Why is it wrong for lay to preside at the Eucharist?
This is a current question for Lutherans in America both ELCA and LCMS. This is a practice which is gathering steam and threatens to become standard practice. Since 1989 District presidents in the LCMS have been allowed to “license†lay men to do word and sacrament ministry. They license at will with fewer restrictions since the last conventions.
Why is this wrong? The question is why? Some might point at AC XIV and say the Confessions forbid it. ("Of Ecclesiastical Order they teach that no one should publicly teach in the Church or administer the Sacraments unless he be regularly called.") True enough. But again like a persistent child theology wants to know : why? Why do the Conrfessions forbid it? There is always a coherent structure behind a "no" from God. God is never arbitrary like human negatives may be. God means something when he says no.
I am raising questions I will not be able to adequately answer in this one post in this blog. But here is one avenue of reflection on the question :
The reason lay are not to preside at the Eucharist is, at its simplest level, Jesus. The sacraments are not rules or ordinances or even simple gospel pipelines whereby we get, like water from a tap, forgiveness. They are "Jesus" sacraments. They are given by and give Jesus: flesh, blood, God, man and all he brings.
Since that is true the one who baptizes, the one consecrates "is", in a sense, Jesus in the liturgy. He says the words of Jesus and Jesus speaks and acts through him. At the Eucharist Jesus is acting toward the congregation, he is giving himself.
Since this is true Jesus sets apart some from the body of Christians to "be" him in the liturgy: to do what he does and wishes to be done. They act not as mere Christians in the assembly but as "Jesus" to the assembly.
All of which is to say this: Jesus did not institute sacraments he instituted a ministry of the sacraments. That is he sent men to represent him and these men give these sacraments.
"To obtain such faith God instituted the office of the ministry.." AC V
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Advice from the Bishop of Rome
The words which follow were written by Celestine, bishop of Rome from 422 to 432. He was writing to the new Bishop of Constantinople, Maximian. Maximian was succeeding Nestorius who had been deposed at the Council of Ephesus in 431. Maximian was a pastor who faced a church ripped apart by conflict and division, a church racked by the heresy of her former pastor.
Celestine's words have always seemed eloquent and useful to me. Even 1500 years later his advice still holds for us pastors and churches who face conflict and heresy and divisions.
Take hold of the governance of this noted ship and guide her that we may know that you have learned from those who have gone before you. Resist the waves which the wind brings, disturbing the quiet. Resist every wave the enemy calls forth, desiring to weaken the church in every connecting structure in order that he may destroy it by violent winds ...
Already, frenzied waves are crashing close to you and high billows and storms are gathering around you. Resist vigilantly and, as master of the ship of salvation committed to you, hasten to help those committed to you by whatever care you are able.
Calm the sea which you navigate; protect the ship you govern after the tempests she has sustained. Follow that fisherman who walked with feet on the water of the sea in order that he might be able to reach out to Christ our God whom he had seen walking on the sea ...
Gather the scattered and exercise a merciful spirit ... Gather your people to the breasts of their mother and call back those whom the enemy has dragged away unwilling by the taste of poison. Confirm in the faith those whom you see longing for it; care for those whom you see have been wounded; remove those who do not desire healing. Meanwhile, when poison is removed by pain and that which is noxious is cut off, let medicine be prepared for those who remain.
You have been given a field of battle, most beloved brother, in which you labor for the glory of both a vigilant pastor and a kind priest : pour the taste of salvation into the mouths of Christians. These things you do to make clear that you are more able in healing then he was in injuring.
This selection is taken form Lettter 24 of Celestine. The translation is my own.
Celestine's words have always seemed eloquent and useful to me. Even 1500 years later his advice still holds for us pastors and churches who face conflict and heresy and divisions.
Take hold of the governance of this noted ship and guide her that we may know that you have learned from those who have gone before you. Resist the waves which the wind brings, disturbing the quiet. Resist every wave the enemy calls forth, desiring to weaken the church in every connecting structure in order that he may destroy it by violent winds ...
Already, frenzied waves are crashing close to you and high billows and storms are gathering around you. Resist vigilantly and, as master of the ship of salvation committed to you, hasten to help those committed to you by whatever care you are able.
Calm the sea which you navigate; protect the ship you govern after the tempests she has sustained. Follow that fisherman who walked with feet on the water of the sea in order that he might be able to reach out to Christ our God whom he had seen walking on the sea ...
Gather the scattered and exercise a merciful spirit ... Gather your people to the breasts of their mother and call back those whom the enemy has dragged away unwilling by the taste of poison. Confirm in the faith those whom you see longing for it; care for those whom you see have been wounded; remove those who do not desire healing. Meanwhile, when poison is removed by pain and that which is noxious is cut off, let medicine be prepared for those who remain.
You have been given a field of battle, most beloved brother, in which you labor for the glory of both a vigilant pastor and a kind priest : pour the taste of salvation into the mouths of Christians. These things you do to make clear that you are more able in healing then he was in injuring.
This selection is taken form Lettter 24 of Celestine. The translation is my own.
Monday, September 26, 2005
Living Among the Mysteries
Outreach encourager?
Here is a new one on me. I received a brochure for an outreach conference sponsored by an LCMS entity. One of the speakers was said to be an "outreach encourager".
I love these made up titles. Peopel can not just be content with being a pastor or a speaker or a lecturer or even a presenter, though that one too smacks of novelty and artifice.
I imagine that they feel themselves to be so innovative, so important that normal designations cannot apply to them. "My calling is so unique it has its own name!" "I am not a taxi cab driver, I am a personal destination guide." "I am not a parent I am self esteem deliverer!"
Please.
There seems to be two different urges when it comes to church titles. Some are enamored of ancient roles and offices. Bishop, pastor, deacon. There seems to be a stability and gravitas to seeking to live in a way that has sustained the generations before.
Others seem to find an excitement and vitality from the new, seeking to invent and change what has been handed down. This appers to me to be inherently destructive and unable to support the weight of the serious work the church is given to do.
I love these made up titles. Peopel can not just be content with being a pastor or a speaker or a lecturer or even a presenter, though that one too smacks of novelty and artifice.
I imagine that they feel themselves to be so innovative, so important that normal designations cannot apply to them. "My calling is so unique it has its own name!" "I am not a taxi cab driver, I am a personal destination guide." "I am not a parent I am self esteem deliverer!"
Please.
There seems to be two different urges when it comes to church titles. Some are enamored of ancient roles and offices. Bishop, pastor, deacon. There seems to be a stability and gravitas to seeking to live in a way that has sustained the generations before.
Others seem to find an excitement and vitality from the new, seeking to invent and change what has been handed down. This appers to me to be inherently destructive and unable to support the weight of the serious work the church is given to do.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
A Godly Race Born of Heaven
Sixtus III Pope from 432 to 440 put this inscription on the Baptistery of the Lateran Basilica.
It is, as they say, cool. Extolling the wonders of baptism, which "gushed from the wound of Christ."
Enjoy.
Here a people of godly race are born of heaven;
the Spirit gives them life in the fertile waters.
The Church-Mother, in these waves, bears her children like virginal fruit she has conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Hope for the kingdom of heaven, you who are reborn in this spring,
for those who are born but once have no share in the life of blessedness.
Here is to be found the source of life, which washes the whole universe, which gushed from the wound of Christ.
Sinner, plunge into the sacred fountain to wash away your sin.
The water receives the old man, and in his place makes the new man rise.
You wish to become innocent; cleanse yourself in this bath, whatever your burden may be, Adam's sin or your own.
There is no difference between those who are reborn; they are one, in a single baptism, a single Spirit, a single faith.
Let none be afraid of the number of the weight of their sins:
those who are born of this stream will be made holy.
(from Maxwell Johnson, The Rites of Christian Initiation, Liturgical Press, 1999.)
It is, as they say, cool. Extolling the wonders of baptism, which "gushed from the wound of Christ."
Enjoy.
Here a people of godly race are born of heaven;
the Spirit gives them life in the fertile waters.
The Church-Mother, in these waves, bears her children like virginal fruit she has conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Hope for the kingdom of heaven, you who are reborn in this spring,
for those who are born but once have no share in the life of blessedness.
Here is to be found the source of life, which washes the whole universe, which gushed from the wound of Christ.
Sinner, plunge into the sacred fountain to wash away your sin.
The water receives the old man, and in his place makes the new man rise.
You wish to become innocent; cleanse yourself in this bath, whatever your burden may be, Adam's sin or your own.
There is no difference between those who are reborn; they are one, in a single baptism, a single Spirit, a single faith.
Let none be afraid of the number of the weight of their sins:
those who are born of this stream will be made holy.
(from Maxwell Johnson, The Rites of Christian Initiation, Liturgical Press, 1999.)
Saturday, September 24, 2005
"We are in the midst of God"
I ran across this nice short description of the Trinitarian theology of the Cappadocian fathers. This can be an intimidating subject loaded with complexities and dense jargon. But these paragraphs accurately distill the essence of the teaching on the Trinity. The writer, David Hart, makes the point that Trinitarian doctrine is nothing other than the language of salvation.
I took this from the latest issue of First Things.
The article is entitled, “The Lively God of Robert Jenson.”
The greatest achievements of this period, in defense of Nicene orthodoxy, were those of the so-called Capppadocian fathers: Basil of Caesarea, Basil's younger brother Gregory of Nyssa, and Basil's friend Gregory of Nazianzus ….
It must be appreciated, I hasten to add, that "salvation " was not understood by the Cappadocian fathers in that rather feeble and formal way many Christians have habitually thought of it at various periods in the Church's history: as some sort of forensic exoneration accompanied by a ticket of entry into an Elysian aftermath of sun-soaked meadows and old friends and consummate natural beatitude.
Rather, salvation meant nothing less than being joined to the living God by the mediation of the God-man Himself, brought into living contact with the transfiguring glory of the divine nature, made indeed partakers of the divine nature itself (2 Peter 1 :4) and co-heirs of the Kingdom of God. In short, to be saved was-is-to be "divinized" in Christ by the Spirit. In the great formula of St. Irenaeus (and others), "God became man that man might become god."
It is precisely here, therefore, in the economy of salvation, that the true nature of the eternal Trinity must declare itself-for, simply said, no creature could ever join us to God. The calculus of the infinite is absolute: The finite can never reach the infinite, the created can never aspire to its transcendent source, and nothingno economically reduced manifestation of the Godhead, no "ontological pleonasm" of mediating principIes, no conceptual Tower of Babel erected upon the foundations of the human spirit-can unite us with God save that God in His mercy condescend to unite us to Himself, by becoming one of us.
If the Son saves us by joining us to the Father, then the Son must necessarily be, in every sense, God of God, essentially and infinitely. But, then again, how are we joined to the Son? By the Holy Spirit-in the sacraments and corporate life of the Church and in His sanctifying work within the soul and so the Spirit too, it follows, must be God of God, no less than the Son. Only God can join us to God, and so we must affirm that in the incarnation of the Son and actions of the Spirit God Himself is in our midst.
Or rather, more wonderfully, we are in the midst of God, and the movement of relation among the three divine Persons, as it is unfolded through salvation history, is nothing less than the triune God drawing us into the infinite splendor of His life.
I took this from the latest issue of First Things.
The article is entitled, “The Lively God of Robert Jenson.”
The greatest achievements of this period, in defense of Nicene orthodoxy, were those of the so-called Capppadocian fathers: Basil of Caesarea, Basil's younger brother Gregory of Nyssa, and Basil's friend Gregory of Nazianzus ….
It must be appreciated, I hasten to add, that "salvation " was not understood by the Cappadocian fathers in that rather feeble and formal way many Christians have habitually thought of it at various periods in the Church's history: as some sort of forensic exoneration accompanied by a ticket of entry into an Elysian aftermath of sun-soaked meadows and old friends and consummate natural beatitude.
Rather, salvation meant nothing less than being joined to the living God by the mediation of the God-man Himself, brought into living contact with the transfiguring glory of the divine nature, made indeed partakers of the divine nature itself (2 Peter 1 :4) and co-heirs of the Kingdom of God. In short, to be saved was-is-to be "divinized" in Christ by the Spirit. In the great formula of St. Irenaeus (and others), "God became man that man might become god."
It is precisely here, therefore, in the economy of salvation, that the true nature of the eternal Trinity must declare itself-for, simply said, no creature could ever join us to God. The calculus of the infinite is absolute: The finite can never reach the infinite, the created can never aspire to its transcendent source, and nothingno economically reduced manifestation of the Godhead, no "ontological pleonasm" of mediating principIes, no conceptual Tower of Babel erected upon the foundations of the human spirit-can unite us with God save that God in His mercy condescend to unite us to Himself, by becoming one of us.
If the Son saves us by joining us to the Father, then the Son must necessarily be, in every sense, God of God, essentially and infinitely. But, then again, how are we joined to the Son? By the Holy Spirit-in the sacraments and corporate life of the Church and in His sanctifying work within the soul and so the Spirit too, it follows, must be God of God, no less than the Son. Only God can join us to God, and so we must affirm that in the incarnation of the Son and actions of the Spirit God Himself is in our midst.
Or rather, more wonderfully, we are in the midst of God, and the movement of relation among the three divine Persons, as it is unfolded through salvation history, is nothing less than the triune God drawing us into the infinite splendor of His life.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Siberian Evangelical Lutheran Church
I have been privileged to go to Siberia two times to teach at a seminary and at summer seminars in the past several years and meet and get to know a remarkable band of Lutherans.
They are the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Siberia. They grew from the ashes of Communism in Siberia to form an authentically Russian, Lutheran church. Many of the members became Christians in evangelical, Baptistic Bible study groups but have since grown into an orthodox Lutheran church. They are remarkable people in many ways, not least in their insistence on true Lutheran doctrine and practice. No mission shortcuts for them. I sometimes have doubts whether authentic Lutheranism will survive in America. I do not doubt that it will do so in Siberia.
You can learn more about this church here and you can support them here at the Siberian Lutheran Mission Society. Their seminary where I taught also has a website.
What follows is the latest email update they send out. Quite a story that it tells.
From : SELC
Sent : Thursday, September 22, 2005 8:11 AM
To : "SELC"
Subject : Newsletter #136
Peace to you, Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
š
On the 28th of August a Memorial Day of the victims of political repressions was celebrated in Russia.š It was on this day in 1941 when a decree of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was issued, which marked the beginning of the time of repressions and genocide of the Volga Germans and other ethnic groups of our country.
š
On that day in many cities of Russia memorial processions and public prayers usually take place, and also flowers are laid on the memorials.š Survivors of these tragic events and their descendants, as well as those, who care about the history of our country, visit the memorials.
š
For the first time on this day in Yurga (where the SELC parish of St. Luke is located) a memorial service took place, which was conducted by Pastor Vsevolod Lytkin and Deacon Alexander Hahn.
š
The day was gloomy, cold and rainy, but it did not prevent people from coming to the memorial and pay their tribute to the memory of the lost victims.
š
The memorial complex in Yurga is located in a unique place.š Thousands of innocentš people were brought here and then "dumped" in big pits.š There is some evidence, showing that some of the sick who were still alive, were "dumped" in the same pits.š Authorities did not want to waste medicine or even a bullet.š It was done to avoid the need to provide medical care, necessary to treat their diseases; these people were buried there.š It was done secretly at night, so that no one could see. It is still hard to estimate the exact number of people, buried here.š
š
šAfterwards, this place was simply leveled and sold for future construction of "dachas" (summer houses with cultivated land) on that place.š But one piece of land was purchased by an elderly Lutheran person; and the members of the Lutheran parish built a small memorial on it after they collected their own money.
š
The memorial itself, as well as the names of the people (most of the names still stay unknown) is the result of the long search of the descendants of the repressed Germans.š It was also not easy for them to get the permission of the city administration to erect a memorial on that place.
š
Helena Hildebrandt (a 76 year old parishioner) was telling us about her recollections, "We were brought to Siberia in winter time; it was a long travel, and everybody I knew was sick with typhus.š There were seven children in our family, and I was the oldest.š I was almost sixteen at that time.š Our father had died.š At first, a lot of people were dying, of course.š In the beginning we lived in barracks.š It was dirty, and everyone had lice. Then we were given a place for an earth-house.š We were digging holes in the ground and lived in them for a long time.š As soon as we started feeling a little better, we were immediately sent to work to the construction site.š It was very difficult to work during the first days, and I cried, so my mother had to work instead of myself.š We were not paid any money, and sold out all our possessions to be able to buy food.
Only some clothes were left.š I remember how we starved.š My younger sister (she was 3 at that time) was sitting and looking quietly at us, understanding that we had nothing to eat; and that's why she never asked for food.
š
It is surprising that all children in our family survived.š It was some kind of a miracle.š Everybody around was amazed to realize that.
š
As victims of political repressions, nowadays many people receive additional bonuses to their pensions. And I was told that I am not applicable for it, because our family came here under our own will. I have a small pension (50 dollars), and it is very hard to live on it. I don't know where to go to complain about such state of affairs, and why the whole situation is like this".
š
Pastor Vsevolod Lytkin said, "These are amazing people.š For us, born at the end of the twentieth century, it's difficult even to imagine, what kind of hardships they had to struggle through.š But now it is especially terrible to see that many of the Volga German ancestors have lost their Christian faith. šIt was faith that helped them survive during the times of communism".
š
He also said during the memorial service, "Brothers, sisters, and friends, today we were reading the passages from the New Testament about the cross.š However, we were not only reading, but standing near the cross.š This cross is put up here in the memory of the tortured and innocent people, who have passed away.
š
Why are crosses placed at the cemeteries?š The reason is that a cross is a symbol of a victory over death.š Jesus Christ, Son of God, came to this earth to die for our sins on the cross.š He died and was risen from the dead, and all believers have resurrected together in Him.
š
I often hear different people saying: "Why would I need to go to church?š I can believe in Christ without it.š Isn't it enough just to live my life according to the precepts of God; following His commandments, which forbid us to kill and to steal?"
š
Or, do you know how many people come to the church, asking for the burial service of their "Lutheran" relatives, who have passed away?!
š
"Our grandfather has died so could you possibly come for the burial service?" - They ask.
š
I ask them in return, whether their grandfather have been attending church.
š
"Oh, no!š He was Lutheran.š And there was no church, you know: it was forbidden to be a believer", - they answer.
š
"But it's not forbidden anymore, it's been allowed for fifteen years already" - I reply.
š
These are such dialogues that regularly take place.š And it's terrible, because there is a chance to make a change, when the person is still alive.š When he has died, it's impossible to do anything.š It's impossible to confess the sins after death.š It is our life on earth that is given to us to be able to come to Christ.
š
I would like to stress that you cannot believe in God without attending church.š Those, who never go to church are unbelievers and not Christians.š You will not be saved without God's Word and blessed sacraments.š You still have time to change your mind, so do it!š Come to church.
š
Our forefathers did think about God.š They lived and died with faith in Christ.š That's why we are here today, to express our gratitude to God for faith that He gave our forefathers.
š
They died, having been tortured for their nationality and religion, which they have never renounced, even in the face of death.š They have lived horrible lives, having become a part of the most terrible communist "slaughter house".š The beast, apocalyptic red dragon with all its rage has attacked miserable people, desiring to destroy them and to make them turn away from their faith.š But they did not.š They were bearing their crosses till the very end.š They lost their souls for Christ and New Testament, having saved themselves for the Kingdom in Heaven.š They are not together with us today, they are in Heaven.š And it means that we will still meet with them.š We'll hug them, and bow to them - our brothers and sisters, who were tortured for their faith in Christ; who were carrying their heavy cross and now have life eternal".
š
After the funeral service in Yurga, another one took place in the center of the city of Tomsk, on the place of the memorial complex to the victims of repressions.š The funeral service was finished with singing of the hymn of Martin Luther "A mighty Fortress is our God".š For the first time the hymn sounded in the center of the city, signifying faith and hope of Christians, who trust God even at the hardest times.
š
Please, pray for the proclaiming of the Gospel to Germans and other nations of Siberia.
š
"Faith and Hope"
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Feminists in Bed with Hefner
Here is a nice article on the Wall street Journal site which is a review of a book by Ariel Levy entitled "Female Chauvuinist Pigs".
The premise is that women's liberation has turned into just degrading sexual exploitation of women. Here is a just a little bit:
It was all supposed to be so liberating. But it wasn't, as Ms. Levy argues forcefully in "Female Chauvinist Pigs." It was merely the academic groundwork for what she calls "raunch culture," now so ubiquitous that we take it for granted. Young women wear shirts emblazoned with "Porn Star" across the chest. Teen stores sell "Cat in the Hat" thong underwear. Parents treat their daughters' friends to "cardio striptease" classes for birthday parties. This is liberation?
The premise is that women's liberation has turned into just degrading sexual exploitation of women. Here is a just a little bit:
It was all supposed to be so liberating. But it wasn't, as Ms. Levy argues forcefully in "Female Chauvinist Pigs." It was merely the academic groundwork for what she calls "raunch culture," now so ubiquitous that we take it for granted. Young women wear shirts emblazoned with "Porn Star" across the chest. Teen stores sell "Cat in the Hat" thong underwear. Parents treat their daughters' friends to "cardio striptease" classes for birthday parties. This is liberation?
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Practicing for Judgment Day
Practicing for judgment day, that’s what “going to church” is.
On judgment day we will leave behind all we have here all we have known and we will go to meet God. There our sins will be laid bare, we will stand before God naked. Our only defense will be the blood of Jesus. There on judgment, believers will be accepted by God forgiven and welcomed into his presence . There at the heavenly banquet hall they will be surrounded by the saints and hosts of heaven. The bride of Christ will join with Christ and the two shall be one forever.
Going to church is practice for all this.
Practice not in the sense that it is not real or only pretend but practice in the sense that here on earth we do the same as we will do at the end of time. When we go to church, we leave behind our daily life and routine. We abandon our houses and jobs and we go to the house of God. There we stand before him naked in confession of our sins, with no hope but the blood of Christ which covers us in our baptism. At church, God welcomes us, forgives and ushers us into his presence. Just as at the end of time, at church in the liturgy, we are not there alone but are surrounded by the saints and the heavenly hosts as we sing the hymns of heaven ( “holy, holy, holy …”). At church we join with Christ at his table and we and he become one flesh His body in ours.
On judgment day we will leave behind all we have here all we have known and we will go to meet God. There our sins will be laid bare, we will stand before God naked. Our only defense will be the blood of Jesus. There on judgment, believers will be accepted by God forgiven and welcomed into his presence . There at the heavenly banquet hall they will be surrounded by the saints and hosts of heaven. The bride of Christ will join with Christ and the two shall be one forever.
Going to church is practice for all this.
Practice not in the sense that it is not real or only pretend but practice in the sense that here on earth we do the same as we will do at the end of time. When we go to church, we leave behind our daily life and routine. We abandon our houses and jobs and we go to the house of God. There we stand before him naked in confession of our sins, with no hope but the blood of Christ which covers us in our baptism. At church, God welcomes us, forgives and ushers us into his presence. Just as at the end of time, at church in the liturgy, we are not there alone but are surrounded by the saints and the heavenly hosts as we sing the hymns of heaven ( “holy, holy, holy …”). At church we join with Christ at his table and we and he become one flesh His body in ours.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Church Politics and Athanasius
I am currently reading a book on Athanasius by T.D. Barnes. It is a very well written and documented book. In fact, it is amazingly well researched.
It is not a really a book concerning Athanasius' theology but his activities. And it is a book that that can fairly be said to attack Athanasius and his character. Barnes' contention is that Athanasius and his history has been so covered with hagiography and "hero worship" that we must diligently seek to strip away the assumptions and good will that come with Athanasius to find the real man behind the legend. The man that Barnes purports to find is one who is highly manipulative, full of tricks, a power monger and one whose writings regularly distort and mislead the reader so as to put Athanasius in the best light.
My first reactions to all this is that Barnes has overreached. In his attempt to balance the historical treatment of Athanasius he himself distorts the record, impugning Athanasius on every opportunity often without sources or records to substantiate his claims.
My second reaction is that Barnes is correct in many of his historical claims. Athanasius did attempt to wield power, convince, cajole and even force many to follow him and not follow his opponents. Did he go over the "line" (wherever that is) on some occasions? Probably.
But this general charge that Athanasius was a man of power who played hardball politics should not dissuade us from admiring or even emulating him. First, we do not remember Athanasius chiefly because of his churchmanship or lack thereof; we remember him because he taught the truth concerning the Holy Trinity and went to great lengths to defend that doctrine.
It is precisely the ferocity with which he defended his position that offends Barnes and many modern commentators. His blind insistence that he was right and others were wrong and his stubborn insistence on that truth seems to the modern eye as autocratic megalomania. Where is the tolerance? Where is the gentleness?
The truth is the Bible does not counsel gentleness in the face of error, especially error which wrecks men salvation.
Athanasius played hardball in defense of Christ, good for him.
It is not a really a book concerning Athanasius' theology but his activities. And it is a book that that can fairly be said to attack Athanasius and his character. Barnes' contention is that Athanasius and his history has been so covered with hagiography and "hero worship" that we must diligently seek to strip away the assumptions and good will that come with Athanasius to find the real man behind the legend. The man that Barnes purports to find is one who is highly manipulative, full of tricks, a power monger and one whose writings regularly distort and mislead the reader so as to put Athanasius in the best light.
My first reactions to all this is that Barnes has overreached. In his attempt to balance the historical treatment of Athanasius he himself distorts the record, impugning Athanasius on every opportunity often without sources or records to substantiate his claims.
My second reaction is that Barnes is correct in many of his historical claims. Athanasius did attempt to wield power, convince, cajole and even force many to follow him and not follow his opponents. Did he go over the "line" (wherever that is) on some occasions? Probably.
But this general charge that Athanasius was a man of power who played hardball politics should not dissuade us from admiring or even emulating him. First, we do not remember Athanasius chiefly because of his churchmanship or lack thereof; we remember him because he taught the truth concerning the Holy Trinity and went to great lengths to defend that doctrine.
It is precisely the ferocity with which he defended his position that offends Barnes and many modern commentators. His blind insistence that he was right and others were wrong and his stubborn insistence on that truth seems to the modern eye as autocratic megalomania. Where is the tolerance? Where is the gentleness?
The truth is the Bible does not counsel gentleness in the face of error, especially error which wrecks men salvation.
Athanasius played hardball in defense of Christ, good for him.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Corpses We Are
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins ... (Ephesians 2:1a)
This verse always impresses upon me the absolute futility of anything and everything man can do before God.
Corpses. That's what we are without our Lord. What can a corpse do? Can it wiggle its little toe? Can it blink once for yes or twice for no? Of course not.
Can a corpse make a decision? Can a corpse open its heart and let Jesus in? Can a corpse pray a sinner's prayer? Can a corpse decide to get up and follow?
No, not at all. What is even more, any corpse that does any thing at all does so miraculously. If a corpse walked or talked it would be on account of a divine miracle enlivening its every movement.
So it is for us. Not only is our conversion a miracle of grace but every time we happen to utter a helping word or fulfill our calling or sacrifice ourselves for others, this is a miracle of grace. This is Jesus' resurrection from the dead pulsing in his churchly body. Our good works looked at from our perspective, from what we have added, are filthy rags. But our good works done through faith are miracles of God's power and grace done in and through us.
Which is why we end so many efforts with these words : sola deo gloria. Not a pious stab at humility but a simple confession of the truth.
This verse always impresses upon me the absolute futility of anything and everything man can do before God.
Corpses. That's what we are without our Lord. What can a corpse do? Can it wiggle its little toe? Can it blink once for yes or twice for no? Of course not.
Can a corpse make a decision? Can a corpse open its heart and let Jesus in? Can a corpse pray a sinner's prayer? Can a corpse decide to get up and follow?
No, not at all. What is even more, any corpse that does any thing at all does so miraculously. If a corpse walked or talked it would be on account of a divine miracle enlivening its every movement.
So it is for us. Not only is our conversion a miracle of grace but every time we happen to utter a helping word or fulfill our calling or sacrifice ourselves for others, this is a miracle of grace. This is Jesus' resurrection from the dead pulsing in his churchly body. Our good works looked at from our perspective, from what we have added, are filthy rags. But our good works done through faith are miracles of God's power and grace done in and through us.
Which is why we end so many efforts with these words : sola deo gloria. Not a pious stab at humility but a simple confession of the truth.
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Jehovah's Witness Try to Silence Themselves
Oh those silly Jehovah Witnesses! Seems a web site decided to collect and publish quotes and selections of their publications over the years thus pointing out the many, many years of failed prophecies, contradictions and changes in doctrine. So, the Witnesses are suing. Here is an article about it.
The website is here.
The website is here.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Advice from Athanasius
Here is some good advice for pastors ( or any Christians really) undergoing difficulties or opposition, especially when standing for the truth. It comes from a good source : Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, who endured more than his share of opposition, persecution and physical hardship for his defense of the truth of the faith and the doctrine of the divinity of the Son of God.
O beloved friends, if from affliction comes comfort, from labors rest, from sickness health, from death immortality, then it is not seemly to be distressed by what comes upon mankind for a brief period, then it is not right to be downcast because of the tribulations which occur, then it is not proper to be afraid if the gang who attack Christ conspire against true belief. On the contrary we should please God all the more in such circumstances and consider such things a testing and practice for a virtuous life. For how can anyone display patience except after labors and sorrows and how can one be tested for fortitude without an assault from his enemies?
For the enemy draws near in afflictions and trials and labors, doing everything in his endeavor to overthrow us. But so long as the man who is in Christ enters the battle against the foes and sets patience against anger, humility against arrogance, virtue against wickedness, he wins the victory and exclaims, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me ( Philippians 4:13)
(Tenth Festal Letter, 8-9; taken from Timothy Barnes, Athanasius and Constantius, Harvard Univ. Press, 1993, 44)
I like the theology of the cross at the beginning of the first paragraph : how God draws from evil good. The conception that the Christian life is a battle and a testing is welcome in the times of distress. The idea that such testing issues in virtue is a reminder that sanctification and holy living are often squeezed out of us by the Holy Spirit in the press of conflict and suffering.
O beloved friends, if from affliction comes comfort, from labors rest, from sickness health, from death immortality, then it is not seemly to be distressed by what comes upon mankind for a brief period, then it is not right to be downcast because of the tribulations which occur, then it is not proper to be afraid if the gang who attack Christ conspire against true belief. On the contrary we should please God all the more in such circumstances and consider such things a testing and practice for a virtuous life. For how can anyone display patience except after labors and sorrows and how can one be tested for fortitude without an assault from his enemies?
For the enemy draws near in afflictions and trials and labors, doing everything in his endeavor to overthrow us. But so long as the man who is in Christ enters the battle against the foes and sets patience against anger, humility against arrogance, virtue against wickedness, he wins the victory and exclaims, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me ( Philippians 4:13)
(Tenth Festal Letter, 8-9; taken from Timothy Barnes, Athanasius and Constantius, Harvard Univ. Press, 1993, 44)
I like the theology of the cross at the beginning of the first paragraph : how God draws from evil good. The conception that the Christian life is a battle and a testing is welcome in the times of distress. The idea that such testing issues in virtue is a reminder that sanctification and holy living are often squeezed out of us by the Holy Spirit in the press of conflict and suffering.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Katrina : True or False?
A huge media event like Hurriacne Katrina spawns rumors and myths and stories in its wake. The Internet greatly facilitates this. So lets play a little game :
Hurricane Katrina : True or False ?
1. True or False Pat Robertson said that Hurricane Katrina was caused by God's anger over the selection of lesbian comedienne Ellen Degeneres to host the upcoming Emmy Awards.
2. True or False On the Price is Right they gave away trips to New Orleans in the days after the hurricane in the midst of evacuations, rescues and the search for bodies.
3. True or False Former first lady Barbara Bush said that New Orleans refugees being housed in the Houston Astrodome were "underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."
4. True or False New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco refused President Bush's
pleas to declare an emergency in Louisiana before Hurricane Katrina struck.
Go to Snopes.com for the full answers and other truth telling on urban myths. It is an entertaining and informative site.
Answers to the four questions above are down here .....
1.False
2. True (sort of).
3. True.
4. False.
Hurricane Katrina : True or False ?
1. True or False Pat Robertson said that Hurricane Katrina was caused by God's anger over the selection of lesbian comedienne Ellen Degeneres to host the upcoming Emmy Awards.
2. True or False On the Price is Right they gave away trips to New Orleans in the days after the hurricane in the midst of evacuations, rescues and the search for bodies.
3. True or False Former first lady Barbara Bush said that New Orleans refugees being housed in the Houston Astrodome were "underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."
4. True or False New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco refused President Bush's
pleas to declare an emergency in Louisiana before Hurricane Katrina struck.
Go to Snopes.com for the full answers and other truth telling on urban myths. It is an entertaining and informative site.
Answers to the four questions above are down here .....
1.False
2. True (sort of).
3. True.
4. False.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Katrina and God's Fairness
In the aftermath of Katrina, I have heard quite a few rumblings in the media about what theologians call theodicy. Theodicy refers to vindicating the justice or fairness of God in the face of evil.
Some look at the destruction of Katrina and the human death and suffering and say,"How can God have anything to do with this. How can an all-powerful God allow such suffering?". It is, of course, an age old question. It is also a question that pops up not only with huge disasters but with "small" events such as the death to cancer, an alzheimers diagnosis, a miscarriage, etc., etc., etc.
Katrina poses no special problems. A hurricane is no different in this case from any funeral. Katrina diverges form other events only in scale not in kind, in quantity not in quality.
I do not have a lot to add to this subject. Certainly nothing new or inventive but only to say that the only answer in the end to the question of theodicy is the cross and God given faith. Christians make no claims that God is beyond evil or that somehow suffering is antithetical to him. God himself makes no claims that in the sin wrecked world Christians ( or any one will not suffer). The rain falls on the just and the unjust as does the wind and the drought and the sweat of our brow. Adam, mud caked man that he was, wrenched the whole universe out of balance and God sets it right again in his way.
His way is the way of the cross and the way of divine suffering the way of divine participation in evil and chaos and death, not the divine escape. God is not ashamed to make suffering his children have brought on themselves his own. The Holy Trinity is not the God of the Eastern religions, a passionless, fragile God, who shrinks from physicality and the dirt and muck of the earth. Our God cries out," Why have you forsaken me?" That is God's way of putting things back together.
In the meantime we live by faith. We live knowing that in Christ all things are made right and while we suffer for a moment his glory soon will be ours.
Some look at the destruction of Katrina and the human death and suffering and say,"How can God have anything to do with this. How can an all-powerful God allow such suffering?". It is, of course, an age old question. It is also a question that pops up not only with huge disasters but with "small" events such as the death to cancer, an alzheimers diagnosis, a miscarriage, etc., etc., etc.
Katrina poses no special problems. A hurricane is no different in this case from any funeral. Katrina diverges form other events only in scale not in kind, in quantity not in quality.
I do not have a lot to add to this subject. Certainly nothing new or inventive but only to say that the only answer in the end to the question of theodicy is the cross and God given faith. Christians make no claims that God is beyond evil or that somehow suffering is antithetical to him. God himself makes no claims that in the sin wrecked world Christians ( or any one will not suffer). The rain falls on the just and the unjust as does the wind and the drought and the sweat of our brow. Adam, mud caked man that he was, wrenched the whole universe out of balance and God sets it right again in his way.
His way is the way of the cross and the way of divine suffering the way of divine participation in evil and chaos and death, not the divine escape. God is not ashamed to make suffering his children have brought on themselves his own. The Holy Trinity is not the God of the Eastern religions, a passionless, fragile God, who shrinks from physicality and the dirt and muck of the earth. Our God cries out," Why have you forsaken me?" That is God's way of putting things back together.
In the meantime we live by faith. We live knowing that in Christ all things are made right and while we suffer for a moment his glory soon will be ours.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Great R and R Bands You Have Never Heard Of
I have not blogged in awhile.
Oops. Been busy.
I have heard that not being regular in your posts is a good way to drive down readership.
Oops.
Here is a topic that is completely non-theological : Some good rock and roll bands that you have probably never heard of:
The Ugly Beats
The Shins
The Dipsomaniacs
The Blank Pages
Shoes
Material Issue
Charlie Burton and the Hiccups ( and the Cut Outs)
Fooled By April
Fountains of Wayne
Slobberbone
Muck and the Mires
Ruth Ruth
So was I right? Heard of any of them?
How about anybody else out there … any you would recommend?
Oops. Been busy.
I have heard that not being regular in your posts is a good way to drive down readership.
Oops.
Here is a topic that is completely non-theological : Some good rock and roll bands that you have probably never heard of:
The Ugly Beats
The Shins
The Dipsomaniacs
The Blank Pages
Shoes
Material Issue
Charlie Burton and the Hiccups ( and the Cut Outs)
Fooled By April
Fountains of Wayne
Slobberbone
Muck and the Mires
Ruth Ruth
So was I right? Heard of any of them?
How about anybody else out there … any you would recommend?
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Ignatius of Antioch on the Eucharist
Another father (St. Ignatius of Antioch ... around 110 A.D.) with some excerpts on the Eucharist.
I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the Bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire His blood, which is love incorruptible. (Letter to Romans 7:3)
Take care, then, to use one Eucharist, so that whatever you do, you do according to God: For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup in the union of His blood; one altar, as there is one bishop with the presbytery... (Letter to Philadelphians 4:1)
They [the Gnostics] abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in his goodness, raised up again. (Letter to Smyrn 7:1)
Note a few items:
Ignatius emphasizes the gift character of the Eucharist on the first selection. Love incorruptible. This bread is the bread of God which is divine in its character able to give divine gifts, the divine life which inheres in the flesh of Christ. These divine gifts, however, are conveyed by human ("the seed of David") and earthly means ( bread). This is the incarnational insight central to Ignatius and his struggle against the gnostic and the docetist.
In the second excerpt, Ignatius connects the unity of Christians with participation in the Eucharist with the one flesh of Christ and with the one bishop who presides at the Eucharist. There is no abstract ecclesiology for Ignatius, no thinking about the church in some platonic or theoretical manner. It is the altar that is decisive. At that altar there is one cup, one flesh of Christ, one bishop and one church.
The third passage demonstrates the connections Ignatius has between the reality of thr flesh of Christ and the participation in the Eucharist. It is a basic confession of the "real presence" of Christ in the Eucharist. The Gnostics do not believe in the reality of the flesh of Christ and so naturally they abstain from the Eucharist which is the flesh of Christ which suffered on the cross and was raised. Note the blunt language Ignatius employs to describe the Eucharistic presence : that which hung on the cross and was raised is that which is in the Eucharist.
I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the Bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire His blood, which is love incorruptible. (Letter to Romans 7:3)
Take care, then, to use one Eucharist, so that whatever you do, you do according to God: For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup in the union of His blood; one altar, as there is one bishop with the presbytery... (Letter to Philadelphians 4:1)
They [the Gnostics] abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in his goodness, raised up again. (Letter to Smyrn 7:1)
Note a few items:
Ignatius emphasizes the gift character of the Eucharist on the first selection. Love incorruptible. This bread is the bread of God which is divine in its character able to give divine gifts, the divine life which inheres in the flesh of Christ. These divine gifts, however, are conveyed by human ("the seed of David") and earthly means ( bread). This is the incarnational insight central to Ignatius and his struggle against the gnostic and the docetist.
In the second excerpt, Ignatius connects the unity of Christians with participation in the Eucharist with the one flesh of Christ and with the one bishop who presides at the Eucharist. There is no abstract ecclesiology for Ignatius, no thinking about the church in some platonic or theoretical manner. It is the altar that is decisive. At that altar there is one cup, one flesh of Christ, one bishop and one church.
The third passage demonstrates the connections Ignatius has between the reality of thr flesh of Christ and the participation in the Eucharist. It is a basic confession of the "real presence" of Christ in the Eucharist. The Gnostics do not believe in the reality of the flesh of Christ and so naturally they abstain from the Eucharist which is the flesh of Christ which suffered on the cross and was raised. Note the blunt language Ignatius employs to describe the Eucharistic presence : that which hung on the cross and was raised is that which is in the Eucharist.
Friday, September 02, 2005
How much does crisis counselling help—or hurt?
Already, I am hearing the drumbeats. "Crisis counsellors will be available" for school children, emergency workers, etc, etc, etc in the wake of the New Orleans disaster.
This is an excellent article on crisis counselling from 2004. Its focus is the aftermath of 9-11. The need for "counselling" after a disaster, like New Orleans, has taken on the status of an established fact. This article, simply and scientifically, destroys that myth.
The fact that it appears in a leftist journal like the New Yorker only enhances its credibility. Simply put, crisis counselling is an invention of the modern pyschological industry. One asks, "How did generations of people survive horrific circumstances when "crisis counselling" did not exist?" Were they emotionally crippled? Traditional rituals, it turns out, like funerals, burials, wakes, families (remember those?), and homegrown structures do the same or better at alleviating stress and grief.
Read it. It is a very informative article.
This is an excellent article on crisis counselling from 2004. Its focus is the aftermath of 9-11. The need for "counselling" after a disaster, like New Orleans, has taken on the status of an established fact. This article, simply and scientifically, destroys that myth.
The fact that it appears in a leftist journal like the New Yorker only enhances its credibility. Simply put, crisis counselling is an invention of the modern pyschological industry. One asks, "How did generations of people survive horrific circumstances when "crisis counselling" did not exist?" Were they emotionally crippled? Traditional rituals, it turns out, like funerals, burials, wakes, families (remember those?), and homegrown structures do the same or better at alleviating stress and grief.
Read it. It is a very informative article.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Incarnation, Vocation and Certainty
Here are some thoughts on Luther's Commentary on Genesis and the role vocation plays in giving us assurance that God is pleased with us.
For Luther, assurance of God's pleasure comes, of course, fist of all from the Gospel and sacraments which apply Christ's eternal sacrifice to us and cover our sins. We flee to these places (Word, Absolution, Baptism, Eucharist) where God has promised to be, where his Word has guaranteed that he will forgive and be present for us. Incarnation is the key principle. God "incarnates" himself in these Gospel places so that he is present for us and we can be sure of his presence.
Uncertainty is Luther's great enemy. The Devil's word is always "maybe". Luther finds assurance in the outward tangible things of sacraments and created offices and elements God uses to give us Christ himself.
The striking thing is how much Luther uses the same language in speaking of vocation and our daily life and work and calling in family, government and church. His language is incarnational: Word in flesh. Though God is not present in a saving way in a man's vocation; in them, He still acts incarnationally, that is, he places his Word where he wants men to act and serve and give and work. .
Luther views God as present in vocation them through the Word by which he has commanded the various areas of service :
Let us therefore too remember our duty and let us not despise the service of the men God uses as intermediaries. He wants children to be ruled by the authority of their parents. When you obey them you are sure that you obeyed God. Similarly pastors have been appointed in the church. When you hear them you hear God . . . Just as the Word is committed to us in the church so in the household there should be no doubt that when you hear your parents give some answer you are hearing God and are sure about God's will. LW, Vol. 4, p. 72.
Often Luther can associate clinging to the sacraments and to the spoken word with sticking to one's calling. Both are given by God to provide certainty. The sacraments give certainty as to salvation; our callings provide certainty as to works. Our callings in life and the sacraments both are created things which bear the Word or command or promise of God and vocations are surely marked by God so that we need not be uncertain as to where God wishes to use us to serve others and thus allow us to serve him.
For Luther, life in vocation requires faith in God's word just as the sacraments do:
These events are recorded for our comfort in order that we may learn to rely on the promise we have. I was baptized. Therefore I must maintain that I was translated from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God. Someone else has entered into marriage and there as usually happens various inconveniences present themselves. Therefore he should turn his attention to the fourth commandment and consider that this kind of life is pleasing to God for he commands that parents should be honored and this indicates this kind of life is pleasing to him. LW, Vol. 4, p. 94.
Luther criticizes the monks as those who have not only invented new forms of worship of God but also new ways to serve him in the world. Human beings are not free to worship God in any way but must go to the place where God has promised to be: the ministry and sacraments. So also in daily life, God directs his creature to offices to which he has attached a definite word. Ordinary callings of family and government are commanded by Holy Scripture which bears witness that man was created for the duties of household and state. Hence these ordinary works are God's order :
When a maid milks the cows or a hired man hoes the field - provided that they are believers, namely, that they conclude that this kind of life is pleasing to God and was instituted by God - they serve God more than all the monks and nuns who cannot be sure about their kind of life ... we should seek no other saintliness through extraordinary works outside our calling. LW, Vol. 3, p. 321, 325.
For Luther, assurance of God's pleasure comes, of course, fist of all from the Gospel and sacraments which apply Christ's eternal sacrifice to us and cover our sins. We flee to these places (Word, Absolution, Baptism, Eucharist) where God has promised to be, where his Word has guaranteed that he will forgive and be present for us. Incarnation is the key principle. God "incarnates" himself in these Gospel places so that he is present for us and we can be sure of his presence.
Uncertainty is Luther's great enemy. The Devil's word is always "maybe". Luther finds assurance in the outward tangible things of sacraments and created offices and elements God uses to give us Christ himself.
The striking thing is how much Luther uses the same language in speaking of vocation and our daily life and work and calling in family, government and church. His language is incarnational: Word in flesh. Though God is not present in a saving way in a man's vocation; in them, He still acts incarnationally, that is, he places his Word where he wants men to act and serve and give and work. .
Luther views God as present in vocation them through the Word by which he has commanded the various areas of service :
Let us therefore too remember our duty and let us not despise the service of the men God uses as intermediaries. He wants children to be ruled by the authority of their parents. When you obey them you are sure that you obeyed God. Similarly pastors have been appointed in the church. When you hear them you hear God . . . Just as the Word is committed to us in the church so in the household there should be no doubt that when you hear your parents give some answer you are hearing God and are sure about God's will. LW, Vol. 4, p. 72.
Often Luther can associate clinging to the sacraments and to the spoken word with sticking to one's calling. Both are given by God to provide certainty. The sacraments give certainty as to salvation; our callings provide certainty as to works. Our callings in life and the sacraments both are created things which bear the Word or command or promise of God and vocations are surely marked by God so that we need not be uncertain as to where God wishes to use us to serve others and thus allow us to serve him.
For Luther, life in vocation requires faith in God's word just as the sacraments do:
These events are recorded for our comfort in order that we may learn to rely on the promise we have. I was baptized. Therefore I must maintain that I was translated from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God. Someone else has entered into marriage and there as usually happens various inconveniences present themselves. Therefore he should turn his attention to the fourth commandment and consider that this kind of life is pleasing to God for he commands that parents should be honored and this indicates this kind of life is pleasing to him. LW, Vol. 4, p. 94.
Luther criticizes the monks as those who have not only invented new forms of worship of God but also new ways to serve him in the world. Human beings are not free to worship God in any way but must go to the place where God has promised to be: the ministry and sacraments. So also in daily life, God directs his creature to offices to which he has attached a definite word. Ordinary callings of family and government are commanded by Holy Scripture which bears witness that man was created for the duties of household and state. Hence these ordinary works are God's order :
When a maid milks the cows or a hired man hoes the field - provided that they are believers, namely, that they conclude that this kind of life is pleasing to God and was instituted by God - they serve God more than all the monks and nuns who cannot be sure about their kind of life ... we should seek no other saintliness through extraordinary works outside our calling. LW, Vol. 3, p. 321, 325.
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