Author Archives: Matt

About Matt

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

Sermon: “What Does Your Heart Tell you?” Mark 7:20-23

Posted on September 2, 2012 by Matt

Note:  I am not a pastor.  However, my pastor was called out of town this weekend, and I was asked to preach in his stead. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

How Not to Suck at Moralizing

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Matt

I love the Oatmeal–it’s a great humor repository for those of us who have the misfortune of being desensitized to coarse language.  Naturally, the latest offering, How to suck at your religion [as implied, language warning], caught my eye. To … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics | 1 Comment

Theology is an Acquired Taste

Posted on August 11, 2012 by Matt

Coffee is typically considered an adult beverage–not because children are incapable of drinking it responsibly, but because they’re uninterested in drinking it at all.  At 31, I myself don’t drink coffee for the same reason children don’t:  1) I have … Continue reading →

Posted in The Modern Church | 2 Comments

Excellence in Vocation: Chick-fil-A Day Wasn’t a Big Deal, and It Didn’t Need to be.

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Matt

“All you did was go and eat a sandwich!” After Wednesday’s huge show of support for Chick-fil-A, marriage, and/or free speech (depending on the patron), such comments are really all that the bullies have left.  It’s just hard to verbally … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Politics, Vocation | 3 Comments

The Persecuted Atheist

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Matt

Earlier this year, the Financial Times put together a sob story about the ruthless persecution of atheists in the United States.  The writer collects a number of anecdotes of discomfort at family gatherings, difficulty rising through the ranks of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Atheism, Ethics | 2 Comments

It’s ART!

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Matt

Art Patrons Pay $100 for the Privilege of Eating Rat I think my favorite part of “Tomorrow We Will Feast Again on What We Catch” is that this attempt to “explore self-sufficiency in an urban environment” and “put people outside … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | 1 Comment

Preaching the Law vs. Preaching About the Law

Posted on July 25, 2012 by Matt

About a month ago, I posted a comment over at Brothers of John the Steadfast on a thread regarding legalism and a high view of the law.  The gist of the original post (with which I completely agree), is that … Continue reading →

Posted in Law, Lutheranism, Theological Pietism | Leave a comment

The Dark Knight Rises is too Good to be either Liberal or Conservative

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Matt

Is new Batman movie liberal or conservative?  There’s already been a lot of back-and-forth on this.  Like some idiotic Obama supporters, the idiotic Rush Limbaugh thinks that the villainous “Bane” is an obvious reference to the villainous “Bain Capital,” Mitt … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Politics | Leave a comment

Why is the Church Obsessed with Sex?

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Matt

The direct answer to this frequent complaint about the church is a very practical one:  American churches are obsessed with sex because American culture is obsessed with sex, and American churches are full of Americans.  Seriously; the best selling book … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Chastity, The Modern Church | 8 Comments

Do Not Resuscitate

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Matt

Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved? Better question:  why would we want to?  So-called Liberal Christianity (which is a theological category, not a political one) is a massive tragedy.  But nobody is doing anyone any favors by trying to help this … Continue reading →

Posted in The Modern Church, Theological Liberalism | Leave a comment