to expand our stable of writers for the This Week In Seminary blog.We're looking for a few good men. Interested candidates will email us at our Gmail address (it's This Week In Seminary, all one word, at Gmail dot com). Obviously, you'll need a blogger account.

Can't wait to hear from you and see what you have to offer!

Retiring, or Resigning from the Ministry

2009-12-16T23:46:00.000-06:00

If you turn in your Concordia Classics edition of Pastoral Theology by John H. C. Fritz to page 63, you will find the following quote concerning pastors who are considering resigning from the ministry to take up another occupation or to retire on account of old age, etc:

And since the Church has, as a rule, gone to great expense in educating its men for the ministry (free tuition, free housing, support of indigent students), a pastor should ask himself whether he can with a good conscience deprive the Church of his services.

I post this here because I had a discussion with a fellow seminarian and I thought that Fritz had said something about free tuition. I couldn't remember for certain, but now here it is quoted and cited. Fritz wasn't necessarily saying here that seminarians must or should receive free tuition and housing, he was simply pointing out that they did receive these things and they should take this into account when considering leaving the ministry.

So... how could we get back to that bit about free tuition?

Seminary Statement

2009-12-15T08:53:00.001-06:00

I received this in my campus email this morning:

Seminary Statement

In recent months, speculation concerning the possible sale of one or both of the LCMS seminary campuses has taken place in public and private forums. This speculation has proven detrimental to the mission of our seminaries.

The seminaries of our Synod are very important and highly valued institutions that cannot be closed, consolidated, relocated, or sold without action by the Synod in convention. Such convention action would most certainly not occur unless preceded by broad consensus from Synod and seminary leaders, including the Board for Pastoral Education, Board of Directors, seminary boards of regents, and Council of Presidents. As responsible leaders, we wish to state clearly and publicly that such consensus is not under discussion and that there is no plan or proposal being considered in any of the groups with which we are associated to sell one or both of the LCMS seminary campuses.

As the majority of the participants at the recent Pastoral Ministry Summit concluded, the two LCMS seminaries should continue to serve as the hubs for theological education in the LCMS. We desire that the speculation referenced above would end and that all in our Synod would continue to support our seminaries in Fort Wayne and St. Louis with prayer, prospective student referrals, and monetary offerings.

Gerald Kieschnick, President, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Donald Muchow, Chairman, Board of Directors, The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
John Behrendt, Chairman, Board for Pastoral Education, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
James Ralls, Chairman, Board of Regents, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis
Wayne Graumann, Chairman, Board of Regents, Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne
Larry Stoterau, Chairman, Council of Presidents, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
Glen Thomas, Executive Director, Board for Pastoral Education
Dale Meyer, President, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis
Dean Wenthe, President, Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne

December 13, 2009

2009-12-13T17:06:00.001-06:00

Hey Folks,

Here is today's episode. Matt and I discussed the Student Associations at the two seminaries, Martin Luther, Luther's Works, what not to say to people who are sick / dying / grieving, etc.

December 13, 2009

Next Sunday is our last normal show (we have Christmas break starting this coming Friday) but we have plans for at least one special show. Details to follow. Thanks for listening! Tell your friends about the show.

More on Luther and Psalm 51

2009-12-12T17:27:00.000-06:00

I have known pastors who beat themselves up over their lack of converts or “critical events.” I have heard sermons that condemned the seminary community for not caring enough about mission work. I have heard church leaders give the impression that mission work is the article of doctrine by which the Church stands or falls. It appears to be a popular assumption that a twenty-first century church growth expert can instruct us about proclaiming the Gospel in a more relevant manner than our church body’s’ sixteenth century namesake ever could. My reading of Luther’s lectures on Psalm 51, however, led me to see that he had much to say about the interconnectedness of three particular articles of doctrine: the office of the ministry, evangelism in light of the Word and sacraments, and election to eternal salvation.

Luther tackles confession of sin, forgiveness, and the justification of the sinner in a concrete, real-life manner. Forgiveness is not a nebulous concept. Rather, forgiveness comes through means. It is spoken and distributed by a called and ordained man. More than anything else in these one hundred pages, I was struck by Luther’s frequent mention of the office of the ministry. Luther vividly connects the office with the forgiveness of sins. The hyssop by which God sprinkles His people is “the mouth of a man who teaches the Gospel” (AE 12:363). Both the teaching of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments belong to this “sprinkling.”

Most helpful to me as one who aspires to the office of the ministry was Luther’s exposition of “and sinners will be converted to Thee” from Psalm 51:13. After acknowledging the real dangers faced by one who occupies the Predigtamt, Luther gave my anxious and guilt-ridden conscience sweet relief. God’s promise that His Word will accomplish the purposes for which He has sent it out into the world takes pressure off of pastors to somehow “dress-up” the Word. What is more, because it is God alone who works conversion through the Gospel and the sacraments, I will not have to be concerned with my own cleverness in converting the unbeliever or keeping the believer in the one true faith. “The outcome of the ministry is not with the will of men, but with the will of God” (AE 12:388). What a joy it is to be reminded that it is God who proclaims the Law and the Gospel, baptizes, absolves, and distributes Christ’s body and blood through the pastor. Sinners receive the concrete forgiveness of sins through the mouth of a concrete man who proclaims a concrete Word from God. Certainty abounds because everything is based on God and His Word of promise.

I find in Luther the kind of trust in the power of God’s objective and life-giving Word that drives away both extremes of pride and despair. The pastor simply scatters the seed of God’s Word everywhere he has opportunity. He commits the outcome to God, for “it is sure that some will be converted” (AE 12:388). Luther trusts that God will save those whom He elected to salvation before the foundation of the world, and I find that to be a very comforting reality, particularly for pastors. Far from a call to laziness, it allows pastors to rejoice in the things God has called them to do, realizing that “it is by the gift of God both that there are those who teach soundly and that there are those who follow sound teachers” (AE 12:388).

Luther on Psalm 51:2-7

2009-12-05T18:10:00.005-06:00

Just as sinners may not take pride in their faith as the cause of their salvation, neither may they claim forgiveness on account of their repentance. Rather, faith, itself a gift, is the instrument through which the salvation won by Christ is received, and repentance includes both sorrow over sin and faith that God has paid the price for it and wants to be gracious to us on account of Christ. While many false preachers turn repentance into a work that, at the very least, gives the impression that sinners who are blind, dead, and enemies of God by nature might add to the work of Christ, Luther understands repentance in relation to God’s promise to be merciful. Is the acknowledgment of sin really, as Luther writes, a “co-requisite” of forgiveness (AE 12:333)? At first this might seem to indicate that the sinner’s confession contributes to his salvation, but Luther clarifies that the promise that God wishes to forgive those who confess is the “sole cause, the first, middle, and last cause; that is, it is everything in justification” (AE 12:333). There is no merit in acknowledging sins. Rather, God has already promised that He desires to forgive the one who makes such a confession. The cause of forgiveness lies totally with God, specifically in His promises on account of the suffering and death of Christ. However, because of God’s promise to forgive those who do confess their sins, Luther can write that confession (or knowledge of sin) is “necessary” for the forgiveness of sins (AE 12:340).

God’s promises are inextricably linked to the birth from above by water and the Spirit. Baptismal language bookends these six verses from David’s penitential psalm. “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” (Psalm 51:2) seems obviously baptismal, and yet Luther spends little if any time on the sacrament of regeneration in his exposition of this verse. Perhaps this is because he was well aware that David will ask God the same thing just five verses later: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). Suddenly the references to baptism (and also the Word and the Lord’s Supper) are plenteous. Luther takes special care to mention also the means of grace office (Gnadenmittelamt), the instrument through which God gifts the benefits of Christ’s death to His people. The hyssop is the “mouth of a man who teaches the Gospel.” The pastor is the “sprinkler by which the teaching of the Gospel, colored and sealed with the blood of Christ, is sprinkled upon the church” (AE 12:363). Pastors sprinkle their people with the blood of Christ when they preach the Word, when they baptize, and when they distribute the body and blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. All of this is done in the stead and by the command of the Good Shepherd. Everyone, whether a believer or an unbeliever, is sprinkled when he hears the Word, is baptized, or receives the Lord’s Supper, for “those who do not believe the Word are still sprinkled; the blood of Christ and the Word of Christ will judge them, but their unbelief will prevent them from being cleansed.” After writing much about man’s thoroughly wicked nature, Luther trumpets baptism as the difference maker. A Christian should be evaluated not according to his birth from his parents but by his baptism, which is “stronger than the first birth, because it is not from man but from God and His promise” (AE 12:367).

Winter Quarter Begins!

2009-11-30T00:08:00.000-06:00

Monday marks the beginning of the Winter Quarter. For me, that means Elementary Hebrew which is technically a pre-seminary course. For the other three bloggers, Matt, Tyler, and Andrew, they get to take real classes.

Anyway, here we go!

Progress of the CTS Library Expansion

2009-11-09T14:20:00.001-06:00

The webcam is updated every fifteen minutes...

http://www.ctsfw.edu/Page.aspx?pid=561

Fly Through of CTS Library Expansion

2009-11-09T14:18:00.001-06:00

Check out what is in store for current and future CTS students...

http://www.ctsfw.edu/Page.aspx?pid=360

Pittelko's Four Axioms

2009-10-31T01:34:00.000-05:00

On Thursday evenings at Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis, some students gather at the home of Rev. Dr. Ronald Feuerhahn to read and ponder the works of Hermann Sasse. While we have been reading from the We Confess Anthology, Dr. Feuerhahn also references articles appearing in his festschrift, Lord Jesus Christ, Will You Not Stay.

This festschrift is outstanding. [Editor's note: this post, from this point on, has nothing to do with Hermann Sasse or Dr. Feuerhahn.] There is so much worth quoting from this book, but for this blog post, I want to share a bit of Bishop Roger Pittelko's article titled Four Axioms. Actually, I'm just going to quote the four axioms. Here they are:

The congregations of the LCMS, the district synods, and the general synod have no money.
There will never be enough money.
There is an implicit belief that the funding of the church has always been the way that it is now and will never change. However, that is not true.
Resorting to the law is the easy way to "fix it" and absolutely the wrong way to fix it.

While these axioms stand alone, I'll give a little explanation after all.

For the first axiom, to say that synods and districts have no money is to say that the only folks with money are the people in the pews. A congregation is only a steward of they money the people give and that this money should be used in a God-pleasing manner, which is true of the district, and which is also true of the synod. Lest anyone be confused, Bishop Pittelko also points out "The real owner of all is the Lord."

The second and third axioms are pretty much self-explanatory.

For the fourth axiom, I'm not going to spill the beans. Buy this festschrift. But I will give you part of a quote that Bishop Pittelko uses from C.F.W. Walther:

If our Synod would ever say, "Every congregation must contribute one cent every year," then the congregation should say, "Not even [half a cent]. You must beg; yes, we'll gladly give to a beggar, but if you try to give us orders, our friendship is over. Because - whether much or little - if we have conceded you a penny this year, you can demand a dollar next year, and even more in two years; for we would have then given you the right, the power to tell us what to do."

The Church of Sweden Approves of Gay Marriage

2009-10-23T17:13:00.003-05:00

Today in my "Pastor, Congregation, Synod" class we discussed a recent report from the Church of Sweden supporting gay marriage. We did not have ample time to cover the entire forty page report, but one paragraph that we did look at has been in my mind all day. I have heard it said before that Christendom's embrace of contraception is linked to the blessing of gay marriage in some of its denominations. The Church of Sweden agrees. "Men and women united in marriage have gradually come to be seen as two equal, economically independent parties with a joint responsibility for children and the home. Women are no longer dependent on men providing for them. Through contraception and the economic independence of women, sexuality has also been assigned a different role. The clear connection with reproduction has been weakened, and a sexual relationship has increasingly been seen as an expression of intimacy, pleasure, and gratification."

While we in the LCMS are quick to publicize our extreme disappointment with recent decision of the ELCA on human sexuality (and rightfully so), perhaps we should also reflect on our own attitudes and how they might be contributing to the problem. Just some food for thought...

The "Real Presence" of Christ in the Lord's Supper

2009-10-22T14:45:00.003-05:00

In my Lutheran Confessions III class (Formula of Concord) we were assigned to read an article by Dr. Albert Colver entitled "Real Presence: An Overview and History of the Term." I have heard countless pastors use the term "real presence" used to confess what we believe about the Lord's Supper. Colver points out that the term "real presence" is one almost never used by Lutherans until the nineteenth and twentieth century. The concordists preferred the terms "true and substantial."

I know several Calvinists who confess the "real presence" of Christ in the Supper, and, yet, they do not define this term to mean that the entire person of Christ, both His divine nature and His human nature, are present on the altar. Therefore, we must be careful that confessing the "real presence" is not the litmus test for altar fellowship. A better question would be to ask if the body and blood of Christ are present in BOTH of His natures with the bread and wine for the forgiveness of sins. To confess otherwise would be to divide His person!

As you study the Formula of Concord, note the precise connection between the article on the Lord's Supper (VII) and the article on the Person of Christ (VIII).

Excellent Greek Tool

2009-10-11T21:00:00.001-05:00

Are you studying Koine Greek grammar? Do you need to brush up on your paradigms?

A classmate of mine came across a website and our professor shared it with the entire class. It generates online quizzes for Greek grammar. I'm only doing basic stuff on it right now, but it is AWESOME! I love it!

I think I might be able to pass Greek now!

Oh yeah, it has Hebrew, too.

Lord, Help Us Ever to Retain

2009-10-09T11:06:00.000-05:00

Please turn in your Lutheran Service Book to #865

Here's the first verse:

Lord, help us ever to retrain The Catechism's doctrine plain
As Luther taught the Word of truth In simple style to tender youth.

I must confess that I was a little hesitent to sing this hymn at an evening prayer service earlier this week. Not that there's anything doctrinally wrong with the four-verse hymn, but it felt kinda funny to be a Lutheran singing about Luther.

Thoughts?

Download Today's Show!

2009-10-04T21:14:00.000-05:00

Did you catch today's interview with Pastor Matthew Harrison? Well, we're making it available for download here. You can listen to the show at Blog Talk Radio as always, but I did some post-production to clean up the audio and fix the volume levels which you can only access by downloading the show from the link I've provided here on this post. The cleaned-up version is far superior and easier on the ears.

So what are you waiting for? Download it, listen to it, and share it with friends!

And did you like today's show? I can tell you that all four co-hosts had a blast this afternoon.

Don't Miss The Show!

2009-10-03T00:19:00.000-05:00

This Sunday, at 5pm Eastern / 4pm Central, we will have a special edition of This Week In Seminary. I can't release details right not, but you don't want to miss it. It's a big surprise.

As usual, you can listen to the show at our Blog Talk Radio page here. You can listen live or you can listen on demand at your convenience.

But don't miss it! If you do, you'll regret it.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya's Strong Statement on Same-Sex Marriage

2009-10-02T12:56:00.002-05:00

Our sister church body in Kenya, the ELCK, has issued a rather strong condemnation of the recent actions of the ELCA with regard to blessing same-sex unions and marriages and allowing actively gay people to serve as clergy. We briefly examined this statement, comparing and contrasting it to those issued by LCMS clergy and officials, in my "Pastor, Congregation, Synod" class.

Click on the title above to read the entire statement passed at the ELCK's general assembly on September 25, 2009.

Key points include:

1) The ELCK is not afraid to use the word condemn. In no undertain terms does this church body declare that the ELCA's decisions were anti-scriptural. Their decisions are called apostasy from the truth. This strong language of the Law is necessary on account of the ELCA allowing and embracing unrepented sin.

2) The ELCK makes it clear that homosexuality is both contrary to God's will as expressed in Scripture and repugnant to the natural created social order. The tolerance of homosexuality is much more common in Europe and the United States than it is in Africa. Interestingly, Africa has become the hub of worldwide confessional Lutheranism.

3) The ELCK affirms that God's purposes in marriage (which surely include procreation among other things) are fulfilled only in heterosexual life long commitments.

4) The ELCK condemns the ELCA for its "loveless and callous disregard of the spiritual condition of those caught in homosexual bondage." This is a crucial pastoral consideration. To embrace homosexuality (a sin according to God's Word) is not something that will benefit those within and without the Church. Allowing or even encouraging one to continue in unrepented sin is anything but a display of godly concern and love for that person. Rather, it is an encouragement down the road to hell.

5) The ELCK accuses the ELCA of denying the transformative power of the love we know in Jesus. Rather than saying "God made me this way," the regenerated Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit who wars against sinful desires. To capitulate to sin is to deny sanctification, and a denial of sanctification can hardly exist apart from a denial of justification.

Thanks be to God for the faithful confession of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenya! May God continue to bless this church body and its Archbishop, the Most Rev. Dr. Walter Obare.

New LCMS Theses on Worship

2009-09-28T19:22:00.010-05:00

The Council of Presidents just posted these new theses on worship. Here is the introductory letter:

Dear Friends in Christ:

Grace and peace be with you, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

On behalf of the Council of Presidents of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod and Council Chairman Dr. Larry Stoterau, with this brief memo I share with our beloved Synod the document, titled “Theses on Worship.” This document has been in the process of preparation by the COP since the 2007 Synod convention.

The Council of Presidents is keenly aware of the diversity of worship practices in LCMS congregations. This diversity in many instances has resulted in disharmony and even polarization. In order to foster God-pleasing harmony in this matter, the COP encourages pastors, worship leaders, musicians, and other church leaders to engage in prayerful conversation with one another, in submission to God’s Holy Word and the Lutheran Confessions.

To that end and to assist with that process, the Council of Presidents presents these succinct but significant “Theses on Worship.” This document was approved unanimously by the COP at its regular meeting September 22, 2009, in St. Louis. As you will see, these theses are based on and supported solely by scriptural and confessional references. They are designed for wide distribution and study throughout the LCMS. In order to view the document CLICK HERE.

Please be assured that the Council of Presidents ardently desires to assist our Synod in every way possible to achieve harmony and concord in the theology and practice of worship. We recognize that different affinities in music and worship expressions exist among us. Yet we believe that our future with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ must be firmly grounded in the light of Christ’s forgiveness, grace, and mercy.

While seeking to enhance our worship of the triune God with a variety of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod remains steadfastly committed to the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions. Through this varied repertoire we joyfully confess all that God has done for us, declaring the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. May the songs of the Church prevail beyond human adversity and strife, confessing our eternal hope in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Redeemer.

Dr. Gerald B. Kieschnick, President
The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod

Tuesday: Lunch with Pastor Harrison at CSL

2009-09-28T16:34:00.000-05:00

Hey Concordia Seminary students! Not only is Pastor Matt Harrison preaching in chapel tomorrow, but he will also be in the dining hall tomorrow from 11:30am to 1:00pm to hang out and chat with students.

Your pastor will be jealous of this opportunity. Attend chapel tomorrow, but also grab some friends and have lunch with Pastor Harrison!

Here is his biography from my campus email inbox:
Rev. Matthew C. Harrison

Rev. Matthew C. Harrison has served as the executive director of LCMS World Relief and Human Care for the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod since 2001.

Prior to his call to LCMS World Relief and Human Care, Rev. Harrison served for more than a decade as a parish pastor in Westgate, Iowa, and Fort Wayne, Ind. During his pastorate at Zion in Fort Wayne, his parish embarked on a now nationally recognized neighborhood revitalization effort which continues to bear much fruit.

Rev. Harrison graduated in 1989 with a Master of Divinity degree and in 1991 with a Master of Sacred Theology (STM) degree from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. He has also done graduate work at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mo.

His academic pursuits have continued in the authoring, editing, and translating of several articles and books, most recently authoring the book, At Home In The House of My Fathers, a collection of 100 essays, sermons, and addresses from the first five presidents of the Missouri Synod.

He resides in Ballwin, Mo., with his wife Kathy and their two sons.

Who's Listening to This Week In Seminary?

2009-09-28T00:01:00.003-05:00

This map represents the last 100 visitors to this blog. As you can see, there are people from both coasts, the North and the South, as well as everything in between. Sure there are more readers in certain areas, but we're reaching a readership (and a listenership) across the country. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will roll out some marketing and advertising campaigns. Well, we're not spending any money, but we're going to put some thought, time, and effort into getting the word out about our show now that the blog is up and running and we've got at least three episodes under our belts.

In the mean time, you can subscribe to our podcast somehow through iTunes (I'm not sure exactly how), you can subscribe to this blog on your feed reader (such as Google Reader). You can also add this blog to your blogroll. If you're on facebook, join our facebook group (guess what it's called! This Week In Seminary. How did you know?) and invite your friends to join.

And we'd really like to hear from you. What do you like about the show? What do you dislike (other than the fact that we all sound like we're on the phone)? Do you have any suggestions? Let us know! We have an email address if you want to contact us that way: thisweekinseminary [at] gmail [dot] com

Again, we'll roll out some initiatives that look nice and so forth, but keep the grassroots momentum going!

After Show Open Thread

2009-09-27T18:45:00.000-05:00

Today's show is done and ready for on-demand listening! This post is your open thread for you to discuss whatever was brought up on today's show, but you could also leave general comments as well.

We mentioned Dr. Just's Concordia Commentary on Luke, Volume 2 (here is Volume 1).
We also mentioned Gathered Guests by Dr. Maschke.

Also check out Andrew's post on Worship and Pastoral Formation which we discussed and Matt's post on The Virgin Mary which we didn't have time to address on today's episode.

Open threads are great opportunities for listener / reader feedback.

Dealing with Darwinism at CTSFW

2009-09-26T12:00:00.004-05:00

I had the pleasure of attending a Christian Apologetics conference earlier this year at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and had a great time! They're at it again, and this time they're tackling a topic that continues to be a challenge: Darwinsim.

The full name of the conference is Dealing with Darwinism: Fact or Fiction? and keynote speakers include Dr. David Menton who used to teach at Washington University in Saint Louis, CTSFW history professor Dr. Adam Francisco, and CTSFW President Rev. Dr. Dean O. Wenthe. I wish I could be there, but both my time and financial budgets just won't allow it.

If you don't have anything planned that weekend and are within a reasonable driving distance, why not make a weekend trip out of it? For my brothers at CTSFW, I highly recommend that you attend. Details here.

The Center of Seminary Education

2009-09-25T23:09:00.007-05:00

Of all of the things that I have grown to love over these first three weeks of Seminary is the attitude towards what the basic building blocks of a seminary education is, and how that plays out in the structure of seminary life.

A few years ago, Concordia Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne) redesigned their curriculum. At the center of this curriculum was the recognition (perhaps what should be the obvious) that since the chief duty of pastors is to preach the Word and administer the Sacraments, the best way to learn how to do these is to be on the receiving end of these same Means of Grace. Essentially, as one professor put it: "The chief classroom of this Seminary is the chapel."

This concept plays out in how the days are structured during the week. Five days a week (Monday through Friday), there are at least three services each day. The main service of each day is at 10 am, where each day we pray the offices of Matins, Morning Prayer, and the two settings of Responsive Prayer or the Service of Prayer and Preaching.

These orders, as well as the shorter orders used at the 7:30 am Morning Office, 4:00 pm Afternoon Office, and 9:30 pm Night Office (offered Monday-Thursday and also using the orders of Compline, Evening Prayer, or Vespers), aid us in following the rhythms of praying God's Word through the venerable patterns of daily prayer handed down from generation to generation of the Christian Church, patterned after the very ways in which our Lord worshiped. The central place of these services is (1) hearing the Word of God, both read and proclaimed by world-renowned faculty and staff; (2) the Psalms, which have served as the prayerbook of God's people since the days of the Old Testament; and (3) the rich heritage of hymnody that we have received from two milennia of the members of the Body of Christ.

In addition to these Prayer Offices, one day a week at the 10 am service, we celebrate the Divine Service, where we are fed, nourished, and forgiven in the hearing of God's Word and the receiving of Christ's Body and Blood in the Sacrament of the Altar.

It is through these services that we are constantly connected to these life-giving Gifts of Word and Sacrament, for it is here that we, as all Christians, are forgiven and strengthened for this life and the next. It is here that we are reminded of our baptism, where we are joined to Christ and His Body the Holy Christian Church, where we receive the very Name of God upon us, marking us as His own. It is here that we hear of all that God has done for our salvation in His Son Christ Jesus, where the life-giving Gospel is proclaimed in all of its sweetness. It is here where we receive the true Body and Blood of Christ, where eternal life is poured down our throats. It is here, in Kramer Chapel, that our preparation for serving as shepherds of Christ's flock begins and is sustained. This "Chief Classroom" of the seminary stands not only at the geographic center of the campus, but also at the center of our lives and learning throughout the days of our pastoral formation.

Mary: The Mother of God and Semper Virgo?

2009-09-25T15:45:00.005-05:00

OK, I'm not usually one to get involved in trifling matters of speculation. Pastoral theology is my favorite of the four theological disciplines. However, there was a somewhat interesting discussion in my Major Prophets class this week regarding Mary. We were discussing the text from Isaiah 7 where Isaiah prophesies that "the virgin will be with child, and she will give birth to a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." The professor, who received his doctorate from Notre Dame ("Our Lady"), asked the class if we would ever say that Mary is the mother of God. Of course, this is not a trifling question. The answer must be YES, she is the mother of God, because all the fulness of the deity dwelt bodily in the person of Jesus Christ. Similarly, we would have no problem saying that God died for us on the cross because of the personal union of the divine and human natures in the one person of Jesus.

We then got into a less serious topic. The professor asked about the perpetual virginity of Mary (semper virgo). Luther affirmed that Mary was ever virgin. I was definitely instructed in my youth that Mary absolutely did NOT remain a virgin after Jesus was born, so I came into this discussion with some preconceived bias. Contrary to Rome, this question is not a doctrinal matter that would have implications for church fellowship. The Scriptures are silent on the matter. However, we can infer some clues from the Bible as to whether or not Mary might have been semper virgo.

St. Matthew tells us that Joseph did not know Mary (in the biblical sense of the word) UNTIL Jesus had been born. To me, this implies that he DID have sexual relations with her after Jesus' birth. Luther aruged the opposite way, saying that this does not at all mean that Joseph knew her after the birth of the Savior. The Gospel writers tell us of Jesus' brothers and sisters. Taking the literal sense of those verses leads me to believe that Mary and Joseph had other children after Jesus was born. However, these could be Joseph's children from a previous marriage (unlikely) or Jesus' cousins (since cousins were referred to as "brothers" and "sisters" in the culture). Perhaps the most convincing evidence for semper virgo is that Jesus hands Mary over into the care of St. John at the cross. Why would he hand her over to John if she had other children who would be first in line to take care of her?

In the end, there is no solid conclusion to be drawn either way on this question, but it did provide some thought-provoking discussion inside and outside of class. I am now at least willing to say that it is possible that Mary was semper virgo. Leaving open either possibility is really the way to go, since God has not revealed the answer to us one way or the other.

Sounds Like

2009-09-24T00:01:00.014-05:00

This is a comparison STRICTLY of the sound of two voices - nothing beyond that.

It occured to me a few nights ago that Dr. Andy Bartelt's voice reminds me of Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin).

That is all.

Theological Symposium at CSL

2009-09-19T13:59:00.000-05:00

The annual theological symposium is this coming Tuesday and Wednesday at Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis, and the topic is something to do with science and the vocation of scientist. The topic this year, in my opinion, is difficult to boil down, so let's just say it deals with topics at the intersection of science and theology.

I'm looking forward to hearing Dr. Angus Menuge's sectional presentation.

John Kleinig to Speak at CSL

2009-09-16T00:01:00.010-05:00

More than one pastor has contacted me encouraging me to attend today's convocation in the big auditorium at Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis. Rev. Dr. John Kleinig is the dean of the chapel and a professor at Australian Lutheran College. He's written a book recently published by Concordia Publishing House called Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today which has been sitting on my shelf for a few weeks now (maybe I'll have him sign it). On a side note, Kleinig also wrote the Concordia Commentary on Leviticus.

Spirituality is a buzzword in our culture and sometimes it makes us Lutherans squeamish. However, I've heard nothing but great things about Kleinig's Biblical perspective on spirituality. He's spoken about it at some length on Issues, Etc., but we'll have an opportunity to hear it tomorrow right after chapel in the auditorium.

I know we seminarians are busy folks, but it would be an hour very well spent by my classmates to attend today's convocation after chapel.

I'm not making any promises, but maybe we'll post pictures from the convocation as well as a write-up of the event for those of you unable to attend.

Common Sense Mistakes of Pastors

2009-09-15T17:02:00.002-05:00

In my "Pastor, Congregation, Synod" class each student was given the task of coming up with a list of ten common sense mistakes of pastors.

My Top Ten
1) Treating the laity as a lower class intellectually and spiritually
2) Assuming that as long as they appeal to people all will go well
3) Trying to implement too many changes in a short period of time
4) Having no "real life" knowledge, skills, or interests
5) Assuming everyone likes the same hymns as the pastor
6) Assuming everyone learns in the same way
7) Assuming everyone is of the same political persuasion (typically Republican in our circles)
8) Forsaking family "for the sake of the Church"
9) Forgetting to have a regular devotional life of prayer and Scripture reading
10) Thinking they need to be in charge of everything

Some of My Classmates' Ideas
Assuming their opinion is the only one that matters
Do not take time to get to know the people
Failing to delegate appropriate tasks to committees and individuals
Asking the same people to do things all the time
Failing to follow up on promises
Forgetting that the congregation's history is longer than the pastor's tenure there
Keeping his personal life too guraded (or the opposite)
Poor steward or watchman over church resources
Not participating in work days and other church events
Not learning all of the facts in situations of conflict
Looking at the giving records of individuals
Seeking a reputation in order to make himself known

Thank You, Brakebush!

2009-09-15T11:38:00.000-05:00

Do you like chicken? I do. Brakebush Brothers, Inc. in Westfield, Wisconsin, annually donates a generous supply of chicken for the seminary community here in Saint Louis.

So a big thank you goes out to the nice people at Brakebush for donating and delivering the chicken today. I encourage our readers at Concordia Seminary to write them a thank-you letter to the following address:

Brakebush Brothers,Inc.
N4993 6th Drive
Westfield, WI 53964

And I encourage everyone else to buy their products at the grocery store!

Third Person

2009-09-15T00:01:00.002-05:00

Studying Biblical Greek means studying English grammar (because we don't know that, either). What do these three characters have in common: Elmo, The Hulk, and Bob Dole?

Learning Greek and the Kübler-Ross Model

2009-09-14T00:01:00.019-05:00

I admit freely that I'm not putting enough time into studying Biblical Greek outside of the classroom. That being said, I remember from past attempts trying to learn foreign languages that I get frustrated sooner than others. And in my current situation, my mind made an interesting connection: as I study Greek, I think that I'm experiencing stages of the Kübler-Ross Model, also known as the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance.

Now, I'm not grieving anyone. Taking on New Testament Greek is not the loss or death of anyone, but this application makes sense to me. I've been very frustrated - this is close enough to anger for me. As to the other four, they are possible to fall into: one could attempt to bargain with a professor (or bargain with God) that if he could let me pass the class, I would do X. I'm pretty sure I'm not depressed, but sometimes the depressed person doesn't notice it (or is in denial). And when I am in one of these first four stages, my capacity for learning severely decreases.

So I need to figure out how to get to acceptance. Because I need to learn Greek (and Hebrew, but that's next quarter).

Mark Twain On German Language

2009-09-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday in Elementary Greek, Dr. Gibbs brought up Mark Twain's The Awful German Language. It's an interesting read for any English speaker who has tried to learn another language.

Happy Birthday CPH!

2009-09-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

Concordia Publishing House is 140 years old today. To celebrate, they've got a sweet sale going on. Hurry up, though! You only have a few days left to take advantage!

Pastors and Theologians

2009-09-10T07:30:00.004-05:00

I've often heard it said that "You go to Fort Wayne to be a theologian. You go to St. Louis to be a pastor." This myth was clearly debunked by one of my professors this week. He very plainly said that any pastor worth his salt is a theologian. I couldn't agree more.

With that said, our task (this is an Old Testament exegetical class mind you) was to sift through recent actions of the ELCA churchwide assembly regarding human sexuality, particularly two documents from the church's website defending this "Scriptural" decision. We studied Terence E. Fretheim's "The Authority of the Bible and Churchly Debates Regarding Sexuality" and Timothy J. Wengert's "Reflections on the ELCA Churchwide Assembly and the Bible."

Perhaps the most troubling part of the ELCA's recent (and not so recent) actions is the church body's supposed reliance on the Scriptures in coming to their decisions. The key insight I learned from reading these documents is how orthodox language can be used to dupe unsuspecting lay people into agreeing with the heterodox teaching. For instance, Fretheim talks about the Bible as "God's Word of Law and Gospel, which can effect life and salvation for individuals." Who could disagree with this? But the devil is in the details. We must look at the first part of the sentence: "The Bible has a unique capacity to mediate God's word of law and Gospel..." The use of the word "mediate" here indicates that God's Word is in the Bible, but it is up to us to find it and understand it according to our own "self-identity." Rather than defining "faithfulness" as adherence to the clear and certain Word of God, Fretheim defines the word as openness to the ideas of others. Fretheim believes that biblical interpretation is a subjective matter, a creative activity of man, but orthodox Lutherans believe that the Bible is God's creative activity. Finally, Fretheim's most egregious error for pastoral care of souls is his assertion that all Christians can say is: "The Bible says...[fill in the original language here]." This leaves no room for preaching! It assumes that the Bible is obscure. How can it be a saving Word from God if it leaves us in utter uncertainty?

The Good Samaritan

2009-09-10T00:01:00.001-05:00

The church we attended last Sunday uses the One-Year Lectionary and the Gospel lesson was Luke 10:23-37, the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

We tend to take this parable by itself. And there's nothing wrong with that. But it wasn't until I took New Testament this summer with Pastor Matt Hoehner that I learned there is a greater context to this passage.

To better understand the impact that this parable had on Jesus' disciples, especially James and John, turn back a chapter to 9:51-56 in which a Samaritan village rejects Jesus.

It's interesting that Jesus rebukes his disciples for wanting to tell fire to come down and consume the Samaritans who rejected Jesus in Chapter 9; he then makes a Samaritan the hero of the parable in Chapter 10.

I haven't fully unpacked this, but you see how there is something more at work than just the parable by itself!

Missing: One German Language

2009-09-09T00:01:00.002-05:00

Now that the school year is under way and the Library is open for regular hours again, I spent a little time looking at various books and thesis papers. While not related to my Beginning Greek class, I've been doing a little research on the transition of American Lutheranism from German to English.

Tucked in someone's thesis is this gem of a quote from Wentz's A Brief History of Lutheranism in America which was published in 1955:

The Lutheran Church cannot exist apart from the German language. English is the language of the Episcopal and Presbyterian churches and is too shallow to furnish an adequate translation of Lutheran doctrinal and devotional literature.

Since I got this quote from a thesis and not directly from Wentz's book I don't know who said it. But I could find out. Not that it matters.

But looking back, I agree that American Lutheranism has lost much and suffered greatly under the English language. Perhaps over the next few years I will expound upon this statement.

The Pilot Episode!

2009-09-06T20:17:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the This Week In Seminary blog! We did a rough pilot episode just to get familiar with Blog Talk Radio and to get comfortable on the air. Take a listen!