καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο: Both seminaries of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) will offer courses in Biblical Greek over the Internet this year.
Beginning Sept. 20, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis will offer its Biblical Greek course live on the Internet, Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Central Time.To be eligible to register for the course, students must have completed 48 semester hours of coursework from an accredited college or university. A broadband Internet connection is required, along with headphones and a microphone.Classes will generally follow the schedule for the seminary's academic year, with breaks at holidays and between quarters. Enrollment is limited, and financial aid is available.
For those who require a more flexible schedule,the "Biblical Greek" course offered by Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind. allows students to study at any time.
Dr. John Nordling, associate professor of Exegetical Theology, will teach the course via video.Instruction begins Sept. 8 and continues for three quarters, ending May 22, 2009. It will mirror the Biblical Greek course taught on campus and meet Greek language requirements for study at the seminary. A sample lesson is available for those who wish to preview the course. For more information, contact Rev. William Johnson.

Calumnies of the Homosexual Lobby: In August we reported on the controversy surrounding the proposed exhumation of Cardinal John Henry Newman in anticipation of his canonization later this year and we quoted Peter Tatchell's expression of outrage that the church would remove Newman's body from the grave it shares with the Cardinal's long-time companion Ambrose St. John.On September 3, the Catholic News Agency reported that Ian Ker, an "expert biographer" of Cardinal Newman, has published a response inspired by the "calumnies of the homosexual lobby."
In an article entitled, John Henry Newman and the sacrifice of celibacy, published in L'Osservatore Romano, Ker asserts that Newman's wish to be buried with his long-time companion indicated no more than "simple friendship." He also cites other examples of friends and relatives who have also shared common graves.
Ker's remarks were reprised in the September 3 weekly edition of L'Osservatore Romano under the title Healthy Manhood in the Service of the Kingdom.
While we are confident that our readers will read Ker's article and draw their own conclusions, we did take the liberty of inviting Pr. Sophie


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Pr. Sophie is all a-Twitter. Again.
Pr. Sophie's Tweets:

    Hot Dish Hotline: "We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard." What have you seen or heard that other people really need to know about? Use the Hot Dish Hotline to submit your item online.

    to express her thoughts on the matter. Pr. Sophie says:
    In my experience, nothing brightens a room quite like a dozen or so long-stemmed calumnies in a nice vase. I had no idea the Vatican had designated a homosexual lobby and I will have to seek it out on my next visit. I'm sure it's a lovely room.

    Word and Sacrament: We took it as a very good sign that Valparaiso ("An International Lutheran University") undertook a search earlier this year to add a woman to the pastoral staff at the school's Chapel of the Resurrection, and we hope Pr. Darlene Grega is enjoying her new responsibilities.
    From our long-distance view, however, we have to admit that we were holding our breath as she seemed not to appear among the participants in the Chapel's regular Sunday worship schedule. Finally this past week she appeared as celebrant on September 7 with Rev. Walter Wangerin, Jr. preaching.
    We hope that she'll have opportunities to preach as well, and that the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) will deal charitably with any of its pastors who might find themselves assisting Pr. Grega in worship.

    About Time?: We're of the opinion that Reformation Day weekend (the last weekend in October) is a particularly good time for an ordination extra ordinem. We remember fondly the ordination of Pr. Donna Simon (pictured) on October 28, 2000, and we think it's about time for another Reformation Day extraordinary ordination.
    A quick look at the Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries (ELM) website shows that there are five "approved for call" people on the roster:
    Jodi Barry
    Greg Egertson
    Steve Keiser
    Dr. Lisa Stenmark
    Jay Wilson.
    Perhaps there's a call in the works for one of them?

    Time Running Out?: Strange as it may seem, the Saturday November 1, 2008 deadline for submitting responses to the ELCA Draft Social Statement on Human Sexuality is rapidly approaching, and we suggest that you send in responses earlier rather than later.
    There will be a small flurry of activity in early November when the deadline passes. The Task Force will meet November 7-8 to take stock and craft a report for the ELCA Church Council which meets the following week (November 14 - 17).
    For your convenience the task force has provided an On-line Response Form.

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