In Ed-ifying Memory

Co-missioners,

June 1 is one month minus a day from now. That leaves anyone interested with enough time to arrange a trip to St. Louis at reasonable expense for a one-of-a-kind Crossings event at Christ Lutheran Church in Webster Groves.

We plan that day—again, Saturday, June 1—to thank God once more for the gift of Edward H. Schroeder, Crossings co-founder, indefatigable generator of well over half the material on our website, and globe-trotting pusher of what he and his mentor and colleague, Robert W. Bertram, described to students now and then as “the thin tradition” in Christian theology. Think of it as the account of the Gospel that was launched by St. Paul, relayed by Augustine, revived by Luther, and passed along in fits and starts thereafter by a minority of Luther’s successors. Anchored in the cross, it draws a clear distinction between God’s Law and God’s Gospel and lifts up the latter as the Word of Words for human creatures, beset by sin and death, to pin their ears on, thereby allowing the Spirit to hang their hearts on it.

Truth be told, it’s not Ed so much as the Gospel he passed along that we aim to celebrate when we get together.

Check your inboxes tomorrow for another email note from Crossings bearing details of the event on June 1. You’ll find much to look forward to. We pray that you’ll join us there.

Finally, as a reminder of the gifts God gave us through Ed, we bring you a rerun from our archives. It’s a fifteen-year old report on some work Ed did in 2004 with a group of Lutheran pastors in Singapore. That Singapore connection will be highlighted on June 1. So too, and even more, will be the confessional insight that Ed displays here.

Peace and Joy,
The Crossing Community

Some spin-offs from Justification by Faith Alone

By Edward H. Schroeder

Colleagues,

We are in the last month of our three months working with the Lutheran Church in Singapore. For my last seminar session with pastors, I’ve been asked to show how the “Augsburg hermeneutic” works when addressing three topics–Biblical authority, church and ministry, and ethics. Anyone of those is already enough for more than one session, but I’ll try to respond to their request.Here’s my first draft. Y’all actually get to see it before they do with this Thursday posting, since the seminar session is May 10. So if you detect some bloopers, let me know before then.

Peace & Joy!
Ed Schroeder

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Thursday Theology: that the benefits of Christ be put to use
A publication of the Crossings Community