Disputationes: Towards Theological Sanity

Dennis continues to drive the discussion forward on "Semantic Realism."
Disputationes: Towards Theological Sanity

Meanwhile, the "Emerging Church" gets more attention even as it swirls in the cesspool of "in curvatus se." To view this theologically insanity and its critics follow these links:

The Emergent "Church"/Cult Documentary on PBS
(a "Gee Whiz, something new in Christianity" attititude)

Emergent Church movement PBS Religion and Ethic...

Nightline: Emergent Church
(with "The Spirit Garage" an ELCA endeavor)

Let's Talk Post-Modernism and the Emergent Church
(I loved the quote beneath this video)

Brian Mclaren And The Dangers Of The Emergent Church
( a "Wretched" expose)

Emergent Urge
(deeply biting satire, I love the caption: "Preaching is an act of violence to the Wills of those who must sit and take it"

But even though the "Emergent Church" has its critics, do the critics practice "semantic realism?" Perhaps they too practice theological insanity.

Are you looking for something more?

Here's a great on-line community for people exploring and confessing the Lutheran faith.
The Wittenberg Trail

Disputationes: Full Response to the ELCA Draft Social Statement on Human Sexuality

Dennis has published a comprehensive evaluation of ELCA Draft on Human Sexuality: "How Not To Derive 'OUGHT' from 'IS'

Disputationes: Full Response to the ELCA Draft Social Statement on Human Sexuality

Here Dr. Bielfeldt examines the draft both philosophically (the "ought vs. is) and theologically (the confusion of law and gospel)

Go!
Do some theology!

Augsburg Lutheran Churches Convention

What a gathering of theologians of the cross we had at the annual convention--"More Than Conquerors"--of the Augsburg Lutheran Churches held at Lutheran Church of the Risen Lord in Odessa, Texas last month! Thank you Pastor Michael Mueller for hosting the convention and for publishing news of the event in the congregation's newsletter with all the convention coverage.

ALC convention Summary

ALCW convention Summary

Additional Pictures at the ALC convention

One of the bible studies at the convention: "Jesus the Overcomer"

Lutheran Church of the Risen Lord

The Augsburg Lutheran Churches

Question, Week #1--July 29th

The Question this week #1--July 29th is

"How does one proclaim Law & Gospel under the conditions of 1) Semantic Realism; 2)Theological Realism; & 3) Theophysical Causation?"

Let's have some responses!
Come on in, join the fray!

Wittenberg Theological Method

Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior!

You are welcome to this site where theology will be done following the Wittenberg theological method. Martin Luther (1483-1546), priest and professor at Wittenberg University, proposed the preaching of a radical gospel: Salvation is in Christ and Christ Alone. This "categorical preaching" of Jesus Christ gathered a school of theologians which has persisted through the years as a thin tradition of faith in Christ amidst the broad stream of religious Christianity.

The Wittenberg theological method's distinctive features serve as reflection upon yesterday's proclamation and preparation for tomorrow's--that is, the method serves to get Christ and Christ Alone proclaimed as the sole savior of the world. These distinctive features are:

1. God confronts human beings in Law and Gospel
2. Believers are simultaneously justified and sinful at the same time
3. The true theology is a theology of the cross, not a theology of glory
4. The infinite is mediated or carried by the finite

(George Forell "Why Recall Luther Today?" 1983)

These distinctive features rest on some presuppositions regarding God and theological language. As proposed by Dr. Dennis Bielfeldt of the Institute of Lutheran Theology, the suppositions are:

1. Semantic Realism--Theological language has truth conditions
2. Theological Realism--God exists apart from human consciousness
3. Theophysical Causation--God is a causal force in the universe.

(Bielfeldt, "WordAlone--fundamentalis? No, fundamentals!" 2006)

Under the condition of Semantic Realism, "understanding" means a person's coming to a knowledge of the truth conditions which apply to a given situation. Understanding and using theological language, then, means acknowledging and knowing that theological statements are true or false depending upon conditions which are external to the person and the person's internal state of affairs. The truth of these statements is not dependent upon the person's thinking, doing, or feeling.

Under the condition of Theological Realism, God exists apart from human consciousness in such a way that God is independent of human experience. God has "being" external to the human being. Human "enthusiasm" for an ideal of thinking, doing, or feeling, does not equate to the reality of God.

Under the condition of Theophysical Causation, God is a causal force in the universe in such a way the God's being has "agency"--that is, God creatively influences the universe's states of existance and as an active agent in the universe brings about natural events in their myriad bounty.

In the course of this blog's discussions, a theology following the Wittenberg Theological Method will be worked out so that Christ and Christ Alone can be proclaimed categorically in this the 21st Century.

Come in!
Join the fray!