Colleagues, Folks in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada’s jewel on the Pacific coast, all know what the initials DTES mean. It’s the “Downtown East Side,” the Skid Row of this marvelous creme-de-la-creme metropolis. Lutheran pastor Brian Heinrich is known as the “street priest” for the halt, the maimed, the losers, the rejects, in DTES. Alfred DePew from the VANCOUVER …
Doubt and Certainty in “A Lutheran Christian Life for Today”
Colleagues, I have a poor track record in getting letters to the editor published in our ELCA magazine, THE LUTHERAN. Size-wise they are always too long, and in substance regularly quite op-ed-ish. So for this first ThTh post in August 2010 here’s what the August 2010 issue of our magazine churned up in me with its one-page article …
Robert Bertram, Carl Braaten and the ELCA on Universal Salvation
Colleagues, Some time ago Scott Jurgens, ELCA pastor in Idaho, (Seminex graduate, 1980) asked me if I had seen the article on universal salvation in the ELCA’s collection of faith statements. No, I hadn’t. Carl Braaten, he told me, was the major voice in this statement, and what Carl said didn’t coincide with what Bob Bertram had taught …
Demythologization, Theology of the Cross and Christ’s Virgin Birth
Colleagues, For the academic year 1968-69 our family moved from Valparaiso University in Indiana to St. Louis, Missouri, for my one-year stint as guest-professor at Concordia Seminary. It was the first year of a proposed ongoing professor-exchange between the two schools. The fact that it ceased after that first year has been variously interpreted. Two years later (1970 …
On Teaching Theology – A Slice of Life.
Colleagues, A few days ago two dear friends, Fred Danker and Bob Schultz, in reducing the stuff in their filing cabinets have found copies of two things I wrote in ancient days, items I had completely forgotten. So they sent them to me. Bob even suggested that the item he found should have a wider audience. Even though …
Not Missing the Message in the Good Samaritan Parable
Colleagues, [Preliminary note. Unrelated to this topic–well maybe not–is this item about Fred Danker of BDAG fame, known to many of you. Next Monday, July 12, 2010, is Fred’s 90th birthday. Send him a greeting. Snailmail: 3438 Russell Blvd. #203, St. Louiis MO 63104.] This coming Sunday’s Gospel reading is often (mis)understood by readers–and then on Sundays (mis)proclaimed …
Werner Elert’s chapter on Economics in his book The Christian Ethos. (Part 2)
Colleagues, For introductory information on this two-part posting, see last week’s Part 1, now on the Crossings website: https://crossings.org/thursday/2010/thur062410.shtml Here is Part 2. Peace and Joy! Ed Schroeder Werner Elert: The Christian Ethos Chapter 3. THE NATURAL ORDERS Unit 19 Economic Interdependence [The text of subsections 1 and 2 of Unit 19 were last week’s Thursday Theology posting.] The Godliness …
Werner Elert’s chapter on Economics in his book The Christian Ethos. (Part 1)
Colleagues, Shortly before Christmas 2008 I passed on to you some economic analysis from my teacher Werner Elert (ThTh#548). Though written in the 1930s, it sounded like he was talking about us today. If you want to review it, GO to https://crossings.org/thursday/2008/thur121108.shtml In Elert’s textbook on Christian ethics, THE CHRISTIAN ETHOS (original German edition 1949), he has a section …
Youth Ministry in America
Colleagues, There were seven of us kids in my family, a farm family in northwestern Illinois, six brothers and one sister. The line began in 1930 and continued till #7 arrived in 1944–Ed, Mary Ann, Bob, Don, Ted, Art, Dave. Because of our Lutheran pastor’s advice, Mom and Dad saw to it that we could go to college …
Faith Alone–Still a Minority Opinion?
Colleagues, FYI, here’s a slice of recent correspondence. One of my good friends in the American Society of Missiology is Dana L. Robert, Professor of World Mission. Boston University. School of Theology, since 1984. She is one of the superstars in the field. Her publications list is loooong. At discussions arising at the annual meeting of the ASM …