1517 Blogcast

Anyone who lives in a metropolitan area of the United States can have almost any kind of food delivered to their doorstep within minutes and can post about it immediately on social media for the world to see and critique. Food is no longer just about sustenance, but a qualitative means by which we gain (or lose) righteousness in this life.

The following is an excerpt from “Crucifying Religion” written by Donavon Riley (1517 Publishing, 2019).

So what is the Apostles’ Creed and why is it important? In the late fourth century, a little known figure in church history, St. Vincent of Lerins, is famous for a single sentence: "Hold fast that faith which has been believed everywhere, always and by all."

As a history professor, I spend an excessive amount of time trying to justify my discipline and trying to convince students to sign up for the major or at least a few elective courses.

We can't heal past wounds. The pain may ease, but the wounds are still open. They still bleed. We can bandage our wounds with food, alcohol, work, drugs, sex, cigarettes, gambling, and whatever feels good. But, the wounds still bleed.

Church history has left us with three ecumenical creeds recited by the communion of saints throughout the centuries. While most are familiar with the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed, the Athanasian Creed often remains shrouded in obscurity.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) is perhaps remembered as the most famous Christian martyr of the twentieth century. He was also a Lutheran pastor and theologian who helped start the Confessing Church, launched an underground seminary, and conspired with others to plot Hitler’s assassination. Bonhoeffer’s fascinating personal story might be the most significant draw for many people to his literary output, and so the legacy of his scholarly and popular reception has been diverse, to put it mildly.

In his great love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, St. Paul tells us that love is the greatest. “Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13).

It was on this day, June 19th in 1623, that Blaise Pascal was born in France, south of Paris in Clermont-Auvergne. A mathematician, philosopher, and general man of letters, he is best known for his last work, published posthumously as the Pensees (French for “Thoughts”) mostly in aphoristic form.

Jesus has taken away sin and death, and through the cross, God's furious anger is taken away. God's Word of Law hurled God's furious anger at us, but the Gospel frees us to believe that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.