Old Lutheran Rumors

[thessarabian]

They are very post-recession, aren't they? Kind of reminds me of the "good old" Reagan days.

[ValS]

The Bright Guy stuff IS very bright. I love it!! I'm going to wear the bright pink cap when I take tickets for the church turkey dinner fundraiser a little later this evening---and I'm keeping the OL tag hanging on it too. Maybe the brightness will keep people from noticing my murderous rage. (j/k)

This was easily the biggest box any of my OL orders has come in. I also ordered the mixed bag (I think they call it a party pack or something) and a foam finger. I think I'll give Pastor the finger. Anyway, I'm glad that it came in such a big box because now I know I'll at least have housing when this church kicks me to the curb.

Suggestions for next year's OL Reformation theme: ill will. Ill free will? Free ill will? Sola ill will?

All acerbic jokes aside . . . I really like the Bright Guy stuff from OL this year.

[bugenhagen]

As I walked in with my wife and son, I noticed a magenta hat on ValS. I also noticed that it had a tag on it. I thought to myself, "Why does it have a tag on it?" Then I went to get food.

[ValS]

I put up one of the postcards in my classroom last week. One of the eighth grade boys noticed it (it's hard not to notice---it's very BRIGHT!), recognized it as an OL Reformation theme, and went on to reminisce about themes from years gone by. That was kind of cool.

[ValS]

I wish I could post the picture of my kids wearing their Bright Guy shades. They are the coolest. The kids really liked them. Gave away lots of OL merchandise today.

[Random layman]

Here's a good Lutheran theme, especially for churchworkers, husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers:

"When you have done all [things] … say, 'We are worthless slaves.'" AC Article 6 quotation of Luke 17:10

[truthforsaints]

I realize this thread is a year and a half old but I wanted to post some clarification for a chart I created on my website depicting a family tree of denominations.

Someone mentioned that there were items that were "questionable" and then mentioned a couple of those in their post.

The family tree can be found here:

http://truthforsaints.com/denomination_ ... story.html

I believe the lineage in question was regarding the Anabaptists and the Reformed Church (incorrectly referred to as "The Calvinists" by the poster).

My explanation for the the major early divisions that I've referenced can be found here:

http://truthforsaints.com/Christian_Den ... tions.html

However, I will post my Anabaptist findings here in this post:

(Founded in Switzerland by Georg Blaurock, Conrad Grebel, and Felix Manz 1525) This movement began with the birth of a baby to Conrad Grebel. Even though, in Zurich there was reformation everywhere, still Blaurock, Grebel, and Manz could not understand how a baby could choose to be a member of a church when all it could do was cry, eat, and dirty its diapers. This line of thinking was considered rebellious in the eyes of the newly reformed church and these three preachers were ordered to stop such “heretical” teaching or leave Zurich. Blaurock asked to be baptized in the apostolic manner and all others were baptized the same. They were called the “Anabaptists” which means “re-baptizers” by their detractors. Indeed the preachers did leave Zurich and met for the first time in a church free from government influence. The Mennonites, Hutterites, and the Amish are all direct descendants of this group. The Anabaptist belief emphasized: Sola Scriptura, Seperation of Church and State, Baptism of the Believer (not the auto-infant sprinkintile), Freedom of Conscience, and Holiness of Life. It is this last tenant that gets a little legalistic in that they flatly rejected Luther’s Salvation by Faith Alone in Christ alone and felt that it did not emphasize the believer’s responsibility to live a holy life.

The sources I've used for this section on the Anabaptists comes from "Church History in Plain English" by Bruce Shelley, "30 Days to Understanding Church History" by Max Anders, the anabaptistnetwork.com, and a few other sources.

In fact the Anabaptists did begin as part of the 'new' Reformed Church in Zurich at the time but took issue with the practice of infant baptism...no they were not technically a "denomination" but neither was Lutheranism or the Reformed Church for that matter, as the use of the word "denomination" to denote a "movement" would not enter the worldwide vernacular until several years later. The Anabaptists were a movement that would have been called a "denomination" today, but due to the persecution they received for their namesake, The name "Anabaptist" would fall into disuse for the most part. The offspring of the Anabaptist movement - Mennonites, Hutterites, and Amish would carry the vast majority of the beliefs, practices, and liturgy of the Anabaptist movement to this day.

There was also a question about the "Brethren" just "popping up" like I have it. Actually, It could have been communicated better on the chart, which I'm sure I'll be producing a revision soon, whereby the lineage of the Unity of the Brethren, started by the Catholic "Reformer" Priest John Hus, continued on despite John Hus' execution by the Catholic Church. This Unity of the Brethren maintained congregations (illegally) in Czech lands and actually acted as a safe haven for many persecuted Anabaptists. The Brethren, as we know it today, would actually form in Germany in 1708 under Alexander Mack, a former Pietist and Anabaptist. The chart I have does not communicate nor clarify this at all. My apologies.

Andrew
http://www.truthforsaints.com