October 31st is Reformation Day (and also All Saints Day Eve, which these days is affectionately known as Halloween). This blog started as a reflection on the 500th anniversary of the birth of the Protestant Reformation in 2017, and I’d like to think the reformation spirit is still at the root of these writings, even […]
Tag: Martin Luther
On Context
It is impossible to meditate on the topic of “faith and politics” without considering church history and the seemingly endless involvement the Christian church (arguably all denominations) have had with (or against) political systems for the last 2,000+ years. It is viewed by many nowadays that there should be a separation between church and state. […]
On Reflection
Yes, a reflection on reflection. After all, if people like Martin Luther did not reflect on their faith, the Reformation would not have happened. We too must reflect on our faith. And I think there is merit to doing this both privately and publicly. In fact, I believe that is a hallmark of Luther and […]
On Victory
On this day, the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, we must ask ourselves: What would victory look like for the Reformation? And have we reached that point? Is victory the unification of Catholic and Lutheran churches? Is victory unification of all Christendom? Is victory joint statements on doctrines and beliefs? Is victory the honoring […]
On Money
A key frustration of Martin Luther was how the church glorified and used money. He saw that the church in his day distorted the good news of Christ by offering salvation in exchange for money. And when the church became focused on money it ceased being the church. It stopped serving God. I wonder if […]
On Technology
If Martin Luther’s 95 theses were the match igniting the flame of the Reformation, technology was the wind that caused that flame to become a wildfire. Without the printing press (the technological marvel of Luther’s era), the flame of the Reformation might have burned out quickly and not have re-shaped the western world as much as […]
On Relationships
Martin Luther challenged the church teachings on relationships for priests and got married. Protestant churches today often view this as a minor detail. A natural, easy thing to accept. However, we must realize the uniqueness of this action. Now, it may be that historically some priests had secret wives in Luther’s day, but there is […]
On Values
For Christ-followers, we may like to think our faith is the sole influence on our values, but other factors (such as modernity, history, culture, and nationality, to mention a few) influence our values as well. Some of this is okay (right and good), since we are meant to live in the present while working for the Eternal […]
On Conscience
One of Martin Luther’s most well-known quotes comes from when he was asked to retract his statements (which, at the time, were considered heretical and wrong). Standing before the authorities of his day, Luther said “…my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant, since it is neither safe nor […]
On Confession
As we meditate on the Lord’s Prayer and think about “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive our trespassers”, we must also think about confession. There are stories of young Martin Luther confessing his sins for hours on end, then leaving his confessor, and then immediately returning, realizing he left out something and fearing the consequences. […]
Relevant Reformation 