The LCMS

To the Reader – February 2011

by Adriane Dorr Babies born in 2011 will never know a time without dot-coms and dot-orgs. They won’t send faxes. They won’t use landlines. They probably won’t even know how to load film into a camera. So while Solomon likely didn’t have smart phones and mobile devices in mind when he wrote, “There is nothing

Angry with God

Q. Is it a sin to be angry with God? © iStockPhoto.comA:  An early twentieth-century post-World War I German novel tells the story of a man whose dreams were dashed in later life. He ended his days in humiliation and bitterness, “railing against the world, against authority, and against God.” Anger against God is not

A Heavenly Reunion

Who was not moved by the rescue of the 33 miners in Chile? Imagine being trapped under tons of stone,unable to see the sun for 70 days. Compared to heaven, life here on earth is not that much different than living in underground darkness. We get used to the darkness of this world. It begins to seem normal over time, but it’s not. God has prepared a better place for us.

The Accordion Month!

by Rev. Greg Wismar February is the accordion month on the calendar of the Church Year. In some years like A.D. 2011, when Easter is late on the calendar, the entire month of February is part of the season of Epiphany. Since Easter is not coming until April 24 this year, there are eight Sundays

New insights

I enjoy immensely the scriptural articles in The Lutheran Witness. Keep the biblical-type topics (with an author’s explanation of the topic) coming. They give new insights on the passages used from different viewpoints than the ones you have. This makes them so beautiful and so educational. Dick Fose Marietta, Ga.   Read More Letters to

The Final Crescendo

by Rev. Jared Melius The Transfiguration of Our Lord is the final crescendo of the season of Epiphany before the Church’s abrupt descent into Ash Wednesday and Lent. The earthly event is remembered as the greatest manifestation of our Lord’s glory while yet in His state of humiliation. Nevertheless, the Lord still has His greatest

A breath of fresh air

President Harrison’s article “Life Together: Confession or Witness?’” (Dec. 2010) was a breath of fresh air! I’ve been in the ministry for 44 years, 34 years as a parish pastor, nine years as a district president, now retired and serving a part-time hospital chaplaincy for the district, and throughout this time, I’ve heard this struggle

The View from Here: The Wind Is Never Neutral

by Rev. Jonathan Fisk “The Church needs get with the times or die.”   “If we don’t meet people where they are, then mission won’t happen.” “Technology is the heart language of the next generation.” Have you ever heard statements like these?  They can be powerful when spoken by well-meaning people, especially when there really is

God’s love and mercy

To elaborate on President Harrison’s great article on the simultaneity of confession and witness, I would also say that the motive behind each of these is equally important. One cannot have confession without witness, but one cannot have either without love and mercy. In fact, the reason witness and confession exist is for the sake

Lutheran Tape Ministry

by Adriane Dorr While CDs and cassettes may seem out-of-date and old-fashioned next to MP3s and iTunes channels, one Lutheran organization hasn’t ruled them out just yet. In 1972, Rev. Fred Naumann had an idea: use technology to make the pastor’s voice portable. Like the circuit riders of previous centuries, he imagined creating a unique

Physical vs. spiritual disease

I do not wish in any way to quarrel with my friend Rev. John Nunes with regard to the importance of the Lutheran Malaria Initiative. However, one sobering correction ought to be made with regard to his contention that, “Malaria is the number one killer of children globally.” Recent World Health Organization statistics reveal that

Scroll to Top