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Full-Text Articles in Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion

Theologian Of Sin And Grace, Robert Kolb Sep 2015

Theologian Of Sin And Grace, Robert Kolb

Concordia Journal

This volume is a must for anyone seeking an understanding of the transition from the Wittenberg Reformation to seventeenth-century Lutheran theology as well as the developments in hermeneu- tics, history, and biblical exegesis shaped by this unique figure, Matthias Flacius, the Illyrian.


Proper 23 • Hebrews 3:12–19 • October 11, 2015, Joel Okamoto Sep 2015

Proper 23 • Hebrews 3:12–19 • October 11, 2015, Joel Okamoto

Concordia Journal

The promise is eschatological, a promise of life with God and all his people in the new creation, enjoying the life of the age to come.


Proper 23 • Hebrews 3:12–19, Joel Biermann Sep 2015

Proper 23 • Hebrews 3:12–19, Joel Biermann

Concordia Journal

Sin becomes altogether too common and familiar and so “safe.” The writer to the Hebrews screams the contrary alert: Sin kills.


Proper 22 • Hebrews 2:1–13 (14–18), Charles Arand Sep 2015

Proper 22 • Hebrews 2:1–13 (14–18), Charles Arand

Concordia Journal

Not only did God honor us with the role of being responsible over creation, he now honors us by becoming a human creature so that in him, that right dominion would be restored.


Proper 18 • James 2:1–10, 14–18, Joel Fritsche Sep 2015

Proper 18 • James 2:1–10, 14–18, Joel Fritsche

Concordia Journal

For faith alone can justify; Works serve our neighbor and supply The proof that faith is living.


Proper 15 • Ephesians 5:6–21, Joel Fritsche Sep 2015

Proper 15 • Ephesians 5:6–21, Joel Fritsche

Concordia Journal

The Christian Life, A Wake up Call.


Sanctification, David Scaer Sep 2015

Sanctification, David Scaer

Concordia Journal

Sanctification and the Third use of the Law.


Who Is The Church?: An Ecclesiology For The Twenty-First Century. By Cheryl M. Peterson, Theodore Hopkins Sep 2015

Who Is The Church?: An Ecclesiology For The Twenty-First Century. By Cheryl M. Peterson, Theodore Hopkins

Concordia Journal

Peterson appropriates insights from communion ecclesiology, the missio Dei movement, and the Lutheran tradition, particularly Luther’s Large Catechism, in order to offer an account of the church’s identity for this time after Christendom.


A Christian In Toga: Boethius— Interpreter Of Antiquity And Christian Theologian. By Claudio Moreschini, Robert Kolb Sep 2015

A Christian In Toga: Boethius— Interpreter Of Antiquity And Christian Theologian. By Claudio Moreschini, Robert Kolb

Concordia Journal

How the world of thought fostered by Neoplatonists, pagan and Christian, was being integrated into theology by leading Christian thinkers of the early sixth century, among whom Boethius’s works have won him high standing.


Pentecost • Acts 2:1–21 • May 24, 2015, Kent Burreson Sep 2015

Pentecost • Acts 2:1–21 • May 24, 2015, Kent Burreson

Concordia Journal

The gift of the resurrection comes to fruition in the Gentile Pentecost as peoples of all the nations die and rise in the baptismal bath of the Holy Spirit.


Easter 7 • 1 John 5:9–15 • May 17, 2015 Testifying In The Courtroom, Leopoldo Sánchez Sep 2015

Easter 7 • 1 John 5:9–15 • May 17, 2015 Testifying In The Courtroom, Leopoldo Sánchez

Concordia Journal

In true Johannine fashion, the apostle offers us a contrast between two opposing principles at war with each other, namely, the way of the Son that leads to life and the way of the world that leads to death.


Can Anything Good Come Out Of _____? Come And See! Faithful Witness In Marginality And Hospitality, Leopoldo Sánchez Sep 2015

Can Anything Good Come Out Of _____? Come And See! Faithful Witness In Marginality And Hospitality, Leopoldo Sánchez

Concordia Journal

Christ who is suffering with us becomes a sign that, in light of the Latin American experience of suffering, reminds an often individualistic North American church that is more focused on victories than bearing crosses to embody a ministry of accompaniment with those who experience hostility and alienation.


Living In The Promises And Places Of God A Theology Of The World, Charles Arand, Erik Herrmann Sep 2015

Living In The Promises And Places Of God A Theology Of The World, Charles Arand, Erik Herrmann

Concordia Journal

In this discourse mutual witness is possible as the lives of both Christians and non-Christians function as a testimony to part of the story of God.


Case For Character: Towards A Lutheran Virtue Ethics. By Joel D. Biermann, Mark Mattes Sep 2015

Case For Character: Towards A Lutheran Virtue Ethics. By Joel D. Biermann, Mark Mattes

Concordia Journal

Over all, Biermann’s contribution is significant, timely, and a remarkable achievement that will alter current discussions of ethics among Lutherans and other Christians.


Lent 2 • Romans 5:1–11 • March 1, 2015, Robert Kolb Sep 2015

Lent 2 • Romans 5:1–11 • March 1, 2015, Robert Kolb

Concordia Journal

Suffering does not save, but those who have found salvation and peace in Christ can expect the hostility of Satan in the midst of daily life as it manifests itself in attacks and temptations of various kinds.


Making Sense Of Confessionalism Today, Joel Okamoto Sep 2015

Making Sense Of Confessionalism Today, Joel Okamoto

Concordia Journal

Okamoto states that problems with confessionalism come from taking the Confessions for granted. He suggests making the confessions our own by seeking to explain and defend them for our time and place. The Apology of the Augsburg Confession should remain in force, but a twenty-first Apology could provide a contemporary explanation for current circumstances. This would be a way to appropriate the confessions as confessions, not merely as doctrinal standards, and would be a constructive rather than defensive approach.


“I Make These Confessions My Own” Lutheran Confessional Subscription In The Twenty-First Century Robert Kolb And Charles P. Arand, Robert Kolb, Charles Arand Sep 2015

“I Make These Confessions My Own” Lutheran Confessional Subscription In The Twenty-First Century Robert Kolb And Charles P. Arand, Robert Kolb, Charles Arand

Concordia Journal

The spirit of Augsburg and the method of the Wittenberg theologians carry the content of the Lutheran confessional documents into the many societies and cultures of the twenty-first century in which God calls Lutherans to repeat their confession of faith for the benefit of church and world.


The Nicene Creed In The Church, David Maxwell Sep 2015

The Nicene Creed In The Church, David Maxwell

Concordia Journal

“Let us confess our Christian faith in the words of the Nicene Creed.” But what do we mean when we identify the content of the faith with the words of the creed.


Introduction From The Chair, Joel Okamoto Sep 2015

Introduction From The Chair, Joel Okamoto

Concordia Journal

I propose that we think of “confessionalism” as understanding our identity and life as Christians in terms of the basic confession “Jesus is Lord.”


Epiphany 3 • Isaiah 9:1–4 • January 26, 2014, Quentin Wesselschmidt Sep 2015

Epiphany 3 • Isaiah 9:1–4 • January 26, 2014, Quentin Wesselschmidt

Concordia Journal

The unrepented sins of Israel received their due; so the sins of our age will not go unpunished by God unless people confess their sins and cast themselves upon the mercy of God that is offered in Christ Jesus.


Baptism Of Our Lord • Isaiah 42:1–7 • January 12, 2014, Thomas Manteufel Sep 2015

Baptism Of Our Lord • Isaiah 42:1–7 • January 12, 2014, Thomas Manteufel

Concordia Journal

Through the baptismal covenant, we are united with Christ and receive his blessings.


Epiphany • Isaiah 60:1–6 • January 5, 2014, Leopoldo Sánchez Sep 2015

Epiphany • Isaiah 60:1–6 • January 5, 2014, Leopoldo Sánchez

Concordia Journal

Who are those in our neighborhood who have yet to be drafted into Jesus, the new Israel, brought into the light of the Lord, so that they too may be saved and worship him?


Christmas 1 • Isaiah 63:7–14 • December 29, 2013, Joel Biermann Sep 2015

Christmas 1 • Isaiah 63:7–14 • December 29, 2013, Joel Biermann

Concordia Journal

Deluded by the illusion of self-mastery and bolstered by the culture’s eager affirmation of the supremacy of the individual, autonomous man is as resistant to the incursion of a new ruler as was Herod of Jerusalem.


Advent 4 • Isaiah 7:10–17 • December 22, 2013, Wally Becker Sep 2015

Advent 4 • Isaiah 7:10–17 • December 22, 2013, Wally Becker

Concordia Journal

The sign of Immanuel is a sign of hope and promise, of grace and mercy, for Jesus has come to be with us, with forgiveness, life, and salvation.


Proper 12 • Deuteronomy 7:6-9 • July 27, 2014, Thomas Manteufel Sep 2015

Proper 12 • Deuteronomy 7:6-9 • July 27, 2014, Thomas Manteufel

Concordia Journal

God, our faithful God, keeps his word and covenant in redemption and forgiveness.


Back To The Beginning Creation Shapes The Entire Story, Charles Arand Sep 2015

Back To The Beginning Creation Shapes The Entire Story, Charles Arand

Concordia Journal

So creation is more than a stage or scenery for God’s story. It is integral to the entire story. After all, the entire story is about God’s relationship to his creation, especially to those extraordinary creatures that he had formed from the ground to look after and cultivate his creation.


Divine Kingdom, Holy Order: The Political Writings Of Martin Luther By Jarre Carty, Editor, Theodore Hopkins Sep 2015

Divine Kingdom, Holy Order: The Political Writings Of Martin Luther By Jarre Carty, Editor, Theodore Hopkins

Concordia Journal

Only Carty’s introductory essay is necessary in order for the reader to understand Luther from Carty’s perspective, which enables the reader to read any selection of interest with a lessened chance of confusion.


The Bible Made Impossible: Why Biblicism Is Not A Truly Evangelical Reading Of Scrip By Christian Smith, John Bombaro Sep 2015

The Bible Made Impossible: Why Biblicism Is Not A Truly Evangelical Reading Of Scrip By Christian Smith, John Bombaro

Concordia Journal

By making a compelling argument that christocentrism, not bibliocentrism, is the truly evangelical response to theological liberalism and cultural caricaturing, The Bible Made Impossible warrants mandatory reading by all thoughtful Christians and thorough discussion by Lutheran pastors, professors, and seminarians.


Lent 5 • Ezekiel 37:1–14 • April 6, 2014, Joel Okamoto Sep 2015

Lent 5 • Ezekiel 37:1–14 • April 6, 2014, Joel Okamoto

Concordia Journal

Psalm 118:22, “The stone the builders rejected has become the head of the corner.” Some who saw and heard Jesus firsthand did not believe but instead killed him.


Lent 4 • Isaiah 42:14–21 • March 30, 2014, Robert Kolb Sep 2015

Lent 4 • Isaiah 42:14–21 • March 30, 2014, Robert Kolb

Concordia Journal

Turn to the execution of his promise in Christ, the one who opens our ears to God’s communication, his torah, and who opens our eyes to his concern for us, both in his anguish over our sins and in his love that delivers us from evil.