Category Archives: Lutheranism

Why Lutherans Sing

A few weeks ago, the adult Bible Study that I teach started a new topic:  the historic liturgy used in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod.  We’ll be going through it step-by-step from beginning to end and taking an in-depth look at … Continue reading

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Did Jesus Destigmatize Sin?

Last week, I had a piece on The Federalist about the destigmatization of racism. In it, I argued that despite the way we have been raised to think of racism as the ultimate evil—the closest thing to a moral absolute … Continue reading

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The Forgotten Use of the Law

It’s old news that the famous “three uses” to which God puts the law (a curb that restrains sin, a mirror that reveals the depth of our guilt, and a guide by which Christians live) have become very controversial among … Continue reading

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Scripture Alone, but not a Scripture that is Alone

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

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Theological Pietism Part 6: Moving Forward

So what has been accomplished after spilling so much text on the subject? Well, aside from probably offending many of my fellow confessional Lutherans whom, present appearances aside, I really do have a great deal of respect for. When writing … Continue reading

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Theological Pietism Part 5: Saint / Sinner Nestorianism

This criticism of theological pietism is not simply a matter of nit-picking for the sake of picking nits. There are negative spiritual consequences to a steady diet of this kind of rhetoric. To put all my cards on the table, … Continue reading

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Theological Pietism Part 4: The Vivisection of God’s Word

In Part 3, I wrote about one of the precepts that theological pietism foists on pastors: “avoid specifics.” But this is not the only man-made rule out there that ends up reaching the pulpit and trimming God’s Word at the … Continue reading

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Theological Pietism Part 3: Theological Pietism in the Pulpit

As unfortunate and ridiculous as moralistic incidents like those recorded in Part 2 are, they remain only the shallow disapproval of men. The biggest dangers of theological pietism only become apparent when it makes its way into preaching and theological … Continue reading

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Theological Pietism Part 2: What Is Theological Pietism?

Part 1 of this series can be found here. So what do I mean by “theological pietism?” Well, the adjective modifies the noun, so let’s begin with ‘pietism.’ To put it briefly, pietism was a practice that grew out of … Continue reading

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Theological Pietism Part 1: A Lesson from History

As the name of this blog implies, I believe reformation is a continuing task in the Church. As a Lutheran, this is obvious when I look at the Church as a whole, for from the Lutheran perspective, most Christians depart … Continue reading

Posted in Lutheranism, Sanctification, Theological Pietism | 1 Comment