Defense of the faith and witness require a certain attitude with humility at the very center.  Humility, not a pagan virtue, is eminently Christian.  In I Peter, a letter that has been the inspiration for this blog, humility is mentioned near the end where the apostle counsels the members of…

Human personality may appear intransigent and unyielding to some perceptive and veteran observers. People simply don’t seem to change; their reactions and behavior throughout their lives are predictable.  Their unchanged behavior shows their unchanged hearts. But, is this true? Change for the better in the character and personality of individuals…

The meaning of the parable of the sower, seed, and soils stands without aid of any further elaboration, though many original hearers didn’t understand what the parable meant.  The throwing of seed on the different types of soil represents the proclamation  of the kingdom to the hearers.  Though much seed…

Subscribers, Because of a technical glitch, you did not receive the articles sent to you in December and January (of which there are many).  If you wish to read them, go to the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church website (holytrinity.net) under “News and Blog:  The Templeton Project.   We now move…

We have been looking at Matthew 10, where Jesus sends out the Twelve on a mission to Israel in light of the coming of the Son of Man.  The end of the world is the time of the judgment of God. At the beginning of the chapter Jesus instructs the…

Nihilism is a view of the world that denies that therein exist meaning, purpose, and moral values.  At bottom, it is a denial of the reality of God.  Human beings must form their own response to this meaninglessness including the possibility of suicide.  We must find our own meaning, if…

In Matthew 10 Jesus sends the apostles out on a mission to Israel.  He instructs them to go nowhere among the Gentiles (a mission that will come later, see Matthew 28: 16-20), but only to the lost sheep of Israel.  Along with casting out demons; healing the sick; cleansing lepers;…

We have come to the second part of an extended series on discipleship and the teachings of Jesus in Matthew.  These teachings are found in five blocks of material that are found at various places in the Gospel.  We continue our examination of The Sermon on the Mount where we…

We begin here with a series on discipleship and witness.   The Will of the Father At the end of Matthew 12, we are told that Jesus’ mother and brothers wish to speak with Him.  He responds in a striking, unsettling way. “‘Who is my mother, and who are my…

This article is another in the series on the early Christian apologists.  Minucius Felix, a lawyer, came from Latin speaking Africa.  On a certain day, he and two friends and colleagues were walking along the seashore near the Tiber at Ostia, a seaport of Rome.  During their excursion they engaged…