Bruno Schlachtenhaufen Rest in God's Peace

This month's The Lutheran magazine brings notice of the passing of the Rev. Bruno Schlachtenhaufen.
Among his other services to the Lord and his neighbors, he directed the Seminary Appeal for the old American Lutheran Church during the years I attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. I remember his name because I had the responsibility to announce his presence on campus with an invitation for any interested persons to meet with him. I had this announcement duty during the Chapel time when hundreds gathered for worship. I sweated out the pronunciation of his name -- not wanting to sound silly in front of the crowds, nor to hurt Bruno Schlachtenhaufen's feelings. When it came time for announcements, all the consonants and vowels rolled out beautifully. (I was even complimented by several persons afterward for my precise pronunciation.) Ever after, when I needed a great pastor's name to throw out for illustration, I fell back on Bruno Schlachtenhaufen.
Now, I read that he has passed on to his promised place with God. I think I may still use his name as it is tough to beat it, but I shall also momentarily reflect every time on the transitory nature of this world -- its duties, worries, calls to service, concern about possessions, praises for actions, and opportunities for service. And I shall remember the divine promise given to Bruno Schlachtenhaufen, fulfilled now in his passing. Requiescat in pace.

The Bible: In the Beginning ...

The Bible: In the Beginning ...
This was indeed indeed "In the Beginning" of our Summer "Reel Religion" film festival at First United. About a dozen folks showed up on Wednesday at 7:00pm to watch John Huston's interestingly conservative treatment of the subject (the first 22 chapters or so of Genesis). Perhaps the "Free Popcorn" was the big draw, but I think we all enjoyed the Hollywood-scale treatment of this very religious subject matter. It was interesting to do a little research and discover that the film was not a great money-maker at its release. In fact, many consider it to be the last of the Biblical Epics that Hollywood churned out from the late 1940's through 1966. I think the mid to late 1960's really challenged everything that went before. Even the Adam character (Michael Parks) followed this movie with his 1969 TV series "Then Came Bronson" where he played a restless youth trying to discover himself as he motorcycled on the highways of America. Maybe as the country reevaluated everything, the Bible seemed archaic. Here over 40 years later I think the film holds up as a faithful retelling of the early chapters of Genesis, though Huston is a bit goofy as Noah in my opinion. Catch it on DVD if you were not there on Wednesday!
(Next Wednesday, July 29, "The Nativity" from 2007! And there is more Free Popcorn!)

My Sister's Keeper

This tear-jerker, My Sister's Keeper, is out right now in wide release. Actually not bad for its type of movie. (Though I would prefer Star Trek again if I was going to repeat a movie.) What I noticed in this movie about young life, young death, a family's coping, questions of afterlife, and organ donation issues was a lack of reference to traditional faith. Only after one character's death do we see a pastor in the rain at a funeral. Prior to that, the family is on their own; no church friends are mentioned; no chaplain or pastor visits in the hospital; and the characters speak abstractly about the soul and wonder about what comes after this life. Are we that post-church today? Is there no one to speak about the faith, about the promises related to the afterlife? Are children growing up with no real concept of something, some certain hope after death? I pray that the church (that is, all the people of God) find a way to share our faith message because Hollywood rarely even gives us a nod nowadays. And we cannot simply be left for the last ceremony or be left out in the rain.