I have voiced several concerns with Steven Paulson’s theology, but one of the most problematic portions of his thought is in his Lutheran Theology pages 103-105. His extremely convoluted manner of speaking suggests that Jesus himself actually sinned on the cross. This is no mere imputation of sins to Christ. “[Jesus] wants to take your sins and leave it to no one else; so he sins against the Golden Rule.” (Lutheran Theology, 103). “When Christ took sin by association, he... Read more
A new English translation of the New Testament seems to say that wealth is inherently evil. Here's why that's wrong. Read more
I have read a lot of Karl Barth. And I think he is overrated. Read more
Today, I addressed the issue of perseverance and apostasy. I discussed the various Reformed perspectives on the issue, and then began an examination of the Scriptural texts in defense of the notion that it is possible for true believers to fall away from the faith. Here is the program. Read more
Post by Nathan Rinne. Please note: Pastor Wilken’s comments are in blue alone. The rest is my voice. First of all, if you need a primer on Radical Lutheranism – the term first coined by the late Lutheran theologian Gerhard Forde – you can see this piece that I wrote, explaining why every Christian should be tempted by it! Nevertheless, don’t be too tempted! — it has its problems. For instance, you can get a taste of them in this... Read more
On today’s program, I introduced some of the basic concepts of philosophy. This included a discussion of the ideas proposed by the Pre-Socratic philosophers, as well as the metaphysics of Plato. I gave some biographical information about why I began studying philosophy, including an argument that such a study is important for anyone who is engaged in theology. Here is the program. Read more
“What hath Athens to do with Jerusalem?” The old question attributed to Tertullian has been answered in several ways throughout the centuries as Christian thinkers have had to make decisions surrounding the usefulness of philosophy. Thinkers such as Origen and Clement of Alexandria tended to adopt such a strong adherence to Platonic ideas that Scripture was squeezed into a particular philosophical mold into which it didn’t always fit. Others have argued for the complete divorce of theology from philosophy. In my... Read more
Continuing on the previous post addressing Concordia Publishing House’s new Confessing the Gospel: A Lutheran Approach to Systematic Theology, in this article, I will examine the short section on apologetics in John F. Johnson’s treatment of the doctrine of God (81-88). General Knowledge of God Like most systematic treatments of God, this volume addresses the commonly discussed arguments for the existence of God as well as their relative usefulness. Johnson uses Luther’s helpful distinction between a general knowledge of... Read more
Post by Nathan Rinne For non-Lutherans, CPH is “Concordia Publishing House”. For upset Lutherans, please consider taking 14 minutes to listen to one of my pastor’s sermons at the bottom of this page: “The law and love”, from Sept. 10. Faith comes by hearing the word! This should help you get a better handle on how he — someone who more or less agrees with me on these issues — handles the word of truth. So, this book. There... Read more
On today’s program, I answered listener questions. Some of the topics were: beneficial theologians from other Christian traditions, premilennialism, the church fathers, and my favorite bands (yeah…unrelated, but someone asked). Check out the discussion! Here is the program Read more
Just and Sinner
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