This ancient “tale of two mothers” concerns far more than theological semantics—it is the difference between a God who sends and a God who comes.
12/10/25
This story points us from our unlikely heroes to the even more unlikely, and joyous, good news that Jesus’ birth for us was just as unlikely and unexpected.
12/09/25
Was Jesus ambitious or unambitious? We have to say that the answer is…yes.
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07/24/24
Despite the fact that this could sound strange to modern ears, Luther has an important reason for saying what he does about the Commandments.
07/19/24
The Christian must always remember that personal piety and liturgical uniformity are by no means the marks of true religion.
07/17/24
We don't associate the word "regret" with anything "good," but God does.
07/05/24
It is Jesus himself who is the ladder by which sinners get to God, not by them climbing up but by God climbing down.
06/24/24
If your faith is rooted in the gospel of Zion, in the good news of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection on your behalf, you are already a member of the “heavenly Jerusalem”
06/21/24
This is an excerpt from “Confession and Absolution” by John T. Pless in Common Places in Theology: A Curated Collection of Essays from Lutheran Quarterly, edited by Mark Mattes, (1517 Publishing 2023).
06/17/24
This is a companion article to “Johann Spangenberg on Dying Well”
06/03/24
If you are a Christian, you already have what you need to give a reason for the hope within you. That reason, though, is not you.
05/27/24
We can do nothing to warrant entry into the kingdom of God nor are we getting in if we think a seat at God’s table is something to which we are entitled.
05/17/24
The cross not only stands as the measure of our hatred of God but also as the measure of God’s love for us.
05/16/24
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of these early Lutheran hymns – and their physical availability in hymnals – in the piety of common people living in Lutheran towns and territories.
05/14/24
The gospel is for sinners – both the tax collector and Pharisee, both in need of the Great Physician.
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