Outer Rim Territories

One of the useful features of Issues Etc. was a weekly discussion of the Sunday school material for the upcoming Sunday. It was a great resource for preparing to teach the adults as well to discuss the lesson afterwards with the children. CPH has restarted this feature as an independent podcast. I urge you to subscribe.

You can subscribe to these via iTunes as well. Copy the Podcast address (i.e. http://cph.podshowcreator.com/feed.aspx?feedid=1904) and open iTunes. In iTunes, go to Advanced on the taskbar, select “Subscribe to Podcast…” and paste the address there. The podcast will show up in your podcast tab on the left.

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A New Issues Etc. is Arising!
Details of where and when you can listen are coming soon.

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Vicar Christopher Gillespie
Immanuel Lutheran Church of Frankentrost Saginaw, Michigan 
Trinity 1 (May 25, 2008) 
Text: Luke 16:19-31; 1 John 4:16-21 
“Despite earthly appearances, God grants heavenly gifts by faith in His Word.”
MP3 Audio

Grace and peace be to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

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My take on “Prince Caspian” the movie — Cranach: The Blog of Veith
The movie, though, which I finally saw yesterday, all but leaves out the book’s culture war themes! It is filled up with battle scenes of tedious havoc (who knows that allusion?), but leaves out completely Caspian’s backstory and the major symbolic episodes. Missing is Lewis’s treatment of the Telmarines’ atheism (”there is no such thing as lions!”), his devastating critique of progressive education, the exploration of walking by faith and not by sight, the Bacchus figure making the important point that Christian cultural influence should lead not to controlling others but to freedom, etc., etc.

I am not too bothered with cinematic additions to a book adaptation when it’s necessary to tell a written story through visual means. Sometimes an addition can even bring out and heighten something in the original story (as the movie does with its handling of bringing back the White Witch; also its depiction of Reepicheep and his fellow mice). But next time, let’s have a director who understands what the book MEANS! (I suggest Ralph Winter.)

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If two parents and two children (male and female) is a nuclear family…three children a few…four a bunch…then what is five? Its not surprising we don’t have popular expressions for more than two children since our birth rate is less than two children per couple on average. A “family size” meal serves four. Does anyone have a resource of euphemisms that are out of usage that might give me the answer?

BTW: This picture is not our new family transport.

Baptism of Naomi Alice on Vimeo

 
Baptism of Naomi Alice from Christopher Gillespie on Vimeo.

Newborn Naomi Grace from Christopher Gillespie on Vimeo.

Now that I’m back in the swing of things at church, I have had opportunity to reflect on motherhood. Naomi’s birth was the day and a week before Mother’s Day. For the week leading up to Mother’s Day I spent playing Mr. Mom. I can tell you that this experience always renews my thanksgiving for God’s creation of a suitable helper for man. I’m not built for that sort of work. It’s hard, exhausting work, never finished, nor new or interesting. Dishes, dirty laundry, diapers, and dinner consumed every waking hour. If not for the joy of our new child and love of my wife, I lack the motivation for these things. (Well, maybe not occasional cooking on my terms and schedule.)

Most remarkable is that mothers pursue these seemingly mundane tasks with joy. They did not volunteer for them. Rather God chose woman to bear the children of the world. His election brought all sorts of spiritual gifts necessary for them to be such great caregivers for family and home. The faithless reject children and neglect their care. But the Christian women of the world care for the children.

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I think its ironic that most of the Caspian reviews I have read have disliked the new Narnia film for the very thing it is speaking against. Caspian is anti-modern intentionally. The reviewers miss the point and criticize the film for being too contemporary. How can a film (or book) speak against modernity without being in a modern setting?

My hope is that the film still does well on the heels of the first success. Yes, it will lack the charm of the first film. This book does not intend to charm the audience but to horrify the audience at the result of neglect of faith (and Aslan.) I have not doubt that the Narnia of Caspain’s time will be ugly, brutal, and disenchanting. But Caspian will triumph in the end and faith in Aslan over modernity will return.

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Another firing « Augsburg1530
Rev. Dr. Martin Noland has been fired from Concordia Historical Institute. This is the Synod’s archives and history office. More details to come.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Officially speaking, Dr. Noland offered his resignation to the board. Also, there is no indication that this was anything “bigger” than a board-motivated action.
UPDATE: Based on my reporting today, I can share the following additional information. The CHI board asked Dr. Noland to resign. Since he serves at their pleasure, he resigned.
The only reason really given was that CHI is short of unrestricted money and needs to make cuts. In the board’s opinion, Noland’s position would be the easiest to have vacant for an extended period of time. The board plans to fill the position with a “volunteer” for the time being. These discussions took place in executive session.
I also hear that Noland had been urging his board to allow him to be more aggressive with development, but that they had resisted. Having said all that, it looks like an agreement was reached between the parties.
Dr. Noland is a very smart and affable man and would be an excellent addition to a faculty and a wonderful parish pastor. I have no doubt that he will be scooped up in no time.
In the meantime, I think we should pay careful attention to what happens at CHI. I believe that a pastor should head up the Institute since there are so many subtle and complex theological questions in the papers and archives of the LCMS.

Be sure to read the comments on the blog: Augsburg1530