Pastor Foltz is Pastor Emeritus of Saint James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, PA and author of the the Frontline Study content.
You often hear people say they’re willing to forgive someone who offended them, but they’re not going to forget what they did. Their intention is to make clear they’re not naïve. Forgiveness will not open the way for the offender to hurt them again. Some believe this is not real forgiveness. They argue you must […]
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is usually cited for drawing our attention to cheap grace. He defined it as “preaching forgiveness without requiring repentance… grace without discipleship.” He was criticizing the Lutheran church for not opposing the Nazi regime. Most of its pastors argued that God called them to preach the Word and offer the Sacraments, but to […]
Having established that forgiveness is an intrinsic part of Christian love, I’d like to look at some of the issues. The first is the ability to forgive yourself. Even though you might be convinced God has absolved you, it’s impossible to move on unless you’re also then able to forgive yourself. The theology underlying the […]
Having looked at the prominent place of forgiveness in Jesus’ message, we should open up our study to the entire Bible. It, of course, deals with the relationship between God and humanity and, consequently, the way humans relate to each other. The Bible’s story assumes humans refuse to understand what’s good for them. They reject […]
Jesus’ ministry highlighted forgiveness. The Old Testament law and prophets certainly recognized God’s mercy and lovingkindness at various points, but Jesus went much further. He proclaimed God as Father far more than as king. Teachings like the Prodigal Son pictured Him as obsessed with saving his wayward children. Indeed, his interpretation of the law is […]
Our society has pretty much lost the value of forgiveness. Well, people do forgive one another, but it is an act between individuals that signifies regret for something they have done. Saying you are sorry is only a small part of the Christian meaning. Jesus spoke of forgiveness bringing radical change into a person’s life. […]
Another impactful change in just the last 5 years is the ability to hide one’s identity. That is evident in the present use of masks in public life. We got used to seeing people with their faces covered during COVID. Even though government regulations requiring these became controversial, we still expect people with communicable illnesses […]
Last week, I argued that one reason it is difficult for Christians to respond when events around us cry out for prophecy is that the wall between church and state has been severely damaged. Let me analyze a rather crude example to illustrate another cause. For some reason, probably because I read right-wing publications, I […]
In the past, I wrote a series on religion and politics in which I spoke of the wall between church and state being porous in ways that benefit both sides. Not being established, the church can support the government when warranted and prophetic when necessary. I ended up warning that the new Christian Nationalist movement […]
A week ago, I intended to answer the question “How do we overcome our conflicts and recover our decency?” in my study. I found myself casting aside one draft after another, feeling my answers might be correct, but they surely came across as trite. None captured the emotional despair of my friends who were really […]
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