

The Pillar ’s contributing editor Brendan Hodge took a deep-dive look at the numbers, the demographics, and the wider cultural trends reshaping parish life in this country - there are a lot of crosscurrents at work here. dioceses are going to face in the coming years. These are the kind of hard choices which many U.S. Quick linksĮarlier this month, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati announced a massive shake up in its institutional footprint with a sweeping plan to first “cluster” parishes and, in time, merge and close many of them.
#Ask pastor john fraternities full#
And we have had a full slate this week, so let’s just get to it. It includes our historic position: “Membership in fraternal lodges is incompatible with membership in a synodical congregation.” Our Handbook says, “Pastors and laypeople must avoid membership or participation in any organization that in its objectives, ceremonies, or practices is inimical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ or the faith and life of the Christian church.” From this page, you can find information about specific organizations.Much like a week old baby, the news never sleeps. The Missouri Synod web site posted Lodges, Fraternal Organizations and Fraternities, a brief overview of major objections to many fraternal organizations. Specifics varied, but the general reasons involved the secrecy, the oaths, and the mixing of Christian and non-Christian thoughts or practices. This included my own, The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod (LCMS). The opposite position is held by churches who demand that their members completely stay away from such organizations.Īt one time, a large number of Christian bodies held this latter view. Some churches say that you can join any fraternity you wish, unless it completely contradicts or denies Christian teaching. That’s because Christians don’t agree on fraternities (or sororities). You don’t say what your particular church affiliation is, nor what fraternity interests you, so some of what I write will be a bit generic.

So let’s take these separately, starting with the general idea of Christian participation in fraternities. While you ask only whether joining a fraternity is a bad thing, you also brought up your father’s thoughts. What should I do? Is joining a fraternity a bad thing for me?Ī: You’ve actually presented two different questions, and one is faith-related. However, my father doesn’t want me to join. I visited the house and love everything they do. This is my last opportunity do be involved in anything in college. Recently, I applied and was accepted to a fraternity. Q: This has nothing to do with my faith in God but with another problem I am dealing with.
#Ask pastor john fraternities free#
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