FW: Languages Are Necessary in the Christian Church

Luther…

 

Feed: Gnesio
Posted on: Saturday, April 16, 2011 3:49 PM
Author: Gnesio
Subject: Languages Are Necessary in the Christian Church

 

And let us be sure of this: we will not long preserve the gospel without the languages. The languages are the sheath in which this sword of the Spirit is contained; they are the casket in which this jewel is enshrined; they are the vessel in which this wine is held; they are the larder in which this food is stored; and, as the gospel itself points out, they are the baskets in which are kept these loaves and fishes and fragments. If through our neglect we let the languages go (which God forbid!), we shall not only lose the gospel, but the time will come when we shall be unable either to speak or write a correct Latin or German. As proof and warning of this, let us take the deplorable and dreadful example of the universities and monasteries, in which men have not only unlearned the gospel, but have in addition so corrupted the Latin and German languages that the miserable folk have been fairly turned into beasts, unable to speak or write a correct German or Latin, and have well-nigh lost their natural reason to boot. For this reason even the apostles themselves considered it necessary to set down the New Testament and hold it fast in the Greek language, doubtless in order to preserve it for us there safe and sound as in a sacred ark. For they foresaw all that was to come, and now has come to pass; they knew that if it was left exclusively to men's memory, wild and fearful disorder and confusion and a host of varied interpretations, fancies, and doctrines would arise in the Christian church, and that this could not be prevented and the simple folk protected unless the New Testament were set down with certainty in written language. Hence, it is inevitable that unless the languages remain, the gospel must finally perish. Experience too has proved this and still gives evidence of it. For as soon as the languages declined to the vanishing point, after the apostolic age, the gospel and faith and Christianity itself declined more and more until under the pope they disappeared entirely. After the decline of the languages Christianity witnessed little that was worth anything; instead, a great many dreadful abominations arose because of ignorance of the languages. On the other hand, now that the languages have been revived, they are bringing with them so bright a light and accomplishing such great things that the whole world stands amazed and has to acknowledge that we have the gospel just as pure and undefiled as the apostles had it, that it has been wholly restored to its original purity, far beyond what it was in the days of St. Jerome and St. Augustine. In short, the Holy Spirit is no fool. He does not busy himself with inconsequential or useless matters. He regarded the languages as so useful and necessary to Christianity that he ofttimes brought them down with him from heaven. This alone should be a sufficient motive for us to pursue them with diligence and reverence and not to despise them, for he himself has now revived them again upon the earth. Yes, you say, but many of the fathers were saved and even became teachers without the languages. That is true. But how do you account for the fact that they so often erred in the Scriptures? How often does not St. Augustine err in the Psalms and in his other expositions, and Hilary too–in fact, all those who have undertaken to expound Scripture without a knowledge of the languages? Even though what they said about a subject at times was perfectly true, they were never quite sure whether it really was present there in the passage where by their interpretation they thought to find it. Let me give you an example It is rightly said that Christ is the Son of God; but how ridiculous it must have sounded to the ears of their adversaries when they attempted to prove this by citing from Psalm 110 "Tecum principium in die viftutis tuae," though in the Hebrew there is not a word about the Deity in this passage! When men attempt to defend the faith with such uncertain arguments and mistaken proof texts, are not Christians put to shame and made a laughingstock in the eyes of adversaries who know the language? The adversaries only become more stiff-necked in their error and have an excellent pretext for regarding our faith as a mere human delusion. When our faith is thus held up to ridicule, where does the fault lie? It lies in our ignorance of the languages; and there is no other way out than to learn the languages. Was not St. Jerome compelled to translate the Psalter anew from the Hebrew because, when we quoted our Psalter in disputes with the Jews, they sneered at us, pointing out that our texts did not read that way in the original Hebrew? Now the expositions of all the early fathers who dealt with Scripture apart from a knowledge of the languages (even when their teaching is not in error) are such that they often employ uncertain, indefensible, and inappropriate expressions. They grope their way like a blind man along the wall, frequently missing the sense of the text and twisting it to suit their fancy, as in the case of the verse mentioned above, "Tecum principium," etc. Even St. Augustine himself is obliged to confess, as he does in his Christian Instruction, that a Christian teacher who is to expound the Scriptures must know Greek and Hebrew in addition to Latin. Otherwise, it is impossible to avoid constant stumbling; indeed, there are plenty of problems to work out even when one is well versed in the languages. There is a vast difference therefore between a simple preacher of the faith and a person who expounds Scripture, or, as St. Paul puts it, a prophet. A simple preacher (it is true) has so many clear passages and texts available through translations that he can know and teach Christ, lead a holy life, and preach to others. But when it comes to interpreting Scripture, and working with it on your own, and disputing with those who cite it incorrectly, he is unequal to the task; that cannot be done without languages. Now there must always be such prophets in the Christian church who can dig into Scripture, expound it, and carry on disputations. A saintly life and right doctrine are not enough. Hence languages are absolutely and altogether necessary in the Christian church, as are the prophets or interpreters; although it is not necessary that every Christian or every preacher be such a prophet, as St. Paul points out in I Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. from Martin Luther, 'To the Councilmen of All Cities in Germany That They Establish and Maintain Christian Schools' (1524)Read More Ad fontes! What is Christianity? The Original Text of Holy Scripture Scripture Cannot be Broken The Way Gabriel Speaks

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FW: Great Blog Post on the Lord’s Supper by Dr. Gene Edward Veith

Veith…

 

Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed
Posted on: Saturday, April 16, 2011 4:10 AM
Author: Paul T. McCain
Subject: Great Blog Post on the Lord's Supper by Dr. Gene Edward Veith

 

This Is My Body by Gene Edward Veith As far as I know, I am the only Lutheran who writes regularly for Tabletalk, so please bear with me. Inviting a Lutheran to write about the Lord's Supper is like asking a grandmother if she has any pictures of the new baby. So much affection for the subject matter can easily outpace other people's interest. However, the Lord's Supper is at the heart of a Lutheran's piety. Calvinists too, as well as other Protestants, are rediscovering their own sacramental heritage, which has become somewhat forgotten. We Lutherans have never lost the Reformation's emphasis on the sacrament, so perhaps this description of what it is like might prove helpful. I do not intend here so much to argue for the Lutheran theological position on the sacrament, but rather to describe — in a way that I hope is helpful for non-Lutherans who are also trying to regain an evangelical sense of the sacrament — what it is like to believe in it. I will then make some cultural connections, showing why the Reformation emphasis on the sacrament is a bracing tonic against today's highly-internalized pop-Christianity. At the Marburg Colloquy in 1529, that great debate over the Lord's Supper between Luther and Zwingli, Dr. Martin took a piece of chalk and wrote on a table: "This is my body." In answer to Zwingli's long philosophical discourse, Luther whipped off the tablecloth and pointed to those words. For Luther, the conviction that the bread and wine of Holy Communion are the body and blood of Christ was a matter of trusting God's Word. Since the Bible says, "This is my body," he would not countenance any arguments designed to prove "this is not my body." As at Augsburg, so at Marburg, Luther was saying, "Here I stand" on the Word of God. Lutherans are puzzled at the resistance from so many other Christians at their conviction that the Lord's Supper involves "the real presence of Christ." Calvin had no problem affirming Christ's true presence in the Lord's Supper, but he did not understand this in terms of corporeal presence. Luther, who always encouraged Christians to look outside of themselves rather than within themselves to know God, believed in Christ's objective presence through the objective Word of God that consecrates the elements. Another sticking point was whether an unbeliever receives the corporeal body of Christ. Calvin would say no. Luther, citing 1 Corinthians 11:27–30, would say yes. By the way, in this ecumenical forum, let it be known that Lutherans, according to their official statements of faith, reject "consubstantiation." We do not believe that the body and the bread, the blood and the wine, constitute a new and unique substance. We reject all such philosophical attempts to parse this miracle, insisting that we must simply accept the biblical language without interpretation, that the bread and wine are still bread and wine and also the body and blood of Jesus. But, for Luther, the Lord's Supper is not just about the real presence of Christ. "The main thing in the Sacrament," Luther teaches in The Small Catechism, are the words "Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins." Specifically, the words "for you." Whereas Rome taught that the rite of Holy Communion was a good work, man's offering of Christ up to God, the Reformation reversed that. The Lord's Supper is about Christ offering Himself — His body broken on the cross and the blood that He shed for the forgiveness of sins — to us. That is, the Lord's Supper embodies the Gospel. Many Christians look for signs and miracles. But there is no more miraculous sign than what happens during Holy Communion. Many Christians look for a religious experience, but there is no experience as vivid as tasting. Evangelicals talk about receiving Christ, something that happened way back at their conversion. But in the Lord's Supper, as we are brought back to the Gospel again and again, we can continue to receive Christ. Contemporary Christianity tends to be all internalized — a matter of my feelings, my inner life, and my personal opinions. People look inward for their salvation, with some health-and-wealth preachers urging the members of their congregation to "have faith in yourself." But the Reformers — Calvin as well as Luther — stressed how salvation is extra nos, outside ourselves, accomplished in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Contemporary Christians tend to be all spiritual. They often scorn the physical realm, even as they indulge their sinful flesh, reasoning like Gnostics that what they do with their bodies does not affect their spirits. They often construe God as a being primarily inside their heads, and they treat Jesus like some imaginary friend. The Reformers rejected such Gnosticism. Recovering the Lord's Supper can remind all Christians that their faith is grounded in objectivity, in a God who created matter and became incarnate in history, in a Christ who redeemed us by giving His body — not just His "spirit" — in a bloody sacrifice. What we do in our bodies and in our physical, mundane lives does matter, both for sin and for grace. When we eat the bread of the Lord's Supper, Christ nourishes us both spiritually and physically, uniting us with His body on the cross and the body that is His church. When we drink the wine, Christ's cleansing blood courses through our veins, such is the thoroughness and the intimacy of our salvation. © Tabletalk magazine From Ligonier Ministries and R.C. Sproul. © Tabletalk magazine. Website: www.ligonier.org/tabletalk. Email: tabletalk@ligonier.org. Toll free: 1-800-435-4343.

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FW: "There is one thing to preach, the wisdom of the cross!" Luther

Sasse…

 

Feed: Mercy Journeys with Pastor Harrison
Posted on: Friday, April 15, 2011 10:36 PM
Author: Rev. Matt Harrison
Subject: "There is one thing to preach, the wisdom of the cross!" Luther

 

"Unum praedica, sapientiam crucis!" [There is one thing to preach, the wisdom of the cross!] That is the answer (in a sermon-fragment of 1515; WA 1, 52) which Luther gives to the vital question of the ministry [Predigtamt] of all ages: "What shall I preach?" The wisdom of the cross, the word of the cross, a great stumbling block to the world, is the proper content of Christian preaching, is the Gospel itself. So thinks Luther and the Lutheran Church with him. The Christian world regards that as a great onesidedness. The cross is just one part, among others, of the Christian message. The Second Article is not the whole Creed, and even in the Second Article the cross stands in the midst of other facts of salvation. What a narrowing of the Christian truth Luther is guilty of (so we are told by some Lutherans today) by his limiting real Christian theology to the theology of the cross. Is not there also a theology of incarnation and a theology of resurrection? Must not the theology of the Second Article be supplemented by a theology of the Third Article, a theology of the Holy Ghost and His activity in the church? Luther had, indeed, very much to say about these things also, e.g., in his doctrine on incarnation and in his theology of the sacraments. Besides, he had a more profound understanding of the article of creation than most theologians who preceded him.   Thus the question arises what that alleged narrowing, that much criticized onesidedness of Luther's theologia crucis, means. The theology of the cross obviously does not mean that for the theologian the whole church year shrinks to Good Friday. It rather means that one cannot understand Christmas, Easter, or Pentecost without Good Friday. Luther was, alongside of Irenaeus and Athanasius, one of the great theologians of the incarnation. He was that because he saw the cross behind the manger. He understood the victory of Easter as well as any theologian of the Eastern Church. But he understood it because he understood it as the victory of the Crucified. The same can be said of his understanding of the activity of the Holy Ghost. It is always the cross which illuminates all chapters of theology because the deepest nature of revelation is hidden in the cross. This being so, Luther's theologia crucis wants to be more than one of the many theological theories which have appeared in the course of the history of the Church. It claims to be, in contrast to another theology, which now prevails in Christendom and which Luther calls the theologia gloriae, the correct, the scriptural theology with which the Church of Christ stands and falls. Only of the preaching of this theology, Luther thinks, can it be said that it is the preaching of the Gospel.   Sasse, Letters to Lutheran Pastors 18

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FW: Introducing ESV GreekTools

FYI…

 

Feed: Crossway Blog » ESV
Posted on: Friday, April 15, 2011 10:07 AM
Author: Andrew Tebbe
Subject: Introducing ESV GreekTools

 

We're excited to unveil a new module for your ESVBible.org account that makes original language study of the New Testament simple, accessible, and super affordable. ESV GreekTools was created to fill the need for an affordable Greek-English resource to aid students, pastors, and interested lay people in the study of the New Testament.  To that end, ESV GreekTools is packed with features for all levels of Greek proficiency.  For a one-time, introductory price of just $9.99, users get access the complete Nestle-Aland 27th Edition of the Greek New Testament, the updated ESV Reverse-Interlinear, and the all new, electronic-only ESV Interlinear.  With a quick click, users can toggle between these resources and access the Greek and ESV New Testaments in whatever display they're most comfortable with. What's more, each of these resources comes fully tagged with an array of data.  For each word, users can view the English Word, Greek Word, Transliterated Greek Word, Greek Lexical Form, Transliterated Greek Lexical From, Parsing, and Strong's Number.  The display is customizable so users can display as much or as little information as they find helpful for study or devotional reading. ESV GreekTools also features a simple but powerful Advanced Search tool.  Users can search for Greek or English words by any combination of these four data fields: English Word, Greek Word, Transliterated Greek Word, or Strong's Number.  The results of these searches give users results that are typically only available in an English, Greek, or Strong's Concordance.  Better still, users can limit their results by a full set of morphological search options, giving you the power of an advanced word study tool. And because ESV GreekTools is on the ESVBible.org platform, it works seamlessly with the rest of the resources that you've already purchased. To learn more about ESV GreekTools, or to subscribe today for the introductory price of $9.99, visit www.crossway.org/GRKTLS or click on the content button within your ESVBible.org account.

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FW: CTS News - CTS Digital Gospel Conference Available Via Livestream.com

FYI…

 

From: CTSNews
Sent: Friday, April 15, 2011 7:15 AM

For Immediate Release
April 15, 2011

Digital Gospel Conference Available Via Livestream.com

FORT WAYNE, IN (CTS)—Due to overwhelming interest from those who
cannot travel to Fort Wayne for the Digital Gospel: Speaking the Truth
in a Post-Christian World conference on May 7, we are pleased to
announce the conference will be available in a live stream format. The
conference features Dr. Lawrence R. Rast Jr., Academic Dean at CTS, who
will discuss how technology has changed the church in the 20th and 21st
centuries. Keynote speaker, Kem Meyer, author of Less Clutter, Less
Noise: Beyond Bulletins, Brochures and Bake Sales, will share insights
on how to effectively use social media, and Rev. Johnson, Director of
Distance Education at CTS will discuss "Where do we go from
here?"

To view Digital Gospel online, register for the Online Stream at
www.ctsfw.edu/DigitalGospel <http://www.ctsfw.edu/DigitalGospel> . The
cost is $25 for viewing on one computer at a time. "This means, for
example, that you could view on a computer at work, stop watching and
view at home for a single registration, or that a congregation wishing
to provide the event to their church could provide the stream on a
larger screen for group viewing," explained Rev. Johnson.

Video streaming will be through livestream.com <http://livestream.com/>
. Those wishing to view will need a computer with Adobe Flash Player 10
or later. Most modern computers should be just fine, but users wanting
to test the stream can go to livestream.com <http://livestream.com/>
and pick a channel that interests them to view for a while and see how
it works. "You'll also need a broadband internet connection, 1Mbps
or faster. Most cable, FiOS or DSL connections will work fine. Dial-up
simply can't handle the bandwidth of streaming video and will not work
for the conference," said Rev. Johnson. If you have questions or
concerns, contact Rev. Johnson at 260-452-3202 for more information.

There is still room for those who would like to join us on campus on May
7. The fee to attend the conference is $35.00 and includes lunch.
Registration to attend onsite may also be completed at
www.ctsfw.edu/DigitalGospel <http://www.ctsfw.edu/DigitalGospel> or
phone 260-452-2204.

###

The mission of Concordia Theological Seminary is to form servants in
Jesus Christ who teach the faithful, reach the lost, and care for all.

For additional information concerning educational opportunities and
events at CTS, please contact: Jayne Sheafer, CTS Director of Public
Relations, 260-452-2250 or PublicRelations@ctsfw.edu
<mailto:PublicRelations@ctsfw.edu> .

FW: If you don't see the point of the liturgy and its ceremonies. . .

Well said…

 

Feed: Gottesdienst Online
Posted on: Thursday, April 14, 2011 7:54 PM
Author: Pr. H. R.
Subject: If you don't see the point of the liturgy and its ceremonies. . .

 

Recently I was party to a conversation between pastors regarding the ceremonies of Passiontide and Holy Week. One fellow said that he couldn't see the point in leaving out the Gloria Patri during Passiontide. That brought to mind this famous quotation from Chesterton's essay, "The Drift from Domesticity."   In the matter of reforming things, as distinct from deforming them, there is one plain and simple principle; a principle which will probably be called a paradox. There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, "I don't see the use of this; let us clear it away." To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: "If you don't see the use of it, I certainly won't let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it."   This paradox rests on the most elementary common sense. The gate or fence did not grow there. It was not set up by somnambulists who built it in their sleep. It is highly improbable that it was put there by escaped lunatics who were for some reason loose in the street. Some person had some reason for thinking it would be a good thing for somebody. And until we know what the reason was, we really cannot judge whether the reason was reasonable. It is extremely probable that we have overlooked some whole aspect of the question, if something set up by human beings like ourselves seems to be entirely meaningless and mysterious.   One of the first principles of liturgical, churchly thinking is that our fathers in the faith deserve our honor and respect. The liturgy is, first and foremost, a gift, an inheritance, something handed down from our fathers. Let us not be ungrateful, snide, or know-it-all children.   +HRC

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FW: Through Deserts Dry the Wicked Go

Cantemus…

 

Feed: HYMNOGLYPT
Posted on: Wednesday, April 13, 2011 10:31 PM
Author: Matt Carver (Matthaeus Glyptes)
Subject: Through Deserts Dry the Wicked Go

 

Here is my own hymn paraphrase of Psalm 1, Beatus vir, inspired by a sermon by Rev. Young. I welcome suggestions. The proper melody is by Ken Howes, 2011. (listen to midi)     THROUGH Deserts dry the wicked go Some pool of comfort seeking, Their fallen minds no comfort know, No truth is in their speaking, They wander blind in sin and scorn And mock the mighty God, Nor fear His fiery rod, But, rootless mid the sand and thorn, With tempting voices cry, That we with them should thirst and die. 2. But in God's teachings we delight,— His Word and revelation, Its pages pond'ring day and night For there we find salvation. There by the Law our pride is killed, And we confess defeat, And hear the Gospel sweet: The Law for us Christ has fulfilled; Now by the Spirit led, We safely follow, free from dread. 3. How blessèd in God's Word are we, As trees by living waters! We hear God's counsel full and free, His baptized sons and daughters; And as we hear His pledges sure The Spirit strengthens faith To cling to Jesus' death, Where, planted on His body pure And by His rivers red, To heaven's heights are souls are fed. 4. Our Lord alone this blessing gives Who only brings salvation, Who suffered, died, and rose, and lives For us, his own creation. For us, the wicked chaff, He went With faith and will devout Sin, death, and hell to rout, He by our rightful judgment rent Atoned for all our sin For us the peace of heav'n to win. 5. Thus in His death our life we find Once withered, now we flourish, Baptized into His death, our mind And soul His Scriptures nourish, As through their words the Spirit works Through Law and Gospel both, To love His precious oath, And though in life the old man lurks, Still we good fruit shall bear, Which God for us did first prepare. 6. Our fruit is faith in Jesus Christ, The Tree of perfect merit. In thanks for Whose redemption prized, We hail our cross and bear it. Well-watered by His flesh and blood, Our roots of faith receive, Strength daily to believe; With mercies like the richest sod He spreads His nursery, The Church, and tends it blessedly. 7. Oh, help us, Christ, Thy Word to heed, And hold it sacred ever, From whom the Scriptures all proceed Their Author and our Savior! Sustain us in Thy Word, we pray, And let Thy kingdom come To us, Thy Christendom, And let Thy will be done alway, So shall we evermore As fruitful trees Thy name adore.   © Matthew Carver, 2011.

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Resources Received: At the Movies

Atlas Shrugged, Part One. Calabasas, CA: Strike Productions, Inc., 2011. Pre-Release "Screener" DVD, NTSC DUB 04/11/11. 1:32:30. (Not for sale.) http://www.atlasshruggedpart1.com/ (N)

FW: A Quote from Luther - Why We Don't Like Lutheranism

Intrigued?  Read…

 

Feed: Confessional Gadfly
Posted on: Wednesday, April 13, 2011 6:22 AM
Author: Rev. Eric J Brown
Subject: A Quote from Luther - Why We Don't Like Lutheranism

 

"A prisoner is sitting in a deep, dense, and dark dungeon. He can see no light, nor does he know in which direction East or West lies. But the situation would be different if a hole were broken through the wall in order to admit the light…. Just so our soul is sitting in the human body as in a dark prison and knows [of itself] nothing of God. But it does want to speculate a great deal about Him and go in search of Him. However, human reason is of no avail here; it must stay with the light of the Divine Word that this light may shine into the heart." - Martin Luther This quote from a sermon in 1540 shows why there are times I just don't like being a Lutheran. Oh, the quote is completely true, and accurate, and right, and profound. It's just that I as an arrogant, sinful human being who thinks too highly of himself rebels against this (at least according to my flesh). And I would imagine that most of the frustration against Lutheranism centers it's opposition logically speaking upon this point. What do you mean I *need* God's light... I ought to be able to do it myself. There is nothing the sinful, human nature rebels against more than being told that it can't do something. Whether or not what we want is good for us, or even possible - say no, and, well... anger and fear kicks in. With these words Luther reminds us that we don't get to be the intellectual hero - for theology isn't an act of our mind. We don't get to be the great discoverer of new and profound truths - if anything we just see reality by God's light and revelation. I don't get to come up with my own solutions - I don't get to add happy commands that I think would prove my dedication to God or show my devotion to Him, nor do I get to ignore my pet sins. Everything relies upon revelation - everything relies upon the Word. What does our sinful flesh hate more than having to rely upon the Word, rely upon Christ Jesus? And as my flesh hates this, wants to rebel against it, wants me to be both the super nice let everything go yet super pious I do everything (that I want to do) perfectly well super popular hippester pastor selling ear tickling books to the great benefit of my bank account... because my sinful flesh rebels against it so firmly, I know all the more that this is true. And by the grace of God, the New Man that He has created in me, at the same time utterly rejoices, for in these words, this focus upon the revelation of God, is my freedom from sin, my forgiveness, my hope of life, and the promise that one day this body of darkness will rise again fully in God's marvelous light.

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FW: Evangelicalism and Pietism

Pietism strikes again…

 

Feed: Cranach: The Blog of Veith
Posted on: Tuesday, April 12, 2011 4:01 AM
Author: Gene Veith
Subject: Evangelicalism and Pietism

 

The noted Christian historian Mark Noll says that a revolution has taken place in our understanding of the history of American evangelicalism.  Citing the scholarship of British historian W. R. Ward, who died recently, Noll says that the origins of American evangelicalism are now understood to lie not in Puritanism or frontier revivals but in 17th century German Pietism: Never from within the Anglo-American community of historians working on the modern history of Christianity has there been such an encompassing challenge to received historiography, nor such a well-documented appeal to reorient evangelical history away from the narrow precincts of the North Atlantic to the broad plains of Central Europe. The challenge that Ward's scholarship mounted for the rest of us very ordinary historians was extraordinary. Ward's achievement provided what not even German scholars have attempted, which is a general interpretation of the history of evangelicalism from within the standpoint of German history and German historical scholarship. The Central European roots of evangelical religion have changed perceptions of evangelical origins in at least five ways. First, by situating evangelical history against the backdrop of 17th-century European political history, Ward demonstrated that distinctly evangelical beliefs and practices emerged in response to political pressure from powerful states, such as those in the Habsburg empire, or powerful state-churches, both Protestant and Catholic. What he summarized as "the almost universal history of revival as resistance to assimilation" led Ward to Central European beginnings for such essential evangelical themes as the opposition of "true Christianity" to formulaic, systematic, or imposed orthodoxies; and to small-group enclaves as the necessary nurturing medium in which "true Christianity" could flourish. By showing how the political power of nation-states and state-churches played a defining role in the earliest evangelical movements, he showed all scholars the often covert political protests found in almost all evangelical movements of the 17th and 18th centuries, and probably later as well. Second, Ward insisted on the foundational significance of 17th-century events and circumstances for evangelical history. By so doing he made a convincing case that accounts of Anglo-American evangelicalism are necessarily stunted if they do not include figures like Johann Arndt, Jakob Böhme, and Pierre Poiret (who are almost never mentioned) as well as those like Philip Jakob Spener and August Hermann Francke (who occasionally appear as mere anticipations of what came later). By insisting on the importance of 17th-century politics and 17th-century European religious history for all later evangelical history, Ward, thirdly, also showed how necessary it is to connect events in the 18th century back to the era of the Reformation and Catholic Reformation. Reformers like Spener returned to Luther for inspiration; in him Spener and like-minded Pietists discovered precedents that would come to mark all evangelicals. Even more, Ward showed that complex lines of influence continued to link mystically minded Catholics and pietistically inclined Protestants straight through the 17th and 18th centuries, and that those links can be best explained by common patterns of reaction to the orthodox state-church establishments that defined European religion after the Reformation. Fourth, Ward insisted that reforming, revivalistic, anti-statist, and small-group Protestantism was always and everywhere a pan-European phenomenon governed minimally, if at all, by national and linguistic boundaries. via Rewriting the History of Evangelicalism | Books and Culture.

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FW: All

From Pr. Weedon…

 

Feed: Weedon's Blog
Posted on: Monday, April 11, 2011 3:27 PM
Author: wweedon@gmail.com (William Weedon)
Subject: All

 

In taking up President Harrison's invitation to join in praying the Litany each day of Lent, I noticed something that never registered before in the sweep of that great intercession:  all. Our deliverance from ALL sin, ALL error, ALL evil, from ALL calamity by fire and water....Help in ALL time of our tribulation, ALL time of our prosperity...Preserving ALL pastors and minister in the true knowledge of the Word and holy living...An end to ALL schisms and causes of offense...Bringing into the way of truth ALL who have erred and are deceived...Giving to ALL peoples peace and concord... For God's blessing on ALL our people... His help for ALL in danger, necessity, tribulation... Protection and guidance for ALL who travel... Increasing happiness to ALL women with child and mothers of young children... Defense for ALL orphans and widows... Strength for ALL sick persons and young children... Mercy for ALL... This classic prayer teaches us to ask God-sized gifts indeed.  Who but the living and blessed Trinity could answer ALL those prayers for ALL? http://feeds.feedburner.com/WeedonsBlog

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FW: Martin Luther’s Small Catchism in: German, Latin, Greek and Hebrew

Praying for a modern edition…

 

Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed
Posted on: Friday, April 08, 2011 5:50 AM
Author: Paul T. McCain
Subject: Martin Luther's Small Catchism in: German, Latin, Greek and Hebrew

 

Matthew Carver, of Hymnoglypt fame, and the translator of Valerius Herberger's The Great Works of God sent me a note alerting me to the fact that Google books now has a copy of Luther's Small Catechism, published in Wittenberg, in 1605, that provides the text of the Catechism in four languages: German, Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Here's the link to it in Google books.

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Resources Received

Dyrness, William A. Poetic Theology: God and the Poetics of Everyday Life. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011. 351 Pages. Paper. $26.00. www.eerdmans.com (LHP)

FW: Introducing Lessons for Lambs

The One Year Lectionary for young Christians…

 

Feed:
Posted on: Thursday, April 07, 2011 3:54 PM
Author: ToddPeperkorn
Subject: Introducing Lessons for Lambs

 

I am very pleased to announce the newest addition to historiclectionary.com.  Lessons for Lambs is a series of 65 bulletin inserts that follow all of the Sundays of the one-year lectionary.  They are two pages, designed to be folded in half as a little booklet. Lessons for Lambs is the brain child of Heidi Sias, wife of Pastor John Sias at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Colstrip, Montana.  She has spent the last several years developing these bulletin inserts.  Here is her introduction to these little gems: Lessons for Lambs is a children's bulletin that follows the one-year historic lectionary. Lessons for Lambs is not meant to serve as a way to keep kids busy and quiet during the service, but rather to involve them in what's going on in the service so they can begin thinking about it. The bulletins are geared toward kids in 2nd through 6th grades with varying degrees of independence. They could certainly be used with younger kids, in part, with help from their parents, and by older kids who still need a better theological foundation. I have been field-testing these inserts for about two years now, and I can attest to their quality and age-appropriateness.  They are perfect for the elementary age student.  But be careful, even the adults might actually learn something from them! By the way, we are offering these absolutely free.  You may download them all as a zip file, or download them individually.  If you find them of benefit and would like to help historiclectionary.com, you may want to consider donating via PayPal or some other means. You may find the main page for Lessons for Lambs by clicking HERE. God's richest blessings to you in Christ, as we mourn our sins and look for the coming redemption in His blood. Yours in Christ, Todd Peperkorn HistoricLectionary.com Site Administrator

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FW: Don’t Miss Out On Great Prices on Great Lutheran Books and Resources

Now on sale…

 

Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed
Posted on: Thursday, April 07, 2011 8:01 AM
Author: Paul T. McCain
Subject: Don't Miss Out On Great Prices on Great Lutheran Books and Resources

 

Concordia Publishing House's Spring Catalog offers fantastic pricing on any number of great Lutheran books and resources. Don't miss out on it. Don't know what I'm talking about? Well, you can view the entire catalog online, here, and about those prices…let me show you what I'm talking about. I'll run through a slew of items you will find at special prices in our Spring Catalog. These are but a few examples of what I'm talking about. The Works of Martin Chemnitz, eight volumes, containing ten of Chemnitz' most important theological works, only $250, regular price: $377.99. The Essential Lutheran Library, regular price: $261, now only $169. The Lutheran Study Bible, regular price: $54.99, now on sale for $34.99. Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, regular price: $31.99, now only: $19.99. Lutheranism 101, regular price: $19.99, now only $14.99 Law and Gospel, regular price: $29.99, now only $19.99. The Lutheran Difference, regular price: $29.99, now only $19.99. And there are many other great prices and deals available in the Spring Catalog. You will receive free shipping if you place an order for $75 or more, from the catalog. That is, to qualify for free shipping, you must place an order for $75 or more for items in the catalog. Sorry to be repetitive, but for some folks this has proven a difficult concept. If you call to place your order at 800-325-3040, you must mention the code GR to get this offer. If you place your order online, you must use the Code GR to receive free shipping. So, don't miss out.

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FW: My Song is Love Unknown

Cantemus…

 

Feed: Musical Catechesis
Posted on: Wednesday, April 06, 2011 4:11 PM
Author: timshew
Subject: My Song is Love Unknown

 

The appointed hymn of the day for the 5th Sunday in Lent is the beloved Lenten hymn, "My Song is Love Unknown".  The text is by Samuel Crossman (1624-1683), an Anglican priest with leanings towards Puritanism. This is a wonderful, biblical and beautiful text on the passion of our Lord and I am very grateful to know this hymn. However, I think the hymn owes much of its popularity to the wonderful tune by John Ireland, the writer of the tune. Ireland was an English cathedral composer in the first half of the twentieth century, a golden period of English church music. He also happens to be the composer of one of my favorite choral pieces, Greater Love Hath No Man. Here's stanza 1: My song is love unknown, My Savior's love to me, Love to the loveless shown That they might lovely be. Oh, who am I That for my sake My Lord should take frail flesh and die? Of course, God's love is known through Christ, but we stand in amazement at the love of God that surpasses our understanding.  The idea of Jesus loving us despite our loveless condition and the wicked way in which He was treated runs throughout the hymn. This idea is found in Romans chapter 5: 6For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. God shows us His love by doing the unthinkable – He gives His own Son, His own life, for people who simply do not deserve it. We were not a cause worth dying for, but God chose to love us anyway. Not only did Jesus choose to suffer for us, He also humbled Himself before God and lived His life in humility. We see this clearly in Philippians chapter 2: 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We respond with the words of the hymn, "Oh, who am I, that for my sake my Lord should take frail flesh and die?" There is enough in that stanza for us to ponder the rest of our lives, but we are blessed with 6 more stanzas and so we move forward. Stanza 2: He came from His blest throne Salvation to bestow; But men made strange, and none The longed-for Christ would know. But, oh, my friend, My friend indeed, Who at my need His life did spend! This stanza brings us into the harsh and heart-breaking reality that Jesus was and is rejected by people. He is the King, who came down from His throne to His people and they rejected him, mocked him, and crucified him. This was prophesied in the book of Isaiah, chapter 53: 1 Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Jesus was not welcomed and received. He was despised, rejected, and hated. What else would you expect from a world that was truly corrupted by sin? Yet He still gives Himself for us! He shows himself to be our true friend, our friend indeed, by laying down His life for us. Jesus talked about this kind of love and friendship in John 15: 12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17These things I command you, so that you will love one another. Stanza 3: Sometimes they strew His way And His sweet praises sing; Resounding all the day Hosannas to their King. Then "Crucify!" Is all their breath, And for His death They thirst and cry. This stanza takes us through the way the crowds treated Jesus during Holy Week. On Palm Sunday, He was greeted with palm branches and shouts of praise. Here's part of the account from Matthew 21: 6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. 8Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" 10And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" 11And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee." The crowds gave Jesus quite the greeting, "Hosanna to the Son of David". They were greeting Him as the rightful King of Israel, as the one who would rescue them. The crowd, however, was fickle and turned against Jesus by the end of the week.  By Matthew 27, their tune had changed: 20Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." 22Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let him be crucified!" 23And he said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!" Pilate's words, "Why, what evil has he done?" lead us into the next stanza. Stanza 4: Why, what hath my Lord done? What makes this rage and spite? He made the lame to run, He gave the blind their sight. Sweet injuries! Yet they at these Themselves displease And 'gainst Him rise. Indeed, what did our Lord do to deserve this? He healed the sick, made the blind see, and even raised the dead. And yet, these things caused great offense and contributed to the anger and controversy that led to His execution. This hymn is well placed within the Lenten season, as last week we heard of the account in Luke chapter 9 where Jesus heals a blind man. The blind man is questioned repeatedly and cast out and the anger and hostility towards Jesus continues to grow. Here's a small portion of the conversation between the blind man and the Pharisees: 30The man answered, "Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." 34They answered him, "You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?" And they cast him out. Stanza 5: They rise and needs will have My dear Lord made a way; A murderer they save, The Prince of Life they slay. Yet cheerful He To suff'ring goes That He His foes From thence might free. They chose to kill Jesus and let a convicted murderer go free. Peter sums this up quickly in Acts 3: 13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. 14But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. The hymn then states that Jesus went to His suffering cheerfully. This is, at the very least, an exaggeration. Something quite different is described in Matthew 26: 38Then he said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me." 39And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." Sorrowful even to death is not exactly what we would call cheerful. However, we do know that Jesus delighted in the doing the will of the Father. He went to the cross willingly, giving Himself for our sakes, to save the very ones who hated Him and put Him to death. Stanza 6 In life no house, ho home My Lord on earth might have; In death no friendly tomb But what a stranger gave. What may I say? Heaven was His home But mine the tomb Wherein He lay. During Jesus' ministry, He traveled. He was without home and had no place to rest. He speaks of this in Luke 9: 57As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Even at His death, He had no family tomb, but He was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea – from Matthew 27: 57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And finally at the end of stanza 6 we come to a profound statement of the Great Exchange. Jesus is laid into what should be our tomb so that we may be brought in to His home. This is summed up wonderfully in 2 Corinthians 5:21 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Jesus receives the punishment for our sin and we receive the reward of the righteous. We receive the life and joy and bliss and fulfillment and peace and love of heaven itself. This leads us joyfully sing the faith; to joyfully proclaim the love of Him who has suffered, died, and risen from the dead for us. As it says in the Psalms: 6I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O LORD, 7proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds. And 2I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. This leads us into stanza 7, a great hymn of praise in response to God's amazing love. Stanza 7: Here mighty I stay and sing, No story so divine! Never was love, dear King, Never was grief like Thine. This is my friend, In whose sweet praise I all my days Could gladly spend!

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Resources Received

Chapell, Bryan. Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon, Second Edition. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005. 400 Pages. Cloth. $29.99. www.bakeracademic.com (P)

Steinmetz, David C. Luther in Context, Expanded Edition. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002. 197 Pages. Paper. $22.00. www.bakeracademic.com (LHP)

Chapell, Bryan. Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2009. 320 Pages. Cloth. $24.99. www.bakeracademic.com (LHP)

Kolb, Robert and Charles P. Arand. The Genius of Luther's Theology: A Wittenberg Way of Thinking for the Contemporary Church. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. 240 Pages. Paper. $24.00. www.bakeracademic.com (LHP)

NLT Study Bible (New Living Translation). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2008. 2488 Pages + 40 + Maps. Cloth.  $39.99. www.NLTStudyBible.com  www.newlivingtranslation.com  www.tyndale.com  (LHP)