Author Archives: Matt

About Matt

Software engineer by trade; lay theologian by nature; Lutheran by grace.

Lutheran in a Strange Land – New YouTube Channel

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Matt

Welcome to a new experiment. I’ve had enough requests for video content that I’ve decided to give it a try and create a new YouTube Channel called Lutheran in a Strange Land. The thing is, I teach adult Sunday school … Continue reading →

Posted in Chastity, Culture, Ethics, Feminism, Gospel, Law, Lutheran in a Strange Land, Lutheranism, Theology | Leave a comment

“Conceived by the Holy Spirit” – The Apostles’ Creed is Pro-Life

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Matt

A couple weeks ago, I came across a post at Steadfast Lutherans proposing a resolution for the upcoming Synodical convention “to condemn the pro-choice ideology as heresy.”  I have to confess, I was initially pretty skeptical about it. Now, this … Continue reading →

Posted in Abortion, Theology | 2 Comments

The Proper Care and Feeding of Essential Theology

Posted on January 21, 2019 by Matt

Blogger’s note: This is the prose version of a recent talk I gave at my church’s recent congregational retreat where we considered the subject of change in the Church.  It’s intended for a lay audience with varying levels of education.  … Continue reading →

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

Whose Morality Have We Been Teaching?

Posted on January 14, 2019 by Matt

Lately, Dalrock has been getting me thinking about the negative impact of chivalry on Christians’ understanding of sexual morality. One of the key parts of the idea is that the false but ubiquitous belief that sex is legitimated by romance … Continue reading →

Posted in Chastity, Christian Youth, Culture, Lutheranism | 7 Comments

When Devotionals Attack

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Matt

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

Do We Really Need More Women Leaders in the Church?

Posted on December 20, 2018 by Matt

Awhile back, I was involved in an informal discussion about opening up the office of congregational president to women at an LCMS congregation. We were all on the same page with respect to God only calling men to the office … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Feminism, The Modern Church | 6 Comments

Answering Some Criticisms

Posted on December 10, 2018 by Matt

I got quite a bit of feedback on the last Federalist article (on Abstinence vs. Chastity), so I wanted to take a moment to address some of the criticisms that actually addressed my arguments. Objection: Jesus never taught anything about … Continue reading →

Posted in Chastity, Ethics, Feminism, Gospel, The Modern Church | 6 Comments

The Church Needs to Teach Chastity Instead of Abstinence

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Matt

I have a new piece over at The Federalist: That’s the problem with purity culture. It purports to be about saving sex for marriage, but the whole point of purity rings and abstinence is to refrain from sex while delaying … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Feminism, The Modern Church, Theological Liberalism | 6 Comments

Rejoicing In and Learning From the Deaths of Congregations

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Matt

I’ve seen a lot of hand-wringing and sad faces about recent reports that 6,000 to 10,000 churches are dying every year in the US.  When Christians get downhearted upon seeing the magnitude of our decline, it’s important to remember two … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Culture, The Modern Church, Theological Liberalism | 5 Comments

Should Talking About Headship Make Us Skeptical?

Posted on November 19, 2018 by Matt

Yes, we’re talking about headship & submission again. If you’re like me and you’re starting to scratch your head about why this is coming up so much on the blog lately, it’s ultimately because October was “Domestic Violence Awareness Month.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Feminism | 1 Comment