For Rural Lutherans During this Drought


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Reflections on the Fall of a Pastor

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Tullian Tchividjian, the well known pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, has resigned his position.  According to his own statement both he and his wife committed adultery.  This disqualifies him from the pastoral office.  He has willingly acknowledged his affair and peacefully stepped aside. It is a sad day when a pastor must resign his call for any reason, but especially for living an immoral life.  Tchividjian's case gives a great deal of pause for Lutherans in particular since he was highly influenced by Luther's writings and those of contemporary Lutheran scholars such as Robert Kolb.  Tullian, in recent years, has sought to clarify the proper distinction of Law and Gospel in his own preaching as well as to spread that teaching to a wider audience. As Lutherans we have a high view of God's Word in general and of the Gospel in particular.  When a Lutheran pastor falls into temptation does he really need to resign?  Can he not simply be ...
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One Thing Ken Ham Didn't Say, but Should Have

Tonight came the debate between Ken Ham (creationist) and Bill Nye (evolutionist).  All things considered I thought it was a good debate, a debate from which the people who plan out presidential debates could learn a great many things. There was one point toward the end where the moderator, who also did a fine job of remaining neutral, asked the two men questions gathered from the audience.  One question in particular caught my attention.  It was directed at Ken Ham. He was asked if there were any evidence that could be given that would convince him that the Biblical account of creation was false.  I do not recall his exact answer, but effectively he said "no".  No evidence could shake him in his conviction that God created the world in 6 days. As a Christian, as a 6-day creationist, I was disappointed in this.  Mr Ham did not have the questions beforehand.  He did not have the advantage of hindsight (which I have now).  So I don't want to b...
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How to Read a Book (especially one written by someone with different beliefs)

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Lutherans have very distinctive beliefs and firmly held convictions about the radical nature and content of the Gospel.  This is a good thing.  Lutherans who confess the articles of the Christian faith as explained in the Book of Concord have a firm grasp of who Jesus Christ is and exactly what He has done for redeem us from sin, death and hell. This is not something they should give up.  This is a distinctive that must endure for the sake of the whole Church, for the sake of the whole world.The Good News of Jesus Christ must be proclaimed, and no other. However, this great positive can sometimes manifest itself as a negative when Lutherans become overly critical of other Christians (or non-Christians) who write books.  Our knee-jerk reaction is to criticize everything that is wrong with the book, and never to consider what it might have to teach us. The problem with this hyper-critical attitude is that it is a denial of the Gospel.  (More on that ...
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