by Mr. Jonathan Swett Allow me to be the first church musician you’ve heard instruct you NOT TO SING the hymns. Or perhaps you are one that ‘can’t carry a tune in a bucket’ and have had the unfortunate experience of being chastised for daring to lift your voice in praise to God, and thus… Read More >
Formula of Concord Study: Articles I and II
by Rev. Mark Bestul For the first of the monthly studies on the Formula of Concord, see the blog post from Rev. Aaron Moldenhauer dated May 23. As with the other confessions of the Book of Concord, the study of the Formula of Concord includes a study of history and theology – (1) the historical… Read More >
The Presentation of the Augsburg Confession
by Dr. Jack Kilcrease Throughout the 1520’s, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was deeply frustrated by the rise of the Lutheran Reformation. Although he wished to put an end to the various Protestant movements that had grown up in the empire, he nevertheless found it very difficult to do so in light of… Read More >
Sola Scriptura
by Rev. Travis Berg When I was a vicar, there was an intelligent, well-spoken orthodontist who came to Bible Study every week. Once, he confided in me, “Vicar, the Bible is just too hard for me to understand. How can I read it on my own?” This man is not alone in feeling this way…. Read More >
Sola Fide
by Rev. Christopher Maronde Faith is only as good as its object. This is the danger of misunderstanding Sola Fide: that we would focus on faith in and of itself, and forget about the object of faith. We would then spend all our time talking about our faith, bragging about our faith, and worrying about the… Read More >
Sola Gratia
by Rev. Stephen Preus A watchword conveys the heart of one’s beliefs. Listen to the politicians and you’ll hear their watchwords repeated frequently, posted on podiums, even etched on hats. The heart of what they believe is proclaimed for all to hear, printed for all to see. The heart of the Lutheran Church’s beliefs is… Read More >
Luther and the Iconoclasts
by Rev. Matthew Zickler Have you ever been to a Christian store and noticed that they had something which listed the commandments, but it didn’t have the same numbering that you learned when you memorized the Catechism? In particular, the Second Commandment was listed as “You shall not make for yourself any graven image.” Or… Read More >
Bible Study with Luther: Galatians 3:19-29
by Rev. Jesse Burns The fifth article of the Formula of Concord states: “The distinction between law and Gospel is an especially brilliant light which serves the purpose that the Word of God may be rightly divided and the writings of the holy prophets and apostles may be explained and understood correctly. We must therefore… Read More >
How A Christian Should Read and Watch the News
by Rev. A. Brian Flamme How would Luther watch and read the news? Of course that begs another couple of questions, would the news matter to Luther and should it matter to the theological heirs of the Reformation? Ask yourself. Should it matter to the Christian that human embryos are being tested and discarded? Is… Read More >
The Third Article of the Creed
by Rev. Jason D. Lane The Holy Spirit is not shy. We should never say that. He is God Almighty, Eternal, the Giver of life, co-equal with the Father and the Son, proceeding from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified. He is the… Read More >