This post comes to us from Johnny Walker: Most Christians work with the assumption that their faith in Christ must have some consequence for their political lives. For many this assumption is left more or less uninterrogated and runs its course with only minimal reflection, but for some the political character of the Gospel, once […]
Another Week Ends: Martin Luther’s Emails, Resilient Kids, Fresh Starts, Popped Pandemic Bubbles, and Joy with Parkinson’s
1. Every now and then, you get to start the weekender out with the humor section. This week’s gem from the New Yorker, “Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Theses, as E-mailed by Your Passive-Aggressive Co-Worker,” stole the show: FROM: Martin.Luther@vatican.org TO: All Vatican Staff Subject: A Quick Note Not to be that guy, and most of this […]
Home Security, Eternal Security, and Justification: A Quick Reformation Day Reflection
We recently moved into a new home and, as an incentive to take part in a discount on our home insurance premium, the company sent us a smart home monitoring system we could install to protect our home and prevent unforeseen emergencies. As I walked through the installation guide, I viewed a short video in […]
The God Who Gives First
Ahead of the publication of John Barclay’s book, Paul and the Power of Grace, Part Two of our “Defining Grace” series continues with this essay from Orrey McFarland. Orrey is the Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Thornville, Ohio. He also serves as a Visiting Professor of New Testament and Historical Theology at Knox Theological […]
I Love You Dead: The Good News of Incongruous Grace
In anticipation of the publication of John Barclay’s book, Paul and the Power of Grace, Part One of our “Defining Grace” series begins with this essay from Jonathan Linebaugh, Lecturer in New Testament at Cambridge University and a fellow of Jesus College. He is the author of the book, God, Grace, and Righteousness in Wisdom […]
Another Week Ends: Operation Ceasefire, Idiot Prayer, Racism and Sin, Troublesome Empathy, Martin Luther, and Immortality
1. A pretty obvious place to look for the dynamics of law and grace is, well, the law. In a recent story from Mother Jones, Samantha Michaels describes a program designed to curb gun violence in cities with high murder rates. Operation Ceasefire identifies people who are at risk of shooting someone or being shot; rather […]
Exorcising Regrets By Divine Amnesia
Failure and sports go hand-in-hand. As much as we might hold up elite athletes as gods, perfection is never their goal. The best batters strike out 60% of the time. The best quarterbacks have 40% of their passes hit the ground. All-star athletes have to have remarkably short memories. They can’t dwell on their mistakes. […]
Our Unwelcome Infinite Summer: David Foster Wallace and Martin Luther on Desire and Discontent
Probably the least sexy limit-experience one can have is of being bored with something one otherwise normally enjoys. Sitting in a lawn chair with Infinite Jest while my kids play with water is a good thing, one I look forward to as part of a relaxed afternoon. But why, then, do I periodically lift my […]
Martin Luther on Where to Find God: Suffering and the Cross, Glory and Majesty
Shortly before his death in 2002, renowned paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould was asked what he would write to an extraterrestrial if given the opportunity. He replied that he’d start off by asking if his alien pen-pal was made up of DNA or something else. “And the other thing,” Gould continued, I will give to you […]
Another Week Ends: Martin Luther on COVID-19, Tara Isabella Burton, Christ and Calamity, Generational Sin, and Faithful Doubt
1. Mere Orthodoxy has published an excerpt from an excellent book, Christ and Calamity: Grace and Gratitude in the Darkest Valley, by Harold Senkbeil. I’ve noted some highlights below and if you like what you read, the e-book is free this month: Just what does it mean to deny yourself and take up your cross? […]
Netflix’s “Cheer”: Law and Grace in Action
It took just three days to plow through the six episodes of Netflix’s latest docuseries Cheer, but it was well worth it. I’m not a cheerleading expert, or even a casual fan, but my initial skepticism was quickly won over by the show’s tear-jerking storytelling. Don’t get me wrong, the flips are as amazing to […]
Above the Noise: A Word of Comfort in a World of Sound
The ears, Martin Luther said, are “the only organs of the Christian.” His point was not to contradict Paul’s “body of Christ” analogy but that hearing is the most passive of the senses. While the watchful eye and the grabbing hand both suggest a more aggressive mode of action, the ears simply receive whatever comes […]
