I just read “Uncovering History,” the June/July Lutheran Witness article about Rev. Franz Julius Biltz and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Concordia, Mo. In July, our granddaughter, Layla Denine Oetting, was baptized at St. Paul’s, becoming the sixth consecutive generation of Oettings to be baptized there. Layla’s great-great-great-great grandparents, Christian and Marie Knigge Oetting, homesteaded
All Kinds of Churches to Reach All Kinds of People.
by Dr. Leslie (Jack) Fyans Earlier this summer, the news was filled with stories about the deaths of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. The international attention this generated was astounding, even for a former Jackson fan like me! I have compassion for the loved ones of these celebrities, but I wonder how we can help
Church planting is just one facet of the Synod’s worldwide evangelism effort known as “Ablaze!”
An Errant Quest A badly bruised knight returned to the castle of his lord after a long and arduous quest. He was a mess. His armor was dented, his helmet askew, his face scarred, and his lance broken. His horse limped, and the knight himself listed slightly in the saddle. His lord saw him coming
Inspired by a musical, a group of Indiana women revive a tradition.
by Rev. Thomas E. Engel Imagine it is 1840. Like many others, you have escaped a famine or a revolution in Europe. You and your family are now immigrants in New York, and you live in a cramped apartment. The summer is hot, the city is dirty, and it stinks from overcrowding. You are working
The greatest miracle in Joshua’s life occurred just two weeks after his birth, when the Holy Spirit called Joshua to be His child through the waters of Holy Baptism.
I cannot help but thank God for blessing us with so many individuals who love the Lord Jesus and who are passionately committed to the proclamation of the Gospel.
I enjoyed “Uncovering History,” your June/July Lutheran Witness article about Pastor Biltz. I always appreciate your historical articles. Perhaps you could provide a little more information about Pastor Biltz’s family. It was interesting that Biltz’s daughter married into the Walther family. Does Biltz have any descendants? Did he have other children? The gravestone you pictured
I have a few comments regarding The Shack and the article by Rev. Steven Borst in the May Lutheran Witness. Even though, as Pastor Borst says, the book has some good points, my concern is its vicious attacks on Orthodox theology and the anti-church and misleading messages the book portrays. Many people may read this
I enjoyed the articles on our seminaries and our seminarians in the May issue, and I would like to relate the interesting story behind one seminarian, now a vicar: Mark Larson. The story: Mark was an executive at a nuclear power plant, his wife, Debbie, using her MBA, their two children out of school and