What’s trending in contemporary theology
Reflections on race and global Christianity at the 2015 American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia
Reflections on race and global Christianity at the 2015 American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia
Dr. Reed Lessing to lead discussion of Job’s teaching on suffering
David Schmitt on preaching Luke from Advent to Easter in Year C. Need we say more?
By Jeffrey A. Oschwald Luke 7:18?35 presents the preacher with a challenge: although unified by references to John, the three subsections are diverse in topic and style. As Fitzmyer notes, the passage deals with (1) John’s question and Jesus’s answer, (2) Jesus’s testimony concerning John, and (3) Jesus’s judgment of his generation’s assessment of himself ..
By Dale A. Meyer Straightforward and familiar, this easy text isn’t easy. John the Baptist, “brood of vipers,” “wrath to come,” “bear fruits . . . and do not say to yourselves,” and the like are a routine Advent reading and its theme of repentance is what we do Sunday after Sunday, but familiarity with ..
By David Wollenburg Two gospel lessons are offered for this day: Both were recorded by Luke and so both are clearly Series C. They have complimentary emphasis as one, Luke 19:28?40, is Luke’s account of Christ’s triumphal entry on Palm Sunday, and the second, Luke 21:25?36, is about the times and seasons pointing to the ..
Funeral to be held Nov. 20 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Savannah, Ga
What’s on your Starbucks red cup?
Michael Knippa discusses the status of American Christianity in this article re-published from the Fall 2015 CONCORDIA JOURNAL
By Bruce Schuchard Sermon Suggestion Recent events here in our own country and elsewhere in the world may have more than a few of the faithful reeling in horror over the seemingly evident advance in the world of every evil influence and power. The experiences of the recent past may even have some wondering if the ..
By David Schmitt Textual Notes This reading captures a moment in Hebrews when the author moves from proclamation to exhortation. 10:11?18: These verses capture the close of the writer’s proclamation of the work of Jesus. Jesus is the great high priest, who has offered a sacrifice once for all sin for all time and now is ..
By Tim Saleska Text and Grammar Notes 9:24: εἰσῆλθεν: the aorist verb emphasizes the central point of this text that, unlike the OT sacrifices, Christ’s sacrifice was “once and for all.” ἅγια: The author of Hebrews commonly uses both the plural and the singular, ἅγιον, without distinction to refer to the sanctuary (BDAG). ἀντίτυπα τῶν ..
Editor’s note: The following homiletical help is adapted from Concordia Journal, January 1988. By Francis C. Rossow Our modern rockets are useful for other than scientific and military purposes. In addition, they suggest a profound spiritual truth. It is characteristic of rockets to go through multiple stages. At some point after the initial liftoff, the ..
Does the phrase “pro-life” simply mean “Republican” and “angry”?
This essay, by Jeff Gibbs, aims to describe what the Bible actually says about human anger, offering some personal and pastoral reflections on how to deal with it
By Robert Rosin “Greeks seek wisdom,” Paul once wrote, and they had plenty to offer. Over the centuries, sages had tried to make sense of things with varied results. Their wisdom of the time had come to accept the idea of fundamental chaos as a starting reality, which they then sought to overlay with some ..