W W W. H I G H E RT H I N G S . O R G
/ FA L L / 2002
from
the
editor-in-chief After One Year
Higher Things: Dare to Be Lutheran began because we felt there was a real need to provide good and accurate Lutheran information to our young people in an attractive format. It has been our hope that Higher Things would serve as an effective tool to reach young people. As we begin our second year of publication, I wanted to look back and reflect on what has worked and what could be improved upon for this magazine. After some experimentation with the layout, I think we have settled into a design scheme that is engaging, attractive and readable. We’ve also found some great writers that keep things fresh and make the articles relevant and faithful to our Lord. I believe we’ve also had some success in trying to present a Christian worldview on issues facing young people today. I am particularly excited about our new “Pulse” column, and hope to see more writing in this style. In addition, I’ve been very pleased with the great Bible studies that have been produced in conjunction with each issue of the magazine. Kudos to Pr. Erik Rottmann and his capable staff for producing these fine studies. If there is one thing I would like to see more of in upcoming issues, it is articles by young people.This magazine has a tremendous potential for developing new writers, and I would like to see more writing from youth.
As with any endeavor, there have been bumps in the road. But part of what gets us past the bumps and on the road to great things is a dedicated and creative staff. I would like to thank our editorial group for all of their hard work over this past year.Thanks goes to Pam Knepper, Julie Stiegemeyer, Rev. James Winsor, Dr. Gene Edward Veith, Rev. David Petersen, Lynnette Fredericksen, and Steve Blakey, our art director. It is your hard work and stick-to-it-ness that has made this magazine what it is today. With this issue, we are also saying good-bye to one of our editorial group members. Pastor James Winsor has chosen to pursue other fields, and spend more time working with his own parish. Pr. Winsor has been a particular Godsend for us in providing the theological and pastoral thrust of this magazine. We will miss you, Jim, and hope you will continue to write for us regularly! As we begin our second year of publication, it is important to remember that with all Christian endeavors, like Higher Things, they are only possible because of God’s great mercy in Jesus Christ.To Him alone be all the glory!
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Yours in Christ, Pr.Todd Peperkorn Editor-in-Chief Higher Things: Dare to Be Lutheran
HigherThings
T A B L E
O F
CONTENTS
Volume 2/Number 3 Fall 2002
4
The World of Christian Art by Dr. Gene Edward Veith, Professor at Concordia University, Mequon, WI and Steve Blakey, Higher Things Art Director
Christian art communicates God’s message of salvation to us and helps focus our worship.
6
Art Contest Enter Higher Things magazine’s First Annual Art Contest.
7 Making Waves by the Rev. Daniel Woodring, Pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, New Buffalo, MI.
9
Highlights from Making Waves, the Higher Things Youth Conference, held this past summer in Duluth, MN.
13 What’s the Difference? by Abby Moe of St. Johns Lutheran Church, Rosemount, MN.
A teen reflects on Christian youth conferences and the differences between them.
14 Hot Dogs in the Real World by Kathy Luder
Can Lutheran schools provide students with the “street smarts” to survive in the real world?
15 Home Schooling by Bethany Casey of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, IN
Bethany answers all the questions you ever wondered about what it’s like to be home schooled.
18 Higher Things: Dare to Make a Magazine On Higher Things one-year anniversary, get an insider’s view on what it takes to put together this magazine.
20 Pulse by the Rev. Eric Andrae, Pastor of Campus Ministry, International Ministry and Academy Rector, First Trinity Lutheran Church, Pittsburgh, PA
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Spiderman were box-office hits this summer. How did they fare in the Lutheran worldview?
22 The Hulk Lies Down with the Lamb by the Rev. David Petersen, Pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, IN
Governments and military leaders rule by force and violence. How does that compare to God’s kingdom?
Editor-in-Chief REV. TODD PEPERKORN Managing Editor PAM KNEPPER
Assistant Editor JULIE STIEGEMEYER
Editorial Associates REV. TIM PAULS REV. DAVID PETERSEN REV. SCOTT STIEGEMEYER DR. GENE EDWARD VEITH Art Director STEVE BLAKEY
Business Manager LYNN FREDERICKSEN
Bible Studies Editor REV. ERIK ROTTMANN
HIGHER THINGS, INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS President REV. KLEMET
PREUS
Vice President REV. MARCUS
ZILL
Executive Director REV. DANIEL WOODRING
Secretary SANDRA
OSTAPOWICH
Treasurer LYNN FREDERICKSEN
SANDRA OSTAPOWICH REV. KLEMET PREUS JEFF SCHWARZ DR. GENE EDWARD VEITH MOLLIE ZIEGLER REV. MARCUS ZILL Higher Things Magazine ISSN 1539-8455 is published quarterly by Higher Things Inc., 2026 22nd Ave., Kenosha, WI 53140. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the editor-in-chief of Higher Things Magazine. Copyright 2002. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at Fort Wayne, Indiana. For subscription information, write to: Higher Things Magazine, P.O. Box 580111, Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158-8011 or e-mail to Subscriptions@higherthings.org. For general information about Higher Things, Inc., please e-mail info@higherthings.org.
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Art
C o m m u n ic a t ion By Gene Edward Veith
orship is all about coming into the presence of Christ. For Lutherans, this is not just some figure of speech. When we go to church, we believe that He is really there—in the building—that in Word and Sacrament He is actually present. “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20). Notice how often the name of Jesus and the Triune God is invoked in the Divine Service (“In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. . .”): at the beginning, in the absolution, in the prayers, in baptism, in Holy Communion, in the blessings. When we gather, pray and receive His gifts in His name, by the power of His word, there He is among us. Now this is true even when the sermon gets a little boring, or when everything seems routine, or when our minds are filled with so many distractions that it is hard to pay attention. Christ is still present, even though we do not perceive Him.To use Luther’s phrase, He is hidden. Just as God hid Himself in the man crucified on a cross, He hides Himself in that book on the lectern, the waters of baptism, bread and wine, in the vocation of the pastor, and—when you receive His gifts in faith—in you. The appropriate emotions when you realize that you are in the presence of Christ are awe, joy, and wonder. But we are not always that aware of what is happening in worship, and our emotions are generally out of synch. What art in worship can do is to remind us—mentally and emotionally—of what is going on. Depictions of Christ—on the crucifix, in the stained glass windows, in paintings above the altar—call to mind His presence. All of those crosses help us focus our minds on what He did for us, and that His presence is for our forgiveness. Then there are the symbols—the doves and vines, the seashells with drops of water, the crowns, the odd emblems on the banners. A symbol expresses a concept by means of a concrete image. Its purpose is not just to communicate some abstraction, but to bring the truth down to earth, to manifest it so that we can imagine what it means. Contemplating a symbol can help us realize new facets of the truth it symbolizes, and, in worship, can remind us that Christian doctrines are not just vague propositions, but are tangible realities. Music is another art form used in worship.The word is in good hymns, but most churches use instrumental music too—pure form, pure aesthetics. The music—not just the words—needs to be fitting for the occasion, in this case, for coming into the presence of Christ.This is no time for 60’s nostalgia, pop tunes, rock ‘n’ roll, or campfire songs. Not that there is anything wrong with these musical styles in their spheres. There are different kinds of music for different occasions. As one wag has noted,“’Who Let the Dogs Out’ works well at a football game, but it wouldn’t go over as well at a funeral.” Church music, as well as other kinds of church art should evoke an air of mystery, so as to highlight the mysteries of salvation. No work of art or piece of music can add to what Christ is already doing in worship. What they can do is help to compose and focus our thoughts and feelings, to remind us of Christ’s presence, and to awaken that sense of awe, joy, and wonder.
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for
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Dr. Gene Edward Veith is Dean of Arts and Sciences at Concordia University, Mequon,Wisconsin. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Higher Things.
ts
he first thing your eyes saw as you entered the art department was a poster, which read “Who is this fellow, Art?” It seemed appropriate for me as I entered my freshman year of college in 1978 searching for “art”. But who/what exactly is art? Simply put, it is communication. An artist is merely someone using a particular medium to get their message across. As a college freshman I stereotypically named painting, drawing, photography or sculpture as “art.” However, the truth is that we find art all around us. God’s creation communicates His love for us by providing color-rich sunsets, a stylishly designed automobile, or even a well-crafted sermon by your pastor! As Christians, we enjoy a long history of art. Art that was created for the expressed purpose of communicating God’s message of salvation to us.The Lord created the rainbow as a promise to us that He would never again flood the earth as He did in Noah’s time (a masterpiece we can still view today). With His own hand He wrote the Ten Commandments on stone tablets for Moses to deliver to His chosen peoBy Steve Blakey ple. David, inspired by the Lord, wrote the Psalms and planned the building of the temple (which his son Solomon would later construct as foretold by God). Some of the earliest depictions of Christ would be foreign to us today, as He was generally shown as a young, beardless man. Reformation-era Christians foreshadowed modern publishing with their ability to massproduce illustrated theological tracts using woodcuts and the printing press (www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/durer/engravings/). There’s an important element in artistic communication I refer to as the “ah ha” factor. You most often see it when an advertiser is hoping to make their product memorable, so you will go out and buy it. Remember the Gatorade TV commercials where the athletes are dripping colored sweat? The voiceover does not say,“These people have been drinking Gatorade and its different colors will come out when you sweat them out.” All you see and hear at the closing is “Gatorade... Is It In You?” and you mentally say to yourself,“Ah-ha, I get it.”When the consumer “gets it,” they tend to remember the product because they felt they were in on something. The same is true for good liturgical or Christian art. If executed well, it should contain an element of the “ah-ha” factor. You’ve seen those bumper stickers where the ichthys with little feet formed the word Darwin, and they are followed by another bumper sticker showing a (smaller) Darwin ichthys being swallowed by a larger TRUTH ichthys? That is a great example of the “ah-ha” factor at work. Lutheran liturgy is filled with rich examples of multiple (mixed) media pulled together to communicate God’s message of salvation.Take the order of Holy Baptism on page 199 in Lutheran Worship.The main elements (media) involved are God-given (Word and the water). It generally takes place within a church (architecture), with a font (sculpture), vestments, a white garment for the baptized (textiles) and a baptismal candle, which usually has a symbol on it depicting the Holy Spirit (illustration).This is no masterpiece housed in a museum. It’s a living, ongoing work. Amazingly, we are privileged to collectively recite the Lord’s Prayer (another God-given element), while witnessing Christ (through the pastor and congregation) expand His church on earth (interactive presentation). As mentioned, an artist is someone who is trying to communicate something to his/her audience, and usually is the one who chooses how to solve this issue. Depending on how well the artist knows their subject, coupled with their creative ability and knowledge of the audience, will determine how successful their efforts are. Steve Blakey is a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, IN and is Art Director for Higher Things magazine.
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the Church
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“GOD’S OWN CHILD, I GLADLY SAY IT!” H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 12
From the start you could tell that this conference was not going to be like other youth gatherings. The focus was on God, His grace and mercy, and all the great and wonderful things he has done in, with, and through us in baptism, which is where the term “Making Waves” comes from. The focus was not on what I have done to be saved, or what I need to do in my every day life, but instead on what God has done to save me by dying on the cross and rising to life again, and on what God does in, with, and through me in my every day life.
Difference? By Abby Moe
As a “youth,”
I attended the Making Waves Lutheran youth conference held in Duluth, Minnesota July 8-12, 2002. The conference was a lot of fun. We went on a cruise of a part of Lake Superior, saw a comedy show, and even had a dance. There was also a lot of awesome Christ-centered worship. We attended worship three times a day, morning, afternoon, and night.The worship was described as “high octane” by one of the pastors involved in the conference, considering the number of times we worshiped in a day. Catechesis was also held everyday, where we were re-taught and re-instructed about some of the teachings and beliefs of the Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synod. It was mostly centered around baptism, taking passages both from Scripture as well as Luther’s Small Catechism. After the worship service and catechesis, we attended sectionals, where we heard more in-depth discussion about different types of issues relevant to today’s Lutheran youth, things like the role of baptism, holy communion, abortion, homosexuality, the LC-MS in the 21st century, etc. From the start you could tell that this conference was not going to be like other youth gatherings. Every day was opened with a traditional worship service, complete with the Scripture-based liturgy and hymns. Ordained ministers led all worship services, as well as most of the sectionals. The content of the worship services was exceptional. We sang hymns like “A Mighty Fortress” and “Christ, Mighty Savior” that are filled with good Lutheran doctrine rooted in God’s Word, and share the wonderful news of all that God has done for me, instead of songs like “I Offer My Life” or “Lord I Lift Your Name On High” that are lacking in Scripturebased doctrine, speak only about what we can and need to do for God, and promote the false idea that worship music needs to be fun, upbeat, and catchy in order to catch and grab people’s attention. At Making Waves, the order of worship, liturgy and prayers were Scripture-based, leaving little room for human error.The only testimony heard was the testimony of the gospel, preached straight from God’s own Word. No stories told by people about
themselves, who, by their own sinful human nature tend to make things “me”focused, by saying things like “I accepted Jesus into my heart,”totally ignoring the work that God has done in and through our baptism. At this youth gathering the focus was on God, His grace and mercy, and all the great and wonderful things he has done in, with, and through us in baptism, which is where the term “Making Waves” comes from.The focus was not on what I have done to be saved, or what I need to do in my every day life, but instead on what God has done to save me by dying on the cross and rising to life again, and on what God does in, with, and through me in my every day life. The focus was on Gospel not Law. Instead of hitting us over the head with the Great Commission, making us feel like we’re not good enough Christians, or doubt if we even are Christian, the teachings in the Making Waves conference made us realize that God works through us in our every day lives. Leaders of the conference taught us that God calls all of us to do different things, and works through us in anything we do. We can all glorify God in our vocation because God takes everyday people in their everyday lives and works in, with, and through them to administer the gospel and to “disciple all nations.” That is the Great Commission. This conference was refreshing, reaffirming, and incredibly comforting. So many times as Lutheran youth we have the law “thrown” at us by our peers, by adults, by other youth gatherings, and by the media through things like “WWJD” and contemporary Christian music, telling us that we need to do something to be saved, and sometimes even make us question the validity of our baptism. That’s exactly the opposite of what the Making Waves conference accomplished. God worked through this conference and its leaders to show to us that there is nothing that we sinful human beings can do on our own, realizing that God brings His salvation to us through baptism and holy communion, with no help on our part. At the Making Waves youth conference they preached Christ and Him crucified. Abby Moe is a member of St. John Lutheran Church in Rosemount, MN. She is a second semester freshman at Concordia University in River Forest, IL.
MAKING WAVES
What’s the
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