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 >

Smalcald Articles Study: The First and Chief Article

by Rev. Aaron Moldenhauer Throughout the Reformation, calls for a general council of the church to discuss religious issues were discussed and negotiated. One instance of these negotiations came in 1536, when Pope Paul III called for a council to begin in 1537. The Lutherans, wary of submitting themselves to a council that would be… Read More >

Albrecht Dürer’s “Knight, Death, and the Devil”

by Deac. Carolyn Brinkley Who is the Rider? Although Albrecht Dürer’s “Knight, Death, and the Devil” has been acclaimed as one of Europe’s greatest masterwork engravings since its publication in 1513, it has also been one of the most provocative pieces of art in the past 500 years. All agree that the copper engraving is… Read More >

Luther on the Transfiguration

by Rev. Stephen Preus To consider Christ’s glorious Transfiguration on its own is eye-opening; to hear how Luther describes this glory as yours nearly bursts the eyes from their sockets, bringing hope to the Christian heart. Luther’s use of the Transfiguration to teach the hope we have in the resurrection of the body is truly… Read More >

Luther’s Early Life

by Dr. Jack Kilcrease Martin Luther was born in Eisleben on November 10, 1483 to Hans and Margarethe Luder.  Martin himself later modified the family name “Luder” to “Luther” in the mid-1510s possibly because of its similarity to Eleutherius, meaning the “free one” (i.e., one who possesses Christian freedom). Whereas Luther’s mother was from an… Read More >

Luther and Melanchthon

by Rev. Christopher Maronde “God has always preserved a proportion of His servants upon the earth, and now, through Martin Luther, a more splendid period of light and truth has appeared.” (On the death of Luther, 1) “If it please Christ, Melanchthon will make many Martins and a most powerful enemy of scholastic theology; for… Read More >