Jesus And The Transfer Of Power. What Can We Learn From Formula One?
Dr Calvin Samuel, Principal of the London School of Theology and a long-time Formula One fan, reflects on Jesus and the transition of power.
Theology
LCMS president on immigration issues
Cuban immigrants head to Ysleta Lutheran Mission in El Paso
When it comes to immigration issues, there is the obligation of the State to enforce the law. But, for the Church, there is also the obligation to minister to those in need. Now that President Trump is cracking down on immigration–rightly so, many of us would say–our Lutheran Hispanic congregations and our various Hispanic ministries are dealing with a sense of panic and insecurity among many of those to whom they are ministering. LCMS ..
Why Be Anglican: Prayers of the People
No question about it, but in many churches there is not a designated time for the people to pray. Some churches are just too big for that, and even too big for a pastoral prayer. Others are so focused on the sermon that there is not time left for what we Anglicans call the “prayers of the people.”
In our liturgy, every Sunday, we have a time where we are led by a lay person in prayer. It’s called “intercession” or “intercessory prayers” when we pray for others, and when we do it in public it nee..
Five Principles for Approaching the Bible after Genome Science
Adam and the Genome Books are officially available tomorrow. Clips from the first chapter in the second half of the book.
Principle 1: A text out of context is a pretext.
Every statement about Adam and Eve in the Old Testament, in Jewish literature, and in the New Testament is a statement made from a context and into a context. Furthermore, some of the statements about Adam and Eve in all of this literature are designed to speak against that context. That is, those statements are polemics and ap..
Advice for Constructive Sermon Critique
Try to be constructive and positive, especially if you are going to offer a criticism. It is easier for someone to hear criticism if they know you have goodwill towards them. Can you say something good about the introduction or the conclusion? (Don’t say “the best bit was the end!”) Were important words explained and illustrated? Was the structure based on the text and memorable?
In Puritan Reformed Seminary’s Practice Preaching class, a student preaches in front of his professors and fellow st..
When Confessional P & R Congregations Do Not Exist Or Disappoint
We live in a fallen world and there are no perfect churches this side of heaven. In every congregation there is going to be something or someone who disappoints. We must prioritize. If a minister is not preaching the law and gospel purely or should he be corrupting the administration of the holy sacraments, those are very serious problems. In such a case, the session/consistory needs to act to preserve the ministry of the church. If they are failing, then the presbytery/classis needs to interven..
20 Truths from “The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb”
Searching for Jesus' Path of Power in a Church that has Abandoned It
I am glad to feature a new book by Kyle Strobel and Jamin Goggin on the blog today. Kyle is an assistant professor of Spiritual Theology at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University; Jamin is a pastor at Mission Hills Church in San Marcos, CA. Kyle and Jamin have also co-written Beloved Dust: Drawing Close to God by Discovering the Truth About Yourself (2014). You can find them at www.metamorpha.com. Below I am sharing ..
Putting the Brilliant, Tormented, Flawed Martin Luther on Trial – One More Time
Certainly, a “big idea” of this play – one of many cultural events worldwide marking the Reformation’s 500th anniversary – is that “not all heroes are infallible. Not only that, they are not heroic all the time,” said Cragin-Day (who is one of my faculty colleagues at The King’s College in New York).
The drama unfolds in a Gothic sanctuary in a limbo zone between heaven and hell.
In this new Off-Broadway play – “Martin Luther On Trial” – Lucifer requests new proceedings against the Catholic mo..
Gospel Hope in Hookup Culture
If you’ve followed major trends in American life, you’ve heard of “hookup culture.” A brand-new book, American Hookup, by sociologist Lisa Wade shows that boundaries-free sexuality is now the dominant force in shaping campus sexual culture. Wade’s text, driven by reports from students themselves, shows that many are bewildered and broken by modern sexual codes. Wade believes the solution to this reality is to dive further into hookup culture. “We need to say yes to the opportunity for casual sex..
10 Characteristics of a Healthy Church (part 2)
In part 1 of this post, we looked at five characteristics of a healthy church:
A Biblical Purpose
A Spiritual Passion
An Uncompromised Position
An Endowment of Power
A Growing Leadership
In part 2, we’ll look at five final characteristics:
6. A Transparent Policy
There’s a lot of talk in our day about transparency. Some of it is just talk in which people try to create an illusion of transparency where there is none. But biblical Christianity is transparent and free of guile.
Think of it: man..