Volume 9, Number 5
Professor Arnold Koelpin writes on the importance of Totaliter with support from Luther. Other articles include an encouragement to vary the names we use for God when we preach, and an evaluation of the proper use of pause.
Totaliter
What does this strange word have to do with preaching the Word? Everything. Totaliter, a lively word in past Christian literature, simply means totally, entirely, wholly, completely. It means 100% — not 90% here and 10% there. The opposite of totaliter is partial or fragmentary. The theological application of this single word has an impact on our preaching, practice, and understanding of the Scriptures. Without the wholeness inherent in our nature (totally sinful from conception), in the nature of God (altogether holy, powerful, righteous, and true), and in the person of Christ (fully human and divine), Christianity becomes another religion among the works-religions of the world. . . .