Seminarian Chad Schopp has answered his country’s call to duty and is leaving his full time study at the seminary to serve his county, and you, his neighbor. He has only just begun his time at the seminary, having moved here from Montana. God willing, his homecoming will be swift and safe.

All our graduates will stand at the front lines of the spiritual battles waged in the lives of their members and communities. St. Paul tells the Ephesian church that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

While the battle is real we are not sent to the field unarmed or unprotected. We have “the whole armor of God” to defend us.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
(Ephesians 6:13-18)

Better still, we have the promise that our enemy has already been defeated! Sing A Mighty Fortress (LSB 656, 657) and hear that “for us fights the valiant One, whom God Himself elected. Ask ye, Who is this? Jesus Christ it is . . . He holds he field forever” (v. 2).

As Seminarian Schopp takes up the earthly struggle for peace and security in the world, he will not be far from the spiritual battles. God willing, he will soon return to his studies that he might lead a congregation of saints in the spiritual battles as they are clad in full armor of God and given the victory over sin, death, and the Devil.

Godspeed Chad, to you and all your brothers in arms.

Thanks to Cyberstones for linking to a story in the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette about Seminarian Schopp’s unit being deployed.

Has anyone seen this new game show, “Moment of Truth,” yet? Its twisted and not-so-secret reality entertainment on Fox, has people at home asking themselves, “Could I bare my most private secrets (sins) to the public to win money?” Hooked to a lie detector, the host asks very personal questions to the contestant. If the participant lies, they lose. If they tell the truth, they get to go on to win more money for a shot at the Grand Prize of $500,000. And if they do not want to answer a question after completing a certain level, they can walk away with the money that they earned. Sounds simple right? Well, on top of that, their closest family and friends are sitting right in front of them, where the questions many times involves them, as the participant keeps advancing to higher levels. I watched just a little bit of it last night, and I have to tell you, one can either feel the tension or relief when a participant answers truthfully…and when they do, the emotions can turn uglier with anger or disbelief from their closest kin and the audience.

It is interesting how money can motivate telling the truth; or is it sad? I guess from a Christian standpoint, as soon as we see a speck in our neighbor’s eye, we do well to be careful not to miss the log in our own. However, it is seemingly detrimental that a participant is willing to risk their relationships in front of a national audience (and anti-biblical) not just to possibly lose them, but to not have any immediate reconciliation. Unless the participant and kin are very well aware of the rules and possibilities, I don’t understand how much public confessions like those are worth it to them. But then again, money has an allure…and is a 1st Commandment issue.

The fact of the matter is that our current earthly reality IS drenched in sin. We make a public confession of this fact every week, if not more. Furthermore, there are means by which sins that are heavy on our hearts are can go, namely to Private Confession and Absolution. Also, Matthew 18 directs us to resolve conflicts one with another, and not drag other people into it unless the other party is unwilling to listen. Pastors and deaconesses are trained not to be surprised by sins brought to them, because we understand the realities of our fallen world and flesh. Which ought to make it easier to face them when needed, and then ultimately be absolved by a Pastor through Holy Absolution; in essence, by Christ.

I wonder if there will ever be a program called, “Ask for Forgiveness.” It could be hosted by an ordained LCMS pastor, and after a participant’s confession of faith, they and viewers can listen to the Words of Absolution over and over again. Would that be marketable? Probably not, but who would like to wager that some people would be off of their anxiety medication and leaving their therapists? Jesus Christ is the source of Forgiveness, and in His Crucifixion and Resurrection, the ‘Moments of Truth’ that mattered, we were atoned for.

In conjunction with the political hype and previous blog posts regarding Mitt Romney and Mormonism, I am subversively recalling a documentary that I stumbled upon and watched this past year, “Jesus Camp.” Filmed in 2006, the documentary assesses an Evangelical sub-culture that pushes their fundamentalist Christian and political views on youngsters in recruiting efforts to combat all ideological opposers. One reviewer surmised, “the Kids on Fire summer camp in Devil’s Lake, N.D., is dedicated to deepening the preteens’ spirituality and sowing the seeds of political activism as they’re exhorted to “take back America for Christ.”

It might be an understatement that the documentary was wrought with bad theology, namely, works righteousness. And much like many Evangelical church services, the campers were encouraged to ‘Feel’ the Spirit, speak in tongues, and see visions. Much crying, shouting and catharsis was exhibited. They focused on one poor boy, who looked despairing when he couldn’t pray aloud or match the enthusiasm of the other kids. Moreover, the leaders seemed concerned that his spirituality was suffering. That made me upset. This was later affirmed as one young female camper stated, “The churches that God likes to go to, are churches where they’re jumping up and down, shouting his name, and just praising him, they’re not acting – they’re not quiet.”

Theology and spirituality aside, the political overtones were deafening. Becky Fischer, a “Youth Pastor” leading these camp experiences, was interviewed throughout the film. Here are the most memorable quotables on her evangelical agenda:

• “[Referring to President George W. Bush] He has really brought some real credibility, um, to the Christian faith.” It is hard to tell from the statement, but she was being serious.
• “I can go into a playground of kids that don’t know anything about Christianity, lead them to the Lord in a matter of, just no time at all, and just moments later they can be seeing visions and hearing the voice of God, because they’re so open. They are so usable in Christianity.”
• And finally, “It’s no wonder, with that kind of intense training and discipling, that young people are ready to kill themselves for the cause of Islam. I wanna see young people who are as committed to the cause of Jesus Christ as the young people are to the cause of Islam. I wanna see them as radically laying down their lives for the Gospel as they are over in Pakistan and Israel and Palestine and all those different places, you know, because we have… excuse me, but we have the truth!”

Well, there is no contest, Becky, that Christians have the Truth of the Gospel. However, what Ms. Fischer is describing likens to a ‘Crusades’ mentality that asserts men’s will over how God truly works in Christ Jesus! Even though people easily convert when staring down the barrel of a gun (or being pestered), this does not exactly articulate the message of the Gospel.

Ted Haggard, as you know, the evangelical pastor in Colorado Springs who was charged with homosexual misconduct just this last year, had a few quotable gems in the documentary as well. He says, “We’ve decided the Bible is the word of God. We don’t have to have a General Assembly about what we believe. It’s written in the Bible. Alright, so we don’t have to debate what we think about homosexual activity. It’s written in the Bible.” Interesting. Focusing on Haggard’s hipocrasy [even though he issued a confession and statement apologizing and resigning after receiving his charges], he represents a voice of these evangelicals’ fundamentalist and political paradigms. Haggard stated, “If the evangelicals vote, they determine the election.”

So my question is this; if the evangelicals vote…are they all in agreement on the present candidates? The greater insights political that I have learned is through Luther’s doctrine of the “Two Kingdoms.” Just as Jesus tells the Jews “Render unto Ceasar the things that are Ceasar’s and unto God the things that are Gods (Mt. 22:21),” he teaches us not that the two kingdoms are separate authorities, but that the things that are God’s…are both the things on heaven and on earth; whether the ruler believes in God or not- Further, the Apostle Paul writes to the Romans, “Romans 13:1 “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God.” Ultimately, any and in all offices of authority, are God-given, (President, Policeman, teacher, parent). Regardless of what we believe, God governs and gives us all good things in these offices, in spite of ourselves, for the edification of His church and the evangelical nature of our vocations; to bring all unbelievers unto Himself in Christ Jesus.

I don’t know that a “Jesus Camp” can illustrate and teach about Christ Crucified, dually it is evident that extremists lack the understanding and consolation that Jesus brings; the the Spirit does not beckon to our whims, but brings us Jesus because it is our Lord’s will. As Haggard surmised, “we decided that the Bible is the Word of God…” then I would be interested to hear how they contend with Scripture (Mt. 22:21 and Rom 13:1), and still peacefully conclude that God is in control in spite of a potential Morman or heathen president.

September 11, 2001, was a catalyst for significant change in our nation. It instigated the global war on terror, forced our government to revitalize national security, and opened up a national debate on civil liberties and immigration. It also caused many people to think more seriously about religion.

The nature of Islam and the tradition of jihad have since drawn much attention. And it has become quite clear that establishing Islam as the dominant religion is a prominent theme in the Quran.

This can and has been done several ways, from persuasion to outright conflict. Muhammad himself, just before he died in 632, told his followers that he had been ordered by God to pursue the world until all people accepted the creed of Islam: there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.

The current struggle with violent expressions of Islam is nothing new for Christians. The church has been dealing with it for centuries. After Muhammad’s death, Muslims followed their prophet’s path. They began to overrun the lands surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Syria, Palestine, Egypt, North Africa, and even Spain, were all conquered by 732.

Fortunately the Muslim armies were unable to prevail over Europe. It was from Europe, after the pope learned of Christian persecution across the Mediterranean, that the church responded to Islam with the crusades (beginning in 1095). Eventually they even began to send missionaries to Muslims. These missionaries experience some success, and the crusades held the Muslim forces at bay for a few centuries. But Islam was able to muster up enough strength to begin expanding again just before the reformation.

What has been referred to as the greatest jihad took place throughout the 15th and 16^th century in the eastern regions of Christian Europe. Around the time that Martin Luther was writing his small catechism Turkish Muslim armies were even poised to take control of Germany. But the European armies were able to halt their advance at Vienna in 1529. The damage was already done, though. Muslims now dominated much of Europe east of Hungary. So the church began to renew its call for a crusade in order to deal with the threat of Islam.

Martin Luther found problems with the idea of a crusade, and loudly objected to this solution. Warfare was not the business of the church. He certainly endorsed a military response to the Muslim occupation of Eastern Europe. But he argued that it was to be carried out by the secular rulers of Europe, not the church. So what could Christians do in this war against the jihad on Europe? They could certainly serve in the military. Those choosing to do so were counseled not to see this as a religious vocation. Instead, it was a secular one, a way to love the neighbor by protecting and defending them. And while the secular forces of Germany went about pushing back Muslim expansion into Europe, the church, he argued, should be busy praying for their troops and, ultimately, a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

One of the most striking things about Luther’s writing at the time, though, is his appeal that Christians strengthen their faith through catechesis and learn about the religion of Islam. Luther actually envisioned a day when Christians would be forced by circumstance to live alongside Muslims. And even though he despised Islam, he did not lose sight of God’s mission in Christ to seek and save the lost. He strongly advocated that all Christians prepare to engage Muslims with the gospel.

We live in a very different age, but Luther’s advice for dealing with Islam is instructive. In responding to violence inspired by the Quran, we must pray that our political and military leaders respond resolutely and justly. But we must also be prepared to live alongside Muslims, and recognize the numerous opportunities this presents for sharing the gospel with those for whom Christ died. As the numbers of Muslims in America continues to increase now is the time to bolster up your faith by studying the scriptures so that you too may be prepared to respond to the Muslim “who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).

Dr. Adam S. Francisco is Guest Professor of Historical Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

As I opened the enviable gift of a GPS system this Christmas, I thought to myself, “Wow, I’ll never get lost again!” You just punch in the address, and this pint-sized screen with automated voice-via-satellite will guide you to your destination, right? Well, that’s the concept. However, I’ve found that since I’ve used it, there have been [and I assume, will continue to be] some glitches in the system. The satellites are not always accurate, the maps can be misleading, and the driver should have a backup, like the destination’s phone number to call in case he is off by a block. Otherwise it is a useful contraption, but one that takes time to learn how to use…in order that we do not have to learn where we are going.

An interesting parallelism developed as I thought on about the“Information Age” we claim to live in. As if technology is any sort of answer to the intrinsic problems of man. Perhaps trite, but worth noting, that with the technological boom in the last century, the literacy levels have also steadily dropped. This may sound surprising, what with all of the rage of trying to increase America’s literacy rate in the last 20 years.

But this article, actually a scholarly blog post by Micheal Martine, sheds light on exactly what I am talking about, by making the distinction that literacy does not simply mean the ability to read. If this were the case, we might say that America is doing “a’ight” in that department. No, but the ability to read and actually developing one’s mind by slashing and rehashing old and constructing new paradigms through literature and language is not just for consumer purposes. Our economy does not depend on us to read, it depends on our ability to spend. The fact that we can ascertain “Have it your way” with a picture of a hamburger next to it, is just a bonus.

But an ability to discern cultural movements and fundamental truths to build a steady developing and inevitably changing world view throughout our lives is a concept that seems to be lost in our culture. It then becomes increasingly more understandable why churches are lost, that Christians want little to do with reading their bibles, and clergy are inept to teach, when they themselves do not know where to go for answers. Certainly Scripture is our primary source, however, teaching comes from various sources as well; from well-read, literate theologians, philosophers, scholars and the like who discuss man’s struggle to understand and contend with truth and wisdom, and ultimately proclaim it in view of Scripture. So, now, I look to technology as a resource and ask the question: How can it develop man’s literacy? Martine writes, “As Michael Polanyi tried to teach us, knowledge is personal — possessed in a true form only by persons. Even technical knowledge becomes true knowledge only when it is personal. One of his examples, one he knew well, is the training of a surgeon. When a student finds himself becoming a true surgeon, he no longer acts of thinks — during the operation — as if the scalpel were a tool he is holding. The scalpel has become an extension of his hand.”

Do our laptops and other means of technology become personal to us, an extension of ourselves…thereby manifesting well roundedness? And, is the information transmitted through these means beneficial to our lives as a whole? Or, are we just punching information into a theoretical tracker so we can get from point A to point B with as little effort as possible, and perhaps missing out on some major pedagogical and beneficial blessings?