A new book offers a new kind of critique of the novel and movie, The Shack. My articles here on Brothers of John the Steadfast have been transformed into a book that the Steadfast Lutherans are distributing to you for free on … Continue reading
Editor’s Note: To understand what is meant by “Trinitarian Theology” in this post, please see Part 2. Having traced the journey of Wm. Paul Young, author of The Shack, and his main character, Mackenzie Phillips, from the pain of their Great … Continue reading
In Part 1 of this series of articles we saw that The Shack and its theology arise from two pressures experienced by its author, Wm. Paul Young, and main character, Mackenzie Phillips: pain and the inadequacy of “traditional Christianity” to … Continue reading
Gerhard Forde says, “Sanctification, if it is to be spoken of as something other than justification, is perhaps best defined as the art of getting used to the unconditional justification wrought by the grace of God for Jesus’ sake.”[1] There … Continue reading
Jesus never said, “Let go and let God”, He said, “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” There’s a big difference. Both “let go and let God” and “repent and believe” acknowledge that we have trouble, but they locate the source … Continue reading
In the movie, Saving Private Ryan, Private Reiben asks, “Where’s the sense of riskin’ the lives of the eight of us to save one guy?” Captain Miller says, “We all have orders, and we have to follow ’em. That supersedes … Continue reading
As lousy moments go, it was one of the lousiest. It was during a visit to Stordahl Lutheran Cemetery. Not much there. The church building is gone. Only the bell and cemetery remain. From that forlorn spot of prairie, I … Continue reading
With the Bakken oil boom, it seldom is dark anymore at our farm. There is usually some light from gas flares. It’s not like the experience of darkness we used to have in the field when walking back to a … Continue reading
[No. 5 of 5 Lenten meditations on Jesus in Gethsemane] Second Adam Dying in a Second Garden Jesus said, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death.”1 The phrase, “to death,” is not a figure of speech. It is not … Continue reading
[No. 4 of 5 Lenten meditations on Jesus in Gethsemane] Winston Churchill was visiting New York the day after the stock market crash of 1929. The noise of a crowd outside his hotel woke him. “Under my very window a … Continue reading
[No. 3 of 5 Lenten meditations on Jesus in Gethsemane] Some of you remember. Before 1971, television had cigarette advertisements. After that, the ads were banned. The jingle for one brand went, “Over, under, around, and through; Pall Mall travels … Continue reading
When the quarterback sprained his ankle, his substitute came into the game. On the next play, there was no backfield blocking. Both outside line backers came in fast and hit the quarterback hard. His helmet came off. The ball rolled out of his hands. He lay there dazed. Finally being shifted to a stretcher, he said, “You’re not supposed to hit a substitute that hard.”
Continue reading[No. 1 of 5 Lenten meditations on Jesus in Gethsemane] This is the first in a series of five Lenten meditations on Jesus in Gethsemane. The meditations are organized loosely around six Greek words the evangelists use to describe his … Continue reading
In the British television show, Doc Martin, the newly arrived doctor in a small village is annoyed by villagers using the waiting room of his surgery as a social club. They assemble without having medical complaints. Doc Martin rudely tells … Continue reading