A blog of the Evangelical Lutheran Liturgy
Practicing closed communion is hard, messy, and generally thankless work. But the faithful pastor must be more concerned with the account he will one day give of his stewardship than the hurt feelings of those who come unprepared to the altar.
Read MoreThere is much to say about the entire presentation, but what I wanted to address here is a position that he takes, beginning at about 33:00 and running through about 41:30. It concerns what the presenter calls “unknown sin” and how he believes the church can use this approach to deal pastorally with homosexuality among parishioners.
Read MoreThose who are serious about their faith and life and confession - especially in the eschatological context of the miraculous Presence of our Lord in the Mass, the Gottesdienst of Word and Sacrament - will be reverent, and will not be looking to introduce new ceremonies driven by the world, its entertainments, and its perversions.
Read MoreThis brief and heated exchange between Dr. Jordan Peterson and a young atheist - beginning here - is interesting.
Read MoreRev. Bryan Stecker of On the Line hosts an optimistic and hopeful discussion with David Petersen to consider how faithful doctrine, intentional community, and joyful discipline can renew the Church in an age of confusion, loneliness, and decline.
The play and movie 1776 is a beloved musical loosely based on the deliberations of the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia in June and July of 1776. It focuses on the bombastic John Adams, the witty Benjamin Franklin, and the eloquent but enigmatic Thomas Jefferson - and the unlikely adoption of American Independence.
Read MoreThe Trinity issue will be a little late . . .
Read MoreA strange turn of phrase is found in today's devotional reading from To Live With Christ by Bo Giertz (translated from Swedish into English by Richard Wood and Bror Erickson:
Read MoreThey understand lex orandi, lex credendi. Those who want change in a church’s doctrine understand that it is necessary to change the practice. And the changed practice will serve to establish the changed doctrine.
Read MoreWhile we still fight the “battle for the Bible” against those wanting to take away from the text, we need not go on as if this is only one battle. Rather, this is a two-front war. There are also those among us who are actively “adding to” the pages of the Scriptures as well.
Read MoreProverbs 1:7: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
Proverbs 8:10-11: “Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.”
With this counsel in mind, dear reader, let us begin with a few more words from a few more wise men:
Read MoreThere is a proposed resolution being presented to the convention of the Pacific Southwest District that involves “Lutheran Identity.”
Read MoreThese, then, are the true hallmarks of a Christian woman, fully displayed for us in the most blessed Virgin Mary. Thanks be to God for her example of faith, and may He grant our women such a faith!
Read MorePope St. Gregory the Great was taking a bit of heat for some changes he introduced into the liturgy. Apparently, prior to his time, the Roman liturgy did not actually make use of the Our Father in the eucharist.
Read MoreIn spite of the multiplicity of confessions and church bodies that grew from it, the Reformation went in one of two directions: conservative and radical. As the title of Krauth’s book asserts, the Lutheran reformation was conservative…
Read MoreYes, after years of engaging in a cryptozoological search for actual Romanizing Lutherans, I have finally bagged my first specimen of the mythical (but elusive) creature.
I have found actual “Romanizing” Lutherans!
Read MoreIf you are unfamiliar with Anthony Esolen, he is a modern Roman Catholic scholar and thinker, and friend of the LCMS who was given an honorary doctorate by Concordia Theological Seminary. His writings on modern culture, art, hymns, and liturgy would make him an honorary member of The Gottesdienst Crowd as well. His book Out of the Ashes is one that I recommend to all Christians.
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