"Why should they not be lazy if you are asleep and slient?" -Martin Luther
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Coming soon

March 10, 2012 in Self & Miscellany

Dear readers, as you can see, the site has recently received a new design. I’ll soon be expounding on the reasoning behind the design and title.

Note that much of the previous content has been removed, and I am still working to prune a few branches. There were several reasons for the deletions, primarily because some of the old content did not sit well with the new purpose for the site. However, some articles have been retained because they are valuable for reference even if they aren’t along the lines of the content that will be forthcoming.

I hope you’ll find something meaningful in the materials I intend to share here. The first matter I’ll write about will be an explanation of “the ordered life.” Look for the new articles in Eastertide.

During this holy Lent, may the Spirit bear you up through the chastening of the Lord.

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Pat Robertson says disease is acceptable grounds for divorce

September 14, 2011 in Marriage & Family

According to ChristianityToday.com, Evangelist Pat Robertson stated on his television show 700 Club yesterday that it’s okay for a man to divorce his wife if she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. His statement was in response to a viewer’s question about a friend who had begun dating another woman because his wife had Alzheimer’s.

Pat Robertson Says Divorce Okay if Spouse has Alzheimer's | Liveblog | Christianity Today

Pat Robertson Says Divorce Okay if Spouse has Alzheimer’s | Liveblog | Christianity Todayhttp://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/2011/09/pat_robertson_s.htmlCo-host Terry Meeuwsen asked Pat, “But isn’t that the vow that we take when we marry someone? That it’s For better or for worse. For richer or poorer?”Robertson said that the viewer’s friend could obey this vow of “death till you part” because the disease was a “kind of death.” Robertson said he would understand if someone started another relationship out of a need for companionship.

Mr. Robertson’s own co-host didn’t seem comfortable with his remarks.

This is a sad commentary about the state of Western Christianity in our postmodern culture. The church is increasingly being shaped by the relative morality of the world around us.

Mr. Robertson has essentially declared that figurative death releases husband and wife from the bonds of marriage. Following his line of reasoning, one could easily justify homosexual “marriage” on the grounds that one partner is figuratively a husband and the other is figuratively a wife. And there could be many other examples of such figurative interpretations of Bible passages that are clearly prohibitive of divorce or that require lifelong committed marriage.

We see in Ephesians 5 that marriage is to reflect the love that Christ has for his church (particularly in Ephesians 5:25, which says, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it”). Christ sacrificed his own body for the sake of his bride the church. He condescended from his heavenly throne to become a man of low estate so that he might win his bride. He sacrificed himself so that the church might know his love. The Scriptures admonish husbands to love their wives in the same way so that they may exhibit to the world an example of Christ’s love for his church.

If a man divorces his wife because she contracts a disease, what example is he giving the world about Christ’s love? Sadly, he is suggesting to the world that Christ will forsake us in our moment of need, of vulnerability, of impotence. This is contrary to all that the Scriptures tell us about the love of Christ. The Lord is faithful and will never forsake us. Christ sacrificed himself for us even when he knew we were diseased with sin and incapable of healing ourselves, when we didn’t realize his identity as Savior and Lord of the universe.

Thanks be to God that he did not forsake us when we were incapable of knowing who he is, when we were incapable of providing companionship to him, when we were incapacitated by the wickedness of our hearts.

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Bible studies provide support for Soldiers and Families

July 29, 2011 in Parish & Ministry, Self & Miscellany

While in Afghanistan, the 2nd Engineer Battalion Bible studies proved to be a relief to Soldiers during their tour, and now the battalion is bringing those studies back home.

Chaplain Daniel Sparks started the battalion Bible studies before Soldiers deployed for Afghanistan in December 2008.

Read more at http://www.missileranger.com/artman/publish/article_5631.shtml

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Resolution reaffirming the doctrine and discipline of the Reformed Episcopal Church

June 7, 2011 in Parish & Ministry

Today, at the 105th Synod of the Diocese of Mid-America of the Reformed Episcopal Church, the clergy and parish delegates unanimously adopted the following resolution. [Links are my own insertion.]

The Diocese of Mid-America, being a part of the Reformed Episcopal Church, which is a member of the Anglican Church in North America, in seeking to uphold and remain faithful to the Doctrine and Discipline of the Reformed Episcopal Church, hereby reaffirms the following articles of the Reformed Episcopal Church Constitution as our understanding of the doctrinal standards, which are binding on all REC clergy and parishes and missions.

ARTICLE III

Doctrinal Position

This Church holds the Faith as once delivered to the saints, and as transmitted through the Church of England, especially as articulated in her Reformation heritage, the range of her Anglican divines, and as deposited in the founding principles of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Furthermore, this Church affirms Holy Scripture as the Word of God, the three ancient creeds, commonly known as the Nicene, Apostles’ and Creed of Athanasius, and the dogmatic definitions of the first four ecumenical councils of the undivided church. It also holds the following unalterable historical documents to be a part of the received Body of its Doctrine:

(1) The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion in their 1801 form.

(2) The Declaration of Principles of 1873, as adopted by the first General Council of this Church.

(3) The Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral of 1886-1888.

These documents, and short summaries of the ecumenical councils, shall be appended at the end of the Constitution and Canons.

ARTICLE IV

Of Erroneous or Strange Teaching

Section 1 Nothing calculated to teach that in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, the elements of the bread and wine are changed into the natural Flesh and Blood of Christ, shall ever be allowed in the worship or teaching of this Church. Nor shall any practice that teaches or promotes doctrines or practices specifically prohibited by the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion be permitted in this Church.

Section 2 No person shall be admitted or received as Deacon, Presbyter, or Bishop except, in each instance, he shall subscribe to the following oath, in writing, in the presence of two Presbyters in good standing of this Church, who shall sign as witnesses.

“In the Name of God, Amen. I __A. B. _ do solemnly swear that I believe the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that Holy Scripture contains all things necessary for salvation. I do believe and accept the received Body of Doctrine, Discipline and Worship of this Church, as set forth in the Constitution and Canons of the same, and will conform thereto, the Lord being my helper.”

Section 3 The foregoing oath, duly executed and witnessed, shall be delivered to the Bishop presiding as testimonial during the service of ordination or reception of every clergyman at the time of his presentation to the same for the laying on of hands.

This resolution is commended to other dioceses of the REC and to the 54th General Council of the REC.

I am pleased to see this resolution passed. It is important, from time to time, to state again our beliefs and to reaffirm our identity as Anglican Christians. This resolution is a simple reassertion of some of the critical pieces of our heritage and doctrine. I pray that it will help clergymen and laity throughout the church to recall these principles.

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My 30 minutes with Ron Edmondson’s thoughts on leadership, church, and culture

May 11, 2011 in Parish & Ministry

Yesterday, Ron Edmondson posted a note that he would offer 30 minutes of free ministry coaching to the first two takers who responded through his website. Somehow, in God’s plan, I was the first person to nibble. Ron called me this morning, and I enjoyed his friendly and pastoral conversation.

Ron is the lead pastor of Grace Community Church in Clarksville, Tennessee. Grace obviously isn’t an Anglican church, but it is a congregation that is making a big impact on the souls of many in its community. Ron also provides ministry consulting and conducts leadership seminars.

I had a couple of questions about ministry as a military chaplain. One was about how to disciple folks with whom I only have a couple of years to share. Ron helped me see that, unlike parochial ministry, mine is a sort of wayside interaction. Most soldiers will not be able to progress significantly over a two-year period (if I even have that long with them), but I can help them along their journey. While I am their chaplain, I can help point them in the right direction, connect them with other Christians, and push them along the track toward maturity in Christ.

Continue Reading…

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