Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons^™

The Theology Of Communism, Martin H. Scharlemann

Concordia Theological Monthly

In 1964 the Chicago University Press published a volume of essays entitled What Can a Man Do? The chapters of this book were written by one of our most distinguished Jewish journalists. One of his essays goes under the title "Christ Under Communism." It concludes with the observation that today there are really only two serious contenders for the hearts and minds of men, namely, the church and communism.

Moving Toward Lutheran Unity, Oliver R. Harms

Concordia Theological Monthly

Two words in this topic seem to me very important: "moving" and "unity." They express thoughts that many persons seemingly have wanted to avoid or to ignore. There are those who say we are already at the point of unity. Others are sure we will never get there. Some flexibility in thought is required at both ends of this spectrum of opinion.

Some Thoughts On The Church In The Lutheran Symbols, Herbert J. Bouman

Concordia Theological Monthly

Near the end of 1536 Martin Luther wrote that "a seven-year-old child knows what the church is" (SA III XII). In our time great ecumenical gatherings expend incalculable amounts of time and effort in wrestling with the doctrine of the church, and first-rate theologians in all churches provide the printing presses with an unabating flow of materials in discussion of the problems and implications of ecclesiology.

A Critique: “Two Levels Of History.", David W. Lotz

Concordia Theological Monthly

It is scarcely possible to read a theological treatise today without at some point meeting the current distinction between two levels of history, between Historie, and Geschichte, (following the Bultmannians), or between "outer" and "inner" history ( H. Richard Niebuhr), or between the "objective- historical" and the "existential-historical" (John Macquarrie). This distinction has primarily been occasioned by the rise of the historical-critical method in the 19th century, by the failure of the so-called "quest for the historical Jesus," and by the church's apologetic needs in the scientific ("positivistic") era. The primary aim of this paper is critically to examine this …

Brief Studies, David Backus, Harry N. Huxhold

Concordia Theological Monthly

Some Sources of Graeco-Roman Features in the New Testament

Faith in the Epistle to the Hebrews

Changes In The Missouri Synod, Arthur C. Repp

Concordia Theological Monthly

Have there been doctrinal changes in The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod? Few questions have disturbed that Synod more during the past quarter of a century. Both negative and affirmative answers have been staunchly maintained. ''Missouri has not changed its doctrinal stand" was the repeated claim made by Theodore Graebner, though few men changed their doctrinal position as much as he did in so short a time.

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.

Notes On The Inerrancy Of Scripture, Robert Preus

Concordia Theological Monthly

This study is o1fered as an approach to the problem of the inerrancy of Scripture as it concerns the Lutheran Church today. The attempt is to present a position that agrees with Scripture's testimony concerning itself and with the historic position of the Christian church. At the same time the attempt is made to be timely and to take into account contemporary issues raised by modern Biblical theology.

Luther's Exegetical Principle Of The Analogy Of Faith, Otto Hof

Concordia Theological Monthly

It was clear to Martin Luther that what was at issue in his discussion with his opponents, with Rome on the one hand and with the enthusiasts on the other, was not so much the question of principle regarding the importance and relevance of the Bible-in whatever way and however qualifiedly its authority was on all sides theoretically acknowledged and practically brought to bear in controversy through argumentation by means of Bible passages - as rather the question concerning the correct interpretation of the Holy Scripture.

The Church In Tension - In Teaching The Truth, Richard Jungkuntz

Concordia Theological Monthly

When we talk about the church in tension, it is likely that each of us has in mind a particular concept based on his own experience of the church's life. We may conceive of tension as basically a matter of conflict causing strain and weakness, or we may see it more as the interplay of isometric forces developing strength and balance. We may regard tension as good or as bad. We may think of it as being inherent in the nature of things, even as a gift of God; or we may think of it as a product entirely of …

The Martyrs Of Christ -A Sketch Of The Thought Of Martin Luther On Martyrdom, Douglas C. Stange

Concordia Theological Monthly

If one wishes to discuss any contribution, rediscovery, or reformation that Luther made in the Christian church, he must recognize the great Reformer's primary concern that faith in Christ be purely preached. For Luther, the church was built on the rock that is Christ, and Christians were to preach the Savior's Evangel to all men.

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.

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 "Jesus Of History" And The "Christ Of Faith": In Relation To Matthew's View Of Time-Reactions To A New Approach, Jack Kingsbury

Concordia Theological Monthly

The expression "Jesus of History - Christ of Faith" is a relatively recent idiom, the roots of which can be traced back to a lecture delivered in 1892 by the German systematician Martin Kahler, who entitled his address “The So-Called Historical Jesus and the Historic, Biblical Christ." In the last decade this idiom has come to specify a particular problem that has engaged the interest of New Testament scholars with great intensity. The problem is given with the fact that Jesus died about A. D. 30 but that all of the written materials we possess about Jesus were set down …

Theological Discussion And The Responsibility Of The Church, Richard L. Jeske

Concordia Theological Monthly

One is easily reminded of the often heard lament during seminary days, ''Why should I have to study about 'Q'? All I want to be is a simple parish pastor!" Sometimes this "simple parish pastor'" who has avoided hard theological work at the seminary emerges as the most vigorous critic of contemporary theology shortly after his graduation.

The Place Of The Family In The Church's Educational Ministry, Oscar E. Feucht

Concordia Theological Monthly

Parents are the child's most potent teachers. They provide the all-important environment. Good manners, good English, love of good books and music, life's ideals, in fact, the whole outlook on the world are developed largely in the home. And so are dislikes and prejudices, religious views as well as political views, habits of going to church, of receiving Holy Communion, of prayer and reading the Bible. The paths which adult feet travel find their origin in childhood, and one way is as likely to be traveled as another, if started upon in the preschool days.

Salvation By Grace: The Heart Of Job's Theology, Alfred Von Rohr Sauer

Concordia Theological Monthly

God desires that anyone who fears Him and serves Him should do that gratis, for nothing. Serving God for nothing, fearing God for nothing-that is the theme that runs through the Book of Job. In the prologue (Chs. 1-2) the author states that Job was a man who feared God and eschewed evil. The lord also told Satan in the prologue that His servant Job was a man who feared God and shunned wickedness. So Job was considered a pious, God-fearing man; there was no question about that, even Satan conceded that point. The question, however, was this: What was …

The Use Of The Exodus In Interpreting History, Elaine Marie Prevallet

Concordia Theological Monthly

Our study takes the complex of traditions grouped around the exodus as its point of departure. We shall consider the use made of this event at four stages in Israel's history and attempt to determine two factors: (1) whether the prophetic interpretation of the exodus event at a given period in Israel's history has been shaped by the historical situation and (2) whether the exodus event is used to interpret the historical situation. Finally, we may be able to draw some conclusions relative both to the Israelite view and use of history.

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 …

Theology And Moden Literature-Survey, Donald L. Deffner

Concordia Theological Monthly

In Randall Stewart's American Literature and Christian Doctrine, the author unabashedly abandons "the so-highly-prized, the so-strenuously-inculcated academic neutrality" (p. viii) and pleads for a creatively critical evaluation of modern literature by Christian theologians. According to Stewart, the Christian critic must charge contemporary literature "to give an answer for the faith" that is in it. In the same spirit, John Killinger insists he must "ask hard questions of the creative arts… that the critic [the theologian] must judge, or it has nothing at all to say." (Sec John Killinger, The Failure of Theology in Modem Literature, pp. 15, 16)

An Analysis Of The Pauline Concept Of Faith In The Light The Old Testament, William James Stuart

ATS Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Resetting Our Sights In Christian Education, Randolph Crump Miller

Concordia Theological Monthly

Christian education means telling the story of God's mighty acts in such a way that the listener participates in the dialog and comes into an engagement with God in his daily life. He is reborn daily with Christ, and therefore he sees the meaning of life in a new way as he lives in community as a Christian in the world.

The Mission Of The Churches To Higher Education, Wayne Saffen

Concordia Theological Monthly

It is perhaps significant that we consider the churches as having a mission to the university and college. This is an admission that on the secular campus the churches are outside looking in. They do not occupy the seat of power or even possess the persuasive ability to determine educational aims, philosophy, curriculum.

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.

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.

Law And Gospel In Christian Education, Harry G. Coiner

Concordia Theological Monthly

When one attempts a discussion of Christian doctrine which involves Law and Gospel, the mind should think clearly and the pen should write carefully. Since the right distinction between these two doctrines is one important key to the proper understanding and teaching of the Scriptures, the attention of all who teach Christian doctrine is most earnestly invited.

Covenant And Justification In The Old Testament, Walter R. Roehrs

Concordia Theological Monthly

The Lutheran World Federation convention at Helsinki in 1963 was not able to reach agreement on a formulation of the doctrine of justification. This lack of agreement, it is said, does not imply disagreement regarding the doctrine itself, but it resulted from the inability to formulate or present this basic teaching of Scripture to modern man in such a way as to speak to him in terms that are relevant and pertinent to him. This difficulty arises, it is said, particularly because modern man no longer asks Luther's question: "How do I find a gracious God?" but asks: "Is there …

Able Ministers In The New Year, Lorenz Wunderlich

Concordia Theological Monthly

This Word of God through St. Paul the apostle is preeminently for those who are privileged to stand in the diaconate of our Lord and who perform diaconal functions for Him. To be sure, it does not offer the catena of one and one-half dozen qualifications which the same apostolic writer forges in his letters to Timothy and Titus.

Christianity And Communism -An Ideological Comparison, Ralph L. Moellering

Concordia Theological Monthly

In his book Communism and Christ, Charles W. Lowry contends that we are living in a new religious age. As evidence he points to the post-World War II popular religious revival, to what he calls "a new priesthood" set up by psychiatry, to the influence of existential thought in philosophy and theology (consider Paul Tillich), and to the "collective neurosis" brought on by the crisis and anxieties of our hydrogen-missile age. "The final and conclusive proof that we have entered into a new religious era Lowry perceived in the expansion and menace of the "new universal salvation religion - Communism."

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.