Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Ministratores Verbi In Fidem Remissionis Gospel And Ministry In Luther's Writings To 1520, William Schumacher

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

The scope of this study is explicitly and intentionally (and hence, perhaps, artificially) limited to Luther's early writings, up to and including the milestone works of1520. It will seek to pay attention to detail, but makes no claim of being exhaustive. We will explore how Luther came to confess the gospel when speaking about the office of the holy ministry. Or, to put the question another way, what happened to the doctrine and vocabulary of the ministry when the gospel began to make itself heard in Luther's thinking, teaching, and preaching?

The Organic And Dynamic Relationship Of Justification And Sanctification For Christian Faith And Life In Reformation Soteriology, Seon-Dae Chae

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

For this study of justification and sanctification, the writer divides the fallen state of human beings into three phases of life experientially: sin, sinful life, and eternal death, although they are already dead spiritually (Eph 2: 1) from the beginning in the first Adam Rom 5: 12-21). And the processes of our life in Christ are also distinguished experientially into three phases: forgiveness of sin and justification ("set free from sin"), sanctification (righteous life), and eternal life, as the Word of God says: "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the …

Ministerio De La Diaconisa Luterana, Kristin Wassilak

Artículos educación teológica

Ministerio de la diaconisa Luterana

Law And Gospel In Luther's Antinomian Disputations, With Special Reference To Faith's Use Of The Law, Jeffrey Silcock

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

Three major antinomian controversies took place in Wittenberg in the sixteenth century, one during Luther's lifetime and two after his death. The first controversy, which is the subject of our study, had its beginnings in 1527 in an argument between Johann Agricola and Philipp Melanchthon. The occasion for this was the visitation of the churches in electoral Saxony and the major issue was the role of the law in repentance. The main phase of the first controversy however was the dispute between Agricola and Luther between 1537 and 1540. The issue was basically the same. The second and third antinomian …

Mariology In The Roman Catholic Magisterium Since The Second Vatican Council, David Mahsman

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

When Pope Paul VI on November 21, 1964, closed the third session of the Second Vatican Council, which had approved the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, he did so with a prayer to the Virgin Mary.

He addressed her as "Mother of the Church. "When Pope John Paul II on October 11, 1992, concluded an apostolic constitution for the publication of a new Roman Catholic catechism, he did so with a prayer for the "powerful intercession" of the Virgin Mary. He addressed her as "Mother of the Incarnate Word and Mother of the Church. "

The parallels between these papal …

Luther And Zwingli On The Righteousness Of God, Liars Plume

Master of Sacred Theology Seminar Papers

It would be going too far to say that Zwingli was a Nestorian, but his christology definitely had weaknesses, similar to those of Scholastic theology. My thesis, which I hope to demonstrate in this paper, is that Zwingli did not come to Luther's evangelical understanding of "the righteousness of God" because he did not recognize the importance of the proper distinction between the law and the gospel. The result of this was that Christ remained a lawgiver for him, as Christ was for Luther before his rediscovery of the gospel. I shall base my research on Luther's two sermons, "Sermo …

The Christology Of Feminist Theology-Exploration And Critique, Michael Miller

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

The primary focus of this thesis is feminist Christology. Nevertheless, it will be necessary to begin with a general introduction to feminist theology and an exploration of its fundamental teachings. The general introduction will first explore the historical roots of feminist theology in America, briefly tracing both its nineteenth century roots and its more contemporary roots. Second, it will explore and set forth the situation from which feminist theologians have written feminist theology. Finally, the general introduction will explore the basic goal of feminist theology.

Sanctification As Confessed By Luther In His Catechisms, Ernest Bernet

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

The problem with the doctrine of sanctification is multifaceted. However, Senkbeil, in the above material, has identified for us two main facets in the problem: 1) speaking of justification without properly addressing sanctification, and 2) speaking of sanctification without properly addressing justification. The respective results of these problems are: 1) the whole matter seems to be God’s doing, or 2) the whole matter seems to be our doing.

In order to sift through these issues in sanctification which Senkbeil identifies, I propose for this study that we begin with a semantic method rather than speaking immediately in the traditional doctrinal …

Κοινo͂Nia: The Biblical Proclamation Of Κοινo͂Nia And Its Relationship To The Proclamation And Celebration Of The Lord's Supper, Gregory Seltz

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

"Fellowship." What does it mean? How is one to “achieve" it? Or, does one achieve it at all? What are the modern views concerning koin ͂οnia and do they parallel Paul’s use of the term in his writings? Where is the koin ͂οnia hall in the church? Pastors, theologians and lay people alike are challenged to answer these questions, either overtly or subtly, for true faith looks to root itself on solid, common, KOINON, ground. The task of this study is to pursue clarity regarding koin ͂οnia which may help in recognizing when it is spoken of in lesser, other, …

The Missiological Significance Of The Doctrine Of Justification In The Lutheran Confessions, Klaus Schulz

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

Generally the Lutheran Confessions are understood in the traditional sense as the normative sources for Lutheran doctrine; in addition, they are also documents which offer valuable missiological insights. To support the latter observation the following study attempts to read the Lutheran Confessions with a heightened missiological perspective. Such a reading takes up the interests and concerns frequently raised by Lutheran theologians who in light of the increasing changes in mission see the theological integrity of Lutheran mission endangered. Consequently, they plea for a return to the Book of Concord from which guiding principles for Lutheran mission m Confessions, though, should …

The Bursting Of Old Wineskins: An Investigation Into Luther's Withdrawal From Augustine And The Scholastics As Evidenced In His Treatment Of Opus Operatum And Opus Operantis, Joel Brondos

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

In the Heidelberg Theses, we are confronted with the Augustinian Martin Luther who touted Augustine as Paul's most faithful interpreter. Later, however, we come to know a Luther who withdrew from Augustine: "At first I devoured, not merely read, Augustine. But when the door was opened for me in Paul, so that I understood what justification by faith is, it was all over with Augustine. This paper hopes to sail forward with Luther in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, steering cleanly between the Scylla and Charybdis of synergism and determinism, a way which neither Occam nor Augustine had …

The Eusebian Canons: An Early Catholic Approach To Gospel Harmony, Edward Engelbrecht

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

This paper focuses on one approach in this debate, that taken by Eusebius of Caesarea. The thesis is that the Eusebian Canons met exegetical, theological, and practical needs of Catholic Christianity by providing a sophisticated system of Gospel harmony. Eusebius' approach was designed to satisfy philosophical expectations as well as the rigors of classical, literary criticism. As a result of its many uses, the system became embedded in the manuscript traditions of virtually every language into which the four Gospels were translated in Late Antiquity.

Ordination Liturgies, The Call Process, And The Office Of The Ministry In The Landeskirche Of Braunschweig-Wolfenbuttel, 1569-1815, Kent Burreson

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Therefore this study intends to examine the rites on their own merit as historical evidence of the theological understanding of church and ministry that arose in a specific context—a contextual-historical study of rites concerned with forming pastors. As Smith asserts, "Liturgical events such as ordination do not occur in a vacuum. They are supported by an attendant structure which influences the way in which they are experienced and understood. The political, cultural, theological, and ecclesiastical context will be considered in order to determine the milieu and mindset in which the rites were framed and celebrated." Having determined the context, its …

New Measures: An Analysis Of An Argument Among Lutherans In The United States During The Fourth And Fifth Decades Of The Nineteenth Century, John Fuchs

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

This paper is a description and explanation of some aspects of the controversy over revivals and "new measures" which disturbed the Lutheran Church in the United States during the 1830s and early 1840s. Primarily, it is the story of an argument. Secondarily, it examines some of the theological assumptions implicit and explicit in the rhetoric of the controversy. The argument, however, was not about theology as much as it was about various practices in the life of the Church. Therefore this paper will of necessity describe some of those practices and attempt to evaluate them.

Auctoritas In Ecclesia: Jean Gerson And Martin Luther On The Authority Of The Papacy And General Councils, Paul Robinson

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Luther's ecclesiology provides fruitful ground for testing the validity of these hypotheses. The development of Luther's doctrine of the church continues to generate interest, especially in regard to the question of Luther's relationship to the medieval theologians. The earliest statements of Luther's doctrine of the church, those found in his first lectures on the Psalms, have been treated in this regard by Scott Hendrix. Hendrix has isolated specific themes found both in Luther and in medieval commentators on the Psalms for the purpose of comparison. The study presented here will approach Luther's statements on authority in the church, specifically the …

A Proposed Prolegomenon For Normative Theological Ethics With A Special Emphasis On The Usus Didacticus Of God's Law, John Tape

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

The purpose of this study is to examine and organize some of the current contrasting methodologies of theological ethics in an attempt to determine the Biblical method of choosing the moral option. This will be done in two different ways.

In the first part, two common methods in moral philosophy, the deontological method and the teleological method, will be defined and illustrated. It will be demonstrated that Scriptural ethics has elements in common with both rule deontology and rule teleology. In the second part, the Scriptural method of moral reasoning will be examined more closely by comparing three different ways …

The Role Of The Ministry And Of The Church In The Mission Of God According To Matthew 28:16-20, Gerson Luis Linden

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

This is an examination on the last pericope of the Gospel according to Matthew, chapter twenty-eight, verses sixteen to twenty, the so-called 'Great Commission.• The main purpose of this thesis is the investigation of that passage, looking for the answer to the question: how should that text be applied today or, in other words, what persons today should be -rightly considered as receivers of the command Jesus gave originally to His eleven disciples in a mountain in Galilee, after His resurrection? Putting the question directly in terms of the contemporary situation, is it a text that should be applied to …

Luther And The Third Use Of The Law, With Special Reference To His Great Galatians Commentary, Jeffrey G. Silcock

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

The question of whether Luther taught a third use of the law is far too broad for a thesis. We will therefore confine ourselves, in the main, to his great Galatians Commentary of 1531 / 1535, where he explicates in considerable detail the doctrine of justification and the proper distinction between law and gospel.4 Even though the nature of the letter is such that Paul speaks there more about justification than about sanctification, Luther still writes enough about the role of the law in the Christian life to warrant using this as our primary source. There are two main reasons …

The Arminian Libertarian Doctrines Of Freedom And Responsibility Evaluated According To Biblical-Reformed Doctrine Of Sin, Carlos Heber De Campos

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

Now the question to be asked is this: How can the human will decide to perform acts spiritually good, or have the ability of contrary choice, if it is determined by the condition of man's nature? Has man the moral ability to perform contrary to his own nature? Those who try to study man's moral ability without seriously knowing man’s total depravity, make a serious mistake.

Selected U.S. Supreme Court Cases Viewed Through The Lenses Of The Lutheran Two Kingdoms Doctrine, Larry Hendricks

Master of Divinity Thesis

The aim of this research is to prove how the Lutheran traditions (Scripture, Luther's writings, the Confessions, and Lutheran statements) to the citizen of a twentieth century democracy can help form a perception of selected cases of the Supreme Court of the United States in the light of the Two-Kingdom Doctrine of Luther. Certain Supreme Court decisions concerning the First Amendment of the United States Constitution will be chosen for their importance to the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.

Propter Absolutionem: Holy Absolution In The Theology Of Martin Luther And Philipp Jacob Spener A Comparative Study, Gerald Krispin

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

The approach to Luther's theological development which will be taken here is a chronological one. This is in no small part due to the character of Luther's writings themselves, many of which are occasional in nature and therefore inherently reflect Luther's theological development. It is therefore imperative that the time of writing and the occasion of a quotation must always be taken into account. What becomes evident in following such a chronological approach is that we are then learning him all the way through and may be kept from selecting pieces which fit into a preconceived pattern. Indeed, any such …

The Bestowal Of The Benefits Of The Real Presence The Early Eucharistic Works Of Martin Chemnitz As A Contribution Toward The Formula Of Concord Article Vii, Brynjulf Hoaas

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

Our thesis is that in Chemnitz' doctrine of the Lord’s Supper the benefits of the Lord's Supper are inherently the benefits of the Real Presence. The beneficial use of the sacramentis, therefore, connected with the "substance," that is, both the giving of the benefits and the receiving of them --faith and "the discerning of the body" -- are tied up with the Real Presence. This indicates that the two parts are closely connected, and their separation has negative consequences for both parts. A major purpose of our research will be to examine more in detail what he confesses of this …

The Theology Of Spiritual Gifts In Luther And Calvin: A Comparison, Robert Wetmore

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

This dissertation compares and contrasts Luther's and Calvin's theology of ministry because spiritual gifts are in some sense ministry gifts (using the broad definition of ministry as "every form of preaching the Gospel or administering the means of grace" as carried out by Christians in general) which are exercised by believers. Because spiritual gifts are not limited to the priests, this dissertation examines the understandings of both reformers concerning the priesthood of all believers. In turn, because spiritual gifts have often been understood as miraculous, so that it is necessary to explain what Luther and Calvin taught on the miraculous. …

The Relationship Of Christ And Faith In Luther’S Great Galatians Commentary (1531/1535), Section 2:16-21, Luisivan Veller Strelow

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Luther’s language. is not always .easily understandable in his description of how Christ and faith are related so that faith in Christ justifies with the exclusion of works. Luther refers to the "present Christ" and says, "Therefore faith justifies because it takes hold of and possesses this treasure, the present Christ.” Luther says also that Christ is "the form of faith," and that Christ and the believer are "as one person.” How is this language to be understood? In contrast to some authors who isolated these phrase. and interpret them in a way which goes against their own context, the …

The Lord's Supper's Eschatology In The Blood Of The Covenant, Joel Lehenbauer

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

The thesis we will try to defend is that the theology of the Lord’s Supper is the matrix of the theology of the Lord's Supper's23eschatology. What gives the Lord's Supper its unique character will also give the Lord's Supper's eschatology its unique character. One’s view of what holds the Lord's Supper together will determine one's view of what holds the Lord's Supper together with its eschatology. What is seen as the proprium of the Lord's Supper will also be the center of the Lord's Supper's eschatology.

An Analysis Of Justification By Faith, Laverne Janssen

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

A critical evaluation of this topic is practical today for a variety of reasons. Many Lutherans today earnestly desire a consensus on the gospel with the Roman Catholic Church. This desire is often misdirected by a lack of crucial information on the respective Lutheran and Roman Catholic teachings on justification today. The responsible pastor must provide the doctrinal information that is lacking. A restatement of the Roman Catholic position of Trent by the Lutheran pastor will not usually satisfy the questions of those who have witnessed what appear to be basic changes in the Roman Catholic Church in our generation.

The Relation Of The Celebration Of The Lord's Supper To The Office Of The Holy Ministry:, Kent Heimbigner

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

This thesis is written with the presupposition that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the divinely inspired written Word of God. This is most consistent with an investigation of the liturgical writings of the early church, as the earliest liturgies of the church consist almost entirely of the words of Holy Scripture. Those who used these liturgies sought not to displace what they had received but rather to confess it as they had first received it.

This thesis does not undertake to prove from Scripture the doctrines of either the Holy Ministry or the Lord's Supper …

The Doctrine Of Baptism As Confessed By C. F. W. Walther's Gesangbuch Of 1847, Jon Vieker

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate the vitality with which the Doctrine of Baptism was confessed in the hymnody of those who emigrated from Saxony to Perry County, Missouri and later formed "The German Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States."® Their first Gesanabuch of 1847,edited by C. F. W. Walther, the Missouri Synod's first President and stellar leader in nineteenth century American Lutheranism, will serve as the principal source.

Current Models In Roman, Lutheran, And Reformed Prolegomena: Exposition, Analysis, And Programmatic Assessment, David Lumpp

Doctor of Theology Dissertation

The marketplace is currently experiencing no shortage of systematic theologies. At both the popular and academic levels, volumes are published at a rate exceeding the ability of any one scholar to digest or evaluate. The methodological pluralism alluded to above is now a cacophony. Yesterday’s mentors are challenged by process theology, theologies of hope, and seemingly infinite manifestations of liberation theology--to name only several of the most obvious.

With this history and the above cautions in mind, this essay will explore the definition, guiding motif, and methodology of three major contemporary theologians: Bernard Lonergan, Helmut Thielicke, and Edward Farley, representing …

Augustine’S Theology Of The Sacrament Of The Altar As Understood From His Theory Of “Signum” And “Res”, Leo Fuhr

Master of Sacred Theology Thesis

Augustine's Platonic way of thinking causes him to see the things of this world as signs that point to a world beyond. Within the context of this way of thinking, that is, from lower to higher, from outer to inner, from visible to invisible, from temporal to eternal, we will seek to analyze his theology of the sacrament. In order to do this, this paper will examine the terms siqnum and res as employed by Augustine in his theory of sign and in his definition of sacrament. That, in turn, may enable us to re late this theory to his …