Even those of us who emphasize Means of Grace theology can slip into our own “Lutheran-flavored” semiotics if we are not vigilant. Here are some danger zones that confessional Lutherans can fall into: 1. Liturgical Semiotics Pattern: Treating the liturgy as a sign of our Lutheran identity more than as the vehicle of the Word. Example: Speaking or singing the right words, wearing the right vestments, or following the right rubrics, but valuing them mainly as markers of being authentically Lutheran. Danger: The liturgy becomes a cultural semiotic system instead…
Read MoreDay: September 24, 2025
Semiotics vs. the Word as Means of Grace: A Lutheran Perspective
Introduction In a recent YouTube discussion between Pastor Brian Wolfmüller and Dr. Greg Schulz, the two explored the legacy of Seminex and its long-term effect on the Lutheran Church. You can watch the conversation here: Wolfmüller & Schulz on Seminex and Language. Their central claim is both simple and profound: the deepest challenge facing the Church today is not merely about particular doctrines but about language itself. When Scripture is treated as a set of flexible symbols (semiotics) rather than as the living Word of God that does what it…
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