Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

Making The Case For Preachers Who Read, Ethan Stoppenhagen

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

I once heard a story about a new pastor in the early 1990s who was settling into his first call in Pembroke, Ontario. A man walked into his study and silently began perusing the shelves. The pastor noticed him, but carried on with his business. The stranger spent several minutes pulling books off the shelves, flipping pages, nodding and murmuring, and setting some books apart by laying them on their spines. Occasionally he’d hold up a book with a quizzical look on his face. “Required for class,” the pastor shrugged, and the man would scoff and shove it back on …

"Covenant Theology: Biblical, Theological, And Historical Perspectives"[Review]/Waters, Guy Prentiss, J. Nicholas Reid, And John R. Muerther, Eds., Felix H. Cortez

Andrews University Seminary Studies (AUSS)

This is a book review by Felix H. Cortez.

Sanctification And Ecclesiology, Gregory Moffitt

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

The question of the nature of the Christian community is complex, with farreaching implications. For instance, the way in which we conceive the Christian community impacts how we think about questions such as the sanctification of the individual as he or she lives out their vocation as a part of the community. In this paper I will examine how Dietrich Bonhoeffer discussed the Christian community, focusing particularly upon how he discusses questions concerning ecclesiology and sanctification in his Discipleship and Life Together.

Letter From The Chairman Of Student Publications, Jordan Voges

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Why a student journal? The simple answer is: you, you the writers, and you the readers. To those who want an outlet for their mind and creativity, who want to test their work in the public forum, who have something to say in words to the academy, in poetry, in pictures, or in prose, we offer you these pages. And to those who want to read and see the work of Concordia Seminary students, to debate and discuss, to think and question, to appreciate and applaud, and to thereby be enriched and learn, we offer you these pages now filled …

A Letter Of Hope To The Concordia Seminary Community, John Nunes

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

Shortly after the death of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., these remarkably blunt words from Lutheran pastor and civil rights leader, William H. Griffin, were released by Concordia Publishing House: “Unless the church faces up to the racism in its own midst, the witness of the church against the racism outside the church will go unheedeed."

A Map Key To Martin Luther King Jr, Jordan Voges

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

When and if one hears the name Martin Luther King Jr. at a confessional Christian school like Concordia Seminary, it is often only in passing. The most well-known leader of the African-American civil rights movement is treated much like a roadside monument to a rare geological anomaly: something worth pointing out on the way to somewhere else, worth looking at and reading a paragraph or two about, but hardly a destination for contemplation in and of itself. In addition to the casual manner with which his presence is noted along the highway of theological dialogue, most references to the man …

Denominational Incompatibility And Religious Pluralism: A Non-Pluralist Response To A Pluralist Critique, Matthew Stinson

Global Tides

Religious Pluralism is the view that no one religion is correct, and no religion enjoys special status in relation to the Ultimate. Recently, Samuel Ruhmkorff has defended Religious Pluralism from what we'll call 'The Incompatibility Objection': many religions appear to make incompatible claims about ultimate reality, and therefore they cannot all be true. Ruhmkorff defends Religious Pluralism from the incompatibility problem by applying a “subsets of belief” defense that non-pluralists may use in response to denominational differences within a religion. He argues that non-pluralists are faced with denominational incompatibility within whatever religion they are asserting is uniquely true. He further …

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.

The Significance Of Pentateuchal Tithing As A Legal Instruction For The 21st Century Reader, Miracle Ajah

The Asbury Journal

So much debate has arisen as to whether or not the obligation to tithe was bound to the Old Testament and Judaism, or applied to the contemporary Christian Church. This paper seeks to answer the questions about how we can understand and apply the Old Testament datum to the contemporary church in Africa; how we can define our relationship to God’s covenant revealed in the Old Testament in the light of our New Testament experience; and the significance of Pentateuchal tithing as a legal instruction for the 21st Century reader. Discussions were done under the following headings: The Pentateuchal tithing …

Impacting The Orienting System: The Role Of Theological Education In Influencing Socio-Cultural Images Of God, Anne K. Gatobu

The Asbury Journal

Theological educational has classically been associated with educating pastors for local church ministries, non-pastoral ministries and theologians for higher education. In this article I postulate that the role of theological education goes beyond these practical ministry perception to the shaping of societal images of God expressed through the orienting system.

In the first part of the article I argue that one's faith formation is closely related to one's development of God's image. This is not an isolated process, but an appropriation of God's image disseminated through nurture by one's immediate family and society at large. The proliferation of all these …

Psychology And Theology: A Return To Dialog, Alan C. Reuter

Concordia Theological Monthly

There is a close relationship between Christian theology and contemporary psychology. The Lutheran theological tradition is especially founded in an experiential matrix which gives it a common ground with psychological thought. However, this relationship between theology and psychology has not always been a clear or comfortable one.

Kyrios Jesus, Horst Wm. Jordan

Concordia Theological Monthly

The author provides a perceptive and pastoral analysis of the key issue before the Synod.

Theological Observer, William A. Buege

Concordia Theological Monthly

Theological Observer

Kosmos-Men Or Men For The Kosmos, Donald Heinz

Concordia Theological Monthly

Kosmos is a key theological term in the Gospel of John. The author of the Fourth Gospel chose this term to signal his concept of men without God, men in need of God, men in rebellion against God, men who would decide against God when confronted with His Sent One. The Christian church has often found it easy to look out into the world to see what John was talking about. The overtones of the English word "world" as a translation of "kosmos" have helped the church· deceive itself theologically.

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 …

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 …

New Testament Studies, Past And Present, Edgar Krentz

Concordia Theological Monthly

The pastor who picks up a recent New Testament introduction or theology, a study of the Synoptic Gospels or Acts, or a history of New Testament times may well feel that for him the study of the New Testament has become an arcane and esoteric discipline. The questions asked about the Redaktionsgeschichte of a Gospel, the surprising frequency with which the term gnosis or Gnosticism appears in current literature, or the discussion in many circles of "incipient catholicism" may well lead him to suspect that the whole discipline has now changed.

The Historical Jesus, The Kerygmatic Christ, And The Eschatological Community, John H. Elliott

Concordia Theological Monthly

We are about to discuss a subject that is quite difficult - if not impossible - to treat in completely detached or neutral fashion. For this is a subject which forces a man, every man, to take a position and to make a decision. The earnestness of this decision is to be found in the fact that this is not merely a subject for academic disputation. It is a question of theology and faith. The subject historically has been treated in terms of a question, or a "riddle," as one English scholar has called it. The question or riddle is …

The Relationship Between Dogmatics And Ethics In The Thought Of Elert, Barth, And Troeltsch, Edward H. Schroeder

Concordia Theological Monthly

A concern for dogmatics and a concern for ethics do not always go together. The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, for example, has always had a strong dogmatic tradition, but has in general been uninterested in what is commonly called ethics. But this is the opposite of the situation in many other American denominations. To put the problem into a broader perspective, what is the relationship between dogmatics and ethics? A helpful approach is to study the distinctive answers given by Werner Elert, Karl Barth, and Ernst Troeltsch, which prove to be distinctive not only because their personal theological convictions …

Editorial, Herbert T. Mayer

Concordia Theological Monthly

Amidst all the theological tumult and shouting of our day, a quiet revolution has been taking place in the church in the area of mission thought and practice. This issue is devoted to a discussion of this revolution, for it will also be the chief topic at the 1965 convention of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod in Detroit from June 16 to 26. The convention theme is taken from our Lord's mission command "Even so send I you." The articles by Victor Bartling, Martin L Kretzmann, and Roland Miller set out some of the basic theological principles for the …

New Testament Teachings And 20th-Century Church Practice With Special Reference To Relations With Missions And Sister Churches, Carl A. Gaertner

Concordia Theological Monthly

The church in the second half of the 20th century is caught up in the restless revolutionary forces sweeping over the face of the earth and inevitably is being shaken out of its complacency and self-satisfaction. In an age like this, everything is being sharply questioned and ruthlessly analyzed. This in itself is not bad. Under the blessing of God, much good should come to the church as a result of honest reevaluation, on the basis of God's Word, of the church's theology, its life in the world, and its mission.

Some Directives For The Education Of A More Excellent Ministry, Arthur C. Repp

Concordia Theological Monthly

The continuing reevaluation which theological seminaries have been making of themselves, coupled with a growing criticism of the seminaries' products on the part of many in the church, has produced a lively ferment in the current discussion of ministerial education. Some outstanding theological books and articles of late have addressed themselves to this subject, all of them showing a real concern for finding a solution.

The School For Graduate Studies, Carl S. Meyer

Concordia Theological Monthly

The history and changing philosophies of what is now known as the School for Graduate Studies illustrates in capsule form the changes and struggles which the seminary itself has experienced during the past years.

Gifts From The Lord Of The Church, Leonhard C. Wuerffel

Concordia Theological Monthly

After a little more than 16 years of service as the dean of students at a seminary, we have been asked to set forth some observations concerning the students served during this period of time. First of all, there is something frightening about such a request. To have been intimately associated with more than 2,000 young men, who today are ministers of the Gospel and are serving their Lord and His people somewhere in the world, is unquestionably a great privilege and a humbling experience.

August Hermann Francke, 1663-1963, Philip J. Schoeder

Concordia Theological Monthly

Why remember August Hermann Francke on the 300th anniversary of his natal year?

Certainly association and identification with Pietists and Pietism should not disqualify him for a niche in the hall of remembered saints. Though some still speak with caution and even opprobriously about Pietists and Pietism, the climate has changed especially with reference to the earlier Pietists. Much of the suspicion, detraction, and obloquy which became attached to the name and fame of Pietism stems from falsely attributing many excrescences and aberrations of later Pietism to the early founders of the movement.

The Psychological Disciplines In Theological Education, Paul W. Pruyser

Concordia Theological Monthly

Much has been written during the last decade about the relevance of certain aspects of psychology and psychiatry to the professional role and work of ministers. When one surveys the massive literature which has been produced in this area of concern one is impressed at first by great topical variety. which ranges from theological critiques of psychological concepts and theories to pastoral counseling; from the psychological screening of candidates for the ministry to how pastors might deal with grief; from life situation preaching to techniques of supervision in clinical pastoral training courses.

The Triangle Of Tension: An Editorial, Herbert T. Mayer

Concordia Theological Monthly

"Tentatio, oratio, meditatio faciunt theologum,'' said Luther as he summarized his philosophy of theological education. In effect, we reaffirm these words in this issue, which we dedicate to Dr. Theo. Hoyer.

Fathers, Brethren, And Distant Relatives: The Family Of Theological Discourse, Jaroslav Pelikan

Concordia Theological Monthly

For the theologian, one Book is enough, and a thousand books are not too many. This paradox interprets the meaning and prescribes the role of the theological library. For the task of the theologian, of every theologian, is the exposition of the Sacred Scriptures. Yet to perform his task of expounding that one Book the theologian needs a great many books.

Reports On Interchurch Relations, Alfred O. Fuerbringer

Concordia Theological Monthly

For The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod the year 1962 brings a number of very significant developments in interchurch relations, some of which will call for crucial decisions.

The Door No Man Can Shut, E. J. Friedrich

Concordia Theological Monthly

We have come this morning to honor three eminent servants of the Word for their many years of faithful service in the kingdom of God. Being partakers of their joy, we unite with them in thanking God for the manifold blessings which He has for so many years bestowed upon them and upon their ministries. We also take pleasure in commending them for their faithfulness, congratulating them upon their achievements, and thanking God for the enduring benedictions which have come to our church through their dedicated services. And so the keynote of our celebration is joy - the hallowed spiritual …