Scripture: Proverbs 11:3
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
Thought for the Day: Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenburg church, in part, as a way of raising the bar of the debate he was having with Tetzel. Tetzel was a Dominican priest who sold indulgences on behalf of the church. An indulgence was a certificate sold by the church that indicated that the holder had purchased forgiveness for him/herself or someone else. A person could even buy an indulgence for someone who was already dead. One of Tetzel’s famous lines was, “As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.” The abuse grew to the point of purchasing an indulgence for a sin you hadn’t yet committed. As you can imagine, it made a great profit for the church. In fact, it was enough to build most of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Tetzel has become the personification of lost integrity, and because his actions seem so outrageous, he has become nothing more than a punchline at a clergy conference. But I think we need to keep Tetzel before us at all times as we maintain integrity in our stewardship. The high values we desire to share by means of the money we collect are values that should be clearly reflected in the method of collecting the money. We don’t want to pull a Tetzel.
Prayer: God of a grace-filled ethic, help me to design my work so the method always embodies my desired end. Amen.
WORKDAY
THIS SUNDAY
11:00am – 2:00pm
1 thought on “Ecclesiological Etchings: 09-11-14”
So far there has been no reason to post anything on the Church door. [?]