Scenes from the German Lutheran Convention

Cafeteria is Closed ^ | June 10, 2007 | Gerald Augustinus

[NYer]

Literally "Evangelical church Day". The Lutherans have theirs as do the Catholics. Germany having been an ecclesial bother for quite a while, with the "we are church" segment among older people, the Lutherans nonetheless manage to outdumb them. Here photos from an "erotic service" in the "Carthusian church" (guessing it no longer belongs to Carthusians). People got to massage each other. One hopes Catholics will stick to the hand-holding. Admittedly, the man who unfortunately is archbishop of Los Angeles, might like this, he likes to have dancing and prancing going on around him after all.

After the dancer you see below floats down from the ceiling, accompanied by drums, jars of oil are distributed. People are supposed to anoint each other's wrists and foreheads and, while doing so, tell each other of God's love. Some people start to make out quite heavily, others giggle insecurely. At the end, the pastor invites people to walk out on bare feet as rose petals rain down. (this is how the official press release describes it)







A former Catholic priest (bad for him, good for the Church) and family therapist gave a talk denying the existence of the Devil, according to my partner website Kath.net. Denying his existence, he said that good and evil came from God, citing Matthew 5,45 (God letting the sun rise/rain fall on the just and the unjust). He said he imagined God appearing in the concentration camp Buchenwald, saying "I did this."

He also rejected the notion of a "clean conscience", calling it the "greatest enemy of love", because a person having one rejects others. A Lutheran pastor/talk show host also there claimed he wasn't responsible for his failings, since the church also taught that one isn't responsible for one's fortunes.

One more example - a discussion about sexuality, under the title "Can love be sin?" (title based on a Marlene Dietrich song). The official Lutheran press release states: "Between outdated moralistic concepts and too much liberty, Christians have to find a new approach towards sexuality." One theologian from the well-known University of Paderborn said "All forms of sexuality are God's creations, as long as they are voluntary". Important was to create together and freely. He earned applause. Another, evangelical (in the American sense) speaker got some applause but was also booed and whistled at. He said he was outraged by his son's textbook which, in sex ed, showed a man and a woman next to man/man and woman/woman.

Later on, it was discussed whether loveless sex was sin. The theologian from Paderborn said "not according to my concept of sin", since responsibility was possible in that context, too. The evangelical professor didn't think so. A sex therapist then said "In light of reality, one cannot expect that sex will be tied to love", therefore it was important to teach young people responsibility.

Teenagers were asked, too. A 15 year old girl said "Why is this supposed to be sin? You're born with it (sexuality) and prohibitions don't accomplish anything". Her 15 year old friend agreed: "The Bible says after all: Go and multiply."

[Greg F]

Somehow I don’t think that the clown eucharist at the Episcopal church matches the spirit in which Francis of Assisi acted as “Le Jongleur de Dieu.” There are “seeker friendly” services but those pictures give the appearance of blasphemy and farce . . .

Chesterton on Francis of Assisi

http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~mward/gkc/books/St_Francis.html

[MarkBsnr]

One of the best friends I’ve never met in person is a young LCMS minister now stationed in the Orlando area. We’ve had numerous debates, but we find that we have much more in common than differences. Many of the LCMS churches that I’ve seen are more Catholic than the Methodist-types that became popular in the 80s and 90s.

We frequently stood shoulder to shoulder (over in another forum) against the heathens, the barbarians, and those who have a daily bowl of YOPIOS.

[siunevada]

It's really puzzling and defies logic.

It might be curious to hear from the other side, someone who actually takes this seriously. I suspect we would be considered philistines lacking the refinement to discern the value of this artistic expression.

Or maybe it's a matter of "throw it on the wall and see what sticks". Attend enough performances and installations and you might stumble on an actual artist among all the Serious Art.

[janereinheimer]

Thank you for pointing this out. Quint and I are also LC-MS and I can tell you that my grandmother, my mother, and my confirmation pastor would be rolling over in their graves — no, let me correct that — they’d be doing wheelies in their graves if this kind of shenanigans danced it’s way down the aisle in our church.

This does not say worshiping God to me. I’d find a new home church.

[Dr. Thorne]

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. - 2 Timothy 4:3,4