Concordia Austin Cuts Back Organ Department
Plus Responses to Prior Articles
By Rev. Jack Cascione

 

Concordia Austin Cuts Back Organ Department

Not Impressed With Video From Our Savior

Very Much Impressed With Video From Our Savior

Devil Can't Be Saved

Reply to Jeffery A Young Why Devil Can't Be Saved


Concordia Austin Cuts Back Organ Department

Pr.Cascione:

Tell Prof. David Held that the "9 organ students in all Concordias" were advanced as the reason for demolishing the music program (as Lutherans know it) at Concordia, Austin, and letting Professor Achtenberg go. The professor was a resource person for the confessional congregations in Texas, and that is a grievous fault in Kieschnick's Kingdom!

[No doubt a guitar teacher will be sought, if one is not already employed.]

Helen E. Jensen

We are glad that Seward is still training organists!


Not Impressed With Video From Our Savior

Dear Pastor Jack

Your background as an account executive shows - but I wouldn't buy the tape. I am an Australian Lutheran and I and many of us here don't give too much for the buildings and 'if we don't stick to 'traditional' worship we'll all lose our way' approaches to preserving our faith.

If you can find me a fancy church or synagogue in which Jesus preached to preach his message of faith and redemption then I would be surprised. If you can find any where in the gospel of Jesus that he says a building is necessary or even desirable to embellish, enrich and amplify the faith I will be even more surprised. If you can find me in which cathedral of glory and magnificence Martin Luther gave us his profound insight - the righteous shall live by faith - my surprise will be overwhelming.

If you can find where in the Book of Concord (Tappert edition) a particular style of worship is endorsed my surprise cup would flood rather than run over. If you can find 12 people agreeing on what contemporary worship is you ought to buy a lottery ticket. If you can identify with any reasonable certainty what 'traditional' worship is and how it is more efficacious and more pleasing to the Lord I'll get a bucket (pail) to catch the overflow of surprise.

The Gospel needs no walls and it needs no protection. You and I can witness to it but we are incapable of 'protecting' it. It is greater than Tom, Jack, pastor White and the church edifice in Houston (as beautiful as it may be). The promotion of a grand building celebrating cultural continuity is harmless and good in that it bonds people together and celebrates common origins and more importantly common faith BUT to run it up as a must have to do the job ought to embarrass the pastors who get sent a tape and more importantly doesn't it embarrass the baby born in a manger at the back of an inn in Bethlehem?

In some respects modern Catholic thought has left us behind. In an Australian Catholic statement on social issues there is an 'option for the poor' proposition. It challenges us to look at the world from the bottom of the heap rather than the top or even halfway down. From a theological perspective it extremely confronting. Why? Because it places us where Jesus stood. I don't measure up - works righteousness an issue? - not a bit of it. I realised that whatever I do I am entirely dependent on God. My human charitable instincts are poor to non existent under pressure - every positive response I might make is because I get the juice from God.

I liked reading your pitch and I hope Our Saviour congregation enjoy their church. If you want to convince me tell me about the product not the fancy warehouse. Come and visit and you'll understand.

To God be the glory great things He has done.

Tom Svikart
Alice Springs
Northern Territory
Australia


Very Much Impressed With Video From Our Savior

I just received the video "To The Glory of God and the Salvation of Man" today. I watched it right away and boy was it worth it! I have never shed a tear watching a documentary until today. The richness of the Gospel pours forth throughout.

The quality of the production was pretty good and could even be improved particularly in some of the interviews and animations. This gives it an earthy character showing real people, not polished actors and actresses.

Now I know even more, why I am Christian -- why I am a Lutheran -- why I am a pastor. There is much work to be done. May this video inspire others to preach and teach what God has done by the power of His living Word.

-An LCMS Pastor in the Midwest


Devil Can't Be Saved

Dear reclaimers,

I treasured the luther quotes which I just received in my email box, but thought it worth mentioning that one of them is deceitful in that it gives a false impression.

The quote which said that the devil could be forgiven if he begged mercy did not prove that this was the opinion of Dr. Martin Luther.

This was a quote in a long series that was designed to prove that men both within and without the faith will not acknowledge their sin.

The particular quote given was a quote from St. Martin, not Martin Luther, whom, Dr. Luther quoted to prove that what prevents absolution in men is not the lack of forgiveness, but the lack of confession. This definitely does not prove that Dr. Luther held that the devil could be absolved. You know that you could be showered with quotes showing this. The context which proves my contention is the following quote, which is followed by a series of "Thus..." "Thus..."

As yet, however, they do not grieve; as yet they do not acknowledge their crime. Accordingly, their heart, or the confidence they have that their sin has been consigned to oblivion, is shaken, although they do not yet confess their sin; they think that by murmuring secretly and keeping silence they will escape even now, yet not without fear and anxiety. Therefore Moses says: "Confusion and stupefaction took hold of them." They looked at one another and thought: "Things are not going right." But they ascribe this to God, the Judge, and say: "Why has God done this?" And this came from the terror and anguish of conscience which, with great grief and anguish of heart, are wont to follow sin. Such an evil beast and wicked devil is conscience. For all authors, sacred and profane, have depicted this monster in horrible fashion, Luther, M. (1999, c1965). Vol. 7: Luther's works, vol. 7 : Lectures on Genesis: Chapters 38-44 (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (Ge 42:29). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

It is unfortunate that after reading these eight volumes, you have still not learned to practice the doctrine of the ministry. If you had, you would be shouting for the local congregation of Benke and Kieshnick to excommunicate them, and if not, for the congregations to be removed by witness of the District president, and all LCMS congregations. Or, you would advise lacking this that congregations withdraw fellowship and membership from LCMS.

I think that you are ignoring the fact that LCMS behaves like a Roman Catholic body because you want one of those coveted offices for yourself. Oh if only you were a district president (bishop), or the president (pope). Then you could clean up the LCMS. No sir, it would be no cleaner, because it would still have a papist in its highest posts.

Jeffrey A. Young, Pastor
Salvation Evangelical Lutheran Church, LCR


Reply to Jeffery A Young Why Devil Can't Be Saved

Dear Jeffrey:

Luther, along with all Christendom, knows that the devil and his evil angels will never be saved. Luther's point was that the power of divine grace is so great that even the devil could be saved if he did repent. Of course, all know that the devil and all his will never repent for all eternity. I reproduced the quote because, to me, it was a rather HUMOROUS speculation on Luther's part in order to make his point about the power of divine grace. Speculation is not the basis of doctrine. I have no intention of subscribing to the idea of possible salvation for the devil. It is not my doctrine or teaching, I promise, nor do I believe that Luther actually taught the possible salvation of the devil. If you recall, I titled one of the quotations, "Luther on Gun Control" when he was actually talking about daggers. There is no question that the devil will not be saved.


Rev. Jack Cascione is pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church (LCMS - MI) in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. He has written numerous articles for Christian News and is the author of Reclaiming the Gospel in the LCMS: How to Keep Your Congregation Lutheran. He has also written a study on the Book of Revelation called In Search of the Biblical Order.
He can be reached by email at pastorcascione@juno.com.

January 18, 2002