That all changed when an infamous Fort Wayne Seminary Professor whose wit is well known and whose acid tongue can take the wind out of anyone's sails, said to me, "So you are a company man now..." I did not say much in response. It may have been a joke but it hit me hard. Later I took off the cross and left it on the sink in the restroom for some other wag to pick up.
I am not fond of the liturgical furniture or sacred vessels or pectoral crosses or cufflinks, among other things, that have the Synod logo cross on them. I absolutely hated the idea that when a District President is elected, Synod bestows upon him a 14k gold or sterling silver version of the company logo. A cheap lapel pin, well, not so bad, but a giant silver or gold Synod cross hanging from the neck of the DP (or would it be area VP???). Ugggggghhhhhh.... But there is worse... I cannot abide when congregations have a giant Synod logo cross hanging over the altar -- this is NOT the place for Synod identification. What should hang over the altar is a crucifix. It is there that brand loyalties give way to the who and what we preach, teach, and confess -- the exclusive Savior whose inclusive suffering and death have provided forgiveness, life, and salvation not for the few but for the many, indeed, who gave Himself for the life of the world.
We in the LCMS are not alone -- you can put the Presbyterian logo cross on nearly anything just as you can the Methodist cross and flame and a host of other logos of which I am unaware. The point is that the chief symbol of our faith just as the chief article of our preaching, teaching, witness, and confession is Jesus Christ and Him crucified (as St. Paul said).
So I guess I vote simple crucifix... let Christ shine from the lapel of your jacket if you wear one. It is not to detract from who we are as LCMS folks or what we do as the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. It is just a way to say Jesus Christ and Him crucified, from now until the end of the world. At least that is how I see it...
2 comments:
Dr. David Scaer does not scare
every one. The logo cross you left
in the men's room was a product of
the Ralph Bohlmann era. The new logo
of Matt Harrison era is a political
button like the fish hooks at
the 1969 Denver Convention for
Jacob Preus.
What we need is a cross on the lapel
that simply witnesses to Christ and
not a political party.
"That all changed when an infamous Fort Wayne Seminary Professor whose wit is well known and whose acid tongue can take the wind out of anyone's sails, said to me, "So you are a company man now..." I did not say much in response. It may have been a joke but it hit me hard. Later I took off the cross and left it on the sink in the restroom"
This really is a great example of why I have so much respect for Pastor Peters. He is willing to look honestly at criticism and ask if there is merit to what is said rather than just react egotistically and defensively. Some criticism is not warranted, but if it is not warranted, then there is a reason it isn't and that can be considered honestly and humbly. Pastor Peters is superb at that as well. What a helpful example Pastor Peters provides. Confident but not arrogant.
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