Charity Lutheran Church - Burleson, Texas - All Forums http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/ Simple:Press Version 4.3.3 rayblanton73 on The sad state of American Evangelicalism http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/confessional-lutheranism/the-sad-state-of-american-evangelicalism/#p48 Confessional Lutheranism http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/confessional-lutheranism/the-sad-state-of-american-evangelicalism/#p48 Evangelicalism by first divorcing itself from the sacraments has unhinged itself from the grace of God. By making everything symbolic and thus declaring nothing to be real, the pastor is left with the only rational conclusion his "confession" has left open to him, since he is selling a house of cards he must wrap it in the best and shiniest packaging anyone ever saw. 

 

But a church which is committed to the forgiveness of sin and rebirth by water through the Holy Spirit in Baptism making us new creatures in Christ, new creatures for which earthly food holds no satisfaction, and so offers the spiritual food of the actual body and blood of our Lord Jesus christ to fill and sustain us as we walk as sojourners in this world, is a Church which never need sell anything because it has Christ. 

 

Those who receive Christ become the similitude of Christ and the sweet savour fo Christ pervades their lives in sucha way that they need no slick adverts or fabulous new music, they need only humble service rendered to Christ which so appealing to the lost soul that if, by God grace alone, he is seeking, then he fly to the baptism and cling to the body and blood his whole life because he will have learned that this is life.

 

Evangelicalism cheapens and symbolizes this by making the Christian Faith a credulous hanging on to what I believe without ever reinforcing that belief by the means ordained by Christ. This is treachery to Christ and as such is not Chriatianity of any sort.

]]> Tue, 10 Jan 2012 08:35:01 +0000 Jim Linnell on The sad state of American Evangelicalism http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/confessional-lutheranism/the-sad-state-of-american-evangelicalism/#p47 Confessional Lutheranism http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/confessional-lutheranism/the-sad-state-of-american-evangelicalism/#p47 Today the Church commemorates the life of St. Jerome who translated the Bible into Latin. This translation, known as the Vulgate, was the authoritative version of the Bible in the western Church world for over 1,000 years.

I read a quote of his today that fits well with this discussion. “I interpret as I should, following the command of Christ: Search the Scriptures, and Seek and you shall find. Christ will not say to me what he said to the Jews: You erred, not knowing the Scriptures and not knowing the power of God. For if, as Paul says, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, and if the man who does not know Scripture does not know the power and wisdom of God, then ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."

 

Blessings,

 

Jim L.

]]> Thu, 30 Sep 2010 20:08:45 +0000 Kent Heimbigner on The sad state of American Evangelicalism http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/confessional-lutheranism/the-sad-state-of-american-evangelicalism/#p46 Confessional Lutheranism http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/confessional-lutheranism/the-sad-state-of-american-evangelicalism/#p46 Jim, thanks for posting this.

 

I had seen it, and cynically thought to myself, "okay . . . America's protestants don't really have a clue.  How is that news?"  But you are absolutely correct:  Whether the problem is newsworthy or not is beside the point.  What matters is that there is a problem, and the solution is a return to the study of the Word of God and the doctrine that our Lord has entrusted to the Holy Church.

 

Peace be with you all.   In Christ,   Pastor.

]]> Wed, 29 Sep 2010 10:08:58 +0000 Jim Linnell on The sad state of American Evangelicalism http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/confessional-lutheranism/the-sad-state-of-american-evangelicalism/#p45 Confessional Lutheranism http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/confessional-lutheranism/the-sad-state-of-american-evangelicalism/#p45 We are told in 1Peter 3:15 to "Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." That is just on reason why the survey released Tuesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life is so embarassing. Embarassed

A news article on FOXnews.com covered some of the highlites of the survey results. Here is the first paragraph:

A new survey of Americans' knowledge of religion found that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestants and Roman Catholics in answering questions about major religions, while many respondents could not correctly give the most basic tenets of their own faiths.

Is that sad or what? You can read the article yourself by going to http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010.....-religion/

The article left me asking myself how prepared I am to give an answer. Would I do better on this survey than the non-Christian groups that outperformed Protestants?

I think I better keep going to Bible class. How about you? Wink

Jim L.

]]> Tue, 28 Sep 2010 19:32:04 +0000 Jim Linnell on The sad state of American Evangelicalism http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/confessional-lutheranism/the-sad-state-of-american-evangelicalism/#p43 Confessional Lutheranism http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/confessional-lutheranism/the-sad-state-of-american-evangelicalism/#p43 The Ft. Worth Star Telegram had an article today about the United Methodist Church and their desperate efforts to solve the question of how to stem the decades-long losses in membership and attract new worshippers. In the article they hold up as an example of success one of their churches in Indianapolis. From the article: 

One of the successful churches is St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, which has seen its membership steadily grow over the years to nearly 6,200.

The church's senior pastor, the Rev. Kent Millard, said it has offered both traditional and contemporary worship services for years. At a contemporary service, congregants kick back with doughnuts and coffee, a live band plays music and clips from Hollywood movies are shown to illustrate Gospel messages.

"Worship is like going to a mall," Millard said. "There are all kinds of stores. Some people like specialty shops. Some like department stores. When you have variety, people can go where they like."

OH MY!! Is it really any surprise that many so called Evangelicals cannot tell you what the Gospel is? Notice that success is defined by numbers and not the proclamation of the Gospel. In fact, based on the description above, it is questionable if the Gospel is even proclaimed. Is this a Church or or just a social club?

Our Augsburg Confession states in Article VII "The Church is the congregation of saints in which the Gospel is purely taught and the Sacraments are correctly administered." Thanks be to God that this is what is received at Charity Lutheran Church in the Divine Service. 

You can read the rest of the article at: http://www.star-telegram.com/2.....z0ycQAcsbT

]]> Sat, 04 Sep 2010 22:27:50 +0000 Jim Linnell on Website http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/charity-lutheran-church/website/#p42 Charity Lutheran Church http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/charity-lutheran-church/website/#p42 The Lutheran Herals is available on our website. It is listed under the Resources tab at the top of the page. Now a solid Confessional Lutheran devotion is always as close as your computer. Check it out.Cool

]]> Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:45:29 +0000 Denheim on Lutheran Hymn Festival http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/general-discussion/lutheran-hymn-festival/#p41 General Discussion http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/general-discussion/lutheran-hymn-festival/#p41 Hey all,

 

I just wanted to let you know that the eighth triennial Lutheran Hymn Festival is coming up on September 19 at 7 p.m. at the Myerson Symphony Center in Dallas.  Here's the website for you to check out if you're interested.  Tickets can be purchased online, through the mail, or (I believe) at the door.  There is a $2.00 discount per ticket for 10 or more, as well as free children's tickets for adult ticket purchases.  If you are interested in doing this, contact me, and I'll purchase them in bulk; you can reimburse me at your convenience.

http://www.lutheranhymnfestival.org

 

Denise Heimbigner

]]> Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:22:39 +0000 Jim Linnell on Additions to the Website http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/general-discussion/additions-to-the-website/#p40 General Discussion http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/general-discussion/additions-to-the-website/#p40 Check out the new tab under "Our Church" entitled Services. A great little liturgical guide to the services of the church has been added. It may answer some of your questions about why we do what we do or it may prompt more questions. Look it over and let us know what you think.

 

Jim

]]> Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:24:23 +0000 Website Administrator on New Features: E-mail Subscriptions and iTunes http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/charity-lutheran-church/new-features-e-mail-subscriptions-and-itunes/#p39 Charity Lutheran Church http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/charity-lutheran-church/new-features-e-mail-subscriptions-and-itunes/#p39 E-mail Subscriptions:

You can now subscribe to the site via e-mail on the home page. What this means is that you will receive a daily e-mail when new content is added to the site. This includes new announcements, sermons, or posts on the forum. You will receive at most, one e-mail in a day, so your inbox will not be overwhelmed

iTunes:

The sermon podcast is now available in the iTunes store (for free, of course). You can subscribe to the podcast on your computer here. If you have an iPhone, you can even download and listen to the sermons on your phone wherever you are. Just open iTunes on your iPhone, search for Charity Lutheran Church, and you will see the available sermons in the podcast.

]]> Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:37:29 +0000 grandpagarn on Bible Study Survey http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/confessional-lutheranism/bible-study-survey/#p38 Confessional Lutheranism http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/confessional-lutheranism/bible-study-survey/#p38 Attention Everyone!

If you have not had a chance to complete the bible study survey presented by the Christian Education department, please take a few minutes to complete one this week.  The Christian Education department is very interested in what you would like to study so they can provide the means wherever possible.  They can't do this without everyone's input.  If you know someone who is not a registered member that might be interested, print a copy for them and ask them to complete one as well.  Better still, inform them of this website and its benefits so they will register as well!

So, take a few minutes out of you busy schedule to provide the group your input.

Thanks,

Tony

]]> Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:22:01 +0000 Website Administrator on Bible Study Survey http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/confessional-lutheranism/bible-study-survey/#p36 Confessional Lutheranism http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/confessional-lutheranism/bible-study-survey/#p36 As a church family, we want our members to be “In the Word”. By this, we mean we want to encourage them to study God’s Word and incorporate it into their daily lives. The goal is for all to live spiritually healthy, happy lives that are pleasing to God.

In order for us as a congregation to help as much as possible, we are asking you to take a couple minutes to read and answer the following questions. Please return your answers to the church. You can hand it to an elder on Sunday, mail it, fax it, or scan and…

]]> Tue, 10 Aug 2010 23:42:58 +0000 Website Administrator on August 3rd - Burleson's National Night Out at Charity http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/charity-lutheran-church/august-3rd-burlesons-national-night-out-at-charity/#p35 Charity Lutheran Church http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/charity-lutheran-church/august-3rd-burlesons-national-night-out-at-charity/#p35 Pictures of the event courtesy of Tony Garn.

http://confessionallutheran.or.....;gallery=1

]]> Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:28:04 +0000 grandpagarn on August 3rd - Burleson's National Night Out at Charity http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/charity-lutheran-church/august-3rd-burlesons-national-night-out-at-charity/#p34 Charity Lutheran Church http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/charity-lutheran-church/august-3rd-burlesons-national-night-out-at-charity/#p34 I know some of the tables will be needed outside but I would expect there to be some left over.   We can certainly set up a few tables inside as needed.  We can also set up some chairs in the breezeway, utilizing the shade. 

Looking forward to the even!

Tony

]]> Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:25:29 +0000 grandpagarn on August 3rd - Burleson's National Night Out at Charity http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/charity-lutheran-church/august-3rd-burlesons-national-night-out-at-charity/#p31 Charity Lutheran Church http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/charity-lutheran-church/august-3rd-burlesons-national-night-out-at-charity/#p31 I see I failed to note the date and time!

 

August 3rd, 5:00pm to 8:00PM

 

See you all there!!!

]]> Thu, 22 Jul 2010 06:49:38 +0000 Jim Linnell on August 3rd - Burleson's National Night Out at Charity http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/charity-lutheran-church/august-3rd-burlesons-national-night-out-at-charity/#p30 Charity Lutheran Church http://confessionallutheran.org/forum/charity-lutheran-church/august-3rd-burlesons-national-night-out-at-charity/#p30 Tony,

The Forum is a good way to get the news out about the National Night Out.  I didn't get a bulletin home and wasn't able to get it posted. If you have the text, please email it to me and I'll get it posted.

]]> Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:58:20 +0000