Post by Nathan Rinne +++ The following is a bit long. In order to facilitate a quick read, I have put key elements in bold… In his most recent column, Pat Buchanan comments on Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s message to Pope Francis I and King Felipe VI of Spain demanding that they ask for forgiveness for Hernando Cortez’s conquering of Mexico 500 years ago. As one might imagine, the “paleoconservative” Buchanan is having none of it. After saying... Read more
On today’s program, I discuss the doctrine of justification by faith alone as taught in the Lutheran tradition and its relation to the teachings of the early church. I argue that there is some precedent for such a teaching in some of the earliest Christian writings. Along with this, I spent a long time talking about how to read and use the fathers honestly and fruitfully. Here is the program. Read more
Posted by Nathan Rinne For my post this week, I want to give the floor to the Reverend Delwyn Campbell. His excellent article informs us of current Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod mission efforts in inner city communities. Enjoy! For those interested in more of the kind of history Pastor Campbell mentions below, see pages 17-21 in this LC-MS document (the document will download upon clicking that link), and also check pages 41-61 in the book United by Faith (2004). +++... Read more
This week’s program covers the controversy which has surrounded the Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel, and the recent 2019 Shepherd’s Conference Q&A. I try to navigate these extremely difficult issues by discussing particular areas of disagreement. I talk about the use of the term “social justice,” the question of corporate guilt, and the nature of racism both as a sociological term and as a sin in Scripture. Here is the program. Read more
Post by Nathan Rinne +++ Did any kind of “separation of Church and State” exist for 16th-century Lutherans? Is there anything that we can or even should learn from them today? This post seeks to intelligently start the conversation… Undoubtedly, more and more these days, issues of church and state are on the minds of Christians. Fellow Patheos blogger D.G. Hart has an interesting column about the dust-up surrounding Jerry Falwell Jr.’s fairly recent comments, and writing in The... Read more
Today’s podcast is the second Q&A program this month. Since last week’s show was limited to two questions, I decided to do a second to address several other important topics. I addressed intersectionality, the loss of mystical language within Lutheranism, Melanchthon’s role in the Reformation, and other issues. Here is the program This is the video Read more
On this program, I discussed two listener questions, though I intended to address more. The first part of the program was on the Israelite conquest of Canaan. I discussed four different interpretations of the text and the moral issues addressed. The second part of the program was about the church father Origen, wherein I asked whether he was heretical or orthodox. Here is the audio. I have also uploaded the podcast as two separate videos addressing each topic: The Canaanite... Read more
Post by Nathan Rinne +++ Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. –Psalm 2 You know, just asking. Looking at the approaches of most modern Christian theologians when it comes to... Read more
On today’s program, I discussed Romans 9 and double predestination. I looked at the entire argument at work in the text, and showed why the subject of double predestination is not Paul’s intent. Instead, Paul demonstrates the nature of true Israel as those who are chosen by grace and saved through faith. Here is the program. Here is the video! Read more
+++ Post by Nathan Rinne First question: “Can unbelievers seek God?” Udo Middlemann, in his book The Innocence of God, says that many Christians give this impression to unbelievers: “their search [for God] is hopeless, they are unable even to seek; it is all a matter of predestination from God alone.” (63). Is Middlemann correct? After all, the Lord’s Apostles do say: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (I Cor. 1:18). The person... Read more
Just and Sinner
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