Search
Topics
Home  ·  Feedback  ·  Recommend Site  ·  Search  ·  Stories Archive  ·  Surveys  ·  Topics  
JESUS NEVER SAID "STOP AT THE LODGE ROOM DOOR"
Posted on Monday, July 16 @ 02:34:12 CDT by van

News and Views
The 63rd Regular Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod Convention is currently underway at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas. Like the Southern Baptist Convention held in Texas a number of years ago, a variety of subjects including membership in fraternal organizations will be considered by the delegates. They will also hear about the "Ablaze" movement wherein the LCMS has a goal of sharing the Gospel with 100 million people in the next ten years. If the "Ablaze" movement is something more than smoke, if there is actual spiritual fire involved, then at long last the LCMS must begin practicing what it preaches!



It was Dr. Martin Lutheran who proposed certain changes in the Roman Catholic Church. He didn’t want to start a new denomination, but rather, to motivate his church to change it’s unChristian doctrine. Further, he robbed the priesthood of it’s power over the people by translating the Bible from the original Greek and Hebrew into the language of the people. When the people could read and understand Holy Scriptures, they didn’t have to rely upon their parish Priests to read and "interpret" the Word of God for them any longer.

The "Ablaze" movement proposes to reach millions of people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ during the next decade to coincide with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation.  The LCMS has refused to allow its confirmed adult members to belong to the Masonic Lodge and remain "communicant members." The same rule has applied to membership in other, so-called "Secret Societies."

I have always wondered how the LCMS, can justify allowing young men and women who are members of that denomination to become and remain members of Greek fraternities and sorieties and preclude mature adult members from becoming Masons or members of Eastern Star. This is particularly curious when some, if not all, of the Greek organizations have rituals and practices which are far more "secret" and out of consonance with a strict interpretation of the Bible than Freemasonry and Eastern Star!

The statement Jesus made to his disciples in Matthew 18:19-20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...", DOES NOT INCLUDED THE WORDS, "BUT STOP AT THE LODGE ROOM DOOR"! This passage is often called, "The Great Commission."

How many times have we heard the words, "They will know we are Christians by our love"? While religious and political discussions are forbidden practices in the meetings of the Masonic fraternity, the mark of a Christian can not help but spill over into the dealings of men with one another in fraternal affairs. Being a devout Christian most certainly will make a man a better Mason. Practicing the teachings of Freemasonry will make a man a more deeply involved Christian! More will be said on this in future articles.

The LCMS has been relying upon outdated, inaccurate and outright erroneous sources in the formation of and its continued stand against Freemasonry, and that is a shame. I know, because I can speak with absolute personal knowledge.

It has long been and shall continue to be my personal goal to work with ministers and officials of the LCMS in supplying them WITH THE TRUTH so that, hopefully and prayerfully the unfortunate preclusion can be removed. I know a number of Masons who are members of LCMS churches and in fact, a number of Masons who are members of the Roman Catholic faith. To that end, and at the request of several Pastors, I wrote the following resolution which was passed by the Nebraska District of the LCMS and forwarded directly to the Commission on Theology and Church Relations of the LCMS:

PROPOSED RESOLUTION #1.05
To Request a CTCR Study on Lodge Membership

WHEREAS, The Lutehran Church - Missouri Synod has for over 100 years had the official position that membership in a "Secret Society" or Lodge was contrary to God’s Word and especially the First Commandmand; and

WHEREAS, There is a wide variety of congregational practice in the LCMS regarding individual "Secret Society" or Lodge membership; and

WHEREAS, Many members of the LLCMS belong to fraternities and sororities that have some of the same beliefs and practices common to "Secret Societiet" or Lodges; and

WHEREAS, The Commission on Organizations, which formerly answered many questions with regard to questions concerning "Secret Societies" and Lodges is no longer fully staffed; and

WHEREAS, The Nebraska Supreme Court has ruled that the Masonic Lodge does not qualify as a religion for tax purposes; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Commission on Theology and Church Relations be directed to do a study on the issue of "Secret Society" or Lodge membership, including but not limited to information pertaining to possible changes in teaching and practice in the last 50 years and also the differences between the wide varieties of these organizations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the CTCR study include practical guidelines for congregations to follow.

In my opinion, the best resolve of this matter would be something like that reached by the Southern Baptist Convention a few years back. While the church body will not endorse membership in such organizations, if a man in his heart and mind, can be a faithful Christian and at the same time a Mason, the church will not be opposed to such.

I pray the leaders of the LCMS will see the wisdom in taking such a stand and welcome good Masons to become or continue to be faithful members of the LCMS.

SO MOTE IT BE!


VansOpinion
· Home
· Feedback
· Recommend Site
· Search
· Stories Archive
· Surveys
· Topics
· About Van
· Van's Links
· Downloads

Search



Old Articles
Thursday, June 18
· PASTORS GET LITTLE SUPPORT FROM THE LUTHERAN CHURCH MISSOURI SYNOD
Friday, November 28
· PROCLAMATIONS OF THANKSGIVING BY PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Sunday, May 11
· IT'S A GOOD TIME TO SAY, "I LOVE YOU MOM"
Saturday, January 26
· ONE NATION UNDER GOD - LAUS DEO
Saturday, December 29
· KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's AND 70's
Saturday, December 15
· A MIDDLE EAST IMPERATIVE
Friday, December 14
· A DAY WITHOUT AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT
Wednesday, December 12
· THE SECRET SERVICE VIEWS OF PAST PRESIDENTS
Friday, November 23
· NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD
Sunday, September 09
· GOD DOES INDEED ANSWERS PRAYER
Monday, July 16
· CONSCIENCE AND THE CRAFT
· JESUS NEVER SAID "STOP AT THE LODGE ROOM DOOR"
Monday, April 23
· NEVER BRING PLANTS INTO THE HOUSE
Saturday, March 31
· WILL LINCOLN AREA LUTHERANS BECOME APRIL FOOLED
Thursday, June 01
· REV. RUSSELL SOMMERFELD SHOULD STEP DOWN
Thursday, March 30
· KATHY TAYLOR WILL BE THE NEXT MAYOR OF TULSA
Wednesday, March 29
· MORAL POVERTY COST BLACKS IN NEW ORLEANS
Friday, December 23
· HAVE A SAFE AND MERRY CHRISTMAS
Sunday, November 20
· IT'S A GOOD TIME FOR ME TO BE THANKFUL
Tuesday, November 01
· OUR POLITICAL PARTIES NEED A FEW WITH MARTIN LUTHER'S SPIRIT
Thursday, October 27
· SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT
Thursday, October 13
· HELP WANTED - MAYOR OF TULSA, OKLAHOMA
Thursday, October 06
· CONGRESS SHOULD VOTE NO ON A MEGA-REFINERY AT CUSHING, OKLAHOMA
Wednesday, October 05
· WHY I CONTINUE TO WORK TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Monday, September 26
· LINCOLN LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL OFFICIALS COVER-UP SCANDAL
Sunday, September 25
· IT'S NOW TIME TO DO A BIT OF FINGER POINTING
· A LETTER FROM A VERY UPSET MISSISSIPPI DOCTOR
Tuesday, September 20
· RELIGIOUS HUMOR THAT'S NON-DENOMINATIONAL
· COUNCIL SHOULD SAY NO TO ANOTHER MULTI-PLEX
Monday, September 19
· STOP BEATING AROUND THE BUSH

Older Articles



Content copyright © 2018 Van Valkenburg & Associates, Inc.
Admin - Stats

PHP-Nuke Copyright © 2005 by Francisco Burzi. This is free software, and you may redistribute it under the GPL. PHP-Nuke comes with absolutely no warranty, for details, see the license.