D A R E
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Higher Things
Inside this issue:
• Is Image Everything? • Closed Communion: Caring or Cruel? • Sacred Spaces or Meeting Places? W W W. H I G H E RT H I N G S . O R G
/ FA L L / 2007
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Contents T A B L E
O F
FEATURES 4
Sacred Spaces or Meeting Places?
By Rev. Kevin Vogts The mega-church down the street has cup holders, recliners, and an ATM in the lobby.Your church has pews and a pulpit. Does the way your church looks affect how you worship? If church architecture and stained glass tickle your fancy, Pastor Vogts’ article is for you.
6 Image Is Everything
By Julie Beckwith Everyone who’s someone in your class shops at H & M, and the popular kids say you have to get your jeans at Abercrombie. Even your little sister can’t go to the mall without stopping at the Gap. But if you’re made in God’s image, shouldn’t brand names be irrelevant? Your worth doesn’t stem from the logo on your clothes, and Julie Beckwith tells you why.
Volume 7/Number 3 • Fall 2007
29 Latin Slang: It’s All Greek to Me
Slang Translator Rev. Gifford Grobien Want to impress your parents with some Latin phrases? Feel like saying goodbye to your friends in another language? Then keep this Latin slang dictionary handy!
COLUMNS
14 Stick a Bible in My Eye
By Rev. David Petersen You hear it everywhere—in the mall, at school, during volleyball practice. Sometimes it just slips out. Other times it’s very deliberate. But any way you cut it, taking the Lord’s name in vain, blurting out,“Oh my God!” is an abuse of your heavenly Father’s name, and Pastor Petersen tells you why it’s a dangerous habit to get into.
23 Catechism on Closed Communion
By Rev. Paul Beisel Your best friend is staying over on Saturday night and plans to go to church with you on Sunday. But she’s not Lutheran, and she doesn’t understand why she can’t go to Communion with you. If you need a refresher course on the Lord’s Supper or if you have a hard time discussing it with your friends, check out Pastor Beisel’s questions and answers.
28 Why Study Latin?
By Rev. John Nordling Only geeks learn Latin. It’s an old-fashioned language. Nobody uses it anymore. Wait just a minute.You’ve got it all wrong! There are many benefits to learning Latin you may not realize. Pastor Nordling explains why Latin’s not quite as bad as you might think.
Managing Editor ADRIANE DORR Assistant Editor
JULIE BECKWITH Art Director STEVE BLAKEY Editorial Associates
REV. PAUL BEISEL REV. DAVID PETERSEN REV. GREG ALMS Bible Studies Editor REV. DAN MACKEY Business Manager
LYNNETTE FREDERICKSEN Subscriptions Manager ELIZABETH CARLSON Webmaster
STAN LEMON Guy at Magazine Booth in Asheville
THOMAS PETERSEN Guest Slang Consultant
AARON CHRISTENSEN Forecast for Northville, SD PARTLY CLOUDY, 58ºF Editor’s New Dog TULLIE (THE WUNDERPUPPY)
Christ on Campus Executive REV. MARCUS ZILL Conferences Executive
REV. GEORGE F. BORGHARDT III Interim Internet Services Executive REV. MARK BUETOW Retreat Executive LANDON REED
10 For You
By Melissa DeGroot Has anyone let you in on the Secret? Oprah talks about it, millions of people live by it, and it supposedly can change your life.This Secret says thinking happy thoughts can make good things happen to you. Skeptical? Good. If you’re unconvinced about the power of positive thinking, you’re in the right place.
Editor
REV. TIM PAULS
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The summer is over.The conferences are done. It’s a whole year until you get to see your Higher Things friends again.To hold you over, spend some time looking over a collage of pictures and quotes from those of you who attended For You in Minneapolis and Asheville.
12 The Secret
Volume 7/Number 3/Fall 2007
This magazine made with 100% recycled doctrine. No new teachings were added.
8 For You 2007
By Rev. Christopher Esget Christ died for you.He rose for you.He will come again for you.And if that isn’t enough,Pastor Esget’s sermon from Asheville outlines a whole slew of other things your Lord has done—all for you.
HigherThings
_____ BOARD OF DIRECTORS President
19 The Football Star
By Kathy Luder When Kathy agreed to meet up with friends for some food and fun after the football game, she figured it would just be another average party. But she never imagined the night would end up like it did. Read with caution. This cliffhanger shows just how much one decision can change a person.
26 Christ on Campus: The College Choice
By Rev. Marcus Zill Heading off to college is pretty exciting, but with that newfound freedom come a lot of questions. From what classes to take to how many weeks you can go without doing laundry, college is full of options. But the most important choice— finding a church where you’ll hear Christ’s Word and receive the Sacraments—is often the hardest to make. But don’t worry. Pastor Zill is here to help.
Also in this issue:
18 Amen 2008 Conference Information 30 News and Notes
REV. KLEMET PREUS Vice President REV. WILLIAM Secretary SANDRA
CWIRLA
OSTAPOWICH
Treasurer LYNN FREDERICKSEN
REV. JOEL FRITSCHE REV. BRUCE KESEMAN REV. BRENT KUHLMANN REV. LARRY NICHOLS MARK PFUNDSTEIN ___________ Higher Things Magazine ISSN 1539-8455 is published quarterly by Higher Things, Inc., 5009 Cassia, Boise, ID 83705. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the executive editor of Higher Things Magazine. Copyright 2007. Printed in the United States. Postage paid at St. Louis, Missouri. For subscription information and questions, call 1-888-448-2359 or e-mail subscriptions@higherthings.org. (This phone number is only used for subscription queries.) For letters to the editor, write letters@higher things.org. Writers may submit manuscripts to: submissions@higherthings.org. Please check http://higherthings.org/magazine/writers.html for writers’ guidelines and theme lists. ___________ Higher Things Magazine is available in Braille and on audiocassette tape for the visually impaired. Contact Lutheran Blind Mission at 7550 Watson Road, St. Louis , MO 63119; call toll-free 1-888-215-2455; or e-mail at blind.mission@blindmission.org.
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Photos courtesy of Dale Lightfoot • www.lightfootphotography.com ©2007
Sacred Spaces or I
n 1966, St. Louis unveiled a new stadium. Following the advice of experts that stadiums for a particular sport are unnecessary, Busch Stadium was generic, designed for both the baseball and football Cardinals. Backers boasted it would become the pride of St. Louis. It didn’t. By 2005, sports fans watched as wrecking balls knocked it down. What went wrong? Someone forgot to tell the experts that a stadium built for both baseball and football doesn’t work for either sport.
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Across the state, Kansas City took a different approach. In 1972, they bucked the trend and built two new stadiums side by side.Thirty-five years later, both these stadiums are going strong and have become beloved by players and fans alike. About the same time Busch Stadium was built, the experts in church architecture took the same approach. In Ugly as Sin: Why They Changed Our Churches from Sacred Places to Meeting Spaces and How We Can Change Them Back Again1, Michael S. Rose recounts how, throwing out nearly two thousand years of architectural history, it was decreed that churches should be generic all-purpose buildings. Suburban America is littered with the unfortunate results. In his book, Rose proposes three fundamental laws of good church architecture, based on historic examples.The properly designed church should reflect the principles of verticality, permanence, and iconography. Verticality means the architecture pulls the eyes heavenward. Permanence means the structure is of durable materials with an enduring design. Iconography means the building and its decoration reflects its distinct purpose as a Christian house of worship. The principle of verticality echoes Psalm 121:1:“I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence comes my help,” and Colossians 3:1-2:“Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”This principle is seen in the towers, spires, and soaring ceilings of classic church design. Architects classify buildings by their expected lifespan.The principle of permanence was once common for churches and other public buildings, such as courthouses and office buildings that were built to last a century or more.Today, it is
considered more cost effective to build a fifty, thirty, or twenty-five year building, and plan in advance to tear it down and replace it. Many of the offices, schools, stores, and restaurants we frequent now will all be gone in a few decades. Sadly, this also applies to many churches where we worship. Many modern churches are downright disposable. This may make sense in some circumstances or be all a congregation can afford. However, it may also reflect the faddish, fleeting nature of these congregations and their theology. The principle of permanence symbolizes the words of Psalm 79:13:“From generation to generation we will recount Your praise,” and our Lord’s promises in Matthew 16:18:“On this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” and Matthew 28:20:“Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” A church building built to last reflects that the Lord and His promises don’t change. What’s most striking about many new sanctuaries compared to classic churches is the iconography. Jesus says even“the stones will cry out”His praises (Luke 19:40), and a properly designed church uses iconography to tell the story of salvation. However, the trend is to erect bare structures, devoid of symbolism, color, and decor. As one architect told our congregation’s building committee,“Most pastors of successful churches don’t want stained glass or any kind of decoration in their churches.They
Meeting Places? By Rev. Kevin Vogts
think it just distracts people from worship.” On the one hand, Jesus promises,“Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am among them” (Matthew 18:20). So, our Lord’s presence and blessing and true Christian worship does not depend on either the elaborateness or plainness of the building or, for that matter, any building at all. But to some extent, the trend toward bland churches reflects a different attitude about what is happening in the church’s services. Where worship focuses on practical life issues rather than salvation and eternal life, it makes sense that their buildings are often more like lecture halls or theaters. Here’s how one Midwest mega-church describes their new sanctuary:“You’ll find nearly eight hundred comfortable seats with cup holders to bring your beverage with you to services.There isn’t a bad seat in the house!” In contrast to such a pragmatic view, traditional Christian preaching and worship is about the Gospel, the primary topics in Scripture of sin and salvation, and the hope of eternal life. There is a place for topics related to our lives in this world, but the pragmatic must not overshadow or replace the kerygmatic. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:19,“If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” Jesus puts the priority of the kerygmatic over the pragmatic in a piercing question:“What will it profit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36). Many modern churches omit or downplay traditional sanctuary furnishings, altar, pulpit, lectern, and baptismal font. Pulpits are made of Plexiglas, designed to fade inconspicuously into the background.This deemphasis on the furnishings related to the Word and Sacraments often reflects a de-emphasis on the Word and Sacraments themselves. In contrast, the
prominence and permanence of traditional sanctuary furnishings symbolizes the central role and unchanging nature of the Word and Sacraments in the life of the Church. As Rose documents in Ugly as Sin, for forty years the dominant school in church architecture has been the goal of having the church look not like a church but a generic public building such as an office, store, theater, or recreation center. This was based on the notion that people would be more comfortable in a nonreligious setting.This misguided notion missed the point that people are specifically looking for the comfort of religion in a church, and they expect the church’s architecture to reflect that. Architecture can have a powerful influence on how we act and even what we believe, says Rose. It’s probably no coincidence that when church buildings became no longer special places, people began to feel more and more that they had nothing special to offer; that when churches began to look like offices, stores, theaters and recreation centers, people began to feel they could find the same fulfillment in such places as they could in the Church. The new Busch Stadium in downtown St. Louis is definitely built for baseball—and the fans and players love it. Like Camden Yards in Baltimore and Miller Park in Milwaukee, it gets its inspiration from classic stadiums in the early days of baseball.These new, old-style stadiums, which are springing up around the country, have been called “temples to baseball.” If the world now understands the advantages of building stadiums specifically designed as “temples to baseball,” maybe the Church should go back to building sanctuaries specifically designed as “temples to Christ”! Rev. Kevin Vogts is pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Dakota Dunes, South Dakota. He was formerly Director of Communications at Concordia University Wisconsin, and serves on the LCMS Board for Communications Services. His e-mail address is pastorvogts@longlines.com. 1 Manchester: Sophia Institute Press, 2001.
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Everything Image Is
I have a confession to make.
I’m a huge college hoops fan. When March Madness hits, I am glued to the TV.That’s not my secret though. My secret is much worse. Inevitably, there are teams in the opening rounds of the tourney that I have never seen play before. How do I decide which team to cheer for? That’s my dirty little secret. I cheer for the team whose players have the fewest tattoos. Here’s why: when I see teenagers with tattoos, I make assumptions about them. I assume they are less intelligent, less mature, and less capable than their nontattooed friends. I know this is not fair.There are plenty of amazing people with tattoos and plenty of rotten eggs with nary an ink mark on their body. I am,
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By Julie Beckwith
however, not alone in my prejudice. A recent Pew survey found that 85 percent of employers would be discouraged from hiring someone with a tattoo. It is in our sinful human nature to make judgments about people based only on their appearance.The culture in which we live exploits this weakness. While all of us feel compelled to follow societal dress codes, teenagers and young adults seem especially pressured to look and dress a certain way. I am reminded of this fact every
time I visit the local mall. I meander by the piercing kiosk, stroll briskly past Victoria’s Secret’s latest display of thongs and cantilevering undergarments, and am jostled by the pulsing beat and vibrating floor to the storefront of Abercrombie and Fitch. I shudder, even as I peak through the glass at the scantily clad, and usually very attractive, models and workers, wondering what $50 T-shirt my fifteenyear-old niece is going to hit me up for at Christmas this year. But even I was surprised when my niece told me that she drops $30 a month at the salon to get her eyebrows waxed. When I asked her why she does it (and where she got the idea in the first place), she just shrugged her perfectly tanned shoulders and said, “Everybody does it.” As a young person in America, you are encouraged to whiten your teeth, bleach your hair, tan your skin, pierce your navel, tattoo your ankle, and extend your tresses, all while having an iPod stuck in your ear and a cell
phone surgically attached to your hand. In other words, there is a certain image that the culture in which we live entices you to measure up to. Who created this false image, and who encourages you to pursue it? Well, the answer to that question requires that I let you in on another dirty little secret (drum roll, please): it’s adults.You may not believe it, but it’s true. Living up to an artificial image means spending money.The quickest way to separate you from your dollar is to make you feel like you are missing out on something that everyone else has. According to a recent Frontline program on PBS,“Teenagers are the hottest consumer demographic in America. Last year, America’s teens spent $100 billion, while influencing their parents’ spending to the tune of another $50 billion.” So, when you get Abercrombie’s newest catalog or look at an ad in Teen People or find yourself at a commercial break during American Idol, ask yourself, “What are they trying to sell me, and do I really need to buy it?” (Because, let’s face it, you’re pretty great just as you are. God thinks so, and, frankly, so do I.) You don’t need a makeover to measure up.You don’t need a tattoo or a T-shirt from Abercrombie to be cool.You are perfect just the way you are. Want to know why? Because you are created in the image of God. Here’s how the Bible puts it in Genesis 1:27 and 31:“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them and blessed them. . . . God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” Although we no longer have the wisdom and righteousness that Adam had before the fall, we are by faith in Christ reckoned righteous and perfect before our God. Image really is everything, but please remember it is God’s true image restored in Christ that matters, not man’s false one.You are God’s very good creation. Through your Baptism, God has claimed you as His perfect child. He loves and accepts you just as you are: pimples, generic jeans, and all. So, don’t beat yourself up trying to look like the latest cookie-cutter celebrity. Rejoice that you have been fashioned in the image of our almighty God. Don’t let peer pressure or savvy marketers tell you who you are or what you should be. Listen to who God says you are and who He has created and redeemed you to be. And please, have pity on your parents (and your aunts), and ask for a book for Christmas this year! Julie Beckwith is Assistant Editor of Higher Things Magazine and the former director of marketing for the University of Notre Dame Press. Her e-mail address is higherthingseditorial@gmail.com.
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