Recently I posted some links to Barry Wallace's excellent blog, "
Who Am I?" For several months now, Barry and I have been linking our sites and enjoying fruitful discussion on many topics. Last week, we decided to make our partnership official and list one another as team members. I'll continue to do what I'm doing here at THEOparadox, but I'll occasionally post to "
Who Am I?" as well. And I hope we'll get a few paradox articles out of Barry right here. As much fun as it is to guest post on other sites, that was not the reason we formed an alliance.
We are both strong believers in the idea of team blogging. There is an added sense of solidarity and accountability that comes with forming a team. Blogging, like any other form of communication, presents opportunities for sin (and opportunities for grace, too). As team members, we set out to admonish, encourage, and confront one another whenever there is evidence of pride, discouragement, anger, loss of focus, or an error in logic or theology. I know Barry will hold my feet to the fire and rebuke me if, for example, I say something un-Christ-like to a trolling hyper-Calvinist or posit some kind of legalism.
On my profile page, you will find four team members listed for this blog.
The first to join was my very astute friend,
Tony Hayling (he's the one one the left). Tony doesn't post here, although he's very welcome to do so. He is a well-studied and thoughtful believer, and he occasionally disagrees with me. I'm okay with that. He's got his own ideas about paradox, and his own unique way of articulating the theology of the Reformation, which often helps me to think through the issues more thoroughly. He's probably a higher Calvinist than I am, but he has a good sense of balance. I really appreciate his friendship and his perspectives. He's also a tremendously gifted writer and an edifying person to talk to.
My 7-year-old daughter is also on the team. She occasionally posts here as a guest, so I finally broke down and gave her a blogger profile, "Girl Whom God Loves." As you will see from her posts, she's quite a good thinker when it comes to theology. She's somewhat precocious, and God has given her a uniquely logical mind. Like my Mom, she is probably a genius. Apparently, that trait skips a generation.
And now, Barry Wallace has joined the team (he's the one on the right). In
my first post on his blog, you can read more about why I've chosen to join ranks with him. Maybe we can convince Barry to do at least one guest post here in the near future . . . but above all I'm grateful for the added encouragement, wisdom and accountability he will bring.
I'm in Houston this week, and I was privileged to attend church with a business associate. Lutheranism was the faith of my youth, but I never saw a Lutheran church as big or as orthodox as Trinity Lutheran Church in Klein, TX. It brought back memories to see the altar rails, the acolytes, the robed ministers and the gigantic pipe organ. My father often tells the story about the pastor of the Lutheran church we used to attend holding up a Bible. "You can't believe half of what's written here," he said, "it's full of mistakes. You have to pick and choose." Trinity Lutheran Church is evidently not of that persuasion. For me, this is a shockingly different kind of Lutheranism. 
How many of today's Evangelical churches would unflinchingly present this to their "emergent" or "seeker" congregations? My shock deepened as I listened to the pastor preach a solid 30-minute message in which the righteous judgment and wrath of God against sinners was expounded clearly. The Gospel was explained as the remedy for this, and Christ's work on the cross was preached without compromise. I kept waiting for it to be watered down, but all I heard was straightforward truth from God's Word.
Here's an excerpt from the bulletin: "Today's Old Testament reading presents us with one of the most frightening passages of Scripture dealing with the wrath of the Lord on Judgment Day. God will not long tolerate the unbelief, immorality, false religions and selfishness of any society. History is replete with examples of the fall of powerful and advanced empires and cultures. And, ultimately even our world will be destroyed with fire. . . . But what is to be the fate of the believer? Need we live in fear? NO! For we are Sons and Daughters of the Day. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up . . . (I Thessalonians 5:10-11)"
During the service, three extended passages of Scripture were read. The prayer time included a responsive reading with these words said by the entire congregation: Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
