Pastor Foltz is Pastor Emeritus of Saint James Lutheran Church in Gettysburg, PA and author of the the Frontline Study content.
Early in my ministry, the Lutheran Church asked me to investigate the growing Pentecostal movement. With very little effort, I found myself quickly making friends and participating in groups at every level. When I shared my final report, many of them appreciated everything but one aside I made near the end. In it, I expressed […]
Many theologians maintained it was impossible to have faith in God after the Nazi genocide of six million Jews. How could God allow the German nation to slaughter his chosen people? Ivan, in The Brothers Karamazov, claims you don’t have to go that far. The abuse and murder of just one innocent baby speaks against […]
Two flawed pictures of the crucifixion are blunting the church’s message in our time. The first presents Jesus as a sacrifice enabling humanity to escape a fallen creation. Anyone who is willing to believe this and accept the deal escapes the last judgment and is taken to live with God in Heaven as the evil […]
When I graduated from seminary, the question was whether there was a place for religion in the new age of science. We thought we were entering a period when we could make all of our decisions based on facts, not superstition. Some of my friends were working on getting computers to speak with one another. […]
Our modern technological society has a problem with the future. All it has to offer is more and better technology that supposedly will enable us to do whatever we desire. That usually is attached to having more wealth. The goal is prosperity and the assumption is once you have enough, you will begin to use […]
The other day my wife and I were on our daily walk on the college campus when a man without a mask approached us. He stuck out because wearing one is compulsory in that area. As he passed, he said quite emphatically, “God protects ME.” He apparently felt he was making a witness for Christ. […]
A late friend who was a world class theologian used to insist that relevance is not a theological category. He had studied under Karl Barth and believed theology begins and ends with the Word of God, not the human situation. I would argue theology is useless unless I can relate it to my everyday life. […]
The pandemic has brought clarity to the current situation in Christianity. As it rages on, it has become apparent there are two incompatible camps not necessarily identified with denominational boundaries. One of these consistently speaks of fighting a battle against evil and clearly regards the other camp as the opposition. The anger and threats being […]
Frontline Study is an online discussion of the scriptures, inviting you to share your comments and your reflections on each weekly topic. Simply click on the "Add Reply" text at the top of each post to see what others have posted and to add your thoughts.
Fritz invites you to consider reading Pope Francis' encyclical Fratelli Tutti. Consider purchasing a copy of the book here as proceeds benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospital.By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information
The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.
Recent Comments