- Justification – An Eastern Orthodox Perspective
Colleagues,
One of our dear students in the Lutheran School of Theology here in St. Louis–call it LST-STL–is Richard Leigh. By trade a health-care worker, and now in his mid-years infected with the “rabies of theology,” he’s become a theological omnivore. He’s all over the map, not only in the courses he’s consuming, but also in ...
- Salvation. What is it Really?
Colleagues,A couple of you tweaked me a bit for last week’s claim (ThTh 137) that in New Testament usage, the verb ‘to save’ was regularly in the future tense. One of you called my attention to many NT references where that verb is present tense or even past perfect. Thus the NT also says that ...
- Responses to Non-Western Theology
Colleagues,
Several responses have come in to last week’s posting (ThTh 136). Two of you called my attention to S. Mark Heim’s article in last week’s issue of CHRISTIAN CENTURY: “The pluralism of religious ends: Dreams fulfilled.” I don’t subscribe to CC any longer, so I went to the library to read it. ...
- Non-Western Theology, Part 2 – The Stress in Letting the “Kids” Grow Up
Colleagues:
Last week’s posting on non-western theology reminded me that a few months ago (September 2000) the Vatican generated a bit of a brouhaha with its Declaration on Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue titled “Dominus Iesus” . Non-Roman Christian communities were reminded of their inadequate claim to being fully “church,” and world religions beyond the Christian ...
- Samplings from Non-Western Christianity
Colleagues,
The second Thursday every month our local Lutheran Professional Church Workers Conference gathers for liturgy, program, business and lunch. This morning 30-some showed up. At lunch today one of my buddies commented positively about Thursday Theology, but couldn’t resist the quip: “Some of them, Ed, are a bit long.”
So in deference to such a “challenged” ...
- Theology of Nature – Two Lutherans’ Viewpoints
Colleagues,
After a semester’s leave-of-absence from ThTh postings my partner Robin Morgan is back. ThTh #134 is her theology-of-the-cross essay on one of today’s hot topics: Eco-theology. These reflections arise from Robin’s work this past semester in her PhD program at St. Louis University. As usual: comments welcomed.
Peace & Joy!
Ed Schroeder
Some Thoughts on Ecotheology
In a recent ...
- Thoughts of a Manger
Colleagues,
On December 1, with arms full of greenery for the family Advent wreath, my sister-in-law Linda Schroeder was walking back across the street from the garden shop to get to her car. That’s all she can remember. Witnesses say she was struck by a hit-and-run driver (who a day later did “turn himself in.”) The ...
- Christmas 2000 in Bethlehem
Colleagues,
Two years ago a dozen or so of us Crossings folks celebrated Christmas in Bethlehem. Our “home” during those days was the guest-house of the Talitha Kumi school in nearby Beit Jala. It’s mentioned in the final paragraph below. So the people and places mentioned below are woven into our own biographies. I receive messages ...
- Reflections on the Message of the Advent Season
Colleagues,
Here’s something for Advent. It’s the Pastor’s Piece in the December 2000 newsletter from Mt. Olive Evangelical Lutheran Church, Mukwonago, Wisconsin. That pastor, Steven Kuhl, also wears a couple of other hats. He represents the Greater Milwaukee Synod of the ELCA on the Council of Churches, does some teaching at nearby St. Francis Archdiocesan Seminary, ...
- Roman Catholic – Eastern Orthodox Rapprochement
Colleagues,
Paul Goetting, like me, is a retired ELCA pastor with LCMS roots. We were classmates in seminary days–class of ’55–and teaching colleagues at Seminex. Paul and wife Trudy (nursing instructor–specialty midwifery) have been short-term missionaries off and on for a number of years. Their venues of service include India, Afghanistan (in earlier days when that ...
