Gottesblog

August 15 is celebrated as the Assumption of Mary by the Roman Catholic Church. This is the belief that Mary was bodily assumed into heaven - either instead of, or after, her death (the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches differ in their traditions). This belief is obviously extra-scriptural, as Scripture itself is silent on whether or not the Blessed Virgin Mary was assumed into heaven - thus we cannot say, “Thus says the Lord” one way or the other. Many early Lutherans retained the Feast of the Assumption in the liturgical calendar, while recognizing it as a speculation rather than a dogma. However, the Pope Pius XII dogmatized this belief in 1950 in his decree Munificentissimus Dei, thus imposing it as doctrine upon Roman Catholics.

Anyone who has ever read the Gospels recognizes just how radical our Lord Jesus Christ is.

I met a fellow delegate and brother in arms under the cross in Tampa who reminded me of a piece I wrote a few years back.

Here it is: So, Pastor…

I was a first-time delegate in Tampa. I’m familiar with the tediousness of parliamentary debate, and it is mentally exhausting - but necessary in a polity like ours.

Yeah, I believed that for about 30 seconds. In their usual graceless and unmanly passive-aggressive way, they blew an opportunity to be churchly, and reverted back to their old tried and true Mean Girls modus.