Today is the birthday of Martin Luther, born in 1483, and so it seemed appropriate to choose of the hymns he wrote as the poem for this week. Luther’s poetry – for what are lyrics but poetry set to music – changed the course of cultural history in the West as much as almost anything else...
Martin Luther Meets MTV
posted by DJL
Today, in case you missed it, is Reformation Day. Yes, yes, I know, it’s also Halloween, and while this obviously figures larger in the popular consciousness than Reformation Day – I see no Reformation-themed decorations in the lawns of our neighborhood! – I’d argue that Reformation Day is still more influential. So, a few quick facts and then a fun video to enhance your celebration. 🙂 Did you know… …That Luther posted his theses in part because of a concern that the vast majority of Christians buying indulgences were being exploited by the wealthy. Theses 88: “Why does the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the...
Luther on Lutherans
posted by DJL
In case we might be wondering whether denominations are one of those things that “have always been this way,” I thought it might be interesting to consider what one of the original reformers had to say about the notion of dividing into named groups: I ask that people make no...
Greener Pastures
posted by DJL
Seth Godin recently pointed me to the following pictograph that depicts the difference between the way people think professional photographers spend their time and the way they actually do. (Godin, in turn, found it from SwissMiss, who found it on a photography blog, and so on. That’s the...