Paul Raabe reflects on the label “Lutheran” and how, in some contexts, it does not communicate to most Americans. We need to be able to explain ourselves to outsiders in ways intelligible to them. Maybe a church sign should say: “A Gospel-Baptism-Lord’s Supper-Bible-Creedal-Liturgical Church – Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.” These descriptions are the markers of our church body
The entire world is watching the crisis unfold in Ukraine. The horrors of war come to us via TV and the mass media 24/7. We hear reports from the field, see videos of the action, and listen to pundits interpret the war. How should we Christians think about this war from a theological perspective? Here ..
In the United States pragmatism is the very air we breathe. It goes back to our country’s roots with Benjamin Franklin and others. We are continually inundated with videos and blogs and books from self-improvement gurus. There is a lot of pressure on preachers and teachers to make every message about you, your daily life, ..
(Editors Note: Paul R. Raabe is Professor Emeritus at Concordia Seminary and Professor in Biblical Studies at Grand Canyon University) Someone asked me how to talk with non-Lutherans. That is a good question. Here are some thoughts for the readers of ConcordiaTheology.org to consider. On a daily basis I chat with Christians who are non-Lutheran. ..
An opinion piece by Paul Raabe on what happened to traditional hymns in American Christianity
Politics dominates nearly every aspect of American culture. What’s the church to do?
Paul Raabe on how the Bible often plays second fiddle
The problem with a slogan
Paul Raabe follows up on the lively discussion he started with “A Geographical Mismatch.”
What do we do with a flyover church body in a bicoastal country?
Is it time for a new ecumenical creed?
According to JNS News (8/17/2016), Special Envoy to the United Nations Laurie Cardoza-Moore criticized the ELCA’s resolution that the U.S. stop giving military aid to Israel. She said, “The Lutheran Church’s decision to single out the Jewish State for rebuke is nothing short of anti-Semitic heresy based on its anti-Semitic roots. It would seem that ..
By Paul R. Raabe The Gospel lesson appointed for the ninth Sunday after Pentecost is the Mary and Martha account. It illustrates the priority of the word over food. The psalm for that day prays, “Teach me your way, O Yahweh” (Ps 27:11). That prayer expresses the desire of Mary. When tempted, Jesus himself said, ..
…or is it the best kept secret in American Christianity?
By Paul R. Raabe This gospel lesson records part of Jesus’s Galilean ministry, after he went down from Nazareth to Capernaum. Here we see Jesus teaching, casting out demons, and healing the sick. It is important when preaching on this text to put it into the right slot or category. Here the malady is not human ..
. . . from the SBL Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia (Nov 21-24, 2015)