Purity

By David Domsch Purity is such an appealing idea.  We all want our food, our medicine, and yes our church’s doctrine to be pure – to contain only that which is supposed to be there and be void of all contamination. Despite its appeal, however, purity is very dangerous idea because the word implies an absolute…
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Offence

By David Domsch 1 a obsolete : an act of stumbling b archaic : a cause or occasion of sin : stumbling block 2 something that outrages the moral or physical senses.   (Merriam-Webster.com) In recent weeks the President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod tried to prevent a recurrence of the conflict that emerged when charges were brought against Rev. David Benke because of his participation in…
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Fear III

By David Domsch Last fall an initial article lamented the fear that seems to drive far too much in the LCMS.   A young pastor questioned how I could continue in the LCMS under the situation described.   That led to a second article in the spring of 2012. Although I had hoped to establish an ongoing dialog…
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Fear II

By David Domsch A young pastor who I know well, Ryan Wendt, raised questions and concerns about the article Fear that I wrote for the Fall 2011 Daystar Journal. Unlike my experience on several websites, the questions and comments that Ryan offered are civil. They deserve a response in kind.  Though Ryan’s thoughts were posted on Facebook, that is…
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Fear

By David Domsch Lutherans have a long and complex relationship with fear.  Luther was famously fearful as a young man – fearing that no matter how hard he tried, he could never be sure that he was living up to what God expected of him. In a very real sense, the Reformation is a direct result…
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Control

By David Domsch We all like to be in control.   It’s only human – as is the urge to extend our control beyond ourselves to include other people and situations.  That can and does lead to conflict – often serious conflict. Three years ago, before he was elected President of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Rev. Matthew Harrison…
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