A Bundle of Myrrh

I was pleased to see that last week Issues, Etc highlighted an issue we need to hear about, the suffering our pastors’ experience. You can listen to this timely interview on Issues, Etc, Suffering in the Pastoral Office .

And here’s another great post on supporting the pastor, That’s My Pastor.

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Since it’s October and all, I thought this a good time to sit down and write a bit on being Lutheran. Well, not on being Lutheran but on how I became one and why. I just want to tell my story, my journey. I feel strange doing this, but I am writing it down for my own memory and for my children who might be curious someday. It’s hard to write something like this and it’s hard to keep it short! I’ve broken it into 3 parts, just 3 don’t worry.

I write this not to “bash” any other Christian denominations. Also you need to know I don’t believe that Christians in other denominations are not saved. A lot of what we believe is very different but God’s Grace is still manifest despite this. His Word is powerful and life giving. Where His Gospel is preached and believed in Faith there is Salvation.

First some history:

I was raised as a Baptist. But as I learned more about other Baptist churches I realized my church was of a different sort of Baptist. My pastor was a Baptist who dabbled in Calvinism. I think because of that we had a Calvinism with altar calls, Grace mixed with decisions for Jesus. I’ve recently learned that he was early to a party that is just starting to get bigger in the Baptist church.

A wave called “New Calvinism” is beginning. You can learn more about that HERE. As I listened to that interview I realized that it was pretty much my own story out of the Baptist church.

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