Bravo, Concordia Publishing House!

As an ordination gift I received a partial set of Luther’s Works (American Edition). I’ve long wanted the remainder of the texts, which I cannot currently afford. I also saw the the 55 volumes of Luther did not contain near what the Weimar Edition contained, which saddens me because I have fairly weak command of the languages required to read WA. So I was thrilled when I found out that Concordia Publishing House was publishing an additional 20 volumes and that they are available for a subscription rate. I signed up just last week, and already received the first completed volume. It is volume 69, and covers sermons and table talks on St. John not previously published. A handsome book, a readable book, and more Luther! What else could you ask for?

Anyway, thanks Concordia! A bang up job!

BTW, does anyone know why you can’t get sets of Luther’s Works from Augsburg Fortress? My wife asked me that question the other day and I had to confess my ignorance. Was this just a matter of publishing rights, or do we just care about Luther a little less in the ELCA?

Edited to say: I stand corrected. Thanks, Chris. LW-AE are in fact available from Augsburg Fortress. I was basing the above question on an old search. Mea culpa.

Bound Conscience Fail: Circumstantial Evidence

I usually leave facebook and twitter up while I am sitting at my desk. I have noticed what I consider to be both unfortunate behavior and circumstantial evidence of the failure of the newly-minted “bound conscience” doctrine ELCA folks have been invoking as if it is were written in the Augsburg Confession. When reference is made to traditionalists getting together and talking at things like CORE Convocation, or churches like Church of Joy in Arizona leaving, I have noticed a disturbing number of people making snarky comments like, “good riddance” or “go ahead and leave, we don’t want your hate.” I am not going to link to any of them for fear that people will think I am somehow picking a fight or calling them out, but this is the kind of talk that will make traditionalist feel like they truly no longer have a place in the ELCA. Am I the only one noticing this?

BTW, “traditionalists” you aren’t off the hook here. Quit throwing around words like “apostate” as if everyone who disagrees with you worships some four headed snake goddess.

What Happened?

Do you ever have one of those moments when you stop in your own tracks and ask the question, “What happened to me?”or “who is this person I’ve become?”

Some Thoughts on Synod Assembly

This past weekend the Southeastern Synod of the ELCA met in assembly. I am not one for meetings, so I generally have a sense of dread about attending these things. I am very much a guy who likes his routine, and does not like interruptions to said routine. On the bright side, I do always look forward to seeing friends and colleagues from around our synod that I often only see at assembly or other large synodical functions. So its not all bad.

Synod Restructuring

Several issues emerged at synod this year. Some were of clearly local concern, like synod restructuring. In the past we have had 14 conferences. This was reduced to 9. This also decreased the number of representatives to the synod council.  The argument for changing was that our conference structure wasn’t working according to the constitution. My reply was that most folks didn’t know what the constitution said about conferences. I don’t now about you all out there cyberspace, but I don’t sit around reading synod constitutions. Anyway, instead of giving the synod an opportunity to follow the current guidelines, they changed them, so that now we have giant conference. The conference I was in included just a few churches on the southside of Atlanta. Now it includes churches that stretch from Valdosta (near the Florida border) to Kennesaw (a suburb northwest of Atlanta). That is a difference of over 200 miles. One proposed conference in Mississippi would have seen a difference of more than 400 miles between its far flung churches. The logic is that we will be more serious about conference meetings because of the great distance we will have to travel. My thought is that this sounds cumbersome and will discourage long term activity among the individual churches. Only time will tell, of course. All I know is that I now have a meeting on the day of the Florida-LSU game, which doesn’t make me happy, as that is a big family day!

Bible Study

I am not going to say much here, other than the fact that the Bible study smacked of partisan politics. I sent out a tweet at one point that I felt as if I were at a Democratic caucus meeting. I hate politics and church mixing, and being told that being a Christian means feeling a certain way about political issues. This is part of the reason I left church in the first place, and I hate that it is creeping back in, just with a different political orientation.

Highlight of the Assembly

The highlight of the assembly was easily the powerful words of Pastor Gemechis Buba, a Lutheran pastor from Ethiopia. He bascially preached about mission, but had a line that stood out to me: salvation costs you nothing, but discipleship will cost you your life.

Get to the Sex Already

Naturally the big buzz all weekend was about where our synodical discussions regarding sexuality would go. In the past, the Southeastern Synod has tended to be fairly conservative on this issue, and I really thought that this year would be no different. I was wrong. The synod voted to memorialize to the Churchwide Assembly that the sexuality statement be approved, that the four recommendations on ministry policies be passed, and that those who have been denied ordination or removed from the roster have a means of appealing.

So here is my ambivalence: I don’t like the fact that the ministry policy recommendations are in essence a local option. I think passage of these recommendations will serve only to further divide the church into two separate camps. To an extent, it has been that way a long time. The difference now is that the split is essentially codified. We will have two expressions (pro-gay or pro-status quo) rather than three (local, synod, churchwide). It will bring about the worst in congregationalist government and tendencies, something we already have to fight in the ELCA. I see this as a desperate decision designed to make everyone happy that will ultimately make no one happy. Those in favor of gay clergy will accuse those churches that are opposed to gay/lesbian pastors of being discriminatory. Meanwhile, some of the more conservative churches on this issue will simply deny that they are truly in communion with churches that accept gay/lesbian pastors. It will be easy enough for those in East Tennessee and Savannah to look at churches in Atlanta or Nashville – which tend to be more liberal – as an anomaly, as not really part of them. This policy, if passed, will divide us as it has other denominations. We’ve already lost some churches and clergy (though not many). Be ready to lose more.

I really wish the Church had simply made a stand. If we have to vote on this stuff, I would like to see a straight up-down vote that would have said yea or nay to gay clergy and gay unions, and then a 10 year moratorium (regardless of results) before bringing it back up again. But they didn’t, and maybe that is ok.

So what does the future hold? I think passing these ministry recommendations is a slam dunk. I would be shocked – utterly shocked – if this didn’t pass at churchwide. I don’t think it will pass by much, but it will pass, and it will leave a lot of moderate churches and clergy really feeling the pinch of what to do.  I’ve spoken with several pastors who have expressed their concern. These are good pastors who want to faithfully serve, but for whatever reason feel they must draw their line here. I hope that all this talk of bound consciences and living together amonst disagreements is true and not just more church-ese. At the same time, I’ve also spoken with gay and lesbian members (and clergy) who have felt the pinch to stay closeted for years, and in this they see a little glimmer of hope.

Question

For all three people who still read this site…

I’ve been wrestling with inclusion of political posts here at “Idle Ramblings.” This blog by nature has been more about theological reflection on church life and culture. I am not so sure that political writings fit the format. Furthermore, I am not so sure that anyone who reads what I write here is even interested. Finally, some people find it disconcerting when clergy mix politics and religion. So I ask you, dear readers, what you think? Politics here, or should  save it for another venue?

Summer School

So i got the reading list for my D.Min. seminar this summer, and it looks pretty good. The Divine Office, The Interior Castle by St. Theresa, The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis, The Spiritual Exercises by Ignatius, Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, and A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life by William Law.

Should be an interesting class. I’m familiar with everyone except Law, and it’ll be fun to discuss these books with fellow clergy.

Feeling a Little Homesick

I left Louisiana in 1980’s as a teenager and knew that the chances of me ever returning were slim to none. And yet I have tried to hang on to the identity that comes from living in that part of the world. This has especially been the case since having children. Needless to say, for me culture equals food, and I love passing along the the native eats to my kids.

As I have stated before, I am not ashamed of the fact that I have eaten nutria and liked it. I think it is the mere idea of eating rodents that scares people off, which is too bad considering all the cheap protein just sitting around us. Last week I made a jambalaya with squirrel and andouille, and it was awesome! We fry catfish (the only acceptable method of cooking catfish) as often as we can. We celebrate Christmas with gumbo (this year we found alligator meat to add in). My grandfather whipped up an awesome pot of sauce picante a few weeks ago. I would give my right arm for some real boudin and my left for a pot of crawfish cooked outdoors with corn and sausage and potatoes in the pot. Don’t get me started on how nice it would be to get a fried oyster po boy for lunch.

All kidding aside  I miss the food and I miss my family (especially my brothers). But I just don’t foresee ever living there again. The economy is terrible even in good times, the education system is awful, there are very few Lutherans and I just don’t know that I really want to live there again. But I sure miss it.

Another Convert

It seems that another Lutheran pastor (LC-MS) has become a priest in the Antiochian Orthodox Church. Read all about it here. I have to admit that this simply adds fuel to my fascination with the Antiochians and the Orthodox in general.

I’ve heard some rumblings already about Churchwide Assembly this year, and how some of my fellow pastors intend to “leave” should the ELCA reverse its policy on gay/lesbian ordination/service. I think the newly ordained Fr. Daniel has something to say to those thinking about this: “One thing I’ve learned is you don’t run from something, you run to something.” If folks “run from” the ELCA over this or anything else, they are bound to find themselves disappointed and disaffected. If you are attracted to the liturgy, faith, traditions etc of Orthodoxy, then by all means convert. But if you are going there (or anywhere else for that matter) because you think you are somehow escaping the ELCA (or TEC, or PCUSA etc) then you are going to be in for a real rude awakening.

Be it unto me according to thy word…

Wishing everyone a Blessed Annunciation!

Lowliness is assumed by majesty, weakness by power, mortality by eternity. To pay the debt of our sinful state, a nature that was incapable of suffering was joined to one that could suffer. Thus, in keeping with the healing that we needed, one and the same mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, was able to die in one nature, and unable to die in the other. – St. Leo the Great

WE BESEECH THEE, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts: that, as we have known the incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an Angel; so by his Cross and passion we may be brought unto the glory of his resurrection. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

File Under: You Gotta Be Kidding Me?!

Couple names son after Adolf Hitler, and then don’t understand why a bakery would be concerned about making a cake that says, “Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler” on it. Read all about it here.

Some people thought I was a little crazy for naming my daughter after an obscure Byzantine saint, but this…pardon the pun…takes the cake. Yikes! This kid’s going to need therapy, and probably a lawyer to change his name when he gets of age.