FW: So, You Want to Grade a Sermon?

Consider

 

Feed: Steadfast Lutherans
Posted on: Saturday, August 25, 2012 7:16 AM
Author: Pastor Donavon Riley
Subject: So, You Want to Grade a Sermon?

 

We thought to repost this list on BJS in hopes of generating some further discussion of what makes a good (or bad) sermon. The list was originally written by Charles Wiese and recently reposted on my blog, the First Premise. Here is a listing of sermon reviews that Charles Wiese has posted on his blog.   Does the pastor explain the text correctly? (+1 for explaining the text correctly, 0 for not explaining the text at all, -1 for explaining the text incorrectly) Is the law preached lawfully? (+1 for preaching the law in all its sternness, 0 for not preaching the law at all, -1 for preaching the law as if it is doable) Does the sermon mention Jesus? (+1 for saying true things about Jesus, 0 for not mentioning Jesus, -1 for saying false things about Jesus) Is the sermon about what Jesus has done for us? (+1 if the primary focus of the sermon is about what Jesus has done for us, 0 if the sermon does not mention Jesus, -1 if the sermon is all about what we do for Jesus) Does the creation of a wordle show a Christian focus in the sermon? (+1 for yes, 0 for sort of, -1 for no) 5 is the highest possible score and -5 is the lowest possible score.

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FW: A Lost Treasure Has Been Found! The Apocrypha is Back!

Coming Soon…

 

Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed
Posted on: Monday, August 27, 2012 11:30 AM
Author: Paul T. McCain
Subject: A Lost Treasure Has Been Found! The Apocrypha is Back!

 

A lost treasure has been found!  The Apocrypha, which went missing in action in English speaking Lutheranism, has been restored. Since the time of Luther's first complete Bible translation, through the hundreds of years that followed, faithful Lutheran theologians, pastors and laity had the Apocrypha as part of their Bibles and spiritual heritage. It was quoted in doctrinal works, devotional works and in sermons by all orthodox confessional Lutherans, down to the days of C.F.W. Walther who referenced it in his writings and sermons. But, when the church here in America, the Apocrypha was lost because it was not printed in English Bibles that were used by Lutherans. Now, for the first time, a special Lutheran study edition is ready for you to dig into. You may place your order now, by going to this web site.

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FW: Dozens of Volumes Available Now from LOGOS

Available Now…

 

Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed
Posted on: Monday, August 27, 2012 6:31 AM
Author: Paul T. McCain
Subject: Dozens of Volumes Available Now from LOGOS

 

Since Concordia Publishing House has moved all LOGOS based resources into the LOGOS web distribution method, there are now many titles available as stand alone volumes that once were only available when you bought "collections" in the Concordia Electronic Theological Library [CETL]. You can now purchase any of the volumes listed below as separate/stand alone volumes. The better pricing on them comes when you do buy them in the collections in which the are placed in the CETL, but if you do not wish to do that, you can purchase things now separately, as instant downloads into your LOGOS collection, and of course, if you wish, you can buy all these volumes as a single purchase if you buy the entire CETL Collection, for $475, which provides the following 40 volumes, just under $12 per book. The choice is yours now: purchase it all at once, for the greatest savings, or in  individual collections, or as separate volumes. In addition to these titles, we are bringing the existing volumes of the Concordia Commentary series into LOGOS, and will be adding the newer volumes of the Luther's Works extension and the Gerhard LOCI collection. You can see all resources from CPH available in LOGOS by visiting our CPH LOGOS page, link here.  And, by the way, you can also purchase any Luther's Works (American Edition) as a stand alone volume, or in the entire collection. I listed those titles below, hit the "read more" link to see them. Concordia Self-Study Bible NIV Concordia Self-Study Bible Notes Concordia Self-Study Commentary The Word Becoming Flesh The Word of the Lord Grows Christian Cyclopedia History of Theology Churches in America How to Respond: Muslims How to Respond to the Eastern Religions How to Respond: Judaism The Book of Concord Confessing the Faith: Reformers Define the Church, 1530-1580 Historical Introductions to the Book of Concord Principles of Biblical Interpretation in the Lutheran Confessions The Christian Faith: A Lutheran Exposition Summary of Christian Doctrine Christian Dogmatics The Protestant Reformation: Major Documents Luther's World of Thought Loci Communes Structure of Lutheranism Theology of Post-Reformation Lutheranism, 2 volumes Examination of the Council of Trent, 4 volumes Christian Dogmatics, 3 volumes with index Loci Theologici Two Natures in Christ The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel Ministry, Word, and Sacraments Church and Ministry Eucharist and Church Fellowship in the First Four Centuries An Introduction to the Foundations of Lutheran Education Luther's Works vol. 1: Lectures on Genesis Chapters 1-5 Luther's Works vol. 2: Lectures on Genesis Chapters 6-14 Luther's Works vol. 3: Lectures on Genesis Chapters 15-20 Luther's Works vol. 4: Lectures on Genesis Chapters 21-25 Luther's Works vol. 5: Lectures on Genesis Chapters 26-30 Luther's Works vol. 6: Lectures on Genesis Chapters 31-37 Luther's Works vol. 7: Lectures on Genesis Chapters 38-44 Luther's Works vol. 8: Lectures on Genesis Chapters 45-50 Luther's Works vol. 9: Lectures on Deuteronomy Luther's Works vol. 10: First Lectures on the Psalms 1-75 Luther's Works vol. 11: First Lectures on the Psalms 76-126 Luther's Works vol. 12: Selected Psalms I Luther's Works vol. 13: Selected Psalms II Luther's Works vol. 14: Selected Psalms III Luther's Works vol. 15: Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Last Words of David, 2 Samuel 23:1-7 Luther's Works vol. 16: Lectures on Isaiah Chapters 1-39 Luther's Works vol. 17: Lectures on Isaiah Chapters 40-66 Luther's Works vol. 18: Minor Prophets I: Hosea-Malachi Luther's Works vol. 19: Minor Prophets II: Jonah and Habakkuk Luther's Works vol. 20: Minor Prophets III: Zechariah Luther's Works vol. 21: The Sermon on the Mount and the Magnificat Luther's Works vol. 22: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John Chapters 1-4 Luther's Works vol. 23: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John Chapters 6-8 Luther's Works vol. 24: Sermons on the Gospel of St. John Chapters 14-16 Luther's Works vol. 25: Lectures on Romans Luther's Works vol. 26: Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 1-4 Luther's Works vol. 27: Lectures on Galatians, 1535, Chapters 5-6; 1519, Chapters 1-6 Luther's Works vol. 28: 1 Corinthians 7, 1 Corinthians 15, Lectures on 1 Timothy Luther's Works vol. 29: Lectures on Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews Luther's Works vol. 30: The Catholic Epistles Luther's Works vol. 31: Career of the Reformer I Luther's Works vol. 32: Career of the Reformer II Luther's Works vol. 33: Career of the Reformer III Luther's Works vol. 34: Career of the Reformer IV Luther's Works vol. 35: Word and Sacrament I Luther's Works vol. 36: Word and Sacrament II Luther's Works vol. 37: Word and Sacrament III Luther's Works vol. 38: Word and Sacrament IV Luther's Works vol. 39: Church and Ministry I Luther's Works vol. 40: Church and Ministry II Luther's Works vol. 41: Church and Ministry III Luther's Works vol. 42: Devotional Writings I Luther's Works vol. 43: Devotional Writings II Luther's Works vol. 44: The Christian in Society I Luther's Works vol. 45: The Christian in Society II Luther's Works vol. 46: The Christian in Society III Luther's Works vol. 47: The Christian in Society IV Luther's Works vol. 48: Letters I Luther's Works vol. 49: Letters II Luther's Works vol. 50: Letters III Luther's Works vol. 51: Sermons I Luther's Works vol. 52: Sermons II Luther's Works vol. 53: Liturgy and Hymns Luther's Works vol. 54: Table Talk Luther's Works vol. 55: Index

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FW: “Church and Ministry” is Now Available for Pre-Order with Bulk Purchase Discount Price

Coming Soon…

 

Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed
Posted on: Friday, August 24, 2012 10:08 AM
Author: Paul T. McCain
Subject: "Church and Ministry" is Now Available for Pre-Order with Bulk Purchase Discount Price

 

"The issue of church and office is too often a muddle among us, and Walther can be most helpful if he is allowed to speak with the precision he intended." Pastor Matthew C. Harrison President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod PLACE YOUR PRE-PUBLICATION ORDER HERE. Purchase 10 or more copies of Church and Ministry for only $19.99 each. Use promotional Code LWT on the checkout screen to receive your discount!   Matthew Harrison's new edition of this seminal writing by the first president of the LCMS restores Walther's precise language on the doctrines of church and ministry. As the subtitle of the original German edition states, Church and Ministry is "a collection of testimonies . . . from the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and from the private writings of orthodox teachers of the same." Professional church workers and interested lay members will find a wealth of insights from the Bible, the Confessions, ancient church fathers, Luther, the orthodox Lutheran fathers, and more on the key questions of what or who is the Church, what is and who holds the Office of the Ministry, and what are the powers and duties of each. This New Study Edition Includes • new reader-friendly updated translation • footnotes explaining terms and history • side notes highlighting texts from the Bible, Lutheran Confessions and Martin Luther • marginal references to Johann Gerhard • glossary of key German and Latin terms • appendices including supporting documents • Scriptural index • topical index • free downloadable data charts/timelines editorial introductions from Rev. Matthew Harrison

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FW: A Horrific Consequence of Abandoning the Historic Christian Liturgy

Consider…

 

Feed: Stand Firm
Posted on: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 8:02 AM
Author: Scott Diekmann
Subject: A Horrific Consequence of Abandoning the Historic Christian Liturgy

 

In a segment on the May 30, 2011 Issues, Etc. show on the Athanasian Creed, Pastor Wilken and Pastor Will Weedon discuss the abandonment of the historic Christian liturgy and its consequences. Pastor Wilken asks Pastor Weedon to react to two different studies by the Barna Group which found that the majority of American Christians do not believe the Holy Spirit is a living force or entity. Listen to Pastor Weedon's insightful response: As the Athanasian Creed confesses, 1Whoever desires to be saved must,     above all, hold the catholic faith. 2Whoever does not keep it whole and     undefiled will without doubt perish     eternally. 3And the catholic faith is this, 4that we worship one God in Trinity and     Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the     persons nor dividing the substance. This is a sobering thought. How many contemporary worship services have you been to where the Trinity was rarely, if ever, mentioned? It's certainly unlikely you'll see the Trinity taught in the praise songs. So do we worship one God in Trinity? And if not, what does this mean? The Creed certainly answers: Those who don't worship one God in Trinity "will without doubt perish eternally." As Pastor Weedon points out, the Trinity is everywhere in the liturgy -- certainly one more reason to keep the liturgy intact. You can listen to the entire Issues, Etc. segment here.

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FW: The Small Catechism in Four Languages

1599…

 

Feed: Cyberbrethren Lutheran Blog Feed
Posted on: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 5:04 AM
Author: Paul T. McCain
Subject: The Small Catechism in Four Languages

 

My colleague, Dr. Benjamin Mayes, found an interesting resource in Google books, Luther's Small Catechism in four languages: German, Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Take a look at the whole thing here. Here is a screen shot of a couple of pages.

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