Who Knew? Tully And I Share Something In Common!
Ok, so I took the liberty to refer to Pastor Tullian Tchividjian by calling him "Tully" in the title of this post (I hope he doesn't mind or infer some attempt to disrespect him should he ever stumble across this humble website).
I can assure you that I meant it as a term of endearment for sure though.
See, yesterday, Pastor Tchividjian appeared on the latest episode of Boars In The Vineyard and within the first 5-10 minutes of the interview he mentioned a classic presentation by Dr. R.C. Sproul called "The Insanity of Luther" and credited it as having a profound impact upon his life and ministry as he came to better understand Martin Luther and the Lutheran faith.
I really couldn't believe my ears because I too had seen that presentation about a year ago and had almost the same exact reaction myself!
In fact, I would also have to credit Sproul's lecture for being an integral part of the process that was God drawing me out of a "Calvinist-Evangelical-Non Denominational-Reformed" faith and back to the Lutheran Church.
Who knew? Tully and I share something in common besides our faith in Jesus Christ!
Do click on the above hyperlink and check it out for yourself, because I remember thinking at the time, "Why haven't I been exposed to this kind of teaching on Martin Luther all my life even though I was raised a Lutheran and even despite the fact that I've been a Lutheran-In-Name-Only my whole life?" Yes, it's that good.
Come to think of it, it's almost like I've come full circle in a sense. My watching that lecture by Sproul and then writing about it here in this space was even right around the exact time when I was first exposed to our Confessions too!
Up until that point, I had no idea that we Lutherans had something called the "Book of Concord" and my understanding of the Lutheran faith was extremely basic at best.
Anyway, I just had to laugh that Tchividjian's experience and path to the Wittenberg Trail was somewhat similar to my own even if I've already decided to build a home on that Trail whereas he isn't quite sure if he wants to make it his permanent residence or not (hence, the "closet Lutheran" claims by many that have been going around lately).
You know, maybe R.C. Sproul's a closet Lutheran too! Check out his "Here I Stand" video after watching his presentation on Luther.
In a Lutheran Layman's terms, do yourself a favor and listen to Boars In The Vineyard each week, because you'll be blessed and edified by the discussions.
[NOTE: As you know, I am a newly converted Confessional Lutheran who recently escaped American Evangelicalism. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you believe that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is not consistent with Lutheran doctrine -- in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word -- so that I can correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray. Thank you in advance for your time and help. Grace and peace to you and yours!]
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I can assure you that I meant it as a term of endearment for sure though.
See, yesterday, Pastor Tchividjian appeared on the latest episode of Boars In The Vineyard and within the first 5-10 minutes of the interview he mentioned a classic presentation by Dr. R.C. Sproul called "The Insanity of Luther" and credited it as having a profound impact upon his life and ministry as he came to better understand Martin Luther and the Lutheran faith.
I really couldn't believe my ears because I too had seen that presentation about a year ago and had almost the same exact reaction myself!
In fact, I would also have to credit Sproul's lecture for being an integral part of the process that was God drawing me out of a "Calvinist-Evangelical-Non Denominational-Reformed" faith and back to the Lutheran Church.
Who knew? Tully and I share something in common besides our faith in Jesus Christ!
Do click on the above hyperlink and check it out for yourself, because I remember thinking at the time, "Why haven't I been exposed to this kind of teaching on Martin Luther all my life even though I was raised a Lutheran and even despite the fact that I've been a Lutheran-In-Name-Only my whole life?" Yes, it's that good.
Come to think of it, it's almost like I've come full circle in a sense. My watching that lecture by Sproul and then writing about it here in this space was even right around the exact time when I was first exposed to our Confessions too!
Up until that point, I had no idea that we Lutherans had something called the "Book of Concord" and my understanding of the Lutheran faith was extremely basic at best.
Anyway, I just had to laugh that Tchividjian's experience and path to the Wittenberg Trail was somewhat similar to my own even if I've already decided to build a home on that Trail whereas he isn't quite sure if he wants to make it his permanent residence or not (hence, the "closet Lutheran" claims by many that have been going around lately).
You know, maybe R.C. Sproul's a closet Lutheran too! Check out his "Here I Stand" video after watching his presentation on Luther.
In a Lutheran Layman's terms, do yourself a favor and listen to Boars In The Vineyard each week, because you'll be blessed and edified by the discussions.
[NOTE: As you know, I am a newly converted Confessional Lutheran who recently escaped American Evangelicalism. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you believe that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is not consistent with Lutheran doctrine -- in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word -- so that I can correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray. Thank you in advance for your time and help. Grace and peace to you and yours!]
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Thank you for visiting A Lutheran Layman! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question since we do not exercise censorship. We've seen a similar policy with other blogs and it's worth repeating: Please act as if you're a guest in my home, and we'll get along just fine. I think anyone would agree that the kind of back-and-forth that is characteristic of blogs/chat forums and social media is becoming tiresome for all of us. Still, we should confess, edify, and love (and contend and defend when needed). Bottom line? Search the Scriptures! Apply Acts 17:11 to anything and everything you find here and, if you do happen to disagree with something you find here (which is certainly ok), or think I'm "irresponsible" and "wrong" for writing it, then please refute my position by supporting yours with Scripture and/or the Confessions. I don't think that's an unreasonable request, especially for those who identify themselves as "Christians" here, right? Besides, Proverbs 27:17 tells us "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another" and 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness." If you have an opinion that's great, I welcome it, but try to support it using God's Word. I mean, if the goal here is to help us all arrive at the truth of God's Word (myself included), then it should be easy to follow through on this one simple request (I'm talking to all you "Anonymous" visitors out there). Grace and peace to you and yours!