- FELLOWSHIP AT THE LORD’S SUPPER
Colleagues,
Jeffrey Anderson supplies today’s Thursday Theology whilst Robin and I are both out of town. One of the pleasant memories of my first semester as prof at Concordia Seminary (35 yrs ago) was great students. One of that creme-de-la-creme bunch was Jeff,who still remembers that first semester encounter where he learned to have “sufficient grounds” ...
- So you want to be a priest, then?
Colleagues,
First off, some facts and figures:
Twenty-five of you sent generous donations for getting us ThTh honchos to the Aarhus Conference next week on the Future of Lutheran Theology. The 2K total you contributed covers most of the airfare. For that we are grateful.
Year-end statistics for the Crossings Web-page in 2002: Average hits per day 1,044. ...
- Luther as Resource for Mission Theology
Colleagues,
Two weeks from today, d.v., a least a half dozen of us on this listserve will be assembling at the University of Aarhus in Denmark to deliberate with a 100-plus other folks from around the world on the “Future of Lutheran Theology.” Robin and I will report on it when we get back. A recent ...
- To fear or not to fear?
Colleagues,
To fear or not to fear? That is the question.Good Christmas theology, “Good News gospelly” Christmas theology, is a tad rare these days. Even among Lutherans. Even in THE LUTHERAN, national magazine of our ELCA.
Example #1
The main theology piece in this year’s Christmas issue is “Emmanuel, God is with us!” It wants to show us ...
- Peace on Earth in Bethlehem 2002. A Blue Christmas?
Colleagues,
Appended below is a message I received from Bethlehem earlier this week anticipating a “Blue” Christmas.Makes me think of an earlier text impacting that “little” town linked to political ordinances with military enforcement: “And there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus” to which everyone MUST conform. It was “taxing.” The Mangered Messiah and the ...
- Semper Fideles (Always Faithful) at a Time of War
Colleagues,
The flu bug hit me this week. So I’m posting someone else’s prose for your ThTh 235 reflection. I know nothing more about author Jim Lewis than what you can read here. ‘Fact is, I don’t even know how this got into our “IN basket.”Although Jim never mentions “left-hand-of-God” rubrics in this essay about war, ...
- Advent Letter from Bethlehem & Apocalypse Now
Colleagues:
I just received this e-mail from Mitri Raheb, pastor of Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. It got me thinking. Today’s posting gives you both.Peace & Joy!
Ed
Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2002
As Advent begins in Bethlehem…
By Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb
It is Sunday morning, the first Advent. The streets of Bethlehem are deserted, very unusual for such a ...
- Thanksgiving. A Gratitude Attitude? Not Really
Colleagues,
D.v., Marie and I will be in California most of this week, so ThTh 233 gets posted a few days early. Occasion is the memorial service on Wednesday for Marie’s sister Dorothy Scharlemann, who died in Santa Barbara just short of her 90th birthday. That’s the third such liturgy on Marie’s side of the family ...
- Interfaith Prayer
Colleagues:
THE CHRISTIAN CENTURY’s Reformation Festival issue (they didn’t call it that), posted the end of October 2002, featured two of the best-known Lutheran theologians in America, Martin Marty and Gilbert Meilaender . MM’s photo even made the cover. Both GM and MM were reared in the theology and ethos of the Lutheran ...
- Book Review – Colin Chapman’s WHOSE PROMISED LAND? THE CONTINUING CRISIS OVER ISRAEL AND PALESTINE
Colleagues,
Art and Mitzi Preisinger are friends from ancient days when Art and I were sem students together. Now retired from early years in campus minsitry and later on Art’s professorship in theology at Texas Lutheran University, they keep on keeping on. A year or so ago it was at the Lutheran Seminary in Umpumulo, South ...
