Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Islam's Future in America - a review
The Lord be with you
In the current issue of Concordia Theological Quarterly is
an article titled “Islam’s Future in America.” It was written by Adam S.Francisco who is Professor and Chair of the History and Political Thought
Department at Concordia University Irvine, Irvine, California.
A link to the article is provided at the end of this review.
In this article, Adam Francisco covers the history of Islam
in America,
beginning with Muslim slaves brought here over two centuries ago and continuing
through today. This review even covers the origin of the now politically
correct idea that Islam is a “religion of peace” and that the radicals have “hijacked”
the religion. One might wonder about the usefulness of such a review however,
in my opinion, no one can have a hope of understanding the present, let alone
what might be coming down the road, unless they know and understand history. He
then examines current trends in the West from moderates to radicals.
In considering the future of Islam in America,
Francisco thinks how everything will shake out “is hard to say, but the trends of
the past that continue to shape the present will most likely persist into the
future.” He also says “We should expect a great bit of diversity amidst
Muslims. There will be Twelver, Sevener, Fiver, and every other sort of Shia
Muslim alongside Sunnis who are progressivists, secularists, Islamists, and
even jihadists. However, the institutions representing American Muslims and
public discourse on the character of Islam in America will be predominantly
Islamist of one sort or another.”
Francisco goes on to write, “Amidst America’s Muslims there
will be and already is a contest for the soul and posture of Islam. Moderates
and progressives are already battling with conservatives. This is mostly an
internal debate, though it has been suggested non-Muslims should seize any
opportunity to promote a moderate Islam.” Francisco, though, points out that others
feel that such an effort is doomed to failure and why, at least some of them, so think.
Francisco also warns, “we should expect more of the violence
happening across the globe to find its way here.” He reminds us, “For religions
committed to a distinction between religion and politics or theology and civil
law the first amendment poses little to no problem to the integrity of that
religion or the state. For Islam—at least classical orthodox versions of it—it does.
Herein lies one of the most basic problems associated with Islam in the West,
particularly in a secular and pluralist democracy like America.”
Francisco ends his article by writing, “Regardless of all
the trends, debates, policies, and postures associated with the problems of
Islam and its future in America, we can count on the fact that Islam is and
will continue to become a part of mainstream American culture. Whether it gets
stirred up in the melting pot or not is anyone’s guess at this point. Whether
it succeeds in influencing the broader culture or not will probably not be
determined by Islam itself, though. Rather, the future of American culture will
be determined by those, as it has been said, who show up for it. Muslims are
poised to do just that. So are secularists. Are Christians? Only the future
will tell.”
Islam is certainly a hot topic in America today. It is refreshing to
read something that is balanced, historical, non inflammatory, and factual. I can
easily recommend this article for all who are interested in how we got to where
we are in America
in reference to Islam, reasonable cautions, and a foundation for understanding
the influences that are shaping American Islam for its future.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Rickert
Commemoration of Jerome, Translator of Holy Scripture
The Lord be with you
Today, on our church calendar, we celebrate the
Commemoration of Jerome, Translator of Holy Scripture. Back in 2012 I made a
post on this blog concerning Jerome. As I have nothing to add to what I wrote
then, I’m simply providing a link to that article.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Rickert
Free to Be Faithful Fall Newsletter
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Tuesday, September 29, 2015
The Divine Presence within the Cloud - a review
The Lord be with you
Concordia Theological Quarterly is a peer reviewed
journal that I receive. In the most recent issue (Volume 79; Number 1-2;
January/April 2015) is an article by Walter A. Maier III titled The Divine Presence within the Cloud (pages
79-102). This post is a review of that article. A link to the article is found at the end of this post.
A Theophany is an appearance of God to people but the
presence of God is veiled in some fashion to protect the people. To put that
another way, theophanies both reveal and conceal God. They are, then, marks of
God’s great mercy in at least two ways. First, God appears to someone. Second,
God ensures that that person is not harmed by the appearance. All theophanies
may also be considered foreshadows of the Incarnation for in Jesus God indeed
dwelled among us in a visible way, but the divinity was veiled so that being in
the presence of Jesus caused no harm. There are numerous theophanies in the
Bible, such as the burning bush in Exodus 3 or the appearance of the “Divine
Angel” to Abraham in Genesis 18.
This article by Maier deals specifically with ones in which
God’s presence is manifest with/in cloud/s. Maier examines five different cloud
theophanies. First is the pillar of cloud that accompanied Israel during
the Exodus. Second is the cloud of Mount Sinai
when the Law was given. Third is the cloud over the Ark of the Covenant. Fourth
is the cloud that appeared at the Transfiguration of Christ. The fifth is the cloud(s)
of Judgment Day. To do this he examines over forty Bible passages, not counting
references in the footnotes.
From these various cloud theophanies Maier finds, aside from
the standard Theophany deductions found above, that they “conveyed the reality
of the immanence and transcendence of God, that is, his nearness to, and
distance from, the Israelites.” He also writes, “The pillar of cloud, the
mountain cloud, and the atonement-cover cloud reminded the Israelites that God
could be at different locations at the same time. They could speak of Yahweh’s
presence being localized but also confess that Yahweh was omnipresent.” He also
finds that the Sinai event foreshadowed both the Transfiguration of Christ and
his Second Coming.
He concludes, “We see, then, a fundamental relationship
among the clouds examined in this study; the pillar of cloud, the Sinai cloud,
the atonement-cover cloud, the transfiguration cloud, and the cloud(s) of
Christ’s second advent. Within each was, or will be, the divine presence. That
was a blessed reality for the Israelites and for the apostles, and it will be
for us on the Last Day.”
This article would be
an excellent source for a Bible study on this topic. As is common in the
articles for Concordia Theological Quarterly, Maier is actually writing
for pastors, seminary professors, and like professionals. Therefore he refers
to the Hebrew and Greek texts, considers certain textual questions as they
impact the passages examined, and so forth. If you are not familiar with such
things, one point to keep in mind that will make the reading of the article easier
is the abbreviation “ET.” ET stands for English Text. There are times when the breakdown
of chapters and verses in the Masoretic Text (Hebrew text) and the English Text,
as found in a standard English Bible, are not the same. When this happens, the
letters “ET” tell you where to find the reference in your English Bibles.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Rickert
St. Michael and All Angels
The Lord be with you
Today, September 29, is the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. I did a nice post about this day back in 2012, and the link below will take you to it. There is also a nice pod cast concerning this day and the ministry of angels in general, that I posted yesterday. You can just scroll down, or click on the second link.
I should make a correction in the 2012 post. In that post I call the day a "Festival." In reality, in our church, it is a "Feast."
I say nothing about the use of the word "saint" in reference to Michael. The podcast does a good job covering that point.
ST. MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS
PODCAST
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Rickert
Today, September 29, is the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. I did a nice post about this day back in 2012, and the link below will take you to it. There is also a nice pod cast concerning this day and the ministry of angels in general, that I posted yesterday. You can just scroll down, or click on the second link.
I should make a correction in the 2012 post. In that post I call the day a "Festival." In reality, in our church, it is a "Feast."
I say nothing about the use of the word "saint" in reference to Michael. The podcast does a good job covering that point.
ST. MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS
PODCAST
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Rickert
Monday, September 28, 2015
Podcast: St. Michael and All Angels
Tomorrow is the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. I thought some might be interested in this podcast concerning Michael.Dr. Charles Gieschen of Concordia Theological Seminary-Ft. Wayne, IN, is the person being interviewed. Aside from being a professor at CTS, he has written numerous articles and has had published at least two books, Angelomorphic Christology and the Revelation commentary in the Concordia Commentary series.
Another Look at Imago Dei - A Review
The Lord be with you
In classical Lutheran theology, the “Image of God” that
humanity was created in is typically defined as original righteousness,
holiness and blessedness. Other adjectives may be used, but this type of
thinking is the essence. Therefore Adam and Eve were completely without sin,
like God. They were pure, like God. They were completely righteous, like God,
and so forth. When Adam and Eve sinned they lost this Image of God. Now Adam and
Eve are not sinless but sinners. Now they are not pure but polluted, and so
forth.
Most passages dealing with the Image of God can comfortably
fit with this understanding. However there are a few which are more difficult.
This leaves one with the feeling that, while “original righteousness” as the
meaning of the “Image of God” is correct and necessary to the point where to
omit it from ones definition is to have a false definition, it may not be full. Therefore, I read with real interest the
article “Another Look at Imago Dei:
Fulfilled in the Incarnate One,” by Burnell F. Eckardt Jr. in the latest issue
of Concordia Theological Quarterly.
As anyone who knows me and how I read the Old Testament can
testify, I’m always looking for Jesus on those pages. I feel so strongly about
it that I have often said, if you aren’t finding Jesus in the Old Testament you
aren’t reading it correctly. One of the things I like about Eckardt’s “wide”
understanding of the Image of God is that it leads him to write, “In short, the
creation of Adam is the first and most prominent of all the ways in which
Scripture foretells the coming of Christ the perfect man.”
While I shall ponder the implications of this article for
awhile, I can certainly recommend the
article as worth reading. I should say that it isn’t for novice
theologians. If the extent of your theological training is Jr. Confirmation
class or an Adult Instruction class, the subject may prove a bit challenging. He
quotes Church Fathers, refers a bit to the words in the Hebrew text, uses some
Latin, refers to some big-player theologians from modern times (1500 to the
present) and assumes you have an understanding of a classical Lutheran
approach to the Image of God. However, if you value grappling with the
richer meanings of biblical concepts, you will value this article.
You can download it at this link: ANOTHER LOOK AT IMAGO DEI
Back issues of CTQ, including the ones reference in the Imago Dei article, can be found by clicking on this link: CTQ
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert
Hero of the Faith, Maggie Karner, Goes to Heaven
Many of you may remember this remarkable lady when she made national headlines by refusing our cultures death fixation while another individual with the same ailment committed suicide. This press release is from the Reporter and, if you click on the article's title, you can go to the article.
The Rev. Bart Day, executive
director of the LCMS Office of National Mission, recalls the life and death of
Dr. Maggie Karner in the following statement.
“The Lord gave, and the Lord
has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21).
In His perfect timing, the Lord saw
fit Friday, Sept. 25, to draw Dr. Margaret Ann Karner, former director of LCMS
Life Ministries, to Himself.
Maggie served for 12 years, first
under LCMS World Relief and Human Care and then in the Office of National
Mission, as a leading voice for life. Whether promoting abstinence in a
classroom or leading a mercy medical team to a small village in Africa, Maggie confessed with certainty that each life —
from conception to natural death — is a gift from our gracious God.
In 2014, she was diagnosed with a
stage-four glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor. But in between doctor visits
and chemo treatments, the Lord used her voice yet again, through writing and
interviews, to combat a culture and even a media fixated on promoting death. “I
want my girls to learn servanthood and selflessness as they care for me,” she wrote in an article for The Federalist. “And I
also want them to know that, for Christians, our death is not the end.”
And they do. Maggie’s girls — Mary,
Heidi and Annie — along with her husband of 30 years, the Rev. Kevin Karner,
did just that: caring for their mother and wife with grace and confidence until
Jesus called her to Him.
Those of us who met or worked
alongside Maggie, who watched her videos or heard her speak can commend her for
all these things and countless more, but today we simply commend her body and
soul to the One who gave Maggie life: Jesus Christ.
He put death to death on her
behalf. He took her suffering to the cross so that she would be comforted in
Him in her own trials. He made good on His promise – even in her final days —
never to leave her, never to forsake her.
Christ has died and is risen. And
because He is, Maggie will rise again too. So we grieve but we do so with
resolute hope. With all the Church on earth, we rejoice in the certainty of the
Resurrection, confident that our Lord will rejoin us to our dear sister, this
time for eternity.
Today Maggie sees her Savior
face-to-face. She is gathered with all the saints around His throne. Her
beautiful voice is lifted with those of the angels and the faithful: “Holy,
holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty!” And because Jesus lives, Maggie has life
too. She knew it. She believed it. She confessed it. “Because our Savior, Jesus
Christ, selflessly endured an ugly death on the cross and was laid in borrow
tomb (no ‘death with dignity’ there), He truly understands our sorrows and
feelings of helplessness,” she wrote. “I want my kids to know that Christ’s
resurrection from that borrowed grave confirms that death could not hold Him,
and it cannot hold me either—a baptized child of God!” May it be so for us,
even as the Lord has done for Maggie.
(See the Reporter Online
obituary, “Dr. Maggie Karner — voice for life, mercy, religious freedom —
dies.”)
Posted Sept. 27, 2015
Reporter Online is the Web version of
Reporter, the official newspaper of
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Content is prepared by LCMS Communications.
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Content is prepared by LCMS Communications.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
A Prayer for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia
Prayer for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia (ELCL),
Rev. Amos Bolay, Bishop
Dear Jesus, you have blessed the Missouri Synod with many
sister denominations around the globe who share our love for you, your truth,
your people, and those who have not yet come to know you as their Savior. Today
we remember before your throne the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Liberia, and
their Bishop, Rev. Amos Bolay, with whom we have been in fellowship since 2013.
We especially thank you that this denomination, whose roots
reach back to 1860, was the first Christian denomination to reach beyond the
coastal region with your gospel, caring for both the body and souls of those
they encountered. We rejoice that they continue in this, having built the first
hospital in the nation, now maintaining two hospitals and numerous clinics along
with numerous schools, all sharing your divine love. We are inspired by their
work of caring for both spiritual and physical needs. We are especially
inspired by their recent efforts to reach beyond the borders of Liberia,
continuing the outreach zeal that first inspired their workers to reach beyond
the coast. We ask that you continue to protect and
bless them, and that they might inspire us to reach out with your life-giving
Gospel. In Your Name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Tough Times
The Lord be with you
Today's sermon, Tough Times, has been posted on the sermon page. You can go there simply by clicking on the the word "sermons" on the list of pages found on the right-hand side of the blog.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor
Today's sermon, Tough Times, has been posted on the sermon page. You can go there simply by clicking on the the word "sermons" on the list of pages found on the right-hand side of the blog.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor
Saturday, September 26, 2015
March for Life, Jan. 22
Join
LCMS Life Ministry at the 2016 March for Life! For those of you on the
East Coast, join other LCMS Lutherans at the March for Life on Friday,
Jan. 22, 2016. A Divine Worship service will be held beginning 9 a.m.
at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1801 Russell Road, Alexandria, Va., 22301,
at 9:00 a.m. Participants will then ride the metro to the Washington,
D.C. march. For more information, email tracy.quaethem@lcms.org.
Lutherans to provide help for persecuted Christians, refugees | LCMS News & Information
Lutherans
to provide help for persecuted Christians, refugees
By Roger Drinnon
Ongoing violence in the Middle East
has led to a mass exodus of refugees — an estimated 4 million people have been
forced to leave their homes in Syria alone. Others have fled Iran, Afghanistan
and other Middle Eastern countries due to persecution by militant groups like
the Islamic State.
More than half of those fleeing the
Middle East are children, according to Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
The most recent news headlines
report hundreds of thousands of people — mostly from the Middle East and Africa
— streaming into Europe. A large portion of these asylum-seekers look for
sanctuary in European countries like Germany. As Germany readies for as many as
800,000 more refugees in the coming year, the Selbständige
Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche (SELK), an LCMS partner church, is preparing to
respond, not only by providing for the immediate physical needs of the refugees
but also by providing for their spiritual care through the Gospel. As
they do, the LCMS will be walking alongside them.
Mercy and a new mission field
The SELK already has been caring
for refugees for some time now, and one of its congregations recently garnered
international media attention for its ministry of mercy.
“We have about 860 members; more
than 600 of them are former Muslimsbwho have become Christians during the last
[few] years,” said the Rev.Dr. Gottfried Martens, pastor of Trinity Lutheran
Church inbBerlin-Steglitz. “About 100 more people from Iran and Afghanistan are
in the process of preparation in order to receive Holy Baptism during the next
couple of months.”
In response to media reports
mentioning refugees converting to Christianity to improve chances of being
granted asylum, Martens said...
To read the rest of the story
follow this link:
Lutherans to provide help for persecuted Christians, refugees | LCMS News & Information
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