Ripped from the Headlines

Three news stories and one ad measured on the BO-radar today.
1) The Today show has changed its wedding contest rules to allow same-sex couples to participate. If the squeaky wheel gets the grease, then it's little wonder same-sex rights are becoming mainstream. The secular media and church denominations have become so accepting of such that it is eroding family values. Sorry, guys, family values are not "make your own family of whomever you want" and call it good. Sure, there is a human bond of people, but a family is still mom, dad, children. We've eliminated dads from the picture long ago, now we're working on the rest.
2) An article in today's Post-Dispatch outlines why a person has decided not to say the Pledge of Allegiance. The reason given is as follows:

I've been uneasy with it for awhile, ever since I genuinely paid attention to the fact that I've been making a loyalty oath to a political system. In my heart, my life, I want no king but Jesus, and I want no association--political, geographic, ethnic--that transcends the Kingdom of God. The tension goes far beyond a pledge, of course, The question, as Shane Claiborne says, is not whether we ARE political, but HOW we are political.

Luther reminds us in his Table of Duties that scripture says we are to submit to the governing authorities. It is not wrong to formally declare loyalty as a citizen to the United States, our government under which we live. We're not merely addressing niceties to a scrap of cloth, but saying that we will submit to the authority of "the Republic for which it stands." It's better than being deported to Russia.
3) Presbyterians in their convention supported a proposal to encourage the U.S. government to end aid to Israel if the country doesn't stop expansion into disputed territories. It's fine to be globally concerned as a church body, but maybe the Presbyterians should work on getting their doctrine and church body in order before worrying about international incidents which do not involve them. Work, instead to realign your doctrine and practice. I encourage all church bodies so to do.
4) Need a bed? Try a John of God crystal healing bed. I don't even want to know.

Ads

Having received junk mail to excess, and having seen the junk mail which arrives at churches and schools, I have wondered what kind of junk mail goes to the main office of a baseball/football/basketball stadium. I bet it's boring ads for trash cans or something.
While sorting the school mail, I found two amusing ads. Often I toss them in the recycle bin, some I keep just for my amusement.
Ad #1: T-shirts and sweatshirts from Apostle in Training Ministries. Their tagline reads, "A Fundraiser that Glorifies God!" Two questions: First, how, specifically, does a fundraiser glorify God? Is it because the product has a cross on it? I'm a bit skeptical on that claim. Second, what's an apostle in training? Is that like training for the marathon? I thought the apostolic age was over. Maybe if it read "Synchronious sinner/saint" or even "disciple in training" I might go for it. I'll pass on the "Follower's Testimony," by the way.
Ad #2: Continuing Education Units for Biblical Credit from "Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram". Among the courses offered are "Why I Believe," "Good to Great in God's Eyes," How to Land the Job of Your Dreams," and "How to be a Christian Without Being Religious." These studies "are rooted in Scripture" and "free of denominational bias." Again, I'm a bit skeptical. "Why I Believe" sounds pretty good, but can it truly be free of denominational bias? I wonder how one could be a Christian without being religious and remain rooted in the Bible. Thanks, Pastor Chip, all the same, but (a) I was always told me not to walk near the edge, especially when the slope is slippery and (b) I'll continue with my Book of Concord study.

Musings from the Week Past

If you stop by regularly (or not), you may notice that I update sporadically. I read some blogs where the author posts daily or even multiple posts daily. The must have more important things to say than I. A friend of mine back in college used to say very little. When he did speak, it was rather profound. I, on the other hand, talk constantly yet often stay within the realm of superficial. Maybe this explains the lags between posts. I am waiting for the profoundness to strike; however, it is rather elusive.
In lieu of anything profound, I offer a few reflections from the week:
February 2 was Groundhog Day. It was also the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple. The masses wait for a marmot to determine the short-term future weather. Do the masses wait, as Simeon and Anna, for a Messiah to determine the future of humanity? We anticipate the onset of spring, but do we anticipate the onset of Lent? Do we look forward as anxiously to following the Christ to Calvary where He accomplishes salvation for the whole world as we do to finding out the future of meteorology? Do we echo the words of Simeon who said, “Lord, now let your servant depart in peace according to your word; for mine eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of all people”? Do we as eagerly as Anna to tell all those around about Immanuel, God with us? Or do we hunker down in the cold, waiting for a rodent to determine the coming of light and warmth?
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We often get textbook ads at our school. This week it was for 7-8 grade religion curriculum (“relevant program for teens”) entitled Finding God. To quote Forrest Gump, “I didn’t know I was supposed to be looking for Him.” The advertisement touted the book’s “culturally relevant material” which will “engage young people on their faith journey” and its “attention-grabbing format” which “appeals to adolescents who are tired of ordinary textbooks.” It encouraged educators to preview the textbooks online with the line: “Help us preserve God’s environment!” The whole ad struck me as quite catch phrase heavy for Roman Catholic textbooks. I guess postmodernism is stealthily infiltrating all denominations.
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To wrap up: I gave a friend a ride from a local church to the airport. Some of the campus’s buildings were marked as follows: Student Center, Worship Center, and Community Lobby. I wonder--why is the building which looks the least permanent the Worship Center, and what is a Community Lobby?