Nothing much to say
Not much to say lately. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing…
I’ve got work-angst & I’ve got church-angst. I feel like I’ve been fighting a two-front war, with the main casualties being my own internal compass/well-being and (more importantly) the folks that I’ve been trying to protect from the two-front war (i.e., my family). Even on the best of days I can be a bit cranky, but throw in stress, worry, and a lack of sleep? Well, that’s not all that good, knamean?
So, I’ve set into motion some things that I hope will lead to a lessening and/or elimination of one or both fronts. That carries some angst of its own, but it’s more of a “good” angst than what’s been going on…
I hate to feel/sound like the pharisee of “The Publican & The Pharisee” fame, but keeping track of last week’s ELCA Churchwide Assembly (aka national convention) both cheered me and horrified me. I was cheered because it helped me realize that there are some Lutherans out there who face far more difficult circumstances than I do. The ELCA is seriously messed up & whacked out on a bunch of issues. I’m even more horrified about many of the things that they are doing over there, not the least of which is this: Lutherans to allow pastors in gay relationships. For some very interesting discussions about all things related to the ELCA’s CWA, check out the discussion forums over at the ALPB. It’s really sad & amazing to see just how much twisting and turning can be done in the effort to make God’s Word be “relevant” to our sinful minds & feelings. Lord knows I’ve got planks in my own eyes, but still…
So You Think You Can Dance is about to wrap up this week, and I’ll be sad to see it go. I’ve said it before — in a great many ways, SYTYCD is my far-and-away favorite of all the realitytv shows out there. I’m not sure exactly who I want to win, much less who I think will win, this season. That’s more a testament to the strength of the remaining dancers than it is an indictment of my decision-making prowess. In the end, though, I think a girl will win it this year, and I think it’ll be either Lacey or Sabra…
That’s enough new content for now…
-ghp
Orthosnarky
Nice…
[HT: PTM]
-ghp
Complaints
Complaining is a difficult thing to do in a blog, at least if you take seriously the “best practices” that are given for building readership.
After all, no one wants to hear/read silly whining, do they?
But yet, groaning under the weight one feels can be salutary. After all, the entire therapy industry is built around it. And while unburdening oneself to God in prayer is ultimately better & more productive than doing so in a blog, I’d like to think that they aren’t mutually exclusive activities.
In light of all that, then, here are a few things I need to complain about…
Waltherian Polity — It may be heretical for someone who’s a LCMS “lifer” to say, but I really am starting to think that the innovation that C.F.W. & the Saxons loosed upon American Lutheranism might not have been all that great. Like many/most innovations, the supreme voters assembly was well-intentioned, but it has been deformed over time by the ethos of American individualism. Doctrine cannot be done by majority vote. Over the past 160 years, however, Missourian/Waltherian polity has been thoroughly infected by the emotionalism of American Evangelicalism (aka ‘Methobapticostalism’) such that it’s all too easy for an emotional tsunami of ‘felt needs’ to overwhelm any chance that logic and appeals to true stewardship & historic confessional Lutheranism might have to even be heard.
Frankly, this is more distressing to me on the congregational level than it has been on the district or synodical levels. On district & synodical convention floors, there is a greater chance for diverse & opposing views to be heard than there is on the congregational level. The emotional appeal of the “majority” can wash over the floor of a voters meeting such that cowards are made of any who might think of voicing alternative and/or dissenting views. The chilling effects of being (and I know this is a strong word) demonized by those in your own “family” are undeniable and severe. I’m ashamed of the effect that they have had on me.
The Mistake of “Faith in God” trumping “Sanctified Stewardship” — Folks, a blind leap of “faith” without the due diligence of common sense stewardship is no virtue. Doing things just to say you did something is not a a show of “faith”, not unless/until proper consideration has been undertaken. Impatience should never be mistaken for “faith”.
The Denigration of the OHM — I’m constantly amazed & saddened just how folks seem to willingly mix up teaching that derives its authority from the 4th Commandment parental authority (e.g., the teaching of children in day school & sunday school), and that which is done publicly under the authority granted by Christ to the OHM (e.g., Divine Service & adult instruction like Bible studies). The Priesthood of All Believers doesn’t trump the charge given to the OHM. We certainly do not need a priest/pastor to read & study the Bible ourselves. If it’s a group activity in a public setting, though, then that certainly does need to be done by one trained, called & ordained to undertake public teaching & preaching.
Oddly enough, I now feel a little bit better. Nowhere near being free of my burdens, mind you, but still a little better…
-ghp
Origins of Christian Rock
Check out a fascinating article over at Slate.com — The freaky origins of Christian rock.
Using the 40th anniversary of the so-called “Summer of Love” as a springboard, this article gives a brief but informative look into the beginnings of CCM. From the emergence of the “hippie Jesus” vibe to today’s more saccharine CCM “Jesus as your boyfriend” vibe, this article helps fill in some of the “how,” “when,” & “where” (if not the more important “why?”). Here’s a particularly interesting quote from early on in the article:
“By the early 1970s, a new Jesus had hit the American mind—communal, earthy, spontaneous, anti-establishment. And this Jesus continued to transform American worship long after the patchouli wore off, inspiring a more informal and contemporary style of communion and celebration that, while holding true to core principles, unbuckled the Bible Belt from American Christian life.”
I would disagree with the statement in the quote that such changes held true to “core principles”, because I really don’t think that such is the case. At all.
That aside, it’s still an interesting article - one that indicates that we’re just starting to see that enough time has passed for real, more objective, History to be written (with somewhere around 50 years being the minimum time needed for events to be treated as historical, rather than current, events…).
-ghp
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