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All creatures, since that are from nothing, to that extent share in nothing . . . and are in need of some external power for every moment that they exist. –H. Heidegger cited by Heppe cited by Barth (CD III/3, 74) All of humanity is sustained by the Word of God’s power. He came into this world, having made the world, and yet the world knew Him not. He is closer to us than we are to ourselves. If people could begin to lean into this point, made by the Reformed theologian, Heidegger (not the other Heidegger), we would lose…

Catalyst Question Share about a time when someone stepped in to help you face a sudden, unexpected problem. An Urgent Answer As wildfires continue to threaten countless people in Los Angeles, community organizations are stepping up to help. Some provide food and shelter to the newly houseless. Others assist pets separated from families in the rush to find safety. All God’s creatures, great and small, need support in times of tragedy like these. And God shows up in all sorts of ways, through local organizations like those above and through international efforts like our own Lutheran Disaster Response. In Sunday’s…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.   Prayer prompts: For areas of the world impacted by ongoing war and conflict: Ukraine, Syria, South Sudan… For ceasefire…

I am starting my Philosophy of Religion class tomorrow (January 13th) at the University of Oxford (by distance, of course). Thanks again to a friend of the blog for his donation, in order to pursue continuing education like this. I am critical of philosophy, often, but let me qualify that a bit further. I am only really critical of philosophy when it is used as a basis and the material for doing Christian theology. If these disciplines are kept separate and distinct, then I have no problem learning to think with the rigor of a philosopher. As long as the…

Catalyst Question What do you remember of your baptism, if anything? If you aren’t baptized, or if you don’t remember yours, then share a memory of a baptism you witnessed.  The Baptized Life This week is President Jimmy Carter’s funeral. As people share memories, you might notice that many reflect not only on his presidency, but on what he did with life after he completed his only term as the leader of the United States of America. There’s lots of reasons for that. Chief amongst them is that, after he left the White House, President Carter committed to continued service….

Note: This is an update to the November 2020 post “When Trust Is Broken: A Response to Allegations against Musician David Haas.” When planning worship, pastors and musicians make important decisions about what their assembly will sing. What is sung is both an expression of the writer/composer and an act of faith by the singer. What we sing is linked to our memories and understanding of who God is and who we are as children of God. For that reason, navigating choices become especially difficult when the composer or writer has been suspected of or accused of abuse. See the…

As Christians we want to think about God as Christians. Christians, definitionally, aren’t profane persons. Indeed, according to Scripture, Christians are saints; i.e., set apart in Christ who is our Set Apart in the presence of the Father for us. This might seem scandalous to even recognize, but Christians are simply in a different place in regard to knowing reality as it is; insofar as the Christ (Jesus) allows us entrée in these, our bodies of death, in this in-between time. Some might want to push back and describe my observations as idealist. But it is just the opposite, in…

“For what shall we pray?” is a weekly post inviting individuals, groups, and congregations to lift up our world in prayer. This resource is prepared by a variety of leaders in the ELCA and includes prayer prompts, upcoming events and observances, and prayer suggestions from existing denominational worship materials. You are encouraged to use these resources as a starting point, and to adapt and add other concerns from your local context. More information about this resource can be found here.   Prayer prompts: For areas of the world impacted by ongoing war and conflict: Gaza, Syria, Ukraine… For evacuees and…

The following is cross-posted from Living Lutheran. You can find the original post here. I’m a Lutheran: Glory Godwin Lekashu By John Potter|December 20, 2024 Medical laboratory technician, Essentia Health Trinity Lutheran Church, Moorhead, Minn. Growing up, I was highly involved with the youth ministry of my home church, Kimandolu Lutheran Church in Arusha, Tanzania, and was on the church praise and worship team. I started going to Trinity Lutheran Church in 2019 as a college freshman at Concordia College [in Moorhead, Minn.]. Currently, I serve on the hospitality team for Trinity. I usher and read Scripture. This involvement is very important to me because…

Portrait des Theologen Karl Barth in Basel. Photographie 1956. Portrait of the theologian Karl Barth in Basel. Photography. 1956. I was chided back in the day by some Princeton Theological Seminary, at that point, MDiv students (who now have their PhDs from the same school), by referring to Scripture as containing biblical revelation; and this with Barth’s theology as the broader background. These guys asserted that Barth would never refer to the Bible as containing “revelation” of God. And yet clearly these lads had never really even read Barth in depth. Barth’s doctrine of the Threefold Form of the Word…