The Word Became This Flesh

Colleagues, This is John 1 season. We sampled it on the Third Sunday of Advent (1:6-8, 29-28). The main course followed on Christmas Day (1:1-14). Where I do most of my work, a pesky saint has finally prevailed on me to tackle the Gospel of John in the Sunday morning Adult Education class. I consented with fear and …

Bibliography of Robert W. Bertram

by Michael Hoy Most of the works by Robert W. Bertram listed below are available on-line and may be found at the following url address: https://crossings.org/archive/bob. Those resources are listed alphabetically. The bibliography below is the most complete to date and includes all the resources published in a prior bibliographies also noted in this listing. Books Authored A …

No “Mission” in Luther? A Re-examination (Part 3 of 3)

Colleagues, Below is the final installment of our serial post on Luther and mission, penned 15 years ago by Ed Schroeder. Here Ed moves from reportage to analysis and assessment. He also stirs the pot with some polite though pointed critique of positions and trends that people who passed as he did, from the LCMS to the ELCA …

No “Mission” in Luther? A Re-examination (Part 2 of 3)

Colleagues, Here is the next installment of Ed Schroeder’s exploration of Luther’s thinking on the topic of mission. Peace and Joy, Jerry Burce ______________________________________________  Luther’s Theology of Mission (continued) by Edward H. Schroeder C. The Sermon from 1536 The Mission Mandate Here Luther is struck by the overwhelming magnitude of the mission mandate. “These are words of impressive …

No “Mission” in Luther? A Re-examination (Part 1 of 3)

Colleagues, Advent is upon us, thrusting the world into a fresh year in the unfolding regime of the crucified and risen Son of God—another Annus Domini, as stubborn Christ-folk will continue to put it. In my own idiosyncratic take on the season, Advent is first and foremost a time for baptized travelers to pull off at the scenic …

Reflections on Luther the Person, Part 2

Colleagues, Here is the second half of Rudolf Keller’s essay on Luther the human being, a sinner who trusted Christ. One of you wrote over the weekend to say that Part One was “the best thing I’ve read in the avalanche of materials on the 500th anniversary.” I trust the rest of it will be just as satisfying. …

A Reformation Day Epistle

Colleagues, The Reformation drew scant attention in Cleveland, Ohio today, its 500th anniversary notwithstanding. There were no parades in city streets, nor any Lutheran crowds flocking as once they might have to a downtown venue for a jubilant celebration. If any congregations bothered to hold their own muted liturgies, I didn’t hear about it. Mine didn’t. After all, it …

“Think Gospel, Preach Christ!” Lessons from Elert for Today’s Church (Part 2)

Colleagues, Here is the second installment of Ed Schroeder’s “Kerygma, Dogma, and Ethos: What We Preach, What We Confess, Who We Become.” There is much to digest here. Chew slowly, with thanks to God. Installment Three will follow in seven days. For the story behind this essay, see last week’s introduction by guest editor Stephen Hitchcock. Peace and …