Pastor Foltz is Pastor Emeritus of Saint James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, PA and author of the the Frontline Study content.
Let’s start with Amos. We know very little about his life. He shows up at Bethel in the northern kingdom of Israel, proclaiming God‘s judgment right before Assyria crushes her. Because he is from Judah, the king’s priest tells him to go home where he belongs. Amos responds that he is just an ordinary shepherd […]
In this series, I plan to examine the teachings of individual prophets, paying special attention to what they say about our present political situation. I think it’s safe to say that few of us know much about the prophets. I often even forget the names of all the minor ones. Yet 16 of the 39 […]
I wrote this series explicitly to examine biblical stories from the perspective of the American political situation. I wanted to test my perception that the Trump administration creates big problems for those who accept Christian teachings. Lutherans are reluctant to speak against the political order because our founder taught a doctrine of two kingdoms. Supposedly, […]
We don’t hear much about Lamech. The Bible only gives him a few paragraphs in Genesis 4. Nonetheless, I think he’s extremely important because he is used as an example of the evil that permeates creation before Noah’s flood. Supposedly, God gets so upset with the violence that fills the earth that he decides to […]
The biblical story of King Solomon leaves readers with many questions. It exalts him as the epitome of wisdom, but you have to ask why, if he was so wise, did his policies lead to the revolt of ten tribes and the breakup of the united kingdom. It also praises him for building the first […]
This fable-like tale (Numbers 22-24) makes a number of points with great humor. Balak, the King of Moab, wants to stop the invasion of the Israelites. When it is apparent his army is outnumbered, he tries to employ Balaam, a freelance prophet famous for destroying people by simply cursing them. Balaam initially refuses, because he […]
The story of Mary Magdalene seeps into non-biblical actions and writings. She is given a significant feast day in the church calendar, Mary Magdalene, Apostle. This is based on the high honor of being the first to receive a resurrection appearance in which she is instructed to tell Jesus’ brothers that he is risen (John […]
Friends, here is another sermon aligned to the series. Chances are, most of you have never heard of Philemon. One reason undoubtedly is that it is a very short letter, only 25 verses tucked between Titus and Hebrews at the back of the New Testament. Philemon, the leader of a house church, has asked Paul, […]
King Josiah might be the most underrated person in the Old Testament. Only he and Hezekiah are described as righteous kings after David. Yet hardly anyone has ever heard about him. His claim to fame is leading a MIGA (Make Israel Great Again) program in the seventh century BC. I thought it might be interesting […]
The story of the ancient judge Gideon is one of my favorites. Midian oppression has driven the Israelites into hiding. God answers their cries for help by calling Gideon, the weakest member of the lowest clan, to leadership. He wants to make clear that he saves them, not their own strength. First, God demonstrates in […]
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