Anyone at all enthused by our classical, Christian heritage–theology, philosophy, history, ethics, aesthetics, poetry, mythology–must read all three parts of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. And, your perusal of just Inferno in high school doesn’t count.
I walked a dark and lonesome road one night, / And sharp temptation whispered in my ear, / “You see the fire yonder, burning bright? / Its warmth is sweet—go nearer, have no fear.”
By far the most difficult theological question that Milton wrestles with throughout this epic is the problem of evil. Why did God permit the fall to occur?
The opportunity before us is great. Catholics, Orthodox, and Evangelicals have already shown what is possible when theological depth is paired with professional excellence. Lutherans are called to do no less.
I have stayed here in my place for the sake of the people. I have really kind and good people in my congregation, but there are also those who make life hard for me (but more of that later), and I wanted to maintain the good reputation that I had received. I wanted to presume to be nothing but a good shepherd.
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. (2 Cor. 4:8–10).
Our best days are ahead! Onward!