26 Jun 2019
Posted by Jordan Ballor 
Those who honor Christ only as their Mediator are easily tempted to call in his help as the physician for one’s sin-sick soul, but then, once that soul is conscious of its salvation and healing, to treat the Savior as we often do our earthly physicians — once healed, we let them go and head off again...
Read more → 26 Jan 2018
Posted by Jordan Ballor 
In working through the text of Luther's disputation against scholastic theology, I ran across an intriguing series of claims. It appears in the introduction of the text as it appears in the English edition of Luther's Works. The introduction is attempting to set up the context for Luther's engagement...
Read more → 30 Dec 2017
Posted by Jordan Ballor 
The second and final text under examination in this 500th reformation year is that for which the anniversary is recognized, the 95 Theses or "Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences." Indulgences are connected with the sacrament of penance. Technically indulgences remit temporal guilt and punishment...
Read more → 29 Dec 2017
Posted by Jordan Ballor 
It is late in the year, but here's a short post on the first of the two works of Luther from 1517 that begin the Reading the Reformation with Luther series, "Disputation against Scholastic Theology." There are a number of intriguing aspects of this work. I'll identify just a few and in no particular...
Read more → 10 Nov 2017
Posted by Jordan Ballor 
Picking up on the idea of reading the Reformation along with Martin Luther, I'm planning on using this chronology to set up the schedule. That means that there are three things to read before the end of the year: the disputation against scholastic theology, the 95 Theses, and the lectures on Hebrews....
Read more → 31 Oct 2017
Posted by Jordan Ballor
I've been thinking about pursuing an experiment and today is perhaps a better day than any to announce it. I intend to read through the Reformation along with Luther. By this I mean that beginning this year I want to read through the major works of Luther's along with him, roughly as he wrote them. There...
Read more → 21 Jul 2017
Posted by Jordan Ballor 
Catholic theologians, philosophers and historians of the twentieth century, having fought fiercely to eradicate prejudices against medieval philosophy, adopt the anti-Scholastic rhetoric of the old Protestant histories and project it upon the thinkers of the Baroque age. As a result, they reject the 'schools'...
Read more → 19 Apr 2017
Posted by Jordan Ballor 
Concerning the Covenants [De Foederibus] The old covenant or testament was established in accordance with the righteousness of God through the Law, so that the righteousness of God might be vindicated from the false accusations of men; so that men would be inexcusable, guilty, and convicted by the old covenant...
Read more → 30 Aug 2016
Posted by Jordan Ballor 
Here is an insightful section from Harold Berman outlining the ways in which historical frameworks (e.g. ancient, medieval, modern) can obscure rather than clarify: In addition to nationalist fallacies, legal historiography has suffered also from religious fallacies, both Protestant and Roman Catholic,...
Read more → 10 Aug 2016
Posted by Jordan Ballor 
"The Church of God…would probably have existed among men even without revelation, and been preserved and spread by pious and holy men. Its purpose is eternal happiness. And it is no wonder that I call it a natural society, since there is a natural religion and a desire for immortality planted in us. This...
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