Gottesblog

Much of our editorial staff returned home from Seward, NE, late last week where the Synod was holding the Institute on Liturgy, Preaching, and Church Music. I won't try for a full review here, especially since due to other commitments I was unable to catch the whole conference - I was only there the last couple days. But our esteemed Senior Editor will have a full review out shortly (I can sum it up, though: Fantastic!).

This is a great poem. But as soon as I read it, I was sad. Do you think that could be published in the New Yorker today? I don't think so - because the average literate American would no longer understand even these straightforward Biblical allusions.

I'm scheduled to be on with Rev. Todd Wilken of Issues, Etc., to talk about the recent public prayer case decided by the US Supreme Court, Town of Greece v. Galloway. Tune in today, or listen to the podcast at your convenience anytime at issuesetc.org.

So the Supremes refused to say stop (in the name of love) to prayers at town council meetings. But only if the pray-ers try to be "inclusive" and because, well, nobody really means it anyway.

"O God, save us from the fury of the Northmen!" And then, all of a sudden, the Northmen weren't so bad. They got baptized. They started building churches instead of sacking them. They replaced Beowulf's moral code of blustery boasting (reminiscent, as Prof. Balot used to say, of both Homer's Achilles and any ganga rapper) with the code of chivalry.