Gene Edward Veith Jr.'s Blog, page 83

WELS president on the two versions of the Luther movie

Not only did the writer/producer of the new Luther movie, Mark Trinklein, weigh in to explain why there are two versions.  So did the president of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, Rev. Mark Schroeder. He explains that it had nothing to do with fellowship issues or theological concerns about the other version. Read his comments [Read More...]

Tensions growing with North Korea

President Trump has been threatening military action against North Korea, and no one thinks he’s bluffing. Three U.S. aircraft carrier groups are headed to the Korean peninsula.  Vice President Pence is in Seoul, co-ordinating with the South Korean government. North Korea remains defiant.  An earlier missile test–that they were told not to try–was a failure, [Read More...]

The writer and producer explains the two versions of the Luther movie

We reviewed the new dramatized documentary, Martin Luther:  The Idea That Changed the World, and then expressed puzzlement  when we learned that it existed in another version, A Return to Grace:  The  Life and Legacy of Martin Luther.  In the comments and on FaceBook, we discussed why there are two versions, with the latter being [Read More...]

Gorsuch’s first week will feature LCMS school

Justice Neil Gorsuch is now on the Supreme Court, and one of the first cases he will hear in his first week involves a Lutheran preschool:  Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Pauley. At issue is whether Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Missouri, can take part in a state program that gives shredded tires to [Read More...]

Where your taxes go

Tomorrow taxes are due.  So it’s fitting to contemplate where your tax money goes. To make it easier to comprehend, the non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget looked at a representative $100 paid in taxes.  Of that, 8 cents goes to national parks, $15 goes for Medicare, $21 goes for defense, $50 goes for Social [Read More...]

The Resurrection on the Isenheim altar

On Good Friday,I posted a picture of Christ on the Cross from the altarpiece in the chapel St. Anthony’s hospital in Isenheim, Germany.  The painting, by Matthias Grünewald is grisly and heart-rending, depicting the suffering and deadness of the crucified Jesus. In addition to His own wounds, Jesus’ body is covered with sores, like the patients dying of plague [Read More...]

The day that God suffered and died

A powerful Good Friday devotion would be to read Article VIII of the Formula of Concord: “The Person of Christ.”  It will help you to appreciate even more the magnitude of what happened on the Cross. Luther’s dispute with Zwingli went beyond their disagreement over Holy Communion and whether “this is my body” is a fact or [Read More...]

Light, darkness, & the Cross

S. J. Masson, a new Patheos blogger at Hawkeye, has written a wide-ranging, thought-provoking post that you should read for Good Friday.  He begins by pointing out an allusion to the Cross made by J. R. R. Tolkien in a footnote to Lord of the Rings.  He then reflects on the symbolism of this time of [Read More...]

States can now stop funding Planned Parenthood

President Trump signed into law a measure passed by Congress that would allow states to deny certain government funding for Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. Under President Obama, Title X “family-planning grants” to states could not be denied to organizations on the basis of whether or not they performed abortions.  Thus, federal money went [Read More...]

Eating, sacrifice, and the Gospel

When a thale cress plant is being eaten by a caterpillar, it responds by sending out mustard oil, which is toxic to caterpillars.  Other stimuli doesn’t trigger this reaction.  Somehow the plant knows when it is being eaten. Read about the research and watch a video about it after the jump.  One of the scientists [Read More...]