Author Archives: Matt

About Matt

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

Comment Spam

Posted on August 12, 2011 by Matt

This blog tends to get much more spam than legitimate comments. Some of it is easy to spot (prescription drugs, porn, etc). Other comments are a little more ambiguous. For example, highly generic comments of admiration about the post, while … Continue reading →

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Breaking News: Lutherans not Fond of the Papacy

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Matt

It’s not often that Lutheran theology receives so much media attention. As a former member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, presidential candidate Michele Bachmann was, by an act of journalistic aggression, publicly associated with a politically unfortunate point of … Continue reading →

Posted in Lutheranism, Politics | Leave a comment

No Such Thing as a Non-Institutional Church

Posted on July 16, 2011 by Matt

When religion in general and Christianity in particular catch flak from the culture, everyone other than hardcore atheists generally make exceptions for personal spirituality. The problem, we hear, is really organized religion–the institutional church–not religion or church as such. Many … Continue reading →

Posted in The Modern Church, Theology, Tradition | Leave a comment

Practical Sovereignty

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Matt

Christians often hear that God has a plan for our lives, and rightfully so. Psalm 139 tells us, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” But what does this mean for us practically speaking? While it seems quite obvious that this reality should offer us comfort in the bad times and move us to gratitude in the good, Christians begin to step on shakier ground when they begin to evaluate whether they are indeed conforming to God’s plan for their lives. But does the latter logically proceed from the former? Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Theology | Tagged | Leave a comment

What Difference Would Gay Marriage Make to You?

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Matt

Debates over gay “marriage” regularly spawn rhetorical questions like this.  What difference would it make to your marriage if the law began to refer to certain homosexual relationships as marriages?  It would mean so much to so many without harming … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Chastity, Ethics, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Incarnate Value: A Case Study on Tradition

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Matt

A few months ago, in the hype surrounding Prince William and Kate’s then-upcoming marriage, a story emerged that Prince William would choose not to wear a ring–apparently because he just doesn’t like jewelry.  Boundless posted about it, and the predictable comments … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Tradition | Leave a comment

Keynes vs. Hayek

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Matt

If your economics program was like mine, Keynes was the only economist you were taught about in college.  Take a few minutes and rectify the “oversight” with this brilliant video.  It manages to be fun, fair, and cover the salient … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Politics | Leave a comment

Apologetics Minute: God as Cosmic Engineer

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Matt

I was listening to the White Horse Inn the other day and came across an interview with professional skeptic Michael Shermer.  While talking about whether God exists (at 2:55), he offered up this gem: “I’d be very surprised if it … Continue reading →

Posted in Apologetics, Atheism, Natural Law | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“But I Could Be Wrong”

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Matt

Those are the five words that this contributor to Fox News thinks will save the Church, and it seems to be a fairly common sentiment among the Emergent crowd. Different theological and moral beliefs are a frequent source of friction, … Continue reading →

Posted in Spiritual But Not Religious, The Modern Church, Theology | Leave a comment

Parenting without Boundaries for Humans without Natures

Posted on May 26, 2011 by Matt

I’ve seen a few sites churning over this story of a couple of foolish parents who are trying to raise a genderless baby so that he/she/it/they can make his/her/its/their own decision on the subject whenever he/she/it/they wants to.  The problems … Continue reading →

Posted in Ethics, Feminism, Natural Law | Tagged , | 2 Comments