Practical Theology Commons^™

An Investigation Into The Effectiveness Of Preaching For The Purpose Of Teaching Christian Doctrine, Martin Brauer

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

This thesis is "An Investigation of the Effectiveness of Preaching for the Purpose of Teaching Christian Doctrine." By Christian Doctrine we mean everything that the Bible tells us about God, His nature, His work and His attitude toward man, and everything that the Bible tells us about the origin, purpose, and destiny of man, his nature, and his relationship to God. Men and God are the great theme of Scripture. Everything that the Bible says can some way or another be fitted under this theme.

The Practical Application Of Matthew 18:15-18, Walter H. Bouman

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Lord Jesus Christ has wonderfully endowed His Church upon earth. To His Church, to the Christians, He has given the power to open and to close heaven, to bind and to loose sinners. And this is no empty gesture on the part of the Lord of the Church, for the Lord Jesus very specifically says: “Verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Matt.18:18. And just as our congregations in their constitutions provide that all things are to be …

Spiritual Care Of Patients In Army Hospitals, George W. Kautz

Bachelor of Divinity

Our Lutheran Church of the Missouri Synod through its Army and Navy Commission has fully recognized the great task of providing a spiritual ministry to the men in the armed forces. Therefore many Lutheran clergyman at the beginning of the war offered themselves cheerfully to preach Christ Crucified to these men who were about to die and to minister to them under every condition. The Army Chaplaincy offered the great opportunity to serve Christ and to minister to many blood-bought souls.

Foreword, W. Arndt

Concordia Theological Monthly

God be praised! The firing has ceased, the unparalleled carnage is ended, the weary troops are returning home, the activities of peace are gradually resumed. Though in some countries the war continues, the United States no longer is involved. In His mercy the great Ruler of the Universe has once more called to the thundering billows of war, mountainous in their height, all-devastating in their fury: "Be still!" and the wild sea is growing quiet. All who will hear He bids in a different sense: "Be still!" adding, "and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the …

The Lord's Prayer, The Pastor's Prayer, G. H. Smukal

Concordia Theological Monthly

The pastor prays to the Father: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." His privilege and duty is to understand the meaning of this petition and to convey it to his congregation. If he fails in this, he is incompetent; if he is incompetent, he should either acquire knowledge or return the shepherd's staff to Jesus. The knowledge of God's will is indispensable to faith and life. To attain this sufficiency, the faithful pastor strives earnestly to ascertain the meaning of this petition. That pastor was the devil's servant who said to an afflicted parishioner: "Don't …

A Manual For Summer Bible School--An Experiment In Christian Education, Allan Hart Jahsmann

Bachelor of Divinity

The need and the demand for new materials, new approaches, and new techniques in Christian education has been growing with the increasingly renewed recognition of the importance of the individual and the psychological approach to him. The parochial school teachers have been leading the chorus of voices for more directed mediums of religious instruction, and rightly so.

The Reunion Of Christendom, Th. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

Unionism is the order of the day. In an address delivered at Valparaiso on Sept. 23, 1942, Dr. J. W. Behnken declared: ''The things which are happening on earth in these days are not merely rocking the very foundation of our vaunted twentieth-century civilization, but are also causing dreadful difficulties for the Church. But far worse than this havoc is the alarming indifference to the Word of God as it manifests itself in the mighty movements to unite all churches professing the Christian name into one large body. Within very recent months some very ominous statements have been made belittling …

Foreword, W. Arndt

Concordia Theological Monthly

Another year arrives, and what a hapless, disjointed, sad, disillusioned world it looks upon! Nation slaughters nation; the globe resembles one huge shambles; civilization apparently is collapsing, the social order disintegrating; the noble inventions and discoveries of science are harnessed to the chariot of destruction and death; the ingenuity of statesmen stands discredited; education has led downward; mankind may be compared to a large monster which is gnawing at its own vitals. Those whose eyes have not been entirely dimmed can plainly discern the seven angels pouring out the vials of divine wrath on the earth.

Youth Leadership, P. E. Kretzmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

To offer a satisfactory summary of the problems which confront young people, particularly those of the late high school and college age, would require at least a semester's work, and therefore we can at best point out only those features of guidance which seem to require the most attention on our part. Let it be dated at once that the most difficult phases of work in the early stages of adolescence cannot be discussed at this time, partly because the amount of time at our disposal will not permit a satisfactory rehearsal of the most significant points, partly because most …

Youth Guidance In Marriage Problems, Elfred L. Roschke

Concordia Theological Monthly

"Youth Guidance in Marriage Problems" is the topic of this article. Before we begin the actual consideration of the topic, it may be well to get our bearings and to give some definitions. What do we mean by guidance? We believe that this term designates, or should designate, any effort by means of example and by means of precept, by direct or indirect instruction, to show people, especially young people, the true and right way, the best course to follow. Since this guidance, according to the topic, is to be a guidance of youth regarding the problems of one of …

The Progressive Revelation Of The Antichrist, P. E. Kretzmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

That there have been many antichristian forces, many "antichrists" in the world since the days of our blessed Savior, that, in fact, they had their origin in apostolic times, is clearly stated in Holy Scripture, as in 1 John 2:18; 4:3; 2 John 7. Our knowledge of this fact, therefore, and our belief in this truth, is based upon a teaching, a doctrine, of the Bible.

Dignified Methods Of Church Publicity, August Brustat

Bachelor of Divinity

Church publicity is an important phase of church work. It is the MEANS by which we call to the attention of immortal souls the truth of salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Methods of church publicity are an important part of the curriculum of a theological Seminary. Prospective ministers of the Gospel will be greatly aided in their future parish duties if dignified ways and means of publicizing the Gospel are called to their attention in the course on Practical Theology.

Teaching Situations, Outlines, And Lesson Plans, P. E. Kretzmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

One of the strangest distinction which is observed when men are being trained for the ministry and, for that matter, when men are in the ministry, is that which prompts ministers to lay just about the exclusive emphasis of their office on preaching, that is, on delivering the sermons and addresses in public gatherings of the Christian congregation. No doubt this is the most conspicuous part of the ministry and one upon which success depends in a very vital way. We are prone to quote the statement from our Lutheran Confessions "Es ist kein Ding, das die Leute mehr bei …

The Social Implications In The Gospels And In The Book Of Acts, P. E. Kretzmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

What are social implications? We might ask first: What is meant by "social"? Obviously the answer is: Anything that Involves two or more people as distinguished from a situation that concerns one person, or individual, alone. To satisfy one probable Inquiry at once, we hasten to say that we want to forestall any suspicion as to any inclination toward a social gospel by stating that the message of the Gospel as we find it in the Holy Scriptures, although commonly proclaimed before social groups, is definitely addressed to the individual, since faith is clearly a matter of the individual, as …

Qualifications Of A Chrisitan Minister And Teacher And Teaching Procedures As Exemplified In The Life And Teaching Of Jesus, Leonard Thaemert

Bachelor of Divinity

What were the qualifications of Jesus for this important work? We have only a few glances into His rich but brief life here on earth; but all of these are significant, and indicate that He was steadily pursuing a definite purpose and fitting Himself for a specific service. If we consider what He did after the age of thirty, we are led to the conclusion that all His earlier years were spent in study, in meditation in prayer, in direct communion with the Father as preparatory for His three years of service. How significant this is to see in Him …

The Articulus Catholicus, Martin S. Sommer

Concordia Theological Monthly

We have all heard, and had impressed upon us, that the true doctrine concerning justification by faith alone is the articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae. The truth of this statement has often been confirmed and established in our publications. But this article concerning justification by faith alone is not only the articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae, but it is also the articulus catholicus; that is to say, it is a teaching which has always been taught by all faithful teachers everywhere in the Christian Church.

The Administration Of The Sacraments, Th. Laetsch

Concordia Theological Monthly

Our Lord Jesus Christ in the night in which He was betrayed instituted, and Himself administered, His Holy Supper. To this day this Sacrament remains His Holy Supper, a heavenly banquet which He Himself has spread and which He Himself serves to all attendants Says Luther: "We know that it is and is called the Lord's Supper, not the supper of the Christians. For the Lord ha not only instituted it, but also prepares and administers it Himself.

The Institutional Missionary And The Sick, E. A. Duemling

Concordia Theological Monthly

Visitation of the sick is one of the most important duties of an institutional missionary. While on earth, Jesus, the Physician, had compassion on the sick and freed them from their ailments, not only physically but also spiritually. Jesus is no longer visibly with us, no longer performing miracles of healing, and sickness is still causing untold agony and misery in the world. It is very sad indeed to see so much pain and suffering, principally in our large hospitals. As long as we are living in a sinful world, there will also be pain, suffering, and, finally, death. There …

Professional Growth In Comparative Symbolics, Th. Graebner

Concordia Theological Monthly

The continued acquaintance of the Lutheran minister with comparative symbolics - not to speak of his growth in this field of theology-is beset with peculiar difficulties. The field is very large, comprising all the forms in which organized religion is represented in the world. Even if we limit the practical study of the subject to the religious movements found in the United States, the task of becoming acquainted with their doctrine is a prodigious one.

St. Paul And Woman's Status, J. T. Mueller

Concordia Theological Monthly

Evidently the article has been read with much interest and at least some approval in wide areas, for no sooner had it appeared than the question was submitted to us whether or not it may be accepted also in our circles as essentially correct and Biblical. The problem, we think, deserves attention, since the question of the veiling and public speaking of women in church assemblies is still causing some pastors considerable vexation of spirit, though perhaps more than enough has been written on the topic in our church periodicals, commentaries, and other publications. As long as the earth will …

The Aims Of Chrisitan Education, P. E. Kretzmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

In discussing this topic, it may become necessary to touch upon a number of points which are closely related to it. Such points are matters pertaining to the transmission of information, teaching processes and procedures, the problem or task involved in the various acts connected with the stimulation of self-activity and the motivation of learning and other considerations pertaining to curriculum construction.

Outline For Sermon On Chrisitan Education, Paul Koenig

Concordia Theological Monthly

"Is the young man safe?" That was the anxious Iinquiry of a worried father. Is the young man or woman safe? Are the children safe? This should be the anxious question of the Church. "Whether or not they are safe, what will become of them later in life, depends to a very great extent on what we do for them during their childhood days, upon the training we give them.” Much emphasis is laid in our country on education. One out of every four persons is said to be enrolled in quest of some form of education.

The Pastor And Youth;, O. P. Kretzmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

At any given moment in his ministry the pastor in active congregational service is face to face with three age groups. A local church is a cross-section of the family of God. There are the old, for whom the ministrations of the servant of the Word are largely a preparation for a near eternity. There are the middle-aged who must be carried through sorrow and defeat even though their religious habits and attitudes have been fixed by the years. And there are the young, at one and the same time a very precious and a very unstable part of the …

The Pastor And The Pastoral Cure Of Souls, H. F. Wind

Concordia Theological Monthly

As the pastor of today surveys the scene presented by life In twentieth-century America, the setting in which he must practise his profession, he cannot but be impressed by the increasing magnitude of the task set for him. This task is indeed many-sided. It includes the functions of the public ministry, the preaching of the Word and the public administration of the Sacraments; it includes the teaching functions of the ministry in the educational activities of the Church; it includes administrative tasks as executive head of a rather complex organization; it includes missionary activities and frequently service in synodical offices; …

The Pastor And His Sermon, E. J. Friedrich

Concordia Theological Monthly

In the course of the last fifteen or twenty years much was said and done to discredit the pulpit as an instrument of power in the building of the kingdom of God. Even within the sanctuary itself strident voices proclaimed with prophetic finality that the pulpit had lost its power and that the day of preaching had passed forever. Systematic efforts were put forth in many quarters to supplant the preacher by religious technicians in the fields of worship, education, social service, and organization; and men quite generally staked their hopes for a virile and world-conquering Church upon agencies and …

The Pastor And His Office, J. H. Fritz

Concordia Theological Monthly

"Our office is a different thing now than what it was under the Pope; it has now become earnest and salutary. Hence it involves much more trouble and labor, danger and trial, and secures but little reward and gratitude in the world; but Christ Himself will be our reward if we labor faithfully." So Luther wrote in the preface to his Small Catechism four hundred years ago. Does the pastor of today think in such terms of his pastoral office?

The Progressive Self-Culture Of A Lutheran Pastor, John Weidenschilling

Bachelor of Divinity

During his three years at the seminary the theological student is taught the qualifications and requirements of a Lutheran pastor, and he is informed of the tremendous responsibilities and the exacting demands which a call into the ministry will lay upon him when he has become a pastor of a congregation. But the seminary training is not able to convert the student into a full-fledged pastor. Only long years of hard study and practical experience and divine grace can equip a man successfully and completely for this greatest and hardest calling and work in this world. Unless the ministerial candidate, …

Doctrinal Preaching, J. H. Fritz

Concordia Theological Monthly

"In a restless nation and agitated times, in these days of somewhat bustling religious activity, there has come to be too little of real doctrinal preaching."

Testifying The Gospel Of The Grace Of God, T. Engelder

Concordia Theological Monthly

Whenever St. Paul had occasion to speak of his work in the Christian ministry, his thoughts dwelt on one subject: "The Gospel of the grace of God." At a conference at Miletus he characterized his ministry thus : "None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God," Acts 20, 24. On the present occasion we cannot, and we would not, speak on any other subject. Let …

Leadership-Training In Our Church, P. E. Kretzmann

Concordia Theological Monthly

Leadership is the quality, or attribute, by which men or women occupy prominent or influential positions and exercise guidance, or direction, with respect to others. This quality, or attribute, presupposes and involves, in the first place, certain natural or inherent traits. In a very special sense it is true that leaders are born, not made.