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Full-Text Articles in Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion
Some Concerns About Current Confessional Statements, Horst W. Jordan
Some Concerns About Current Confessional Statements, Horst W. Jordan
Concordia Theological Monthly
Luther on occasion compared the world with a drunken peasant who when he was shoved into the saddle on the one side toppled out of it on the other so that it was impossible to help him, do what one would. The history of theology tempts one to use the same comparison. "What venturesome statements have men permitted themselves to make, statements that ultimately had to lead to disaster because the attempt was made to present a truth that was correct enough in itself but which was taught in a one-sided, undialectic form, with complete contempt and disapproval of its …
Open Letter To Charismatic Lutherans, Paul F. Hutchinson
Open Letter To Charismatic Lutherans, Paul F. Hutchinson
Concordia Theological Monthly
The author is pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, St. Louis, Missouri, and has been actively involved in aspects of the charismatic movement.
The Meaning Of Advent: Implications For Preaching, Frank C. Senn
The Meaning Of Advent: Implications For Preaching, Frank C. Senn
Concordia Theological Monthly
If we confess that the Holy Spirit, at work in the church at all times and in all places, in some sense inspired the development of a liturgical calendar and a pericopal system for the expansion of the Mystery, the edification of the faithful, and the amplification of preaching possibilities, then we must also confess that the Spirit could effect changes in the meaning of the various feasts and liturgical seasons with the passage of time and with shifts in the expression of piety. The Holy Spirit did not retire in the fourth century any more than he did after …
Secularization Theology, Charismatic Renewal, And Luther's Theology Of The Cross, Theodore Jungkuntz
Secularization Theology, Charismatic Renewal, And Luther's Theology Of The Cross, Theodore Jungkuntz
Concordia Theological Monthly
The author constructs a theology of charismatic renewal with reference to the Lutheran confessional writings and to Luther's theology of the cross.
Some Thoughts On The Church In The Lutheran Symbols, Herbert J. Bouman
Some Thoughts On The Church In The Lutheran Symbols, Herbert J. Bouman
Concordia Theological Monthly
Near the end of 1536 Martin Luther wrote that "a seven-year-old child knows what the church is" (SA III XII). In our time great ecumenical gatherings expend incalculable amounts of time and effort in wrestling with the doctrine of the church, and first-rate theologians in all churches provide the printing presses with an unabating flow of materials in discussion of the problems and implications of ecclesiology.
Jesus Christ: Conservative And Liberal, Erwin L. Lueker
Jesus Christ: Conservative And Liberal, Erwin L. Lueker
Concordia Theological Monthly
Politicians, intellectuals, artists, businessmen, and also theologians are often classified as conservative or liberal. Some are even classified as radical, a term which in its basic meaning is better used to describe the thoroughgoing consistency of both the conservative and the liberal. In naive thought the conservative is the person who sees great value in a situation as it is and seeks to preserve it. The liberal, on the other hand, is a person who sees greater value in new methods, in new thoughts and in new structures. He seeks continually to be in the vanguard of those who break …
The Body Of Christ, Richard R. Caemmerer
The Body Of Christ, Richard R. Caemmerer
Concordia Theological Monthly
The Apology of the Augsburg Confession warns against two distortions in the meaning of the church. The one is that the church be viewed as an outward organization in which believers and hypocrites are mingled. In the days of the Reformation this distortion implied that the church was a political organization to which men adhered through the carrying out of rites and obligations. In our own time it may take the form of stress on extending and financing the church's business to the point of devaluating its other concerns. The other distortion is that the church is regarded as a …
Polygamy And The Church, Willard Burce
Polygamy And The Church, Willard Burce
Concordia Theological Monthly
Polygamy is a common practice among the Enga uibcs of Wabag, New Guinea. A survey a few years ago showed that nearly 30 percent of Enga marriages were polygamous.
The Inclusive Nature Of Holy Baptism In Luther's Writings, Harry G. Coiner
The Inclusive Nature Of Holy Baptism In Luther's Writings, Harry G. Coiner
Concordia Theological Monthly
Though our action or behavior does not make the sacrament valid, nevertheless legitimate concerns are to be expressed from time to time regarding our understanding and employment of Baptism. Luther reminds us that Baptism is no human trifle devised or invented by men, but it is instituted by God Himself; for He strictly commanded that we must be baptized, or we cannot be saved; let no one regard it as a trivial matter, like putting on a new red coat. He expressed his estimation of Baptism in strong terms.
Rudolf Bultmann And The Sacrament Of Holy Baptism, John H. Elliott
Rudolf Bultmann And The Sacrament Of Holy Baptism, John H. Elliott
Concordia Theological Monthly
In the fullness of time God sent forth His Son, a pre-existent divine Being, who appears on earth as a man. He dies the death of a sinner on the cross and makes atonement for the sins of men. His resurrection marks the beginning of the cosmic catastrophe … all who belong to Christ's Church and are joined to the Lord by Baptism and the Eucharist are certain of resurrection to salvation. . .. "
The Theological Implications Of Confirmation, Arthur C. Repp
The Theological Implications Of Confirmation, Arthur C. Repp
Concordia Theological Monthly
Since the Christian's whole life is a continuous spiritual Baptism, what is the relationship of the Word and the Lord's Supper in Baptism? Are they subordinate to it? Not at all. As Regin Prenter points out, it is just because the baptismal covenant, God's promise of man's salvation and man's faith in God's promise, implies the necessity of a lifelong exercise of man's faith in that covenant that there is a need for a continuous sanctifying activity of the living Word, not in competition with, but in consequence of the regenerating activity of the living Word in Baptism. ln this …
The Theological Implications Of Confirmation, Arthur C. Repp
The Theological Implications Of Confirmation, Arthur C. Repp
Concordia Theological Monthly
The Lutheran practice of confirmation can hardly be described as uniform during its long history. The differences varied greatly both in number and in kind as many accretions attached themselves to this practice. Because there was no Biblical basis for confirmation, the Lutheran Church did not hesitate to warrant new emphases and directions with changing circumstances and needs. As confirmation is practiced today, especially in the United States, it is cluttered with the remnants of such additions, the origins of which are rarely recognized. Just as the Reformation Church thought it was restoring confirmation in accord with the tradition of …
Editorial, Martin H. Franzmann
Editorial, Martin H. Franzmann
Concordia Theological Monthly
Even a theological journal begins a new volume with the beginning of the civil year, not with the beginning of the church year. Strictly and theologically speaking, the 6th of January is not so incisive a caesura in the rhythm of our life as is the first Sunday in Advent. But it is significant, this 6th of January. It reminds us that, though we taste the powers of the world to come, we taste them in this world. It reminds us that though the night is far spent and God's day has drawn near, we walk "as in the day," …
Luther And Sanctification, Philip S. Watson
Luther And Sanctification, Philip S. Watson
Concordia Theological Monthly
In a volume of sermons which he published in 1788, John Wesley took occasion to repeat a criticism of Luther that he had first made after reading his commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians many years before. "It has frequently been observed," he says, "that very few were clear in their judgment both with regard to justification and sanctification"; and he cites Luther as an example. "Who," he asks, "has wrote more ably than Martin Luther on justification by faith alone? And who was more ignorant of the doctrine of sanctification, or more confused in his conceptions of it?" …
The Rsv And The Small Catechism, George V. Schick
The Rsv And The Small Catechism, George V. Schick
Concordia Theological Monthly
In the theological literature of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod it has been the practice to quote Scripture passages in English in the form in which they appear in the King James Version of 1611. The revision of 1881-1885 and the revision of 1901 in no way affected this custom. Neither achieved any great measure of popularity. The situation appears to be somewhat different in the case of the Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version, which appeared upon the market in 1952 under copyright of the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United …
What The Symbols Have To Say About The Church, Arthur Carl Piepkorn
What The Symbols Have To Say About The Church, Arthur Carl Piepkorn
Concordia Theological Monthly
It is not difficult to turn to the index of a modern edition of the Book of Concord and to discover therein the passages in the Lutheran Symbols which talk more or less explicitly about the church. That it is quite possible to read into these passages a very wide range of presuppositions is clear from the way in which different theologians have been claiming our church's Symbols in support of quite divergent, if not actually contradictory, opinions. But the articles of our creedal statements that the editors have headed, "Of the Church," or that bear similar titles are not …
A Ransom For Many, Martin H. Franzmann
A Ransom For Many, Martin H. Franzmann
Concordia Theological Monthly
In the ransom saying Jesus tells how the Church, the new people of God, is to be built by His death. Here, too, it becomes clear that the way which Jesus is going is diametrically opposed to the thinking and planning of the heart of man, that it brings with it an inversion of all accepted values. The Church is not a fruit upon the tree of history"; it is wholly and exclusively the creation of the Christ; it is God's deed.
Sola Gratia, J. W. Behnken
Sola Gratia, J. W. Behnken
Concordia Theological Monthly
To speak on the very important topic "Sola Gratia” within a period of fifteen minutes, and to do this within the framework of the highly significant general theme: "The Gospel establishes and maintains our Lutheran Church," is an assignment to which I cannot even remotely do justice. At best I can refer only to a few major points. We are concerned here with the chief principle of the Reformation. Dr. Luther declared: "The word of grace and forgiveness of sin teaches us that we are justified and saved solely through Christ, without our merit; this is the principal article from …
The Sacerdotai Office Of Christ According To The Letter To The Hebrews, George Stoeckhardt
The Sacerdotai Office Of Christ According To The Letter To The Hebrews, George Stoeckhardt
Concordia Theological Monthly
By His one sacrifice Christ has obtained an eternal salvation, which requires nothing to supplement it. By His sacrifice our sins are expiated once and for all, and our iniquity is atoned. In the very center of our Christian faith stands this Jesus Christ, who on the great Day of Atonement of the New Testament died and shed His blood for us. But even though Christ sacrificed Himself only once, even though the real work of redemption and reconciliation is completed, yet Christ has not relinquished His high-priestly office. The Epistle to the Hebrews throughout directs our attention to the …
The New Creation In Christ, Walter Bartling
The New Creation In Christ, Walter Bartling
Concordia Theological Monthly
All modern studies of the ἐν χοιστψ̄ formula take as their starting point the fascinating dissertation of Adolf Deissmann, which appeared in 1892. It is hardly possible to overestimate the influence this book has had upon research in Pauline theology. Deissmann's basic conclusion, that the ἐν of the formula has throughout a local significance, rests, no doubt, upon a proper grammatical insight and has received but slight modification by later scholars.
A Statement On Parents' Rights And The School Question, A. C. Mueller
A Statement On Parents' Rights And The School Question, A. C. Mueller
Concordia Theological Monthly
The United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and the National Lutheran Council invited educators and theologians of the United States, Germany, and other European countries to a study conference (June 1-10 at Bad Boll, Germany) on parents' rights and the school in the modern state. This was the first of four study conferences, and when the Germans set apart the entire conference for the study of Christian education and its current problems, they indicated how vital this problem is in Germany today. The findings of this seminar were summarized in the statement which is herewith submitted.
Christian Fellowship, C. August Hardt
Christian Fellowship, C. August Hardt
Concordia Theological Monthly
The following article on "Christian Fellowship" is the second part of the essay “The Scriptural Content of χοινωνία, Its Manifestations and Restrictions upon Such Manifestations," the first part of which: Fellowship with God," appeared. in the CONCODIA THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY, Vol. XV, 505 ff. To give the reader an overview and enable him to follow the line of thought more easily, we epitomize the contents in the subjoined outline.
Circumcision And Baptism, F. R. Zucker
Circumcision And Baptism, F. R. Zucker
Concordia Theological Monthly
The Bible does not speak very frequently on the meaning or the purpose of Holy Baptism and less frequently on the meaning and the purpose of Circumcision, and still less on the mutual relation of the two sacraments or on a comparison of Circumcision with Baptism. What little the Bible has to say on the points could be quoted in very short time. (Col. 2:17; Heb.10:1.)
Luther's Spiritual Martyrdom And Its Appeasement, Theo. Dierks
Luther's Spiritual Martyrdom And Its Appeasement, Theo. Dierks
Concordia Theological Monthly
Luther had entered the monastery in order to merit eternal life and was convinced that the life of a monk was the surest way in which to obtain the grace of God. Now, the way in which Luther sought to gain salvation was according to the Catholic doctrine of justification, with this difference, that as a monk he had taken upon himself the heaviest yoke of Christ and that he had given himself exclusively into the service of God.
Ba∏Tizω, K. G. Manz
Ba∏Tizω, K. G. Manz
Concordia Theological Monthly
It is a sad fact that men, swayed by a fatal bias, will make rash statements about, and posit propositions in regard to, Baptism which can be maintained neither in the face of the Scriptures nor before the forum of history. This is true, for instance, in reference to the question of immersion in the administration of Holy Baptism. The importance of the subject demands that we consider soberly what the Bible and the early history of the Church teach us in regard to the mode of baptism.
The Mode Of Baptism, Walter A. Baepler
The Mode Of Baptism, Walter A. Baepler
Concordia Theological Monthly
A striking diversity exists in the Christian Church with reference to the mode of administering the rite of Baptism. Broadly speaking, the Eastern Church baptizes by immersion, the Western Church by pouring or sprinkling.
The Means Of Grace In Roman Theology, Theodore Graebner
The Means Of Grace In Roman Theology, Theodore Graebner
Concordia Theological Monthly
That things are not what they seem is an observation elicited frequently by a course of study in Roman Catholic dogma. At no point is this caution more necessary than in an attempt to comprehend the Roman Catholic idea of Grace and of the Means of Grace.
When Does The New Testament Economy Begin?, W. F. Beck
When Does The New Testament Economy Begin?, W. F. Beck
Concordia Theological Monthly
Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 3:5, 6; 8:6-13; 12:24), set aside the Old Covenant by means of His work of redemption during the thirty-three years of His humiliation (Gal 4:4, 5). In this period He fulfilled the Moral Law by keeping it (Rom. 5:19; 10:4), and by His suffering He freed us from its curse (Gal. 3:13). In this time He also substituted the reality of His atonement for the shadow of the Ceremonial Law and thus made the observance of its ordinances unnecessary (Col. 2:16, 17).
Our Formula For Infant Baptism, P. E. Kretzmann
Our Formula For Infant Baptism, P. E. Kretzmann
Concordia Theological Monthly
In the case of the rite of Holy Baptism the study of the question is complicated by the fact that the rite of confirmation and that of Baptism ordinarily came together, since this was the ordinary form of admission to membership in the Christion Church. We have good reasons, of course, for assuming that the baptism of infants was not the exception, even in the early Church, for children who were born of Christian parents.
The Active Obedience Of Christ, Th Engelder
The Active Obedience Of Christ, Th Engelder
Concordia Theological Monthly
Rom. 5, 18. 19 is a second passage which proves that the active obedience of Christ is on integral part of His vicarious satisfaction. The question here to be decided is whether the "righteousness" of Christ, His "obedience," are terms describing that one righteous act, that one set of obedience by which Christ submitted to death according to the will of God, or whether they describe His entire obedience, His righteous life in general, His universal compliance with the Law. They would have to bear the former meaning if the proposition is true that salvation was accomplished exclusively by the …