1. Run don’t walk to Lutheran Theology and read our very own JDK‘s “A Brief Introduction To Faith And Works”. It’s a stunning accomplishment and a great “next step” for those of you interested in the theology which informs our perspective. Bravo! One stirring excerpt from the end:
“Only work done in the faith and security of God’s promised mercy towards us is a good work. Period. The seeming ambiguity of this position is profoundly unsettling, because it removes any ability we have to measure our “progress” in the Christian life, takes the ruler of introspection out of our hands and forces our eyes on the Cross. We can neither look to works as meriting our standing before God, nor can we rest in a false distinction between justification and sanctification, as if that helps.”
2. ‘Adorable’ is not a very rock-n-roll kind of word (or attribute). But somehow She & Him make it so… The video for their snappy new single “In The Sun” being a prime example:
3. PZ’s “Visions Of The Joan-Girl” appeared yesterday at mardecortesbaja. A profound reflection on a letter that Jack Kerouac wrote to Neal Cassady in 1951 about an experience he had in St Patrick’s Cathedral. Among other things, the post touches on the meaning of tears in church (and tears in general). Must read.
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4 responses to “Monday Afternoon Links: Faith & Works & She & Him (plus The Joan-Girl)”
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ADORABLE.
Eric,
The topic of Anfechtung in Luther's thought is, as you can imagine, hotly debated! However, there is a helpful article by David Scaer here: http://www.ctsfw.net/media/pdfs/scaeranfechtung.pdf
It is not exhaustive, but should give you a good overview!
Many blessings,
Jady
Eric, this might not be exactly what you are looking for, but hope it helps.
"The reason this [people think they know all about the article of faith alone, and the distinction between faith and works, and want more challenging stuff to study] happens is that human understanding just can´t get past this visible righteousness of works. At the same time it cannot comprehend the invisible Righteousness of faith. So doctoral studies usually means being confined to works and resting upon them. It is impossible for anyone in times of temptation and distress feeling the sting of a guilty conscience to stop groping around for works to stand and rest upon. We then try to list the things we want to do, or did. We find nothing to put on that list and the heart feels only doubt and despair. This weakess is glued to our nature so tightly that even those who have faith and know the forgiveness of sins can not overcome it. Even consuming themselves with effort and exertion remains a daily and constant struggle.
Point: All human knowledge, understanding, ability and power is useless to get past this earthly visible righteousness, and instead transfer oneself to this article of faith ALONE. Even though we hear a lot about it and are conversant in it, there continues that old delusion and inborn corruption which wants to present something tangible and visible of it´s own to God and make those things the foundation of salvation. This is the case for those who are Christians and fight against this visible righteousness [as a a thing that can count before God to justify]. Others are completey lost. …
So only confess this article [of the forgiveness of sins] loudly: Before the world I may be righteous and do everything God requires. But before God it is only sin according to this article….
In short let everyone examine his own heart and he will find a false Christian there who imagines that he knows all about this subject before he has learned the first principles of it. We hear the words, read and repeated. To carry out the principle in practice and character, to internalized it, and our conscience is founded on it alone and rests on it alone is not in man to do. He is artless here.
This is why I am constantly all over everyone who wants to be a Christian to think about this constantly, assimilate it, practice it, and chastise themselves with it. We can at least this way have a taste of it and so as James 1:18 says, be a sort of first fruits of his creatures. The Apostles were full of Spirit and faith and they couldn´t master this. It is clear that we will never really master this. "
Excerpt
Luther delivered this sermon on Oct. 3d, 1529, while the Marburg Coloquium was in session. It is this sermon where Luther presents his understanding of the Two Kingdoms AKA Two Kinds of Righteousness that forms a basis for the formula of concord, article VI titled "Third Use of the Law".
Eric, one more thing: Throughout the Lutheran Confessions, one can not escape noticing that the audience is relentlessly those with a "terrified conscience".
It says somewhere for example "experience as proven that reliance on works [in any form] provides no confort to a terrrified conscience" for example.
This focus that animates the LCs entirely, is what makes them uniquely pastoral and devotional rather than a mere enumeration of doctrine.
Lutherans believe this is THE only point of all scripture: The Incarnate Christ. That is…to comfort terrified consciences and make them certain, absolutely certain, that their name is written in the Book of Life.
This is why the Augsburg confession reduces systematic theology to being "the Gospel and all its [sub]articles."