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O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! 2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger. –Psalm 8 I want to underscore one simple yet profound point by way of reflection on the above Scripture. ‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength.’ Ultimately, we understand as Christians that there is an archetype Babe elected for the world from eternity past, born of the Virgin Mary, wrapped in swaddling cloths and…

“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.   In the coming weeks, those in the United States will mark two significant anniversaries: five years since the murder…

Issue 99 of Administration Matters Online Bible Studies — 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly Join ELCA Churchwide Assembly voting members in preparing for the assembly! All are welcome to participate in the online Bible studies that will be held Wednesday evenings in July (July 9, 16, 23). Each session will focus on the assembly theme “For the Life of the World” through one of three lenses: climate justice, gender justice, and war/conflict and reconciliation, followed by engagement with these Bible study presenters: •    July 9 — Willie Korboi (climate justice lens) •    July 16 — Deacon Clare Josef-Maier (gender justice lens) •    July 23…

I read NT exegetes, particularly in their commentaries on Paul’s theology, and wonder if they ever wonder if they should in fact be doing so from the theo-logic inherent to the homoousion (the notion that Jesus is both fully God and fully human). Most don’t do this, which illustrates the flaw of their discipline-specific training in Biblical Studies. In other words, just as anti-supranaturalism has yeasted the discipline itself—that is to say, to approach the Bible as if it doesn’t have an inner, antecedent, supranatural reality; and that it can be read purely and critically as a historical artifact—it is…

“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.   In the coming weeks, those in the United States will mark two significant anniversaries: five years since the murder…

from the ELCA advocacy office in Washington, D.C. – the Rev. Amy E. Reumann, Senior Director Partial expanded content from Advocacy Connections: May 2025 BUDGET RECONCILIATION ADVANCES VIA COMMITTEE | FEMA THREATS | ADVOCACY WITH COMPANION CHURCHES | HUMANITARIAN AID TO GAZA | TAX REFORMS | MIGRATION POLICY UPDATES   BUDGET RECONCILIATION ADVANCES VIA COMMITTEE: Individual committees in the House of Representatives have scheduled “mark up” dates to write up budget reconciliation text, with much happening the week of 5/12/2025. This comes after the House and Senate passed a shared budget resolution “blueprint” Apr. 14, which instructs committees to find…

As Barth rightly argues, the Jewish people have been a non-people while at the same time the people of God throughout the millennia. Particularly after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, by Titus Vespasian of the Roman empire, the Jewish people strangely have wandered about throughout the nations, seemingly in a continued exile and disrepute, such that they are scorned; but mysteriously so. People don’t really understand why they are anti-Semitic versus being anti-Laotian, or against some other identifiable people group. There is something much deeper, much more spiritual to anti-Semitism than the profane mind could come to fathom….

Catalyst Question H0w do you understand the word “gospel”? More than just a definition, what does the Gospel of Jesus mean to you? Gospel in the Law It’s official: commencement season has officially started. Across the country, many high schools and colleges have already held their graduation ceremonies. From South Cameron High in Louisiana, where the entire graduating class was 1 person, to the University of Texas at Austin, where more than 11,000 students are receiving diplomas, there are many people of various ages who are culminating education careers with earned degrees. What’s fascinating is that graduation isn’t required. Most…

“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 justice and peace among nations where war and violence rage, especially Ukraine and Russia, Palestine and…

I asked Grok to describe what a decree is in theological parlance. Below is its answer. I will briefly offer rejoinder to this from my Athanasian Reformed perspective. In theology, a decree refers to God’s eternal and sovereign plan or purpose, through which He ordains everything that happens in the universe. This concept is particularly prominent in Reformed theology (Calvinism) and emphasizes God’s absolute authority and control over all events, including creation, providence, and salvation. Key Points: Eternal and Unchangeable: God’s decrees are made in eternity, before the foundation of the world, and are immutable, meaning they cannot be altered…