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I know from personal experience that Pastor Austin does not live in luxury.  It is a reasonably typical place the likes of which are seen nearly everywhere. 

Some have found Metaxas  to be a. questionable source.    Be careful.

https://religionandpolitics.org/2016/10/18/eric-metaxas-bonhoeffer-delusions/

"Likening the Third Reich to a Democratic administration would not be surprising from the obstreperous right-wing crusader Ann Coulter, who appears regularly on "The Eric Metaxas Show." But Metaxas, who purports to be a winsome, irenic apologist for the Christian faith, in the fashion of his friends Tim Keller and Os Guinness, blindsided some evangelicals in proclaiming that a Hillary Clinton victory in November portends the vanquishing of the Republic—and that taking Bonhoeffer seriously in our time means voting for Donald Trump.

"At the same time, Metaxas emboldened and excited many other evangelicals with his supreme confidence that the 2016 presidential election confronts America with a world historical decision: salvation by Trump, or damnation through "Hitlerly," as Metaxas has called Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate and lifelong Methodist, on social media. With Hillary, America will not get a second chance. A certain sector of white American evangelicals labors beneath the unrelenting anxiety that the Democratic Party and its leaders actively seek to destroy the Christian way of life."

"H.R.6070 - To award a Congressional Gold Medal to Kyle H. Rittenhouse, who protected the community of Kenosha, Wisconsin, during a Black Lives Matter (BLM) riot on August 25, 2020."

It's come to this.   Rittenhouse is considered to be a hero worthy of a  Congressional Gold. Medal.  The people who defended the Capitol on January 6th were considered  by those recommending. Rittenhouse  to be not worthy of such recognition. 

Travis Mc Michael - guilty.
Greg McMichael - guilty,
William Bryan - guilty

All good reading in the current newsletter.  These were the first two things I read.  I was reminded of a New Yorker cartoon where a kid is doing a blackboard demonstration of his mathematical knowledge.  He explains his answer to the teacher (7 x 5 = 75): ' it may not be 75 but that's how I feel about it.'

You are right. 

Very sad.

A black man was shot in Brunswick GA by a white man.  Who is the aggressor?  Who is the victim? What should Christians think about this? What would your judgment be if you were on the jury?

Acquittal.

Many years ago I learned of Daniel Boorstin's idea of 'The Consumption Community.'   People became united by what products and services they would consume.  It became necessary to increase family income to keep up with the Consumption Community. 'The concept of consumption community, first proposed by historian Daniel Boorstin, claims that in the modern era of high mobility, people look not only to neighborhood as a basis for feelings of community but also to communality of consumption behavior (e.g., drinking the same brand of beer).'

I have been carefully studying this document.  Here is an actual situation which was not addressed in the paper.  A pair of elderly folk  each lose their spouse.  The two couples were long time friends and neighbors but now there is a widow and a widower. They  live together now as a married couple but they do not seek a church wedding.  They do not apply for a marriage license in the county.  They consider themselves good Christian folk and they haven't asked their children for approval. Furthermore,  the families  would not be  willing to give their approval. The change in their financial situation  would be adversely affected if they married. Should they be given a hall pass or should the church elders insist that the couple be married if they desire to remain in the church. 

In response to  the recent words of Satan in this Forum,  I offer this  from Bach's Cantata  No. 80: 

Der Furst diesel Welt,
Wie saur er such stilt,
Tut er runs. Koch night,
Das macho, er its gericht'?
Ein Wortlein kann ihn fallen.

The Prince of this world,
however grimly he presents himself,
can do nothing against us,
since he is already condemned,
a little word can fell him.

These are the words of Satan, not the words of Christ.

This movement to oppose what is labeled 'Wokeness' is advocated by the Moderator.  I became aware of this term on a recent visit to Central Minnesota where a Lutheran congregation is encouraged to travel to St. Cloud for indoctrination on "Wokenes' and its perceived dangers.  I read the link which the Moderator endorsed.  My conclusion (no surprise) is directly contradictory to the Moderator and the central Minnesota Lutheran pastor who encouraged his members to travel to St. Cloud.  I see this stuff as opposed to a Lutheran understanding of Luther on the meaning of the Fifth Commandment:  "We are to fear and love God, so that we neither endanger nor harm the lives of our neighbors , but instead help and support them in all life's needs."

https://www.danishnet.com/vikings/viking-farming/

"Most Vikings were farmers. Even those who were involved in the raids all over Western Europe, or those who sailed East or West to trade were at heart farmers. These Viking raiders and traders would generally still come home with their profits or with their stolen goods to operate their farms. Considering that most Vikings were farmers it is quite odd that we know so little about their farming practices."