Luther the Preacher

Luther's sermons are some of the clearest and most profound gospel centered sermons ever written.  I know that's a huge statement, yet I stand behind it.  CBD currently has a sale on Baker's 7 volume set of Luther's sermons ($35).  If you do not own these, you will not be disappointed in them - and you just…

Paul, Luther, Introspection and the NPP

  Here are a few lines from the summary of a lecture that Krister Stendahl (an early and influential figure in the NPP) gave to the American Psychological Association in September, 1961.  To be fair, in the introduction, the publisher (the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion) noted that this essay, a summary of the…

The Augsburg Confession (1530) and the NPP

I find article 20 of the Augsburg Confession anticipating the NPP in a very real way.  Notice the first sentences below (from art. 20).  I've bolded the words that caught my attention:         And lest any one should craftily say that a new interpretation         of Paul has been devised by us, this entire matter is…

Luther on Strong Sins: A Word to Preachers!

This is Luther at his finest.  It shows two things clearly: 1) he understood Rome's doctrines clearly [note the "imaginary" language below] and 2) he understood the gospel clearly.  This part of the letter is on the wall of my study; it is worth memorizing! 13. If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an…

Lutheran Pietism v Lutheran Orthodoxy

 A LCMS pastor and dear friend of mine recently gave me Bo Giertz's Hammer of God to read as a sort of "fun" read.  It was not only fun, it was great!  This book is fiction, but it is based on historical and theological "happenings" in  Sweden.  This book could be Walther's lectures on the Law and…