Here’s a sermon written by my friend, Pastor Aaron Hamilton. Pastor Hamilton serves at Hope Lutheran Church, West Jordan, Utah. Continue reading “Rather than devouring each other, we dine on our Lord!”
Month: July 2006
Confessional Language: C.F.W. Walther’s Essays for the Church
This is found in volume 1, p. 82. The fruits of what is described in the extended quotation are plain to see in the ELCA today, and elsewhere. This remains an important warning for confessional Lutherans today. — ed.
It is extremely important to recognize how necessary it is to place the church’s teachers under obligation not merely not to depart from the Symbols [Creeds and Confessions] in doctrine but also in terminology. Perhaps no other time than our own so proves how necessary it is that those who teach publicly in the church use the right terminology. Recent theologians use language that is incomprehensible not only to the laypeople but also to most pastors. Not only can such horrible, monstrous language not promote explanation of the truth, but it must also inevitably produce error. Our old theologians, even when they are discussing ever so important and difficult points of doctrine, use language that everyone can understand. Continue reading “Confessional Language: C.F.W. Walther’s Essays for the Church”
Linux, TurboPrint and Canon Pixma
I just installed a new printer where I do most of my computer work. It involved many steps, but the results have been excellent. To understand the many steps, you have to know first that I don’t use MS Windows or even the Mac OS. I was running [Kubuntu](http://www.kubuntu.org Kubuntu) “Dapper Drake” on this machine, and it was very nice to use. Historically, the main trouble with any Linux-based computer has been hardware support for new hardware. This has changed dramatically in the last few years. In fact, I was surprised to find that the manufacturer of this new printer actually offers a Linux driver for it.
Another ELS Bright Spot, sort of.
This is another speech from the ELS convention, made by one of our pastors from the convention floor. I will leave him nameless for now. Though he only spoke for himself, many other pastors seem to share his thoughts and position. The good thing about this is that he was not suspended for saying this. His speech has several comments from the chairman embedded within it.
I should say that I sympathize with this approach, but it is not the approach I have taken with the PMW statement. Instead of saying that I can’t figure out what it means, I have interpreted it in a specific way that agrees with the Lutheran Confessions. I have published this interpretation here, with a more comprehensive explanation linked from the end of that page. While this is the only interpretation of the PMW that I can accept, I am still open to adjustments, if they are well-founded. Continue reading “Another ELS Bright Spot, sort of.”
In the interest of concord in the Church
We judge that the greatest possible public concord which can be maintained without offending consciences ought to be preferred to all other interests. Apology XV, 52
What a bold judgment to make, and useful! So you’d like your church body to have a doctrinal statement that expresses something in more detail than what is confessed in the Book of Concord? If it is not a matter of conscience, and the resulting doctrinal statement would disrupt the concord of the church, then it is contrary to the Apology to go ahead and adopt the doctrinal statement.
ELS Bright Spot: A Speech at Convention
Now, for a little good news. It’s actually quite good, for everyone to whom it was meant to apply. Unfortunately, I don’t think that includes the pastor currently under suspension, and whose suspension is under appeal. Yet if we could make this speech and the included pledge retroactive to January 1 of this year, then I don’t think there would be a suspension, either.
The following is transcripted from the Thursday morning, a speech from President Moldstad after the convention voted to give him the floor. He was speaking about a motion I may post later, which attempted to make the PMW descriptive, rather than prescriptive for the synod in the interest of creating a setting where the merits and problems of PMW could be discussed openly, without fear of reprisal. Continue reading “ELS Bright Spot: A Speech at Convention”