Free the Catechism
My congregation recently ran into an obstacle concerning use of the 1986 LCMS English translation of Luther’s Small Catechism. This was not about…
Category: Steadfast in the Pew
Why are you such a Lutheran pastor fanboy?
My wife commented on what I had known for months, “You have a lot of pastors on your Facebook”. They have been added…
The Catechism is Strategic — New Website: Lutheran Catechism
A new website, Lutheran Catechism, promoting the use of Luther’s catechisms went live January 4, 2016. As a new site, it is still small, but…
Real Men Catechize their Children
Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche was the title of a best-selling book by Bruce Feirstein published in 1982. Supposedly, a real man would…
Stage 4 Cancer – Sorry State of Catechization in the Home
My aunt, Gladys, was a manager in the U. S. Geological Survey. As a federal government employee, she had excellent health care. The…
No-Name Evangelistic Association: How Faith Comes to Grandchildren
How did the Christian faith come from my grandparents to my grandchildren? It came by mission, but not by missionalism. If this mission…
The Blessed Begats
In Junior Confirmation, we read through the Old Testament. We didn’t get very far before I was having trouble. In Genesis 5, we…
Take me to Church.
I work every other Sunday, it’s one of the few things I dislike about my job. Back when I started 13 years ago…
The Silver Spoon Jesus Left in a Drawer
Before 1700, common folk had wooden spoons. Well off people had silver. The saying, “He was born with a silver spoon in his…
Anything but Dull – Convention Report – 2015 Montana District LCMS – Part 2
This is Part 2 of a report on the 2015 Montana District LCMS convention. This part reports on Resolution 5-04, “To Call Upon…
Anything but Dull – Convention Report – 2015 Montana District LCMS – Part 1
This is Part 1 of a report on the 2015 Montana District LCMS convention. Part 2 will report on Resolution 5-04 “To Call…
Bishop Tyranny and Heresy (Part 2)
In part 1, we saw how a congregation of my friends suffered the tyranny of a bishop concerning their pastoral vacancy, and the…
Bishop Tyranny and Heresy (Part 1)
Some friends in a Lutheran congregation of a different synod from mine have been in a long pastoral vacancy. The bishop expressly refused…
A Bereaved Farewell to the Boy Scouts of America
This year I turned 62. As we age, we learn more about bereavement. My latest bereavement is the Boy Scouts of America. The…
Charm, Politics, Waiting Games, and the Vanishing Gospel
[NOTE: This article was written before the recent announcement by Dr. Mathew L. Becker that his ecclesiastical supervisor, the District President of the…
The Saddest Face I Ever Attempted to Paint
Artist Francis B. Carpenter said Abraham Lincoln had “the saddest face I ever attempted to paint.” His law partner said Lincoln’s “melancholy dripped…
The Sins in Our Life Go Round and Round.
We’ve all got them. I like to call them conscience-killing or faith-destroying sins — those sins you just can’t seem to shake, sins…
FiveTwo: Movements and Gifts
One of the problems with FiveTwo is that it is a movement. The thing about movements is that they move (or at least…
FiveTwo’s Wordless, Bloodless, and Christless Theory of Sacrament
FiveTwo recently published an article by Jim Marriot titled, “The Sacramental Nature of Music.” At the outset he claims: “I believe music has…
Which Part of “From the Devil” don’t you understand?
“Therefore we ought and must constantly maintain this point, that God does not wish to deal with us otherwise than through the spoken…
Dr. Becker’s Ever Shrinking Word of God (Part 3)
Associate editor’s note: In the part 1, we saw Dr. Becker pit Jesus against Scripture and his dismissal of certain biblical books (Hebrews,…
Dr. Becker’s Ever Shrinking Word of God (Part 2)
Associate editor’s note: In the part 1, we saw Dr. Becker pit Jesus against Scripture and his dismissal of certain biblical books (Hebrews,…
Dr. Becker’s Ever Shrinking Word of God
Dr. Matthew L. Becker[1] is known for teaching publicly that qualified women should be ordained as pastors.[2] Many wonder how he can reach…
I don’t enjoy coffee with my pastor — the honest frustrations of a layman
I take that back, I really do enjoy a cup of coffee with my pastor. As long as our conversation stays within the…
The LCMS – The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of Lutheranism.
After attending my first district convention as a member of the LCMS I confess myself disappointed. To be honest I wasn’t expecting much….