An Ordination Anniversary

I was ordained as a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America on June 11, 1989, at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Abbottstown, PA. That was twenty-five years ago. Ordination involves the setting apart of someone by laying on of hands and prayer who has been called to the ministry of preaching the Word…

On the death of Ronald Reagan

Ten years ago, Ronald Reagan died. I heard him speak in Rockford, IL, in 1976. I didn’t care for him as president (he was in office during my years in college and grad school). I never voted for him. I disagreed with his Central American policy: the illegal wars, the CIA torture, Oliver North’s escapades…

Luther and Snow-Covered Dung

Roman Catholic apologists frequently claim that Martin Luther illustrated his teaching on justification by comparing it to snow covering a pile of dung. They quote this derisively, saying it is clearly unbiblical. Yet no one has ever been able to cite the passage it comes from. I asked Eric Gritsch about this once, and he confirmed…