Same-sex "marriage" - part 2

Dear friends in Christ, and His children through the cross,

Last month, I commented on the recent court ruling in Iowa regarding same-sex marriages. Now the media storm around the issue has begun to cool, and because nothing has changed in the past two months, new news has taken its place. Still, though, the offense and outrage at the court and the concept of same-sex marriages remains. As we continue to live in the shadow of these developments, it is important to remember why we reject the concept of same-sex “marriages,” and to be on guard against several excesses which often occur surrounding this issue.

Our church holds the position that marriage is between one man and one woman because that is the position of God as expressed in the Bible. (Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:24-26, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and 1 Timothy 1:8-10, etc.) However, we do not hold this position because we view the Bible as simply a rule-book for life. Neither do we do so in order to build a “pure” society which precisely reflects God’s Law. We believe as we do and defend the true definition of marriage out of love for other people. We know that disobedience to God’s law has natural consequences which we do not want them to face, but more importantly, we know that anyone who clings unrepentantly to their sin is rejecting God’s forgiveness and choosing a path toward eternal punishment.

Often those who oppose same-sex marriages allow their devoted opposition to sinful behavior to carry them past a line where they see those who practice it as enemies rather than neighbors. While we do not compromise the Biblical declaration that homosexual behavior is sinful, our goal is to work toward the repentance and salvation of our neighbor rather than their alienation and condemnation. Too often, Christians’ outlook on this issue becomes so adversarial that they are no longer able to see homosexual neighbors as fellow sinners in need of a savior, but it is entirely possible to oppose a behavior, yet live in a civil way as neighbors to those who engage in it.

This principle does not apply to this specific sin alone. Whenever we allow our opposition to something sinful to become adversarial, it is evidence of pride which leads us to believe that our sins are somehow less than theirs. When we view homosexual behavior (or any sexual behavior, for that matter) as a bigger sin than our gossip, dishonesty, lust, or other sins, we have crossed the line from defending truth to pridefully trying to justify ourselves. The difference is not in the type of sin, but whether it is has been forgiven. May we always recognize our unrepentant neighbors, whether their sins are the same or different than ours, as fellow sinners in need of Jesus, who He desires to bring to repentance.

[Pastor's article from St. John's Messenger newsletter, June 2009]

Same-sex "marriage" - part 1

Dear friends in Christ, and His children through the cross,

Every four years, Iowa becomes the center of national news because our state is the first in the nation to express our presidential preference through our Caucuses. This month, however, Iowa has become a regular fixture in national news stories for a far different reason. On April 3, deciding a lawsuit manufactured by activists in a long and deceptive effort, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled against a state law which restricted marriage to one man and one woman. Many conclude that this opens the door for “marriages” between people of the same sex in Iowa.

By this point, you have probably heard numerous opinions about this ruling on both sides. Many have expressed political, legal, moral, and religious reasons why this ruling is wrong and bad for our state. Because of the number and variety of these lines of reasoning, there is not space to repeat them here, and it seems redundant to do so anyway. I will simply remind you that both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible consider homosexual behavior to be a sin against the Sixth Commandment. (Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:24-26, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and 1 Timothy 1:8-10, among others) As Christians, we do not have the privilege of explaining away God’s commandments or choosing only those with which we agree. We confess what Scripture teaches because it is God’s Word.

At the present time, the court ruling does allow churches to act according to their beliefs regarding these “marriages.” However, this does not mean that this will always be the case. In several other countries which have constitutions guaranteeing free speech and freedom of religion, pastors have been fined or jailed for simply reading the Bible verses I listed above. History indicates that every nation which has ever redefined marriage in this way has quickly moved on to also limit religious freedom accordingly, by punishing churches and pastors who refuse to accept and participate in these “marriages.” Within a decade, this could mean a loss of tax-exempt status for churches, or by the time your grandchildren are adults, this could mean fines and imprisonment of religious leaders who still hold and preach the Biblical truth for “hate crimes.”

What does this mean for us? God created marriage, and he, not judges, defines it. They can redefine the language, but their decisions do not change reality. Regardless of what they call it or how they define it, marriage has not changed, and any new thing which occurs under this ruling is not a marriage before God or our church. In our confirmation vows, we promise to hold to the truth, even to the point of death, and this is no exception. Governments may be able to make life less comfortable for us, but they cannot change God’s Word. “We must obey God rather than men,” (Acts 5:29) and so we shall. Earthly governments are not our savior, and regardless of their opinions, the Lord rules His Church and will continue to protect her so that the Gospel of Jesus will continue to be proclaimed purely among us.

[Pastor's article from St. John's Messenger newsletter, May 2009]

Tuesday of Lent 2 - Mark 8:27-38

Peter’s confession, “You are the Christ,” together with all of its implications, is still the only acceptable answer to this day. It is still controversial, it remains offensive to many, but it is, nonetheless true. Today one can find any Jesus he wants in the marketplace of religious ideas: A Jesus to help you tap your divine potential, to help you raise obedient and intelligent children, or help you manage your finances and succeed in business according to Biblical principles. There is someone selling each of these new and improved versions of Jesus and more. Scripture reminds us that there is another who sold Jesus…for 30 pieces of silver…Judas, and he was inspired to do so by Satan. Our enemy tempts us to scratch itching ears by selling a Jesus who is less than the Christ—an uncrucified savior. But if Jesus isn’t “The Christ, the Son of the Living God,” who became man to die to save the world from sin, and rise on the third day, then He is nothing, we are still in our sins, and all is lost.

While this reading’s three paragraphs seem at first to consist of three individual exchanges with 3 individual ideas, all three of the Synoptic evangelists record them together in this progression to express an important point: The preacher of the cross will face many trials, perhaps even a cross of his own. As soon as Peter confesses the identity of Christ, Jesus goes on to teach the disciples about the events to come in His crucifixion, death and resurrection, and Peter’s objection shows that, even though we heard the truth he confessed about Jesus, he didn’t actually understand the significance of what he had just said. It is as if the conversation went like this:

Peter: “You are the Christ”
Jesus: “Do you realize that means I will be crucified, die, and rise?”
Peter: “I’ll never have it. This is not the Jesus I agreed to follow.”
Jesus: “Your answer is Satanic.

Jesus then calls together the whole crowd before he continues with his next point. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and forfeit his life, for what can a man give in return for his life. Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

May we never be said to have compromised the confession of Christ to avoid the cross, and may we never exchange the message of eternal life for an easy “gospel” which sells Christ for less than He truly is, and woe to us if for the sake of earthly gain or expediency we present a false Christ to please the desires of sinful men. We have no choice but to present Him pure and whole, with all the offense and controversy that entails, because He took up His cross to offer Himself as sacrifice in our place. He gave up His life to give us eternal life, and even though we had nothing to give in exchange for our souls, He gave His life to redeem ours. In order that others may obtain this faith, He has also called you to preach the Gospel and administer the Sacraments as stewards of His mysteries, and to forgive sins in his stead and by his command.

Where we, as ministers, have failed to bear our crosses as we should, Jesus restores and strengthens us to execute His commission just as He restored Peter after the resurrection with the threefold command to tend His flock. We can carry this Truth to our communities and the world, regardless of the opposition given or offense taken, because He who has called us is faithful, and the preaching of the Christ will accomplish that for was sent.

[Sermon for Algona Circuit Pastors Conference, March 10, 2009, St. John's Lutheran Church, Burt, IA]

Book Review - The Shack

There has been much talk recently about a book called The Shack. As of the time this is being written, it is the #3 book on Amazon.com and #1 in paperback fiction on the New York Times Bestsellers List. I doubt there are many of you who haven’t heard of it. If you haven’t read it, you probably know someone who has.

It’s easy to see why the book is so appealing. In spite of the dark events underlying the book’s story, it has a sort of feel-good quality to it. It addresses questions which people everywhere are asking today: Who is God? Why does He allow tragedies and suffering? Where was He when…? The subject of the book is observably religious, but is it Christian? Who is the “god” of The Shack?

For those of you who haven’t read the book, let me give you the basics. Mack, a man who has experienced the brutal murder of his daughter, is the main character of the book. His wife and children appear in the book, but do not play a large part in the plot, and his friend Willie turns out to be the ghost-writer of the book. The other three main characters are meant to represent the Trinity. Papa (God the Father) is a large African-American woman. Jesus is a 30-some year old Middle-eastern man, and Sarayu (The Holy Spirit) is a small Asian woman. After receiving a note in his mailbox from “Papa,” Mack returns to the shack where his daughter was murdered and encounters “God” as he is portrayed by the author.

I will start out by pointing out a few areas the book handles well: It actually addresses the question of God’s identity—an often-overlooked topic in recent times. It does describe God in terms of the Trinity—a step in the right direction. It acknowledges that Jesus is the center of everything. It even recognizes our inability to please God by our good deeds or behavior.

In order to touch on the most important elements of how the book portrays God, I will move quickly past a few obvious things. There is difficulty with the way in which God communicates with Mack in the book (notes and people in a shack), but I will just assume that as a fictional element necessary to create the plot. It is obvious from the character descriptions above that any Christian should have immediate questions about the way the author portrays God the Father and the Holy Spirit. The author acknowledges that his portrayal of God in the book is metaphorical rather than literal, but it still seems unwise and dangerous to portray God in images which are different, if not opposite from the way He has revealed Himself in the Bible. (For the sake of keeping this analysis to 2 pages, I will move quickly to the most important difficulties with the book for a Christian. However, I should be finished with a more detailed
analysis of the book by the time this newsletter is published. It will be available on my blog http://www.LutheranReformission.com, by requesting a paper copy from the Church Office or from me personally.)

Mack makes a few off-target statements about God in the book, but we can dismiss them as being just the opinion of the character. On the other hand, when the character making the errant statements about God is God, we can be sure that the author intends us to receive this statement as true. As Christians, we have the ability to know certain things about God. When He has told us something about Himself in Scripture, we can know it is a fact. However, when He has been silent about something in Scripture, we are just as obligated to also remain silent. This is the primary way The Shack falls short on describing God..

The author does get a couple of facts correct: There are three persons, yet one God. Jesus is fully God and fully human. However, the “God” characters in the book go on to explain the Trinity in ways which are clearly contrary to Scripture. First, Papa, Jesus, and Sarayu all bear the marks of crucifixion on their bodies, when Scripture clearly teaches that only Jesus died at the cross. Papa (and the others) say “We became fully human.” when Scripture clearly teaches that only Jesus, the Son, took on human nature. Additionally, the author confuses several important facts about Jesus by having Papa say that Jesus never acted out of His authority as God and that He is still limited in using His divine power by His human nature.

There is a recurring pattern in the book where Mack confronts one of the God characters with a Scriptural truth, only to have God respond by saying that the Bible’s words aren’t what He really meant. Not only does this devalue the Bible, it also seeks to inspire doubt about important Biblical teachings. The most obvious example of this is when Papa and Mack discuss the crucifixion. Mack asks about God the Father forsaking Jesus, and Papa responds that He did not actually forsake Jesus, but that Jesus just felt forsaken even though it was not reality. I think the most relevant contradiction in the book is when Mack and Jesus discuss salvation. The Jesus character states that there are people from all of the world’s religions who love Him, and that He does not desire that they become Christians. This clearly contradicts the Bible’s claims that there is no way to salvation except for Jesus and the commandment against having any other gods.

So, you’re probably asking, “Should I read this book?” (or “Should I have read it?”) If you are a mature Christian who is strongly rooted in the Bible’s teachings, reading this book is not going to harm you, providing you read it with the careful understanding that you are not encountering a true portrayal of God. In fact, since so many of your neighbors are reading it already, it might even be beneficial for you to be knowledgeable enough about its contents that you can help guide them around its pitfalls. On the other hand, for children, most teenagers, new Christians, or those who do not have a precise understanding of the Bible’s teachings, this book should most certainly not be on your reading list. It will only serve to obscure God’s identity for you rather than reveal it, and it could lead you to great spiritual harm. However, do consider reading my full review on the web so you can be well-informed when discussions arise with friends or neighbors about this book.

The Shack attempts to answer humanity’s questions about God’s presence in suffering, but we have much more to offer the world about this topic when we have the right God as the foundation for our answers. If you have questions about God’s place in sorrow and tragedies, I would recommend the book I reviewed in our January Messenger: Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel.

Faith, Hope, and Elected Leaders

Dear friends in Christ, and His children through the cross,

For over two years now, news coverage and everyday conversations have revolved largely around the election, and for the past several months, they have been almost completely dominated by election-related stories. There has been in-depth coverage, first of the election results, then various recounts and controversies, then speculation about the upcoming administration, and finally yesterday (as of the time I am writing) the inauguration itself.

As I listened to everyday people being interviewed about the inauguration of the new president, their statements and the language they used seriously surprised me. It seemed strikingly out of place. It seemed more fitting to be used of a deity or savior than a president. One of those interviewed talked about having given up hope long ago, but that the inauguration of this president had given her hope again. Others who were interviewed expressed how much faith they have in the new president and his ability to improve their lives. I even heard one person say “Barack Obama has come to show us the way!” All combined, the audio clips that I heard expressing similar thoughts to these in the past 24 hours would add up to well over an hour.

Of course the selection of our elected leaders is an important matter, and they are to be chosen carefully, but these statements were incredible. It was almost as if they were talking about God rather than a president. The president seemed to be the one in whom they placed all of their hope and trust. I couldn’t help but wonder if those making these statements knew about Jesus. How would He respond if it were His followers saying these things about a mere man?

Psalm 146 says, “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God.”

As Christians, some of us will agree with the new president, others will disagree, but we all know that he is not the one who is deserving of our faith, trust, and hope. Earthly leaders come and go, rise and fall, and eventually die; but Jesus is risen, lives forever, and is always constant. Earthly leaders manage sin and punish sinners, but Jesus conquers sin and forgives sinners. It is in Him alone that we place our faith and hope.

[Pastor's article from St. John's Messenger newsletter, February 2009]

Book Review - Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel

Book Review: Luther: Letters of Spiritual Counsel
Translated and edited by Theodore G. Tappert

Occasionally, I have been bringing you reviews of excellent books from our church library in place of my normal monthly article. The following review is the third in this series.

The most familiar of Martin Luther’s writings for most of us is his Small Catechism, which we have all studied, and most of us memorized at some point in life. There are also 55 volumes of Luther’s writings available in English, which include commentaries, lectures, sermons, and hymns, but there is another product of Luther’s pen which is less frequently seen, and not commonly known. In addition to being one of the most prolific author’s in recorded history, he spent countless hours writing letters in response to friends and others throughout Germany who were facing trying times in life.

This book includes letters he wrote to the sick and dying, the bereaved, the anxious, the doubting, those in trouble or need, the persecuted and imprisoned, advice in time of epidemic and famine, counsel in questions about marriage, his advice to other pastors, and even letters he wrote to princes and other rulers.

Luther’s letters are insightful, pastoral, and practical as He addresses the concerns and problems of those two whom he writes. The letters written here are considerably more accessible to the average reader than his more formal writings, and of course, they also contain plentiful doses of Luther’s colorful, candid personality.

Whether you are interested in a particular topic or just want to enjoy the pleasure of Luther’s wit and wisdom, this is a great book to spend some time reading by the light of a fire or a Christmas tree (which was introduced by Luther) during a cold Iowa winter.

A copy of The Anonymous God is available for loan from our church library.

[Pastor's article from St. John's Messenger newsletter, January 2009]

Christmas Day

John 1:1-18

The most well-known Christmas Gospel is Luke, Chapter 2. This is an account of Jesus’ birth which is quite different from the one just read from John. Luke gives us the facts and events of the story in the greatest detail of any of the Gospel writers. Since John is writing to those who already know the story, He takes some time for theological reflection upon Jesus’ birth rather than the details of where and when. This is why our lectionary provides for Luke’s account to be read last night, when we have so many visitors and family among us who need to hear the basics of the story, and then brings John to us this morning. Luke gives the facts. John tells us what they mean.

John starts at the beginning—the very beginning. The similarity of these words to the first words of Genesis is no coincidence. John starts with Jesus and the Father together before creation, when together they made the heavens and the earth. The story of Jesus does not begin with His birth in Bethlehem. He existed as God from eternity, but on the Bethlehem night the divine Son of God took on a body like ours, still fully God, but now also human.

He was not born as the result of the ordinary course of conception. While under normal circumstances, children are conceived from the genetic line of two parents, either by their willful choice, or at least as the unintended result of their passion, Jesus was conceived by the supernatural power of God, carried to Mary’s ears on the words of the Angel.

Likewise, we become children of our Heavenly Father by remarkably different means than we become children of our earthly parents. The reach of the sin with which we were born was so deep that we were incapable of overcoming it, so, as the only one capable of fulfilling the requirements of the Law, God became man to live sinlessly in our place, and defeated death for us by the cross. Just as Jesus was not born by the natural power of human action, so it is with all children of God. We are made Christians not by our own effort or will, but by the power of God. He calls, gathers, enlightens. He converts. He justifies. He sanctifies, and we are given life.

The spiritual thoughts of the world are nothing but sin, for they were conceived as the natural product of sinful hearts, and they are powerless to overcome the darkness of death, but the Light of the World has been revealed to us this day. If it is God you seek, look no further than the body laid upon the wood of the manger, nailed to the wood of the cross, and present upon the wood of this altar today, for it is His light to which we look rather than our dark hearts, and it is His body and blood upon which we feast for the forgiveness of our sins, for He is God made known to us.