Today's verse

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV)

Witness to the faith: Jennifer Keeton

Jennifer Keeton, a graduate student who has been studying for a master's degree in school counseling at Augusta State University, was ordered by the school to change her Christian beliefs concerning homosexuality or face dismissal.

Pray for Jennifer and other college students in the US who face persecution for their faith.

Update on Dr. Kenneth Howell

The University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana has relented and will allow Dr. Kenneth Howell to teach on Catholicism. Dr. Howell, a popular teacher, was fired for expressing the views of the Catholic Church in a class about Catholicism.

This case was truly bizarre. It made as much sense as firing a physics professor for talking about General Relativity, or a history professor for mentioning the Civil War. Likely the humiliating publicity caused the university to back down.

Make no mistake about it: at many public universities the long knives are out for Christians and any who would defend them. The princes of this world are jealous of their power.

Today's verse

He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

Proverbs 25:28 (KJV)

The limits of social science

This article by Jim Manzi is only indirectly related to Christianity. But it is a sobering reminder of the limits of the social sciences.

It is good to remember that when sweeping programs that will modify human behavior and create some sort of "Great Society" are proposed. Too many theologians think that creating Heaven on Earth is something that God has outsourced to humanity.

Of course we are to heal the sick, feed the hungry, and clothe the naked. But we cannot create the Kingdom of God ourselves or usher it in by force. We can only proclaim its inevitable coming.

Today's verse

Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.

Proverbs 25:25 (NIV)

"How long, O' Lord....

...will this blog go on?"

This blog was meant to be an on-line diary in which I could express my grief and frustration with the apostasy of the ELCA. It was also a chance to write about spiritual issues that I found important and/or interesting.

But it will not go on forever. Like any diary, it will never be finished, only abandoned.

It is my prayer that other Lutherans who are distressed over the ELCA's destructive course and who have stumbled upon this blog will find comfort in the knowledge that they are not alone.

So how long will this blog go on?

It is clear that (barring complete black disaster) the ELCA prefers to glory in its error rather than be ashamed and repent. I and many others could write and plead and nag and beg forever, but until the leadership of the ELCA starts to feel shame and remorse they will not listen. So using this blog as a kind of conscience to prod the ELCA is not an option.

The answer is this: I will blog until I am tired of it, or until I see that it is causing more harm than good.

Two notes:

1. I do not have comments on this blog, and probably never will. Part of this is because I do not have time to properly moderate comments, but also because I have seen other blogs overrun with comments like "Why do you hate gays and lesbians so much?" or "Hate is not a family value" or other passive-aggressive nonsense. Gays and lesbians are like adulterers, alcoholics (I am one), drug addicts, prostitutes, tax collectors, the rich, the poor, the old, the young, Republicans and Democrats, men and women - sinners in need of a Savior, not magistrates empowered by secular politics or popular culture to judge God and run His Church for Him.



2. I am experimenting with the design of this blog, and have not found one that I like yet. So if things change suddenly and without warning, do not be surprised.

Pray for the whole Body of Christ. Pray for the leadership of the ELCA, that they repent. Pray for faithful Christians who have chosen to remain in the ELCA. Pray for faithful Christians who have chosen to leave the ELCA. Pray for the efforts to form a new confessional Lutheran denomination that will serve as a refuge for Christians fleeing the apostasy of the ELCA and its obsession with secular politics.

Atheists, agnostics, and blow-dryers

This is just plain weird:

Atheists conduct de-baptisms using blow-dryers.

I am a lapsed atheist, and in reading the above story I have come to realize just how far modern-day atheism has fallen.

Once upon a time atheism and agnosticism could boast of top-notch intellectuals in its midst like Thomas Edison, Sigmund Freud, Pierre Curie, Bertrand Russell, Friedrich August von Hayek, and Karl Popper. Now they are stuck with Edwin Kagin and his blow-dryer performing "de-baptisms".

There is no small amount of irony in watching an atheist - who supposedly does not believe in God and who abhors superstitious rituals - performing a superstitious ritual wearing a monk's robe trying to counteract the effects of another superstitious ritual done on behalf of a God he does not believe exists. If I were still an atheist I would suspect that Kagin (whose son is a Christian minister) is some sort of Christianist plant designed to make non-believers look like idiots.

There is an interesting list of non-believers here. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the list (some of it appears to be wishful thinking), but it seems generally accurate. But if you look at the list, you will notice something curious. Atheism's "A-list" of top notch intellectuals decreases as it gets closer to our time, and is replaced by mostly artists and entertainers like Gene Roddenberry (the creator of Star Trek) and Barry White (a singer). The much vaunted intellectual superiority that non-believers are supposed to have compared to theists seems to be gone.

(Some may wonder why I did not include the famous author Richard Dawkins. The reason is simple: I have concluded that Dawkins is not an atheist, or even an agnostic. He quite clearly believes in God, and he hates Him with every particle of his being. No one would write book after book obsessing over something he claims is not real. Nazis may hate Jews, but we would never say that Nazis do not believe Jews exist. The same goes for Dawkins. In fact, sometimes I wonder if he ever thinks about anything other than God.)

Before I lost my faith in atheism I believed that the Universe could be explained in purely materialistic terms. It was reading C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters that awakened my intellect, and after reading Miracles I had lost my atheism for good. In other words, my spiritual journey has its genesis (no pun intended) in science.

At any rate, it is hard to believe that "de-baptisms" are going to catch on. Consider this quote from the article:

As Cambridge [Boxterman] completed her de-baptism, she expressed no qualms about how it might be perceived. "Sometimes you've got to have shock value," she said. "There's some times where you just have to shock people into getting attention and from there, they ask questions... And maybe they learn a bit."

Indeed, although they probably won't learn what Ms. Boxterman and Kagin are hoping for. The problems with shock jocks is that their shelf life tends to be very short. Given the undeniable hatred expressed towards Christians in many Muslim countries (which can lead to imprisonment, rape and murder), Kagin's blow-dryer shtick is about as edgy as a cotton ball.

In a popular culture that seems to be in a competition to blaspheme Jesus, Kagin does not strike me as a major contender. Nor do I believe that popular culture is a major threat to Christianity. Perhaps I am too optimistic, but I do not believe Hollywood does not have has the influence they would like to think they have. The real threat to Christianity does not come from those who are doing little more than scrawling dirty words on the bathroom wall and giggling (think Comedy Central).

If you want to know what I consider to be the real threats to Christianity, then here they are: complacency and hypocrisy by Christians; those claiming to be Christians who want to modify Christian doctrines to satisfy secular political or cultural groups (ex: the ELCA and gays/lesbians); and government and educational authorities who demand obedience to the State and the official gods of the State.

Today's verse

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)

Stay or go?

Over at Cyberbrethren LCMS pastor Paul McCain has a post concerning the ELCA's move to place gay/lesbian clergy on its roster.

One of the comments on that post was from a Lutheran who was a member of a faithful confessional ELCA congregation. He was distressed at the thought of possibly having to leave when his pastor and congregation were still faithful to the Gospel, and I cannot say that I blame him.

But there are several problems for any faithful Christian who is contemplating staying in an ELCA congregation:

1. The ELCA is desperate to prevent a mass exodus of members and congregations. Any Christian who is faithful to the Gospel and stays in the ELCA will be cynically used by the ELCA's leadership as "proof" that what they did was not so bad. Be advised that if you stay in the ELCA your continued presence will be used to advance a lie.

2. Some faithful Christians are deeply distressed by the ELCA's apostasy, but feel that they should stay and continue to bear witness to the Truth. The problem with such witnessing is that likely it will be ineffective, and perhaps even counterproductive. It would like going to a bar on Saturday night to speak out against the horrors of alcoholism. In one sense a bar is the perfect location to do this, since the place is probably hip-deep in people who need to hear the message. But a bar is the wrong venue for such an undertaking, since peer pressure is very tough to overcome in a crowd. More likely is that you will be mocked and ridiculed (if anyone pays attention to you), and in the heat of the witnessing you will be provoked into doing something foolish that undermines your case.

Just as a drunk has to hit bottom before he will listen to a cure, the apostasy of the ELCA's has to produce disaster before the leadership will repent. Like the patrons of a bar the ELCA's leadership is drunk on their own arrogance. They are in no mood to listen to the party-poopers and squares who are led by the pesky carpenter from Nazareth. To the extent they will listen to you, their attitude will be, "We have the power and credentials, and you do not." Meanwhile, your presence will give them what they do not deserve: the illusion that the decision of last August was no cause for concern, or else you would have left.

3. There is a belief among some confessional Christians in the ELCA that whatever happens, their own congregation will be untouched. This is probably the most dangerous illusion of all. The ELCA controls the call process, and when your confessional Lutheran pastor leaves he or she can be replaced with someone more willing to parrot the ELCA's line. In terms of earthly power the ELCA's leadership holds all the cards, and can shape any congregation they choose. As tempting as it may be, the apostasy of the ELCA is not a problem that can be booted down the road in hopes that it will somehow go away. The evil that is now consuming the ELCA will reach the doorsteps of your church - and probably sooner than you think.

4. There is one more problem to consider. While you may be witnessing to the ELCA's leadership they will be witnessing to you on behalf of their new god of secular politics. There is the danger that peer pressure can bring you to reject the Gospel in favor of what the ELCA is now offering. Remember that the devil does the most damage when he can wear you down. In an ELCA increasingly empty of Christians you will find yourself more and more isolated and vulnerable to temptation. Believe it, brothers and sisters in Christ!

If you do decide to stay, surround yourself with other Christians and resist calls to "go along to get along". Looking the other way is an engraved invitation to disaster and the last thing you should do. If you choose to stay and continue the fight, make sure that you actually fight. And pray without ceasing! Remember the words of 1 Peter 5:8 : Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

These are my views. My wife and I left the ELCA because we did not want to lend any support to the ELCA's rejection of the Gospel. We now pray for repentance by the ELCA's leadership, and we also pray for any Christians still in the ELCA. We urge everyone else to do the same.

Bible study with your teen

Our son will be five years old on his next birthday, so it will be some time before we will need something like this. However, it has been my experience that children grow up much faster than we would like to believe.

One way to have your children take the Bible seriously is to show that you take it seriously, and are willing to share with them.

(Hat tip: Joanne at Blessed is She Who Believed.)

Reading List

Just completed:

e: The Story of a Number, by Eli Maor

In progress:

Book of Concordia, McCain, Paul T, General Editor.

On deck:

Four Colors Suffice, by Robin Wilson

Sharia and the US Constitution

An appellate court in New Jersey has overturned a lower court's decision in which a Muslim man charged with raping his wife was exempt on "cultural" grounds from state laws against sexual assault. For now, at least, the US Constitution trumps sharia.

One of the strangest aspects of 21st century Western society is the willingness of so many in its ruling class to entertain the notion of overturning many of its own laws in the name of "diversity". As I noted here and here, there is a growing tendency by the powerful and educated to flirt with returning society to more primitive (and barbaric) times.

I sincerely doubt that these are cases of sympathy with Islam, and that Comedy Central and the American Academy of Pediatrics are chock-full of fundamentalist Muslims or their sympathizers. Rather, these seem to be cases where a hatred of Christians and Jews overides long-held secular political philosophies. The attitude appears to be adolescent belief that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". Islam is seen as a rival of Christianity, and benefits accordingly.

One notion that can be put away is the oft-stated defense for such actions: diversity. It would be hard to find a more narrow-minded and isolated group of individuals than our ruling class in government, education, and the media. Contrast the near hysterical reaction by the ruling class when a Christian suggests that homosexuality is wrong, or that Jesus was a man, or that God's laws provide the basis for (and are superior to) secular laws with the near universal indifference to reports of a Muslim man raping his wife, or the rise of "honor" killings in the West, or the suggesting that mutilating a little girl's clitoris can be an accepted medical procedure in modern hospitals.

It would not be inaccurate to see this strange secular-Islam alliance as a kind of modern-day Hitler-Stalin pact. Modern secular progressivism and Islam are both fundamentally incompatable with democracy. Both have bloody and brutal histories which they hotly deny. Both seek to extinguish rivals by any means necessary. Both are inherently imperialistic, hostile to opposing points of view, and seek to dominate by brute force if necessary. And both are fairly backwards and reactionary (as can be seen with their rather blatent hostility towards women).

But both have fundamental differences that will one day break up this cozy alliance. Islam holds that there is a God, and his name is Allah. Secular progressives tend to view government as God. For that reason and many others I predict the two will not stay friends for long.

Update on Dr. Kenneth Howell

Alliance Defense Fund attorneys have sent a letter to the University of Illinois protesting the firing of Dr. Howell because of he religious beliefs.

There are some Christians who believe that "separation of church and state" means humbly accepting every decision handed down by governments. This is not true. For the time being, Christians still have civil liberties. It is no sin to protest an unjust decision by a university that has violated its own professed belief in freedom of speech.

Remember: the world will judge Christians by their own standards. So what is wrong with pointing out that the world cannot live up to its own standards? Firing Dr. Howell was the antithesis - not the affirmation - of what the secular world professes to believe. For Christians, turning the other cheek does not mean turn away from the truth.

Witnesses to the faith: Dearborn, MI

Christian missionaries Negeen Mayel, Nabeel Qureshi, Paul Rezkalla, and David Wood are facing charges for proselytizing at the at the Arab International Festival in Dearborn, Michigan. Dearborn is known for its large Muslim community.

Many Muslim countries have harsh laws against Christians engaging in "proselytizing". In some places such as Egypt merely trying to bring a Bible into the country is enough to land you in prison. Apparently the authorities in Dearborn have decided to immitate the spirit of these laws, if not the letter.

It should be noted that the secular media is often deeply hostile towards Christianity. Care should be taken when reading any news story involving Christians such as this one.

Witness to the faith: Ken Howell

Ken Howell, an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois who taught courses on Catholicism, was fired for stating that he believed that homosexuality is immoral. The charge that such beliefs constitute a "hate crime" is rapidly becoming the weapon of choice for the suppression of views and beliefs that happen to annoy the rich and powerful few.

The day is coming in the United States when disagreeing with state-approved religious beliefs (homosexuality, environmentalism, feminism, etc.) will be punishable by firing - or worse. More and more will suffer Ken Howell's fate.

Many American Christians have watched the persecution of Christians in Communist and Muslim countries and have breathed a prayer, "Thank God we have freedom here!" That freedom is slowly but inexorably coming to an end as the princes of this world flex their muscle and crack down on those they view as enemies.

It is safe to say that on the University of Illinois campus one could find a course or two in which tactics of the late Senator Joseph McCarthy are denounced as a dark and sinister threat to American civil liberties. Ironically, the University of Illinois has taken a page out of McCarthy's book in adopting its own blacklist and eliminating professors who will not swear an oath of fealty to the state religious belief of homosexuality.

UPDATE: (4:00 PM 7/10/10) The AP article states that Howell was recognized in 2008 and 2009 for being an outstanding teacher.

Then there is this:

Cary Nelson, president of the American Association of University Professors, said professors should be able to tell students their own views and even argue in favor of them, provided students can disagree without being penalized.

"It's part of intellectual life to advocate for points of view," said Nelson, an emeritus English professor at the University of Illinois. "Hopefully when they go out in the world, they can emulate that. They can argue a case, and do it in a well-informed and articulate way, and can make a more productive contribution to our democracy that way."

Shouldn't secular universities like the University of Illinios live up to their pledges to be places of free and open inquiry, free from discrimination and hostility towards the opinions of others?

Martyr: Son Jong Nam

Son Jong Nam was tortured to death for trying to spread the Gospel in North Korea.

Please pray for Christians in North Korea.

UPDATE: (12:30 PM 7/7/10) For some reason Yahoo! has this story on its sports page. Here is the picture:



It would be wrong to suggest that Yahoo! considers the killing of Christians to be some kind of sport (although I could be wrong). But it is clear they consider it no big deal, and perhaps worthy of a bit of mocking.

Just imagine the outrage if Yahoo! had published news about the death of Matthew Shepard on Yahoo Sports......

Reading List

Over at Cyberbretheren Rev. Paul McCain is challenging people to read the Book of Concordia this summer. I am teaching two 5-week remedial math classes, as well as taking an online class for my MS in Mathematics degree, so I doubt I will finish by the end of the summer. But I will complete it at some point.

Prayers

Tomorrow (Thursday, June 3) is the start of the Summer I session at the community college where I teach. Please say a prayer for students, faculty, and staff.

Witnesses to the Faith: Afghanistan

Two Christain aid groups suspended in Afghanistan.

Witnesses to the Faith: Maryam Rostampour and Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad

Do not take your Christian freedom as something that exists just like air. It certainly did not for these women.

Divorce rings?

Again, this is not a story from The Onion.

Divorce rings, eh? It would seem that there are some who believe that there is not enough pain and suffering already in divorce. It's instructive that the writer of the article linked above writes for a wedding planning website. Talk about working both sides of the street!

I would like to say that churches would never go for this sort of rubbish. But when denominations make themselves slaves to fashion and politics anything can happen. Bishop Margot Kaessmann of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover thinks that churches should have "religious separation ceremonies" for husbands and wives who want to get divorced. Now thanks to some enterprising capitalists the soon-to-be-split couple can exchange divorce rings.

Maybe they can get a trade-in on their wedding bands. And just as there is Carfax for used cars, maybe there can be Ringfax to see how much milage is on that wedding ring you are considering purchasing.

It's not surprising that at least one official in an American denomination thinks that "religious separation ceremonies" are a swell idea. Commenting on the desirability of such a service:

"This is important not only for confession but for a version of absolution too."

These are the words of the associate director of Christian Education, Children and Family Ministry of - wait for it - the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Somehow I don't think the idea of the ELCA having its very own version of Divorce Court is going to be of much spiritual help to the couple. Such a service would be grim indeed, and appealing only to voyeuristic sickos.

I have heard nothing recently about "religious separation ceremonies" in the ELCA. Possibly such an idea went over like a lead balloon even among the hipsters. But given the recent decision of the ELCA to cast out Jesus of Nazareth and install their own personal god who is more obedient to their wishes, perhaps the idea will now gain traction. With that pesky carpenter from Nazareth out of the way the ELCA is now finally free to take a walk on the wild side.

Maybe the moratorium on "religious separation ceremonies" will turn out to be an idea ahead of its time (this is the sort of rallying cry the ELCA's leadership cares about). The ELCA has certainly begun to flirt with turning back the clock to the good old paganism of a bygone millennium. Aside from embracing Nature religions (which often masquerade as "environmental concern") there is the creepy goddess worship of "Herchurch" which seems to be a fashionable combination of the spiritual and the political. There is also the worship of sex (a true "golden oldie" of paganism) which seems to be the foundation of the mad rush to bless gay/lesbian weddings in the ELCA.

If I were still a Lutheran, I don't know how I would react. Cry my eyes out? Or sell tickets and popcorn? Maybe I would do both. But at least I wouldn't flog divorce rings to the unhappy couple.

Who are the savages now?

Originally I wanted to give this post the title "Just in the nick of time?". But after a bit of reflection, I realized this is not the time for levity.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is one of the cruelest ways in which women are oppressed. Briefly put: a young girl's clitoris is mutilated or sliced off completely in order to honor tradition or religious belief. Not only does this deprive the girl of sexual pleasure when she becomes a woman, but is often done without any anesthetics or antibiotics.

A modern society that prides itself on gender equality would abhor such a practice, right? In fact, US federal law prohibits anything resembling FGM. You would also think modern physicians, free from primitive superstitions and religious practices, would also oppose FGM.

Well, maybe not all of them.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a policy statement that opposes FGM - sort of. Read the relevant passage:

Most forms of FGC are decidedly harmful, and pediatricians should decline to perform them, even in the absence of any legal constraints. However, the ritual nick suggested by some pediatricians is not physically harmful and is much less extensive than routine newborn male genital cutting. There is reason to believe that offering such a compromise may build trust between hospitals and immigrant communities, save some girls from undergoing disfiguring and life-threatening procedures in their native countries, and play a role in the eventual eradication of FGC. It might be more effective if federal and state laws enabled pediatricians to reach out to families by offering a ritual nick as a possible compromise to avoid greater harm.

Notice what the AAP has done here. First, the substitution of the benign-sounding term Female Genital Cutting (FGC) for FGM. Almost like body-piercing, eh? Next come the it's-all-for-the-children shtick, which is the the new refuge of the scoundrel. Finally, the suggestion that allowing "FGC" will somehow result in its decrease.

It is a passionately held belief of our modern secular culture that Christians are fundamentalist misogynist savages who want to turn the clock back a millennium or two. But it was not the hated Christians who came up with the barbaric proposal to make the degradation of women an accepted medical practice.

In the "primitive" parts of the world unwanted infants are sometimes left in the wilderness to either die of expose or be eaten by wild animals. In the modern Western world we slice them up in the womb and call it abortion. Criminals sentenced to execution get painkillers to prevent their suffering. What steps are taken to prevent pain to the unborn fetus as it is ripped limb from limb?

Likewise, we have joined hands with "primitives" who want the aged and sick to die. Only we call it euthanasia, and in certain parts of the Western world you can make a living snuffing the unwanted. In America we watched a ghoul named Jack Kevorkian become a folk hero, and we can be thankful that Dr. Joseph Mengele never made it to the 21st century (otherwise Hollywood might be making hagiographic movies about him).

It is hard to look at the actions of the American Academy of Pediatrics and not come to the conclusion that something has gone terribly amiss in that organization. Does the AAP really believe that "FGC" will stop at just a little nick? It certainly didn't with abortion, which we were assured would decrease after legalization. One wonders when the AAP will address the issue of foot-binding, sati (wife burning), and child brides, and decide that multiculturalism trumps human rights in those cases as well.

The Gospel According to James Clerk Maxwell

And God said:



And there was light.

An interesting biography of Maxwell can be found here.

Witness to the Faith: Tiffany

Those who doubt the healing power of God's love should read this.

God is not a remote god judging right and wrong and dispensing punishment like a judge in a court of law. He is a God who stoops to conquer (as C.S. Lewis wrote), and in love will chase you to the very ends of the Earth.

Reading List

A Different Mirror, by Ronald Takaki

Interview with Sabatina James

Sabatina James is an ex-Muslim who converted to Christianity. She has received numerous death threats and lives in a secret location in Europe under police protection.

ELCA South Dakota Synod

ELCA South Dakota Synod warns 4 SD congregations and pastor that their dual membership with the LCMC is in violation of the ELCA constitution.

I have to be honest: I have some sympathy for the ELCA's position here. I don't know what the ELCA's constitution actually says, but the defense that "the ELCA has never enforced this before" does not strike me as very strong. The ELCA appears to be well within their rights to take this action.

There is also some quibbling over whether this action by the ELCA constitutes "censure" of Rev. Frezil Westerlund and the four congregations in question. Again, I have to be honest: it does not seem that way. Censure would involve some penalty or threat of penalty, and that does not quite seem to be the case here. I would be interested in seeing the actual ELCA statement to know for sure.

Regardless, this move by ELCA South Dakota Bishop David Zellmer was perhaps not the wisest that could have been made, since it conflicts with the ELCA's publicly expressed desire to honor the consciences of those who oppose the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.

I believe that the ELCA has a decision to make. The ELCA has jettisoned the God of Abraham in favor of a new and shiny god of political activism. But this new god is a jealous god, and will not countenance heretics like Pastor Westerlund and the South Dakota congregations. The ELCA must choose between "dialog" or obedience to its new god. It cannot have both. This is the price of the 2009 General Assembly's actions, although the ELCA leadership may not wish to admit it.

My wife and I felt called to leave the ELCA. However, God may have issued a different call for Pastor Westerlund and the four congregations she serves. They need our prayers.

Comedy Central Update

Comedy Central has decided to create an animated show dedicated to nothing but mocking Jesus. No, this is not a story from The Onion.

Some things are beyond parody.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania rejects ELCA's decision concerning homosexuality

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (ELCT) has reiterated her opposition to same-sex marriage and stated that those who are in such unions are not welcome to work in the ELCT because such practice is incompatible with Biblical teaching.

Key quote:

The ELCT Executive Council meeting, held in Moshi on April 27 to 28 this year, received and approved "The Dodoma Statement" prepared in January this year by the ELCT Bishops' Council. The bishops met in Dodoma to discuss in details steps to take after the decision of some European and American churches to recognize same-sex marriages.

The Statement says: "Those in same sex marriages, and those who support the legitimacy of such marriage, shall not be invited to work in the ELCT. We further reject their influence in any form, as well as their money and their support."

This will be interesting if the ELCA tries to knowingly send homosexual couples to Tanzania as missionaries.

Do not underestimate the resolve of Tanzanian Christians on this issue. As economically poor as the ELCT is, they will not sell out. I know these Christians well, and they will stand strong.

In a way, this could be a blessing in disguise. Many Tanzanian Christians have been concerned about the growing Western influence on Tanzanian culture - especially sexual and family customs. Independence from American denominations may help Tanzanian churches avoid the spiritual poison that is destroying the ELCA.

Raising Arizona

The debate over the recent Arizona law (SB 1070) that makes it a crime to be in the state illegally has generated a great deal of heat - but not much light. Many of the news stories have been negative (if not openly hostile), but in view of the fact that most of the American media tilts rather openly to the political Left their reporting needs to be treated with some skepticism.

I do not know what is in SB 1070, so I will refrain from either endorsing or opposing the new law. But it is very hard to take seriously the accusations that the bill is an act of racism, and that proponents are xenophobic reactionaries. Much political debate seems never to rise above this kind of hysterical fear mongering, and I have learned to be cautious.

Unfortunately, the dust up in Arizona has attracted the attention of the ELCA. Their denomination may be disintegrating as congregations and members head for the exit, giving is down with no relief in sight, the rest of the Lutheran world is appalled at the rejection of the Gospel, but it seems that the ELCA is not willing to pass on the oportunity to do what it loves best - immerse itself in secular politics.

The ELCA has set up a Facebook page dedicated to immigration and refugee issues. Some of the links on Facebook caught my eye, since they lead to websites like DailyKos and the Huffington Post. Are these really the voices the ELCA wishes to echo? Abandoning the Gospel for political activism is nothing new, and I don't expect the ELCA to provide a forum for points of view they disagree with (name me one political party or lobbying group that gives equal time to its opponents), but it's hard to maintain the illusion you are still a religious organization dedicated to peace, love and tolerance when you ally yourself with voices that do little beyond shrieking how much they hate those they disagree with.

The issue of immigration is of more than passing interest to me. My wife and I have lived through it.

In 1999 I went to Tanzania as an ELCA missionary. The individuals at the Division for Global Mission (DGM) were wonderful. No matter what happened - delays in getting work permits, lost paperwork - they always stood with me, and I never felt abandoned. It was in Tanzania where I met and married my wife, and I owe DGM a deep debt of gratitude. But by the time we left in early 2005 things had changed drastically at DGM - and not for the better.

During my tenure as an ELCA missionary, DGM seemed to undergo a radical change. Many whom I had known either retired or left, and were replaced by others who seemed to have a different concept of mission. Worse still, communication between ELCA missionaries like myself and DGM became less and less frequent, as the new leadership seemed to turn to other matters they found more worthy of their attention.

My wife and I were married in September of 2003, and immediately we began the process of applying for her visa. Working with USCIS is like existing in a kind of purgatory. You are never sure where you are in the process, and always you are made to feels as though you are some guilty of ... something.

Feeling in over our heads, I contacted DGM asking for help. We were ignored - no response whatsoever. We tried again - same (non)response. It was as though we had ceased to exist in the eyes of DGM.

So bad did the situation get that when my wife was hospitalized I never bothered to contact DGM. Why bother? Why would this time be any different? Why would they care now when they didn't before?

My wife's case was so tangled that it took the efforts of two different Members of Congress - one Democrat and one Republican - to finally get her visa and her I-551 ("green card"). There was nothing unusual about her situation (she is not a criminal or otherwise attracted the notice of US authorities), but as a citizen of Tanzania she was considered a major risk. I found out later that what happened to us was not out of the ordinary. Apparently US Embassy staff are so terrified of letting in a potential terrorist through the regular immigration process they will try to throw up one roadblock after another in an effort to discourage applicants.

The ELCA's Lutheran Immigration and Relief Service's website has the following:

Since 1939 Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service has worked to create welcoming communities for newcomers—immigrants and refugees who have been forced to leave their homes and begin anew.

One expat told me, "The reason that the ELCA won't help you is that your wife is an immigrant from Africa trying to enter the USA legally. If she came from Central America and was an illegal alien things would be different." At the time that struck me as too cynical. But given the overheated rhetoric on the LIRS Facebook page concerning both the opponents of immigration "reform" and SB 1070 I have come to the conclusion they were probably right.

At any rate, it is hard for me to take seriously the ELCA's claim of compassion with respect to immigrants. I don't believe that the ELCA meant my wife any harm: it's just that we did not fit the preferred political narrative. And it's politics (not the Gospel) that has become the ELCA's true passion.

Phillips Craig & Dean: I Want To Be Just Like You

For my son, James. Your father on Earth and your Father in Heaven both love you.

Witnesses to the Faith: Bangladesh

Pastor Shushil Jibon Talukder, Bimol Kanti Chakma, and Laksmi Bilas Chakma.

Laugh 'till you get beheaded

I am not a fan of either Comedy Central or South Park. Too much of their programming is enjoyable only to those who thinks that dirty words scrawled on the walls of public toilet stalls represents the highest form of comedy. For the rest of us - meaning most of us - we prefer our laughs to come another way.

You may have heard the story by now. South Park, which is supposed to be an "edgy" show, was recently censored by Comedy Central. I did not see the episode in question, but South Park is supposed to have showed the Prophet Muhammad in a bear costume (I don't think I want to know why). What caused the uproar was a death threat made against the show's creators by a radical Islamist website, and Comedy Central's decision to block out the offending part.

Many writers and commentators have pointed out that in the past Comedy Central has gone out of its way to attack Christians and Christianity (Jesus seems to be a favorite target). Some will dispute this, but frankly the facts are not on their side. Other's have suggested (tongue in cheek, I hope!) that if Christians lopped off the heads of a few heathens and heretics, they would get similar respectful treatment from Comedy Central and others in the entertainment industry.

I have to dispute the second assertion. Leave aside the fact thak killing the enemies of Christ is not an option: far from gaining respectful treatment, any remote hint of violence by Christians against Comedy Central and South Park would bring instant nuclear retaliation. Lawsuits, protest marches, attack journalism, violence directed against Christians, legal crackdowns - you name it.

I believe that the real reason the entertainment industry and the media will attack Christianity at the drop of a hat but avoid anything even remotely critical of Islam and other religions is simple - they just don't like Christianity. They view Islam and other religions as competitors to Christianity, and are willing to cut non-Christian religions a tremendous amount of slack.

I am not suggesting that many in the entertainment industry and the media are Muslims, or even sympathetic to Islam. But it is clear that their humanistic view is directly at odds with Christianity. Christianity holds that humanity is fallen, and is in need of a Savior. Many secularists do not believe in any Savior at all (expect perhaps Barack Obama). "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" seems to be the operating idea here, not a deep attachment to any non-Christian religion.

I think that Christians often underestimate the hatred than many in popular culture have for Christianity. Often I hear Christians call for "engagement" with popular culture (whatever that means). While I am not suggesting that Christians head for the hills and squat in heavily-fortified compounds, it is clear that "engagement" has brought forth no fruit whatsoever. The danger is that Christians will become corrupted by popular culture rather than have any moderating influence. It is best to keep more than a little distance.

Some have suggested that fear also played a role in Comedy Central's decision to avoid controversy. There may be some truth to that charge. Hollywood and the media have for a long time loved to portray Christians as theocratic terrorists, and that shows like South Park represent a heroic stand against the reactionary forces of darkness. This creates the illusion of courage under fire while not actually facing any danger. Some Muslims, on the other hand, have shown the ability to enforce their murderous threats - Van Gogh's death being just one example - and this presents a problem. It's one thing to bravely face down an imaginary legion of angry, bloodthirsty Christianists on the rampage. It's quite another to face a real threat that does not quite fit into a preferred political paradigm.

Still ... I doubt that Comedy Central's primary motivation was fear. Even without the threat of Islamist extremism. I think that the pressures of multiculturalism (and the belief that Islam is a useful weapon against Christianity) was behind the self-censorship.

Reading List

Suffering: God's Forge of Faith, by Barbara Stone Griswold


The Calculus Wars, by Jason Socrates Bardi

Witnesses to the Faith: North Korea

North Korea Sentences U.S. Christian to 8 Years

Witnesses to the Faith: Pakistan

False Charges Filed Against 47 Christians in Pakistan

Coexist?

Living in a college town, I often see a variety of bumper stickers on the backs of cars. Today two of them caught my attention.

A particular car had several bumper stickers on the back. Some referred to causes and individuals I had never heard of. However, two caught my eye because of their popularity among both Christians and non-Christians. The first simply said, "Coexist", and was spelled used religious symbols. The other was a famous quotation from Mohandas Gandhi: "I like their Christ. I do not like their Christians. They are so unlike Christ."

Let me begin with an admission: Gandhi was correct. Many who call themselves Christians do not act at all like their Lord. From the Inquisition to the recent sex abuse scandal by some Catholic priests; from the military support some Christians gave for Marxist terrorists in Central America to the defense of apartheid in South Africa and the support of Jim Crow laws, the record of Christians being guided by the love of Christ is problematic. Fidel Castro, Daniel Ortega, Adolph Hitler, Hugo Chavez and Joseph Stalin are just a few of the monsters that have enjoyed unqualified worship and adulation from some Christians. Churches have raised uncertain banners in fighting against slavery, abortion, pornography, divorce, and other societal ills.

But despite what Gandhi may have liked to believe, not all Christians engaged in the ill behavior he deplored. Many Christians are in fact very much like their Christ.

I wonder if the owner of the car with the two bumper stickers recognized the incompatibility of the two sentiments being expressed. How can you call for coexistence between religions and also make a demonstrably false charge against one of them? Would the car owner be scandalized if (for example) they saw a bumper sticker saying, "I like their Mohamed. I do not like their Muslims. They are so unlike Mohamed."?

Christians should be aware of the ideas and beliefs behind the two bumper stickers, and be prepared to answer them. Christians will be told that in order to "coexist" with other beliefs they must give up many of their own. They must not publicly challenge the homosexual lifestyle, the disintegration of public education, the pornographic industry, the rise of radical Islam, the sexualization of society, the coarseness of popular culture, and many others. With supreme illogic Christians will be told they must accept other beliefs without question while not defending the Christian faith against challenges. In short, Christians are being told to be quiet.

Do you intend to be quiet?

Easter 2010

Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, that they might anoint Him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. And they said among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away - for it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! Here is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go and tell his Disciples - and Peter - that he is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you." And they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Mark 16:1-8

In Biblical times the weight that the testimony of women was given was half that of a man. If Christianity were an invented religion, then it would be a source of embarrassment to the early Church that women were the first witnesses. Why not Peter? Why not have Jesus appear to all of his enemies and strike them dead, like something out of a Hollywood movie?

Within a few weeks the disciples - the same ones who could not run away from Jesus fast enough - were proclaiming the fact of His Resurrection. One by one they died for their faith. Some, like Stephen, were stoned to death. Peter was crucified upside down! Only John apparently avoided execution, and he spent time on the island of Patmos in exile.

Only one thing could have brought about this change: the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead and they saw Him alive.

Good Friday 2010

Perhaps those who consider Christianity a made-up religion have not fully read the story of Good Friday.

Consider just the basic facts of the story. Even after traveling with Him and hearing His teachings firsthand, Jesus disciples still did not seem to comprehend the chain of events that must happen. The Last Supper seemed to be a source of confusion to them, and the disciples who accompanied Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane preferred to take a snooze rather that stay awake with their Lord. One of the disciples betrayed Jesus (for cash, no less), another publiclly denied Him, and none stood trial with Him. After His death, His body was buried in a tomb borrowed from a member of the Sanhedrin - the very people who were loudest in the demands to kill Him.

None of the disciples looks like anything more than a poltroon or a traitor. A very odd, uninspiring story if your goal is to fool people into believing a false religion so you can exploit them.

But if you understand the human condition, that humans are more likely than not to run away from danger and to look out for Number 1, then the actions of the disciples makes sense. Uncomfortable sense, but sense.

Within a few weeks of the events of Good Friday, these same disciples (except Judas, of course) were fearlessly proclaiming the Gospel. They were heckled, beaten, thrown into prison, and even executed. What changed?

To be continued....