Conference Preview: Encountering the Gospel in Worship

The following preview comes to us from Alex Mejias of High Street Hymns who will be leading a breakout session Friday morning entitled "High Street Hymnody: Encountering the Gospel in Worship". For more info about the fantastic work that High Street Hymns is doing, go here. To register for the conference, here. 

“They [the righteous] praise only God’s grace, works, words and power as they are revealed to them in Christ. This is their sermon and song, their hymn of praise.”

- Martin Luther

In Colossians 3:16, Paul encourages the church to, “let the word of Christ richly dwell within you… teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” In doing so, Paul reveals power of music to shape the body of Christ in the Gospel. Paul S. Jones writes that, “musicians and preachers actually share in the ministry of the Word.” As those who are entrusted with the music of church, how are we proclaiming the Gospel and enabling spiritual formation through song? How are we not doing so?

During our time together, we’ll look at both the theological and practical side of corporate song in the Church. Drawing from the Church’s rich tradition of hymnody and liturgy, we’ll explore some possible ways of encountering the Gospel through music.

p.s. Church musicians are invited to drop in and join us for this special session, free of charge. Just be sure to email us at info@mbird.com to reserve your spot.

For the Love of Gerhard Forde (and The Cardigans)

From page 107 of his classic On Being a Theologian of the Cross, in reference to Thesis 26 of Martin Luther's Heidelberg Disputation:

“We see that the law simply cannot bring into being what it commands…The law says, ‘Thou shalt love!’ It is right; it is ‘holy, true, good’. Yet it can’t bring about what it demands. It might impel toward the works of the law, the motions of love, but in the end they will become irksome and will all too often lead to hate. If we go up to someone on the street, grab them by the lapels and say, ‘Look here, you’re supposed to love me!’ the person may drudgingly admit that we are right, but it won’t work. The results will likely be just the opposite from what our ‘law’ demands. Law is indeed right, but it simply cannot realize what it points to. So it works wrath. It can curse, but it can’t bless. In commanding love law can only point helplessly to that which it cannot produce.”

A great cover:

Human Righteousness as performed by The Portsmouth Sinfonia

Have you heard the Portsmouth Sinfonia?



You see, The Portsmouth Sinfonia was founded by an English art school in 1970. Oddly, its primary requirement was that the musicians not be...well... musicians, or at least not play the instrument to which they were assigned. This reminds me of what I put my parents through for nine years of semi-annual school orchestra concerts (not to mention practices).

But why expose anyone to this abysmal cacophony of Nixon era ear horror? Because they took it seriously. Just as we take seriously our daily moral efforts and supposed petty superiorities. The music presents itself as if it was as beautiful as the New York Philharmonic. There is no irony. With its chin held high the Sinfonia smashes its way through some of the most beautiful pieces of music ever composed, distorting and defiling their original beauty. 

Have you ever wondered what our righteousness would "sound" like to God apart from the work of Christ? Well here it is.

Isaiah 57:12:
"I will expose your righteousness and your works, and they will not benefit you."

Heidelberg Disputation:

Thesis 3.
Although the Works of man always seem attractive and good, they are nevertheless likely to be mortal sins.

Thesis 4.
Although the works of God are always unattractive and appear evil, they are nevertheless really eternal merits.

ht ML (not html)

Luther on the Nativity

From Martin Luther's Christmas Book:

Let us, then, meditate upon the Nativity just as we see it happening in our own babies. I would not have you contemplate the deity of Christ, the majesty of Christ, but rather his flesh. Look upon the Baby Jesus. Divinity may terrify man. Inexpressible majesty will crush him. That is why Christ took on our humanity, save for sin, that he should not terrify us but rather that with love and favor he should console and confirm.

Behold Christ lying in the lap of his young mother, still a virgin. What can be sweeter than the Babe, what more lovely than the mother! What fairer than her youth! What more gracious than her virginity! Look at the Child, knowing nothing. Yet all that is belongs to him, that your conscience should not fear but take comfort in him. Doubt nothing. Watch him springing in the lap of the maiden. Laugh with him. Look upon this Lord of Peace and your spirit will be at peace. See how God invites you in many ways. He places before you a Babe with whom you may take refuge. You cannot fear him, for nothing is more appealing to man than a babe. Are you affrighted? Then come to him, lying in the lap of the fairest and sweetest maid. You will see how great is the divine goodness, which seeks above all else that you should not despair. Trust him! Trust him! Here is the Child in whom is salvation. To me there is no greater consolation given to mankind than this, that Christ became man, a child, a babe, playing in the lap and at the breasts of his most gracious mother. Who is there whom this sight would not comfort? Now is overcome the power of sin, death, hell, conscience, and guilt, if you come to this gurgling Babe and believe that he is come, not to judge you, but to save.

(This remains for me of all Christian meditations the one that touches me in the sore place of my heart, and which lets me inside the stable, so to speak.  My apologies for posting it two years in a row. -- SD)

Martin Luther on Christmas

A re-run of our fourth ever post on this blog, from the Reformer's sermon on Shepherds:

"This is a fair, dear and precious assurance to troubled and tormented consciences laden with sins, that to them and to us all a Child is born who will rule and vindicate, who will help and not destroy, murder, strangle or kill."

"The Christian faith is foolishness. It says that God can do anything and yet makes himself so weak that either his Son had no power or wisdom or else the whole story is made up."

"God does not even send an angel to take the devil by the nose. He sends, as it were, an earthworm lying in weakness, helpless, without his mother, and he suffers him to be nailed to a cross... So spoke Caiaphas and Pilate, "He is nothing but a carpenter," and then in his weakness and infirmity he crunches the devil's back and alters the whole world. He suffered himself to be trodden under the foot of man and to be crucified, and through weakness he takes power and the Kingdom."

"If I had come to Bethlehem and seen it, I would have said: 'This does not make sense. Can this be the Messiah? This is sheer nonsense.' I would not have let myself be found inside the stable."

The Secret History of William Axl Rose, Pt 2: Everything Was Roses When We Held On To The Guns

Continuing with our three part series on Axl Rose. Read part one here.

"Those who are predisposed to fall into despondency as well as to rise into the ecstasy may be able to view reality from an angle different from that of ordinary folk. Yet it is a true angle; and when the problem or the religious object has been once so viewed, others less sensitive will be able to look from a new vantage point and testify that the insight is valid." - Roland Bainton, writing about Martin Luther

"I just want to bury Appetite. I don't want to live my life through that one album. I have to bury it, and do something new." - Axl Rose

"We didn't just throw something together to be rock stars. We wanted to put something together that meant everything to us... We're competing with rock legends now, and we're honored to be in that position. We want to define ourselves. Appetite was a cornerstone, a place to start. It was like, 'Here's our stand,' and we just put a stake in the ground. Now we're going to build something." - Axl Rose

And so we come to GNR phase two. To paraphrase Jarvis Cocker, what exactly does one do for an encore? If you're Axl Rose, you take an extreme situation and make it even more so. He knew full well that the success of Appetite for Destruction could well come to define them, and like anyone finely attuned to the devastating power of the Law, he was deadset on escaping it. Sadly, it wasn't really up to him; reacting against a standard is no different than conforming to one. In this light, Use Your Illusion, for all its many merits, might be seen as an artistic nuclear bomb - or perhaps more appropriately, a middle finger - aimed at all of what Appetite for Destruction represented: unprecedented and universal success. In theological terms, the fulfillment of all righteousness.

Sadly, the money and acclaim did to Guns N Roses what they've done to oh-so-many other Behind The Music subjects (especially when combined with the vast amount of substances that were being consumed): they inflated egos and ignited tempers, leading all involved to make their claims of credit and fight over pieces of a pie that wasn't there before. In these situations, it seems almost inevitable that control begins to subvert collaboration, that law subsumes love. And the Gunners were no exception: as they began work on their proper follow-up to Appetite, self-righteousness quickly came to dominate the proceedings, making for a less than ideal creative climate. Of course, competition can also create the kind of friction that makes for good music, and perhaps they had not quite reached the tipping point. That most of the competition was internal to Axl (see above) should come as no surprise.

The pressure that they were working under - a.k.a. the curious rock n roll Commandment that bands must always "progress," or improve - pretty much dictated that the spontaneous energy of Appetite would be extinguished this time around. Perfectionism is a great friend of paralysis, so the process of recording Use Your Illusion took a long, long time, as well as an ungodly amount of money. Given the Chinese Democracy debacle, it's easy to forget that Use Your Illusion was delayed for over a year. But it speaks to Axl's determination (or the depth of his anger, plus the level of affirmation/adoration that they'd achieved via Appetite) that the record was ever completed.

Anxious to best themselves, the guys let loose a truly manic collection of 30 songs - two discs/volumes, released on the same day! This time, the range and stylistic variety of the music matched the thematic schizophrenia: acoustic songs ("You're Not The First"), next to overblown covers ("Knockin' On Heaven's Door"), next to speed-metal ("Right Next Door To Hell"), next to shameful scatalogical anthems ("Get in the Ring"), some pop ("Yesterdays"), some charming Stones' retreads ("Dust N' Bones"), even a left-field industrial piece ("My World"), all sandwiched between a handful of stunning piano-driven (!) epics. With the benefit of hindsight, it's hard to ignore how seldom their reach seldom exceeded their grasp. Guns N Roses were/are pros.

Lyrically, Axl's zigzagging was no less breathtaking than on Appetite, but now with an added degree of intellectual sophistication:[CONTINUE READING]

The Darjeeling Limited and The Theology of the Cross

Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited was released on Criterion two weeks ago, and if you know what's good for you, you'll add it to your Christmas list post-haste. It's a beautiful edition of a beautiful movie that boasts surprising, albeit inadvertent theological resonance. I'm serious. Even if you find Wes' films overly stylized or precious (or whatever people say about him - I obviously worship the guy), or if you wrote the film off as a tedious feature-length tribute to Satyajit Ray, I encourage you to look again. There is much to appreciate here.

The film tells the story of three privileged brothers, the Whitmans, and their "spiritual journey" to India following the sudden death of the father and the prolonged absence of their mother. As we find out, each sibling has chosen to "deal with," i.e. distract himself from, his pain in a different self-destructive fashion: Francis (Owen Wilson) through suicidal recklessness, Peter (Adrian Brody) through emotional isolation, Jack (Jason Schwartzman) through co-dependency, and all of them through (absurd) substance abuse. They are portrayed as a remarkably dysfunctional yet loveable bunch, arrested in their development to a comic degree, yet clearly doing the best they can with the hand they've been dealt. That is to say, they're looking for healing. Sort of.

Unfortunately, things don't quite work out that way. Through a series of ridiculous events, they end up making things much worse for themselves, until they are kicked off their train, and their assistant quits. The Whitmans are ready to give up and go home. Which is where this first clip opens [warning: slight language]:
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Double Rainbow Guy and Thesis 19 of the Heidelberg Disputation

Heidelberg Disputation: Thesis 19 --> That person does not deserve to be called a theologian who looks upon the invisible things of God as though they were clearly perceptible in those things that have actually happened (or have been made, created).

Have you watched this hilarious ode to Pantheism: the double rainbow guy? 

At a few points he says, "I don't know what it means," a sentiment that betrays the deep desire humans have to interpret God, to read the omens, and to turn religion into superstition.  Faith is not trusting God to work in ways that we can easily make sense of.  In Gerhard Forde's words: “Becoming a theologian of the cross involves turning to face the problems, joys, and sorrows of everyday life” (p. 10, OBATOTC). Faith, in this respect, is trusting God when we do not know what He is doing, and in spite of the fact we cannot know what double rainbows mean.  It is knowing that He is trustworthy even when we do not trust him.

"If we are faithless, he remains faithful..." (2 Tim 2:13)

Luther didn't start the fire, but he's the reason it's still burning.

We are beggars; this is true.

. . . last written words of Dr. Martin Luther, (10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546)

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Luther didn't start the fire: St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

In the year 427/428, St. Augustine endeavored to reevaluate his prolific writings in order to correct them of “anything that offends me or might offend others (Augustine, 8) Among his various corrections and explanations, he offered a new insight into his interpretation of the identity of the speaker in Romans 7.14-25. Referencing his book entitled An Explanation of Certain Passages from the Epistle of the Apostle to the Romans, he states:

In this book I said: “However, when he says, ‘We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am carnal, adequately shows that the law can be fulfilled only by spiritual men, the kind that the grace of God transforms,” I certainly did not want this applied personally to the Apostle who was already spiritual, but to the man living “under the “Law” but not yet “under grace.” For prior to this time, in this was I understood these words which, at a later date . . . I reflected upon this more deeply and I saw that his own words can also be understood about he Apostle himself: “We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am carnal
( 96-97).

The above quote is where Luther got THIS from. . .

Luther didn't start the fire: Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498)

From here: (born Sept. 21, 1452, Ferrara, duchy of Ferrara — died May 23, 1498, Florence) Italian preacher, religious reformer, and martyr. He joined the Dominican order in 1475 and was sent to Florence to lecture at the convent of San Marco, where he became known for his learning and asceticism. His apocalyptic preaching maintained that the church needed reforming, that it would be scourged and then renewed. After the overthrow of the Medici family (1494), Savonarola became leader of Florence, setting up a democratic but severely puritanical government, notable for its "bonfire of the vanities," in which frivolous materials were burned. He also sought to establish a Christian republic as a base for reforming Italy and the church. He was opposed by the Arrabiati, supporters of the Medici, and by Pope Alexander VI, who attempted to restrain his unusual interpretations of scripture and his claim of prophecy. Savonarola was tried, convicted of heresy (1498), and hanged and burned. Despite popular veneration, attempts to bring about his canonization have been unsuccessful.
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Another Zinger from Luther

"Someone asked Martin Luther what we contribute to salvation, and he said, 'Sin and resistance!'"

-Michael Horton, in a Christianity Today interview by Mbird's 2011 conference speaker Mark Galli

Luther didn't start the fire: Peter Waldo (1170-1184)

From here: Some men's personal lives are eclipsed by the movements they start. Peter Waldo was such a man. He appears on the scene of history in 1170 in Lyons as a successful businessman who, touched to his core by a traveling minstrel's religious ballad, gave away his money to live in poverty as a preacher of the Gospel. Having persuaded a sympathetic priest to translate large sections of the New Testament from Latin into the regional language, Provençal, Peter wandered through Lyons, bringing the message of Christ to anyone who would listen to him. He soon had the Gospels memorized. A number of young men, impressed by his intelligence and sincerity , followed him in giving away their possessions and found a new joy and freedom in living according to the spirit of the Gospels.

Some priests of Lyons, disturbed by Peter's popularity, tried to curb his activities. Peter appealed directly to Pope Alexander III in Rome. The Pope responded in 1179 by praising the group's poverty but said that because they had no theological training they could preach only if the archbishop of Lyons gave them permission. The Waldenses, as they had come to be known, felt that their message was too important to be checked by traditional Church discipline, and they rejected the Pope's directive. They were excommunicated at a Church council in Verona by the next pope, Lucius III, in 1184.

The Waldenses continued to live by their understanding of the New Testament rather than by the procedures of the Church. They refused to accept the existence of purgatory because it is not in the Bible. They rejected the practice of venerating the saints for the same reason. Not just priests, they said, but any person can consecrate the sacramental bread and wine. They rejected the authority structure of the Church as unbiblical. Their refusal to take oaths and also to participate in war made them unpopular with the secular as well as the Church authorities. Peter Waldo himself was not heard from after his excommunication in 1184. His followers were harassed by the Inquisition. They escaped when possible to the nearly inacessible mountain regions of northern Italy, where Waldo's ideas managed to survive over the centuries despite periodic attempts by Church authorities to eliminate them. More Here.

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Reformation Rap - The Heidelberg Catechism

Heidelberg Catechism by avoice

Lyrics

Verse 1: Yeah I'm on a mission like a couple spies, and that guys is the reason why I catechize. The good news we almost forgot I recognize, Heidelberg rediscovering the gospel prize. It's not scripture but the truth in it will mention he, introduction hide and seek the 16th century. Written in a time when your mind was the weaponry, this document is back into the populace shouts to Kevin D. Better than you think not as bad as you remember, purpose driven truth, from Frederick the elector. He would initiate, the 129 questions to illustrate truths like Christ propitiates. All in a document, whose purpose was to teach children, a guide for preachers, and confessions in a church building. And this is all fact The Heidelberg Cat has been around but now it's seem like it is coming back.

Hook: We believe in the cross, believe in his life, we believe in his death, believe he's the Christ.

We believe that he rose from grave yes it is him and we read the Heidelberg Catechism

We believe in the after life and we believe nothing's after Christ, so we stand our ground,
Cuz the truth's been around from the word to the Heidelberg.

Verse 2: Year of the Heidelberg resulting in renewed passion, and we could see it in our lives lights camera action. Let's take a gander and address a few questions from Heidelberg document then look at the answers. But before that make sure that, you know how it's broken down, in a Q & A format, a few sections. Suggestions how to read this not to sound promotional, but Kevin put it in his book to make it a devotional. Each question each answer has a bit of commentary, so the application of it is not some involuntary. Mystery, the history screams through rings true but I'll just leave that up to God, cuz that's between you. to believe, but to believe you gotta read you and then you meditate on all the truths that the Heidelberg will illustrate. What's that the catechism homey where you been the good news we almost forgot let's get it in!

Verse 3: From the word to the Heidelberg, we see that what's the comfort of life should come first. And in death that I with, body and soul but belong to the savior, commentary from me man, tell this to your neighbor. Moving on, how many things are necessary for thee, enjoying this comfort, to live and die happily? Three, my sin's misery, deliverance from sin, and gratitude for God is how the answer ends. Let's stretch it out the Lord's day 23 the granddaddy of them all, questions 59 and 60. What good does it do to believe in all this? In Christ I am right heir to the promise. Paraphrase, anyways I'm kinda limited I'm just trying to say a couple things my man Kevin did. On the Heidelberg, go and get you one, and by the way CJ homey this was fun.

Luther didn't start the fire: John Wycliffe (1324-1384)

From here: John Wycliffe lived almost 200 years before the Reformation, but his beliefs and teachings closely match those of Luther, Calvin and other reformers. As a man ahead of his time, historians have called Wycliffe the "Morning star of the Reformation." Born in the 1300s, Wycliffe criticized abuses and false teachings in the Church. In 1382 he translated an English Bible—the first complete European translation done in nearly 1,000 years. The Lollards, itinerant preachers he sent throughout England, inspired a spiritual revolution.But the Lollardy movement was short-lived. The Church expelled Wycliffe from his teaching position at Oxford, and 44 years after he died, the Pope ordered his bones exhumed and burned. Intense persecution stamped out his followers and teachings. It would be hundreds of years before men like Martin Luther resurrected the reforms of which Wycliffe dreamed.
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Luther didn't start the fire: Jan Hus (1369-1415)

In celebration of Reformation Day, in addition to Luther, we'll be looking at some of those reformers who are, perhaps, lesser known, but nevertheless paved his way--usually with their lives. One of the pervasive misconceptions about the Reformation is that it was a creation of that fateful day with the hammer in Wittenberg. In fact, as important and decisive as his contribution was, Luther stood on the shoulders of many who had gone before him, people who had been pulling the Papal thread of the re-sewn Temple curtain. Jan Hus was one of these people. From here:

One of Wycliffe’s followers, Jan Hus, actively promoted Wycliffe’s ideas: that people should be permitted to read the Bible in their own language, and they should oppose the tyranny of the Roman church that threatened anyone possessing a non-Latin Bible with execution. Hus was burned at the stake in 1415, with Wycliffe’s manuscript Bibles used as kindling for the fire. The last words of John Hus were that, “in 100 years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed.” Almost exactly 100 years later, in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses of Contention (a list of 95 issues of heretical theology and crimes of the Roman Catholic Church) into the church door at Wittenberg. More (of course) here.

Czech this out:)
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Fight the Power

In case you missed it. From the LATimes: The artist known as Banksy is famous for his stealth graffiti projects that mix social commentary and subversive street art. In keeping with his rebel persona, Banksy's guest "appearance" on "The Simpsons" on Sunday night [Oct. 10] was an unpredictable affair that mixed the anarchically humorous and the deadly serious. Banksy helped to design the opening credits for Sunday evening's episode. . .Banksy created an extended sequence that took viewers on a hellish tour of sweatshop labor in Asia. Workers are shown toiling away on animation cels and merchandise tie-ins for the hit Fox series. (It just so happens that "The Simpsons" outsources much of its animation to South Korea.)The final image shows the Twentieth Century Fox logo standing big brother-like over a militarized police zone.

You can see it all here. The discussions resulting from the airing of this opening sequence have almost exclusively centered on the question as to how Fox would allow (much less fund) such a disparaging portrayal of itself. Well, with coverage here, here and here, the cynics of the “any publicity is good publicity” school certainly have their answer, but so do advocates/fans of what is known as “culture jamming.” Whatever the case, I think that anytime a Unicorn gets taken down a few notches, it’s fine with me:)

From our perspective, stay with me here, the freedom that was given to Banksy and the willingness Fox showed is the same as that afforded Christians towards the church by the Doctrine of Justification by Grace through Faith alone. Part of Fox's freedom, no doubt, came from their confidence that many of the critiques were unwarranted; however, there was something deeply Protestant about the whole pre-episode episode.

As the vestiges of Christendom continue to fall away and (as if we needed a survey to tell us that), many people--uncomfortable with the lack of controls (read: Law) placed upon those to whom the Gospel is proclaimed---have beaten a hasty retreat into the arms of external authorities. These authorities--like circumcision did in Galatia--seem to provide safe-haven from the storms of post-modernity, pluralism, and Ru Paul's Drag Race. Fifty years ago, Gerhard Ebeling, also observing this sort of weakness, commented that it manifested in a variety of ways: “a new theological dogmatism and traditionalistic confessionalism, high-church clericalism and sacramentalism, an over-simplification through insistence on pietistic edification or else through catchword theology, radicalism, confessional rhetoric, etc.” Not much has changed.

Far from championing some sort of neo-Gnostic Huffington Post type “spirituality of hugging” on one hand, or a moralized “follower of Jesus” on the other, this emphasis on Justification by Faith Alone and, in particular, the proper distinction between Law and Gospel, provides courage to proclaim the death and resurrection of Christ in the face of a world that is chained to unbelief masquerading as pious religiosity, to a world that is enslaved to the Law. That we would be unable to afford God His due without recourse to if/then purpose-driven eudamenism, formulaic religious structures, or baptized sociological dogma is a curse of the Fall. BUT, that people abuse and turn the Gospel into vague sentimentality, hedonistic license or empty, self-serving platitudes is not as bad as turning it into a Law. Misused freedom is a problem; the absence of freedom is a tragedy.

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Wednesday Afternoon with Martin Luther

“There are laws enough in the world, more than people can keep. The state, fathers and mothers, schoolmasters, and law enforcement persons all exist to rule according to laws. But the Lord Christ says, 'I have not come to judge, to bite, to grumble, and to condemn people. The world is too much condemned. Therefore I will not rule people with laws. I have come that through my ministry and my death I may give help to all who are lost and may release and set free those who are overburdened with laws, with judgments, and with condemnation.'"

(Taken from his sermon on John 3, WA 47:27)

In a Form Which Is Strange to Us

'Thus we must be very much on our guard that we do not sometime become set in our minds, that we do not resist Christ and refuse to believe in Him, not realizing when, where, how, and through whom He is speaking to us. And almost always it is the case that He speaks to us in the place, the time, the manner, and through the person that we do not think He should. As He Himself says, "The wind blows where it wills (not where we will or think), and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes" (John 3:8). For He is near us and in us, but always in a form which is strange to us, not in the appearance of glory but in humility and gentleness, so that He is not thought to be who He really is.'

- Martin Luther, Lectures on Romans, Luther's Works 25, pp. 242-43

god is Law

On May 24, 1728, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, wrote:

In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s Preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.

If Wesley were to read today's news, then somewhere (or, more appropriately, somewhen:) he would be crying. In an article entitled Claremont Seminary Reaches beyond Christianity, the LA Times reports: In a bow to the growing diversity of America's religious landscape, the Claremont School of Theology, a Christian institution with long ties to the Methodist Church, will add clerical training for Muslims and Jews to its curriculum this fall, to become, in a sense, the first truly multi-faith American seminary.

In a similar article in USA Today, Rabbi Mel Gottlieb helpfully clarifies: "God is the God of all people, and we want to get back to the notion of treating people the way you'd want to be treated,"Gottlieb said. "That is the basic principle of all religions, instead of an entity that divides people and creates friction and acrimony."

Where to begin? Well, from a purely sociological perspective, this and other movements attempting to increase awareness among the world’s “great religions” are wholeheartedly welcomed. People should continue to strive for that gold star we all coveted in kindergarten next to “gets along well with others.” However, from a theological perspective, there is a tragic irony that underlies this move; while we would affirm with Gottlieb that “God is the God of all people,” following Luther, “to seek God apart from Jesus Christ—that is the devil.” This is why we endeavor with the Apostle Paul, “to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified”(1 Cor. 2:2), because as much as we may want to believe that it "comes in peace," outside of Jesus, this abstract god is, in fact, our enemy.

In his book, Martin Luther's Theology: A Contemporary Interpretation, Oswald Bayer explains: [outside of the Crucified One] God is at enmity with me as the dark, utterly distant and, at the same time, utterly close power—consuming, burning, oppressively near. God hides himself within that almighty power that works in life and death, love and hate, preserving life and removing life, fortune and misfortune, good and evil, in short, working everything in everyone, and we cannot extricate ourselves from having a relationship with him.”(4)

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