Primer on Infant Baptism

Posted on May 15, 2008 by theoldadam

 RóbertI wish to thank Eric Anderson for his patience in trying to teach this old dog a few new tricks when it comes to using my computer and this blog program. Eric is Pastor Mark Anderson’s (my Pastor) son and if this works his hours of torment at my request will not have been in vain.

  I just found this video clip on you-tube and thought it would be a good test case, and maybe get somebody’s blood moving faster than normal in the process.  Anyway, I hope you’ll enjoy Pastor Lassman’s class on Infant Baptism (one piece of it anyway).

Pastor Lassman is Pastor of Messiah Lutheran Church,  Seattle, WA.

PS – It didn’t take me hours to learn how to post the you-tube to the blog…I’m not that dumb. Most of the time and effort went into teaching me how to turn on the computer.

          – Steve Martin

 

Filed under: Baptism | 11 Comments »

“What’s Wrong Here?”

Posted on May 14, 2008 by theoldadam

I am blessed to be a member of a congregation that has a pastor who is a terrific preacher and teacher. He does all he can to wield the two edged sword that is the Word of God. He takes his job very seriously and prepares for his sermons and pasSt Wulfram's Grantham N windowtor’s classes as if someone’s life depended on it.   Someone’s does.

I went to his ‘Life with God’ class last evening. The theme of the class is ‘The Last Days’, a study of the Book of Revelation. Interesting stuff, no?

No.

Apparently not to our congregation. Last week we had 3 people and last night we had 2. This is in a congregation of over a hundred families.

It boggles my mind as to how people can ignore such a great gift as to study the scriptures with a pastor with over 30 years experience in teaching the bible.   

Well, in one sense it is understandable. There are a lot of things going on in our lives. We’ve got dinner to prepare… we’re tired from a day at the office or wherever…we’ve got certain television programs that can’t be missed… it’s a long drive… I was just there on Sunday… it’s stuff I already know…etc., etc., etc..

I usually love it when a new person stumbles in off the street into one of these bible studies. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. I was almost glad that no one did last night. It is a sad commentary on the state of our congregation that only two could tear themselves away from all of the other important activities in their lives to spend an hour and a half (or less) with their pastor and the Word of God.  I could just imagine what a newcomer might think if he or she were to arrive at a miserable showing like that… “What’s wrong here?”.

Plenty.

    – Steve Martin 

Filed under: Apathy in the Church | 6 Comments »

The Good News!

Posted on May 12, 2008 by theoldadam

The ‘Good News’ is that there is nothing that you have to do to enter the kingdom of Heaven.

There is nothing at all that you have to do. If there was sojump for joymething then it wouldn’t be ‘Good News’.

Christ has done it all, on the cross, in your baptism, at His supper, declared you to be forgiven and righteous in Himself. Now you are totally free!

That’s the ‘Good News’! If that doesn’t feel like good news to you, but rather that announcement makes you a little uneasy…then you haven’t really heard it yet. There’s a part of you that still lives under the law. So, we’ll keep repeating this until (by God’s grace) it sticks…’your sins are forgiven for Jesus sake’!

    – Steve

Filed under: The Gospel | 2 Comments »

‘How To’ Christianity

Posted on May 11, 2008 by theoldadam

It’s everywhere. Turn on the radio…turn on the television…read “Christian” books…read “Christian” bloggers. ‘How to’ Christianity is everywhere! ‘The 10 Biblical Principles for cleaning your dogs teeth’. 14 Principles to become more Jesus’-like. ‘How to have a better Christian marriage’. ‘How to play basketball like a real Christian’. the watchers

What a joke. A bad joke.

People, do you not know that the law is written upon your hearts? The fact that people are running around saying they don’t know how to live their lives as a Christian is a load of bunk. Any adult man or woman knows in his or her heart what God expects of them. They just flat out refuse to do it. They flat out refuse to live up to the high standards that God demands that they live up to so they whittle those standards down and carve them into principles that they can manage or at least enough to fool other Christian friends and neighbors who are busy trying to fool them as well. 

Christian Principles for living is just the law packaged in a friendlier format. The law is still the law.

“I wish you would stop talking about Law and Gospel”. “I’m sick of you always bringing up that Law/Gospel paradigm, what does that have to do with trying to live as Jesus tells me to live?”

Just everything…that’s what.

Why is this law banging so pervasive? Why can we not get away from the constant barrage of law posing as gospel in our churches? Because the law is what we do. We are all about the self justification project and we will get better even if it kills our Lord Jesus…and it did.

“He must increase, I must decrease.’ Oh really? Then why in heaven’s name are you trying to pack goodness onto yourselves with your little righteousness projects?

Trust in Him!  That’s how He increases! Get off the religion project! There’s a lot more productive stuff you can be doing…like focusing on your neighbor and being a freed human being that loves and cries and mourns and prays and sings and laughs and lives..in the freedom of Christ!

‘How to’? Faaghettaboudit!!

    – Steve Martin

Filed under: Doing | 5 Comments »

‘Becoming more Jesus-like’

Posted on May 10, 2008 by theoldadam

(originally posted May 10th, 2008)

Some people love the religion game. They love to talk a real good game , but when it comes right down to it, they are just like the rest of us…incapable of being ‘Jesus-like for more than a minute or two…if that’s even possible.

How can this be? The Bible surely tells us in Jesus’ own words what He expects from us. And the Bible is replete with examples of Jesus’ own works. So there it is; a road map clearly drawn. Open and follow.  “What must I do to inherit eternal life”, the lawyer asked Jesus,  Jesus answered, “What does the law say?”( There it is…the first part of the Law/Gospel paradigm) The lawyer answered, “You shall love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And Je sus said to him, “You have answered rightly, do this and you shall live.”

You want to be more Jesus-like?  There it is. “Go and do, and you shall live.” Continue reading →

Filed under: Law and Gospel, WWJD | 7 Comments »

The Theology of Glory vs. the Theology of the Cross

Posted on May 9, 2008 by theoldadam

 Getting better? Gradually progressing up the ladder of righteousness and spirituality? Working on my sanctification?  Well, the late Dr. Forde has a thing or two to say about that type of thinking.  You really ought to read ‘On Being a Theologian of the Cross’

 

 

 

 

by  Dr. Gerhard Forde

We find ourselves in a situation in which there is increasing talk about the theology of the cross but little specific knowledge of what exactly it is. In the absence of clear understanding, the theology of the cross tends to become sentimentalized, especially in an age that is so concerned about victimization. Jesus is spoken of as the one who “identifies with us in our suffering,” or the one who “enters into solidarity with us” in our misery. “The suffering of God,” or the “vulnerability of God,” and such platitudes become the stock-in-trade of preachers and theologians who want to stroke the psyche of today’s religionists. But this results in rather blatant and suffocating sentimentality. God is supposed to be more attractive to us because he identifies with us in our pain and suffering. “Misery loves company” becomes the unspoken motif of such theology. A theology of the cross, however, is not sentimentalism. To be sure, it speaks much about suffering. A theologian of the cross, Luther says, looks at all things through suffering and the cross. It is also certainly true that in Christ God enters into our suffering and death. But in a theology of the cross it is soon apparent that we cannot ignore the fact that suffering comes about because we are at odds with God and are trying to rush headlong into some sort of cozy identification with him. God and his Christ, Luther is concerned to point out, are the operators in the matter, not the ones operated upon (thesis 27, Heidelberg Disputation). In the Gospel of John, Jesus is concerned to point out that no one takes his life from him but that he lays it down of his own accord (John 10:18). In the end, Jesus suffers and dies because nobody identified with him. The people cried, “Crucify him!” One of his disciples betrayed him, another denied him, the rest forsook him and fled. He died alone, forsaken even by God.Now we in turn suffer the absolute and unconditional working of God upon us. It is a suffering because as old beings we cannot abide such working. We are rendered passive by the divine activity. “Passive,” it should be remembered here, comes from the same root as “passion,” which is, of course, “to suffer.” And so we look on the world anew in the light of Christ’s Passion, “through suffering and the cross” (thesis 20), as ones who suffer the sovereign working of God. A sentimentalized theology gives the impression that God in Christ comes to join us in our battle against some unknown enemy, is victimized, and suffers just like us. Like the daughters of Jerusalem we sympathize with him. A true theology of the cross places radical question marks over against sentimentality of that sort. “Weep not for me,” Jesus said, “but for yourselves and for your children.”It is evident that there is a serious erosion or slippage in the language of theology today. Sentimentality leads to a shift in focus, and the language slips out of place. To take a common example, we apparently are no longer sinners, but rather victims, oppressed by sinister victimizers whom we relentlessly seek to track down and accuse. Of course, there are indeed victims and victimizers in our culture—all too many of them. But the kind of collective paranoia that allows us to become preoccupied with such a picture of our plight cannot help but nudge the language just enough to cause it to slip and fall out of place. The slippage is often very slight and subtle and hardly noticeable; that is what makes it so deceptive.We no longer live in a guilt culture but have been thrown into meaninglessness—so we are told. Then the language slips out of place. Guilt puts the blame on us as sinners, but who is responsible for meaninglessness? Surely not we! Sin, if it enters our consciousness at all, is generally something that “they” did to us. As Alan Jones, dean of the Episcopal Cathedral of San Francisco, put it once, “We live in an age in which everything is permitted and nothing is forgiven.”Since we are victims and not really sinners, what we need is affirmation and support, and so on. The language slips and falls out of place. It becomes therapeutic rather than evangelical. It must he trimmed more and more so as not to give offense. In thesis 21 of the Heidelberg Disputation Luther says that a theologian of the cross “says what a thing is,” whereas a theologian of glory calls the bad good and the good bad. This stakes out the claim that language and its proper use in matters theological is a fundamental concern of the theologian of the cross. Luther’s words suggest that the misuse or slippage of language in this regard has a theological root. When we operate on the assumption that our language must constantly be trimmed so as not to give offense, to stroke the psyche rather than to place it under attack, it will of course gradually decline to the level of greeting-card sentimentality. The language of sin, law, accusation, repentance, judgment, wrath, punishment, perishing, death, devil, damnation and even the cross itself—virtually one-half of the vocabulary—simply disappears. It has lost its theological legitimacy and therefore its viability as communication. A theologian of the cross says what a thing is. In modern parlance: a theologian of the cross calls a spade a spade. One who “looks on all things through suffering and the cross” is constrained to speak the truth. The theology of the cross, that is to say, provides the theological courage and the conceptual framework to hold the language in place. It will, no doubt, also involve critical appraisal of the language and its use. It will recognize indeed that the half of the vocabulary that has disappeared can be frightening and offensive. But it will see precisely that the cross and the resurrection itself is the only answer to that problem, not erasure or neglect.It is curious that in spite of attempts to avoid offense, matters don’t actually seem to improve. We seek affirmation, but we seem to experience less and less of it. We look for support, but others are too busy looking for it themselves to pay us much mind. Preachers try to prop up our self-esteem with optimistic blandishments, but more and more people seem to suffer from a deteriorating sense of self-worth. Perhaps a return to calling a spade a spade has its place.This is not to say, however, that the language of affirmation, comfort, support, building self-esteem, and so forth does not have its place. On the level of human relations it can be quite necessary and beneficial. It has its place, however, among that which is penultimate, in caring for the well-being of persons in this age. The danger and misuse comes when such language displaces or obscures the ultimate. It would be as though an alcoholic were to confuse breaking the habit with salvation. Penultimate cures are mistaken for ultimate redemption. When that happens the church becomes predominantly a support group rather than the gathering of the body of Christ where the word of the cross and resurrection is proclaimed and heard.What is, after all, the subject matter of a theology of the cross? Is it simply a repetition of the Passion story? Hardly. Is it then perhaps just another treatment of the doctrine of atonement? Not really. Is it just an account of an unusual sort of religious experience, a kind of spirituality, as we might say today? That may he closer to the truth, but still not exactly. It is rather a particular perception of the world and our destiny, what Luther came to call looking at all things through suffering and the cross. It has to do with what he referred to often as the question of usus, the way the cross is put to use in our lives.It might well be asked whether there is need or place for theologians of the cross today. They cannot but appear very critical and negative over against the optimism of a theology of glory. Is it not cruel to attack what little optimism we are able to muster these days? Would not the attack already be too late? Luther’s attack in the Heidelberg Disputation begins by ruthlessly shredding all ideas of the place of good works in the scheme of salvation. Yet, as is often remarked, who is trying to do good works any more? Is the theology of the cross a magnificent attack on a nonexistent enemy, a marvelous cure for a disease that no one has? Could it be perhaps, as with smallpox vaccine, that finally the vaccination causes more illness than the disease? Is a theologian of the cross a curious historical relic spreading pessimism where desperate people are hanging on by their fingertips?Anyone who gets some glimpse of what it means to be a theologian of the cross immediately realizes that the bane of a theology of glory never vanishes. It is the perennial theology of the fallen race. We have to persist in a theology of the cross in order precisely to expose that fact. I have come to wonder if the very theology of glory is not in a state of severe crisis. If it is true that no one is trying anymore, what does that portend? Does it mean, as a postmodernist might say, that the “Holy Words” no longer signify a meaningful destiny? Have we lost the thread of the story? Is the “official optimism of North America,” as theologian Douglas John Hall spoke of it, finally running off into sand? Could that be one of the reasons for the despair and chaos in our homes and in our streets? Has the thirst for glory finally issued in the despair that Luther foresaw?My suspicion is that the malaise of the theology of glory is the ultimate source of contemporary despair. My assumption is that a theology of the cross brings hope—indeed, the only ultimate hope.

Filed under: Theology of the Cross | Leave a comment »

Stand Up, Sit Down, Fight Fight Fight!

Posted on May 7, 2008 by theoldadam

“You Lutherans are too religious!”

“You Lutherans have to stand up, and sit down and mindlessly repeat words that you just make up in some sort of man-made ritulal!”

“Lutheran Pastors wear vestments and you have candles in your churches!”

 

Have you ever heard this line of horse dung from fundamentalist Evangelicals before?

I have. It is perpetuated by an ignorance of Lutheranism, of the Christian faith and the history of the Christian Church.

As Lutheran Christians, we don’t have to do any of that stuff. Unlike the worship practices of the churches that are not really free, we are free to do these things…or not!

We do these things because they anchor us in Christ. Our liturgy keeps us from floating hither and yon and ending up looking like the non-denominational, entertainment style, therapuetic, self-focused, styles of worship that predominate the landscape of Orange County, California.

Our symbols speak to us. Their symbols speak to them.

Ours are centered on Christ, His Word and sacraments. Theirs are focused on the believer… their faithfulness, their decision, their comfort, their music, their law based theology. Christ is there, but He is no longer the Center. The onus shifts to the believer. Listen to one of their sermons. Who is the focus?  9 out of 10 times it will be you.

Our focus is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The killing of the Old Man/Woman by proclaiming God’s Law and the raising of the New Man/Woman with God’s forgiveness in Jesus, proclaimed freely without qualifications or conditions.

We uphold Christ’s Supper and His full presence therein. We unabashedly hold up infant baptism as it is God that does the baptism and makes His promises to the child.  Who are we to say that He needs our profession of faith before He can act on our behalf?

Every word in our creeds and liturgy is derived entirely from the Bible. It is all in there.

Is the Bible our pope? No! The only Holy Father we have is Jesus Christ our Lord.

If we got rid of some of these traditional Christian symbols, and had music that is more pop oriented would we get more people in the door? We probably would. Would it be worth it to sacrifice the centrality of Christ and the ‘other world-ness’ of our traditional confessional service to get more bodies in the door? I say no, it wouldn’t be worth it because you would inevitably start the slide towards the self. It’s a lousy trade off.

I for one, am thankful for our great confessional Lutheran message that is centered on, and anchored to our Lord Jesus and His forgiveness of our sins. I want to tell others and invite them to worship with us.   I hope you will too.   

                                   – Steve M. 

Filed under: Liturgy, Symbolism, Worship | 2 Comments »

Up to a Little Test?

Posted on May 6, 2008 by theoldadam

Faithfulness to Jesus is a  pretty good benchmark to see if we are really His…is it not?

Are we not exhorted, if not outright commanded to do these things?

This test is but a tiny sampling of all the things that we should be doing because Jesus has told us to do them.  There is also a test of all the things that we should not be doing.  (I’ll post that in the near future)

Keep in mind that these things are bare minimums and should not in any way constitute the whole of the law (God’s demands).                                                 THE LORD IS SEEKING TO AND FRO FOR ONE WHO IS LED BY HIS SPIRIT

But these few actions are a pretty good guide to get you on track towards a true faithfulness .

I am sure that the Old Adam/Eve in us all will have quite a bit to say about the legitimacy of this test.

 

Filed under: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

You are Invited to Dinner!

Posted on May 4, 2008 by theoldadam

I hereby am inviting you to dinner at my place this evening.

Come on by!  It will start at 6pm and it will end promptly at 6dinner for eight:10 pm.

Oh, and by the way…I won’t be there. And you might as well bring your own food, because how can I offer you anything if I am not there.

Is that ridiculous, or what?

When Jesus says, ” eat my body and drink my blood”, when He tells us to “do this…” He is inviting us to dine with Him. He wants us to feast on the True Bread which has come down from Heaven for our sakes. If He’s not even going to be there… then why bother?

Of course He’s going to be there… it’s His Supper for cryin’ out loud!

He never told us to do anything where he would not be present. How can He be present? After all,  He has ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  That’s right, He’s up there, so how could He be down here with us?

What!  He’s God!  He can be anywhere and everywhere He wants to be! Simultaneously!  He is inside every molecule of every thing in the universe and beyond.  But He can’t be, or wouldn’t want to be present at the meal which He’s commanded us to attend?

That’s about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.  And that goes for Holy Baptism as well!

If I ever invite you over for dinner, don’t worry, I’ll be there, and I’ll serve up plenty of vittles as well.                              

           – Steve Martin

Filed under: Sacraments | 13 Comments »

“Let them eat cake…”

Posted on May 3, 2008 by theoldadam

I went to the Pacifica Synod’s Assembly (Lutheran-ELCA) yesterday in Irvine, CA.

The theme of the gathering was ‘Godwhere's jesus? cake.‘s Work, Our Hands’. As if God can do nothing without ‘us’. Doing, doing, doing. Let’s all get busy! (Pssst…are you doing enough?)

It was so exciting and exhilarating to be amongst so many like minded Lutherans willing and eager to get out the message of forgiveness in Jesus Christ!

Not.

It was the usual, boring, political correctness, don’t offend people, don’t discuss sin and forgiveness, just make people happy and go build a house for someone load of horse dung that it always is.

I was sorry to have missed the ‘Stretch and Pray’ churchrobics hour…maybe next time.

I did get a free lunch, however, and that’s always nice.

      – Steve Martin

Filed under: Synod Assembly | 3 Comments »

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