Oh, Hell

Last updated on: October 28, 2022 at 5:28 pm By Gene Veith

Halloween and Reformation Day are both occasions to reflect on Hell. Even conservative churches don't say much about the realm of eternal punishment any more. And yet a large majority of Americans and a substantial minority of "nones" do believe in such a place. The issue is not whether God is too good to create a Hell--an example of Hamann calls "approaching God through His attributes"--but whether there is such a place, as revealed in the Word of God. The message of the Reformation is that Christ is victorious over Hell, which is why He is our Savior.

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Math & Reading Scores Plunge to Record Lows

Last updated on: October 24, 2022 at 6:23 pm By Gene Veith

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Math scores for fourth and eighth graders dropped to their lowest level ever. Reading scores erased three decades of progress. This decline was in both schools that shut down because of COVID and those that did not. They were across the board, in every state and demographic. This reflects a broad failure in contemporary educational theory and practice.

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DISCUSS: What Reforms Does the Church Need Today?

Last updated on: October 24, 2022 at 4:09 pm By Gene Veith

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What about the church today could use "reformation"? That is, what needs reforming in the contemporary church?

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Augustine on Abortion, Miscarriage, & the Law

Last updated on: October 24, 2022 at 3:50 pm By Gene Veith

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St. Augustine wasn't sure when life began, but, contrary to how pro-abortionists are trying to use him, he still strongly condemned abortion. And he thought it likely that aborted fetuses and even miscarried children would rise, fully formed, at the Resurrection.

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Worship in the Metaverse

Last updated on: October 25, 2022 at 8:13 am By Gene Veith

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Lutheran pastor and media scholar Trevor Sutton discusses the efforts of some churches to hold worship services in the metaverse, the shared online realm of virtual reality. All major theological traditions emphasize that worship should be embodied, whereas the metaverse "ruptures the communion of our senses."

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Luther at the Movies Destroys the Metaverse

Last updated on: October 24, 2022 at 8:43 am By Gene Veith

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Anthony Sacramone, of Luther at the Movies fame, is the editor of Religion & Liberty, which has a special issue consisting of critiques of the Metaverse. Read more

5 Tips To Keep In Mind When Visiting A Lutheran Church

Last updated on: October 24, 2022 at 8:36 am By Gene Veith

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When I first attended a Lutheran service, like many other visitors, I was impressed but confused. Here is an explanation of what is going on, with an emphasis on what visitors tend to find the most different from what they are used to. Read more

Nearly Two-Thirds of the World Was Glued to Liturgy

Last updated on: October 16, 2022 at 8:38 pm By Gene Veith

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Jonathan Aigner points out that some 4 billion people watched the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. That comes to 63% of the entire world. And, judging from the social media reaction, viewers in our part of the world were transfixed. Why liturgical worship is so powerful and where to find it.

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DISCUSS: What Will Future Generations Think of Us?

Last updated on: October 16, 2022 at 6:40 pm By Gene Veith

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Looking back, we see that in many ways our ancestors were "deplorable"--in their acceptance of slavery, war, colonialism, and many other faults and evidence of moral blindness. But what will future generations see about us that is "deplorable" but that most people today are oblivious to?

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A Civilization Racing Backwards

Last updated on: October 20, 2022 at 7:52 am By Gene Veith

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What if our civilization is devolving instead of evolving? That is, what if we Westerners in the 21st century, despite or maybe even because of our technology, are not progressing but becoming more primitive? There are reasons to think so.

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