Theological Ramblings

Letters to a Young Pastor (1 Timothy 6)You know what the “prosperity gospel” is, don't you? You may have heard it in this form: “Whatever you conceive and believe, you can do.” It sounds great, right? Just dream—and if you want it enough, it can be yours. The problem is, it's not true. In fact, it can be downright sinful. Paul urges Timothy to stay away from those who try to make money from preaching and have strayed from the sound teachings of the gospel. To them, religion is nothing more than a way to get rich. This attitude is detestable to God. The church exists to glorify God and to save souls with the message of Christ crucified. And it's our duty to take this powerful message to the ends of the earth. 

Letters to a Young Pastor (1 Timothy)As members of a Christian congregation, we are family. In chapter five, Paul reminds Timothy what that means. He urges the young pastor to treat everyone with respect—to treat older men and women as fathers and mothers, and younger men and women as brothers and sisters. Ministry is all about service; God has a ministry for every believer to perform. We need to apply that lesson to ourselves. What can I do to serve others in the Trinity family? Discussion begins in the Commons at 9:15. Coffee and snacks are provided.

Letters to a Young Pastor (1 Timothy)As members of a Christian congregation, we are family. In chapter five, Paul reminds Timothy what that means. He urges the young pastor to treat everyone  with respect—to treat older men and women as fathers and mothers, and younger men and women as brothers and sisters. Ministry is all about service; God has a ministry for every believer to perform. We need to apply that lesson to ourselves. What can I do to serve others in the Trinity family? Discussion begins in the Commons at 9:15. Coffee and snacks are provided.

Letters to a Young PastorTo be a leader in the church is a heavy responsibility. You are dealing with more than just money, property, and livelihood; you're dealing with souls. We must keep that in mind as we seek to call a new pastor and principal to serve our congregation. The church belongs to God. Church leaders should be elected, chosen, or called not because they are popular, but because they are faithful to him. Everything else takes second place. A called worker must be willing to serve and sometimes to suffer. For all these reasons, not everyone is qualified to serve in the public ministry. So, what are the qualifications for ministry? This week, we look at 1 Timothy 3.

Letters to a Young PastorHow do you organize a church? How do you manage its worship services, Bible classes, and leadership? How do you handle prayers for government officials when church members have differing political views? What about the roles of men and women? These questions may be difficult for us, but at least we have some precedent to go on. Imagine how difficult it must have been for a young pastor when the Christian church was still in its infancy. You want to lay a good foundation for the church you serve and do everything in the right way. But what if you start off on the wrong foot? Aiming off-course in the beginning can put you on a trajectory that leads far afield and undermines the gospel.

Letters to a Young PastorIt's an exciting time. Sometime—hopefully soon—we will be welcoming a new pastor. He'll be coming in “fresh,” without any prior experience among us. Especially if he's a young man, he's going to need help and guidance. What kind of training and experience will our new pastor have? Where will his strengths and weaknesses lie? What kind of challenges can we expect him to face? What can we do to help? The apostle Paul wrote two letters to a young pastor named Timothy. Over the next few weeks, we will be studying them with an eye to the ministry of a brand-new pastor in our own church.

What does God say about suicide?It's difficult for Christians to talk about. What do you say to someone who has lost a loved one to suicide? It can be hard to find the right words, but that doesn't mean we have nothing to say. “The elephant is in the room and we can't pretend it doesn't exist,” writes Prof. John Schuetze. “But then let's allow the gospel to shine forth.” What causes a person to take their own life? What comfort does the gospel offer? We will reflect on how to speak with confidence and compassion.

Conflict in the Church?The church is holy, bought by Christ's blood and cleansed in the waters of Baptism. Yet the church is also messy, filled with sinners and scarred by sin. We love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind. And yet the sinful flesh remains, and sometimes we experience conflict—even in the church. How should we handle it? This week, we'll take a close look at the first church- wide meeting called to resolve a conflict, the Jerusalem council (Acts 15). 

Questions Skeptics AskHurting people need God. Your friend might be open to Christianity but has questions. Or you sit next to someone on an airplane who is questioning the existence of God. You'd like to think you're ready to give an answer, but that's easier said than done. It's hard to know what to say when the question is, “Why would God allow this [fill in the blank] to happen to me?” How do you deal with questions like this? How do you address the underlying concerns? What can you say when you hear someone express their objections to the faith? We'll take up questions like these and others in our Bible class this week. 

Does God Promise Never to Give Us More Than We Can Handle?"God will never give you more than you can handle." Have you ever heard anyone say that? It sounds great. But there are times when that saying collides with reality.We can't always handle our own troubles and tragedies. We can't always put an end to them or heal them or undo them. We can't always survive the loss or find the cure or fill the emptiness or dry the tear. God is good...and...he is love. Yet we still suffer heartache and pain.So, how should we view the common saying, "God will never give you more than you can handle?" What does the Bible really say? And what does this mean--practically speaking--for our lives?

Last week, we discussed what happened when the Southern Baptist Convention voted overwhelmingly to dismiss from its fellowship a congregation that is pushing for the ordination of women. Southern Baptist doctrine recognizes that only men are permitted to serve in the role of pastor. That position agrees with our own church's position on the topic. If you were asked what the Bible says on this topic or why our church teaches what it does, how would you respond? Would you be able to say, “This is what the Bible clearly says?”

Baptists and the Ordination of WomenEarlier this month, delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting voted overwhelmingly to dismiss from its fellowship a congregation over its views on the ordination of women. First Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia insists that women can serve in any pastoral role, including senior pastor. Southern Baptist doctrine recognizes that only men are permitted to serve in the role of pastor. That agrees with our own church's position on men and women. If you were asked what the Bible says on this topic or why our church teaches what it does, how would you respond? What does the Bible say?

Continuation: The Story of Seminex: The Missouri Synod 50 Years LaterPresident Matthew Harrison of the Missouri Synod says he was “a blissfully unaware 12-year-old” when the “Walkout” of all but five professors at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis occurred in 1974. It was a tumultuous time. Missouri Synod president Jacob Preus had authorized the production of a doctrinal statement to evaluate what the professors at the St. Louis seminary were teaching. At its 1973 convention, the LCMS adopted “A Statement of Scriptural and Confessional Principles” as an official doctrinal statement. It still stands as a sound testimony against the trends of modern theology. This week, we'll look at Harrison's summary of that statement, identify several strains of teaching within the LCMS, and talk about the on-going “informal” talks between Missouri Synod and the WELS.

The Story of Seminex (50 Years Later)Throughout much of its history, the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) was a rock of Lutheran doctrinal strength. During the 1950s and 60s, however, there were signs that things were beginning to change. The election of a liberal-leaning seminary president at its leading seminary in St. Louis set the stage for a dramatic walkout and the establishment of a “seminary in exile” (or “Seminex”) in 1974. That conflict shaped the LCMS for years and has left its imprint on the synod even now—50 years later. Where does the Missouri Synod stand today?

The Story of Seminex: The Missouri Synod 50 Years LaterThroughout much of its history, the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) was a rock of Lutheran doctrinal strength. During the 1950s and 60s, however, there were signs that things were beginning to change. The election of a liberal-leaning seminary president at its leading seminary in St. Louis set the stage for a dramatic walkout and the establishment of a “seminary in exile” (or “Seminex”) in 1974. That conflict shaped the LCMS for years and has left its imprint on the synod even now—50 years later. Where does the Missouri Synod stand today? What is the state of the relationship between the WELS and the LCMS? Is there any hope for reconciliation between the two synods? 

Tattoos, Cremation, and Other Such Things: What does the Bible say?Years ago, Christians considered tattoos to be wrong. Nowadays it's not uncommon for a church member to be decorated with body art. Churches once taught that no Christian should ever be cremated. Today, the cremation of a loved one is a growing trend, even among Christians. What's happening? Has the Bible changed? Have people changed? We'll investigate these questions and more in this podcast.

Christian denominations: What would Jesus think?At the beginning of the 20 th century there was a surge of optimism that the Christian church could finally be united under one umbrella. The World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh in 1910 is often seen as the birth of the modern ecumenical movement. But now, just over a century later, the church is as divided as ever. In his high priestly prayer, Jesus prayed for believers, “that all of them may be one” (John 17:21). What would he think about all the different Christian denominations? This week we'll answer this question from a biblical viewpoint.

Jonah: God's Reluctant ProphetThe book of Jonah is about a missionary who cares more about his own comfort than about someone else's soul. As we open the final chapter, we find that Jonah still hates God's enemies; he would just as soon see them destroyed. It is astonishing to us that one of the Lord's own prophets should be so callous to the spiritual needs of someone else. But if we're honest, we will admit that Jonah's bias against those who are different from us and his hatred for the enemies of God live inside our hearts too. What's the cure for that?

Have you ever wished that you could have a second chance? Jonah got that opportunity. At the beginning of chapter 3 the prophet finds himself right back where he started. God reassigns Jonah to the exact same task. Jonah hasn't changed. He still dislikes theAssyrians and doesn't really care if they are saved or not. But there is another thing thathasn't changed. God still loves the Assyrian people. So he sends his wrong-way prophet to Nineveh once more to call its residents to repent. How will it all turn out?

The book of Jonah is more than a story of a man and a fish. It's a beautiful story of God'slove for every lost sinner. From inside the fish, Jonah prays. His prayer is a beautiful piece of poetry, expressing terror in the face of death, profound loneliness, and deep humility before God. The wayward prophet finds comfort and security in God's grace. It's also worth noting: Jonah's experience inside the fish and his rescue after three days foreshadow the death and resurrection of our Lord.

In the “Roaring 20s,” times were good. But then came the Great Depression, and in Europe dictators such as Hitler and Mussolini rose to power. The 1950s were a time of general peace and prosperity, but the turbulent 60s saw the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr. and a national debate over the war in Vietnam. The prophet Jonah served during the 8th century BC. In the Northern Kingdom of Israel it was a time of stability and prosperity, but as Bob Dylan once put it, the times, they were a-changin'. This week, we'll examine God's message through his prophets in the 8th century before Christ. We may find a surprising number of similarities to our own day.

God cares deeply about every lost soul. That's the great lesson of the book of Jonah. The reluctant prophet needed to learn to care about the people the Lord was calling him to serve. In the same way, we too must be concerned about every lost soul. This week, the book of Jonah teaches us to look beyond the prophet's less-than-exemplary ministry to that of the Messiah who was to come. Jesus' life and death beautifully demonstrate unwavering commitment to every lost soul—including our own!

Jonah: The Reluctant ProphetThe story of Jonah is one of those Bible stories everybody knows—or at least, they think they know. But not everyone knows the book of Jonah well. Some have questioned the book's accuracy. Did Jonah really get swallowed by a whale? Was it a whale, or was it something else? Could we be looking so hard at the great fish that we fail to see the greater lesson? In the next few weeks, we'll be digging into a very old book with a very contemporary message: God cares for every lost soul. 

Welcome to Theological Ramblings! Each episode is presented by Pastor Ross Henzi, Pastor Thomas Fricke and Principal David Knittel. This episode concentrates on Denominations. Specifically, why are there so many different denominations? Thank you for joining us!

Feminism and the BibleWhat are we to make of today's brand of feminism? The movement began in the late 1800s as the push for women's suffrage took hold and women began to be more involved in political life. A second wave of feminism hit the scene in the 1960s, when feminists insisted on the same rights to self-fulfillment as men. Now, a third wave, leaning heavily on the philosophy of Karl Marx, portrays women as an oppressed class. It argues that women's oppression has its roots in biology and that therefore biology must be overcome. But that raises all kinds of questions, not the least of which is, “What does it mean to be a woman?” What does scripture say? This week, we will examine feminism in the light of God's word.

Feminism began in the late 1800s, as the women's suffrage movement took hold andwomen began to be involved in public and political life. A second wave hit the scene in the 1960s, when feminists demanded the same rights to self-fulfillment as men. A third wave currently leans heavily on the philosophy of Karl Marx and portrays women as anoppressed class. Since women's oppression has its roots in biology, the movement argues, biology must be overcome. But that raises all kinds of questions, not the least of which is, “What does it mean to be a woman?” What does scripture say? This week, we will examine feminism in the light of God's word.

Why is our world in so much chaos and why has the church become so deeply dividedover matters of sex and morality? Rosaria Butterfield boils it down to five lies our 21stcentury culture has uncritically embraced. In Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age, Dr.Butterfield confronts these lies—lies she herself once promoted. Now, having beenconverted to Christianity, she writes and talks about what the Bible has to say toChristians perplexed by the changing standards of today's world. Like a modern-dayPaul, she has much to say about sin and grace, the beauty of God's forgiveness, andlife in the Spirit.

We continue our study of the The Rosaria Butterfield story-as unlikely as it is remarkable. A former lesbian activist, she now writes and speaks in support of biblical truth. As our culture grows more hostile to the biblical understanding of what it means to be a man or woman, we're tempted to compromise with the culture on what God says about sex. Dr. Butterfield talks about what the Bible has to say to Christians struggling with the complexities of today's world. Like the modern-day Paul, she has much to say about sin and grace, the beauty of God's forgiveness, and life in the Spirit.

The Rosaria Butterfield story is as unlikely as it is remarkable. A former lesbian activist, she now writes and speaks in support of biblical truth. As our culture grows more hostile to the biblical understanding of what it means to be a man or woman, we're tempted to reject what God's word says on sexuality. This week and next, we will hear Rosaria share her journey to Christ and learn a few things about what the Bible has to say to Christians struggling amid the complexities of contemporary culture. Like the apostle Paul, Dr. Butterfield has much to say about sin and grace, the beauty of God'sforgiveness, and life in the Spirit.

This week the discussion was about a lot of different topics surrounding Christmas. Tune in to check out what the bible study group talked about as they prepare for the birth of baby Jesus.

For Christians, Christmas is a holy day. For the rest of the world, it's a major secular holiday. Have you noticed how people try so hard to avoid making any reference to the Christian origins of Christmas. This week we will dig into scripture to help recover the true meaning of the holidays. The Gospel according to St. Matthew begins with a genealogy—a long list of the names of the earthly ancestors of Jesus. Why? It's because the events of Jesus' life are history. Our Christmas celebration is rooted in what God did. He sent his Son to live, die, and rise again. This has been, and continues to be, the “reason for the season.”

If the Jesus I worship looks just like me, is he the real Jesus or a Lord of my own making? This week, once more, we'll consider some of the fake “Jesuses” that appeal to Christians on the conservative side of the theological spectrum. False Christs are dangerous because they can lead us to trust in an imagined “god” who is not real. Don't fall for that trap!

Although God calls us to be shaped into his likeness, we're more interested in fashioning God in our own image. But the real Jesus cannot be made into the image of man so easily. This week we'll look at five modern distortions of Jesus that appeal to Christians on the conservative side of the spectrum: Braveheart Jesus, American Jesus, Dr. Phil Jesus, Prosperity Jesus, and Legalist Jesus. These fake Jesuses are dangerous because those who follow them put their trust in someone other than the biblical Christ. If the Christ we worship looks just like the man in the mirror, is he the real Jesus…or a Jesus of our own making?

Welcome to Theological Ramblings! Each episode is presented by Pastor Ross Henzi, Pastor Thomas Fricke and Principal David Knittel. This episode concentrates on the Sacrament of The Lord's Supper. Thank you for joining us!

Could you recognize a fake Jesus if you saw one? Today, it seems, Jesus is just as popular as ever. Yet in an unprecedented way, Christianity is being pushed to the margins of American society. It should be clear that if people say they accept Christ while at the same time they reject the core teachings of Christianity, something's off. Strangely, as more and more people join the ranks of the “nones,” we still see Jesus everywhere. He is at the heart of political movements, an icon for social causes, and the inspiration for bumper stickers and internet memes. But is this the real Jesus…or is he just a Jesus of our own making?

Welcome to Theological Ramblings! Each episode is presented by Pastor Ross Henzi, Pastor Thomas Fricke and Principal David Knittel. This episode concentrates on the Sacrament of Baptism. Thank you for joining us!

Welcome to Theological Ramblings! Each episode is presented by Pastor Ross Henzi, Pastor Thomas Fricke and Principal David Knittel. This episode concentrates on Justification. Thank you for joining us!

Today we are going to spend a little time talking about the Bible, specifically what it is, and how this gift from God continues to impact our lives. 

Have you ever wondered what makes the Lutheran Church unique? What distinguishes us from other church bodies? How is the way we do church and ministry different from other Christians. In this espied Pastor Tom Fricke, Pastor Ross Henzi, and Pastor Phil Janisch explain some of the things that make Lutherans unique. Lutherans have a unique nuanced view of grace, faith, and scripture. We believe in these things ALONE. 

In this episode we plumb the depths of the mystery of the dual nature of Christ. Jesus is 100% God and 100% man. He needed to be this unique person to save us. Topics and Ideas: The incarnation, the dual nature of Christ, Jesus Humanity, Jesus divinity, The Trinity, Jehovah's Witness, The Church of Jesus Christ of later Day saints, Christ's Humiliation

Have you every wondered why there are so many bad things in this world? Why is there disease, war, sickness, and pain? And why doesn't God do something about it? Journey with us back to the beginning where we will find the origin of evil and suffering in the fall. We will also hear what God Promised to do about the this problem of evil. 

"Will people who never had the chance to hear about Jesus go to hell? That doesn't seem fair." I was recently asked this question in my catechism class. I think it is a question we all struggle with. It doesn't seem fair that people who never had a chance go to hell. In this episode Pastor Phil Janisch explores what the Bible has to say about this question. In regards to this question we have to keep four phrases that start with the letter "D" in mind. Doomed condition, Desires to Save, Descended to us, and Directed history.

The First person of the Trinity is described as our loving father. He is our creator and preserver and he uses us to care for his creation. Contemplating God the Father can be very comforting. 

In this episode we scratch the surface of what the Bible tells us about God. We will see why Christians throughout the ages have confessed that the Christian God is Triune. Also by examining some of the attributes of God we will marvel at how awesome God truly is.

In this episode we explore a very important distinction found in scripture. The distinction between law and gospel. Luther said that if you can properly distinguish law and gospel then you are a true doctor of theology. This distinction is essential for the correct interpretation of scripture.

Governor Evers recently put out a mandate that requires everyone to wear masks. This mandate, and our governments response to the corona virus in general, has forced us all to struggle with this question: "How does a Christian conduct oneself in relation to the government?" In this episode we talk about many scriptural principles that apply to this situation and this question. Listen to this episode to find out how God wants you to interact with the government.

This episode is the conclusion to our series on the Ten Commandments. The ninth and tenth commandment cover the attitude of the heart. God is not only concerned with our outward actions but also with our wants and desires. In our episode God warns us about coveting and teaches us about contentment.

In this episode we talk about God's will for our words. We discuss some tough questions such as, "Is it ever okay to tell a lie?" and "How does the eighth commandment guide my use of my freedom of speech?"

In a few previous episodes we encouraged the audience to submit any questions they had. This episode is dedicated to answering those questions. In this episode we will talk about end of life issues as well as how we act around people who lead an open homosexual lifestyle.

The Seventh Commandment deals with money and possessions. In materialistic America it is important that we listen to what God has to say about money and possessions so we don't let them become our god.

This episode covers the sixth commandment. In this episode we talk about the institution of marriage, divorce, homosexuality, and transgenderism.