Post by Nathan Rinne In just a couple of years, the 500-year anniversary of Martin Luther’s putting forth the 95 theses – which launched what is called the Reformation – will be upon us. As we Lutherans like to say, if Luther’s actions – and those who adhered to his teaching – were rebellious in any sense, it was a peculiar kind of rebellion. These were, as Jaroslav Pelikan put it, “obedient rebels”. Their reformation was, according to 19th c.... Read more
On today’s program, I was joined once again by Rev. Lewis Polzin to continue our discussion of Henry Eyster Jacobs’ book A Summary of the Christian Faith. We discussed chapter 16 on the mission of the Holy Spirit, and chapter 17 on faith in Christ. We discussed a variety of important issues related to Pneumatology and the nature of faith. Here is the program. Read more
The debates surrounding the nature of sanctification are never ending in both Lutheran and Reformed circles. There has been quite a bit of controversy, as of late, surrounding some particular phraseology utilized by John Piper in his forward to Thomas Schreiner’s recent volume on justification. In this forward, Piper writes: “The stunning Christian answer is: sola fide—faith alone. But be sure you hear this carefully and precisely: He says right with God by faith alone, not attain heaven by faith alone. There are other conditions for attaining... Read more
Since the last post on baptism had such a good reception, I’ve decided to continue posting my Bible study outlines. Again, feel free to use it in your own congregation or for any other purpose. Why Do Lutherans Believe in the Real Presence of Christ’s Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper? There are a variety of different perspectives on exactly what happens during the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper The memorialist view: This perspective, held by many evangelicals, is... Read more
I’m currently doing a Bible study series in my congregation on the distinctive practices and teachings of the Lutheran church. Our first class was on the subject of infant baptism. Feel free to use this outline in your own congregation, or for personal study: Why do we baptize infants? Whose work is baptism? Is it God’s work, or man’s work? The believer’s only Baptist view says that baptism is our work. Through baptism, we show... Read more
Post by Nathan Rinne Yes –me talking about Banned Books Week again. As a librarian, I suppose I can’t help it! Last week, I talked about why Christians – particularly when it comes to their schools – should exercise some critical thinking towards Banned Books Week. This time, I simply want to take the concept and run with it – and “hijack” it a bit for my own purposes. One of the most feared books throughout history has been the... Read more
The first annual Just and Sinner conference is now less than a month away, and we still have some spots open. If you would like to register, you can do so in one of three ways: 1. Send in your registration on FaithLutheranWatseka.com 2. Download the Just and Sinner App from the Itunes or Google Play app stores, and register there 3. Register on facebook More information on the conference can be found here. We look forward to seeing you! Read more
Most of my reading tends to be related to my current writing projects. Because of that, I don’t often have the time to read books that I just really want to read. When I do, I tend to gravitate toward Patristic and Medieval theology. Well, I finally had some time to do some reading just for fun and personal edification, so I decided to pick up a copy of Peter Lombard’s The Sentences. Peter Lombard (1096-1160) is one of the... Read more
Post by Nathan Rinne (update: also see my follow-up piece, Jesus and Banned Books Week) Next week, September 27−October 3, is what the American Library Association calls “Banned Books Week”. I am a Christian and a librarian and definitely have some thoughts about this issue. Let me start by making clear I do not think that there is one “Christian answer” to this question. This is truly a complicated and heavily context-dependent topic that, it seems to me, requires much... Read more
For anyone interested in my recent book The Great Divide: A Lutheran Evaluation of Reformed Theology, here is an excerpt from the first chapter of the book. Cooper_24239_Excerpt Used with Permission of Wipf and Stock Publishers The book can be purchased here. Read more
Just and Sinner
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In