sermons and body armor
thoughts on the third commandment
We all know the type, the person that comes to church and maybe even bible study class but conveniently ducks out of worship--maybe all of it or maybe just the sermon--to 'fellowship' and have a cup of coffee instead of attending to the preaching of the Word. Usually folks like that are pretty smug about the whole thing, . . .
fearing and loving God
thoughts on the catechism and worship
In his explanation of the commandments, Luther beings every one with these words, 'We should fear and love God and...'
It is perhaps well known that there are some Christians today who maintain that Luther made a mistake in this. They strike out the 'fear' and say that we should love God, nothing more.
. . .
Luther on struggling with Satan
"We must not imagine that we shall have peace from [Satan.] He takes no vacation and does not sleep. Choose, then, whether you prefer to wrestle with the devil or whether you prefer to belong to him."
-- Martin Luther, 1527 (AE 37:17)
Photo by Anandu Vinod on Unsplash
in _____ we trust
thoughts on the first commandment
Much of the 'news' (i.e. political commentary disguised as news) these days surrounding the events of the world is inconsistent and sometimes contradictory. For example, reading news from one source can lead us to believe that COVID-19 is the greatest threat to humanity since the dark ages while another news source leads us . . .
Luther on studying God's Word
In his preface to the Large Catechism, Martin Luther anticipates the objections of those who think they are too learned, too wise, or too mature to daily read God's Word. In our time, we might certainly add the objections of those who are too busy or find Scripture too boring or whatever other objection might be raised. . . .
making a mockery of worship and life
This video makes me ashamed to point out the fact that I worship in a United Methodist parish. Come one, come all, to our three ring circus!
I realize that most of the criticism on this video focuses on homosexuality. It is an entirely relevant criticism with which I completely agree. Focusing only on that, however, . . .
Posted in: theology
relevance: a failed experiment in American Christianity
Since the end of the 1950s, American Christians across the entire denominational spectrum have been enamored with 'relevance,' most commonly touted as a means by which to keep youth in the church and attract the unchurched. At its best, this goal was pursued to make Christianity more understandable to outsiders. At its . . .
