Image: Rev. Troy Medlin and Rev. Ole Schenk. Troy is the associate pastor of the church Schalk was a member at and was also the presiding minister at his funeral. Source: lstc.edu, “Troy Medlin & Ole Schenk: ‘Mutual Flourishing’ ” It is claimed by Rev. Dr. James L. Brauer, Emeritus Professor of Practical Theology at … Continue reading Carl Schalk, not an LCMS Musician: A Contrarian View
Sports is a distraction. But with political messaging and many using it as a platform to sway fans to radical causes, some viewers have seen it as just blatant political advertising. People from both major political parties began watching less sports, do to heavy-handed racial justice themes. Sports has the power to unify and show … Continue reading Nearly half of American sports fans changed viewing habits because of social justice
Roger Kovaciny Americans hear about the Pope every day, but in Ukraine we mostly heard about the Patriarch. Exactly who or what is the Patriarch? When I moved to Ukraine I realized that he was a second pope, the pope for Eastern Orthodoxy. But who or what is a pope? Will there ever be a … Continue reading We Need a Black Pope
While Christianity is mocked, there is no end to justice—guilt is never satisfied. But it is always others who are guilty—we don’t use the ideal of justice against ourselves. This is why we need God’s crushing law to condemn our sins. Justice does not unite or bring together—we are sinners through and through.We are seeing … Continue reading Forgiveness in an Age of Cancel Culture
This is a simple issue, but what is lacking is biblical conviction and the willingness to speak clearly—even if those living as pagans in sexual immorality get angry. It is not loving to support people in sin. Many worldly people in churches are certainly ignorant, but avoiding the issue is certainly not the duty of … Continue reading The Cohabitation Dilemma
Sin is the ultimate addiction—no one this side of heaven can kick the habit. But “addiction” is often an excuse—a way to say “I have no control over my actions.” This “committed Christian” was not a Christian as he murdered—the Holy Spirit did not lead him to take life our Lord created, but the evil … Continue reading How pleading ‘sexual addiction’ protects evangelical men
The lost who despise Christianity and mock it fill the void in themselves with the most trite “spiritual” content. The clergy that people listen to are digital celebrities. The messages are short and pithy—saying very little, but sounding profound.By not professing to be leaders or pastors, these influencers cannot be hypocrites, because they don’t really … Continue reading The Empty Religions of Instagram: How did influencers become our moral authorities?
Death is the enemy. We have many other problems and difficulties in this world, but none should be compared to God’s just punishment for sin: the tearing apart of body and soul. The world hates the death penalty in capital punishment. But every child of Adam—every living being—is living under the sentence of death. Its … Continue reading Death is the Enemy
Notice the argument has not been reproduced entirely faithfully. “Opposing” religious freedom, in general, intellectually, is not the same as not supporting an earthly political freedom in a particular context where it is grossly abused (the United States). Theology is rarely a problem of bad logic, but false or biased starting points and definitions.Modern ideas … Continue reading Is John MacArthur really wrong about religious freedom?
There are a seemingly limitless number of options for the modern Christian on the issue of homosexuality. Instead of right/wrong, there are often choices that are one/both (side A vs. side B). Notice how technical the language is—how discerning are confessing Christians in their language?Side B does what is right, giving some credence to Scripture … Continue reading Multiple Views on Homosexuality: Side A/Side/Side X/Side Y
