“The Plague of Impotence”

Recently I have browsed again The Bondage of the Will, by Martin Luther. The book is a bracing experience. The Bondage of the Will was published in 1525 in reply to Desiderius Erasmus, who had published On Free Will the … (read more)

In Jesus’ Name

Over the past few months we have considered Martin Luther’s counsel regarding prayer. In 1535, he wrote a booklet on the topic. This month we conclude with a final bit of Luther’s profound and practical advice. When you pray, Luther … (read more)

Luther & friend praying at Melancthon’s bedside

Praying Twice

“How should I pray effectively?” asked Peter Beskendorf centuries ago. Peter was a friend of Martin Luther – the Great Reformer’s barber. Luther responded with a little booklet, published in 1535. “How one should pray,” he called it helpfully. Over … (read more)

Praying a “Garland of Four Strands”

Last month we introduced a little booklet written by Martin Luther for his friend and barber, Peter Beskendorf. The booklet is titled simply, How One Should Pray, for Master Peter the Barber. Luther presents prayer as a discipline – as … (read more)

Luther & friend praying at Melancthon’s bedside

Our First Order of Business

In 1535, an old friend of Martin Luther – his barber, in fact, a man named Peter Beskendorf – asked Luther for counsel concerning prayer. How could he deepen his prayer life? How could he pray effectively, and keep things … (read more)

The “Larvae” of God

Let me introduce you to a little English word, somewhat creepy in contemporary connotation, yet with a wonderful theological backdrop in its Latin original. Larva. You know what larvae are. (And you are probably thinking of something creepy.) “Larva” (pl., … (read more)

Building the Kingdom

I have recently become familiar with a little book by Nick Earle, titled provocatively “What’s Wrong with the Church?” (Penguin Books, 1961). Nick is an Anglican; he is thinking of the Church of England – and the church of the … (read more)