This week we celebrate the anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, a subject I address in this most recent episode of my podcast. In this episode, I highlight ways in which the Reformers brought worship back to the people, a biblical emphasis of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 14. I also recommend a Reformation-era hymn… Continue Reading
Reformation Sunday is coming up on October 29, and this year is particularly special since we are celebrating the 500 year anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation. In our church, each year on Reformation Sunday we sing Reformation hymns, that is, hymns that in some way connect to the Reformers and the movement they… Continue Reading
This year we celebrate the 500 year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, a theological movement that restored many biblical doctrines and emphases that had been lost or confused during the Middle Ages. Men like John Huss, Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, Martin Bucer, John Calvin, Thomas Cranmer, and others recovered doctrines like justification by faith alone… Continue Reading
Jeff Straub This year marks the 500th anniversary of Luther’s 95 theses. Last week I reflected on a recent trip I made to Germany and Switzerland to see the Luther and Calvin sites. I was fairly sympathetic to Luther in particular and to the Reformation in general. One reader, pushing back a bit, wondered if… Continue Reading
Jeff Straub Recently I returned from two weeks in Europe, leading a group of seminary and church friends through Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. It was eleven days of walking, looking at and listening to the story of the Protestant Reformation. It was also a time of warm fellowship, spectacular sights, and great food. All who… Continue Reading
I still confess the doctrine of justification by faith alone. The Scriptures teach repeatedly that no man is or can be saved by his works. This matter is central in importance to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul teaches that the Gospel is that Christ died for our sins and rose again in accordance with… Continue Reading
Last week I began a series in which I will show the relationship between worship theology/practice and doctrinal distinctives. I plan to show how some aspects of worship necessarily divide, while other aspects preserve appropriate unity. I mentioned last week how in many respects, differences over worship theology lead to the division of denominations during… Continue Reading
Last week we heard what Psalm 130 might have sounded like in ancient Jewish settings, as well as the Gregorian chant version of it. As early as the 6th century, medieval Christians began grouping particular psalms together that all confessed sorrow over sin and pleaded for forgiveness from God. Augustine had originally identified four of… Continue Reading