We continue our Catechism Series with Pr. Joe Abrahamson. In part 2, we look at using the Catechism and how it is organized. What does Pr. Abrahamson mean when he says Luther’s Small Catechism has a “3 x 3” structure? We also begin discussing God’s Law and the Ten Commandments.
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Pr. Matt Richard helps us discern ways to recognize and define what is “the church.” Is it a group of like-minded believers sharing a common goal? Is it a place where a lot of different activities can be evident throughout the week? What are we to make of a church that does not have the busy-bee activity or a church that may suffer from tensions and even divisions? Are they still “church”? Pr. Richard also explains what he means by “fallible marks” and “infallible marks” of the church.
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With this segment we begin a series with Pr. Joe Abrahamson on the meaning and message of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism. In Part 1, Pr. Abrahamson gives an overview of the Catechism and throws down against some faulty views of God, original sin, and God’s Law. Hear him respond to Rob Bell’s “definition” of God, Joel Osteen’s denial of original sin, and David Ashcraft’s mistaken notion of the purpose of God’s Law.
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In December 2013, Joshua Genig left the Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, claiming that he had found his way home to Eastern Orthodoxy. Pr. Christopher Neuendorf responds and says, “We’re already home.” Listen to Pr. Neuendorf explain what he means, and hear some of the history and doctrinal discussion between the Lutherans and the Orthodox at the time of the Reformation.
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Read Pr. Neuendorf’s article, “We’re Already Home: A Response to Joshua Genig.”
Some people claim that the celebration and date of Easter have pagan origins, as do Easter eggs and the Easter bunny. Listen to Pr. Joe Abrahamson redeem the central Christian celebration from such pagan lies. Easter comes, not from paganism, but from the Passover. But what about those Easter eggs and that Easter bunny?
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Read Pr. Abrahamson’s articles:
“Redeeming Holy Days from Pagan Lies-Easter 1”
Some claim that focusing on true and pure doctrine can become an idol. Mother, blogger, and new Lutheran Vanessa Rasanen debunks that false claim. She also tells of her journey from atheism to Christianity and explains the meaning behind her blog, “Bible, Beer, and Babies.”
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T.R. Halvorson continues discussing his five-part series of articles on Jesus in Gethsemane. What are the different terms that the Bible uses for Jesus’ grief on the night before His crucifixion? How does Jesus’ grief and pain the Garden of Gethsemane confess that He is true God as well as true Man? How does the Gethsemane event reveal the Gospel of our salvation?
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Read T.R. Halvorson’s articles on Jesus in Gethsemane:
1. “Sore Amazed” – What Does This Mean?
2. You’re Not Supposed to Hit a Substitute that Hard
3. What Can an Old Cigarette Ad Show Us about Gethsemane?