By Joel A. Hess - Looking for Luther to back you up on how worship should be done? Have fun, something for everyone! To sum his thoughts up, I would say he was against keeping things the same for the sake of keeping things the same. Yet equally concerned about people who wanted to change abruptly just because … Continue reading Luther, Friend and Enemy of Us All
By Joel A. Hess - The Church is dying. We need to save the Church. Why are people leaving? If we don't get more young families in here, we won't be here anymore. Christians need to have more kids. Ugh! Have you heard people desperately exclaim these concerns and questions? Probably. Barna Research regularly releases … Continue reading The Church Doesn’t Need People; People Need the Church
By Joel A. Hess - A couple of weeks ago, our president took the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement. No matter your opinion on the matter, it does say something on which Christians, atheists, and everyone else can agree. The earth is beautiful, and we should take care of it. Of course, there … Continue reading God: The Ultimate Environmentalist
By Joel A. Hess - Have you ever made or received a drunk promise? Ridiculous promises you make at 1:00 am, when you're feeling good, hanging with your buddies, after slamming down your third Manhattan. Promises like, “We’re going fishing at 5:00 am tomorrow!” or “You can have my car; I was gonna sell it … Continue reading Is God Drunk?
By Joel A. Hess - Recently, I have been inspired by a book recommended to me by my brothers in Christ Paul Koch and Ross Engel: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. Some of you have probably read Ross’ fantastic post about discipline which was inspired by the same authors. Extreme Ownership is about … Continue reading Extreme Ownership
By Joel A. Hess - In the early 19th century, Wilhelm III nobly pursued the union of Lutheran and Reformed church bodies. In order to accomplish this task, he commissioned a new common liturgical agenda to be used by all churches no matter their theological persuasion. Uniformity achieved! Of course, a couple heads had to … Continue reading Want Uniformity in Worship? Go back to Prussia
By Joel A. Hess - I like to bitch. I like to complain. I like to point out faults in institutions and bureaucrats. I like to throw rocks at hierarchies and hierarchs. I like to make fun of the Church. Quite frankly, it’s easy as long as I don’t have to be the guy in … Continue reading The Church Needs Forgiveness Too
