Street sign is public theology

by Karen Krueger As she drives from congregation to congregation in our synod, the Rev. Leila Ortiz sees lots of church signs. “It’s public theology,” she observes. “Your sign is…

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Life sustaining spiritual truths

1 WEEK BEFORE REFORMATION SUNDAY To mediate a family dispute, Martin Luther travelled in late January 1546, despite various health struggles, to the city of his birth. There in Eiseleben…

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Art conveys reforms

2 WEEKS BEFORE REFORMATION SUNDAY By the late 1530s and early 1540s, Martin Luther’s reform efforts in Germany reached even into the world of art. A case in point can…

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Calvin emerges as leader

3 WEEKS BEFORE REFORMATION SUNDAY As Scandinavian Lutheran churches took root during the 1530s and 1540s, a new leader emerged to further expand the Protestant Reformation. In Geneva, Switzerland, French-born…

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Linguistic innovations while translating

4 WEEKS BEFORE REFORMATION SUNDAY As the Turkish threat to Europe receded, Martin Luther’s influence on the unfolding Reformation continued to expand. Impact of his efforts can be tracked in a…

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Ottoman Empire at doorstep

5 WEEKS BEFORE REFORMATION SUNDAY During the 1530s, Martin Luther stepped forth at yet another critical moment in history. The spread of the Ottoman Empire into the Balkans and Hungary brought the…

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Bugenhagen expands reforms north

6 WEEKS BEFORE REFORMATION SUNDAY “Martin Luther did not reform the church by himself,” notes one source.  An obvious example is Philipp Melanchthon, who helped Luther shape his theological ideas…

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Augsburg Confession presented

7 WEEKS BEFORE REFORMATION SUNDAY During the late 1520s, Martin Luther worked tirelessly to establish a firm basis for the Reformation. He focused more than ever on preaching and writing.…

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Posting as a church on social media

by Karen Krueger Two concrete areas came up in an exchange about social media policy in congregations recently. Church kids The ELCA discusses children/youth and social media exposure in a…

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