tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-190715317123789162011-12-04T00:49:46.419-08:00An ongoing study of the Book of ConcordPaul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.comBlogger571100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-76917724794832256812010-01-23T20:33:00.000-08:002010-01-24T04:18:28.015-08:00

This article is what so much comes down to. What is the Church? Is Rome the Church? Ought we to listen to the Pope when he speaks as Bishop of Rome because there is some unique promise attached to his office? Smalcald Articles III, Article XII is joyously clear:"We do not agree with them that they are the Church." (Accent, should be on the Church) "They are not the Church. Nor will we listen to

William Weedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01383850332591975790noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-55780216164417704762009-08-01T07:38:00.000-07:002009-08-01T07:54:50.167-07:00

Just as we can not make a man, a woman, nor a woman, a man, no matter what modern surgical techniques make possible, so we can not through modern theological "surgery" make a man something other than a man, and demand and require that he renounce marriage before he can serve Christ and His church as a priest/minister/pastor/elder [whatever term you prefer]. The very fact that the Papacy had come

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-73417599661967639552009-05-18T14:04:00.000-07:002009-05-18T16:14:18.709-07:00

At the time of the Reformation, it was important for there to be a renewed understanding of the extent of the authority of the Church's bishops and other authorities in matters pertaining to the calling and ordaining of the church's ministers, that is, her pastor/preachers/priests — the title makes no difference. Luther was willing to permit a legitimate role for bishops in the administration of

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-38938281976653385182009-03-29T14:03:00.000-07:002009-03-29T15:37:26.392-07:00

Every once in a while one still hears Lutheran pastors speak about imposing the "lesser ban" as though there were also a "greater ban." SA III.ix shows that such is not the case. The greater excommunication is something Lutherans regarded merely as a civil penalty; it has no place in the Church herself (and those who think it does are confusing the two swords - getting Christ's government

William Weedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01383850332591975790noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-36186263471998564632009-02-19T03:18:00.000-08:002009-02-19T03:20:46.570-08:00

Sometimes we hear people ask, “Why do we need the Sacraments if we have the Word?” It’s an understandable question. We tend to think, “If God said He forgives us, and Christ died, why do we need Sacraments?” I’ve heard the question answered this way, “How often do you need to tell your wife you love her? Once?” No, of course not. We tell those whom we love how much we love them, often. And God

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-19233346665086325262009-02-07T10:58:00.000-08:002009-02-07T11:14:28.406-08:00

Over the years of the Middle Ages the Gospel was corrupted perhaps most dramatically and visibly in regard to the doctrine of Repentance. Medieval Romanism had developed a view that man is not totally corrupted as a result of the Fall into Sin and as a result there was within man still a spark of spiritual ability that could be aroused and awakened by a "dose" of grace, and following that "dose"

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-16387180184873004902008-11-23T11:56:00.000-08:002008-12-07T14:24:06.360-08:00

In this article Luther sets forth the "chief use" of the Law. Whose use? The Holy Spirit's use. It is all the same "Law" but the Law functions in various ways. First, the Law restrains sin "by threats and the dread of punishment and by the promise offer of grace and blessing." It's rather simple: do not run the red light, if you do you may well kill somebody by hitting then, and if you do, you

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-78547412740018823122008-10-12T06:44:00.000-07:002008-10-12T07:26:29.287-07:00

In the third part of the Smalcald Articles, Luther walks through a series of basic points of doctrine, asserting the Lutheran "non-negotiables" on these points. As you read the third part of the Smalcald Articles, it is important to keep in mind that the SA was prepared as "talking points" that the Lutherans would be bringing with them to the Council that they were told would very soon be called

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-48197891083682740482008-08-31T10:39:00.000-07:002008-09-02T02:51:40.830-07:00

The third part of the Smalcald Articles begins, in light the circumstances, with a rather droll assertion: "We may be able to discuss the following articles with learned and reasonable people, or among ourselves. The pope and his government do not care much about these. With them conscience is nothing, but money, honors, and power are everything." The picture here, by the way, is the Council of

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-58741960818154304532008-07-26T11:04:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:45.067-08:00

The most vigorous rejection of the office of the papacy in the Book of Concord is found in this portion of the Smalcald Articles. Luther asserts that the Papacy is the Antichrist. This is a statement that shocks most modern Christian ears, striking many as an outrageous excess of rhetoric. Confessional Lutherans must be sensitive to the degree to which this assertion in our Book of Concord is

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-29185853687345212522008-06-08T06:24:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:45.196-08:00

We tend to forget that Martin Luther spent many years as a monk, in the Augustinian cloister in Erfurt, Germany. He had his choice of several different orders he could have joined, but elected to join the "Black Friars," an order known for its particularly stringent ascetic practices. Leaving behind a promising career in the law, he entered the walls of the monastery on July 17, 1505. It was only

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-3546116653544706012008-05-25T05:43:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:45.340-08:00

"The Mass in the papacy has to be the greatest and most horrible abomination, since it directly and powerfully conflicts with the chief article." Thus Luther launches into perhaps the second most important portion of the Smalcald Articles. For it is precisely in the way Rome regards the service of the Lord's Supper that one finds the most dramatic example of Roman Catholicism's misunderstanding

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-36757524641130222882008-05-11T05:26:00.001-07:002008-12-09T00:28:45.650-08:00

It is appropriate that we have come the point in our conversation about the Book of Concord that we are treating in this post the very heart of the Book of Concord: a bold confession of the chief article: the Gospel. And we do so on Pentecost Sunday, May 11, 2008, most appropriately indeed!Has the Gospel become cliche? The dictionary defines "cliche" as "something that has become overly familiar

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-52355046875370083732008-03-30T14:16:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:45.818-08:00

"The Awe-Inspiring Articles on the Divine Majesty" is how the first part of the Smalcald Articles is described. Repeated here are the historic creedal formulas that confess the Holy Trinity, and the two natures in Christ. Luther saw no point in spending any time discussing these truths, since "both sides confess them" and concerning these articles "there is no argument or dispute." To this day,

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-60729159438722909312008-01-27T15:24:00.001-08:002008-12-09T00:28:45.943-08:00

"I have decided to publish these articles in plain print in case I should die before there would be a council (as I fully expect and hope)." (SA Preface, 3; Concordia, p. 259). This is the assumption of Martin Luther as he composed what we know today as the Smalcald Articles. His prince, Johann Frederick the Magnanimous, asked Luther to put together this statement of "non-negotiables" that the

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-30798752063548588532008-01-13T11:40:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:28:47.043-08:00

We have come to the conclusion of our roundtable discussions about the Augsburg Confession and will now turn our attention to the Smalcald Articles. You may read them on-line at bookofconcord.org. The purpose of this post is to offer an introduction to the historical context of the Smalcald Articles; in words and pictures, providing a brief overview of the events that led to the writing of these

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-60892522244467971022008-01-06T08:53:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:28:47.176-08:00

A dispute arose among the Apostles, on more than one occasion, over the question of power, authority and rights. The desire for power and control is an ancient evil temptation that plagues humanity; and so, it should come as no surprise that it also has been an ongoing subject of concern, debate, discussion and intense disagreement in the Church. Our Lord Jesus Christ, in Matthew 20, says, "It

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-50078618001147925822008-01-03T16:40:00.000-08:002008-01-03T17:29:36.156-08:00

A very blessed and holy Christmastide to you all, and a happy New Year in our Lord. You will notice a new header for our blog site, provided by "Orthodoxy Hunter." She did a really great job, incorporating elements from the Concordia edition of the Book of Concord, with some sharp graphics I sent her way, including on the left, a picture of the title page of the first edition of the Book of

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-56667870418314694692007-11-11T12:07:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:28:47.247-08:00

To appreciate the impact Article XXVII of the Augsburg Confession had, and how particularly upsetting it was to common understandings of the time, the reader has to realize how extensive monasticism was across Germany. By the way, the image here is of two Medieval monks the one giving the other the distinctive "tonsure" or shaving the top of the head, as a sign of having taken vows. Monasticism

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-22131325878839188722007-10-13T18:00:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:47.378-08:00

It is difficult for 21st century Christians to appreciate fully the subject under discussion here probably because, both among Roman Catholics and non-Roman Catholics, the impact of canon laws governing what can, and can not, be eaten and at what times one must fast, and not fast, has become more of a historic relic of the past. Choosing not to eat a certain food, at a certain time, is a matter

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-40182790840209543712007-09-29T11:22:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:47.613-08:00

The Lutheran Reformation has its root cause in the confessional. People coming to make their confession to Father Martin Luther began to tell him that they needn't worry any longer about forgiveness, or about what they might, or might not do, because they had purchased an indulgence, and considered it a "get out of hell free" card that assured them of God's grace and mercy in spite of anything

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-19368823240562296642007-09-10T19:23:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:47.749-08:00

"Our churches are falsely accused of abolishing the Mass. The Mass is held among us and celebrated with the highest reverence. Nearly all the usual ceremonies are also preserved..."So begins Article XXIV. Here's a rather unbiased observer's notes on what the Lutherans were up to back then. Musculous, the south German, writes:Eisenach, May 14, 1536, Cantate Sunday: the so-called "Office of

William Weedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01383850332591975790noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-68272480420292610372007-08-27T11:27:00.001-07:002008-12-09T00:28:47.796-08:00

By the time of the Reformation in the 16th century, forced celibacy was the rule for all men who wanted to serve as priests [pastors] in the church, and in any position of ministry. Canon law requiring such was put into place in Germany some four hundred years previous to the Augsburg Confession. But much earlier, enforced celibacy was enacted. At a Roman council held by Pope Siricius in 386 an

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-78984328681762455672007-08-07T08:34:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:48.017-08:00

The Augsburg Confession concludes its presentation on various doctrinal points and moves into a presentation on the "various abuses" that have been "corrected" by the Lutherans. Obviously, these "abuses," as the Lutherans refer to them, struck a very raw nerve among Roman Catholic theologians and princes. The topics dealt with in this section of the Augsburg Confession are, in the following order

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-84206525338939295192007-07-23T15:14:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:48.218-08:00

Charles Porterfield Krauth notes that the doctrinal sections of the AC begin with God and end with the saints. Most fitting. There is undue fear of the saints in current Lutheranism (a bit of reaction, I suppose, to Roman excesses) that would have surprised and shocked the Augsburg Confessors. Instead of ignoring the saints (or pretending "they're just the same as you and me"), the Confession

William Weedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01383850332591975790noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-49849088910498143562007-06-28T12:53:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:48.312-08:00

Lutherans forbid good works. That was what folks were saying then, and some have gone on saying it, including those who should know better.No, Lutherans do NOT forbid good works, but they command all those works which God has enjoined on us. As Luther pointed out - if we take care of those, we won't have any time for the ones we try to make up on our own. The made up ones - "particular holy

William Weedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01383850332591975790noreply@blogger.com58tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-49187456809643402102007-06-23T13:19:00.001-07:002008-12-09T00:28:48.509-08:00

Our churches teach that although God creates and preserves nature, the cause of sin is located in the will of the wicked, that is, the devil and ungodly people. Without God's help, this will turns itself away from God, as Christ says, "When he lies, he speaks out of his own character" (John 8:44).We stand here again and gaze on a mystery: evil. What is known about it is that evil and the sin that

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-56381700412439306082007-06-20T16:41:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:48.669-08:00

Article XVIII: Our churches teach that a person’s will has some freedom to choose civil righteousness and to do things subject to reason. It has no power, without the Holy Spirit, to work the righteousness of God, that is, spiritual righteousness....Our churches condemn the Pelagians and others who teach that without the Holy Spirit, by natural power alone, we are able to love God above all

WM Cwirlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12317197804776939257noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-35227072051964512492007-06-13T18:55:00.001-07:002007-08-27T11:26:43.043-07:00

Just offer to unlock the secrets of Revelation and reveal all kinds of end-time mysteries and watch your church pack out. The Lutheran Church with joy misses out on these Hal Lindsey fests. Instead she confesses the certainties which Scripture gives:* At the end of the world Christ will appear for judgment and will raise all the dead.Appear is a big word. In the NT, more often than not, the

William Weedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01383850332591975790noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-45919568233857388982007-06-05T09:24:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:48.759-08:00

From the exciting topic of church ceremonies, to the boring topic of government. Well, okay, I've shown my prejudice. The biggy in AC XVI is to teach that "lawful civil regulations are good works of God." In other words, there's nothing dirty about them in themselves, which is not to say that we cannot abuse them the same way we abuse every other good gift of God. Because they are "good works of

William Weedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01383850332591975790noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-29398728360274666282007-05-12T09:19:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:48.838-08:00

Our churches teach that ceremonies ought to be observed that may be observed without sin. Also, ceremonies and other practices that are profitable for tranquility and good order in the Church (in particular, holy days, festivals, and the like) ought to be observed.Yet, the people are taught that consciences are not to be burdened as though observing such things was necessary for salvation. They

WM Cwirlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12317197804776939257noreply@blogger.com71tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-54819851793427134152007-05-03T08:18:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:48.960-08:00

Our churches teach that no one should publicly teach in the Church, or administer the Sacraments, without a rightly ordered call (nisi rite vocatus, ohn ordentlichen Beruf). AC XIV.Short, sweet, and to the point. Article XIV is the third of what I call the “defensive articles,” defending the Lutheran Reformers against slanderous associations with the radicals. This article is in direct response

WM Cwirlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12317197804776939257noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-43539493036524682862007-04-26T18:43:00.000-07:002007-04-29T07:12:46.983-07:00

Our churches teach that the Sacraments were ordained, not only to be marks of profession among men, but even more, to be signs and testimonies of God's will toward us. They were instituted to awaken and confirm faith in those who use them. Therefore, we must use the Sacraments in such a way that faith, which believes the promises offered and set forth through the Sacraments, is

William Weedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01383850332591975790noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-51814136663413425762007-04-17T15:13:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:49.177-08:00

"Strictly speaking, repentance consists of two parts. One part is contrition, that is, terrors striking the conscience through the knowledge of sin. The other part is faith, which is born of the Gospel or the Absolution and believes that for Christ's sake, sins are forgiven. It comforts the conscience and delivers it from terror. Then good works are bound to follow, which are the fruit of

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-79385063080622676482007-04-07T11:24:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:49.274-08:00

"Our churches teach that private absolution should be retained in the churches, although listing all sins is not necessary for Confession. For, according to the Psalm, it is impossible. "Who can discern his error?" (Psalm 19:12)." (-- AC Latin; Concordia edition, 36-37).By the time of the Reformation in the sixteenth century, the practice of private absolution had been in place for well over

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-66596154065180647952007-03-24T11:10:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:49.423-08:00

“It is taught among us that the true body and blood of Christ are really present in the Supper of our Lord under the form (Gestalt) of bread and wine and are there distributed and received. The contrary doctrine is therefore rejected.”The Latin text is even more tersely worded: “Our churches teach that the body and blood of Christ are truly present and are distributed to those who eat in the in

WM Cwirlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12317197804776939257noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-85832640068202267802007-03-19T08:41:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:49.570-08:00

Concerning Baptism, our churches teach that Baptism is necessary for salvation and that God's grace is offered through Baptism. They teach that children are to be baptized. Being offered to God, through Baptism they are received into God's grace. Our churches condemn the Anabaptists, who reject the Baptism of children, and say that children are saved without Baptism. (Concordia: The Lutheran

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-67936119904226889002007-03-16T08:54:00.000-07:002008-12-09T00:28:49.684-08:00

A conversation was underway in another topic that deserves to be featured in a separate post. I have asked for the forgiveness of our underpaid and underappreciated authors for deleting their comments on this subject elsewhere. I am trying to keep our discussions on-topic, obviously in a fumbling and hamfisted manner! Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.So, let's open another reflection discussion:

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-78790447613479641832007-03-11T05:08:00.001-07:002007-07-25T15:19:27.979-07:00

What impresses me most as I read the Lutheran Confessions is how pastoral, practical and personal they are. They are pastoral. The constant drum beat throughout them is the goal of comforting and caring for souls. The Lutheran Confessions are not theological speculations or abstractions. The times in which it was written called for pastoral care on a scale that could only be compared to a

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-48100428228387835092007-03-09T13:37:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:28:49.827-08:00

Strictly speaking (proprie), the church is the congregation of saints and true believers. However, since in this life many hypocrites and evil persons (German text adds “open sinners”) are mingled with believers, it is allowable to use the sacraments even when they are administered by evil men, according to the saying of Christ, “The scribes and Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat,” etc (Matt. 23:2).

WM Cwirlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12317197804776939257noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-33071129576616250742007-03-02T11:52:00.001-08:002008-12-09T00:28:49.937-08:00

Our churches teach that one holy Church is to remain forever. The Church is the congregation of saints in which the Gospel is purely taught and the Sacraments are correctly administered. For the true unity of the Church it is enough to agree about the doctrine of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments. It is not necessary that human traditions, that is, rites and ceremonies

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-72165085380922447132007-02-24T08:57:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:28:50.094-08:00

Well, sort of. Though it begins with new obedience, the topic quickly shifts back to justification - that is, to what our good works do not do. But there is some positive content and it needs attention. Eck and company had long blasted the Lutherans for forbidding or at least denigrating "good works." The thought was clearly that if justification is by faith alone, then works become

William Weedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01383850332591975790noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-30580981595351694772007-02-14T22:03:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:28:50.358-08:00

“So that we may obtain this faith, the ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. Through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Spirit is given [John 20:22]. He works faith, when and where it pleases God [John 3:8], in those who hear the good news that God justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake.

Rev. Ryan Foutsnoreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-84795775101702085952007-02-10T16:17:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:28:50.473-08:00

Article IV on JustificationAlso they teach that men cannot be justified before God [coram Deo] by their own strength, merits, or works, but are freely justified for Christ’s sake [propter Christum], through faith [per fidem], when they believe [so wir glauben; cum credunt] that they are received into favor, and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake, who, by His death, has made

WM Cwirlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12317197804776939257noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-42032870793712047362007-02-08T08:25:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:28:50.606-08:00

Enough of this dreariness about our miserable condition inherited from Father Adam. Let's move to the Second Adam, the new Head of humanity, Jesus Christ, the Word become Flesh, the incarnate Son of God and Savior from sin and death.Article III of the Augustana reads as follows (from the Triglotta):Also they [our churches] teach that the Word, that is, the Son of God, did assume the human nature

WM Cwirlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12317197804776939257noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-42990479797971105542007-01-20T04:26:00.000-08:002007-01-20T04:27:56.163-08:00

One of our contributors, Pastor Ryan Fouts, has posted a paper he prepared for one of his Ph.D. classes. Readers of this blog site will find it very interesting. It has to do with the textual history of the Formula of Concord. Thanks Ryan.

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-516332438512769352007-01-17T17:45:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:28:50.844-08:00

Sin is much more than wrong things that we do. Those are symptoms of the terminal disease with which we are born and with which we shall die, and because of which we die. Born and conceived in sin, we inherit the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve. The disease can only be healed by the blood of Christ which cleanses us from all sin. The Augsburg Confession in Article II rejects the errors of

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-92030660582421809012007-01-08T06:25:00.002-08:002007-01-08T08:40:16.480-08:00

Readers of this blog site are invited and encouraged to submit their comments here, in response to Roundtable 3.

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-32791673549233460852007-01-08T06:25:00.001-08:002008-12-09T00:28:51.054-08:00

Today we begin our discussion of the Augsburg Confession, beginning at the beginning, with the first sentence, of the first article, "God." We read: "Our churches teach with common consent." That's how the Latin version of the Augsburg Confession puts it. The German says: "We unanimously hold and teach..." The Latin continues: "that the decree of the Council of Nicea about the unity of the divine

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-73947324150249348072006-12-19T16:39:00.000-08:002006-12-20T15:08:36.697-08:00

If you haven't noticed, our contributing author list has grown in the past several weeks. Welcome Al, Ryan, Bill, Larry, Jay and Dave. You can check out their respective web sites, and other info, by clicking on their names. We'll probably be picking up some more contributing authors as we move along.

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-51049354756335742662006-12-16T05:03:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:28:51.157-08:00

The Book of Concord, the authoritative collection of the Lutheran Confessions, begins by including the Creeds. Comment and discuss the implication of this decision and what the act of putting in the three historic/ancient creeds of the Western Church itself confesses? Talk about the way Creeds are perceived by rank and file general Protestantism in this country and elsewhere. Note the cartoon

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-48179461536033417462006-12-16T03:06:00.001-08:002006-12-16T03:06:29.843-08:00

Readers may comment on the Roundtable 2 post here. Comments posted on the post itself are reserved for the blog authors.

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-38792716924505489052006-12-11T18:31:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:28:51.280-08:00

On this blog site we will have two types of posts. The first kind are generated by our blog authors, on whatever topic pertaining to the Lutheran Confessions comes to their minds. The second type of post will be a "Roundtable" post. Here, yours truly as administrator, will post a question or topic and ask this blog's authors to react and respond. Expect a cordial give and take on an issue or

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-13771847643176973212006-12-11T18:30:00.000-08:002006-12-11T16:24:35.422-08:00

Our readers are invited to respond to the our first roundtable post: The Book of Concord: Lutheran or Christian?

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-79851474854277839782006-12-11T05:14:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:28:51.441-08:00

I will not venture an in-depth article such as Pr. Weedon's fine first offering but only an observation often made elsewhere but worth remembering: Sin is the starting place for theological reflection. The Augsburg Confession [AC] begins yes, with the doctrine of the Trinity but then quickly establishes that theology is not an abstract, philosophical enquiry into the nature of God or other

Paul Gregory Almsnoreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-51744767693634195842006-12-10T19:47:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:28:51.533-08:00

There is a certain deliciously delightful irony to the fact that the first substantial post on this new blog site offers a back and forth with the Pope. Some things never change, nor should they. The current Bishop of Rome published these words in 1986. They have a familiar ring to them: "Luther did not have in mind founding a Lutheran Church. For him the focus of the concept of the Church was to

William Weedonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01383850332591975790noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19071531712378916.post-14831632090203831422006-12-09T10:13:00.000-08:002008-12-09T00:28:51.636-08:00

Welcome to the first post on this new blog site. Another Lutheran blog? Aren't there already enough? Perhaps. But this blog will try to do something a bit different than is usually the case with blog sites. We are devoting this blog to one topic: the Lutheran Confessions. We believe that the Lutheran Confessions, as contained in the Book of Concord, are a treasure for all people because of how

Paul McCainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846468267196335350noreply@blogger.com3