Day 1

Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences Commonly Known as
The 95 Theses
by Dr. Martin Luther

Out of love and concern for the truth, and with the object of eliciting it, the following heads will be the subject of a public discussion at Wittenberg under the presidency of the reverend father, Martin Luther, Augustinian, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and duly appointed Lecturer on these subjects in that place. He requests that whoever cannot be present personally to debate the matter orally will do so in absence in writing.

When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said "Repent," He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.
The word cannot be properly understood as referring to the sacrament of penance, i.e. confession and satisfaction, as administered by the clergy.
Yet its meaning is not restricted to repentance in one's heart; for such repentance is null unless it produces outward signs in various mortifications of the flesh.

Comments on Luther's Theses

Scholars agree that Luther (and the Protestant Reformation) changed the Western World. Luther's doctrine of "Justification by Faith" shook the entire Christian Church (at that time the Roman Catholic Church). We're going to be challenging the modern protestant doctrine of "Justification by Faith" in our New Theses. There may be a difference between the "modern" doctrine of "Justification by Faith" and Luther's doctrine. There may be a difference between the "modern" doctrine of "Justification by Faith" and that held by some defenders of a doctrine of "Justification by Faith," and different from that which might be held by one of the more than 30,000 Protestant denominations. There are a zillion definitions of "Justification by Faith."

It would be nice if all these Protestants were at least dedicated to making sure that their definition was the Biblical one. "Semper Reformanda" -- always reforming. Sometimes we get stuck on our own definition, and we stop reforming; we stop growing; we stop being Bereans (Acts 17:11).

So make a resolution right now: dedicating yourself to begin the journey to always making sure your understanding of Justification is the Biblical view: "semper reformanda."

What is "Justification?"

"Justification" means standing before God and being given a verdict of "just," or "not guilty."

Too many Americans don't even think about the fact that God is our Judge. Certainly they don't want to imagine God saying to them "Guilty!" and sending them off to the cosmic hoosgow.

So the most popular definition of "Justification by Faith" is, "If I believe that I'm saved, I will be." "All I have to do is believe."

The first three of Luther's 95 Theses contradict the modern doctrine of "Justification by Faith" held by many Protestants.

What is "Repentance?"

Most Americans don't know what "repentance" is. They probably don't know what the Bible says about justification.

During our year-long program, we'll be studying the Westminster Standards, including their discussion of "repentance." Preview:

The New 95 Theses

As I explain elsewhere, these New 95 Theses constitute a survey of the Bible, going through in chronological order. Chronologically and theologically, I'm putting John chapter 1:1 ahead of Genesis 1: "In the beginning was the Word."

Many don't believe that such a claim is true; they say, "I don't believe it's true that Christ is divine, and I don't believe it's true that the Bible is divine. But that's a completely different issue from the question, "What does the Bible claim?" Does the Bible claim (whether falsely or truthfully) that Christ is divine?

As we go through the Bible in these 95 Theses, I ask the unbelieving reader to suspend disbelief in order to accurately understand the claims made by the Bible. Just ask, "What is this book trying to assert," rather than "Is it true?"

If you believe that the Bible claims that priests have a right to molest you, you will never agree that the Bible is true. And well you shouldn't. Understanding what the Bible really claims will make it easier for you to accept it as divine and true, I believe.

The Bible is a story. If you want to say it's a "fairy tale," that's fine for now, as long as you make an honest effort to understand the plot of the fairy tale. Nobody believes that Aesop's Fables are literally and historically true, but there is still a literary science to understanding their moral message.

If millions of Christians believe that the Bible claims that George Bush has a divine right to declare martial law and suspend the Constitution, it's in your own interest to be able to convince them that the Bible makes no such claim. You can believe that the Bible is a fairy tale, and that the world is just a heap of random chemicals, and all meaning is illusion, but you may live longer if you can help me persuade millions of Christians that the Bible is libertarian in its moral message.

The Christmas Conspiracy

The Christmas Conspiracy is a conspiracy to bring about the fulfillment of the "Vine & Fig Tree" prophecy of the Old Testament Prophet Micah. This prophecy is not usually thought of as a "Christmas" prophecy, but we believe it nicely sums up "the real meaning" of Christmas.

Your Questions

Answers will be posted here.
Questions will be discussed in our next
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The Year-Long Program

You're enrolled in a 95-day program. There are other programs that last an entire year. Here is one:

Welcome to the 95 Days of Christmas