sin – St. Stephen Presbyterian Church

Sin: Off Target

by revfritz
02/18/2015

Off Target

by Rev. Dr. Fritz Ritsch

Ash Wednesday 2015

2 Corinthians 5: 20b-6:10

I’ve only shot a firearm once, when I was pastor of my first church in Virginia. It was not AT one of my parishioners, but WITH one: one of my deacons, Don Herring, was a retired Navy firearms instructor. He took me out to his private firing range out in the woods to fire a musket–Don and his wife were big Civil War re-enactors as well. He showed me the complicated loading process, which involved ramming the powder, wadding, and ball in exactly right, and in the right order. He pointed out that to this day they’re finding old muskets on Civil War battlefields loaded with unfired balls stacked up on top of one another, from panicked troopers loading their muskets incorrectly.Read More »Sin: Off Target

Lenten Bible Study: Am I Going to Hell?

by revfritz
02/09/2015

Lenten Bible Study: Am I Going to Hell? Someplace along the way, somebody told you something about you makes you unredeemable in the eyes of… Read More »Lenten Bible Study: Am I Going to Hell?

“Stand Your Ground” And The Problem of Sin

by revfritz
12/08/2012

Bloodied But Unjustified

The defense has released photos of George Zimmerman with a smashed and bloody broken nose. Maybe Trayvon Martin hit him. Maybe Zimmerman can claim self-defense.Read More »“Stand Your Ground” And The Problem of Sin

A Personal Journey, 6: Paul the Progressive

by revfritz
08/18/2012

What’s A Christian, Anyway?

My sophomore year in college, I was having issues with the leadership of Inter-Varsity, the fellowship group, of which I was an officer, and which I would soon leave. I started to feel the leaders were too wedded to rules and regulations at the cost of the Gospel. I’d been challenged by a fraternity president when I’d accidentally said, in line with our IVCF philosophy, that “Christians and fraternity guys share some common goals.” He’d been incensed. “I’m a Christian,” he said, “and a fraternity guy. Who are you to make that distinction?” The criticism had stung.