Tag Archives: preaching

Preaching Gospel as Gospel: Antinomianism and the Nothing of Faith

Posted on 20 May 2023 by Fr Aidan Kimel

There is an old story about a Lutheran pastor who, after a long ministry of rightly distin­guishing law and gospel, announced on his death bed: “I shall most certainly go to heaven, as I cannot remember ever having done a … Continue reading →

Posted in Grace, Justification & Theosis, Preaching, Robert Jenson | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Preaching Gospel as Gospel: A Pentecost of Promises

Posted on 16 May 2023 by Fr Aidan Kimel

The gospel is the story of Jesus Christ proclaimed in the performative mode of promise. What this means practically for the preacher is this: each week, through prayer, study, and meditation on the appointed biblical text, he or she must … Continue reading →

Posted in Grace, Justification & Theosis, Preaching, Robert Jenson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Preaching Gospel as Gospel: Rightly Divide Law and Promise

Posted on 13 May 2023 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Unconditional and Conditional Promises The language of unconditionality has become so commonplace when speaking of the love of God that it is very easy to mistake the statement “God is unconditional love” as an expression of gospel. Perhaps the speaker … Continue reading →

Posted in Grace, Justification & Theosis, Preaching, Robert Jenson | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Preaching Gospel as Gospel: The Good News of the Resurrection

Posted on 9 May 2023 by Fr Aidan Kimel

Since my first encounter with Robert Jenson’s construal of justification as metalinguistic rule back in the late 70s, I have sought to proclaim the gospel in the mode of unconditional promise. I have often not been successful nor consistent—it’s harder … Continue reading →

Posted in Grace, Justification & Theosis, Preaching, Robert Jenson | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Preaching Gospel as Gospel, or Why the Churches Still Need the (Lutheran) Reformation

Posted on 7 May 2023 by Fr Aidan Kimel

I presume we are all acquainted with the saying long-attributed to Martin Luther: “Justification by faith alone is the doctrine on which the Church stands or falls.” Although it does not appear in Luther’s extant writings, it accurately states his … Continue reading →

Posted in Grace, Justification & Theosis, Preaching, Robert Jenson | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 40 Comments

Preaching the Gospel of Predestination

Posted on 20 October 2019 by Fr Aidan Kimel

How can the Church recover the preaching of predestination? It seems an impossibility. When treated abstractly, as an explanation of why some are saved and others are not, predestination must always function as an existential threat to our personhood and … Continue reading →

Posted in Preaching, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , | 52 Comments

The Unpreachability of Predestination

Posted on 1 October 2019 by Fr Aidan Kimel

When was the last time you heard a sermon preached on election and predestination? In thirty-plus years of priestly ministry I think I may have preached on it once. Christian pastors simply do not preach on it; and it doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Preaching, Theology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Preaching Apokatastasis: It’s All About Gospel!

Posted on 6 April 2019 by Fr Aidan Kimel

I finally obtained a copy of the published version of my paper “Preaching Apokatastasis.” A few editorial changes were made before publication, but on the whole this is the same paper that I shared with everyone a couple of years … Continue reading →

Posted in Preaching, Universalism and Eschatology | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments