The Right Church? — Long-time religion writer Richard Ostling (Christianity Today, the Associated Press) offers this approach to guiding church shoppers and seekers: “This request characterizes the church-shopping by many would-be returnees and is worth some attention.” Of possible interest as spiritual diversity increases on campus.
Items included for this subject area come from a variety of sources. The perspectives conveyed may or may not express a Lutheran ethos. They can serve our instruction as discussion-starters, examples (positive and negative), and illustrations of intersections between God’s two kingdoms, intersections sometimes characterized by tension, sometimes by congruence. Inclusion does not imply endorsement.
"Open Book" by R. Marxhausen: the Bible, the book open to us all
Challenging Radical Islam
Challenging Radical Islam — Some condemn ISIS and Boko Haram but insist that their acts have nothing to do with true Islam. Others opine that ISIS and Boko Haram do represent Islam’s true face. In this article, John Azumah says that neither perspective is helpful. Both distort the nature of Islam and its relation to […]
The Classic Heresies Endure
The Classic Heresies Endure — Many Christians (not surprisingly) hold views condemned as heretical by some of the most important councils of the early church. This survey from LifeWay Research reveals a significant level of theological confusion that can be used to demonstrate the linkage between cultural influences and theological uncertainty and error.
Lutheran Evangelicals
Lutheran Evangelicals — Calvinism is a perennial evangelical trend. Why not Lutheranism? This brief, readable article provides several ways to sort out the Lutheran “way” and why [paraphrased] “it is harder for folks simply to find Lutheranism than it is for them to find Calvinism. I don’t mean that it’s harder geographically to find a […]
A Portrait of Jewish Americans
A Portrait of Jewish Americans — American Jews overwhelmingly say they are proud to be Jewish and have a strong sense of belonging to the Jewish people, but their identity is also changing: 22% of American Jews now say they have no religion.
Anxious About Assurance: how can we be sure we are saved?
“Anxious About Assurance: How can we be sure that we are saved? A Calvinist and Lutheran answer” by Phillip Cary, Eastern College — a book review of Stop Asking Jesus into Your Heart, J.D. Greear, B&H Books, 2013. Cary discusses the book’s theme about the different “postures” of the Calvinist and Lutheran traditions regarding […]
