That the Incarnation began when Christ was "conceived by the Virgin Mary" tells us much about the nature and the value of unborn human life. As such, it speaks directly to the controversies about abortion.
That the Incarnation began when Christ was "conceived by the Virgin Mary" tells us much about the nature and the value of unborn human life. As such, it speaks directly to the controversies about abortion.
An Anglican church in Wales is offering a church service that only lasts 15 minutes. Other churches in the UK are experimenting with these "micro-services." To be sure, this Monday evening is not replacing the regular service on Sunday morning. Rather, it is an outreach, an attempt to bring in people who don't attend the Sunday service. What do you think of this approach?
Brad Littlejohn says that, yes, Americans on the whole tend to be conservative, but only in this sense: "Many people want to conserve the only status quo that they know." That includes legalized abortion among other issues that used to be considered "liberal."
Yesterday we posted about people who do not believe in God but are not atheists. Today we are posting about atheists who (sort of) believe in Christianity. A look at Richard Dawkin's "cultural Christianity" and Slavoj Žižek's "Christian atheism." And how the ancient apologist Tertullian answers them.
One paradox of America's religious landscape is that the decline in religion is not being accompanied by a rise in atheism. That is to say, most people without a religion still believe in God. Conversely, many people who believe in God say they have no religion. How can that be?
Canada's "blood libel against Christians"; the world's baby shortage; and the Taylor Swift liturgy.
A defining tenet of Lutheranism is the belief that the Word of God, Baptism, and Holy Communion are "means of grace." That is, that God conveys the gospel of Christ and creates faith by these physical means. But to what extent do LCMS members actually believe that? Lyman Stone's study of the denomination investigates that. And the answers will surprise you.
"Supposing you eliminated suffering, what a dreadful place the world would be! I would almost rather eliminate happiness. The world would be the most ghastly place because everything that corrects the tendency of this unspeakable little creature, man, to feel over-important and over-pleased with himself would disappear. . . ."
Delving into the details of the 2023 Lutheran Religious Life Survey. For example, "Converts make up about 32% of self-identified “Traditional” or “Confessional” Lutherans, vs. about 15-25% of other Lutherans."
"'Confessional' churches receive more converts than 'Missional' churches, and 'Traditional' churches receive more converts than 'Contemporary' services." So says a study of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.
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