Some of the most well-educated people in the world are not Christians. In fact, some of the best minds on the subject of Christianity are not Christians. How can this be? A talented mind can grasp the breadth and depth of Christianity’s history, literature, customs, languages, and even theology without ever truly knowing Christ as the believer does. Many Lutheran pastors, myself included, draw upon expertly researched books and articles written by intelligent, well-trained unbelievers. This is possible because there is a sharp distinction between understanding Christianity and trusting in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

“When you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. … You received from us how you ought to walk and to please God. … For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 4:1, 2).

Like most Americans, I was raised to believe there should be a separation between church and state. Christian things belonged in one place, separate from the worldly, earthly parts of our life. It was as if the two should be separated and never touch up against each other. But is that in the Bible? Is that the way God wants it in His world?

In a doctrinal note issued on October 7 with the approval of Pope Leo XIV, the Roman Catholic Church set aside the sometimes-used reference to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, as “co-redemptrix.” Lutherans will universally consider this a faithful decision, but it might raise some questions: What do we teach about Mary? Does she have special status among us? Do Lutherans practice the same kind of devotion to Mary that exists among Roman Catholics?

My book Ten Questions to Ask Every Time You Read the Bible is all about building biblical fluency through the practice of curiosity. In the final chapters, I provide examples of what it looks like to ask all ten questions of different texts. In this blog, I will provide another example from a lectionary text and will walk this text through the ten questions.

Paul’s experience under house arrest at Rome is well described by his frequent companion, Luke, in the last chapter of Acts (cf Phm 24). Paul had to pay his own expenses for the house while being allowed to receive guests and to teach them about Jesus, the Messiah. He wrote this letter to Philemon, who lived in Colossae, Asia Minor. One of Paul’s prison companions, Epaphras, was also from Colossae.

Concordia Publishing House is excited to be releasing a new series of compact books! The first title in our new series of polemic and apologetic books has been released, but perhaps you have not bought a copy quite yet. You may, like others, be waiting to hear from trusted friends what they think about the book. It may also be that the title itself has given you pause: Justification as the Formative Power of Mission.

It seems generally assumed that preachers want hearers to remember at least the main idea and purpose of the biblical truth considered in the sermon, as well as to reflect it in their lives. Here is a question that has not really been posed. How may preachers use new knowledge about the actual functioning of their hearers’ brains to help the hearers remember the biblical truths—ways that are more direct and beneficial than by just hoping the biblical truths will be remembered? How may the preachers’ expressions and explanations of God’s Word best reach this memory in hearers’ brains?

Have you ever wished there was a simple resource to help you better understand the prickly issues of our day or to give you the tools you need to talk with others about them? Have you been watching for weighty books that deal with doctrine and practice without swelling to the size of a complete systematic theology? Wouldn’t it be nice if there were something available from a trusted theological source that could be easily shared? 

About the worst thing for a Lutheran is to find yourself thinking that your access to God isn’t through His Word but through yourself, as if in a direct line from your heart to the Holy Spirit. He’d call that Enthusiasm, but He doesn’t mean you’re too joyful and boisterous.