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Home » Theology » Page 8

Theology

Banned Books

By Dan Balowon January 28, 2021
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January was a really bad month for Protestant reformer Martin Luther, 500 years ago in 1521. In fact, the entire year was the wurst. (He was German you know.)

First, he was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Leo X after refusing to recant his writings. That was January 3.

Then a few weeks later on the 23rd, the RCC held a meeting at The Diet of Worms in Germany, which was the worst name for a meeting or place ever. Luther was branded a heretic, and his writings were banned.

Still, it took until April for everything to be final. In the end, Luther stated,

Unless I am convinced by Scripture and plain reason – I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other – my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.

Most sources agree there is no evidence Luther said, “Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise.”

I think it is good timing that we are allowed to ponder a 500-year anniversary of event in 2021. More than the pandemic, we are in a global crisis of faith: whether to stand strong and communicate the truth of Jesus Christ or submit to the forces who desire to stifle the truth.

The vast majority of Christian books in the world are written in English by people in the United States. While the United States is not the epicenter of Christianity in the world, it is most certainly the greatest provider of Christian reading material to the global church.

If you read about Luther after his dust-up with the Roman Catholic Church, you’ll discover some friends arranged his “kidnapping” since there was an order from the emperor that allowed anyone to kill Luther and not be prosecuted. So he spent the next weeks in Wartburg Castle, regaining his strength, writing, and working on the German translation of the Bible.

For writers of books with a Christian worldview and for those of us who work with them, the story of Luther has numerous lessons.

  1. Be direct. Just because Luther never said, “Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise,” doesn’t mean these words can’t be the mission statement for the rest of us. The world does not need veiled illusions of God. They need to be told clearly.
  2. Be courageous. If you get some pushback and resistance, remind yourself that the Spirit of God lives in you and you are not fighting alone.
  3. Be an encourager. Just as Luther survived because God placed various friends and supporters around him, you can be that type of person in another person’s life. I will always believe the best way to be encouraged is to encourage someone else.
  4. Be immovable. Maybe we need to remind ourselves regularly of the solas that characterized the Reformation: Sola scriptura (by Scripture alone), Sola fide (by faith alone), Sola gratia (by grace alone), and also a couple more added later, Solus Christus (Christ alone) and Soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone).

Anniversaries of important events and the events that make up the church calendar are there to remind us of what happened hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Without them, we would likely forget what God has done; and our lives would wither and blow here and there by the wind.

So stand.

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Category: The Publishing Life, The Writing Life, Theology, Trends

“Yet” Is a Wonderful Word

By Steve Laubeon January 11, 2021
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With a new year upon us it can be a a good idea to find your “word of the year.” For 2021, my word is “yet.” I was reminded last year to focus on what we have and not on what we’ve lost. It was a hard year for so many. Today, with the sinful world continuing to exhibit it’s need for a savior we should always contemplate the incredible gift of Jesus and the …

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Category: Theology

Wishing You Peace and Love on Thanksgiving Day

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon November 26, 2020
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On this Thanksgiving Day, let us approach this new season with a sense of peace and the constant reminder that the Lord is in control. I post this well-known prayer in hopes you might appreciate reading it again. From St. Francis of Assisi: Prayer for Peace Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; …

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Category: Personal, TheologyTag: Faith, thanksgiving, Theology

A Prayer of Thanks for Writing Tools

By Bob Hostetleron November 25, 2020
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For fountain pens and India ink, Legal pads and time to think, Olivetti, Underwood, Selectric, Typewriters both manual and electric, Typing paper, carbon paper, Correction ribbon and Liquid Paper, Dictionaries and thesauri, Keyboards, touchpads, countless styli, Strunk and White and Zinsser too, Staples, tape, and Elmer’s Glue, Desktops, laptops, iPads, printers, Modems, faxes, scanners, …

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Category: Personal, Technology, Theology

Give Thanks to God

By Guest Bloggeron November 23, 2020
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There is a verse in scripture which sets out in bold relief the great besetting problem of the human race. It is Romans 1:21: ‘for even though we knew God…we did not give thanks.’ Astonishing! How can we actually know God and not give thanks? Scarcely a day passes in which we are not deluged by at least a hundred instances of God’s goodness to us. Thanksgiving ought to be the most natural of human …

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Category: Guest Post, TheologyTag: thanksgiving

A Writer’s Fears (a prayer)

By Bob Hostetleron October 7, 2020
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Save me from fear, Lord.Give me courage to write;make me “bold in our God” (1 Thessalonians 2:2) to write for you,whatever the obstacles or blockages the Enemy may throw in my way. Save me from the fear of rejection;let me write today for your approval first and foremost,and if I receive it, let me be satisfied with it. Save me from the fear of inadequacy;remind me that “all my springs are in you” …

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Category: Personal, Theology

Can Silence Make You a Better Writer?

By Bob Hostetleron September 2, 2020
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Decades ago, when I was barely out of diapers, I started taking annual (sometimes twice-yearly) prayer retreats at the Abbey of Gethsemani in the hills of central Kentucky. It’s a silent Trappist monastery, and it’s been a boon to my prayer life. A lifeline, sometimes. It’s also been a boon to my writing life. Once I’ve checked in and been immersed in and surrounded by silence (interrupted only by …

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Category: Inspiration, The Writing Life, Theology

Word and Writer (A Writer’s Prayer)

By Bob Hostetleron August 12, 2020
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In the beginning was the Word, says your Word, Lord. You identify yourself as Word and Writer, Speaker and Spoken. You are the Source of all things. Beginning. Alpha. First. So let it be in me, and in my writing, Lord. Be my first thought as I put pen to paper, the Source and Supplier, Word and Writer, Speaker and Spoken. Grant that I may pretend to no originality, no creativity of my own, but to …

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Category: TheologyTag: Prayer

Prayers of a Literary Agent

By Bob Hostetleron July 29, 2020
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I prayed about becoming a literary agent. My friend and agent, Steve Laube, had asked me to consider it. So I told him I’d pray and think on it. Doggone it, I did; and just over three years ago I joined The Steve Laube Agency as not only a client but also an agent. That’s the last time I prayed about such things. Oh, okay, I’m only kidding. In truth, that was only the beginning of my praying about …

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Category: Agents, Personal, The Publishing Life, Theology

A World of Similitudes

By Steve Laubeon July 27, 2020
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Please indulge my ponderings today. I was recently reading a novel where the author* was describing the dream-state of the main character. As part of his musings, the phrase “a world of similitudes” was used. I had to stop reading for a minute; think about that phrase; and ask the question, “Is this what we are all experiencing today? A world of similitudes?” To understand, let’s first define a …

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Category: Personal, Theology
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