According To Luke

According to Luke is the official blog of Kingstone Press. New posts every Tuesday at 7 PM EST.

Luke 1:28-33 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail ( a greeting; “rejoice” or “greetings” ), thou that art highly favoured ( perfect passive participle — “graciously accepted” or “made the object of grace”— Grace = unmerited/unearned favor ); the Lord is with thee ( divine presence and blessing ): blessed art thou among women ( she is honored uniquely — cf. Judges 5:24; Luke 1:42 ). 29 And when she saw him , she was troubled ( disturbed; perplexed — not at th

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.” — Hebrews 10:22 The verb used in this passage is the Greek word ῥαντίζω ( rhantizō ), meaning to sprinkle . The imagery clearly reflects the purification rites of the Old Testament, in which blood was applied in drops as part of ceremonial cleansing. If someone were to argue that this word should be expanded to include meanings such as to bathe, to immerse,

Lutheranism ( out of Roman Catholicism ) — Martin Luther — 1517 (95 Theses) Zwinglianism / Swiss Reformed ( out of Roman Catholicism ) — Ulrich Zwingli — 1519 (Zurich reform begins) Anglicanism ( out of Roman Catholicism ) — Henry VIII — 1534 (Act of Supremacy) Reformed Church ( out of Roman Catholicism ) — John Calvin — 1536 (Institutes published) / 1541 (Geneva) Presbyterianism  ( out of Reformed Church/Calvin ) — John Knox — 1560 (Church of Scotland) Congregationalism

There is something about the present moment in online theological discourse that should trouble anyone who cares about truth. The internet has always been a breeding ground for unmerited confidence untethered from accountability, but the rise of AI has taken the problem to a new level entirely. Any man with a browser and a low moral compass can now generate what looks like a carefully researched theological argument in seconds — without having spent any time in the Scriptures

The New Testament describes the Lord’s Supper with two distinct concepts: Thanksgiving and Remembrance. Christ first gives thanks, and then he commands the church to perform a memorial. Yet over the course of patristic and medieval theology these categories were gradually reversed — and with them, the very vocabulary used to describe the rite was transformed in ways that have shaped every subsequent controversy over the Supper down to the present day. ——— In Scripture : ∙ E

The Fifth Lateran Council (1512–1517), under Pope Julius II and Pope Leo X, issued decrees that formally regulated both preaching and publication. Session 11 (19 December 1516): Regulation of Preaching Session 11 states: “We command all who undertake this task of preaching… to preach and expound the gospel truth and holy scripture in accordance with the exposition, interpretation and commentaries that the Church or long use has approved and has accepted for teaching until now

Core Eschatological Terms Eschatology — The theological study of the “last things.” Apocalypse — A revelation or unveiling; often associated with prophetic disclosure of divine mysteries. Parousia — Greek term meaning “presence” or “coming,” used in the New Testament for Christ’s return. Rapture — From the Latin raptura (from rapio, “to seize or catch up”), referring to the catching up of believers described in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. In many modern systems—particularly...

The question of whether Christians may adopt or reinterpret symbols that originated in pagan religious contexts has been discussed at various points throughout history. Some have argued that such symbols can be redefined and used to express Christian truth, while others have warned that it is in violation of the second commandment. The following sources document a line of interpretation that has received relatively little attention in contemporary discussions of Christian sym

Luke 1:24-27 24 And after those days ( some time later; unspecified ) his wife Elisabeth conceived ( miraculous conception in old age — fulfillment of the angel’s message ), and hid herself ( withdrew; remained in seclusion — reasons may include reverence, humility, or caution ) five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me ( the Lord is the one acting; acknowledges His intervention ) in the days wherein he looked on me ( God’s gracious attention; cf. Gen. 29:32

OR, The Synodus Attrebatensis of 1025 AD: A Record of True Christianity In 1025 AD, Bishop Gerard of Cambrai convened a synod at Arras to examine a group of Christians travelling from Italy, teaching and living according to what they described as pure evangelical and apostolic doctrine. Their teacher was a man named Gundulfi. What we know of these believers comes entirely from their enemies — Gerard himself recorded the proceedings — and yet even through that hostile lens, th

“I also took from Tyconius — once a Donatist heretic — whatever passages agreed with sound sense. From what was worth keeping, I cut out the excess, hacked away what was out of place, smoothed over what was rough, and brought the whole thing under Catholic control. For I found a great deal in his work that was useless, inappropriate, and flatly contrary to true doctrine — so much so that he had deliberately seized on damaging passages, driven by the wickedness of his own hear

“Infants properly may lack faith of their own, and yet are baptized — this is rejected by those the Catholics brand as reprobate: Hincmanus of Laon, Berengarius, the Petrobrusians, the Henricians, the Pseudo-Apostolics, the Cathars, the Albigensians, Peter John, the Lollards, Vnicleus, Balthasar of Piedmont, Thomas Muntzer, Michael Servetus, and others. These groups stood in open defiance of the Apostolic Constitutions, which command: ‘Baptize your infant children, and raise

Source: Vat. Lat. MS. 4030, pp. XIIIv-XVIIv, Vatican Apostolic Library, Diocese of Pamiers, Inquisition of Jacques Fournier, Bishop of Pamiers, 1318–1325. A. D. 1319-1320 The following testimony is preserved in the Vatican Library and records the interrogations of Raymond de la Côte, a Waldensian deacon tried during the Inquisition of Bishop Jacques Fournier (later Pope Benedict XII). ——— I. Errors Against the Roman Church [The formal charge list extracted from Raymond’s inte

I. Cosmological Arguments (From Causation / Contingency / Motion) 1. The Aristotelian Argument from Motion: Syllogism 1. Whatever is moved is moved by another. 2. An infinite regress of movers is impossible. 3. Therefore, there must be a first unmoved mover. 4. This unmoved mover is God. Form • All moved things have a mover. • Regress of movers cannot be infinite. • Therefore, a first unmoved mover exists. 2. The Argument from Efficient Causation: 1. E

Luke 1:20-23 20 And, behold ( attention word; draws focus ), thou shalt be dumb ( mute ), and not able to speak ( emphasizes the judgment ), until the day that these things ( the promised events ) shall be performed ( fulfilled; come to pass ), because thou believest not ( unbelief is the reason for chastisement ) my words ( the angel’s message, which is God’s word ), which shall be fulfilled ( certainty despite doubt ) in their season ( at the appointed time ). 21 And the

The question is not morbid. It is theological. Every generation inherits questions it did not ask. This is one of them. As cremation has become statistically common—now chosen more often than burial in the United States—Christians find themselves making decisions about death with little theological guidance and considerable cultural pressure. Funeral homes offer packages. Families want simplicity. Costs are real. But beneath these practical considerations lies a deeper questi

In Galatians 3:24, Paul writes: “ Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ” This single verse contains a world of truth about the purpose of God’s law. Many today misunderstand the law as a set of arbitrary rules designed to restrict our freedom, but Paul presents it as a mirror, a loving guide, and a schoolmaster. Its ultimate purpose is to lead us to Christ, showing us that no one can earn righteousness on their o

Luke 1:18-19 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby ( by what means; asking for a sign or proof ) shall I know this? ( demanding confirmation; contrasts with Mary’s more believing question in v. 34 ) for I am an old man ( past natural age for fatherhood ), and my wife well stricken in years ( a respectful way of saying she is aged and beyond childbearing — cf. Gen. 18:11 ). 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel ( means “God is my strength”; same ange

“Now the Jew's feast of tabernacles was at hand.” (John 7:2) “Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.” (John 7:14) The Gospel according to John often records Jesus speaking at precise moments—moments loaded with meaning. Few scenes illustrate this better than Jesus’ words about water and light during the Feast of Tabernacles (also called the Feast of Booths). These statements are not random metaphors. They are deliberately spoken into t