Dispatch from Denmark

Dispatch from Denmark March 10, 2016

I am now in Copenhagen, where I have an internet connection.  The conference I spoke at was held at an Inner Mission Bible college, where Christian young people go after they graduate from high school and before they go to University.  Here they study Christian doctrine, the Bible, and apologetics in a way designed to help them withstand the onslaught on their faith that they will soon encounter.  I think that’s a very good thing to do.

This week all of the students went on a mission trip to Ethiopia, where they will work with Mekane Yesus, one of the largest Lutheran churches in the world that has just left the liberal Lutheran World Fellowship and is working to rebuild its theological infrastructure (with the help of the LCMS).  So the 150 or so Inner Mission workers and I stayed in their dorms, which do not have internet.  (“While they are here,” I was told, “we want them to concentrate on God.”   Another good idea.)

So I wasn’t able to blog about a lot of topics that came up.  Nancy Reagan’s death.  More primaries.  More controversies.  More craziness.

I’m always being asked about the American elections and Donald Trump.  The Danes realize whether they like it or not–and whether we like it or not–that the United States really does play an important role in the world and that the President of the United States really is the leader of the free world.  They can’t imagine Trump–with his belligerence against other countries, his ignorance, and his hostile personality–playing that role.

In defense of my country, I explained that the American people are frustrated with politicians of both parties.  Republicans are rebelling against the establishment by voting for Trump; Democrats are rebelling against the establishment by voting for Bernie Sanders.  The Danes could understand that and can sort of  share that feeling.  But Trump would be a disaster, which I had to agree with.

They were very amused that Sanders wants to make the United States like Denmark.  They seemed to understand, if Sanders and his supporters don’t, that it’s not that simple.

I’ve been learning a lot about Christianity in Denmark, which many observers dismiss as purely secularist.  Not so.  These Christians are zealous, creative, and very Lutheran.

I’ll be blogging about what I’ve learned here in the days ahead.  I’ll write about the large numbers of Muslim immigrants who are coming to Christ in Denmark, as they are in Germany, and I’ll give you some fascinating details I’ve learned from Inner Mission workers who have been working with them.  I’ll also write about how Inner Mission does evangelism and carries out other ministries in their supposedly secularist society, in a way that can give us American Christians some good ideas.

So I am now in the lap of luxury in Hotel Hebron (a business owned by Inner Mission) in one of the most beautiful and most interesting cities in Europe.  I have all day Thursday to explore.  (We did the touristy things last Fall when we were here before.  I think I’ll go on a museum crawl.)

I catch a plane on Friday for the good old U.S. of A.  (Denmark is 7 hours ahead of U.S. Central Standard, which rules out livin’ on Tulsa time.)

Anyway, thanks for sticking with the blog while I’m gone.  I actually have another trip to make as soon as I get back, but things should get back to normal at the Cranach mission control center before too long.

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