Katie’s Beer

Always a great site, I found this oldie but goodie at Ask the Pastor. Someone asks Pastor Walter Snyder a great question:

Q: I saw an article talking about the invention of beer in ancient Egypt, and it got me thinking: “Did the Israelites drink beer? What did they drink?”

A: Like you, I like to sit down occasionally to figure out what life was like in Bible times. It helps to understand the people and situations we meet on Scripture’s pages. I also like to sit down with a good beer. It helps to relax and refresh a world-weary pilgrim.

Since we Lutherans are often stereotyped as beer-lovers, it seems appropriate to examine Biblical precedent. After all, Martin Luther (probably only partially in jest) commented upon doing what he could, then having a brew and getting out of the Lord’s way during the Reformation: “I opposed indulgences and all the papists, but never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept [cf. Mark 4:26–29], or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philipp [Melanchthon] and [Nicholas] Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything.” Read more… Note that amazing quote from Martin Luther: “I did nothing; the Word did everything.” There’s something to ponder.

Tags: Religion, Beer by TK
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A very interesting quote comes from an article by AP writer Rachel Zoll on documentaries questioning Jesus that appear during Lent.

““There is more tolerance in the general culture for all things wild and wacky about Jesus,” said Ben Witherington, a New Testament expert at Asbury Theological Seminary and author of “What Have They Done With Jesus?…”We live in a Jesus-haunted culture that’s biblically illiterate,” Witherington said. “Everybody knows who Jesus is. But the actual knowledge about early Christian history and the Bible is very low in the culture and even large segments of the church. In that situation, anything can pass for knowledge about the historical Jesus, even wildly improbable theories.”

Jesus-haunted and biblically illiterate.  Those are points to contemplate this week.

Source:  Mollie Hemingway’s commentary at GetReligion

Tags: Religion by TK
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Reason #5,234,789 why I left Evangelicalism
`Idol’ Contestant’s Faith Questioned

Mar 20, 2:43 PM (ET)

By MEG KINNARD

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) - Chris Sligh, the “American Idol” contestant who has won fans thanks to his curly mop of hair and soulful voice, has a few people concerned with his departure from strictly Christian music.

But for most others in this city of 56,000 about 100 miles southwest of Charlotte, N.C., Sligh has become a hometown hero.

Jonathan Pait, a spokesman for fundamentalist Bob Jones University where Sligh attended for several years, said: “We really are somewhat disappointed with the direction he has gone musically.”

He nonetheless tunes in each week to monitor Sligh’s progress.

Local fans - some wearing fake glasses and curly wigs and calling themselves the “Fro Patro” - gather each week at restaurants and bars to cheer Sligh on. The local newspaper has been tracking his progress on its Web site.

Sligh, a 28-year-old son of missionaries who spent much of his childhood overseas, kept his spot among the 11 remaining finalists last week with a rendition of “Endless Love.” He’ll try to improve on that performance, deemed “unemotional” and “uninspiring” by judge Simon Cowell, this week. The show will announce results Wednesday evening.

People who know Sligh well say that he may be singing rock ‘n’ roll on television, but he’s always clear about the faith that motivates his music.

“He’s not going to back away from the fact that he’s a Christian,” said Chris Surratt, pastor of Seacoast Church, where Sligh has been music leader for more than two years. “He’s going to let that shine through in what he does.”

Hundreds of people gather each week to hear Sligh’s music at Seacoast, where his electric guitar and vocals have become an integral part of services, Surratt said. (TK says: This is NOT a good reason to go to a church.) 
Support for Sligh also is strong at North Greenville University, the small Baptist school he attended for several years after leaving Bob Jones in the late 1990s.
Cheryl Greene, the professor who helped Sligh hone his vocal talents, said just because Sligh may not be singing strictly Christian-themed songs shouldn’t reflect on the depth of his faith.

“It would be like me being in a jazz band,” Greene said. “You can be a Christian or non-Christian. It’s a style of music.”

But Greene said she still has worries over Sligh’s long-term spiritual journey.”Is he going to stand strong by his true Christian morals?” Greene said. “Christianity is a lifestyle  (TK says: Christianity is NOT a lifestyle.  Christianity is faith in Jesus Christ as savior of the world (a world of people stuck in their sins, separated from God and unable to save themselves) through His death on the cross.  Following God-given faith in Christ, a genuine change in lifestyle usually can be seen by others, but is NEVER a guarantee that a person possesses saving faith.  ) … and there are things in your life that you do need to stand for.” (TK says: Or what?  A Christian must stand for certain things or what?  It sounds like she is saying that a Christian’s true faith is judged by certain behaviors and actions.  Of course, on one hand she has a point.  A Christian probably doesn’t kill people without cause, steal repeatedly from others, etc.  But taken in the context of this article and of her full comments it seems to me she is saying that Christians act a certain way and that way determines whether or not they have faith in God.)
John Jeter, the owner of a Greenville nightclub where Sligh has performed with his band, said Sligh’s wholesome attitude and his faith come through in his music.

“It speaks well to the fact that it’s not all blood, guts and trash,” said Jeter. “Music doesn’t have to be filthy. You can have a good time in a good environment, and Chris is proof of that.”

Tags: Religion, American Idol 6 by TK
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The first photo is a 10′ X 12′ tryptich on the life of Christ. The second photo is of 2 canvases that are 10′ X 4′ and are part of an altarpiece when closed. This piece is located at Trinity Chapel at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota.It was installed in 1996.  The paintings are done in oil on linen.

To view the McKnight Foundation’s tour of Christianity in Artwork, click here.

Tags: Religion, art by TK
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From Wikipedia:

Cenni di Pepo (Giovanni) Cimabue (c. 1240 — c. 1302) also known as Bencivieni Di Pepo or in modern Italian, Benvenuto Di Giuseppe, was a Italian painter and creator of mosaics from Florence. He is also known as the artist who discovered Giotto. Cimabue is generally regarded as the last great painter working in the Byzantine tradition. The art of this period comprised scenes and forms that appeared relatively flat and highly stylized. Cimabue was a pioneer in the move towards naturalism, as his figures were depicted with rather more life-like proportions and shading.

Owing to little surviving documentation, not much is known about Cimabue’s life. He was born in Florence. His career was described in Giorgio Vasari’s The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects (called, in Italian, Le Vite), widely regarded as the first art history book, though it was completed over 200 years after Cimabue’s death. Although it is one of the few early records we have of him, its accuracy is uncertain. Vasari wrote that in the artist’s youth:
“ Instead of studying his letters, Cimabue spent all his time covering his paper and his books with pictures showing people, horses, houses, and various other things he dreamt up. ”

Such remarks concerning precocious devotion to art are, however, common in artists’ biographies of the 16th and 17th centuries.

He was mentioned in Dante’s Purgatorio.

Cimabue died in Pisa.

Judging by the commissions that he received, Cimabue appears to have been a highly-regarded artist in his day. While he was at work in Florence, Duccio was the major artist, and perhaps his rival, in nearby Siena. Cimabue was commissioned to paint two very large frescoes for the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. They are on the walls of the transepts: a Crucifixion and a Deposition. Unfortunately these works are now dim shadows of their original appearance. During occupancy of the building by invading French troops, straw caught fire, severely damaging the frescoes. The white paint was partially composed of silver, which oxidised and turned black, leaving the faces and much of the drapery of the figures in negative.

Tags: Religion by TK
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Dan, of Necessary Roughness, has intrigued me with his review of Harold Senkbeil’s book, Dying to Live: The Power of Forgiveness. He writes:

Senkbeil describes the world as plastic and lonely, leaving us to seek pleasure in sinful ways. The first chapter is ordinary (perhaps because we are ordinary) compared with some of the very cool things in the second chapter when he describes the living God. He calls us to see the “God in Diapers” and recalls Exodus 33:19-23 to show that God is protecting us when he hides from us. In our condition we would be obliterated if we saw God directly. In the last chapter, the author gives a summary of Christ’s human life and death, stating that the death of God brings life into our dying world.

Tags: Religion, Lutheran by TK
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Martin Luther

beer

women

music

I like to check the referrals section of my stats. Yes, stats are addictive…and FUNNY, too. For instance, at 9:41pm last night, some poor soul from Bob Jones University typed this into his/her Google engine: martin luther beer women music. Do I have to explain why I find that funny or can you see the humor without any explanation? I hope so. I GUARANTEE you that, at Bob Jones University, those search terms are synonymous for SIN.

Tags: Religion, Lutheran by TK
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I have found this story fascinating. Maybe I find it interesting because I have two teenagers and am immersed in their world. Or maybe it is because I made a few dumb moves my first year and a half of college. And maybe it is because of the interesting twist that this story of grace took in the interview…

Trump decides not to fire Miss USA

The Associated Press

Updated: 6:44 p.m. CT Dec 19, 2006

NEW YORK - Donald Trump gave Miss USA a reprieve Tuesday, allowing the boozing beauty queen to retain her title after she agreed to enter rehab and undergo drug testing.

In a moment of television drama filled with redemptive tears and longing looks, a tough-talking Trump, co-owner of the pageant, turned soft and decided to forgive Tara Conner for her debauched behavior.

“I’ve always been a believer in second chances,” said Trump, who owns the Miss Universe Organization and Miss USA with NBC. “Tara is going to be given a second chance.”

Trump met with Conner earlier Tuesday morning fully expecting to fire her, he said. But he walked away convinced the young woman was a “good person” with a “good heart” and not deserving of the boot….At the news conference, in a tear-choked voice, Conner said, “In no way did I think it would be possible for a second chance to be given to me.”

Turning to Trump, she said, “You’ll never know what this means to me, and I swear I will not let you down.”

The first part of the story conveyed a touching example of grace, but that last sentence has me worried. Perhaps it is way too soon to analyze her statements, but I would think that any step toward sobriety would include the realization that at any moment you could fall again. To swear that you will never fall again sets you up for failure. My thoughts on grace are that we are totally undeserving and cannot do anything of our own accord to keep it within the grasp of our hands. Grace is a gift which remains in the hands of the giver, Grace demands that you keep walking right next to the giver in order to keep the gift. Of course, in Conner’s case, I don’t recommend that she walk right next to Trump!

Romans 3:6-8:

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Tags: Religion by TK
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Jeff Sharlet wrote about Ted Haggard and the people who had moved to Colorado Springs to attend his new church, back in May of 2005, in Harper’s Magazine. I found the article, Soldiers of Christ, saddening, but then I am no fan of evangelicalism nor Ted Haggard. This story is fairly written, I think. I pray for the families that were fooled into thinking that Ted Haggard was a modern-day Moses. [Read more →]

Tags: Religion by TK
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The Reverend Professor Norman A. Madson

Excerpt from his address to the 75th Anniversary of the Synodical Conference held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on August 10, 1948

Fellow redeemed, grace be unto you and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Though it be not the same text with which the beloved Walther greeted our sainted fathers when our Synodical Conference first convened in this very city three-score and sixteen years ago, we have no other aim nor holier desire than had that fearless confessor of the faith, when he is his ex corde prayer pleaded with the Father: “Forsake us not, but grant us now and evermore, as oft as we foregather, Thy gracious presence, and sustain us, for without Thee we can do nothing but err, sin and destroy Thy work.”
Well might we have chosen the selfsame text: “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and then that hear thee, 1 Timothy 4:16, stressing, as he did, the fact that “the holy apostle does not say: “Take heed unto the chief doctrines,’ but: “Take heed unto the doctrine,’ - everything which is taught in God’s word.” But while the text be different, the tenor of our anniversary address will be the same. In fact, were we not to stress the absolute need of purity of doctrine, all doctrines, and the unequivocal acceptance of the same within our brotherhood, our very existence as a Synodical Conference would no longer be justified. For our founding fathers made that clear, from the very day of its inception, that the Conference desired to retain unsullied and inviolate as its highest good and most precious pearl, doctrine pure, as found in God’s verbally inspired word and our treasured Confessions based thereon. And they pledged one another their sacred word of honor that they would fight shoulder to shoulder in contending for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints, be their enemy “Rationalism, Unionism, Indifferentism, or Sentimentalism.”

This will involve us in stark realism, to be sure. But there is no higher realism that of our Christian religion. It must ever be frank as it is fearless. It has little room for diplomatic double-talk as it s Founder had patience with the hypocritical church leaders of His day. And we would most certainly violate a rule of all true Lutheran preaching, were we to address you as though nothing had happened during these three quarters of a century to disturb our sacred alliance.

Read on at Be Strong in the Grace

Tags: Religion, Lutheran by TK
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