Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Oxford Movement A Hundred Years Ago, W. Arndt

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Anglican Church and its daughter, the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States, are with much enthusiasm observing this year the centennial of what is known as the Oxford Movement, or Tractarianism.

Christ's Descent Into Hell, Paul Koenig

Concordia Theological Monthly

Christ’s descent into hell is not a moot or undecided doctrine, upon which no clear light can be shed and which remains the subject for speculation indefinitely; nor is it one the correct or incorrect teaching of which is a matter of indifference. It is embodied in the Apostolic Creed, and with the Church of old we confess: "suffered under ... He descended into hell." It thus becomes a part of our holy Christian faith and one to which wo must subscribe as well as to the foregoing or the following. But while the words "descended into hell" are confessed …

Rejection Of Eutychianism And Nestorianism In The "Genus Apotelesmaticum" And A Short Review Of Reformed Christology, Theo. Dierks

Concordia Theological Monthly

The incarnation of the Son of God for the salvation of the world is the central truth of the Gospel, and since the Church of the living God is the "pillar and ground of the truth," it has the duty to maintain this truth, to defend it against the assaults of error, and to transmit it to future generations. This we must keep in mind when considering the two natures in Christ; for at first we, too, might be inclined to agree with Hodge when he says: "Not content with admitting the fact that the two natures are united in …

The Shifting Sands Of Science, Th. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

Men are colling upon the Christian Church with increasing insistence that it adjust its teachings to the findings of science. The Western Christian Advocate of December 22, 1027, declared: "New discoveries have necessitated new statements of our faith. Our views of the Bible, our ideas as to God's relationship to the world, have got to be reconstructed. . . . The heterodoxies of one day have become the orthodoxies of the next." w. K. Wright, in A. Student’s Philosophy of Religion, demands that he, the student, draw no conclusions in conflict with the dicta of present-day mental and physical science. …

"Entire Sanctification", F. E. Mayer

Concordia Theological Monthly

The old Adam is a thoroughgoing perfectionist. He is able to see that human nature is depraved, though, of course, the depth and extent of human depravity can only be learned from Scripture, and yet in his proud conceit he maintains that he is master of his evil inclinations. The old Adam sees sin and the horrible consequences of sin on all aides; yet in his carnal security he believes that he has "perfectly," i. e., "according to his knowledge and ability," met the demands of the supremo Lawgiver.

The Ghost Of Pietism, Th. Graebner

Concordia Theological Monthly

It has been raised in the Norwegian Lutheran Church. An attempt is being fostered, with an energy and persistence worthy of a better cause to revive upon American soil the lay activities connected with the career of Hans Nielsen Hauge. When the Norwegian Lutheran Church was organized in 1917, the smallest of the bodies entering the union was the so-called Hauge Synod. Characteristic of this Norwegian body are revivalism and lay preaching. A minority was reluctant to enter the union because they feared a gradual submergence of their peculiar type if associated with the former Norwegian Synod and Norwegian United …

Die Schriftlehre Von Der Verstockung, Th. Laetsch

Concordia Theological Monthly

Die Schriftlehre von der Verstockung (The Doctrine of Hardening)

Dr. Francis Pieper The Churchman, W H. Dau

Concordia Theological Monthly

''There is no such thing in the Christian Church as mere teaching; all teaching is to be reduced to practice. The Christian Church is not a philosophers' school, where only teaching is done, but a society of people who by faith in the Gospel and mortification of the flesh are traveling on the way to everlasting life and are commissioned to lead others into this way. True, there is also teaching done in the Christian Church, and this is done first and over continued. Doctrine is the basis for every activity of the Church. However, teaching is not the end, …

Introduction To Sacred Theology, J T. Mueller

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Nature and Constitution of Sacred Theology.

Theology Considered as Doctrine.

As theology, in its subjective sense, is the habitude, or ability, to teach the Word of God as set forth in Holy Scripture, in all its truth and purity, so Christian theology, in its objective sense, or conceived as doctrine, is nothing more and nothing less than the true and pure presentation of the doctrine of Holy Scripture. 1 Pet. 4, 11 : "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God.'' Titus 2, 7-10: "In doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech, that cannot be …

Introduction To Sacred Theology, J T. Mueller

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Nature and Constitution of Sacred Theology.

Christianity, the Absolute Religion

The Christian religion is the absolute religion, inasmuch as it is absolutely perfect, neither requiring, nor being capable of, improvement or supplementation. It is God-given and therefore precisely as God would have it to accomplish its beneficent purpose of "saving sinners." When we ascribe to the Christian religion perfection or absoluteness we do not mean to say that it is a "logically complete whole", or a logically complete and perfect system, in which there are no missing links of thoughts or doctrines. Considered from this viewpoint, the Christion religion …

Introduction To Sacred Theology, J T. Mueller

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Nature and Constitution of Sacred Theology.

The Two Sources (Principia Cognoscendi) of the Existing Religions.

As we have seen, there are but two essentially different religions, the religion of faith, or of the Gospel, and the religion of works, or of the Law. So also there are but two actual sources (principia cognoscendi, principles of knowledge) from which these two divergent religions are taken. The religion of works is of human origin; it is a man-made religion, having its source and origin in the human heart, in which God has inscribed His divine Law, so that also the heathen, …

Brief Statement Of The Doctrinal Position Of The Missouri Synod Of The Holy Scriptures, F Pieper

Concordia Theological Monthly

We teach that the Holy Scriptures differ from all other books in the world in that they are the Word of God. They are the Word of God because the holy men of God who wrote the Scriptures wrote only that which the Holy Ghost communicated to them by inspiration, 2 Tim. 3, 16; 2 Pet.1, 21. We teach also that the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures is not a so-called "theological deduction," but that it is taught by direct statements of the Scriptures, 2 Tim. 3, 16; John 10, 35; Rom. 3, 2; 1 Cor. 2, 13. Since the …

Introduction To Sacred Theology, J T. Mueller

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Scriptural Viewpoint of the Christian Theologian.

Owing to the diverse views and tendencies prevailing among theologians to-day, it is necessary for the Christian theologian, before presenting to his readers his dogmatic treatise, to declare in clear and unmistakable terms from what viewpoint this has been written.

The viewpoint of the present-day modernistic theologian is that truth must be determined by human reason in the light of scientific research. The theological Liberalist therefore does not recognize Holy Scripture as the source and norm of faith, but bolds that this ancient standard of the Christian Church has been superseded by the …

The Modern Church Looks At Society, Th. Graebner

Concordia Theological Monthly

The official papers of the Lambeth Conference have been published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. The Lambeth Conference is a meeting of bishops of the Anglican Church and the Episcopalian bodies (including the American Protestant Episcopal Church) affiliated with it. The name is derived from the old palace overlooking the river Thames, owned by the Anglican State Church.

Concerning The Doctrine Of Inspiration, J T. Mueller

Concordia Theological Monthly

Under the heading "The Place of the Holy Spirit in Biblical Inspiration" J. Huebner of Lincoln, Nebr., in the Lutheran Church Quarterly, presents to his readers for renewed consideration and study the doctrine of the inspiration of the Bible. The article is clearly written and challenges the Lutheran Church of to-day to express her mind on "the question of the place of the Holy Spirit in the creation of the sacred Scriptures.'' In spite of the author's efforts to remain conservative, the essay is somewhat imbued with the spirit of modern German theology. While space does not permit a detailed …

Reformed Tendencies In Certain American Lutheran Churches, Th Graebner

Concordia Theological Monthly

The subject is one that would properly call for an extended treatise. Reserving a more detailed discussion for a later date, the writer here would submit in the form of extracts from the official organs of several Lutheran bodies evidence of a strong Reformed leaven now working in the Synods responsible for these periodicals.

Sermon For The Golden Jubilee Of A Congregation, W G. Polack

Concordia Theological Monthly

It is with heartfelt rejoicing and fervent thanksgiving that you are met together in your house of worship on this occasion. After weeks and months of careful planning and prayerful preparation the day of your golden jubilee has come. You have united your hearts and voices in songs of praise, echoing the exultation of the psalmist: "Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all His benefits." “The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous. … This is …

Outline For A Sermon On The Presentation Of The Augsburg Confession, W G. Polack

Concordia Theological Monthly

The circumstances leading up to the completion of the Augsburg Confession have been discussed in the foregoing sermon of this series. We shall therefore turn our attention to the events connected with its presentation at the Diet of Augsburg June 25, 1530.

Unsere Lehre Auf Dem Lutherischen Weltkonvent In Kopenhagen, F Pieper

Concordia Theological Monthly

Unsere Lehre auf dem Lutherischen Weltkonvent in Kopenhagen (Our teaching at the Lutheran World Convention in Copenhagen)

Preaching On The Augsburg Confession, Theo. Laetsch

Concordia Theological Monthly

Preaching on the Augsburg Confession. The four-hundredth anniversary of Luther's Small Catechism, celebrated wherever the name of Luther was known, has undoubtedly been a source of richest blessing. Pastors and people become better acquainted with its history and contents, learned to appreciate this little book the more highly, and thanked God the more sincerely for this precious gift. The sermons preached on the Catechism during 1920 were not in vain, but productive of splendid results, sure as Is.55, 10. 11 still holds good. Let us hope that similar streams of blessing will flow from the celebration of the four-hundredth anniversary· …

Concerning The Resurrection Body, J T. Mueller

Concordia Theological Monthly

Modern unbelief, in its onslaught on our Christian faith, is in violent opposition also to the Biblical doctrine of the resurrection, one of the central teachings of the Gospel. With regard to this doctrine, Modernists are divided into two camps. Some, like Fosdick, are inclined to identify the resurrection of the body with the "immortality of the soul.'' (Op. Fosdick, Modern Use of the Bible.) Others, again, deny even the doctrine of personal immortality, claiming that "the only valid immortality is of two kinds, influential and eugenic,'' or, that "the prolonged and rich life of posterity here is the only …