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Posted on 10/2/2017 - 1 minute read
Faith or works? Reformation era debates about the distinction and place of faith and works continue today. The debate rears its head as some insist that Christianity must produce “results.” We see it in Bible studies and Sunday school lessons that confuse the Gospel of Jesus Christ with moral instruction. At its worst, Some Christians think that their salvation is based on their being a “good person.”
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Posted on 9/21/2017 - 1 minute read
Martin Luther valued prayer. Once he wrote a short book for his barber, Peter Beskendorf, called “A Simple Way to Pray” (AE 43:193-211). In it, Luther described a pattern of devotions for his friend, noting that it was his own practice. He prayed the Lord’s Prayer, considering how each petition addressed his situation that day. Elsewhere, he demonstrated the same idea with prayers based on the Ten Commandments and the Creed. In these reflections, he looked to each teaching for instruction, thanksgiving, confession, and petition
Posted on 9/8/2017 - 1 minute read
The Medieval Church taught that Christians could gain a future reward from God by their own merit. Ordinary lay people could obtain very few merits because they engaged mostly in non-spiritual activities such as raising food or making clothes. Clergy, monks, and nuns, however, gained more merits by reciting the mass, renouncing property, and remaining celibate. Luther learned from the Bible that only the merit of Jesus Christ matters.
By Dr. Russell Dawn Posted on 8/3/2017 - 1 minute read
Living out the Reformation faith is simple. It isn’t easy, but it is not complicated. Before I came to this faith, I found myself frequently tied into knots over the question of whether I was living out God’s plan for my life. Had God planned for me to be in my chosen profession, or had I strayed from His will? Did He want me involved in this ministry or that one?
Posted on 7/13/2017 - 1 minute read
The Reformation forever changed education. In Martin Luther’s day, formal education was reserved for boys. Specifically, it was for boys who would go on to be lawyers, doctors, or priests.
By Magazine Editorial Team Posted on 7/1/2017 - 5 minute read
Word of God in their minds, so after he revised the Latin service, removing non- biblical elements, he turned his sights on a German service,” says Held. “But the German words did not fit well with music composed for Latin chant, nor was the music conducive to congregational song. So Luther and his colleagues translated the service into German and wrote new melodies that were easier to sing and learn.”
By Magazine Editorial Team Posted on 7/1/2017 - 7 minute read
CUI professors Jim and Susan Bachman capped long, illustrious academic careers by becoming the inaugural directors of CUI’s Cambridge program in the United Kingdom for the past two years. There they guided and mentored CUI students at Westfield House, owned by the Lutheran Church of England, a big manor with offices, classrooms, a residence hall and a nearby chapel.
Posted on 6/29/2017 - 1 minute read
Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk, schooled in the thought of the great Christian teacher, St. Augustine of Hippo. However, Augustine’s description of justification negatively affected what Luther initially believed about justification and righteousness before God.
By SM Posted on 6/13/2017 - 1 minute read
When Luther posted his 95 theses for debate, he was addressing challenges in his church, seeking discussion and correction. He certainly did not intend to give rise to a separate branch of the Christian Church—much less one that would come to be called by his name. Nevertheless, when his call to reform was rejected, this is exactly what occurred.
By SM Posted on 5/25/2017 - 1 minute read
When Luther published an evangelical revision of the Latin Mass (The Order of Mass and Communion, 1523), he called for poets to write new hymns.