The Nihil Rule

  What Your Church Gave Up When It Gave Up Hymnals — Expository Parenting Ministries Recommended by a friend...  I really enjoyed this article and thought it offered some food for thought to confessional Lutherans. The article starts out talking about the development of contemporary worship and the so-called 'worship wars.' We Lutherans may be tempted to pride at this point.  To the best of my knowledge no WELS parish uses smoke machines and each one has at least a basic Gospel message. But the extreme deviations in other denominations - whether in contemporary worship or social views - gives us cover to deviate ever so slightly and maintain the cloak of orthodoxy. In worship, we can decide to worship from a bulletin - so convenient for our guests - or implement screens, child care during worship (shudder), Pastors in skinny jeans and Pastors with a guitar slung around their back. Maybe your Pastor retained vestments, but under the cover of extreme Liberal churches that are acc

We previously discussed Wauwatosa theologian  John Schaller's take on Lutheran education , and Wauwatosa appreciator Travis Berg's take on American foreign policy , now it's time for J P Koehler to chime in with a few concise sentences that get to the heart of the matter. From his excellent "Sanctification is not Hurrah" translated in serial in Faith-Life magazine (quote appears in Vol XXIV, No. 9, pg 13, 1951): "When much clamor is made in the school fight about the efficiency of the American state-school rearing and about our American statecraft in general, then to a great extent that does not correspond with the truth. It isn't true that our American political exertions contribute to the welfare of the world , or to our people themselves. It isn't true that the irreligious public-school training can be of any special blessing to our people . It isn't necessary to enlarge on that here. Anyone among us who doesn't recognize that or hasn't

“This union [of divine and human natures] took place for us men and for our salvation and was directed toward the work of redemption and the rule and priesthood of the Messiah. For since the redemption had to take place through the suffering and death, the human nature was necessary. And since the serpent’s head had to be crushed by divine power through death, the divine nature was also necessary in the person of the Redeemer. It pleased God that for our comfort our assumed nature might be employed for the work of the kingship, the priesthood, and the lordship of Christ . . .” -Martin Chemntiz, The Two Natures in Christ, trans. J. A. O. Preus (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971), 71.

 

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder : and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. "  

  "It is a pity and dreadful cowardice when a person sacrifices the good ancient church customs to please the deluded American sects, lest they accuse one of being papistic!"  ( Essays for the Church , 1:194)

Today we'll look at a  private YouTube video discussing the potential restructuring of the Council/Elders and committees at St John's in Lewiston, MN. Apparently, a similar model has been employed at Trinity in Waukesha, WI and Good Shepard in Holmen, WI. Rev. Jon Hein was involved in consulting for this change. When the upper echelons of Synod are involved, it's best to pay attention, as it is likely coming to a church near you. The cat is let out of the bag six minutes in:  "while recognizing the doctrinal principles of the roles of men and women in the Church, be able to encourage, or at least allow, much more interaction and understanding from our women in our decisions and the ministry we are doing here. We are recognizing the challenges we have in front of us [implied: lack of men to fill roles] and really want to emphasize the partnership that Christ emphasizes in working with men and women." I'm curious where they find the proof text of Christ emphasi

 

(stock image from wels.net) Shared from a friend on Facebook... It looks like Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has closed their Early Childhood Education (ECE) center  (aka Early Childhood Ministries (ECMs)) due to "rising costs and worker shortages" even after receiving $360,000 in COVID money . Having worked for a small business during and post-'ronatide, I can empathize. I have a heart for the folks out of a job. The WELS is very high on ECM's. Let's consider a frequently asked question article on ECM's Q: It seems there is a growing trend toward early childhood programs in general. What are the contributing factors to this? Holman: “One factor is the changing dynamics of society. In a typical home today, it’s more common that both parents would be seeking employment outside the home, which often leads to the need for childcare.” So the WELS sees the Gospel as conforming the mores of society,  “Another factor is the research that

While the meme contrasts the style of Evangelical prayer with the style of a Roman Catholic prayer, I think the same comparison can be drawn with extemporaneous prayer and liturgical prayer - prayers written hundreds or thousands of years ago and prayed throughout church history to this very day, connecting the modern Christian with his predecessors in the faith. We have these prayers embedded in the Liturgy and found in various prayer books, for example Starck's Prayer Book . While there is room for prayer from the heart, we know that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). Just as we look to the solid words of Scripture and its explication in the Lutheran Confessions, we can look to the solid prayers of Scripture and the saints who went before us. Words that have been tried and tested and found to be true, then and now. "I didn't like it. Not at first. I do not think I am all that unusual in my opinion either. Starck's prayers