Category Archives: Theological Pietism

Loving God’s Law After Lutheranism

Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my … Continue reading

Posted in Ethics, Heresy, Law, Lutheranism, Sanctification, The Modern Church, Theological Pietism, Theology, Tradition | 7 Comments

The New Man Grows

Is there anything for a Christian to do in this life? It’s an odd question, but one I greatly struggled with in the past as I imbibed a peculiar corruption of Lutheranism. Certainly, there is nothing for us to do … Continue reading

Posted in Gospel, Law, Lutheranism, Sanctification, Theological Pietism, Theology | 5 Comments

When Devotionals Attack

I have a confession to make: I’ve never been a big fan of devotionals. As instructional material, I usually find them both shallow and unnecessarily flowery. As inspirational material, they usually feel emotionally manipulative. And as material that is supposed … Continue reading

Posted in Gospel, Law, Lutheranism, Theological Liberalism, Theological Pietism, Theology | 8 Comments

Probably Because You Aren’t Preaching It

At least, that’s my best guess after reading Why Are You Asking For More Law? In it, a Lutheran pastor briefly recounts a time when he was approached by some scare-quoted “pillars of the congregation” who were scare-quoted “very concerned” … Continue reading

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Theological Pietism Part 6: Moving Forward

So what has been accomplished after spilling so much text on the subject? Well, aside from probably offending many of my fellow confessional Lutherans whom, present appearances aside, I really do have a great deal of respect for. When writing … Continue reading

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Theological Pietism Part 5: Saint / Sinner Nestorianism

This criticism of theological pietism is not simply a matter of nit-picking for the sake of picking nits. There are negative spiritual consequences to a steady diet of this kind of rhetoric. To put all my cards on the table, … Continue reading

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Theological Pietism Part 4: The Vivisection of God’s Word

In Part 3, I wrote about one of the precepts that theological pietism foists on pastors: “avoid specifics.” But this is not the only man-made rule out there that ends up reaching the pulpit and trimming God’s Word at the … Continue reading

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Theological Pietism Part 3: Theological Pietism in the Pulpit

As unfortunate and ridiculous as moralistic incidents like those recorded in Part 2 are, they remain only the shallow disapproval of men. The biggest dangers of theological pietism only become apparent when it makes its way into preaching and theological … Continue reading

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Theological Pietism Part 2: What Is Theological Pietism?

Part 1 of this series can be found here. So what do I mean by “theological pietism?” Well, the adjective modifies the noun, so let’s begin with ‘pietism.’ To put it briefly, pietism was a practice that grew out of … Continue reading

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Theological Pietism Part 1: A Lesson from History

As the name of this blog implies, I believe reformation is a continuing task in the Church. As a Lutheran, this is obvious when I look at the Church as a whole, for from the Lutheran perspective, most Christians depart … Continue reading

Posted in Lutheranism, Sanctification, Theological Pietism | 1 Comment