Gottesblog

On Reformation Day, even as we focus on Luther and the 95 Theses, let us never forget the martyrs who offered up their lives for the sake of the Gospel - especially the Belgian Augustinian monks Heinrich Voes and Johann Esch, who were burned at the stake in Brussels, July 1, 1523.

In years and cultures past, society valued young men. There was a common-sense realization that strong men meant a strong fabric of society. Christianity recognized the divinely-ordered family structure of the godly leadership of husbands and fathers, as well as masculine leadership in society.

In a previous post, I reviewed a random book from a local Little Free Library - a bestselling Christian book - and a quick scan through the book made it clear that this was a Trojan Horse to wheel Gnosticism into the sanctuary.

In my neighborhood, there are several little free libraries where people exchange books. These are a great window into what people are reading. There is a lot of targeted proselytism by Seventh Day Adventists, lots of fiction involving witchcraft and the occult (much of it targeted to young women and girls), and a good bit of popular Christian literature - which I’m finding to be increasingly not really Christian at all.

In this Gottescast, The Gottesdienst Crowd asks the question why use liturgical manuals, what's available, how to rank them, and how to use them. Mark Braden (Gottesdienst Editor, the author of the recurring column "Taking Pains," and pastor of Zion Lutheran, Detroit, MI) takes us through this important topic.

I want to encourage parish pastors. You, men, are on the front lines of a war. This is not a metaphor. Spiritual warfare is very real. And the congregation is the front line.