Author Archives: Matt

About Matt

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

Apologetics: Doing the Job the ELCA Won’t Do

Posted on February 20, 2015 by Matt

Well, one of them, at any rate. My wife alerted me to a recent question on the ELCA’s official Ask a Pastor [or Pastrix] page: It’s evident that violations of the laws of nature do not occur in our universe. … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Science | Leave a comment

Sentamentalism & Leftism != Goodness

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Matt

Look out, Christians; it looks like godless parents raise more liberal kids than we do. Wait… what do you mean that’s not news? But Jezebel just ran a big ‘gotcha’ story on it denouncing us. Well, they did headline it … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Culture, Ethics, Humanism, Politics | Leave a comment

Well Said

Posted on February 7, 2015 by Matt

A great turn of phrase from J. Budziszeski this morning: When Rome burned under Nero, the cry was “The Christians must have set the fires.”  This time it is our Rome that is burning.  But this time the cry is, … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | 1 Comment

On the Relevance of Male Lactation

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Matt

It’s some pretty stupid reasoning, but it nevertheless amuses me to see our modern-day gnostics hoisted on their own petard. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court let stand a controversial lower court decision. Angela Ames alleged that her employer forced … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Ethics, Natural Law | 2 Comments

Scripture Alone, but not a Scripture that is Alone

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Matt

Like any doctrine or teaching, the various Sola’s of the Reformation have provoked some misunderstandings from time to time. This is perhaps most common for sola fide—that we are saved through faith alone and not by our works. Because of … Continue reading →

Posted in Heresy, Lutheranism, Theology | Leave a comment

Faithlessness and the Danger of Busybodies

Posted on January 24, 2015 by Matt

I’ve written several times about the virtue of faith and the associated vice of desperation. This virtue is not the saving faith taught by Christianity, but is instead an ethical matter—a disposition towards acting as though the world will ultimately … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Politics | 1 Comment

The Obsolescence of Conservatism

Posted on January 19, 2015 by Matt

Could American conservatism be obsolete? Liberals and progressives have, of course, felt this way about us for a long time, but there’s never been a need to be bothered over that. I raise the question for a different purpose: as … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | 5 Comments

Rethinking Equality

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Matt

Awhile back, I wrote a short piece about equality and marriage. I noted that when the idea that all people are created equal was added to our political discourse, it brought some benefits to the common good. It helped to … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Ethics, Feminism, Humanism, Politics | Leave a comment

Ending the Real Rape Culture

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Matt

Struggling to Define Rape Despite the common pretenses of relativism and moral uncertainty among Americans, there yet remain certain moral touchstones that none of us are at all uncertain about. One of these is, of course, that Hitler was evil. … Continue reading →

Posted in Chastity, Ethics, Feminism | Leave a comment

Keeping the “Free” in “Freedom”

Posted on December 16, 2014 by Matt

Is it heresy for Americans to try and keep Christ in Christmas? That’s the charge made by Stephen Ingram in a recent blog post. His hometown of Piedmont, Alabama has recently run into some trouble with the Freedom From Religion … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Humanism, Politics | 1 Comment