There’s a decline in respect for pastoral ministry, it seems to me, even among pastors. And by “pastoral ministry” I mean the visiting and care for members. I’ve seen it in pastors who give excuses for not visiting members in the hospital, even when they were told in advance and specifically asked. “That’s the job…

No military chaplain can be forced to violate their conscience; that’s clear in both law and Army Regulation 165-1. Unfortunately, an investigator at Fort Bragg faults a chaplain who followed his conscience and Army regulations (press release). When a lesbian couple applied for a Strong Bonds retreat, he found a substitute. For that, he was…

Jesus said, “Have you not read that he who made them in the first place made them man and woman? It says, ‘for this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and will live with his wife. the two will become one.’ So they are no longer two but one. Let no…

I’m old-fashioned. I believe the Bible is the Word of God. I believe these foundational truths. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,…

It is a dangerous thing for the government to start defining what is and what is not religion. And that’s true whether the government leaders seeking to do so are liberal or conservative. The Obama administration erred when it tried to say religious freedom is merely “freedom to worship,” and sought to restrict the rights…

Chaplaincy is under fire from different directions. Some church leaders suggest chaplaincy is something other than ministry — something you do if you “fail in ministry” or (strangely) want a “back door into ministry.” Meanwhile, some in chaplaincy (or, “spiritual care,” as they prefer to call it) want to separate chaplaincy from ministry and turn…

The Seventh-day Adventist Church was officially organized in 1863, during the US Civil War. The church from the beginning took a stand against bearing arms. When the first draft law was enacted, you could pay $300 and get out of it. The church was small, and few were affected. But the law was changed to…

Interesting PEW survey shows 42% of Adventists said “abortion should be legal in all or most cases.” 54% said it should be illegal. Some denominations that are officially very strongly anti-abortion seem to have a hard time persuading their members — 48% of Catholics and 46% of Missouri Synod Lutherans were for legal abortion. Lutheran…

I recently read a diatribe by a white liberal about the dangers brought by immigrants–especially those who make up much of the growth of our denomination. He was upset, and afraid that they would take our church backwards, in a “sectarian” direction; afraid that they would bring with them conservative beliefs and ways of doing…

This coming week the final “One Project” gathering will take place in San Diego. It was started by a group of folks who were primarily chaplains at Adventist colleges and universities, to focus on “celebrating the supremacy of Jesus through the Adventist Church.” It became very controversial in some corners, with people saying it pushed…

Thirty-two years ago I raised my hand, took the oath of office, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, Chaplain Candidate, in the US Army Reserve. That summer, as a student in the Chaplain Officer Basic Course at Fort Monmouth, NJ, I first heard the story of the Four Chaplains: George Fox, Alexander Goode, Clark Poling,…

My younger brothers were very happy last month when the most recent Star Wars movie came out. They have been devoted fans since the release of the first move in 1977–forty years ago. I have pictures of them at Christmas 1978 with their first Star Wars toys—12 inch figures of Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Darth Vader,…

We’ve come to another Christmas season, and most of the trees are up and decorated.  Carols echo from speakers in every store.  Lights adorn the houses in the neighborhoods.  Cute creches decorate yards and mantles.  Wish lists have been drawn up by children, and parents frantically shop to fulfill their dreams. Christmas is a time…

(Thanksgiving Sermon, 2017) Text–Numbers 11:4-6 We call the day, “Thanksgiving,” but I think we have forgotten the point. I was on-line yesterday and searched for “Thanksgiving Day” and “God”—I got 3 million results. “Thanksgiving Day” and “pilgrims” got fewer than 700,000. “Black Friday” got over 53 million. We keep the holiday on the calendar, but…

We approach another Thanksgiving Day, and I think few understand the point. It is not supposed to be about sales, nor eating, nor even thanking other people—it’s about acknowledging God and praising him for his steadfast love. That’s what George Washington had in mind in 1789, when, in response to a request from Congress, he…

Text: John 4:5-15 A few years ago, the Associated Press carried this story: By Day 2 in the blazing Utah desert, Dave Buschow was in bad shape. Pale, wracked by cramps, his speech slurred, the 29-year-old New Jersey man was desperate for water and hallucinating so badly he mistook a tree for a person. After…

In April 2016 I took part in the “Pathways to Military Chaplaincy” consultation at Boston University.  “The purpose of this consultation,” said the advertisement, was “to assist left-of-center and progressive seminaries in preparing military chaplains for the 21st century.” Chaplains and representatives of endorsing agencies were also invited.  It was clear, though, that we were not…

As a chaplain, I sometimes feel like Rodney Dangerfield. We often don’t get respect—particularly from ministerial colleagues. Some see us as pastoral failures who became chaplains because we “couldn’t make it” in the congregation. Some see us as having “left the ministry”—I’ve heard that several times, from other pastors and from church administrators. But chaplains are pastors. We are…

This month we remember the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation—I began my ministry as a Lutheran pastor, so this anniversary is especially significant to me.  It was on October 31, 1517, that Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on Indulgences, igniting a firestorm which swept through church and state. At stake was the Gospel…

October 31 will be celebrated as the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.  It’s an arbitrary date, in many ways.  It ignores earlier reformers like Wycliffe and Huss.  It picks the date when Luther may or may not have posted his “95 Theses on Indulgences”–simply an invitation to debate, so they appeared.  At that point,…

For eleven years, I did young adult and campus ministry for the Catholic Church, first as a campus minister at UCSB, then as archdiocesan director for Galveston-Houston. The foundational document of the US Catholic Church for young adult ministry is the 1996 pastoral plan, Sons and Daughters of the Light. It was a breath of…

PBS recently showed the new documentary, “Martin Luther: The Idea that Changed the World.” I watched it online, as you can here (until September 27). I was skeptical, but was quickly impressed. This is very thorough, exploring the most important aspects of Luther’s theology, giving real insight into his person, through the shared perspectives of solid…

After 9-11, the United States and its allies went to war, first in Afghanistan, then in Iraq, ostensibly for the purpose of punishing those directly responsible for the attacks that day on the US.  For the 2,996 who died on 9-11. What has been the price the world has paid in the 16 years of…

The North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church posted this statement on September 9, 2017: The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America is concerned about the impact that the decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program may have on the lives of 800,000 young men and women in the United…

I recently heard a sermon by a pastor, in a large US city, telling members of his congregation that it was time to leave.  They should seek the Lord, but they should plan on getting out of the city.  To leave the “trash.”  To abandon what is now worthless. And this was a pastor who…

Originally posted on Advent Hope:
This afternoon I stumbled upon an article by David B. Hart, “The Lively God of Robert Jenson.” Jenson was one of my professors at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg. In fact, when I was still a student at Loma Linda University, my professor, Paul Landa, knew I was interested…

Originally posted on Advent Hope:
Some of my Adventist readers will be familiar with the name of Charles W. Teel, Jr. He’s a professor at La Sierra University (which was the La Sierra Campus of Loma Linda University during my time there in ’84-’85). I first got acquainted with Charles at midnight one night toward…

It’s not about statues. It’s about America. It isn’t about the dark past of slavery, treason, rebellion, segregation, and dominance symbolized by racist statues and flags. It’s about the present and the future–how do we see America? What do we want it to be? Racists demand “Blood and Soil.” Your ancestors and where you were…

In preparation for a couple of lectures I’m giving for a class this fall on evangelism, I was asked to read Elmer John Thiessen, The Ethics of Evangelism: A Philosophical Defense of Proselytizing and Persuasion. Some in chaplaincy want to distinguish between “evangelism” and “proselytizing.” Thiessen refuses, saying, “Let’s accept that these terms mean the…

(pace Campbell)1 The primal myth stirs. Ancient sagas, Pagan rites, Warrior heroes Converge, Kindling a fire which shatters The restraining chains of the centuries: Science Religion Civilization. The god-hero mounts the altar Beneath the eagle’s wings. Torches burn in the darkness Reflected in the hopefilled eyes Of the regathered tribes. And the twisted black arms…