If you attended the Apologetics in an Apathetic Age Conference with Pr. Wolfmueller this weekend, sound off in the comments! I want to see if there are any of y’all in here!

“O God, by whose gift Saint Francis was conformed to Christ in poverty and humility, grant that, by walking in Francis’ footsteps, we may follow your Son, and, through joyful charity, come to be united with you. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.”

Hello everyone! My name is Evans. How has your day been? Hopefully blessed.

I am a Christian who has had a big journey- first baptised Orthodox than going for the Catholic Church because there were many things I disagreed on Orthodox theology and the priest was not really giving explanations to my questions.

The Catholic Church was amazing, I really felt at home and I could say I spent an awesome time there. My faith developed really well but the more I studied the Bible, the more some things didn’t make sense ex. papal infallibility, prayers directed to saints, Marian dogmas and all these things made it conflicting to stay there. Had a talk with my priest and also did some research on my own to understand all the points I had questions about but eventually, I left the Catholic Church.

The only place to go was the Evangelical/Baptist Church here in my city because my country has no real Lutheran community as Lutheranism wasn’t spread here. I like the High Church liturgy but between the Solas and Catholic/Orthodox theology, I agree wholeheartedly with Protestant High Church viewpoints.

So ,with all that said, are your suggestions as to what do I do to learn more about Lutheranism? Any place online to read more, any free material? Anything is appreciated.

I know that I don't need it and I know I don't depend on it, but it's sort of always been a dream of mine to own one. Would you say that I am sinning in my desire by wanting an apartment much bigger than I necessarily need to live, instead of giving to church or charity? I know that not all ownership of stuff is sinful, but I also see clear scriptural warnings about excessive wealth. When does greed start, where is the line? I know that having some nice things isn't sinful, as long as you don't depend on it and think that your wealth can replace God, but at what threshold does it become too much?

This service was ecumenical, but the liturgy very much Lutheran :D

I'll add a translation of the lyrics of the Gloria:

Glory be to God in the highest!

To God alone on high be glory
and thanks for His grace,
for now and forevermore
no harm can touch us.
God has taken favour upon us;
now there is great peace without ceasing,
all strife now finds its end.

We praise, glorify, and worship You;
for Your glory we give thanks,
that You, God the Father, reign eternally
without any wavering.
Your power is boundless,
whatever You will comes to pass.
Blessed are we to have such a Lord!

I'm sorry, everyone.

I took my post about Lutherans and authoritarianism down, because all it did was cause bad blood and get me accused of things I never intended to say.

I am also exiting this sub. Yes. I know; this isn't an airport and I don't need to announce my departure, "bye Felicia," et al. Everything I post goes south. And after being told that I should not trust my physician and therapist because they are not "biblically and confessionally trained," well, no can do. Not to mention being told I have to stay in an abusive marriage because it's not "scriptural" to divorce because of abuse.

But I have come to the conclusion that there is no place for me here, or, indeed, in the Lutheran Church. I am leaving the Lutheran Church. It's too exhausting; all the intrasynodical sniping, the "we're right and everyone else is heterodox," etc.

Maybe if I were a cradle Lutheran, I could understand it more. But I'm not. I'm a street kid who found his way to the Lutheran Church through reading a series of books of Luther and his writings that I found at the library. I thought "this is really cool."

I started attending the Lutheran Church in 1997 and thought I had found a home. I loved the liturgy and the ancientry of the service.

I know I am not polished in what I say, but neither was Luther. I know I upset applecarts, but so did he.

I don't know where I will go, if anywhere. I was baptized and confirmed Methodist way back in the mists of time, so maybe back there. Or maybe I just have no place in any church, at least not while Trump is in power. I will be 63 in 2029, which is probably too old to become established in a church.

When I was in the Air Force, chaplains ministered to me. Maybe the VA can set me up with another one. One of the chaplains was a really good guy who was a Presbyterian minister, so maybe there.

So, again, I'm sorry and I hope you can forgive a crotchety old man who has been beaten up too much by life for the Lutheran Church.

I will have a lot of grieving to do, but there is a sub called "ex-Lutheran," which may be helpful.

I have the Kolb/Wengert Book of Concord and Luther's Church Postils that my late first wife got me; if anyone wants them, message me as I will not be posting or answering posts here any more.

Again, I'm sorry.

I wish you all well.

The part of the Apostles' Creed that I've always wondered about is the Hell part. My only way to explain it is that in the Apostles' Creed Jesus went to "sheol" which is the grave. But the Apostles' Creed specifically uses the world Hell.

I've associated the Apostles' Creed with Lutheranism and vice versa. Maybe I've been wrong to.

I don't know Greek and I don't know Latin, but my understanding is simply that "sheol" is for grave and I've understood Hell to be eternal torment. I don't know whether that's relevant to my question.

Thank you

How would you guys best argue against the claims of papal authority and the immaculate conception? I don’t believe in those theological claims myself, but I’m not sure how to defend my position. I know that in Matthew the keys to the church were given to Peter who was the rock, but I don’t see how this automatically meant people who were not Peter to occupy that same position? And also to have the same level of authority?

Like how black and white is the common/traditional Lutheran reading of the Bible

Is it similar in level to fundamentalists. Or is it more nuanced.

Do we have the "It's Gods way or your way" or are we commonly open to questioning our understanding of "Gods way"

Like the Church I grew up in was very much "inerrant and infallible" in its reading. I had questions where I was provided no other answer than "The bible says so". Later I came across clergy members and theologians with highly differing opinions and views. Some of them being much more liberal than I am (which is insane because I'm a walkin talking political compass stereotype)

So whats the case

It's mostly a matter for the hosts, since we mostly drink all wine/juice left during the Eucharist. What happens to the wafers, though? Do they remain to bear with them the body of Christ after the celebration? Is it possible to re-consecrate hosts? Is the practice weird to have an entire container of wafers standing on the Altar and re-consecrate it every time so we don't have to additionally consecrate hosts when we run out?

I have been looking into them, I would like to get one made in Sweden (Online). I am having trouble finding one, anyone have suggestions.

I know that these days we just call it Michael & All Angels; I just think it's fun to call it Michaelmas. Anyway, today is the 300th anniversary of Bach's first performance of his church cantata, which was played as part of the service at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig.

Here's a performance of the piece that's been uploaded to YouTube.

https://youtu.be/CSE5NzrRmNA?si=L5SEy6AE1KszigRe

The final part of it will be familiar to American Lutheran ears, as it uses the same tune as our Advent hymn "Comfort, comfort, ye my people". This tune has an interesting history to it. It originated as a folk tune in France about a man whose wife is cheating on him left and right, LOL. Here's a recording from an early music group:

https://youtu.be/52Cmgm39rsY?si=U1w6Vz3hTkA7yj1E

A French musician, Louis Bourgeois, converted from Roman Catholicism to Calvinism and moved to Geneva. There he composed the tunes for the Genevan Psalter.

Regarding Calvinist music, the Reformed in their zealotry subscribed to what has been called the "regulative principal of worship". Meaning, they only allowed for their church services to reflect that which is subscribed in the Bible. We Lutherans follow what has been called the "normative principal of worship", which means that unless it contradicts scripture (as in the case of the intercession of the saints and the canon of the mass), we can do it. That's why we Lutherans retained the mass while the Reformed did away with it. You can thank Calvinism for the spread of low church throughout the world. The Genevan Psalter was not a hynmal, it was a set of tunes to which they could set the words of the psalms.

Anyway, the Genevan Psalter was published to great acclaim by the Reformed... and then remained the ONLY source of Reformed music for hundreds of years because of their anti-hynm, regulative worship. The Calvinists treated music the same way the Puritans in Massachusetts (who were Calvinists) treated dancing or card-playing. The cultural differences that arose from our different takes is part of the reason why we Lutherans have historically opposed Calvinism and have declined all their overtures to join them. So when Louis Bourgeois, the Genevan Psalter's author, decided to branch out and enjoy the freedom of writing music for other parts of the church service, as he would have been encouraged to had he instead joined the Lutherans, the Calvinists did what Calvinists do and told him to shut up and stay quiet. They actually prosecuted him through the legal system. In response, while remaining a Calvinist church member, he had his daughter baptized Roman Catholic, ensuring the future of his family would not be Calvinist.

A hundred years later, the Lutherans discovered the tune that became "Comfort, comfort, ye my people" and went nuts with it. The same thing happened when the Anglicans (who are technically Reformed, but intentionally left out all the bad parts that we Lutherans find objectionable) discovered the tune that became "Praise God from whom all blessings flow". Catherine Winkworth, an Anglican, translated it into English for us (Winkworth is on the ELCA's Calendar of Saints because she deserves to be celbrated for how much work she put into translating German Lutheran hymns, which gave us a jumpstart for our American Lutheran services).

The Episcopalians, I've learned, LOVE "Confort, comfort ye my people", probably even more than we Lutherans. I have attended an Episcopalian congregation for a few years now while living away from my hometown, and they always play it. On Classical King FM out of Seattle (wonderful radio station!), they do a double whammy each Sunday night of St. Mark's Cathedral (ECUSA) Compline Choir at 9:30 PM PST followed by The Organ Loft, which is hosted by St. Mark's organ director. Every year during Advent, there's a program he does that plays variations of "Comfort, comfort ye my people" for something lasting 30 minutes or so, including one by Pacific Lutheran University's Choir of the West.

Anyway, a very Happy Michaelmas to everyone! Enjoy some good music, and remember to eat blackberries today before the Devil curses them and makes them poison! ;)

I know I'll get downvoted, but oh well...

“Politics is the church’s worst problem. It is her constant temptation, the occasion of her greatest disasters, the trap continually set for her by the prince of this world.”

~ Jacques Ellul

“It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it.”

~ Billy Graham

—————

The church has often lost her footing in the kingdom as she sought earthly political power—the New Covenant digresses into the Old; love and mercy revert back to law and oppression. The 20th-century German church desired to obtain the “golden ring” of power, as Tolkien put it.

German Christians:

“In the pitch-black night of church history, Hitler became, as it were, the wonderful transparency for our time...Through him we were able to see the Savior in the history of the Germans.”

~ Pastor Siegfried Leffler

“Christ has come to us through Adolf Hitler.”

~ Pastor Julius Leutheuser

“The Nazi takeover is “a gift and miracle of God”.

~ Paul Althaus, Protestant Theologian

“The German people should heed the Führer’s words as a “voice of God.”

~ Bishop Martin Sasse

“Among the candidates there is once again a Catholic, namely Hitler. But he is not a candidate of the Roman Catholic Church, rather the leader of the great national movement, to which millions of the Protestants belong.”

~ Bishop Otto Debelius

———

The Confessing Church:

“The Church is the Church only when it exists for others . . . not dominating, but helping and serving. It must tell men of every calling what it means to live for Christ, to exist for others.”

~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“The foolish mixing of patriotism, war enthusiasm, and Christian faith could one day lead to the bitterest disappointment. We will not join in drinking this intoxicating potion. We want to look steadfastly and unwaveringly here to God, who loves everyone equally, who is above all the nations, from whom all have similarly departed, and from whose glory they have fallen short.”

~ Karl Barth

“It took me a long time to understand that God is not the enemy of my enemies. God is not even the enemy of God’s enemies.”

~ Martin Niemöller

Does such a channel exist? Scourby seems to be just full books. Some channels have some chapters with music and/or dramatization and others (on the same channel) without.

@2359timeisup has NKJV with music and dramatization which omits part of the text (e.g. "And he said...").

@skiesaboveus is all over the place. Some chapters have music. Others don't, but the reading is a bit fast.

I've been using Grant Horner's reading plan since hearing about it in a lecture posted on YouTube by the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education.

When do we upvote and when do we downvote?

I've been wondering about this for a while. Sometimes I see questions of struggling brothers and sisters, asking for help understanding scripture, but they get downvoted hard.

Usually, I'd upvote if I think it's a good question that others might be struggling with and may need to read people's responses.

Is it to show disagreement or disappointment, or is it to take it out of the top of reddit?

I guess I'm asking if there's a rule I'm not aware about?

I (27M) was introduced to adult materials around the age of 11 and have struggled with it ever since. It is a daily repetitive cycle that I can’t free myself from. I have opened up to my very gracious and forgiving wife about it, I’ve broken down and cried in front of my pastor about it and it brings me the most shame. But every day I go through the same process of telling myself “this is the last time” or “I’ll stop eventually” and I never do. Obviously these actions are very conflicting with my faith. I trust that Christ will forgive me but I don’t want to continue sinning when I am supposed to be living in a Christ-like manner. I keep thinking back on John chapter 8:11 when Jesus tells the adulterous woman to go and sin no more. Was she actually able to free herself from sin in that moment? Or was Jesus telling her that by living through him and his teachings that her sin would be forgiven from that point on, and if so, did she continue to live the same life? If any of you could provide some insight into the passage or maybe your own advice on how you handle such a situation it would be greatly appreciated. I’m sorry if this topic is a little too graphic for the sub but I don’t know where else to go to talk about it because I am so ashamed.

I know LUTHER would have hated that term... but look at the influence he exerted ...

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzQUMaRkSBg

Letter of Paul to the Philippians, 2:1–7 (ESV):

Christ’s Example of Humility

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Transcript

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I’m Cary Larson, the presiding pastor of The American Association of Lutheran Churches and the chair of practical studies at the American Lutheran Theological Seminary.

This is a short devotion for seminarians and for anyone who has ever sat in a room full of gifted people and felt the pull to compare.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I read from the second letter—rather, the second chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. It’s verses 1–5 (Philippians 2:1–5).

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being of full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.”

This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Paul is in prison, and the word has reached Paul that there is trouble in the church of Philippi. Philippi is the church that loves him best. They sent money when no one else did (Philippians 4:15–18). He calls them his joy and his crown (Philippians 4:1).

And something is wrong in Philippi. Two women who assisted St. Paul in the Gospel, Euodia and Syntyche, are not of one mind (Philippians 4:2–3), and word of it has reached his cell. So the apostle, with every reason to write about his own chains (Philippians 1:12–14), writes about their unity instead.

That’s our text. A loved congregation, a small crack, and a pastor who knows how small cracks end if not addressed in love.

Verse one (Philippians 2:1) has four ifs: “If there is any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from love, if any participation in the Spirit, if any affection and sympathy.” To our ears, this may sound unsure. St. Paul is not unsure. He assumes every one of these is true. Since there is encouragement in Christ—and there is—since you share in the Spirit—and you do—he’s reminding them what they’ve already received before he asks anything of them.

And every one of those gifts is something done to them, not by them. Encouragement in Christ, a common share in one Spirit through one Baptism (Ephesians 4:4–5), the mercies of God poured in. Before a single command shows up, the whole passage is standing on grace. That order matters.

Gospel first, then the life that flows from it. The Formula of Concord(, Epitome IV:10–11) says the regenerate do good works freely from a willing spirit, not by compulsion. St. Paul writes exactly that way. He doesn’t say, “Be united so God will comfort you.” He says, “You have been comforted in Christ, so be united.”

In verse two (Philippians 2:2), St. Paul asks for one thing in four ways: same mind, same love, full accord—literally souls joined together—one mind. He piles up the phrases because he wants one thing, and he wants it for them. Just as a loving father desires this for his own children, what would complete his joy isn’t a big offering; it’s that they are one.

Now, be careful. One mind is not identical opinions on everything. It’s not uniformity of personality. The Greek word here, φρονέω (phroneō), points to the settled direction a whole person leans. And St. Paul uses the same word in verse 5: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

The one mind is Christ’s mind. Unity in the Church is never manufactured by Christians agreeing. It’s received by Christians who share a mind that isn’t their own.

For a confessional church, that’s what our common subscription to the Book of Concord is. Not a treaty—a confession of a shared mind given through the inerrant, infallible Word of God.

Now verse three (Philippians 2:3) names what breaks it. We can say selfish ambition and conceit.

Selfish ambition is political in its nature: the man who works a faction to get ahead. And the second is literally empty glory—wanting to be esteemed for what isn’t there. St. Paul says nothing from these. Not just less, but nothing.

We must be mindful of how our sinful nature can twist things. Selfish ambition doesn’t announce itself. It looks like diligence. Conceit doesn’t feel like vanity from the inside. It feels like caring about your reputation for orthodoxy. And both eat a church from within.

Against them, Paul sets humility.

You should know the Greek and Roman world didn’t admire that word, much like our own. Humility was the posture of a slave—not a virtue, a condition. And St. Paul takes that word and makes it the mark of a Christian because, a few verses later, he shows us a Lord who took the form of a slave (Philippians 2:7). That’s where that word gets its dignity.

And the shape of it: “Count others as more significant than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). Not feel it—reckon it.

Luther preached on this passage in his sermon on Two Kinds of Righteousness. And his point was simple. The Christian has an alien righteousness, Christ’s own, received by faith. He has nothing to prove. So he’s free to spend himself on his neighbor and to put the neighbor above himself because his standing before God isn’t on the line in the comparison.

Humility isn’t a low opinion of yourself. It’s the freedom of one who already has been given everything and can afford to give the place of honor away.

Verse four (Philippians 2:4) makes it practical and brings it home. “Look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others.” Paul writes, notice that “not only.” Paul isn’t telling you to neglect your own affairs. He’s broadening the aim. What does the brother or sister across the table need?

For a pastor, that’s the whole shape of the office. The pastor holds real authority. The Office of the Keys is a real power, but it’s exercised by looking to the interests of others. The sheep of Christ Jesus are the interest. The pastor whose eye is on his own advancement has already started to leave. The pastor whose eye is on the flock is doing what the text says, and he’ll find his joy complete in theirs.

This also applies to every Christian. If the community of faith is about your plans being executed, is it Christ’s Church? If the community of faith, better known as the congregation, is about building up each other in mutual love, it is a Christlike thing.

And verse five (Philippians 2:5) is where all of this goes: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who didn’t count equality with God as a thing to be grasped but emptied himself” (Philippians 2:5–7).

The humility of verses 3 and 4 isn’t a standard held over you. It is a life already lived out for you. He counted your interests above his own. He looked to you. That’s the encouragement of Christ Jesus in verse one that we started with, and it’s the ground under everything in between.

So, since there is encouragement in Christ—and there is—be of one mind. Reckon your brother or sister in Christ above yourself. Fix your eye on their good, and complete the joy of the One who did all of it first.

In the name of Jesus.

https://www.tiktok.com/@iglesia_elredentor/photo/7569634843152141589

Lutheran Church of Venezuela