We’ve got another question this week, this time coming from Jeffrey Reynolds: Hoo boy. I haven’t touched on the differences between the various Lutheran synods at all in this series. As a matter of fact, I’ve tried to keep my comments as generic as possible. I probably haven’t succeeded. I…
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…
So a few weeks back, I threw open the floor for questions and answers. A few people took me up on it and today, I thought I would answer the first one I saw, namely this one: So what’s the difference between Lutheranism and Calvinism? On the surface, it may…
So last week, we wrapped up this series on what makes Lutherans Lutheran. And while we covered a lot of subjects, I can’t shake this nagging feeling that I’ve forgotten something, and it could be something important. But for the life of me, I can’t figure out what it is.…
I’m starting to run out of stuff to talk about. I’m sure that I’m forgetting something, and it’s probably important. If I do eventually remember whatever it is, maybe I’ll do an addenda. But since this is the final planned post in this series, it seems only appropriate to tackle…
Let’s say you stumble into a church on a Sunday morning. How could you tell if the worship service is Lutheran or not? That’s a tricky question to answer. While there are some within my little corner of Lutheran land that believe that there’s only one valid form of worship…
For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been reviewing the Lutheran understanding of Law and Gospel, as well as the three uses of the Law. This has been leading up to one of my favorite subjects, namely that of Lutheran homiletics. Or, if you’re not impressed by the fancy eight-dollar…
Last week, we touched on the Lutheran understanding of Law and Gospel. But this teaching goes a little deeper than what I said in the previous post. More specifically, we understand that the Law has three distinct uses within Christian life. According to us Lutherans, the Law can be used…
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 let’s take a brief moment and talk about the Office of the Keys. If you’re not familiar with this term, it comes from Matthew 16, specifically this verse: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in…