About

Congratulations!  You've found the home of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Holden, MA, and Christ Lutheran Church in West Boylston, MA's online Bible study.  Immanuel and Christ are congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, a progressive Christian denomination centered in Jesus Christ.

But you don't have to be a member of our congregation or even Lutheran to be part of our study.  Pastor Aaron tries to post an entry in our study every week on Monday afternoon.  All are welcome to read, absorb, think critically, and comment.  The goal is, on the one hand, to get deep into the nitty-gritty of the scriptures, exploring problems the Bible presents to us with a rational, and critical, lens.  On the other hand, our goal is not academic, but is intended to be a real exploration of who God is, what his relationship is with us, and how we can be better disciples of Jesus Christ.

Starting April 2016, we've been looking into the Twelve Minor Prophets--those little books at the end of the Old Testament that Christianity often forgets.  Hop in anywhere you like!

Do understand that we are a form of Christianity that holds the Bible in high esteem as the primary sourcebook for our religion, that honors the Bible because it first and foremost reveals Jesus Christ to us, but that understands it was written by human hands, and is not perfect, inerrant, or infallible.  We approach the Bible rationally with a myriad of critical tools.  So-called literalist readings of the Christian scriptures may be right for you, but if so, then perhaps this particular study is not.  We wish you God's peace as you seek God's Word in a place better suited to your hearing.

On the other hand, if you don't have a whole lot of background in studying the scriptures, and you come to this study without a whole lot of knowledge, that's totally okay!  We aim to be accessible, and if there are things that don't seem to make a lot of sense to you, don't be embarrassed at that.  Do feel free to ask questions or say you don't understand.  Comments on this website are moderated, which means Pastor Aaron reads them before they get published.  So if you have something you're embarrassed to ask in public, say so, and Pastor Aaron will find a way to address it without publishing your comment or revealing your identity.

Finally, anonymous comments are allowed.  Hurtful, belittling, or abusive comments, or comments that debase other readers', Pastor Aaron's, or the progressive Church's perspective are not allowed.  Web trolls won't be baited; they will be ignored.  Pastor Aaron reads all comments before they are posted to the live website, and is the final decision-maker about their eventual posting.  The truth is, if something you've said doesn't make it online, chances are that he just hasn't gotten to it yet.  But it time goes by and you haven't heard from him, and want to know what happened to your comments, don't be afraid to ask.

All the material on this blog, including the study materials, Bible translation, questions for thought, and so on, are © 2016 by Aaron Decker, unless otherwise noted.  All rights reserved.