Religion Commons^™

The Gospel In The Medieval Church, Carl A. Volz

Concordia Theological Monthly

A curious phenomenon of Protestant and Lutheran historiography since the 17th century has been a studied neglect of the millennium labeled by Renaissance scholars as the "Middle Ages." One reason for this indifference lies in the popular notion that the Reformation was preceded by a thousand years of sub-Christian superstition during which the strong Pauline accent of justification by grace through faith on account of Christ was almost totally ignored. By coloring these centuries dark, the reformers tend to stand in bolder relief as heroic men of God who appeared to correct long-standing abuses in the church. The more sharply …

Documentation: A Response To Some Critical Questions, Reuben C. Baerwald

Concordia Theological Monthly

Many critical questions have been raised about Synod’s New York resolution on fellowship with the American Lutheran Church(ALC). These questions challenge the reality of the doctrinal agreement and point to many problems and differences in church practice. The following material picks up many of these questions (some from a widely distributed essay, “To Join or Not to Join,” by Robert Preus), and provides a positive response.

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.

The Free Conferences Of 1903-1906 And The Concept Of Analogia Fidei, Martin W. Flor

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod has been charged many times with practicing separatism, and this in almost every phase of its history. The church historian Guericke even judged the Saxon emigration to be a movement of such a nature. One fact which refutes this accusation is that from the very beginning Missouri was eager to hold so-called free conferences, the ultimate goal of which was the establishing of doctrinal unity and possibly of church fellowship.

The Christian Faith And Revelation, Fred Kramer

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Christian faith rests solidly on God's own revelation of Himself and of His will with respect to man. Divine revelation is an act of God, not subject as such to the correction of the philosopher. Divine revelation has, however, a human correlative, namely theology. Theology, as the word is here used, is the church's speaking and teaching about God and His will. It is not itself revelation, which is always God's activity, but the church's speaking and teaching based upon divine revelation and therefore subject to correction, where it may need correction, on the basis of divine revelation.

Book Note, Byu Studies

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

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 …

The Realism Of Hope: The Feast Of The Resurrection And The Transformation Of The Present Reality, Jurgen Moltmann, Gilbert A. Thiele

Concordia Theological Monthly

Some of the great festivals that Christians (in our country) celebrate appeal to us, some do not. In a way we respond to some of them, but others estrange us: we do not know what to do with them. Many people obviously feel that Christmas has value for them. Regardless of what they think about it, they nevertheless have the feeling that God comes close to them again and that in His nearness they find human warmth. The "Totensonntag" (Sunday of repentance and prayer, last in the Trinity season) affects people who mourn their dead. We can even understand Good …

Haggadah In Jewish Bible Study, Etan B. Levine

Concordia Theological Monthly

Christian Biblical interpreters adopted and adapted the interpretative principles and methods of their Jewish and Greek teachers and neighbors whenever and insofar as they judged them to be compatible with the Biblical text. One method of Scriptural interpretation and application in Judaism was that of Haggadah. Jesus used a form of this method when in Matt. 12:1-7 He added an interpretative story (Haggadah) about David and his soldiers to the Biblical principle that Yahweh desires mercy and not sacrifice.

The History Of A Joint Catechism: Progress In India, Herbert M. Zorn

Concordia Theological Monthly

Efforts toward union have generally been characterized by emphasis either on "order" or "faith." To epitomize these emphases with the phrases "union first, agreement later" and "agreement first, union later" approaches caricature; but it does serve to indicate the direction in which each emphasis is headed. Both these emphases seem to partake of the same weakness, the supposition that the other side, somehow or other, will be taken care of. The "union first" supposes that agreement will grow out of union; "agreement first" supposes that a series of agreed propositions is going to take care of the organizational problems of …

The Christian World View And The New Era In Science, August C. Rehwaldt

Concordia Theological Monthly

The present article will concern itself chiefly with man's mastery over nature by means of the intellectual capacities which God has so lavishly bestowed on him and which God preserves even today, even though man has not fulfilled the intentions of God for the created world. It will also show that the vitiation of God's intentions and purposes for man and the created world is in the process of being resolved even now.

Theological Education: Crisis And Renewal, David S. Schuller

Concordia Theological Monthly

The institutions of higher learning in the United States of America are undergoing rapid and profound changes. Theological education, for the most part, senses this feeling of change in the air but has been hesitant as to how to move. In many quarters the pressures for change are increasing; a rising sense of uneasiness is building. But the future appears indistinct enough so that those who should be exerting leadership on the level of the local seminary and denomination are pleading for more time.

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 …

Our Common Confession And Its Implications For Today, Robert Bertram

Concordia Theological Monthly

What is it that our confession, or rather the God we confess, is revolutionizing? What is He overturning and replacing? Our sin with His righteousness? Yes, but not only that. Our old world with His new world? That too, but not only that. The tyrants and principalities of this age with His new age? Not even only that. What He is replacing is His own old order - old, yet truly His.

A Topical Sermon, Andrew Weyermann

Concordia Theological Monthly

The sermon in this issue calls attention to the possibility of dealing with very specific and even rather difficult subjects from the pulpit. It is not necessary for sermons to restrict themselves to generalities, and it is possible for preachers to build on, rather than continually repeat, the “foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God." (Heb. 6:1)

The Church Hymn And Its Way Into Music, William Mudde

Concordia Theological Monthly

When the thunderstorm of the Reformation appeared on the heaven of the life of the church, it looked as if it would destroy the harvest of European music. With its protest against the Mass as an opus operatum, the Reformation also opposed the artificial music that accompanied the Mass. As formulated in the Motu Proprio of Pius X, the music shrouded the Mass in beautiful garments of sanctity and Roman Catholic universality. What substitute did the Reformation offer? Surely not something that one could actually call "art," but rather sacred folksong. Tolerated only as an evil in the Roman Catholic …

Those "Divorce And Remarriage" Passages, Harry G. Coiner

Concordia Theological Monthly

The statements of Jesus on marriage and divorce were spoken within the context of (a) the particular milieu of His time and (b) His radical claims on those who would be His disciples. This is evident both in the context of His statements and in the particular wording of them.

The Complete Centurion, Robert W. Bertram

Concordia Theological Monthly

Any day now should bring with it a crop of good jokes about that prolific benefactor of our age, the dialog. The wonder is that the jokes have not appeared sooner, considering how quick men normally are to record their thanks for such a boon in their humor-the way they once did, remember, for GI Joe or for their pastors or for the soup kitchens or, in the days of great piety, for God.

The Theology Of Communism, Martin H. Scharlemann

Concordia Theological Monthly

In 1964 the Chicago University Press published a volume of essays entitled What Can a Man Do? The chapters of this book were written by one of our most distinguished Jewish journalists. One of his essays goes under the title "Christ Under Communism." It concludes with the observation that today there are really only two serious contenders for the hearts and minds of men, namely, the church and communism.

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.

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.

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.

Man, What A God?, C. Mervyn Maxwell

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Principles For The Development Of Adult Premembership Instruction, Robert L. Conrad

Concordia Theological Monthly

The need for a study was brought forcibly to the author's attention by his membership on a subcommittee of the Board of Parish Education of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. The responsibility of the subcommittee is to formulate principles for adult premembership instruction in The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. The subcommittee could find no existing statement of principles, so it was forced to make a beginning on such a formulation.

A Critique: “Two Levels Of History.", David W. Lotz

Concordia Theological Monthly

It is scarcely possible to read a theological treatise today without at some point meeting the current distinction between two levels of history, between Historie, and Geschichte, (following the Bultmannians), or between "outer" and "inner" history ( H. Richard Niebuhr), or between the "objective- historical" and the "existential-historical" (John Macquarrie). This distinction has primarily been occasioned by the rise of the historical-critical method in the 19th century, by the failure of the so-called "quest for the historical Jesus," and by the church's apologetic needs in the scientific ("positivistic") era. The primary aim of this paper is critically to examine this …

Brief Studies, David Backus, Harry N. Huxhold

Concordia Theological Monthly

Some Sources of Graeco-Roman Features in the New Testament

Faith in the Epistle to the Hebrews

The Early Success And Gradual Decline Of Lutheranism In England, 1520-1600, Basil Hall

Concordia Theological Monthly

This calendar was an unofficial enterprise intended to oppose the names of "Protestant saints" to those of "Popish saints" in the traditional calendars in Elizabethan use, and it cannot be taken to mean that a deep or ready sympathy existed for Lutheran doctrine and religious practices at that time. In fact it would be difficult to find an Elizabethan writer approving of Lutheran teachings and methods of worship and advocating them apart from those subjects which had become common to Protestantism, including justification by faith.

Overview Of Pastoral Counseling, Leonhard C. Wuerffel

Concordia Theological Monthly

In his editorial preface to a volume titled An Introduction to Pastoral Counseling, Wayne Oates makes the observation: "The pastor, regardless of his training, does not enjoy the privilege of electing whether or not he will counsel with his people. … His choice is not between counseling or not counseling, but between counseling in a disciplined and skilled way and counseling in an undisciplined and unskilled way." Recent studies have also made it very clear that pastors hold a central and strategic position as counselors in today's society. Clinebell succinctly phrases the challenge: "It is obvious that clergymen are on …

Changes In The Missouri Synod, Arthur C. Repp

Concordia Theological Monthly

Have there been doctrinal changes in The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod? Few questions have disturbed that Synod more during the past quarter of a century. Both negative and affirmative answers have been staunchly maintained. ''Missouri has not changed its doctrinal stand" was the repeated claim made by Theodore Graebner, though few men changed their doctrinal position as much as he did in so short a time.

Luther On Justification, John F. Johnson

Concordia Theological Monthly

Once upon a time every student of theology identified in any way with the Lutheran Confessions was able to read, pronounce, and understand the expression articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae. More importantly, he was not only able to read it; he believed with all his heart that this designation referred to the doctrine of justification. Indeed, this has always been the distinguishing mark of evangelical Lutheranism.