Laura:
One of my former pastors once remarked that he’s known some people to enter pastoral ministry in order to “do penance,” and that if that’s the case, he thought it was better for them to get out of it until they can reconcile whatever is in their past that’s driving them.
A Lutheran pastoral theology professor I got to know maintained that there should be special monasteries, that people like the above could be weeded out and sent to a monastery and stay there till they had their heads on straight.
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Dale:
It effectively contradicts the heart of the petitioner in the first request in the Lord’s Prayer, “Hallowed be your name…”, “I want you to be famous”, “I am interested in your renown.”
I’m not sure I see the reasoning here.
Also, Ἁγιασθήτω doesn’t suggest fame or renown, especially as fame is understood today; the closest it comes would be for the Name to be honored and respected and recognized as in a category all its own, utterly apart from all others.
Augustine’s point bears repeating often!:
Dale:
In regards to things about the earth, the sky, other elements of this world, the motion and rotation or even the magnitude and distances of the stars, the definite eclipses of the sun and moon, the passage of years and seasons, the nature of animals, of fruits, of stones, and of other such things, it should not be surprising that such things can be known with the greatest certainty by reasoning or by experience, even by one who is not a Christian.
Therefore, it is an utterly disgraceful and ruinous thing – and something that should be greatly avoided – if [a non-Christian] hears a Christian speaking like an idiot on these matters and trying to make them accord with Christian writings. When that happens, [the non-Christian] will say that he can’t keep from laughing when he sees how totally in error they are. In view of this and in keeping it in mind constantly while dealing with the book of Genesis, I have, insofar as I was able, explained in detail and set forth for consideration the meanings of obscure passages, taking care not to affirm rashly some singular meaning to the prejudice of another and perhaps better explanation.
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