Wrestling with Theology

Original Broadcast: August 2010 Monthly Theme: Eighth Commandment After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him. And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, "From what city are you?" And when he said, "Your servant is of such and su...

There is much in common between Lutherans and Roman Catholics on the doctrine of the forgiveness of sins. This is just a brief summary. There will be more to come once we get into the Sacraments in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Original Broadcast: July 2010 Monthly Theme: Seventh Commandment If anyone has material possession and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? (1 John 3:17) No Pity God is love. Everyone agrees about that. No one wants to live in a world where God is hate. That would have Mars, Ares, Thor and Odin running things. Then again, hate isn't the true opposite...

"Farther along we'll know all about it, Farther along we'll understand why; Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, We'll understand it all by and by." Office Hymn: "God Bless Our Native Land" Small Catechism: Fourth Commandment Large Catechism: I 150-157 Scripture: Romans 13:1-7 Commentary: Theodoret of Cyr, Interpretation of Romans

Original Broadcast: July 2010 Monthly Theme: Seventh Commandment Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:4) Look to Others While teaching a fourth grade religion class during seminary, I was introduced to a nice little acronym about the Christian life: GOY. God, Others, Yourself. The proper order of priorities. We look to God. The...

Original Broadcast: July 2010 Monthly Theme: Seventh Commandment [Judas] said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. (John 12:6) Judas Talk about stealing from God! Judas was a thief. He was known to be a thief, but Jesus still entrusted him with taking care of the books. Judas knew EXA...

Zaccheus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." (Luke 19:8) Zaccheus Zaccheus was a wee little man. We know the song. We learned it as kids going through Sunday School. But what more do we see about Zaccheus other than his short stature? He was a tax collector in Jericho. He was very ri...

Original Broadcast: July 2010 Monthly Theme: Seventh Commandment Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver under...

The Roman presbyters continue to encourage the congregation at Corinth to return to the ways that Paul had taught them through the Scriptures. Most especially, they encourage them to do the good works God has given them to do instead of continuing with the internal struggle between the "headstrong and arrogant" party and the deposed presbyters.

Original Broadcast: July 2010 Monthly Theme: Seventh Commandment The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously. (Psalm 37:21) Generous Probably the greatest form of stealing in the world is the lack of generosity. This especially comes in hard economic times when we see the need to account for every penny. It's hard to be generous when there always seems to be more bill at...

"Farther along we'll know all about it, Farther along we'll understand why; Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, We'll understand it all by and by." Office Hymn: "Oh, Blest the House" Small Catechism: Fourth Commandment Large Catechism: I 105-111 Scripture: Ephesians 6:1-4 Commentary: Ambrosiaster, Ephesians 6.5.1

Original Broadcast: July 2010 Monthly Theme: Seventh Commandment [Jesus said:] "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Matthew 7:12) From God We use this passage all the time to talk about how we should treat each other. But we seldom use it to see how we should treat God. Why is that? This month I want to talk to the thieves. Today, I want to talk specifically to those who steal fro...

Original Broadcast: June 2010 Monthly Theme: Sixth Commandment Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. (Hebrews 13:4) Honor Marriage The commandment against adultery speaks very highly of marriage. Unfortunately, we live in a world that speaks so dispicably about marriage. Think about what's portrayed o...

Original Broadcast: June 2010 Monthly Theme: Sixth Commandment To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain sing as I am. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion. (1 Corinthians 7:8-9) Better to Marry St. Paul puts forward a strong defense for staying single and celibate throughout life. For those,...

Original Broadcast: June 2010 Monthly Theme: Sixth Commandment Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator. (Romans 1:24-25) Bad Trade Throughout history there have been some terrible trades that have bother...

Through 2020 and 2021, the WrestlExtravaganza segments will go through major series of supercards through the 80s and 90s. World Class Championship Wrestling held "Star Wars" supercards between 1981 and 1987. I go through each of the twenty-one cards in this series with the major matches that defined WCCW as a territory and the "Golden Age of Pro Wrestling". The biggest matches from these cards ca...

Original Broadcast: June 2010 Monthly Theme: Sixth Commandment [Jesus said:] "Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery." (Matthew 19:9) Adultery Immediately following Jesus' injunction that God frowns on divorce, He gives the one true grounds for divorce: sexual immorality. The breaking of the marital bond by one or both spouses is the only rea...

"Farther along we'll know all about it, Farther along we'll understand why; Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, We'll understand it all by and by." Office Hymn: "Christ Sits at God's Right Hand" Small Catechism: Third Commandment Large Catechism: I 79-86 Scripture: Hebrews 10:19-25 Commentary: John Chrysostom, Hebrews 19.4-5

Original Broadcast: June 2010 Monthly Theme: Sixth Commandment [Jesus said:] "What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (Matthew 19:6) Put Asunder Jesus answers the question about no-fault divorce with these words. He was asked flat out, "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?" (v3). Jesus responds that it's not lawful to divorce. Divorce is not within God's plan. Divorce...

Original Broadcast: June 2010 Monthly Theme: Sixth Commandment Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:24-25) One Flesh Through the sexual union, the two involved become one flesh. The sexual union brings a physical, emotional and spiritual bond betwee...

Original Broadcast: June 2010 Monthly Theme: Sixth Commandment Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." (Genesis 2:18) Not Alone The one thing God said that wasn't good was that Adam was alone. God had brought all the animals before him to name. None were a suitable match for him. None to help him fulfill the "Be fruitful and mult...

Original Broadcast: May 2010 Monthly Theme: Fifth Commandment Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (1 John 3:15) Longing Hatred "Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer," St. John says. This hatred is an extension of the anger that sits very deep in the heart. This was the hatred that Cain had over Abel because God accept...

God gave Israel four miraculous provisions in the first month of their Wilderness Wanderings: 1. Bitter water made sweet 2. Manna, bread from Heaven, in the morning 3. Quail in the evening 4. Water from the rock After all these provisions, many of which follow after the Israelites throughout their Wanderings, God brings them into their first battle against the Amalekites. All these things show us...

Original Broadcast: May 2010 Monthly Theme: Fifth Commandment Let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit. (2 Corinthians 7:1) Substances Substance abuse is one of the breakings of the commandment against murder that people tend to overlook until it happens to someone close to them. What do you tend to say to someone close to you that's abusing drugs or alcohol? "You'...

"Farther along we'll know all about it, Farther along we'll understand why; Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine, We'll understand it all by and by." Office Hymn: "The Great Redeemer" Small Catechism: Second Commandment Large Catechism: I 51-56 Scripture: Jeremiah 23:1-8 Commentary: Theodoret of Cyr, On Jeremiah 5.23.5-6