Outer Rim Territories

Good stock.

YouTube - Wyneken Clip 28 Feb 2010.mov.

Dare we as a society–heavily urbanized, hyper-sexualized (even down into grade school), able to create offspring in test tubes–call marriage that which has never been marriage? Does the loss of a primarily agrarian culture in which men and women complement each other in the home economy and where children are welcomed—does this loss mean a new cultural norm, an “evolution” of sexual and familial arrangements? What of polygamy and polyamory for those who want them?

To look at it another way, we can ask, what villages would “gay marriage” build? What strength and hope for the future would “gay marriage” bring in rebuilding a place like Haiti? Are we so sure we can do without a marital foundation protected at the core?

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Our ancient mothers (and fathers, for that matter) did not prize the fruitful womb because of their time or culture. They did so because they were Christian.

Those longing for greater service/leadership/representation/whatever of women in the church never tire of arguing that the singular example of Deborah (or the virtually informationless examples of Huldah or Phoebe or Lydia) makes their case. These same proponents glibly discard Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, Rachel, Hannah, Elizabeth, and every other baby-loving woman in the Bible as mere products of their times whose lives, characterized by a high view of maternity, have no contemporary relevance and set no vocational precedent. Eisegesis at its finest, girls. Nice work.

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What a perfect text for Quinquagesima:

Chorale from BWV 22:

Ertöt uns durch dein Güte, (Kill us through your kindness,)

Erweck uns durch dein Gnad; (awaken us through your grace;)

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Did you know that our Lord Jesus Christ assumed that His disciples would fast, just as He assumed they would pray? Jesus commended fasting as a private act of humility and devotion to God (see Matthew 6:16-18). Note particularly that he says, “When you fast…” not “If you fast…” Take a look at Matthew 9:14-15. The first Christians fasted (Acts 13:2-3; 14:23). Why shouldn’t a twenty-first century Christian do likewise? Why?

Because we are, as a culture and society, gluttons. After all, we are a “consumer” society. We consume, consume and consume some more. We eat to the point that our bellies are too large, we weigh too much, and we inflict chronic illness on ourselves brought on by poor diet and exercise habits. I’m as guilty as anyone in this regard. We do not fast to earn brownie points with God, but that fact has become our excuse for not fasting, for not attending to self-disipline and self-mortification. We excuse our laziness and gluttony by appealing to our freedom in Christ as forgiven children. We let ourselves off the hook all the while comforting ourselves that we are free not to get caught up in “legalistic” requirements such as fasting. We look at the required fasts in Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy and rightly criticize the imposition of such rules as contrary to the Gospel freedom we have, but then we again use this an excuse not to fast. We’ll show those legalists, as we continue stuffing our faces and filling our bellies with the food that perishes.

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Article X of the Formula of Concord deals with indifferent matters or what has been called “adiaphora.” The application of Article X to the question of worship among Lutherans in America today may seem difficult. But once we sweep away some of the extraneous issues and get to the core of the Biblical and Confessional position on adiaphora, we can apply it today with confidence.

Here was the issue which confronted the Lutherans. They had been part of the Roman Church until recently. While establishing the ministry of the Gospel and Sacraments among themselves they had discarded certain Roman customs. The Roman church wanted the Lutherans to return to these customs in order for there to be peace among the two groups. Some Lutherans figured that they should go ahead and reintroduce the abandoned customs. They thought that they might as well not antagonize the Roman church any more than necessary and since some of these customs were neither commanded nor forbidden in the church then they were not doing wrong for actions intended to minimize the conflict.

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Before the conference was ever held, Pr. Asburry noted that the question that is ultimately behind all the discussions will likely not be addressed: the question of authority. He was prescient. It is the “white elephant” in the room of American Lutheranism. Granted that many of the questions before us do indeed fall into the category of adiaphora (neither commanded nor forbidden); granted that not all adiaphora are created equal (Arand); WHO regulates adiaphora or church ceremony?

via Weedon’s Blog: More Meditation on Worship Conference.

The following is the conclusion to an excellent online article from Prof. John Pless:

Unexplainable tragedies bring pain and chaos. God leaves the wound open, to use the words of Bayer. We cry out to God in lamentation in the face of events that defy our capacities for understanding. But the anguished lament ascends from the crucible of faith, not unbelief. It is a confession of trust in the God who works all things for the good of those who are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). Living in repentance and faith, we are freed from the inward turn of speculation that seeks to investigate the hidden God. Instead, we trust in the kindness and mercy of God revealed in Christ Jesus.

With such a freedom, we are liberated to rely on God’s promises and turn our attention to works of mercy to bring compassion and relief to those who suffer in this sinful world. God does not give us explanations that will satisfy our nagging questions, but He does give us sure and certain promises of unflinching mercy and unfailing faithfulness in His Son handed over to death and raised again for our justification.

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Support the relief effort: Haiti Earthquake Relief
LCMS World Relief and Human Care Disaster Response

Keep all those suffering in Haiti in your prayers. The seminary has a deaconess intern there who is confirmed to be safe. We also have a student from Haiti who has not been able to reach his father on the phone, but expect him to be safe as well. Read more…

From our the brothers in Novosibirsk:

Peace to you, dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

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