1517 (https://www.1517.org)

“We create and distribute theological and apologetic resources anchored in the central message of the Bible: that Christ died for sinners and rose for their justification. Through the proclamation of the Gospel, we aim to give assurance and consolation to Christians, enable individuals to serve their neighbors in freedom, and strengthen the church.  Our resources include a podcast network, daily articles, speakers, a publishing house, annual conferences, and an online academy.”

3DM Ministries.  (https://www.3dmovements.com)

“We are made up of men and women around the world who are following Jesus together, multiplying disciples who make disciples, and empowering spiritual families to live on mission for the sake of the lost. We are a richly diverse movement of people from different walks of life, socio-economic contexts, ethnic backgrounds, and spiritual traditions. What unites us is our love for God, our desire to live the life Jesus modeled for us, and our passion to see the good news of his kingdom come to all people.”

The Crossings Community.  (https://crossings.org)

A worldwide network of Christians dedicated to connecting the Word of God and daily life under the motto, “Crossing Life with the Promise of Christ.”  Theologically committed to the proper distinction of law and gospel.  Serves people in “crossing” their lived experiences with the promise of Christ to see how their stories fit within the gospel story.  Has an annual conference in the St. Louis area (free for seminarians), an engaging website, and a weekly Law/Gospel text study analysis of the lectionary Gospel reading that can be emailed to you or accessed on the website. 

Doxology.  (https://www.doxology.us)

Doxology provides pastors with a unique study and renewal experience, rooted in the classic art of the care of souls (cura animarum) and informed by the insights of contemporary Christian psychology.   Their primary purpose is to provide training, mentoring, and consultation services for pastors seeking to enhance their ability to help people struggling with the ever-increasing personal, family, and social complexities of contemporary life.  The retreat training environment, grounded in Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions, ensures that pastors will be emotionally and spiritually refreshed and equipped by their participation.  The Center provides a safe environment for clergy to reflect on their own spiritual and emotional health and assists them to review and enhance their professional competencies and skills as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s sacred mysteries.  Doxology strengthens pastors so they can more faithfully pastor others.  Please note: Doxology does not recognize the ordination of women. 

The Moses Project (https://www.grandview.edu/the-moses-project)

Gives rural pastors a vision of ministry that will help them thrive in congregational leadership and in turn, enhance the vitality of the congregations they serve.  Designed to help rural pastors build relationships with and learn from experienced clergy who will guide them through challenges at critical, transitional phases in their early ministerial career. Through a distinct and exceptional professional development program, pastors will receive critical support, develop innovative strategies, and engage in ongoing learning and opportunities for renewal. They will build the very network that will provide them and those they serve with vitality.  Funded by the Thriving in Ministry Initiative of the Lilly Endowment, housed at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa, and in collaboration with the Southeastern and Western Iowa Synods of the ELCA.

Mount Carmel Ministries (www.mountcarmelministries.com)

Mount Carmel Ministries is a place of rest, renewal, and recreation where people experience Jesus.  Founded by the Lutheran Bible Institute of Minneapolis as their summer teaching ministry in 1938, Mount Carmel became independent in 1988.  They live out their mission through biblically based, Christ-centered programming and hospitality.  Their signature ministries include a summer camp for families, a Bible camp for adults age 55 and older, a Christian retreat center, and a daily devotional booklet. 

Sola Publishing (www.solapublishing.com)

Sola Publishing seeks to provide resources that reflect the integrity of the Scriptures as the Word of God, from the perspective of the historical Lutheran Confessions. The theological position that underlies the teaching materials produced by Sola Publishing is summarized in a statement called “The Common Confession.”  This is the same Common Confession adopted by Lutheran CORE and the NALC.  Sola Publishing offers a wide range of Bible Studies, Worship resources, Children and youth resources, including an online Sunday school resource called SEED, as well as books and magazines. Sola Publishing also added materials from Crossways International that are available through our website.

What Happened To Our Churches? (https://whathappened.church/blog/)

In fifty-two blogs Dr. David Luecke addresses what he sees as having gone wrong with traditional mainline churches.  Fifty years ago they were healthy, but now they are in steep decline. Luecke believes that Lutheran, as well as Presbyterian, Reformed, Episcopalian, Methodist, and United Church of Christ churches, have lost their basic spiritual energy.  It is his conviction that the only way for them to regain that energy is to pay much more attention to the apostle Paul’s emphasis upon the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.

World Mission Prayer League (https://wmpl.org  612-871-6843)
A pan-Lutheran fellowship committed to Christian prayer as a working method of mission.  An international community of approximately 6,000 members with formal offices in the United States and Canada.  Supports approximately 120 workers serving in twenty countries throughout Africa, Asia, North America, and South America.  Its mission is to see that populations with limited or no access to the Gospel experience the love of Christ and that believers and communities of believers in the Americas and elsewhere engage in active and collaborative participation in living out their roles in the great commission.

 

American Lutheran Publicity Bureau (https://alpb.org)

Established in 1914.  An independent, non-profit organization that is linked by faith and confession to the Church it serves. Committed to an understanding of the Lutheran tradition as evangelical and catholic.  Affirms the Church’s scriptural and confessional foundations in order to foster renewal within the Lutheran bodies of North America, worldwide, and the wider ecumenical community. In an era in which the Church in North America must address an increasingly post-Christian and secular culture, makes the theological, liturgical and devotional resources of our confessional heritage accessible and relevant to all Lutherans as well as to friends in other communions.

First Things Journal (https://www.firstthings.com). 

Published by the Institute on Religion and Public Life, which was founded in 1989 by Richard John Neuhaus and his colleagues to confront the ideology of secularism and the position that faith has no place in shaping the public conversation or in shaping public policy.  In addition to publishing ten issues of First Things each year, the Institute hosts educational programs that promote religiously informed analysis of culture, society, theology, and politics.

CTS Media Resources (http://media.ctsfw.edu/)

Theological articles, course videos, chapel sermons, and other resources from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  No charge, but contributions are welcome.

Logia Journal: A Journal of Lutheran Theology (https://logia.org). 

A quarterly journal of Lutheran theology published by The Luther Academy featuring articles from diverse contributors worldwide on exegetical, historical, systematic, and liturgical theology. Clings to God’s divinely instituted marks of the church: the gospel, preached purely in all its articles, and the sacraments, administered according to Christ’s institution.

Lutheran Forum and Forum Letter (https://alpb.org)  

The flagship publications of the American Lutheran Publicity Bureau.  Discusses the faith once delivered to the saints as well as what is going on today in our culture, parishes, seminaries, and national churches.  For those who love the Lutheran tradition, sometimes worry about its future, and want to keep up with the news in the Lutheran church bodies in the United States as well as with what faithful Lutherans around the world are thinking and writing about worship, theology, ecumenism and more.  The FORUM Package includes both the Lutheran Forum, a 64-page quarterly journal with thoughtful articles written by a diverse group of authors, as well as the Forum Letter, a monthly 8-page lively newsletter that most subscribers read from start to finish on the day it arrives.

Lutheran Quarterly Journal (www.lutheranquarterly.com)

Discusses Lutheran church history and theology.  Appears in Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter issues each year. Provides a forum for the discussion of the Christian faith and life on the basis of the Lutheran Confessions.  Applies the principles of the Lutheran Church to the changing problems of religion and society.   

Lutheran Quarterly Books (http://www.lutheranquarterly.com/)

Formerly published by Eerdmans.  Emphasizes Lutheran theology and the history of doctrine, as seen in the three titles by Gerhard Forde, two volumes by Oswald Bayer, and two collections of essays on Luther’s teachings edited by Timothy Wengert.

 Modern Reformation Magazine (https://www.whitehorseinn.org/modern-reformation) and its syndicated broadcast, the White Horse Inn (https://www.whitehorseinn.org).

“We are more than a talk show and a magazine. We believe that each generation must rediscover and apply the gospel to their own time. We long to see a second reformation – a modern Reformation take hold of our churches and return them to the God-honoring, Christ-centered, Spirit-wrought places of worship they should be. Over the past twenty years, we’ve grown more hopeful that such a reformation is possible. So, we’re putting our time and resources to work toward one, helping Christians ‘know what they believe and why they believe it.’”

Pro Eccclesia (https://journals.sagepub.com/home/pre)

A quarterly journal of theology founded by Carl Braaten and Robert Jenson and published by the Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology.  Seeks to give contemporary expression to the one apostolic faith and its classic traditions, as it works for and manifests the church’s unity by research, theological construction, and a free exchange of opinions.  Members of its advisory council represent communities committed to the authority of Holy Scripture, ecumenical dogmatic teaching, and the structural continuity of the church and are themselves dedicated to maintaining and invigorating these commitments. The journal publishes biblical, liturgical, historical, and doctrinal articles that promote or illumine its purposes.

SIMUL (https://semlc.org/simul/ and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/St-Paul-Lutheran-Seminary-139019069505467)

SIMUL is a new academic journal launched in the fall of 2021 by St. Paul Lutheran Seminary.  Its pages feature articles by Bob Benne, Mark Granquist, Brad Hales, and many others.  It is free, online, and very readable.  It is an academic journal, with articles that are written by academics and that adhere to the highest academic standards.  They include endnotes so you can reference where the authors are getting their information. But it is also very readable, not just by pastors, but also by our church members, the disciples who move the church forward.

Lutheran Study Bible (Concordia)  

The first Bible in English to be developed with notes that are distinctively Lutheran. Notes were prepared by theologians and pastors from more than twenty Lutheran church bodies. Current scholarship, insights from Church Fathers, and rich devotional commentary help both new and mature Christians learn about God’s Word.

The New International Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

A rich, academic resource for studying the Bible.  Contains scholarship from many, well-known theologians.

The Pillar New Testament Commentaries

Designed for serious readers of the Bible.  Seeks to make clear the meaning of the text. Writers interact with the informed contemporary debate yet avoid undue technical detail. A blend of rigorous exegesis and exposition, scholarship and pastoral sensitivity, with an eye alert both to biblical theology and to the contemporary relevance of the Bible. Fourteen volumes.  Brings together some of the best biblical scholarship of our time.

Keller, Timothy.  Anything.

Videos on various subjects by the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City and chairman and co-founder of Redeemer City to City, a movement that trains pastors for ministry in global cities.

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For a list of Tim Keller Video/Sermons in PDF format. Click here.

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Tim Keller Video Lectures/Sermons worth watching

On Preaching:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUE7ksPzju8?start=15&feature=oembed&w=1080&h=608]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHPB0Msasak?feature=oembed&w=1080&h=608]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rngslzDChMA?feature=oembed&w=1080&h=608]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wEylVOEcu4?feature=oembed&w=1080&h=608]

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Evangelism/Christian Life – (this one is probably one of the most influential lectures I have listened to.)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMLp2mYN_D8?start=92&feature=oembed&w=1080&h=810]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mu_CLg2Nfo?feature=oembed&w=1080&h=608]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiWeohEBdPo?feature=oembed&w=1080&h=810]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6tnnU_wUi8

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZQQwAActog?start=421&feature=oembed&w=1080&h=608]

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Sermons

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU69so6VjHA?start=1484&feature=oembed&w=1080&h=608]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75qetP4dRAA?start=1673&feature=oembed&w=1080&h=608]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98OdxTFyJvc?feature=oembed&w=1080&h=608]

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Here is the link to his YouTube page with a lot of his sermons:

https://www.youtube.com/c/Gospelinlife/videos?view=0&sort=p&shelf_id=4

Aulen, Gustaf.  Faith of the Christian Church.

An eminently accessible work by an ecumenical giant of the 20th century.  Aulen was a distinguished professor of theology before becoming the bishop of Strangnas for the Lutheran Church of Sweden.  He wrote the latest revision of this work after his retirement.  In it he focuses on key issues and core beliefs as he discusses what binds all Christians together in faith.  His most famous book is Christus Victor, which still exerts considerable influence on contemporary theological thinking on the atonement. 

Barth, Karl.  Dogmatics in Outline.

A phrase by phrase reflection on the Apostles Creed, interpreting it as the central statement of Christian belief for all time.  Emphasizes the absolute centrality of Christ.

Bauckham, Richard.  Jesus and the Eyewitnesses: The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony.

Argues that the four Gospels are closely based on the eyewitness testimony of those who personally knew Jesus.

Bayer, Oswald.  Living by Faith: Justification and Sanctification.

Shows how the concept of justification provides a comprehensive horizon for discussing every aspect of Christian theology.  

Braaten, Carl E. Principles of Lutheran Theology.

This book has guided students in theological reflection on the landmarks of the Christian faith as interpreted in the Lutheran confessional heritage since it was first published in 1983. 

Brunner, Emil.  The Mediator: A Study of the Central Doctrine of the Christian Faith.

A thorough analysis of the Biblical doctrine of the person and work of Christ.  Shows that Christianity stands or falls by what is believed and thought about Jesus.  

Forde, Gerhard. Theology is for Proclamation. 

Constructs a whole system of theology on the model of Luther’s Bondage of the Will.  Drags systematic theology out of the study and sticks it in the pulpit so that it proclaims the Gospel. 

Johnson, Luke Timothy.  The Real Jesus: The Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus and the Truth of the Traditional Gospels.

The first book to challenge the findings of the Jesus Seminar, the group of two hundred scholars who claim that Jesus said only eighteen percent of what the Gospels attribute to him.

Kitamori, Kazoh.  Theology of the Pain of God.

Demonstrates the limitations and problems of most Christian theology from a Japanese point of view.  Reformulates the Christian faith in non-Western terms as it expands the dialogue between Eastern and Western Christians. 

Kolb, Robert and Arand, Charles P.  The Genius of Luther’s Theology: A Wittenberg Way of Thinking for the Contemporary Church.

An introduction to two central themes of the reformer’s theology – his view on the believer’s response to God and the world, and his perspective on God’s relationship to humanity.

Lennox, John. God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?

Evaluates the evidence of modern science in relation to the debate between the atheistic and theistic interpretations of the universe.

Lindbeck, George.  The Nature of Doctrine: Religion and Theology in a Postliberal Age.

Lays the foundation for a theology based on a cultural-linguistic approach to religion and a regulative or rule theory of doctrine.

Neuhaus, Richard John.  Freedom for Ministry. 

Argues that there is a necessary awkwardness about Christian ministry because we are ambassadors of a “disputed sovereignty.”  Discusses the “awkward responsibility” of being a preacher. 

Polkinghome, John and Beale, Nicholas.  Questions of Truth: Fifty-One Responses to Questions about God, Science, and Belief.

A defense of the compatibility of religious faith and science.  Contains responses from a physicist and a philosopher to questions about science and religion.

Rognlien, Robert.  Recovering the Way: How Ancient Discoveries Help Us Follow the Footsteps of Jesus Today.

Written for those who want to understand the truths Jesus taught and want to live the life Jesus lived.  Shows how Jesus’ teaching and example can shape our lives. 

Willard, Dallas, editor.  A Place for Truth: Leading Thinkers Explore Life’s Hardest Questions.

A collection of speeches from two decades of Veritas discussions. Since its founding in 1992, the Veritas Forum has provided a place for the university world to explore the deepest questions of faith and life.    

Wingren, Gustaf.  Luther on Vocation. 

An analysis of Luther’s teaching that helps us understand the relationship between faith and works. 

Zahl, David.  Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about It. 

A thoughtful and entertaining look at the way in which people turn to all sorts of everyday activities for identity, purpose, and meaning.

“But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes in the presence of Christ, so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:10-11).

Do not be ignorant of the devil’s schemes. He would see you be filled with hatred and remorse. The Lord has come that you may learn love and liberty. The journey of salvation is one that brings us from where we were to where we will be. Only in the salvation of the Lord is one truly set free. Come then into the salvation prepared for you in the Lord and walk humbly with Him.

Lord, there is nothing new under the sun and nothing that You have not seen before. Lead me, O Lord, in the way of truth that I may learn how to humbly walk with You. Guide me Lord into this way of living that I would realize that all sin is ultimately against You. If I forgive, what is that but imitating You, but if You forgive, it is true grace. I am nothing but an echo, but You are the One in whom all things have their being.

Lord Jesus, You have taught and Your Word has been heard. Now bring those words into my heart that they may take root there and create in me a clean and new heart. Teach me to listen to all of Your counsel and walk humbly in all of Your ways. Guide my salvation as You alone can that I would not fall prey to the devil’s schemes. Lead me now and always in the narrow way, Lord. Amen.