Issue
Grace: How Strange the Sound
Vol. 16, No. 4 • Jul/Aug 2007
As recounted in the recent film, the author of “Amazing Grace,” John Newton, not only knew about grace, but every line of the famous hymn was part of his experience. Born in 1725 to a Protestant mother and a mariner father who had been educated by Spanish Jesuits, John Newton was taught by his mother […]
All Articles (15)
Grace
As recounted in the recent film, the author of “Amazing Grace,” John Newton, not only knew about grace, but every line of the famous hymn was part of his experience. Born in 1725 to a Protestant mother and a mariner father who had been educated by Spanish Jesuits, John Newton was taught by his mother […]
Where Grace is Found
“The Beatles are more popular than Jesus.” Such was John Lennon’s evaluation of the phenomenon of Beatlemania in the mid-1960s. What is even more interesting than Lennon’s observation, however, is the response that Americans gave to such a bold claim: We rose up, and with our righteous indignation reaching peak levels, we piled our Beatles’ […]
“The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, is one of several recent books that attack religion in general and Christianity in particular. It has been on the New York Times best-seller list longer than other books and may be the most important one for a Christian to read because it considers the intellectual foundation of religion […]
A Lutheran Response to Arminianism
Since the seventeenth century, Calvinism has been identified with its five-point reply to the Arminian party at the Synod of Dort. Calvinists often complain that this summary of their theology, though accurate in expressing the Calvinists’ disagreement with their Arminian opponents, presents a truncated view of what Calvinism really is. Where in the five points […]
Grace for All Seasons
Frank was pathetic, with all the uncomfortable connotations of that overused word. He was twice our age, with ten times our worldly experience, legally blind, formerly a member of an L.A. street gang, without any formal education, and crying as if no one else was in the room. The teacher had just explained how to […]
The Lutheran Doctrine of Predestination:
In the earliest editions of his Loci Communes Theologici (“Common Topics of Theology”), Luther’s friend and colleague Philip Melanchthon did not address in great detail the doctrine of predestination. In the Loci of 1521, for instance, he discussed it only briefly in the section dealing with the freedom of the human will. Following the teaching […]
Theology
Explore All
50 Difficult Theology Questions Answered in 50 Minutes
Pastor Adriel Sanchez joins producer Aaron Simon to answer some of the most common questions about Christianity.
What Is the Ordo Salutis? Explaining the Reformed View of Salvation
“The basis of our justification isn’t our sanctification, but Christ’s righteousness..” How are Christians saved? The Ordo Salutis, meaning “order of salvation,” describes the order by which Christians receive salvation. Pastor Adriel explains why it serves as a helpful tool in understanding the differences between Protestant and Catholic traditions.
Help! Saved but Still Sinning
Sanctification isn’t effortless. The act of dying to sin implies spiritual battle and life-long war against sin. Living unto righteousness implies costly, intensive labor that daily says “no” to sin and “yes” to Christlikeness. So what do we do when we fail yet again? How can we overcome feelings of failure, defeat, and self-loathing when we sin?
God’s Gift of Rest to You
Nobody really knows what to do with the Sabbath anymore. A frequent point of contention between Jesus and that group of ultra-religious elites was what was lawful or unlawful to do on the Sabbath. Even a quick perusal of the Gospels reveals how common this conflict was. From healing the man with a withered hand […]
