More on Those Politicking Pastors

You did it! You did it!
You said that you would do it,
And indeed you did.
I thought that you would rue it;
I doubted you'd do it.
But now I must admit it
That succeed you did.
- Pickering in My Fair Lady

Well, they did it. Whether or not they succeeded is probably a question the courts will have to answer.

As I discussed earlier, the idea of pastors using their pulpits to test the federal laws prohibiting churches from endorsing politicians is imprudent and unnecessary. Pastors have better things to do on Sunday mornings than stump for candidates. And I wonder how these Christian pastors would feel if Muslim imams started using their mosques as staging grounds for their own political crusades.

Anyway, there's been a good bit of media coverage lately, though it's been overshadowed a bit by campaign and financial news.

National Public Radio's All Things Considered aired a five-minute segment on Sunday about the "protest" efforts.

National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation has interviews with the Rev. Gus Booth, a Minnesota minister who endorsed McCain from the pulpit on Sunday, and the Rev. Welton Gaddy, a Louisiana minister who opposes politicking by pastors.

The Washington Post quotes one of the McCain-endorsing pastors as saying that voters who cast their ballots for Obama suffer from "severe moral schizophrenia." The same minister expressed concern that his members aren't able to "connect the dots" when it came to evaluating candidates in light of moral issues.

A pastor quoted in USA Today worries that political endorsements from the pulpits risk alienating church members. A very legitimate concern. While all Christians should agree on some fundamental moral issues, such as abortion, they can differ in their opinions as to how those beliefs translate into public policy. What happens when a pastor insists to his flock that "Candidate X's way is God's way, and it's Candidate X's way or the highway"? What happens when conservative pastors start endorsing candidates in a primary race when both candidates have the same "Christian" credentials? (I believe the Talk of the Nation segment also discusses the potentially divisive nature of such endorsements within the church.)

Finally, research indicates that most Americans disagree with the idea that pastors should mix politics and preaching. Seventy-five percent of respondents strongly or somewhat disagree when asked if they believe it is appropriate for churches to publicly endorse candidates for public office. Eighty-five percent of respondents strongly or somewhat disagree when asked if they believe it is appropriate for churches to use their resources to campaign for candidates for public office.

Hey, preacherman: just give us the Gospel!

Jesus Defends His Authority

Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost (A)

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?"

Jesus replied, "I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John's baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?"

They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Then why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'From men'—we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We don't know."

Then he said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."

Matthew 21:23-27

Choralsatz 1


Choralsatz 2


Weihegesang


ERHALT UNS, HERR, BEI DEINEM WORT
Text: Martin Luther, 1541
Tune: Geistliche Lieder, Wittenberg, 1543
Translation: Catherine Winkworth, 1863
Recordings: Blechbläserensemble pro musica sacra

Lord, keep us steadfast in Thy Word;
Curb those who fain by craft and sword
Would wrest the kingdom from Thy Son
And set at naught all He hath done.

Lord Jesus Christ, Thy pow’r make known,
For Thou art Lord of lords alone;
Defend Thy Christendom that we
May evermore sing praise to Thee.

O Comforter of priceless worth,
Send peace and unity on earth.
Support us in our final strife
And lead us out of death to life.

Christian Merchandise: My Jesus, I Bought Thee

I discovered this video on YouTube last weekend. Man, does it bring back memories.

Don't get me wrong—I largely enjoyed my three-year career in a Christian bookstore. There was a daily satisfaction in solving problems and finding appropriate resources for customers, and there was a special satisfaction in putting a Bible in the hands of a new Christian or managing a special order of foreign-language resources for a missionary or church mission group.

But...there was also the Christian merchandise, and too much of it. It seemed that everyone and his third cousin was out to make a buck on Jesus. And to add injury to insult, Christians are poor merchandisers. Terrible merchandisers, really. Way, way behind the times in nearly every aspect of retail. Prone to stock and sell anything bearing a cross, Jesus fish, or praying hands. Not only did we have bad merchandise, we had mountains of bad merchandise.

So enjoy this glimpse into my past, and the special Christian retail version of "My Jesus, I Bought Thee" that I wrote shortly before my departure from the industry in 2006. It's inspired by true events.



“MY JESUS, I BOUGHT THEE”
TEXT: St. Charles the Illuminous
TUNE: GORDON, by Adoniram J. Gordon

My Jesus, I bought Thee, I know Thou art mine;
I got Thee last weekend for one ninety-nine.
I found Thee on clearance—one of Thine arms was gone,
But, Lord, what a blessing to buy Thee for a song!

I bought Thee because Thou didst glow in the dark.
Thou floatest in water just like in Saint Mark.
And if I need wisdom, I simply pull Thy cord
To hear a beatitude or other holy word.

If tempted or tried or confused I may be,
I look at Thy chest; it says “WWJD.”
And all of the fear and the doubt fade away
When I am reminded of this Christian cliché.

On dashboard or nightstand, on key ring or purse,
I’ll keep Thee for good luck—hey, I could do worse.
For Thou art almighty but also pocket-sized;
Thy power in cheap plastic is cleverly disguised!

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost (A)

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

"About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went.

"He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?'

"'Because no one has hired us,' they answered.

"He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'

"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.'

"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.'

"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'

"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Matthew 20:1-16



ES IST DAS HEIL UNS KOMMEN HER
Text: Paul Speratus, 1523
Translation: The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941, alt.
Tune: Es ist das Heil, in Etlich Christlich lider, Wittenberg, 1524

Salvation unto us has come
By God's free grace and favor;
Good works cannot avert our doom,
They help and save us never.
Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone,
Who did for all the world atone;
He is our one Redeemer.

What God did in His Law demand
And none to Him could render
Caused wrath and woe on every hand
For man, the vile offender.
Our flesh has not those pure desires
The spirit of the Law requires,
And lost is our condition.

It was a false, misleading dream
That God His Law had given
That sinners should themselves redeem
And by their works gain heaven.
The Law is but a mirror bright
To bring the inbred sin to light
That lurks within our nature.

From sin our flesh could not abstain,
Sin held its sway unceasing;
The task was useless and in vain,
Our gilt was e'er increasing.
None can remove sin's poisoned dart
Or purify our guileful heart,-
So deep is our corruption.

Yet as the Law must be fulfilled
Or we must die despairing,
Christ came and hath God's anger stilled,
Our human nature sharing.
He hath for us the Law obeyed
And thus the Father's vengeance stayed
Which over us impended.

Since Christ hath full atonement made
And brought to us salvation,
Each Christian therefore may be glad
And build on this foundation.
Thy grace alone, dear Lord, I plead,
Thy death is now my life indeed,
For Thou hast paid my ransom.

Let me not doubt, but trust in Thee,
Thy Word cannot be broken;
Thy call rings out, "Come unto Me!"
No falsehood hast Thou spoken.
Baptized into Thy precious name,
My faith cannot be put to shame,
And I shall never perish.

The Law reveals the guilt of sin
And makes men conscience-stricken;
The Gospel then doth enter in
The sinful soul to quicken.
Come to the cross, trust Christ, and live;
The Law no peace can ever give,
No comfort and no blessing.

Faith clings to Jesus' cross alone
And rests in Him unceasing;
And by its fruits true faith is known,
With love and hope increasing.
Yet faith alone doth justify,
Works serve thy neighbor and supply
The proof that faith is living.

All blessing, honor, thanks, and praise
To Father, Son, and Spirit,
The God that saved us by His grace,-
All glory to His merit!
O Triune God in heaven above,
Who hast revealed Thy saving love,
Thy blessed name be hallowed.

As Usual, the Catholics Get It Right

You may have heard recently that a group of evangelical ministers backed by the Alliance Defense Fund is planning to thumb its collective noses at the Internal Revenue Service on September 28 by openly endorsing candidates from the pulpit. (If you haven't, the Washington Post has a good summary of the "Pulpit Initiative.")

My question is, "WHY?"

The ADF answer is that churches have the constitutional right to free speech, including political speech, and that Internal Revenue Code prohibitions against political endorsements by churches are unconstitutional. It's all Lyndon Johnson's fault, says Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel for the ADF. He didn't like certain groups opposing his Senate re-election bid, so he introduced legislation to muzzle his opponents. The ADF has drafted a White Paper defending its view that the IRC provisions against political speech by non-profits are unconstitutional. In fact, the ADF conceived the "Pulpit Initiative" for the express purpose of inviting IRS scrutiny and getting a case before the courts with the hope of having the law declared unconstitutional.

Again, my question is, "WHY?"

I'm not a legal scholar (and I'll happily submit to a well-reasoned defense of constitutional rights on this issue), but I believe the provisions against political speech by churches are neither unconstitional nor harmful. Do they establish or prohibit the free exercise of religion? No. Do they abridge the freedom of speech, or the press, or the right of the people to assemble, or to petition the government for a redress of grievances? No. The law simply says that nonprofits that are organized for religious, charitable, and educational purposes should do, well, religious, charitable, and educational things. In other words, one shouldn't join the tennis league and demand the right to play hockey on the tennis courts, during the tennis match.

What is most troubling about this Pulpit Initiative, though, is that its backers are more concerned with a supposed abridgement of political speech than they are with the proclamation of the Gospel. Whether or not the ADF succeeds in getting the law overturned, the churches, pastors, and members who trade their pulpits for politics are losers. Our Lord gave His Church the keys to the kingdom, not the keys to the ballot box. Trading the birthright of the Evangel for the pottage of endorsements is shameful and sickening. It's also indicative of the state of contemporary American Christianity.

Pastors have far more important things to do than politick from the pulpit. How will endorsing (or condemning) candidates pour faith into the hearts of a congregation? How will it feed souls hungry and thirsty for righteousness? How will it kill the sinful heart with the Law and bring it to life again with the Gospel? How will it set Christ crucified for our sins before us?

Predictably, and thankfully, other pastors and churches are speaking up against the ADF plan, even going so far as to file formal complaints with the IRS. But as usual, it's the Catholics who are leading the way with a thoughtful, engaging response. From Miami Archbishop John Favalora's statement titled "Why we don't take sides on candidates":

When we teach on a particular moral issue, we rely on the whole of that tradition rather than on any individual’s opinion or interpretation of Scripture.

That is not to say that we are not involved in politics. Catholics do not give up their right to vote or take political sides when they are baptized.

But the role of the church is not to be like the “party boss” who goes around telling people how to vote. Our responsibility is to remind people to vote wisely; to reveal to them the wisdom of Scripture, the wisdom of the church’s moral tradition, so that they can base their votes on solid moral ground.

Too often, people vote based on their feelings, or on the partial sound-bites of candidates pushing a particular point of view. More often than not, decisions based on feelings or partial information turn out to be wrong.

That is why it is especially important for voters to study all sides of an issue — or candidate — and examine that information in light of their own beliefs and values.

When church leaders speak on issues such as immigration, poverty, health care, abortion, war or embryonic stem cell research, we are not telling people how to vote. We are reminding them of the moral teachings that should inform their lives, and as a result, their votes...

That is our duty as teachers and successors of the apostles.

Your duty as Catholics is to listen to those teachings before making rational, informed, conscientious decisions regarding whom or what to vote for.

Politicians already know the American religious vote goes on sale every four years. There's no reason to give it--and the priceless Gospel--away in exchange for the empty hope of political relevance and the sure promise of political slavery.

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost (A)

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

Matthew 18:21-35



COME DOWN, O LOVE DIVINE
(Hymn of the Day)
Words: Bianco of Siena (?-1434)
Music: Ralph Vaughn Williams, 1906

Come down, O love divine, seek Thou this soul of mine,
And visit it with Thine own ardor glowing.
O Comforter, draw near, within my heart appear,
And kindle it, Thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn, til earthly passions turn
To dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
And let Thy glorious light shine ever on my sight,
And clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity mine outward vesture be,
And lowliness become mine inner clothing;
True lowliness of heart, which takes the humbler part,
And o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong, with which the soul will long,
Shall far outpass the power of human telling;
For none can guess its grace, till he become the place
Wherein the Holy Spirit makes His dwelling.

Jesus Teaches His Disciples

Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost (A)

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

"Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

A Brother Who Sins Against You

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

Matthew 18:1-20



NUN LOB, MEIN SEEL, DEN HERREN
Text: Johann Gramann, 1487-1541
Translation: Catherine Winkworth
Tune: Concentus novi, Augsburg, 1540
Organ Variations: Dietrich Buxtehude, BuxWV 212-215

My soul, now bless thy Maker!
Let all within me bless His name
Who maketh thee partaker
Of mercies more than thou dar'st claim.
Forget Him not whose meekness
Still bears with all thy sin,
Who healeth all thy weakness,
Renews thy life within;
Whose grace and care are endless
And saved thee through the past;
Who leaves no sufferer friendless,
But rights the wronged at last.