The Three Cs

Check out Fort Wayne Professor Pless' post Fanaticism is Not the Answer ... The New Testament bids us be “sober-minded” (1 Tim 3:11; 2 Tim 4:5; 1 Pet 1:13; 1 Pet 4:7). Rather than becoming intoxicated with a fanaticism to the left or the right, we pray the Lord would give us minds of discernment rooted and grounded in the Holy Scriptures that do not overlook or brush aside the real threat of which the Newtown prayer vigil was a symptom of, namely, the pluralism of American civil religion that requires an even more stringent “no” to unionism and syncretism of every stripe. Indeed, it is for the sake of witness in the public square that we will decline to worship there. Fanaticism is never the answer; faithfulness is. 

In the wake of the Sandy Hook grieving, here is a terrific, and sober, explanation of why LCMS clergy should not engage in syncretism. Surburg's blog: The Grief Ritual of American Civic Religion I didn’t watch the Sandy Hook Interfaith Prayer Vigil when it took place, because I alrea...

The streams of consciousness are beginning to flow regarding the LCMS pastor who gave the benediction at a interfaith "community" service in the wake of the Newtown, Conn., shootings. Apparently, even the media has been weighing in on how our church has responded. For starters, we have our president, the Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, explaining in a post at " Witness, Mercy and Life Together " how he handled the situation ...  I asked Pastor Morris to apologize for taking part in this service. I did this for several reasons: I believe his participation violated the limits set by Scripture regarding joint worship, particularly with those who reject Jesus (Romans 16:17), and was thus a violation of Article VI of the LCMS Constitution. Pastor Morris’s participation gave offense in the Synod, something we are to avoid, even if we are doing something we believe might be appropriate (1 Corinthians 8). I most sincerely desire to avoid deep and public contention in t...