I was thinking about what to write today. Should I comment on Trump or Biden? Should I explore the effects […]
politics
2020 will be remembered for many things. One thing it should be remembered for is the Church’s deliberative […]
In preparation for the coming election, I had to re-sign my voter registration record. In addition to a […]
“The White House is not their target. The altar and the pulpit are.” So warns Pastor Delwyn Campbell […]
I do daily devotions through my Facebook feed I pray the RealClearPolitics and study the New Republic I […]
Recently, Lutheran scholar John Bombaro wrote a powerful article for 1517.org here. Within, he argues that those who are justified in Christ have had their superficial and shallow identities replaced with the historical occurrence of their own baptisms and are free to love as Christ loves. Pursuits that aim to re-justify a self-image of virtue, therefore, are expressions of a Christian seeking to shackle themselves again to a law that does not fit and will not acquit. “The Christian is free from asinine, self-defined religion, of course, but also the dictates and pressures of every political, social, and ideological agenda the world has to offer.” Amen and amen.
“A fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished.”
Last week, my good friend and colleague, Rev. Paul Koch, wrote an article on this site entitled, “The Church’s Failure in the Crisis”. I’ve known Paul for almost 18 years, and I’m certain that his passionate desire to faithfully serve God’s people led him to write this post. But as much as I respect Paul as a man and fellow pastor, and although I’m confident of the sincere intentions behind his words, I couldn’t more passionately disagree with him.
Several months ago, while assisting on Sunday morning at a Divine Service, I committed a sin.
Sinning at church isn’t a new thing. I’m certain all of us have done so, maybe more often than we’d like or care to admit. But the particulars of my sin on this day troubled me greatly.
By Tim Winterstein – I took my two younger children (9 and 7) to see Apollo 11 this […]
By Paul Koch – Over the years I have read quite a bit about the influence of Scientific […]
By Graham Glover –
It was a sight to behold – an unparalleled display of the majesty of the church and the state. From the time the hearse pulled up to steps of the National Cathedral, until it departed for Joint Base Andrews, the funeral service for George H.W. Bush was truly magnificent.
By Graham Glover –
There are millions of Americans who hate abortion. I’m one of them.
There are millions of Americans who wish most abortions were illegal. I too am one of them.
By Paul Koch –
Over the years I have read quite a bit about the influence of Scientific Management in our schools, corporations and military but I had never really thought much about its influence in the church. Scientific Management views efficiency as the highest good. So if you want a good and well-oiled society the best way to get it is to engineer it to be as efficient as possible. Schools need to track students and guide them to fill a specific role in society and so people are viewed as part of a machine, each providing a crucial piece and working with the highest efficiency. Such things don’t happen by chance; they need to be scientifically managed to reach the best outcome.
By Joel A. Hess –
Although it has died down since the Donald took office, many prominent Christians and Christian organizations have been on a crusade to preserve the First Amendment in this country. No doubt, it has been under assault over the last 10 years as Hollywood and despotic judges have been on a Marxist-like campaign to force businesses, individuals and even churches to conform to their new puritanical morality concerning same-sex relationships, abortion, contraception, etc. Recently, the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod established an office in Washington to join their much bigger cousin’s campaign.
By Graham Glover –
I spend a lot of time on Capitol Hill these days. Sometimes I interact with Members of Congress, other times their Staffers. A lot of time I just watch. But no matter who I’m talking to or what I’m observing, the one thing that is blatantly obvious, even to the political outsider, is how divided the people are who make up this place. While our institutions aren’t broken, our people clearly are, and it’s not getting any better.
By Graham Glover –
Most of you who will read this probably don’t consider yourself a pluralist. Although we’ve never surveyed the readers of the Jagged Word, I’m pretty sure most of you have a pretty rigid way of viewing things, from politics to theology and everything in between.
By Graham Glover –
Worthless.
Broken.
Corrupt.
These are just a few of the words I’ve heard over the last few days to describe the city where I live. Not that it’s entirely different at other times, but people don’t feel too great about the recent shenanigans going on in Washington, D.C.
By Graham Glover –
Some think it’s reached the point of absurdity. Our politics that is. These past few months (actually, this past year and a half) has not seen our politics at their best. Like many of you, I’m still a bit shocked that we’ve gotten here and increasingly saddened as to why we debate the asinine issues we think are important. Although I remain optimistic that things will improve (naively, perhaps), I’m certain that I’ll be banging my head against the proverbial wall this week, sighing out loud as I watch, listen, and even partake in this thing we call politics.
By Graham Glover –
That’s right, with authors currently in Florida, California, Michigan, Washington, Illinois, and Arkansas, and readers located around the world, the Jagged Word will soon be represented in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C.!