Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Darkness At Noon: Mark's Passion Narrative, Robert H. Smith

Concordia Theological Monthly

The puzzle of Mark's Gospel is not how Jesus can be both human and divine, son of Mary, and Son of God. The mystery has to do rather with the cloud brooding over this Jesus as He proceeds to a lonely and forsaken death. Over all His days as over all His words and works, over His power and His weakness, over His speech and His silence, there falls the shadow of the cross. How can such a portrait be "the good news of Jesus Christ" (1:1)? How can this somber and sobering document be called a "gospel"?

Parables In The Gospel Of Thomas, William R. Schoedel

Concordia Theological Monthly

Dr. Schoedel provides important light on a burning contemporary question concerning the authority of the Scripture. He does this by studying the attitude of an important early group of Christians to the sayings of Jesus. He concludes that the Gnostic Christians who produced the Gospel of Thomas did not hesitate to edit and change the sayings of Jesus to suit their own theological viewpoints.

The Eucharist In The Life Of The Church, John S. Damm

Concordia Theological Monthly

The author proposes seven theses for doing the Eucharist in order to establish the rhythm of the church's life in the world. The paper was read in substantially its present form at the October 1970 meeting of the Institute for Liturgical Studies meeting at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.

The Orders Of Creation-Some Reflections On The History And Place Of The Term In Systematic Theology, Edward H. Schroeder

Concordia Theological Monthly

In this article, he argues that the concept associated, with the term "orders of creation" in current Missouri Synod, discussions of the ordination of women is not Lutheran but Calvinist in origin, and not a Biblical concept.

Editorial, Herbert T. Mayer

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Lutheran Confessions and Unity Among Christians

The Christian-Marxist Dialog: Spurious Or Authentic?, Ralph L. Moellering

Concordia Theological Monthly

The author offers a descriptive analysis of the Marxist-Christian encounter to date, raising the question whether or not the stage has been set for authentic dialog to occur.

The Computer With Legs And The Rough Beast Slouching -Notes On Religion In The 1970s, Martin E. Marty

Concordia Theological Monthly

The author reviews a variety of models used in religious interpretations that were popular in the sixties as a prelude to his discussion of the trends and images that theologians must discern and deal with during the cultural revolution of the seventies.

Preserve The Unity Of The Spirit, Richard R. Caemmerer Sr.

Concordia Theological Monthly

Surely there is no gift for the human race that we desire more at this hour than unity. Nations fight nations, classes stand embattled against classes, spouses and children draw apart from each other. The most deadly illness of the individual today is alienation, the sense of being alone. Would that there could be unity to draw us together!

Companions Of The Augustana, E. George Pearce

Concordia Theological Monthly

How many of us Lutherans have wished at one time or another that our church might be called by another name? As an introductory thought, I should like you to consider the title of this essay, "Companions of the Augustana," as a possible alternative.

The Secret Of God's Plan: Studies In Ephesians Part Two, Martin H. Scharlemann

Concordia Theological Monthly

In our previous study we attempted to depict the content of God's secret plan and the structure of what we chose to call the overture to Ephesians (1:3-14). We noted how the opening verses of this epistle anchored the "mystery of God's will" in Christ as the manifestation of the divine purpose at work in history. We referred to this intent as a "secret," partly because there was a time at which the final purpose of God's activity had not yet been revealed. Now it is an open secret. It was made known first to the apostles and then, by …

Different Ministries, Different Means, One God! -A Theological Opinion On The Racial Issue, Kenneth F. Korby

Concordia Theological Monthly

Consideration of the racial issue in the context of social reform has often been marked by a profound confusion of the Law and the Gospel. As a result, rather ill-defined issues have been confounded by a darkening of the light itself. The Law has not been used lawfully, and the Gospel has not been employed evangelically. The church in relation to culture has been seen as a "Statue of Liberty" that bears the torch of social reform, holding it high in the air as she leads mankind to a better society. She has been viewed as the "conscience of society," …

The Gospel And The Ecumenical Movement, Robert P. Scharlemann

Concordia Theological Monthly

The first conference on "Life and Work," held in Stockholm in 1925, appealed to Christians to repent the divisions among them and to make the gospel the decisive power in all areas of life. This conference - the "Nicea of ethics," as it came to be called-was not summoned to discuss the theological or dogmatic questions which divide the churches; it was called to address the churches' task of working together in the public life. The invitation declared the world situation to be so serious that Christians could not afford to await the reunion of churches before setting "hearts and …

Theses On Ecumenical Truth And Heresy, John George Huber

Concordia Theological Monthly

Out of love and zeal for both truth and unity, the following theses are presented to my beloved colleagues in the Southern California District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod as a constructive contribution to the current debate on altar and pulpit fellowship. They do not represent an official policy, but are only a personal, unofficial opinion offered for exploratory discussion. They reflect the "hernial stance" of one who lives in the tension of obedience to Jesus Christ while simultaneously remaining a responsible member of a changing synod and a changing world.

Legalism In An Evangelical Church, J. P. Koehler

Concordia Theological Monthly

The essay that follows developed from a remark that the author made at one of the larger intersynodical conferences. The remark was to the effect that there is much legalism rampant in our circles, that the result is stagnation and retrogression in all areas of church life, and that for this reason sincere and general repentance is necessary before we may anticipate a turn for the better. The expression "legalism in our circles" was not generally understood. It was intended to describe one aspect of all our activity in thought, speech, and endeavor, based on a comprehensive observation of life …

Race And The Institutional Church (Reading Programs In Theology), Robert L. Conrad

Concordia Theological Monthly

The bewildered Christian, viewing the relatively recent and rapid progress of the American Negro, may ask: ''What more does the Negro want?" The black's reply to that question is likely to be, "What have you got?" Such a reply indicates the fact that a revolution becomes more demanding as the gap is narrowed. But the gap has been narrowed only in certain respects. The Negro has made gains in having but not in belonging. In fact, things seem worse in the latter area. In view of all this, the great mass of Christians is confused and inert.

In Many, Much, Richard R. Caemmerer

Concordia Theological Monthly

Pastors of large churches have always had to suffer from well-meaning brothers who masked their sometimes subconscious envy behind a hearty "I'll bet you just wear yourself out on that big job." In addition, two movements of thought have recently bedeviled them. One is that God is dead, and perhaps the whole operation should be turned into a used-car lot. The other is that the parish is dead, that it is a shame for people to come on a Sunday and be comforted when they ought to give up all and live in tenements. In all three corrosive comments is …

Moving Toward Lutheran Unity, Oliver R. Harms

Concordia Theological Monthly

Two words in this topic seem to me very important: "moving" and "unity." They express thoughts that many persons seemingly have wanted to avoid or to ignore. There are those who say we are already at the point of unity. Others are sure we will never get there. Some flexibility in thought is required at both ends of this spectrum of opinion.

Living With The Brothers In The Lord, Arthur Carl Piepkorn

Concordia Theological Monthly

Nov. 11, 1967-today-is the 49th anniversary of the armistice that initiated the end of the war between the Central Powers and the Allied Powers. It is also the 484th anniversary of the baptism of Martin Luther. On this day I as a Lutheran "brother in the Lord" am greatly pleased to have been asked to address this Roman Catholic diocesan Institute on Ecumenism. The fact that this day is both the anniversary of an armistice and the anniversary of a baptism is not, I hope, without its symbolic significance.

Vatican Council Ii Addresses Protestantism, Carl S. Meyer

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Second Vatican Council made no overt bid to all Christians to return to Rome. It did not condemn those outside the Roman Church. Instead, the Council spoke kindly to those who are not under the jurisdiction of the Pope. The pronouncements of the Council about nonRoman-Catholics are earnest and deserve serious attention. Although they are not addressed directly to Protestantism, they speak about Protestantism and in that sense they may be regarded as being addressed also to Protestants.

The Martyrs Of Christ -A Sketch Of The Thought Of Martin Luther On Martyrdom, Douglas C. Stange

Concordia Theological Monthly

If one wishes to discuss any contribution, rediscovery, or reformation that Luther made in the Christian church, he must recognize the great Reformer's primary concern that faith in Christ be purely preached. For Luther, the church was built on the rock that is Christ, and Christians were to preach the Savior's Evangel to all men.

Pleroma And Christology, Harold A. Merklinger

Concordia Theological Monthly

Theologically, πλήϱωμα is among St. Paul's basic concepts. This is particularly true in his epistles to the Ephesians and to the Colossians. In them he uses the term freighted with Christological content.

The Church In God's Eternal Plan: A Study In Ephesians 1:1-14, Victor A. Bartling

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Church was in the world long before our days. It existed in Ephesus before Paul wrote his Letter to the Ephesians. Essentially the church, like Christ, never changes. Its foundation, its goals, its means and resources, its message to men always remain the same. But since the church is made up of men, it necessarily reflects, in its historical manifestations, the social and cultural aspects of its historical environments. Within these environments, however, it must function according to God's unchanging design. There is always the temptation that the church may so much lose itself in its own given historical …

A Critique Of Theological Education In The Light Of Changing American Culture, David S. Schuller

Concordia Theological Monthly

The more critical the situation faced by a ministry, the more intense has been its criticism of conventional theological education. Where the patterns of cultural change have been least severe, the conventional shape of ministerial training has been most successful. Turning to the areas of greatest change we find the most demanding tests that can be addressed to contemporary theological education. Moreover, such areas should prove most predictive of the types of change we can look for in the future.

Church, Ministry And Mission Fields, Maynard Dorow

Concordia Theological Monthly

The ministry is currently the focus of considerable attention on nearly all Christian fronts. On the American scene this attention has been occasioned in part by the general shortage of clergy. More than this, however, questions are being raised concerning the role of the pastor and the relevance of the ministry as presently conceived for our industrial and urban society.

The Pastor's Role In Social Action, Norman Temme

Concordia Theological Monthly

As the world knocks at the doors of the churches, however, it finds closeted within a sometimes confused, a more often unconcerned, congregation of Christians. It comes seeking help in the form of counsel and guidance, and ends up frequently giving out some advice instead.

The Teaching Of The New Testament Concerning The Church, Bruce M. Metzger

Concordia Theological Monthly

Today the word "church" has a wide of meanings. These include: (1) the totality of Christian believers as the Church universal; (2) a local congregation, whether gathered at one place for worship or not; (3) a building used for public worship; (4) a denomination; and (5) the clerical profession. Of these five common meanings. only the first two appear in the New Testament; the others are of later development. For example, though today we speak of "the church which is located on such-and-such a street," the earliest known reference to a church building dates from the second century. During the …

Extracongregational Communion Services, Frederick H. Pralle

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Church exists in the world to glorify God by bringing the Gospel and the sacraments to the world and thereby keeping Christians in saving faith. The people of the Christian community are also to live their faith in actions of love toward one another and those outside the fellowship of the Christian community. The Church is, therefore, in the world but not of this world.

February's Festivals, Arthur Carl Piepkorn

Concordia Theological Monthly

The two minor festivals of February focus attention on two important tasks that faculty and field, the editors and most of the readers of this magazine, share with each other.

America, Listen And Live! A Special Lutheran Hour Address, Oswald C. Hoffmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

It is not my purpose to comment on the political results of Mr. Khruschchev's visit to the United States. I am a firm adherent of the doctrine of two realms, limiting the spheres of church and state. It is a Biblical truth, as well as a fact of human history, that God rules in both realms, although He does so in different ways.

Theology And Love, Richard R. Caemmerer

Concordia Theological Monthly

Two customs of thought have tended to erect, if not a barrier, at least a filter between theology and Christian life.

The one is the hoary distinction between the "doctrinal" and the "practical" portions of the epistles - as though the apostles were "teaching" less strenuously when they were shaping the life and behavior of their readers than when they were discussing their faith. The other is the theologically more recent distinction between kerygma and didache and the assumption that when a preacher wants to save people, he tells them about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; when he …