What about the Apocrypha?
By Philip Bartelt
06/30/26
10mins

What about the Apocrypha?

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.
Remembering and Commemorating the Augsburg Confession
Caleb Keith
Caleb Keith
06/25/26

Remembering and Commemorating the Augsburg Confession

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.
The Sacrament of Baptism: Through the Wardrobe and the Water
Sam P. Schuldheisz
Sam P. Schuldheisz
06/24/26

The Sacrament of Baptism: Through the Wardrobe and the Water

When Jesus washes you with baptismal water, you can rest assured that the Lion of Judah is on the move.

All Articles

Joey Goodall
Joey Goodall
02/28/25

You Can't Sever the Saint from the Sinner

You cannot sever the saint from the sinner. Christians remain both simultaneously.
Steven Paulson
Steven Paulson
02/27/25

Psalm 7: The Divine Contradiction – Only Faith Overcomes Revenge

God is a judge, but unlike you, God is just!
Jason Oakland
Jason Oakland
02/17/25

A Remnant Chosen By Grace

In grace, God chooses to love his people.
John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
02/10/25

Martin Luther's Three Lights

Luther’s famous treatise contains great consolation for Christians struggling with grace, suffering, and hope.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
01/30/25

The Gospel for All

There is no one — not now, not ever — who cannot be included in the family of God through the efficacy of Christ’s saving power.
Ryan Couch
Ryan Couch
01/03/25

New Year, Same You

It's a new year, and you are still the same you: a sinner who is simultaneously perfect in every way because Christ declares it to be so.
Amy Mantravadi
Amy Mantravadi
12/16/24

Life in the Bleak Midwinter

The love of God is creative, always giving, always reviving.
Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson
12/02/24

Too Soon for Tinsel? Why November Christmas Lights Might Be More Than Holiday Hype

In Scripture, laments are raw expressions of grief, but they always point to hope. What if our culture’s obsession with holiday lights is an unconscious way of crying out, “We need good news, and we need it now”?
John Bortulin
John Bortulin
11/11/24

Oh Lord, How Long?

The Lord has an answer to your tears, your trouble, your weariness, your enemies, your grief, your shame, your sin.
Scott Keith
Scott Keith
10/16/24

Essential Reading for Lutheran Theology: The Thinking Fellows List

Below is the Thinking Fellows Essential Reading List with contributions from each of the Thinking Fellows hosts.
Bruce Hillman
Bruce Hillman
10/01/24

Augustine, Abuse, and the Gospel that Puts Away Shame

What is it about the cross and its embrace of shame that informs and inspires Christians, who, for various reasons, might find themselves inscribed by shame, to no longer be shameful?
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
08/27/24

Yours Is the Victory

Press on, church. Yours is the victory through Jesus Christ your Lord.
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