Rev. Dr. Norman Metzler, professor emeritus of theology Traditional Christian theology believes that salvation as the gift of eternal life with God in his heavenly kingdom – the Gospel that Jesus proclaimed – is the hope of all Christians. It is always appropriate for Christians to reflect upon heaven as God’s destiny for his people,…
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Rev. Dr. Steven Albertin Luke 6:20-31 All Saints Sunday November 6, 2022 Pilgrim Lutheran Church Carmel, Indiana You are patiently waiting in a traffic jam. You know those long lines of traffic when the road narrows from two to one lane because of construction. Everyone is patiently taking their place in line. Then you see…
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Rev. Dr. Steven Albertin Luke 13:10-17 August 21, 2022 Pilgrim Lutheran Church Carmel, Indiana “Pastor, how many times to I HAVE TO go to church a year in order to remain a member?” “Pastor, how many services do I HAVE TO attend so that I can be confirmed?” “Pastor, how much money to I HAVE…
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Joel Nickel In November 2022 the Festival Chorale Oregon sang (once again after 40 years) Benjamin Britten’s “St. Nicolas,” a cantata dealing with the legends of Saint Nicolas, Bishop of Myra during the early years of the fourth century. The music was first performed in England in 1948. There seems to have been much historical…
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Robert Schmidt Introduction Religious nationalism is happening around the world. Netanyahu’s victory in Israel was dependent on a right-wing Jewish extremist party. In India, Modi stays in power with appeals to Hindu nationalists. In like manner, appeals to “Christian” values have impelled Orban of Hungary to authoritarian rule, and Putin enjoys support for war from…
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Dr. Robert Schmidt We live in troubled times. It is a constant refrain and introduction to what comes next. Few disagree. We grieve for those lost in the pandemic. We flinch as we learn more about climate change, conflict in the Middle East, wars in Africa, and Ukraine. Poverty condemns millions to live on barren…
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By Robert Schmidt* The nation was bitterly divided. On one side were the religious nationalists who wanted to make Israel great again. Realists were on the other side. They recognized that the future was in the hands of the Roman military which could enable and control world trade. Heightening the tension was the threat of…
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Rev. Eugene Brueggemann We live in a country and in a time when the religious word evangelical has been politicized. It is a term traditionally used to describe an expression of Protestantism which has thrived in this country practically from its beginnings. It emphasizes evangelism and a more or less literal reading of the Bible….
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Rev. Dr. Norman Metzler Emeritus Professor of Theology, Concordia University, Portland September 2021 The whole topic of eschatology, or the last things, has seen a renaissance within theology at least since the mid twentieth century, and continues to arise in recent theological reflections. The related issue of the extent of salvation and the possibility of…
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Rev. William Shimkus Editor’s Note: Rev. Shimkus graduated from Christ Seminary-Seminex in 1977. He has served parishes in Illinois, Washington, Idaho, Hawaii, and Oregon. In addition, he served 23 years as a chaplain in the Army Reserve, primarily in hospital ministry. He has also served on the board of Holden Village. In his retirement he…
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