The Stigma Of Anti-Myso-Phobia

Reverend Mark Schroeder, President of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), recently wrote an article trying to explain their synod’s position on the Roman Catholic Church. Recent media reports have catapulted this small Lutheran group into the national spotlight, partially because of Michelle Bachmann’s one-time membership in it, and partially because any denomination that thinks the RCC is the anti-Christ is just too interesting to pass up. Schroeder explains:

“First, the papacy claimed to speak with an authority—even infallibility—that was equal to or surpassing the Word of God itself. By doing so, it put itself in a position of being “anti” or “in place of” Christ. Second, the papacy claimed there is no salvation outside of the Catholic Church, making membership in a human organization a condition for salvation. Third, in emphasizing that faith and obedience are necessary for salvation, the papacy undermined the very heart of the biblical teaching that salvation is by God’s grace alone and comes to individuals through faith in Christ alone.”

For these rationally-held, kindly expressed views, anyone that’s a part of this group has been pegged an “anti-Catholic bigot.” It seems you cannot disagree with anyone these days, without being pegged as an “anti-____ bigot.” To disagree with the teachings of the Quran is to be “anti-Muslim.” Of course that’s only a short step away from the p-word, phobic. To disagree with homosexuality is to be homophobic. From there you graduate to the m-word, “mys.” To disagree with current culture on the roles of men and women is to be a misogynist.

All this to say the claims of Scripture are not popular. However, their popularity does nothing to enhance or diminish their truth. 1Peter 1:24-25 says, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” Schroeder sums their doctrine this way: “We believe that our doctrines cannot be tempered by political correctness or modified to align with changing culture or public opinion.”

For a complete transcript of Reverend Schroeder’s comments, click here.

Jesus’ Baptism & Landmines

On Tuesday, July 12, 2011 Israel opened up the traditional site of Jesus’ baptism for daily visits. No small task. Not only did it take coordination with the Israeli army, it also required the removal of a number of land mines located near that site, all costing somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.3 million dollars. In one sense it’s a sad commentary on the human situation, but in another sense, it makes perfect sense. Jesus came to earth because of landmines. And abuse. And war. And wickedness expressed in a thousand other ways. I’ve never been to the holy land and I imagine it’s something very special, but even more special is the fact that God chose to suffer with us and because of us, to save us from ourselves and take us to be with him. What a savior.