2/24/26 - From the Wittenberg Door News Desk
What's the Point of the "Door"?
I wish I fielded this question more often than I do. When people hear about Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry, aside from spelling "Wittenberg" incorrectly, they are often focused on the location, where Martin Luther was used by God to kick off much of the Reformation.
But what's the point of the door itself? In medieval Europe, and at many other places and times, the door of a church was regularly used as a place to post announcements. Is there going to be a special service? A festival? A concert, or a debate? Because the local church was a place nearly everybody would go, and certainly was at a prominent location in a community, the main entrance door also served as a bulletin board.
On October 31, 1517, Dr. Martin Luther posted 95 topics for debate, hoping to encourage some lively discussion on November 1, a civil and religious holiday. As it turned out, the topics didn't catch on for that year's All Saints' Day festival. They, did, however, spark eventual discussion, particularly regarding whether it was appropriate to charge money for forgiveness. The discussion also, incidentally, led to Luther's removal from his orders as an Augustinian monk and from the Roman priesthood.
When we founded Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry, the point of the door was to signify that there are plenty of things to discuss and debate in this world. Free and fair discussion has been central to the flourishing of Christianity, as well as to the development of Western civilization.
It's interesting to me that frequently in the New Testament, though many of our translations of the text favor language about "preaching" or "teaching," the language often used for public discourse is more closely related to that of having a dispute or a reasoned discussion. For that matter, the terminology John uses at the start of his Gospel refers to God the Son as the "logos" of God. That's often translated as "word" but it is a term frequently used for an argument or a reasoned speech. For that matter, it's the word used for a financial statistical report.
There's something inherently reasonable about the Christian faith. And there are particular ways that a Christian understanding of the world informs culture, political, economic, and philosophical discussions, as well as the pursuits we would refer to as "hard science." In the end, all of our investigation involves asking questions of the world around us. That questioning, as well as our understanding of the answers to the questions, is rightly informed by our understanding of what we have known beforehand. God's Word in Scripture, and God's actions in history are crucial to understanding the world that we believe is created by God.
So we ask questions. We need to put items for debate and discussion up on that Wittenberg Door. Let's pursue truth together.
By the way, the image of the door is a photo by Gary Todd, 2001, and is in public domain. Notice the bronze doors are engraved with Luther's 95 Theses. The original wooden doors burned in the 1700s.
While I've got you here, I'll remind you that all the work of Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry is funded by the generosity of contributors like yourself. To keep Christ-centered discussion going on campus, please make a one-time gift and consider regular support.
What's the Point of the "Door"?
I wish I fielded this question more often than I do. When people hear about Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry, aside from spelling "Wittenberg" incorrectly, they are often focused on the location, where Martin Luther was used by God to kick off much of the Reformation.
But what's the point of the door itself? In medieval Europe, and at many other places and times, the door of a church was regularly used as a place to post announcements. Is there going to be a special service? A festival? A concert, or a debate? Because the local church was a place nearly everybody would go, and certainly was at a prominent location in a community, the main entrance door also served as a bulletin board.
On October 31, 1517, Dr. Martin Luther posted 95 topics for debate, hoping to encourage some lively discussion on November 1, a civil and religious holiday. As it turned out, the topics didn't catch on for that year's All Saints' Day festival. They, did, however, spark eventual discussion, particularly regarding whether it was appropriate to charge money for forgiveness. The discussion also, incidentally, led to Luther's removal from his orders as an Augustinian monk and from the Roman priesthood.
When we founded Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry, the point of the door was to signify that there are plenty of things to discuss and debate in this world. Free and fair discussion has been central to the flourishing of Christianity, as well as to the development of Western civilization.
It's interesting to me that frequently in the New Testament, though many of our translations of the text favor language about "preaching" or "teaching," the language often used for public discourse is more closely related to that of having a dispute or a reasoned discussion. For that matter, the terminology John uses at the start of his Gospel refers to God the Son as the "logos" of God. That's often translated as "word" but it is a term frequently used for an argument or a reasoned speech. For that matter, it's the word used for a financial statistical report.
There's something inherently reasonable about the Christian faith. And there are particular ways that a Christian understanding of the world informs culture, political, economic, and philosophical discussions, as well as the pursuits we would refer to as "hard science." In the end, all of our investigation involves asking questions of the world around us. That questioning, as well as our understanding of the answers to the questions, is rightly informed by our understanding of what we have known beforehand. God's Word in Scripture, and God's actions in history are crucial to understanding the world that we believe is created by God.
So we ask questions. We need to put items for debate and discussion up on that Wittenberg Door. Let's pursue truth together.
By the way, the image of the door is a photo by Gary Todd, 2001, and is in public domain. Notice the bronze doors are engraved with Luther's 95 Theses. The original wooden doors burned in the 1700s.
While I've got you here, I'll remind you that all the work of Wittenberg Door Campus Ministry is funded by the generosity of contributors like yourself. To keep Christ-centered discussion going on campus, please make a one-time gift and consider regular support.
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