Category: faith

The Luther Story with Prof. Craig Atwood on Homebrewed Christianity

Martin Luther

Back in 2008, Tripp and Chadd published a great interview with Professor Craig Atwood about Martin Luther and the reformation movement he began.

I always enjoy going back and listening to this episode ever Reformation Day – and today is no different.

If you’ve read my novel, St. Peter’s Brewery (only $.99 for Kindle now – hint, hint), you may recall reading some bits and pieces from this interview in my book as well.

Kim suggested that most in the group knew her story and were familiar with the issues between her and her dad. She didn’t elaborate.

“But fast forward to this last week,” Kim said. “I was listening to my friend’s podcast, ‘The Homebrewed Christianity.’ How’s that for a shameless plug? And on this podcast, they were talking about Martin Luther and how he struggled with grace.

As Kim continued, Jimmy began to rack his brain trying to remember where he had heard the name Martin Luther before. He skimmed the old sanctuary and noticed several of the plaques on the wall. It was then he remembered the plaque near the doors of the brewery and the quote from Martin Luther.

He made a mental note to Google the quote and its author when he returned home.

“Luther struggled with works and grace,” Kim said as Jimmy tuned back in to her story. “I think the more he studied scripture, the more he believed in God’s grace. And as my friends pointed out — despite our deepest beliefs about God and our faith, there are very few ‘Thou Shalt Not’s’ in Christianity. It seems to me that almost everything is permitted. Even when something is forbidden, such as the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God still offers grace and provides a way out. The message for followers of The Way is not a set of rules on how to appear holy. It’s the message that a Holy God has made sinful people — all of us — Holy.

The Way is not about what one does or doesn’t do.

It’s about what was done for us. Because none of us could ever do what is asked of us.”

Kim stopped to gather her thoughts.

“So as I’m listening to these guys talk about grace and how followers of The Way should not only celebrate because of the freedom God’s grace gives us, but that we should also love and offer that same grace to those who might not have done what we would have wanted,” Kim stopped and wiped a tear from her eye. “And I began to think about all that my father did to me. And how he hurt me and did horrible awful things to me…”

Kim’s voice trailed off and her single tear soon turned into a stream. She tried to compose herself and finish her story between deep breaths.

So pour yourself a glass of your favorite drink, gather around your stereo with some good friends and give the podcast a listen.

“Whenever the devil pesters you, at once seek out the company of friends, drink more, joke and jest, or engage in some form of merriment.” – Martin Luther

Loving your neighborhood on Halloween

Great thoughts…

You may still hate Halloween and avoid it at all costs. That’s fair. It’s not for everybody. But hey, it’s over now so you’ve got a whole year to mull it over. Give Halloween a chance. Be a blessing. Love your neighbor. Even if you think the whole thing is just awful. Jesus didn’t come to redeem a day. He came to redeem lives and all we have to do to be part of that is to love our neighbors. Not preach at them. Not throw Bible verses in the Halloween bag instead of candy. Just love them. It’s so easy. It’s so worth it. And seriously, it’s so much fun.

What are your plans for Halloween?

Agnus Dei

Agnus Dei Window - Our Lamb has Conquered | Via WikiCommons
Agnus Dei Window – Our Lamb has Conquered | Via WikiCommons

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

I really believe there’s a lot we miss out on in our Protestant churches when we fail to share in the beautiful liturgy of the Church.

The missing message in today’s church

William Graham Tullian Tchividjian writes:

America’s churches came back into the media limelight a few weeks ago after a well-publicized Pew study showed a meteoric rise of Americans claiming no religious affiliation, shooting up from seven percent in 1990 to 16 percent in 2010. The percentage more than doubled for those under the age of 30, reaching almost 35 percent. The group is now being referred to as “the religious nones.”

He points to a great article by Rachel Held Evans that what millennials really want from church is a change in substance.

He continues:

As someone who loves the church, I am saddened by the perception of Christianity as a vehicle of moral control and good behavior, rather than a haven for the discouraged and dying. It is high time for the church to remind our broken and burned out world that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a one-way declaration that because Jesus was strong for you, you’re free to be weak; because Jesus won for you, you’re free to lose; because Jesus succeeded for you, you’re free to fail.

Grace and rest and absolution – with no new strings or anxieties attached–now that would be a change in substance.

How freeing would that be for you to receive today?

And do you agree – is this message missing from today’s churches?

Peace in the face of violence

At just 14 years old, a Talib fighter boarded a bus, pointed a pistol at Malala Yousafzai’s head and pulled the trigger. But she survived, made a full recovery in England, and has become and transformative figure in human rights.

She appeared on The Daily Show this week and when asked about being threatened by the Taliban, Yousafzai painted a powerful picture for peace:

I started thinking about that, and I used to think that the Talib would come, and he would just kill me. But then I said, ‘If he comes, what would you do Malala?’ then I would reply to myself, ‘Malala, just take a shoe and hit him.’ But then I said, ‘If you hit a Talib with your shoe, then there would be no difference between you and the Talib. You must not treat others with cruelty and that much harshly, you must fight others but through peace and through dialogue and through education.’ Then I said I will tell him how important education is and that ‘I even want education for your children as well.’ And I will tell him, ‘That’s what I want to tell you, now do what you want.’

Continue reading Peace in the face of violence