Reading & Study Archives

A Reformation Reading List

A collection of suggested Reformation books for a congregational library or other interested readers.

Appreciation, Celebration, Graduation, Identification

It is important for us to identify young people who have a heart for ministry and encourage them to consider church work as a vocation.

Concerning Rebaptism for Christians

When we depend on ourselves, our strength, our goodness, even our faith, it will fail. In fact, when we build our house on anything but the rock it will be destroyed. Idols will all fall away.

Bible Study with Luther: Genesis 3:7-15

Rather than leaving Adam and Eve in the depravity of their alienation and hostility, God promised One Who would come and crush the serpent’s head. Jesus is the promised Seed of the Woman Who would reconcile a world of sinners back to God.

How To Teach Children a Reformation Hymn

The Reformation was birthed by adults, but it is preserved by children. For centuries, pastors and parents have been preaching a holy heritage into the ears of the young, clearly confessing a salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

‘13 Reasons Why’ Reminds Us to Show Youth Love

‘13 Reasons Why’ gives those who work with youth an opportunity to dialogue about tough topics. Here are some ways to engage.

Giving a Witness to the Resurrection at Easter

The Christian who prepares an "elevator speech" on Christ’s resurrection will be blessed in the preparation and opportunity to share it.

Smalcald Articles Study: The Mass

Luther understood the danger behind the Mass was not simply a smattering of errors in otherwise Christian worship, rather it was an entire system of a false theology of worship.

Indulgences Then and Now

The events of October 31st 1517, the day that Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, were not set in motion by a man’s ambitious vision to revolutionize the spirituality of the west. Nor were they set in motion by Luther’s iconoclastic vainglory that sought to topple the ancient powers of tradition and the papacy. Rather, Luther swung his hammer as a pastor. He cared for the eternal welfare of his flock.

Bible Study with Luther: Genesis 3:1-6

In the second article of the Augsburg Confession, Lutherans confess, “It is also taught among us that since the fall of Adam all men who are born according to the course of nature are conceived and born in sin...

‘Hope and Healing: A Bible Study’ shares Christ’s comfort with victims of sexual assault and violence

In Christ, there is hope and healing for survivors of sexual assault. The perfect peace of the Gospel is vital for women who are suffering.

Smalcald Articles Study: The First and Chief Article

Ask yourself: If you were writing your final testimony about the Christian faith, what would you identify as the first and chief article? The answer to the question reveals what lies at the heart of anyone’s understanding of God and Christianity. Luther’s answer is...

Luther’s Invocavit Sermons, Part 3 – Faith and Love, Must and Free

Luther’s emphasis on heeding the call to love and patience is insistent in these sermons. It even impacts that essential distinction between the “musts” and the “free.” Luther can see that even in the things which are “musts” and are matters of necessity, such as believing in Christ, love nevertheless never uses force or undue constraint.