"Bonhoeffer’s era is not as unusual as it seems. Those of us who’ve known relative peace in our lives might view something like the rise of Nazi Germany as a terrible exception. And thankfully, in many ways, it was.
But the Bible presents an unseen battle between good and evil unfolding throughout all of history. The demonic powers that made Hitler possible might be restrained or more subtle in some eras, but they’re still around."
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn tried to warn Americans about the dangers of thinking "it can't happen here," when in his opinion, it already was happening, but Americans didn't understand what "it" was.
I definitely relate to struggling with balancing grace and good works. When I was in seminary lectures on two kinds of righteousness kinda melted my brain (in a good way). I would be interested to hear what you think about it. https://scholar.csl.edu/lutheranmind/9/
Maybe he's on to something. Using "righteous" to describe something of excellence is interesting. It's not how I'm used to the word being used, but I guess that's his argument, that most Christians are missing a valid understanding of the word. Made me think of Bezalel, the craftsman, in Exodus 31. The Lord is pleased with the skill he brings to his work, not just his moral purity.
I love the story of building the tabernacle. The idea of God caring and even enabling quality craftsmanship is beautiful. The illustration that always stuck with me from class with Dr Biermann was: “A righteous car is one that does what it is designed to do.” If it’s worth anything to you, here is a more historical formulation of the idea from Luther: https://ms.fortresspress.com/downloads/9781451462708_sample_chapter.pdf
That is a basic truth as a religious worldview. But it would be like saying, “All you need is a spouse to be married.” While it is true, it is only so in a reductionist way.
"Bonhoeffer’s era is not as unusual as it seems. Those of us who’ve known relative peace in our lives might view something like the rise of Nazi Germany as a terrible exception. And thankfully, in many ways, it was.
But the Bible presents an unseen battle between good and evil unfolding throughout all of history. The demonic powers that made Hitler possible might be restrained or more subtle in some eras, but they’re still around."
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn tried to warn Americans about the dangers of thinking "it can't happen here," when in his opinion, it already was happening, but Americans didn't understand what "it" was.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-163931690
I definitely relate to struggling with balancing grace and good works. When I was in seminary lectures on two kinds of righteousness kinda melted my brain (in a good way). I would be interested to hear what you think about it. https://scholar.csl.edu/lutheranmind/9/
Thanks for sharing, Brenden. I intend to give this a listen.
Maybe he's on to something. Using "righteous" to describe something of excellence is interesting. It's not how I'm used to the word being used, but I guess that's his argument, that most Christians are missing a valid understanding of the word. Made me think of Bezalel, the craftsman, in Exodus 31. The Lord is pleased with the skill he brings to his work, not just his moral purity.
I love the story of building the tabernacle. The idea of God caring and even enabling quality craftsmanship is beautiful. The illustration that always stuck with me from class with Dr Biermann was: “A righteous car is one that does what it is designed to do.” If it’s worth anything to you, here is a more historical formulation of the idea from Luther: https://ms.fortresspress.com/downloads/9781451462708_sample_chapter.pdf
“All you need is Jesus to be a Christian."
That is a basic truth as a religious worldview. But it would be like saying, “All you need is a spouse to be married.” While it is true, it is only so in a reductionist way.