ProtestantBeliefs.com

Drew Tucker, Westerville, OH Warm-up Questions Have you ever had to move to a new home? If so, what was that like? If not, what do you imagine are the biggest challenges to moving? Finding a New Home Recently, both on social media and in political discourse, the city of Springfield in Ohio has gotten a lot of attention. A viral TikTok accused Haitian immigrants of stealing and eating pets in the area. Despite the fact that Springfield police, Haitian community leaders, and local residents from across the political spectrum all deny these unfounded accusations, the story has become a…

God’s judgment, I would suggest, entails false choices often times. In this case, America is faced with a POTUS decision wherein Kamala Harris&co. seemingly are the archrivals of humanity all the way down. But then there is Trump. Trump has radically changed his tune in regard to abortion. He supports the accessibility of the abortion pill by mail; he has had the RNC, effectively, change their official platform on abortion and the abortion pill; he is for abortion in cases of rape and incest. Not to mention, he gave us the lockdowns, warp speeded the deadly vaccines, and is for…

“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 peace in our world, especially in Gaza and Israel, Ukraine and Russia, Syria, Sudan, Myanmar, and…

Jon Fry, Champaign-Urbana, IL Warm-up Questions How do you pass the time while traveling? What are your favorite traveling games/activities with friends or family? Weird Internet Outage A few weeks ago my newsfeed was blowing up with articles from medical professionals suggesting that abstaining from in-flight entertainment, food, drink, and sleep, on long flights was a bad decision. This was in response to folks on TikTok posting their record setting performances on multi-hour flights and boasting about their mental stamina. Numerous doctors, self-help professionals, and meditation specialists began chiming in with their two cents on the trend. Most experts agree that…

for we walk by faith, not by sight . . .[1] It is certain that man must utterly despair of his own ability before he is prepared to receive the grace of Christ. That person does not deserve to be called a theologian who looks upon the »invisible« things of God as though they were clearly »perceptible in those things which have actually happened« (Rom. 1:20; cf. 1 Cor 1:21-25), he deserves to be called a theologian, however, who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God seen through suffering and the cross. A theology of glory calls evil good and good…

“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 those competing and assisting with the Paralympic Games…. For the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza…

This blog post is written by Dr. Benjamin M. Stewart. Stewart is Distinguished Affiliate Professor of Worship at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and pastor to Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Two Harbors, Minnesota. A view of Assisi the day before the Feast of Creation Ecumenical Seminar began in March 2024   With growing mainstream awareness of environmental crises, several experiments with a liturgical “Season of Creation” have emerged. Now, a significant ecumenical movement is championing the inauguration of a liturgical “Feast of Creation” to be shared across Eastern and Western branches of Christianity. The possibility of the new…

To be genuinely Christ conditioned is to be a true Christian theologian. To be a speculative theologian, that is a purely metaphysical theologian, is to go beyond the Word of God, which runs contrary to the Protestant ‘Scripture Principle,’ and a radical commitment to a Theology of the Word of God. To find a genuine Christian theologian of import in the history of interpretation is not always an easy task. There are many who claim the name of Christ—and I am not doubting their salvation in any way—but then fill up their respective theologies with straw that has been cultivated…

“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. Prayer prompts: For those experiencing difficult transitions and in need of discernment… For those experiencing warfare and escalating violence, especially in Gaza, Russia, and Ukraine… For those affected by…

In honor of International Day for People of African Descent, which is observed internationally on August 31 each year, ELCA Racial Justice Ministries invited ELCA Director for Innovation and Ideas to share some thoughts about being a person of African descent. For more information on International Day for People of African Descent, visit International Day for People of African Descent – EN | United Nations. Names carry immense significance. They are a marker of identity, heritage and personal history. Because I am of African descent, my name is a reflection of and connection to my ancestral roots and cultural identity….