What makes a theology distinctly Lutheran? What do Lutherans actually believe, teach, and confess? Let’s take a closer look.
I think I’ve mentioned this before, but in my “day job,” I’m a Lutheran pastor. This makes me kind of unique in the world of Christian publishing. It’s been my experience that there aren’t a lot of Lutherans in that particular industry (although there are apparently more than I knew…
So last week, I introduced the latest series to grace my blog, namely a series about what it means to be a Lutheran Christian. What is it that we believe, teach, and confess? How do we differ from other Christians? I’m hoping this will be an interesting and enlightening experience…
Last week, we talked about the theological world that Martin Luther lived in. That’s important, because it helps explain why Martin did what he did and why he believed what he believed. But before we can really get to what you might call his “light bulb moment,” we have to…
Last week, we talked about how Martin Luther had his “light bulb moment,” so to speak, when he was able to rediscover the Gospel. But that just begs a question: how did this translate into a moment and movement that created shockwaves through so much of the world? Well, it…
Last week, we talked about Luther’s 95 Theses, and how they were intended only to start a scholarly debate over the efficacy of indulgences. I shared my belief that Luther wasn’t trying to start any trouble. He simply wanted to have a scholarly discussion about a theological point. Regardless of…
When last we left Martin Luther, he was leaving the city of Worms in an attempt to get home before Emperor Charles V could have him arrested or worse. But on the way back to Wittenberg, Luther was accosted in the middle of the night and carried off. His friends…
Martin Luther probably would have been fine with just teaching and preaching God’s Word, continuing to explain the Gospel as he understood it, but he couldn’t really rest. And the reason why is because trouble was brewing for the Holy Roman Empire. A threat was looming on the horizon, and…
So a few weeks back, I saw a comic from a Christian cartoonist who goes by Adam4D that caused me to chuckle just a little. Then cringe. Then nod sagely. What caused such a range of reactions from me? This right here: Okay, so it’s a bit extreme. I’m assuming…
So last week, we finished talking about Martin Luther. Hopefully it gave you a little window into who the man was. So now, we’re going to transition into what Lutherans actually teach. “But John,” you may be asking. “Is there a place where we can find all of what Luther…
One of the symbols you may have seen during this series is the Luther Rose: The meaning of the rose itself is pretty cool, but I wanted to focus on the three phrases that are wrapped around it. These are the three solas of the Reformation, the foundation upon which…
