Iglesia Luterana Synodo de Nicaragua

In the early 1990s, the vast majority of Nicaraguans were nominally Roman Catholic. Many had little contact with their church, however, and the country's Protestant minority was expanding rapidly, particularly Assemblies of God (Pentecostal) churches. Roman Catholicism came to Nicaragua in the sixteenth century with the Spanish conquest and remained, until 1939, the established faith. The Roman Catholic Church was accorded privileged legal status, and church authorities usually supported the political status quo. Not until the former President José Santos Zelaya came to power was the position of the church seriously challenged. Over time, syncretism with pre-Columbian pagan elements had crept into the Church, to the point where the Gospel had been seriously obscured. In the mid-1980s, there was approximately 1 priest for every 7,000 Roman Catholics, (a ratio lower than the Latin American average) making proper cathechisis an extremely difficult task. It was under this climate that the Lutheran Church Canada was invited to come to Nicaragua to preach the Gospel.

At the height of the Contra-Sandinista conflict in the 1980s, a man named Sandor Arguello - fearing for the safety of his family - fled Nicarauga and came to Montreal, Canada. It was in a Lutheran church in Montreal that Sandor says he first heard the Gospel - the free gift of salvation through Christ - preached. It was literally life-changing. He entered the seminary and became an ordained servant of the Word. At first he and his family remained in Canada, but in the 1990s the Lutheran Church Canada was invited by some Nicaraguans to come to Nicaragua to establish a mission and preach the Gospel. Rev. Sandor Arguello was called by the church to be the missionary to Nicaragua.

At first the work was disappointing and unfruitful. Rev. Arguello was viewed with suspicion by those he attempted to preach to. The people had all kinds of distorted impressions about Lutherans - that they weren't really Christians, that they worshipped Luther, etc. - that made the work difficult.

But then something totally unforeseen happened that changed the situation - Hurricane Mitch. The hurricane devastated the country. It triggered mudslides in the area of Chinandega that killed 3000 people in one night. Rev. Arguello reported the devastation and desperate needs of the Nicaraguan people and the Lutheran Church Canada mobilized into action, sending wave after wave of much needed relief supplies. The once suspicious Nicaraguan people now viewed the Lutheran church much differently. They now saw God's love in action and they began to respond to the Gospel call.

Since that time, the mission work in Nicaragua has flourished. I'm not sure exactly how many churches have been planted over the last 10 years - dozens though. Earlier this year, the Nicaraguan mission of the Lutheran Church Canada became it's own autonomous church body - Iglesia Luterano Synodo de Nicaragua (Lutheran Church Nicaragua Synod). The church continues to grow rapidly and has begun to expand missions into Honduras and Costa Rica. Missions to Latin America are desperately needed as syncretism in the established RC church is rampant. The LCC has helped ILSN to establish a seminary and a mission centre in Nicaragua and we continue to help the new church financially.

I know that some Catholics are offended when Protestants send missionaries to nominally Catholic countries. I think it's important to note a couple of things...

First and foremost, the LCC and now the ILSN have gone into these countries because they were invited. The church has responded to persistent calls from native Latin Americans to bring the Gospel to their countries.

Second, the rampant syncretism throughout the RC church in Latin America has seriously obscured the Gospel message. Understand - I'm not saying the church is teaching syncretist docrine, but the people, who have little regular connection with their church, have picked up many false teachings that have distorted their understanding of the Gospel. As a result of this, many (like Rev. Arguello before them) have never truly heard the Gospel in truth and purity until it was preached to them by a Lutheran missionary.

Third, clearly the RC church has not made sufficient resources available in these countries to reach their own people and correct the false doctrine that has corrupted them. (Note: I'm NOT judging this inaction - I have no idea what the particular circumstances are down there. I'm simply stating a fact.) In the absence of remedial action from the RC church, the Lutheran church has stepped in to fill a void. We're not "stealing" Catholics. We are preaching to the lost.

For more information about the mission work in Nicaragua and Latin America, see here.

Of specks and planks

Main Entry: hyp·o·crite
Pronunciation: \ˈhi-pə-ˌkrit\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English ypocrite, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin hypocrita, from Greek hypokritēs actor, hypocrite, from hypokrinesthai
Date: 13th century
1 : a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2 : a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings
— hypocrite adjective.

Let’s just say that somebody does something bad to you. Everybody agrees that it was a bad thing. Then, let’s say somebody does this same bad thing to somebody else, but it happens to be somebody that you don’t particularly care for. And let’s just say that, instead of coming to this person’s aid and defense, you publically say that you don’t think that it was such a bad thing when it happened to the other person. Well then, you would be a hypocrite.

Love thy neighbor as thyself. Sorry, but I don’t see a loophole for when your neighbor happens to be somebody you don’t like.

He's home!

My Brent is home. I have missed him so much and am so happy and relieved to have him back under my roof that I'm probably in danger of caving and giving in to his every unwholesome desire. Ok, not really, but I sure do have some praying and thinking to do. How this will all work out, I don't know, but for now I am thankful to have my son home.

Thank you, Lord, for your tender mercy.

Making it count

Today I read two posts - written by two of my dear friends - that pricked my conscience. The first was by Kari, here, and the second was by Beth, here.

Kari has written a number of times recently about the cyclone that has devastated Burma and taken so many lives. Today she wonders (and rightly so) why so many of her fellow bloggers (me included) have touched on the recent tragedy in the Chapman family, yet so few have found time to spare a few words for those whose lives have been devasted in Burma and China.

Ouch.

Kari's post convicted me: it matters what you write about.

For the most part, this blog is a "friendship vehicle". I've never really had a single purpose for blogging and my posts reflect that. I post pretty much whatever strikes my fancy. And I guess there's nothing wrong with that per se...except, the blog IS named Ask A Lutheran after all. Most people, when I tell them what my blog is called, assume that it is a Lutheran apologetics blog. And truthfully, I did have the intention, when I first started blogging here, to do more of it. Apologetics that is.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't regret a single moment that I have spent blogging about family matters and what's going on in our lives. That's the friendship part of the blog - it's how we got to know one another and became friends, and my friendships here are worth nurturing.

But there's been some fluff too, stuff that is neither apologetics or friendship related; stuff that I used as filler when I had nothing better to say. As if you come here to be entertained or something. Shame on me for thinking so. I ought to value your time more. Of all the millions of blogs there are out there to read, you choose to come here day after day. The least I can do is have something worthwhile for you to read when you get here. Something that nurtures our relationship. Or maybe something that makes you think.

Which brings me to the second post; Beth's. Ironically, Beth's post is also about the Chapman tragedy, but Beth's post convicted me in an entirely different way.

What I took away from her: it matters what you believe.

Now poor Beth. She's gonna think I'm picking on her. *smile* I recently posted a long apologetics piece in response to a question that she had for me about the role of man's will in salvation. I have known for a long time that I, as a confessional Lutheran, have a markedly different understanding of some key Christian doctrines than, well, most of my friends and readers. That post addressed to Beth, a true apologetics piece if ever I've written one, clearly defines one of those differences. And I have to tell you, it was hard for me to write so openly in seeming opposition to a friend. I worry, you see, that I may cause offense, or even confusion to others. And frankly, I just don't want to get into an argument with a friend!

What stuck a chord with me today in Beth's post was this line: "this man's music brought me back to Christ." When I read that I drew in my breath sharply. "No Beth," I thought to myself, "the Holy Spirit brought you back to Christ - if indeed you ever were truly away from Him."

Now, I know Beth well enough to know that what she probably meant was, "the Holy Spirit used this man's music to renew my joy in the Lord" or something similar. I KNOW she doesn't believe that mere music has the power to convert the unbeliever. That's not what she meant...it just came out that way. Christian shorthand, if you will. But it got me to thinking about how many Christians have no problem believing that the Spirit can work through means like music (or even the blog posts of others) to effect a response in us, but can't believe that the same Spirit can work through means like simple water and bread and wine to effect salvation in us. (And that folks, is another apologetics piece all its own...)

It matters what I write about, and it matters what I believe. What I write about is always going to be influenced by what I believe. And what I believe should be reflected in what I write. I am a Christian, yes, but I am a Lutheran Christian and I truly believe that Lutherans have unique perspective among Christians, one that is rich and profound, centred not on the works of man, but on the completed work of Christ.

I love sharing this perspective. I hope that it enriches you when I do.

Tragic

This is so incredibly sad.

Daughter of gospel star Steven Curtis Chapman hit, killed by car

Do you remember this song (below), by SCC, from 5 or 6 years ago? It's almost prophetic. I always found the song comforting and shared it with my friends Morley and Heather when they lost their 18 month old son Evan in an accident two years ago.

Lord, send your Spirit to your broken ones.

With Hope

This is not at all how

We thought it was supposed to be

We had so many plans for you

We had so many dreams

And now you've gone away

And left us with the memories of your smile

And nothing we can say

And nothing we can do

Can take away the pain

The pain of losing you, but ...

We can cry with hope

We can say goodbye with hope

'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no

And we can grieve with hope

'Cause we believe with hope

(There's a place by God's grace)

There's a place where we'll see your face again

We'll see your face again

And never have I known

Anything so hard to understand

And never have I questioned more

The wisdom of God's plan

But through the cloud of tears

I see the Father's smile and say well done

And I imagine you

Where you wanted most to be

Seeing all your dreams come true'

Cause now you're home

And now you're free, and ...

We have this hope as an anchor

'Cause we believe that everything

God promised us is true, so ...

So we can cry with hope

And say goodbye with hope...

We wait with hope

And we ache with hope

We hold on with hope

We let go with hope...

The backstory

I guess it may seem that the decision to ask Brent to leave was rather abrupt, perhaps even rash. I have been second-guessing myself all weekend long - did we do the right thing?

What's been going on with Brent has been going on for an extended period now. We first began having problems well over a year ago. At first the behaviours seemed isolated and they were so out of character for him. But a pattern of defiance and disrespect for those in authority over him has developed and in the last few weeks my husband and I came to the decision that we could no longer allow his behaviour to disrupt the rest of the family. We laid it out for Brent: we don't want to have to ask you to leave, but if you wish to continue living here then you MUST abide by our rules. If you want to live by your own rules, then you will have to do so elsewhere.

I'll say this for Brent, he's tenacious. He wondered if we could negotiate a third option: he would continue to live here, but he could live as he pleased on a trial basis. Just to, you know, see how that would work out for everyone. (!) That kid. Sometimes I don't know whether to laugh or cry over the stuff he comes up with. *smile* Well, obviously our answer to the third option was no. Bottom line: if you want to live like a grown-up and enjoy all the perks of being able to (theoretically) live as you please, then you have to take on the responsibilities of a grown-up as well. And that includes taking care of yourself.

Well, we negotiated a few things: curfew and expectations for chores etc. And in the end, he agreed that he wanted to continue living here and he would tow the line.

But then Saturday he didn't. I would rather not say specifically what happened - let me just say that he crossed a line and did something incredibly disrespectful towards me. Suddenly I found myself at this point where I felt I had no good choice. If I let it slide, I would have no hope of ever enforcing the rules with him. But the alternative...?

In the back of my mind I had known that it would eventually come to this. Somehow, despite our best intentions, we let things get too far out of hand and by the time we really, solidly, no-fooling-this-time put our collective foot down...it was too late. The pattern had become too ingrained in him.

Do you remember that we took in a friend of Brent's for a few days in the winter when he was having trouble at home? Well, they are returning the favour. Brent has been staying with them since Saturday. Our hope is, of course, that we can work this out and that he will return home but I am relieved to know that he is somewhere safe for the timebeing.

This afternoon I invited Brent to come home for supper tonight so we can talk. We will see what happens.

Praying for an extra measure of strength, wisdom and patience tonight.

Helpless

And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weaknesses; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26-27

Today I had to ask my son Brent to leave our house. He is gone. I am devastated. Please pray for us.

I'm no theologian, but...

Beth has a question for Beth:

Anita - I didn't want to post to Beth because I don't know her well and don't want her to take offense but I have a Q about her post.


My understanding is that God is always present and always "there" and that He has given us freewill. He never "steps away" from us but unfortunately we can choose not to follow Him. Thus, while our Salvation has nothing to do with us and is entirely due to His grace, we still have to make the choice to come back into relationship with Him for it to occur.


I understand what she's saying about the gift of faith but my impression has been that the progression isn't gift-realization-relationship but realization-gift-relationship.


Does that make sense?

Beth - this is a really good question and I'm sure that Beth wouldn't be offended at all!

What you have described is a fairly common understanding of the "coming-to-faith" process. This understanding of the salvation process is known as "synergism" - that is, God's grace + man's choice = salvation. Both participate in the process; both "do" something.

To be fair, there is some language in Scripture that seems to imply that a choice is involved. Some of the ones that come to mind are:

"Choose this day whom you will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" Joshua 24:15

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him..." Rev. 3:20

"That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

While it's true that God gave us free will at Creation, our will has been in bondage to sin ever since the fall. What's more, Scripture clearly indicates that man can't choose to come to God:

"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you." John 15:16

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." John 1:12

In fact, the Scriptures describe our natural condition as being spiritually dead, an enemy of God.

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins," Ephesians 2:1

Just as a corpse cannot restore itself to physical life, unregenerate man cannot restore himself to spiritual life. Rather, we must be regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit. We contribute nothing; God does it all. This view is known as "mongergism" and Scripture describes this passive reception of faith and salvation in a number of places:

"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life." John 6:63

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4

"I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." John 3:5-8


So if the Scriptures teach that we don't - in fact can't - come to him by our own strength or will, how do we reconcile that with the Scriptures that seem to imply that a choice is involved? If you look at the verses that I used as examples, it sure sounds like there's a choice, doesn't it?

Steve Newell (a Christian apologist) says: "So if we cannot make a decision, then why do we see people "making a decision" for Christ in the Bible? What gives life in God’s word? In Romans 10:14-15, Paul writes that it is the hearing of Gospel that gives one the ability to call on the name of the Lord. Through the book of Acts, people’s ability to respond to the Gospel is always preceded by the proclamation of the Gospel. What they take for "making decision" is actually their responding to what God has already done. In Peter's proclamation of the Gospel to Cornelius' household, the Holy Spirit came down on those who heard the message (Acts 10:44)Later, the Apostles stated that it was God who gave the Gentiles that ability to repent (Acts 11:18). Even our ability to repent is a gift of God."

Look at those "Choice" verses again: If you look at them in context you'll notice that they aren't written to unbelievers, but to believers. The first two are exhortations to believers to choose to remain faithful/return to faithfulness; the last is not a "formula" for salvation, but a description of what (by the power of the Spirit) has already occurred.

Trust me Beth, I know this one is a toughie. My husband struggled with this for years. He told me how, when when he was younger, he "walked the aisle" dozens of times to "dedicate" and "rededicate" his life to Christ because he was never sure that he was really saved. I could never understand this. I asked him: Didn't he believe God's promise? His response: He trusted God's part, but he didn't trust his own part - he could never be sure about his decision, whether is was sincere enough.


I think that's just heartbreaking, but I get where he's coming from and I understand how he could be so terrified. Because the reality is, as sinful human beings, we never ARE sincere enough - and we never will be. Not on this side of heaven anyways.


Thankfully, God has not made our salvation provisional. It's not "grace + my works". It's not "grace + my choice". It's grace + nothing. That's the only equation that works, because the moment you introduce a human element, the equation becomes tainted. Only God has the power to save us and we must not usurp that power for ourselves. To do so is to reject the completed work of Christ on the Cross.


"For it is by grace you have been saved through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8


It may sound as if I am judging the faith of "decision makers" as false. I'm not. The understanding of how they came to faith may be imperfect, but the faith itself- given as a gift of God - is not.


"I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith." Romans 12:3


I know that in my husband's case, the realization that his salvation was a 100% God-done thing was literally life-changing. I guess that's part of why I get so passionate about it. I hope that helps you understand where Beth and I are comig from when we say No Choice!

tidbits

I'm sorry everyone. I do not have a meatball recipe to share. I make them different every time.

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I wish my camera was working! Just a few blocks from my house, the Mennonite farmers are plowing their fields with their old farm implements and preparing their fields for planting. Today I saw a little Mennonite boy, dressed in a button down shirt with suspenders, playing in the apple orchard while two ladies wearing long sleeved dresses and black bonnets sat under a tree doing some needlework. Peaceful.

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I have to have some tests for a health problem I've been having. I covet your prayers.

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Here's a post by Beth (Kuwaiti Beth) that I really enjoyed. Very insightful. (And with a very Lutheran perspective.)

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My husband came home yesterday with 2 new-to-us bicycles! A client of his wanted to get rid of them and offered them to my husband - for free! Mine needs air in the tires and some WD-40 on the chain. I haven't ridden a bike in about 10 years so I am hoping not to embarrass myself.

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I have some plans this for this summner that I am dying to share, but I can't yet. And, no, this time it does not involve a trip to North Carolina :) Hoping to let everyone in on the secret soon though!

Some (belated) Mother's Day reflections

Note: I wrote this on Mother's Day, but looks like I hit "Save Now" button instead of "Publish Post".


First, I should tell you right off the bat, I'm not a big fan of Mother's Day. I'll tell you why in a minute, but keep that in mind when I say that this was probably the nicest Mother's Day I can remember.

Ok, so I do love being able to honour my own mother on Mother's Day. She deserves every bit of love and honour that she receives. My mom is Simply. Incredible. She is, and I say this with absolutely NO bias whatsever (smile) The World's Greatest Mom. Ever.

Mom is kind and generous and self-sacrificing and utterly undemanding. She was born to be a mother. And now that she has raised her own children, she has turned her attention to children in our neighbourhood whose own mothers, for whatever reason, have difficulty raising their own children. You might recall that she runs a school breakfast program at a public school in our neighbourhood. Some of those kids come because there's not enough food in the house; some come because their moms must leave early in the morning to work to support them and aren't home to fix breakfast and see them off to school; others come because their moms have been out too late the night before and can't (or can't be bothered) to get up and feed their kids in the morning. (I'm sorry. That sounded harsh I know. For what it's worth, the can't-be-bothered moms are few. It just makes me sad that's all.)

Anyways, my mom strives to give the "Breakfast Club" kids not just a meal, but a real family atmosphere to get them started in the morning. She makes the rounds each morning, chatting with the kids, asking about their day ahead and encouraging them as she is able. She gets to know them. She notices when a child needs a pair of socks, or a hat or mitts (yes, even coats or boots) and makes sure one is found for the child. She pays extra attention to the kids who need it: the hard-to-love kids, the social outcasts and the naughty ones. They are more than just little empty bellies to her. And she is more than just the "breakfast lady" to them. She loves them because Jesus loves them. I dare say she is much like a grandma to many of those kids. I am honoured and humbled to be able to share my mom with them.

I, on the other hand, am not a natural born mother. Mothering comes hard for me. Even with my mother's excellent example, I fall so short of the mark, and Mother's Day is a reminder of all that I am not.

Today, I shared this thought with my pastor's wife, Elizabeth. This is how she ministered to me: "Oh no, Anita (she said) no, don't you do that. You are who God made you to be. Exactly as He planned with the gifts that he wanted for you. And you share those gifts with your family. For the rest, there is grace." (Ok, I'm paraphrasing a bit here...but this is the gist of it.)

Elizabeth, if you happen to stop by here, thank you. God's grace IS sufficient for me. Sometimes I must be reminded of that. *smile* Thank you for your words - they were an unexpected, but treasured, Mother's Day gift.