1517

Theology of the Cross vs. Theologies of Glory...What is the Difference?

Writing to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul wrote, "I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." What did he mean by this?

Christ Crucified on the Cross Tells Us What We Need to Know About God and His Saving Work.

For Paul, Christ crucified was not simply to be a part of the message. It was the whole and only message for the Church of Christ. Echoing Paul, Luther proclaimed early in his career as a reformer that “the cross is our theology.” Our christian lives are held in tension between the now and the 'not-yet.' Only in Glory shall we experience what it is like to be free from all the effects of sin and evil and not a day before.

What has plagued the Church through the ages has been attractive yet false promises that if believers will just please God more in certain prescribed ways, he will grant experiences of glory right now. Luther called these false 'Theologies of Glory.'

Join Dr. Steven A. Hein–Director of the Concordia Institute for Christian Studies and author of the 1517 Publishing book, The Christian Life: Cross or Glory?–as he explores these competing theologies and how they apply to the Christian life.

Topics Covered in the Course

  • Theology of the Cross: What is it? (Introduction)
  • Baptism Connects Us to The Cross
  • Theology of the Cross vs. Glory: What's the Difference?
  • Once you Get Saved, Then What?
  • Spiritual Warfare and Vocation

Ready to Get Started?

This course contains six sessions, each containing a video lesson, course notes, and a quiz. You are also invited to join the discussion throughout the course as you watch these videos. You can complete this course at your own pace. So we encourage you to work through it at whatever pace is most comfortable for you. At the end, you will receive a 'Course Completion Certificate' via email. 

Professor

Steven A. Hein

Dr. Steven A. Hein is Director of the Concordia Institute for Christian Studies, offering auxiliary educational services to Christian gatherings across the country and Lutheran Churches in West Africa. He is a professor of theology at the Institute of Lutheran Theology, a Distinguished Senior Fellow at 1517, and the author of Christian Life: Cross or Glory? (1517), You Can Give an Answer: A Study in Christian Apologetics (1517), and many scholarly articles.

 

Curriculum

The Theology of the Cross – What is it, and Why is it So Unpopular?
Theology of the Cross: Baptism Joins Us to the Cross of Christ – For Life
The Theology of the Cross / Theologies of Glory: What’s the Difference?
Once you get saved, then what? Growing and Maturing as New Creation in Christ
Spiritual Warfare: The War Within and Without
Vocation - Sacrificial Service to Christ through the Needs of the Neighbor
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