Luther neither removed the Apocrypha from the Bible nor discouraged its use. Rather, he received and preserved the ancient distinction inherited from the fathers: the Apocrypha is valuable, edifying, and worthy of reading, but it is not Holy Scripture and therefore cannot serve as the foundation of Christian doctrine.
The confessors at Augsburg remind us that every generation of Christians is called to bear witness to the gospel amid the challenges and pressures of its own age. As they confessed Christ before emperors and kingdoms, so the Church continues to confess Him before the world today.
When Jesus washes you with baptismal water, you can rest assured that the Lion of Judah is on the move.

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On second thought: Keep Lent, but sacrifice your concept of it.
Albrech Dürer is said to have brought the Renaissance north of the Alps and perfected the mass production and distribution of images.
We are called to believe in the church even when we don’t believe in the church.
Is there a significant difference between changing your mind and doing penance? Absolutely.
Repentance is not limited to a season.
Luther’s final thoughts were not meant to bum you out or lead you to despair.
What do we do with Katie Luther? What kind of historical character can we paint her to be?
There is a “re” involved with baptism, but unlike the Anabaptists, it’s not a “re-do,” but a “re-turn" or a “re-member.”
The “Chalking of the Door” is a way to celebrate and literally mark the occasion of the Epiphany and God’s blessing of our lives and home.
Longstanding tradition must be bolstered by something outside of ourselves that also lies outside of the traditions of men.
This is the second article in a special three-part Advent series on how Jesus is our prophet, priest, and king.
This is an excerpt from Broken Bonds: A Novel of the Reformation by Amy Mantravadi (1517 Publishing, 2024), pgs. 24-27