When Prayer Goes Wrong
Politicians find it expedient to give an occasional nod to God, whoever or whatever they conceive the deity to be.
When Prayer Goes Wrong Read More »
Job’s Resurrection Cry with St. Gregory the Great
The celebration of the resurrection, particularly in the face of death and grief, is the hallmark of the Christian faith.
Job’s Resurrection Cry with St. Gregory the Great Read More »
Come, Lord Jesus
When I became a Lutheran, one of the few things about my new church that I did not love was the Common Table Prayer.
How Does Faith Give Freedom?
In this next section of The Freedom of a Christian, Luther unpacks his assertion that faith alone justifies the sinner before God.
How Does Faith Give Freedom? Read More »
Weekly Communion Too Common?
In Easter season 1999, I surveyed all LCMS pastors regarding weekly communion. Their members largely feared …
Weekly Communion Too Common? Read More »
Do Not Be Deceived
As the Small Catechism teaches, we are to lead a chaste and decent life in what we say and do. We are to be discriminating, not promiscuous; we are to be faithful to whom God has called us to love and honor.
Do Not Be Deceived Read More »
A Chaste and Decent Life
Chastity takes place throughout the entire life of the believer. It encompasses not simply the acts occurring in the bedroom, but the life we live together and before the world, in the clothes we wear, the jokes we tell, even the movies we watch.
A Chaste and Decent Life Read More »
Lutheran Witness: January 2021
The January issue of The Lutheran Witness discusses the “Chaste and Decent Life” to which Christians are called, in spite of a culture which has rejected it.
Lutheran Witness: January 2021 Read More »
Certainty in Christ
Christian certainty can be summarized in terms of the Six Chief Parts of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism.
Certainty in Christ Read More »
Celebrating the Passover with Melito of Sardis
Certain texts you read at certain times every year. Every Advent, I revisit St. Athanasius’s On the Incarnation.
Celebrating the Passover with Melito of Sardis Read More »
O Emmanuel!
And so we come to the last Vespers of Advent. Tonight the Great “O” Antiphon will be “O Emmanuel,” for tomorrow we will celebrate …
O Rex Gentium!
“You are a king?” Pilate said. “You have said so,” our Lord replied (John 18:37; Matt. 27:11). He was always a tad reluctant about that title “King.”