Archive for June, 2006

Why Confirmation Must End

Posted: 26 June 2006 in Uncategorized

This is not a joke. This is not me trying to be provocative (as some seemed to think with my comments on private Bible study–including my wife). This is serious. What is Confirmation? You can easily find out if you ask a Roman Catholic. It’s an important Sacrament–but even Rome doesn’t tie it to a [...]

New Small Group Study Idea

Posted: 26 June 2006 in Uncategorized

from that overflowing fount of small group study ideas, Horn+Swoggled. Timotheos

Presentation of the AC, II

Posted: 26 June 2006 in Uncategorized

I want to say that I think Pr. Weedon has a valid point, to wit, that the Church of the Augsburg Confession is not a “new” thing, as in reinventing 1,500 years of Church history. On the other hand, being as we are in the season of the Church (Pentecost), I think it more than [...]

It’s debatable whether today or October 31 is the greatest non-Christological festival in the Lutheran church. Go ahead and debate, and see Sasse’s comments here, posted last year. And a section from the Preface of the Augsburg Confession here. I’m curious, did any of your Lutheran congregations make mention of this day in the service? [...]

Happy Father’s Day

Posted: 18 June 2006 in Uncategorized

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith–that [...]

Did you know the United States has no law against sex selection of babies with in vitro fertilization? Because of that, couples are coming from other countries in order to choose the sex of their children here. It’s ironic, isn’t it, that couples are coming from China, which has laws against sex selection! These aren’t [...]

Thanks for the review from BlameBush! Timotheos

“Proleptic Laughter”

Posted: 16 June 2006 in Uncategorized

I put a new quote on the sidebar, but lest you miss it, I’m posting it here. It deserves to be the theme for not just Lutheran blogs, but Lutheran conversation in general. “Nothing is more serious or worthy of debate than theology. And just for that reason a little proleptic laughter is always in [...]

Christians’ attitudes toward modernity have primarily been characterized by a sense of inferiority. As John Milbank observes, “The pathos of modern theology is its false humility.” Our preaching and theology has been one ceaseless effort to conform to the canons of intelligibility produced by the economic and intellectual formations characteristic of modern and, in particular, [...]

1. Small Group Bible Study is a Bad Idea. What are the assumptions behind this being a good idea? First, that we all “learn” better if we do not have that darn pastor with theological knowledge breathing down our necks. Second, that if we all pool our ignorance, surely we can come up with something [...]