Theology

On Chastity

August 27, 2010

God wills that the light of chastity shine in our entire body and all of our members. -Martin Chemnitz, Loci Theologici, Sixth Commandment

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Theology quiz

August 26, 2010

What do you think about the following statement? True or false? Those things which have been commanded [by God] are necessary as the fruits of righteousness, even if they are not necessary for righteousness itself which comes alone from faith. For it is not the freedom of the Gospel to be able to omit the [...]

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Statement of Lutheran CORE on Women’s Ordination

August 25, 2010

I found this quite interesting, especially the appeal to tradition with respect to homosexuality (but not, obviously, with respect to ordination of women). Is it true that ordaining people who are in same-sex sexual relationships is the same as the ordination of women or as changes in church teaching regarding slavery? No. There is significant [...]

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The fragmentation of American Lutheranism

August 25, 2010

I expected to see many from the ELCA come flocking to Missouri after the ELCA’s church-wide assembly repudiated the Biblical view of human sexuality last summer. Perhaps not congregations, but people. For a time we had a steady stream of ELCA visitors at Immanuel, but that has stopped. Now it appears there will be yet another [...]

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The Architect of the Body

August 21, 2010

Ephraim Syrus on tomorrow’s Gospel, Mk. 7.31-37: That Power Which may not be handled came down and clothed itself in members that may be touched; that the needy may draw near to Him, that in touching His manhood they may discern His Godhead. For that dumb man [whom the Lord healed] with the fingers of [...]

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Luther on the spiritual bond of the tongue

August 19, 2010

Christ heals the deaf mute (Mk. 7.31-37, Gospel for Trinity XII), loosing the bond of his tongue. Luther in his lectures on Genesis explains the spiritual bond on our tongues which keeps us from confessing sin: Thus these brothers of Joseph are not only troubled about the sin of which they were conscious—although they took [...]

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I don’t think I’m going too far

August 14, 2010

when I say that Mary was a means of grace. What are the means of grace, but earthly things joined with divine, given for our salvation? The Word comes to water and it is a Baptism, a life-giving water, rich in grace and a washing of the Holy Spirit. The Word comes to bread and [...]

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All glorious is the princess in her chamber

August 12, 2010

I’m working through the Psalter at our Wednesday Evening services; last night we arrived at Psalm 45, which I preached as a wedding hymn for Christ and His bride the church. I just noticed that the Gradual for the Feast of St. Mary (which falls this coming Sunday, August 15) is taken from that same [...]

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Order of the Sacred Parousia

July 27, 2010

The statistical report on my blog tells me what search terms people used that directed them to Esgetology. One of them caught my eye: “Order of the Sacred Parousia.” So I Binged that (I no longer use the G-search, because they are liberal and anti-Apple, a perfect storm of awfulness in my book), and here’s [...]

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The usefulness of psalms of despondency

July 27, 2010

A useful prayer, this psalm of despondency, because the life of faith is not a sustained, uninterrupted series of triumphs. –Patrick Henry Reardon on Psalm 44 in Christ in the Psalms

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