The Rambling Disciple

Last week we discussed the impact Martin Luther had on our theology of salvation. He ignited the Reformation that taught people once again that it was their faith in Jesus Christ, not church membership and ticking boxes, that saved them. This concept had been lost for centuries, buried in a maelstrom of corruption and other problems that beset the Catholic Church. Still it isn't just his ideas that enabled many Christians to take ownership of their faith. Luther's ideas, by themselves, probably wouldn't have made as big of an impact as they did if not for another of his great accomplishments; translating the Bible into the common language. The Bible for All For a very long time in the history of Christianity only the Catholic priests were able to read Scripture. The Bible was only available in Latin. Now this didn't start as a bad thing. Back in the time of the New Testament Latin was the language most spoken in the western part of the Roman Empire. It was the com...

If I were to ask what the greatest problem of our culture is, many would say our unhealthy obsession with love and sex. Homosexuality, transsexualism, and the lack of respect for marriage are not only tolerated but championed. As long as it makes you "happy" do it, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise. This is the world that we live in, one obsessed with human sexuality and romantic love. These two concepts have been so twisted from their original purpose that it can be hard to picture what they are supposed to look like. Unfortunately the church has not done a very good job with this. Most of the talk in churches that revolves around sex and romance is a list of "don't"s. Don't have sex before marriage. Don't live with anyone but your spouse. Don't cheat on your partner. Don't be gay. The list goes on. While these things are of biblical origin, by themselves they don't really help. When this is what we preach, we are not perceive...

One of the great things about studying the history of Christianity is learning about the brothers and sisters in Christ who have come before us. Our faith today has been shaped by the millions of our fellow Christians who have lived lives of devotion and service to God. Occasionally God uses one of us to change the way faith and theology are lived in a radical way. Many of us have heard the name Martin Luther and know something about him. Even secular history books, which do their best to ignore religious history, are forced to recognize the importance of Martin Luther. We would not be where we are today as a society and as a church without this man. The Importance of Martin Luther Martin Luther is a prime example of how God can use a man to effect great change on the world. Luther did not seek out fame or glory; he only sought after the grace of God. I won't go into a detailed biography of Luther, but suffice it to say Luther had one big concern early on in his life; sin. ...

Everyone at some point in their lives asks the age old question; what is the point? Philosophers have devoted countless hours to  this question, and there are numerous books written on the subject. It is a part of our human nature to seek out a purpose. What most of the world doesn't realize is that we were created with a purpose. God designed us to serve and live with him. So when we sin and break away from God our purpose is lost. In desperation we turn to other things to try and fill the void. The book of Ecclesiastes deals with this very issue. The author of the book, simply known as the Preacher, does this in very interesting way. Instead of starting with the purpose of life, he goes into all the things that don't fulfill our purpose. The Preacher walks through all sorts of things that we pursue to fulfill our purpose, only to end with commitment to God. Background The date of the book of Ecclesiastes is unclear. This largely has to do with the ambiguity of the au...

One of the defining features of churches in America is the church building. For many of us it is hard to think of church taking place in any other setting. The church building has been so ingrained into our thinking that it has permeated our theology and ministry. Today we are going to look at history to see where church buildings came from and why we put so much emphasis on them. A Brief History of Church Buildings Most of you probably know that the church in the first century didn't have church buildings. They met in houses and synagogues across the Roman Empire. Some may have met in public areas, but most met in the houses of members. So how did we make the jump from houses to buildings? Well a common misconception is that there were no church buildings until the time of Constantine; the Roman Emperor who made Christianity legal. Christians had been meeting in buildings for a while, particularly in rural areas. Christians would build church buildings at crossroads in the ...

Wisdom is an essential part of living a godly life. The ability to make good judgments and identify potentially sinful situations are skills all Christians should have. The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that it is the duty of parents and older Christians to pass on these skills and train younger generations in wisdom. The book of Proverbs is a book all about wisdom. The various authors of the book are trying to pass on the things they have learned to a younger generation. They want all that come after them to know that true wisdom comes from God. Background Like the book of Psalms, the book of Proverbs is a collection of various sayings and proverbs from many different people. The primary author we associate the book with is King Solomon, who wrote the most out of any single author, but he is just one of several writers. It is a very interesting book in this regard. The book of Proverbs can be tricky because it isn't always consistent in how the text flows together. Some...

As we kick off our weekly discussions about the impact of historical theology, I thought it was appropriate to start with the Bible. No matter what strand of Christianity you come from, all of them look to the Bible as a source of authority. Most of the disagreements we have amongst ourselves, when it isn't over selfish reasons, come from different interpretations of the Bible. The Bible is the best selling book in the world by a wide margin. This book has been dissected, attacked, and studied like no other; yet it still holds up and changes lives. Governments across the world fear their people getting their hands on this book. Clearly it is extremely important to the Christian faith. Even though it is so important, many of us probably have never asked where it came from. The Bible didn't magically appear out of thin air one day. In fact it was assembled over a period of 1500 years. The Bible, like many other things in our churches, is the product of history. Some Miscon...

Of all the books in the Bible, perhaps none is simultaneously as quoted and controversial as the book of Psalms. The psalms of praise and joy lift us up and give words to the endless gratitude we have for what God has done for us. The psalms of ascent and of the messiah point us to Jesus, but not all the psalms are so encouraging. Many of the psalms are those of anger and grief. The things said in those songs and prayers are often unsettling and not what you would expect to find in God's Word. When the psalmist of Psalm 137 declares "Blessed is he who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rocks!" we don't necessarily know what to do.  The book of Psalms is, in many ways, the most human book in the whole Bible. While the wisdom books in general are very down to earth, the rest of them deal with specific aspects of our humanity. Job deals with grief and questioning God. Proverbs deals with wisdom. Ecclesiastes deals with the meaning of life and the p...

As many of you know the purpose of this blog is to help equip fellow believers for serving Christ. The main posts on Wednesday, based on feedback I have received, seem to be helping with just that. Now that this blog has been running for six months, I think it is time to add another helpful piece to the puzzle; historical theology. What is Historical Theology? Now we have already talked about two kinds of theology; biblical and systematic. Biblical theology focuses on the intent and message of individual books and passages while systematic theology focuses on the big picture based on questions we ask today. This is what the Wednesday posts are all about; either walking through specific books or asking big questions and looking at the Bible as a whole.  So how exactly does historical theology fit into all this? Well historical theology looks at how the people, events, and theology of the past influence the theology and interpretations of today. This is one of the most negle...