1. This is an excerpt from the introduction of “Common Places in Christian Theology: A Curated Collection of Essays from Lutheran Quarterly,” edited by Mark Mattes (1517 Publishing, 2023).
  2. What we discover in O’Connor’s stories and Martin Luther’s theology is that God’s grace is elusive because the human heart is resistant to it.
  3. This is the message of Lent. We are not called to sacrifice for Jesus in order to earn our salvation. Rather, we are called to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us.
  4. Ash Wednesday's purpose is not to motivate our resolve to redouble our efforts to do better.
  5. Even as he was dying, the heart of God poured itself out for the sake of sinners.
  6. This is an excerpt from “The Alien and the Proper: Luther's Two-Fold Righteousness in Controversy, Ministry, and Citizenship,” edited by Robert Kolb (1517 Publishing, 2023). Now available for purchase.
  7. Repentance is meaningless unless we are willing to acknowledge who we are: sinners needing mercy.
  8. In Memory of My Friend, James Arne Nestingen
  9. That great truth of creedal Christianity – that God is man in Christ – is not set forth for our speculative enjoyment.
  10. You are the friend in low places. It’s only from this place that you are free to look outside yourself for the remedy to the issues that plague you and humanity.
  11. If a key part of the Reformation was placing God’s Word back into the hands of the people in a clear, understandable way, then John of Ragusa can be called a “Prometheus” in his own right.