August 12, 2009
The Lord be with you
The great Reformer, Dr. Martin Luther, wrote in his Small Catechism,
The Eight Commandment
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God so that we do not tell lies about our neighbor, betray him, slander him, or hurt his reputation, but defend him, speak well of him, and explain everything in the kindest way.
What Luther has done is applied the Eight commandment in a practical way to the daily lives of Christians. That is the task of Christian Ethics. It takes theological truths and asks, "How can this work out in our daily lives?" What difference does "Love your neighbor as yourself" make in how we live? How does believing every human has a soul impact our life in society? Does our Christian Faith make a difference in politics, in how we handle our finances, what we are willing to do for entertainment, and so on?
These are just the sort of issues Dr. Robert Benne tackles in his book Reasonable Ethics, A Christian Approach to Social, Economic, and Political Concerns. LitWits, the book club of Lamb of God Lutheran Church (LCMS or LC-MS) will be discussing Benne's book this coming Sunday, Pentecost 11 (August 16, 2009), 6:30 PM. Everyone is welcome to come and grapple with questions about how Sunday relates to Monday.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert
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