Friday, February 3, 2023

There is a great need to understand the vital relationships in Scripture and Christian theology regarding THE singular call, bestowing grace for people becoming baptized children of God leading to a life marked by a living faith; and furthermore, how this life relates to the several and even many calls (plural) in which the Christian serves the neighbor in the world. Moreover, these take place in specific arenas ordered by God, namely, the Family, the Church, and the State. These estates are complementary and the Christian lives in all three 24/7. In addition, the spiritual estate or the estate of love -- not so much a fourth estate, but the chief, overarching estate -- runs through them all. Every Christian is a priest of God serving the neighbor in love in each unique context of family, church, and state. Love is manifest differently in each estate, but in every case the neighbor is helped and served.

This past weekend I sent the finished manuscript to Concordia Publishing House of my upcoming book to be published this year, 2023.