“If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?  If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefor they will be your judges” (Matthew 12:26-27).  

Make no mistake, Satan is united in one thing, and that is hatred.  Wherever, and however he can spread the seeds of hatred, you see his work.  It is everywhere in this age.  Jealousy, coveting, and dissatisfaction abound.  Reject the devil and all his empty promises.  Our Lord is One, and He alone has all power and authority.  Be guided by Him and live in the grace He gives.  Do not be divided, but united in Him.  Lord Jesus, You have prayed that we would be one.  Wherever there is disunity, the wicked one is at work.  Lead me in Your goodness and mercy to know that in You alone is unity.  Where there is disunity in my life, slay it.  Where there is discord in me, humble me to love others as You have loved me.  Teach me to be a peacemaker.  Guide me to follow You in all Your ways. 

Help me, Lord Jesus, to live the Gospel of truth today.  Where I am tempted to sin, point my eyes in the right direction.  My mind races, but all truth is in You.  Help me to understand that true life is in You alone.  The world is divided, but the church is one.  Help me to move from living as the world lives to living in the unity of Your presence and purpose in my life. 

Lord Jesus, You have so clearly laid out the truth that I often run in the opposite direction.  Guide me, Lord, to live faithfully according to the goodness of Your grace and mercy.  Help me to be a peacemaker, being humble and willing to walk in peace with those whom You bring into my life.  Be the One who leads me, and with Your Holy Spirit, send me into the world as a peacemaker for Your sake.  Amen.

“He knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand” (Matthew 12:25).  

The wicked one divides, and the Lord unites.  See the big picture and you will see that where there is division, there is evil.  Where there is unity in peace there is the presence of the Holy Spirit.  God is love and He establishes relationship in love.  Whether it is your family, the congregation, your community, the nation, or the world, if it is divided, it will not stand. 

Lord, where my attitude is one of standing my ground in order to divide, restrain me.  Teach me how to love.  “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, love never fails.”  Love is not just emotional, but cares for the other so much that it always seeks for the right thing to do.  Lord, You are love and You are in me.  Let me not divide but be filled completely with You in order to live out Your love. 

Lord Jesus, I am under constant attack by the world, flesh and devil seeking to divide my loyalty to You.  Or is it just me?  Lord, I must decrease, and You must be my all-in-all.  Guide me, Lord, so that I may humbly walk wherever You lead me.  Help me to understand that only in You is there hope and a future.  All power is Yours alone.  Guide me in the truth of Your love and power so that I may live out Your love today.  Amen.

October 27: Reformation Sunday

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (God’s new covenant will be written on the heart)

Psalm 46 (The God of Jacob is our stronghold!)

Romans 3:19-28 (We are justified by faith, apart from works of the law)

John 8:31-36 (If the Son makes you free, you are free indeed)

Opening hymn: A Mighty Fortress: LBW #228/229, ELW #503-505, LSB 656/657

Hymn of the Day: Thy Strong Word: LBW #233, ELW #511, LSB #578

OR Word of God Come Down on Earth: WOV #716, ELW #510, LSB #545

Communion Hymn #1: The Church’s One Foundation:  LBW #369, ELW #654, LSB #644

Communion Hymn #2: My Hope is Built on Nothing Less:

LBW #293/294, ELW #596/597, LSB #575/576

Closing Hymn: Built on a/the Rock the Church Shall Stand: LBW #365, ELW #652, LSB #645

*******************

THE PRAYERS 

Let us intercede before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the sake of the Church, the world, and one another.

A brief silence

Thank you, heavenly Father, for your Holy Spirit. Thank you for his life-giving and purifying fire. Thank you for his gifts of wisdom and understanding, counsel and might, knowledge and fear of the Lord, and joy in your presence. Thank you for reforming, renewing, and sustaining your one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church on earth.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Pour out your Spirit upon the Church.  Make it your holy habitation. Keep it steadfast in your Word. Strengthen it in the face of temptation and defend it from evil. Reform and purify it from sin and error, and bestow on it your saving peace.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Be the refuge and strength of Christians when they are persecuted for confessing Jesus as Lord. Grant them the strength to endure, even to giving their life, in faithful witness to him. Give us the courage and will to defend their witness, provide for their needs, and boldly confess the faith and the hope we share in Christ.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Be to this congregation our help and our redeemer. Gladden our hearts with the joy of your saving love. Empower us to share our joy, and your love, with those who do not know either.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Pour out your Spirit upon the teachers and theologians of the Church. Cause them to hand on, as of first importance, the Gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. Bless church schools, colleges, and seminaries, so that they write your words upon the hearts of many.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Exalt yourself among the nations, and speak your holy word to the leaders of the world. Establish among all peoples that peace which the world cannot give; and teach us to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly before you.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We long for you to break the bow, shatter the spear, and make war to cease throughout the world. Until that day, direct and strengthen all who take up arms in defense of life and liberty. Be their very present help in times of trouble and places of danger. Prosper all they do that accomplishes your will. Bring them home safely and soon.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We lift before you the needs of all whose lives are shaken by suffering. Especially we pray for: {List}. Be in their midst, and let them not be overthrown. Give them your saving help, and say to them, ‘be still, and know that I am God.’ Restore them to health and hope, that they may proclaim the awesome things you have done.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Most holy Lord, we give you thanks for the lives of all your faithful people whom you have claimed and redeemed through the precious blood of Jesus. Grant that we may humbly follow in their footsteps; boldly trust in your promises; faithfully proclaim your Word; and cheerfully serve in your Name. Bring us, through the merits of our Savior, into your Kingdom. There, with all the redeemed, we shall glorify you in the power of your Spirit forever.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Hear our prayers, gracious Father; and answer them in accordance with your will, for the sake of your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

October 20: 22nd Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 24

Ecclesiastes 5:10-20 (Pointlessness of amassing wealth)

                RCL/ELW: Isaiah 53:4-12 (Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows)

Psalm 119:9-16 (How can young remain pure? Follow God’s commandments)

                RCL/ELW: Psalm 91:9-16 (God promises deliverance to those whom he loves)

Hebrews 4:1-16 (Do not harden your hearts against God, God’s word sharper than 2-edged sword; we may approach High Priest who has been tempted but did not sin)

                RCL/ELW: Hebrews 5:1-10 (Great high priest, deals gently with us because he too has suffered)

Mark 10:23-31 (Hard for rich to enter Kingdom; followers promised much – with persecution)

                RCL/ELW: Mark 10:35-45 (James and John want special honors; true greatness is in suffering and serving as Jesus does)

Opening hymn: Today Your Mercy Calls Us: LBW #304, LSB #915

OR O Christ, Your Heart, Compassionate: ELW #722

Hymn of the Day: Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service: LBW #423, ELW #712, LSB #848

OR Hope of the World, Thou Christ of Great Compassion (Tune isn’t that hard. Words are a beautiful prayer, especially appropriate as national and world tensions are high): LBW #493, LSB #690

Communion Hymn #1: We Give Thee but Thine Own: LBW #410, ELW #686, LSB #781

Communion Hymn #2: Be Thou My Vision: WOV #776, ELW #793

Closing Hymn: God of Grace and God of Glory: LBW #415, ELW #705, LSB #850

OR Send Me, Lord (Jesus): ELW #809, WOV #773

********************

THE PRAYERS 

Let us intercede before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the sake of the Church, the world, and one another.

A brief silence

Father, thank you for the wealth and pleasures we have. Help us not get too attached to them. Thank you for Jesus’ hard words and loving example. Help us stay forever attached to him.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Make your Church rich in faith, generosity, humility, compassion, and witness. Make it poor in pride, heresy, ingratitude, and fearfulness. Fill it with your Spirit. Conform it always to Christ, your righteous Suffering Servant, and our great High Priest.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Increase the faith, hope, and joy of your persecuted Church. Let the radiance of its faithful witness illuminate the hearts of its foes with your divine mercy.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Protect our congregation from being tempted to cling to treasures instead of sharing them, to your glory and for the benefit of our neighbors. Help us to prefer nothing whatsoever to Christ.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray young adults in our congregation and community. Let them not be preoccupied with possessions or prestige, but seek to please you each day in self-forgetful service and love.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We remember before you the poor of the earth, that their suffering might be eased. We pray for the wealthy and powerful, that they may use their gifts wisely and generously. Lead the rulers of the nations in the pathway of your commandments. Teach everyone to find true contentment in seeking and doing your will.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Thank you for all who stand between us and the threatening dangers of this world. Keep them faithful, true, and bold. Help them to heal rifts caused by violence and suspicion. Use their gifts to protect justice and freedom. Strengthen them when they falter; support their loved ones; and bring them home safely and soon.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Grant that all who suffer find hope and refreshment in Jesus’ mercy. We pray this day for {List}. We also plead on behalf of the poor, homeless, and unemployed. Give them the resources and courage they need to succeed. Let us display caring hearts, sound judgment, and practical assistance. Together let us flourish, and serve and glorify you.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Thank you, dear Father, for receiving all who have died in the covenant of their Baptism. Keep us always in that covenant. Help us to encourage one another and bear each other’s burdens. Help us to guide our neighbor into Jesus’ presence. Together with all of your redeemed people of every time and place, let us forever rejoice in your goodness, and see you face to face.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Incline your ear to our prayers, dear Lord; and answer them according to your most gracious and holy will, for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

October 13: 21^st Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 23

Amos 5:6-7, 10-15 (seek good, not evil, that you may live)

Psalm 90:12-17 (Teach us to have wise heart; prosper our handiwork)

Hebrews 3:12-19 (Do not have evil, unbelieving heart; exhort against sin)

                RCL/ELW: Hebrews 4:12-16

Mark 10:17-22 (Rich man told to sell all, give to poor, and follow Jesus)

                RCL/ELW: Mark 10:17-31 (adds disciples perplexity over leaving riches, wondering how they’ll be rewarded for following Jesus)

****************

Opening hymn: Blest are They: WOV #764, ELW #728, LSB #982

OR God of Grace and God of Glory: LBW #415, ELW #705, LSB #850

Hymn of the Day: Jesus, Priceless Treasure: LBW #457/458, ELW #775, LSB #743

OR Will You Come and Follow Me: ELW #798

Communion Hymn #1: Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God: WOV #783, LSB #712

OR Great is Thy Faithfulness: WOV #771, ELW #773, LSB #809

Communion Hymn #2: Praise and Thanksgiving: LBW #409, ELW #689, LSB #789

OR Take My Life, That I May Be: LBW #406, ELW #583, 685

Take My Life and Let It Be: LSB #783, 784

Closing Hymn: Lord, Dismiss Us with Your Blessing: LBW #259, ELW #545, LSB #924

THE PRAYERS 

Let us intercede before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the sake of the Church, the world, and one another.

A brief silence

Thank you, dear Father, for the priceless gift of your dear Son. Thank you for the wisdom, mercy, and salvation he brings. Thank you most of all for bringing us close to your heart.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Bestow your Holy Spirit upon the Church, so it loves you with heart, mind, and strength. Help the Church to follow Jesus wherever he leads it to preach the Gospel and serve our neighbors. In word and deed, let it equip all people to find their treasure, joy and life in Christ alone.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We remember before you Christians who have been stripped of freedom, health, and even life, because they prize Jesus above all else. Enrich them with the joy of salvation. Through their faithful witness, bring many to repent and believe in Christ.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Thank you for blessing our congregation with so many gifts, spiritual and physical. Fill us with your Holy Spirit, so that we always love the Giver more than the gifts.  Help us to willingly share those gifts with the spiritually and physically poor in our community.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Enrich the hearts and minds of students – from preschool through graduate school, and especially students called to be pastors and teachers in your Church. Let them love wisdom, seek understanding, and cling to Christ, their highest good and dearest treasure.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Teach the world’s leaders, and especially those of our own country, to care for people more than prestige; to love justice more than popularity; and to use resources and power for the benefit of all. Grant that they should seek your will above partisan politics or personal gain.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Bless, guide, and protect our military and first responders. Proper all they do that is in accordance with your will. Help us to support and encourage their loved ones, and to heal and help the wounded. May we always prize and use their gifts in civilian life when their present duties are done.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We plead on behalf of all who are sick or injured, imprisoned or lonely; addicted or abused. We pray for all who are troubled by the powers of sin, evil, and death.  Especially we remember before you: {List}. Grant them the joy of your saving help. Restore them to health, hope, and communion with you and with those who love and care for them.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Gracious Father, keep in your care all who have died trusting in you; and console all whose grief runs deep. Sustain, encourage, and refresh us through the toils and trials of this life. Keep us strong in faith toward you, and fervent in love for one another. Bring us into the joy of your Kingdom. There, with all your people, let us forever feast on your goodness, and delight in adoring our Savior, united in the power and love of your Holy Spirit.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Incline your ear to our prayers, dear Lord; and answer them according to your most gracious and holy will, for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

October 6: 20^th Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 22

Genesis 2:18-25 (It is not good for the man to be alone; creation of woman)

Psalm 128 (The happy home of the faithful)

RCL/ELW: Psalm 8 (What is man, that you are mindful of him?)

Hebrews 2:1-18 (Pay attention to the message; if we ignore it, how can we escape penalty; Jesus tested in all things as we are, not ashamed to call us brothers; is our merciful high priest)

                RCL/ELW: Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12 (Excellence of God’s Son; omits section from above on penalty for drifting from message of salvation)

Mark 10:2-16 (Teaching on divorce; let the children come to me)

Opening hymn: O Blest, the House: LBW #512, LSB #862

(If tune is unfamiliar, use tune for LBW #51, “From Heaven Above to Earth I Come”)

OR Blest Be the Tie that Binds: LBW #370, ELW #656, LSB #649

Hymn of the Day: When Love is Found: WOV #749

OR Our Father, By Whose Name: LBW #357, ELW #640

OR O Father, All Creating LSB #858 (You might get the license if you don’t have LSB; it’s good for

today’s texts AND for weddings! And the tune is Aurelia, The Church’s One Foundation)

Communion Hymn #1: O Christ, You Walked the Road:  LSB #424

OR Children of the Heavenly Father: LBW #474, ELW #781, LSB #725

Communion Hymn #2: All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name: LBW #328/329, ELW #634, LSB #549

Closing Hymn: O Christ, the Same (Gotta love O Danny Boy!): WOV #778, ELW #760

THE PRAYERS 

Let us intercede before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the sake of the Church, the world, and one another.

A brief silence

Thank you, dear Father, that we may call you our Father, and trust Jesus our Brother, and know each other as sisters and brothers, united to Jesus through your Holy Spirit. Thank you that this happens even when our earthly family is troubled or absent. Help us extend your family-love to all who need you most.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You appointed Jesus as our High Priest and elder brother. Form your Church into his temple and his home. Make it attentive and faithful to your Word. Use it to challenge and comfort to us, for we struggle with sin and temptation. Let us take heart and cling to Jesus, who was tempted as we are, save without sin. Grant that we may share his life forever.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Give strength, faith, and charity to your persecuted servants. Soften the hearts of their tormentors, and turn many from scorn and hatred of Christ to life-giving faith in him.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

By ties of blood and faith, this congregation is a family. Help us to be your family, and to befriend and help new sisters and brothers in Christ. Give us boldness to invite, patience to teach, wisdom to counsel, kindness to embrace, and gentleness to encourage them.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Deal gently with families who are struggling, especially when divorce looms large. Help couples to forgive, repent, repair, and renew. It’s easy to tear asunder. By your grace, cause them to remain joined together according to your will. Heal the bitterness and anger that poison hearts and lives. Help parents to be mindful of their children’s welfare, even above their own.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Grant wisdom, integrity, and humility to earthly leaders. Make the welfare of their people more important than their own agenda or power. Teach us to live, so far as it is possible, in peace with one another.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for all who stand in harm’s way on our behalf. Equip them with courage and compassion; competence and fairness; a zeal for justice and a heart for mercy. Bring them home safely and soon when their task is done; and bestow your peace on us all.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Let all who suffer in mind, body or spirit find welcome and healing in our Savior’s arms.  We pray especially for: {List}. Besides these, we pray for those who have been divorced; and for all who may find your words about marriage and divorce to be hard or hurtful. Bless, heal, forgive, and love them. Help us to be gentle and humble, that they may firmly believe that we love them too.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Most holy Father, thank you for your steadfast mercy and loving kindness to all who died trusting your dear Son. Unite us with Jesus by the power of your Holy Spirit. Help us to live in faith toward you and in fervent love toward one another. In your good time, gather us into your house, where with all the redeemed, we shall delight in beholding our Elder Brother and rejoice in your fatherly love forever.

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Incline your ear to our prayers, dear Lord; and answer them according to your most gracious and holy will, for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

“But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons” (Matthew 12:24).  

The wicked will do anything to discredit the Lord.  In what they say wrongly is faithfulness, unaware that they are serving their “father” below, they will accuse those who follow the Lord.  They accuse.  You will know them by their fruits.  The wicked are always accusing.  Do not be deceived by them but see things as they are.  No good can be done except through the Lord, He is the source of all that is good (Psalm 37:3). 

Lord, I have been falsely accused when I am doing the best I can to do what is right in Your sight.  Continue to be the One who directs me, even when others are accusing me.  Where there is a legitimate accusation, help me to see, repent, and turn back to Your grace.  Where it is a false accusation, help me to see it for what it is, shake the dust off my feet and move on. 

Lord Jesus, my mind can go in many different directions.  Only by Your help can I stay on the narrow path of faithfulness.  Help me to be very slow to accuse, quick to repent, and willing to obey what You are commanding.  Guide me always to see that in You alone is there hope and a future.  The wicked are all around me, but You are the One who leads the faithful.  Help me to be faithful to You, Lord, doing what You would have me do.  Amen. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 – 11 AM EDT

In addition to alerting people to ways in which the ELCA is going further and further off the rails, we of Lutheran CORE see as part of our work providing encouragement and resources for congregations and their leaders and lay members. 

Lutheran CORE is about to embark on providing a new series of resources – webinars on church leadership and ministry led by practitioners who know what they are talking about because they will be sharing insights and approaches that they have learned from their own ministry experience and have put into practice in their own ministry settings.  Many thanks to three members of the board – NALC pastors Brian Hughes, David Charlton, and Doug Schoelles – for articulating and developing the vision for this new ministry and doing the work to bring it to life.

The first webinar, entitled “Planning as a Paradigm Shift,” will be offered on Wednesday, September 25 from 11 AM to 12 noon Eastern Daylight Time.  Lutheran CORE vice president Brian Hughes says concerning the webinar, “Planning is deciding about a preferred future, especially when it comes to creating faithful disciples.”  He also said, “Planning for ministry means setting priorities which might, even in the best and healthiest of situations, require pruning something in order to add a new emphasis.”  He also shared that as we deal with the diminishment of our ministry amid the accelerating de-churching of America, church leaders need to figure out what path to take and how to convince others to join.

When asked why this webinar series starts with planning, Brian answered, “Planning assumes we’ve looked at our current reality and want to be somewhere else.  What is not working and what do we want to be about that’s different?”  When asked whether this webinar is a one-time event, he replied, “This is a taster offered by Lutheran CORE that will likely become a monthly offering with more content and other presenters already in the wings depending on the response and needs we hear.”

Brian Hughes is a retired pastor now rostered with the NALC and living in South Carolina.  After serving ELCA congregations in places like Capitol Hill (Washington DC), Pittsburgh PA, and the Bay Area of California, he finished up with almost twenty years in Columbia MD.  For several years he served as assistant to the bishop in the ELCA’s Sierra Pacific Synod (northern California and western Nevada) with seminary candidacy and first call leadership development as part of his portfolio.  He continues to be part of a movement of reintroducing faith formation into homes, multi-generationally.   After retiring from his ELCA congregation in Maryland in 2019 (where they had nine services a weekend in five languages) he launched an NALC street ministry in Baltimore that evolved into leading a Sunday morning worship service in a strip club.  His former congregation in Maryland is now LCMC.  He currently serves as vice president of the board of Lutheran CORE.  Mission and discipleship have been his passions throughout his entire ministry.

Here is a link to register for this webinar.  There is no charge for attending.

Although the appellation “woke”—used by Ricky Gervais to the Hollywood establishment at the Oscars as “insider” language just a few years ago—is eschewed by progressives now that cultural conservatives have fastened onto it and redeployed it as a demeaning epithet, its inception in progressive circles originally indicated a true stance of religious conversion that Christians should recognize.  As the Church year winds to its eschatologically focused close and begins the new year in Advent, both Jesus and John the Baptist exhort us to “wake” up to the reality of our spiritual situation. Such an awakening is at once a combination of intellectual recognition and a posture of preparation for incipient action. “Woke” originally meant to the true believer in progressive ideals much the same thing that “newly illumined” meant to the just baptized in the early Church; it signaled the passing of a liminal threshold and the adoption of such a substantially new interpretation of age-old data points and orientation to the challenges of life as to be only capturable in the proclamation of a new identity.

It is by now not particularly provocative or insightful to interpret the constellation of ideological commitments that goes variously by the names woke, postmodern, poststructuralism, or social justice as a religion, but it is helpful to explore why this is formally rather than merely experientially the case. If religion is defined sociologically as a set of communal behaviors rather than as a set of metaphysical beliefs or commitments (a hopelessly Western definition in any case), this progressive set of beliefs above-labeled clearly functions as a religion for its adherents.

Channeling the work of Émile Durkheim, Jonathan Haidt helpfully identifies the sociological characteristics of a religion. By designating something as “sacred” a group of disparate people can have a sense of unified identity. You know you are in the presence of a thing (or value system) that has been designated by a group as “sacred” when that thing must be defended at all costs from even ridiculous or accidental insults. “Jokes, insults, and utilitarian trade-offs” cannot be tolerated if they impugn the honor of the thing held sacred because they threaten the fundamental social cohesion of the group’s acolytes. When what is at stake is the sacred, blasphemy codes dictate the range of acceptable expression, and such cannot be challenged by rational objections.

In a lecture at Duke University,[1] Haidt identified six groups that are now identified as sacred in the social justice milieu: the “big three” of blacks, women, and LGBTQIA+ along with a secondary group deemed slightly less sacred consisting of Latinos, Native Americans, people with disabilities, and more recently, Muslims.  Comments or ideas that are deemed less than laudatory of people in these groups or their behavior are met not only with outrage but disgust, an emotional response whose purpose is to get us to avoid things that are potentially poisonous to us—contagions and pathogens.

I spoke in last issue’s article of not permitting the pain of a student in my care—very real pain for which I had genuine empathy and wanted to see healed—to colonize my theology, coming to exercise a controlling influence over it. Viruses colonize their host by hijacking the cell’s DNA reproduction system, turning its very system of replication and renewal to its own purposes. The reason why progressive Christianity quickly ceases to be Christianity at all is that the Church’s ministries of renewal and replication—catechesis and evangelism—are necessarily reemployed in service of the new objects that are, in fact, now deemed sacred.

In the case of progressive Christianity, the aforementioned victim groups replace the orthodox objects of worship (the Triune God, revealed by the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ) as the center around which the group’s identity revolves.  In the same way, the holy tasks of pursuing an amorphously defined and ever-mutating sense of justice for these sacred victims replaces the orthodox tasks of preaching the stories of Scripture and celebrating the Sacraments commanded by God’s Sacred Victim, as well as the repentance, conversion, and amendment of life according to the revealed will of God to which these lead. Progressive Christianity quickly ceases to be formally Christian precisely because it holds different things to be sacred than does the Biblical, Apostolic faith. I will have more to say on this in the next issue, but for now it is enough to note that it represents a different religion, not a different way to be Christian.

[1] https://youtu.be/Gatn5ameRr8?si=5elvFmZJAPTJyapK