DOCSLIB.ORG

June/Sept 2014

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
June/Sept 2014 Lutheran Synod Quarterly VOLUME 54 • NUMBERS 2–3 JUNE–SEPTEMBER 2014 All Have the Law But Fail: An Exegesis of Romans 2 with a Special Emphasis on Verses 14–16 Two Kingdoms: Simul iustus et peccator: Depoliticizing the Two Kingdoms Doctrine The Timeless Word Meets the 21st-Century World Koren’s Pastoral Letter Book Reviews The journal of Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary ISSN: 0360-9685 Lutheran Synod Quarterly VOLUME 54 • NUMBERS 2–3 JUNE–SEPTEMBER 2014 Te journal of Bethany Lutheran Teological Seminary lutheran Synod Quarterly EDITOR-IN-CHIEF........................................................... Gaylin R. Schmeling BOOK REVIEW EDITOR ......................................................... Michael K. Smith LAYOUT EDITOR ................................................................. Daniel J. Hartwig PRINTER ......................................................... Books of the Way of the Lord The Lutheran Synod Quarterly (ISSN: 0360-9685) is edited by the faculty of Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary 6 Browns Court Mankato, Minnesota 56001 The Lutheran Synod Quarterly is a continuation of the Clergy Bulletin (1941–1960). The purpose of the Lutheran Synod Quarterly, as was the purpose of the Clergy Bulletin, is to provide a testimony of the theological position of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod and also to promote the academic growth of her clergy roster by providing scholarly articles, rooted in the inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures and the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The Lutheran Synod Quarterly is published in March and December with a combined June and September issue. Subscription rates are $25.00 U.S. per year for domestic subscriptions and $30.00 U.S. per year for international subscriptions. All subscriptions and editorial correspondence should be sent to the following address: Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary Attn: Lutheran Synod Quarterly 6 Browns Ct Mankato MN 56001 Back issues of the Lutheran Synod Quarterly from the past two years are available at a cost of $8.00 per issue. Back issues of the Lutheran Synod Quarterly and Clergy Bulletin prior to the past two years are available at <www.blts.edu/lsq>. The Lutheran Synod Quarterly is abstracted in Religious and Theological Abstracts, PO Box 215, Myerstown, PA 17067 (E-mail: <[email protected]>; Website: <www.rtabst.org/abstracts>). Copyright ©2014 by Bethany Lutheran Theological Seminary. Requests for permission to reproduce more than brief excerpts are to be directed to the Editor- in-Chief. Contents LSQ Vol. 54, Nos. 2–3 (June–September 2014) All Have the Law But Fail: An Exegesis of Romans 2 with a Special Emphasis on Verses 14-16 ................................................123 Nicholas D. Proksch Two Kingdoms: Simul iustus et peccator: Depoliticizing the Two Kingdoms Doctrine ...............................................................157 Erling T. Teigen The Timeless Word Meets the 21st-Century World .........................185 Matthew W. Crick Koren’s Pastoral Letter...................................................................255 Ulrich Vilhelm Koren BOOK REVIEWS Book Review: The Isoscelized God...............................................267 Gaylin R. Schmeling Book Review: Your Questions, Scripture’s Answers .......................269 Michael K. Smith Book Review: God’s Imagery .......................................................271 Michael K. Smith 120 Lutheran Synod Quarterly Vol. 54 Foreword LSQ Vol. 54, Nos. 2–3 (June–September 2014) HROUGHOUT ROMANS 2, PAUL ELOQUENTLY demonstrates God’s justice and His just condemnation of all people because of their original and actual sin. But on the Tcross of Calvary, God’s strict justice and condemnation are turned into acquittal, freedom, and eternal life for us. Tis important truth is explicated in the exegetical paper by the Rev. Nicholas Proksch entitled, “All Have the Law But Fail: An Exegesis of Romans 2 with a Special Emphasis on Verses 14–16.” Te Rev. Proksch is pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Holland, Michigan. Te essay, “Two Kingdoms: Simul iustus et peccator: Depoliticizing the Two Kingdoms Doctrine,” gives a summary of the Lutheran doctrine of the two kingdoms. In addition it speaks to the responsi- bility of Christians in each kingdom. Te essay was written by Professor Erling Teigen of Bethany Lutheran College. In his essay, “Te Timeless Word Meets the 21st-Century World,” the Rev. Matthew Crick discusses the Christian’s relationship to 21st-century culture, which is drastically changing. Te frst part of the essay identifes certain characteristics of early 21st-century culture, within which Christians live, and by which Christians, to a degree, are infuenced. Te second part of the essay identifes and discusses various applications of Scripture to meet early 21st-century culture. Te Rev. Crick is pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Medford, Oregon. 122 Lutheran Synod Quarterly Vol. 54 Tis issue of the Quarterly contains a famous letter of Ulrich Vilhelm Koren addressed to the pastors of the Norwegian Synod. Dr. Koren, who has the reputation of having been one of the greatest theologians in the history of the Lutheran Church in this country, was president of the Norwegian Synod from 1894 until 1912. Te translator of this letter was Dr. S.C. Ylvisaker, who was president of Bethany Lutheran College from 1930 until 1950. Also included in this issue are three book reviews: Te Isolscelized God, Your Questions, Scripture’s Answers, and God’s Imagery. – GRS All Have the Law But Fail: An Exegesis of Romans 2 with a Special Emphasis on Verses 14-16 Nicholas D. Proksch Pastor, Lord of Life Lutheran Church Holland, Michigan LSQ Vol. 54, Nos. 2–3 (June–September 2014) ET JUSTICE BE DONE THOUGH the heavens fall,” is a maxim from Roman antiquity that exemplifes their fanaticism in executing justice.1 Appropriate it is, then, that the beginning Lof Paul’s Epistle to the Romans meticulously seeks to preserve the truth of God’s righteous justice. Paul is dealing with the grand scope of what is a just judgment regarding humanity as it stands before God. As Christianity incorporates both Jews and Gentiles many questions of favoritism arise, just as there can be many excuses before the law. Are the Jews more righteous? How is the condemnation of the Gentiles just, if they never even had the law? Who will be declared righteous in God’s courtroom and why? In Romans 2, Paul seeks to prove how God is perfectly just. God’s justice depends both on impartiality and equality before the law. To show equality, Paul argues that both Jews and Gentiles have the law— whether written or also on the heart—and building up to 3:20, that both fail to accomplish the law for various reasons.2 Tat the unbelieving Gentiles fail to fulfll the law is outlined in Romans 1:18–32. Paul then explains in 2:1–11 how anyone who thinks himself superior to those Gentiles is no better because such a person does the same things as well. In Romans 2:12–16, Paul establishes that Gentiles have the law written 1 Te maxim’s origin is uncertain, but regardless it describes the strong sense of justice in Roman culture and literature. 2 Romans 3:20: “Terefore, no one will be justifed by works of the law, for through the law there is knowledge of sin.” 124 Lutheran Synod Quarterly Vol. 54 in their heart, and thus they can be justly condemned before that law. Finally, in Romans 2:17–29, Paul shows that the Jews have no advan- tage if seeking to work their own righteousness, because their attitude is plagued with hypocrisy, which is demonstrated most vividly in their false understanding of circumcision. Within the framework of establishing God’s justice and account- ability before the law, Paul in 2:14–16 ofers the main biblical foun- dation for the doctrine of the natural law.3 Paul uses the natural law primarily to establish Gentile accountability before the law and the just condemnation they have in store for themselves. Yet from these verses, Paul gives the Christian insight into natural law and its relationship to both the so-called frst and second uses of the law. Also, in this broader context of Romans, these verses help establish what our expectations should be concerning the extent and application of natural law in society as a whole. Impartiality and Condemnation before God’s Justice: Romans 2:1–11 1 ∆ιὸ4 ἀναπολόγητος εἶ, ὦ ἄνθρωπε5 πᾶς ὁ κρίνων· ἐν ᾧ6 γὰρ κρίνεις τὸν ἕτερον, σεαυτὸν κατακρίνεις, τὰ γὰρ αὐτὰ πράσσεις ὁ κρίνων. 2 οἴδαµεν δὲ ὅτι τὸ κρίµα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ἐπὶ τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντας. 3 λογίζῃ δὲ τοῦτο, ὦ ἄνθρωπε ὁ κρίνων τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντας καὶ ποιῶν αὐτά, ὅτι σὺ ἐκφεύξῃ τὸ κρίµα τοῦ θεοῦ; 4 ἢ τοῦ πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἀνοχῆς καὶ τῆς µακροθυµίας καταφρονεῖς, ἀγνοῶν ὅτι τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς µετάνοιάν σε ἄγει; 5 κατὰ δὲ τὴν σκληρότητά σου καὶ ἀµετανόητον καρδίαν θησαυρίζεις σεαυτῷ ὀργὴν ἐν ἡµέρᾳ ὀργῆς καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως δικαιοκρισίας τοῦ 3 Romans 2:14–16 will be the main exegetical focus of this paper. Te other portions of Romans 2 will still be treated, although not in the same level of detail and mainly to the extent that they apply to my broader arguments. 4 BDAG, 250, calls this an “inferential conjunction.” Tus the preceding section in Romans 1 (describing the wickedness of the unbelieving world) is closely connected to Romans 2 where Paul explains how all are under that same judgment. See also R. C. H. Lenski, Te Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1961), 130–131. 5 Michael P. Middendorf, Romans 1–8, Concordia Commentary: A Teological Exposition of Sacred Scripture (St. Louis: Concordia, 2013), 152, suggests handling the vocative “attention grabber” of ὦ by a more colloquial “yes, you” instead of the more archaic “O man.” BDAG, 1101: “Te ὦ interjection associated with the vocative is not only a ‘marker of personal address’ but is also used for ‘mostly expressing emotion.’” Lenski, 131: “Te Greek uses ‘O’ with vocatives sparingly, hence it is strong when it is used.” 6 BDAG, 329, ofers this ἐν ᾧ construction as an example of ἐν being a “marker of circumstance or condition under which something takes place.” Nos.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Concordia Theological Monthly
    CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY Pleroma and Christology HAROLD A. MERKLINGER The Relationship Between Dogmatics and Ethics in the Thought of Elert, Barth, and Troeltsch EDWARD H. SCHROEDER A Checklist of Luther's Writings in English GEORGE S. ROBBERT Homiletics Brief Studies Book Review Vol XXXVI December 1965 No. 11 The Relationship Between Dogmatics and Ethics In the Thought of Elert, Barth, and Troelt sch EDWARD H. SCHROEDER INTRODUCTION espoused against Lutheran theologoumena) concern for dogmatics and a concern led him to say "no" to any independent A for ethics do not always go together. ethics and "yes" only to a Kirchliche Dog­ The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, matik. Some of the intellectual roots of for example, has always had a strong dog­ Troeltsch's answer ("yes" to ethics and matic tradition, but has in general been ethical Christianity, but little interest in uninterested in what is commonly called dogmatics) lie in his acknowledged kin­ ethics. But this is the opposite of the ship with the "left wing" of the Reforma­ situation in many other American de­ tion. Troeltsch's position - nondogmatic, nominations. To put the problem into a antiauthoritarian, ethically conscious Chris­ broader perspective, what is the relation­ tianity - has typified large segments of ship between dogmatics and ethics? American Christianity. A helpful approach is to study the dis­ WERNER ELERT 1 tinctive answers given by Werner Elert, Karl Barth, and Ernst Troeltsch, which PRELIMINARY DEFINITIONS prove to be distinctive not only because Elert carefully defines the four key con­ their personal theological convictions differ, cepts - dogmatics, ethics, dogma, and but also because they reflect quite clearly ethos.
    [Show full text]
  • Proquest Dissertations
    INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Bell & Howell Information and Leaming 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 UMI' PHILIP MELANCHTHON, THE FORMULA OF CONCORD, AND THE THIRD USE OF THE LAW DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Ken Ray Schurb, B.A., B.S.Ed., M.Div., M.A., S.T.M.
    [Show full text]
  • The Word-Of-God Conflict in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in the 20Th Century
    Luther Seminary Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary Master of Theology Theses Student Theses Spring 2018 The Word-of-God Conflict in the utherL an Church Missouri Synod in the 20th Century Donn Wilson Luther Seminary Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/mth_theses Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, and the History of Christianity Commons Recommended Citation Wilson, Donn, "The Word-of-God Conflict in the utherL an Church Missouri Synod in the 20th Century" (2018). Master of Theology Theses. 10. https://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/mth_theses/10 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses at Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master of Theology Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. THE WORD-OF-GOD CONFLICT IN THE LUTHERAN CHURCH MISSOURI SYNOD IN THE 20TH CENTURY by DONN WILSON A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Luther Seminary In Partial Fulfillment, of The Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF THEOLOGY THESIS ADVISER: DR. MARY JANE HAEMIG ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA 2018 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Dr. Mary Jane Haemig has been very helpful in providing input on the writing of my thesis and posing critical questions. Several years ago, she guided my independent study of “Lutheran Orthodoxy 1580-1675,” which was my first introduction to this material. The two trips to Wittenberg over the January terms (2014 and 2016) and course on “Luther as Pastor” were very good introductions to Luther on-site.
    [Show full text]
  • Concordia Theological Monthly
    .CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY Martin Chemnitz' Views on Trent: The Genesis and the Genius of the Examen Concilii Tridentini ARTHUR CARL PIEPKORN Current Contributions to Christian Preaching RICHARD R. CAEMMERER Homiletics Book Review Vol. xxxvn . January 1966 No.1 MARTIN CHEMNITZ' VIEWS ON TRENT: The Genesis and the Genius of the Exan1en ConaJii Trtdenttni 1 ARTHUR CARL PIEPKORN "In recent centuries one or the other of the pages of the influential multilingual [the} pillars supporting the Triden­ international Roman Catholic hard-covered tine system have appeared to tremble, but theological journal Concilium. Alberigo's as a whole the system has always survived words add relevance to a review of the the various crises which had only brought genesis and genius of the great 16th­ about certain individual degenerations. Be­ cennuy Lutheran protest against the Coun­ ginning with 1958-1959, through a cil of Trent in the quadricentennial year whole concourse of historical and spiritual of the publication of the first volwne. factors, and certainly under an impulse of The Exanzen Concilii Tfidentini the Holy Spirit, the [Roman} Catholic ("A Weighing of the Council of Trent") Church (and more generally the entire is neither the first nor the last non-Roman­ Christian world) abandoned the Tridentine Catholic analysis of the synod that created system on all fundamental themes. The the Roman Catholic Church. At the turn brief intervening time cannot distract us of the century, Reinhard Mumro (1873 from the global dimensions and the defin­ to 1932) managed to list no fewer than itive significance of this abandonment." 2 87 items written between 1546 and 1564 The author of this statement, Giuseppe which polemicized against the Council,4 Alberigo, is a respected Italian Roman Catholic church historian, philosopher, and Milan.
    [Show full text]
  • Sommersemester 2003
    Vorwort Liebe Leserinnen und Leser, an dieses Sommersemester 2003 werden die meisten Mitglieder der Augustana-Hoch- schule noch länger denken und zwar ein wenig im Sinne des Psalmwortes: „… mäch- tige Büffel haben mich umringt“ (Ps 22,13). Einige der bedrohlichen Horntiere, denen wir uns in diesen Frühlings- und Sommerwochen gegenüber sahen, lassen sich durch- aus individuell benennen, andere sind eher institutioneller Natur. Ich beginne mit den letzteren: Selbstverständlich ist auch die Augustana-Hochschule auf die Prüfstände („Lenkungs- gruppe“ der Landessynode; Landeskirchenrat) gehoben worden, die zur Bewältigung der derzeitigen Finanzkrise unseres Trägers Verantwortung tragen. Es sieht so aus, als würde die Augustana mit empfindlichen Einbußen, aber im Kern intakt aus diesen Prü- fungen hervorgehen. Gewissheit wird die Herbstsynode dieses Jahres bringen. Sicher nicht zufällig fiel diese „Prüfung“ mit einer Art publizistischem Überfall zu- sammen, dem sich die Augustana-Hochschule zu Beginn dieses Semesters ausgesetzt sah. Am 3./4. Mai erschien in der „Süddeutschen Zeitung“ ein Artikel mit dem Titel „Unkulturprotestantismus – Die bayerische Landeskirche ist auf dem Weg zur Sekte“. Er stammt aus der Feder von Prof. Friedrich Wilhelm Graf, seines Zeichens Systemati- scher Theologe an der Evangelisch-Theologischen Fakultät München und forderte von der Landeskirche nichts weniger als die umgehende Schließung der Augustana-Hoch- schule. Zusammen mit jener werden die Kirchlichen Hochschulen insgesamt als Pflanzstätten „klerikaler Gegenwelten“, als provinziell und unkritisch denunziert. Dieser Paukenschlag zog eine Serie weiterer Zeitungsartikel, Leserbriefe und Zu- schriften nach sich, die – unserem Webmaster Jörg Dittmer sei Dank – in einem Fo- rum der Homepage der Augustana-Hochschule (www.augustana.de) vollständig und übersichtlich dokumentiert sind. Die Äußerungen, die da zusammengekommen sind, sind so zahlreich, dass sie die Kapazität dieser „Erträge“ bei weitem übersteigen.
    [Show full text]
  • The Election Controversy Among Lutherans in the Twentieth Century: an Examination of the Underlying Problems
    Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Dissertations (1934 -) Projects The Election Controversy Among Lutherans in the Twentieth Century: An Examination of the Underlying Problems John M. Brenner Marquette University Follow this and additional works at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Brenner, John M., "The Election Controversy Among Lutherans in the Twentieth Century: An Examination of the Underlying Problems" (2012). Dissertations (1934 -). 204. https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/204 THE ELECTION CONTROVERSY AMONG LUTHERANS IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY: AN EXAMINATION OF THE UNDERLYING PROBLEMS by John M. Brenner, B.A., M.Div. A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Milwaukee, Wisconsin May 2012 ABSTRACT The Election Controversy among Lutherans in the Twentieth Century: An Examination of the Underlying Problems. Author: John M. Brenner The Election Controversy of the nineteenth century re-shaped the face of confessional Lutheranism in America. The Evangelical Lutheran Synodical Conference of North America, the leading voice of confessional Lutheranism in America, bore the brunt of the dispute and ultimately dissolved. This dissertation examines the Election Controversy with special attention to the twentieth century attempts to resolve it in order to discover the underlying problems that have prevented the opposing sides from reaching a resolution. The dissertation is written from the viewpoint of the Wisconsin Synod, one of the synods involved in the controversy but often ignored in the discussion of it. The study is needed because contemporary observers do not have a good understanding of confessional Lutheranism and Lutheranism’s historic emphasis on doctrinal purity.
    [Show full text]
  • Concordia Theological Quarterly
    Concordia Theological Quarterly Volume 76:3-4 July/October 2012 Table of Contents Justification: Jesus vs. Paul David P. Scaer ..................................................................................... 195 The Doctrine of Justification in the 19th Century: A Look at Schleiermacher's Der christliche Glaube Naomichi Masaki ................................................................................ 213 Evangelicals and Lutherans on Justification: Similarities and Differences Scott R. Murray ................................................................................... 231 The Finnish School of Luther Interpretation: Responses and Trajectories Gordon L. Isaac ................................................................................... 251 Gerhard Forde's Theology of Atonement and Justification: A Confessional Lutheran Response Jack Kilcrease ....................................................................................... 269 The Ministry in the Early Church Joel C. Elowsky ................................................................................... 295 Walther and AC V Roland Ziegler ..................................................................................... 313 Research Notes ................................................................................................. 335 The Gospel ofJesus' Wife: A Modern Forgery? Theological Observer ...................................................................................... 338 Notes on the NIV The Digital 17th Century Preparing the First
    [Show full text]
  • Law and Gospel As Hermeneutic: Martin Luther and the Lutheran Tradition Richard P
    Consensus Volume 9 | Issue 1 Article 1 1-1-1983 Law and gospel as hermeneutic: Martin Luther and the Lutheran tradition Richard P. Hordern Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus Recommended Citation Hordern, Richard P. (1983) "Law and gospel as hermeneutic: Martin Luther and the Lutheran tradition," Consensus: Vol. 9 : Iss. 1 , Article 1. Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol9/iss1/1 This Articles is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LAW AND GOSPEL AS HERMENEUTIC: MARTIN LUTHER AND THE LUTHERAN TRADITION Richard Hordern The idea of Law and Gospel is found in various Lutheran traditions. It generally refers to the idea that God’s Word is expressed through two different ways of speak- ing. When God speaks Law the message is one of judgment and condemnation over the individual’s failure to live up to the standards of the Law, thus arousing fear and guilt in the individual. This guilt should be destructive of the person’s self security so that the person is then driven, by desperation, to the Gospel. The Gospel is God speaking a word of forgiveness, comfort, or promise. The Law is judgment, in diametrical opposition to the Gospel, which is grace. The Gospel can only be understood, according to a traditional viewpoint, when one first experiences guilt under the Law. The Gospel represents a total release of the person from the accusa- tions of the Law and the guilt is removed by grace through faith alone.
    [Show full text]
  • Luther on Vocation MARC KOLDEN Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, St
    Word & World 3/4 (1983) Copyright © 1983 by Word & World, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN. All rights reserved. page 382 Luther on Vocation MARC KOLDEN Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota The popular view of Martin Luther’s teaching about Christian vocation is that it has to do with one’s occupation. That is, when one is “called” to follow Christ one’s occupation becomes the “calling” in which one serves God.1 This is not a completely wrong interpretation of Luther as much as it is one-sided and incomplete. It may reflect the more general notion of vocation which has permeated much of western culture so that an occupation is referred to as one’s vocation or calling without any reference at all to a call by God. The loss of Luther’s meaning may be due in part to Luther’s interpreters, who frequently consider vocation in Luther’s theology as a subtopic under the “Orders of Creation.”2 Here the standard treatment is to see life in this world as life under natural law, linked to various institutions in society, in which the Christian is understood to be called to service in a particular “station” or “office” or duty. In terms of activity there is said to be nothing which distinguishes the Christian’s involvement in an office from that of a non-Christian.3 Again, this is not a completely wrong interpretation of Luther as much as an incomplete and finally misleading one. And in its insistence that one’s calling is related to life in the world it retains a very important part of Luther’s teaching, especially since Luther developed his understanding of vocation in opposition to the medieval Roman Catholic view.
    [Show full text]
  • God Hidden/God Revealed; According to Werner Elert, Via Matthew Becker (Part 1 of 2)
    God Hidden/God Revealed; according to Werner Elert, via Matthew Becker (Part 1 of 2) Colleagues, Dr. Matthew Becker of Valparaiso University was one of three core presenters at our Crossings conference last January. The theme, arising from Romans 1:16-17, was “The Power of the Gospel for Times Like These.” To further focus our thinking, we prepended that title with “Up Weak Knees,” a line borrowed from the English translation of a 17th century Bohemian hymn that became an anthem of sorts for students at the late, great Seminex. We asked Matt, a systematic theologian by profession, to help us hear how Werner Elert and Robert Bertram might approach the topic. To the extent one can speak of a distinct “Seminex theology” now channeled through Crossings, Elert and Bertram were the two thinkers who, more than any other, gave shape to it. I say this as one so shaped, in ways that Matt would elucidate in the course of two successive papers. For example, without his help I would not be able of a sudden to identify myself as a fierce proponent of Erfahrungstheologie. Tongue in cheek: I need to figure out a way to get that on a business card. As to what it means, see below. What you’ll find below is the first half of Matt’s presentation on Elert, the second half to follow in seven days. After that we’ll send along his Bertram paper, again in two parts. My apology in advance both to Matt and to you for the arbitrary breaks in the flow of his prose.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 2 Apocalypticism, Chiliasm, and Cultural Progress: Jerusalem in Early Modern Storyworlds
    Walter Sparn Chapter 2 Apocalypticism, Chiliasm, and Cultural Progress: Jerusalem in Early Modern Storyworlds This chapter deals with the early modern transformation of the Jerusalem code in the Christian storyworld of “salvation history,” and the consequences it had in con- figuring human behavior on the pilgrimage towards the heavenly Jerusalem. The transformation became visible primarily in the outlook on the future, i.e. on the time span between the (respective) Now and the Second Advent of Christ. It implied a change from traditional apocalypticism to chiliasm (Greek root) or millenarianism, respectively millennialism (Latin root). The inner logic of salvation history inferred that this change deeply influenced the understanding of the present situation and its fatalities or potentialities. Moreover, it modified the view of the past as a basis of what happens now and will happen in the future. The new chiliastic interpretation of biblical apocalypticism, developing in sixteenth- and, on a new level, in seventeenth-century early modern Europe, is a groundbreak- ing change in the Christian worldview and in the socio-political activities asked for or allowed in it. This change was a pivotal aspect of “modernization,” for two rea- sons. First, traditional apocalypticism assumed a spatially finite world, and a finite order of time, i.e. that is a “near” catastrophic end. Early modern chiliasm still referred to a Second Advent, but prolonged the time span from now to that end more and more. Modern chiliasm is reached, when the link between the view of thefutureandanendoftimeeitherbecomesvagueornon-existent.Thepresump- tion of an open future of the world was after all successful in the Enlightenment, also in its Christian strand.
    [Show full text]
  • Jul 2019 Vol 43 No 3
    The World Evangelical Alliance’s Journal The World Evangelical Alliance’s Journal of Theology and Contemporary Application of Theology and Contemporary Application EVANGELICAL REVIEWEVANGELICAL THEOLOGY OF EVANGELICAL Table of Contents Editor’s Introduction The Rejection of God’s Natural Moral Law: Losing REVIEW OF page 195 the Soul of Western Civilization Thomas K. Johnson Image-Bearers for God: page 243 Does Biblical Language for Man Matter? Stephen Noll Can Evangelicals Support Christian THEOLOGY page 196 Zionism? Gerald R. McDermott Can Followers of Christ Have Sexual page 253 Identities? Gregory Coles Frangelism: Evangelizing by Storytelling page 205 Johannes Reimer page 263 Designed for Flourishing Joshua Steely The Doxological Dimension of Ethics page 217 Thomas Schirrmacher page 268 The Emerging Church and Traditional Christian 2019 July 43, No.3, Volume Understanding of Human Book Reviews Sexuality and the Family page 281 Kristina Pickett page 230 Volume 43 No. 3 July 2019 ABSTRACTS/INDEXING This journal is abstracted in Religious and Theological Abstracts, 121 South College Street (P.O. Box 215), Myerstown, PA 17067, USA, and in the Christian Periodical Index, P.O. Box 4, Cedarville, OH 45314, USA. It is also indexed in the ATLA Religion Database, published by the American Theological Library Association, 300 S. Wacker Dr., Suite 2100, Chicago, IL 60606 USA, E-mail: [email protected], Web: www.atla.com/ MICROFORM This journal is available on Microform from UMI, 300 North Zeeb Road, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346, USA. Phone: (313)761-4700 Subscriptions 2019 *Sterling rates do not apply to USA and Canada subscriptions.
    [Show full text]