Colleagues, As a teenager, I grew deeply troubled by a theological question which has surely been troubling to many pensive Christians, young and old, across time and space: namely, if belief in Jesus is the only path to salvation, then what is to become of my friends and loved ones who die without believing the gospel? Today we …
John’s Gospel and Christian Unity, Conclusion
Colleagues, Today you get the final installment of the essay by Steven Kuhl that we’ve been feeding you for the past three weeks. Steve has been discussing St. John’s contribution to the development of Christian theology in the first century. Now he turns to the implications of this for unity among Christians today. It’s a short reflection. I, …
John’s Gospel and Christian Unity, Part Three
Colleagues, This week we bring you the third installment of Steve Kuhl’s paper on John’s Gospel and Christian unity, which was first published in the March 2012 issue of Ecumenical Trends. (Parts One and Two were ThTheol #737 and #738.) As you’ll recall, last week Steve discussed John’s portrayal of non-believing communities, drawing largely on the work of the Johannine scholar Raymond …
John’s Gospel and Christian Unity, Part Two
Colleagues, This week we are excited to bring you part two of Steve Kuhl’s paper on John’s Gospel and the goal of Christian unity, first published in the March 2012 issue of Ecumenical Trends. Last week, in his introduction (ThTheol #737), Steve laid out his thesis—that although the modern ecumenical movement has stalled on the question of what kind …
Mr. Pelagius Goes to Washington. A Book Review
Colleagues, We’re pleased this week to send along a gift from a new contributor, Pastor Matt Metevelis of Las Vegas. The Lord granted me the privilege of serving as Matt’s pastor for a time, and I’ve watched his progression through high school, college, and Luther Seminary, where he learned from the likes of my old schoolmates, Gary Simpson …
John’s Gospel and Christian Unity, Part One
Colleagues, This week we’re excited to bring you the first part of an exceptionally insightful paper on John’s Gospel by the Rev. Dr. Steven Kuhl. Steve is well known to Crossings readers as a frequent writer of text studies, a leader of workshops, and the current President of Crossings Community, Inc. He’s also an assistant professor of historical …
Play-by-Play Liturgy, Part Two
Colleagues, This week, as promised, we bring you the final half of Pr. Todd Murken’s play-by-play liturgy. The first half came two weeks ago, in ThTheol #734. If you saw ThTheol #735, you’ll know that we devoted last week’s entry to remembrances of Todd, who suffered a fatal cycling accident very soon after we published Part One of his liturgy. …
In Blessed Remembrance
Colleagues, “Time like an ever-rolling stream / soon bears us all away. / We fly forgotten as a dream / dies at the opening day.” Is there anywhere in English hymnody a line more doleful? Is there in hymnody of any kind a sharper reminder of why we need Christ? It strikes me again this week that horrid …
Play-By-Play Liturgy, Part One
Colleagues, This week’s guest writer is Pastor Todd Murken of Holden Lutheran Parish in Wautoma, Wisconsin. If you’ve followed Crossings for a while you’ll recognize the name. Todd edited our quarterly newsletter from 1999 to 2004, having been summoned to the task by prior editor Bob Bertram, who was his PhD advisor at the Lutheran School of Theology …
So you thought you knew “deacon”?
Colleagues, This week we send you a second treat from Pr. Richard Gahl, a friend and informal colleague of mine in Cleveland, Ohio. You got the first in January (ThTheol #709). See the introduction there for a brush up on who Dick is and why he’s a person to listen to. Here I merely add that Dick is …