The longer I live as a Christian and serve as a pastor, the more impressed I am with the value of careful attention to Jesus’ teaching on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, commonly known as The Lord’s Prayer. Many, if not most, Christians struggle with prayer. Two reasons come to mind. The first is that we live in a time when prayer is not strongly emphasized, in part because most of us do not have great troubles in life, at least outwardly so. The second reason is a perennial one, namely, the warfare between the flesh and the spirit. Prayer simply is difficult and it requires attention and effort. This is precisely why I find the Lord’s prayer to be so helpful.

As expected, there is a wide variety of internet comment on the WTS board's suspension of Old Testament Professor Peter Enns.  I would highlight Scott Clark's counsel to current students and the discussion taking place at Green Baggins.  Both of these, and most others, express sincere expressions of good will towards Pete Enns as a brother in Christ.  This I share and I will undertake in prayer for Pete, his family, and friends. 

Undoubtedly, this is not only a crossroads for Dr. Enns but I think it is something of a seminal event in our times.  The reason is that this really is not about the publishing of a single book, although those who publish controversial views obviously bring attention to themselves and the institution they represent.  The bigger issue has to do with a number of important questions, including the relationship of a seminary like WTS to the confessional churches it serves and to the academic profession of which it seeks to be a part. 

I've been laid up with the flu the last few days, but I have tuned into the Barack Obama - Jeremiah Wright controversy, and have caught some of the internet banter commenting on it.  Mainly, three thoughts have occurred to me, dealing with Wright's anti-Americanism, Wright's racism, and Wright's use of the pulpit.

Church visioning is a powerful tool that can help make leaders much more effective.  But since it necessarily focuses on things man can achieve, it has a dangerous tendency to secularize the church.  Therefore, in my opinion, church visioning is probably a good idea only for churches that are strongly established with an ordinary means of grace emphasis, but who need to pay more attention to their missional context. Also, I would suggest that a visioning process should be conducted only periodically so as to set some longer term trajectories for ministry aspirations. The document should be kept ready so as to offer its analysis to future decision-making (hiring decisions, budget priorities, etc.), and then the church should continue to focus on its God-given mission of serving the Kingdom of Christ through the God-given strategy of Word, sacrament, and prayer, with biblically-defined elders and pastors serving a biblically-shaped church. (See 2 Cor. 10:3-4, and 1 Cor. 1:21-2:2).

Having read the article to which Ligon links, regarding Pope Benedict and Martin Luther, it seems that the Luther they want to restore is really Erasmus.  The latter ranted against the moral and spiritual abuses of the Roman Catholic Church just as much as Luther did.  But Luther himself insisted that it was not merely the practice of the Church that he assailed -- it was, most specifically, its salvation doctrine. 

Thus continues the recent Roman Catholic--Evangelical dialogue.  At each step, it is the evangelicals who end up changing, never the papists (after which the evangelicals celebrate their "achievement").  At least when it comes to Luther, this Erasmian remaking is being imposed upon him, five hundred years after his valiant life for the gospel.  Luther knew that we must stand fast on God's Word and on the gospel proclamation of sola fide.  Our dialogue with Roman Catholics today can certainly improve on the tone of previous generations of evangelicals, but we cannot improve on our forefathers' commitment to the biblical gospel.  The reason we have evangelical churches today is that those before us refused to be moved from the gospel.  The question now is whether or not our grandchildren will have a true evangelical church, and it depends on our willingness to stand with and like Luther on sola fide.

Justin linked on his blog to my post below regarding our recent loss of a baby.  A woman named Christie commented on her desire for biblical support for my confidence in the salvation of our lost child.  There must be others with the same question, so I thought I would post my answer here as well.