theology Archives - Page 7 of 8 - understand-culture

Scripture or Clear Reason

At the Diet of Worms in April 1521, Martin Luther was asked to recant. He refused unless he was overcome durch Zeugnisse der Heiligen Schrift oder klare Vernunftgründe, by the testimony of Scripture or by clear reasons. He named the test that could change his mind.

The famous sentence Hier stehe ich, ich kann nicht anders, here I stand, I can do no other, was not spoken at Worms in these words. It comes from a printed pamphlet version of the speech, which reads Ich kann nicht anderst, hie stehe ich. Gott helf mir! Amen.

The 95 Theses

On 31 October 1517, Martin Luther sent 95 theses to Albrecht of Brandenburg, Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg. They were attached to a letter. In 95 separate points, they spoke out against the business of selling letters of indulgence. Luther took the problem to the archbishop who shared in the proceeds.

The famous picture of Luther nailing the theses to the church door in Wittenberg is not certain. The Catholic church historian Erwin Iserloh first questioned it in 1961.

Weeks for One Word

In 1530, at the Veste Coburg, Martin Luther wrote his Sendbrief vom Dolmetschen, an open letter on translating. He wrote that he and his helpers had very often searched and asked for fourteen days, or three or four weeks, for one single word. In modern spelling the line reads: Und es ist uns sehr oft begegnet, dass wir vierzehn Tage, drei, vier Wochen ein einziges Wort gesucht und erfragt haben.

Let Your Yes Be Yes

In the Luther Bible, Matthew 5:37 reads: Eure Rede aber sei: Ja, ja; nein, nein. Was darüber ist, das ist vom Bösen. (Let your speech be yes, yes, and no, no. Anything beyond this comes from evil.) The verse asks for no oath and no extra assurance.

To God Alone the Glory

Johann Sebastian Bach signed many of his works Soli Deo Gloria, to God alone the glory. Georg Friedrich Händel used the same signature. Composers usually shortened it to the letters S.D.G. The composer puts his name to the work and gives the glory away in the same place.

The Left Hand and the Right Hand

In the Sermon on the Mount, Luther’s Bible warns against doing good works so that others will see them. Matthew 6:3 reads: Wenn du aber Almosen gibst, so lass deine linke Hand nicht wissen, was die rechte tut. When you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. The good deed is done in secret. The sentence lives on in everyday German as die linke Hand weiß nicht, was die rechte tut.

A Bishop Resigns

On the night of 20 February 2010, Margot Käßmann drove through a red light in Hanover with a blood alcohol level of 1.54 per mille. She was bishop of Hanover and chair of the Council of the Protestant Church in Germany. The council unanimously expressed its confidence in her. Four days later she resigned from both offices. Am vergangenen Samstag habe ich einen schweren Fehler gemacht, den ich zutiefst bereue. Last Saturday I made a serious mistake, which I deeply regret. She said that she could not stay in office with the authority it needs.

The Power of Positive Thinking

Norman Vincent Peale published it in 1952, and it stayed on the bestseller lists for years. It is one of the most widely sold books in American publishing history. The title is an argument: that thinking has power, and that the direction of the thinking determines what follows.

Sunday rest

Die Sonn- und Feiertagsruhe. Section 9 of the Working Hours Act prohibits work on Sundays and public holidays as a general rule, with exceptions for healthcare, transport, hospitality, emergency services and media. The protection of Sunday is not a workplace policy. It is a general prohibition with specific carve-outs, and the carve-outs have to be justified.

Dignity of Work

About the dignity of work and the rights of workers the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops writes:

„The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected: the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.“