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Category Archives: Theology
Faith and Knowledge
When confronting the question of the difference between “faith” and “The Faith” a basic question arises. To what extent does acceptance of The Faith – the historical and dogmatic precepts of Christianity – constitute or form a part of “faith”? … Continue reading
The Gospel According to (Bad) Lutheran Preaching
Every confession of the Christian faith has their own “cross to bear,” and Lutheranism has been dogged since its inception by the challenge of antinomianism. ”Antinomianism” – literally, “against the Law,” – is the tendency to downplay guidelines for the … Continue reading
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The “So That” That’s Missing in our Preaching
Paul McCain, an editor for Concordia Publishing House, has taken up the battle against “antinomianism” in within the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. ”Antinomianism” is difficult to describe, but is more-or-less the position that Christians no longer need pay attention … Continue reading
How to (Not) Avoid Controversy
Some Christians are so cute when they try and avoid controversy. Take, for example, this suggestion from a webpage for Christian devotional writers: Doctrinal issues can cause divisions. We don’t have the resources, time or training to cover theological issues. … Continue reading
It’s Okay to Feel Joy in Being Christian
If there is one thing that scares many confessional, conservative Lutherans, it is the fear of feeling and emotion. Lutheran theology prizes highly the objectiveness of Christianity. The promises of God, especially the promise of the forgiveness of sins in … Continue reading
Points Worth Pondering?
I had the chance to spend almost a whole day at the Rice University library yesterday. While there I was able to finish most of Professor Richard Bell’s “Deliver Us From Evil,” and start in on his “No One Seeks … Continue reading
The Shift of Doubt
I was impressed with the late theologian Helmut Thielicke’s diagnosis of how the focus of “doubt” in Western religious thinking has shifted over the last few centuries since the Reformation. Here are the four stages of doubt as Thielicke saw … Continue reading
I am far too just
From Helmut Thielicke.The Waiting Father. trans. John Doberstein. 1959: Harper & Row. p.112. “This business of forgiving is by no means a simple thing. It is not so hard because we are opposed to it on principle. Oh, no, we’re … Continue reading
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What Can We Learn From Schleiermacher?
It is tautological in many confessional Lutheran circles that Schleiermacher is the source of all that is wrong in modern theology. Few incur the invective of late 19th and early 20th century confessional Lutheran theologians as Schleiermacher does. His emphasis on the … Continue reading
The Second Palm Sunday
Although each of the four gospels record Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey days before his death, only John records the “palm branches” that give this Sunday its distinctive name. Yet few liturgical churches can … Continue reading
