by Rev. Paul Doellinger We typically think of our sins as a series of misdeeds, transgressions or mistakes that we make from time to time. However, sin is much more than a misstep here and there. At its root, sin is enmity with God. Sin alienates us from God and gives us a hostile mind… Read More >
Reformation Theology and Current Events: Where to Begin?
by Rev. Stephen Preus Certain eras of the church have had to contend with certain errors. The church does not get to choose her battles. Current events often dictate them. True, they do not encompass all of what the church teaches since she is to teach the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). Yet, they… Read More >
How To Teach Children a Reformation Hymn
by Mrs. Katie Schuermann The Reformation was birthed by adults, but it is preserved by children. For centuries, pastors and parents have been preaching a holy heritage into the ears of the young, clearly confessing a salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. This happy proclamation, like a precious family heirloom, has… Read More >
Political Allies of the Reformation
by Dr. Jack Kilcrease Martin Luther, along with John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Bucer, and Thomas Cranmer are often referred to as the “Magisterial Reformers.” By “magisterial” early modern historians typically mean that they reformed their respective regional churches with the help of local magistrates. Such a program stands in contrast with those figures often… Read More >
The Resurrection in the Lutheran Confessions
by Rev. Travis Berg The resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith. This teaching is one of the fundamental articles of the faith. If you do not believe it, you are not a Christian. St. Paul wrote, “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!”[1] Indeed,… Read More >
Luther’s Good Friday Sermon
by Rev. Christopher Maronde The sermon under consideration can be found in The Complete Sermons of Martin Luther, Volume 1.2, Baker Books, pgs. 183-192. References are to paragraph numbers. Good Friday was always one of my favorite days in the Church Year calendar. The service was unique, shrouded in increasing darkness, and the drama of… Read More >
Smalcald Articles Study: The Mass
by Rev. Mark Bestul As Luther penned what he thought would be his last statement of confession, he gave high priority to articulating very clearly his condemnation of “The Mass.” His was not a cold, bitter heart toward erring Christians, but a bold, zealous heart for those fellow Christians trapped in a religion defined by… Read More >
Indulgences Then and Now
by Rev. A. Brian Flamme The events of October 31st 1517, the day that Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, were not set in motion by a man’s ambitious vision to revolutionize the spirituality of the west. Nor were they set in motion by Luther’s iconoclastic vainglory that sought to… Read More >
Bible Study with Luther: Genesis 3:1-6
by Rev. Jesse Burns In the second article of the Augsburg Confession, Lutherans confess, “It is also taught among us that since the fall of Adam all men who are born according to the course of nature are conceived and born in sin. That is, all men are full of evil lust and inclinations from… Read More >
Luther’s Reform of the Mass
by Rev. Dr. Mark Birkholz If you want to start an argument among Lutherans, just bring up the topic of worship and the liturgy. Strong opinions exist along the spectrum, from those who would advocate a more casual, informal style of worship with very few traditional elements, to those who insist on following a very… Read More >