The Theology of Glory vs The Theology of the Cross

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. -- 1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV) What is your proudest achievement? What would you want to let everyone know about you? Would it be a project you worked on? Or an athletic achievement? Or some problem you solved? Or something you invented? We are taught from a young age to achieve and be proud of it. We wear it as our identity. What if what you were known for was a notorious event? What if instead of pride, your name was associated with shame? How would you feel? This week we continue our series looking into the Reformation through the life and theology of Luther. One of the key ideas he taught was how God was revealed, not what he called the 'theology of glory' but in 'the theology of the cross'. This important distinction changes our perspective on both God and ourselves. We will take a look into 1 Corinthians 1, where Paul lays out a similar explanation of God's plans. Take a look there before Sunday. Luther was far from a perfect man. In fact, many of his attributes and sins are obvious and detestable. I encourage you to look at this thoughtful article about one of the worst issues, his antisemitism.