Luther, Evangelicals, and Modern Art
Luther and the Lutheran tradition remain virtually unknown to conference-circuit evangelicalism
What I discovered is a Luther whose thought offers fertile ground for a desperately needed re-evaluation of evangelical approaches to art and culture, from his understanding of the distinctions between the letter and the spirit; law and gospel; theology of the cross and theology of glory; the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world; the human being as simultaneously sinner and saint; God hidden and revealed; and nature and grace.
The ‘iPrayer 7’ Seminar
Lives would be changed. The church built up. The kingdom of God and His Christ expanded.
I held a three-hour seminar on prayer this past Saturday at my church. It was intended primarily for the people of my local congregation to lay a foundation for becoming the house of prayer our God wants us to be and for which our Lord Jesus is zealous. I opened with what I envisioned the seminar would be like.
Why I Believe in the Redistribution of Income!
Historically, the Church has defined the parameters of the civil magistrate and guaranteed its right to redistribute income
The modern church has ignored these issues, but we can no longer afford to be silent. The civil magistrate is responsible for such things as securing our national borders with military force, enforcing legal contracts, protecting the people against fraud (such as inflation), providing a judicial system to both protect the rights of people and to punish convicted criminals (who break the laws of God).
Four myths about the relationship of Christians and politics
"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act." --Bonhoeffer
Over time four myths have developed that keep Christians in a state of suspended animation when it comes to political involvement. Worse, some consider their adherence to these myths as virtuous, viewing their passivity as an exalted state. Let's take a look at each of the four myths as well as the biblical reality that breaks the spell under which many Christians have fallen.
The Cross and the Flag
I am first a subject of King Jesus, a citizen of God’s Kingdom…
Even so, if we were to repent of our spiritual disloyalty and seek and savor the Kingdom of God above all lesser kingdoms, saying with Jesus “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother”, I daresay we would grasp for an idea without content. The spectacle of... Continue Reading
The king enthroned
"The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; he turns it wherever he wishes"
Who knows what the future holds for the world now that the reins of power in what is probably still its most powerful nation are once more being wrestled over? Who knows what rulers and authorities will rise and fall in the coming months or decades or centuries, if God spares us?
Church of England leaders meet to elect new Archbishop of Canterbury
At a three-day meeting started yesterday a successor described by Rowan Williams as needing the "skin of a rhinoceros" will be chosen
The Archbishop of Canterbury must fulfill a number of roles including that of bishop of the Canterbury diocese and head of the Church of England as well as acting as a ''focus of unity'' for the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Homosexuals in the military demand special privileges
Toleration doesn’t cut both ways
It’s only a matter of time before a man who claims to be transgender demands to be placed with women during training, in the showers and in the barracks. The women in the units will have no recourse, especially if their objection to living, changing, bathing and bunking with a man is based on sincerely held religious beliefs.
The Definition of ‘Evangelical’
“Believing” churches that also practice infant baptism serve as real puzzles to Baptists (and “baptists”
I recall watching Richard John Neuhaus address the National Association of Evangelicals when still a Lutheran pastor. He intoned in his sonorous voice at the start of his talk, “We evangelicals . . .” all the time smiling like a Cheshire cat.
Discerning the News
An unhealthy cynicism toward the media can rattle our sense that there is indeed knowable truth
Journalists also focus on unexpected changes or events that suggest something significant or noteworthy has happened. When journalists are faced with choosing between a story about a Roman Catholic priest accused of molesting children or a priest serving at a homeless shelter, we can guess which story will make the 6 o’clock news. The tendency is not necessarily a bias toward or against religion as much as it is a question of what journalists see as newsworthy.