A Layman’s Guide to Theological History
The Early Church
Get acquainted with controversies such as Arianism that challenged the early church in its understanding of the Trinity and Christology. Learn about great champions of the faith like Athanasius and Augustine, gaining particular insight into their defense of Scripture, and knowing why specific wording is contained in the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds. Discover how the early church wrestled with the nature of grace, free will, original sin, faith and reason. Finally, you'll get a good sense of the dynamic religious climate that Luther faced in the sixteenth century.
The Reformation and Lutheran Confessions
While most Lutherans are familiar with the events of the Reformation, a deeper understanding is provided into the theological substance of the Reformation, and how political, economic, and social factors played a role in its defense. The material addresses the person of Martin Luther and how his personal struggle emerged as a public matter and became a powerful historic event. Our legacy contained in the Lutheran Confessions is summarized and presented in a style directed to the laity.
The Forming of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod
From the Reformation to nineteenth century, the confluence of political, philosophical and economic events altered the religious landscape in Germany. A significant casualty in the process was the preservation of Lutheran doctrine and practices. We trace the emigration of the Saxons and other groups settling in America and their struggles. We witness the commitment they displayed in remaining steadfast to the Confessions and compare how the doctrine of the LCMS is distinct from other Christian denominations.
Each topic has been developed by a team of Lutheran pastors and educators and has been designed specifically for the laity.
To meet the needs of your congregation, we offer our programs in a choice of options.
Seminar materials are designed for the local church to independently conduct the seminar. We provide the PowerPoint; the host congregation provides the leader. For the historical series, we also provide a book that was written to cover the topic.
Books on each of the topics in the historic series were developed to be readily understood by the average person in the pew without compromising on the substance of the material. Each book is color illustrated and runs about 50-60 pages.
