On April 26th, 1518 in the city of Heidelberg a debate occurred between two Augustinian monks. Formal disputations regarding St. Augustine and St. Paul at meetings of the Augustinian Order was not unusual, but this time the headliner was none other than the newly famous Martin Luther of Wittenberg University. His 95 Theses on Indulgences a mere 6 months prior had caused a furor all over Europe and now he was going to be given a podium to speak. He did not disappoint.
The Heidelberg Disputation is a time capsule of Martin Luther’s theology as it is tried in the fires of controversy. In it one can see the beginnings of the unveiling of the blinding light of Law and Gospel, one can also see the seeds of his arguments in Bondage of the Will. In this Disputation one can see how the theology of glory, man’s philosophy and desire to climb the ladder of moralism, is contrasted against the theology of the cross, the foolishness of Christ and Him crucified for sinners.
Please join Lutheran Essentials on April 11th, 2018 at 7pm as we celebrate the 500th anniversary of this event by studying the Heidelberg Disputation. As part of our study we will also meditate on the true theology of the cross with the full hymn “On My Heart Imprint Your Image”. We hope you will be able to join us. If you have any questions please talk to pastor, the elders, or Paul Edmon.
Dear First Lutheran Church of Boston,
I just now saw your website and learned of your April 11 study of the Heidelberg Disputation. I appreciate the summary you gave of the disputation… and I hope the study went well. Thank you for your faithfulness to and your joy over the disputation’s message and place in Reformation history.
May God abundantly bless us by writing the message of the Heidelberg Disputation increasingly on our hearts. It is a precious document.