Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Mythical Typology In The Lord Of The Rings, Andrew Jones

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

When considering potential gospel patterns in J. R. R. Tolkien’s work, every critic is met with two conflicting realities. Firstly, the presence of gospel patterns is abundantly apparent in Tolkien’s work. Secondly, Tolkien himself stated rather emphatically that he did not intend to create a Christian allegory. Clyde S. Kilby writes, “The story, says [Tolkien], is ‘not ‘about’ anything but itself ’ and certainly ‘has no allegorical intentions, general, particular or topical, moral, religious or political.’ [Tolkien] declares in fact that he has a ‘cordial dislike’ of allegory.”1

Rethinking Law And Gospel In The Way We Do Preaching, Benjamin Berteau

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

This paper evaluates the impact of C. F. W. Walther’s Law and Gospel and Richard Caemmerer’s goal, malady, means approach to homiletics, also discussing the potential trap of law-gospel reductionism. A suggested pathway forward is a reemphasis on a creedal approach to Lutheran theology and preaching as well as a renewal of rhetoric as foundational to ultimately restoring a positive view of the third use or function of the law in Lutheran preaching. Having done so, the reader may certainly apply this positive view of the law as it relates to preaching on other topics related to the Christian Life …

Under The Power And Control, Chris Heaton

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Jesus has power over the spiritual realm of Satan, who is bound first through Jesus’s ministry and ultimately through his death and resurrection.

That my hearers may endure spiritual testing with full confidence of the victory won over Satan by Jesus, under whose power they are now under in baptism.

A Lost Prayer, Jaron Melin

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

What can we learn about prayer from a Jew who survived the Holocaust? Even though we face horrors, tragedies, and trials, prayer is part of who we are even when we don’t know why we do it. We also get an existential view of looking at the hidden God in the midst of atrocity. Finally, we see an example of a modern-day lament to God about cruel injustice. So then, we can bring our laments to God about injustice even today. As Christians, we can respond to this lament by saying, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

A Bible Study On Leviticus 19_1-2, 9-10, Joshua Ulm

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

As he wrote, spoke, and marched in the name of civil rights, Martin Luther King Jr. constantly addressed the issue of poverty. It was his opinion that equal rights can never be fully realized until poverty and financial inequality are eliminated. Toward the end of his 1967 Southern Christian Leadership Conference Presidential Address, King said: “[L]et us go out with a divine dissatisfaction. Let us be dissatisfied until America will no longer have a high blood pressure of creeds and an anemia of deeds. Let us be dissatisfied until the tragic walls that separate the outer city of wealth and …

Grapho 2018, Jordan Voges

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

The complete Grapho for 2018.

Limited Atonement In 1 John 2:2, Steven Clark

Celebration of Research

Atonement, the theological issue dealing with the precise nature of Christ’s work, is a central doctrine to the Christian faith and yet it is one which historically has not always achieved consensus among theologians. This problem becomes more complicated when we entertain the possibility that different biblical authors may have had competing understandings even within the New Testament canon. This project explores what might happen if we were to interpret 1 John 2:2’s idea of Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world in light of Rudolf Bultmann’s basic thesis about the Gospel of John’s view …

Another Scientific Revolution: Now Yielding A 'Cosmic Biology' Consistent With Natural Theology, Theodore Walker

Perkins Faculty Research and Special Events

Beyond the Copernican revolution, another scientific revolution is now in process. Inspired by Sir Fred Hoyle and others, this contemporary extension of the Copernican revolution is replacing biology conceived as exclusively Earth science with biology conceived as including study of stellar evolution and cosmic evolution. Furthermore, astrobiology, panspermia, and cosmic biology (Hoyle and Wickramasinghe) are advancing in ways consistent with natural theology, especially with panentheism. Some of this was anticipated and advocated by Alfred North Whitehead, Charles Hartshorne, and other philosophers of nature.

Don't Call King A 'Civil Rights' Leader: Toward Abolishing Poverty And War By Correcting Our Fatally Inadequate Remembering Of Mlk Jr., Theodore Walker

Perkins Faculty Research and Special Events

Remembering Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—primarily as a domestic “civil rights” leader—is inadequate, and sometimes harmful. The term “civil rights” fails to embrace King’s abolitionist movements toward the global abolition of poverty and war. Moreover, King was a Baptist preacher called by God. He advanced an optimistic realism (including a “realistic pacifism”) that improves upon pessimistic-cynical versions of political realism. And King went beyond advancing “civil rights” to advancing economic justice, economic rights, and human rights. He prescribed adding a social and economic bill of rights to the US Constitution, plus full-employment supplemented by “guaranteed income,” …

Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Gregory Chad Wilkes

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) directed by Rian Johnson.

The Mystery Of The Incarnation: Towards A Reconciliation Of Cyril And Nestorius, Kyle Williams

Seminary Masters Theses

This thesis studies the fifth-century christological controversy surrounding Cyril of Alexandria (c. 378-444) and Nestorius of Constantinople (c. 381-451) and their debate around the person and nature of Jesus Christ, sparked by the theotokos dispute. At the First Council of Ephesus (431) the christologies of these two bishops and theologians were pitted against each other, and have since been studied in contrast to one another. The goal of this study is to examine the christologies of Cyril and Nestorius with the intention to seek reconciliation between the two. In the Introduction I first orient the reader to the problem and …

Definitively Lutheran?: An Exploration Of Definitive Lutheran Characteristics In Higher Education, John Eggen

Doctor of Ministry Theses

This mixed-method, exploratory case study explores definitively Lutheran practices in higher education. This research explores emerging themes from Intersections and other publications reflecting upon institutional religious identity. This research explores the student experiences, expectations, and perspectives through a student survey and the perspectives of institutional leadership through qualitative research. It evaluates definitive characteristics of Lutheran higher education through the lenses of adaptive change, organizational theory, open systems theory, Lutheran identity, vocation, and exploring an understanding of missional, cruciform, perichoretic communities from the Pauline epistles. The results reveal limited statistically significant difference among students based on religious affiliation, but a divergent …

The Doctrine Of Man: What Is The Destiny Of Man Following His Death?, Harold Willmington

The Adam File

No abstract provided.

The Doctrine Of Man: What Does The Roman Catholic Church Say About Man’S Destiny?, Harold Willmington

The Adam File

No abstract provided.

The Doctrine Of Man: What Do The Advocates Of Soul Sleep Say About Man’S Destiny?, Harold Willmington

The Adam File

No abstract provided.

The Doctrine Of Man: What Do Various Non-Christian Systems Say About Man’S Destiny?, Harold Willmington

The Adam File

No abstract provided.

The Doctrine Of Man: What Do Major Religions Say About Man's Destiny?, Harold Willmington

The Adam File

No abstract provided.

The Doctrine Of Man: What Do The World's Philosophical Systems Say About Man's Destiny?, Harold Willmington

The Adam File

No abstract provided.

The Doctrine Of Man: What Do The Cults Say About Man's Destiny?, Harold Willmington

The Adam File

No abstract provided.

The Doctrine Of The Holy Spirit (V-W), Harold Willmington

The Third Person File

No abstract provided.