d a r e
t o
b e
l u t h e r a n
Higher Things
Inside This Issue!
• Here You Stand • Ghosts and the Gospel • God Gives Himself—For You! www
. h i g h e r t h i n g s . o r g / S P RING / 2 0 1 1
1
Christ Academy-High School The Summer Event for High School Men June 19–July 2, 2011
www.ctsfw.edu/christacademy
Do you know there are lots of other guys like you? Many young men across the country are considering the Holy Ministry for their future vocation. Come to Christ Academy to worship, study and fellowship with those who have your same aspirations and find the answer for your future.
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 2
This year, our professors will lecture on: � The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel � The Divine Economy of Salvation � St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans � Being a Theologian of the Cross � Christian Ethics at the Beginning and End of Life
For more information call us at 1-800-481-2155, visit our website www.ctsfw.edu/christacademy or e-mail Rev. Andrew Yeager at Andrew.Yeager@ctsfw.edu.
We will also go to Cedar Point and a TinCaps Baseball game!
Concordia Theological Seminary � 6600 N. Clinton Street � Fort Wayne, IN 46825
I HT
Do you love Higher Things Magazine?
We want to keep publishing this great resource and we need your help! Even with modest subscription cost increases this year, the price of producing Higher Things Magazine continues to outpace our subscriptions and so we find that we are facing a $15,000 deficit! We are asking our subscribers and friends to consider making a taxdeductible donation directly to Higher Things Magazine to help with our operating and publishing costs. • Donations of $100 or more will receive a complimentary one year subscription to HTOnline, giving you first access to each issue of the magazine, as well as all the back issues and lots of other great resources! • You can make a secure online donation at support.higherthings.org. You can also donate by check. Make your check payable to “Higher Things Magazine” and send it to: Higher Things, P.O. Box 155, Holt, MO 64048 Thank you very much for your support and, above all, your willingness to help cultivate a Lutheran identity among the Lord’s youth.
HigherThings
®
Volume 11/Number 1/Spring 2011 Bible Studies for these articles can be found at: higherthings.org/ magazine/biblestudies.html Editor
Rev. Tim Pauls Managing Editor
Katie Micilcavage Art Director
Steve Blakey Editorial Associates
Rev. Greg Alms Rev. Paul Beisel Rev. Bart Day Subscriptions Manager
Elizabeth Carlson Webmaster
Stan Lemon Conference Coordinator
Sandra Ostapowich ___________
Board of Directors President
Rev. William Cwirla
Contents T A B L E
O F
Volume 11/Number 1 • Spring 2011
Features
4 Here You Stand
By Rev. George Borghardt You can do no other! It’s true—you can’t stand alone before a holy God. That’s why Jesus does it for you. Let Rev. Borghardt’s words remind you of that glorious reality.
6 The Divine Service Liturgy: Perfect Praise Every Time
By Rev. Jon J. Sollberger Rev. Sollberger clearly lays out the benefits of a liturgical divine service. This isn’t about loving what’s traditional for the sake of traditional. Find out the rhyme and reason behind such a liturgy.
8 Lord I Forgive; Help Me in My Unforgiveness
By Rev. Rich Heinz With Star Wars overtones, Rev. Heinz assures us that our pastors, too, are in need of forgiveness, which is why they are so qualified to speak the words of absolution to us.
10 Stem Cell Research: Understanding the Basics
By Rev. Dr. John I. Lamb A thorough read of Dr. Lamb’s article will provide you with specific ways to respond to the popular push for the research of embryonic stem cells—often hailed as the holy grail for the treatment of numerous diseases and disorders.
12 Use and Abuse: The Proper Role of Reason in the Christian Faith
By Rev. Steven R. J. Parks Like all gifts from God, reason is to be used wisely. Find out exactly what that entails in Rev. Parks’ concise handling of this weighty subject.
14 Ghosts and the Gospel
By Rev. Jeffery W. Grams So what are those things that go bump in the night? Rev. Grams brings Scripture to bear upon this rather unsettling question.
18 Put Guilt in Its Place
By Mrs. Katie Micilcavage Guilt can often take the helm as you steer your way through life’s waters. However, there is freedom from that guilt to be found in Word and Sacrament—gifts from the One who bears our burdens.
20 Words, Words, Words
By Rev. Daniel Burhop “In the beginning was the Word...” In college there are words everywhere you look. Discover the connection Rev. Burhop makes between “the Word” and these “words.”
22 Deconstructing Evolution’s Icons
By Rev. Joshua V. Schneider It’s a sad commentary that many of our science textbooks still insist in promoting some of the original falsehoods of evolution. Rev. Schneider arms you with his deconstruction of these “icons” of evolution.
24 Vocation 101
By Mr. Dan Engle Are you In high school or college and haven’t yet figured out your future career? Mr. Engle explains that this doesn’t mean you don’t already have a vocation...or two...or three...
20 God Gives Himsel—For You!
By Rev. Brent W. Kuhlman Not only are we STANDING before God on account of Christ, we are also RECEIVING all of the gracious gifts our Father loves to bestow upon us. Rev. Kuhlman’s invigorating article makes that crystal clear.
Columns
30 Catechism: Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
By Rev. William M. Cwirla You can’t get more basic than bread, but there’s more to this staple food than meets the eye. Rev. Cwirla, in his usual winsome way, sheds a great deal of light on this straightforward request from the Lord’s Prayer.
Vice President
Rev. Brent Kuhlman Secretary
Rev. Joel Fritsche Rev. Bruce Keseman Rev. David Kind Chris Loemker Sue Pellegrini Jeff Schwarz ___________
Executive Council Conferences and Deputy Executive
Rev. George Borghardt Business Executive
Connie Brammeier Media Services
Rev. Mark Buetow Christ on Campus Executive
Rev. Marcus Zill
Higher Things® Magazine ISSN 1539-8455 is published quarterly by Higher Things, Inc., PO Box 156, Sheridan, WY 82801. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the executive editor of Higher Things Magazine. Copyright 2011. Higher Things® and Christ on Campus® are registered trademarks of Higher Things Inc.; All Rights Reserved. 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 higherthings.org/ magazine/writers.html for writers’ guidelines and theme lists.
S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 _ 3
Here You Stand By Rev. George Borghardt
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 4
Before God: Coram Deo. Before His
throne, His awesome glory, His utter holiness. Right there, in the divine throne room with the angels, the archangels, and the whole company of heaven, all worshiping Him. There you are, standing Coram Deo, before Him—if your feet even hold you upright. He’s got all His God-ness going on and you are full of all your... well... you-ness. Your sin, your transgressions, your living for yourself, all of it. Right there, all exposed bare before God. He sees straight through you. He knows your deep, dark, secrets—your evil thoughts, your hurtful words, and your selfish deeds. He knows you—the real you. Even the things you’re petrified to admit about yourself. There’s no charming Him. No giving him a little twinkle or working those puppy-dog eyes to get yourself out of it. That won’t work. He knows the cards in your hand. He knows the tricks you think you have up your sleeve. Don’t go looking back at yourself and your life as if you might’ve done something to merit at least a little bit of justification before God. You know what’s up with you. You didn’t change enough. You aren’t loving enough. You aren’t anything enough to truly be at peace with God. All by yourself, you’re toast. I am, too. Truth be told, we’d be completely done in by the Law of God as we stand Coram Deo. But Jesus was delivered up for all of our sins. He was handed over to be tried for our deep, dark, secrets. He was crucified for our thoughts, our words, and our deeds—the horrible ones we did, and the good ones we should’ve done for others. Nails were driven in His hands and feet for the sneaky tricks we think we can play with God. A spear was thrust in His side for what we had stashed up our sleeve. He died: for your sins, for my sins, for the sins of the whole world. For our justification, He was raised from the dead (Rom. 4:25). With the angels and the archangels, with the hosts of heaven, sitting right next to the Father, is that Man, Jesus. The One Who was born for you, lived for you, kept what God required for you, and died the death that you deserve on Good Friday for you and in your place. Because He lives, you now stand before God forgiven. Not in the future, not in the past, but right now. You stand right this moment at peace with God. Because of all Jesus has done for you and given to you, right now, you are forgiven. Right now, you are saved. Right now, you stand before God at peace with God. As long as Jesus lives, you stand before God forgiven. He’s never going to die again, so your righteousness, forgiveness and justification will never go away either. Salvation for you is as sure as the Lord Jesus is alive at the right hand of God. Before God. Coram Deo. Before His throne, His glory, His holiness. Before the angels, the archangels, the whole company of heaven, all worshiping Him. There you are, standing Coram Deo before Him. In Christ, you are holy. In Christ, you are righteous. In Christ, you are loved by God. In Christ, you are at peace with God. In Christ, you stand Coram Deo. Forgiven. Rev. George Borghardt is the Senior Pastor at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in McHenry, Illinois. He also serves as the Conferences and Deputy Executive of Higher Things. His email is revborghardt@higherthings.org.
S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 _ 5
Use and Abuse: The Proper Role of Reason in the Christian Faith
By Rev. Steven R. J. Parks
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 12
Ever since the so-called “Enlightenment” of the eighteenth century, Christians have been repeatedly painted with the broad brush of anti-intellectualism. That is, the world around us constantly seeks to portray us as backward-minded people who stand against the sound principles of reason, scientific discovery, and overall progress. In the 2008 film “Religulous,” for example, comedian Bill Maher interviews a United States senator who contends that the Bible’s account of creation is a legitimate possibility. Maher’s caustic response is:“It couldn’t possibly have been Adam and Eve five thousand years ago with a talking snake in a garden.” With a smug wave of his hand, Maher summarily dismisses the claims which Christianity (and Judaism) have made for millennia. Of course, Maher is not alone in his crusade to portray Christians as dim-witted and brainless. The so-called “new atheists” (Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Cook, et al.) have united, with the common cause to unmask Christianity for what it allegedly is: a collection of fairy tales for people uninterested in truth. So what should a Christian’s attitude toward logic and reason be? Do we reject it completely, as Maher and the “new atheists” contend we do, or is there a place for reason within the Christian faith? To be sure, Christians have always acknowledged that truth is of the greatest importance. After all, we worship the God who created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1-2). We worship the author of reality who justly takes offense when people believe things contrary to what He has said. It is this God who became incarnate, took on human flesh and blood in the person of Jesus, and claimed:“I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). In short, we are interested in truth because we have been created and redeemed by the One who is truth! Traditionally, Christians have recognized reason as one of the many gifts God has given to mankind. Martin Luther says as much in his explanation of the First Article of the Apostles Creed:“I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.” All of God’s gifts, however, can be misused or abused. A man who uses his eyes to guide his children safely across a busy intersection is using the gift of eyesight properly. A man who uses his eyes to view pornography is misusing God’s gift. A woman who uses her ears to respond to her baby’s cry of distress is using the gift of hearing properly. A woman who uses her ears to listen to gossip and slander is misusing God’s gift. Likewise, a person who uses his brain to seek to understand and comprehend revealed truth is using the gift of reason properly. A person who uses his
reason to twist, misinterpret, or mock truth is misusing God’s gift—so much so, in fact, that when used in this way Luther taught that reason was the “devil’s prostitute,” enticing sinners away from the truth of God revealed in Scripture. Reason, then, is to be the servant, not the master, of God and His Word. In short, reason is a divine gift to be enjoyed in its proper context: in service to God and neighbor. It is abused when twisted or misapplied with the goal of separating creation from the Creator, morality from the Lawgiver, or redemption from the Savior. In point of fact, there is no rationality or meaning to reality without the God who reveals Himself in Scripture! When reason is used in service to God and neighbor, we remember what Christ taught us in the Law:“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). When used to destroy or undermine what our Lord has revealed in His Word, we would do well to heed His warning:“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). Rev. Steven R. J. Parks served as a research consultant at the Christian Research Institute from 1994-2001. He received his B.A. from Concordia University, Irvine in 2002 and his M.Div. from Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana in 2006. He is currently an S.T.M. candidate at the same institution. Rev. Parks also serves as the sole pastor of University Hills Lutheran Church in Denver, Colorado, where he resides with his wife, Robin.
S P R I N G 2 0 1 1 _ 13