tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836035001444911450.post4552393051868030324..comments2023-09-02T11:38:09.518-04:00Comments on The Lamb on the Altar: Calvinists and Lutherans: Why the Differences?Chuck Wiesehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09008527429925493264noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836035001444911450.post-52227644786370458682011-06-03T21:44:34.838-04:002011-06-03T21:44:34.838-04:00Twilightdriver:
I'm glad you found the post ...Twilightdriver: <br /><br />I'm glad you found the post helpful. I usually check out the Evangelical-Lutheran Liturgical Congregations website when I'm out of town. I'm sure there are some good ones that just haven't been put on the list but I've been to a few where the preaching is no different than what you would hear at a mega-church.<br /><br />I've gotten into lots of those conversations about different preaching and have been very objective in my evaluations but they're usually not very productive. I think people tend to evaluate sermons most of the time the same way they evaluate music--it's all about how the sermon makes them feel. If they feel moved then they are convinced that the person is really preaching Christ even if they are not.<br /><br />I evaluated a sermon that I had heard in person by a Calvinist pastor on my blog--it was all about how you need to be excited because John sounds excited and if you're not excited maybe you're not really a Christian. There was no Gospel. Word got around on facebook to some of the Calvinist ministers in the area. I attended the baptism of one of my friend's babies and during the prayer this other pastor started praying about those horrible people who evaluate sermons on facebook. It was so hard not to laugh. And then during his sermon he started saying, "I'm preaching the Gospel. Don't walk away and say you didn't hear the Gospel today." But he never preached the Gospel. It was pretty bizarre.<br /><br />After having lots of these conversations with different people I'm starting to think this might not be the best way to go. I listened to some lectures by H.R. Curtis on evangelism and he speaks against proselytizing and I think he might be right. We should pray for our faithful Lutheran pastors and thank God for them. We should invite people who are dissatisfied with their church to ours. But I don't think we need to try to convert everyone. God's Word is still present in these churches and just living a godly life in our vocations and being ready to give answer might be the better way to go.Chuck Wiesehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09008527429925493264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836035001444911450.post-32324793877836550932011-06-03T20:05:04.699-04:002011-06-03T20:05:04.699-04:00Thank you so much for this post!
You explained t...Thank you so much for this post! <br /><br />You explained the exact points that I have been struggling to articulate in my discussions with a friend about the way her husband preaches. He is the lead pastor of a large non-denominational seeker-sensitive Christian church, so the conversation has been heated and frustrating for both of us.<br /><br />After hearing some podcasts of Lutheran preaching, I was refreshed by the gospel for the first time in over a decade. I have been listening to the sermons of my friend's husband since their church opened seven years ago, so she wanted to know how I had failed to hear the gospel in his sermons for all those years.<br /><br />Not knowing the differences between Calvinists and Lutherans, I had a very difficult time to explaining how his sermons were different than the sermons which had refreshed my spirit. <br /><br />Because you took the time to write this post, I have been able to let my friend know how the sermons differed. Also, I will be checking out my local Lutheran church this weekend because I think I've finally found what I've been looking for all these long, dry years.<br /><br />Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4836035001444911450.post-13753705429211861782011-04-11T01:28:28.966-04:002011-04-11T01:28:28.966-04:00You give me a lot to consider with these contrasts...You give me a lot to consider with these contrasts. Thanks.<br />CarolCarol Noren Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10103922738438801967noreply@blogger.com