The Holy Innocents

Friday was the Festival of the Holy Innocents, which commemorates the baby boys of Bethlehem as martyrs:

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more." (St. Matthew 2:16-18, RSV -- which is also part of the Gospel reading for today, the First Sunday of Christmass.)

Holy Innocents' Day was also the occasion of the following letter from the Rev. Dr. David H. Benke, President of the Atlantic District, Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod:

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Greetings in the Precious Name of Jesus, saints of the Lord!

This word of encouragement is being sent to pastors, teachers, deacons, and parish leaders in the Atlantic District, LCMS. During 2008 it is my plan to send six such letters to you on specific church festivals or saints’ days that I have selected. These include:
  December 28, 2007 — Holy Innocents, Martyrs
  March 25, 2008 — The Annunciation of our Lord
  May 5, 2008 — Commemoration of Frederick the Wise, Christian Ruler
  July 28, 2008 — Commemoration of Bach, Schutz, Handel, musicians
  September 16, 2008 — Commemoration of Cyprian of Carthage, Bishop, Martyr
  November 19, 2008 — Commemoration of Elizabeth of Thuringia, renewer of society

In the midst of the onrushing celebrations and family duties compressed into the twelve days of Christmas, we are stopped short on the 28th day of December by the remembrance the first martyrs of the Christian era. These are the holy innocents slaughtered by King Herod as told in Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 2. It is a cautionary story, with the added tension of the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt under the threat of death by the sword.

Here, in “The Massacre of the Innocents” by Guido Reni, we see the horror of the spectacle unfolding:

Mouths open in horror, mothers and children hope against hope for their redemption. And it will not come on this side of heaven. These baby boys (from estimates of six to 144,000!) under the age of two are called Innocents for obvious reasons.

We might be tempted to reflect differently on their holiness or their martyrdom from our Lutheran perspective on original sin. But our Missouri Synod is in agreement with the Church through the centuries, in calling these baby boys both Holy and Martyrs (Lutheran Service Book, xii). Declared holy by the blood of the One who fled with his parents and later died for them. Declared martyrs because their lives were taken for the sake of the Infant King.

What is the call of God upon us today in our parishes and ministries when it comes to the most vulnerable and fragile in society? What is the call of God upon us today when it comes to those in full flight from terror and injustice? What is the call of God upon us today from the relative safety of our parish bases in New York, USA, to those who are being left behind and led as lambs to the slaughter?

My own reflection always begins with the way I spend my time and energy, the resources I have been given by God. So I would encourage us first of all to fervent prayer, private and corporate:

For an end to abortion on demand in the United States of America. Here the unborn, most vulnerable of all, die by the millions each year.

For refugees and asylees and those agencies seeking to place people who are forced to run for their lives because of unjust and violent governments.

For orphans and foster children and those agencies seeking to place them. Their compelling and urgent need for love in family breaks open our hearts.

Secondly, I am led to ask us to seek to do more. I know of the efforts of many of you to support crisis pregnancy centers. I am a founding board member of one of the most active centers, Pregnancy Help, Inc. Come to our Epiphany celebration on January 12 on West 14th and 8th Avenue and see infants, babies, toddlers and children who are here on this planet because of the intervention of wonderful counselors who follow the Wonderful Counselor.

I know how many of us reach out to the youth in our communities who are in such need of an active and joyful faith community. When we set a District goal of raising up 200 homegrown mission leaders from among our youth and young people, it is precisely to engage with the Jesus who hit the streets every day, bringing the Gospel to those who are vulnerable to the currents of a secular age. I know that we have tremendous and active confirmation, first communion and baptismal classes. Let’s pray and work to expand them in 2008! I know that we have missionaries and mission field developers, as well as many congregations working with those who have had to flee from their homeland in fear of their lives due to political and religious pressure. Are we able to reach beneath the cracks and into the seams of those lives with hope, with immigration assistance, with the Jesus who began his life with his parents as one of the disenfranchised asylees, heading purposefully to a pagan land in order to avoid terror at the hands of his own earthly king?

Finally, I would challenge us each and all to be convicted and convinced of the directions we will take in 2008 from God’s Word and God’s Church. We are called to lead, serve and engage in the here and now. We are called to lead, serve and engage not from a position of weakness, but from the position of ultimate strength and courage given us by Christ whose precious blood shed, whose innocent suffering and death for us leads us to state with assurance – “that I may be His own, and live under Him in His Kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness.” We poor miserable sinners are then and always declared Holy Innocents in being, living and serving. Have a wonderful 2008!

With love in Christ,
Dave Benke

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Thanks to President Benke, who posted this on ALPB Forum Online. This is the kind of letter one hopes to receive from his Bishop, which Dr. Benke is in everything but formal title.

40 Days of Prayer for Peoria

What has emerged from when the Mayor brought Peoria ministers together is being called 40 Days of Prayer/ Push for PEACE. The 40 days begins this Monday (New Year's Eve) and concludes February 8 (the first Friday in Lent).

Each evening at six o'clock, the community is invited to the Gateway Building on the Peoria Riverfront, where for 35-45 minutes, there will be 1) a meditational Scripture reading, 2) a 5-10 minute word of encouragement from the leader, and 3) concentrated prayer time in a format designed by that evening's Host Congregation. On Fridays beginning January 11 the format will be a bit different, with "united praise and worship services" led by groups of ministers.

The Journal Star's Mike Miller has posted the schedule of hosts on his Faithfully Yours blog. There's a fairly wide representation of Evangelical and Pentecostal churches and ministries, but the presence of the more "mainline Protestant" traditions is pretty sparse compared to their (our?) place in the city's establishment. One other curiosity is that there is (at least so far, for there are still 3 unsponsored evenings) no Roman Catholic participation in this effort sparked by our Roman Catholic Mayor. The nearest to "Catholic" sensibilities will be January 16, the evening that Fr. Eric Craig of St. Andrew's Anglican and your humble servant of Zion Evangelical Lutheran churches are jointly leading.

Christ Is Born!

Today the Virgin cometh to the cave
    to give birth in an ineffable manner
    to the Word before the ages.
Rejoice, therefore, O universe, when thou hearest,
    and glorify with the angels and shepherds
    Him who shall appear by His own will
    as a new babe, being God before the ages.

Bishop Hanson: "Testing Faith"

ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson was one of twelve world religious leaders featured on In God's Name, a rather interesting and well-done television special that aired on CBS television earlier tonight. Based on my personal experiences with Bishop Hanson, what I saw on this program, viewers saw sketchy, but accurate, portraits of these leaders -- their passions, their intelligence and theological acumen, a bit about their personal lives. And I was reminded that the Dalai Lama fled Chinese-occupied Tibet on the same day that I was born.

In a section entitled "Testing Faith," the program showed two extended episodes from the Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Joginder Singh Vedanti (the highest authority in the Sikh religion), and Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, a prominent Shi'ite Muslim leader -- whose words throughout the program were quite chilling. Then came this moment from our Presiding Bishop:

Oh, many times my faith is tested.

One of my sons was in chemical dependency treatment twice before he was 13. I had to stand in front of a judge one day, with tears in my eyes and say, "Your honor, we cannot parent this child any longer. He is too broken. Will you please send him to some place where he can get the help that we can't give him?"

The judge sent my son for 19 months to a locked treatment center. The day that they led my son out of court, in handcuffs, I felt that I had been an absolute failure. The only thing I could hold onto in that moment of being tested was the fact that I believe God had bound Godself to my son and that God wouldn't forsake my son even when I had failed and my son had failed.

And in those moments of being tested my faith becomes stronger and my love deeper.

(Sigh!) In the midst of a poignant discourse, he just had to speak of God that using that maddeningly artificial "inclusive" language that ELCA linguists instruct us to use so that we may be relevant in a diverse world. (If you ever hear me say "Godself" in a way that suggests I believe it to be a word worthy of being used...)

Meanwhile, a few moments later near its conclusion, In God's Name entitled a section (led off, interestingly enough, by Bishop Hanson) "A Prayer for Mankind."

Do you think that CBS television may know something about communicating in our diverse world?

A Personal Note

Canon Kendall Harmon's TitusOneNine is second on my list of "Blogs for Faithful Churchmen" because it is as good a place as any in the blogosphere for reading about the crises in what was once called "Mainline Protestantism." T19 is "a free floating commentary on culture, politics, economics, and religion based on a passionate commitment to the truth and a desire graciously to refute that which is contrary to it…." and it's biblical reference is "He must hold firm to the sure word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it." (Titus 1:9, Revised Standard Version)

Among Dr. Harmon's contributions to the continuing debate is his description of the disputants as "reasserters" (for those reasserting scriptural witness) and "reappraisers" (for those reappraising it in the light of newer knowledge) as an improvement over the media's use of "conservative/liberal" or other descriptors like "progressive," "traditionalist," etc. He is Canon Theologian for the (Episcopal) Diocese of South Carolina, so the faith focus of his blog is the Episcopal Church and Anglicanism. It is useful for us in the ELCA, too, for our church seems to be very much following in the directions of the Episcopal Church. I look at it every day.

While much of the reporting and commentary on T19 centers about the crisis in Anglicanism precipitated by the election and consecration of Gene Robinson, a divorced father who has been in a long-term, committed gay relationship, as the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003, Canon Harmon continues to take seriously the "free floating" nature of the blog -- to the annoyance of some regular readers who prefer to focus on the Anglican disputes or "religious" matters. But while the Church is generally at the center of a cleric's life, there are other things. You can see that in some of my posts here. It's what helps make a weblog more personal and, in bringing up other matters (baseball, something I read or saw, etc.), hopefully helps reveal me to be somewhat interesting to those who find this -- without (again, hopefully) appearing to be too vain.

Today Canon Harmon includes an entry on Dan Fogelberg, whose heart-tugging 1981 hit, "Same Old Lang Syne," is part of the soundtrack of my university years. Fogelberg's also a native of Peoria, and this is a city that takes a certain amount of pride in those from here who go on to "bigger things." And so it was interesting to me to learn that the inspiration for that song was an event in his life that happened near the home of one of my parishioners.

Apart from "Same Old Lang Syne," Dan Fogelberg's music doesn't strike many personal heartstrings for me as apparently it does for Canon Harmon. But in taking note of it today, in the light of Fogelberg's death this last Sunday at the young age of 56 from prostate cancer, Harmon has provided me with an entrée to post a very personal matter that I've been wondering whether, and how, to share on this blog.

For I am asking for your prayers for me. Two weeks ago, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I don't intend to dwell on it or my treatment here. I have plenty of personal and spiritual support to see me through this new journey and, from what I know so far, there is every reason to believe that I can be cured of this. Yes, I'm on the young side for this kind of diagnosis, but I also share some of the increased risk factors, which enabled us to discover this relatively early. The medical techniques get better and better and Peoria has excellent medical resources. I have great confidence in the Lord's healing powers. Prayers for me and those who will be helping me fight this disease have been lifted up in so many places here and across the continent already that I cannot begin to count them. I do know, however, the power of such prayer.

Yet even when one is confident in the ultimate destination, a journey can have it's fearful, scary moments. And that's where I am right now -- in fear, and in confidence. I'm in good company though, as we are reminded especially this season:

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. St. Luke 1:26-29

Thank you for you prayers.

Lutheran CORE News 1.6

Lutheran CORE News 1.6
December 14, 2007
(Please copy and distribute as widely as possible.)

A blessed Christmas to you and yours from Lutheran CORE, the coalition for reform!

Most of us have other things on our mind than the struggles of our church body during this season, as we should. For the hope we claim is that the God who sent His Son to redeem our fallen humanity is the Lord of the whole Church, including that part of the Body of Christ in which we find ourselves. And we believe that just as the Holy Child was saved from the machinations of Herod and all the religious and political authorities, so the Bible's vision of the glorified Church will be fulfilled not because of our efforts but because God is faithful to all His promises.

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Preparing for Next Year

We still need coordinators in some synods. If you are willing to serve as a synod coordinator or as a part of a synodical team within your synod, please contact Pastor Paull Spring at pastorspring@pennswoods.net or Pastor Mark Chavez, Lutheran CORE director at wordalone@popp.net. All the members of the steering committee have agreed to provide guidance and support for synod coordinators. A job description is available from Pr. Chavez or Spring.

The most important work remains electing voting members for the churchwide assembly. In some synods this process has already begun. Now is the time to pray without ceasing for our church and for our cause. Now is the time for all of us to work hard and do our part for the sake of our church's fidelity to the Word of God. Lutheran CORE is all of us; we do not have a vast organizational structure or great resources of money or people just waiting to be used. Lutheran CORE will be effective only as we all work together to accomplish our goals.

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Welcome Lasting Word!

We are glad to welcome a new group in the coalition, Lasting Word, a reform group centered in Salisbury, NC. The group voted at their meeting in Nov. to join Lutheran CORE. Lasting Word has been at work in the North Carolina Synod for a few years to uphold the authority of God's Word over all matters of faith and life. Members of Lasting Word were very helpful at the past two churchwide assemblies and we are thankful that they have formally joined the coalition for reform.

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Regional meetings

The number of regional meetings in many areas is encouraging. Lutheran CORE members in Central/Southern Illinois had an organizing meeting in early November. Members from the Delaware-Maryland and Lower Susquehanna Synods held a joint meeting in mid-November. There are plans for meetings next year in Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area on Jan. 20; Upstate New York in the Buffalo area on Feb. 2; Indianan-Kentucky in the Indianapolis area on Feb. 9; Rocky Mountain in the Denver area on Feb. 24; and Southeast Michigan in the Detroit area in April.

Please send information (date, location, meeting details and a contact person) about regional meetings that you are planning to Mark Chavez (wordalone@popp.net) so that we can help publicize your events. Thanks to Jerry Youngquist, we will soon have a new Lutheran CORE web site with a calendar that will list all your meetings.

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This helpful reminder comes from our fundraising chair, Ryan Schwarz:

Remember CORE as Year-End Approaches

As the end of the year approaches, many people are planning their annual charitable contributions. This year, alongside the other worthy causes and ministries that you undoubtedly support, please consider a contribution to the work of Lutheran CORE. 2008 will be a pivotal year for our common ministry, with the election of all the voting members to the 2009 Churchwide Assembly and the release of the draft ELCA social statement on sexuality both occurring in the new year. We need your support, prayerfully, organizationally and financially.

We are most thankful for your prayers and welcome your financial contributions. We are grateful that the WordAlone Network, a member group of Lutheran CORE, provides administrative support. Tax-deductible donations may be sent to:
       Lutheran CORE
       c/o WordAlone Network
       2299 Palmer Drive, Suite 220
       New Brighton, MN 55112

Please make checks payable to "WordAlone Network," and write "Lutheran CORE" on the memo line.

We can assist you with explanatory materials and procedural advice as you work to advance the cause of reform in the ELCA. Contact Ryan Schwarz at rschwarz@mba1994.hbs.edu, or any member of the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee. Informational resources are also available on our website www.lutherancore.org.

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From Other Battlefields

This is two years old now, but some of you may not have read the poignant message of an Episcopal senior warden named Bill Boniface as he explained why he and his family felt they needed to leave their Episcopal parish. Lutheran CORE advocates staying in the ELCA, and we believe the ELCA can be reformed if we work together. But we can pray that faithful Christians not be forced into such wrenching decisions in our congregations, and we can profit by his analysis of the nature of our struggle. Read his message at
http://philippians-1-20.us/pipermail/sarah_philippians-1-20.us/2005-May/000001.html
If the link doesn't work, copy and paste into your browser the text between the brackets. It is a lengthy letter, but be sure to scroll about a quarter of the way down the page to "The Danger to our Church."

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Woody Allen once said, "Eighty percent of success is showing up." That is certainly true of congregations, synods, and denominations. Decisions are made by the people who show up and participate responsibly in meetings, assemblies, committees, and task forces.

Shock your pastor (if you are a layperson) by offering to represent your congregation at conference gatherings and synodical assemblies. Show up at events in your area and get to know the other people. Take advantage of opportunities to volunteer in the organizational structure, while not neglecting your ministries in your local congregation.

Pastors, shock your dean or bishop by actually showing up at assemblies (conference and synodical). Network with the others who are there; you will find more friends than you expect. Offer to help even with the ordinary little tasks that seem unimportant but build your credibility with the leadership and with other participants.

The ELCA will not be changed by grumbling or complaining. Decisions will be made by the people who show up. If we act on our concerns by our presence and involvement, we will make more of a difference than we can imagine.

Sort of the way the Almighty didn't sit in heaven complaining about His rebellious creatures. Instead He came in person in His Son Jesus, to bear our sins and finally win the victory over them. May the example of the Incarnation guide our efforts during the coming years as we prayerfully offer ourselves to the Father to be used, if He wills, in the reform and renewal of the Church which he purchased and redeemed at such great cost.

Pastor W. Stevens Shipman, steering committee member and communications committee
prsteveshipman@gmail.com

Sankta Lucia

Today is St. Lucy's Day. Yes, one more Swedish tradition that didn't make it to my generation in California. Nor did we celebrate it at Saint John's Lutheran Church in Helena, Montana, though there I did get to experience other Advent and Christmas traditions immigrant Swedes brought with them.

The photo above I took from today's Church of Sweden front page. This article is from The Local, Sweden's news in English

The tradition of celebrating Saint Lucia of Italy in Sweden is honoured annually on 13th December. The total darkness of the Lucia early morning is broken by the glow of the Lucia figure dressed in a flowing gown of white and afire with a wreath of candles upon her head. Sankta Lucia, as she is known in Swedish, is a creature of goodness and light. She is a shining angel illuminating the way to the Christmas season.

The Lucia celebration originates from the Middle Ages when December 13th was the longest night of the year according to the Julian calendar. The Swedish Lucia has little in common with her namesake, also known in English as Saint Lucy, the Sicilian 4th century martyr. There is no certainty of the route the tradition took while establishing itself in Sweden.

However, it is popularly associated with a legend of a white-clad maiden, wearing a crown of burning candles. She appeared on the shores of Sweden’s largest lake, Vänern, bringing food to starving villagers during a time of famine. Ever since, she has been associated with light.

Today, the tradition is played out most often in the schools, churches and places of work before the dawn. A lucky girl dressed in a long white gown with a red sash and a crown of candles leads a procession. In tow are similarly dressed girls (tärnor) and boys wearing a tall pointed hat carrying a star wand (stjärngossar).

The rest of the procession is made up of girls and boys in similar dress sing beautifully haunting carols. Once the singing is over, the procession and its observers enjoy coffee and saffron-flavored buns called lussekatter.

Not too long ago the Lucia procession also took place at home. The eldest daughter had the honour to be Lucia. She and her siblings roused the family with their singing. Then the family gathered together with saffron buns at breakfast.

As the work traditions evolved in Sweden and both parents would go off to work dropping off children at centres and schools, there was a natural shift to leave the procession to the various institutions where people gather at the start of their day. Some modern families keep up the practice, but most often only for special guests or grandparents.

Read the rest of the article, first published last year, here. For more on the celebration of St. Lucia in Sweden, see this article by Kristian & Nora or this one by Ingegerd.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

I find this image of the Blessed Virgin Mary to be extraordinarily beautiful. The story behind it can be found (among many other places) on the Saint of the Day web site, where one reads the following:

A poor Indian named Cuauhtlatohuac was baptized and given the name Juan Diego. He was a 57-year-old widower and lived in a small village near Mexico City. On Saturday morning, December 9, 1531, he was on his way to a nearby barrio to attend Mass in honor of Our Lady.

He was walking by a hill called Tepeyac when he heard beautiful music like the warbling of birds. A radiant cloud appeared and within it a young Native American maiden dressed like an Aztec princess. The lady spoke to him in his own language and sent him to the bishop of Mexico, a Franciscan named Juan de Zumarraga. The bishop was to build a chapel in the place where the lady appeared.

Eventually the bishop told Juan Diego to have the lady give him a sign. About this same time Juan Diego’s uncle became seriously ill. This led poor Diego to try to avoid the lady. The lady found Diego, nevertheless, assured him that his uncle would recover and provided roses for Juan to carry to the bishop in his cape or tilma.

When Juan Diego opened his tilma in the bishop’s presence, the roses fell to the ground and the bishop sank to his knees. On Juan Diego’s tilma appeared an image of Mary as she had appeared at the hill of Tepeyac. It was December 12, 1531.

Until this, the evangelization of the Aztecs and other natives of Mexico not been particularly easy or successful. Afterwards, we are told, the stories of this apparition led to an outpouring of baptisms and the people of Mexico would be Catholic -- though how well Mexicans were catechized is a matter of considerable debate.

The original image can be found to this day at the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Only St. Peter's at the Vatican receives more pilgrims. This explanation of of the image is interesting:

The Image of Our Lady is actually an Aztec Pictograph which was read and understood quickly by the Aztec Indians.

1. THE LADY STOOD IN FRONT OF THE SUN
She was greater than the dreaded Huitzilopochtli, their sun-god of war.

2. HER FOOT RESTED ON THE CRESCENT MOON
She had clearly crushed Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent moon-god.

3. THE STARS STREWN ACROSS THE MANTLE
She was greater than the stars of heaven which they worshipped. She was a virgin and the Queen of the heavens for Virgo rests over her womb and the northern crown upon her head. She appeared on December 12, 1531 and the stars that she wore are the constellations of the stars that appeared in the sky that day!

4. THE BLUE‑GREEN HUE OF HER MANTLE
She was a Queen because she wears the color of royalty.

5. THE BLACK CROSS ON THE BROOCH AT HER NECK
Her God was that of the Spanish Missionaries, Jesus Christ her son who died on the cross for all mankind.

6. THE BLACK BELT
She was with child because she wore the Aztec Maternity Belt.

7. THE FOUR PETAL FLOWER OVER THE WOMB
She was the Mother of God because the flower was a special symbol of life, movement and deity-the center of the universe.

8. HER HANDS ARE JOINED IN PRAYER
She was not God but clearly there was one greater than Her and she pointed her finger to the cross on her brooch.

9. THE DESIGN ON HER ROSE COLORED GARMENT
She is the Queen of the Earth because she is wearing a contour map of Mexico telling the Indians exactly where the apparition took place.

More about Juan Diego's tilma and the image on it can be found here. La Virgen de Guadalupe has certainly been subjected to the excesses of Marian piety. Yet she remains an extraordinary image of the Mother of Our Lord, the Bearer of God (Theotokos).

CaNNet Update

Both Drell's Descants (on his new back-up site) and, now TitusOneNine report the major hacking of CaNNet over the (U. S.) Thanksgiving Day weekend, and The Elves at T19 report:

Mike Daley of CaNNet is still working to restore the blog databases and partitions, and hopes to have the blogs backup as soon as possible, perhaps within a few days.

and offer links for a handful of CaNNet bloggers who've created alternate sites.

Pastor Zip prays for Mr. Daley's success, for not only has CaNNet been a fine vehicle for bringing orthodox Anglicans in North America together, it has been a wonderful resource of theological comment on the crises in the Episcopal Church and Anglican Church in Canada as the ELCA and ELCIC rush down the same tracks of letting our life experience judge the Holy Scriptures rather than the other way around.

Just Asking for It

At the top of my "Blogs for Faithful Churchmen" is Mere Comments, the blog for Touchstone magazine, to which I've subscribed since 1999 and which I often read cover-to-cover. I list it first because it is explicitly ecumenical in perspective. The others have varying ranges of ecumenical content, but also have a more particular perspective -- Anglican, Catholic, and Lutheran. I believe all of them are worth reading for anyone, even non-Christians, but Mere Comments/Touchstone specializes in "mere Christianity" that crosses churchly boundaries.

Ecumenical does not, however, mean mealy-mouthed or watered down -- to which the slogan shown here on their coffee mug attests. No, it's "caffeinated Christianity" and, like the Lord and his Apostles, it's bound to occasionally offend those of delicate sensibilities.

Today's post by Touchstone Executive Editor James M. Kushiner is one of those entries. Upon reading it might wonder how it would come to pass that an ELCA pastor would even make reference to it, much less do what I'm about to do here. Well, his initial reference to St. Barbara reminds me of the lovely city near my home named after her, the California Mission in that city named after her, and my association when I was in seminary with the Franciscan School of Theology (founded with that Mission) -- run by the St. Barbara Province of the Franciscan Friars. And when reading the article I just had to put it somewhere where I could never lose it.

Some of you may object to it; others will give a rousing "Amen!" Either way, I post this in its entirety and intend to just leave it at that. It is worth pondering, though.

Women Who Are Equal

Scholars have discounted the existence of St. Barbara, an early Christian martyr, according to the stories, traditionally commemorated on Dec. 4 in the East and West. Hence she was "supressed" in the West in 1969. This is not the place to discuss the details of her case, but in looking at her story and reading a recent article about female saints, I was struck once again by the role of women saints in the history of the church. The sheer number of them belies claims that women were generally suppressed or oppressed in the Church, second-class citizens so to speak. I'd like to focus on one bit of phraseology that I find suggestive, one that has informed my own view of the place of the fairer sex in the company of the saints.

The phrase "equal to the apostles" is used of certain figures in church history considered of great importance in the spread of the Faith: hence in the Orthodox churches we find Prince Vladimir "Equal-to-the-Apostles," enlightener of the Russian land (July 15), for example.

This phrase also has been applied to women saints: Mary Magdalene (July 22) "Equal-to-the-Apostles," St. Nina Equal-to-the-Apostles, (Jan. 14) enlightener of Georgia. The martyr Rhipsime (Sept. 30), while not given this title, is still credited with helping to introduce Christianity to Armenia. Women are found in the calendar throughout, from various times and places: There is the Prophetess Huldah in the Old Testament (2 Kgs. 2:14) (April 10); Mary of Egypt (April 1) is featured in some of the Lenten services. Six women are included in this partial list of those Equal-to-Apostles.

The role of women in the "patriarchal" church has been robust, if not as visible as that of men. So why not just allow them to be Apostles--or bishops? When it comes to "office" and the wearing the uniform of headship in the church, only men are given that role because--in my opinion--men need uniforms, a defined office, a duty to take on, to put them in their place, to keep them in line. Experience shows that when you start giving the uniform to the fairer sex, the men start to drop out (e.g., the dearth of altar boys when girls are included). That's just the way it is, and I don't see how any re-education would ever change that. Besides, there are some churches now with female bishops and do we really want to go there? A happy breakthrough? An inspired innovation? Hilda of Whitby would be appalled.

Yeah. I'm just asking for it. Read the responses here. Or make your own here or in private.

O'Malley Strikes Again

Go Maury, Go Maury, Go, Go, Go!..
oh he goes, the catcher throws, right from the solar plexis,
at the bag he beats the tag that mighty little waif,
and umpire Conlan cries "Yer out!"
Out?
Out?
Down in the dugout Alston glowers,
up in the booth Vin Scully frowns,
out in the stands O'Malley grins,
attendance fifty thousand!

From The D-O-D-G-E-R-S Song, recorded by Danny Kaye, 1962

50 years ago Walter O'Malley moved the Brooklyn Dodgers to Los Angeles and Major League Baseball hasn't been the same since. Today, he was elected to the Baseball Hall-of-Fame by its Veterans Committee, along with 4 others. Most notable about this class is that none of them are in the Hall for their performance as players of the game. Billy Southworth and Dick Williams are in for their careers as managers and Barney Dreyfuss (the creator of the World Series), like O'Malley, is in as an extra-ordinary owner.

The other person elected is former Commissioner Bowie Kuhn. It seems fitting that Kuhn would be elected at the same time as O'Malley for, as legendary LA sportscaster Jim Healy regularly noted, in those days, the Commissioner never said anything important when the Dodgers' owner was in the room because everyone would see that O'Malley's lips were moving. So you might say O'Malley is the first guy ever to be elected twice, on the same day, to the Baseball Hall-of-Fame. ;->

Meanwhile, among the celebrations marking the Dodgers' 50th Anniversary in Los Angeles will be an exihibition game next March 29 against the World Champion Boston Red Sox at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum! Ah, yes. Mom and Dad would talk about attending a Dodger game at the Coliseum. Turned out their seats were out in right field where all they could see was Frank Howard.

Yup. O'Malley grins...

The Confessing Reader Creates Back-Up

The Confessing Reader, one of my favorite blogs and one featured in my "Blogs for Faithful Churchmen," has established a back-up blog. He'll be posting there while server problems keep CANNet out of commission.

Why is this a worthwhile blog? Written by an Anglican/Episcopal layman by the name of Todd Granger, The Confessing Reader's special gift is highlighting the Sanctoral Calendar -- that is, the festivals of the Church, as observed (for the most part) in the Episcopal Church. The current entry, for example, is about Nicholas Ferrar, a Deacon in the Church of England whose heavenly birthday is 2 December 1637. Todd has a brief biography, the Collect for the day, and references to the propers (readings, etc.) for worship or devotions.

In addition to very serious theological commentary from an orthodox Anglican perspective (yes, laymen can do that -- and very well, too), The Confessing Reader (that's a link to the long-established site, in the expectation that it will rise again) is also one of very few sources for English-language news of what is happening within the (Lutheran) Churches in the Nordic and Baltic lands. (The other one is Touchstone magazine.) I'm not quite sure how that came to be, but as one with roots in the Swedish Church I'm glad he's been doing that.

With good fortune, all that has been posted on The Confessing Reader these years will soon be recovered. And until then, we have its new back-up available. Tip o' the biretta to The Confessing Reader himself!

What Happened to CaNNet? (with update)

The blogs at classicalanglican.net -- including the excellent Confessing Reader and many other that have been a key part of the faithful voice within the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church in Canada -- have disappeared. My WHOIS domain search has the domain expiring tomorrow, but that doesn't explain why the network is no longer accessible. Perhaps traffic crashed the system? Anyone heard anything?

* * * * * * * *

UPDATE: A CaNNet blogger tells me that it "suffered a major attack last weekend" and its Webverger is busy trying to reconstruct things.

I'll note that this is not the first time this has happened with CaNNet, or with other systems -- I've heard what webmasters of 70th Infantry Divison Association and ALPB Forum Online have had to deal with. Between spammers and others always trolling around, it's actually quite amazing that blogs, regular websites, or -- for that matter -- the entire Internet are as stable as they are.

Prayers for Mr. Daley's success. And for everybody else's patience.
                   spt+ at 6:15 PM

The Episcopal Church Crisis...

...and the ELCA Is Rushing to Catch Up

Fr. Jonathan Millard, rector at the Church of the Ascension, Oakland, Penn., offered this diagnosis of the crisis in the Episcopal Church as a defense for the Diocese of Pittsburgh to depart TEC and realign with another province within the Anglican Communion. You can read his entire statement here, but what he describes is all to familiar for those of us in the ELCA since at least the "Call to Faithfulness" free conferences in 1990 and 1991. Lutheran CORE has been founded so we will not have to reach the point of having votes to leave in order to be part of a faithful church body.

Ten examples of how the essentials of the Christian Faith are being eroded, challenged, or contradicted by The Episcopal Church:

1. There is confusion concerning who God is:

Over the past 40 years there has been a drift away from orthodox ways of speaking about God. In some places in TEC instead of God being referred to as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, He is addressed only by function as creator, redeemer and sustainer, and not in personal ways. The problem with this approach is that it makes God more remote and the fact is God has revealed himself to us through the Scriptures not just by function, but in personal terms as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Another example is when the name LORD is replaced with "God." So instead of the Liturgical greeting: "The Lord be with you," you may encounter in some parts of TEC "God be with you" or even "God is in you" with the response: "and also in you." The word LORD apparently is perceived as too male, and too authoritarian. The earliest creedal statement was simply "Jesus is Lord." And yes, it was meant to be authoritarian. I was very sad when I attended the Interfaith service at Calvary last week, to see precisely such a change had been made to the liturgy. When it came to share the Peace, the wording was not: "The peace of the Lord", but rather "The Peace of God."

2. There is a lack of clear teaching about the divinity of Christ:

In answer to a question referencing the divinity of Jesus, in an article published earlier this year, the Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Shori, said this: "If you begin to explore the literary context of the first century and the couple of hundred years on either side, the way that someone told a story about a great figure was to say ‘this one was born of the gods.’ That is what we’re saying. This carpenter from Nazareth or Bethlehem – and there are different stories about where he came from – shows us what a godly human being looks like, shows us God coming among us."

At best that is ambiguous or confusing, and at worst it is false teaching. Jesus was much more than someone who "shows us what a godly human being looks like." And the Church does not say that he was "born of the gods." The biblical witness and the faith of the church is that Jesus is the Son of God: fully God and fully man. The Word became flesh (John 1). We proclaim this truth weekly in the Nicene Creed.

3. There is a lack of clear teaching about Salvation and Sin:

Questioned about selfishness and falleness, the Presiding Bishop said this: "The human journey is about encouraging our own selves to move up into higher consciousness, into being able to be present in a violent situation without responding with violence ..." and in the same interview she went on to say: "The question is always how can we get beyond our own narrow self-interest and see that our salvation lies in attending to the needs of other people."

This is not the Gospel story of sin and redemption. The Scriptures teach that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23). The Scriptures teach that salvation is not through our works, or our efforts to move up to a higher consciousness, or even through attending to the needs of others. Our salvation lies in Jesus, "who while we were still sinners, died for us." (Rom. 5:8); and all who believe in the LORD and call upon his name will be saved. (Rom. 10:13)

4. There is a drift towards universalism:

The Presiding Bishop says of Jesus: "we who practice the Christian tradition understand him as our vehicle to the divine. But for us to assume that God could not act in other ways is, I think, to put God in an awfully small box" (Time Magazine: July 17,2006). Jesus said: I am the way the truth and the life no one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6).

When, some years ago, I first heard Bishop Duncan speak of us living in a time of Reformation of the Church throughout the world, I confess I wondered if that was a little grandiose. I now believe, without a doubt, that he was right. This was illustrated for me, once again, just last week. I was deeply saddened to hear Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu deny the particularity of the Christian Faith, mocking the idea that Jesus could possibly be the only way to God, and declaring that all religions are worshipping the same God, just by different names. The archbishop is a great man who has done wonderful work for reconciliation and peace. I salute him for all the good he has done, but I am sad and troubled that he would be so dismissive of the supreme work of love and salvation that our Lord Jesus Christ did for us on the cross.

5. There is a loss of confidence in the Gospel as Good News for all:

The official teaching of the Anglican Church on the issue of human sexuality is that which has been set out by the Lambeth Conference in 1998 (Resolution 1:10). But here’s the key point concerning the Gospel that I want to make:

[The Conference] "recognises that there are among us persons who experience themselves as having a homosexual orientation. Many of these are members of the Church and are seeking the pastoral care, moral direction of the Church, and God’s transforming power for the living of their lives and the ordering of relationships." [emphasis added]. It is that confidence in the transforming power of God that the actions of TEC now challenge. So instead of welcoming and loving all into the church so that they might experience transformation, TEC simply welcomes and affirms people just as they are – denying them the healing and hope and transforming power of God.

6. There is erroneous teaching and practice regarding human sexuality:

Over the past couple of decades there has been a serious rejection of the clear teaching of the Bible and the Church on human sexuality and marriage. The clear teaching of Scripture and tradition and of the one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic church is that sex is for marriage. The only sexually intimate relationships that are good and holy according to Scripture and tradition are those between a man and a woman, within an intended life long, faithful covenant of marriage. That means that pre-marital sex, extra-marital sex, gay sex, any sex outside of marriage is all contrary to God’s will. This is the clear teaching of the Bible and of Jesus.

7. There is a seemingly ‘social justice only’ view of the mission of the church:

I have struggled to find any clear statements from the Presiding Bishop about the basics of the faith. From her inaugural sermon through to all kinds of talks and sermons and interviews that I’ve seen or heard extracts from she seems to be concerned primarily with a political and social gospel. She seems to be concerned principally about the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. There is much to be commended about these goals and much to challenge us – but they are by no means the same thing as the message of salvation for those who are perishing. (John 3: 16). If the Millennium Goals are our gospel message it falls seriously short of the message of proclaiming "Christ and him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

8. There is contempt for the Authority of the Bible:

Bishop Bennison has said: ""The church wrote the Bible, and the church can rewrite the Bible." No, that is a serious error.

9. There is failure by Bishops to defend the faith:

The role of a bishop in the words of the 1662 ordinal is: ‘‘to banish and drive away from the church all erroneous and strange doctrine contrary to the Word of God." – Here in the States, the very opposite is true. Rather than drive away false teaching many of the bishops of TEC embrace it, celebrate it and declare to be good and holy that which God declares to wrong. To ordain an openly gay, non-celibate man – when the rest of the world urged TEC not to do this – is not only contrary to Scripture but is also an arrogant display of American intransigence.

10. There is a lack of respect for truth or unity:

There seems to be a cavalier spirit among many in TEC that disregards the mandate for unity with the one holy, catholic and apostolic church. Claims are made by ‘progressives’ that they are putting truth ahead of unity. However the ‘truth’ they claim is that it’s a matter of social justice and Christian virtue to bless same sex unions and permit practicing gay and lesbian people to hold any office within the church. This is, of course, is contrary to the truth as revealed in Holy Scripture. And the only unity they secure is among a tiny minority of the church worldwide.

Sounds an awful lot like the direction the ELCA is being led, doesn't it?

You probably know that the Diocese of Pittsburgh's vote to begin leaving the Episcopal Church passed by a wide margin.

Thanks to Shrimp over at the Shellfish blog for bringing this to my attention.

Which Church Father Are You?

And now for something a bit different.

You are St. Melito of Sardis!

You have a great love of history and liturgy. You’re attached to the traditions of the ancients, yet you recognize that the old world — great as it was — is passing away. You are loyal to the customs of your family, though you do not hesitate to call family members to account for their sins.

Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!

Thus far, it seems that St. Melito of Sardis is a most popular answer for those I hang around with -- say over at Touchstone's Mere Comments and ALPB Forum Online. I suspect that prior to this, none of us had ever heard of him. Here is what I've discovered, courtesy the good folks at Catholic Online:

Little is known about the life of St. Melito of Sardis, a II Century exegete and apologist who served as bishop of Sardis near Lydia, Asia Minor (near modern Izmir, ancient Smyrna). Thought to have been a hermit and a eunuch, he travelled in Palestine, but the reasons for his journey and the details of his itinerary are lost. Most of his work is also lost. What little survives exists in quotations in the works of others or in fragments. Eusebius preserves Melito's list of Old Testament scriptures, the first such list known to scholars, and fragments of his discourse recommending that Marcus Aurelius adopt Christianity as the religion of the Roman Empire. Melito's best-known work is the Peri-Pascha, a Holy (Good) Friday sermon pieced together from manuscript fragments in the XX Century which shows parallels between Easter (the new passover) and the Passover haggadah. Melito's contemporaries praise his skill in exegesis and comment on his ability to demonstrate parallels between the Old and New Testaments. His contemporaries also called Melito a prophet or a beacon, but his rhetorical style caused later writers to question the soundness of his theology, some of which seems to akin to the philosophy of the Stoics. Melito's work, which fell out of favor in the IV Century, influenced the thinking of Irenæus of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian.

I wonder how we should consider that his feast day is April 1?

Gay Pastor in the Bronx Could Lose Her Collar

That's the headline of an article in Sunday's New York Times featuring Katrina Foster, pastor at Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Bronx. I got to know her a little bit this summer during the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, where she was a Voting Member (delegate) and I was a microphone page during the discussions and debates related to sexuality.

I did my best in a frequently chaotic situation to enable her to speak before the Assembly (that was my job and she was appreciative of that), which she did eloquently for her position. She appreciated my efforts. Nevertheless, it will be clear to you in a moment that I believe her position is very wrong.

The article begins:

In 1994, when the Rev. Katrina D. Foster became pastor of Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Bronx, she threw herself into ministering to her small, mostly Caribbean-born congregation. She not only preached to them on Sundays but lived in the neighborhood and showed up to support them in everything from surgeries to legal matters.

But Pastor Foster was keeping a secret from her congregation. She held onto it even after a woman came to live with her in the parsonage, then joined the church choir.

“Some people would say, ‘It’s so nice you have someone to live with you in that 11-room house,’ ” said Pastor Foster, 39.

But in 2002, when the woman, Pamela Kallimanis, became pregnant, they knew the time had come. So Pastor Foster sat her congregants down one by one and told them that she and Ms. Kallimanis were partners and were expecting a child.

Not one person openly criticized her, she said. Instead, “they threw us the most wonderfully outrageous baby shower in the side yard next to the church,” she said. “The woman I was most anxious about telling” — the church president — “I thought she was going to leap across the table and hug me.”

The response, however, was not all positive. A small number of families trickled away. Pastor Foster said only one member told her outright why she had stopped coming. “I got her on the phone one day and she said she couldn’t sit under a pastor who was a homosexual,” she said.

Now Pastor Foster and her roughly 100 congregants face a new challenge: the possibility that she, along with four other pastors in the New York area and 81 nationwide, could be defrocked in 2009 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The country’s largest Lutheran denomination, it allows openly gay pastors but forbids them from being in same-sex relationships, according to the Rev. Stephen P. Bouman, bishop of the denomination’s New York-area synod.

In August, Pastor Foster was among the clerics who disclosed that they were in such relationships at the church’s biennial national assembly in Chicago, where church policy was decided. The assembly voted to urge synod leaders not to discipline those pastors until the issue of pastors in same-sex relationships could be voted on at the next meeting, in 2009.

Bishop Bouman said he would not have disciplined Pastor Foster anyway. “She is someone whose faith is genuine and she lives it in a very bold and inclusive way,” he said. “She’s not afraid to tell people that she loves God and that God loves them.” When Bishop Bouman leaves to take a national church position in Chicago in March, however, whoever succeeds him in New York may aim to defrock Pastor Foster before the 2009 assembly.

Another pastor in the synod, the Rev. Paul Hagen, of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in the Bronx, isn’t supportive. He said that the “the Bible clearly defines homosexuality as a sin.

Read it all here -- note, you may need to register on the Times' site to do so.

Bishop Bouman's new position is Executive Director of ELCA Evangelical Outreach and Congregational Mission. As for Katrina Foster, it will take a miracle for the Metropolitan New York Synod to elect as Bishop someone who would even consider disciplining her. Alas, she's in no danger of "losing her collar."

And I wonder, are we going to be seeing this sort of headline and story more and more over the next couple of years?

Schism and Heresy

Background: Last Tuesday, Zion's Parish Secretary brought me Page B3 of the Peoria Journal-Star page to show me the rather prominent placing of the AP's report of Jen Rude's ordination. And during our Romans Bible Sudy, a couple of people commented on the photo from that ordination (also from the AP) that was in this morning's PJS "Faith & Values" section.

Near the end of my Wednesday entry, I quoted an ELCA News Release on Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson report to the ELCA Church Council:

Hanson identified four challenges for the ELCA: building trust throughout the church, creating awareness by telling the ELCA's "story," raising expectations for what the Holy Spirit is doing, and lowering anxiety about sexuality as the church prepares a social statement on human sexuality for consideration at the 2009 ELCA assembly.

"We cannot let that social statement define solely the life and work of this church or our leadership," Hanson told the council. "That's going to take shared leadership. If we become so preoccupied with 2009, we are conveying a message that sexuality defines this church, and (because of) sexuality, this church could potentially be divided. Frankly, that's heresy. That's absolute heresy. The gospel of Jesus Christ defines this church."

It appears that the Presiding Bishop is accusing those who would "divide" the ELCA over matters of sexuality of heresy. Exactly who those potential heretics are is not clear, however. Is he speaking of those associated with, say, Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, who are are arranging for ELCA congregations to call persons ineligible to serve under call in ELCA congregations? Is it those associated with, for instance, Lutheran CORE who object to the apparent non-enforcement of ELCA standards when it comes to homosexual relationships?

Bishop Hanson doesn't exactly say. He has said, however, that he favors the so-called "full inclusion" of gay and lesbian people in the ELCA, following a definition that "full inclusion" means no bar blessing homosexual relationship or ordaining those in them. And a look at those he has placed in positions of authority both in the Churchwide ELCA and (before that) in the Synod he was Bishop clearly showed that long before he finally said so in public during the 2006 Hein-Fry Lectures. Suggesting to me and others with whom I am associated that we who call the ELCA to faithfulness are the more likely target of his accusation.

This would parallel what has been happening in the Episcopal Church, whose leaders have committed the that church to "full inclusion" of gay and lesbians. More and more faithful members, priests, congregations, and now dioceses are preparing to depart, and they are regularly being accused of schism. And in this thread on Canon Kendall Harmon's TitusOneNine, a correspondent called "The Gordian" made this important observation:

Once again you confuse schism with heresy. Once again you tar the opponents of false teaching - even blasphemous and immoral teaching that endagers the souls of men and women - as ‘heretics’. And you don’t even recognize how much these Christians have suffered at the hands of putative bishops, in the loss of buildings, jobs and homes, in maintaining this faithful witness for the gospel. If that makes you feel superior and above the fray, well bully for you. But the rest of us are not really concerned with keeping a liturgical choral society going. There’s too much of real importance at stake.

A couple of years ago, I observed that in this debate the schismatics are not the people who will leave the ELCA should it vote to ordain practicing gays and approve blessing gay unions. Rather, those who would (like the Anglican Communion Network) leave would merely be recognizing what had been true for some time, that the church is already in schism. Those who depart the Church's teaching on marriage and sexuality and cause the ELCA to formally embrace false teaching will be the schismatics.

We continue to pray that it doesn't even go that far.

The Big Lie: ELCA Celibacy Requirement

A couple of days ago when I wrote about the latest irregular ordination in the ELCA, I quoted from this press release of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, the first paragraph of which reads:

On November 17, 2007, The Rev. Jen Rude was set aside for Word and Sacrament ministry by laying on of hands. Pastor Rude’s ordination is the fourth time in 13 months that a Lutheran congregation has directly challenged the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA) policy requiring lifelong celibacy of gay and lesbian clergy.

There is nothing particularly remarkable about that statement -- ELM's predecessors have been campaigning against the ELCA's "celibacy requirement" ever since the PLTS Three had their "Approval for Ordination" status effectively revoked circa 1988-89.

There's only one problem: there is no such requirement. No, I'm not referring to the several ELCA Synod Bishops who this last summer finally started admitting that they had not been applying the church's standards for homosexual clergy or congregations that called and ordained them. I'm referring to the ELCA's actual standards.

As I wrote in the TitusOneNine thread on the Chicago Tribune report of Miss Rude's ordination:

The actual standard in the ELCA (see the document Vision and Expectations) is:

"Single ordained ministers are expected to live a chaste life. Married ordained ministers are expected to live in fidelity to their spouses, giving expression to sexual intimacy within a marriage relationship that is mutual, chaste, and faithful. Ordained ministers who are homosexual in their self-understanding are expected to abstain from homosexual sexual relationships."

No one is asked to take a “vow of celibacy.”

ELCA Pastors vow to "lead [God's people] by your own example in faithful service and holy living" when we are ordained. There is only one appropriate context for Christians, especially those set apart for the Holy Ministry, to engage in sexual relations: Holy Matrimony (marriage). Chastity is expected for all of us -- straight, gay, married, single. Chastity; not celibacy.

Thanksgiving Day, 2007

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

Americans are a grateful people, ever mindful of the many ways we have been blessed. On Thanksgiving Day, we lift our hearts in gratitude for the freedoms we enjoy, the people we love, and the gifts of our prosperous land.

Our country was founded by men and women who realized their dependence on God and were humbled by His providence and grace. The early explorers and settlers who arrived in this land gave thanks for God's protection and for the extraordinary natural abundance they found. Since the first National Day of Thanksgiving was proclaimed by President George Washington, Americans have come together to offer thanks for our many blessings. We recall the great privilege it is to live in a land where freedom is the right of every person and where all can pursue their dreams. We express our deep appreciation for the sacrifices of the honorable men and women in uniform who defend liberty. As they work to advance the cause of freedom, our Nation keeps these brave individuals and their families in our thoughts, and we pray for their safe return.

While Thanksgiving is a time to gather in a spirit of gratitude with family, friends, and neighbors, it is also an opportunity to serve others and to share our blessings with those in need. By answering the universal call to love a neighbor as we want to be loved ourselves, we make our Nation a more hopeful and caring place.

This Thanksgiving, may we reflect upon the past year with gratefulness and look toward the future with hope. Let us give thanks for all we have been given and ask God to continue to bless our families and our Nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 22, 2007, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all Americans to gather together in their homes and places of worship with family, friends, and loved ones to reinforce the ties that bind us and give thanks for the freedoms and many blessings we enjoy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.

GEORGE W. BUSH

The Assault Continues

Yes, that's a provocative title. But it is also how I see what happened last Saturday when Jen Rude was ordained in a Chicago ELCA congregation.

Read the press release from Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries, an organization whose sole purpose is to provide "qualifications" for "sexual minorities" who want to be pastors in ELCA congregations while openly and enthusiastically endorsing and living lives contrary to the Christian Faith:

For the fourth time in 13 months a Lutheran congregation will directly challenge the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA) policy requiring lifelong celibacy of gay and lesbian clergy. On October 28, Jen Rude was called to ministry by Resurrection Lutheran Church in Chicago. On November 17, Rude will become the first pastor to be ordained in the newly formed Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM) and the first official challenge to the new ELCA policy of “Refrain and Restraint” that was passed at its biennial assembly August 6-11 in Chicago.

Rude will be ordained in an “Extraordinary Ordination” service on November 17. The service is called such because it is performed outside the ordinary guidelines for Lutheran ordinations.

Facing increasing pressure to revisit its policy banning partnered gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons from serving as pastors, the five-million member Evangelical Lutheran Church in American (ELCA) took up the issue at their biennial assembly August 6-11 in Chicago. In January of this year, a popular openly gay Atlanta pastor, the Rev. Bradley Schmeling, was placed on church trial after telling his bishop that he was in a same-sex relationship. While the ELCA disciplinary committee recommended Schmeling’s removal, they expressed opposition to the policy and recommended it be overturned. Twenty-one synods passed recommendations that the policy be overturned by the national assembly. The biennial assembly fell short of overturning the policy, but instead passed a resolution recommending bishops “refrain from or show restraint” in discipline of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender pastors and their congregations.

Read the whole release here, as well as the Chicago Sun-Times article based on it.

ELM trumpeted the actual ordination in this press release, which begins:

Jen Rude's Ordination Only the First Test of the ELCA's "Refrain or Restraint"

Extraordinary Ordination November 17, 2007

(Chicago) On November 17, 2007, The Rev. Jen Rude was set aside for Word and Sacrament ministry by laying on of hands. Pastor Rude’s ordination is the fourth time in 13 months that a Lutheran congregation has directly challenged the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA) policy requiring lifelong celibacy of gay and lesbian clergy.

Pastor Rude was ordained in an “Extraordinary Ordination.” The service is called such because it is performed outside the ordinary guidelines for Lutheran ordinations. Pastor Rude is on the roster of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries and was called by Resurrection Lutheran Church on Reformation Sunday (Oct. 28, 2007).

“Between 1990 and 2005 there have been eight extraordinary ordinations. Since 2006 there have already been four extraordinary ordinations and a fifth is scheduled for January 19th in Minneapolis. This trend signals that congregations are no longer willing to abide by the ELCA’s policy of discrimination as they join members of the Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries in principled non-compliance.” Rev. Erik Christensen, Co-Chair of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries.

Note the lack of "restraint" in ELM's language, or in its actions as it promises more and more and more attacks on the fragile unity of the ELCA in one faith.

See also the Chicago Tribune article, which begins:

Sitting in sight of her father and grandfather, both Lutheran ministers, Jen Rude on Saturday became the first ordained lesbian pastor since the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America urged bishops to not penalize congregations who violate the celibacy requirement for gay clergy.

Several of the more than 100 congregants present wept as the 27-year-old stood before them, a beaming smile drawn across her face.

Actually, weeping seems like the best response. For new Metro-Chicago Synod Bishop Miller has declared that he will do nothing. And through this article we discover that Paul Landahl, the recently-retired Metro-Chicago Bishop who is one of the too many ELCA Bishops who have been rebuffing ELCA's standards for years, is the interim Director for Candidacy at the ELCA's Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, where he will be able to help seminarians avoid the standards at a different level.

Remember this photo I took last August, when I wrote here and here of how deeply that moment touched me. That photo gave me hope for the ELCA.

But then I read the advocates of "full inclusion" (though there is nothing excluding gay and lesbian people from the ELCA) and their relentless demand that this church bow to their every demand, NOW!!

And I hear the silence of this church's leadership, except for the movement of people in and out of positions of authority, so that those who would teach in the ELCA what the Church has always taught about sexuality as a part of a doctrine of marriage and family are marginalized from having an effect on this church's public voice.

It may seem completely unrelated, but ELCA News reported this about Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson's report to the ELCA Church Council

+ Hanson identified four challenges for the ELCA: building trust throughout the church, creating awareness by telling the ELCA's "story," raising expectations for what the Holy Spirit is doing, and lowering anxiety about sexuality as the church prepares a social statement on human sexuality for consideration at the 2009 ELCA assembly.

"We cannot let that social statement define solely the life and work of this church or our leadership," Hanson told the council. "That's going to take shared leadership. If we become so preoccupied with 2009, we are conveying a message that sexuality defines this church, and (because of) sexuality, this church could potentially be divided. Frankly, that's heresy. That's absolute heresy. The gospel of Jesus Christ defines this church."

"I think this (the social statement) is hugely important work for us in these next two years. I'm committed to it, but I will not let it solely define my leadership of this church, because I think that's not responsible," he said.

Find it here. The problem, my good Bishop, is that you are one who is responsible for letting anxiety about sexuality preoccupy this church by mouthing the church's policies and winking when they are ignored. You could stop it. But you don't. As one more ELCA congregation decides to go its own way, at whom are you aiming your "heresy" accusation?

We Have the Same Parents

Dad keeps asking me, "Have you been on the Canoga Web site lately?" I finally made it over there tonight and found the article he wanted me to see. It's about one of our high school's history teachers and Dad's favorite line is, "He was also an advanced auto-shop major."

While that's a great line, this is better:

• What does Mr. Tibbetts do in his spare time??
o He is in charge of restoring our redwoods in our school. We are the only school in the Los Angeles Unified School District that still has redwoods. The reason that he got involved was because an alumnus stated that all of the history of Canoga and historic items were gone. He decided to change that. He wants to make our history something that we remember and that continues through time.

I'm actually quite proud my brother for that.

My little brother.

Do you think he looks 4 years younger than me? ;-)

A Call to Liberate the Church of Sweden

I've been alerted to the latest article by Father Yngve Kalin, priest in the Church of Sweden and Chairman of the Church Coalition for the Bible and Confession (Kyrklig samling kring Bibeln och bekännelsen). It appears as an op-ed in today's Svenska Dagbladet, the main newspaper of Moderaterna (the Moderate Party, a non-socialist party that heads the current coalition government in Sweden) and one of Sweden's leading daily papers.

Father Kalin, who I have posted earlier, has long been exposing the plight of the faithful in the Swedish Church. Here he describes how the "separation of church and state" in Sweden has actually given the Swedish political establishment more control over the Church. What follows is what appears on Fr. Kalin's website. (Or read it in Swedish here or as it appears on the newspaper's site.) My friend from the Society of St. Birgitta, Dr. Birgitta Peterson, writes, "Read it and please spread it around! Particularly among your Lutheran friends who need to know what happens to the Lutherans in Sweden."

One last note: a colleague suggests that the Swedish words translated here as "consequence" would be better understood as "consistency." spt+
+ + +
The political parties still keep their grip on the Church of Sweden. That is a paradox and an inconsistency of the separation between the church and the state which is deeply embarrassing and a cause of a great deal of surprise abroad. This amounts to political double-dealing, writes the Church of Sweden priest Yngve Kalin, who has long-standing experience as a member of the Church of Sweden General Synod.

Saturday November 10, 2007

Politicians in the Church Amounts to Sheer Parody

The current Swedish government, which is constituted by a political coalition, are seeking to introduce a legislation that would prohibit every aspect of religious education in the curriculum of the schools. Such sentiments show a clear resemblance to the way things work in the USA, where the Constitution lays down the principle that church and state must be kept separate coupled with some clear statements about religious liberty.

In Sweden however, the details of these government proposals are being prepared while the political parties continue unabated to hold a firm grip on the Church of Sweden and unashamedly to make use of the Church in order to promote their own political programmes.

This is a paradox and an inconsistency of the formal separation between the church and the state in the year 2000, which is a cause of embarrassment for the political establishment and a fact that gives rise to considerable surprise abroad. This political double-dealing is a cause of great embarrassment.

For anyone who would stand for a clear separation between the church and the state, such a position requires consequence in every aspect and must be followed all down the line.

It is now high time for the political parties to withdraw and stop acting as attorneys for the church — not only for the sake of the church, but also for the sake of their own credibility.

When the business of the Church of Sweden are debated by its own highest decision-making body, the Church of Sweden General Synod, it is in fact Social Democrats, right wing Moderates and members of the Centre Party, etcetera, etcetera, who meet to take decisions on issues of all kind, ranging from statements of faith and doctrine to everyday humdrum matters, and their decisions permeate every aspect of the work of the Church of Sweden at every level.

The parishes as well as the dioceses and the national level are consequently the object rather than the subject in this altogether unique manner of decision-making that is unheard of in any other part of Christendom. There is no real separation between the church and the state in Sweden. The political parties have made sure of that, mainly due to their innate fear of permitting too many independent players in the public arena. All this is only too obvious, not least in the current debate about possible new legislation about marriage, in which the political agenda increasingly gains the upper hand, making it blatantly obvious how the church is currently being used to legitimize politically based positions and viewpoints.

BUT: What will these statements and expressed positions really be worth, when it is only too obvious to everyone that they only represent a duplication of decisions taken by the party congress? To begin with, things were different: the uniqueness of the church used to be respected.

When the Church of Sweden General Assembly (as it was called until the formal separation of church and state in the year 2000) met for the first time in 1868, following the Abolition of the Parliament of the Four Estates, it consisted of 30 priests, 30 lay members and the bishops were members ex officio. The Church Assembly was charged to express "the common thought of the guarantors of the faith and doctrine and of the parishes" and should lift church matters above "such political differences that always shift within a national assembly."

In those days the awareness prevailed that the manner of making decisions in the church — even in an established church — must consider the responsibility inherent in the stewardship of the tradition of faith, confession and doctrine that had been handed down and received, and that the parishes must be accorded some real influence on the matters of the Church of Sweden and its government. However, the manner of decision-making was gradually changed.

A reform in 1949 changed the constitution of the Church Assembly and put the laity in the majority. The ex officio membership of representatives for the theological faculties was abolished in 1970. The role and influence of theology was markedly weakened.

The next decisive reform took place in 1982, when the Church Assembly became openly political on the model of the parochial church councils that had been developed particularly at the local level in the city parishes.

From then on, elections took place by a system of electors, but the number of members was more than trebled and the party groups appeared openly as nominators and as membership groups. That meant that the politically independent members, who had nevertheless been elected, found it necessary to organise themselves into a politically independent group.

At the same time the bishops were divested of their right to vote in the Church Assembly but were charged with the duty to be present. It was left to the political parties and groupings to take decisions about any possible representation of the clergy on the membership.

When all this had been achieved, a way had been found to continue to exert control while at the same time the out-dated bonds between the church and the state could cease to exist in any formal sense. That decision was taken in 1997. Later on the Church Order, which provides the tools for the domination of the church, was laid down.

Through the introduction of direct elections at all levels, the parties no longer need to take the "long way" via the parishes in order to ensure that their representatives become members of the diocesan governing bodies and what is nowadays called the Church of Sweden General Synod.

The Church of Sweden Church Order no longer recognises any independent responsibility for the ordained ministry. The entire framework for the exercise of ordained ministry has been established with great consequence and the limits have been effectively imposed by politically elected bodies.

The control of the church is now totalitarian and complete. How long can this parody be allowed to continue? Should there be a separation between the church and the state or not? Could we please have at least an ounce of consequence, thank you!

YNGVE KALIN

Priest in Hyssna and a member of the Church of Sweden Church Assembly 1995-2000 and of the Church of Sweden General Synod 2000-2001, currently a member of the Nomination Group "Confident Church" and called upon to serve at the recently held sessions of the Church of Sweden General Synod this autumn.


© Yngve Kalin & Svenska Dagbladet 10 nov 2007

Lutheran CORE News 1.5

Note: Lutheran CORE's latest update includes:
1) Gary Diers from the Churchwide Assembly Floor
2) Steering Committee Update from Bp. Paull Spring, Chair
3) Financial Support? by Mr. Ryan Schwarz
4) Forming a Chapter by Pr. Mark Chavez, Director
5) 2009 Churchwide Assembly Voting Members


Lutheran CORE News 1.5
November 8, 2007
(Please copy and distribute as widely as possible.)

Boundaries and discipline
by Mr. Gary Diers

[Note: Gary Diers is an active Lutheran from Waverly, Minnesota, who was a lay voting member to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Churchwide Assembly in Chicago this year. He spoke these powerful words as part of the debate.]

First I would like to say that listening to the debate on this [homosexuality] issue this week just breaks my heart, but having said that, Mr. Chairman:

In this post-modern world in which we now live, which says everyone defines what is right or wrong for himself or herself, the idea of discipline by someone else for violating boundaries is viewed as an injustice. We however cannot, whether young or adult, live our lives without boundaries.

I'm a farmer and work daily around large animals and, especially today, large equipment. My wife and I raised five children in that environment, and those children always wanted to be with Dad. But because I loved them and was concerned for their safety, I built a fence in the front yard and they had to stay within the boundaries of that fence even if they begged, cried, threw a tantrum, etc. They could, however, with some effort climb out. When that happened they were disciplined and returned to the fenced-in yard. It did not matter how much they wanted to be with me, nor in fact did it matter how much I wanted them to be with me.

Our Creator has given us boundaries within which to live our lives and if we could just live our lives within those boundaries, most if not all evil and need for discipline would not exist.

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Lutheran CORE steering committee update
by Pr. Paull E. Spring, steering committee chair

The Steering Committee of Lutheran CORE met September 28 and 29, immediately following the Lindenhurst gathering. We were all very encouraged by the attendance at Lindenhurst and the spirit of commitment to our concerns that was so evident.

Our most important work at the steering committee meeting was to complete a strategy for the 2009 churchwide assembly in Minneapolis. Our chief goals are to focus on the social statement on human sexuality and the elections for the churchwide assembly and the Church Council.

Our most urgent need now is to identify synod coordinators in all sixty-five synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Effective synod coordinators are key contacts within the synods. The coordinator's job, for now, is to work for the election to the churchwide assembly of voting members who share our perspectives on marriage and the Bible.

If you are willing to serve as a synod coordinator or as a part of a synodical team within your synod, please contact me at pastorspring@pennswoods.net or Pastor Mark Chavez, Lutheran CORE director at wordalone@popp.net. All the members of the steering committee have agreed to provide guidance and support for synod coordinators. A job description is available from Pr. Chavez or me if it will help you make your decision.

Right now, the most important work is to elect voting members for the churchwide assembly. In some synods this process has already begun. We need your help. Now is the time to pray without ceasing for our church and for our cause. Now is the time for all of us to work hard and do our part for the sake of our church's fidelity to the Word of God.

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Will your congregation support Lutheran CORE?
by Mr. Ryan Schwarz, steering committee member and fundraising coordinator

In many congregations, it is now budget season. Council, finance teams and staff are hard at work preparing financial plans for 2008. Could Lutheran CORE become one of your benevolence initiatives in 2008? We have a most ambitious action plan for the next two years, a critical time for the future of the ELCA. We must assist synod organizers across the country, pay our staff, prepare newsletters, produce teaching materials, organize local events, and do all the things that are necessary to have an impact. All this costs money, and our opponents are raising literally millions of dollars for their efforts.

Lutheran CORE needs your congregation's support. Even a relatively modest contribution is quite meaningful to us. Beyond financial support, we are also seeking to grow the number of congregations that formally join Lutheran CORE. Can you help us? Are you willing to advocate for Lutheran CORE in your congregation?

We can assist you with explanatory materials and procedural advice. Contact me at rschwarz@mba1994.hbs.edu, or any member of the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee. Informational resources are also available on our website www.lutherancore.org.

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Consider forming a Lutheran CORE chapter
by Pr. Mark Chavez, director

If there is not an organized group in your area, you might consider following the example of the Ebenezer Conference Committee on Sexuality in Georgia. Pastor Don Rieder, the Southeastern synod coordinator for Lutheran CORE, reported that the committee was formed in 2004 to consider all the groups that were opposed to the trend in the ELCA to move away from our biblical foundations. Pastor Rieder has chaired the group since it began and it had met 15 times in the past few years. At their meeting in October, when they reviewed their group's history and the present situation in their area and in the ELCA, the members of the committee decided to form an Ebenezer Chapter of Lutheran CORE. If you would like suggestions for how you might start a chapter in your area, contact me at wordalone@popp.net.

New groups of Lutheran CORE supporters have begun meeting in two synods, Rocky Mountain and Indiana-Kentucky. Pastor Tom Renquist in Aurora, CO, has helped convene two meetings in the Denver area this fall and Pastor Blair Fields in Florence, KY, helped convene a meeting in the Indianapolis area last month. These are encouraging developments in areas where there have not been many public meetings in the past. If you know of other new groups being formed or meeting, please report the news to the Lutheran CORE steering committee.

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How can you make a difference in 2009?

It is urgent that you contact your synod office NOW to learn what the election procedures are for 2009 CWA voting members, and then getting yourself or other confessional folk who fit the criteria in a position to be elected. Do the same for conference and synod positions. Until we get a significant number of our people in places of influence, nothing much is going to change.

An anonymous saying (often wrongly attributed to Edmund Burke) reminds us, "All that is needed for the triumph of evil is for enough good people to do nothing." Now is the time for you to do something. Decisions are made by the people who show up for meetings. Be there in your congregation, your conference or district, your synod, and if possible at churchwide assembly. Take the profound yet kind and simple speech by Gary Diers (reported above) as your example. Speak the truth in love. And pray constantly for this Church and all its leaders.

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We are most thankful for your prayers and welcome your financial contributions. We are grateful that the WordAlone Network, a member group of Lutheran CORE, provides administrative support. Tax-deductible donations may be sent to:
        Lutheran CORE
        c/o WordAlone Network
        2299 Palmer Drive, Suite 220
        New Brighton, MN 55112

Please make checks payable to "WordAlone Network" and write "Lutheran CORE" on the memo line.

Pastor W. Stevens Shipman, steering committee member and communications committee
prsteveshipman@gmail.com