Wow! What an eye-catching cover on the February 2011 issue of The Lutheran Witness! I was immediately drawn to open the magazine and scan the pages. Each article caught my interest in the way it was presented. The whole format is very inviting! Thank you for making the changes that have brought “new life” to
by Rev. Dr. Jerald C. Joersz Q: In 2 Cor. 12:7, Paul mentions that he was given a “thorn in the flesh,” a“messenger of Satan” sent to “torment” him. Do we know what Paul’s ailment was? A: Stretching all the way back to the second-century church father Tertullian—who thought Paul suffered from headaches— there has
Thank you for the February issue of The Lutheran Witness! It is a great issue for parents, for families and for grandparents in today’s world, but, even better, for Lutheran families. Thank you for sound doctrine. Keep up the good work, and continue to give us what we need, not what we think we want!
by Rev. Terry Cripe When was the last time you gathered with family and friends to celebrate the Russian Revolution or the signing of the Magna Carta? Those events, along with many others, don’t seem to have much relevance for most of us. But what about Easter? Christians don’t gather on that day simply to
Rev. Roberts (February) threw out the bogeyman that new technology may threaten to make our worship entertainment. The dictionary says that to entertain is “to interest, to please, or to amuse.” The antonym for entertain is “to bore.” Personally, I lean more to the entertainment side myself. Dr. Roland Schutz Benton, Ark. Read More
by Rev. Dr. Greg Wismar The date makes the difference. That simple observation is true for many situations, especially so for annual calendar celebrations. It is not always so great to have a special day near a bigger special date. People who have birthdays within a week or three of Christmas (like me) know that
My wife and I read with much interest the article by Derek Roberts. We agree with Pastor Roberts that the danger in technology is focusing on the medium instead of the message. Traditional worship, we feel, separates us from the things of this world and focuses on the joy of worshiping our Lord and Savior,
by Rev. Kevin Vogts Some theologians, ancient and modern, have suggested that Christ’s resurrection was not physical, but only either symbolic or spiritual. Sadly, in many church bodies today, this view is not only tolerated but, in some cases, even predominant. Already in the New Testament era, there were false teachers at Corinth casting doubt
I read with great interest Rev. Derek Roberts’ story, but wanted to add one question to the top of his “Technology Litmus Test.” I think that the first question would be more like, “Why not?” If we have access to media and technology that will allow others hear the message of Jesus in a myriad
A commentary by Rev. William Weedon on life, death, Lent and Japan.
by Adriane Dorr If Christ has not been raised, The Lutheran Witness has no value. It has nothing to offer, nothing to which your faith can cling, nothing that can tell of you of Christ’s humiliation and death on your behalf. But if Christ has been raised, if Satan has lost and his head has
I read with great interest the article “Being a Christian in a High-tech World” (February). I disagree that the church is necessarily “borderline archaic” in terms of technology and media when we Lutherans pride ourselves on using new media first. Surely we can do better in today’s setting than to encourage our congregations to be