Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

The Gospel For The Whole Person: Attending To Sin And Grace Throughout The Human Experience, Charles Ridley

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Preaching is the means by which the Holy Spirit speaks to God’s people through the preacher who stands in the stead of Jesus, the Lord of the Church. Through a sermon that is faithful to God’s revealed will and written Word, the Spirit convicts the world concerning sin and proclaims the gospel of forgiveness, life, and salvation which is found in Christ alone. The basic task placed before us in preaching is not only to be faithful to scripture, but also to make a coherent and compelling presentation of the gospel. Most of those reading this will be familiar with …

Touched By Grace? A Look At Grace In Bergman's Winter Light And Martin Luther's Writings, Kjartan Leer-Salvesen

Journal of Religion & Film

Ingmar Bergman holds a prominent place in the lineup of directors who have used cinema to investigate the meaning of life in a godless world. The so-called “Trilogy of God’s Silence” is often identified as the place where Bergman struggled most profoundly with core themes from the Christian faith. In Winter Light, he explores the topic of doubt, devastatingly, through a minister’s religious and existential crisis. This article, however, proposes that Martin Luther’s theology may provide resources for reappraising Bergman’s canonical film.

Terrence Malick Beyond Nature And Grace: Song To Song And The Experience Of Forgiveness, Elisa Zocchi

Journal of Religion & Film

In The Tree of Life Terrence Malick poses the question of the relation between the order of grace and the order of nature in the cosmos and in human existence, a question presented through the relation of mother and father in the O'Brien family. The aim of this article is to analyze this issue and to present the role of glory in The Tree of Life as the transfiguration of nature operated by grace. Specifically, the example of forgiveness as one strand of this glory seems to be an helpful tool to understand the movie. Forgiveness, already present in The …

Misinterpreted End-Time Issues: Five Myths In Adventism, Jiri Moskala Thd, Phd

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

"realize that my unpleasant Christian experience was built on five misunderstandings which assumed that the Bible and/or the Spirit of Prophecy: (1) teach that believers will only receive the seal of God at the end of time; (2) stand against the assurance of salvation; (3) affirm that living believers can be called and examined in the pre-advent judgment at any time; (4) proclaim that after the close of probation the Holy Spirit will be removed from the earth meaning that even believers will be without any supernatural help; and (5) declare that believers in Jesus Christ will be on their …

Covenant, Kingship, Grace, Sacrifice, And Prophetism In The Old Testament, Rickie S. Scott

The Kabod

This essay examines the major themes of covenant, kingship, grace, sacrifice, and prophetism that reoccur throughout the Old Testament and contribute to a proper understanding of the ancient biblical text. Through covenant, God reveals his divine nature and relates to his people. Through kingship, God reveals his plan for Israel. Through grace, God loves his chosen people and shows them mercy, and through sacrifice, God cleanses and sanctifies the Israelites. Finally, through prophetism, God discloses his divine calling for the Israelites. Each of these themes exposes God’s self-revelation and contributes to an enhanced understanding of the Old Testament.

What Is Grace And What Grace Is Given In The Sacraments?, Rosamaria Agostino

Aristos

The Catholic understanding of the word grace is extremely rich and multifaceted. A more focused exploration of grace from its biblical roots to its use in the sacraments provides one with a profoundly humble appreciation of how deeply grace is interwoven into the faith and how undeserving yet privileged one is to be able to receive it. This understanding allows grace to manifest itself more clearly in the everyday life of the believer and continue to deepen their faith. The sacraments play an important role in this as they are where grace is received, restored, nourished and maintained.

The Practical Theology Of The General Rules, Andrew C. Thompson

The Asbury Journal

The “General Rules of the United Societies” were a central component of the early Methodist movement under John Wesley’s leadership. Examinations of the General Rules in contemporary literature tend to focus on their role in personal and organizational discipline for early Methodists and for the movement as a whole. Yet a close examination of the rules shows that they served a greater purpose: as the practical theological articulation of how Methodists could expect to experience sanctification in the context of their lives. This crucial aspect of the General Rules’ use can be seen by exploring Wesley’s understanding of the means …

A God Of Mercy, Grace And Wrath: The Essential Nature Of God In The Old Testament, John Willis, Tim Willis

Leaven

No abstract provided.

What Is Freedom?, James W. Thompson

Leaven

No abstract provided.

The Action Of Grace In Territory Held By The Devil: Flannery O’Connor And Cormac Mccarthy, Scott A. Singleton

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

This paper compares the lives and work of Flannery O’Connor and Cormac McCarthy. The two authors share similarities in their backgrounds, careers, and work. The paper begins with an examination of biographical information of both authors to contextualize their work and note commonalities in their lives and careers. The central idea is that Flannery O’Connor and Cormac McCarthy both create grotesque characters to reveal the depraved condition of humanity in order to highlight the need for redemption and the possibility of divine grace. To prove this, examples are discussed from multiple pieces of work by O’Connor and McCarthy including The …

A Brief Look At Methodology And Grace In Wesleyan Theology, Kyle Blanchette

The Asbury Journal

In a recent piece for the Asbury Theological Journal, Nathan Crawford has attempted to put current understandings of emergent phenomena within the neurosciences in conversation with Christian soteriology; in particular, Crawford has sought to link up themes found in emergence with distinctively Wesleyan perspectives on sanctification. In this article, I offer some reflections on theological methodology in light of Crawford's analysis, and I identify some needed clarifications of Kenneth J. Collins's model of John Wesley's soteriology. In the latter half of the piece, I present a critical analysis of the issue of monergism and synergism in Wesley's understanding of grace.

Conversion, Justification, And The Experience Of Grace In The Post-Aldergate Wesley: Towards An Understanding Of Who Is "A Child Of God.", Marlon D. De Blasio

The Asbury Journal

Aldersgate is highlighted from the angle of its significance on Wesley's theological thinking and subsequent ministry, rather than from an emphasis on his point of conversion. The Post-Aldersgate Wesley developed a soteriological understanding that identified a "child of God" with distinct qualifications, namely justification by faith, the experience of grace, and the indwelling Spirit. A theology of conversion also emerges with definitive markers that constitute a new standing from non-Christian to Christian. Shifts in Wesley's theological understanding of Christian faith are evaluated. Justification by faith remained a strict soteriological principle in the mind of the mature Wesley. As well, the …

Charles Wesley's Doctrine Of The Holy Spirit: A Vital Resource For The Renewal Of Methodism Today, Jason E. Vickers

The Asbury Journal

This essay is an extended argument in favor of a recovery of a robust doctrine of the Holy Spirit in Wesleyan-Methodist theology today The argument develops in five stages. First, it shows the significance of the person and work of the Holy Spirit in Charles Wesley's understanding of revelation, the atonement, purification, sanctification and the like. Second, it suggests that contemporary Wesleyan theologians have often ceased attributing these things to d1e presence and work of the Holy Spirit, opting to attribute them in a generic way to grace instead. Third, it provides a conceptual analysis of the difference between the …

The Soteriological Approach To Christian Doctrine., F. E. Mayer

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Lutheran Confessions present all Christian doctrine from the soteriological standpoint, that is, from the meaning each has for our salvation. Each and every doctrine of Christian revelation must be viewed in actu, not only in statu; it must be within the focus of a real spiritual problem and be presented only in its soteriological significance.

How The Gospel Works, Richard R. Caemmerer Sr.

Concordia Theological Monthly

In the long plan of God we can imagine one good issue emerging from this debate. That is that the meaning of the Gospel becomes clearer and its preaching to the church and the world more apt and timely.

Open Letter To Charismatic Lutherans, Paul F. Hutchinson

Concordia Theological Monthly

The author is pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, St. Louis, Missouri, and has been actively involved in aspects of the charismatic movement.

Process Of Preparation - Genesis 22:1-14: From Text To Proclamation, Andrew M. Weyermann

Concordia Theological Monthly

This article is a paper also prepared for the symposium on "Abraham and Archaeology." On Sunday, February 27, 1972, the author preached a sermon on Gen. 22:1-14, the account of the sacrifice of Isaac. Later the author discussed his preparation for the preaching task with the conference.

The Just Shall Live By Faith, Otto W. Heick

Concordia Theological Monthly

When did Luther reach the reformation insight into the doctrine of Justification? The author reviews the literature on the question, and brings to the attention of American readers the work of Uuras Saarnivaara, which has received little scholarly attention since its publication.

Luther On Christ And The Old Testament, James S. Preus

Concordia Theological Monthly

Careful reading of this article will contribute to getting the hermeneutical debate in our Synod beyond the present impasse that has been created by a non-Lutheran posing of the alternatives by so many who are involved in the debate.

Masters In The Making, Alfred Von Rohr Sauer

Concordia Theological Monthly

How can we go about the task of improving our learning? That is the problem that confronts every educational institution, but especially the church-oriented college or seminary. The problem obviously involves both students and faculty members. The improvement of the learning process on the students' part is dependent on the improvement of the teaching process of the instructor. The teaching process, moreover, calls for a large measure of good counseling on the part of the instructor. The more personal attention a student is given by his instructor, the more stimulated and motivated the student will be to pursue bis studies …

Let's Be Lutheran, Lloyd H. Goetz

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Word of God is His self-revelation in the person of Jesus Christ. This is God's final, complete, and greatest communication to man for his salvation.

The Gospel Promise To Abraham, Norman C. Nagel

Concordia Theological Monthly

"How were the people in the Old Testament saved?" That question is raised by students of the Scriptures in many contexts. The wary teacher usually responds by asking for a definition of the word "saved." A related question is posed this way: ''What is the nature of the gospel in the Old Testament?" Such queries open the door to a flood of concerns about the relationship between the Testaments. That flood will not abate in the wake of this brief article. The ravens and doves of biblical theology will hardly be satisfied with anything less than a preservation of past …

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 …

The Gospel And The Ecumenical Movement, Robert P. Scharlemann

Concordia Theological Monthly

The first conference on "Life and Work," held in Stockholm in 1925, appealed to Christians to repent the divisions among them and to make the gospel the decisive power in all areas of life. This conference - the "Nicea of ethics," as it came to be called-was not summoned to discuss the theological or dogmatic questions which divide the churches; it was called to address the churches' task of working together in the public life. The invitation declared the world situation to be so serious that Christians could not afford to await the reunion of churches before setting "hearts and …

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.

Brief Studies, Marvin W. Anderson, Herbert T. Meyer

Concordia Theological Monthly

Professor Gordon Rupp: The Optimism of Grace

Toward Lutheran Unity

The Treasure Of The Church, Walter R. Bouman

Concordia Theological Monthly

If being on the cover of Time magazine is the status symbol of our age, then Martin Luther has it made. The issue of March 24, 1967, carried his picture, painted by Time cover artist Lucas Cranach the Elder. There's not much left in the status department, except perhaps being named "Man of the Year" or being belatedly canonized. The latter has been seriously suggested, but the former won't happen. This is 1967, not 1517. Religion could hardly be called decisive in national or international affairs. A protest against the sale of indulgences would be meaningless. Poor Tetzel couldn't give …

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.

Worship: The Divine Alchemy, Thomas Coates

Concordia Theological Monthly

In medieval lore, scientists sought to use the process of alchemy to transmute base metals into gold. Alchemy proved to be a pseudoscience, for men have devised no method to create the precious metal out of elements that are common and coarse. But in a higher sense, and in the spiritual realm, God achieves that which to man is impossible: He takes these base, ignoble elements, these earthen vessels - our stumbling words, our faltering prayers, our paltry gifts, our flawed works, our frail and sin-scarred lives - and transmutes them into gold, into offerings fit for the King.

The Continuing Significance Of Luther's Prefaces To The New Testament, Werner Georg Kuemmel

Concordia Theological Monthly

When Martin Luther published his first translation of the New Testament into the German language in 1522, he did not publish the Biblical texts alone. He provided his readers with some help by prefaces to the whole New Testament and to the individual books. These prefaces were reprinted in all the following editions of the New Testament and of the whole Bible until the 17th century, but Luther took one of them out and changed the text of a few of them in later editions.