LOGIA

Book review by Dr. Albert Collver

A Little Book on Joy: The Secret of Living a Good News Life in a Bad News World. By Matthew C. Harrison. Fort Wayne, Indiana: Lutheran Legacy Press, 2009. Individual copies: $9.95; bulk (5 or more copies): $5.99.

 A Little Book on Joy is a very fitting title in a world that seems to have so little joy. At first glance, there would seem to be little to say about joy. A search on Amazon.com turns up remarkably few books on the subject of joy, many of which deal with mental health or Eastern religion. It seems that “joy” is not even a topic popular for a self-help type of book. If the self-help book market has relatively little use for “joy,” what of the Christians? While there are some Christian authors writing on “joy,” it seems that Harrison’s got it right. “So many churches, so many pastors and Christians have so little joy today . . . These are difficult times” (p. 2). Indeed, these are difficult times for many as the news media has titled the first decade of the 21^st century, “The Noughties.” Even in the Church, outside of the Christmas season with “Joy to the World,” when is the message of “joy” heard?

by January Pearson

For the Nuns of 1523 who Fled to Wittenberg

I'll tell you a story
of such blessed serendipity
it could be myth,
but it is true.

A sermon preached by John T. Pless on Tuesday in Pentecost 18, 6 October 2009 at Kramer Chapel, Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana; Sermon text: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

"May God the Father, who created this body; may God the Son, who by His blood redeemed this body; may God the Holy Spirit, who by Holy Baptism sanctified this body to be His temple, keep these remains to the day of the resurrection of all flesh." These words are, of course, the words spoken at the committal in the Service of Christian Burial. At that most sober and somber moment they proclaim the truth about the body of the believer; it is body created by the Maker of heaven and earth, purchased with the blood of Christ, and hallowed by the washing of the water with the Word. It is not a left-over carcass to be tossed aside but a body given by God and now rendered back to Him.

by Rev. David Ramirez, Lincoln, Illinois

This Friday and Saturday, September 25-26, 2009, Lutheran CORE is holding a convocation in Fishers, Indiana, to discuss how to proceed in the aftermath of this summer's ELCA Assembly. Lutheran CORE is the organization through which the vast majority of "traditionalists" in the ELCA have attempted to fight the ELCA's slide into liberal Protestantism. There is no doubt that this meeting will prove to be an "I was there" event. One could draw parallels between this meeting and the withdrawal of the Pennsylvania Ministerium from the General Synod in 1864. However, this is not to imply that a new Lutheran body will emerge this weekend. There seems to be a complicated plan (or argument) concerning the relationship of Lutheran CORE to the ELCA. Will Lutheran CORE fight from within, leave as swiftly as possible, or limp along double-mindedly? Regardless of the specific fate of Lutheran CORE, I believe it is clear that this meeting signals the emergence of a large "moderate" Lutheran synod in America. We must remember that the General Council was not formed until 1867. Likewise, Fishers will not be the final break, but rather mark the beginning of the end of the ELCA as we know it now. The strongest parallel to this situation may be with the recent history of the Missouri Synod. Perhaps we could liken Lutheran CORE to ELIM, and the future "moderate" Lutheran body, which shall surely emerge, to the AELC, which was not constituted until the very end of 1976, almost 3 years after the Walkout in 1974.