Every now and then, a meme will make the rounds that gets stuck in my craw. It’s happened to me a few times before. And rather than just brush it off and go about my life, I feel the urge to do something about it. Sometimes it’s as simple as…
So we’re continuing our look at the Lutheran Difference. More specifically, we’re answering your questions about the way Lutherans understand things. This week, we’ve got a question from Paul Lee, who asks this: Does Lutheranism have any concept of the Word of God in any broader sense than the Bible…
Several weeks ago, I touched on the idea of sola scriptura, the idea that Lutherans base our beliefs first and foremost on the Bible. All other writings (such as the various Lutheran Confessions) are seen as expositions and explanations of what the Bible has to say. When I wrote that…
So I’ll be honest. I wasn’t sure if I should include this entry or not. See, here’s the thing: I’ve been raised in a Lutheran bubble. My dad was a pastor and his dad was a pastor too. I attended my dad’s church all throughout my childhood and youth. When…
After a lengthy side-trip into the Lutheran understanding of conversion, we’re wrapping up the three solas by talking about the last one, namely sola Scriptura. That’s a fancy way of saying that Lutheran beliefs are based on Scripture alone. For us, what’s contained in God’s Word is the final authority…
Normally on Mondays, I share a little devotional thought or two. Except for the past few months, which were filled with my rambling posts about gnosticism. I fully intended to get back to devotional stuff for today. But then, this past weekend, I got caught up on my TV shows…
Up until now, we’ve talked about how neo pseudo gnosticism pertains to the life after death. But what about the life here-and-now? Has this pale echo of an ancient heresy effected the way we look at the world around us? I think it has, more specifically, what it means to…
My goodness, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? It’s been close to two months since my last post about neo pseudo gnosticism. That’s mostly due to my recent change of life circumstances. Moving halfway across the country and starting with a new church hasn’t exactly left a lot of time…
I once read a story about a new pastor who was asked to preach at a funeral. He had never done that before, so he was a little worried about what he should say, how he should say it, that sort of thing. He was really uncertain what to do,…
You may have noticed that I’ve got a bee in my bonnet about this whole neo pseudo gnosticism business. It’s not obvious at all, is it? Well, this week, my multi-part tirade is going to intersect with another pet peeve of mine. But before I get to that, I want…