Jordan B. Cooper's Blog, page 33
October 27, 2015
Where did Halloween – “All Saint’s Eve” – Come From?
Post by Nathan Rinne What does Halloween mean? It is “Hallowe’en”, which mean’s “All Hallows’ Eve”, or “All Saint’s Eve”. Analogous to Christmas Eve, it is the beginning of All Saints’ Day and starts at sundown on October 31st. The old English “hallowed” means holy, sanctified, “set apart” (as for service). Martin Luther’s 95 theses [Read More...]
October 20, 2015
A Defense of Infant Baptism
On today’s program, I spent the entire hour giving a defense of infant baptism. I went through the outline I used at a recent Bible study for my congregation. This was purposefully at a lay level, so please send this one to your baptist friends! Here is the program
October 19, 2015
Why Karl Barth Should Have Just Read Johann Gerhard
Post by Nathan Rinne The following is a summary, from my pastor (Paul Strawn), of the article in German “’Das Word sie sollen lassen stahn…’ Die Auseinandersetzung Johann Gerhards und der lutherischen Orthodoxie mit Hermann Rahtmann und deren abendmahlstheologische und christologische Implikate.”, from Zeitschrift für Theologie und Kirche 95 (1998), 338-365. This is translated as: [Read More...]
October 14, 2015
“Who’s Afraid of Relativism?” – and Professor James K.A. Smith?
Post by Nathan Rinne Calvin College Professor of Philosophy James K.A. Smith is a rising star in the world of evangelicalism – and justifiably so. He is a masterful teacher and clearly possess a brilliant mind, as this recent piece from the Gospel Coalition blog indicates. His book How (Not) to Be Secular: Reading Charles [Read More...]
October 11, 2015
Outline for Study on Lutheran Worship Part 1
Why Does Lutheran Worship Look So Different? Part 1: Outlining Different Approaches to Worship There are a number of different approaches to worship in the church today Emotionalism: The purpose of worship is primarily to stir the emotions of the congregants. The service often starts with a lengthy time of praise and worship, followed by [Read More...]
October 8, 2015
Kretzmann on the Mystical Union
These comments come from Paul E. Kretzmann’s commentary on Ephesians 3:14-19. The commentaries can be found on KretzmannProject.org. “This idea is developed still further: That Christ may dwell through faith in your hearts. Not only the gifts and virtues of Christ, but the exalted Christ personally lives in the hearts of His believers, Gal. 2, [Read More...]
How Did Christians 500 Years Ago “Do Church”?
Post by Nathan Rinne In just a couple of years, the 500-year anniversary of Martin Luther’s putting forth the 95 theses – which launched what is called the Reformation – will be upon us. As we Lutherans like to say, if Luther’s actions – and those who adhered to his teaching – were rebellious in [Read More...]
October 7, 2015
The Mission of the Holy Spirit
On today’s program, I was joined once again by Rev. Lewis Polzin to continue our discussion of Henry Eyster Jacobs’ book A Summary of the Christian Faith. We discussed chapter 16 on the mission of the Holy Spirit, and chapter 17 on faith in Christ. We discussed a variety of important issues related to Pneumatology and [Read More...]
Are Good Works Necessary to “Attain Heaven?”
The debates surrounding the nature of sanctification are never ending in both Lutheran and Reformed circles. There has been quite a bit of controversy, as of late, surrounding some particular phraseology utilized by John Piper in his forward to Thomas Schreiner’s recent volume on justification. In this forward, Piper writes: “The stunning Christian answer is: sola fide—faith [Read More...]
October 2, 2015
Outline for a Bible Study on the Lord’s Supper
Since the last post on baptism had such a good reception, I’ve decided to continue posting my Bible study outlines. Again, feel free to use it in your own congregation or for any other purpose. Why Do Lutherans Believe in the Real Presence of Christ’s Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper? There are a [Read More...]
