So forgiveness pre-requires understanding the mistakes of the past? here hear re this opposing this me-first, America-first, white-first, male-first approach>…
Weekly lessons in theology and public life • Since 2011
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Lesson 31: How God Operates Through Words
Read MORE: Lesson 31: How God Operates Through WordsI was going to demonstrate what I believe is the essential message God speaks in the Bible. I decided yesterday’s sermon does that for me. So here it is, a little longer than the usual lesson, but… When Jesus was…
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Lesson 32: How Do We Determine God’s Word?
Read MORE: Lesson 32: How Do We Determine God’s Word?Throughout our history the Church has determined what it accepts as the Word of God by balancing many elements of tradition: charisma, canon, creed, clergy, ceremony, custom, and community. She is constantly correcting the problems that develop when one or…
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Lesson 33: How Do We Determine the Word of God – Charisma
Read MORE: Lesson 33: How Do We Determine the Word of God – CharismaPaul includes the “utterance” of wisdom and knowledge among the gifts of the Spirit or charismas (I Corinthians 12: 4-11). Over the years these have been described as just about any kind of direct inspiration- from a person feeling something…
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Lesson 34: How Do We Determine the Word of God – Canon
Read MORE: Lesson 34: How Do We Determine the Word of God – CanonThe early church’s most obvious standard for controlling charisma is the canon or Bible. She approved certain sacred writings as norms for judging other versions of God’s Word. When I read how much the excluded gospels move from the fantastic…
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Lesson 35: How Do We Determine God’s Word – Creed
Read MORE: Lesson 35: How Do We Determine God’s Word – CreedWith all the focus on the Bible (canon) we often pass over how the creeds go even further in determining what is and what is not the Word of God. In some ways the canon is like the Constitution and…
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Lesson 36: How Do We Determine the Word of God – Custom
Read MORE: Lesson 36: How Do We Determine the Word of God – CustomBob and Juan’s comments have led me to change my schedule for examining how we determine if our inspirations are worthy to be judged God’s Word. Bob continues to remind us there is always going to be differences of opinion,…
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Lesson 37: How Do We Determine God – Ceremony
Read MORE: Lesson 37: How Do We Determine God – CeremonyWe often overlook how ceremony determines what we regard as God’s Word. We learn a great deal of our Christianity by using the liturgy every week and reliving the Church Year annually. This ritual establishes the habits of the heart…
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Lesson 38: How Do We Determine God’s Word – Clergy
Read MORE: Lesson 38: How Do We Determine God’s Word – ClergyChristians often check their inspiration with clergy. I was always being asked questions such as “Is it all right to cremate?” or “Will the Lutheran Church support my conscientious objection to the war?” At the beginning of my ministry people…
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Lesson 39: How Do We Determine God’s Word – Community 1
Read MORE: Lesson 39: How Do We Determine God’s Word – Community 1Finding myself on vacation, I plan to be more anecdotal in the next couple weeks. Well, perhaps it has to do with more than my vacation. I think we have come to where we truly live our lives. That means…
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Lesson 40: How Do We Determine God’s Word – Community 2
Read MORE: Lesson 40: How Do We Determine God’s Word – Community 2As Juan observes about history not being objective fact but a story continuously retold to make sense of our present and future, so too custom is an ever-changing guide to the Christian life. The community is continuously retelling it to…
Recent Comments
An extremely timely topic. Thanks, Fritz!
yes we need to forgive our leaders yet make sure they do the right thing – which they aren’t.