- The Confounding Gospel (Part One of a Keynote Address)
Colleagues,
My turn.
Yes, doubtless you’re weary of hearing about the Crossings conference in Belleville last January, and of course the papers delivered there are available for perusing on the Crossings website. But why would you think to go looking for them? And why, when what we heard was such good stuff, should I deprive you of ...
- A Timely Look at Pentecostalism through a Law-and-Gospel Lens (Part Three)
Colleagues,
Here is the final installment of Steve Kuhl’s presentation on Pentecostalism, delivered at the Crossings conference last January. I pass it along without further ado.
Peace and Joy,
Jerry Burce
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The Holy Spirit in the Age of Pentecostalism (Part 3 of 3)
Steven C. Kuhl
34. As Pentecostals zero in on the Acts 2 Pentecost story, they become focused on the ...
- A Timely Look at Pentecostalism through a Law-and-Gospel Lens (Part Two)
Colleagues,
In the two weeks since our last post the world’s attention has swiveled to Rio de Janeiro, where the point I made in my introduction to said post is on vivid display. Rio is a spirited place at the moment, awash in all manner of energies and forces. To call them Olympic is accurate. Some ...
- A Timely Look at Pentecostalism through a Law-and-Gospel Lens (Part One)
Colleagues,
It bears recalling in times like these that the world seethes with spirits of every kind and hue. Americans who paid attention to the politics of these past two weeks saw this on display in the arenas of Cleveland and Philadelphia. Assorted gusts of this or that either tore or wafted through those cavernous spaces, some ...
- The Donald and Me
Colleagues,
The Republican convention cuts loose next Monday in the city I call home these days. With the date so near, a sense of dread is finally intruding on the euphoria that gripped the place last month when the local basketball team pulled off the impossible and beat the media darlings from that insufferable metropolis to ...
- Ed Schroeder on Kingdoms and The Kingdom. A July 4th Special
Colleagues,
At some point in this past Easter season Ed Schroeder found himself reading the following in a Sunday morning bulletin:
“In our liturgy today we stand on the threshold of our Lord’s ascension into heaven, and the conclusion of his ministry among us, and the beginning of humanity’s work to build God’s dominion on earth.”
Ed went ...
- The Gerasene Demoniac, a Strange Yet Timely Text
Colleagues,
Again a long hiatus. Again an effort to get back on track with sending you material, and to stay there for a while.
The formal relaunch will happen tomorrow night. For now an item that may or may not whet your appetite. It will depend on how you feel about reading sermons.
I’m ambivalent about it myself. ...
- Easter Leftovers, especially a Nagging Question about John 20:23
Colleagues,
Easter was a succulent season this year. I say that as one with the odd weekly job of chewing on tough texts so as to spit out something that others might find nutritious.
Not that my teachers of yore described the preaching task in quite this way, but there it is. It’s what we preachers do, ...
- 1) Robert Kolb on Why Luther Matters Today (A Reading Tip). 2) Christ and “The Cloud”
Colleagues,
Two items this week. First—
Pr. Martin Yee, Assistant to the Bishop of the Lutheran Church in Singapore and a good friend of Crossings, administers and maintains at least three closed Facebook groups that focus on confessional Lutheran theology. He does this work with uncommon zeal. Not a day goes by without a string of fresh ...
- A Sunday Morning Explanation of the Liturgy
Colleagues,
Last week Amy Schifrin blessed us with a good-news glimpse of Easter reality. Her focus was the Eucharistic assembly. She showed how the Holy Spirit keeps working there with quiet power to bring sinners to life. She also underscored how important it is to help these sinners notice what’s going on so they can embrace ...
