Would You Deny Real Presence to Escape the Jaws of Beasts?
Would You Deny Real Presence to Escape the Jaws of beasts? By T. R. Halvorson NOTE: This article may be downloaded as a PDF Document A vogue phrase today is, “to die for.” “This chocolate is to die for.” “That dress is to die for.” A lifestyle clothing brand is called To Die For. A […]
Review: Luz, The Theology of the Gospel of Matthew
Ulrich Luz The Theology of the Gospel of Matthew Review Outline Citation The Author Nature of the Work Matthew as Story The Text Invites Reading as a Narrative Author and Sources Reading Synchronically Structure and Meaning Sampling Results of Narratological Reading Faith and Works Breakdown in Luz’s Approach Scripture Evaluation Citation Luz, Ulrich. The Theology […]
Review: Kilcrease, The Doctrine of the Atonement from Luther to Forde
Jack D. Kilcrease The Doctrine of the Atonement from Luther to Forde Review In this book (Jack D. Kilcrease, The Doctrine of the Atonement from Luther to Forde (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2018), Dr. Kilcrease skillfully accomplishes many important feats. In a fast-moving and trim volume, Dr. Kilcrease engages the written works of theologians […]
Review: Weedon — Thank, Praise, Serve, and Obey
William Chancellor Weedon Thank, Praise, Serve, and Obey Review Jesus lived a perfect human life. We know that. But it is easy to miss some of his practices. It might sound strange, but Jesus was pious. He had godly habits. By them, he lived joyously, even though He also was a man of sorrows and […]
What Did Jesus Have To Lose?
Winston Churchill was visiting New York the day after the stock market crash of 1929. The noise of a crowd outside his hotel woke him. “Under my very window a gentleman cast himself down fifteen stories and was dashed to pieces, causing a wild commotion and the arrival of the fire brigade,” he wrote. Over […]
The Word and Faith
Faith does not spring from nature, nor from our own reason, strength, or will. The Holy Spirit creates faith by the Word and Sacraments. When God said, “Let there be light,” there was light. “For He spoke, and it was; He commanded, and it stood fast.” (Psalm 33:9) Light could do nothing to bring itself […]
The Sacrament and the Second Petition in Leviticus
Leviticus was used widely in the early church and later to preach the Gospel. The modern church generally ignores Leviticus.[1] Leviticus is a gift unopened and sent back to the Giver. We’re missing out. God speaks in Leviticus. Here He gives us many of the most basic and precious truths of forgiveness, life, and salvation, such […]
Real Men Catechize their Children
Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche was the title of a best-selling book by Bruce Feirstein published in 1982. Supposedly, a real man would eat egg and bacon pie if his wife made it, she served it to him, and she cleaned up afterwards. What a real man would not do is make it himself, call it […]
Nunc Dimittis: Seeing God’s Savior and Salvation
Nunc Dimittis: Seeing God’s Savior and Salvation by T. R. Halvorson NOTE: This article may be downloaded as a PDF Document Introduction Nunc Dimittis (the Song of Simeon) as a post-Communion canticle is a treasure. It holds deep riches of consolation in God’s Savior and salvation. Receiving the true body and blood of Christ with […]
Why was Jesus dead only until the Third Day?
In May of this year, a federal judge in Brooklyn sentenced a woman convicted of drug importation with intent to distribute to probation rather than prison time. The theory was, the restrictions on felons outside bars are punishment enough. The New York Times reported that Judge Frederic Block suggested anything more would be overkill. In […]
The Cracked Foundation of Forde’s Radical Lutheranism
The Cracked Foundation of Forde’s Radical Lutheranism by T. R. Halvorson NOTE: This article may be downloaded as a PDF Document Gerhard Forde says, “Sanctification, if it is to be spoken of as something other than justification, is perhaps best defined as the art of getting used to the unconditional justification wrought by the grace […]
Who should judge a talent competition, or your whole life?
Television has many talent competitions. Big hit shows include Pop Idol, American Idol, Britain’s Got Talent, America’s Got Talent, The Voice, and The X Factor. Sometimes the choice of judges is controversial. Highly accomplished vocal performer, Sir Tom Jones, took a swipe at The X Factor’s Simon Cowell, saying he is not qualified to judge because he has never sung live on stage […]
“In this day and age, orthodoxy is absurd.”
Frequently I hear it said, as a refutation of this or that orthodox proposition, “In this day and age,” that proposition is absurd. There are many variant formulations of the idea. Sometimes it is stated as, “This is the 21st century. We are not controlled by the darkness of the past.” Leaving aside for the […]
Foreword: A Year of Law & Gospel Preaching
Foreword from A Year of Law & Gospel Preaching:Postil of Sermons on the One-Year Lectionaryby Rev. Rolf D. Preus Being called to write this foreword is among the highest honors of my life. The call came to me because I am a parishioner of Pastor Preus. The Holy Spirit preaches Law and Gospel to me […]
Cultural Marxism and Critical Theory: An Introductory Sketch
Published originally on Brothers of John the Steadfast, July 13, 2020 Note: This article may be downloaded as a PDF document. Introduction This article provides an introductory sketch of Cultural Marxism and Critical Theory. It discusses the disappointment of economic Marxists over the failure of the workers of the world to unite for revolution. It […]
Gospel Determinism Cases: Paul G. Bretscher
Published originally on Brothers of John the Steadfast in five partsPart 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 Note: The entire series has been combined into a single PDFwhich may be accessed here. Introduction Previously I presented “Gospel Determinism: A Preview.” Now we move from preview to the first […]
From Empire to Execution in Four Days
Napoleon moved with his army through Switzerland. People hailed him everywhere with thunderous applause and cheers. He seemed unimpressed. Someone said, “Isn’t it great, this roaring support of the people?” Napoleon replied, “The same people cheering for me today would cheer just as loudly at my execution.” When Jesus showed his glory, people liked him. […]
A Simple Map of Conversion Terminology
A Simple Map of Conversion Terminology By T. R. Halvorson NOTE: This article may be downloaded as a PDF document. On a recurring basis, online Lutheran discussions will confront you with terms like pelagianism, synergism, and monergism. You will see one participant claim that what another person said is wrong because it is pelagian. Maybe […]
Worship: What for? Who acts? Which way does it flow?
Consider the following from John T. Pless: The liturgy is Gottesdienst, divine service, the Lord’s service to us through the proclamation of His Word and the giving out of His body and blood. In the theology of the Lutheran Confessions, God is the subject not the object of liturgical action. The trajectory is from the Lord […]
How Do Sump Pumps and Sacrifice Work?
One year at our farm at Wildrose, we reached the peak in a long period of historically high precipitation. Sloughs ran over. Fields were saturated. Few crops were planted. By July, nearly all my neighbors were talking about seepage into their basements. They were going on about their sump pumps. My basement didn’t have seepage […]
Luther’s Liturgical Criteria and His Reform of the Canon of the Mass
Luther reformed the Canon of the Mass, the way the Sacrament of the Altar is administered. He has been branded a liturgical hack.
Was he a hack or a surgeon? What part did Jesus’ own words have in Luther’s reform. Is the Lord’s Supper a sacrifice we are to offer to God, or is it a testament and gift that Christ gives to the Church?
World renowned scholar Bryan D. Spinks reports the findings of his research. Spinks identifies errors of scholastic procedure in the body of literature. He examines root sources. By his industry and workmanlike procedure, Spinks succeeds at what he set out to do: Let Luther answer for himself.
As John T. Pless says in the Foreword: “It took an Anglican to rescue Luther from the Lutheran liturgical gurus. That was my first response to reading this tightly-packed and potent monograph years ago. Its value has not diminished with the passage of time. … Spinks demonstrates that Luther’s liturgical revisions were not sloppily done but carried out with integrity based on his confession of justification by faith alone. Luther understood God to be the donor in the liturgy of the Lord’s Supper. Thanksgiving which flows from the gift dare not blur this fact. The Sacrament is the Gospel.”
Spinks’ achievement gives this work an exceptional place in the literature. A new audience needs it. This is why it should be republished. First published in 1982, it has gone out of print. Used copies are rare and expensive. Dr. Spinks once more gives a precious gift to the Church by readily and graciously granting his permission for this new edition.
With new musical engravings of the Verba and The German Sanctus by Jon D. Vieker and commendation by William C. Weedon, this new edition bursts the epiphany of Spinks’ brilliance into the sight of a new audience and generation.