Category Archives: Lutheranism

The Lutheran Tone Police

One of the most common ways of dismissing substantive criticism is to complain about its “tone.” If only it were said less antagonistically, more lovingly, more sensitively, etc., then it might be possible for them to listen thoughtfully. But it was … Continue reading

Posted in Ethics, Lutheranism, Theology | 2 Comments

When Service Becomes Vainglory

As a sin becomes more ubiquitous in a culture, its appropriate name seems to become more elusive in language.  “Fornication,” for example, is an everyday sin, but not a word you hear every day in the West. “Usury” is likewise … Continue reading

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Do We Even Have Religious Leaders?

The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod has released an updated version of it’s statement on vaccine mandates. and once again it’s a tepid attempt at taking no position at all. At best, it is naïve and tone-deaf. At worst, it is … Continue reading

Posted in Culture, Ethics, Lutheranism, The Modern Church | 11 Comments

A Call to Repentance from Australia

The entire Covid situation has presented everyone with a lot of hard questions.  But Christians should often be asking more and different questions than the world asks. I received a great document written by Rev. Dr.  Michael Lockwood of the Lutheran … Continue reading

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A Lutheran Case for Religious Exemption

Religious exemptions aren’t the long-term solution to the tyrannical vaccine mandates, but for some families, they may be what keeps a roof overhead and food on the table in the short-term. I’ve been frustrated that the LCMS has thus far … Continue reading

Posted in Ethics, Law, Lutheranism, Politics, Theology, Tradition | 22 Comments

By Whose Authority? Mask Mandates in the Church

Now that Covid is resurging and our cultural fixtures continue to promote fear above all else, Christian congregations are naturally considering whether to re-impose masks and even vaccine requirements at their services. Last year, most churches blindly stumbled their way … Continue reading

Posted in Gospel, Law, Lutheranism, Theology, Tradition | 6 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

Why Do We Have Church?

As the saying goes, you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone. It’s a lesson many Christians are becoming painfully aware of as their local congregations are caught up in the various shutdowns and quarantines. We deeply desire to … Continue reading

Posted in Gospel, Lutheranism, The Modern Church, Tradition | 2 Comments

A Few Thoughts on Bodily Presence

One of the big difficulties when it comes to disagreements between Lutherans and Reformed is that we don’t always agree on what our disagreements are. Take the presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper. This is a generalization, but the … Continue reading

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Part 5 of Between Babel & Pentecost: A Christian Analysis of Multiculturalism

Now that we’ve spent some time considering the Tower of Babel, Pentecost, and the political ideologies of multiculturalism and globalism, it’s finally time to answer the question at the heart of this series:   Is a Christian nation obligated to be … Continue reading

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