Have you been following the story about the Christian missionaries who were caught taking children to the Dominican Republic?
Here’s a video on the issue.
Here’s a WSJ article that takes another look at the problem in Haiti with adoption in general.
This is a very complex issue and one that raises a lot of thorny questions. Maybe the missionaries weren’t intending to traffic children, but the reality seems to be that they didn’t have the proper documentation and should have known that. This is kind of one of those “does the ends justify the means” type questions.
Another side of this is questions about the broader implications of their decision to take some chances. Did they think what kind of an impact this would have on the image of Christians worldwide? Did they think what the ramifications would be for other missionaries dealing with orphans when something like this comes to light?
I certainly understand hearts that want to reach out to children, that just want the best for kids. Having dealt with CPS and the foster care system, I understand frustrations with beuracracy and the feeling that you know what’s best, but I also know that these are also situations where despite our feelings, we sometimes have to pray for peace and let go and let God. It may not seem like the best thing to us, but it’s an issue of trust.
Having said that, I certainly pray that things get cleared up and that these people whom I really believe weren’t doing this maliciously or for the sake of trafficing are eventually cleared of charges, but that this sends a message to all to make sure they work within means that uphold the Christian spirit as well as working towards such ends.
In chapter 3 of Martin Luther’s Theology Oswald Bayer starts really digging in. He asks the question, what was it that really marked the turning point for Martin Luther. What understanding set him apart? What was it that was reformational or evangelical in his thinking?
Most good students of Lutheran theology and history would quickly answer, “it’s his understanding of the righteousness of God” or “Rom. 1:17!” Bayer says that while these are part of the picture, he wouldn’t focus on them as the center. He states that what really marked Luther, what was a return or reformation of the faith, and what inspired him was a new understanding of promise. God is a God of promises. He discusses the idea of performative language. That’ a big term that simply means, “that which establishes communication, which frees one and gives one confidence,: an effective, accomplishing word.” Some statements in the Bible or by people simpy describe reality. Promises in the Bible and specifically God’s promises of salvation accomplish it. When Jesus says, “I forgive you”, it happens then and now. There is no more uncertainty.
That was huge to Luther. As a man who dealt with a lot of doubt, the idea that God would promise and create a reality of forgiveness in his life, something he could grab hood of, was big. And you could find that promise all over the life of the church. In coming to worship or in private absolution. In baptism. In the Lord’s Supper.
Indeed, what’s amazing is that there are places all over the Bible where God promises things to us. And what’s great about the Bible is that it’s not dead words describing a past reality, but alive and present. So when you hear the promises of God as you read it, they are creating realities in your life too.
Now you can hear these realities in church, in the sacraments, etc, but you can also apply them as you read the Scripture. Think about all those promises. Here’s a site that lists a bunch, but there are many more. Click on it and think about how God is making these things happen in your life. Think about what you need most. Sometimes we think of Luther and his insights as old, but think about his insight into promise and performative language. Your specific doubts may be different than Luther, but we all need God’s promises. We all face doubt. We all face uncertainty. And we all need a God who promises to. . . heal, forgive, love, be with us, strengthen us, . . . the list goes on.
I love this moment and this image from the movie, The Passion of the Christ. The last week I’ve been talking with people about temptation and last night I mentioned this scene. Jesus is in the garden praying to God. And Satan is there tempting him, “It’s too much, you can’t bear the sin of the whole world.” Jesus keeps praying though. And when the snake comes slithering up, he stomps on it. That’s Jesus’ response. Prayer and stomping on the snake. That’s what you can see right there. Jesus fulfilling that prophecy that the snake would strike, but he would crush it’s head.
That’s an inspiring piece for me. There are so many times when we feel temptation speaking to us. Whether it’s through another person, media, or even just that kind of Satanic voice or little devil guy on our shoulder. You hear it. You feel it. But this image reminds us that Jesus faced temptation, he prayed, and he stomped on it. And when he took the weight on himself in the cross and rose again, he empowered us to do the same. So this week as you feel that temptation slithering up, remember this image of Jesus foot crushing the snake. And do a little stomping yourself too!
How many times in recent history have you thought, “I just need a break”. You’d love it if you looked at your planner and it truly was a little quieter. And I don’t mean just ignoring the things you’re supposed to be doing. Nothing to do! Yeah!
Well, what if I told you that the hardest job you’ll probably ever have is to do nothing. . . .
What do I mean? Well, like all theological statements, this one has to be understood carefully. If you’ve spent much time in a Lutheran church, you’ve probably thought about this a little, but in reading Martin Luther’s Theology by Bayer I continue to be pushed. Luther is quoted, “The righteousness of faith is passive, in that we allow God alone to work in us and we ourselves, with all our powers, do not do anything.” Read the rest of this entry »
So this image is a little focused. If you’re from Messiah, my church, hopefully you recognize it. If you’re from the broader Faith Emergence community, you probably don’t. This is the image that’s been designed as the new logo for Messiah Lutheran Church in Plano, TX. We’ve been talking about it in Bible class and introduced it in worship last week.
The image is meant to convey two very important truths. First, the central light is Jesus Christ, and as we are connected to him, our lives are changed. The darkness is cast away by his light. Second, as we are lit in connection with him, we seek to be lights to others, forces for Jesus to dispel the darkness in the world around us.
I’m just curious, as you look at this image, what are your thoughts? Light and darkness are one of the chief metaphors used in Scripture. Why do you think so? What does it mean to you that Jesus is the light? What does it mean to you that we are to be salt and light in the world?
Are you a theologian?
If you are a Christian, then the answer is “Yes!” Martin Luther would say so anyway. I’m not sure how many people really think of themselves that way. Perhaps that’s because theology has a bad rap. It’s a word associated with doctrine and dogma, church, institution, tradition, close-mindededness, and other connotations which most in the modern world take as bad.
Most of those terms are not bad, but let’s focus on being a theologian for now. Martin Luther stated, “We are all called theologians, just as [also we are] all [called] Christians.” He speaks a lot about the process of being a theologian, and one can break it down in a pretty complex fashion, or one can make it very simple. In chapter one of Martin Luther’s Theology Bayer speaks of how Luther used three simple words- oratio, meditatio, tentatio to describe the Christian theologian. These words are the process that forms a Christian, and make it clear that one is also a theologian. Read the rest of this entry »
Another day, another new series. As I was trying to think of another direction to take the blog, I wanted to keep a day that would be visually focused, but I also wanted to keep kind of a devotional nature to Thursdays. So here’s the idea, each week I’ll pick an image that inspires and unpack the image a little, also letting you react to what you see. As the husband of an artist, I continue to gain in appreciation for the visual arts, so don’t be surprised if many of the pieces represent either classic or contemporary paintings. These do a great job of presenting us with images that reflect on the theme you might hear from Scripture in a given week. At the same time, don’t be surprised if I throw some other image, picture, cartoon, or something else in every once in a while to mix things up. I’m looking forward to the series.
The first image is this one by Daniel Bonnell portraying the baptism of Jesus Christ. Most churches celebrated that event just this last Sunday. What I love about this image is that it captures the spirit of the baptism of Christ and baptism itself. It speaks to death and resurrection. We see the darkness of the water which had swallowed Jesus up. We see his arms stretched for the cross. But we also see him bursting up out of the water. We see vibrant colors radiating out of his body which would be resurrected. We see the Holy Spirit, the gift we receive as a promise of the new life and resurrection. Read the rest of this entry »
As I was thinking about some new possiblities for the blog in the new year I was hit by the possiblity of combining one of my New Years Resolutions with the blog (that’s always a score when two task can be combined!). I wanted to work at hitting the books some more in the year to come, picking up some of books that I’ve been collecting on my shelves and finally reading them, and probably adding a couple of good titles as well. I especially wanted to make an effort to add some more scholarly books to my regular reading list. Of course, this effort is great for me on an academic level, but what good is it if I can’t make it applicable. So that’s when I thought of the blog. If I could digest a chapter a week from some good book and bring the main idea or even just an important idea from that chapter to you in an understandable and intriguing way, that would be good stuff! So what’s up first? Well, Martin Luther’s Theology, A Contemporary Interpretation has been something I’ve been working on for a year now and I’m not finished. So here’s the way to get me going!
I’m actually going to begin with the introduction because they often have important things to say. This book is no different. In fact, there are a lot of big concepts in the introduction, but this is the thought that really struck me as I reviewed the chapter. Martin Luther understood that he lived in the modern world and he understood it better than I think many of us do today. Now I know most people think of Luther as ancient. Some would actually argue he was somewhat contemporary in the way he taught, used words, etc, but let’s be real, even if he was part of the modern world, he’s certainly not postmodern right? Read the rest of this entry »
This is the book I considered my favorite for the year 2009. I’m not sure how many would agree, but there’s something that just pulled me in with Return Policy by Michael Snyder.
The quick synopsis is that this is the story of three main characters who are wildly different, but whose lives are pulled together through twists and turns. Willy Finneran is a washed-up novelist who wants to destroy an expresso maker that reminds him of a lost love. Second you discover Ozena Webb, the single mother of a handicapped son and who happens to work for the maker of Willy’s espresso maker. And Shaq, a small homeless man who deals with amnesia and lives at a mission with a priest who has a past, Father Joe.
If you’re looking for an action-packed read, turn somewhere else, but if you’re looking for a novel that’s different, whose characters you’re going to care about, and you like twists, then this is a good read. Insert a healthy dose of humour and Synder really has put together something unique and fun.
But this book isn’t just focused on amusing the reader, there’s something deeper involved. Despite all the dry humour and twists, this is a book that deals with people and the question of hope. How do you keep hoping in the midst of loss? When do people quit hoping? How can hope be restored? It almost surprised me how well Synder was able to keep the narrative flowing through the turns and little quips, still moving in a purposeful direction. When I was done, I felt like the novel had taken characters who were anything but common, and yet in the midst of their uncommon struggles, there was something very real about their reactions and the way the book restored hope.
There’s a real truth there for Christians to understand. So many people in this world have or are in the process of losing hope, and rediscovering it is not easy. Yet when we trust God to more our lives to interstect those of others, there is a chance for redemption. After all, God worked through some incredible twists to bring about redemption in his son.
The last couple of days I’ve been thinking on Epiphany and focusing on its themes. I enjoyed getting chapel messages together, talking about the wise men and their journey, the worship of a king, a king unlike any other but the best king of all, a king for the whole world. But I noticed something. When I was looking for Epiphany images for our website, it was kind of hard to find much other than just the wise men. When you type in “Epiphany” there’s just not as much good stuff as you find for Christmas or Easter. Well, those are the two highest holidays during the church year so I guess that makes sense.
But it got me to wondering. Besides Christmas and Easter, what are your favorite days in the church year? Is there a day you look forward to or have really enjoyed celebrating at some point in the past? Why?
I’ll get things going- one of my favorite days is All Saints Day. I love it for many reasons. It’s just such an incredible feeling to think about people you know who’ve died and to remember their passing not just with sadness, but truly with great joy. To think of them as now united in heaven with Christ, and united with all the saints of the past. It gets things stirring within me to think of my Grandma and Grandpa Borkenhagen up there along with Abraham and Isaac, with Peter and Paul, with Luther, with their own sainted parents and grandparents. And while I’ve always enjoyed this celebration, I remember it becoming that much more special to me when I attended Concordia St. Paul. Every year they would fill the chapel with stars to remember the saints, some of the stars would have the names of people we submitted to the Chaplain as having joined the Lord and some would have the names of our students. To see all those stars shining in the rafters, and then to hear the choir marching around singing a song of praise interspersed with the names of those who’ve gone before us in the faith- ooh, that was one of those services that always made you feel that tingle inside.
So that’s my story and my favorite non-Christmas/Easter church holiday. What’s yours?
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