I wasn't exhausted or on the edge of burnout. I wasn't seeking anything. But for the first couple of weeks, my Lilly-funded sabbatical, traveling for free, being disconnected from the internet and the synod, being with my wife, kids, and dad, felt almost like paradise. It was delightful, really fun, and It crossed my mind that I might never want to come back.
That faded quickly.
- Nov 18, 2008 07:37:58
I was just told that the LSB Service Builder advocates dropping the Thanksgiving, before the Post-Communion Collect, during Advent. Is there historic precedent for this?
I have never heard of this and know of no one who does it. I am deeply curious. ...
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Nov 18, 2008 15:09:31
Re: LSB: Drop Thanksgiving for Advent? -(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Rev. PTM
Hmmm....perhaps before hitting the panic button on a public bog, somebody might have thought to ask somebody at CPH and inquire if this was something intentional, or a mistake. Maybe next time? One can hope.
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Nov 18, 2008 09:17:06
Re: LSB: Drop Thanksgiving for Advent? -(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Sean
So computers are writing new rubrics for us? This is stranger than fiction.
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Nov 18, 2008 08:51:20
Re: LSB: Drop Thanksgiving for Advent? -(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Ryan Markel
Builder users should receive a data update later today. After that update, the next time they plan DS3, this won't occur. I just finished inputting a fix.
It was a problem with only the settings in DS3 for some reason, but it should be all set now.
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Nov 18, 2008 08:25:26
Re: LSB: Drop Thanksgiving for Advent? -(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Ryan Markel
If it does, then it shouldn't, and someone should report it to me, so I can fix it. We haven't heard this until now.
http://cphconnect....builder/askforhelp
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Nov 18, 2008 08:15:34
Re: LSB: Drop Thanksgiving for Advent? -(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Josh Osbun
Service Builder is also saying that the Nicene Creed is removed during Advent. I had never heard that one before. Do you know anything about that practice?
- Nov 18, 2008 07:31:23
Lutheran orthodoxy is prone to multiple abuses. Rev. Wayne Graumann is on to something with his journal's fear of the "purity cult." There is a temptation to legalism born of zeal for the truth. It wants to fix the synod by rules. I think, btw, that Rev. Matthew Harrison proposes
quite a thoughtful alternative to that.
- Nov 17, 2008 17:47:21
I encourage you to read
Its Time by Rev. Matthew Harrison. In direct contrast to the standard bellyaching about post-modernism and badly behaving Christians, Rev. Harrison provides incredible Theological insight into what ails the LCMS and also provides an actual viable solution that grows out of our Theology rather than circumventing...
- Nov 17, 2008 05:30:38
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Nov 17, 2008 15:06:00
Re: The Threat to Concordia U. and CTS-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Todd
"and are even richer when we also count Concordia St. Catharines as one of our own."
What does that make Concordia Lutheran Sem., Edmonton, AB?
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Nov 17, 2008 11:51:05
Re: The Threat to Concordia U. and CTS-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Fredric J. Einstein
What are its "current struggles" Fr. Petersen? I am not familiar with the inner workings of the LCMS seminaries.
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Nov 17, 2008 11:57:38
Re: The Threat to Concordia U. and CTS-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Petersen
The "current struggles" are the same as those endured by the colleges in the article: money and students. CTS has always struggled, to some degree, to have enough of both.
So why struggle? Why not shut down? Couldn't CS-StL hold both student bodies? It probably couldn't though I suppose if you were to get millions of dollars for the CTS campus and throw it at StL they'd be happy to try. Come to think of it, they'd probably be quite happy to try in any case. They'd love to have more applicants than they could take and all the sem money and influence coming to or from them. But that really wouldn't be best for them or for the synod. We benefit greatly from having two seminaries and are even richer when we also count Concordia St. Catharines as one of our own.
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Nov 17, 2008 12:54:08
Re: The Threat to Concordia U. and CTS-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Fredric J. Einstein
Is this "current struggle" one that is more dire than the perenial desire to recruit students and raise funds? Has there been mention somewhere of "if we can't get more funding by a certain date, we'll have to close down"? In short, is the seminary in immediate danger of having to shut down?
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Nov 17, 2008 13:36:36
Re: The Threat to Concordia U. and CTS-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Petersen
I don't think the seminary will shut down. But the danger is there. They live hand-to-mouth, donation to donation,that hand has been getting slower and progressively having less in it in the last year.
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Nov 17, 2008 15:52:21
Re: The Threat to Concordia U. and CTS-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Pr. H. R. Curtis
Living close in to St. Louis, we hear the same stuff about the local campus. I have to wonder: is this the "market" talking? Do we really need all these pastors ? I remain very skeptical about all the dire forecasts of pastor shortages - most of which seem to be based on fanciful scenarios of booming church plants. Maybe the donors are thinking the same. . .
I agree that we are much better off with the back and forth, competition, etc. of two seminaries. The presentation from the former WELS folks up at Gottesdienst Oktoberfest included a warning about the dangers of an overly centralized seminary structure. If the seminaries combine and lose that competition, I think it would be very bad for the synod.
+HRC
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Nov 17, 2008 07:18:15
Re: The Threat to Concordia U. and CTS-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Petersen
I didn't mean to say that CTS will shut down, but simply to show that its current struggles are not unique. The article doesn't expect that many actual closings. For those outside of Ft. Wayne, Taylor U., referenced in the article, is only a few blocks from Redeemer on Rudisill. CS-StL is heavily endowed and enjoys the prestige of being in the same city (almost) as the synod hq, CPH, etc. There is no threat there when it comes to students and finances. But CTS fights for every student and dollar.
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Nov 17, 2008 17:20:39
Re: The Threat to Concordia U. and CTS-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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mietzner
As a student at St. Louis, I can tell you that all we hear about are the lack of endowments/finances and fewer applicants. It seems to me that not only our seminaries, but also our entire synod, are more or less freaking out about everything related to numbers. This is good for a church that isnt about numbers!
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Nov 17, 2008 06:38:54
Re: The Threat to Concordia U. and CTS-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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D Dahling
If we are to learn anything from history remember the walkout at St. Louis in the early 1970’s. We need two seminaries if nothing more then to keep them both honest. The challenge within our University system the mantra is heard throughout the Synod, “Not my Concordia.” I anticipate a few mergers in the coming years albeit it will be painful.
- Nov 15, 2008 12:52:04
For some time I've hated the fact that I can't pronounce German like a German. I can't mimic well enough. I have a terrible American accent. It turns out there may be more to it than my lacking abilities. Our brains are wired for sound and when they get hurt that wiring can change. Check this out:
Foriegn Accent Syndrome ...
- Nov 15, 2008 06:36:19
Rev. Steven Starke has started a blog.
http://starkekirchenlieder.blogspot.com/
He comments on hymns, very nice.
Rev. Starke is an LCMS pastor and hymnwriter. He also served on the hymnal committee for LSB and contributes many hymns to it.
...
- Nov 14, 2008 05:21:15
Rev. Scot Kinnaman has been providing the rationale and process behind TDP. I wrote " White Paper 5." You can find it and links to the others here:
Treasury White Papers
If you haven't bought this yet do it before Dec 24. Right now they can be had for about $35. But on Dec 24 the...
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Nov 14, 2008 23:23:01
Re: More Treasury Promotion-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Todd
The link in the original post is dead/empty.
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Nov 14, 2008 12:51:48
Re: More Treasury Promotion-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Mike Keith
It is not great to be changing translations all the time - agreed. However, among many - here is a reason to do so at this time from the NIV = sovereign Lord. What a terrible translation. The Reformed emphasis oozes. Yuck. For that reason alone it is worth changing to the ESV.
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Nov 14, 2008 13:11:27
Re: More Treasury Promotion-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Robert Wurst
In our (limited) case, those were never in play.
New King James, if anybody is interested. Please, CPH guys, don't go on about its weaknesses. They all have them . . . :)
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Nov 17, 2008 20:47:08
Re: More Treasury Promotion-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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helen
We have LSB at church and I have one of my own.
I've been given the Treasury, too.
So I will learn ESV in my old age.
But I haven't given up my KJV or forgotten quite all the yards of it I memorized once. :)
So hang in there, Pr. Wurst! You probably have a few people who would like to die still able to say their catechism.
PTM: Pity you could make a rule that would eliminate Marquart, but you couldn't get Starcke down to at least one less than Luther. (You'd think modesty would have done it.)
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Nov 14, 2008 14:06:07
Re: More Treasury Promotion-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Rev. Paul T. McCain
Rob, you are entitled to your opinion, no matter how wrong it is.
: )
The reality is that The LCMS has chosen to make the ESV its translation of choice for all worship materials, and all LCMS publications are following this lead with all curriculum materials, all devotional materials, all books and magazines and all other published materials as new ones come on line. It is the translation of choice used for worship on both of our seminaries.
Oh, yea...and you sure won't want to miss The Lutheran Study Bible. You'll just have to grin and bear it that it is in ESV.
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Nov 16, 2008 10:57:04
Re: More Treasury Promotion-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Susan G
>>The reality is that The LCMS has chosen to make the ESV its translation of choice for all worship materials, and all LCMS publications are following this lead with all curriculum materials, all devotional materials, all books and magazines and all other published materials as new ones come on line.
Paul, when was that decided? I remember that it was discussed at convention, and the convention decided that ESV would not be used in the catechism, but that we would stick with the words we had already learned by heart. I remember that it was discussed at convention with regard to LSB, and that ESV was chosen as the primary translation, but that there would be rare places in LSB where other translations would be used. But when you make a statement like "LCMS has chosen to make ESV the translation of choice," I am not sure where that comes from. Is it that LCMS has chosen ESV, or that CPH has chosen ESV? Can you help me out here?
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Nov 16, 2008 17:19:42
ESV Question-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Rev. PTM
Susan, kindly read what I said a bit more carefully. The LCMS clearly chose to make the ESV its translation of choice for all worship materials. I'm sure you just made a little mistake in not quoting me accurately, Susan. But that would explain your confusion.
The recommendation that the Synod use the ESV translation in its new hymnal and all related resources was part and parcel of the LSB project.
Studies were done both the LSB translation committee and by a committee of the CTCR. Both reports were widely publicized and study materials were sent to every circuit in the Synod on the issue. Nobody can say that the use of the ESV in the hymnal was any sort of surprise. On the floor of the convention, as the resolution to adopt the hymnal was put forward there was a question of clarification from the floor and it was again made very clear that in adopting the LSB, the Synod recognized it was accepting the CoW's proposal to use the ESV as the translation of choice in the hymnal.
Precisely because we do recognize the value of being on the same page, and in line with the Synod's choice to make the ESV the main Bible translation in its hymnals, lectionary, agenda, etc. CPH has, since the adoption of the ESV, used the ESV as our translation of choice in all our published resources.
By the way, I doubt you learned the 1986 translation of the Small Catechism by heart, in your confirmation years, and I suspect, like me, the words you did learn by heart can't be shaken when you recite the various parts of the catechism.
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Nov 14, 2008 14:39:25
Re: More Treasury Promotion-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Robert Wurst
:)
The LCMS is in a continual whirl. I'll just wait 'til it spins back my way!
*Another* Study Bible . . . will wonders never cease . . .
I didn't think the world had enough Study Bibles. Glad to see that we are keeping up . . . .
Oh . . .
I may be wrong. But so are you! :D
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Nov 14, 2008 17:36:31
Re: More Treasury Promotion-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Rev. Paul T. McCain
Rob, the only people you are hurting with your attitude is your flock. If you deprive them of TLSB, you'll be doing them a tremendous disservice, and ditto with the Treasury of Daily Prayer. Too bad you are putting your personal opinions ahead of them.
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Nov 15, 2008 06:37:13
Re: More Treasury Promotion-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Robert Wurst
I'm sorry.
I should have never brought this whole thing up. It is a minor frustration and I gave it vent. It was not wise nor was it helpful to anyone.
Sorry, David, for littering your good blog with low comments. Sorry, Paul, for giving you another dose of complaining and bile. Neither of you need it.
Mea culpa. I repent.
No more blogs for me for a while :)
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Nov 15, 2008 08:53:35
Re: More Treasury Promotion-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Rev. Paul T. McCain
Rob, no problem. Everybody's teeth seem to be a bit "on edge" these days.
Seriously, Rob, I do hope you give the Treasury a good look-see. I think you will find it to be a tremendous blessing, both personally, and for your congregation. Dave did a great job with the writings. I have been using it every day since I first got my hands on one and continue to be continually delighted and amazed at how good it is. It's addicting! And that's a good thing.
God bless.
PTM
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Nov 14, 2008 20:56:44
Re: More Treasury Promotion-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Robert Wurst
I knew I'd see CPH teeth
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Nov 14, 2008 12:35:41
Re: More Treasury Promotion-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Robert Wurst
Well . . . it doesn't match what we use in the Divine Service (we didn't get on the NIV train either) or in Bible classes or in Sunday School . . . so it is the odd version. I suppose, if we were rich, that we could have a "bailout" and swap everything out. We're not. If we did do it, how do I know that CPH won't choose *another* version five years down the road? I don't.
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Nov 14, 2008 11:09:10
Re: More Treasury Promotion-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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ScotK
Having the flock reading the Scriptures every day in the same version would certainly go a long way toward the words sounding familiar. But then I personally appreciate the ESV more than I ever did the NIV; it sounds more like the RSV which was my confirmation translation the only version I knew until I got to seminary. So that is my bias.
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Nov 14, 2008 10:59:59
Re: More Treasury Promotion-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Robert Wurst
I know that I will get slammed for this, but . . .
the use of ESV is a stopper for me.
We keep changing versions on our flocks. Words never get to sound familiar to them. Buy a new Bible - again. For all the wealth in that new book, the use of *another* version is holding me back.
I fully expect the CPH teeth to flash here. Oh well . . .
- Nov 13, 2008 14:51:05
We were assaulted by a rabid atheist in Germany. This poor chap was convinced that all religion is poison and the cause of every bad thing that has ever happened in the world. He was apparently unaware of the Soviet Union. He was also unaware that Christianity started the first major hospitals, universities, orphanages, pension homes, and the like in the West. He was unaware that atheists don't gi...
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Nov 17, 2008 11:46:51
Re: Atheist = Ahistoric-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Dante
I'm sorry to hear that you were assaulted - as someone who considers himself atheist I'm embarrassed. Would you mind sharing the context of the assault? Did he just start attacking people randomly on a train?
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Nov 17, 2008 11:52:42
Re: Atheist = Ahistoric-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Petersen
He did not start attacking people randomly. He was our paid tour guide. It was probably the worst thing I've ever paid for. He was on the offense because he was reading a book entitled something like "Religious poison." He wanted to lecture us about it. Unfortunately, we were trapped and he was a zealot and full of hate.
I am well aware that not all atheists behave this way or even hold to views like his.
I am also sorry that I wrote that atheists don't give to charity. That is simply not true. Some atheists do. But atheists on the whole do not do or support the kind of charity and mercy work that Christians, as a whole, do.
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Nov 17, 2008 10:28:17
Re: Atheist = Ahistoric-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Christopher Orr
Rev. Mayes,
I think I have seen in a few places that this statistic is wrong when you actually crunch the numbers - though the 20th Century was by far the bloodiest. I think it is true, however, that the 20th Century martyrs far outnumbered the martyrs under the pagan Roman Empire (not sure what would happen if you add in martyrs under Zoroastrian Persia and Islam.)
Rev. Petersen,
The point is very well taken and appreciated, but I think you overstepped and thus undercut the reliability of your argument ("He was unaware that atheists don't give to charity or to help the poor" is just not true; 'don't' is far different than 'give far less'). I would love to see some actual statistics on these points as they would be extremely important.
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Nov 15, 2008 18:42:03
Re: Atheist = Ahistoric-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Jeff
I know of atheists who give to charity...
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Nov 13, 2008 18:23:12
Re: Atheist = Ahistoric-(Click here to respond to this comment.)
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Rev. Benjamin T. G. Mayes
A recent guest on Issues, Etc. made the point that atheistic regimes in the 20th centuary have killed more innocent people than all the religions of the world (including Islam) in all of history.
- Nov 13, 2008 05:29:19
Wow. Go check this out:
The Life of A Pastor's Wife
Who hasn't felt this way: "When I allow myself to think about all I did intend to do I get pretty angry. When I allow myself to remember that no one thinks all that much of what I am doing I get pretty sad."
What she...
- Nov 12, 2008 07:36:05
This video from Slate is pretty funny:
Canada's Elite Program...
- Nov 12, 2008 07:08:09
Quote:
My God, I love You, not because
I hope for Heaven because of it,
Nor because those who do not love You
die eternally.
But I love You, O my Jesus, because You did
Embrace me upon the cross,
For me, You bore the nails and spear
And manifold disgrace,
For me, You endured grief and torments numberless,...
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